The secret of the Mansion

I saddle Strawberry. Trixie had better get the feel of the saddle a bit before she gets too frisky."
    Trixie tried to control her impatience as they walked around the field, and Honey asked, "Are you really going up to that old mansion?"
    "Sure," Trixie said. "Why don’t we ride through the woods right now? You don’t have to go way up to the house if you don’t want to."
    Honey thought about this for a minute, and then she said, "All right. I guess I was mistaken about that face. I do imagine things, you know, such weird things."
    "Everybody does," Trixie said good-naturedly. "When I was a kid, whenever there was a thunderstorm, I thought I saw the headless horseman galloping across the sky in the flashes of lightning." Honey stopped and looked up at her curiously. "Headless horseman?" she repeated in a surprised voice. "How awful!"
    Trixie grinned. "Sure, this is the part of the Hudson River Valley that Washington Irving wrote about in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The village got its name, Sleepyside, from that old story, you know."
    "Oh." Honey looked relieved, but she added seriously, "I hope I don’t dream about a headless horseman. I have awful nightmares, sometimes. I wake up screaming."
    "Do I have to keep on walking Lady forever?" Trixie interrupted impatiently.
    "I guess you could try trotting now," Honey said. "Gather up the reins a little and touch Lady’s flank lightly with one heel."
    Lady obediently set off at a smooth trot, but Trixie bounced and jounced in the saddle until she thought her head would jar off. "That would make the legend come true. I’d be a headless horseman," she thought grimly. She could not keep her feet in the stirrups, and the swinging irons hit Lady’s sides sharply. Thinkirig Trixie wanted her to go faster, Lady broke into a canter. Before Trixie knew what had happened, she was lying in the middle of the field, staring forlornly up at the bright blue sky. She wasn’t the least bit hurt, but she winced inwardly. "Now’s Honey’s chance to get back at me for making fun of her for thinking she saw a face at the Mansion," she reflected bitterly.
    She scrambled to her feet and was surprised to see that Honey, who was calmly holding Lady’s head, was not laughing. "Everybody does that the first time, Trixie," she said. "Anyway, I’m glad you’re not hurt."
    Trixie meekly climbed back into the saddle. "I was an awful dope," she said. "I didn’t keep my heels down. I’ll do better next time."
    Regan came into the corral then, leading a magnificent strawberry roan called Strawberry. Regan left Honey to mount without his help; and Trixie noticed, with envy, that although Strawberry tossed his head and pranced, Honey seemed to have no difficulty and easily adjusted her own stirrups from her seat in the saddle.
    "Oh, Regan," Trixie breathed admiringly, "do you think I’ll ever get that good?"
    "Sure." Regan stared at the grass stains on Trixie’s shirt and then said with a little note of amusement and understanding in his voice, "Had your first spill already, huh?"
    Trixie nodded shamefacedly.
    "Well, now, you know what I think?" Regan demanded. "I think you ought to take it easy ihis first day. Mrs. Wheeler rode Lady this morning before breakfast, so the mare doesn’t need any more exercise. Why don’t you just keep her at a walk until you sort of get used to things?" He added quickly as Trixie’s face showed her disappointment, "I’ll give you a lesson in posting tomorrow. You’ll catch on quick, don’t worry. People who really love horses are just natural-born riders."
    "I think Regan’s right," Honey said. "If you do too much today, Trixie, you’ll be so stiff tomorrow you won’t even be able to climb into a saddle, much less ride."
    "But I’ll spoil your fun," Trixie objected. "You’ll want to trot and canter and I won’t be able to keep up.
    Honey smiled. "It’s awfully hot, anyway, and Strawberry will work himself into a lather if I let him out of a walk. I can exercise him this evening when it’s cooler."
    Golly, Trixie thought, she is a good sport. She just said that to make it easier for me. Aloud, she said with a grin, "Okay, Honey, you’re the boss at this ranch."
    They walked their horses along the path that circled the willow-bordered lake, and Trixie saw a new rowboat tied alongside the rustic boathouse. "Oh, boy!" she shouted. "Now we can fish in the middle of the lake. You’re a lucky duck to live üp here, Honey!"
    "I don’t know how to