again. "What isn't there that you
don't do better than most of 'em?"

"Parlor tricks!" flashed back the girl of the ranges, half laughing, but
half in earnest, too. "I know I should be just a silly with a lorgnette,
or trying to tango."

"Well!" gasped the young fellow, "who isn't silly under those
circumstances, I would like to know."

Mixing talk of lorgnettes and dancing with shooting jack-rabbits did not
suit very well, for the next pair of the long-eared animals that the
dogs started got away entirely.

They rode on down the edge of the hollow through which the stream
flowed. The dogs beat the bushes and cottonwood clumps. Suddenly a
small, graceful, spotted animal leaped from concealment and came up the
slope of the long river-bank ahead of both the dogs and almost under the
noses of some of the excited ponies.

"Oh! an antelope!" shrieked two or three of the young people,
recognizing the graceful creature.

"Don't shoot it!" cried Mrs. Edwards. "I am not sure that the law will
let us touch antelopes at this season.

"You needn't fear, Mrs. Edwards," said the girl from Boston, laughing.
"Nobody is likely to get near enough to shoot that creature. Wonderful!
see how it leaps. Why! those funny dogs couldn't even catch it."

Frances had had no idea of touching the antelope. But suddenly she
spurred Molly away at an angle from the bank, and called to the dogs to
keep on the trail of the little deer.

"Ye-hoo! Go for it! On, boys!" she shouted, and already the rope was
swinging about her head.

Pratt spurred after her, and by chance Sue Latrop's pony got excited and
followed the two madly. Sue could not pull him in.

The antelope did not seem to be half trying, he bounded along so
gracefully and easily. The long-limbed dogs were doing their very best.
The ponies were coming down upon the quarry at an acute angle.

The antelope's beautiful, spidery legs flashed back and forth like
piston-rods, or the spokes of a fast-rolling wheel. They could scarcely
be seen clearly. In five minutes the antelope would have drawn far
enough away from the chase to be safe--and he could have kept up his
pace for half an hour.

Frances was near, however. Molly, coming on the jump, gave the girl of
the ranges just the chance that she desired. She arose suddenly in her
saddle, leaned forward, and let the loop fly.

Like a snake it writhed in the air, and then settled just before the
leaping antelope. The creature put its f