Pony Tails 1

Breechers:
Chapter 1
I tapped my quill on my writing note book and listened to the seconds tick by on the old grandfather clock in the parlor.
"Felicity!" Mother shouted from across the room where she sat with the mending. "Your spraying ink all over!" I looked down at the once blank pages of my book and say the ink blots the now dotted the page.
"Sorry mother." I said dipping my quill into the ink pot and tried my handwriting lesson again. Soon the carful scrip turned messy and wavy and then the started galloping off to drawing of my mare, Penny. Fed up with this lesson i picked my head up. "Mother, can I be exused?"
"Are you finished with your work?" She asked. I looked down at the mess of a page.
"Well......no but I want to enter Penny into the May day race like last year. Mr. Ryner will go home soon and I want to make sure I get Penny in." Mother sighed.
"Very well, Take Ben and see if your father need anymore deliveries done by tonight." Ben looked up from his spot on the floor. He was trying to teach William how to play chess, to no avail. He sighed and go up. Ben had just returned from his term in the American militia last fall and I must say, Four years did him well. He was handsome now. Well, he was handsome before he went but now I an mature enough to see. The night Ben came home he pointed out that four years had did me well too. Although went I look in the mirror I still see the spunky, spirited red-head I was alway except now, my eyes look more like emeralds like frog ponds
"Come on Lissy, lets go." Ben said leading they way out the door. "Who is riding Penny in the race?" Ben asked as we stepped into the cool late winter air. Penny was my horse but the race only allowed men riders. usually I would pick Ben because he is lighter then my father and more skilled then William.
"Will you?" I asked. Last time Ben rode Penny someone had snuck burrs under Penny's saddle pad, causing us to loose the race and Penny to be deemed unrideable for two weeks.
"Sure, Lissy." He said assending the steps to my father's general store. I followed him.
"Miss.Merriman , How nice to see you." Father teased.
"Mr. Merriman, it's a pleasure." I chuckled, bowing my head.
"We just stopped in to see if there is any last minute deliveries, sir." Ben asked. Father nodded and slipped into the back room. Ben and I stood in the near empty store. He turned to me and took my hand and kissed it. Oh, have I mentioned we've been courting for a few weeks. We are keeping it a secret until next winter when Ben becomes a shop owner. Father came out carrying a heavy sack of flour and Ben dropped my hand.
"Take this to Mr.Nye." Ben nodded, taking the heavy bag. We left the store and walked southward to Jiggy Nye's Tannery.
"Mr Nye!" I called at the gate of a pasture. If I knew my friend, he would be out riding his horse. Nye loved horses almost as much as I did.
"Aye?" Said a voice coming from behind a thicket of trees.Nye came trotting up on his dark bay gelding.
"We Brought you your order from the merrimans!" Ben called. Nye trotted his horse al the way up to the fence.
"Hey Pachino." I said rubbing the horse's neck.
"They payment is on the back porch, 5 pennies right?" Just leave the flour there." He pointed to a pile of pennies on the old peeling porch. It's hard to belive that this was the same man who almost beat my beloved Penny to death.
"Thanks Mr.Nye." Ben said, tucking the money into his pocket. He tipped his had in a goodbye.
"Maybe you and I could go ridin together, lass." Nye offered.
"Yes, we should soon." I said. "goodbye Mr.Nye." I said as Ben and I walked to Mr.Ryner's tavern.