FOR THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15649, 1 July 1914, Page 12

FOR THE CHILDREN.

BLACK PRINCE AND KITTY

Bex Bolton was just, 13, and small fur his age. But he had a merry he in .iik! willing hands, and got through a-, ai. >/.- ing amount of work for such a little :.-.-

low. He was simply indisncnsabl? to h.s father, who carried on the occupitu 'if market gardening in the village o: I. ■;itton, seven miles from busy Broanf.ein

Ben went to school five days a wi-.. and on Saturdays assisted his in!*: .". digging, trenching, weeding, watTl;:r "."

harvesting the crops in the gar

cording to the time of year and t:x- • i.aracter of the weather. Twice a week Mr. Bolton conveyed produce from the ga-Hcn to Broadfield on a lorry, and disposed of it to certain shopkeepers in the . ity

Black Prince was the horse who drew the lorry. He had a special fondness f :• Ben, and on him Ben lavished r>\ '1 9 love of which a boy's heart is cap.i'j... He was a handsome horse, and so gentle and sagacious that he was the best playfellow in the world for hi; littlu ii. ■■■'. Ben was fond of putting on hie brick'. »nd Black Prince would bend djwn his lead while the boy stood on tiptoe and reached up to get the straps right. Then he would stand quiet as a latin whi.'« Ben brushed him, combed out bis long 'naiie and tail, hugged and stroked him. -v. round ajjd under him, ard at last cl 1:1 bid on his back and rode him down to '.La village pond for a drink.

Tuesdays and Fridays .Mr. Bolton and Black Prince paid their bi-weekly \i;iis to the city, but only in the holidays vas .Ben able to accompany them Those v ..e red-letter days. He sat at the front of the lorry, and held the rein?, gird 1.5 Black Prince along the road to B r o idfield.

One morning in the spring hoi. lay? Mr. Bolton was uncommonly bus}. I lie rewere bo many feed; ',0 he put into the ground just then that the day was not long enough for the task.

"How I'm going to manage to get all the work done this week i don't knou." he said lugubriously. " I have only one pair of hands, and there is wok enough for half-a-dozen."

"Let mo tako the things to Bro- [field for you, dad," said Ben.

"What! And go the round of the shops by yourself?" queried his hither.

"Yes, dad, I can manage right enough" So it came about that Black Pr:».<e and Ben went the journey unaccompanied- If the boy was small he had c.l. his « U about him, and left nothing unit' .ie in the city that day that he ought to have done. But a small boy cann 1 y ,-s.hi\get through big tasks a 3 qunki, ~6 a man, and it was later than usual when Ben left Broadlield. Indeed, Ik-: .1 no reached Littleton it began to be u„,;>. Now in some ways a horse is v,;--.: ;:.. n a boy. He always knows bis w.-n i, :.io even in the dark. Also, in-. ..'. - ~:e something like those of a cat-t' -m eee well when a toy cannot- :• -, ' 11 ~,-t Black Prince have iii bead, a i-i ..■■ mi.i at a good pace along the roa., jr..- as :f it were bread daylight. Presently, however, ho gave 15,» .1 .•:;-,;t by stopping suddenly and stai.d.i:.: >'..■. tstill. The boy could not see ■ ;rai anything in front. Whatever ■ ,• ';■,*

matter with Black Prince'.' Fur i nisi time in his life lie disobeyed .■l.ii:;-. ..-■A refused to stir. So Ben threw doui. -•" reins, jumped off tho lorry, and bent down to seo what was the matter. \V!i;it do you think ho found? Just in f; ;tt "i the horse, curled up iu the can r.. .-y a black kitten. Tho kitten was not :•: .- way of the horse's feet but was :i: the way of tlw wheel, and the wire ImraJ knew thai the wheel must crush it ::' ho went on.

Ben picked up the stray kitten, and n'-ld it in his arms as he resumed ■ .« t- -.11 « tho lorry. Then Black Prime whisked H tail and was off in a moment.

lien's parent? were wonderfully irtw esto'l when ho rekted the story! 'It* at onco agreed that Kitty must it y v. M them.

She has now grown to be •> IV. cja, and sleeps in the stable if. black I'liin-e* stall. Of ten-times when Mr. B< ..> -1 a returning from Broadfield Kitty run? alofijf the road to meet him, zuA, springe «i the lorry, rides homo v.-itb him. On i Harare occasions that Ben 15 able to aecflf** pany his father, Kitty r6cs,with him tirt whole distance, and, f ; ;t>!'j by h's >'is> is just 86 proud end pleasod as the \tsf JiiniseU,