“Golly, I did, didn’t I? It’s awfully hard to quit anything like that. Say, I want you girls to pinch me every time I say it, then I’ll remember.”
“You’ll get mad if we do,” replied Gertie, wise beyond her years.
“No, I won’t! Honest to goodness I won’t. I truly want to stop it.”
208“All right,” said Katy firmly, “but you will get more pinches than you are expecting.”
Katy and Gertie and poor Calico were all ready to settle down for a rest. But Chicken Little was burning to show off before Ernest and Sherm. She untied Caliph and took several turns around the tree, going faster and faster.
“Pooh,” she said after a while, “I bet I could ride Caliph anywhere. Suppose we go meet the boys. You and Gertie can both ride Calico bare back. I guess they’ll be surprised. It’s most noon; I can tell by the sun.”
“But Jane, we can’t go to meet the boys this way.” Gertie looked distressed.
“Oh, I forgot. What can we do? I’d be afraid to ride Caliph with even a short skirt–he’s never had a woman on him before.”
“What if the boys do see us? Nobody else is likely to come along just at noon. Anyway, your father thinks it’s dangerous for girls to wear long skirts to ride in. I heard him say so.” Katy was plausible and Chicken Little wanted to be persuaded.
“I don’t care, if you don’t.”