“Richard’s Old Nags”

No one likes to be a loser.  It not only deflates one’s self esteem but it’s also downright embarrassing.

Daddy needed a good team of horses but there didn’t seem to be any chance of his getting one any time soon so when Richard announced that he had bought a team, everyone was excited.  He said he got a real good buy on them and that they were a really good looking team.  Daddy was sure that they would be a big help to him on the farm.

We all looked forward to the time when the team would be delivered.  At last the day arrived.  The new team got a good looking over by everyone.  So far everything looked good.  Next came the real test.  The team was harnessed and they were led to the edge of the field where they would start ploughing the ground.  For a few minutes it looked like Richard had himself a good team.  Daddy snapped the reins against their backs and made the sound for them to go.  The first row was completed without a hitch but after that the horses were both breathing hard and soon were wheezing so bad the work had to be stopped and the horses were unharnessed.  They were useless.

Richard didn’t know what to do now and then entered Grandpa.  He had traded horses many times before and he offered to trade the team away for him.  So now the deal that had seemed so bad just a short while before turned out to be not so bad after all.