“ Cool ' im out good and go get some breakfast . I ’ m eoine to get a cup of coffee .” Without looking up th * colored boy said , " O . K ., Mr . Lonny ,” and slung the foamy liquid out of the scraper onto the ground with a dull splash .
Lonny went to the concession stand and ordered a cup of coffee and a honey bun . " Nice day , isn ’ t it Lonny ?” the man behind the counter said . Smiling he replied , " It ’ s great for fishing , but too hot to work horses .” He walked over to a tree and sat on a bench taking a stinging sip of the hot brew . From this vantage point he could see just about all of the showgrounds . He relaxed for a few minutes and made some
mental notes of the horse vans that had already arrived and wondered about some that had not shown up yet . As he sat there pondering the day ’ s activity and the upcoming show he did not see the young lady
by Charles Barry Sanderson
Sweat was beading up on Lonny ’ s forehead so he removed his hat and wiped the stinging salt from his eyes . Looking at his watch , he noted that it was only 7:35 A . M . and it was already getting hot . The sun was just coming over the Middle Tennessee hills and a morning mist was rising from the dew-laden ground across the countryside . Lonny took a deep breath and looked around him . He was tired . As he sat there he moved from one side to the other in the saddle as his horse breathed deep , giving a to-and-fro motion that reminded him of a camel ride .
Dismounting , Lonny slowly walked toward the stables at the top of the hill and around the show ring . He was listless and hardly aware of the activity around him . Several other trainers were also working horses at this early hour and from the other side of the show grounds he could hear the unmistakable sounds of a whip cracking the flank of an unruly horse as the man astride him uttered some well-known four-letter words . Nearing the barn area he could tell that activity was picking up . The feed truck had arrived and they were busy unloading sacks of sweet feed , pellets and hay as the pickup moved slowly along between the barns . The occasional nickering of a horse indicated that they were ready for their morning ration .
The sights , the sounds and the smells of such an environment had been familiar to Lonny for a long time
but he still found them comforting . He could remember the first time he had ever been to this particular show . He was only a boy and it was only a two-day event then and had since grown into a four-day show , but the atmosphere was still the same . They had added over a hundred stalls since then and the bleachers on the hillside had grown into a horseshoe grandstand
that seated almost five thousand people .
Lonny walked between a two-horse trailer and the back of the barn and jerked at the reins as he led his stubborn horse through the narrow pass . " Com ’ on hoss . . . quit foolin ' around ,” Lonny said as he rounded the comer of the barn and stopped under the shed
Handing the reins to M . L ., he sat down ' on a bale of straw and stretched his legs . " Oooh , man !” he said " I ’ m tired already and we just got here .” It was obvious that his right-hand man was just as tired but he proceeded to strip the steaming horse and wipe the sweat off with a scraper . Lonny stood up and said ,
58 coming up behind him . Hearing the crunch of gravel behind him , he turned to see a smiling face . " Hello , Mr . Barnes . . . you remember me ,” she said , as he stood up . Stammering somewhat , he said , " Ah . . . well , sure . That is , I remember your face and your . . .” He stopped right there as he could feel a slight blush coming up his neck . She was a good-looking girl , all right , with a face and a figure a young man is not likely to forget . " I ’ m Nancy Lovelace . I met you the year you won the Two-Year-Old Championship at the Festival . . . remember ?” It slowly dawned on Lonny who she was . He had been casually introduced to her by her uncle two years before , and he thought to himself , " Wowee . . . two years do make a difference in a filly !” After passing some small talk about the horse business and the show , the girl brushed her long blond hair out of her face and said , " I ’ ll tell you why I looked you up , Lonny . I need a little help with my of gelding . He just isn ’ t working right . I ’ ve been working him myself all year and was getting along fine until a couple of weeks ago .” She got up from the bench , making sure that Lonny was watching , and pulled out her shirttail . Pulling it up in front she tied a knot with the two ends , leaving her hip-hugging Levis showing a trim waist and nice hips . " Would you help me a little while with him ?” she asked . Lonny fairly jumped up , saying " Why , sure . . . where are you stabled ?”
As they walked along the barn area Lonny could hear some low catcalls from some of the grooms . One big slim red-headed fellow saw them going by and said , " Where y ’ all going , Lonny . . . swimming ?” The other fellows with him laughed at their own little joke . Lonny didn ’ t reply but just kept talking to Nancy about her horse .
When they reached the barn where her horse was , Lonny noted that the big gelding was already in the crosstie with a saddle on . " Uh ... I don ’ t think l ’ H have time to work him right now ,” he said . " We didn ’ t get in until about four this morning and I haven ’ t had much sleep but I ’ ll . . .” The girl smiled and put her hand on his shoulder , saying , " Please • for me . I really need your help , Lonny .” Lonny wiped his forehead with his sleeve and said , " Well , all right- We ’ ll just limber him up and see what the trouble is . Lonny worked the big roan gelding with the equip-
Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse