rvous about it. The dog and
the donkey are also very much interested in what the smith is doing,
though the dog seems ready to run at any moment. Behind the dog we see
the blacksmith's anvil on which he hammers the shoe into shape. Every
time the hammer strikes the red-hot iron, burning sparks fly in all
directions and the blacksmith wears a leather apron, to keep them from
burning holes in his clothes.

On the ground beside the blacksmith is a box in which are the tools
the smith must use. It has a handle so that the smith may carry it
with him and place it within reach when he is fitting the shoe.

Years ago, when the artist painted this picture, a blacksmith had to
make each shoe by hand from a bar of iron. Now horseshoes are made
rapidly by machinery and the blacksmith gets them from the factory. They
are made in all shapes and sizes and the smith will try several shoes
until he finds one that fits the horse's hoof. If it needs to be shaped
a little he must heat it red hot before he can bend it. He puts it into
the great bed of red-hot coals in his forge, and then blows upon the
coals with his bellows to make the fire hotter. His heavy iron tongs are
used to take the red-hot shoe from the coals and to hold it upon the
anvil while he pounds it into shape. Next he drops it into cold water
until it is cool enough to try on. The smith must be a strong man to do
his work well, and in this picture our attention is drawn to the great
muscles on his arms and the firm strength of his large hands.

It takes great skill to drive the nails into the horse's hoof in just
such a way that they will hold the shoe firmly and at the same time
not hurt the hoof. Sometimes, but not very often, a blacksmith drives
a nail in the wrong direction, and the horse becomes lame. Horses grow
accustomed to being shod, and seem to like to have comfortable new
shoes put on. How glad they must be in the winter to have their hoofs
sharp shod, so they do not slip on the ice!

Betty, the bay mare in this picture, liked to be shod, and as she never
wore a halter and could go where she pleased, she sometimes went to see
the blacksmith. The story is told that one day while she was galloping
over the fields one of her shoes became loose. Betty seemed to know just
what to do; it was not long before the blacksmith heard a gentle neigh,
and there was Betty with her head over the gate, asking to be let in.
Once inside she held up the foot with the loose sho