s burden by the shed. Grateful Mrs. Alec cried and held
little David closer when Priscilla, fortified by Hannah's cider, told the
story. Alec, who came in a few minutes later, was grateful, too, in his
bluff Scotch way. The snake, he said, was a whopper. He had rarely seen a
larger, and Miss Priscilla was a trump--the very bravest tenderfoot he'd
ever seen!

She had been true to her heritage, Donald said that evening--worthy to
bear the Winthrop coat-of-arms. But then he knew she wasn't a quitter
anyway. He had told her so that very afternoon.

But Priscilla's honesty was equal to all the demands placed upon it that
night. Donald's praise was but the last straw!

"All the coats-of-arms and family mottoes in the world, Donald," she said,
"couldn't have made me kill that snake. It was what you said about them,
and about me not being a quitter that did it. I think I was a quitter
until this afternoon; but now I can go and write Miss Wallace without
covering up the top of the paper. I'm going to do it before bed-time, if
you'll excuse me. Good-night!"

CHAPTER XVIII

A GOOD SPORT

"Whew!" sighed Vivian, shifting her position in the saddle for the tenth
time in as many minutes, and taking off her broad-brimmed hat to fan her
tanned, flushed face. "I think sagebrush must attract the sun. I never was
hotter in all my life! I wish now we'd stayed at the Buffalo Horn and
waited till after supper to start back. Of course I don't exactly love
riding in the dark, but of the two I'd about as soon be scared to death as
baked. Where is the next shady spot, Virginia? I can't see a tree for
miles! I honestly can't!"

"There aren't any," said the comforting Virginia, brushing back the damp
rings of hair from her hot forehead, "and the next shady spot is two miles
away. The trail bends and there are some quaking-asps by a spring. We'll
rest there, and eat our cookies, and drink some real water. 'Twill be a
change from the river."

"I'm thankful for the river though, even if I have drunk all kinds of
bugs. I guess we'd have died without it through all these miles of
sagebrush. When will the others get home, do you suppose?"

"Not until late," Virginia answered, "that is, if they wait for supper.
I'd have loved to have stayed, but William wants Pedro for the range
to-morrow, and I wanted him to have a longer rest. Besides, he runs so
with the other horses and gets nervous. You were a peach to come with me,
Vivian. Right i