RS

After breakfast the four girls asked each other what there was to do.
They had had so much excitement all week, that the simple life palled on
them.

"It's exactly like drinking milk after you have been kept on spice-beer
for a long time," laughed Eleanor.

"Well, Nolla and I have an invitation to spend the day with friends of
mine. We can ride over there any time," said Polly.

"Then for goodness' sake, come on! I'll be asleep again if we don't do
something," exclaimed Eleanor.

"All right, I'll saddle Noddy and you can have Choko. We will have to
harness them ourselves now that Jeb is away, and the other hands are
working on the ranch."

"You're not going far, are you?" asked Anne, suspiciously.

Polly laughed. "Not as far as we went yesterday."

Mrs. Brewster had been told where Polly planned to take Eleanor, and she
smiled approvingly. A nice luncheon was packed up and placed in the
panniers of the burros, and the three grownups stood and watched the two
girls ride down the trail to Rainbow Cliff.

As they went, Eleanor said: "Did you mention the name of your friends? I
forgot, if you have."

Polly laughed. "Maybe I told you, but I don't remember now. Anyway, you
wouldn't know them if I did tell you their names."

"But what do you call them when you address them?"

"I always call the old one 'Grandfather,' but he has a large family that
I never bother with. _He_ is our friend.

"This family lives and does queer things that no city folks ever dream
of," added Polly.

"Something like that Halsey woman, eh?" laughed Eleanor, who had heard
from Sary about the disobedient children.

"The Beavers are too polite to force their company on us. And as we may
not care to eat as they do, I decided to bring lunch, which we can
enjoy by ourselves," explained Polly.

Noddy and Choko now reached the trail leading up the pine-tipped crest
of the mountain back of Pebbly Pit, and were soon climbing through a
veritable wilderness of sage-brush and aspens.

"My, what a place to live in!" said Eleanor, surprised.

"It's not far, now," returned Polly.

Shortly after this, Polly turned Noddy from the old trail and plunged
into a thicket of aspens.

"Good gracious! How can they ever find their own home?" wondered
Eleanor, gazing at the closely growing aspen trees.

"They know everything! And Noddy knows the way by this time, too, as I
like to come here and spend the day. Besides there are blazes on the
larg