Dismissed

In the commotion the guard resting on the cart awoken up; father immediately dismissed him for sleeping on the job.

In spite of every precaution in preventing burglary, one night all the 20 horses father brought home in the afternoon for shipment on the next day were stolen during the night.

Hearing some noises coming from downstairs mother went to investigate; at first she thought some water rats were disturbing the hens in one of the rooms, but seeing everything was all right she went back to bed.

In the morning it was discovered that all the horses were gone, except Nina, my father’s favorite mare.

Mother’s movements must have warned the burglars who took off with the animals they had already prepared by covering their hooves with sacks filled with straws to prevent the noise. Mother’s racing horse