I think they felt sorry for the birds.
"Has any boy done anything about blinders and check-reins ?" asked the president, after a time.
A brown-faced boy stood up.

"I had a picnic last Monday," he said; "father let me cut all the blinders off our head-stalls with my penknife." "How did you get him to consent to that ?" asked the president.
"I told him," said the boy, "that I couldn't get to sleep for thinking of him.

You know he drives a good deal late at night.

I told him that every dark night he came from Sudbury I thought of the deep ditch alongside the road, and wished his horses hadn't blinders on.

And every night he comes from the Junction, and has to drive along the river bank where the water has washed away the earth till the wheels of the wagon are within a foot or two of the edge, I wished again that his horses could see each side of them, for I knew they'd have sense enough to keep out of danger if they could see it.