large or small the animals can be.”
That reminded Stevie of something. “Mr. Toll!” she blurted out excitedly. “I mean, what about that farmer Mr. Toll who lives near here? He has a couple of teams of big workhorses, remember? He could enter with his hay wagon.”
That did it. Suddenly everyone seemed to remember aneighbor, a relative, or a friend of a friend with some connection to a carriage team. Before long Max threw up his hands in exasperation, but he was smiling. “All right, all right!” he shouted over the racket. “You win. I’ll speak to the country club committee. If they agree, I’ll offer to help organize a scurry race for the point-to-point.”
The students let out a loud cheer. Miles Pennington joined in, and even Mrs. Pennington let out a hearty “Hear, hear!”
Max raised one finger warningly. “But remember, you all promised to help.”
“We’ll help, Max,” Carole promised. “You can count on us.”
“And on Miles and me, too,” Mrs. Pennington added. “I’d be happy to help organize the event.”
“Good.” Max smiled at Mrs. Pennington. “Now, I believe our guest speaker has some more to tell us about driving.”
L ISA SLID DOWN off the fence as soon as Max dismissed the class half an hour later. “I’ll meet you guys inside,” she told her friends hurriedly. “I want to call my mom right away. You know—break it to her gently.”
“Oh dear,” Tessa said, looking worried. “I didn’t even think about that when I suggested the scurry race. Do you suppose your mum will be terribly frantic?”
“Probably,” Carole answered for Lisa. “But don’t worry. That’s the way she is. Right, Lisa?”
Lisa smiled weakly in response, then hurried inside, heading for the pay phone in the hallway outside the locker room. She wasn’t sure whether to be happy or upset about the new addition to the point-to-point schedule. On the one hand, she could understand why her friends and classmates were so excited. Mrs. Pennington’s scurry run had been fun to watch. On the other hand, she could only imagine how much more work this would mean for her mother—and therefore for The Saddle Club. It wasn’t that Lisa had anything against hard work. It was just—well, she wasn’t sure
what
was bothering her exactly. Perhaps she wished that Tessa had run the idea past her friends before blurting it out to the larger group. Not that Lisa would have voted against it, of course. It was just that … well …
Lisa was starting to confuse herself. She pushed her muddled thoughts aside and decided to concentrate on the best way to tell her mother. After all, it was done now, no matter what she thought of it. All she could do was deal with it.
Mrs. Atwood took the news better than Lisa would have expected. In fact, she hardly seemed fazed at all by the idea of adding another event to the day’s schedule—especially when she heard that Mrs. Pennington was involved.
“Don’t worry about a thing, dear,” Mrs. Atwood trilled. “I’m sure we can manage to pull it all together somehow.” “Okay, Mom. Bye.” Lisa shrugged as she hung up.Sometimes people were hard to figure out, even when you thought you knew them.
Lisa wanted to visit Prancer and Derby, but first she set out in search of her friends. She thought she might suggest a sleepover at her house that evening. Despite her mother’s calm response, Lisa was still sure that this turn of events would mean there was suddenly a lot more work to be done.
She found Carole, Stevie, and Phil still perched on the fence around the outdoor ring. Most of the other students had dispersed, and the Penningtons and their team were nowhere in sight. Only the phaeton remained, parked just outside the gate.
“What are you guys still doing out here?” Lisa asked as she approached. “And where’s Tessa?”
“Take a guess.” Stevie’s voice was grumpy.
Phil rolled his eyes. “She just went off with Veronica,” he told Lisa. “And
That reminded Stevie of something. “Mr. Toll!” she blurted out excitedly. “I mean, what about that farmer Mr. Toll who lives near here? He has a couple of teams of big workhorses, remember? He could enter with his hay wagon.”
That did it. Suddenly everyone seemed to remember aneighbor, a relative, or a friend of a friend with some connection to a carriage team. Before long Max threw up his hands in exasperation, but he was smiling. “All right, all right!” he shouted over the racket. “You win. I’ll speak to the country club committee. If they agree, I’ll offer to help organize a scurry race for the point-to-point.”
The students let out a loud cheer. Miles Pennington joined in, and even Mrs. Pennington let out a hearty “Hear, hear!”
Max raised one finger warningly. “But remember, you all promised to help.”
“We’ll help, Max,” Carole promised. “You can count on us.”
“And on Miles and me, too,” Mrs. Pennington added. “I’d be happy to help organize the event.”
“Good.” Max smiled at Mrs. Pennington. “Now, I believe our guest speaker has some more to tell us about driving.”
L ISA SLID DOWN off the fence as soon as Max dismissed the class half an hour later. “I’ll meet you guys inside,” she told her friends hurriedly. “I want to call my mom right away. You know—break it to her gently.”
“Oh dear,” Tessa said, looking worried. “I didn’t even think about that when I suggested the scurry race. Do you suppose your mum will be terribly frantic?”
“Probably,” Carole answered for Lisa. “But don’t worry. That’s the way she is. Right, Lisa?”
Lisa smiled weakly in response, then hurried inside, heading for the pay phone in the hallway outside the locker room. She wasn’t sure whether to be happy or upset about the new addition to the point-to-point schedule. On the one hand, she could understand why her friends and classmates were so excited. Mrs. Pennington’s scurry run had been fun to watch. On the other hand, she could only imagine how much more work this would mean for her mother—and therefore for The Saddle Club. It wasn’t that Lisa had anything against hard work. It was just—well, she wasn’t sure
what
was bothering her exactly. Perhaps she wished that Tessa had run the idea past her friends before blurting it out to the larger group. Not that Lisa would have voted against it, of course. It was just that … well …
Lisa was starting to confuse herself. She pushed her muddled thoughts aside and decided to concentrate on the best way to tell her mother. After all, it was done now, no matter what she thought of it. All she could do was deal with it.
Mrs. Atwood took the news better than Lisa would have expected. In fact, she hardly seemed fazed at all by the idea of adding another event to the day’s schedule—especially when she heard that Mrs. Pennington was involved.
“Don’t worry about a thing, dear,” Mrs. Atwood trilled. “I’m sure we can manage to pull it all together somehow.” “Okay, Mom. Bye.” Lisa shrugged as she hung up.Sometimes people were hard to figure out, even when you thought you knew them.
Lisa wanted to visit Prancer and Derby, but first she set out in search of her friends. She thought she might suggest a sleepover at her house that evening. Despite her mother’s calm response, Lisa was still sure that this turn of events would mean there was suddenly a lot more work to be done.
She found Carole, Stevie, and Phil still perched on the fence around the outdoor ring. Most of the other students had dispersed, and the Penningtons and their team were nowhere in sight. Only the phaeton remained, parked just outside the gate.
“What are you guys still doing out here?” Lisa asked as she approached. “And where’s Tessa?”
“Take a guess.” Stevie’s voice was grumpy.
Phil rolled his eyes. “She just went off with Veronica,” he told Lisa. “And
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