be. Well, time's precious! Here's a
lot of matches. The whole ones go in number one, the next lengths in
wagon two, and the little ones in the last. See, I've snapped them off,
and Miss Milliken, as head of the expedition, please draw first!"

The lady flushed and drew. Her lot was in the last and smallest
buckboard which would carry but two more beside the driver; and it fell
out that her companions would be Alfaretta and Monty Stark. The driver
was known as Silent Pete, and it certainly was an odd combination which
had resulted from the first "drawing."

To the leading wagon the "lots" assigned the three Fords and Jedediah,
their colored "boy," with Molly, Helena and Herbert--their driver, Lem
Hunt, the most talkative man at San Leon but, also, the crack whip of
the ranch.

The driver of the second team was "Tenderfoot Sorrel," so called because
of his red hair and his comparatively recent arrival from the east. He
was less familiar with the country than the other two teamsters and had
been assigned to the place in the middle of the little cavalcade, so
that "he can't lose hisself afore or ahind, ary way," as Lemuel
explained it.

Naturally, everybody was disappointed at the result of the lots, Mrs.
Ford protesting that it was inhospitable to put all her family in one
vehicle, and that the best, but that "a Ford should have been in each."

"Let's change, then," begged Monty, "and let one of the girls settle it
as she knows we'd like it."

But Alfy gave him such a frown that he ducked his head, avoiding an
imaginary blow, while Miss Milliken as vigorously declared:

"You mustn't do that. Oh! don't do that! 'Twould be the very worst luck
of all. Something would surely happen!"

"Well, if there doesn't I shall be disappointed! We're all eager for
adventures, and that's why I took this long, roundabout way to the
ranch. We could have gone there in next to no time, by rail, but that's
too humdrum a thing. Anyhow, I bow to Miss Milliken's prejudices for the
time being. We shall be in sight of each other all the time, I expect,
and meet at Roderick's for our suppers and beds! All off for San Leon
that's going!" cried Mr. Ford, in imitation of a steamboat steward, and
taking his wife's arm led her and her guests out of the hotel.

The trunks and heavier luggage had already gone ahead in other wagons
and only suit-cases and hand-bags were on hand. These were hastily
bestowed in the boxes of the two less crowded buckb