An Indian Boy's Pony

Tbus led by those dedicated to religious service, the tribe leaves its village, the people by families dropping inte line - men, well niounted, bearing their weapous ready f or use ; women, in gala dress, riding their decorated ponies. older ones leading the jrack horses; little ohjldreu in twos and threesupon the backs of steady old nags, or snugly stowed away in the swinging ponch betweon the tent poles, and the dogs trotting complacently everywhere. Here and there along the line of the cavalcade is a lad being initiated into individual responsibility. He has been npon the hnnt before, as one of the family, but this is the first step toward going independently uncared for as child. The father has lassoed a wild horse, saddled and bridled hirn and now bids his Eon mount the animal. The boy hangs back, the colt is a fiery creature and already restive under restraint. The father tells his son that the horse shall be his own when ho has conquered it, but the lad does not move. The lookers on are smiling, and the cavalcade does not wait. "Get up, " says the father. The boy slowly advances, and the colt quickly recedes, but the boy, grasping his mane, swings himself into the saddle. The father Iets go, and so does the colt - rears, jumps, wriggles, hurops his back like an infuriated cat, stands on his fore legs and kicks at his own tail, paws the air and stamps the earth, but the boy clings to him until, with a sudden jerk, the saddlegirthisbroken, and he is landed over the head of the escited creature, which runs for dear life and liberty. Brought back, protesting by twists and shakes of his head, he is again mounted and again f rees himself . After two or three repetitions of this sort of thing the boy becomes angry, and the motber grows anxious. She runs to her son as he is scrambling up from the ground, feels him all over and moves his legs and arms to see if he is hurt. He is impatient at the delay. He is going to master that pony now or die for it. This time he stays on. In vain the aaimal lashes himself intofoam and fury. The boy sticks to him like the shirt of Nessus, and the father at last leads the indivisable pair between the tent poles vrhich trail behind a sophisticated family horse, and there, fenced in, tliey journey all day, trying to get uáfed to each other. The pony does not see his way out of the poles and is forced to keep up with the procession. - Century.