The Painted Horse Read Online Free Page B

“We
were
horrible.”
    “As if you girls could ever be horrible,” Colonel Hanson said happily. “What time are you on?”
    “We’re on the local news,” Carole said glumly, “in five minutes.”
    “I know it’s almost dinnertime, but this calls for popcorn,” said Colonel Hanson. It was a Hanson family tradition that great movies and great TV called for great popcorn. “I’m going to make it with extra butter. You girls take care of the lemonade.”
    Lisa got the lemonade out of the refrigerator while Carole put glasses on a tray. As Lisa poured the lemonade, she said, “Don’t you think we should warn him?”
    “What are we going to tell him?” Carole asked miserably.
    Silently they carried the tray into the TV room and sat on the couch.
    “WCTV is my favorite news station,” Colonel Hanson said. “They really tell it like it is.”
    Lisa and Carole sank onto the couch.
    “Hey, have some popcorn while it’s hot,” Colonel Hanson said as he settled into his favorite chair.
    “I’m saving it for later,” Lisa said. Suddenly she didn’t feel like eating.
    Colonel Hanson picked up the remote and turned on the television. Cheerful marching music played while WCTV’s logo appeared on the screen. An announcer described the top two stories of the day, and then he said, “Today, Melody Manners is bringing us the first in a series called ‘Genius Kids.’ Melody?” He turned to her with a smile.
    Melody said, “Today we’re going to be meeting a very special kid, a rider who understands that it isn’t all horse shows and prize ribbons. Taking care of tack is important, too.”
    “That’s you, Carole,” Colonel Hanson said. He settled back happily into his chair.
    Carole sank even lower on the couch.
    Veronica appeared on the screen as Melody said, “Veronica diAngelo is a serious rider. She knows that taking care of her horse and her equipment comes first.”
    “Veronica?” said Colonel Hanson. “Whoever decided she was a Genius Kid?”
    “Veronica’s father is friendly with the man who owns the television station,” said Carole.
    Colonel Hanson put his hands behind his head. “That’s too bad.”
    “You’re telling me,” said Lisa. “Carole ought to be the Genius Kid.”
    The three of them watched while Carole stripped thesaddle, and Veronica explained to Melody what she was doing.
    “Nice work,” Colonel Hanson said. “I know an expert job when I see one.”
    They watched while Carole washed the inside of the saddle and dried it.
    Colonel Hanson beamed proudly.
    They watched while Carole washed and dried the seat and the flaps of the saddle, and Veronica kept on talking.
    “That’s not so bad,” Colonel Hanson said.
    “Just wait,” Lisa said darkly.
    On the TV set Melody suggested that Veronica polish the seat of the saddle herself. Onscreen, Veronica looked panicked for a second, then reached for a tin of black leather polish.
    “Not that one!” yelled Colonel Hanson. Even on TV it was obvious that Veronica was picking up the wrong tin.
    With a satisfied smile, Veronica opened the tin, plunged in her sponge, and made a black line across the saddle.
    “She ruined a beautiful new saddle!” cried Colonel Hanson.
    “There’s more,” said Lisa.
    On the TV, Lisa said it was her fault. And then Carolesaid it was her fault. And then they started scrubbing at the black streak.
    “I’ve got to hand it to you girls,” Colonel Hanson said.
    “We’re the biggest idiots on earth, right?” said Lisa.
    “Wrong,” said Colonel Hanson. “You were thinking about Pine Hollow. You didn’t want the stable to look bad.”
    For a second Lisa was filled with pride. But then she thought about what the kids at school would say. “We’ll never hear the end of this. We acted so dumb. Kids will be teasing us for years.”
    Carole nodded and crossed her arms. Lisa knew that Carole couldn’t stand the idea of people thinking she had damaged a saddle so senselessly.
    “Nonsense,”