minute Lizzie knew Dat felt exactly the same way she did. Emma stopped brushing Tiny, resting her hand on his back to listen. Dat didn’t say more, and Lizzie waited expectantly, brushing back Teeny’s forelock. His hair was so soft and blond, and …
“We have to, Lizzie. We need the money, and that’s all there is to it,” Dat said gruffly.
“Oh,” said Lizzie, knowing deep down that Dat was only saying what she knew all along.
When Lizzie drove Teeny and Tiny into the ring, with Emma riding beside her, the crowd had gone wild. People stood up in their seats, clapping and cheering, smiling and waving their hats. The auctioneer could barely be heard above the thunderous applause. He laughed, put his microphone down, and waved his white cowboy hat. Emma and Lizzie had looked at each other and laughed.
Around they went, back to where Dat was standing, shaking his head and laughing, although Lizzie thought he looked as if he could cry at the same time.
“Keep going, Lizzie!” he yelled.
The auctioneer had opened the sale of the ponies at $500. He had to lower it to $300, and Lizzie dared hope that maybe, after all, Dat could not get a good price for them and they would be taken back home. Then the bidding escalated so fast and at such a confusing rate, with the auctioneer talking so fast that his words were a blur. Lizzie just kept driving the ponies steadily, eventually stopping them in front of the auctioneer’s stand.
Lizzie remembered hearing the amount of the bid. “Emma!” she whispered. “One thousand dollars!”
“That’s a lot, isn’t it?” Emma smiled at Lizzie, wringing her hands nervously in her lap.
Dat ran over to hold the ponies’ heads, patting their necks as he spoke to them.
“Eleven hundred dollars!” yelled the auctioneer. “Do I hear $1125?” A pause and a resounding, “Sold!” with a whack of his gavel, and the ponies were officially sold to buyer number 520.
Dat looked at the girls, a broad smile on his face and tears in his eyes. Lizzie and Emma smiled back, but Lizzie’s smile felt funny, as if it could slide downhill and pull tears along with it, like ice cream melting off a cone.
“Come, girls,” Dat said firmly, and they walked away, Dat in the middle with Emma and Lizzie on either side looking straight ahead. None of them had looked back at their ponies — not once. There was simply no use.
Lizzie pulled the covers up and sighed. She had done what she could to help their family have enough money then. And things weren’t as tough now as they were once. She would do what she could now to make the move to Cameron County as smooth as possible.
Chapter 2
L IZZIE HURRIED INTO THE kitchen, clutching two pieces of wood that she had collected from the back porch. She lifted the metal handle from its hook on the wall behind the kitchen range and opened the round black lid so she could feed the wood into the fire. But the fire was hot and she couldn’t quite arrange the wood so that it would fall in the way it was supposed to. She pulled back as smoke burned her eyes.
“Shut that lid!” Mam said loudly.
“I can’t get the wood in right,” Lizzie answered.
“Here.” Emma came quickly to her rescue. Lizzie stepped back as Emma removed another section of the cast-iron top, and the wood fell to the grate. She quickly replaced the top and turned to wipe her hands on her apron.
Lizzie rubbed the smoke from her eyes. What is ever going to become of us? Lizzie wondered. She dreaded the future, so afraid Mam and Dat would never be the same. Mam had never gotten this upset when they had moved in the past.
Suddenly, Emma squared her shoulders and turned to face Mam, looking directly into her eyes. “Mam, there’s not one thing that is going to keep us from moving. I wish you wouldn’t be so dead set against it. You’re just making it hard for all of us.”
Lizzie was shocked to see Mam burst into tears. She lowered her head, bringing her hands to her face and
“We have to, Lizzie. We need the money, and that’s all there is to it,” Dat said gruffly.
“Oh,” said Lizzie, knowing deep down that Dat was only saying what she knew all along.
When Lizzie drove Teeny and Tiny into the ring, with Emma riding beside her, the crowd had gone wild. People stood up in their seats, clapping and cheering, smiling and waving their hats. The auctioneer could barely be heard above the thunderous applause. He laughed, put his microphone down, and waved his white cowboy hat. Emma and Lizzie had looked at each other and laughed.
Around they went, back to where Dat was standing, shaking his head and laughing, although Lizzie thought he looked as if he could cry at the same time.
“Keep going, Lizzie!” he yelled.
The auctioneer had opened the sale of the ponies at $500. He had to lower it to $300, and Lizzie dared hope that maybe, after all, Dat could not get a good price for them and they would be taken back home. Then the bidding escalated so fast and at such a confusing rate, with the auctioneer talking so fast that his words were a blur. Lizzie just kept driving the ponies steadily, eventually stopping them in front of the auctioneer’s stand.
Lizzie remembered hearing the amount of the bid. “Emma!” she whispered. “One thousand dollars!”
“That’s a lot, isn’t it?” Emma smiled at Lizzie, wringing her hands nervously in her lap.
Dat ran over to hold the ponies’ heads, patting their necks as he spoke to them.
“Eleven hundred dollars!” yelled the auctioneer. “Do I hear $1125?” A pause and a resounding, “Sold!” with a whack of his gavel, and the ponies were officially sold to buyer number 520.
Dat looked at the girls, a broad smile on his face and tears in his eyes. Lizzie and Emma smiled back, but Lizzie’s smile felt funny, as if it could slide downhill and pull tears along with it, like ice cream melting off a cone.
“Come, girls,” Dat said firmly, and they walked away, Dat in the middle with Emma and Lizzie on either side looking straight ahead. None of them had looked back at their ponies — not once. There was simply no use.
Lizzie pulled the covers up and sighed. She had done what she could to help their family have enough money then. And things weren’t as tough now as they were once. She would do what she could now to make the move to Cameron County as smooth as possible.
Chapter 2
L IZZIE HURRIED INTO THE kitchen, clutching two pieces of wood that she had collected from the back porch. She lifted the metal handle from its hook on the wall behind the kitchen range and opened the round black lid so she could feed the wood into the fire. But the fire was hot and she couldn’t quite arrange the wood so that it would fall in the way it was supposed to. She pulled back as smoke burned her eyes.
“Shut that lid!” Mam said loudly.
“I can’t get the wood in right,” Lizzie answered.
“Here.” Emma came quickly to her rescue. Lizzie stepped back as Emma removed another section of the cast-iron top, and the wood fell to the grate. She quickly replaced the top and turned to wipe her hands on her apron.
Lizzie rubbed the smoke from her eyes. What is ever going to become of us? Lizzie wondered. She dreaded the future, so afraid Mam and Dat would never be the same. Mam had never gotten this upset when they had moved in the past.
Suddenly, Emma squared her shoulders and turned to face Mam, looking directly into her eyes. “Mam, there’s not one thing that is going to keep us from moving. I wish you wouldn’t be so dead set against it. You’re just making it hard for all of us.”
Lizzie was shocked to see Mam burst into tears. She lowered her head, bringing her hands to her face and
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