Show low yaz 71 MARY dl iara W N U FEATURES THE STORY THUS FAR FIlc FlIck kaS as tolt colt long overdue Is born on goose bar r ranch anch high in the ken 51 mclaughlin C Flick as 12 year old owner Is startled to see that the colt Is whitt white and evidently a throwback tb to the albino a wild horse that Is Flick as grandsire grands lre rob mclaughlin kens father rides out to bring in banner the stallion with him go colonel harris and charlie sargent millionaire horse breeder colonel harris gets a wild ride later the party gets its first glimpse of 0 the white colt nobody likes it but ken his mother who names the horses first calls it the goblin but later changes to thunderhead for or kens benefit ken tries to keep laith faith in his horse CHAPTER VI A strange feeling went through nell he was ugly and she had miscalled mi him and they had all laughed at him but here he was turned to her and a rush of protective compassion went through her she put her hand on his neck and stroked him panting slightly his sides going in and out his chunky legs splayed out comically he leaned against her hiding his eyes from the world they went down to dinner when rob added a bottle of burgundy to the meal even charley sargent abandoned his wisecracking wise cracking on the subject of the white foal and gave his attention to the roast ducks and mushrooms in cream ken was in the seventh heaven after all it had gone well better than he had dared to hope thunderhead de what a name and his father had stopped howard from making fun of it he glanced at his father and found the penetrating blue eyes fixed on him in a very thoughtful manner and now said rob genially geni aUy kens got something to tell us hes going to tell us who is really the sire of that white foal up in the corral ken had thought he was prepared for it but it was a shock au all the same and unpleasant feelings went through him he find words his mind was to in a fog the sire exclaimed harris astonished why this I 1 thought banner was the sire of all your foals not that one grinned rob your mare is perfectly safe mort have a fine little sorrel colt dead ringer for banner when she foals next summer I 1 told you banner breeds true sorrels like as peas in a pod hah I 1 I 1 exclaimed charley youre crawling just because youve got a throwback youre going to disown it think it of you rob come on ken said rob who is the sire of that little goblin up there ken without turning around jerked his head and elbow in the direction of charley sargent that big black stud of his whose mr sargents Sar gents ouch shouted sargent then do you let him tell whoppers like that rob or is he given to pipe dreams rob was as astonished as anyone appalachian ken yes sir why he even know appalachian pala chian shouted sargent ken did you ever see him hes never been off my ranch and twenty miles away ken answered hes that big black stallion with three white socks and a white star between his eyes he hangs out in that little draw by the juakin asp and the box elder where the fence crosses your line twenty miles away by the high way but about eight miles ol of straight riding across country only one gate to go through and your buck fence to take down there was a shocked silence then as kens words sank home charley sargent jumped to his feet his long brown face was serious for once his big hat a little awry a frown between his brows 1 I dont believe it it be why that little misbegotten pup up there son of appalachian in two strides he reached ken seized him by the shoulder and yanked him up stand up here he set the boy on the low wooden table facing them all kens face was a little pale but his dark blue eyes looked at his father without flinching come on ken said rob lets have the story ill begin it for you A year ago last spring we decided blicka should be bred no sir it was the fall before that about thanksgiving time you and mother said wed breed blicka as soon as she was old enough and get a foal right I 1 remember now you and howard were home from school for the thanksgiving weekend yes and when we went back to school chool all winter long I 1 was thinking about that and when I 1 came home for the spring vacation at easter you remember you let me start working with blicka and riding her a little because she was just exactly two iwo years old and strong and well grown and you said I 1 was light enough so it hurt her back any and I 1 worked her out with the blanket and su and began to ride her and during that vacation do you remember the time you took me in to town with you and we met mr sargent and had dinner with him at the mountain hotel and he was talking about his stud about appalachian and bra well praising him and praising him and then he got to brag well praising all the colts he had had from him ken paused looking interrogatively at his father and rob grinned yes I 1 remember he praised em its a habit hes got harris laughed and sargents Sar gents hand pinched kens shoulder a little harder and he said get on with your story young man well so you see when I 1 went back to school after that easter vacation I 1 was thinking about appalachian pala chian rob groaned and when ken begins to think about something I 1 dont mind telling you its a single track mind so said ken doggedly when I 1 got home in june what I 1 was thinking about I 1 rode over several times on cigarette to look at appalachian the hell you did said charley well with some eagerness what did you think of him oh kens voice rose in enthusiasm just what you did I 1 agreed with all the proud things you said about him thank you for that son and what then ken asked rob well that was about the time to breed blicka and you told me to see to it robs eyes narrowed and glanced away as he tried to remember nell nodded 1 I remember that rob you had moved banner and the brood mares up onto the saddle back there were just the saddle mares in blicka and taggert and you told ken it was his responsibility and that when she came around he was to take her to the stallion rob nodded 1 I remember well ken kens words came with a gle well you see I 1 had been think ing and thinking about appalachian because we wanted Flick as foal to be a racer and banner was never a racer and when I 1 remembered all mr sargent had said about him and every colt he had got by him why then why then well prompted charley well when she came in heat I 1 just rode her over there one day it took me most of the day and put her in the pasture with appalachian and when she was bred I 1 rode her home again all there was silence for a moment as ken finished his recital suddenly harris burst out laughing howard stared in openmouthed open mouthed awe at his younger brother the stunt itself at 4 blicka to appalachian 1230 P m june 28 was nothing to the secrecy with which it had been concealed for more than a year it was a faculty howard was envious of to do unusual things and then keep them entirely to yourself rob said you took that long six teen mile ride on your mare yes sir I 1 got off and rested her now and then you were letting me ride her because you said she had grown so well and I 1 it was true ken was still no larger than he had been at ten rob thought again you must have been away most of the day I 1 dont remember it ken said it was a day when you and mother had been in town and you stayed there for lunch and you get home until late in the afternoon ken was keeping his biggest punch to the end anyway I 1 can prove it to you dad he added how ken stepped down from the witness stand and vanished into the house they heard his steps going upstairs he returned holding out a paper folded and wrinkled and soiled he handed it to rob who opened it with a mystified air and read it silently then passed it to charley sargent stared at it a long time then read aloud slowly TO appalachian 1230 P M JUNE sargent flung down the paper sprang to his feet and shouted 1 I dont believe it then with one long leap over the flower border turned his back and went striding up to the corral this beats me said rob 1 I dream it was appalachian I 1 knew it banner what I 1 thought was that the albino was somewhere in the neighborhood again and that he had got to the mare or perhaps that kens mind had been working overtime and cooked up some crazy scheme and that he had taken her out to him charlie came striding back gamme a drink rob if this is true its a terrible blow its true all right said colonel harris 1 I watched kens face when he told it his face was straight and the storys straight charley gulped down the drink rob poured for him and as rob filled the other glasses held his out again hope this wont make you take to drink charley said harris dryly brace up lots of people have family secrets to hide we wont give it away charley chuckled rob charley even hear them he threw off his hat and ran one hand distractedly through his hair maybe it take he exclaimed suddenly maybe later on in the summer she was bred by some other stallion it he said excitedly you said the colt came months later than you expected but ken shook his head she was never out on the range again you set that was the first summer I 1 had bees beem able to do much with her or ride her at all she was a two year old and I 1 had her down here in the stable or the home pasture all summer so that she would be well schooled by the time I 1 had to leave the ranch in the fall and there any other stallions around nell nodded true she was underfoot all summer ken did everything ery thing but have her in the kitchen 1 I did have her in the kitchen mother remember the time you put the oat bucket in the kitchen sink and I 1 called her in and she walked right in and went all around the kitchen looking at everything and smelling it and then ate her oats at the sink look here ken said rob do you realize that you stole that service you heard what mr sargent said at dinner that the stud fee for appalachian is ive always told you ken his father rubbed it in that you cost me money every time you turn around cost you money well you owe that money to charley here and you cant pay it no sir So got to pay it 1 I should say ay ay not exclaimed charley if the appalachians hians foal you owe me for nothing on the contrary I 1 owe ken an apology and the nice little mare too a ken began to breathe again and glanced at his father to see if there were to be any penalties from that quarter it if mr sargent forgives you the debt ken ive got nothing to say here comes the goblin now exclaimed howard gus had let the horses out of the corral to pasture and blicka and her foal and taggert and the geldings were coming to water the round stone fountain in the e of the green the men and boys went down to look at them more closely just have to face it char ley its a throwback all right throwback through blicka to the albino and your studs blood V strong enough to outweigh hers my studs groaned charley it his blood alone but sixty generations of the finest racing blood and this mare of kens outweighs them all and throws back to that wild mustang the colt as usual was not following his dam but wandering here and there as he felt inclined blicka turned her head and tor for him then dipped her nose into the fountain and drank a beautiful mare sid id charley looking at 1 10 4 Y golden coat her full flaxen tail rail and mane and the gentleness and intelligence in the golden eyes she turned to them she mouthed the cool water letting streams of it run from her muzzle then turned her head to her foal again dad said ken miserably is he really so awful rob well ken nobody could say he has good conformation he is shaped like a full grown horse a brone bronc at that hell have to change a good deal but he will dad heu hell grow hell have to grow in some spots and shrink in others that jug head ken looked at the head it was certainly too large it had a terribly stubborn look hi fellah said charley to the foal then turned to ken well you win ken I 1 believe your your goblin is by my appalachian and it if you want papers you can have them 1 I can only have half papers sir because blicka only has halt half papers you to have any papers at all with a stolen service ken said his father ill waive that said charley do you realize rob tha thaes r js s little goblin has appalachian ja j aa sire banner for a grandsire and the albino for a great grandsire that ought to be enough TNT to bust him wide open winter again blizzards wild storms days of terrible loneliness and fear with rob out in weather when a man should be safe beside his own fire perhaps on the highways hauling feed in the truck and the day passing hours crawling past with no sign of him returning then night coming on shed be standing by the north window at the far end of the house looking out into the darkness watching for a i what what could you see in the inky blackness or even if it was daylight what could you see but snow falling and falling white a winding sheet you could san sg e lights the two big headlie headlight f robs truck coming way off on the ranch road you could catch them soon after the truck left the lincoln highway lose them when they curved in near the woods then catch them again before they came down the hill lights boring through the darkness coming slowly down the hill with a load of oats or baled hay TO BE CONTINUED |