bay, milled nervously in the field. Colonel Devine clanged the paddock gate shut, and the girls helped him dismantle the plywood chute.
“They’re scared,” Emily observed, watching the horses through the fence.
“They’ve had a confusing day. We’ll leave them in there for a few days, give them time to settle, and then start working with them and introducing them to the main herd. They’re a good bunch of horses.”
“Did you have fun, Dad? Was old Mr. MacGillicutty there?” Kate turned to her friends. “He’s this ancient rancher, and he tends to get carried away at auctions. His wife says he can only buy one horse, and he’ll buy one, and then he’ll start bidding on others. Once she whacked him on the head with a program—” Kate began to laugh.
“I believe Mr. MacGillicutty filled his trailer today,” Colonel Devine said with a grin.
“Four horses!” Kate roared. “But I bet they were all ‘purty.’ He only buys ‘purty’ ones.”
“What does he do with them all?” Carole asked, at the same time as Stevie said, “Just how many horses does he have?”
“A hundred, at least,” Kate said, wiping her eyes. “And that’s the best part—he doesn’t do anything with them. He’s got an enormous ranch and the horses seem happy, but all he does is sit out on his front porch and watch them and say,‘Look at all the purty horses!’ Sometimes his wife makes him sell some. They are all pretty, too, and it’s always easy for him to find buyers.”
“Mrs. MacGillicutty wasn’t too pleased with him today,” Kate’s dad added.
“I bet not,” said Kate. “What else happened?”
“Oh, let’s see. One horse reared up when it was being presented, and the auctioneer said, ‘And look what a fine belly this horse has!’ ”
Carole giggled. She knew that rearing was the most dangerous habit a horse could have, and she also knew that you could rarely, if ever, tell anything about a horse by looking at its belly. But she did wonder how Colonel Devine had decided which horses to buy. His six all looked nice, but temperament was one of the most important things about a horse, and that couldn’t be judged on sight. She knew you weren’t allowed to ride horses at auctions—so how would you know anything about them? It would be a ferocious gamble. Suddenly, Carole almost wished she’d gone. Colonel Devine could have taught her a lot.
“And the Wilsons bought an adorable elderly pony for their little boys,” Colonel Devine continued. “The cattle weren’t very impressive, so we didn’t buy any, and I had to sit on yourmother, Kate, to keep her from bringing home a sheep. The last thing we need is a sheep. Loretta Matthews had another batch of kittens to give away—she always does. That’s all. Ate a hot dog, loaded up my horses, came home.”
“It sounds like a carnival!” Stevie said. She always thought of auctions as being staid, stiff, formal events, where people in dress clothes silently held up numbered paddles to signify their bids.
“More like a country fair than a carnival,” Colonel Devine said. “But we always do have a nice time.”
“Gosh—I didn’t know it would be like that!” Stevie said.
Maybe
, she thought for a moment,
we should have gone. Only that would have meant no riding
. “But we had a really great time today,” she added quickly.
“I wish I’d seen you bid on that sorrel,” Emily said, pointing to one of the horses in the paddock. “I like him. I would have liked to have seen how he came into the ring, and how much attention he paid to the crowd.”
“Yes—that’s a good way of learning something about a horse at auction,” Colonel Devine acknowledged.“I like that little sorrel, too. He may be the best of the bunch. And he was cheap, too.”
“Really?” Lisa wondered how cheap exactly, but she thought it would be rude to ask. She had begun to realize that she didn’t know much about fair prices for horses, and she figured she
“They’re scared,” Emily observed, watching the horses through the fence.
“They’ve had a confusing day. We’ll leave them in there for a few days, give them time to settle, and then start working with them and introducing them to the main herd. They’re a good bunch of horses.”
“Did you have fun, Dad? Was old Mr. MacGillicutty there?” Kate turned to her friends. “He’s this ancient rancher, and he tends to get carried away at auctions. His wife says he can only buy one horse, and he’ll buy one, and then he’ll start bidding on others. Once she whacked him on the head with a program—” Kate began to laugh.
“I believe Mr. MacGillicutty filled his trailer today,” Colonel Devine said with a grin.
“Four horses!” Kate roared. “But I bet they were all ‘purty.’ He only buys ‘purty’ ones.”
“What does he do with them all?” Carole asked, at the same time as Stevie said, “Just how many horses does he have?”
“A hundred, at least,” Kate said, wiping her eyes. “And that’s the best part—he doesn’t do anything with them. He’s got an enormous ranch and the horses seem happy, but all he does is sit out on his front porch and watch them and say,‘Look at all the purty horses!’ Sometimes his wife makes him sell some. They are all pretty, too, and it’s always easy for him to find buyers.”
“Mrs. MacGillicutty wasn’t too pleased with him today,” Kate’s dad added.
“I bet not,” said Kate. “What else happened?”
“Oh, let’s see. One horse reared up when it was being presented, and the auctioneer said, ‘And look what a fine belly this horse has!’ ”
Carole giggled. She knew that rearing was the most dangerous habit a horse could have, and she also knew that you could rarely, if ever, tell anything about a horse by looking at its belly. But she did wonder how Colonel Devine had decided which horses to buy. His six all looked nice, but temperament was one of the most important things about a horse, and that couldn’t be judged on sight. She knew you weren’t allowed to ride horses at auctions—so how would you know anything about them? It would be a ferocious gamble. Suddenly, Carole almost wished she’d gone. Colonel Devine could have taught her a lot.
“And the Wilsons bought an adorable elderly pony for their little boys,” Colonel Devine continued. “The cattle weren’t very impressive, so we didn’t buy any, and I had to sit on yourmother, Kate, to keep her from bringing home a sheep. The last thing we need is a sheep. Loretta Matthews had another batch of kittens to give away—she always does. That’s all. Ate a hot dog, loaded up my horses, came home.”
“It sounds like a carnival!” Stevie said. She always thought of auctions as being staid, stiff, formal events, where people in dress clothes silently held up numbered paddles to signify their bids.
“More like a country fair than a carnival,” Colonel Devine said. “But we always do have a nice time.”
“Gosh—I didn’t know it would be like that!” Stevie said.
Maybe
, she thought for a moment,
we should have gone. Only that would have meant no riding
. “But we had a really great time today,” she added quickly.
“I wish I’d seen you bid on that sorrel,” Emily said, pointing to one of the horses in the paddock. “I like him. I would have liked to have seen how he came into the ring, and how much attention he paid to the crowd.”
“Yes—that’s a good way of learning something about a horse at auction,” Colonel Devine acknowledged.“I like that little sorrel, too. He may be the best of the bunch. And he was cheap, too.”
“Really?” Lisa wondered how cheap exactly, but she thought it would be rude to ask. She had begun to realize that she didn’t know much about fair prices for horses, and she figured she
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