Scarecrow on Horseback by C. S. Adler Page A

started to
trot, and in doing so, shoved up into the girl's horse, which
promptly kicked a hind leg out. The girl screamed, and General
bolted across the road. Mel scrambled after Mabel and caught her
horse's lead line.
    “Whoa,” she said. “Whoa, General.” She walked
him a few feet up the hill ahead of the group until he had calmed.
“Are you all right?” she asked Mabel.
    “I think so.” I didn't fall off, did I?”
    “No, you sure didn't,” Mel said. “I guess
General just spooked when he got kicked. He'll be fine now. But
maybe you better ride more back in the line, like behind your
husband?”
    “Good idea.”
    Mel led General to his new place in line and
returned to her lead position.
    Nothing further happened on the ride. One of
the twins saw the head of a swimming beaver, and the whole party
got excited at the sighting. When they'd returned to the corral and
had dismounted, the father said to Mel, “You did a good job back
there. I can see why they trust you. I wish my daughter were half
as capable.”
    “Maybe she would be if she had my job,” Mel
said.
    He raised an eyebrow and half smiled, but his
daughter whispered, “Thanks,” to Mel as she swung off her
horse.
    After the family had trudged off in their
borrowed cowboy boots toward the main hall where the raucous lunch
bell was summoning them, Jeb asked Mel, “So how did it go? Think
he's going to complain to Davis?”
    “He said I did a good job.”
    “He did? Whew!He had me worried there. Bet
he's a lawyer or some kind of big shot. Next time anyone asks your
age, you tell them you're sixteen, Mel. We don't need more hassles
than we already got in this job.”
    That evening, Mel's mother said, “I'm proud
of you. Jeb says you're mature and dependable, and he isn't much
for praising people.”
    “You can say that again.”
    Her mother just laughed.
    The next morning someone said, “Hi,” as Mel
was tacking up a bay for an all day pack trip that Sally was
leading.
    On the other side of the corral fence was the
girl who'd been on the family ride yesterday. “Hi,” Mel
replied.
    “Do you work all day, or do you have time
like to have a soda or something?” the girl asked.
    “I'm done for the morning as soon as I finish
this horse.”
    “Good. I'd like to hear about your life.”
    Mel laughed. “It's not much of a life.”
    “Oh, yes, it is. My dad respects you, and he
doesn't respect any other fifteen-year-old girls I know.” Her eyes
were intent on Mel.
    Mel led the bay over to the mounting block
when Sally called for him. “I'm going to hang out with her for a
while,” she said, pointing to the slim, black-haired girl waiting
outside of the corral for her.
    “Good.” Sally smiled.
    At Mel's suggestion, she and the girl, who
said her name was Tanya, skipped the soda. Instead, they walked
over the bridge to the petting zoo with milk for the calf.
    “So doesn't your father respect you ?”
Mel asked after she'd introduced Tanya to the goat that put his
front hooves on Mel's knees and tried to chew her belt. She pushed
him down and scratched around his ears while he nuzzled her.
    “Dad expects me to be perfect,” Tanya said.
“And when I'm not, he gets mad.”
    “Tough,” Mel said.
    “So are you related to the owner or something
that they let you be a wrangler?” Tanya asked. It was her turn to
wrestle the goat away from her shirt, which he seemed to find
tasty.
    “No. I'm just good with horses. It's the only
thing I'm good at.”
    “Really?” Tanya pushed the goat away. It
scampered off and leapt to the roof of the shed. There it straddled
the peaked roof. When it bleated as if it were calling for help,
both girls giggled. “I'm a good student,” Tanya said. “And I play
two instruments, and I won first prize with a portrait painting of
my brothers this spring, but my father says I have no
ambition.”
    “You're kidding,” Mel said. “What would he
say about me if he knew all I want is to save up enough to get