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Twinkleheels moved away. He felt the least bit uncomfortable. "I don't like your young friend," said the Muley Cow to the old horse Ebenezer. "He hasn't a proper respect for old people like you and me." "Oh, he's not a bad sort," Ebenezer replied. "He has a good many things to learn. Perhaps he'll be wiser by night. I shouldn't worry about him, if I were you."
But Johnnie Green said that he couldn't leave his work. Though his helpers left him, he stayed behind the barn and picked currants. Somehow he felt that he ought to be on his best behavior at least for a day or two. "It was a pity that Johnnie Green's father caught him," old dog Spot remarked to Twinkleheels after Farmer Green put an end to the boys' fun. "I enjoyed the sport," said Spot.
And that was the same as saying that there wasn't anybody any quicker unless it was Grumpy Weasel himself. But Twinkleheels and Miss Kitty were not alike in any other way; for Twinkleheels was both merry and good-natured. He let Johnnie Green pick up his feet, one at a time, and clean them.
A scrubby looking white mare who was being shod turned her head and stared at Ebenezer and his small companion. "It's easy to see," she exclaimed, "that that colt has never been in a smithy before. In my opinion he ought to be at home with his mother. This is no place for children." Before Ebenezer could answer her, Twinkleheels himself spoke up sharply.
Ebenezer tried to look unconcerned. The blacksmith had a hearty voice. Nobody in the shop could help hearing what he said. And Twinkleheels made up his mind that the blacksmith shouldn't have any reason to speak of him as he had of the silly white mare. Twinkleheels watched sharply as the blacksmith captured a hind foot of the white mare's and held it between his knees.
"If you have plenty of hay you ought to be satisfied." "No!" Twinkleheels told him. "I can't get along on hay alone. Johnnie Green expects me to be spry and playful. And you know very well that a horse or a pony can't be spirited without plenty of oats." Once more the bays muttered to each other in a low tone. And at last they told Twinkleheels that he was greedy.
To be sure, once Johnnie forgot what he was doing and hid the oats behind his back, while he held the halter up in front of him and shook that at Twinkleheels. And it was an hour, that time, before Twinkleheels would let Johnnie come near him. But that was a mistake. One day Johnnie Green was in a great hurry. He was going to ride over the hill, to play with some friends.
"You've a good deal to learn," he said. "When I was five I thought I knew everything.... I still find that I can learn something almost every day." Twinkleheels sniffed. "I don't believe you've picked up much that was new to-day," he said. "You've been dozing every moment, except when you ate your meals." To his great disgust, Ebenezer gave a sort of snort.
The tin pail containing Johnnie's bait slipped from his grasp and clattered upon the ground, causing Twinkleheels to run all the faster. The fish pole struck the tree trunks right and left. One end of it lodged for an instant in a branch, while the other end nearly swept Johnnie off Twinkleheels' back. Still Johnnie Green clung to it and to his lunch basket as well. "Wh-wh-whoa! Wh-wh-whoa!"
"I'm going ahead to the crossroads," Johnnie Green told his father. That plan pleased Twinkleheels. Before Farmer Green could speak he plunged out of the broken road and wallowed in snow up to his neck. He was going to show Bright and Broad that he could get to the crossroads before they did. "Don't do that!" Farmer Green shouted to Johnnie. He was too late.
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