Montreal is a very large city. Like all large cities, it has small streets. No one knew Prince Edward Street as well as Pierre Dupin. He had delivered milk to the families on the street for thirty years.
For the past fifteen years. a large white horse pulled his milk wagon. In Montreal, especially in the French part of the city, animals and children are often given the names of saints. Pierre's horse had no name when it first came to the milk company. Pierre was told he could use the horse. He moved his hand gently and lovingly across the horse's neck and sides. He looked into the animal's eyes.
"This is a gentle horse," Pierre said. "I can see a beautiful spirit shining out of its eyes. I will name him after Saint Joseph, who also was a gentle and beautiful spirit."
After about a year, the horse, Joseph, got to know every house that received milk, and every house that did not.
Every morning at five, Pierre arrived at the milk company's stables to find his wagon already filled with bottles of milk and Joseph was waiting for him. Pierre would call, "Bonjour, my old friend," as he climbed into his seat, while Joseph turned his head towards the driver.
The other drivers would smile. They said that the horse smiled at Pierre.
Then Pierre would softly call to Joseph, "Avance, mon ami." And the two would go proudly down the street. Without any order from Pierre, the wagon would roll down three streets. Then it turned right for two streets, before turning left to Saint Catherine Street. The horse finally stopped at the first house on Prince Edward Street. There, Joseph would wait perhaps thirty seconds for Pierre to get down off his seat and put a bottle of milk at the front door. Then the horse walked past the next two houses and stopped at the third. And without being told, Joseph would turn around and come back along the other side. Ah yes, Joseph was a smart horse.
Pierre would talk about Joseph. "I never touch the reins. He knows just where to stop. Why, a blind man could deliver my milk with Joseph pulling the wagon.