mount, Miguel appeared in the stable door with
a brief tale of trouble and a warning. It seemed
that he had experienced difficulty in preparing
the horse, and between puffs at a cigarette he
strongly advised Helen to be careful.

"He's a-very fresh thees mornin'," he concluded,
with an ominous shake of his head.

Helen looked Pat over. He appeared in anything
but a cantankerous mood. He was standing
quietly, eyes blinking sleepily, ears wriggling
lazily, in an attitude of superior indifference toward
all the world. So, untroubled by the hostler's
tale, she slipped her foot into the stirrup. Instantly
the horse nickered queerly and stepped
away.

"Steady, Pat!" she gently admonished, and
again attempted to mount. But, as before, he
stepped away, this time more abruptly. He began
to circle around her, prancing nervously, pausing
to paw the ground, prancing again nervously.
She held firm grip on his bridle, however, and
sharply rebuked him. "Pat," she exclaimed,
"this is a new trait!" And then, before he could
resist again, she caught hold of the saddle-horn,
leaped up, hardly touching the stirrup, and gathered
the reins quickly to meet further rebellion.

But with her in the saddle Pat was quite another
horse. He snapped his ears at attention, wheeled
to the gate, and cantered briskly out of the corral.

It was a beautiful morning. The air nipped
with a tang of frost, and she rode swiftly through
town and up the hill to the mesa in keen exhilara-

[[73]]

p072 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p073w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p074

v?