the lane, Fred lifted them down, nodded his farewell, and set out again on his errand. With the little horse in tow, the girls walked down to the farmhouse but found no one home. Now having no reason to stay, they mounted the pony with the help of a wagon in the yard and started back toward home.
After traveling about halfway, a sudden storm struck. The thunder, lightning, hail, and freezing rain would have caused most ponies to bolt in fear, but not Beauty. She sauntered along, eating tufts of grass from beside the road, nibbling this and that, as though it were a lovely summer day and it had been a week since she had eaten anything. She seemed to be enjoying the freshness of the rain-washed grasses. Janette tried to hurry her up, but no matter how firmly she spoke or how much she dug in her heels and slapped the reins, Beauty paid no attention.
In the meantime, the girls were soaked to the skin with icy rainwater and pelted mercilessly with hailstones. At last they slid off. Janette and Margie had come to the conclusion that they needed helpâdesperately. So they did the only thing they knew to do.
Kneeling down in the middle of the muddy road, rain still beating on their heads and running over their faces, Janette held Beautyâs reins in one hand and Margieâs hand in the other and they prayed. This done, they started off again, now leading the stubborn pony in order to hurry her the best they could.
Amy, assuming that the girls were safe at the Rhines, had not been worrying. When Margie appeared at the door, dripping with rainwater and shivering with cold, Amy could hardly believe her eyes.
âWhereâs Janette?â she asked anxiously as she snatched a towel and wrapped Margie snugly in it. The answer to Margie seemed obvious. Janette had gone on to the barn to put Beauty away. They had been taught to always care for their horse after riding. Neither of the girls could quite understand why Amy seemed to be saying that Janette should have left Beauty standing in the yard and hurried into the house herself.
It was hours before either Janette or Margie could make her teeth stop chattering. Amy stripped them of their wet clothes, bundled them in something warm and dry, and put them in bed with hot water bottles under the covers.
Not until later did the remainder of the story come out. Amy looked surprised to hear of their spontaneous prayer meeting, but she was overheard sharing the story with guests, even relating the details to Rev. Hallman, the district superintendent, and his wife when they visited the Steevesâ home.
Janette wondered why the kind gentleman seemed so impressed about two little girls kneeling down in the middle of a muddy road to pray for Godâs help. There simply had been no other place to kneel.
On rare and wonderful occasions there were trips south over the long, tiring miles to visit relatives still living on the prairie. Three homes clustered together at the Guess Ranch. Grandpa and Grandma Ruggles lived in a little house with a veranda lining the two sides. A âcook carâ had been acquired some time before, and the kitchen on wheels had been âsemi-attachedâ to the Rugglesâ home. Here the women worked together to provide meals for all the families and any guests. Uncle Ross, Aunt Hazel, and family lived down the hill by the caragana hedge, and Uncle Wayne, Aunt Violet, and family lived in the small house to the south.
It was a wonderful place to visit. Cousins abounded, and those who did not live in the immediate vicinity were not too far away.
The favorite activity of the cousins was swinging on Grandpaâs homemade porch swing. It was a wide affair with double-seats that faced one another and made complete with an attached floor between them. The whole swing was suspended from the veranda rafters. Hours were spent getting the swing, loaded with youngsters, to go as high as it could. The whole house must have rocked at times.
Fresh
After traveling about halfway, a sudden storm struck. The thunder, lightning, hail, and freezing rain would have caused most ponies to bolt in fear, but not Beauty. She sauntered along, eating tufts of grass from beside the road, nibbling this and that, as though it were a lovely summer day and it had been a week since she had eaten anything. She seemed to be enjoying the freshness of the rain-washed grasses. Janette tried to hurry her up, but no matter how firmly she spoke or how much she dug in her heels and slapped the reins, Beauty paid no attention.
In the meantime, the girls were soaked to the skin with icy rainwater and pelted mercilessly with hailstones. At last they slid off. Janette and Margie had come to the conclusion that they needed helpâdesperately. So they did the only thing they knew to do.
Kneeling down in the middle of the muddy road, rain still beating on their heads and running over their faces, Janette held Beautyâs reins in one hand and Margieâs hand in the other and they prayed. This done, they started off again, now leading the stubborn pony in order to hurry her the best they could.
Amy, assuming that the girls were safe at the Rhines, had not been worrying. When Margie appeared at the door, dripping with rainwater and shivering with cold, Amy could hardly believe her eyes.
âWhereâs Janette?â she asked anxiously as she snatched a towel and wrapped Margie snugly in it. The answer to Margie seemed obvious. Janette had gone on to the barn to put Beauty away. They had been taught to always care for their horse after riding. Neither of the girls could quite understand why Amy seemed to be saying that Janette should have left Beauty standing in the yard and hurried into the house herself.
It was hours before either Janette or Margie could make her teeth stop chattering. Amy stripped them of their wet clothes, bundled them in something warm and dry, and put them in bed with hot water bottles under the covers.
Not until later did the remainder of the story come out. Amy looked surprised to hear of their spontaneous prayer meeting, but she was overheard sharing the story with guests, even relating the details to Rev. Hallman, the district superintendent, and his wife when they visited the Steevesâ home.
Janette wondered why the kind gentleman seemed so impressed about two little girls kneeling down in the middle of a muddy road to pray for Godâs help. There simply had been no other place to kneel.
On rare and wonderful occasions there were trips south over the long, tiring miles to visit relatives still living on the prairie. Three homes clustered together at the Guess Ranch. Grandpa and Grandma Ruggles lived in a little house with a veranda lining the two sides. A âcook carâ had been acquired some time before, and the kitchen on wheels had been âsemi-attachedâ to the Rugglesâ home. Here the women worked together to provide meals for all the families and any guests. Uncle Ross, Aunt Hazel, and family lived down the hill by the caragana hedge, and Uncle Wayne, Aunt Violet, and family lived in the small house to the south.
It was a wonderful place to visit. Cousins abounded, and those who did not live in the immediate vicinity were not too far away.
The favorite activity of the cousins was swinging on Grandpaâs homemade porch swing. It was a wide affair with double-seats that faced one another and made complete with an attached floor between them. The whole swing was suspended from the veranda rafters. Hours were spent getting the swing, loaded with youngsters, to go as high as it could. The whole house must have rocked at times.
Fresh
Similar Books
