each working on something for a few minutes, I think I’ll go on ahead. I’ve got an errand to run at the shopping center. It’ll only take me about twenty minutes. I canmeet you at your house because it’s practically on the way. Okay?”
“Sounds fine to me. If you get there first, get my mom to show you where the chocolate chip cookies are, okay?”
“Deal,” Lisa said.
F IFTEEN MINUTES LATER , Lisa was back in the jewelry store at the shopping center, once again looking in the case where the horse-head pin was kept. In her pocket was the birthday cash she’d gotten from her mother’s sister. Aunt Elizabeth, after whom she’d been named, was her godmother, too, and a pretty generous one at that. Lisa hoped the money she had would be enough to buy a pin for every member of The Saddle Club. Maybe even more than rules, that would make it a
real
club.
“C AROLE, THAT DOESN’T look right,” Max said. “Are you sure you followed the recipe that Judy gave you for Delilah’s bran mash?”
“I think so, Max. Look, here, I put a scoop of concentrated grain into the boiling water, then four scoops of wheat bran—”
“No, no, that’s not a one—that’s a four. You have to start with four scoops of grain. You’re going to have to throw this out and start again.”
“But
Max
!” Carole said in exasperation.
“You wanted to know how to take care of a mare, Carole,” he reminded her.
“Yes, Max,” she said, dumping her mistake into the garbage. It wouldn’t be at all fair to Delilah to give her a mistake when she and her foal needed wholesome, nourishing food. “But I’m supposed to be somewhere now. Can I use the phone?”
Like all good stables, Pine Hollow had phones near the stalls so someone taking care of a horse wouldn’t have to leave it alone to summon help. It was a special privilege to make a call from the stable. Max agreed.
Carole thought it was odd that Stevie and Lisa hadn’t gotten to Stevie’s when she called, but she left the message with Stevie’s brother Chad. He promised to tell Stevie and Lisa that she just couldn’t make it.
“N ICKEL ? N ICKEL ? You didn’t really swallow that, did you? Nickel?”
Stevie glared at the pony and he glared back at her dully. He swished his tail uneasily and then stomped at the floor repeatedly. She didn’t like the way he was behaving. She’d seen horses with colic before and Nickel was showing signs of it. A colicky horse was one with a digestive problem, a stomachache, but in a horse it could be a very serious problem—especially when it might have been caused by the horse eating something like the rubber end of a baton!
Stevie slipped her fingers into Nickel’s mouth and twisted them to make him open up. He didn’t like that at all. Nickel pulled away and tried to nip at her.There was no way she’d be able to see if the rubber was still in his mouth. This was going to take an expert, maybe even a vet. How on earth was she going to explain to Max or Judy how Nickel had eaten a piece of rubber?
But his health was a lot more important than her embarrassment. Stevie secured his stall and went into Max’s office. She
had
to tell him what she’d done. He listened carefully while Stevie described Nickel’s symptoms and he waited while she explained what might have caused it.
“I’m not sure, Max. I didn’t actually see him swallow it. But it could be in him now.”
“No time to waste,” Max said. “I’ll go to Nickel. You call Judy and tell her to get here right away. We’ll talk about how it happened later.”
Her heart thumping with worry about Nickel, Stevie sat down at the phone at Max’s desk and dialed Judy’s number. She was so relieved when Judy answered it herself, and even more relieved when Judy told Stevie she was only about five minutes away. She’d be right there.
Before returning to Nickel’s stall, Stevie made one more call. She knew Carole and Lisa would understand. She had to stay with Nickel
“Sounds fine to me. If you get there first, get my mom to show you where the chocolate chip cookies are, okay?”
“Deal,” Lisa said.
F IFTEEN MINUTES LATER , Lisa was back in the jewelry store at the shopping center, once again looking in the case where the horse-head pin was kept. In her pocket was the birthday cash she’d gotten from her mother’s sister. Aunt Elizabeth, after whom she’d been named, was her godmother, too, and a pretty generous one at that. Lisa hoped the money she had would be enough to buy a pin for every member of The Saddle Club. Maybe even more than rules, that would make it a
real
club.
“C AROLE, THAT DOESN’T look right,” Max said. “Are you sure you followed the recipe that Judy gave you for Delilah’s bran mash?”
“I think so, Max. Look, here, I put a scoop of concentrated grain into the boiling water, then four scoops of wheat bran—”
“No, no, that’s not a one—that’s a four. You have to start with four scoops of grain. You’re going to have to throw this out and start again.”
“But
Max
!” Carole said in exasperation.
“You wanted to know how to take care of a mare, Carole,” he reminded her.
“Yes, Max,” she said, dumping her mistake into the garbage. It wouldn’t be at all fair to Delilah to give her a mistake when she and her foal needed wholesome, nourishing food. “But I’m supposed to be somewhere now. Can I use the phone?”
Like all good stables, Pine Hollow had phones near the stalls so someone taking care of a horse wouldn’t have to leave it alone to summon help. It was a special privilege to make a call from the stable. Max agreed.
Carole thought it was odd that Stevie and Lisa hadn’t gotten to Stevie’s when she called, but she left the message with Stevie’s brother Chad. He promised to tell Stevie and Lisa that she just couldn’t make it.
“N ICKEL ? N ICKEL ? You didn’t really swallow that, did you? Nickel?”
Stevie glared at the pony and he glared back at her dully. He swished his tail uneasily and then stomped at the floor repeatedly. She didn’t like the way he was behaving. She’d seen horses with colic before and Nickel was showing signs of it. A colicky horse was one with a digestive problem, a stomachache, but in a horse it could be a very serious problem—especially when it might have been caused by the horse eating something like the rubber end of a baton!
Stevie slipped her fingers into Nickel’s mouth and twisted them to make him open up. He didn’t like that at all. Nickel pulled away and tried to nip at her.There was no way she’d be able to see if the rubber was still in his mouth. This was going to take an expert, maybe even a vet. How on earth was she going to explain to Max or Judy how Nickel had eaten a piece of rubber?
But his health was a lot more important than her embarrassment. Stevie secured his stall and went into Max’s office. She
had
to tell him what she’d done. He listened carefully while Stevie described Nickel’s symptoms and he waited while she explained what might have caused it.
“I’m not sure, Max. I didn’t actually see him swallow it. But it could be in him now.”
“No time to waste,” Max said. “I’ll go to Nickel. You call Judy and tell her to get here right away. We’ll talk about how it happened later.”
Her heart thumping with worry about Nickel, Stevie sat down at the phone at Max’s desk and dialed Judy’s number. She was so relieved when Judy answered it herself, and even more relieved when Judy told Stevie she was only about five minutes away. She’d be right there.
Before returning to Nickel’s stall, Stevie made one more call. She knew Carole and Lisa would understand. She had to stay with Nickel
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