Janette Oke by Laurel Oke Logan Page B

fruit was a real treat, especially juicy peaches. On one occasion it became known to the kids that Grandma Ruggles had some in her cellar. Whispered word came to Janette that there was to be a raid. Three or four of the boy cousins had decided that a fresh peach would taste really good, and they asked her if she’d like to get in on the treat. After momentary debate with her conscience, she agreed.
    Soon she had joined the boys in one of the granaries and smacked her lips as peach juice dripped off her chin. As usually happens to offenders, they were caught and ended up having to face the probing but gentle eyes of their grandmother, Vi.
    â€œIf you had asked me, I would have given you a peach,” she said, the disappointment in her voice hurting much more deeply than a stern rebuke would have done.
    Inwardly Janette wished to say, “But, Grandma—look at all the people. If you had tried to give everybody a peach, there wouldn’t have been enough to go around. And you couldn’t give them to just some of us.”
    But in her heart she had the feeling that her grandmother, generous and giving as she was, would have found some way. Janette determined never to hurt her again.

Chapter Twelve
    Antics
    The Rhines’ farm had a herd of sheep in one of its pastures. Among this herd was a ram that presented a constant threat to anyone trying to cross his domain. Dale, along with some of the older girls, developed a game of wits with the hot-tempered animal. They would draw his attention and then stand directly in front of a large tree. At the moment he put his head down and charged, they deftly stepped aside and the ram would crash against the tree. As he walked away, shaking his dizzy head at how such a small person could be so solidly built, the spectators would run off laughing.
    Janette, afraid she might not move at the right time, never tried this bit of sport. And besides, though she did not voice her true feelings to the others, she felt just a little bit sorry for the cantankerous ram.
    One day three of the girls decided to go for a horseback ride. They caught a couple of horses and set off through the pasture, Fern riding one and Janette and Faye sharing the other. They had often been warned not to ride among the rest of the horses, but in one of the impulsive moments of childhood, they paid little attention until they found their own horses out of control and running with the herd.
    Then one of the horses began to buck. Faye and Janette clung desperately for several jumps, finally being thrown from the animal. As they scrambled up and dusted themselves off, the pair tried to shake the fright enough to chuckle at their mishap. Faye took a gulp of breath and reported that at one point, she put her hand down behind her to try to grab a handhold and found mane .
    Then they did howl with laughter at the thought of Faye riding almost between the horse’s ears and Janette bouncing along on its neck just behind her. Fortunately, they were not hurt badly.
    Far more serious consequences could have resulted from another misguided idea. On a day when riding behind rather than on a horse sounded like a good idea, an old mare was harnessed to a stone boat. This piece of farm equipment looked much like a large wooden sled and was used to haul rocks out of the fields.
    Once all the straps had been fastened into place, all the children piled onto the stone boat. They set out on an off-road, a single-vehicle rutted track. Grass and even small bushes grew on each side and spread down into an easy ditch for drainage.
    The group had traveled only a short distance when they met one of the Rhines’ uncles driving a team and wagon with a hayrack. No one was quite sure who was first to make the challenge for a race, but soon calls and dares were sounding from all sides and the offer for a race was accepted.
    The load of children was rearranged, several of the smaller ones being sent up onto Uncle Jesse’s