The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle; Or, The Girl Miner of Gold Run

eat which was meant to accommodate only three, served to dampen their enthusiasm not a trifle. Mrs. Nelson, riding in front with the

and Mr. Nelson cantered up the dusty road, their

rom her pocket and applying it to her nose, "I do hope those

her dust-filled eyes, "if they don't h

n," said Mollie, instructively, from the heights of her s

's dry," gru

at a cactus over there? Oh, I've wanted all my life

rees and sickly-looking bushes with here and there a cactus plant for variety's sake-out to the hazy

den springs rushing swiftly into noisy foolish little brooks, of bird songs, and the smell of cool damp earth, of the crackling of dry twigs under one's feet, and the pu

a warm little squeeze. "You rave right along. I know j

wonderful about the mount

r wonderingly. "They are everything that Betty has said. And yet when Betty spoke of the plain

" they queried, wi

have heard Will say that a person who had no knowledge of woodcraft would find it almost impossible to recover his path, once he had los

foxes and bears and raccoons and things. Why, how would you expect to get pretty furs when you wanted them i

For, in the distance, but distinctly visible, loomed a long low ranch house wh

beaming face to the girls. "You know, I feel ju

u've got the toy, Mrs. Nel

oy are turning off from the main road. That must be where

eep ruts worn in the grass and as the ponies attached to the buckboard showed considerable excitement at coming near home, the girl

d spoke to them soothingly. "Come on, girls," she added, making ready to jump out. "I'm goi

d and followed h

here are the horse corrals over there! And, oh, girls! look at the cows, dozens and dozens and dozens of

her own face flushed with excitement. "I can'

dings that seemed little more than glorified sheds and which t

e corrals for a closer look at the horses, Mr. Nelson sauntered up to th

Rawlinson, who grinned an acknowledgment, "says that everybody has supper sharp on the

much as they desired a closer look at the broncho

til now it seemed, Betty said, to "spread all over the landscape." It had porches and doors in the most unexpected places, but the whole hou

to Betty as Andy Rawlinson led them up on to one of the many porches, "

Betty encouragingly, and then they stepped into

of it. Rough picturesque looking chairs were scattered about, and over near the windows a long tabl

eft whatever she was doing with a frying pan on the stove and came ov

nd the young ladies, bless their pretty sweet faces. Come right in, all of you, and Lizzie here," turning to a wholesome-looking, mouse-haired girl who had come in from the other room, "Lizzie will take you to see t

ess of this quaint old house from the outside,

never seen before, each furnished neatly but plainly, the only touch of color being the gay cretonne curtains at the windows. The rooms all

of these quaint little rooms and the open doors seemed to reveal

hildren and grandchildren an' seemed like he was sot on 'em all livin' with him. But they got to quarrelin' and all left th' old man an' he was so mad he cut 'em all out o' his will. At leas

amazedly of what she had told them. Finally she came to a stop in a room, lar

d be a good room fer the mister and missus. They is some nice rooms back of these fer the young ladies. She sed, if you liked any of the other rooms better, to take your pick. They's fresh water in the pitchers," indicating a washstand with a bowl and two p

ore her into the next room. "Let's see what kin

about the same size and nearly square and furni

d Mollie, with a chuckle, "these rooms might be twins. You and Grace c

Grace, as she pulled off her hat and thre

ped. Get her up, somebody, before she gets th

Grace, pulled her to her feet, an

ce Ford?" she cried

e and Betty disappeared into the adjoining room. "