The Short Cut

Mary shouted, "Hurry up Melie, we are going to be late for school!"

I grabbed my satchel and threw it over my shoulder, climbing down the ladder as quick as it would permit my decline.

"Sorry Mary, Nellie would not give up her milk this morning. I guess my hands were too cold. I had to blow on them to warm them up. Just as I finished milking Max got out of the barn and I had to chase him down. That dang pig made it all the way to the pond before I could catch him. Good thing he didn't make it into the water or I would still be there. You know how much pigs love to swim!"

We gave Ma a hug good-bye. " Be good girls and come home right after school!"

Out the cabin door we scrambled. We gave a good-bye wave to Pa. He was hitching up our horse Tickle-Smart to the plow. Tickle-Smart was a good 'ol horse and sometimes Pa would let me gallop him across the land to our neighbor's cabin a couple of miles away. I always loved the feel of the wind blowing my hair into the sky as I rode him. It was as if I were actually flying on my four footed creature's back.

"Come on Melie, no dilly dallying. Ms. Dansworth doesn't like it when we're late. She may make us miss recess and stay inside to clean the blackboard."

"I'm a comin' as quick as my feet will let me Mary. Hold your horses!"

"Melie, at this pace they will already be recitin' the lessons and everybody will look at us with big buggy eyes wondering what might be our fate. I don't want that Johnny Mitchell lookin' at me with his brown lovesick eyes. Yuck!"

"Mary and Johnny sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G", I started to sing.

"Melie you knock that off right now! I wouldn't marry Johnny Mitchell if he was the Last Person on Earth!"

"Mary, we could cut across Mr. Brown's pasture, it would be shorter that way and save time."

"Melie, I don't know about that. I hear tale that Mr. Brown has one mean bull hangin' out around there."

"Mary, he probably isn't even there. What's worse a short cut across a pasture that is most likely empty or Johnny Mitchell?"

"Johnny Mitchell", Mary exclaimed!

We proceeded through Mr. Brown's field and sped up our pace. There was nothing in eyesight, until out of the clear blue, we heard it, a long bellowed Mooooooo, followed by rapid grunting. I was ahead of Mary at this point. Our backs were facing the unwelcoming sound that had broken the peace of our scamper. We both slowly turned. He was in the middle of the field and he was staring at Mary, snorting and pawing the ground. He was one huge, angry, and ugly bull! Mary was slowly backing away inch by inch. She was trying to put herself between me and the bull.

"Mary, you have on your red sweater. I heard bulls don't like RED!"

"Melie, I am going to carefully take off my sweater and I'm going to throw it away from us. When I do, run for the fence. Don't look back no matter what! You get through that fence! I'm going to try and make a run for it, if he goes for my sweater."

With measured movements Mary dropped her books on the ground and got her arms out of the sweater.

"Okay, Now," Mary yelled and tossed the sweater in the opposite direction.

I split for the fence as fast as my legs would carry me. Once I got through I glanced back. Mary had zigzagged in the opposite direction making sure the bull would avoid me and go after her if he made a full on charge. Mary was trying to get to the tree in the corner of the pasture. It was the only tree in the field, her only source of protection. The bull had gone for the sweater and it had gotten caught on his horns and was covering his eyes. A guardian angel must be watching over us, with the bulls eyes covered Mary would have a chance to get to her only resource of safety. The bull was getting angrier by the moment as he fought to get the sweater off his face. Mary made it to the tree and like a bear climbed as high as she could get. This put her off the ground, but not as high up as she would of liked to have been. The bull would still be able to see her once he caught wind of her position. The bull finally freed his sweater blindfold and now he wasn't just angry he was raging! He set out on a quest to let it be known that he was one cross bull. He charged across the field towards the fence making a sharp turn before hitting it. I could see the glint of the silver ring in his nose as his head turned.

"Mary, hang on tight! I am going for help!"

I ran like a pronghorn to school. Inside I went, breathing rapidly and noisily disturbing everyone. All eyes were on me, including Johnny Mitchell's lovesick eyes. My own eyes were wide with fright.

"Melie, are you alright? Where is Mary?", Ms. Dansworth inquired.

"Mary and I were going to be late. We thought you'd be upset so we took a short cut through Mr. Brown's field. There is...There is , a bull in there and right now he is raging around the field. Mary was trying to protect me so she went the other way towards the tree and now she is up in it, hangin' on for dear life!"

Ms. Dansworth went into action.

"Sally, you are a good runner go get their Pa, then go into town and get the doctor just in case."

I started to cry at the thought of what could happen to Mary. Johnny Mitchell was already out the school door running towards the pasture with those lovesick eyes he had for Mary. The knight in shining armor was off to rescue his damsel in distress.

A short time later Ma showed up at school. I ran into her arms crying into her apron.

"It will be okay Melie. Pa's gone to the pasture and you know Pa won't let anything happen to Mary."

"Johnny Mitchell has gone there too Ma. I think he is smitten with Mary."

"Okay, then Pa and Johnny Mitchell are going to be there to help Mary. You'll see she will come walkin' through that door in no time."

An hour passed by and I was getting more worried by the minute. I heard laughter and footsteps coming up the path to school. There was Pa, Mary, and Johnny Mitchell and they were all laughing. How could they be laughing at a time like this?

"Pa, why are you laughing?"

Pa gave me his big grin still chuckling. "Well it seems Johnny here found Mr. Brown's prize heifer in the other pasture. He went and got her and brought her up to the side of the fence closest to the bull. Whe the bull saw her he had more of a hankering for the heifer than he did for Mary. She was able to get down from the tree and through the fence to us."

Mary turned and looked up at Johnny Mitchell with her blue lovesick eyes.