Star of Wonder Read online

  “Willie! Blow your horn! Make him stop!” Mary yelled, tugging frantically on Willie’s arm.

  “He’ll stop soon enough when he gets to the plant,” Willie said. “I’ll talk to him then.”

  Mary and Jody wanted to fling open the truck door and chase the truck down the road in the few minutes it took to arrive back at the plant. Instead they squinted through the dusty windshield, desperately trying to get a glimpse of Star through the narrow slats in the heavy wooden doors at the rear of the truck. Even Willie found himself leaning over the steering wheel, narrowing his eyes and swerving slightly in the road to try and get a better look. But Star was nowhere to be seen.

  14

  The Rescue

  WHEN AT LAST the big truck rumbled down the slope and into the livestock yard, Mary and Jody could wait no longer. Flinging open the door of the old red pickup the second Willie put his foot on the brake, the girls fell all over each other in their haste to run over and see Star.

  “Hey!” Willie yelled in his sternest voice. “Hey, I said. You just stop right there.”

  From the tone of Willie’s voice, the girls knew he expected to be obeyed. They stopped in their tracks and turned to him with imploring looks.

  “You two wait right here. You can’t just go runnin’ up to that man, scarin’ him half to death. I’ll see what’s goin’ on, and then when I say, you can come over.”

  “But, Willie . . .” Mary began.

  “No arguin,’” Willie insisted. “And no movin’ from that spot.”

  The real purpose of Willie’s scolding was to prevent the girls from seeing something they may not want to see in the back of the truck, and Willie was feeling a little nervous himself as he hobbled over to speak with the truck driver. Mary and Jody linked arms and jiggled anxiously by the pickup, watching Willie gesture toward the back of the livestock truck. The driver shook his head, and together he and Willie walked back and peered through the slats of the thick wooden doors. After what seemed an eternity to the two distraught girls, Willie beckoned for them to come and see for themselves.

  What Mary and Jody saw when the truck driver finally swung open the right back door and they squinted into the dim interior of the truck was a miserable weanling colt with his head hanging down and his front legs splayed for balance, trembling in fear in a back corner while the calves bawled all around him. At the sight of the two girls, he raised his head a little and managed a weak nicker.

  “Well, I’ll be . . .” the driver mumbled, looking incredulously from Star to the agitated girls.

  “Star! Oh, poor Star!” they exclaimed together while trying to find some way to climb into the high bed of the truck.

  “Now, just hold yer horses,” Willie said gruffly. “We got to back up to the loadin’ ramp to get him out of there. He ain’t gonna jump out, is he?”

  “Oh, hurry, Willie, he wants to come home!”

  So the truck was backed up to the ramp, and the doors opened once more. Mary and Jody stood anxiously at the bottom of the ramp while Willie stepped into the bed of the truck, lead rope in hand, whirring softly in his throat as he approached the frightened colt.

  “Hey, little buddy,” he said soothingly. “You ornery little bugger. You got yourself in trouble this time, didn’t you?”

  Star extended his muzzle and sniffed at Willie’s outstretched hand, nickered low in his throat, and took a tentative step forward. Willie snapped the lead rope onto his halter and scratched gently between his ears while Star rubbed his head up and down, up and down on Willie’s arm.

  The girls were laughing and crying all at the same time as they wrapped their arms around Star’s neck.

  “Willie! Can you bring him out? Is he still too scared?” Jody asked in a whisper.

  “We’re comin,’ we’re comin,’ Willie said brusquely, clearing his throat and rubbing a gnarly hand across his eyes before turning to face the girls. As he turned to lead Star from the truck, the cantankerous colt pushed him with his muzzle as if to say, “Let’s get out of here, quick!”

  “Daggone ornery bugger!” Willie exclaimed as he led Star down the ramp and into the hands of the two girls, who were laughing and crying all at the same time as they wrapped their arms around Star’s neck and kissed the end of his nose. He reciprocated by snorting wetly in their faces, sending them into a fit of giggles.

  “All right, now, enough of this foolishness. I got to get back in time for milkin,’” Willie insisted. “You girls hold him right here, and I’ll back the truck up to the ramp. Then we just gotta hope he’ll get in.”

  It almost seemed as if Star knew he was going home as Willie led him easily onto the thick layer of straw covering the bed of the truck. Willie tied him with a slip knot, and he immediately dropped his head to munch on the pile of hay the girls had arranged for him. After giving him one last grateful pat, Mary and Jody helped secure the back doors of the makeshift trailer and climbed wearily into the old red pickup. They were on their way home at last.

  15

  Manners

  MARY AND JODY spent that evening and the whole next day fawning over Star—grooming him, giving him extra sugar cubes and carrots, fluffing up the bed of straw in his stall, and making sure he had plenty of good green hay. Neither girl would leave his side for a moment. Of course, Star responded to the special treatment by acting like a spoiled celebrity. He stretched up his muzzle and knocked Colonel Sanders off his perch. Then he reached over and lipped at the latch on his stall door until he almost got it open. Just after the girls fluffed and arranged his bed of straw just so, Star pawed at it, flung it all over, lay down, and rolled. And when Jody brought a scoop of grain into the stall to dump into his manger, he brazenly knocked it out of her hand! It was just at that moment that Willie entered Lucky Foot Stable.

  “What in the . . .” Willie exclaimed when he saw the grain go flying. Then Star used his head to push Jody out of the stall door and stamped his foot as if to say, “Get out now and leave me alone!” At that, Willie strode to the front of the stall, clapped once, and deep in his throat gave warning.

  “Hey, now. You settle down and behave yourself,” he growled. Star threw up his head and looked curiously at Willie. Upon seeing the stern expression on the farmhand’s face, his ears swiveled back, and he lowered his head as if ashamed of himself. Then Willie turned to Mary and Jody, who stood right outside the stall with their mouths hanging open.

  “Shut your mouths and listen to me,” he began. “You two are spoiling this colt rotten, and he’s just gonna take advantage of you until he gets out of control.”

  “But Willie,” Jody began, “he had such a hard day yesterday . . .”

  “No, I noticed last week how he was startin’ to push you around,” Willie interrupted, “and spoilin’ him even more now just because he had a hard day ain’t gonna do him any good. Raisin’ a colt is just like raisin’ a human. They need guidelines and discipline, or you got yourself a good-for-nothin’ . . .”

  “But he does behave most of the time. He lets us put his saddle and bridle on, and he doesn’t bite or kick . . .” Mary insisted.

  “That’s all well and good, and it’s good to praise him when he behaves, but when he acts up, you got to let him know it’s wrong, or he’ll think anything he does is OK with you,” Willie explained.

  The girls stood quietly and let this information sink in. “But Willie,” Jody finally asked, “what do we do? We can’t beat him. He’ll hate us! And we could never do that anyway!”

  “I didn’t say nothin’ about anybody beatin’ anybody,” Willie snorted. “There’s ways to train a colt without that. Now if we can get him in shape, we might . . .” Willie stopped in mid-sentence.

  “We might what, Willie?” Mary asked curiously. “What?”

  “Well, I wasn’t goin’ to say nothin,’ seein’ as how you girls are gonna bug me to death,” Willie continued.

  “Say nothin’ about what?” Jody asked.

  “Well,” Willie said, tuggi
ng on his earlobe, “I was talkin’ to that truck driver yesterday for a minute after we got Star loaded up. He was sayin’ what a right nice lookin’ colt he is.”

  “Of course, he’s a nice looking colt! He’s gorgeous!” said Jody proudly.

  “But I mean a good show colt,” Willie continued. “The man raises quarter horses and he holds a show at his place twice a year. He has halter classes and everything—for all breeds.”

  “Halter classes? What’s that mean?” Mary asked.

  “It means that you show your animal in hand, not saddled up or anything, and he’s judged on his conformation, his trueness to the breed, the way he handles, and his manners,” Willie put a lot of emphasis on the word manners, glaring at Star as he did so. “They have classes for yearlings.”

  Willie’s meaning slowly began to sink in with the two girls. “His conformation, Willie? Does that mean how he looks?” Jody asked excitedly, looking proudly at Star.

  “How he’s put together. And I guess you could say that little cuss is put together pretty well,” Willie admitted, smiling at Star in spite of himself before turning sternly to Mary and Jody.

  “But if you keep spoilin’ him rotten, he won’t be good for nothin’ but the meat truck.”

  “Willie! Don’t say that! We won’t spoil him rotten anymore. You’ll have to help us. We’ll get him ready for the show, and he’ll be the best paint colt anybody has ever seen!” Mary exaggerated.

  “Well, we’ve got some time to work with him,” Willie said. “Show won’t be for another six months or so. Now I gotta go fix fence.” And as abruptly as Willie had entered the little stable, he turned to go.

  “Willie! Wait!” Jody called, just as he reached the door. When Willie turned back, Jody clamped her mouth shut and turned beet red.

  “What? I don’t have time for any more foolishness.”

  “I want to read something to you. And you too, Mare. I wrote it last night after we rescued Star.”

  “It’s a poem! A poem, I bet. Willie, did you know Jody was a great poet?” Mary asked proudly.

  “A great poet? No, I never heard nothin’ about that,” Willie said, shaking his head. “But if there’s any poetry to be heard, let’s hear it, ‘cause I got to put up a fence board before I turn the cows out of the barnyard,” he continued kindly, noticing Jody’s embarrassment.

  Jody took a piece of paper from her pocket and shook it out, trying to smooth the wrinkles against her jeans.

  Mary went on, “Willie, you never even heard Jody’s Christmas poem! It was great, and she’s going to write a whole collection of poems and get them published, and then she’ll be rich and famous and buy a farm just for Lady and Gypsy and Star! And me, of course,” she said smugly.

  Willie said nothing as he stood waiting patiently for Jody to begin her poem.

  “This isn’t like the Christmas poem, Mary—it’s funnier. So it’s OK to laugh.” And she cleared her throat and began to read:

  Star of Wonder is very bright,

  Except when he sees a curious sight.

  Then due to his curiosity,

  He sticks his nose where it shouldn’t be!

  He walked up the ramp and got in the truck,

  And before he knew it, he soon was stuck.

  Riding with calves who were meeting their fate,

  We were so afraid we would be too late!

  But Willie drove fast and saved the day,

  And Star is back home. Hooray! Hooray!

  Now we can’t let him out of our sight,

  We’ll watch him morning, noon, and night!

  ‘Cause the minute we look the other way,

  The ornery bugger might run away!

  Jody looked up from reading her poem in time to see Willie take off his hat, scratch the side of his head, and after passing a weathered hand across his eyes, turn and walk from the stable.

  “Uh, oh, Mary, I don’t think Willie liked the poem. He didn’t say anything!” Jody worried, going to the stable door as if ready to follow Willie out to the field.

  “No, Jode, I think Willie liked it. I think he liked it a lot,” Mary said quietly. “I bet nobody has ever written a poem with him in it before. You should have seen his face when you were reading it. I think he liked it so much, he couldn’t say a word.”

  Jody sighed with contentment, and walking over to Star’s stall, she opened the door and went in, holding the wrinkled paper up for Star to see.

  “How did you like it, buddy?” she asked. Star responded by taking the paper in his teeth and ripping it from Jody’s hand. Then he turned to the back corner of the stall, lowered his nose to the ground, and stepped on half of the paper with his front hoof. When he raised his head, the poem was torn perfectly in two, one half still in his teeth. Star shook the scrap of paper up and down, up and down, snorting and stomping his foot all the while. Mary and Jody speechlessly watched the frisky colt, then looked at each other. And in that moment they agreed without a word that the training of Star of Wonder must soon begin in earnest.

  When he raised his head, the poem was torn perfectly in two, one half still in his teeth.

  Glossary of Horse Terms

  Bale—In stable terms, a bale is a closely packed bundle of either hay or straw (see definitions) measuring about two by three feet, weighing about forty pounds, and tied with two strings lengthwise. When the strings are cut, the bale can be shaken loose and can be used either as feed, in the case of hay, or as stall bedding, in the case of straw.

  Baling twine—The term used for the thick yellow string that is tied around a bale.

  Bank barn—A barn that is built into the side of a hill so that the hill forms a “ramp” leading into the upper part of the barn, where hay and straw may be stored; the bottom floor of the barn is used for milking cows if it is a dairy barn, or it may have stalls for the purpose of sheltering other animals.

  Barn swallow—A small, blue-black bird with a rusty-colored breast and throat and a forked tail; found all over North America and Europe, these friendly birds like to build their nests in barns and eat insects.

  Bay—A common coloring seen in horses and ponies. The body is reddish-brown with black mane, tail, and lower legs.

  Bit—The metal piece on the bridle inserted into the mouth of a horse that provides communication between the rider and horse.

  Blinders—A leather attachment to a driving bridle designed to restrict the vision of a horse from the rear and sides, and to focus the vision forward.

  Breeching straps—An attachment to the driving harness that fits across the hindquarters of the horse about twelve inches below the dock of the tail and fastens to the shafts of the cart. These straps help to keep the cart from hitting the horse when going down a hill.

  Bridle—The leather headgear, with a metal bit, which is placed on the head of a horse to enable the rider to control the horse.

  Canter—A three-beat gait of a horse, which can also be called a “collected gallop.” It is slightly faster than a trot, and not so “bouncy.”

  Carriage—A horse-drawn, four-wheeled vehicle.

  Carriage robe—A heavy blanket about five feet square, which is used to cover the legs of the occupant of a carriage or sleigh and provide warmth while riding.

  Chestnut—A common coloring found in horses and ponies. The coat is basically red, in varying shades on different horses. The mane and tail are the same color as the body.

  Cluck—The “clicking” sound a rider or driver makes from the corner of the mouth to urge a horse forward. Also the sound a chicken makes when communicating.

  Collar—The oval, leather piece of harness that fits around the horse’s neck, and to which the hames and traces are attached. The collar allows the horse to pull the carriage by pushing his weight against the collar and walking forward.

  Corncob—The inner segment of an ear of corn to which the corn kernels are attached. The horse eats the kernels but not the cob.

  Crop—A short leather riding whip carried
by the rider and used lightly to encourage the horse to move forward.

  Crosstie—The method of tying a horse squarely in the aisle or stall by clipping a rope to both sides of the halter. When a horse is crosstied, he cannot move away from the rider during grooming and saddling.

  Crupper—The part of the driving harness that fastens around the top of the tail to help keep the saddle and breeching straps in place.

  Dismount—The action of getting down from a horse and onto the ground.

  Dock—The bone in a horse’s tail, formed of the lowest vertebrae of the spine.

  Dollar bareback—A game played on horseback, in which a dollar is placed under the knee of the rider while riding bareback and the riders must walk, trot, and even canter around the ring without losing the dollar. The last person with the dollar still under his knee wins all the dollars.

  Eaves—The overhanging lower edge of a roof.

  Field horse—Another term for a work horse; that is, a horse that is hitched to and performs work in a field, such as plowing or planting.

  Flake—A section of hay that is taken from a bale for feeding, usually about six inches wide and two feet square. There are usually about ten flakes of hay in a whole bale.

  Flaxen—A type of coloring sometimes found on chestnut horses, and always found on palominos, in which the mane and tail are white. If a chestnut has a flaxen mane and tail, he is known as a “flaxen chestnut.”

  Foal—A young, unweaned horse or pony of either gender. When the horse or pony is “weaned,” or separated from its mother, it is called a “weanling.”

  Gallop—A fast, four-beat gait in which all four of the horse’s feet strike the ground separately.

  Grain—Harvested cereals or other edible seeds, including oats, corn, wheat, and barley. Horses and ponies often eat a mixture of grains, vitamins, minerals, and molasses called “sweet feed.”