THE OLD MAN AND THE HORSE

There was a kind old man who lived back in the mountain with only his hateful wife for company.  They were poor and couldn't afford much, but the old man had a horse who worked hard for him and went everywhere with him.  The old man spent long hours talking to the horse and grew to love him as a friend.

As the years went by the horse grew old and feeble, had a big sore place on his back, and was  unable to do a long days work.  The wife insisted the old man kill the horse so they wouldn't have to feed it.  The old man knew he had to do what his wife said or she would be hard to live with, but he really didn't want to harm his old friend.  So, early one morning the old man told his wife he was going to take the old horse back in the mountain and kill him.  The old man and the old horse walked to the top of the mountain, across the valley, and to the top of the next mountain.  The old man just couldn't kill his old friend, so he left the old horse way back in the mountains in a beautiful valley to live out his life in freedom and lazy days.

As the years passed the old man was often in the mountains hunting game for food or wood for the fire, but he never saw his old friend.  He wondered what had happened to the old horse and hoped the horse was happy. 

One day while out hunting the old man slipped on a moss covered rock and broke his leg.  He knew he was too far away to yell for help and couldn't  walk with his broken leg.    He drug himself to the edge of a cliff so he could see down the mountain if someone came looking for him. 

After spending all night in the mountain the old man was beginning to think he would never be found.  Then he looked out over the cliff and saw a tree moving.  He knew trees didn't move, so he slowly pulled himself to the edge of the cliff.  He couldn't believe his eyes!  There at the bottom of the cliff was his friend the old horse with a big peach tree growing out of his back where the sore place had been.  Somehow a peach seed had fallen into the sore place and grew into a tree.

The two old friends were overjoyed to see each other.  The old man took his ax and cut the tree down to a saddle and the old horse carried him home to safety.  The old woman was so happy to see the old man she agreed to keep the old horse forever and they all three lived happily ever after.       

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