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Old Ned

The cold light of dawn had shown the way to the stable as Jacob had come to harness Old Ned. Steam rose from the warm back of the big gray horse as he was led from his stall and backed into the barn where the red-wheeled school stage was still hidden in the dusty darkness. A roaring fire has been kindled in the pot-bellied stove, and the teacher's ringing bell has summoned the children inside the little log schoolhouse. Ned patiently waits, knowing that he and Jacob must return to the farm for a day of hard work before retracing his path to the school in the late afternoon.