"Does it hurt," he asked, "when they drive the nails into your hoofs?"

"Oh, no!" Ebenezer assured him. "To be sure, a careless blacksmith could
prick you. But Farmer Green always takes us to the best one he can
find."

"To tell the truth," Twinkleheels confessed, "I'm a bit timid about
going to the smithy. I don't know what to do when I get there. I don't
know which foot to hold up first."

"Don't worry about that!" said old Ebenezer. "They'll tell you
everything. Just pay attention and obey orders and you won't have any
trouble."

Twinkleheels thanked Ebenezer.

"It's pleasant," he said, "to have a kind, wise horse like you in the
next stall. There are some matters that I shouldn't care to mention to
the bays. They're almost sure to laugh at me if I ask them a question."

The old horse Ebenezer nodded his head.

"They're young and somewhat flighty," he admitted. "You know, they even
ran away last summer. You'll be better off! if you don't seek their
advice about things."

"I wish you were going to the blacksmith's shop with me," Twinkleheels
told Ebenezer wistfully. "Somehow I'd feel better about being shod if
you were there."