A few days after when Jeanette discovered that all opposition to her riding had been removed, of her own free will she did not see how it was possible to back down. For one thing she could never endure the teasing that would ensue, particularly from Cecil Perry.
Then began Jeanette's unusual relation with her stepmother. Two or three hours of each day they spent together in training for the contest without becoming better friends.
Occasionally Mr. Colter rode beside them or watched from some vantage point to offer suggestions, but more often they were alone.
Jeanette appreciated there was a good deal she might learn from her stepmother. Not only had she been famous throughout the state during her girlhood as one of the best horsewomen in Wyoming, she also had the advantage of an English training.
Notwithstanding, she always insisted that she preferred to any other the Western horse and saddle and the Western fashion of riding.
Little points Jeanette watched carefully, knowing the prize would be awarded for a number of reasons, but chiefly for speed and daring.
At first she had no hope of actually winning. Now as the days went by she found herself becoming more and more eager and hopeful.
She was improving, and often there were minor incidents in a race that affected the final result.
In the women's contest they were to ride across an open field, leap ditches and fences such as are found in the Western country, turn and come back to the judges' stand.
Being a natural horsewoman, Jeanette had made no serious effort to learn to ride properly until the present.