I. The Careless Driver

It was the week before Christmas. Everybody was ordering all sorts of good things to be sent home “just as soon as possible.”

The grocer’s boy, John, was on duty early. Soon many baskets were filled with orders to be delivered.

The horse was hurried out of the stable before he had quite finished his breakfast, and John soon had the baskets piled into the wagon.

“Be lively, now,” the grocer said. “Get back as soon as you can.”

John jumped on the wagon, seized the whip and gave the horse a sharp cut to begin the day with.

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John kept the whip in his hand. If the horse held up his pace a minute to give himself a chance to breathe, another snap of the whip kept him on the run.

At the different houses where he left the groceries John rushed in and out as quickly as possible. In several places he was given fresh orders for articles that were needed.

So the morning passed, and dinner time arrived. As John put the horse in the stable he could not help seeing that his breath came hard and fast, and that he was wet with sweat.

“I guess it won’t do to give him any water, he is so hot,” John said, as he hurriedly put a scanty allowance of dry feed into the manger.

The worn-out horse, trembling in every nerve with the fatigue of going hard all the morning, was almost choking with thirst.

When John hurried in to his dinner, the first thing he asked for was something warm to drink. His mother gave him a cup of hot cocoa, and a good dinner, which he ate rapidly. Then off he started for the afternoon’s work.

“Hurry up,” said the grocer as soon as John appeared. “Get out the horse and take these baskets; they are all rush orders.”

“I went to Mrs. Bell’s twice this morning,”[85] said John. “I should think she might give all her order at one time and not keep us running there all day.”

“I can’t help it. She is a good customer. Hurry up,” answered the grocer.

John ran out to the barn. He certainly had meant to give the horse water before he started out again, but being hurried, he forgot it. In a few minutes, whip in hand, he was urging the tired, thirsty horse again over the road.

Toward the close of the afternoon the horse began to hang his head. When John touched him up with the whip he did not go any faster. When he stopped for the third time at Mrs. Bell’s house his legs were trembling and he closed his eyes as if he were going to sleep.

Mrs. Bell looked out of the window and said to her Aunt Sarah, who was visiting her, “I think it is a shame for Mr. Rush to let that boy race his horse so all day. Every time he comes here the horse is in a sweat, and now he looks as if he would drop. It i............