At this retort the Virginian permitted himself to laugh in audible sympathy.
“Sprung,” continued Balaam, with a sigh. “Whirling round short when his bones were soft did that. Yes.”
“Sprung!” Shorty said, with a bark of indignation. “Come on, Pede; you and me'll spring for town.”
He caught the horn of the saddle, and as he swung into place the horse rushed away with him. “O-ee! yoi-yup, yup, yup!” sang Shorty, in the shrill cow dialect. He made Pedro play an exhibition game of speed, bringing him round close to Balaam in a wide circle, and then he vanished in dust down the left-bank trail.
Balaam looked after him and laughed harshly. He had seen trout dash about like that when the hook in their jaw first surprised them. He knew Shorty would show the pony off, and he knew Shorty's love for Pedro was not equal to his need of money. He called to one of his men, asked something about the dam at the mouth of the canyon, where the main irrigation ditch began, made a remark about the prolonged drought, and then walked to his dining-room door, where, as he expected, Shorty met him.
“Say,” said the youth, “do you consider that's any way to talk about a good horse?”
“Any dude could see the leg's sprung,” said Balaam. But he looked at Pedro's shoulder, which was well laid back; and he admired his points, dark in contrast with the buckskin, and also the width between the eyes.
“Now you know,” whined Shorty, “that it ain't sprung any more than your leg's cork. If you mean the right leg ain't plumb straight, I can tell you he was born so. That don't make no difference, for it ain't weak. Try him onced. Just as sound and strong as iron. Never stumbles. And he don't never go to jumpin' with yu'. He's kind and he's smart.” And the master petted his pony, who lifted a hoof for another handshake.
Of course Balaam had never thought the leg was sprung, and he now took on an unprejudiced air of wanting to believe Shorty's statements if he only could.
“Maybe there's two years' work left in that leg,” he now observed.