The Penny Pony Read Online Free Page B

planned not to tell Miss Julie
everything, but I didn’t want to lie to her. She was always good to
me. I just had to start trusting someone besides Addie, but her
eyes looked into me so that I couldn’t tell any more lies. I
started talking and couldn’t stop. I talked and talked about Rosie
and how we found her, and when I got tired of talking, Addie took
over. As we were telling about Rosie, I noticed that Miss Julie sat
up straight, like she was going to speak, but then kept quiet. She
listened carefully to us, but she kept fidgeting, like she had
something to say. Her hands played with the wires to her iPod
tucked into a pocket. When we had told her the whole story, I was
so relieved I actually felt lighter.
    Afterward, Miss Julie was quiet. She moved
slowly without the walker into her small kitchen and brought out a
pitcher of lemonade, then got three glasses down. She poured us
each a glass, handed them to us and sat on the couch with her own
drink.
    “Girls,” she said, “think very hard and very
carefully. Tell me about the pony, how old she is and what she
looks like.”
    “I don’t know how old she is,” said Addie.
“Jake called her an old nag.”
    Miss Julie made a face. “I can see why you
don’t like him. I don’t, either”
    “I think she’s pretty old,” I said. “Her back
is a little swayed, and the hairs on her muzzle are turning white.
My dad could look at her teeth and tell, but I don’t know how to do
that. Anyway, she’s young enough to run fast for a long ways. We
should know, we had to chase her!”
    “Tell me what she looks like,” said Miss
Julie Applegate patiently. She had been a teacher and knew how to
get answers from kids. I described Rosie the best I could by
saying, “She looks exactly like the pony you used to have. She
looks like Dotty.”
    Miss Julie took a sharp breath and sat back.
She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. “It never sounded
right, what Sam told me about that pony. Dotty wasn’t that old. She
had a lot of life and love left in her for some child. Does Rosie
have white tips on her ears?” I nodded. She looked at me then. “I
think that could be my pony. Sam told me she died after I came to
live here, but he never really said why, and he was so busy with
his work, I didn’t like to keep bothering him. I wish I had now.”
Miss Julie had a sweet face, but right now it looked hard. Her eyes
didn’t twinkle any longer; they shone like polished stone.
    “Why would Sam lie about it?” I asked. This
was another time when grown-up reasoning was just beyond me.
    “I don’t know,” said Miss Julie. “I can’t
believe he lied. He’s not that way, but I’m going to find out; you
bet I am.”
    “What can we do?” I asked her.
    “Well, I can’t talk to Sam about it unless
I’m sure the pony is Dotty. So I guess I have to go take a look at
her.”
    “It’s a pretty long walk,” said Addie, and I
nodded. Miss Julie started laughing. ”Girls,” she said, “I don’t
plan to walk out there! Did you ever stop and think I might still
be able to drive?” We just looked at her. I felt silly and Addie
was making her embarrassed face.
    “Sorry, Miss Julie,” I said.
    “Don’t be silly,” she said. “How are you
supposed to know what I can do?”
    “Do you need to take your walker?” I asked,
thinking about the lumpy ground of the horse pasture.
    “No, not for a short trip. I only use it part
of the time. Now give me a minute to turn off my computer and get
ready, and we’ll drive out there right now and see that pony.”
     

Chapter Seven
    ~ Reunion ~
     
    We sped through the
town and out into the farmland around it in Miss Julie’s old blue
Cougar. I wondered why I had ever thought little old ladies drove
slowly. The windows were down and the warm breeze blew my hair all
over my face. I looked back at Addie, who got carsick sometimes,
and hoped that the speed and the rolling hills wouldn’t activate
her vomit machine. We arrived at