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Authors: Julie Campbell
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Would Jupiter turn there and take the downtrail to the hollow and Crabapple Farm?
Trixie knew she wasn’t a good enough rider to stay on the horse’s back if he ran downhill. I’ll be thrown over his head, she thought hopelessly, and he
won’t be able to stop, so I’ll be trampled under his feet.
They flew around a bend in the trail, and there, smack in front of them, was the almost impenetrable hedge. For one awful second, Trixie was sure Jupiter
77 planned to plunge right through the thick underbrush, but at that moment the game cock, on the other side of the hedge, suddenly flapped its wings and
burst into a loud, triumphant crow. Jupiter shied in astonishment, planted his forefeet, and stopped dead in his tracks.
Trixie shot over his head as though she had been jet-propelled and landed in the bushes. Although she was dazed by the fall, she saw Jim slip silently from
the hedge and grab Jupiter’s dangling reins. The big black horse reared once and came down dangerously close to where Trixie was sprawling, then quieted
to a nervous standstill.
“There, boy,” Jim was saying soothingly, “it’s all right, boy. Nobody’s going to hurt you.” And, without changing the tone of his voice, he added to Trixie,
“You’re a little fool to let a horse run like that on such a hot day.” He patted Jupiter’s sweat-soaked neck. “There, boy.”
“Ride him?” Trixie scrambled to her feet, rubbing a bruised hip. “He let me stay on his back, but that’s about all I had to do with it,” she said sourly.
Jim grinned. I heard a horse pounding along the path, and it sounded like a runaway to me, so I slipped into the bushes to watch. I figured that, even if
it wasn’t a runaway, whoever was riding the horse was going to
90 78 have a nasty spill when the horse took the downhill fork.” Jupiter nuzzled Jim’s shirt. “Gee, I’d like to ride this fellow,” Jim said. “Is he yours,
Trixie?”
Trixie shook her head. “No, he belongs to Honey’s father. I had no business getting on his back at all. I’m just learning to ride, you see; but he’s so
beautiful I couldn’t resist it.”
“I don’t blame you,” Jim said as he handed Trixie the reins. “Someone’s coming along the trail on horseback now. Sounds like two horses. I’ll duck into
the
house. Whistle when it’s safe for me to come out.”
It was Regan on Strawberry, and in a minute Honey appeared on Lady. Regan looked very cross and red in the face. He paid no attention to Trixie, except
to snatch Jupiter’s bridle from her, and went back down the trail without a word.
“I’ve spoiled everything,” Trixie wailed. “He’s furious, and he’ll never give me any more riding lessons.” Honey slid off Lady’s back. “Don’t worry about
Regan,
Trixie,” she said comfortingly, “He gets over being mad very quickly, and I honestly think he admires you for daring to ride Jupiter. He was awfully worried
when he came out of the house and saw you tearing into the woods. I was too, Trixie,” she said gently. “You could have been killed.”
“I guess nobody was as scared as I was,” Trixie
91 79 admitted. “But when I was flying through the air over Jupe’s head, all I thought of was that he might run down the hill, trip on the reins and get
a bad fall.” She told Honey, then, about Jim appearing just in time, and both girls whistled, “Bobby!” in unison.
In a minute or two, Jim came through the bushes. He patted Lady and fed her a carrot he had pulled in the garden. “I may sound like I’m boasting,” he told
Honey, “but I bet I could ride your father’s horse. Dad had a big black gelding like that, and I could manage him when I was only five years old. I learned
to ride bareback with nothing but a halter rope to guide him.”
“If you’re smart,” Trixie said ruefully, “you’ll never touch Jupe without a curb bit.”
“I
Trixie knew she wasn’t a good enough rider to stay on the horse’s back if he ran downhill. I’ll be thrown over his head, she thought hopelessly, and he
won’t be able to stop, so I’ll be trampled under his feet.
They flew around a bend in the trail, and there, smack in front of them, was the almost impenetrable hedge. For one awful second, Trixie was sure Jupiter
77 planned to plunge right through the thick underbrush, but at that moment the game cock, on the other side of the hedge, suddenly flapped its wings and
burst into a loud, triumphant crow. Jupiter shied in astonishment, planted his forefeet, and stopped dead in his tracks.
Trixie shot over his head as though she had been jet-propelled and landed in the bushes. Although she was dazed by the fall, she saw Jim slip silently from
the hedge and grab Jupiter’s dangling reins. The big black horse reared once and came down dangerously close to where Trixie was sprawling, then quieted
to a nervous standstill.
“There, boy,” Jim was saying soothingly, “it’s all right, boy. Nobody’s going to hurt you.” And, without changing the tone of his voice, he added to Trixie,
“You’re a little fool to let a horse run like that on such a hot day.” He patted Jupiter’s sweat-soaked neck. “There, boy.”
“Ride him?” Trixie scrambled to her feet, rubbing a bruised hip. “He let me stay on his back, but that’s about all I had to do with it,” she said sourly.
Jim grinned. I heard a horse pounding along the path, and it sounded like a runaway to me, so I slipped into the bushes to watch. I figured that, even if
it wasn’t a runaway, whoever was riding the horse was going to
90 78 have a nasty spill when the horse took the downhill fork.” Jupiter nuzzled Jim’s shirt. “Gee, I’d like to ride this fellow,” Jim said. “Is he yours,
Trixie?”
Trixie shook her head. “No, he belongs to Honey’s father. I had no business getting on his back at all. I’m just learning to ride, you see; but he’s so
beautiful I couldn’t resist it.”
“I don’t blame you,” Jim said as he handed Trixie the reins. “Someone’s coming along the trail on horseback now. Sounds like two horses. I’ll duck into
the
house. Whistle when it’s safe for me to come out.”
It was Regan on Strawberry, and in a minute Honey appeared on Lady. Regan looked very cross and red in the face. He paid no attention to Trixie, except
to snatch Jupiter’s bridle from her, and went back down the trail without a word.
“I’ve spoiled everything,” Trixie wailed. “He’s furious, and he’ll never give me any more riding lessons.” Honey slid off Lady’s back. “Don’t worry about
Regan,
Trixie,” she said comfortingly, “He gets over being mad very quickly, and I honestly think he admires you for daring to ride Jupiter. He was awfully worried
when he came out of the house and saw you tearing into the woods. I was too, Trixie,” she said gently. “You could have been killed.”
“I guess nobody was as scared as I was,” Trixie
91 79 admitted. “But when I was flying through the air over Jupe’s head, all I thought of was that he might run down the hill, trip on the reins and get
a bad fall.” She told Honey, then, about Jim appearing just in time, and both girls whistled, “Bobby!” in unison.
In a minute or two, Jim came through the bushes. He patted Lady and fed her a carrot he had pulled in the garden. “I may sound like I’m boasting,” he told
Honey, “but I bet I could ride your father’s horse. Dad had a big black gelding like that, and I could manage him when I was only five years old. I learned
to ride bareback with nothing but a halter rope to guide him.”
“If you’re smart,” Trixie said ruefully, “you’ll never touch Jupe without a curb bit.”
“I
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