"
Frank's face color'd a little, too. He paused for a moment in thought
--he was really foot-sore, and exhausted with his journey that hot
day--so he accepted his brother's offer.
"You know the speed of Nell, as well as I," said Richard; "I'll
warrant when I bring her here you'll say she's in good order as ever."
So telling him to amuse himself for a few minutes as well as he could,
Richard left the tavern.
Could it be that Black Nell knew her early master? She neigh'd and
rubb'd her nose on his shoulder; and as he put his foot in the stirrup
and rose on her back, it was evident that they were both highly
pleased with their meeting. Bidding his brother farewell, and not
forgetting old Joe, the young man set forth on his journey to his
father's house. As he left the village behind, and came upon the long
monotonous road before him, he thought on the circumstances of his
leaving home--and he thought, too, on his course of life, how it was
being frittered away and lost. Very gentle influences, doubtless, came
over Wild Frank's mind then, and he yearn'd to show his parents that
he was sorry for the trouble he had cost them. He blamed himself for
his former follies, and even felt remorse that he had not acted more
kindly to Richard, and gone to his house. Oh, it had been a sad
mistake of the farmer that he did not teach his children to love one
another. It was a foolish thing that he prided himself on governing
his little flock well, when sweet affection, gentle forbearance, and
brotherly faith, were almost unknown among them.
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