lves from the group huddled together and went as they
were bid, while Nellie, the mustang, and other little ones, filed off
to the opposite side, and placed themselves in a row, with their heads
turned away from the stage. And there they remained, generally minding
their business, though sometimes one would get out of position, look
around, or give his neighbor a nudge which brought out a reprimand:
"Pope, what are you doing?" "Brutus, you need not look around to see
what I am about!" "Sprite, you let Mustang alone!" "Mustang, keep in
your place!"

He then called for some one to come forward and be monitor, and Prince
volunteered, was sent to the desk for some papers, tried to raise the
lid, and let it drop, pretending that he couldn't, but after being
sharply asked what he was so careless for, did it, and then brought a
handkerchief and made a great ado about wanting to have something done
with it, which proved to be tying it around his leg. Meanwhile one
of the horses behaved badly, whereupon the teacher said, "I see you
are booked for a whipping," and the culprit came out in the floor,
straightened himself, and received without wincing what seemed to be
a severe whipping; but in reality it was all done with a soft cotton
snapper, which made more sound than anything else.

[Illustration: ABDALLAH PACES.]

Mustang was called upon to ring the bell, a good-sized dinner-bell,
for the blackboard exercises by Sprite. He, too, made believe he
couldn't, seized it the wrong way, dropped it, picked it up wrong end
first, was scolded at, then took it by the handle, gave it a vigorous
shake, and after letting it fall several times, set it on the table.
Meanwhile a platform was brought in supporting a tall post, at the
top of which, higher than a horse could reach, was a blackboard having
chalked on it a sum which was not added up correctly. Sprite, being
requested to wipe it out, took the sponge from the table, and planting
her fore-feet on the platform, stretched her head up, and by desperate
passes succeeded in wiping out a part of the figures, and started to
leave, but seeing that some remained, went back and erased them.

One day she went through a process which showed conclusively that
horses can reason. She dropped the sponge the first thing, and it fell
down behind the platform out of her sight. She got down, and looked
about in the saw-dust for it, the audience curiously watching to see
what she would do next. She was