CHAPTER XII
TOM'S RUNAWAY
"Tom Mason is going to bring his colt out this afternoon," said Harryto Bert, "and we can all take turns trying him."
"Oh, is it that pretty little brown horse I saw in the field back ofTom's home?" asked Bert.
"That's him," Harry replied. "Isn't he a beauty!"
"Yes, I would like first-rate to ride him, but young horses are awfulskittish, aren't they?"
"Sometimes, but this one is partly broken. At any rate, we wouldn'thave far to fall, for he is a little fellow," said Harry.
So the boys went down to Tom's home at the appointed time, and therethey met Jack Hopkins.
"We've made a track around the fields," Tom told his companions, "andwe will train him to run around the ring, for father thinks he may be arace-horse some day, he's so swift."
"You may go first," the boys told him, "as he's your horse."
"All right!" Tom replied, making for the stake where Sable, the pony,was tied. Sable marched along quietly enough and made no objections toTom getting on his back. There was no saddle, but just the bit in thehorse's mouth and attached to it a short piece of rein.
"Get app, Sable!" called Tom, snapping a small whip at the pony's side.
But instead of going forward the little horse tried to sit down!
"Whoa! whoa!" called the boys, but Tom clung to Sable's neck and heldon in spite of the pony's back being like a toboggan slide.
"Get off there, get off there!" urged Tom, yet the funny little animalonly backed down more.
"Light a match and set it under his nose," Harry suggested. "That's theway to make a balky horse go!"
Someone had a match, which was lighted and put where Sable could sniffthe sulphur.
"Look out! Hold on, Tom!" yelled the boys all at once, for at thatinstant Sable bolted off like a deer.
"He's running away!" called Bert, which was plain to be seen, for Tomcould neither turn him this way or that, but had all he could do tohold on the frightened animal's neck.
"If he throws him Tom will surely be hurt!" Harry exclaimed, and theboys ran as fast as they could across the field after the runaway.
"Whoa! whoa! whoa!" called everybody after the horse, but that made notthe slightest difference to Sable, who just went as if the woods wereafire. Suddenly he turned and dashed straight up a big hill and overinto a neighbor's cornfield.
"Oh, mercy!" cried Harry, "those people are so mean about their garden,they'll have Tom arrested if there's any corn broken."
Of course it was impossible for a runaway horse to go through a fieldof corn and do no damage, and Tom realized this too. By this time thedogs were out barking furiously, and altogether there was wildexcitement. At one end of the field there was a high board fence.
"If I could only get him there he would have to stop," thought Tom, andsuddenly he gave Sable a jerk in that direction.
"Drop off, Tom, drop off!" yelled the boys. "He'll throw you againstthe fence!"
But at that minute the little horse threw himself against the boards insuch a way that Tom slid off, yet held tightly to the reins.
The horse fell, quite exhausted.
As quickly as they could get there the boys came up to help Tom.
"Hurry!" said Harry, "there is scarcely any corn broken, and we can getaway before the Trimbles see us. They're away back in the fieldsplanting late cabbage."
Tom felt hardly able to walk, but he limped along while Harry led Sablecarefully between the cornhills. It was only a few feet to the edge ofthe field, and then they were all safe on the road again.
"Are you hurt?" the boys asked Tom, when finally they had a chance tospeak about the runaway.
"I feel as if I had dropped from a balloon onto a lot of cobblestones,"Tom answered, "but I guess that's only the shaking up I got. That ponycertainly can go."
"Yes indeed," Harry admitted; "I guess he doesn't like the smell ofsulphur matches. Lucky he was not injured with that fall against thefence."
"I found I had to throw him," Tom said, "and I thought the fence wassofter than a tree."
"I suppose we ought to make him run until he is played out," said Bert,"That's the way to cure a horse of running away."
But none of the boys felt like risking their bones even to cure Sable,so the panting animal was led to the stable and for the rest of the dayallowed to think over his bad conduct.
But that was not the last of the runaway, for in the evening just aftersupper old Mr. Trimble paid a visit to Tom's father.
"I came over to tell you what a scallywag of a boy you've got," beganthe cross old man. "He and a lot of young loafers took a horse anddrove him all through my cornfield to-day, and now you've got to paythe damages."
"My son is not a scallywag," Mr. Mason declared, "and if you call himnames like loafer and scallywag I'll make you pay damages."
"Oh! you will, eh?" the other sneered. "Think I'm afraid of an oldconstable up here, do you?"
"Well now, see here," Mr. Mason said, "Be reasonable and do not quarrelover an accident. If any corn is knocked down I'll get Tom to fix itup, if it's broken down we will see what it would cost to replace it.But the boys did not do it purposely, and it was worse for Tom thananyone else, for he's all black and blue from the hard knocks he got."
At this the cross man quieted down and said, Well, he would see aboutit. Mr. Trimble was one of those queer people who believe all a boy isgood for is doing mischief and all a boy deserves is scolding orbeating. Perhaps this was because he had no sons of his own andtherefore had no regard for the sons of other people.
Mr. Mason went directly to the cornfield with his neighbor. He lookedcarefully over every hill, and with a spade and hoe he was able to putback into place the few stalks that had been knocked down in Sable'sflight.
"There now," said Mr. Mason, "I guess that corn is as good as ever. Ifit wants any more hoeing Tom will come around in the morning and do it.He is too stiff to move to-night."
So that ended the runaway, except for a very lame boy, Tom Mason, whohad to limp around for a day or two from stiffness.
"How would you like to be a jockey!" laughed his companions. "You heldon like a champion, but you were not in training for the banging yougot."
"Well, I guess Sable will make a fine racehorse," said Tom, "when he'sbroken. But it will take someone stronger than I am to break him in."
The next afternoon all the boys went fishing. They had been out quitelate the night before to find the "night walkers" for bait, as thoselittle worms only come out of the ground after dark. Bert had a newline his father brought from Lakeport, and the others boys had nets andhooks, as most country boys who live near streams are always fond offishing.
"Let's go over to the cove," Harry said when they all started off."There's lots of good fish in that dark corner."
So the cove was chosen as a good spot to fish from, and soon theBobbsey boys and their friends were lying around the edge of the deepclear stream, waiting for a bite.
Bert was the first to jerk his line, and he brought it up with suchforce that the chubfish on his hook slapped Harry right in the face!
"Look out!" called Harry, trying to dodge the flapping fish. "Put yourcatch down. He's a good one, but I don't care about having him kiss methat way again."
All the boys laughed at Bert, who was a green fisherman they said. Thefish was really a very nice plump chub and weighed more than a pound.He floundered around in the basket and flapped his tail wildly tryingto get away from them.
"I've got one," called Tom next, at the same moment pulling his lineand bringing up a pretty little sunfish. Now "sunnies" are notconsidered good eating, so Tom's catch did not come up to Bert's, butit was put in the basket just the same.
"I'm going out on the springboard," August Stout announced, steppingcautiously out on the board from which good swimmers dived.
"You know you can't swim, August," said Harry, "and if you get a catchand jerk it you'll tumble in."
"Oh!
I'll be all right," August answered, lying down flat on the narrowspringboard and dropping his line.
For a time all the boys lay watching for a bite. No one spoke, forsometimes they say fish are very sensitive to sound and go in anotherdirection if they hear a voice.
It was a beautiful July day, and perhaps the boys were a little lazy.At any rate, they all became so quiet the little woodpeckers on thetrees went on with their work pecking at the tree bark as if no humanbeing was in sight.
Suddenly there was a big splash!
"August!" yelled all the boys at once, for indeed August was gone fromthe springboard.
"Quick!" called Harry to his companions. "He can't swim!"
The next minute the boy in the water came to the top and threw up hisarm. But no one was near enough to reach it.
"Strike out, August!" yelled Bert. "We're coming," and one boy afterthe other dropped in the water now, having thrown off their heavyclothing.
"Oh, where is he?" screamed Bert in terror, for no movement on thewater's surface showed them where August was.
"Here!" cried Tom Mason, who was quite a distance out. "Here he is!Help! come quick!"
No need to urge the boys to hasten, for all realized the danger theircompanion was in.
"Don't pull down, August," went on Tom. "Try to help yourself, oryou'll pull me under." Harry had around his neck a strong piece of ropehe picked up as he made a dive into the water.
"Take hold of this," he called to August, "and we can all pull."
As the rope was put in August's hand the other boys all took hold andsoon towed the unfortunate boy in.
"He's very weak," said Harry when they pulled August up on the shore."I guess he has swallowed a lot of water. We better roll him on thegrass and work his arms up and down. That will revive him."
August was indeed very weak, and had had a narrow escape. For some timehis companions worked over him before he opened his eyes and spoke.
"Oh!" he murmured at last, "I'm so sick!"
"I guess you are, August," said Tom, "but you'll be all right soon."They lifted him carefully under a shady tree and removed his wetclothing.
"I'll run over to Smith's and get him something to wear home," saidHarry, who hurried across lots and presently returned with an old suitof clothes. August was able to dress himself now, and as soon as hefelt strong enough the boys helped him home.
"You can have my fish, August," said Bert nobly.
"And mine too," Tom added. August did not want to accept the boys'offers at first, but at last they prevailed upon him to do so.
"I think I fell asleep," said he, referring to the accident.
"Guess we all did!" added Harry, "for we only woke up when we heard thesplash."
It seems the number of accidents country boys have only make them truerfriends, for all the things that happened in Meadow Brook made each boythink more of his companions both in being grateful for the help givenand being glad no dear friend's life was lost.