s a regular cow horse, but he'll soon learn."

"I must trade you outen that hoss. I certainly am 'blieged to do so. I'm
growin' old, boy. I don't take the pleasu' in a broncho that I once did.
I certainly am tired of hosses I can't touch with my hand. Fo' fo'ty
yeahs I have handled these locoed hosses--they ah all locoed in my
judgment--and I am plum tired of such. I shall send to Missouri aw
Tennessee and get me a hoss I can trust. Meanwhile, you leave me yo'
hoss an' take my bald-face pinto there; he is the fastest hoss on the
range an' a plum devil, but that won't mattah to you, for you ah young
an' frisky."

Mose hated to yield up his gentle and faithful horse even for a short
time, but could not decently refuse. He shifted his saddle to the pinto
with Reynolds' help.

"Whoa, there, Wild Cat," called the rancher, as the wicked eyes began to
roll. "He'll get usen to ye after a day or two," he said reassuringly.

Mose's horsemanship was on trial, and though nervous and white, he led
the pinto out and prepared to mount.

"If he wants to gambol a little, just let him go, only keep his head
up," said Reynolds with careless glance.

Cora came out of the house and stood looking on, while Mose tightened
the cinch again, and grasping the pommel with both hands put his toe in
the stirrup. The pinto leaped away sidewise, swift as a cat, but before
he could fairly get into motion Mose was astride, with both feet in the
stirrups. With a series of savage sidewise bounds, the horse made off at
a tearing pace, thrusting his head upon the bit in the hope to jerk his
rider out of his seat. Failing of this he began to leap like a sheep.
Just as he was about to let up on this Mose sank the rowels into him
with a wild yell, and hotly lashed him from side to side with the end of
his rope. For a few rods the horse continued to leap with stiffened legs
and upraised back, then abandoned all tricks and ran up the hill like a
scared antelope.

When Reynolds caught up with his new "hand" he smiled and said: "I
reckon you can be trusted to look out fo' yo'sef," and the heart of the
youth glowed with pleasure.

Again he felt the majesty and splendor of the life into which he had
penetrated. The measureless plain, dimpled and wrinkled, swept downward
toward the flaming eastern sky unmarked of man. To the west, cut close
across their snow tops by the plain's edge, three enormous and
snow-armored peaks arose, the sunlight already glitterin