TRANSCRIPT

The New Arrival
A short story from 'Pioneer Tales and Other Human Stories'
By H.B. Adshead
Part 6
Putting on my sheep skin and mitts, I took the lantern and waded to the stable, put the wet harness on wet horses, hitched them to the old buggy and started to find the trail that ran across the creek.
We found it and I turned the horses towards the wide stretch of water. The crossing wasn't very wide but fortunately the width of water made the current not so swift in the center. Splash, splash, splash, splash went the horses' feet. Higher and higher came the water. It was now up to the horses' shoulders and into the bottom of the buggy. I put my feet up on the seat and held the lines firm. 'Steady girls, steady girls. Easy girls, feel your way.' I always talked to my horses, especially when we got in a tight spot. They seemed to know what was said. 'Steady girls, we must be somewhere near the crossing.' Kerplunk, splash. Bell, the off mare, had disappeared, but Colie held the trail and Bell got her feet on the trail again as we swung to the left, but the buggy's right wheel went kerplunk too but we did not upset. 'Close call that, girls. Easy now were out of the channel and on the flat.'