Free Pit Pony by Joyce Barkhouse Page B

covered.
    When the last gift had been donated, the leader was unmasked.
    It was old Charley, with his long, white beard and twinkling blue eyes.
    â€œCharley! How did you get here?” cried Willie.
    â€œA brownie told me about the Calluinn ,” said Charley. He winked at Ned, and Willie knew who the brownie was.
    Already, Freddie the Fiddler was getting out his violin. In a moment, a space was cleared in the middle of the kitchen floor for the dancers and singers and storytellers.
    Willie had been at many ceilidhs before. He always wondered how so many people could get into such a small room and still have space to dance more than one couple at a time. He loved music and soon his toes were tapping. He joined in the singing until someone called out, “Whistle us a tune, Wee Willie Maclean!”
    â€œWhat shall I whistle, then?”
    â€œGive us a Nova Scotia tune!”
    â€œWhat shall it be?”
    â€œGive us ‘The Braes of Margaree.’”
    Willie stood with his hands in his ragged pants pockets, and whistled the lilting tune. Soon voices joined in, singing in Gaelic of the beauties of the Cape Breton countryside in summer, of green meadows and grazing cattle, of birds singing, of men fishing for salmon in the broad rivers. They sang of the companionship of joyful milling-frolics, of parties and of weddings ... and when it came to that part, at the end of the song, Willie saw that Ned had his arm around Nellie. He held her close and kissed her.
    Willie bowed to his audience and went back to his place. Then old Charley took the floor.
    â€œI have a story to tell,” he said.
    Everybody listened.
    â€œIt’s the story of a young lad whose father and brother were hurt in a mining accident. He was a boy who didn’t want to be a miner, but when there was no wage earner in the family he went down into the mine to work as a trapper. This boy had a great love of horses. There was a pit pony in the mine — a Sable Island horse — which he loved above all others. A day came when he was able to be a driver. He was happy to drive the pit pony he loved. Then one day there was a bump — an explosion — in the seam where he worked. He might have run for his life but he heard someone call for help. He went back, and saved another boy’s life.

    â€œThat night a strange thing happened. His pit pony gave birth to a foal. Although she died soon after the birthing, it was a kind of miracle. Such a thing had never happened in a mine before. What could the Company do with a foal?
    â€œLet me tell you that this boy had many friends. One of his friends was a farmer. He offered to buy the foal and keep it on his farm. But the Company decided to give the foal to the boy, with the understanding that the farmer would agree to keep it on his farm — for the time being.”
    Old Charley paused. The room was so quiet, Willie thought everybody could hear his heart pounding for joy.
    â€œCome out on the floor, Wee Willie. I have a paper for you, signed by the Mine Manager. It says the foal — name of ‘Sandy’ — will be registered in your name.”
    Willie stepped out, smiling so hard it hurt his face. Charley gave him the paper and a light slap on the back. Everybody clapped.
    Then Freddie the Fiddler began to play a farewell tune. People shouted and sang as they prepared to go home. Soon, everyone had gone except Charley. He would sleep on the couch by the stove that night.
    â€œI wish Pa could have been here,” said Willie.
    â€œThat reminds me,” said Charley. “I stopped by to tell your dad about this. You know he’ll be home for Christmas. But he sent word that as soon as John goes back to work, you can go back to school, if you want.”
    Willie looked around for a chair and sat down with a plunk. His mind was in a whirl. He didn’t know what to say or think.
    â€œYou don’t have to decide right now, Willie. Pa said