Born to Trot by Marguerite Henry

Author:Marguerite Henry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

Sixteen

WITHOUT turning his head, Gibson’s eyes darted around the room. Mike and Beaver were still deep in their books. Grubber was studying a half-finished gondola on his work table.

Gibson glanced at his clock. Almost eleven. Soon the door would swing open and four lunch trays would come in, one atop another. If he read fast—another chapter, perhaps. Soundlessly he turned the page, and just that quickly crossed from one world to the other.

8: Colt-at-Heel

Before his courage petered away, William Rysdyk marched swiftly to the kitchen door of the Seely residence. His mind was made up! He washed his face and hands at the pump, dousing the cold water over his head, taking a great mouthful of it, then fountaining it over a dusty bed of catmint. With awkward fingers he smoothed his hair and combed his beard. He cleaned his boots on the scraper. Then, shivering in excitement, he presented himself at the door.

‘The gentleman is in?’ he asked the hired girl.

Mehitabel Tiffet had a voice with a growl in it. ‘He ain’t done with his coffee,’ she said, eyeing him sharply.

‘I wait here by the well. I got to speak private with him.’

As he waited, playing his finger along the coiled rope, he tried to plan what he would say. Why is it? he thought. With the animals in the fields, I feel myself big. To lift, no stones is too heavy. To dig, no ditches is too deep. But, ach, inside houses I shrink myself. Even my muscles weazen down little. To pea size they get.

He squirmed, toeing his foot against the well, feeling small and green and young.

The door opened and a hand flung out, holding a plate. ‘Leftovers!’ the voice of Mehitabel barked, ‘but they help stay the hunger.’

William Rysdyk took the food. A gray slice of mutton had gone cold and tallowed to the plate. Beside it humped a cold potato. He tried to eat, but the tallow reminded him of the goose grease he used on the horses’ hoofs.

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