The first place I remember was a large, pleasant meadow (a field with grass and flowers). There was a pond of clear water in it. Some trees grew over the water. Green plants and lilies grew at the deep end of the pond.
On one side, I looked over a hedge at a field. On the other side, I looked over a gate. I could see my master’s house by the road. At the top of the field, there were many tall trees. At the bottom, there was a small river with a high bank.
When I was young, I only drank my mother's milk. I could not eat grass yet. In the daytime, I ran by my mother's side. At night, I lay down near her.
When the weather was hot, we stood under the trees. When it was cold, we had a warm shed (a small wooden building for animals). This shed was near the tall trees.
Soon, I was old enough to eat grass. Then, my mother went to work during the day. She came back to the field in the evening.
There were six other young colts (young male horses) in the field. They were older than I was. Some were almost as big as grown-up horses. I ran with them and we had fun.
We galloped together around and around the field. Sometimes the play was a bit rough. The other horses bit and kicked each other.
One day, the other horses kicked a lot. My mother whinnied (made a loud horse sound) to me. She wanted me to come to her. Then she spoke to me.
"Please listen to me," she said. "The other colts are good, but they are cart-horse colts. They do not have good manners. You come from a very good family."
"Your father is famous in this area," my mother said. "Your grandfather won a big race two years ago. Your grandmother was very kind. I think you never saw me bite or kick."
"I hope you grow up to be gentle and good," she said. "Do not learn bad ways. Do your work happily. Always lift your feet well when you trot (run slowly). Never bite or kick, even when you play."
I never forgot my mother’s advice. She was a very wise old horse. Our master liked her very much. Her name was Duchess, but he called her Pet.
Our master was a good and kind man. He gave us good food and a good place to sleep. He spoke to us kindly. We all liked him.
My mother loved the master very much. When she saw him at the gate, she made a happy sound. She ran to him quickly. He patted her and was very gentle.
"How is your little Darkie?" the master asked. I was a dark black color, so he called me Darkie. Then he gave me a piece of bread. Sometimes he brought a carrot for my mother.
All the horses ran to him. However, I think we were his favorites. My mother always took him to town on market days. She pulled a light gig (a small carriage with two wheels).
A plowboy (a boy who works on a farm) named Dick sometimes came to our field. He wanted to pick fruit from the hedge. After he finished eating, he played with the colts.
This play was not kind. He threw stones and sticks at us. He wanted us to gallop away. We did not like it, but we could run away. Sometimes a stone hit us and it hurt.
One day, Dick threw stones at us. He did not know the master was in the next field. The master watched Dick. Suddenly, the master jumped over the hedge.
The master caught Dick by the arm. He hit Dick on the ear. Dick cried because he was surprised and in pain. We trotted closer to see what happened.
"Bad boy!" the master said. "You must not chase the colts. This is the last time you do this. Take your money and go home. I do not want you on my farm."
We never saw Dick again. Old Daniel looked after the horses after that. He was a very gentle man. We were very happy.