A Girl on Horseback: Conversation
- Farmer Oak decides to take a walk down to his pretty young neighbor's plantation to see if she's around. He remembers the woman saying that she lost her hat the day before, so he decides to try and find it. He soon does, and takes it back to his hut.
- Soon, the young owner comes around looking for it. He's about to leave his hut to return it, but he pauses when he sees the girl turn around on her horse and lie flat across its back to ride underneath some low-hanging branches. It's a really impressive bit of riding. Then, after looking around to see if anyone's watching, she gets back up onto the saddle and straddles it man-style and rides away.
- An hour later, the girl rides past again, this time riding sidesaddle. By this point, Oak is convinced that she's the most desirable woman in the world.
- Finally, Oak comes up to her and says he found a hat. He asks if it's hers (knowing full well that it is). But he can't go and confess to spying on her, can he? Unfortunately, he gives himself away by mentioning the exact time she lost it. Way to be slick, Oak.
- He also mentions that he saw her riding toward the mill. This embarrasses the young woman, who probably doesn't like the idea of anyone seeing her ride astride, because it was mannish and improper.
- Then the two of them don't see one another for a few days. But one evening, Farmer Oak returns to his little hut. It's cold outside, so he heaps a bunch of fuel onto his fire. He falls asleep before opening the smoke vents, though, and nearly dies of smoke inhalation. He only survives because the young woman sees the smoke and pulls him to safety. He learns that she came because she heard his dog howling.
- He tells her that he'd like to know her name, now that she has saved his life. But she says if he wants to know it, he should ask someone else. She doesn't believe that the two of them will ever have much to do with one another.
- While he thanks her, the young woman offers him the opportunity to hold her hand. He compliments it on how smooth and beautiful it is, especially considering that wintertime.
- She then offers him the opportunity to kiss her hand if he wants to. He tells her that kissing her hand hadn't even crossed his mind, but that he will totally kiss her hand if she wants him to.
- Then, she pulls her hand away because he has had the nerve to tell her he wasn't already thinking of kissing it. You following all of this? There are some serious flirty head games going on.
- She runs out of the hut and tells him that it's now his turn to go out and figure out what her name is.