Karen's Pony Read online

“I think Blueberry is going to be happy in his new home. Don’t you agree?” asked Daddy.

  “I sure do,” I said.

  We were in the car driving home from the Gales’ farm. For some reason I was feeling fidgety. Something on the car seat kept jabbing me. I ran my hand across the seat. Nothing was there. I slipped my hand into the back pocket of my jeans.

  Oh, boy! I found it. I found the ring. I must have put it there when David Michael handed it to me the week before.

  I quickly pulled my hand out of my pocket. I rubbed my hand on the car seat. I blew on it. I waved it in the air.

  “Are you okay, Karen?” asked Daddy.

  “Yes. At least I think so,” I replied.

  But I was not too sure. I had touched the bad-luck ring. Who could tell what would happen to me next?

  Then I realized something. I had been wearing the same jeans for a couple of days. And for the last two days I had been having very good luck. Yesterday Daddy made our good plans for Blueberry. Today, we met the goat and the chickens on Roddie’s farm.

  Daddy always says that a person’s luck can change. If a person’s luck can change, a ring’s luck can change too. Maybe it had stopped being a bad-luck ring. Maybe it had turned into a good-luck ring. I could hardly wait to get home. I had to call a meeting to tell my brothers and sisters the news.

  The minute I got into the house, I called everyone into the TV room.

  “Guess what,” I said. “I found the ring!”

  I held it up in the air. My brothers and sister jumped back.

  “Wait,” I said. “You do not have to be afraid of it. It is a good-luck ring now.”

  They looked at me as if I had two heads. I could see I had another long story to tell. I started by saying that I must have put the ring in my pocket when David Michael handed it to me. Then I told them about the good things that had happened to me since then.

  “So you see, it really is a good-luck ring,” I said.

  “I am not taking any chances,” said Charlie. “If you like the ring, you can have it.”

  “Would you like to share it with me, Kristy?” I asked.

  Kristy shook her head.

  “Would anyone like to share it with me?” I asked.

  “No, thank you,” said Sam. “The ring is all yours.”

  That sounded like one more piece of good luck for me.

  My Beautiful Pony

  The next Saturday, I invited Hannie and Nancy to visit Blueberry with me. Nannie dropped us off at Roddie’s farm.

  “Have a good time, girls,” said Nannie. “I will come back to get you in a couple of hours.”

  As soon as Blueberry saw me coming, he lifted his head and whinnied. That made me happy. Blueberry may have a new home, I thought, but he is still my pony.

  I introduced Hannie and Nancy to Roddie and his parents. Then Roddie and I gave my friends a tour of the farm.

  “This is Betsy, Roddie’s cow,” I said. “Roddie promised to teach me how to milk her.”

  Next we found the goat and chickens.

  “These are Blueberry’s old pals,” said Roddie.

  “What are their names?” asked Nancy.

  “We were thinking of naming the chickens Annie, Frannie, and Hannie,” said Roddie.

  “A chicken named after me? I like that!” said Hannie.

  “Okay,” said Roddie. “Those will be their names. We did not think of a name for the goat yet.”

  “Is it a boy goat, or a girl goat?” asked Nancy.

  “It is a girl goat. She gives us milk for my mom to drink. My mom is allergic to cow’s milk,” said Roddie.

  “Why don’t you call her Huckleberry,” I said. “That would be a good name for Blueberry’s friend.”

  Everyone liked that name a lot.

  “Hello, Huckleberry!” I said.

  Huckleberry bleated. I guess she liked her name, too.

  “Can we visit Blueberry now? I want to spend as much time with him as I can,” I said.

  We went back to the pasture. On the way, Roddie got some sliced apples from the kitchen. We fed them to Blueberry.

  We took turns brushing him. I showed Hannie and Nancy how to make him look shiny and beautiful.

  We took him for a walk around the farm to see his friends. Then we went back to the pasture. Blueberry was happy eating grass, with us beside him for company.

  While we were visiting with Blueberry, I made a daisy chain. I linked the daisies together stem by stem.

  Beep, beep! Nannie was driving up the road in the Pink Clinker. I got up and waved to her.

  “It is time for me to go home, Blueberry,” I said. “Roddie will take good care of you while I am gone.”

  “I sure will,” said Roddie. “You do not have to worry about your pony while he is with me.”

  There was one more thing I wanted to do.

  “I will be right there, Nannie!” I called.

  I linked together the two ends of the daisy chain. I set the crown of daisies on Blueberry’s head. Then I put my arms around his neck and gave him a great big hug.

  “Good-bye, my beautiful pony,” I said. “I will see you again soon.”

  About the Author

  ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.

  Copyright © 1995 by Ann M. Martin

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First edition, 1995

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-05744-7