The Mystery Horse

The Mystery Horse Read Free Page B

Book: The Mystery Horse Read Free
Author: Gertrude Chandler Warner
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felt like staying in his stall today,” he said vaguely.
    â€œOn a nice sunny morning?” Jessie asked in surprise. “But you said that horses love to be out in the field!”
    Danny ducked his head, working on Oliver’s leg. “I didn’t mean—” he began, and then he stopped. “It could be that he’s sick. Or something.”
    â€œShouldn’t someone check on him?” Violet asked.
    â€œI think Dad will,” Danny told her.
    â€œBut you can’t even see him,” Violet said. “The stall is closed and padlocked.”
    â€œI’m sure he’s okay,” Danny said. “I think we should get back to work now.” He looked very uncomfortable, and the girls knew that he wanted to change the subject.
    â€œOkay,” Violet said. “What should we do next?”
    â€œOliver’s feet, but I’ll give you a tip first. Never just grab a horse’s hoof and try to pick it up.” He slid his hand slowly down Oliver’s shoulder to his fetlock. “Run your hand over him first, like this. This gives him a little warning, and he’ll know what to expect.”
    Violet noticed that Oliver seemed to get the message because he shifted his weight to his other three legs. Danny picked up Oliver’s hoof and motioned to Violet. “Use the hoof pick, but be really gentle.”
    â€œI’ll do my best,” Violet said. Oliver didn’t seem to mind at all, and she cleaned away clumps of mud and several large pebbles that were lodged in his hoof.
    When they had finished, Jessie turned to Daisy. “He won’t look really pretty until you comb his mane,” she said.
    Daisy hesitated. “How will I reach it?”
    â€œYou could sit on his back,” Danny offered.
    â€œNo!” Daisy backed away.
    â€œWait, I have a better idea.” Jessie reached out her hand. “I’ll sit on Oliver and hold you in my lap. You’ll be the one who combs him. Okay?”
    Danny squatted down. “Just step on my shoulder, Jessie, and swing yourself up on his back. Then I’ll hand Daisy up to you.”
    A moment later, Jessie found herself high above the ground on Oliver’s back. Oliver stood very still, and Jessie patted him on the neck. When Danny handed Daisy to her, she found that the little girl was trembling.
    â€œDon’t be scared, Daisy. Danny has Oliver tied good and tight. He’s not going anywhere.”
    Daisy relaxed then and began combing Oliver’s thick, dark mane. She giggled and looked down at Violet. “You know something? This is fun!”
    At lunchtime, Violet told Henry about the horse in the padlocked stall.
    â€œIt just doesn’t make sense.” They were eating chicken-salad sandwiches under the shade of an oak tree near the main house. “I asked Danny about it, but he didn’t have much to say.” She raised her eyebrows questioningly. “What do you think?”
    â€œIt’s true, the horse might be sick,” Henry suggested. “Or maybe he’s very difficult to handle.”
    Violet forgot about the horse when Benny and Jessie plopped down on the grass next to them, talking excitedly.
    â€œI rode on the tractor this morning,” Benny said proudly. “Three times.” He held up three fingers. “First we mowed the hay, just like it was a lawn. Then we raked it, and then we . . . ” He stopped and frowned. “I forgot what came next.”
    Sarah hunkered down next to them. “We baled it, Benny. Remember? Now the hay is in nice square bundles.”
    â€œOh, yeah,” he said happily. “There must be enough hay for a million horses.”
    â€œNot the way our horses eat,” Sarah said. “Oliver eats twelve pounds a day.”
    â€œTwelve pounds?” Benny sputtered.
    â€œSometimes even more. Don’t forget, he weighs almost a thousand pounds. That’s half a

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