“Here, where do I come in?” Dick rescued Jane from her friends and gave her a resounding smack himself. After which he held up his hands and exclaimed: “Say, Doctor Morton, what do you feed these infants on to make them grow so fast? Jane’s a half head taller than either Katie or Gertie and we thought Sherm would surely top Ernest. In fact, we had our money on him to beat any of your 85mushroom Kansas effects, but Holy Smoke, I have to look up to Ernest myself.”
Alice and Katie and Gertie were looking at Jane’s riding habit, Gertie in considerable alarm.
“We don’t have to ride to the ranch on horseback, do we?”
Before the doctor could reassure them, Frank replied gravely:
“Of course, what did you expect in Kansas? We’ve brought six horses and we thought two of the girls could ride in front of Dick and myself. It’s only nine miles and the horses don’t gallop all the way.”
The girls looked panic-stricken, even Alice seemed a little dazed, Frank was so very plausible. Dick helped him on delightfully.
“I told you, Alice, you’d better put your riding habit in your satchel. I suppose the horses are gentle, Frank.”
“Oh, they don’t often throw anyone that’s used to them. Naturally, they’re a little gayer in summer when they’re in the pasture so much.”
Ernest could not resist adding his bit. “I was thrown three times last week, would you like to try my pony, Katy?”
This revealed the game to Alice.