bottom lands, were charging
recklessly down upon her.

As the clatter and rumble of those eight flying hoofs drew nearer and
nearer, Midnight, too, "came alive," as the cowboys say, and tossed his
head and pranced with eager impatience.

"Where in the world have you been all the afternoon?" demanded Jimmy,
with twelve-year-old authority, as his pony slid to a halt within a foot
or two of his sister's horse.

And, "We wanted you to go with us, to see our coyote traps," reproved
Conny--two years younger than his brother--as his pinto executed a like
maneuver on the other side of the excited Midnight.

"And where is Jack?" asked the young woman mischievously, as she
smilingly welcomed the vigorous lads.

"Couldn't he help?"

Jack was the other member of the Reid trio of boys--a lusty
four-year-old who felt himself equal to any venture that interested his
brothers.

Jimmy grinned. "Aw, mama coaxed him into the kitchen with something to
eat while me and Conny sneaked down to the corral and saddled up and
beat it."

Big sister's dark eyebrows arched in shocked inquiry, "_Me_ and Conny?"

"That is, Conny and I," amended Jimmy, with good-natured tolerance of
his sister's whims.

"You see, Kitty," put in Conny, "this hero coyote traps pin' ain't just
fun. It's business. Dad's promised us three dollars for every scalp, an'
we're aimin' to make a stake. We didn't git a blamed thing, to-day,
though."

Sister's painful and despairing expression was blissfully ignored as
Jimmy stealthily flicked the long romal at the end of his bridle reins
against Midnight's flank.

"Gee!" observed the tickled youngster, as Kitty gave all her attention
to restraining the fretting and indignant horse, "ol' Midnight is sure
some festive, ain't he?"

"I'll race you both to the big gate," challenged Kitty.

"For how much?" demanded Jimmy quickly.

"You got to give us fifty yards start," declared Conny, leaning forward
in his saddle and shortening his reins.

"If I win, you boys go straight to bed to-night, when it's time, without
fussing," said Kitty, "and I'll give you to that oak bush yonder."

"Good enough! You're on!" they shouted in chorus, and loped away.

As they passed the handicap mark, another shrill, defiant yell came
floating back to where Kitty sat reining in her impatient Midnight. At
the signal, the two ponies leaped from a lope into a full run, while
Kitty loosed the restraining rein and the black horse stretched