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Authors: Julie Campbell
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stepped back at once. “Take it easy, cowboy,” she advised. “Maybe you’d better lengthen the stirrups. I keep them pretty short.”
“Who’s riding?” Dan answered shortly, and as he spoke he slapped the reins against Susie’s neck. “Come on, move!”
Susie moved promptly. She kicked up her heels and bucked. And then, ignoring Dan’s attempt to hold her in, she made a dash for a stand of spruce close to the trail.
“Stop her!” Honey called excitedly.
But it was too late. Susie had run under a low-hanging limb and unseated her rider. Dan Mangan went head over heels into the brush beside the trail, and the horrified girls saw him land hard and lie facedown in the snow.
The Black Leather Jacket • 8
FOR A MOMENT after the accident, the girls were too horrified to do anything but stare at Dan Mangan’s limp body as he lay sprawled in the snow patch beside the bridle path.
Then Trixie, swallowing hard and trying to sound very brave, told Honey, “You go catch Susie before she runs too far, while I see if Dan s hurt.”
Honey started after the mare, but she didn’t have to go far. After brushing Dan off against the low-hanging tree limb, the saucy little mare had trotted only a few feet away into the brush and was now browsing peacefully.
Trixie went up to Dan slowly, hoping hard that he wasn’t badly hurt. She had had a course in first aid at school, but everything she had been taught was jumbled up in her mind, now that she was facing a real crisis.
Then, as she knelt beside him, she was relieved to see Honey hurrying to join her. Maybe Honey could help with a suggestion, even though she had had no training that Trixie knew of.
“Dan! Dan Mangan!” Honey knelt on the other side of Dan. He was lying very still, apparently unconscious. “Maybe if we turned him over—” she whispered.
Trixie shook her head. “Better not. I’ve heard it’s best never to move an accident victim till you’re sure you won’t do him worse harm by disturbing him. But we can’t leave him here!”
Honey agreed hastily. “Maybe one of us should sit here by him, while the other brings Mr. Maypenny.”
“Guess you’re right,” Trixie said uneasily. But before they could talk over which would go and which would stand by, the victim moaned and stirred. He rolled over onto his back suddenly and tried to sit up, only to fall back and hold his head. A large lump on the front of his forehead showed where he had landed on the hard ground.
Trixie gave a big sigh of relief. “Guess there’s nothing broken, after all,” she told Honey.
Dan snatched his hands from his face and stared at the two girls with an unfriendly scowl. They both noticed a long tear in the sleeve of his black jacket.
But aside from the bump and the tom sleeve, he seemed to be unhurt.
“Hi! How do you feel?” Honey asked quickly. Dan touched the bump on his head and winced. “What happened?”
“Susie brushed you off on a tree limb,” Honey explained. “I hope you aren’t hurt?”
“Nah!” Dan scrambled unsteadily to his feet and stood swaying. “I’m okay.” He even tried to smile at Honey.
“You don’t look it,” Trixie stated frankly. “You should have lengthened those stirrups. You then would have had better control of Susie. I guess you don’t know very much about riding.” She didn’t mean to sound smug, but that was how it sounded, even to her own ears.
Dan Mangan glared at her. “But you know all the answers, don’t you, freckles?”
Trixie bit back a retort. She knew she deserved the reproof. She was sorry she had spoken that way.
“And now I suppose you’ll run and tell old Maypenny I tried to break your horse’s leg or something!” Dan sneered, his dark eyes angry.
“I will not!” Trixie was getting angry. “And you ought to be ashamed to speak about your grandfather so disrespectfully!”
“My which? Haw! That old square from squaresville?” Dan laughed harshly. “He’s no relation of
“Who’s riding?” Dan answered shortly, and as he spoke he slapped the reins against Susie’s neck. “Come on, move!”
Susie moved promptly. She kicked up her heels and bucked. And then, ignoring Dan’s attempt to hold her in, she made a dash for a stand of spruce close to the trail.
“Stop her!” Honey called excitedly.
But it was too late. Susie had run under a low-hanging limb and unseated her rider. Dan Mangan went head over heels into the brush beside the trail, and the horrified girls saw him land hard and lie facedown in the snow.
The Black Leather Jacket • 8
FOR A MOMENT after the accident, the girls were too horrified to do anything but stare at Dan Mangan’s limp body as he lay sprawled in the snow patch beside the bridle path.
Then Trixie, swallowing hard and trying to sound very brave, told Honey, “You go catch Susie before she runs too far, while I see if Dan s hurt.”
Honey started after the mare, but she didn’t have to go far. After brushing Dan off against the low-hanging tree limb, the saucy little mare had trotted only a few feet away into the brush and was now browsing peacefully.
Trixie went up to Dan slowly, hoping hard that he wasn’t badly hurt. She had had a course in first aid at school, but everything she had been taught was jumbled up in her mind, now that she was facing a real crisis.
Then, as she knelt beside him, she was relieved to see Honey hurrying to join her. Maybe Honey could help with a suggestion, even though she had had no training that Trixie knew of.
“Dan! Dan Mangan!” Honey knelt on the other side of Dan. He was lying very still, apparently unconscious. “Maybe if we turned him over—” she whispered.
Trixie shook her head. “Better not. I’ve heard it’s best never to move an accident victim till you’re sure you won’t do him worse harm by disturbing him. But we can’t leave him here!”
Honey agreed hastily. “Maybe one of us should sit here by him, while the other brings Mr. Maypenny.”
“Guess you’re right,” Trixie said uneasily. But before they could talk over which would go and which would stand by, the victim moaned and stirred. He rolled over onto his back suddenly and tried to sit up, only to fall back and hold his head. A large lump on the front of his forehead showed where he had landed on the hard ground.
Trixie gave a big sigh of relief. “Guess there’s nothing broken, after all,” she told Honey.
Dan snatched his hands from his face and stared at the two girls with an unfriendly scowl. They both noticed a long tear in the sleeve of his black jacket.
But aside from the bump and the tom sleeve, he seemed to be unhurt.
“Hi! How do you feel?” Honey asked quickly. Dan touched the bump on his head and winced. “What happened?”
“Susie brushed you off on a tree limb,” Honey explained. “I hope you aren’t hurt?”
“Nah!” Dan scrambled unsteadily to his feet and stood swaying. “I’m okay.” He even tried to smile at Honey.
“You don’t look it,” Trixie stated frankly. “You should have lengthened those stirrups. You then would have had better control of Susie. I guess you don’t know very much about riding.” She didn’t mean to sound smug, but that was how it sounded, even to her own ears.
Dan Mangan glared at her. “But you know all the answers, don’t you, freckles?”
Trixie bit back a retort. She knew she deserved the reproof. She was sorry she had spoken that way.
“And now I suppose you’ll run and tell old Maypenny I tried to break your horse’s leg or something!” Dan sneered, his dark eyes angry.
“I will not!” Trixie was getting angry. “And you ought to be ashamed to speak about your grandfather so disrespectfully!”
“My which? Haw! That old square from squaresville?” Dan laughed harshly. “He’s no relation of
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