Little Man: --A Little Girl's Dream

By Barbara Dumas Ballew

When Little Man came to the Rescue Farm, he looked no better than a sagging clothes line with a sheet thrown over it. He had been abused and neglected, but Uncle Bob could see his potential. After care, attention, and love, he became a constant companion for Uncle Bob's niece, Morgan. This is the story of the love between a little girl and her horse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barbara Dumas Ballew
• Release date: Sep 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301113750

Barbara Dumas Ballew

After doing research on my family history for more than twenty years, I knew I had a story. I wrote and published my first novel, "George's Creek to Georgia", about my ancestors from 1790 until 1880. Since then, I have penned an additional nine books, four are chapter books for young readers. One of them, "Little Man: A Little Girl's Dream", is being used in reading classes and the libraries in the Mesquite, TX, elementary schools. I love writing!! It brings back so many memories of things from my past, and since my husband is retired, I can spend full time on it. I do business with Createspace.com which is a POD subsidiary of Amazon. It gives me so much more control over my work and my pricing. I can publish within a month after completion and my previous publisher could only do one book per year. I hope you like my style. It seems to fit my time periods nicely.

Book preview

Little Man:

──A Little Girl’s Dream

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A true story by:

Barbara Dumas Ballew

As told by:

Bonnie Johnson Ellis

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Copyright 2013, Barbara Dumas Ballew and

Bonnie Johnson Ellis

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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The names of the characters and certain events in this novel have been fictionalized to protect the privacy of the individuals.

Chapter One

The first time I laid eyes on him, he was a pitiful little specimen of a horse. He looked much like a sagging clothes line with a sheet thrown over it. He was sway-backed and malnourished; he was shedding his hair and was in bad need of good food and grooming. Yet there was a determination, or perhaps a spirit, present about the pathetic, little creature that cried out for help and love.

He came to the Rescue Farm for Horses one bright spring morning along with several other abandoned and neglected horses. Each horse had its own individual problems and personality. One look and it was apparent that this little pinto pony had been neglected and mistreated. He was so much smaller than the other horses, and, by instinct, he became a loner from fear.

There was one black stallion with a white blaze down his face at the farm that they called Shadow. He was a beautiful horse that had already been returned to good health. Shadow didn’t exactly become friends with the little horse, but he became the pony’s protector, his body guard. If Shadow sensed that the little pony was in danger of being bitten or kicked, he would force himself in between the offending horse and the pony. Perhaps he just felt sorry for the little fellow.

It was impossible to look at the pinto and judge his age because of his rundown condition. Was he just a genetically small horse or did his neglected condition and age dictate his size?

A couple of weeks before the pony’s arrival, a kind, bachelor man had moved next door to the Rescue Farm. He had noticed Shadow at the farm and thought what a beautiful horse he was. His home had a large, glass door facing out on the pastures and small barns of the farm, and he often stood there watching the horses.

Bob Johns had never been around horses very much, but Shadow was so beautiful that he was taken with him. He thought back to the time when he and his mother had lived for awhile with his grandparents in World War II, and his grandfather told stories of being a cowboy in his younger days.

In fact, his grandfather had some acreage and a large barn out from town and always had a few horses and other livestock he tended. Bob idolized his grandfather, and as a small child, his grandfather often took him to see the horses and taught him to care and love animals. That care and love was still with him.

He had not lived next to the farm long when his curiosity got the best of him, and he saw the owner out tending the animals. Bob walked out to the pasture fence and introduced himself to the owner.

Hi, I’m Bob Johns, and I’ve just moved next door to your farm. It’s a very interesting place you have.

Hello. I’m Nancy Turner, but my friends call me Nan. Then she added, Welcome neighbor, and I’ll consider you a friend.

Bob and Nan talked for awhile, and he felt very comfortable asking her about her rescue farm.

I see one beautiful, black horse, but I also see several animals that don’t look in too good of a shape. Where do your animals come from?

Nan thought for a moment and answered, Some come from the Humane Society and a few from other sources. They’ve been taken away from their owners because of neglect, and they wind up here. It’s my responsibility to feed them, get medical attention for them, and nurse them back to health when possible.

Then she added, My final goal is to find a good home for them. It’s feeding time, and they all know it. Follow me and I’ll show you around.

As she talked, she continued to pour feed into the feed troughs from the bucket that she was carrying.

Bob listened to her story. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the little, spotted pony that came a couple of days ago. He’s so pathetic. Do you think you’ll ever nurse him back to health?

Oh, yes, but it’ll take time. He’s in bad shape. We were told he was about three years old, but the veterinarian decided that he’s still very young when he examined him.

Nan was finishing up feeding the horses and stood near the fence talking to