Chapter 7: The Round Up Summary

The crops are slowly reaching maturity. Kate, watching her aunt plant a flower garden, asks if she might plant one as well. The aunt gives Kate an assortment of seeds as well as instructions. Kate, who soon proves vigilant in the care of her garden, also now cares for the poultry yard, in addition to feeding, cleaning and exercising her horse Milky. One morning, Kate alarms everyone by loudly announcing that her garden now has seedlings.

Marton announces that he plans to take everyone to the big county fair next week, but that he first must select twenty horses to sell from among his herds. Marton, Kate and Jancsi cross the river using a komp, a kind of rope-guided ferry. Marton tells Arpad, his lead horse-tender, that Kate and Jancsi will participate in the roundup. The venerable...