Stable Manners Read Free

Carole agreed.
    The girls bit into their sandwiches and were silent for a few minutes as they contemplated the Know-Down that was coming up.
    “I’m really nervous about having Cam there,” Caroleadmitted. “What if he knows more than me?” She paused. “Or what if
I
know more than him?” She threw up her hands.
    Stevie grinned at her friend’s distress. “I know what you mean. But I’ve decided that it doesn’t matter if we beat them or not. The only thing that matters is learning more about horses. That’s the whole purpose of the thing.”
    Carole raised her eyebrows. That didn’t sound like competitive Stevie.
    “I’m serious,” Stevie reassured her.
    “I totally agree,” Carole said. “So we should send these study sheets to Phil and Cam so we don’t have an unfair advantage.”
    “Of course,” said Stevie. “Let’s borrow envelopes and stamps from Mrs. Reg right now and put these in the mail. We can make copies of Lisa’s study sheets at your house tonight.”
    “Sure. Our next-door neighbor has a copying machine and she’s always telling Dad and me we can use it.”
    The girls wrapped up their half-eaten sandwiches and headed for Mrs. Reg’s office. Mrs. Reg was Max’s mother and the stable manager. Her desk was a confusion of organization. There were papers everywhere, but they were carefully organized. That was like Mrs.Reg. Everything seemed out of place, but when it was examined, there was always an underlying logic.
    “Envelopes here,” Stevie said, reaching into the lowest drawer.
    “And stamps here,” Carole said, locating a roll of stamps in the corner of the top drawer.
    “And a pen?” Stevie searched the top of the desk and found Mrs. Reg’s pen on top of some order forms she was probably about to take care of.
    It only took a minute for each girl to scribble a note and address the envelope to her friend. There was a mailbox out in front of the stable. Stevie took their letters, walked them out to the street, and dropped them in the mailbox while Carole went in search of Lisa.
    L ISA WAS TRYING to be patient, but it wasn’t easy. Where she wanted to be was checking on the mare again. She thought she’d heard Judy Barker’s truck pull into the stable driveway and she wanted to be there when Judy confirmed to Max that the mare was about to foal. Instead Lisa was stuck tromping across a small paddock with May Grover. May had insisted on examining the pony cart and that was kept in a little shed along with a buckboard and a sleigh that Max also had for horses to pull. May had never seen any ofthem and was excited at the prospect of learning something totally new about Pine Hollow. Lisa had tried to talk her into checking on the mare first, but when May wanted to do something, she could be extremely stubborn. She wanted to see the pony cart.
    “This way,” Lisa said, leading May to the shed. She was grumbling to herself about it when she felt May take her hand. Suddenly she remembered that May was just a little girl, small enough so that when she crossed streets she still took her mother’s hand. It was a simple gesture and it made Lisa feel a certain responsibility to the little girl who was entrusting her hand to Lisa’s. Lisa gripped the small hand affectionately.
    “Are you excited about the Know-Down?” Lisa asked.
    “Am I ever!” said May. “The trouble is, I won’t know which to work on harder—the Know-Down or our project.”
    “You’ll find time for it all,” Lisa said assuringly. “All you have to do is study your sheets for the Know-Down.”
    “I know,” May said. “I put them in my pocket so I wouldn’t lose them …” Her voice trailed off.
    Then she let go of Lisa’s hand and patted her pocket. She patted her other pocket.
    “Oh, no!” she said, and the tone of her voice was clear, “I’ve lost them already!”
    “Don’t worry,” Lisa said. “Max will give you another set. Just ask him when we get back.”
    “I don’t want him to