"I wonder if there are wild animals in those woods," said Amy, her eyes widening at the thought. "Real ones."
"You don't suppose they import stuffed ones, do you?" asked Grace dryly.
"Of course there are wild animals—lots of 'em," said Betty, feeling more and more gloriously excited as they neared their destination. "Maybe we can borrow a gun or two from the cow-punchers and have a shot at 'em—animals, I mean, not cow-punchers," she explained, with a giggle.
On top of these rather wild imaginings came Mr. Nelson, telling them it was time to get their things together, for they were within a few minutes of Gold Run.
"I know how long it takes you girls to put a hat on," he laughed. "So I think you had better start right away."
Then—Gold Run! with the dash for the door and Grace running back to rescue a half-empty but still precious candy box and Mollie wanting to know if Amy would please stop pressing her suitcase in the middle of her back——
Someway, Mr. Nelson managed to get them all safely to the station platform, whereupon he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whew! that's the hardest job you ever gave me, Rose," he remarked to his wife, with a chuckle.
Here, as at most of the other stations, was a handful of cowboys who had come to meet the train. One of these, a handsome young fellow, detached himself from the rest and approached Mrs. Nelson, sweeping off his sombrero as he did so.
"Mrs. Nelson, ma'am?" he asked in a soft drawl that captivated the girls immediately.