by J A Whiting
Mae drove the white carriage down a side street to the pick-up stand at the curb and halted Steel. Right behind her was Ross, driving the black Landau with Copper in the shafts. The festival itself was right across the street in a large grassy park, which was now filled with tents and booths which would present music, food, crafts, dancing, and anything else that would fit in at an Irish celebration.
The festival wasn't officially open yet though as it had to be piped open, and the crowds were lining the streets for the ceremony. Off in the distance, but growing closer by the moment, Mae heard the pounding of drums and the skirling of bagpipes.
The crowds cheered when they saw the kilted bagpipers and drummers from the Dublin Police Department coming along the same side street that the horses had just walked down. Mae noticed that one of the pipers marched with a slight limp, but still moved along just fine even while contending with a set of bagpipes.
Steel raised his head and swung it around to see where the noise was coming from, but he seemed to remember hearing them from the day before and, perhaps, years ago, from his days pulling a carriage in New York City. He merely watched and was not too concerned, for at least he had heard them coming this time.
Those pipes at yesterday's parade startled me, too, when they all suddenly sounded up at once right in front of us.
Behind her, though, Mae heard Copper give a low rattling snort at the strange sight and sound of the droning pipes. It could be that the pounding drums were scaring him, too. Until coming to Mae not long ago, Copper had spent his entire life deep in Amish country and had absolutely no experience with the sights and sounds of the modern world. But that was why Ross always advised getting him out to see things as much as possible, just as they were doing today.
Glancing back, she could see Copper start to swing sideways toward the curb as though wanting to go elsewhere for safety, but Ross quickly pulled him back down and insisted that he stay where he was. With one more long snort, Copper gave in and stayed right behind Steel's carriage, though he did continue to watch the pipers closely.
Ross always tells me to "provide leadership for the horse." And he's right about that, every single time.
The group marched past and continued down the street in the official opening of the festival and cheers and applause followed them all the way. Now all of the booths could open for business.
There were already people lined up for the carriage rides, and over the next couple of hours, Mae and Ross took full loads of families and friends for trips around the pretty neighborhood streets of Dublin, Ohio. The Irish spirit was everywhere and Mae was very happy to see how much the people were enjoying her horses.
When she came back from one of the rides, it was time for a ten-minute break for the horses so they could get some water and relax a bit. Ross was already at the pick-up stand with a Festival volunteer who was bringing Copper some water. Steel reached for his own filled bucket.
Mae noticed that the volunteer who had brought the water was a young blond woman, not too tall, with a curvy figure. And she was also looking up at Mae and waving to her.
"Hey, there, Chloe." Mae smiled at the young woman, happy to see her.
Chloe was attending Ohio State, and she and Mae had met after a young man had tragically been found dead in the back of Mae's carriage on New Year’s Eve. Chloe and the young man had been dating for a short time, and Chloe had been a great help to the police in trying to solve the case.
She and Mae had formed a bond during that time, and Chloe and Mae’s son, Brandon, had been dating for a while. "How are you, Chloe? What brings you out here today?"
"Hello, Mae," called Chloe, still holding the bucket as Steel lifted his head from it. "I heard you were going to be here today. I knew they needed some helpers, so I signed up.”
"Well, it's wonderful to see you," said Mae, and she meant it. "The horses will be glad to see you, too.”
"They look gorgeous. I'll be here all afternoon, so just let me know if you need anything."
"Hey, Mom. Remember me?"
Startled, Mae turned towards the street at the sound of a familiar voice and saw her younger son.
"Brandon! What are you doing here today?"
The young man was nineteen years old and a student at Ohio State. He was the one who liked horses and driving while her older son, Andrew, was quite happy to stay up in Michigan at medical school and preferred books to barns.
Brandon nodded to a small group of other young men standing behind him. "Just wanted to get away from the campus for a little while. Those guys standing there didn't believe that my mother drove horse carriages. So here we are, to get some food, have a little fun, and let me win a bet."
"Well, it's true. I do drive horse carriages," said Mae, nodding to the group. "And Brandon sometimes drives, too."
All of them laughed.
"Okay, Mom. We're gonna go look for some food. See you a little later."
After waving goodbye to Brandon and his friends, Mae saw a man in a kilt walk up to Ross from the street side of the carriage. The man had the insignia of the Dublin Police Department on his jacket and Mae realized he was actually one of the pipers in the corps that had paraded in earlier.
She also noticed that he walked with a slight limp and had to be the same man she’d noticed when the corps marched in to open the festival.
He and Ross seemed to know each other. The two of them shook hands and chatted for a moment, and then Ross stepped down to the street, glanced back, and waved at Mae to come over to them.
"Chloe," Mae called, "would you mind holding Steel for a moment? I'll be right back."
"Oh, not at all. Take your time," said the young woman, setting down the bucket and patting the big grey horse on the neck.
"Thanks, he won't give you any trouble." Mae noticed that Brandon was still there and it looked like he was showing the horses to his group of friends. He’d help Chloe if she needed anything.
"Steel and I are old friends already," said Chloe. And almost right away, a couple of the young woman's friends joined her to take selfies with the horse.
Steel won't mind that. He'll just rest until I come back, though he might pester them for treats.
Mae left the long reins on the floor of the driver's box, stepped down to the hub of the front wheel, and hopped down to the street before hurrying over to the black carriage where Ross stood at Copper's head with the man in the kilt.
Ross nodded to her and the other man stepped back to face her.
"Mae, this is my friend Joe Burke," said Ross. "Saw him at the downtown parade, but there was no time to talk then. I first made his acquaintance back when I was still living in Texas and thinking of getting a place out here."
The man shook hands with her, looking quite well turned out in his dress shirt, jacket, cap, and kilt. "Pleased to meet you, Mae," said Joe. "I know Ross is a good man, even though he doesn't want anyone else to think so."
She laughed as she took his hand. "All my horses love Ross, so that makes him a good man in my book."
"That's just because I feed them," said Ross, and they all laughed in agreement.
"I met him when he came out here a few years ago, thinking about working for us," Joe continued. "I showed him around the county since he'd never been here before. I hoped to convince him to stay. But all his visit did was let him find a horse barn for sale, and that was the end of him working for our little police department."
Ross just shrugged and reached up to straighten Copper's mane. "Turned out to be easier to throw hay and shovel out stalls, so I went with that."
"It was certainly good luck for me that he did," said Mae. "Goodnight Farm is the ideal place for me to keep my carriage horses. I know they're getting the best of care. And Ross even goes with me to most events to help me out."
"I'm glad it worked out for him," agreed Joe. "Even though it means that since he decided not to join our force, there's probably not much chance of ever seeing him in a kilt."
&nbs
p; Ross gave him the most unbelieving stare that Mae had ever seen, and she struggled to keep from bursting out laughing.
"Oh, he wears that Stetson even when dressed up to drive the carriage, just like now," she said. "I don't think a Stetson would go with a kilt."
"I guess we'd best give up on that," agreed Joe.
"Aside from my choice of hat," said Ross, "I've invited Joe to come out to the farm to see the horses. Said he'll bring his bagpipes with him."
"That's right," said Joe. "Ross tells me you get a lot of calls for funerals. I do, too, and I'll tell you that I've been to one or two with a carriage horse who clearly had never heard the pipes before."
"Yes, indeed," said Mae fervently. "That's what we intend to avoid. We try to get the horses used to whatever might come up. When I have a funeral to do, we'll surely give you an invitation to come with your bagpipes. And, of course, we'll pay you for your time. It would be a great help to us."
Joe held up one hand. "I wouldn't hear of being paid. I'll be sure to send any business I hear of to you, and you can do the same for me. It all works best when everyone helps each other."
Mae smiled, glancing up at Ross. "I think so, too," she said. "Lots of people love having a piper play at their weddings, along with bringing the bride in a horse-drawn carriage. I haven't done too many weddings yet, but the season is coming up. There will be no end to the work for the three of us."
"That's right," said Ross. "And we'd better get back to it."
Mae looked over at the lines of people patiently waiting for the carriage rides to begin again. "Wow, no kidding. Joe, it was very nice meeting you. Ross, Steel and I will be right behind you."
She hurried over to the carriage and climbed up to the box, waving to Brandon who was talking to Chloe. Mae took up the reins and watched her next load of passengers get into the white Landau.
That was a stroke of luck with Ross finding an old friend who just happens to play bagpipes. We'll be able to school the horses properly about them.
Later that afternoon, after finishing their drives, Mae and Ross worked quickly to get Steel and Copper unharnessed and ready to load in the stock trailer.
"Very nice to see you have a friend out here," she said to him, as she unbuckled the sections of Steel's harness and began sliding them off.
"Just one," he said, doing the same for Copper. "Wouldn't want to overdo it."
Mae smiled. "No, no. Not at all. So, I take it you met Joe Burke because of your law enforcement connection?"
He glanced at her, and for a moment she was not sure he would answer. "No," he said carefully, placing sections of harness onto the floor of the black carriage. "I was looking at a small farm near here, near Dublin. I contacted local police to get the straight story on it. They didn't mind. That's how I met Joe."
"Oh, I see. But you ended up with the place in Galloway instead."
"Uh-huh."
"I couldn't help but notice that he walks with a limp," said Mae, rubbing Steel's damp coat with a towel to get the sweat marks off of him. "I guess that must have happened while he was working as a police officer."
Ross shook his head. "He's only ever had a desk job with the police. Injury happened years earlier. Army."
"Oh. Well, he doesn't let it slow him down. And it was nice of him to offer to help us with bagpipe training for the horses."
Ross nodded briefly. "As he said, he’ll help us and we’ll help him."
Mae grinned as she led Steel towards the trailer. "That would be perfect."
Almost as perfect as you having an actual friend outside of horses and dogs, Ross Goodnight.
A couple of days later, just as the sun was getting low in the west, Mae drove back to the barn with Copper and the white Landau in the trailer. She had been at yet another St. Patrick's Day event, this one at a private party for a workplace in the suburbs.
It was surprising how many offices and small factories just loved having a horse-drawn carriage come out and provide rides for its employees for an afternoon, usually as part of a company picnic or other reward for top performers. They paid well and the passengers often tipped, so Mae had no complaints.
These workers had thoroughly enjoyed seeing the big red-gold Copper with green ribbons in his mane, pulling the white carriage with white paper roses and green ribbons all around the edges of its folded-down top.
Mae had spent almost as much time posing for pictures as she had driving people around the company's large parking lot, but Copper didn’t mind just standing and he actually did well at a place where he didn’t have to contend with regular car traffic.
She also had to allow a woman dressed as a leprechaun to ride on the front of the carriage with her, which amused the employees to no end. Apparently the woman was one of their bosses. But Copper couldn't see what was in the carriage because of the blinkers on his bridle, so it didn’t bother him at all.
There's just no end to the things some places will do to keep their employees happy. I think all they really wanted to do was take pictures of their leprechaun boss lady on the carriage.
The event had been an easy one, and once Copper was back at Goodnight Farm and tucked in for the night, Mae drove home to her condo and settled in with a nice piece of cheese-and-vegetable lasagna, a large salad, and a couple of classic movies that she'd had queued up for a while.
First, though, she checked the local news. It was always good to know what was going on since the whole city was essentially her workplace and things such as road construction and large popular events could affect her business quite a bit.
There was a story about a string of bank robberies, a scandal about some local politicians and domestic violence, and more interstate freeway closures.
Pretty much a typical day in this part of the world.
Mae was about to get up for another piece of lasagna when she heard something that made her stop.
"And now for some sad news to report. Longtime Columbus and Delaware County resident Miles Greene, owner of Greene Farm Equipment near Powell, passed away late last Saturday night."
Mae paused, unable to move. The television screen showed news footage of Mr. Greene and his wife riding in her carriage in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, with both of them looking delighted and waving to the crowds.
That had been just three days ago.
"Mr. Greene was a U.S. Army officer for many years and retired only after a somewhat controversial career. He was well known around Central Ohio for most of his life and is survived by his wife, Velma Wheeler Greene, their three sons, and several grandchildren. He was seventy-two years old."
It was a stunning piece of news since she’d just driven him in that parade. And though he had looked somewhat frail with age, Miles Greene had still seemed to be enjoying life and looking forward to what was to come.
You should not put off the things you want to do, he had said. You never know how much time you really have.
5
"You heard about the Colonel last night?" Mae asked.
"Heard about it on the local news. I’d just sat down to dinner."
Mae sat beside Ross while he drove her dark green truck. She took a long drink of her hot coffee and then went on talking. "He died the night of the St. Patrick's Day parade. The news even showed a clip of him riding in my carriage that day."
"Too bad. Seemed like a good sort. His wife, too."
"Yes. I don't remember hearing about him before, but plenty of other folks have. He and Velma lived around Central Ohio pretty much all their lives, especially once he retired. And, there's something else that seems a little strange."
"Oh?"
"I looked for his obituary in the online newspaper this morning. You'll never guess who wrote it."
Ross gave her the barest of glances and went on driving.
"It was Crystal Walsh."
"Who?"
"That woman who met the carriage at the end of the parade. That reporter with the funny hat. She kept taking digs at Col. Greene and
trying to get him to answer questions about things that happened all those years ago."
"She didn't seem to like him much."
"No, she sure didn't. I remember she said something about having a brother who died under the colonel's command."
"It was war. Soldiers die in war. Can't protect them all."
"That's true. But maybe it's different when it's your own brother. I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't criticize her."
They rode in silence for a time.
"It's sad about Col. Greene," Mae said. "But I suppose reaching the age of seventy-two can only be seen as a good thing. And he seemed quite happy right up to the end."
"Can't expect much better than that."
Mae gazed out of the window for a moment, taking in the largely tan-and-grey landscape of very early spring as they drove along the country roads. "No, none of us can. But…"
"But, what?"
"But, I guess it's a good thing we're going to look at a black horse today. I got a call from a funeral home this morning. It was on behalf of Mrs. Greene."
"Oh."
"The colonel is being cremated. The funeral and interment will be this Monday morning, up in Delaware County. Mrs. Greene has asked that I drive the carriage that takes the colonel to his final rest."
Ross just nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. "I'm sure he'd be pleased to have you do that."
"I'm glad to do it for him. It will only be a simple procession through the cemetery to the family mausoleum, with someone holding the urn as they ride in the carriage through the cemetery."
"That's just five days from now. You could use Steel with the black carriage. He would do fine for you."
"He would. But the funeral director did say that the family would like a black horse and carriage, if possible. It will be a military procession and they want to keep it all very low-key and dignified."
