The Eighty-Dollar Champion - Elizabeth Letts [37]
Everyone at Homewood liked Harry, especially the children. Ten-year-old Sharon, the farm manager’s daughter, was delighted when the de Leyers gave her a cast-off pair of wooden shoes; she happily clomped around the farm in them. The horses whinnied when they saw Harry coming, and the children followed him like a litter of puppies.
Johanna loved her new home, and she loved Mrs. Dillard, too—the kindly wife of her husband’s boss was of Dutch heritage and always showed them the utmost respect. Their second child, Harriet, was born shortly after they arrived there, and then, like clockwork, a year later, another blond-haired boy, Marty. Mr. Dillard paid Harry a fair wage, and let him earn additional money from teaching and buying and selling a few horses of his own, and Harry’s horses were starting to win ribbons at local shows. Life was pleasant; it seemed like a place to settle in and call home.
For Harry, however, it was not enough. As much as he enjoyed living at Homewood, he wanted a place of his own. In St. Oedenrode, the farm and the brewery had belonged to the family. Working for Mr. Dillard, no matter how pleasant, felt like relying on the good graces of others. Now, with his instructor’s certificate in hand, Harry dreamed of starting a business of his own, a proper riding establishment where he could train horses and teach people to ride. But he lacked capital to set himself up in business.
Captain Littauer came to Harry with a tempting offer. Eleonora Sears, one of the top horsewomen in the country, needed someone to ride for her at her grand estate, Prides Crossing, in Massachusetts. Miss Sears was a demanding taskmaster. Anyone who worked for her would have the opportunity to ride some of the top horses in America, and quite possibly the world. It was a wonderful job—for the right person. Would Harry be interested?
Harry knew Miss Sears by reputation. She was one of the most formidable people in the horse business. But he wanted to talk it over with Mickey first. Mickey knew Miss Sears well. She had recently bought a large horse farm in Southern Pines, North Carolina, Mickey’s home territory, and Mickey’s own daughter Joan often rode for her. Mickey said, “If she’ll let you bring the horses to Mr. Dillard’s, then okay, but if you have to stay at her place, then say no. You’ll be right under her thumb. You will not be able to be your own man.” When Miss Sears would not agree to Harry’s terms, he could hardly believe that he was turning down a job to work with one of the top horsewomen in America. But by now, Harry knew what he wanted: he wanted to be his own boss. Working for Mr. Dillard had given him a taste of the life he wanted, one where he ran his own business and called all the shots. He could not spend his life catering to the whims of rich people.
A short while later, Captain Littauer had a new proposition for Harry: a school for girls on Long Island was looking for a new riding master. Would Harry be interested?
Now Johanna had three small children to tuck into the back seat, Joseph, Harriet, and Marty; another house to dismantle; and another new life to start from scratch. And who knew what they would find there—up in New York, where neither of them had ever been?
But it looked like a good opportunity, so once more the de Leyers packed up their belongings and moved toward the future.
Six years after his arrival in America, Harry had his own business in St. James, his own horses, and his own tiny piece of land. There were times when he had to make hard decisions—which horses to keep and which ones to sell. Selling Snowman had been one of the hard decisions. But he could live with it because it was his own choice.
9
Where the Heart Is
St. James, Long Island, May 1956
Up before dawn, Harry drank scalding black coffee, then slipped into his wooden shoes and headed outside just as a few pink streaks lightened the sky. Snowman had gone to his new home the day before, so Harry was worried.