Show L 4 MARY VV N U 0 0 THE STORY THUS FAR thunderhead Is the only white horse ever foales foaled on ahe he goose bar ranch in wyoming he rogues awes his great grandsire a wild stir known as the albino his 13 year old owner ken cLaughlin BI Al hopes thunderhead will develop into a race horse because of his remarkable speed thunderhead is difficult to handle however and plans for entering him in the tall fall race meeting are uncertain Alean meanwhile while rob mclaughlin kens father having to raise some cash for ken and howards tuition and other bills loads 14 horses into a trailer and drives to the auction at denver colo rob gets poor prices ile he gets acquainted with gilroy an eastern horse buyer CHAPTER XVI ill sell them at doe doc Hor homers ners auction in Set onville pennsylvania when he has two sales a year one in thy rd week of september one in ii rh ito do you expect to make a profit on them the man grinned 1 I sure will those are fine horses do fine horses bring prices at Hor homers ners sales 1 I go around buying up horses at country auctions I 1 collect a carload of them a couple of times a year and sell them there the man reached into his pocket and brought out a bunch of cards he shuffled them through picked out one and gave it to rob and they do bring prices a hunting community and polo horsey you know people of wealth horner collects really decd stuff and they bring good prices what will you get for those horses you bought the two blues for instance the man shrugged its pretty hard to say theres always an element of gamble in horse trading you know but a nice little pair be nice for a couple of little girls sc gentle and pretty yes how much id be surprised if I 1 got less than four hundred for the pair if just the right buyer is there six hundred 3 ilg geldings polo ponies ll 11 those are the ones you really get prices for ive seen a polo pony experienced you understand bring two thousand dollars but not every day you must know in round figures about what it costs to ship horses from this district to pennsylvania say two carloads about twenty four horses to a car they did some figuring it would cost five or six hundred dollars when they had said good night and parted rob started a search through the junk shops of denver fortunately such shops kept open at night he found it at last in pieces as nell had said the runners in a piew metal oddments the graceful fuin n body headless and broken in several places reposing at an angle against the yard fence its got no head said rob to the junk dealer they found the head in the other corner of the yard rob held it in his hands looking into its eyes wondering if even gus skill would be sufficient to unite the pieces and put life into them you want it asked the junk dealer in amazement what tor for the neck and head for a stair post maybe the body for a flower box on the lawn you could grow strawberries in it how much he shrugged eed his shoulders and his face was agonized how much will you give me for it five dollars take it rob collected the pieces carefully and carried them out to his truck he arrived home at about two drove up to the stables and deposited his trophy in one of the lofts howard had two new suits rob mclaughlin always said get them clothes that will show every spot learn em one of the suits was a dark blue serge guaranteed to show every spot it was double breasted wh when e n it was on howard buttoned around him he was hardly bigger than a young tree but ken felt his dignity and was as awed the other suit was a silvery gray tweed very becoming to howards slick black hair and good color both boys had fine skins smooth honey tan and rosy both had blue eyes but here was the difference the changing shadows ol of kens the bright unwavering stare of howards there was new interest in howards room for both the boys the new suits hanging in the closet the new suitcase upon the floor in the corner the duffel bag leaning against the wall already half full of sweaters lumberjacks lumber jacks sheep skins caps and ana boots they packed and unpacked them ken stared at howards new tan oxfords ox fords they looked like his fathers how hew could they be so big how could howard be so tall ken stood in the middle of the room on one leg breathing heavily how could there have come suddenly this great difference between himself and howard so that ae h e felt respectful ful fl he looked down at himself he was too small to count well howard had only done this shooting up in the last year there was still time the most impressive moment was w when hen howard put on the fedora hat the nearly six feet of his slender height had done nothing to his head ard fac the head was so small you wondered at it up there and the face was the face of a little boy topped by the fedora hat t I 1 nell had to turn lurn away to hide her laughter af K n began be an to feel very close to life afe with howard going away like t this his the fedora the long blue suit the huge oxfords life was an enormous hollow to the right side of him it was as big as the world it was gray and filled with darker gray clouds swirling about often he turner his head and looked into it howard going away to west point well almost west point hed learn how to walk the west point walk all their lives it had been fun it had been an exciting stunt to get their father to walk the west point walk for them when abey begged him to do it and at first he be paid no attention and then suddenly stood up and then stepped cut it always struck them dumb you could feel something at the loots of your hair at times he had tiled hied to teach it to them right foot and lett left arm and shoulder forward left foot and right arm and shoulder forward the knees lifted high oust just lor for practice feet going in a circle like the curving trot ot of a horse but it was like ike trying to command the wobbling legs of young colts when they went to the movies and in the newsreel saw the shot ot of the west pointers marching they strained to catch the details ot of the walk before it was hashed flashed off howard had an odd walk he slouched when he tried to stiffen up and dc it correctly he had a lit tle tie jerk it smooth What ll they say about that asked kan anxiously rob roared startlingly there goes mclaughlin bouncing in line this was the last straw for ken it removed howard utterly at intervals during the day the words rang in his ears there goes mclaughlin bouncing in line he even howard any more he was mclaughlin and he was in the line to save expense howard was to go east with the shipment of horses his father was taking to dr hor ners sale sala the railroad allowed one man to each carload of horses free of charge there were to be two carloads every horse on the ranch three years old and up was to go 90 and a taw of the twos who had had enough training in all forty eight horses howard howai d sat talking to his father in the den one ankle hanging across C al theres always an element of gambling in horse trading you I 1 know the other knee just as his father did d d it t dad hw how about selling highboy to helo out with my tuition good idea son taggert was to go she was a good polo player gypsy blicka Ih ard and touch and go would be enough to keep for the family in the spring there would be a new nev crop of two year olds the dass wen weal by for nell in misery and confusion rob had not forgiven he indeed since the auction when he had sacrificed some of ns nis best stock for a few hundred dollars lie he had been she said to herself fit to be tied she difed tied to think it out had she cone anything so terrible that she aust must be b punished puni sed fed like this the thing she had done her criticism of him had shattered the illusion that he was perfect in her eyes and a man of his pride and self confidence simply could not take it most of the time when he looked at her his face had an cx expression of sardonic animosity occasionally it was worse than that it was like a blow and all the love and tenderness was gone one night before going to bed she went into kens room for a mo ment meat he lay on his back in the moon flooded room the sheet thrown off the pillow on the floor he was spread eagled eagleb arms and legs thrown wide his breath came evenly the top button of his pajama jacket was fastened from there it was drawn away by the twist of his body exposing the thin bare frail torso of a child the legs of his pajamas had slid up one foot haing limp over the edge oi of the bed his face was blissful his lips parted in an ecstatic smile dreaming ot of thunderhead thought nell as she gently turned straightened him replaced the pillow and drew up the sheet it did not noi wake him he had felt these hands since his birth he made a sound rolled on oil his side drew up his knees gave a deep sigh and was instantly quiet again breathing bce athing deeply and regularly nell went on down the hall to howards room there was a line of light under his door howard was standing half naked examining his physique in the small mirror over his chiffonier howard why arent you in 33 bed gee mother I 1 was just standing here a minute his voice slipped down to bass and they both laughed and it slipped again hows your muscle asked nell he flexed his arm feel it mother erl 1 what do you think I 1 was wondering if I 1 was getting a little b bit it muscle bound she squeezed the small egg of his muscle and looked solemnly at him his shoulders were narrow his smooth chest very childish his ribs stood out bravely over a little waist she could almost have clasped with her hands but she had to reach up to slip her arm around his neck he gave hera her a shy naked hug bug and she laid her cheek against his what do you think he insisted no I 1 call you muscle bound howard go to bed you must get your sleep on the day before the departure rob with howard and yen ken as flank riders took the horses over to tie siding and pennel thern them in the loading corrals there not a horse on the goose bar ranch francl 1 lut knew what was happening next day the horses were loaded rob led them up the lamp one by one reassured ther them 1 with his voice put them in their places they were sardines sar dined in head to tall tail alternately 1 y t tightly i ghaly enough t to 0 su support 0 rt them em th pa and nd h hold old them stead steady y nhep when n vie the train rain was as moving at certain stations there would be long enough stops tor for the horses to b lii taken out fed watered walked around nell watched them oo go up the gangway taggert highba highboy oy pepper hidalgo cheyenne tango injun and a lot of others it if things th ings had been different between hez he and rob perhaps she woul dilt have felt so terribly it seemed like an end of things rob and howard were dressed in blue jeans for the trip when the horses were loaded and the big doors closed rob came to stand beside her near the car he was very quiet almost distrait there had been no shouting his thoughts were all tor for the horses he hardly seemed aware of her there beside him 1 I often wonder lie he said meditatively tat ively it if we should ever have anything to do with animals or ever do anything for them we make them helpless without us they take care of triem seh es so well but when we have aice taken charge of them they depend more and more on us and what do we ne do but harm to them arid ard yet they look at us so trustingly nell found no words to answer she was wondering it if in the moment of goodby his hard shell would crack would there be when he put his arm around her and held her against him while he kissed her any reassurance any promise any warmth rob and howard were to ride in the day coach next to the freight cars in which were the horses while they waited they all stood near the steps of this car the brakemen were attending to the last business they had in the station up front the engineer was hanging out of his cab window he waved his arm and at the call all a bo oard goodby kisses were exchanged and rob and howard went into the car As rob bent his head for the kiss his eyelids had covered his eyes the kiss was as cold as a knife but when he had taken his place in the car with howard while howard and ken grinned and waved at each other through the window mouthing words he did look at nell and meet her eyes and it was one of those hard looks by which he served notice on her that she had offended him and was not forgiven eat something said nell to herself f elf as if she were speaking to a child feel better if you do you must but she continued to stare out the window sitting in the arm chair in her bedroom wrapped in her dark blue robe her feet drawn under her because of the chill that filled the house there was no fire on the and the bed was not made and her hair was not brushed it was one of those raw october days that should be shut out by fires and curtains and cheerful voices on some such days neu nell worked furiously from dawn till dark cleaned and mended and made new curtains and counted and took out and packed away and potted geranium slips and cleared the flower borders and there were other days when if she moved at all it was to wander listlessly pausing at every window wondering what she had come into this room for wondering if it was mornin morning or afternoon what day of the month guss heavy tread was on the stairs coming slowly he rapped on the door come in bring you some wood missus 11 oh I 1 used up here you must have fire its not very cold gus kneeled down removed some of the ashes laid and lit the fire and carefully brushed the hearth As he got to his feet he threw a quick glance at nell her gaze was on the fire now the lips of her soft mouth parted there were dark hol hoi lows under her eyes and her face looked both old and childish gus started to speak hesitated then came out with it how de boss come out mit selling de horses missus TO BE CONTINUED 01 |