Stolen

 By Emma M. (ages 10-13)

 

AT THE CIRCLE C RANCH

 

“ANDREA CARTER GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!”

Twelve year old Andi cringed at her older brother's piercing voice. From the sound of it, he was right below her balcony. “Coming.” she shouted down the stairs. I wonder what I did now

 “ Andrea Rose Carter, can you explain why Taffy is not in the Barn, the pasture, the Hitching post, or anywhere on the premises? Chad Carter said, trying to control his anger.

“WHAT??” She answered. (Right then and there she wished she was part of a different family. Any family.)

“You mean to say that you don't know where Taffy is, and Mitch, Sid, and I are going to go searching for the horse rustlers, so we can't search for her?” Chad inquired.

“Oh, Chad you don't think that those two fellas stole Taffy, do you?”

Chad groaned inwardly. He thought Oh no, I didn't even think of that 

“Chaaaaad.” She wailed.

“I'll tell you what, while we are out looking for the rustlers we will look for Taffy, Ok?” Chad sought wildly to try and calm his little sister.

“You think that they stole Taffy don't you?” Andi said quietly.

“Oh, look at the time, We better be going. Bye sis.” He gave her a quick hug, and was gone in a flash.

“Oh Taffy.” Andi moaned.

 

SAM AND LOUIE:

Last Night:

 

“Hey Louie come look at this!” Louie Landolf trotted over to Sam Hutchensun's gray mare

“What's up Sam?”

“ First of all, how many times do I have to tell you I ain't Sam to you, I am boss, got that?”

“Ok, ok, Boss, now what did you want me to see?”

“Look at that over yonder, that looks like the Carter spread.”

“Ya, so?”

“So they ought to have some mighty fine horses.” Sam said impatiently (Louie was a bit slow, which annoyed Sam to no end.)

“Oh I think I catch yer meaning.”

“You had better. ” Sam mumbled. “ Lets go.”

An hour later they were almost there, and Sam said, “lets camp here until sundown.”

“Why?” Louie asked.

“Louie, we can't just barge in and take their horses, plus a posse is probably after us.”

“Oh yeah.”

Half an hour later: “All right, lets go Louie.”

“Huh?”

“I said LETS GO.”

“Oh, ok.” Louie mumbled.

“Alright I'll look on one side of the barn and you take the other.” Sam ordered “Ok.”

Five minutes later: “Well I got a couple but, not near as handsome as these ones! I'll keep em. On second thought, take this one back.”

Louie started back with one but was stopped by Sam's angry voice. “Not that one, the bay one.”

“Well why didn't you say that?” Louie said.

 

…..............................................

CIRCLE C RANCH:

 

“Oh mother I am sooo, worried about Taffy.” Andi said

“Andrea, Taffy is going to be alright, remember Chad said that they would look for her while they are looking for the rustlers.” Mother tried to comfort her daughter.

“ But what if the rustlers took her, what then?” Andi said worriedly, (these last couple days had been especially hard for her.)

“Then the boys will find her when they find the rustlers.”

“But what if they don't find her or the rustlers, what then?” Andi wailed.

“What ever happens we will trust the Lord in everything that we face. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“That's better.”

….............................................

 

“Good Morning Mother, Melinda, and Luisa.” Andi said the next morning.

“Why you seem awfully cheerful this morning, compared to yesterday.” Said Melinda

“I am a lot more cheerful this morning than yesterday, because Mother told me to trust Jesus with Taffy, and I am.” Andi said cheerfully.

“Very good.” Mother said.

After breakfast, Andi went out to the barn to do her regular chores, and she glanced at Taffy's stall door and then, she saw something that made her look again. “What is that?!” She exclaimed.

 

…..........................................................

 

SAM AND LOUIE

 

“Alrighty, Sa... uh Boss let's go!” Louie exclaimed.

“Louie, we need to leave something that tells the owner how much they need to give us so they can get their little mare back.”

“Why?”

“LOUIEEE.” Sam said in exasperation.

“Yah?”

“Because oh never mind, just take the note.”

“Ok.”

 “Take this little piece of paper and pin it to the stall door.” Sam said handing him the note.

“ Oh, shucks I was hoping we would keep her for another horse.”

“NOOO. Just go and do what I told you to, and hurry.” Sam said angrily.

“Okay, okay, but what's the amount?”

“Read it on the way in to the barn.” Louie hurried into the barn with the note.

“Whoa, that Sam's a real thinker! $200 dollars. Still I would rather have that little beauty.” Louie, while reading the note, was not watching where he was going, so presently he walked into a pillar, and fell flat on his back, with a tremendous thud.

 

…................................................................

CIRCLE C RANCH

 

Andi raced over to Taffy's stall door and read the note. “Bring $200 to the creek on the Circle C Ranch tonight, at 12:00pm sharp, if you ever want to see your palomino mare ever again.

She gasped, and whispered “Taffy!” She stared at the note reading it over and over for two whole minutes “I need to go tell Mother!” She started toward the house but stopped halfway between them. But then she started thinking, Maybe I shouldn't tell Mother, she would NEVER let me go get Taffy if she knew, she would want us to wait to get Taffy till the boys get home and we can't wait that long, I think I just won't tell Mother

She felt really guilty about keeping it to herself, but she was convinced that it was the right thing to do.

 

Twelve hours later:

 

“Andrea time for dinner.” Mother called up the stairs.

“Alright Mother.” Ten minutes later, she was in her seat at the table, and eating the wonderful meatloaf Lusia had prepared, but she felt so guilty about what she was planning for tonight that she hardly tasted it.

“Andrea, aren't you feeling well tonight?” Mother questioned.

“Yes Mother, I feel fine, I just am not very hungry.” Andi responded, feeling more and more guilty all the time.

“Okay.” Mother said, still not convinced.

 

Five hours later:

 

“Eleven, why am I getting up at eleven?” Then she suddenly remembered “Taffy.” And then she was wide awake. She jumped out of her bed, and was dressed in a matter of minutes. She was about to go down the stairs, when she suddenly remembered. “I can't go down the stairs I will wake up everybody in the house, those stairs creak so much they would wake up someone a mile away.”

After thinking about her problem, she finally came up with a solution. “I'll just go out my window!” Then She thought, Oh no the money! Wait a minute, yep, just what I thought, $200 bucks (Andi had been working hard after school to get enough money to get that beautiful saddle at the General store, but that would have to wait) But first I have to get a horse to put the saddle on! She thought laughing to herself.

 

Five minutes later:

 

“Easy, Pal, easy, boy, that's it.” Andi Crooned to Pal the buggy/riding horse. “We are going on a little trip.” Outside the barn they started their adventure. Ten minutes later they came in sight of the creek, and they slowed down. She could see two men on horseback, and another horse beside one of the men. “Here goes.” She whispered. “Hello?” She called out.

 

….................................................

 

SAM AND LOUIE

 

“Hey, Boss, I don't think anyone is coming tonight. Do you?” Louie whined. (He wanted to be back in his bed.)

“N... Wait a minute do you see that?” Sam exclaimed

“What?”

“That on the horizon.”

“Oh... that looks like a person on horseback.” Louie said.

“That's because it IS a person on horseback.”

“Hello?” The voice rang out.

“Oh no it can't get worse than this, a girl.” Sam groaned. “Boss, it's just a girl, let's get the money and go.”

“It's not just a girl, it's a kid.”

“A KID.”

“Yes a kid.”

“Hello, my name is Andi and here's the money, may I please have my horse back now?”

“Just a minute kid, isn't it past your bedtime?”

Before Andi had a chance to respond, Both of the men toppled backwards off their horses, revealing Chad, Mitch, and Sid McCoy (the ranch foreman.)

“CHAD!” Andi shrieked

“You had better be getting home young lady.” Chad ordered.

“Aww, can't I stay and watch?”

“Andi!”

“Yes Sir.” Boy was she in trouble!

 

…...................................................

 

CIRCLE C RANCH

 

“Mother, Mother!” Melinda screeched.

“What is it Melinda?”

“Listen.” Clippety clop, clppety clop.

“Why, I think that that sounds like horse hooves against the ground.” Mother flew to the door flung it wide open, and hollered outside. “Andrea, Andrea, is that you?”

 Silence.

“Andrea?”

“I am here mother.” Andi said as she quietly stepped into the house.

“Oh, Andrea, you had us worried sick about you. Where have you been?” The questions had begun.

“Can't I explain in the morning Mother.” Andi pleaded.

“No, Andrea. Explain right now.”

“Ok....” And she told her the whole story.

“Oh Andrea you should have told me, we would have gotten Taffy back without you almost getting yourself kidnapped.” Mother said relieved that her daughter was back safe in her arm's.

“But Mother, you never would have gone.”

“You're right, I never would have gone, I would have sent one of the ranch hands and notified the deputy so they could catch the thieves.”

Silence. Gulp.

“I guess I didn't think of that. I am sorry Mother I won't do anything like that again.” Andi said ashamed.

“Thank you Lord!! The men are home!!” Mother flew to open the door for them.

Chad stepped in and immediately said “Andi, please go get ready for bed, or something, I need to talk with Mother for a minute.”

“Can't go I see Taffy first?”

“No just go.”

Oh boy this meant either one of two things she was going to be spanked heartily, or she was going to be praised for doing something good, and it was leaning toward the “spanking heartily” side since she had not done anything good recently.

“I will be up to say goodnight as soon as Chad is finished.” Mother said quietly to her.

Ten minutes later Mother knocked on Andi's door. “Come in Mother.”

“Your brothers just told me the part of the story you failed to tell me, I hope you know that I am so proud of you, but you know that you will still have to be punished for going off without permission.” Mother said.

Andi looked blankly at her mother. “What part of the story did I fail to tell you?”

“Why the part you played in capturing the rustlers.” Mother said surprised. “Didn't you know?”

“No.”

“Well I'll be, you helped capture thieves and you didn't even know it?” Mother laughed “Only my Andi would do a thing like that and not know it!”

“I guess so.” Andi started to laugh with Mother.

That night as she was drifting off to sleep, she thought how blessed she was to have such a wonderful family like hers, and that she wouldn't be a part of any other family if she could be. Even if she was being yelled at by Chad because she accidentally left Taffy out in the hot California sun.