The Mystery Horse Read Free

picnic tables in a leafy grove. Jessie and Benny helped Danny and Sarah pass out box lunches, and Benny couldn’t resist taking a peek inside. Fried chicken, potato salad, biscuits, and peach pie! How did Mrs. Morgan know these were his favorite foods?
    Sarah put pitchers of iced tea and ice-cold milk on the table, and Jessie made sure there were enough jelly-jar glasses to go around. One of the other guests was a thin, dark-haired woman named Ms. Jefferies. Henry tried to talk to her a couple of times, but she seemed bored by everyone and everything. When Henry asked her how long she had been at Sunny Oaks, she smiled tightly. “Two days. And it feels like two years,” she said coldly.
    Violet sat next to a shy little girl named Daisy. Daisy had long blonde pigtails and looked about seven years old. At first, Daisy barely looked up from her lunch, but Violet tried to be friendly.
    â€œIs this your first time on a farm?” Violet asked. Daisy nodded. She seemed very timid, and Violet wondered why she was so nervous. “It’s fun, isn’t it?” Violet went on.
    â€œI guess so.” Daisy looked doubtful. “I wish my parents could have stayed with me, but they had to help Grandma. She’s selling her house and moving into an apartment.” She stared at her plate. “I’m not used to being on my own.”
    â€œWhat did you do today?” Violet asked, hoping to get her talking.
    â€œI fed the chickens.” She managed a little smile. “The baby chicks are really cute. They live in their own little house until they’re eight weeks old.”
    â€œMaybe I’ll see them tomorrow.” Violet paused. “We did a lot of fun things this morning. I milked some cows, and my brother Henry rode a tractor.”

    â€œA tractor?” Daisy frowned. “That’s very dangerous. You could get in a bad accident and get hurt.”
    â€œHe was with Mr. Morgan,” Violet explained. “And I don’t think it was dangerous at all.”
    â€œYou never know what can happen,” Daisy insisted. “I went skiing last year and broke my leg in three places. I missed a whole six months of school.” Her eyes welled with tears, and she looked like she might start crying any minute.
    â€œThat’s too bad,” Violet said sympathetically. “But there nothing to be afraid of here.”
    â€œBut I feel so lonely all by myself,” Daisy said.
    â€œNot anymore,” Violet said gaily. “I’ll make sure you meet my sister and brothers after lunch. Now you have four new friends!”
    After an afternoon of hard work, the Aldens were hungry when dinnertime came. Dinner at Sunny Oaks was served family-style, and the farm guests gathered at two long tables set up in the Morgans’ dining room. Benny was happy to see a big bowl of butter beans. “I helped pick those,” he said proudly.
    â€œAnd the black-eyed peas and tomatoes,” Sarah reminded him. “You’ve had a hard day.”
    Benny gave an enormous yawn. “I never thought a vacation could make me this tired,” he said, and everyone laughed.
    Mr. Morgan passed a basket of biscuits before sitting down. “How did you like riding on the tractor, Henry?”
    â€œIt was great,” Henry said, reaching for a second helping of mashed potatoes. “You feel like you’re up in the sky!”
    â€œI’ll teach you to drive it, before you leave,” Mr. Morgan promised. “Do you remember how many gears it has?”
    â€œEight forward gears,” Henry said promptly. “And three reverse ones.”
    â€œIt sounds scary,” Daisy said in a little voice.
    â€œNo, it’s not. There’s a kill button,” Henry told her. “You just press it if something goes wrong, and the tractor stops right away.”
    It was early evening when the Aldens finally headed back to the bunkhouse, and Benny was half asleep.