Man of the Family by Ralph Moody Read Free Book Online

wagon to Gunther, or he lendin’ his mare to you?”
    By the time I got through telling him I was renting Nellie, and about Lady and the cow, we were nearly down to Shellabarger’s. Mother had come out of the store and was waiting for us. Sheriff McGrath was so busy asking me questions that he didn’t see her till I pulled Nellie in toward the sidewalk. Then he swung down from his saddle, swept his hat off, and hollered, “Mornin’, Miz Moody. Fine mornin’, ain’t it? Sight for sore eyes to see ya gettin’ around again.”
    Mother sort of winced when the sheriff shouted. Then she bowed the least little bit toward him. “Thank you, Mr. McGrath,” she said. “We are having lovely weather, aren’t we?” Her voice was as quiet as the sheriff’s was loud.
    I cramped the wheels around and jumped down to help Mother up to the seat, but Sheriff McGrath was ahead of me. He stripped off his glove and put his hand under Mother’s elbow. “Little shaver tells me you ain’t keepin’ no horse this spring. Costive critters to keep, Miz Moody, but the’ ain’t no call to rent ’em. You jest let me know. . . .”
    Mother had started to get up into the wagon. The step was high, and the sheriff was so busy trying to help her, and hold his hat and glove at the same time, that he forgot what he was saying. He lifted hard enough on Mother’s elbow that I was afraid he’d tip her over against the wheel. “My!” she said as she sat down, “I didn’t realize our wagon was quite so high. We’ll have to hurry right along so you boys won’t be late for school.”
    So it wouldn’t get dirty while we were loading the coal, I’d folded the lap robe and laid it over the dashboard. When I was stepping back onto the wagon, Sheriff McGrath dropped his hat and picked the robe up with both hands. He flipped it open and, as he spread it across Mother’s knees, he said in an almost quiet voice, “As I was sayin’, Miz Moody, the’ ain’t no call . . .”
    That’s as far as Mother let him get. She smiled and bowed her head toward him a little. “That’s awfully nice of you, Mr. McGrath,” she said, “but Ralph must learn to get along without a horse. We really have little need for one, and they are expensive to keep.”
    I knew Mother was talking for my benefit more than for Sheriff McGrath’s, so I clucked to Nellie and spatted a rein down on her rump. She started so quick that we just left the sheriff standing there. I looked back when we turned the corner by the gristmill. He’d picked up his hat, but was still standing in front of Shellabarger’s with it in his hand.
    It had taken so long to have the wagon weighed before the coal was put on, and again afterwards, that the late bell had rung by the time we got back as far as the schoolhouse. Mother said she’d drive the wagon home, and wanted Dutch and me to go right in to school. We had to tell her that we were already late and a few more minutes wouldn’t make any difference. It was a lucky thing we did, too. When we were going past her house, Mrs. Roberts came out and hoohooed to us. She said a Mr. Larson had called half an hour ago from Wolhurst and said to tell me that a herd of cattle was moving north on the highroad.
    At first I didn’t know what to do. If it was half an hour ago, they’d already be close to town, and I didn’t even have a horse. I was so excited I forgot all about thanking Mrs. Roberts, but piled out over the wheel and yelled at Dutch to hurry and get Mother home. Then, as I ran toward the highroad, I put my fingers between my teeth and whistled as loud as I could for King. Then I hollered back over my shoulder for Dutch to get the fellows together while I went out to make a deal with the drover.
    I hadn’t run a hundred yards before I started to get