taught me to ride,--away back in the
Alleghanies--long before I ever saw this country."

"Your mountain girl's pupils don't all ride like that, I'll gamble."

"I wasn't very bright." Kate spurred ahead. The dun pony kept after her.

"Compliments don't set very well on you, do they?" was the shot from her
left a moment later.

She turned a full face on her companion: "I hate them," she declared with
energy.

In luring this man away from his errand, she had yielded to a really wild
impulse and now the spirit of recklessness that ruled her mood seemed to
revenge itself by counseling added dangers. She invited riding-hazards,
that her victim disdained to comment on, until they must have appeared
silly to him. A long way from home they were crossing a high bench above
the Falling Wall river, a bench cut by frequent lateral washes--some wide
and all very deep. These breaks they jumped one after another without
taking serious trouble to head them, though Kate's companion, riding on
the river side, gave her every chance to do so.

"I suppose," he suggested at length, "you're pushing into rough country
because you like it."

She looked at him: "Yes," she said, icily, "I do like it. But," she
added, "if it's too rough for you, we'll go back." In that much of a
challenge she felt safe.

"I'm riding with you," he returned, a little dryly. "I like anything you
like."

And at this juncture Kate's luck deserted her; it always seemed to when
she most needed it. Ahead, there lay a stretch of smooth bench and she
took a run to cross it. But below a slight rise on the near side an ugly
break suddenly faced her. Decision was forced. Recklessness said: "Take
it." She spurred. The gray hesitated--almost as if to give his wanton
mistress a chance to reconsider; but he got the quirt for his pains.

The wiry beast was almost on the brink--he had hardly a moment to coil,
but he shot across the gulf with a convulsive leap that carried his rider
over, with nothing--absolutely nothing--to spare. He made the farther
side with three feet--the left hind foot slumped on the edge of the bank
and down went the leg!

Kate never forgot that moment. It was thirty feet, sheer, to the rocks
below. And it would have been poor Dick on top of his foolish mistress.
Kate really expected nothing better until with a terrific snort the pony
scrambled to safety. What a horse will do for thankless man!

The frightened girl hardly dared l