Chapter Two: The Baby Pony Grows Older
On one warm, breezy morning, Cully and Jim turned
Shorty and her colt into the big green paddock. The mother pony led her baby
slowly about the pasture. The Baby Pony blinked his eyes at the strange, bright
sunshine. Then he tried to frisk and romp about.
He stumbled on to the uneven ground. He took a tumble and bumped into a fence, but he picked himself up, and then he lay down and rolled and rolled on the soft, grassy earth. He looked up at the blue sky and wondered when his legs would eer get long enough to paw it!
The Baby Pony’s eyes popped when he noticed birds lighting on the fences. His ears jerked upward when the birds chirped. His eyes popped even wider when a jack-rabbit scooted in front of him.
But most wonderful of all to him were so many other ponies around him. They were ponies of all sizes, and different colors. All of them were bigger than he was. About fifty other ponies and pony colts lived on Mr. Culwell’s ranch. A lot of these were out here in the paddock, and pretty soon a bunch of them spied Shorty and her little new son.
When the tiny colt saw all these big ponies and their colts galloping towards him, he ducked under his mother’s neck.
“It’s a boy colt!” neighed one of the ponies, as they all trotted close and stopped. They all stood and looked in wonder at this wee pony.
“Why, it’s a runt!” whinnied another of them. And most of the other ponies made snorting sounds, which meant they were making fun of the Baby Pony too.
“A runt! What’s he going to be good for?” sniffed a mare pony with her big colt beside her.
“He’ll be good-for-nothing,” whinnied one of the older ponies. “That’s what he’ll be good for.”
Shorty whirled away from them and licked her young son’s flanks. She pretended not to hear what the mean ponies were saying about him. Runt, indeed! Shorty knew her baby was very small, but she was proud of him because she was his mother, and she was sure he would grow big.
Some white-faced cows wandered over. One of them let out a long mooooo that meant she was laughing at the tiny newcomer.
Her big calf bawled a laugh, too. “That little dwarf will never make a riding pony!” he said.
“No, nor a circus pony either,” said the biggest cow of all.
“Wh, that little peewee couldn’t even carry a kitten on his back!” another cow moo’ed.
Shorty whinnied angrily. She tossed her head and kicked up her heels. She nickered to her baby to follow as she trotted away from the cows. But the ponies’ whinnies and the cows’ moos came after them.
“Runty! Runty! Runty!” those cruel whinnies and moos said.
The Baby Pony tagged behind his mother and he felt ashamed. He didn’t understand why they all made fun of him just because he was small. His trembly legs wobbled, and Shorty stopped to let him rest. She whickered to him lovingly and told him not to mind. She swished her black tail and cropped the grass and still made believe she didn’t care what anybody said.
The grown ponies flicked up their heels and went back to their grazing. But the pony colts kept on frisking near the wee colt, to tease him. They poked his ribs with their noses. They switched their tails in his face. The Baby Pony snapped with his baby teeth, btu he couldn’t catch those lashing tails.
His mother was still eating grass and pretending not to pay attention. But suddenly she surprised all the pony colts by rushing at them. She kicked her heels high, first in one direction and then another. She was warning those colts to stop teasing her little son.
All of the colts galloped away except one brown colt which was bigger than the rest. He stayed right where he was and made laughing whinnies at the Baby Pony. This time the Baby Pony’s little mouth grabbed that brown colt’s tail! And he made the brown colt squeal!
The mother ponies heard the loud squealing. They came thumping across the grass to see whose colt was being hurt. When the Baby Pony saw all the mother ponies come galloping, he let go of the brown colt’s tail. The brown colt had been trying to pull away, and when the Baby Pony let loose, the brown colt fell smack on his nose!
All the mother ponies crowded around the brown colt. They snorted and whinnied. Shorty stood there daring any of them to bother her own little colt again. She felt proud because her Baby Pony had shown those big colts they couldn’t bully him.
But the Baby Pony still felt ashamed and he still didn’t understand. He knew his mother wanted him to be a big, strong colt like all the rest of those colts in the paddock. He wanted to grow big too. He’d supposed he was getting bigger and bigger every day. But now – he wasn’t sure.
His mother nudged him over beside the fence. She made him stay there til the ponies and their colts had gone back to their favorite grazing spots and were finally minding their own business.
The Baby Pony nuzzled his mother’s neck. If he had been a human baby he would have wanted to cry. “Mamma,” he nickered, “why won’t I grow any bigger? Will I always be a ‘runt’? Will I, Mamma?”
Shorty shushed him with loving snorts, and tried to comfort him. “Of course you’ll grow up to be a big pony, son!” she told him.
But she hid her real feelings. Because now poor Shorty wasn’t so sure either. Suppose her precious little son never did grow any bigger than a baby pony just a few months old?
He stumbled on to the uneven ground. He took a tumble and bumped into a fence, but he picked himself up, and then he lay down and rolled and rolled on the soft, grassy earth. He looked up at the blue sky and wondered when his legs would eer get long enough to paw it!
The Baby Pony’s eyes popped when he noticed birds lighting on the fences. His ears jerked upward when the birds chirped. His eyes popped even wider when a jack-rabbit scooted in front of him.
But most wonderful of all to him were so many other ponies around him. They were ponies of all sizes, and different colors. All of them were bigger than he was. About fifty other ponies and pony colts lived on Mr. Culwell’s ranch. A lot of these were out here in the paddock, and pretty soon a bunch of them spied Shorty and her little new son.
When the tiny colt saw all these big ponies and their colts galloping towards him, he ducked under his mother’s neck.
“It’s a boy colt!” neighed one of the ponies, as they all trotted close and stopped. They all stood and looked in wonder at this wee pony.
“Why, it’s a runt!” whinnied another of them. And most of the other ponies made snorting sounds, which meant they were making fun of the Baby Pony too.
“A runt! What’s he going to be good for?” sniffed a mare pony with her big colt beside her.
“He’ll be good-for-nothing,” whinnied one of the older ponies. “That’s what he’ll be good for.”
Shorty whirled away from them and licked her young son’s flanks. She pretended not to hear what the mean ponies were saying about him. Runt, indeed! Shorty knew her baby was very small, but she was proud of him because she was his mother, and she was sure he would grow big.
Some white-faced cows wandered over. One of them let out a long mooooo that meant she was laughing at the tiny newcomer.
Her big calf bawled a laugh, too. “That little dwarf will never make a riding pony!” he said.
“No, nor a circus pony either,” said the biggest cow of all.
“Wh, that little peewee couldn’t even carry a kitten on his back!” another cow moo’ed.
Shorty whinnied angrily. She tossed her head and kicked up her heels. She nickered to her baby to follow as she trotted away from the cows. But the ponies’ whinnies and the cows’ moos came after them.
“Runty! Runty! Runty!” those cruel whinnies and moos said.
The Baby Pony tagged behind his mother and he felt ashamed. He didn’t understand why they all made fun of him just because he was small. His trembly legs wobbled, and Shorty stopped to let him rest. She whickered to him lovingly and told him not to mind. She swished her black tail and cropped the grass and still made believe she didn’t care what anybody said.
The grown ponies flicked up their heels and went back to their grazing. But the pony colts kept on frisking near the wee colt, to tease him. They poked his ribs with their noses. They switched their tails in his face. The Baby Pony snapped with his baby teeth, btu he couldn’t catch those lashing tails.
His mother was still eating grass and pretending not to pay attention. But suddenly she surprised all the pony colts by rushing at them. She kicked her heels high, first in one direction and then another. She was warning those colts to stop teasing her little son.
All of the colts galloped away except one brown colt which was bigger than the rest. He stayed right where he was and made laughing whinnies at the Baby Pony. This time the Baby Pony’s little mouth grabbed that brown colt’s tail! And he made the brown colt squeal!
The mother ponies heard the loud squealing. They came thumping across the grass to see whose colt was being hurt. When the Baby Pony saw all the mother ponies come galloping, he let go of the brown colt’s tail. The brown colt had been trying to pull away, and when the Baby Pony let loose, the brown colt fell smack on his nose!
All the mother ponies crowded around the brown colt. They snorted and whinnied. Shorty stood there daring any of them to bother her own little colt again. She felt proud because her Baby Pony had shown those big colts they couldn’t bully him.
But the Baby Pony still felt ashamed and he still didn’t understand. He knew his mother wanted him to be a big, strong colt like all the rest of those colts in the paddock. He wanted to grow big too. He’d supposed he was getting bigger and bigger every day. But now – he wasn’t sure.
His mother nudged him over beside the fence. She made him stay there til the ponies and their colts had gone back to their favorite grazing spots and were finally minding their own business.
The Baby Pony nuzzled his mother’s neck. If he had been a human baby he would have wanted to cry. “Mamma,” he nickered, “why won’t I grow any bigger? Will I always be a ‘runt’? Will I, Mamma?”
Shorty shushed him with loving snorts, and tried to comfort him. “Of course you’ll grow up to be a big pony, son!” she told him.
But she hid her real feelings. Because now poor Shorty wasn’t so sure either. Suppose her precious little son never did grow any bigger than a baby pony just a few months old?