"Oh, you might," Ebenezer said. "There'd be no harm in trying, anyhow.
Racing with me would be good practice for you, even if I did win. If
you're going to have a race, don't look for an easy one! Choose a hard
one. That's the kind that will make you do your best."
Twinkleheels thanked him.
"It's very kind of Ebenezer to race with you," the Muley Cow bellowed.
"You ought to feel honored."
"I do," said Twinkleheels. "But please don't talk so loud! I don't want
everybody on the farm laughing at me because I lost a race."
The Muley Cow went into the barn grumbling.
"That pony is a young upstart," she muttered. "The idea of his telling
me not to talk so loud! Ebenezer is altogether too pleasant to him."
Old Ebenezer continued to be agreeable to Twinkleheels. They often raced
in the pasture, later. And though Twinkleheels never won once, he
enjoyed the sport.
And he never called Ebenezer "poky" again.
XI
BRIGHT AND BROAD
Farmer Green had a yoke of oxen called Bright and Broad. They were huge,
slow-moving fellows, as different from Johnnie Green's pony,
Twinkleheels, as any pair could be.
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