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365S: How to Tell Bad News (Solved!)

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I am trying to find a story from 45 to 50 years ago. My mother was an English teacher and had a stash of older literature including a story that follows this story line. I believe it was English literature.
A man returns to the train station nearest his home after a long trip. His footman picks him up in a buggy and during the trip home they talk.
So Jeaves, how are things at home? Well sir, I hate to tell you but your fathers dog died. What? He wasn’t an old dog. Pray tell how did he die? Well sir, he overate himself to death. How could that be. What did he get a hold of that he was able to overeat? Well sir, he overate horse meat. And where would he get so much so much horse meat. All of your fathers horses died. Oh my, what killed my father’s horses? They died carrying water to put out the fire.
And on and on it goes. The house burned down from all the candles that were lit for the funeral of his mother. 
I want to say the title is How To Tell Bad News.
I really appreciate your help on this.

365Q: Medieval era based, “YA” 80s(?) Short romance

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I have a book I read in 6th grade, which was around 1992. The book itself could have been older, like 1980s. It was a definite Young Adult book even if that didn’t have the description at that time. It was about a Lady who was recently widowed, very young, who lived in a crumbling Tower (Castle). She may have had one servant. She had a Rose garden which I think was a big part of the book. A criminal possibly a thief or murderer arrives at the castle one day and stays essentially taking her hostage. I remember it was a romance. It was a really short story in a very thin book, it reminded me very strongly of “A Door in the Wall” just in terms of time. And may have been plague mentions I can’t remember. It also reminded me of Secret Garden, just because the Rose garden seemed to play a huge part in the story.

365P: Memoir of Man Learning Southwest Culture in Santa Fe

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 I wish to identify a book from 1940’s or 1950’s (I think) that is a memoir by a man (family?) who moved to Santa Fe from elsewhere in US, and describes his learning about Southwest culture. Specifically, describes his learning about using acequia water for his lawn.

Title, as best as I remember, used some combination of  the  words Sunshine, Window, Kitchen, and/or Shoulder.

365O: London Ghost was Killed by Bomb

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Looking for a book of short middle grade ghost stories read in 80s (so possibly 70s/80s book). Boy attends school in London and meets a girl who is revealed to be a ghost and had been killed by a bomb. Possibly a timeslip situation where he tries to save her or maybe she saves kids at the school from a fire? Not Kept In Timperley I think it is mentioned she was killed by a doodlebug, but not sure on that. Thanks!

365N: Teen or young adult book about a boy runner in a fictional foreign country

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I recorded this book for our local Library several years ago, but it seems to have disappeared.  The main character is a teenage boy.  He lives with his father who publishes an underground newspaper articles about life in this country and sends them out to his daughter who is a college student in “Freelandia” (I think that is the name assigned to what is the USA.)  In the country where the boy lives, one route to escaping poverty is success as a runner, but first he needs shoes good enough to train.  There is a group of runners who use a training route preparing for competition, and he is singled out from this group by an older man, apparently one who is a member of some sort of crime syndicate, who will give him money for the shoes in advance, but basically own his soul going forward. 

The boy wants to win the race in order to escape the country, which sounds a lot like Cuba or Venezuela.  The plot involves danger, maybe murder of his family, danger to his sister, and finally he finds help from a librarian.

365M: Images from an Adventure

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My brother and I remember a book from our childhood (the 90’s) which was picture-book sized but felt more like a preteen/YA type novel. It was an adventure / mystery story, and we both only remember images from the book. We are hoping that you can help us out.

We remember:- a picture of people on a rope bridge being attacked by arrows (? we think it was arrows?)- a picture of a girl sticking her arm in a fire while onlookers watch (it was some sort of test)- picture of an idol with green skin and a horn through its nose- picture of two people being ties to a rock with evil looking horsemen appearing from a sandy background- picture of a seaplane landing on water- [potentially someone (resembling an Aztec or Mayan leader?) taking the heart of another person– we are not sure if this is from the same book, so this is the only image we cannot commit to]

365J: Girl At Grandparents’ Farm For Summer Wants Horse – Both Have Yellow Hair On Cover (Solved!)

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I’m trying to track down the title of a children’s/young adult book from the late 1970s/early1980s.  I want to say it was a book sold via one of those “book club” orders that kids used to order books from in elementary school, where the teacher passes out the order forms with a list of book selections.  I remember it was a thin book with a dark gray cover with a pen-and-ink drawing of a young girl standing at a fence with a horse on the other side of it in a field, and both the girl’s hair and the horse’s mane were colored yellow.
The most I can remember of the story is, at the beginning, the girl – I think her name MIGHT be Jane? – is going to spend the summer with her grandparents on their farm, but first she has to get through – I THINK – the last day of school and her class’s “field day.”  I know that whatever the occasion, she sprains her ankle during a race and goes to her parents’ truck to nap until it’s over and they take her to her grandparents.  I also remember that while she’s at her grandparents, there’s a flood for her birthday and her grandmother gives her homemade gifts including a hand-sewn dress using fabric from the kitchen curtains.  And I know that there’s a horse involved – maybe a colt?  Maybe called Lightning?  I’m not sure.  I believe she wants the horse to be hers, and I think her grandfather isn’t all too keen on the idea.
I’m sorry I can’t provide any more info – I hope this is helpful!