"Nothing will. That is, nothing bad."
Joe fought his mule to a standstill, bridled her, mounted, and let her
choose her own pace home. The sun was high when he rode into his yard.
Her face tear streaked and her eyes red, Barbara came to meet him.
Joe's heart leaped in sudden panic; little Emma had been sick when he
left. He said,
"What's wrong?"
"The cow!" Barbara choked back a sob. "Clover! She broke her leg while
you were away and Pete Domley shot her!"
Barbara threw herself into his arms, and for the first time in years she
sobbed like the little girl he had once known. Joe hugged her very
tightly and stroked her slim back with his rough hand. The day had been
a good one, and he had learned much that he needed to know. But he had
not learned, he now realized with a poignant uneasiness, how to prepare
a sensitive young girl for the hardships and dangers she must face in
the long journey ahead of them.