Ardath and Arthur had expected to be taken to the farm in a station wagon because their Father and Mother used a station wagon in Phoenix, to take them wherever they went. But they did not see a station wagon. They saw a white horse hitched to a carriage, Adam led them right to it. The horse was tied to an iron hitching post. The children cold not have been more surprised and delighted with anything they might have seen.
Father helped Adam and the porter put the luggage from the hand truck into a space in the back of the carriage. They piled the two traviling cases that Father had carried of the train on top of the other luggage and Adam put straps over the top of them so they would not slide off. The porter backed his hand truck away and father gave him some money and thanked him for being so helpful.
"Are we going to take a ride in the wagon?" Arthur asked very much excited at the idea.
Father gave Arthur a chance to say "no", by asking, "Would you like to ride in the wagon.
"Yes, I want to ride in the wagon", Arthur decided quickly. Then without asking, he decided for Ardath, too. "Ardath wants to ride in it, too." After he said, he thought he better ask her, so he said, "Don't you, Ardath?"
Father and Mother both laughed, "We are all going to ride to Grandfather's farm in it," Mother said, as Father lifted Ardath to the from seat of the carriage. Then Father helped Mother into the back seat of the carriage. Arthur got between the wheels of the carriage, found the iron step protruding from the floor of the carriage and climbed in besides Ardath without waiting to be helped.
"Take it easy, young fellow," Adam warned, "Never get between the wheels of a carriage unless the horse is tied and you trust your horse." Arthur didn't know much horses so he did not quite understand that the horse might push the cariage backwards and hurt him if he were between the wheels. He bounded up and down in the front seat of the carriage, a few times. Maybe he wanted to be sure he was safe there or maybe it was because it felt good to be able to move about more freely than he had been able to do on the train.
Father got into the back seat of the carriage besides Mother. Adam untied the horse from the hitching post, then took a giant step from the ground to the front of the carriage without using the iron step. The reins of the harness, the end which the driver holds, were wound around a ship holder which held a tasseled "buggy whip". Adam unwound the reins and pulled slightly on them. "Hoof-back", he said. The horse flicked one of his ears and pushed back on the shafts of the carriage to which he was hitched.
The carriage was backed away from the hitching post and the horse headed toward the street. Adam clicked his tongue and the horse flicked his other ear and started on a fast walk. He seemed to know exactly what he was supposed to do and where he was to go.
Ardath was busy looking at the strange country town. Arthur looked at the whip and wondered why Adam did not use it. When he could not keep still any longer, he asked, "When will you whip the horse?"
"This horse doesn't need to be whipped", Adam assured him.
"Then why do you have the whip, there? Arthur pointed to it.
Adam explained that all carriages had whip holders and that the whip was more for decoration than for use. Adam took the whip from the holder and swished it along side of the carriage. The horse twitched both ears, but seemed to know it wasn't meant mor him. Just then a dog came running out of a house-yard and ran along side of the carriage, barking. "See, the whip comes in handy, sometimes, to snap at annoying dogs". Adam swished the whip again and the dog ran back to the yard.
Arthur was glad the dog did not need to be switched because he like dogs. Most of all he was glad that Adam would no need to use the whip on the white horse.
They drove past several grocery stores, some houses and a Five and Ten Cent store. Berryville was a small town so theywere soon on country roads with trees growing on both sides of it. Father and Mother talked of the changes along the way since they had visited Grandfather three years earlier. Mother said, "Arthur was only a year old when we last came down this road. Eating, sleeping and learning to walk well and to climb were his main interests."
"How old was I?" Ardath asked.
" You were just a month past two years old. What you liked to do best, then, was pull the pretty heads off of Grandfather's flowers," Mother told her. "You wouldn't do that now, I'm sure", she added confidently.
"What is the horse's name?" Arthur turned to Adam.
"I call him Will'" Adam said then explained "His name is really Will Power' but no one calls him that but the Boss."
Before Arthur could ask another question, father told him "Adam calls Grandfather Boss' because his activities about the farm are directed by Grandfather.
"Oh," was all he said then began looking toward the roof of the carriage. Pointing toward the edges of the roof he asked, "Why are all those strings hanging down from the top?"
"They really are not strings. We call them fringe. They make the carriage look nice. This is a surrey and all surreys have fringe," Adam explained carefully.
It could be that Ardath was getting tired of the surrey ride because she asked, "Why are the seats fo scratchy?" As she said it she rubbed the back of her legs.
Asam said the seats were made from strong woolen threads and that they were stuffed with horse hair. "That is what makes them scratchy."
Just then there was a sudden change of scenery. Without being told, Will turned left onto another road. This road was narrower and less traveled than the road they had been traveling on from town. The green trees and native shrubs stretched out over the roadway. Sparks flew from under the horse's hooves and stones were scattered by the surrey wheels. The big white horse switched his tail over the dash board of the surrey ever few minutes, almost touching the children's noses. He began to trot faster down a winding hill.
"Here we are, folks," Adam said as he drew back
on the reins. "This is Beverly Farm, children. How do you
like it?" He made as sweeping gesture with his arm. He didn't
really expect them to answer, because he knew they could not know
so soon how they liked it.
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