training that Samson sometimes fought when the halter was put on him. Sometimes, he’d shake his head quite violently. He just wasn’t accustomed to it. So Carole was more than a little nervous.
“What can we do to make him not notice the halter, then?” Lisa asked.
Carole thought for a second. “Delilah!” she exclaimed. “Bring his mother here. He’s really too tired to put up much of a fight, and I’ll bet you anything his stomach is empty and he’s starving. Bring on the Nursing Mama!”
Laughing, Stevie unhitched Delilah and reunitedher with her son. The mare checked him thoroughly, sniffing and nuzzling him, apparently trying to be absolutely certain that this dusty, dirty, scratched-up colt was really her little baby. While the two of them got reacquainted, Carole slipped the halter on Samson and clipped on a lead rope. He didn’t pay any attention to her. When Delilah was satisfied that the colt was her lost son, she allowed him to nurse.
“Look at his poor legs,” Lisa said, watching the procedure. “Are they going to be okay?”
Carole examined them carefully. “Probably,” she said. “There’s only one deep scratch and it seems to be closing naturally. However, we could have an infection problem, which would be a lot worse than scarring. Let’s get the first-aid kit and kill some germs.”
While Samson was concentrating on his meal, Stevie sprayed his legs with the disinfectant, Lisa applied scarlet oil, and Carole wrapped his legs in bandages.
“Hey, check this out!” Stevie said softly, trying not to disturb their patient. “We’re all nursing. Samson’s doing the baby kind of nursing and we’re three Clara Bartons out here on the battlefield of horse care!”
Lisa and Carole laughed, both because it was funny, and because they felt good. They’d done something important and they’d done it right.
“Isn’t it wonderful that Samson’s okay?” Lisa asked. “What a job you did!” she told Carole admiringly.
“In the first place,
we
did it, not just me,” Carole corrected her. “In the second place, we’re not quite done.”
“Oh, sure,” Stevie said. “Judy’s going to want to re-bandage all the cuts, maybe take some stitches …”
“No, before that,” Carole said. “Look at Samson.”
The colt licked the last splash of milk from his lips and then glanced around. The look was unmistakable. He was ready for his nap. He would never make it back to Pine Hollow and there was no way they could carry him safely.
The girls decided to make him walk with Delilah, at least as far as the safety of the first fence in the fields. Then they would wait with him until help arrived. Max was sure to come looking for them with his truck. Until then, no harm would come to any of them.
A few minutes later, The Saddle Club settled into the sweet grass, not far from Samson, and waited, glad for the quiet and the rest.
Samson was asleep before Carole could get the halter off of him.
“S TAR LIGHT , STAR bright, first star I’ve seen tonight,” Stevie said, looking up into the early-evening sky. It was still light out, but the evening star was clearly visible above the southern horizon.
“I know what I’m wishing for,” Lisa said, staring up into the sky as well. The minute she said it, she knew it was time to tell her friends her secret. They waited for her to continue. “I’m wishing for words to tell you something I haven’t been able to tell you.”
“Bad news?” Stevie asked, alarmed.
“No, just hard to figure out. Hard to talk about. But I think I’ve figured it out now, so I can talk about it.” There was a long silence. Lisa continued to look at the sky as she spoke. “My parents had this idea about buying me a horse. I think mymother got the idea because she heard the diAngelos were buying Garnet for Veronica. We even looked at three different horses.”
“And you didn’t tell us?” Stevie asked. She sounded hurt.
Lisa knew she deserved that, if
“What can we do to make him not notice the halter, then?” Lisa asked.
Carole thought for a second. “Delilah!” she exclaimed. “Bring his mother here. He’s really too tired to put up much of a fight, and I’ll bet you anything his stomach is empty and he’s starving. Bring on the Nursing Mama!”
Laughing, Stevie unhitched Delilah and reunitedher with her son. The mare checked him thoroughly, sniffing and nuzzling him, apparently trying to be absolutely certain that this dusty, dirty, scratched-up colt was really her little baby. While the two of them got reacquainted, Carole slipped the halter on Samson and clipped on a lead rope. He didn’t pay any attention to her. When Delilah was satisfied that the colt was her lost son, she allowed him to nurse.
“Look at his poor legs,” Lisa said, watching the procedure. “Are they going to be okay?”
Carole examined them carefully. “Probably,” she said. “There’s only one deep scratch and it seems to be closing naturally. However, we could have an infection problem, which would be a lot worse than scarring. Let’s get the first-aid kit and kill some germs.”
While Samson was concentrating on his meal, Stevie sprayed his legs with the disinfectant, Lisa applied scarlet oil, and Carole wrapped his legs in bandages.
“Hey, check this out!” Stevie said softly, trying not to disturb their patient. “We’re all nursing. Samson’s doing the baby kind of nursing and we’re three Clara Bartons out here on the battlefield of horse care!”
Lisa and Carole laughed, both because it was funny, and because they felt good. They’d done something important and they’d done it right.
“Isn’t it wonderful that Samson’s okay?” Lisa asked. “What a job you did!” she told Carole admiringly.
“In the first place,
we
did it, not just me,” Carole corrected her. “In the second place, we’re not quite done.”
“Oh, sure,” Stevie said. “Judy’s going to want to re-bandage all the cuts, maybe take some stitches …”
“No, before that,” Carole said. “Look at Samson.”
The colt licked the last splash of milk from his lips and then glanced around. The look was unmistakable. He was ready for his nap. He would never make it back to Pine Hollow and there was no way they could carry him safely.
The girls decided to make him walk with Delilah, at least as far as the safety of the first fence in the fields. Then they would wait with him until help arrived. Max was sure to come looking for them with his truck. Until then, no harm would come to any of them.
A few minutes later, The Saddle Club settled into the sweet grass, not far from Samson, and waited, glad for the quiet and the rest.
Samson was asleep before Carole could get the halter off of him.
“S TAR LIGHT , STAR bright, first star I’ve seen tonight,” Stevie said, looking up into the early-evening sky. It was still light out, but the evening star was clearly visible above the southern horizon.
“I know what I’m wishing for,” Lisa said, staring up into the sky as well. The minute she said it, she knew it was time to tell her friends her secret. They waited for her to continue. “I’m wishing for words to tell you something I haven’t been able to tell you.”
“Bad news?” Stevie asked, alarmed.
“No, just hard to figure out. Hard to talk about. But I think I’ve figured it out now, so I can talk about it.” There was a long silence. Lisa continued to look at the sky as she spoke. “My parents had this idea about buying me a horse. I think mymother got the idea because she heard the diAngelos were buying Garnet for Veronica. We even looked at three different horses.”
“And you didn’t tell us?” Stevie asked. She sounded hurt.
Lisa knew she deserved that, if
Similar Books
