The Mystery Horse Read Online Free Page A

Jessie pulled the covers over her head. “Now go to sleep.”

CHAPTER 4
    Chore Time!
    T he next morning after breakfast, everyone rushed over to check the “Chore List” that Mr. Morgan posted on the pantry door.
    â€œWe’ve got kitchen duty,” Jessie said to Benny.
    â€œSarah and I’ve got something called . . . mulching,” Violet said.
    â€œHenry and I will be pitching hay this morning,” Danny said, bending down to pull on his heavy rubber boots.
    â€œDo you and Henry get to ride in the tractor?” Benny asked.
    â€œAfraid not.” Danny tossed Henry a pair of thick work gloves. “Here, put these on. You’ll need them because the bales of hay are really scratchy.”
    Everyone trooped outside to start their chores, and the kitchen was quiet as Benny and Jessie began clearing away the breakfast dishes. Suddenly Mrs. Morgan appeared carrying a giant black cooking pot. She set it carefully on the stove and smiled at the children. “You’ll find some clean aprons at the bottom of the pantry,” she said, tying an apron around her waist. “You’d better put them on, so we can get started right away.”
    â€œStarted with what?” Benny asked. He wasn’t sure he wanted to put on an apron.
    Mrs. Morgan looked surprised. “Didn’t anyone tell you? This is a very special day. We’re making jams and jellies for the Cooperstown Fair.”
    Benny grinned. Jams and jellies? Things were looking up.
    â€œSunny Oaks always wins ribbons for its preserves,” Mrs. Morgan said proudly. She thumbed through her recipe book. “I think we’ll start with ginger-peach jam,” she said thoughtfully. “If you’ll get me a dozen or so peaches from that bushel basket by the door, we’ll get started.”
    â€œI helped pick these!” Benny exclaimed. He filled his arms with peaches and dumped them on the counter.
    â€œThat’s right, you did,” Mrs. Morgan said. “Everything we enter in the fair is grown right here at Sunny Oaks.”
    Benny was thrilled. It seemed amazing that “his” peaches could end up in a jar of jam!
    â€œHow do we get started?” Jessie asked.
    â€œWe need to peel about three pounds of peaches,” Mrs. Morgan said. She filled the cooking pan with water and turned on the stove. “If we put the peaches in boiling water for a minute, the skins come right off.”
    They worked steadily for the next half hour. The kitchen was bright and sunny, and they hummed as they worked.
    After the peaches were peeled and crushed, Benny added lots of sugar, a little lemon juice, and some candied ginger. Jessie added a package of pectin to make the jam thicken and stirred the big pot on the stove.

    â€œI’ll show you how to melt the paraffin, Jessie, but you have to be very careful,” Mrs. Morgan warned. “The trick is to do it slowly, and watch it every second.”
    Jessie picked up a sheet of hard, waxy material. “It smells like a candle,” she said, surprised.
    Mrs. Morgan nodded. “That’s how we’re going to seal the jars of jam,” she explained. Jessie plunked the sheet of paraffin into a pan and watched as it slowly turned to liquid.
    â€œI think the jam is ready,” Benny spoke up.
    Mrs. Morgan peered into the cooking pot and nodded. “It looks perfect, Benny. I’ll pour the jam into these glass jars, and then we’ll seal them with melted paraffin.”
    With Mrs. Morgan’s help, Jessie poured hot paraffin on top of each of the jars of jam. The liquid paraffin immediately hardened into a thick white crust, like ice on a lake.
    â€œWow! It’s like magic,” Benny exclaimed.
    Mrs. Morgan lifted up one of the jars. “Looks like a winner to me. You and Jessie did a great job.”
    A little while later, Jessie was surprised to hear a soft tapping on the door.
    â€œThat’s Lamby,” Mrs.