Ticktock and Jim

by Carol Norton

  Chapter Fifteen A Long Night

  Jim was still sitting on the ground beside Ticktock when Dr. Cornby andthe editor arrived. The veterinarian wasted no time, but after a shortgreeting to the family, immediately went to work. Using a flash light, hemade a careful examination of the broken leg. Jim watched every move withpainful anxiety. Hopefully he looked at Dr. Cornby's face as the latterstood up from his inspection.

  "Can you fix it?" he asked. There was desperate pleading in his voice.

  "I don't know, Jim. It's a clean break, no jagged edges, so we can try.You can usually set a leg, but whether it will be successful is always agamble. Ticktock and you will play a much more important part in thisthan I will. You have a much tougher job ahead of you than I have."

  "I'm willing to do anything," answered Jim promptly.

  The veterinarian looked around appraisingly and then issued instructions.A long lighting cord was found and stretched from the nearest socket tofurnish illumination at the pony's side. The accident had occurredbeneath one of the large trees in the yard. Thoughtfully Dr. Cornbylooked up at a big limb almost directly overhead.

  "If we had equipment, the best thing would be to move him out to hisstall in the barn, but we'd need a tow truck or a derrick to do it.However, there is always the possibility of doing still more damage bymoving him and, also, the sooner we set the leg the better. We are luckyin that we can raise him right here, but if we do, he's going to be herea long time. Now can you rig up some sort of padded frame like the sideof a stall so Ticktock can lean against it and rest?"

  "Certainly," replied Mr. Meadows. "We can do anything that's necessary."

  "O.K.," said the veterinarian. "Mrs. Meadows, you are going to have ahorse cluttering up your back yard for some time." She only smiled toshow her lack of concern, so he continued. "First, I need a good strongblock and tackle."

  The block and tackle was securely fastened to the limb overhead and thenDr. Cornby produced a wide canvas bellyband to go under Ticktock's body,a breeching and a breast strap. He worked rapidly with only an occasionalcomment.

  "Got to put him out to keep him quiet," he said, producing a jug ofliquid and a complicated appearing apparatus with a long tube. "This ischloral hydrate which I am going to administer intravenously in thejugular vein. Just as simple as giving plasma to a person."

  Ticktock gave a start of pain and terror as the vein was pierced but in afew minutes his nervous trembling had ceased, his legs relaxed, and hishead drooped heavily in Jim's lap.

  "I'll have to raise him to get at that leg," said the doctor.

  By dint of much pulling, pushing and lifting, the wide bellyband wasshoved beneath the mustang's body and the ends hooked to the block andtackle. Slowly and carefully the limp horse was raised. When the inertbody was clear of the ground, they readjusted its position and thensecured the breast strap and breech band in place to keep Ticktock fromsliding out of the sling. The injured animal was then raised until hisfeet dangled clear of the ground by a few inches. A final adjustment wasmade so that his hind feet were slightly lower than his fore feet. Withhis head hanging limply downward, poor Ticktock certainly presented aforlorn and pitiful sight.

  In the meantime, Bill Arnold had been preparing the material for aplaster cast. Dr. Cornby worked rapidly and soon had the leg set andpadded ready for it.

  "I wish I had a fluoroscope or some means of taking an X ray to see if Ihave that bone in exact apposition," he said as he worked. "I have to goby touch entirely, but I think I've got it right."

  After the plaster cast had been applied and was hardening, theveterinarian sat down to relax for a few minutes. He lighted his pipe anddrew in the smoke gratefully. Jim gave a big sigh of relief and lookedhopefully at Dr. Cornby. He had been afraid to utter a sound while thedoctor had been working, but now he felt he could talk.

  "He's going to be all right now, isn't he, Doctor?" he asked anxiously.

  "I wish I could say yes definitely, but I can't, Jim. The battle has onlybegun. Only the simple part is over. I'm not going to kid you but tellyou just what can and does happen in most cases."

  "O.K.," said Jim grimly.

  "A horse has one of the most sensitive nervous systems of all animals,which is the one thing that makes matters so difficult when they have anaccident. They are particularly susceptible to any pain, which makes themwrithe around, kick and do everything they shouldn't when they have abroken bone. On the other hand, you can't keep them quiet by keeping themunder dope because their nervous system just won't stand it for anylength of time. That's why a race horse seldom recovers from a brokenleg--he's such a nervous animal he won't keep still."

  "Ticktock's not nervous," said Jim promptly.

  "No, he's a rather calm little pony, but on the other hand, he's noplacid cow. I've seen times when he acted pretty spirited; so it won't bebeer and skittles keeping him quiet. And you've got to do it. Now younotice how sloping a horse's leg is. It's difficult to keep a plastercast in place--if the break were above the knee it would be next toimpossible. The muscles in the leg are very powerful and if the horsestarts moving, the contraction of those muscles is enough to pull thebones out of apposition, by that I mean out of line, and then he's donefor."

  "I'll keep him quiet," said Jim with determination. "I'll stay right herebeside Ticktock all the time."

  "It'll be a long vigil," said Dr. Cornby smiling sympathetically. "He'sgoing to be in that sling at least six weeks. Of course, the first twoweeks are the most important. After that the bone has begun to knit andwon't pull apart so easily. Now the next thing is to keep him happy andeating. I don't know how to tell you to do this. You know the horse andwill have to figure it out for yourself. I've known some horses thatwould absolutely refuse to eat anything when they were in pain. In onecase I tried feeding a horse through a tube to keep him alive. NowTicktock shouldn't be in pain after this, but he'll be nervous being inthat sling. You've got to keep him calm and happy enough to eat."

  Jim was not discouraged by this ominous warning. He felt confident thathe could keep the mustang quiet and contented. Ticktock would eat forhim.

  "Now there's one more problem," said Dr. Cornby. "We'll lower him in afew minutes so that some of his weight is resting on his feet. I thinkthe way we have him set most of it will be on his hind feet. Each daywe'll put more weight on his feet until finally the sling will just bethere to keep him from lying down and for him to use when he wants torest. Now some horses never lie down to sleep. I've had farmers tell methat some of their horses have stood as long as a couple of years withoutlying down other than to roll when they were in the pasture. Stillthere's danger when you force a horse to stand for six weeks in a slingthat he might get laminitis, or founder."

  "What's that?" asked Arnold.

  "It's the same thing that happens when a horse is overworked, allowed todrink all the water he wants and then stand. The blood vessels in thefeet are injured. The blood from the arteries passes through tiny bloodvessels, called capillaries, into the veins and back to the heart. Theselittle blood vessels are permanently damaged and the coffin joint, insidethe hoof, suffers and drops out of position. The sole of the foot alsodrops. You can help mild cases of founder, but the horse is never up tomuch except very light work. Even if he recovers he is usually lame untilhis blood warms up."

  "What can we do to prevent it?" asked Mr. Meadows while Jim listenedanxiously.

  "Well, building that padded barricade will give him a chance to leanagainst it and rest. Also, it helps to groom the horse and massage hislegs. Don't touch the broken leg at all for a few days though. Beyondthat there isn't much that can be done but hope for the best."

  The veterinarian waited until Ticktock awoke, and then lowered him untilhis feet touched the ground lightly. At first the pony was very groggyand dopey, but as his head cleared he started to struggle. He could notunderstand why he was hanging in the air and was unable to walk.

  "There, there, old
boy. You're all right now," said Jim consolingly,patting the mustang on the head.

  There was nothing further that Dr. Cornby could do. As it was after threeo'clock in the morning, he and the editor prepared to leave. As Dr.Cornby wearily packed his bag, Jim awkwardly tried to express his thanks.He was so grateful that he could find no words adequate to convey thedepth of his feeling.

  "I know how you feel, Jim," said Dr. Cornby. "Just forget about it andsave all your energies for the days ahead. You're going to need allyou've got."

  Jim firmly refused to leave his pony's side, insisting that he was goingto sit up the remainder of the night beside the injured animal. "He mightwant some water," he said, "or he might get scared and start kicking."

  Horse in a sling]

  "All right," said Mr. Meadows who had volunteered to spend the night onwatch beside Ticktock. "We'll bring out some blankets and fix up a placewhere you can lie down if you want to."

  Dawn found Jim leaning back against the tree asleep with a blanket aroundhis shoulders. Ticktock dozed quietly in his sling, apparentlycomfortable and contented. Mrs. Meadows discovered them still in deepslumber when she came out to call Jim for breakfast. She looked downfondly at her son's drawn, tired face, hating to awaken him. Reachingdown, she shook his shoulder gently.

  "Jim, Jim," she said softly. "Come in and have some breakfast."

  Jim was ravenous. He looked at Ticktock, who still slept peacefully; sohe decided to go in to breakfast. However, as he started toward the housethe mustang awoke and stirred restively. No amount of persuasion couldhave made Jim leave then, so his breakfast was served in the yard. He satunder the big tree hungrily devouring bacon and eggs, sleepy and tired,but happy. He then fed Ticktock, lovingly holding a bucket for the horseto eat and drink. He refused to go more than a few feet from the mustang,chasing away every fly and fussing over Ticktock as if he were a tinybaby. Jean brought apples and choice bits of clover to offer. The pony,instead of refusing to eat, accepted everything until Mr. Meadows becamealarmed over Ticktock's large appetite.

  "Remember, he's not going to get any exercise for a long time," hewarned. "You'll overfeed him if you don't watch out." Mr. Meadows sunktwo posts near Ticktock and between them nailed boards which were paddedto allow the mustang to rest against the structure comfortably.

  The news traveled fast through the countryside and all morning there wasa string of visitors. Some came out of sympathy for Jim and others out ofpure curiosity. A horse with his leg in a plaster cast was quite anattraction, particularly a famous horse like Ticktock. Jean sternly keptall visitors at a respectful distance, afraid they would alarm the pony.Shortly after noon Timothy came riding down the lane astride a hugePercheron.

  "Just heard about the accident," he said to Jim. "It was certainly toughluck. I thought I'd come see if there was anything I could do."

  He examined the injured leg with great interest. "Nice job--sure hope itworks." He wasted no further words on condolence but promptly took chargeof the situation.

  "While it's good weather we better get things rigged up for rain," hesaid with authority. "We'll fix him a regular stall right here. Roof toshade him and a manger. It would be just as well not to have too much ofthe yard in plain view--something might scare him."

  Together Timothy and Jim stretched a big canvas tarpaulin over Ticktockand pegged the sides securely to the ground. They made a small manger outof boxes and placed it where it was convenient for the mustang. Then theyspread straw on the ground around his feet and in a short time had himappearing very comfortable in a tentlike stall. Timothy finished mattersby giving the little horse a thorough grooming. The trainer's experttouch and soothing voice kept the pony quiet and contented and for thefirst time since the accident Jim was able to leave his side without afeeling of alarm.

  "I'll come over about eight and spend the night with him," said Timothyfirmly. "You've already had one tough night and need some sleep."

  So Timothy stayed beside the injured horse the second night while Jimslept in his own bed with the soundness that comes of exhaustion.

  Chapter Sixteen The Convalescence

  For two weeks Jim and Timothy alternated nights beside Ticktock. Afterseveral days the mustang seemed resigned to remaining in one spot butgrew very spoiled. Unless someone were beside him, he wanted to moveabout. Dr. Cornby came out daily to inspect Ticktock and check onprogress. Timothy proved invaluable, for each day he gave the horse athorough massage and grooming. His long experience with race horsesenabled him to keep the mustang's muscles in trim in spite of his lack ofexercise. Each time Timothy finished his daily stint of several hoursrubbing and massaging, Jim gave mental thanks that he had made the rightdecision that first day when he had met Timothy at the hideaway.

  Horse in a sling]

  During the day, Jean often spelled Jim in his vigil beside the pony.School started during Ticktock's last week in the sling, but the questionof whether Jim should go to school was not even raised--he stayed besidehis horse. When the day finally arrived to take Ticktock from the sling,there was a large audience. Timothy, of course, was present, havingbrought Mr. Hernstadt with him. Bill Arnold, the editor, was there toreport the big event for the Springdale _Gazette_. Dr. Cornby brought twocolleagues from neighboring towns who watched with professional interest.Altogether there was a very attentive gallery as the veterinarian removedthe cast and gave the signal for Mr. Meadows to lower away slowly.

  Ticktock gradually had been allowed to put more weight on his feet forseveral weeks so at first when the sling was removed he noticed nodifference. Jim stood at his head, talking soothingly but watchinganxiously. Then he led Ticktock forward for a few tentative steps. Themustang walked somewhat uncertainly, due to his long period of inaction,but he did not seem to be limping or favoring his injured leg.

  "I believe we've done it," said Dr. Cornby jubilantly. "He seems to begood as new, Jim!"

  Jim threw his arms around his horse's neck and hugged him in ecstasy."You're all right now, Ticktock. You're all well again."

  "I'd just lead him around for a few minutes a day at first, Jim. Don'tlet him run at all for six weeks and aside from when you're exercisinghim, keep him in the stall. You should wait at least three months beforeyou ride him."

  Jim led his horse out to the barn where he had his stall prepared. Hewanted to be alone with the pony for a few minutes. Tears of happinesswere welling up in his eyes--tears that he preferred no one see.

  The following week Jim started to school. Ticktock progressed rapidly andsix weeks later was grazing contentedly in the orchard. He wonderedimpatiently why Jim had not ridden him for so long, but otherwise he wascontent. One day Mr. Meadows had just taken a reassuring look at themustang and was crossing the yard toward the house when Ticktock raisedhis head and, looking down the road, whinnied. Mr. Meadows followed thehorse's gaze with idle curiosity at first, and then stared in frankpuzzlement. Coming up the road was an odd-looking wagon followed by along string of horses. Had Jim been home, or Ticktock able to talk theycould have told Mr. Meadows that the old man on the driver's seat was NedEvarts, the horse trader, but as it was, the farmer had to figure out themystery by himself. The strange procession came on up the road and turnedwithout hesitation into the lane. Mr. Meadows stared curiously at thesombreroed driver and the odd assortment of horses. Due to the initialresentment at Jim's having traded the gold watch for Ticktock, the horsetrader and his unusual cavalcade had never been discussed much by Jim andhis father. It was only as the wagon stopped and the driver climbed downthat Mr. Meadows began to suspect the identity of his visitor.

  "My name's Evarts," said the old man, introducing himself. "Are youMeadows?"

  "That's right," said Carl Meadows, shaking hands with Evarts.

  "Last spring I swapped your son a horse. Still got him?"

  "Sure have. He's over there in the orchard," replied Jim's father.

  "Yep, that
's him all right," said the horse trader, shading his eyes fromthe sun with one hand while he looked at Ticktock. "He's lookin' muchbetter than when I saw him last."

  "He's been getting good care," said Carl Meadows, grinning. "In fact he'spractically been fed with a spoon lately."

  "When I traded with your boy I was a bit doubtful about the deal, as hegave me a gold watch for the horse," said Evarts. "I asked him if he wassure it was all right, and he reckoned it was. Some days later I happenedto take the watch apart again and I noticed that engravin' on the back.While I ain't doubtin' that the watch belonged to your son, I figured youmight set a big store by it, seein' it's been in the family so long.Anyhow I held onto it and if you're a mind to trade back, I still havethe watch."

  "I've been wrong on so many counts concerning that horse it's gettingkinda monotonous," said Mr. Meadows almost to himself.

  "What's that?" asked Evarts.

  "Nothing. No, I wouldn't consider trading back," said Mr. Meadowsstoutly. "I was a bit mad at the time, but Jim sure knew what he wasdoing. Now I wouldn't swap that mustang for your whole string. I'd liketo buy the watch though."

  "How about forty-five dollars?"

  "Fair enough. I'll buy it."

  "Made money on that horse after all," said the old man, grinning as hepocketed his money.

  "I'm glad you did, because that mustang is just about the most valuablehorse in the country. Also the most famous in the state."

  "What's he done?"

  "Well, for one thing he's just recovered from a broken leg. Had thecannon bone broken and you'd never know it now."

  "Well, I'll be hanged," said Evarts in amazement, as he walked toward theorchard fence. "How'd he break it?"

  "The barn caught on fire one night and he broke out. He jumped the fenceand broke his leg when he landed. That's what woke us. Must have saved mea thousand dollars worth of stock. I had the barn insured against firebut not the stock. That's just one of the reasons why we wouldn't partwith him."

  "Well, I'm sure pleased you're satisfied with him. As I said, I was a bitworried at the time, tradin' with a boy."

  "I've quit worrying about Jim getting beat in a trade," said Mr. Meadowsproudly. "He's quite a businessman. I guess he made at least seventy-fivedollars with that horse during the summer."

  Mr. Meadows was still recounting Ticktock's exploits when Jim returnedfrom school.

  "Hi, Mr. Evarts!" he shouted as he came through the gate. "How do youlike the looks of my horse?"

  "Wonderful. He looks like he'd found horse heaven."

  "Don't mention that watch," warned Mr. Meadows as Jim approached. "I'llsurprise him on his birthday. Not very often you can give the samepresent twice. Probably end up with an elephant this time."

  Ticktock came trotting up to the fence to welcome his master. He stuckhis nose over the top wire, begging for some tidbit. Surprisingly enoughit was Mr. Meadows who reached in his pocket and produced a sugar cube.He held it in his outstretched palm. Ticktock could see plainly enoughthat it was sugar, but he hesitated. Mr. Meadows had long since forgottenhis old hostility but the mustang remembered. However, he wasn't thehorse to hold a grudge; so he looked inquiringly at Jim. Jim grinned andnodded his head.

  Ticktock reached out to take the sugar.

  Horse behind fence]

  Ticktock and Jim]

  Transcriber's Notes

  --Preserved the copyright notice from the printed edition, although this book is in the public domain in the country of publication.

  --Silently corrected a few typos (but left nonstandard spelling and dialect unchanged).

  --In the text version, delimited text in _italic_ font by underscores.