A Star Discovered (10 page)

Ted Crowley shook hands with both girls and
turned back to Willie.

“Well, Mr. Crowley doesn’t have lots of time to talk to you,” Willie said pointedly. “He’s got things to do. Now get on around
the barn and I’ll be around shortly.”

In his last sentence, Mary and Jody recognized Willie’s
you’d better mind me
voice. They turned to head down the barn hill, but not before Mary took the opportunity to get in a parting shot.

“It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Crowley, and we sure would be interested in helping you out with those riding scenes in
your movie,” she piped.

Willie shook his head, Mr. Mooney grinned, and Mr. Crowley smiled and waved good-bye to the girls. When Mary and Jody reached
the corner of the barn where the men could no longer see them, they took off at a gallop once again with Finnegan yipping
happily beside them, to share with Lady and Gypsy the astounding news of their imminent film stardom.

And to plan the salvation of Star.

15

Willie to the Rescue

ON THEIR JOYFUL sprint back to Lucky Foot, Mary and Jody slowed down long enough to stop in at the big pasture where they
found Lady and Gypsy grazing peacefully near the gate.

“Lady! Gypsy! We’re going to be movie stars!” Mary called gleefully to the ponies, who responded by lifting their muzzles
just inches from the grass. “And even better, we’re going to keep Star!”

“Mary, don’t say that yet!” Jody said sternly. “We don’t know for sure, and I can’t get my hopes up, because it will be even
worse if it doesn’t happen.”

“Sorry, Jode, but I just think it will. I mean, this is so perfect! Mr. McMurray will get some money for letting them use
the farm, and then he won’t have to sell it, and Willie will get paid for being the wrangler, and we might even get paid for
being in the riding scenes, and then we’ll have enough money to pay for the breeding fee! Do you think they’ll pay us for
riding in the movie?”

“I don’t know, Mare, I’ve never been in a movie before! And maybe Mr. McMurray won’t want them to use the farm. You know how
protective he is of the cows and everything. And Willie might think he’s getting too old to be the wrangler. What exactly
does a wrangler do anyway? And what is a head wrangler? It sounds like he wrangles people’s heads or something,” Jody said
despondently.

“Now, stop being so pessimistic. Let’s go to Lucky Foot and tell Star what’s happening, and we’ll make a plan.”

“How can we make a plan when we don’t know what’s happening?” Jody asked, still refusing to believe that something so wonderful
could actually be forthcoming.

When the girls entered Lucky Foot Stable with Finnegan trotting along behind, Mary could hardly contain herself long enough
to reach Star’s stall where he was busy munching on his pile of hay. “Star!” Mary yelled. “You’ll never guess what . . .”

Mary was abruptly stopped mid-sentence by Jody’s hand clapped over her mouth. “Mare, I’m not kidding. We are not going to
talk about this any more until we know it’s true,” she commanded. “I’m not going to move my hand until you nod your head and
promise.”

Mary looked at Jody beseechingly with her big green eyes, but Jody only stared back sternly, actually tightening the grip
on Mary’s mouth. Finally, Mary nodded slowly up and down and held up her right hand in the symbol of a solemn vow.

“Good,” Jody said quietly, dropping her hand to her side. “Now, we are going to turn Star out in the paddock and do our chores
around the stable and wait for Willie. He said he would be around soon, and he’ll tell us what’s really going on.”

Mary picked up the broom from its place in the corner and silently began sweeping the packed dirt floor. After Jody led Star
out to the paddock, she took a clean hard brush from her tack trunk and unclipped the half-empty water bucket from the inside
post of his stall. Carrying the bucket to the back of the stable, she took it in both hands and flung the remaining water
out the doors.

“Hey! Watch that!”

Jody’s father just happened to be entering Lucky Foot Stable at that unfortunate moment. Luckily, the water barely reached
him, just splashing a little on his work boots and the leg of his jeans.

“Daddy! What are you doing here?” Jody cried, dropping her bucket in surprise.

“Well, I just finished up that trim work I’ve been doing in the farmhouse. I thought it would be a good day, since the McMurray’s
were off to market. They got home just as I was cleaning up.”

Mr. Stafford offered his carpentry services to Mr. McMurray in return for boarding Lady and Star. Whenever he had a spare
moment from his own work, there was always something to be done around the farm.

“Oh Dad, you won’t believe it! We might have some good news!” Jody cried, pulling her dad by the hand into the stable.

“Ahem!” Mary coughed noisily in Jody’s direction, shooting her a look of warning.

“Oh, but we really can’t talk about it yet,” Jody said sheepishly. “Not until Willie gets here.”

“I’m here,” Willie said from the doorway. “How do, Mr. Stafford?”

“Good, Willie, thank you. I hear you have some good news for the girls?”

Willie tugged on his ear lobe and looked from one girl to the other. “Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. Depends.”

“Depends on what, Willie?” Mary cried, unable to hold her tongue any longer.

“Depends on how much damage the film crew does to the ground here. If they mess it up too bad, we might wish we’d never said
they could do it.”

Mary and Jody stared at Willie, trying to absorb the meaning of what he had just said. It was Jody who finally found her voice.

“What do you mean, Willie? Did Mr. McMurray say they could do it?” she squeaked.

“Well, Mr. McMurray got home just as the scout was leavin’,” Willie explained. “He laid out the idea to him, and it sounds
like it might go through.”

Mary and Jody squealed and joined hands, jumping up and down and turning in circles while Finnegan joined in, yipping excitedly.
Mr. Stafford looked on, completely baffled by all the commotion.

Mary and Jody squealed and joined hands, jumping
up and down and turning in circles.

“I did see that man talking to Mr. McMurray on my way down here,” he said. “What’s this all about, Willie?”

“Oh, Dad, that man was here looking for a dairy farm they could use to make a movie . . .” Jody began.

“And he wants Willie to be the head wrangler, and he wants us to ride in a riding lesson, and oh my gosh, I bet he might want
to use Lady and Gypsy too, and . . .” Mary went on.

“And then Mr. McMurray won’t have to sell the farm, and Willie can use the money he makes as a wrangler to save Star . . .”
Jody cried. Then she stopped and clapped her hand over her own mouth at the words she had just let fly.

Jody’s father looked at Willie, then sternly at Jody. “Jody, stop right now. If what you’re saying is really true, and Willie
does work on the film, that’s his money, not yours. Now, I think you owe him an apology.”

“I’m sorry, Willie,” Jody said, hanging her head. “I know it’s not my money. We just got carried away, hoping we could save
Star. But, Dad, maybe we’ll get paid for being in the movie too and maybe we could use that money for the breeding fee.”

Willie took off his hat and scratched the side of his head, then he rubbed his gnarly hand across his eyes before he spoke.
“Jody, you will get paid for riding in the movie. But it won’t be very much. It won’t be enough to pay for the breeding fee.”

Jody’s father patted her on the back sympathetically. Mary sat silently on a bale and looked up at Willie expectantly.

“But now, look. I wasn’t expectin’ anything like this to happen, especially at my age,” Willie said quietly. “And I always
figure things happen for a reason. Now, Mr. Stafford, I don’t have any family left, and I sure ain’t plannin’ on goin’ out
and buyin’ any real estate at this time in my life. I’m pretty happy with the way things are.”

Mary stroked Finnegan’s head and tried not to breathe. She looked back and forth between Jody to Willie as a faint smile played
around her lips.

“And I guess I care just about as much for that ornery bugger as anybody else,” Willie continued. “I already made up my mind
that if these girls need that money to keep him around, I’d be happy to help out.”

Mary tearfully hugged Finnegan around his neck. She was speechless for one of the only times in her life. Mr. Stafford put
his arm around Jody and squeezed, then he held out his hand to Willie.

“Thank you, sir,” he said. “We definitely owe you one for this.”

Jody, choking back a sob, looked at Willie with tears welling up in her eyes and simply put her arms around him in a grateful
embrace.

“Now, now, don’t get all weepy on me,” Willie said gruffly. “There’s work to be done. Didn’t you girls say you were goin’
to feed those calves for me today?”

“We did, Willie. But, but . . . I think there is still a problem,” Mary said worriedly. “We only have a month to come up with
the money! When does the movie start filming? Will we have enough time?”

“They want to start pretty much right away, since they want to be done by the end of the summer. And I think I already took
care of the money part. Mr. Crowley is going to talk to the production company, but he’s pretty sure they can give me an advance,
since he thinks they’ll be real excited to have me as the wrangler, for some reason,” Willie said modestly.

Jody smiled through her tears and looked up at her father. “Dad, did you know that Willie was a famous wrangler? He worked
in all the movies when he was younger, getting the horses and even the actors ready for their scenes. And in this movie, he’s
going to be the
head
wrangler. Willie, what is the head wrangler anyway?”

For one of the only times since the girls had known him, Willie laughed out loud.

“Head wrangler just means I’m in charge. If they need any other people to work with the horses or other livestock, I’ll be
tellin’ them what to do.”

The girls absorbed this information in silence, but they looked at Willie with a new respect—even greater than that which
they already had for him.

“Now, enough of this foolishness. Them calves’ll be bawlin’ their heads off pretty soon for lack of food,” Willie said, trying
to sound grumpy.

“I think I’m going to write a poem about this,” Jody announced.

“Well, maybe you should write lots of poems and put them in a book, and we could sell it and get rich, and then we wouldn’t
have to use Willie’s or our movie money to save Star,” Mary suggested.

“Good plan!” Jody laughed. “Oh my gosh, speaking of Star, we haven’t even told him what’s going on yet!”

“Well, you wouldn’t let me until we knew for sure, remember?”

Jody smiled, and while her father and Willie walked out the back doors of Lucky Foot Stable together, Mary and Jody linked
arms and trotted out to the paddock to share with Star the wonderful news of how Willie had once again come to the rescue.

Glossary of Horse Terms

Bale
—In stable terms, a bale is a closely packed bundle of either hay or straw (see definitions) measuring about two by three
feet, weighing about forty pounds, and tied with two strings lengthwise.

When the strings are cut, the bale can be shaken loose and either fed, in the case of hay, or used for stall bedding, in the
case of straw.

Baling twine
—The term used for the thick yellow string that is tied around a bale.

Bank barn
—A barn that is built into the side of a hill so that the hill forms a “ramp” leading into the upper part of the barn, where
hay and straw may be stored; the bottom floor of the barn is used for milking cows if it is a dairy barn, or it may have stalls
for the purpose of sheltering other animals.

Barn swallow
—A small, blue-black bird with a rusty-colored breast and throat and forked tail; found all over North America and Europe,
these friendly birds like to build their nests in barns and eat insects.

Barrel
—The middle section of the body of a horse or pony between the shoulder and the flank.

Bay
—A common color seen in horses and ponies. The body is reddish-brown with black mane, tail, and lower legs.

Bit
—The metal piece on the bridle inserted into the mouth of a horse that provides communication between the rider and horse.

Bridle
—The leather headgear with a metal bit that is placed on the head of a horse to enable the rider to control the horse.

Bridle Path
—A section of mane about an inch wide behind the ears that is trimmed short to allow the crown piece of the bridle to lie
flat and fit more comfortably.

Cannon bone
—A bone in the leg of the horse or pony running from the knee or hock to the ankle.

Cantankerous
—Ill-mannered or quarrelsome.

Canter
—A three-beat gait of the horse, which could be called a “collected gallop.” It is slightly faster and not as “bouncy” as
a trot.

Chaff
—The seed covering separated from the seed when grain is threshed.

Chestnut
—A common coloring found in horses and ponies. The coat is basically red, in varying shades on different horses. The mane
and tail are the same color as the body.

Cluck
—The “clicking” sound a rider or driver makes from the corner of the mouth to urge a horse forward. Also the sound a chicken
makes when communicating.

Corncob
—The inner segment of an ear of corn to which the corn kernels are attached. The horse eats the kernels but not the cob.

Crop
—A short, leather riding whip carried by the rider and used lightly to encourage the horse to move forward.

Crosstie
—The method of tying a horse squarely in the aisle or stall by which a rope is clipped to both sides of the halter. When a
horse is crosstied, he cannot move away from the rider during grooming and saddling.

Dam
—The mother of a horse or pony.

Dismount
—The action of getting down from a horse and onto the ground.

Dock
—The bone in a horse’s tail, which is formed of the lowest vertebrae of the spine.

Dutch door
—A door divided horizontally in the middle so that the two sections can be opened separately.

Eaves
—The overhanging lower edge of a roof.

Fetlock
—The part of the lower leg of the horse or pony between the cannon bone and the pastern.

Flake
—A section of hay that is taken from a bale for feeding, usually about six inches wide and two feet square. There are usually
about ten flakes of hay in a whole bale.

Flaxen
—A cream-colored mane and tail sometimes found on chestnut horses and always found on palominos. If a chestnut has a flaxen
mane and tail, he is known as a “flaxen chestnut.”

Foal
—A young, unweaned horse or pony of either gender. When the horse or pony is weaned or separated from its mother, it is called
a “weanling.”

Founder
—A painful disease of the foot that may be caused by the overeating of grass or grain when the digestive system of the horse
or pony is not used to it. This may cause the tissues and blood vessels inside the hoof to be permanently damaged.

Gallop
—A fast, four-beat gait where all four of the horse’s feet strike the ground separately.

Garner
—To acquire by effort.

Giving the horse his head
—Allowing the horse or pony to stretch his neck and feel his way along rather than keeping a tight rein on him.

Grain
—Harvested cereals or other edible seeds, including oats, corn, wheat, and barley. Horses and ponies often eat a mixture of
grains, vitamins, minerals, and molasses called “sweet feed.”

Gray
—A common color found in horses and ponies. A gray horse is born black and gradually lightens with age from a steel-gray color
to almost white.

Graze
—The act of eating grass. Horses and ponies will graze continually when turned out on good pasture.

Groom
—To groom a horse is to clean and brush his coat, comb his mane and tail, and pick the dirt from his hooves. A person known
as a “groom” goes along on a horse show or horse race to help with grooming, tacking up, or anything else that needs to be
done.

Halter
—Also known as a “head collar,” a halter is made of rope, leather, or nylon and is placed on the head of a horse and used
for leading or tying him. The halter has no bit, but it has a metal ring that rests under the chin of the horse or pony to
which you attach a lead rope.

Hard brush
—A grooming tool resembling a scrub brush, usually with firm bristles made of nylon, used to brush dried mud or dirt from
the coat and legs of a horse or pony.

Haunches
—Another term for the hindquarters of a horse or pony.

Hay
—Grass or other herbage that is cut in the field and allowed to dry over several days, then usually baled and stored in a
barn to be used as feed for animals.

Hay net
—A nylon or rope net that is stuffed with loose hay and tied at the top, then hung in a stall or trailer to allow an animal
to eat from it.

Hindquarters
—The rear of a horse or pony, including the back legs.

Hitch up
—Attach a horse or pony to a cart, carriage, or sleigh through the use of the harness straps.

Hoof pick
—A grooming tool used to clean dirt and gravel from the hooves of a horse or pony.

Hooves
—The hard covering of the foot of a horse or pony. The hooves must be cleaned before and after riding and trimmed every six
weeks (or so) to keep them from growing too long.

In hand
—Refers to horses shown in halter classes, not mounted.

Lead rope
—A short (about six feet) length of cotton or nylon rope with a snap attached to the end. The rope is used to lead the horse
or pony.

Lead shank
—Same as a lead rope, but it is more often made of leather with a section near the snap made of chain.

Leather conditioner
—An oily or creamy substance that is rubbed into the leather to help keep it from drying out and cracking.

Leg up
—The action of helping someone mount by grasping their bended left knee and hoisting them up and onto the back of the horse
or pony.

Liniment
—A liquid solution rubbed onto sore muscles to relieve pain.

Lipped
—To touch or feel with the lips.

Loft
—The large, open area in the top of a barn used to store bales of hay and straw.

Longe whip
—A long whip used along with the longe line to encourage the horse or pony to move in a circle.

Mane
—The long hair that grows on the crest (top) of a horse’s or pony’s neck.

Mane and tail comb
—Any of a variety of metal or plastic combs used to comb the mane and tail of the horse or pony.

Mare
—A female horse or pony three years of age or older.

Mare’s tails
—Also known as cirrus clouds, these are wispy cloud formations that actually look like the long, flowing tail of a horse or
pony.

Milkers
—The equipment that is attached to the cow’s teats in order to draw the milk out through a pulsing action.

Milk house
—The small building attached to the dairy barn where the milk ends up in a cooling tank.

Muzzle
—The lower end of the nose of a horse or pony, which includes the nostrils, lips, and chin.

Neat’s-foot oil
—A type of oil used to condition leather to keep it from drying out and cracking.

Nicker
—A low, quiet sound made by a horse or pony in greeting or when wanting to be fed.

Paddock
—A fenced area, smaller than a field, used for enclosing animals for limited exercise.

Pastern
—The lower part of the leg of the horse or pony below the fetlock and above the hoof.

Piebald
—A horse or pony of a black coat color with white patches or markings on various parts of the body.

Pinto
—A horse or pony of a solid coat color with white patches or markings on various parts of the body. The mane and tail may
be various colors.

Pony
—A pony measures below 14.3 hands from the bottom of the hoof to the withers. (See defini-tion.) A hand equals four inches.
An animal 14.3 hands or above is considered a horse.

Progeny
—The offspring or descendants of one or both parents.

Pulling comb
—A small, metal, short-toothed comb used to thin or shorten the hairs of the mane.

Quarter horse
—A strong, stocky, but gentle breed of horse whose name is derived from its speed at the quarter-mile race. This breed is
very popular with cow ropers and western riders.

Rail
—The term used in riding lessons and horse shows to describe the fencing enclosing the riding ring. To be “on the rail” is
to be riding closely to the ring fence. Spectators standing outside the ring are said to be “at the rail.”

Reins
—The leather straps of the bridle attached to the bit and held by the rider to guide and control the horse.

Ringmaster
—The person at a horse show who assists the judge in the ring and helps any rider who falls; this person may also replace
any rails that are knocked down during jumps.

Saddle
—A padded leather seat for a rider, placed on a horse’s or pony’s back and secured by a girth. A harness placed on the horse’s
or pony’s back behind the withers is also called a saddle.

Saddlebags
—Two leather pouches attached to each other by a wide piece of leather that drapes over the saddle or withers of the horse,
or sometimes behind the saddle, to allow the rider to carry supplies on the trail.

Saddle rack
—A metal or wooden frame attached to the wall or stall on which to hang the saddle.

Saddle soap
—A creamy soap in a can used to soften and clean leather. The soap is rubbed into the leather and then buffed with a cloth.

Salt block
—A square, compact brick made of salt placed in the field or stall for a horse to lick, which provides him with salt and other
necessary minerals.

Scrubby mitt
—A rubber mitt with short bristles on one side that fits over the hand and is used to bathe the horse or pony.

Singeing pan
—A low-sided pan containing a small amount of burning lighter fluid that produces a small flame. When passed briefly over
this flame, the hair-like under feathers of poultry are removed.

Sire
—The father of a horse or pony.

Skewbald
—A horse or pony with a coat color other than black combined with white patches or markings on various parts of the body.

Sleigh
—A horse-drawn vehicle that does not have wheels but “runners” for gliding over snow or ice.

Slip knot
—A type of knot, also known as “quick release,” which can be quickly and easily untied in case of a problem, such as the horse
or pony falling down or getting hung up.

Soft brush
—A brush made for grooming a horse or pony’s coat and face; it is the same shape as a hard brush, but has softer, longer bristles.

Spook
—An action of the horse or pony in which he shies away nervously from something he is not familiar with.

Springtooth harrow
—A piece of farm machinery with curved teeth used to dig furrows into the ground for planting.

Square up
—A horse or pony is said to be “standing square” or “squared up” when all four legs are placed evenly on the ground, the two
front lined up so that no one foot is in front of or behind the other, and hind feet the same. This is the desirable position
when showing the animal at halter.

Stallion
—A male horse or pony that has not been neutered and may be used for reproductive purposes.

Star
—Any white mark on the forehead of a horse or pony, located above the level of the eyes.