“Oh, that makes me think of something,” Ted broke in. “Will there be enough ponies for all of us girls, Miss Murray? I mean for us to ride on.”
“I think there surely will be. Father has about six, besides the work horses, and we each have our own pet pony besides. The boys broke theirs in, I know. In Colorado they use the burros for mountain climbing, but our roads are not so rough, at least up around Deercroft. As you travel westward through the Big Horn country, it is very rocky and wild.”
“Doesn’t it seem queer to think we are really on the way there, girls?” Sue sighed, contentedly. “I’m not worried over anything in the world just at this minute except how on earth we are all to sleep on these seats.”
“Six dollars for three berths to-night, and all double up?” Isabel suggested reflectively.
“Now, never mind glancing over the flesh pots of Egypt, Lady Vanitas,” Ruth retorted, placidly. “We will hand that same porter some more quarters, and get pillows and blankets from his private cupboard—”
“Locker,” interrupted Isabel. “I heard him call it that.”
“That is a good plan, Ruth; I’d never thought of it,” Polly exclaimed. “We haven’t six dollars to spend on berths, goose. We’re self-supporting globe trotters now.”
When bedtime came, they watched the preparations of others interestedly. Polly helped put the twins to bed on seats, and even hushed the baby, while the mother got a chance to go and bathe her warm, dusty face. The passengers were settling themselves as comfortably as they could for the night, and good-hearted Ted slipped her pillow to the girl who had been ill.
“I can double up my coat and make a pillow of it,” she explained, when Sue discovered what she had done.
It was not nearly so uncomfortable as they had anticipated. As Polly announced sleepily, “Nothing is ever so bad as you expected it to be, anyway.” They had taken Jean’s advice, and worn pongee silk waists, that hardly showed any creases. Before they knew it, the motion of the train had lulled them all into good healthful slumber.