bopping Sal over the head with a rubber bat when the ring announcer spoke.
“Our first junior barrel racer is Ms. Mary Corona from Arden Springs. Give her a big howdy, folks!”
Applause rippled through the crowd. The girls clowned through their routine while Mary Corona raced around the barrels. “If we keep an ear on the announcer, we can hear when Stevie’s turn comes,” Carole whispered as Lisa honked her big rubber nose.
“I know.” Lisa winked back as Mary Corona crossed the finish line and the crowd laughed at their antics.
Clowning all the way, Sal and Carole pushed Lisa in the buggy down toward the middle of the arena. Over in the adult part of the rodeo, cowboys were trying to remain seated on bucking broncos while their crowd cheered. The other team of rodeo clowns and the pickup riders were working hard to see that all the cowboys got off their broncs and out of the arena safely.
“Wow,” Lisa said as Sal stopped the baby carriage. “Looks like they’re working a lot harder than we are.”
“They are right now, but just wait till those goats come out,” laughed Sal.
“Look!” Carole pointed to the far end of the arena. “Stevie’s up next. I can see her at the starting line. And Gabriel’s right after her!”
“Okay,” Sal said. “I’ll start juggling so y’all can watch, but remember not to cheer for her. We’re clowns, and clowns root for everybody.”
Sal started juggling three bowling pins while Carole and Lisa pretended to fight over the baby carriage. “Our next contestant is Ms. Stevie Lake,” the announcer said. “All the way from Willow Creek, Virginia! Let’s give this little Southern belle a big hand!”
The crowd cheered. All the pioneers from the wagon train were sitting together, so an especially loud chorus of whistles and cheers went up from them. Carole and Lisa looked at each other and rolled their eyes at the idea of Stevie’s being a Southern belle. Then the starting buzzer sounded. They paused in their make-believe fight and held their breath as Stevie and Tumbleweed shot out of the chute. Stevie leaned into the first turn just as Jeannie and Eli had taught her at the Bar None Ranch; then they flew toward the second barrel. Tumbleweed’s ears were slapped back as he galloped, and the girls could see a look of grim determination on Stevie’s face. They twisted around the last barrel, then dashed toward the finish line. As they crossed it, a huge cheer went up from the crowd. Carole could see Mr. Cate standing up and whistling while Karen Nicely rang a cowbell.
“Whoa, Nellie!” the ring announcer cried. “That littleSouthern belle can ride!” He paused, then continued, “Our next contestant is Gabriel Jackson, who’s visiting us from Montana. Let her rip, Gabriel!”
Lisa and Carole watched as Gabriel and Napoleon took their place behind the starting line. When the buzzer sounded, the big palomino burst forward in a rush. He and Gabriel slid around the first barrel and raced to the second. They circled it cleanly. Gabriel leaned forward in the saddle and whacked Napoleon’s rump as they circled the last barrel and rode hard toward the finish line. Again a cheer arose from the crowd as Gabriel pulled up in a cloud of dust.
“Nice job, young man,” the ring announcer said. “That’s all our barrel racing contestants, folks, and in just a moment we’ll announce our results.”
“What do you think?” Lisa asked Carole nervously.
“I don’t know.” Carole frowned. “They both looked awfully fast from this end of the arena.”
They hurried back to where Sal was trying to juggle a tennis racket, a baseball bat, and a feather. The crowd roared with laughter as she got two things going but never all three together.
“How’d she do?” Sal whispered as the tennis racket came crashing to the ground at her feet.
“We don’t know yet,” said Carole. “They’re figuring up the results.”
“Well, we need to go get on our horses,” Sal
“Our first junior barrel racer is Ms. Mary Corona from Arden Springs. Give her a big howdy, folks!”
Applause rippled through the crowd. The girls clowned through their routine while Mary Corona raced around the barrels. “If we keep an ear on the announcer, we can hear when Stevie’s turn comes,” Carole whispered as Lisa honked her big rubber nose.
“I know.” Lisa winked back as Mary Corona crossed the finish line and the crowd laughed at their antics.
Clowning all the way, Sal and Carole pushed Lisa in the buggy down toward the middle of the arena. Over in the adult part of the rodeo, cowboys were trying to remain seated on bucking broncos while their crowd cheered. The other team of rodeo clowns and the pickup riders were working hard to see that all the cowboys got off their broncs and out of the arena safely.
“Wow,” Lisa said as Sal stopped the baby carriage. “Looks like they’re working a lot harder than we are.”
“They are right now, but just wait till those goats come out,” laughed Sal.
“Look!” Carole pointed to the far end of the arena. “Stevie’s up next. I can see her at the starting line. And Gabriel’s right after her!”
“Okay,” Sal said. “I’ll start juggling so y’all can watch, but remember not to cheer for her. We’re clowns, and clowns root for everybody.”
Sal started juggling three bowling pins while Carole and Lisa pretended to fight over the baby carriage. “Our next contestant is Ms. Stevie Lake,” the announcer said. “All the way from Willow Creek, Virginia! Let’s give this little Southern belle a big hand!”
The crowd cheered. All the pioneers from the wagon train were sitting together, so an especially loud chorus of whistles and cheers went up from them. Carole and Lisa looked at each other and rolled their eyes at the idea of Stevie’s being a Southern belle. Then the starting buzzer sounded. They paused in their make-believe fight and held their breath as Stevie and Tumbleweed shot out of the chute. Stevie leaned into the first turn just as Jeannie and Eli had taught her at the Bar None Ranch; then they flew toward the second barrel. Tumbleweed’s ears were slapped back as he galloped, and the girls could see a look of grim determination on Stevie’s face. They twisted around the last barrel, then dashed toward the finish line. As they crossed it, a huge cheer went up from the crowd. Carole could see Mr. Cate standing up and whistling while Karen Nicely rang a cowbell.
“Whoa, Nellie!” the ring announcer cried. “That littleSouthern belle can ride!” He paused, then continued, “Our next contestant is Gabriel Jackson, who’s visiting us from Montana. Let her rip, Gabriel!”
Lisa and Carole watched as Gabriel and Napoleon took their place behind the starting line. When the buzzer sounded, the big palomino burst forward in a rush. He and Gabriel slid around the first barrel and raced to the second. They circled it cleanly. Gabriel leaned forward in the saddle and whacked Napoleon’s rump as they circled the last barrel and rode hard toward the finish line. Again a cheer arose from the crowd as Gabriel pulled up in a cloud of dust.
“Nice job, young man,” the ring announcer said. “That’s all our barrel racing contestants, folks, and in just a moment we’ll announce our results.”
“What do you think?” Lisa asked Carole nervously.
“I don’t know.” Carole frowned. “They both looked awfully fast from this end of the arena.”
They hurried back to where Sal was trying to juggle a tennis racket, a baseball bat, and a feather. The crowd roared with laughter as she got two things going but never all three together.
“How’d she do?” Sal whispered as the tennis racket came crashing to the ground at her feet.
“We don’t know yet,” said Carole. “They’re figuring up the results.”
“Well, we need to go get on our horses,” Sal
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