Free Son of the Black Stallion by Walter Farley Page A

college,” Alec managed to say defensively.
    “Ask him some time if, despite his practical experience, he might not have been able to do a better job if he had gone,” his father returned.
    Alec’s gaze fell. Henry had already answered that question when he’d put it to him earlier in the day. “But it’s only right that I be here to help Henry, Dad. Don’t you understand?”
    “Yes, I understand, Alec. But even
I
know you and Henry can’t do much with that colt until he grows up some.”
    After a few minutes Alec looked up from the floor. “Perhaps,” he said slowly, meeting his father’s eyes, “I could transfer to a college here in New York; then I could live at home and be around the colt.”
    “Yes, you could do that, Alec,
if
I had the money to pay your tuition. But I don’t at this time. You’re forgetting, aren’t you, that you’ve a two-year scholarship up at school? And that I’ll only have enough money to pay your tuition for the last couple of years?”
    “Yes, Dad. I’d forgotten.”
    His father walked slowly across the room, speakingat the same time. “But it’s your scholarship, and your decision to make, Alec.” He stood there at the door for a long time, and the room was quiet again. Finally he turned and walked back to the bed.
    “I’d like you to go back to school, Alec,” he said. His eyes narrowed, and the tiny specks of light in them were cold and gray. “I’ll make an agreement with you,” he continued. “A few minutes ago you wanted me to register the colt in my name … to own him, while you rode him.” He lowered his voice. “I’ll do it, Alec, provided you go back to school this year. Next year, if you and Henry feel the colt is ready for the track and it would be more advantageous to his training to have you around, you can transfer to a New York college and I’ll pay the tuition. You’ll be living at home and that will save dormitory expenses. What do you say to that, Alec?”
    There it was, right in his lap, Alec thought. And his father was standing there, awaiting his reply. Any way you looked at it, the proposition was a fair one. Everything was as he had wanted it … except that he would have to leave his colt. And he knew that his father and Henry were right about his going back to school. For in the end he’d probably be a better trainer. And, he reminded himself, it wouldn’t be a full year away from Satan. There would be Christmas vacation coming up within a couple of months, and a short time later June would have arrived, and he’d have the whole summer to spend with his colt. And the following fall Satan would be nearly a two-year-old and ready for real training; then he’d transfer to a New York school andbe around all the time. “Okay, Dad,” he said. “It’s a deal.”
    His father held out his hand and Alec grasped it, saying, “Guess we’re in business, Dad.”
    “Yes,” his father replied gravely, “I guess we are.” He had started to leave the room after mumbling something about seeing Alec’s mother, when Alec stopped him.
    “There’s just one other thing, Dad.” Alec walked quickly over to his desk, sat down, and began writing. Moving over behind him, his father read what Alec wrote:
    T O W HOM I T M AY C ONCERN:
    I, Alexander William Ramsay, upon this date do sell my black colt, Satan, to William Augustus Ramsay, my father, for the sum of one dollar ($1.00)
.
    Mr. Ramsay saw his son hesitate as he neared the end of the note, look out the window toward the barn, then turn back to the paper. Quickly Alec signed and dated it before blotting the wet ink.
    “I’m dating it tomorrow,” Alec said slowly, “… we can go downtown tomorrow and have it notarized.”
    “Pretty official, isn’t it?” his father asked, smiling. Then he saw Alec’s drawn face and added seriously, “You’re sure you want to handle it this way, Alec? He’ll always be your horse, you know.”
    Nodding, Alec answered, “It’s the only way,