The leaves had begun to ignite the floor-boards and the lower part of the ramshackle building's thin walls.
While the pain and humiliation of her whipping had not been able to wring a sound from the young thoroughbred, yet fright of this sort was afar different thing.

Howling with panic terror, she dashed about the small enclosure, clawing frantically at door and scantling.

Once or twice she made half-hearted effort to spring up at the closed window.
But, from lack of running-space as well as from lack of nerve to make the high leap, she failed.
Across the lawn and door-yard and around the end of the stables thundered Lad.

With the speed of a charging bull he came on.

Before he reached the burning shack, he knew more of his mate's plight and peril than any human could have known.
Around the small building he whirled, so close to it that the flames at its base seared his mighty coat and blistered and blackened his white paws.
Then, running back a yard or so, he flung his eighty-pound weight crashingly at the fastened door.