A Star Discovered (3 page)

Mary and Jody lowered their gaze to the ground, red-faced and ashamed of themselves for not giving Annie Mooney a chance.

“So don’t be sayin’ you don’t like somebody before you know anything about them,” Willie continued. “If you do, you’ll be
just the same as me.” And without another word, he turned and walked out the gate of the paddock.

3

Loading Star

THE NEXT TWO months passed quickly. Mary and Jody (and sometimes Willie) worked with Star every day, and soon the horse show
was only a week away. The girls were a little nervous because, even though Star behaved himself most of the time, there were
days when he just wouldn’t do a thing they asked of him, even with Willie helping them.

“That’s partly because he’s just got a bad ornery streak and partly because you girls spoiled him to death when he was little,”
Willie explained. “There’s nothin’ to be done about it now, except to keep on with his trainin’ and hope he grows out of it.”

But Mary and Jody worried that Star would choose the day of the show as one of his bad days. He had never been off the farm
before, and they had no idea what he would do once he arrived at the show-grounds. But the one thing they did have control
over was teaching him to load onto the bed of Willie’s pickup truck. And that was the training they focused on the Saturday
afternoon exactly one week before the show.

“Jody, remember when we took Lady to that other horse show in Willie’s truck and you were so embarrassed because we didn’t
have a trailer like everybody else?” Mary asked while Jody brought Star in from the paddock to get him ready for his loading
lesson.

“Yes, I remember, and it’s not going to be any better this time. I bet we’ll still be the only ones there with a pony riding
in the back of a pickup truck.”

“Well, what are we going to do about it? We don’t have a trailer, and the sides are already on the truck, ready to go. I just
hope there will be a place to unload him at this show. We’ve never been there before.”

Jody, busy picking Star’s hooves, didn’t reply. She finished that job and began combing his tail as Mary lazily sat on a bale
of hay and leaned back against the front boards of Lady’s stall, almost falling asleep as she watched Jody work. Just as Mary’s
eyes were about to close, she was jolted awake by the sudden landing of a bird on her head.

“Walter!” she giggled. “I wondered where you’d been lately. Colonel Sanders has been missing you!” Mary and Jody’s pet pigeon,
Walter, had joined forces with the barn pigeons and only occasionally visited Lucky Foot Stable. As if on cue, Colonel Sanders,
the old white rooster, chose just that moment to come strutting into the stable, shaking his floppy red comb. When he spotted
Walter perched on Mary’s head, he clucked indignantly and flapped his wings right under Star’s nose. Star responded by striking
out with his front hoof, almost knocking the Colonel across the aisle.

“Star! Where are your manners?!” Jody exclaimed, slapping him lightly on the shoulder.

“Oh, Colonel, are you OK?” Mary tried to sound sorry, but she couldn’t help laughing at the surprised look on the rooster’s
face as he ruffled his feathers and tried to regain his dignity by perching on the top board of Lady’s stall. “Jode, we better
get Star out of here. I think he’s getting impatient. And Willie said he would meet us on the barn hill by the pickup. He’s
probably waiting right now, and you know he doesn’t like to wait.”

Just as Mary’s eyes were about to close, she was
jolted awake by a bird landing on her head.

Since Mr. Mooney had moved onto the farm, Willie had been free to spend more time training Star, but he still never missed
a milking. And now it was only an hour until milking time. Jody unclipped Star from the crossties and fastened the lead rope
onto his halter while Mary shook her head to dislodge Walter, who sailed across the stable to keep Colonel Sanders company
on his perch.

Just as Mary predicted, Willie
was
waiting at the truck when the girls arrived at the barn hill, and he didn’t look happy about it.

“What in the devil took you two so long?” he asked grumpily. “If it takes more than an hour to get that ornery bugger onto
the truck, you’re outta luck, because it’ll be milkin’ time before you know it.”

“Oh, Willie, I don’t think it will take that long,” Jody said. “I think Star will be much easier to load than Lady, because
he’s just naturally curious, and I think he’ll want to get on the truck just to see what it’s like. Remember when he got into
the truck with the calves?”

Before Willie could reply, Mary went on, “And, Willie, I read in a book that inquisitiveness—that means curiosity, I looked
it up—is a sign of intelligence in the colt.”

“That’s the trouble—he’s too smart for his own good,” Willie admitted. “Now, quit yer yappin’ and get him lined up on the
hill there.”

Willie had backed the pickup to the barn hill with the tailgate down, so that it made a kind of loading ramp straight into
the truck. A thick bed of straw and a mound of green hay with a little grain on top had been placed in the front of the truck
bed to tempt Star.

“Now remember how we loaded Lady last time and just do the same thing,” Willie instructed.

Jody led Star firmly to the lowered tailgate and walked him straight onto it. When Star’s hooves hit the hard surface hidden
under the straw, rather than pulling back as Lady had done, he jumped nimbly over the tailgate and landed in the center of
the truck bed. Then he lowered his head and began eating the grain as if he had done this every day of his life. Willie quickly
raised the tailgate and fastened the homemade rear wood panel first to the tailgate and then to the side panels, and Star’s
makeshift trailer was secure.

“See, I knew he wouldn’t mind,” Jody said proudly.

“Still, we need to load him every day until the show, just to be sure,” Willie replied wisely. “Now, let him finish that grain
and you girls can unload him when he’s done. I’ve got to get to the milk stable and give Roy a hand, and then I’m goin’ to
town.”

Willie and Roy Mooney had become fast friends since the day the dented old pickup truck had arrived at the McMurray farm.
And although Willie would never admit it, it was a relief to have some time away from the cows. Annie had also been accepted
as a rather mysterious addition to the farm, as Mary and Jody hadn’t seen much of her since that first day in the stable.
Annie had to spend most of her time watching her little brother, Heath. The two-year-old was a handful, and Annie’s older
brother Jimmy couldn’t help her because he was needed in the barn.

Star finished his grain, and Mary and Jody removed the back panel from the tailgate and propped it gently against the truck.
Then they lowered the tailgate and rested it on the barn hill. The instant Star saw from the corner of his eye that there
was nothing between him and the hill, he raised his head, turned completely around, jumped out of the truck, and galloped
off down the barn hill toward Mr. McMurray’s big stone house!

Jody stood with Star’s lead rope still in her hand and her mouth open in shock. Mary found her voice first as she flew down
the barn hill in pursuit.

“Jody, come on! He’s heading toward the road!”

4

Runaway Colt

MARY AND JODY flew as fast as their legs would carry them up the long gravel drive to Mr. McMurray’s house. Once in the back
yard, they looked in all directions for some sign of Star. But Star was nowhere to be seen.

“I know he ran up this way!” Mary cried. “Oh, I hope he didn’t go around the other side of the house and across the road!”

“Mare, don’t say that!” Jody said, choking back tears. “Maybe he went over to Willie’s house!”

“But we would have seen him run over there. I think we need to check out by the road. Even if he did cross it, he’s probably
fine. There’s not that much traffic.”

So the girls galloped to the front yard of the McMurray house and down the bank to the two-lane country road. They stopped
at the bottom of the bank where a narrow ditch lay between the yard and the wide shoulder and, shading their eyes from the
sun, gazed hopefully at the wheat field across the road—still no sign of the runaway colt.

“I don’t think he ran over there, Jode. If he ran into the wheat field, we’d see a path where he knocked the wheat down.”

“Well, where could he be then?” Jody asked desperately.

“I don’t know. Maybe we should get Mr. McMurray.”

So off they ran again to the back of the house. Jody was just about to knock when Mary grabbed her arm and pointed up the
lane.

“Jody, look!” she cried.

Jody turned and her mouth flew open in shock for the second time that day. Calmly walking away from the girls and up the lane
toward Lucky Foot Stable was Annie Mooney with a dog leash in her hand. And on the end of the dog leash was Star of Wonder,
following easily behind and pushing Annie along with his muzzle only once in a while.

“What in the . . .” Mary began, and then she linked her arm through Jody’s and the girls trotted up behind the duo, slowing
to a walk as they drew near so as not to spook Star.

“Annie,” Jody said quietly as they reached Star’s side, “what are you doing?”

“I’m taking Star back to the stable,” Annie said matter-of-factly. “He was loose.”

“We know he was loose!” Mary yelled. “Didn’t you see us looking for him?”

“No, I didn’t see you. I was in the trailer and I saw him go flying by the window.”

“And then what happened?” Mary asked patiently. Talking to Annie was sometimes like “pulling hen’s teeth,” as Willie would
say.

“Well, I couldn’t do anything right away because I had just put Heath down for a nap. I made sure he was asleep, and then
I went outside.”

“Then what?” Jody asked after a maddening pause.

“Oh, well, then I saw Star in my back yard eating grass, so I got a carrot.”

If Annie stopped talking one more time, Mary was sure she would burst. “Can you tell us the rest of the story, Annie? Did
he run away from you?”

Calmly walking away from the girls and up the lane
toward Lucky Foot Stable was Annie Mooney.

“Run away from me? Of course not,” Annie snorted. “He came right up and took the carrot and ate it, and then he followed me
over to the door of the trailer. I reached inside and got my old dog Buster’s dog leash. Buster died a couple years ago, but
I kept his leash to remember him by. Sometimes I have to put it on Heath, so he doesn’t run away when I take him for walks.”

Jody could see from Mary’s expression that she really was about to burst, so she took over the questioning.

“So then what happened, Annie? Did Star give you any trouble?”

“Trouble? Of course not,” Annie repeated. “He was good as gold.”

Mary and Jody could tell that they weren’t going to get any more information out of Annie, so they walked in silence the rest
of the way back to Lucky Foot Stable. When they reached the open back door, Annie handed the end of the leash to Jody.

“Here you go,” she said.

Jody took the leash and turned to walk Star to his stall.

“Thanks a lot, Annie,” Mary said generously.

“I need Buster’s leash back,” Annie replied.

“Oh sure. I’ll get it,” Mary said, following Jody into the stable. She retrieved the leash and handed it to Annie.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later,” Annie said. She turned and walked back to the house trailer.

Jody joined Mary at the door, and they watched together as Annie opened the squeaky screen door of the trailer and went in.

“I can’t figure her out,” Jody said.

“I can’t figure out how Star got behind the trailer without us seeing him,” Jody replied.

“He must have been in Mr. McMurray’s front yard when we were in the back, and then when we ran around to the front, he must’ve
gone around the other side of the house and run down to the trailer,” Mary surmised.

“I think he ran away in the first place because he’s dying for some grass,” Jody decided. “I feel bad that Lady and Gypsy
get to go out in the pasture with the cows, and Star has to stay in the old dirt paddock and eat hay.”

“I know, Jode. But you know Mr. McMurray won’t let him out there. He’s already mad about Lady and Gypsy ‘eating up his prrrofits,’”
Mary said, imitating Mr. McMurray’s Irish brogue.

“Well, Mr. McMurray lets us walk him around the farm and graze him. He doesn’t mind when he eats grass outside of the pasture.
Maybe we should tie him out somewhere where he can graze.”

Mary nodded, thinking over the possibility. “There’s a lot of grass behind the tractor shed,” she said. “Let’s go back there
and see if there’s anything to tie him to.”

The grass behind the shed grew thick and lush, because it was not fenced in and never used to graze livestock. This is where
Mr. McMurray kept all of the farm equipment that wouldn’t fit under the roof of the tractor shed. Mary and Jody walked around
the open field, eyeing the beautiful grass and looking for a place to tie Star.

“There’s really not much open space,” Jody observed. “The equipment is too close together.”

“I know, but . . . hey, how about over there?” Mary pointed to a spot at the right corner of the field. There was only one
piece of machinery there, and it was surrounded by open spaces of bright green grass.

“That’s good, but what can we tie him to?” Jody wondered. “I was hoping there would be a tree or something.”

“Well, we can tie him to that thing, whatever it is,” Mary replied.

“I think that’s what Willie uses to work up the fields,” Jody said. “I helped him hook it to the tractor one day. But it’s
not a plow, it’s a . . . a . . . I think he called it a springtooth harrow or something like that.”

The machinery in question was low to the ground and possessed a series of curved teeth in rows, the blunt points of which
rested on the grass.

“See, when Willie gets out to the field he lowers the teeth and they dig up the ground,” Jody explained.

“Well, whatever,” Mary said impatiently. “I think we could tie Star to this, and he’ll have plenty of room to walk all around
it and graze to his heart’s content. Maybe that’s why he’s so ornery; he needs some grass to fill up his belly and calm him
down.”

“It sounds like a good idea, but maybe we should ask Willie first,” Jody suggested.

“We can’t ask him. He said he was going to town after milking. And besides, he wouldn’t mind. Willie always says grass is
the best thing for a horse.”

So the girls ran back to Lucky Foot Stable and led Star from his stall. They were halfway to the open field when Jody stopped.
“Um, Mare, we have everything but the rope! I think we’re going to need a rope to tie him out with,” she said facetiously.

“Oh yeah,” Mary giggled. “Hmmm, let’s think.”

“I know!” Jody remembered. “There’s a long brown rope all curled up and hanging near the hayloft in the barn. I remember seeing
it when we were building our hay fort. And it even has a clip on the end!”

“I’ll get it!” Mary yelled. Before Jody had even reached the grassy field with Star, Mary was back with the length of rope.
The girls led Star through the field of equipment until they came to the place where the harrow sat.

“I know how to tie a slip knot!” Jody bragged. “My dad taught me. Here, Mare, you hold Star and I’ll get the rope ready.”

Mary allowed Star to drop his head and begin grazing while Jody threaded one end of the rope around a harrow tooth and expertly
tied a knot that could easily be untied by pulling on that end, but not the other end, no matter how strongly Star might pull
back. Jody clipped the rope to Star’s halter, but he was so busy grazing that he didn’t even notice the transfer from his
lead rope to the long rope.

“See, he was starving for grass,” Mary said. “He’s going to love this!”

Mary and Jody sat down a short distance away and watched Star wander in a circle, sniffing the grass as if looking for the
most succulent blades. Suddenly he turned and blinked at the girls once, raised his head, and looked around. Seeing no fence,
and sure that he was free of restraints, he threw up his head and trotted away.

“Uh-oh!” the girls said in unison, jumping up from their seat on the grass. But before they could reach Star, he came to the
end of his rope. His head jerked around and he was thrown off balance, but he stayed on his feet. He snorted and shook his
head, and the surprised look on his face made the girls laugh in spite of their worry about him breaking his neck.

“Oh, Star, are you OK?” Jody said sympathetically, patting him on the shoulder.

“Good thing he didn’t get up much speed,” Mary observed. “I think he knows now that he’s tied. But we’d better watch him for
a while to be sure.”

So the girls sat down once again and watched Star go back to grazing. He didn’t try another trot, but occasionally he would
come to the end of the rope at a walk. When he realized he could go no further, he would turn quietly and go another route.

“He’s getting the hang of it now,” Jody said proudly. “He is so smart!”

“I think we could leave him out overnight, don’t you?” Mary suggested. “I’ve got to get home soon, and so do you. It would
be a shame to take him in so soon, when he’s enjoying himself so much. And he understands the rope now, I think.”

“Hmmm, I don’t know, Mare. Do you think he’ll be OK?” Jody worried.

“Sure he will. We’ll be back first thing in the morning. He can eat all this grass down tonight, and tomorrow we’ll tie him
someplace else. I really think the grass will help him calm down, and then he’ll be good for the show next week!”

“Well, OK,” Jody agreed, “but we’ve got to get him a bucket of water. Help me carry it over from the stable.”

So the girls carried the water, one on each side of the bucket, to Star’s grazing spot. They watched him a little longer to
make sure he was concentrating on grazing and not escaping, and then rode home on their bikes in the summer twilight.