Chapter Six: Mascot Peruna Goes to the Game!
The Rendezvous Stables buzzed with excitement that
Saturday morning. For this was the day the Southern Methodist University
football team was going to try to whip Texas University. The stablemen gathered
around Peruna and talked about football, while Tod kept busy with his currycomb
and brush.
Cully and Jim had slept in their mascot’s stall all night, so no one could steal Peruna. Now they had gone to dress for the big game.
Tod had groomed Peruna’s coal black coat until it was sleek and shiny. “Guess that does it,” said Tod, and he put a red blanket on the wee pony. On it were tall, blue letters that spelled “PERUNA” and “S.M.U.”
“Look at his red hoofs, will you!” said one of the stablemen.
“Sure are purty,” agreed the others.
“What’ll Peruna do when he sees Texas U’s mascot – that Longhorn Steer?” asked a husky blacksmith.
“Shucks,” Tod replied, buckling Peruna’s blanket. “A Longhorn Steer won’t frighten him any.”
Cully and Jim came back. Both of them were togged in dark blue blouses and trousers trimmed in red. These were S.M.U.’s colors and Peruna’s colors too!
The little pony’s eyes glowed when he saw them. He whinnied a friendly greeting.
“Say, he looks nifty,” Cully told Tod.
Jim patted Peruna. “If you ask me, he’s a beauty.”
Tod slopped a white leather halter, with white reins, on Peruna. Then Jim took the end of one rein, and Cully the other. They ran the mascot between them to the waiting station-wagon.
Thousands of people were already in the Cotton Bowl Stadium to see the big game. Peruna’s car pulled up at a side entrance. Cully and Jim hustled him over to where the S.M.U. team was waiting to run on the field.
The cheerleaders wore white sweaters with “S.M.U.” in red. Their trousers were dark blue. They patted Peruna, but the football players mauled him a bit, good-naturedly. A man with a camera snapped a picture of the pony.
“There goes Texas U’s band,” shouted one of the coaches. “Their players are running on the field!”
Cully and Jim nudged Peruna so that he stood in front of the cheer-leaders and the football players. Soon the Texas U band would finishing playing and parading. Then the S.M.U. teams and their cheer-leaders would run on the field with their band plaing “Peruna Chant.” Their midget pony mascot would lead them, with Cully and Jim holding his reins.
Peruna pawed the ground. All this noise and all these people made him high-strung. When the drums began going rat-a-tat-tat, Peruna stood on his hind legs so he could see better. Suddenly there were shouts from boys behind him.
“What’s going on out there?” they yelled.
“What’s that those fellows have got in front of the Texas U band?”
“That’s no Longhorn Steer they’re leading!”
“Why,” cried Cully and Jim together, “that’s a pony they’ve got out there! A black Shetland pony!”
The crowd in the Texas U grandstand went wild with joy. “Our side’s got Peruna!” they yelled. “We’ve captured S.M.U.’s mascot!”
But the students and people in the S.M.U. grandstand groaned with horror. They watched that small blck pony prancing about as the band played. The strange black pony wore an orange and white blanket – Texas U’s colors!
Poor Peruna didn’t know what to make of it all. He had expected to see a big Longhorn Steer mascot parade with the Texas U band. Instead of a steer, a black pony was strutting and kicking his heels! A black pony that looked like him. And the thousands of people in the Stadium thought that pony was Peruna – S.M.U.’s mascot!
Suddenly Cully was laughing. “What a joke on Texas U!” he cried.
“Yeah,” said Jim. “They think they’ve got Peruna!”
The Texas U band began playing the “Peruna Chant.” And that was too much for Peruna. He gave a leaping buck before Jim or Cully knew what he was up to. He jerked away his long white reins, and he went flying across the football field.
The students and all the other people in the S.M.U. grandstand roared with delight when they saw the racing midget pony. For now they knew he was Peruna. Their cheers boomed across the giant field. Texas U students had failed to get the S.M.U. mascot, after all!
The students and all the other people in the Texas U grandstand stood spellbound with amazement. Their eyes followed the tiny pony as he went galloping. The tiny pony in S.M.U.’s colors of red and blue! “Why, could our boys have taken the wrong pony from the Culwell Ranch?” they asked each other.
Faster and faster dashed Peruna over the grass. He ran right up to that prancing pony. He nipped off the pony’s blanket of Texas U’s colors! That prancing black pony whirled around – and THEN –
“Mamma!” whinnied Peruna in astonishment.
“Son!” neighed Shorty happily.
The big crowd gasped with surprise when the two coal-black Shetland ponies rubbed noses lovingly.
“Look, look, look,” shouted everyone in the Texas U grandstand, and they pointed to the midget pony.
“Look, look,” shouted the Texas U players.
“Look,” shouted the Texas U coach to his assistant coaches. “S.M.U. sure put one over on us this time! Where’d they have their mascot hidden?”
“Do your tricks!” nickered Shorty proudly to her colt. “Show all these folks what S.M.U.’s mascot can do!”
Peruna did what his mother told him. He ran on his hind legs. He lay on his back on the ground, playing he was “dead.” He shook hands with Cully, and walked on his hind legs until Jim gave him a lump of sugar.
Then he bucked and pitched and the big crowd clapped and clapped their hands. Peruna tossed his head prettily when the people on both sides of the Stadium cheered him.
A whistle sounded, and the game began. . . .
And S.M.U. WON!
“Hear that, little ‘mustang’?” shouted Cully and Jim to Peruna. “Your ‘Mustangs’ won! You brought ‘em good luck!”
Peruna pawed the ground to show his joy.
And Peruna’s mother whinnied and whinnied because she was so proud of him.
Cully and Jim had slept in their mascot’s stall all night, so no one could steal Peruna. Now they had gone to dress for the big game.
Tod had groomed Peruna’s coal black coat until it was sleek and shiny. “Guess that does it,” said Tod, and he put a red blanket on the wee pony. On it were tall, blue letters that spelled “PERUNA” and “S.M.U.”
“Look at his red hoofs, will you!” said one of the stablemen.
“Sure are purty,” agreed the others.
“What’ll Peruna do when he sees Texas U’s mascot – that Longhorn Steer?” asked a husky blacksmith.
“Shucks,” Tod replied, buckling Peruna’s blanket. “A Longhorn Steer won’t frighten him any.”
Cully and Jim came back. Both of them were togged in dark blue blouses and trousers trimmed in red. These were S.M.U.’s colors and Peruna’s colors too!
The little pony’s eyes glowed when he saw them. He whinnied a friendly greeting.
“Say, he looks nifty,” Cully told Tod.
Jim patted Peruna. “If you ask me, he’s a beauty.”
Tod slopped a white leather halter, with white reins, on Peruna. Then Jim took the end of one rein, and Cully the other. They ran the mascot between them to the waiting station-wagon.
Thousands of people were already in the Cotton Bowl Stadium to see the big game. Peruna’s car pulled up at a side entrance. Cully and Jim hustled him over to where the S.M.U. team was waiting to run on the field.
The cheerleaders wore white sweaters with “S.M.U.” in red. Their trousers were dark blue. They patted Peruna, but the football players mauled him a bit, good-naturedly. A man with a camera snapped a picture of the pony.
“There goes Texas U’s band,” shouted one of the coaches. “Their players are running on the field!”
Cully and Jim nudged Peruna so that he stood in front of the cheer-leaders and the football players. Soon the Texas U band would finishing playing and parading. Then the S.M.U. teams and their cheer-leaders would run on the field with their band plaing “Peruna Chant.” Their midget pony mascot would lead them, with Cully and Jim holding his reins.
Peruna pawed the ground. All this noise and all these people made him high-strung. When the drums began going rat-a-tat-tat, Peruna stood on his hind legs so he could see better. Suddenly there were shouts from boys behind him.
“What’s going on out there?” they yelled.
“What’s that those fellows have got in front of the Texas U band?”
“That’s no Longhorn Steer they’re leading!”
“Why,” cried Cully and Jim together, “that’s a pony they’ve got out there! A black Shetland pony!”
The crowd in the Texas U grandstand went wild with joy. “Our side’s got Peruna!” they yelled. “We’ve captured S.M.U.’s mascot!”
But the students and people in the S.M.U. grandstand groaned with horror. They watched that small blck pony prancing about as the band played. The strange black pony wore an orange and white blanket – Texas U’s colors!
Poor Peruna didn’t know what to make of it all. He had expected to see a big Longhorn Steer mascot parade with the Texas U band. Instead of a steer, a black pony was strutting and kicking his heels! A black pony that looked like him. And the thousands of people in the Stadium thought that pony was Peruna – S.M.U.’s mascot!
Suddenly Cully was laughing. “What a joke on Texas U!” he cried.
“Yeah,” said Jim. “They think they’ve got Peruna!”
The Texas U band began playing the “Peruna Chant.” And that was too much for Peruna. He gave a leaping buck before Jim or Cully knew what he was up to. He jerked away his long white reins, and he went flying across the football field.
The students and all the other people in the S.M.U. grandstand roared with delight when they saw the racing midget pony. For now they knew he was Peruna. Their cheers boomed across the giant field. Texas U students had failed to get the S.M.U. mascot, after all!
The students and all the other people in the Texas U grandstand stood spellbound with amazement. Their eyes followed the tiny pony as he went galloping. The tiny pony in S.M.U.’s colors of red and blue! “Why, could our boys have taken the wrong pony from the Culwell Ranch?” they asked each other.
Faster and faster dashed Peruna over the grass. He ran right up to that prancing pony. He nipped off the pony’s blanket of Texas U’s colors! That prancing black pony whirled around – and THEN –
“Mamma!” whinnied Peruna in astonishment.
“Son!” neighed Shorty happily.
The big crowd gasped with surprise when the two coal-black Shetland ponies rubbed noses lovingly.
“Look, look, look,” shouted everyone in the Texas U grandstand, and they pointed to the midget pony.
“Look, look,” shouted the Texas U players.
“Look,” shouted the Texas U coach to his assistant coaches. “S.M.U. sure put one over on us this time! Where’d they have their mascot hidden?”
“Do your tricks!” nickered Shorty proudly to her colt. “Show all these folks what S.M.U.’s mascot can do!”
Peruna did what his mother told him. He ran on his hind legs. He lay on his back on the ground, playing he was “dead.” He shook hands with Cully, and walked on his hind legs until Jim gave him a lump of sugar.
Then he bucked and pitched and the big crowd clapped and clapped their hands. Peruna tossed his head prettily when the people on both sides of the Stadium cheered him.
A whistle sounded, and the game began. . . .
And S.M.U. WON!
“Hear that, little ‘mustang’?” shouted Cully and Jim to Peruna. “Your ‘Mustangs’ won! You brought ‘em good luck!”
Peruna pawed the ground to show his joy.
And Peruna’s mother whinnied and whinnied because she was so proud of him.