As a young girl I loved to read horse stories, especially the
Walter Farley “Black Stallion” books. So while I was in high school, I
decided to write my own little horse story. The story below is still one of my
favorites.
——————————
A Horse For Joe
By Sara McCoy
Joe climbed up onto the fence
and held out a carrot to the beautiful, white filly. The animal pawed the
ground at first, then hesitantly stepped over to the boy. Joe held still and
carefully, White Star nibbled it out of his hand. “That’s my girl,” he smiled.
”Joe! Get away from there! You know what Pa said about stayin’
away from those horses.” Mike came running up and pulled Joe down off the
fence, dragging him along to the barn.
”Let go of me, Mike! I didn’t mean any harm. Besides, Star likes
me.” Joe struggled to get free.
”Yea, right. Pa’ll never let you have White Star if you keep
hangin’ around her all the time and not doin’ your chores. Anyway,” he said as
he let go of Joe and went to saddle his own horse, Blue. “You’ve got to show Pa
that you’re ready to have a horse of your own.”
”And how do I do that?” Joe muttered, kicking at the dirt with his
boot.
”I got old Blue here by proving myself to be useful and by doin’
good work. You’ve got to start tryin’ harder,” Mike said as he led Blue out of
the barn. “Oh by the way, Pa wants you to pack your stuff and get ready for the
cattle drive. He’s gonna let you come along this year, “ Mike grinned at him as
he swung up onto Blue’s back.
Joe raced toward the house to get his gear together. “I’ll show
them,” he mumbled. “White Star is gonna be mine for sure.”
The next morning the annual cattle drive began. Joe’s Pa rode near
the front of the herd as point man to keep them going in the right direction
and set the pace. Mike and the other cowhands rode as swing and flank riders,
sticking closely on each side of the herd in order to keep them together.
Joe rode at the back as the drag rider, staying behind the
herd to keep it moving, pushing the slower animals forward. He swung his lasso
and hollared till his throat was scratchy and dry. It was dusty, exhausting
work.
At night, he took his turn watching the cattle and singing along
with the cowboy songs to keep the animals calm. He also helped Sharky, the
chuck wagon cook, gather firewood and do other odd jobs.
One evening just as they finished making camp and the sun was
beginning to set, a man came galloping up in a cloud of dust.
”There’s a prairie fire heading toward my claim and several
other’s just south of here,” he gasped. “I saw yer campfire and came to ask if
you boys would help us out. We sure could use it.” His horse was flecked with
sweat and its eyes were wide and anxious as it pawed the ground.
Pa immediately agreed to help, and told everybody to saddle up.
Then he came over to Joe and said, “Son, you’re gonna stay here and help Sharky
and Billy keep an eye on the cattle.”
”But Pa!” Joe cried. “I can help, too. Please let me go!”
”Not this time, son.” He swung up onto his horse and rode hard
after the others. Over his shoulder he called, “Take care of the herd for me.
We’ll be back as soon as this is over.”
Joe kicked at a dead stump and turned back to the fire. An uneasy
feeling settled over the camp. He wished his Pa had let him ride along and
help. Over the next couple of hours, the three cowhands took turns guarding the
herd while the others tried to get some sleep.
Near the end of Joe’s shift, there was a sudden rustling near a
smaller group of calves and their mothers standing separate from the main herd.
Then the horses began to stomp and whinny. As Joe scanned the herd to see what
was causing them to act up, he spotted something moving near the back. Then he
saw it. A skinny, grey wolf was only a few feet away from the calves. Its
yellow eyes were fixed on its prey and it didn’t seem to notice Joe.
”What should I do?!” Joe’s mind screamed. He felt frozen and
unable to move. Suddenly Joe remembered that Pa had once told him wolves are
afraid of fire. He quickly grabbed a large stick poking up from the campfire
and ran toward the wolf, holding it up like a torch and yelling at the top of
his lungs.
At the same time, the wolf was crouching low and moving quickly
toward a helpless calf who bawled in fear and pushed against its mother. At the
last moment, the wolf caught sight of Joe and the flaming stick, and turned to
face the new threat.
Joe came to a stop only a few feet from the wolf. For one awful
moment the two stood and stared at each other. Then Joe yelled and waved the
burning stick at the wolf, who turned and fled back into the night.
With his heart pounding, Joe peered into the darkness to make sure
there was no sign of the wolf returning. The horses were still stomping
nervously and the cattle seemed about to bolt, so Joe quickly woke the others
and they began the task of settling the herd down.
Just before daybreak, his Pa and the others rode back into camp.
They found all three, exhausted, guarding the restless herd. “What’s goin’ on
here?” Pa demanded as he jumped off his horse and hurried over. “What happened
boys?” He questioned.
Joe answered quickly, “It’s alright, Pa. A wolf came into camp
last night during my shift. He looked real skinny and desperate. He was goin’
after the calves, so I grabbed a stick from the fire and ran at him yellin’
real loud. For a minute I thought he was gonna attack me, but we just stood
there staring at each other. Then he turned tail and headed out.”
”Were you scared?” Mike asked.
”Sure I was,” Joe nodded. “But then I remembered what Pa said
about wolves being afraid of fire. Anyhow, I knew I couldn’t let that wolf get
at Pa’s herd.”
”Son,” Pa put his big hand on my shoulder. “I’m real proud of you.
I think you’re gonna make a right fine cowboy. In fact, I think you might just
be ready for a horse of your own.” His eyes twinkled, “So I’ve decided to give
you that horse you’ve got yer eye on — White Star.”
For a moment Joe couldn’t believe his ears, then he whooped and
threw his his hat in the air, “Thanks, Pa!”
All the men crowded around Joe to congratulate him, slapping him
on the back and roughing up his hair. Over the noise he grinned and yelled,
“Hey, Mike! I told ya I’d get my horse, didn’t I?”
THE END
