ll ever get well again."

But in a few moments he succeeded in drawing a long, deep breath. He lay
down upon the ground then and drew another and another and another.
Already he began to feel better. And soon he stood up gingerly and felt
of himself all over. To his great surprise, nothing seemed to be broken
except his suspenders.

Old Spot came up and put his paws against Johnnie and barked.

"Let's have a good romp!" he begged. Or at least that was what Johnnie
understood him to say.

"No, Spot!" Johnnie answered. "Not now! I don't feel like running. You
wouldn't, either, if you had just had the breath knocked out of you."

Then Johnnie went soberly about the business of driving the cows home.
At last he got them all started down the lane, put up the bars, and
followed them.

As he reached the barn Johnnie looked up curiously at the pictures of
circus riders in pink tights gayly disporting themselves on the backs of
dappled gray horses.

"Humph!" he muttered. "I don't believe that's half the fun I always
thought it was."

XXIII

GOING FISHING

Twinkleheels never had any great liking for whips. Johnnie Green kept a
long one in the socket beside the dashboard of his little red-wheeled
buggy. And he had a shorter one that he carried in his hand when he rode
on Twinkleheels' back.

Whenever Twinkleheels drew the buggy he seemed always to keep at least
one eye on the snapper of the whip, for Twinkleheels could see behind
him easily.

He rarely needed urging. On the contrary, Johnnie Green often had to
pull quite hard upon the reins to keep him from going too fast. And when
a lazy mood came over Twinkleheels the merest shake of the whip in its
socket was enough to send him forward with a jump.

When Johnnie rode him he never had to give Twinkleheels a cut with his
riding whip. Just a touch of it was all that was needed--if Twinkleheels
happened to be a bit headstrong and didn't quite agree with Johnnie as
to where they should go.

Well, on a certain summer's day, after school was out, Johnnie Green
decided to go fishing in Black Creek. His mother made him a luncheon to
take with him, he dug some angleworms in the garden for bait, and the
hired man consented to let him take a long pole that he used himself
when he fished in the river.

Then Johnnie backed Twinkleheels out of his stall and threw the saddle
on him. Farmer Green chanced to be in the barn at the time.

"You don't intend to ride the