seeing things she’d never seen before. It would never have occurred to her to buy a pair of camouflage pants. She hadn’t even known where they were sold. She did now. She’d also learned where she could buy sandals with straps that wrapped all the way up her legs to above her knees.
She hadn’t bought any of these things, of course, but Trudy had. And Trudy just loved them.
There was a more serious side to Trudy, too, though. As soon as she’d seen the card table at the mall entrance where the library’s raffle tickets were being sold, she’d insisted on buying a whole book of them. She didn’t care about the prizes; she just wanted to be helpful. Carole and Stevie were both happy she wanted to give money to their town library.
Stevie glanced over to where Trudy was dancing around the scarf bin, humming to herself, and grinned. Sometimes it could be boring going shopping with somebody and not buying anything for herself, but being with Trudy was such an experience that Stevie didn’t mind at all. Being with Trudy meant shopping for things she’d never buy—but it was fun! It was obvious that Carole felt exactly the same way she did. She, too, was watching Trudy’s quest with rapt fascination.
“I think I like having a sister,” Stevie confided to Carole. “Trudy’s a lot more fun than all three of my brothers put together.”
“That’s not much of a contest,” Carole remarked. “I don’t think I remember you ever saying a thing about your brothers being any fun at all.”
“They aren’t.”
Trudy pulled a scarf out of the box. It was actually olive green and hot pink.
“Yeah!” she announced to everybody within earshot. “Now I’ve just got to try it on!” Stevie was carrying the bag with the camouflage pants in it. Trudy grabbed it from her hand, took the pink blouse as well, and ran off to find a dressing room.
“You know, she reminds me of Samson,” Stevie remarked, watching Trudy wind through the shop in search of a dressing room.
“Sort of like a kid, you mean?” Carole asked.
“Yeah, I guess,” Stevie said. “You know—if you let Samson do what he wants, he’s just so funny! Trudy’s the same way. She’s always up to something.”
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Samson’s just crazy … Hey, wait a minute!” Carole said, regarding Stevie carefully. “What did you mean when you said the thing about letting Samson do what he wants?”
Stevie shrugged. “Every time he does something, it’s like another game. He really loves them. I started to teach him things like peekaboo and tag, but it was like he already knew them. He’s a riot—just like Trudy.” Stevie looked at Carole and saw the very odd look on her face. “Well, not exactly like Trudy,” she said. “But you know, fun loving.”
“You mean, you
taught
him those games?” Carole asked, suddenly beginning to understand what might have been going on.
“I hardly had to teach him,” Stevie said. “He’s a natural. I was going to put the halter on him, see, and we just got to playing …”
“But Stevie, you couldn’t do that!” Carole exclaimed.
“Sure I could. It was
easy
!” Stevie said.
“Of course it was easy,” Carole said, taking a deep breath to calm herself. “You wanted to play, he wanted to play. The trouble is that you went in there with a halter and instead of working with him, you let him play. Now every time somebody goes in with a halter, all he wants to do is to play.”
“And he’s so cute!” Stevie said.
Carole realized that Stevie still didn’t understand what had happened.
“Sure he’s cute, but he’s got a job to do. When you’re teaching a horse something, you have to stick to the work or else he’ll get the idea that playing is okay. Horses forget what they learn very quickly unless you keep reminding them, just like little kids.”
“You mean I shouldn’t have played with him?”
“Not with a halter in your hand—especially not with one
She hadn’t bought any of these things, of course, but Trudy had. And Trudy just loved them.
There was a more serious side to Trudy, too, though. As soon as she’d seen the card table at the mall entrance where the library’s raffle tickets were being sold, she’d insisted on buying a whole book of them. She didn’t care about the prizes; she just wanted to be helpful. Carole and Stevie were both happy she wanted to give money to their town library.
Stevie glanced over to where Trudy was dancing around the scarf bin, humming to herself, and grinned. Sometimes it could be boring going shopping with somebody and not buying anything for herself, but being with Trudy was such an experience that Stevie didn’t mind at all. Being with Trudy meant shopping for things she’d never buy—but it was fun! It was obvious that Carole felt exactly the same way she did. She, too, was watching Trudy’s quest with rapt fascination.
“I think I like having a sister,” Stevie confided to Carole. “Trudy’s a lot more fun than all three of my brothers put together.”
“That’s not much of a contest,” Carole remarked. “I don’t think I remember you ever saying a thing about your brothers being any fun at all.”
“They aren’t.”
Trudy pulled a scarf out of the box. It was actually olive green and hot pink.
“Yeah!” she announced to everybody within earshot. “Now I’ve just got to try it on!” Stevie was carrying the bag with the camouflage pants in it. Trudy grabbed it from her hand, took the pink blouse as well, and ran off to find a dressing room.
“You know, she reminds me of Samson,” Stevie remarked, watching Trudy wind through the shop in search of a dressing room.
“Sort of like a kid, you mean?” Carole asked.
“Yeah, I guess,” Stevie said. “You know—if you let Samson do what he wants, he’s just so funny! Trudy’s the same way. She’s always up to something.”
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Samson’s just crazy … Hey, wait a minute!” Carole said, regarding Stevie carefully. “What did you mean when you said the thing about letting Samson do what he wants?”
Stevie shrugged. “Every time he does something, it’s like another game. He really loves them. I started to teach him things like peekaboo and tag, but it was like he already knew them. He’s a riot—just like Trudy.” Stevie looked at Carole and saw the very odd look on her face. “Well, not exactly like Trudy,” she said. “But you know, fun loving.”
“You mean, you
taught
him those games?” Carole asked, suddenly beginning to understand what might have been going on.
“I hardly had to teach him,” Stevie said. “He’s a natural. I was going to put the halter on him, see, and we just got to playing …”
“But Stevie, you couldn’t do that!” Carole exclaimed.
“Sure I could. It was
easy
!” Stevie said.
“Of course it was easy,” Carole said, taking a deep breath to calm herself. “You wanted to play, he wanted to play. The trouble is that you went in there with a halter and instead of working with him, you let him play. Now every time somebody goes in with a halter, all he wants to do is to play.”
“And he’s so cute!” Stevie said.
Carole realized that Stevie still didn’t understand what had happened.
“Sure he’s cute, but he’s got a job to do. When you’re teaching a horse something, you have to stick to the work or else he’ll get the idea that playing is okay. Horses forget what they learn very quickly unless you keep reminding them, just like little kids.”
“You mean I shouldn’t have played with him?”
“Not with a halter in your hand—especially not with one
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