A Day's Pleasure Author:William Dean Howells Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: cursion some ten feet farther, alighting lump-wise on a bunch of soft turf which Fnmk had selected for his reception. The summer passed, and in the comfort of... more » Frank's possession my friend had almost abandoned the idea of ever returning him to his owner. He had thoughts of making the loan permanent, as something on the whole preferable to a purchase. The drives continued quite into December, over roads as smooth and hard as any in June, and the air was delicious. The first snow brought the suggestion of sleighing; but that cold weather about Christmas dispersed these gay thoughts, and restored my friend to virtue. Word came from the stable that Frank's legs were swelling from standing so long without going out, and my friend resolved to part with an animal for which he had no use. I do not praise him for this ; it was no more than his duty; but I record his action in order to account for the fact that he is againwithout a horse, and now, with the opening of the flue weather, is beginning once more to think of buying one. But he is in no mood of arrogant confidence. He has satisfied himself that neither love nor money is alone adequate to the acquisition: the fates also must favor it. The horse which Frank's owner has had in training may or may not be just the horse he wants. He does not know; he humbly waits ; and he trembles at the alternative of horses, mystically summoned from space, and multitndin- ously advancing upon him, parrot-mouthed, pony-gaited, tender for'a'd, and traveling wide behind. FLITTING. FLITTING. WOULD not willingly repose upon the friendship of a man whose local attachments are weak. I should not demand of my intimate that he have a yearning for the homes of his ancestors, or even the scenes of his own boyhood ; that is not in American nature; ...« less