The start was to be an early one, but even before breakfast, Friday morning, a solemn and regretful procession wended its way from the guest cabin down to the corral, and each girl took mournful leave of her pony.
“Jinks is crying, I know he is,” said Polly. “See him droop his precious head. I wish I could take him back with me.”
“Don’t we all wish the same about our ponies?” Ted exclaimed. “Where can I ever find another horse like Calico Bill. He’s salmon-pink and brown and white, and his eyes are so expressive.”
The ponies did seem to know that something wrong was going on, for they lifted their heads, and whinnied wistfully as the two teams drove away over the road southward. The two older boys stood with Mrs. Murray, waving, and beside them was Sally too, stolid, and bright-eyed, watching them out of sight.
“Four weeks of solid fun,” said Ruth, as she leaned back. “Hasn’t it been just splendid, girls?”
“You’ve blazed a good trail for others to follow, too,” Jean replied. “Better a suit-case and a khaki dress than white ruffles and a parasol, girls, on a board walk, if you’re out for health and a good time.”
“And a dinosaurus,” added Polly.
At the railroad station in Deercroft, they saw Jimmy.
“Thought I’d ride down to say good-bye,” he said, shaking hands with each. “Don’t forget what you promised about our mission, will you? They say we can have the old Fork schoolhouse to use if we want it, and we’re going to try to buy it in, and make a chapel out of it. I hope you’ll help out.”
“We will, truly, we will,” the girls promised.