Read Online The Jeweled Spur by Gilbert Morris - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gilbert Morris
Ads: Link
her boots before she comes to class.”
“That’s Pearl DeLong,” Maxine informed Laurie, seeing the shock on her new roommate’s face. “Don’t pay any attention to her, Laurie. Her old man’s got all the money in Nebraska, and she expects everybody to kiss her foot.”
Laurie shrugged the matter off, saying with a wry smile, “I don’t guess you do much foot kissing, Maxine.” Then she got up from the table, saying, “Well, I’ve got to go find a place for Star.”
“You ought to get set with your classes first.”
“I don’t have any choice, Maxine.”
She went straight to the stable and threw the saddle on Star. A wizened stablehand with gray hair and bright blue eyes was watching her, so she asked, “Do you have any idea where I can find a place to stable my horse—maybe a farm close by?”
“Don’t rightly know of any, miss,” the man shrugged. “There’s a livery stable in town. Owner’s name is Blakely.”
“Thank you.” Laurie swung into the saddle and rode out. For the rest of the morning, she moved along the main road, stopping at farmhouses but finding nothing. Finally she got a lead on a possibility and wound her way down a country lane until she came to a dilapidated house surrounded by fields and wandering pigs. The woman who came to the door had unfriendly eyes and snuff-stained lips. She listened to Laurie, then shook her head. “Ain’t got time to take care of no stock,” she said shortly.
Laurie thanked her, wondering what she could be so busy with, but in any case, she would not have liked to trust the care of Star to such people. By two o’clock she’d had no success at all, and in desperation rode back into town to check at the livery stable. The owner, a hearty man named Blakely, nodded at once when he heard her request. “Be glad to keep your animal.” Laurie felt a wave of relief, but when he named the fee for boarding a horse, her spirit fell. “I’ll see about it,” she murmured.
There was nothing else to do but to board Star in Blakely’s stable, but she knew it would take every penny she had—or would have. I can’t ask Daddy for more money. He and Mother have done enough. Depressed, she rode back to the college, where she dismounted and pulled the saddle off Star. The small stablehand had been giving a fine buckskin a rubdown, but when he looked up from his task, he saw the discouragement written on the girl’s face.
“No luck, miss?”
“No, I’m afraid not.” She pulled the saddle blanket off, patted Star, and turned him into the corral. I’ll have to dosomething right away, she thought, but as she turned to go to the office, her shoulders drooped. “I’ll go ask if I can leave him here again tonight.”
“Why, there’ll be no trouble about that, I’m thinking.” The man rose and moved across the floor with a strange jerking gait to stand beside her. “Michael McGonigal is me name, but it’s Mac I answer to,” he said in a speech thick with the flavor of Ireland. He had a squashed face like an old potato, a shock of iron gray hair, and a pair of sharp blue eyes. “That’s a foine horse, miss. Ever race him?”
“Oh, just against other horses on the post.”
“Post, is it? Why, you’re an army girl, then!” His eyes lit up and he asked, “Which outfit?”
“The Fifth Cavalry. My father’s the commanding officer at Fort Grant.”
Mac McGonigal’s face showed astonishment. “Do you tell me that? Why, I served a hitch with the old Fifth—under Major Reynolds, it was. What’s your father’s name?”
“Major Thomas Winslow.”
“Don’t know him, miss, but I’ve been out for a spell.” Regret came to his eyes as he slapped his leg. “I’d be in the cavalry still, but my horse fell on me. Broke my leg so bad it couldn’t be rightly fixed.”
“I’m sorry, Mac,” Laurie said. “I know how you must miss it all . . .” She stood there talking to the small man, and soon he had managed to find out most of her
“That’s Pearl DeLong,” Maxine informed Laurie, seeing the shock on her new roommate’s face. “Don’t pay any attention to her, Laurie. Her old man’s got all the money in Nebraska, and she expects everybody to kiss her foot.”
Laurie shrugged the matter off, saying with a wry smile, “I don’t guess you do much foot kissing, Maxine.” Then she got up from the table, saying, “Well, I’ve got to go find a place for Star.”
“You ought to get set with your classes first.”
“I don’t have any choice, Maxine.”
She went straight to the stable and threw the saddle on Star. A wizened stablehand with gray hair and bright blue eyes was watching her, so she asked, “Do you have any idea where I can find a place to stable my horse—maybe a farm close by?”
“Don’t rightly know of any, miss,” the man shrugged. “There’s a livery stable in town. Owner’s name is Blakely.”
“Thank you.” Laurie swung into the saddle and rode out. For the rest of the morning, she moved along the main road, stopping at farmhouses but finding nothing. Finally she got a lead on a possibility and wound her way down a country lane until she came to a dilapidated house surrounded by fields and wandering pigs. The woman who came to the door had unfriendly eyes and snuff-stained lips. She listened to Laurie, then shook her head. “Ain’t got time to take care of no stock,” she said shortly.
Laurie thanked her, wondering what she could be so busy with, but in any case, she would not have liked to trust the care of Star to such people. By two o’clock she’d had no success at all, and in desperation rode back into town to check at the livery stable. The owner, a hearty man named Blakely, nodded at once when he heard her request. “Be glad to keep your animal.” Laurie felt a wave of relief, but when he named the fee for boarding a horse, her spirit fell. “I’ll see about it,” she murmured.
There was nothing else to do but to board Star in Blakely’s stable, but she knew it would take every penny she had—or would have. I can’t ask Daddy for more money. He and Mother have done enough. Depressed, she rode back to the college, where she dismounted and pulled the saddle off Star. The small stablehand had been giving a fine buckskin a rubdown, but when he looked up from his task, he saw the discouragement written on the girl’s face.
“No luck, miss?”
“No, I’m afraid not.” She pulled the saddle blanket off, patted Star, and turned him into the corral. I’ll have to dosomething right away, she thought, but as she turned to go to the office, her shoulders drooped. “I’ll go ask if I can leave him here again tonight.”
“Why, there’ll be no trouble about that, I’m thinking.” The man rose and moved across the floor with a strange jerking gait to stand beside her. “Michael McGonigal is me name, but it’s Mac I answer to,” he said in a speech thick with the flavor of Ireland. He had a squashed face like an old potato, a shock of iron gray hair, and a pair of sharp blue eyes. “That’s a foine horse, miss. Ever race him?”
“Oh, just against other horses on the post.”
“Post, is it? Why, you’re an army girl, then!” His eyes lit up and he asked, “Which outfit?”
“The Fifth Cavalry. My father’s the commanding officer at Fort Grant.”
Mac McGonigal’s face showed astonishment. “Do you tell me that? Why, I served a hitch with the old Fifth—under Major Reynolds, it was. What’s your father’s name?”
“Major Thomas Winslow.”
“Don’t know him, miss, but I’ve been out for a spell.” Regret came to his eyes as he slapped his leg. “I’d be in the cavalry still, but my horse fell on me. Broke my leg so bad it couldn’t be rightly fixed.”
“I’m sorry, Mac,” Laurie said. “I know how you must miss it all . . .” She stood there talking to the small man, and soon he had managed to find out most of her
Similar Books
