gned supreme had not the mosquitoes kept every one busy.

"Any wishes, Cecil?"

"None whatever," said Cecil. "There are no people to go and see, I
think you said, Uncle David?"

"No one that would interest you," Mr. Linton said; and Wally and Jim,
who had groaned internally with fear of being taken "calling," felt
their spirits return.

"My brain's not equal to planning, as I remarked," Jim said. "But if I
go anywhere, I'd like to do so on a horse. I want to feel a horse under
me again."

"Hear, hear," from Wally, softly.

"Well, I can't go out to-morrow," said the squatter. "I've letters to
see to, and Anderson may be out; so you must look after
yourselves--which I believe you to be entirely capable of doing. Norah,
haven't you any ideas?"

"Loads," said Norah, promptly, "but they're all connected with
mosquitoes!" She aimed a vicious blow into space as she spoke, and
sighed, before rubbing the bite. "Well, suppose we ride out and boil
the billy somewhere along the river? Cecil, would you care for that?"

"Very much," said Cecil, in the tones that always gave the impression
that he despised the particular subject under discussion. Norah had
quite withdrawn the opinion formed in the first five minutes of their
acquaintance, that he was ill mannered--now she bewailed the fact that
he was so uniformly and painfully polite.

"Well, if you would--" she said, hesitatingly. "What do you boys think?"

"Grand idea," responded Wally. Norah loved Wally's way; he was always
so pleased and interested over any plan that might be formed. Jim was
wont to remark that if you arranged to clean out a pigsty, Wally would
probably regard it as a gigantic picnic, and enjoy his day hugely. She
smiled at him gratefully in the darkness.

"You too, Jim?"

"Rather--anything you like," said her brother. "What horse can I have,
Dad?"

Jim had no special horse of his own. His two ponies, Sirdar and Mick,
he had outgrown, although they were still up to anything of a lighter
weight--the former only inferior to Norah's beloved Bobs. His absences
from home were so long that it had not seemed worth while to procure
him a special horse, and for several holidays he had been accustomed to
ride any of the station mounts. Privately, Jim was not altogether
satisfied with the arrangement, although quite admitting its common
sense. Now that he had left school he intended to ask his father if he
could buy a horse.

"You can try my new purchase,