d not spend two or three precious hours every afternoon in sleep.
One didn't come to Texas every summer.

"I see mutiny in Sarah's eye," said Blue Bonnet. "Wait till you've had
a sunstroke, Sarah, then you'll wish you hadn't possessed such oceans
of energy." She had put all unpleasant memories from her by now and
was leading the way to the stables. Straight to Firefly's stall she
went and threw her arms around her old playfellow's neck. In the few
seconds before the others came in she had whispered into his velvet
ear something that was both a confession and an apology, while Firefly
nosed her softly and looked as pleased as a mere horse-countenance is
capable of looking.

"Isn't he a beauty?" she challenged as the rest entered.

"A stunner," Alec agreed warmly, coming up to admire. "Wouldn't
Chula's nose be out of joint if she could see you petting Firefly?"

"Victor has a rival too. Where's Alec's horse, Uncle Joe?"

Pinto Pete came up just then, his freckles seeming to the girls to
loom up larger and browner than ever now that they knew the origin of
his nickname. "Shady says the roan's too skittish for any of the young
ladies--" he suggested.

"Strawberry?--oh, she's splendid! Alec, you'll think you're in a
cradle."

The pretty creature, just the color of her namesake, was brought out
and put through her paces, and the exhibition proved to the
satisfaction of all the young ladies that Shady's verdict was quite
just. Strawberry pranced, bared her teeth at any approach, and in
general did her best to live up to her reputation for skittishness.
The fighting blood in Alec made him resolve to change that adjective
to "kittenish" before he had ridden her many times.

The four ponies provided for the girls were next brought out for
inspection, and met with unqualified approval from all but Sarah.
These slender, restless little steeds seemed not at all related to the
fat placid beasts to which she had heretofore trusted herself. Her
face betokened her unspoken dismay.

"Sallikins, I know the best mount for you," exclaimed Kitty
innocently.

"Oh, do you?" cried Sarah hopefully.

"Um-hum,--Blue Bonnet's old rocking-horse in the nursery!" laughed
Kitty; whereupon Pinto Pete let out a loud guffaw, changing it at once
into an ostentatious fit of coughing when he saw that Sarah was
inclined to resent Kitty's insult.

Her mild blue eyes almost flashed as she returned: "You can pick out
any one of those four horses