You’ll be living at home and that will save dormitory expenses. What do you say to that, Alec?”

There it was, right in his lap, Alec thought. And his father was standing there, awaiting his reply. Any way you looked at it, the proposition was a fair one. Everything was as he had wanted it … except that he would have to leave his colt. And he knew that his father and Henry were right about his going back to school. For in the end he’d probably be a better trainer. And, he reminded himself, it wouldn’t be a full year away from Satan. There would be Christmas vacation coming up within a couple of months, and a short time later June would have arrived, and he’d have the whole summer to spend with his colt. And the following fall Satan would be nearly a two-year-old and ready for real training; then he’d transfer to a New York school and be around all the time. “Okay, Dad,” he said. “It’s a deal.”

His father held out his hand and Alec grasped it, saying, “Guess we’re in business, Dad.”

“Yes,” his father replied gravely, “I guess we are.” He had started to leave the room after mumbling something about seeing Alec’s mother, when Alec stopped him.

“There’s just one other thing, Dad.” Alec walked quickly over to his desk, sat down, and began writing. Moving over behind him, his father read what Alec wrote:

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I, Alexander William Ramsay, upon this date do sell my black colt, Satan, to William Augustus Ramsay, my father, for the sum of one dollar ($1.00).

Mr. Ramsay saw his son hesitate as he neared the end of the note, look out the window toward the barn, then turn back to the paper. Quickly Alec signed and dated it before blotting the wet ink.

“I’m dating it tomorrow,” Alec said slowly, “… we can go downtown tomorrow and have it notarized.”

“Pretty official, isn’t it?” his father asked, smiling. Then he saw Alec’s drawn face and added seriously, “You’re sure you want to handle it this way, Alec? He’ll always be your horse, you know.”

Nodding, Alec answered, “It’s the only way, Dad.” And handing the note over to his father, he said, “You keep it.”

His father read the note again and then placed his hand in his pocket, withdrawing a dollar bill, which he gave to Alec. Then he left the room.

And after his father had gone Alec stood looking out the window toward the barn, the dollar bill clenched in his fist.

SATAN RUNS FREE
6

A week had passed since the colt’s arrival, and the days had sped by quickly for Alec, too quickly … for on the following morning he was to leave for school. He had just finished building the wooden fence extending across the lower end of the hollow to keep Satan from the heavy underbrush and thistles, and now he sat down in the grass and wondered if Henry would arrive before nightfall.

Sebastian, who had been sitting in the shade of the tall oak tree on the rim of the hollow, pulled himself lazily to his feet and trotted slowly down the embankment. When he reached Alec, the dog slumped down in the grass beside him.

Alec stroked the puppy’s wet coat. At least Sebastian was as good as ever, he thought, and that was something to be thankful for. His thoughts turned again to Henry. The old man hadn’t written, but perhaps it was better that way. If anything had gone wrong, Alec felt certain that he would have heard from Henry. But what if he didn’t show up? What if Boldt made him fulfill his contract, and kept him out there for two more months? What about the colt?

The days Alec had spent around Satan had convinced him that the colt couldn’t be left alone, not even with Tony around. For the black-haired huckster disliked Satan because the colt, in turn, hated him and old Napoleon. “In fact,” Alec muttered, “Satan seems to hate everyone from the way he acts … even me.”

He gazed once more at the fence on which he’d spent most of his time during the past week. Everything was ready for Satan to graze in the field now, and maybe that would help matters. Alec knew the colt disliked the lead rope to which he had been held while grazing. Several times during the week he had attempted to break away, and once had even tried to savage him as he had Napoleon that first night. But Alec could handle him now.