I
hate them." She turned accusingly on the boy.

Lupe looked at her appealingly. "It is the safer for the Senoritas,"
he urged.

Blue Bonnet was inexorable. "We're not going to do any lassoing or
branding, Lupe, and can manage very well without them. We'll have to
organize a humane society, girls, and reform these cruel cowmen," she
suggested.

Lupe discarded the offending bits and substituted others more to the
Senorita's liking, and then the girls went in to dress for the ride.

"How can we ride across the saddle in these skirts?" demanded Debby.

Blue Bonnet and Uncle Cliff exchanged a significant glance, the reason
for which was explained a moment later when the girls entered the
nursery. There on the beds lay five complete riding suits: divided
skirts of khaki, "middy" blouses of a cooler material, and soft Panama
hats, each wound with a blue scarf and finished with a smart bow.

"How darling of you!" cried the girls, falling on Blue Bonnet
rapturously.

"It's all Uncle Cliff," exclaimed Blue Bonnet. "He saw some suits like
these in a shop window while we were in New York and went in and
ordered seven! But Susy and Ruth won't have a chance to wear theirs,"
she ended regretfully.

The girls, too excited to spend time mourning the absent ones, were
already getting into the fascinating suits. These were all of a size,
close lines not being demanded of a middy blouse, and all were
pronounced perfect except Sarah's, which, as Kitty remarked, "fitted
too soon." Gauntlet gloves and natty riding whips completed the
equipment of the riders, and when they went out ready to mount they
were as neat a crowd of equestriennes as ever graced Central Park.

Notwithstanding that they were all dressed alike, each girl's
particular type stood out quite clearly. Kitty had more "style" than
the other Woodford girls, and a carriage that had more of conscious
vanity in it; her "middy" set more trimly and the little hat was set
on her ruddy locks at a little more daring angle than that of the
others. Amanda and Debby appeared the same unremarkable sort of
schoolgirls that they always were. The costume was not designed for
maidens of Sarah's build, and it looked quite as uncomfortable on her
as she felt in it. Blue Bonnet appeared as she always did in this sort
of attire: as though it had grown on her.

"Whew!" exclaimed Alec, "such elegance!"

"Strikes me you're not so slow yourself," returned Kitty. "Isn't he
'got up regard