Monday, March 7, 2011

More Excerpts from the Journals of Bill Nevard


The Lost Horses
March 6, 1944
Sunshiny but a cold Northwest wind blowing. I hauled manure and got water. After dinner Donald and I went to see what had become of our loose horses as only Daisy and her colt seemed to be left on the place. Donald went around the East line of 13 and I went round the West with the team and sleigh. I found the gate against the diversion knocked down and horses tracks going through. We called at Bill Miller's and saw his wife but she didn't know anything about them. Then we went on to Fred Engel's and saw him and Henry without learning anything. We turned back North and went across Bill Miller's but couldn't see anything so Donald went home to get a coat and I went on to John Senft's. He was in Lipton with the truck hauling for Murphy Newton but Mrs. Senft hadn't seen any horses. She said our gate was down when they went to town Friday. I came home and then Donald and I went to Karl Miller's but he was away. Then we continued on to Robert Senft's and afterwards came home, finding no trace of our lost horses.

March 7, the following day.
I took Gleam and Embers with the sleigh and went to see if I could locate the missing horses on 13. I found that Cloud and Castle were with Uncle Arthur's mare and colt. I went around the fence and through the East line onto Fred Engel's. Wandered around the East half of 13 without seeing anything, then came home. Roy went around on Uncle Arthur's South quarter in the sleigh and saw no horses. On the way to the slough I met Donald coming home on Rusty. He had been on their other quarter, to Richard Supple's, on to 29 and to Cliff Barton's where he phoned to John Fleming without any success. He found Uncle Arthur's East gate down when he went out. I watered the cattle and had dinner. After dinner Joy and Donald went off on horseback to do some more searching. They went to Murphy Newton's, the school, Seip's and Bill Senft's with no results.
I went to Bill Miller's and then on to Fred Engel's. I saw horses tracks turning the corner and going East at Fred Engel's so I followed them up going East nearly 2 miles. Then I turned South into Mohr's old place and found Firelight, Frank, Queen and Trixie at a wheat straw pile. I called in at Mohr's but the girl I saw there didn't know of any other horses so I went back and caught Firelight and Frank and led them behind the sleigh while Queen and Trixie followed, Before I got onto the road, Prairie Schmidt overtook me in a sleigh. Also his son, George, riding a toboggan drawn by a single horse. They hadn't seen any horses. I went West to Fred Engel's Southeast corner and then turned North a mile and put the horses in on Uncle Arthur's South quarter. On the way home I encountered Donald. And thus ends the day's momentous occurences

3 comments:

  1. I guess horses, like teenagers, are sometimes prone to get into a bit of trouble now and then.

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  2. I think this is great, to think it was written before I was born and with such accurecy! No one would bother today, there is too much else to gain the attention. My mother kept so m diaries and they are also so interesting.

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  3. Most of the time your tractors do not wander off through an open gate. Although Once Fernando left the U Tractor parked at the top of the hill with the hand clutch out. When we came back after lunch it was gone.
    We merely followed the track through the black berries till we found it.
    Interesting post.

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