I'll try "The Tale of the Gypsy Horse." I've never heard of that book but I have a movie called "Gypsy Colt" about a girl that owns this horse and her parents have to sell it to make the rent or something. The horse is sold and taken away but he makes his way back to the little girl, ala "Lassie Come Home." It's not the same story, is it?
Destiny Bay is a collection of short stories grouped around an Irish family at the turn of the century. They are highly eccentric and the book is too -- amusing, sentimental, and a touch eerie by turns. Great scene in the "Tale of the Gypsy Horse" when a bishop comes to dinner and is holding forth in front of Sir Arthur Pollexfen of Mayo (the trainer the MacFarlanes have called in to train the Gypsy colt) . . .
Our bishop, on one of his pastoral visitations, if that be the term, stayed at Destiny Bay, and because my uncle Cosimo is a bishop too, and because he felt he ought to do something for our souls he remonstrated with us for starting our stable. My uncle Valentine was livid, but said nothing, because no guest must be contradicted in Destiny Bay."For surely, Sir Valentine, no man of breeding can mingle with the rogues, cutpurses and their womenfolk who infest race courses, drunkards, bawds and common gamblers, without lowering himself to some extent to their level," his Lordship purred. "Yourself, one of the wardens of Irish chivalry, must give an example to the common people."
"Your Lordship," broke in old Sir Arthur Pollexfen, "is egregiously misinformed. In all periods of the world's history, eminent personages have concerned themselves with the racing of horses. We read of Philip of Macedon, that while campaigning in Asia Minor, a courier brought him news of two events, of the birth of his son Alexander and of the winning, by his favourite horse, of the chief race at Athens, and we may reasonably infer that his joy over the winning of the race was equal to if not greater than that over the birth of Alexander. In the life of Charles the Second, the traits which do most credit to that careless monarch are his notable and gentlemanly death and his affection for his great race horse Old Rowley. Your Lordship is, I am sure," said Sir Arthur, more blandly than any ecclesiastic could, "too sound a Greek scholar not to remember the epigrams of Maecius and Philodemus, which show what interest these antique poets took int he racing of horses. And coming to present times, your Lordship must have heard that his Majesty (whom God preserve!) has won two Derbies, once with the leased horse Minoru, and again with his own great Persimmon. The premier peer of Scotland, the Duke of Hamilton, Duke of Chastellerault in France, Duke of Brandon in England, hereditary prince of Baden, is prouder of his fine mare Eau de Vie than of all his titles. As to the Irish families, the Persses of Galway, the Dawsons of Dublin, and my own, the Pollexfens of Mayo, have always been interested in the breeding and racing of horses. And none of these -- my punch if you please, James Carabine! -- are, as your Lordship puts it, drunkards, bawds, and common gamblers. I fear your Lordship has been reading --" and he cocked his eye, bright as a wren's, at the bishop, "religious publications of the sensational and morbid type."
It was all I could do to keep from leaping on the table and giving three loud cheers for the County of Mayo.