"My mustang's the best friend I hev. I broke 'er mysel'. My! She can gae like the wind!"
"You!" said the astonished teacher. "Can you break a horse?"
"Can I?" she repeated in amusement. "I'd like tae show ye. I wad like tae tak ye oot on the range wi' me. My, but ye'd like it!"
"No doubt. What do you do out on the range?"
"Oh, we rides an' rides an' looks after the cattle; we cooks, an' plays cards, an' joshes the boys."
Here Jessie laughed.
"What a dreary life this must be," thought Esther. She said aloud, "You must find the life monotonous and lonely."
"Never lonely, schoolma'am. It's full o' excitement. There's somethin' doin' all the time. Sometime ye sees herds o' antelope, or ye meets a grizzly. It's better'n a dance tae bring down a grizzly."
"A bear?" the teacher exclaimed in astonishment. "You don't mean to say you ever killed a bear?"
The cowlass's eyes sparkled as she said proudly: