Show VZ rt fafty A VV NU THE STORY THUS FAR in a cold coil rainstorm fllch Flick as colt long ov overdue ardue Is born ken mclaughlin buckas 12 year old owner finds hr her in a gulch with the assistance of his brother howard he brings bring the mare and colt to the tables stables to kens astonishment the foal Is white it Is evide evidently nuy a throwback to the ha albino a wild white stallion that Is ii buckas tills horse had stolen gypsy from the goose bar ranch the big horse farm owned by kens father in the wyoming mountains fler colts while splendid physically were all unmanageable ken it Is worried when he realizes realize that the albinos characteristics have c rapped cropped out in his colt ile he watts waits tor for a favorable avo rable time to announce anno his big news CHAPTER III but the foal that all conquering prepotency rob mclaughlin had spoken oft off after all the trouble rob had taken to rid his stock ot of the hated blood of the albino here it was cropping out again this foal was unlike its dam unlike its sire unlike any horse on the goose bar ranch it resembled only one the albino it was almost like having the albino right there in the stall 1 was the power and ferocity of the great outlaw enclosed within that mottled baby hide of pink and white this thought made shivers go through ken blicka had finished her mash ken lifted the bucket down and went to the door of the barn bam he swung the top halt half open and looked out it had stopped snowing the wind had reversed itself and had blown the storm back into the east whence it had come there was a riot of scud ding clouds in the sky with big stars close and bright going in and out between them it was nas much warmer ken folded his arms on the bottom half of the dutch door and leaned there here thinking there were still other shadow shapes woven into the aura that encircled the foal like the predictions of a fortuneteller fortune teller that word rob mclaughlin had dropped so casually into kens thought stream that day race horse race horse it could not ot of course be blicka owing to the thickened tendon which was the result of her infection but why not a colt of Flick as with a sweet and tractable mother to teach him manners with the power and speed which came down to every one of the albinos line why not it had been nell who had first made this suggestion since then it had not been out of kens mind ken turned from the barn bam door and ran his hand down that right hind leg of Flick as it was his fault that thickened tendon because he had made them catch her for him but youre not sorry are you blicka Fl icka he whispered going to her head because now youve got me her face leaning against him birn was very still and contented ken took the lantern gave one last look backward and then left the barn closing the door tightly behind him he ran down through the gorge in front of the rambling stone ranch house were several acres of lawn called by his mother the green after the neat little village greens of new england where she had spent her childhood it was covered with a thin sheet of snow ken ran across it to the house and in the warm kitchen took off his slicker and and drank the hot chocolate huward howard had made while they sat drinking the two boys engaged in one of the wrangling incomprehensible and wholly oblique discussions which make adult listeners conclude that the constitution ution of boys minds and their language have nothing to do with reason logic or natural facts promise let go of mel me I 1 but hes mine my tongues not yours prom kens voice rose sh sh sh warned howard but ken was conscious of being in the right if their father heard the noise and discovered it was because howard promise not to tell about kens colt before he had a chance to howard would get it in the neck promise promise PROMISE 1 all right I 1 promise get off my back bound for the stables and the colt they paused behind the house at the sight of two strange cars visitors visitors brought home to the ranch from the dinner party last night they recognized the cars the blue ope one belonged to colonel morton morion harris an old classmate of their fathers at west point now colonel of artillery at fort francis warren the gray one belonged to charles sargent millionaire horse breeder owner of the famous racing stud appalachian sargent had his home ranch not twenty five miles from the goose bar charley sargent and mort harris said howard airily keen no church today but ken stood looking at the cars and thinking charley sargent 0 tall and thin as a beanpole bean pole in his narrow cheyenne pants always kidding and clowning his bis long brown face under the wide brimmed western hat looking as gary coopers might when he got older it was always fun when charley sargent came to tc visit and he might talk about his ace horses kens heart felt a little flutter of excitement he wanted to know all he could find out about race horses and appalachian the big black racing stud he come on I 1 said howard heading for the barn ken walked slowly after him wondering if the presence of visitors would interfere with his own surprise should he tell them at breakfast it had to be arranged so that the impression was favorable they had to be glad and proud that it was white as he was himself that all he had really to act so that no one not even his father would suspect that he was hiding anything that was going to be hard it was hard enough to keep any sort of secret harder still if you felt the least bit guilty about it when they reached the corral they saw that blicka and the colt were both out enjoying the early morning sunshine gus and tim were watching astonished and amused ken rushed at gus and grabbed him dont tell anyone gu gus S they dont know yet I 1 want to em promise yu cud knock me over with a feather kennie said the old swede with his slow smile but white horses is gude luck they say never seen no such colt on this ranch before added tim What ll the captain say dont tell him until I 1 have a chance to insisted ken promise will you sure you can tell em kennie said gus ashes your mare and your colt too I 1 guess L would it cost much dad ken opened the barn bam door and called blicka in the colt did not follow but stood blinking in the sunshine gus and tim shooed it gently in ken put them both in the farthest stall and he and howard stood for a while watching them but ken had important business on his mind and presently ran down to the house and found that hi his I 1 s mother was making breakfast a and n d his father upstairs shaving ken leaned against the bathroom and called gently daal hullo there I 1 say dad would you tell me something depends well it if you had money enough what kind of fences would you have on the ranch well if I 1 had money enough id tear out every foot of barbed wire and put in wooden fences good solid posts about ten feet apart and four feet high even one linw line of rails on top of that would keep horses in that is if it was solid enough so they rub them down with their fannies would it cost much dad you can get the poles for nothing in the government reserve but the cutting and hauling would cost money work I 1 have time to do it myself even if it costs lots of money dad it matter robs answer was smothered in the sounds that go with shaving and suddenly he began his favorite shaving song suddenly the door burst open and he strode out in riding breeches boots and a very gay good humor his black hair was rough his eyes very blue and all his bi big 9 white teeth showing he almost rode over ken and the boy felt overpowered by the impact of his fat fathers h ers personality with the d door closed between them it had been less potent ill be waiting for you ahat a hat the kitchen door roared rob stamping down the hall toward his room he stopped at the head of the stairs looked over and shouted a say you fellows charley I 1 are you still asleep flapjacks Flap jacks comin up there was an answering shout from the terrace at the front of the house were way ahead of youl and ancron izoa hurried into his room to finish dressing outside nell and her two guests were being entertained as was usual at the goose bar ranch by the antics of assorted animals chaps the black cocker and kim the collie were chasing each other on the green as if nothing were needed for exuberant happiness but to have been shut up for a night and then let out again all traces of snow had disappeared there was intense sunlight breaking everywhere into the colors of the prism there was a boisterous wind bonding bending the pines and making nells blue linen dress flutter what do you think of him she called to colonel harris who stood near the fountain inspecting robs work team they were huge brown brutes that one youre looking at is big joe she added the pride of robs heart 1 I should say said the colonel in his cultured precise manner taking off his glasses and polishing them that he is a purebred pure bred sixteen hands high and weighs thirteen hundred pounds just about right said nell picking up her cat pauly who was begging beside her pauly a sinuous i tortoiseshell angora with long topaz eyes and a little siren face slipped one arm around nells neck hung on and tried to lick her mouth nell tapped the tiny coral sickle shaped tongue and laughed charley sargents Sar gents lanky form hovered over her youre lookin mighty pretty this mornin momin how do you get those pink cheeks you forget ive been slaving over the kitchen stove getting breakfast for lets see five male men she buried her face in soft brown fur charley sargent always embarrassed her with his flattering ey eyes es and flirty ways he made her feel about eighteen this a dayl day she exclaimed who could believe it was snowing last night wyoming for youl she turned her face up to the sky there were magpies and plover and chicken hawks gliding on steeply tilted wings against the blue and now and then when the wind veered came a breath of snow from the Never summer range in the south last night said charley still hovering was a mighty nice party but im afraid to face rob he bawled me out tor for dancin with you so much this other one called colonel harris arris is not purebred pure bred is he no said nell running down the steps to join him old tommy hes our broncobuster bronco buster whenever rob has a young horse he wants to take the ginger out of he harnesses him up with tommy while she chattered she was remembering mem bering how furious rob had been last night when khen charley sargent had waltzed with her and spun her around and around so fast that her long blue dress had stood out like the skirt of a whirling dervish all the same it was fun I 1 breakfast was noisy there were flapjacks flap j acks jacks thin and brown and light with h slightly crisp edges piles of them pias piping ng hot A bowl of brown sugar w was on the table and a jug of maple syrup with her flapjacks flap jacks nell liked marmalade melted and thinned and hot by jimmy ill try that 1 exclaimed charley taking th the e p pitcher i acher all the time the thought of his colt was never out of kens mind even while he was watching and listening to the others he was trying to figure out just how he would tell it the buildup build up he had attempted with his father come to much ken wanted too to talk tilak to his mother about the things she would like to buy when his colt was as winning money on the race tracks dresses and velvet things with fur like the generals wife wore so that they would all fall in love with the colt the moment they saw tt it because of all it was going to do for them I 1 butas but as the hilarious breakfast progressed through grapefruit and flap jacks and sausages and pots of coffee with thick yellow guernsey cream and rob got up again and again to go to the kitchen and how ard carried piles of plates in and out ken became convinced that this the time to tell it they pay attention would just say oh a new colt blicka has foaled coaled at last fine pass the syrup will you after all there were so many colts born on the goose bar ranch A car drove up and stopped behind the house As rob returned from the kitchen colonel harris said aid probably the serg sergeant bant and orderly with my mare I 1 j what for asked nell laa rob explained mort wants to have v e his saddle mare bred by banner so I 1 told him to send her up today 0 day its late for breeding it I 1 yes said harris it is I 1 t thought hought she was bred but she after all so were going to try again why dont you have her bred by a real said charley you dont happen to be ignorant of the fact that my appalachian is the finest racin stud in horse history do you TO BE CON |