STICK HORSES

Mae W. Thomson

Noddie and Polly James were two little girls who lived with their parents and two big brothers on a big wheat ranch in the West.

In those days all of the work about the ranch was done with horses. Of course, now days the gasoline tractor pulls the plows, the seeding and harvesting machines and an automobile has taken the place of the horse and buggy. But when Noddie and Polly were little girls with their hair in two braids over their shoulders, horses meant a great deal. And how the little girls loved the big patient animals. When it was noon they would run to the fields and their father would lift them to the horses backs and they would ride to the barns where the horses rested and ate their oats and hay while the

And so Noddie and Polly had horses of their own that were just plain sticks but to them they were very real. Each horse had its name. Noddie and Polly had been collecting their horses quite a long time. The nearest trees and shrubs were many miles from the ranch and so it was very seldom that a small straight stick long enough for a proper stick horse came to them. One of their best horses was the handle of an old broom and its name was Broomie. The last time they had been to their cousin ‘a house he had given them a long willow pole just the right size and he had carefully peeled the stick until it was pearly white. They named this horse White Racer and took turns riding him.

Down the lane the girls would charge, running races or pacing sedately along. Sometimes their horses were so full of life they would kick up their heels and try to unseat Noddie and Polly. But the little girls always managed to curb their steeds and ride them proudly down the lane kicking up little puffs of dust with each prancing step.

Noddie and Polly had a little corral for their horses. They pushed little wooden stakes in the ground for posts and tied twine string from post to post for a fence. The horses were very good and never tried to jump out of the corral. They only did their prancing and showing off when they were being ridden. In one corner of the corral the girls had made a little manger and in this manger they had real hay and oats for their horses. They also had a coffee tin full of water for a watering trough.

On day Mr. Watson and his wife came to visit Noddie and Polly’s parents and when the girls showed them their horses they praised them very highly but told the girls they should brand their horses or someone might “rustle” them. And when the girls asked what that meant by rustle Mr. Watson told them

And when the girls asked what that meant by rustle Mr. Watson told them stories of the old West when bad men would steal the cattle and horses of the ranchers and brand them with their brand and then drive the horses to market and sell them. For a brand on a cow or a horse meant that it belonged to the person whose brand it carried.

After the Watson’s had gone home Noddie and Polly went to their father and told him that they wanted a ‘brand’ of their own and so he took a clean white paper and drew this on it “NP” and then wrote below it. “This brand is called the N.P. and belongs to Noddie and Polly and it is registered with their father.”

The girls were happy with this and then they began to wonder how they would brand their horses and so they went to their father with this problem. He thought for awhile and then gave them a short indelible pencil and told them not to put it in their mouths but to dip the pencil in water and then carefully draw the brand on the horses. He cautioned them to do it correctly the first time as the indelible pencil would not erase and that their horses should carry only one neat brand.

And so Noddie and Polly practiced making NP’s over several sheets of paper and when at last they were satisfied that they could make good ones they took a cup of water and went to the corral.

“Let’s wait and brand White Racer last,” Polly suggested.

“Alright”, Noddie answered. “Which one shall we take first?”

“Let Broomie be first. He has such smooth sides.”

And so with Polly holding Broomie very still Noddie dipped the pencil in the water and drew the first line “I” then after inspecting it she drew another line and so the brand looked like this “I I”.

“That’s fine Noddie” Polly told her. “Old Broomie is standing still as still can be.”

“Yes, that is the easiest part. Now if good old Broomie will just hold still till I finish.” And with this she took a firmer hold on the pencil and drew the slanting line and then brand looked like this “N.”

“Oh, hurry, Noddie,” Polly exclaimed “And put on the part that stands for me.

Noddie dipped the pencil in water and added the last bit to the brand and there it was “NP.”

Then the two little girls looked and looked at their handiwork. It looked so much better than they had thought that they were anxious to brand all the horses.

“Well, lets tie Old Broomie to the manger and he can be eating his oats while we do the others.” Noddie said and Polly agreed and so one by one the stick horses were taken from the manger and branded until only White Racer was left but the girls had so much confidence in themselves that he was branded almost before they realized he was their very best horse.

And how very nice the horses looked lined up before the manager each with a gleaming ‘NP’ on its side. The girls just knew the horses would be friskier than ever and so they took them out and sure enough as Noddie and Polly pranced down the land the horses did all kinds of things. They pretended to be afraid of a weed and wanted to run away and so by the time all the horses were ridden up and down the lane Noddie and Polly were two tired little girls and so they went right to sleep when their mother tucked them in bed after lunch.

The days passed and the green again turned to gold and it was harvest time. Noddie and Polly watched their father carefully oil the grain binder and test all its parts to see if it was in perfect running condition. And one evening a young man, Mr. Miller by name, who owned the adjoining farm came to ask Mr. James’ advice about the right time to start cutting his wheat. Noddie and Polly went with their father as he and Mr. Miller walked to the field next to adjoining the James house. Mr. James broke off a head of wheat and rubbed it between his hands, then he blew away the chaff and looked at the fat kernels of wheat and told Mr. Miller that in his opinion the wheat should be cut right away.

As they were turning from the field Mrs. James called to Noddie and Polly and they raced away to answer her call. The last thing the girls heard as they drifted to sleep was the busy murmur of the men’s voices discussing crops horses and machinery.

The next day was so busy and exciting that the little girls forgot about their stick horses and it wasn’t until the following day as they were wondering what to do that they thought of them.

Running to the corral to get their horses they stopped in astonishment. There lined up before the manger with their stick heads in the day were all the horses except White Racer!

“White Racer is gone!” “Noddie looked at Polly her eyes round with surprise.

“He has been rustled.” Polly stated emphatically. “He would never run away from us.

Noddie’s head bobbed up and down in violent agreement. “But who do you think did it?”

“I don’t know” Polly answered “but we will just have to keep looking till we find him.”

They took two horses and rode quietly down the lane. There was no prancing or pretending to be frightened today and only just the smallest puffs of dust arose around their feet.

The whirr of Mr. Miller’s grain binder came to them as they came back up the lane and they stopped their horses by the fence to watch it go past.

The four big brown horses pulling the binder looked very huge and unreal to the two little girls and they were glad of the protecting fence between them. Then next they saw the binder with its turning blades and gleaming cycle and there riding jauntily in the whip socket was White Racer! White Racer standing on one end with a long leather thong tied on the other! White Racer being used as a common whip stock!

The girls were too horrified to move and after the binder had passed they stared at each other unbelievingly.

After taking their horses back to the pasture they sat down to think.

“We will just have to get him back.” Noddie stated.

Polly nodded her head in agreement.

“Noddie”, she said at last “We will have to watch that Rustler.”

Noddie said, “Why, Polly, aren’t you ashamed to call a neighbor a Rustler?”

“No, I’m not.” Polly said “He rustled White Racer right out of our corral and besides that he is branded.” Poor little Polly was almost in tears because she hated to call a neighbor a bad name.

“Well, don’t cry Polly.” Noddie said. “I think so too, but I was afraid to say it right out. Lets think what we had better do.”

After sitting quietly awhile Noddie said “We better change our corral and manger. We will hide it this time.”

And so the two little girls went wandering around looking for a secure place to build their corral and manger. At last they decided to put it at one end of the vegetable garden.

When the horses were all safely in their new home the girls again sat down to think about getting White Racer.

“We can’t tell Daddy.” Noddie sighed. “I know” Polly answered. “He would say that Mr. Miller didn’t know what he was taking, that he thought it was just an old stick that no one wanted.” There was deep disgust in her voice that anyone could be so blind.

“Polly” Noddie said suddenly “We have to watch where Mr. Miller stops his binder tonight and if its close enough we will wait till he is gone and then run out there and bring White Racer home.”

“Oh Noddie” Polly said as she jumped up “I do wish night would come.”

And then turning to “Noddie she continued “We have to take something to get that old leather off White Racer’s neck. We don’t want to rustle Mr. Miller’s things.”

The afternoon seemed very long to the little girls as they watched Mr. Miller drive round and round the wheat field and as the sun began to get low in the west and they heard their Mother starting the supper cooking they knew that Mr. Miller would stop soon.

As he drove past the house Noddie sighed, “Oh, Polly, he is going to stop on the other side of the field” But Polly only shook her head and said, “Well, he hasn’t stopped yet.”

And sure enough he drove on and when he came opposite the house where the girls were sitting on the porch he called a loud “Whoa.” The horses gave great sighs and snorts of relief because they knew their long day of work was

over and they would soon be in the barn.

Polly squeezed Noddie’s hand very tightly as they waited to see whether White Racer would be left in the whip socket or be taken to the barn but at last Mr. Miller unhitched the horses and drove them homeward leaving White Racer standing there trailing the leather thong.

As soon as the horses and man disappeared from sight Noddie and Polly dashed from their yard through the fence and to the waiting binder. It was the work of only a moment for them to take White Racer from the whip socket, take the thong from his neck, fold it neatly and put it on the binder seat and then race home with their horse.

And that night the two little girls slept happily knowing that all their stick horses were in the new corral safely hidden in the vegetable garden.

“End”