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Show 15£ me one. The only one he had was a little sway-backed sorrel without any shoes, but Mr. Mills sensed my urgency and let me take the horse. I raked up a discarded, weathered, and somewhat curled saddle, and a patched up bridle, and I left home. The all-day journey gave me plenty of time to bolster up my self-pity, to recount every harsh word my father had ever said to me, and to reinforce my justification. I reminded myself that I had worked eighteen hours a day, from six in the morning until midnight trying to keep things up as Mama did. I had even tried to do better than Mama, because she sometimes didn't get time to dust the piano and clean out drawers. All the pride in my efforts collapsed under Papa's lack of appreciation. The horse became tender-footed and started to limp. Perhaps he would never have made it to the ranch that night, but some five miles down the canyon from Three Creek a miracle occurred. Here was Ershel, recovering two or three head of cattle to take back to the ranch! He was on Starshine, his black mare, and when I told him what had happened iitprefradiced lerms; he took me on behind him, for he was quick to notice the lameness of the sorrel, more concerned about him, I thought, than he was about me. "So I came to tell you that I will marry you , " I finished as we proceeded toward Three Creek. Ershel didn't explode into happy fireworks as I expected. In fact, he didn't answer for about five seconds, and the deal was off. I could |
