summery of my early home
Answers
My Early Home
The first home Darkie remembers is pleasant in every way. It is a large meadow with a clear pond in it. Around the pond grow shady trees, rushes, and water lilies. On one side of the meadow is a plowed field; on the other is the gate to his master’s house. At the top of the meadow are fir trees, and at the bottom of it is a running brook with a steep bank.
When he is young, Darkie drinks his mother’s milk; later, when he is old enough, he eats grass and his mother goes off to work all day. Each day he runs by his mother’s side, and each night he sleeps next to her. On hot days, they stand together under the trees, and when it is cold, they stay in the warm shed close to the plantation.
Six other colts live in the meadow with Darkie, all older than he and some almost the size of grown-up horses. They play by galloping around the field as fast as they can go. Sometimes they play more roughly, biting or kicking, as well as galloping. One day when the play gets too rough, Darkie’s mother calls him to her and tells him he must listen closely to her. She explains that while all the colts are very good, they will be ordinary cart horses one day and have not yet learned their manners. Darkie, on the other hand, is well bred and has a family history of greatness. He is always to remember that his family does not bite or kick, nor should he. She wants him to grow up strong and good, avoiding bad habits and working with a good spirit. He is never to kick or bite, even in play. He has never forgotten his mother’s advice.
His mother’s name is Duchess, but their master often calls her “Pet”; she is well loved and wise. Their master is a kind man who treats his horses well and speaks to them only with kindness. Duchess loves him and neighs with joy whenever she sees him near the fence.
Explanation:
The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside; at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank.
While I was young I lived upon my mother's milk, as I could not eat grass. In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close by her. When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees, and when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the grove.
As soon as I was old enough to eat grass my mother used to go out to work in the daytime, and come back in the evening.
There were six young colts in the meadow besides me; they were older than I was; some were nearly as large as grown-up horses. I used to run with them, and had great fun; we used to gallop all together round and round the field as hard as we could go. Sometimes we had rather rough play, for they would frequently bite and kick as well as gallop.
One day, when there was a good deal of kicking, my mother whinnied to me to come to her, and then she said:
"I wish you to pay attention to what I am going to say to you. The colts who live here are very good colts, but they are cart-horse colts, and of course they have not learned manners. You have been well-bred and well-born; your father has a great name in these parts, and your grandfather won the cup two years at the Newmarket races; your grandmother had the sweetest temper of any horse I ever knew, and I think you have never seen me kick or bite. I hope you will grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways; do your work with a good will, lift your feet up well when you trot, and never bite or kick even in play."
I have never forgotten my mother's advice; I knew she was a wise old horse, and our master thought a great deal of her. Her name was Duchess, but he often called her Pet.