Phar Seeker was descended from Pharlap, a great race horse. Rupert, her owner, artificially inseminated her with sperm from Secretariat, and she was in labor. The rich racehorse owner and his friends encircled the mare, watching her have contractions.

Eloise walked into the barn as they were walking out.

“You can have that thing.” Rupert said.

“What’s wrong?” asked Eloise. Rupert kept walking. None of his friends said anything.

Big beautiful ears greeted Eloise when she investigated. The foal was a mule. Eloise named her new mule Jamie.

####

Jamie had been missing all day. This was unlike him. Eloise had bottle fed him, and trained him from birth, so he was attached to his surrogate mom. When she stepped out of the house, Jamie was always right there. She began looking for him, and found the tip of his nose sticking out of a quicksand bog. She got help from her Dad, and a tractor and chain, and pulled him out of the goopy white mud. He recovered.

Eloise went out to collect eggs, and Jamie followed her. She bent down and petted a cat that rubbed against her legs. A moment later, Jamie jumped on the cat and killed it.

Eloise’s stomach was getting large, she was pregnant. She waddled out to collect eggs, careful not to touch any of the other animals. Jamie followed her like a dog. Eloise turned and hugged the mule’s neck and began crying.

“I can’t keep you.” she whispered.