TRESSA'S DREAM

Tressa's dream was to own a brown horse with a white star under its forelock. It came true, but in gradual doses. When the Cannon family moved to a ranch in California, Tressa thought there would be plenty of room for White Star, as she called her horse. Instead, she was loaned a goat with a cart to drive around in the new subdivision that was being built on the ranch land. After the initial frustration, she earned enough money carefully tending the goat to buy a Shetland pony, and eventually, just as Tressa had developed enough skills to handle a real horse, White Star was born. The story emphasizes the work involved in tending and learning to ride a pony. Less convincing is the clear inference that Tressa is also being schooled and her conscientious display of responsibility is hard to believe after her earlier pettishness.