Squire Gordon and his wife went to visit friends. The friends lived forty-six miles away. James Howard drove the carriage. On the first day, we traveled thirty-two miles.
There were many hills. James Howard was very careful. He used the brake (a part of a carriage that makes it go slow) on the hills. He gave us time to breathe. Kind words from James Howard helped us a lot.
The sun went down. We arrived at a large hotel in a town. Two men came to help us. One man was a hostler (a person at a hotel who takes care of horses). He was a kind, small man with a crooked leg.
The hostler worked very fast. He took off our harness (the leather straps on a horse's body). He led me to a stable. James Howard watched the hostler clean my coat. The hostler was very quick.
"You are the fastest worker I know," James Howard said. The old hostler laughed. He said he had forty years of practice. He was a jockey (a person who rides horses in races) when he was young.
The old hostler broke his leg in a race. Now he worked at hotels. He loved horses very much. He said he could understand a horse's life just by touching it. He knew if a horse had a kind master.
The old hostler said horses are like children. If you are kind to them, they will be good. James Howard liked the old hostler. They talked about Squire Gordon. The old hostler knew Squire Gordon was a good man.
The hostler remembered a sad story. Squire Gordon’s son died in a riding accident. A beautiful horse died too. That horse was my brother. It was a very sad time for everyone.
The old hostler said life is more important than a race. He thought people should be more careful. Then, the men gave us our food and left the stable.