"Maw, you can go, too. You agreed to take things easy, you know," reminded her husband.
"Oh, Sam! Riding over the Flat Top Mountains would be the hardest work for me, these days!" laughed Mrs. Brewster.
"Pshaw now! You used to ride better than any cow-boy in these parts, and you can't tell me those days are past," argued Mr. Brewster, dropping the habit of using western terms in his eagerness.
"I've heard of Mrs. Brewster's famous riding," now chimed in Anne.
"She can ride better'n Pa—Father, or any one I ever saw!" Polly maintained.
Mrs. Brewster shook her head in a vain effort to discourage such praise, then she turned to the Maynard girls, saying: "Do you understand western horses? They are rather difficult at times, you know."
"We ride daily when in Chicago," said Barbara, boastfully.
"But city horses are mere nags, Bob. These half-wild animals accustomed to roaming the plains, are something worth while, you will find," laughed Anne.
"I'd advise your going to the corral and having Jeb try out the horses for you, before you undertake any long jaunt," suggested Mrs. Brewster.
"We can visit the Cliffs this morning, and try riding this afternoon," added Polly eagerly.