t game leg. And
besides, don't you see I've been wanting an excuse to ride Rattler ever
since I knew you? You must have a very poor opinion of my riding."

"Oh, if you put it that way--" Ward yielded, just as she knew he
would. "I haven't a doubt but what you can handle him if you take a
notion. Only--if you got hurt--"

"But I won't." Billy Louise braced her courage with a smile and picked
up the saddle blanket. But Ward took it from her and hobbled close
enough to adjust it.

"He knows me," he explained meaningly. "Better let me saddle up. He
don't know but what I can cave a rib or two in, if he don't behave.
Just hand me the saddle, William, please."

"You're only trying to scare me out," Billy Louise accused him, with a
vast relief well hidden. "I'm not a bit afraid of him."

"All right; that'll help some." He steadied himself by the horse's
twitching shoulder while he reached carefully for the cinch. "I guess
I'm more scared than you are."

"I know you are. I've taken too many tumbles to let the prospect of
another one worry me, anyway. Why, Blue ditched me himself, three
different times when I first began to ride him. And even yet the old
devil would like to, once in a while." Billy Louise was actually
talking herself rapidly into a feeling of confidence.

She needed it. When she had helped Ward upon Blue--and that was not
easy, either, considering that he only had one leg fit to stand on--and
had gone to the cabin for her bag of nuggets and Ward's roll of money
which he had forgotten, and had exhausted every other excuse for delay,
she picked up Rattler's reins and wound her fingers in his mane, and
took hold of the stirrup as nonchalantly as if she were mounting Blue.

She went up at the instant when Rattler jumped sidewise from her. She
got partly into the saddle, clung there for a few harrowing seconds,
and then went over his head and plump into a snowdrift beside the
stable.

"Good God!" groaned Ward and went white and weak as he watched.

"Good gracious!" grumbled Billy Louise, righting herself and digging
snow out of her collar and sleeves. "Stop your laughing, Ward Warren!"
(Ward was not laughing, and she knew it.) "I'll ride that ornery
cayuse, just to show him I can. You Rattler, I'll fix you for that!"
She turned to Ward and twisted her lips at him. "I see now why you
named him that," she said. "Because he rattles your teeth loose."

"You keep off him!" Ward shouted s