begged Felicity. “Can’t we keep her? Can’t Penny stay?”
But Father had no time to answer. For at that moment, Jiggy Nye came reeling into the yard. Penny reared, and Felicity had to grab on to her mane to stay on her back. Nan shrieked and William wailed.
“I found ye!” yelled Mr. Nye. “Ye headstrong chit of a girl! You’ve stolen my horse! Get down off my horse!”
Felicity leaned down and threw her arms around Penny’s neck. Penny was trembling. “You said anyone who could ride her could have her,” Felicity said to Mr. Nye.
“I never did!” snarled Mr. Nye.
Nan cried out, “You did! You did! I heard you, you bad old man!”
Mr. Nye shouted, “I never meant no girl could steal that horse from me!”
“No one is trying to steal your horse,” Mr. Merriman said. “My daughter misunderstood. She was wrong to take your horse, but it was a child’s honest mistake. I make my apologies for her.”
“Mistake!” said Mr. Nye. “Taking a horse is a crime!”
“The only crime here is the way you mistreat this horse,” said Mr. Merriman. “You don’t deserve to own Penny. I would buy her from you—”
“Hah!” shouted Mr. Nye. “Never! I will never sell this horse to you and your bold-faced daughter. The horse is mine, and it always will be mine. I can treat it any way I want to. Hear me? Now tell your brat to get off my horse before I rip her down myself!” he ordered.
“No!” cried Felicity. “Don’t let him take Penny! Father, please don’t!”
Mr. Merriman looked up at Felicity sadly. “Penny does not belong to you, Felicity. You must let Jiggy Nye take her.”
Felicity held Penny tight. “Please, Father, please,” she begged. “We can’t let Penny go.”
Mr. Merriman gently opened Felicity’s arms and slid her off Penny’s back.
Mr. Nye put a rope around Penny’s neck and pulled it tight. He turned to Felicity and said, “Don’t you come sneaking around! If I see you near this horse, I swear I’ll kill it! I’ll tan its hide before I let you touch it again.”
Mr. Merriman put both his hands on Felicity’s shoulders. “I’ll not have you speak so roughly to my daughter, Nye. Be off with you!” he said.
Mr. Nye spat in the dust. Then he yanked on the rope and led Penny away.
Felicity felt dead inside. Penny was gone, and all her hopes were gone, too. “Penny!” she whispered. Then she turned and ran to the stable so that no one could hear her cry.
A while later, Father came into the stable to find her. Felicity was stroking Old Bess. She took comfort in Bess’s warm, horsey smell.
Father put his arm around Felicity. “Have you cried all your tears, my child?” he asked.
Felicity nodded. They sat quietly for a while. Then Felicity said, “It was all a waste, wasn’t it? It was all for nothing.”
“Nothing?” said her father. “Didn’t you tame that horse? Didn’t I see you riding her, looking as fine as a queen?”
“But look how it ended,” said Felicity. “Mr. Nye has taken Penny back. I was wrong to ride off with her, and wrong to think that I could keep her. I was wrong to try to make her mine.”
“No, Felicity, my dear,” said Father. “It is never wrong to try to earn something you love. Indeed, ’tis only wrong not to try. You hoped for something and you put hard work behind your hope. I can only be proud of a daughter who can do that.” He kissed Felicity’s forehead. “You come back to the house when you’re ready.”
After Father left, Felicity pulled Ben’s breeches out from under the bucket. She went to Ben’s room and knocked. When he opened the door, Felicity held out his breeches. She said nothing.
Ben took the breeches. Suddenly he said, “Felicity, I have a little money. Maybe if we offered Mr. Nye money…”
“No, Ben,” said Felicity. “You heard him say he will never sell Penny to us. He’s too hateful.”
“But Penny will never let Mr. Nye ride her,” said Ben. “If he touches her, she’ll go vicious again. Then he will beat her, and starve her, and soon I fear he’ll—”
“He’ll kill her, Ben,” said Felicity.
“Aye,” whispered Ben. “I fear he will.”
“We’ve got to save her somehow,” said Felicity. “We’ve got to. What can we do?”
“If only you could hide her somewhere,” murmured Ben.
“Penny’s not a horse that was meant to live hidden away,” said Felicity. “She’d die of sadness if she were kept closed up in a stable or a pen.”
“You are right,” nodded Ben. “She’d be better off loose again, running free in the woods.”
Felicity said softly, “Aye, she’d be better off running free.” Then Felicity looked at Ben. “She’d be better off running free,” she said louder.
Ben looked sad. “Felicity,” he said slowly. “If you let her loose, you will never see her again.”
Felicity nodded.
“And if you untie her and open the pasture gate and let her go, then that would be stealing,” said Ben. “The punishment for horse theft is hanging.”
Felicity nodded again. Without a word, she took the breeches out of Ben’s hands and left.
That night, Felicity didn’t sleep at all. It was still dark, still the middle of the night when she crept out of bed, pulled on Ben’s breeches, and ran along the familiar path to Penny’s pasture.
The pasture gate was fastened shut with a heavy chain and lock, so Felicity climbed over the fence. She was surprised to see that Penny was not tied to the stake as she usually was. Why didn’t Mr. Nye tether her? Felicity wondered. Felicity whistled softly, and Penny trotted over to her and nuzzled her hello. Felicity climbed onto Penny’s back and whispered in her ear, “That’s my girl, Penny. That’s my fine one. Come on now, girl. Let’s fly.”
And just like all the mornings before, Penny trotted, then cantered, then galloped across the pasture. Faster and faster she flew. Felicity buried her face in Penny’s mane and held on tight. Swiftly and smoothly, Penny sped across the pasture toward the tumbledown part of the fence. Felicity looked ahead and gasped in fear. The fence had been fixed! It loomed high and solid before them.
Penny can’t jump that fence, Felicity thought. It’s too high. But with one graceful leap, Penny jumped and sailed over the highest rail. And just as she did, just as she crossed the fence, Felicity let go of Penny’s mane. She slipped off Penny’s back and fell with a thud inside the pasture.
