Love, Carole.”
The rest of the day was as magical as the start had been. The parade featured lots of familiar characters, bright lights, grand music, marching bands, and circus-style performers. There was time after the paradefor them to have another set of “interest groups,” and that took Carole and Sheila to the Mad Tea Party as well as the Haunted House, the Jungle Cruise, and into a submarine that took them Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The girls were totally exhausted by the time they met up with the rest of the group, but a good dinner woke them up enough so that they could stay alert for the fireworks spectacle. After all, who could sleep through fireworks?
Completely spent, the six weary fun seekers made their way back to Uncle Willie’s car. Nobody complained about poking elbows on the way back. Everybody but Uncle Willie, who was driving, was too sound asleep.
W HEN C AROLE WOKE up the next morning, she knew there was something special coming. She just couldn’t remember what it was. The sun shone brightly through the window of Sheila’s room. That was a hint, she knew. In the kitchen downstairs, she heard somebody drop something. It made a nice comfortable thumping sound—just like the sound of a hoofbeat. That was it. She and Sheila were going to have a horseback picnic on the beach. That was more than enough to make any day special!
She sat up and climbed out of bed.
“Come on, let’s get going,” she said to Sheila in the bed next to hers. But Sheila wasn’t there. Caroleglanced at her watch. It was nine-fifteen already. Sheila was probably the one who’d dropped something in the kitchen and Carole should be down there, too, helping to make their picnic.
Carole washed and dressed quickly and then went down the back stairs.
Sheila and Aunt Joanna were in the kitchen, and they were both working. They were also talking, and Carole had the feeling an interruption right then might not be welcome.
“I’m telling you, Sheila, you’re going to have to get rid of that pony. He’s just eating up a lot of hay and doing you no good at all.”
“But Mom, that’s
Maverick
you’re talking about,” Sheila said. “He’s like my best friend.”
“He’s no friend to you when he’s keeping you from winning any ribbons in every show you enter. You’re a full-sized rider and you need a full-sized horse.
As Carole listened, she could tell that these words had been well rehearsed by both Joanna and Sheila. It was a tired argument and it was going nowhere. Carole took another step down the stairs to put an end to the argument, at least temporarily, when it took another turn.
“Look at your cousin Carole,” Aunt Joanna persisted. “She’s got a new horse—practically a greenhorse—and she’s trained it so well that she got the reserve champion ribbon in the junior intermediate division at Briarwood! And she’s younger than you are!”
Carole was uncomfortable with that. Even though Aunt Joanna was right, she
had
gotten the reserve champion ribbon, she didn’t like the fact that she was being used for comparison in a disagreement between Joanna and Sheila. Sheila was bound to be resentful and Carole was embarrassed and a little bit annoyed to find herself part of this ongoing fight.
“Carole is a very good rider,” Sheila said. Carole sighed with relief. At least Sheila wasn’t openly resentful. “And she’s put in hours and hours of work training that horse.”
“You could do the same,” said Aunt Joanna.
“And I’d be glad to do it—with somebody else’s horse.”
“Good morning!” Carole said cheerfully.
“Oh, hi, we were just talking about you,” Aunt Joanna said. “I was telling Sheila how proud your dad was about the reserve champion ribbon you won at Briarwood with that new horse of yours, Starlight.”
“That was a fun experience,” Carole said. “But I have the feeling that our picnic on the beach is goingto be even more fun. What do you know
The rest of the day was as magical as the start had been. The parade featured lots of familiar characters, bright lights, grand music, marching bands, and circus-style performers. There was time after the paradefor them to have another set of “interest groups,” and that took Carole and Sheila to the Mad Tea Party as well as the Haunted House, the Jungle Cruise, and into a submarine that took them Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The girls were totally exhausted by the time they met up with the rest of the group, but a good dinner woke them up enough so that they could stay alert for the fireworks spectacle. After all, who could sleep through fireworks?
Completely spent, the six weary fun seekers made their way back to Uncle Willie’s car. Nobody complained about poking elbows on the way back. Everybody but Uncle Willie, who was driving, was too sound asleep.
W HEN C AROLE WOKE up the next morning, she knew there was something special coming. She just couldn’t remember what it was. The sun shone brightly through the window of Sheila’s room. That was a hint, she knew. In the kitchen downstairs, she heard somebody drop something. It made a nice comfortable thumping sound—just like the sound of a hoofbeat. That was it. She and Sheila were going to have a horseback picnic on the beach. That was more than enough to make any day special!
She sat up and climbed out of bed.
“Come on, let’s get going,” she said to Sheila in the bed next to hers. But Sheila wasn’t there. Caroleglanced at her watch. It was nine-fifteen already. Sheila was probably the one who’d dropped something in the kitchen and Carole should be down there, too, helping to make their picnic.
Carole washed and dressed quickly and then went down the back stairs.
Sheila and Aunt Joanna were in the kitchen, and they were both working. They were also talking, and Carole had the feeling an interruption right then might not be welcome.
“I’m telling you, Sheila, you’re going to have to get rid of that pony. He’s just eating up a lot of hay and doing you no good at all.”
“But Mom, that’s
Maverick
you’re talking about,” Sheila said. “He’s like my best friend.”
“He’s no friend to you when he’s keeping you from winning any ribbons in every show you enter. You’re a full-sized rider and you need a full-sized horse.
As Carole listened, she could tell that these words had been well rehearsed by both Joanna and Sheila. It was a tired argument and it was going nowhere. Carole took another step down the stairs to put an end to the argument, at least temporarily, when it took another turn.
“Look at your cousin Carole,” Aunt Joanna persisted. “She’s got a new horse—practically a greenhorse—and she’s trained it so well that she got the reserve champion ribbon in the junior intermediate division at Briarwood! And she’s younger than you are!”
Carole was uncomfortable with that. Even though Aunt Joanna was right, she
had
gotten the reserve champion ribbon, she didn’t like the fact that she was being used for comparison in a disagreement between Joanna and Sheila. Sheila was bound to be resentful and Carole was embarrassed and a little bit annoyed to find herself part of this ongoing fight.
“Carole is a very good rider,” Sheila said. Carole sighed with relief. At least Sheila wasn’t openly resentful. “And she’s put in hours and hours of work training that horse.”
“You could do the same,” said Aunt Joanna.
“And I’d be glad to do it—with somebody else’s horse.”
“Good morning!” Carole said cheerfully.
“Oh, hi, we were just talking about you,” Aunt Joanna said. “I was telling Sheila how proud your dad was about the reserve champion ribbon you won at Briarwood with that new horse of yours, Starlight.”
“That was a fun experience,” Carole said. “But I have the feeling that our picnic on the beach is goingto be even more fun. What do you know
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