At the Premiere. JoAnn S. Dawson

movie people and call the whole thing off.”

      “Oh, no, Willie. We won’t act crazy, I promise,” Mary said breathlessly. “But how can we take them? We don’t even have a horse trailer. And both ponies won’t fit in the back of your pickup truck.”

      “And where will they stay when we get there? What will they have to do?” Jody added, biting her fingernails.

      “If you both hush for a minute, I’ll tell you.” Willie said patiently. “The movie producers are takin’ care of all the transport, so we’ll have a truck and trailer to haul ‘em with. And they’re providin’ a place for us and the horses to stay.”

      “Together?” asked Jody. “Will we be sleeping in the barn with them?”

      “No, no, now don’t go jumpin’ to conclusions. I don’t know all the details on that yet. But I do know…”

      The girls leaned forward again, hanging on Willie’s every word as he scratched the side of his head and looked once more at the ceiling.

      “Do know what, Willie?” Mary whispered.

      “I do know that they want you to walk down the red carpet with the ponies.”

      Another scream escaped the girls’ lips and Mary impulsively threw her arms around Willie’s neck.

      “Now, what’d I say? Quit yer foolishness,” he said, disentangling himself from Mary’s grip. “You got to calm down and act like you got good sense.”

      “But, Willie! This is so exciting!” Jody yelped. “It’s about the most exciting thing I’ve ever heard! I can’t wait to tell my dad!”

      “Don’t have to tell him. He already knows, ‘cause he’s invited too. And your mother, Mary.”

      The girls whooped again and burst into a fit of giggles. Suddenly Mary stopped and a puzzled look crossed her face. “But, Willie,” she said, “we don’t know where the premiere is going to be. You said it’s not nearby, but close enough…?”

      Willie took off his hat and pulled on his ear lobe, then looked at both girls. “The premiere is in New York City,” he said.

      2.

      Willie Explains

      “New York City!” Mary exclaimed, eyes wide. “But, Willie, how can there possibly be a place to keep the ponies in New York City?”

      “Isn’t it all skyscrapers and streets and people all crushed up against each other?” Jody asked.

      “Well, mostly, but not all,” Willie chuckled. “Haven’t you ever seen pictures of the horses pulling the carriages in Central Park?”

      “I have!” Mary screeched. “They give people rides through the streets, too!”

      “Well, where do you think they keep those horses? In the Empire State Building?”

      “Nooo…” Mary responded, deep in thought.

      “Oh, I know, Willie,” Jody offered. “I bet they have a big pasture field all fenced in somewhere in the park, and that’s where they turn the horses out at the end of the day.”

      Willie took off his hat and scratched the side of his head. “No, Jody, I don’t think they have any such thing,” he said. “I think the horses stay in a stall all the time except when they’re working on the street.”

      The girls frowned at Willie, slowly taking in this information. “But…but…” Mary sputtered, “you mean the horses never get to go out and run around, or graze, or roll, or anything? How can that be?”

      “Not all horses are as lucky as your old plugs,” Willie said, scratching Star between the ears. “Some horses are kept inside for lack of a place to turn them out, and sometimes people keep the big fancy show horses in because they’re afraid they’ll get hurt in the pasture.”

      “But, Willie, that’s so mean!” Jody exclaimed. “Lady and Gypsy would be miserable if they couldn’t go out and stand under the willow tree and switch thei r tails at flies. I feel bad enough for Star having to stay in this little paddock most of the time.”

      The girls had still not managed to persuade Mr. McMurray to let them put Star in the pasture with Lady and Gypsy. Speaking with his Irish brogue, Mr. McMurray always insisted that the horses were “eating up the prrrofits,” by grazing some of the grass meant for his dairy cows. Star had to be content with the paddock attached to Lucky Foot Stable, munching on hay and the occasional blade of grass that managed to poke its way through the packed dirt.

      “Star doesn’t mind,” Willie assured the girls. “It’s all in what you get used to. And besides, if things go as planned there might be more pasture for the ponies by the end of the summer.”

      At this, Mary’s ears perked up. “What, Willie? What do you mean, more pasture?”

      Willie clapped the hat back on his head and turned to go. “I didn’t mean nothin’, he said mysteriously. “Nothin’ you need to worry ‘bout now. First let’s get this premiere over with, and then we’ll worry ‘bout what’s next.”

      “But, Willie, wait! You haven’t told us about the stable in the city. Where is it, and what’s the name of it, and how long are we staying, and…”

      “Hold yer horses,” Willie said patiently. He turned to Star and rubbed the special spot on his shoulder that made the colt stretch out his neck and close his eyes contentedly. “The stable in the city is called Fairmount. It’s been there since the 1800’s, uptown right next to Central Park. It’s a riding stable where people come and take lessons, and they rent the horses out for people to ride in the park.”

      “And that’s where they keep the carriage horses too?” Jody asked.

      “No, they’re kept in a different stable further downtown,” Willie answered. “But Lady and Gypsy will be staying overnight at Fairmount. Maybe two nights, don’t know yet.”

      The girls shivered with excitement at the thought of Lady and Gypsy staying in a fancy stable in New York City with fancy Central Park horses and riders. Then a thought occurred to Mary. “Willie, how do you know about all this? Have you been to the stables before?”

      Willie turned from Star and faced the girls. “Oh, I spent a little time in the city years back. Worked with Twister on a movie with Jimmy Stewart. They shut a street down and made it look like the 1800’s. We wrangled the horses and coaches. Some of the horses were stabled at Fairmount. We did sleep in the stable, if I remember right.”

      Mary and Jody stared at Willie, dumbfounded. It was still hard for them to believe that the old farmhand they had known for years was once a horse wrangler for major films. They had discovered Willie’s past when they worked on the movie at McMurray’s farm the previous summer, but it still fascinated them to hear the stories of his experiences on movie sets long ago.

      “Do you think we’ll get to sleep in the stable too, Willie?” asked Jody, getting back to the subject at hand. “That would be so cool!”

      Willie smiled. “I reckon not, they’re talkin’ about puttin’ everybody up in a hotel. You and Mary, your parents, and me.”

      “All in the same room?” asked Mary, wide-eyed.

      “No, no,” Willie chuckled. “I think they can afford separate rooms. Now, I got to get to the barn for milkin’. Roy’ll wonder what happened to me.”

      “But, Willie, we have lots more questions,” Mary fretted. “What about the red carpet? Do we have to wear dresses? What if Lady and Gypsy have to go to the bathroom just about then? What if…”

      “Calm down, girl. There’s plenty of time to figure all that out. I got to go. Now get yourselves up and take care of Star. He’s still got his saddle on, for Pete’s sake.”