Page 87 of Because I Could Not Stop for Death

“It wasn’t me, sir. It was Willa.” Jeremiah pressed his lips together as if he was afraid of what Mr.Johnson might say to that.

Mr.Johnson turned to Emily and me. While I shuddered under his angry gaze, Emily seemed to gather power from it. She stood up straighter and lifted her chin a little bit higher. “Mr.Johnson.”

“What are the two of you doing here? I told you to stay out of this,” he said angrily.

“We can’t until we know what happened to Henry Noble,” Emily said.

“What happened to Henry Noble does not matter. What matters is protecting the people traveling north. Henry died for the cause. That should be the end of it. We are grateful for what he has done, but we must continue forward and save as many lives as we can.”

“But don’t you want to know who the Reader is? Henry knew that and was killed,” Emily said.

“I have given up on this. I have already been told that people are being directed away from Amherst for their safety. In time, the Reader will move on and we will be able to resume our work.”

Terror lifted his head up from the trough and shuffled back to the corner of his stall.

“That horse may have eaten a little, but he will never be able to race again after all the weight he’s lost. I want you to put him down tomorrow.” Mr.Johnson pressed his mouth into a thin line.

“You can’t do that,” I cried. “He’s a good horse. He just needs some extra attention.”

Mr.Johnson glared at me. “He’s a racehorse, not a pet, and I’m not running a petting zoo; this is a working stable.” He pointed to Jeremiah. “You heard what I said about the horse.”

“No,” Emily said. “Do not have the animal put down. My father will buy the horse,” Emily said. “We have need of a new carriage horse, and Terror will do nicely.”

Mr.Johnson put his hands on his hips and glared at her. “What makes you think you can come here and buy my horse like that?”

She glared back at him. “Because you want money not just for the stables but for the work you really care about.” She pointed to Terror. “And he needs a new home.”

He scowled.

“Wouldn’t you rather make some money off the sale of the horse than to lose all of its value by putting it down?” Emily asked. “What difference is it to you if the horse is dead or living in another place? My father is in the process of updating the old family homestead. We have the space and the stables to care for this animal.”

“Fine. I will give you a week. If your father doesn’t buy the horse in that time, I’m having him put down.” Mr.Johnson stomped away.

Jeremiah stared at us. “Will your father buy the horse? Because Mr.Johnson is always true to his word. He will have Terror destroyed.”

I wondered the same thing. “How do you know that Mr.Dickinson will agree to this?” I asked anxiously.

Emily lifted her chin. “My father can be a cold man, but to his children he wants to give us all he can. If I ask him for this horse, he will buy it.”

Relief washed over me. I couldn’t bear the idea of Terror being killed.

“I will send a letter to him in the morning asking permission. We will know in a week’s time.”

I walked over to Terror’s stall. “It’s all going to be fine. I promise.”

Terror looked over his shoulder at me and slowly blinked his eyes.

“We should return home,” Emily said. “Even though we didn’t learn anything new, I’m glad we came here to save Terror. The only thing I’m certain about when we get him home is my sister will want to change his name.” She walked toward the stable doors.

Carlo jumped to his feet when he saw his mistress coming.

“Willa?” Jeremiah asked me. “How did you get Terror to eat?”

There were tears in my eyes. “I told him that it was what Henry would want. We are both going to continue on for Henry.”

Jeremiah studied me. “Then I shall continue for him too.”

Emily and Carlo waited at the stable door. “You were a good friend to my brother. If you ever need help, get word to me, and I promise I will come.”

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