rhythm with its every movement.

The two riders came to the neighborhood of the great geyser a little in
advance of the coaching party. They rode up to within a reasonable
distance of the queer, symmetrical, cone-shaped hill. There were a few
people waiting about, but the place was quite peaceful and showed no
sign of the leaping torrent of water Jack anticipated. She was intending
to dismount from her horse when the stage arrived. Suddenly a roar, like
a giant's snort, came from beneath the earth and almost instantly
steaming water began to rise through the mouth of the cone in
glistening, gleaming bubbles, then a giant cataract reared itself. Jack
and Peter Drummond had been too surprised at the geyser's sudden display
of its powers to get off their horses at once, and Jack's thoroughbred
was not trained to endure any such exhibition of the unknown forces of
nature. Her whole body quivered as though she had been struck a cruel
blow, then, making a leap straight into the air and coming down on her
two hind feet, she began to dance and curvet and leap about as though
bewitched. Mr. Drummond had a horrified moment of fearing Jack would be
dreadfully injured, but he was too engaged in quieting his own horse's
terror to give her aid. The coaching party arrived on the scene at this
minute and they were torn between interest in the marvelous geyser and
concern for Jack's safety.

Jack proved her horsemanship by recognizing that the high-strung animal
she was riding required a different treatment from one of her rough
ponies. Never once did she use her whip on the pretty mare, but talked
to her in a gentle, soothing tone, keeping her nose turned directly
toward the roaring stream of water, so that the mare should not bolt and
run on hearing extraordinary noises at her back.

In four or five minutes two hundred and fifty thousand gallons of
scalding water had been raised one hundred and fifty feet in the air,
held for a little time and then dashed down to earth again, and "Old
Faithful" was once more peaceful for exactly an hour and ten minutes.

But in this period Jacqueline had brought her horse to a quivering
standstill not far from the geyser. Elizabeth Harmon was pale with
fright and her eyes were full of tears of apprehension, but Frieda was
merely interested in her sister's performance, as she had not the least
idea of her being hurt.

In a few seconds after the excitement had passed, Jim Colter leapt out
of the s