rnent that the girl suggested. Pulling up beside her he asked, " How does he work with boots on? These chains are going to work on him if I push him much. Nancy turned without a word and, bending over, she picked up a pair of boots. Lonny wondered to himself how she got into her Levis— they were so tight.
It was three in the afternoon when Lonny got back to the motel. He slowly opened the door to the darkened room and slipped inside. As he shut the door quietly, a voice said, " It’ s about time you got back. Where have you been all this time?” Lonny rubbed his eyes and said, " Uh... I been working horses
and talking. Just talking.” " Since six forty-five this morning?” Helen snapped, as she rolled over to take a nap. " 1 had to eat lunch all by myself,” she mumbled, " and you said you would be back by ten this morning.” Lonny lay down beside her after taking off his shirt and, putting his hand on her shoulder, he said, " How do you feel, sugar?” " Like I’ m six months pregnant,” she snapped. " Now leave me alone.” Lonny drifted off into a deep sleep as his mind whirled with a multitude of problems. As the events of the day flashed across his sleep-dulled memory he kept getting fleeting glimpses of a pretty young face and long blond hair blowing in the breeze.
Lonny awoke with a start as the phone rang beside the bed. Nothing could startle him like the rank jangling of a telephone when he was asleep. Trying to remember where he was, he sat up and reached for the phone, knocking it off the hook. Helen picked up the receiver and answered it as Lonny lay back down and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them he could tell by the look in Helen’ s eyes that he was in trouble. " Who is this?” she demanded, as she glared at Lonny. He sat up and said, " What’ s the matter now?” as Helen pitched the phone in his lap. Lonny answered and tried quickly to end the conversation, saying, " Uh, well... I’ ve got a couple of horses going tonight and just can’ t help you. Well, yes, but... OK, OK.” And he hung up. Helen was having a fit. " Who was that little flit? She’ s got a nerve, whoever she is: calling your motel room wanting to know if you’ ve left for the showgrounds yet. I’ ve got enough problems without you fooling around with every trim skirt that comes along... and you...” Helen broke up, crying, and went into the bathroom. Lonny looked at his watch and almost had heart failure. It was twenty minutes until seven and he had a horse in the first class. As he drove up to the gate of the showgrounds the gatekeeper said, " Sorry, fellow... only exhibitors allowed in this gate. You’ ll have to go around to the
front.” Lonny got mad and said, " Look, dammit... I am a trainer and I’ ve got a horse in the first class.” The man shifted his Civitan Club hat to the back oi his head and, turning to his partner, said, " It’ s amazing what some people will do to save a buck.” Slamcar reverse, he almost rammed the car behind him. A voice called, " Hey, Barnes... watch Jj '* Lonny looked up to see an old friend and said. Tell that nut that I’ m a horse trainer and haven’ t had a chance to put my exhibitor’ s sticker on yet.” The man smiled and walked over to the gatekeepei who immediately waved Lonny through.
After paiking his car Lonny scrambled out with hi4 tie and his coat in his hand. He had gotten almosl halfway to the barn when he remembered his hat " I’ ll just have to ride without one tonight,” he saic to himself. When he got to his stable there were a lo of disturbed people waiting for him. Lonny musteret a smile and tried to act casual. " Good evening, folk '... how is everybody?” Roger Lane, who ownei
BANJO, the two-year-old colt that was to g0 in ih * first class, said, " Where in the hell have you been? The show starts in exactly six minutes and you have * n’ t even braided my horse. And M. L. tells me that you didn’ t work him at all today eight. I got half a
notion to scratch him right now if you can’ t do anv better than this.” Lonny wheeled around and said " I’ ll tell you what, fella... if you don’ t like the wav I run things you get that nickel jug-headed s. o. b. out of here... NOW!” Several ladies in the group slowly turned around and walked together toward the other end of the stable. Mr. Lane said, " That might not be such a bad idea.” Looking at M. L., who had remained silent throughout the conversation, the man said, " Where is my horse, boy?” The boy looked at Lonny, who pointed toward the stall. " Get him out and let him have ' im.”
Lonny felt a lump in his throat and a hollow in his stomach as he saw BANJO being led away. The man leading him stopped, turned around, and said, " You
sure I got everything and we’ re all squared away? I don’ t want to owe you one red cent.” Lonny laughed through a sick smile and said, " Yeah, man- you got it all. Including a horse that’ s nothing but trouble.”
A week had passed and Lonny had decided not to try to make another show the coming weekend. Don Hill had come over to get it " straight from the horse’ s mouth,” as he put it. Lonny leaned back against the car and said, " Aw... I guess everything just went wrong. I didn’ t take but one good horse because I just didn’ t like the judging set-up and then they ended up tying a pretty good horse show.” Without pausing
for a comment, Lonny took advantage of his opportunity to talk and added, " And then Helen blew her stack over nothing and we both overslept and I missed the first class and Roger Lane got mad and took BANJO to another trainer and then I got the gate on my mare and tied fifth in the aged gelding class and... well, you know the rest of it.” Don looked him
right in the eye and said, " Well... it’ s tough going sometimes. When is Helen coming home from her mother’ s?”
( Next month— One Month To Go)
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MILLARD FARM Route 2, Box 389 Tullahoma, Tennessee
__________ Phone( 615) 455-2989
60 Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse