THE LOCOED HORSE

ON High Prairie there grew a weed, called "loco weed" which was poison to animals. But once in a while a horse or cow would eat this weed, and become perfectly crazy, running, or bucking or going around in circles. The gentlest old horse, when locoed, became a maniac, utterly undependable. The Carl Berry family had such a horse. It had not had an attack of loco in years, so seemed safe to use.

One day Mrs. Berry, Lena, decided she would go to visit my mother for the afternoon. She had a buggy she could use, but as Carl was away from home and she didn like to harness the horse, she decided to ride the animal. She put her small daughter, Marie, on the horse, behind the saddle, while she rode in the saddle carrying her baby son. As little Marie was so tiny, and liable to fall, Lena tied a small rope to the back of the saddle, and through the little girl scarf, to steady the child. All went well as they went to Mother but as they started honie, she met near disaster. A wire gate had to be opened. This gate was across a deep canyon from Wallie's and my home. (We were grown by now and had a home of our own). Lena got off the horse to open the gate, with the baby in her arms. She led the horse through, and turned to close the gate, still with the baby in her arms. At that moment that horse was seized with an attack of loco. He jumped and plunged and bucked and tried to run, but Lena held him with her one free hand. Round and round the horse plunged, while Lena tugged at the bridle reins with one hand, while still holding the baby. She screamed and screamed for help. At last I heard her screams. I snatched up my baby, Allene, and started across the canyon to help her. One could not make much time over the steep sides of that gash in the earth. I carried my baby, and puffed on. But before I could reach the struggling Lena, she had come near the fence, during her fight with the insane beast, and in a flash thrust her baby under the fence, so that the horse could not step on him, in its mad plunges for liberty. She now had both her hands to use, and could hold the horse. Also, the attack of loco seemed to have passed, and the horse became tractable. Lena quickly untied the rope and lifted her tiny daughter to her arms, and hugged her to her breast. She met me on the hill. She sat down with her child huddled in her lap, and sobbed,

"O Need, I almost killed this little girl!"

I comforted her as best I could. Both of us mothers sat there on the grass, on that steep hillside, with our arms full of babies. We got the babies and the horse to Wallie and my home. Lena was too exhausted in mind and body to go further, so she and her babies stayed with us that night.