Introduction
On June 1st, 1816, Robert Hawthorne presented his nephew Nathaniel, a month shy of his twelfth birthday, with a diary ‘with the advice that he write out his thoughts, some every day, in as good words as he can’. It was in this diary that Nathaniel recalled running across an underfed working horse, agonisingly forced to listen as his master ground delicious corn at nearby Dingley mill.
I FELT sorry, and nobody being near, thought it best to have a talk with the old nag, and said, “Good-morning, Mr Horse, how are you today?”
“Good-morning, youngster,” said he, just as plain as a horse can speak, and then said, “I am almost dead, and I wish I was quite. I am hungry, have had no breakfast, and must stand here tied by the head while they are grinding the corn, and until master drinks two or three glasses of rum at the store, and then drag him and the meal up the Ben Ham hill, and home, and am now so weak that I can hardly stand. Oh, dear, I am in a bad way,” and the old creature cried — I almost cried myself.
Just then the miller went downstairs to the meal trough. I heard his feet on the steps, and, not thinking much what I was doing, ran into the mill, and taking the four quart toll-dish nearly full of corn out of the hopper, carried it out and poured it into the trough before the horse, and placed the dish back before the miller came up from below.
Précis
In his daily diary, a young Nathaniel Hawthorne recalled how an underfed and mistreated horse had shared with him the sorrows of life under a hard master, and all but brought the boy to tears. As the heartless owner was deep inside the mill, Nathaniel seized his chance to steal some corn and pour it into the horse’s trough. (59 / 60 words)
In his daily diary, a young Nathaniel Hawthorne recalled how an underfed and mistreated horse had shared with him the sorrows of life under a hard master, and all but brought the boy to tears. As the heartless owner was deep inside the mill, Nathaniel seized his chance to steal some corn and pour it into the horse’s trough.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: despite, if, just, may, must, ought, unless, whether.
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