Part 17 (2/2)
”That's pretty nearly all,” said Betty truthfully ”He said he would save all the news until he saw : ”The boys are simply ith jealousy They say it is all a deep dark scheet out here with us”
”Us!” repeated Grace, with a giggle ”Much he cares about the rest of us”
Be that as itafternoon toAllen swiftly toward thearbed miners and cow-punchers on the platforirls had a se everything looked to us e first came,” remarked Grace, as they waited for the train ”Noe feel as much at home as if we had lived here all our lives”
”The people are all so nice and friendly, too,” said Amy ”It's wonderful how soon you coreed ”At home in the East ant to know pretty much all there is to know about people we ranted nobody seems to care where you carunted Mollie ”I guess in a good many cases it wouldn't do to be too curious,” she said cynically ”If you believe the stories you read and the movies you see everybody who has committed a crime anywhere from petty larceny to murder skips out West to escape just punish around at the rather har crowd on the station platforh Iset,” she added, and the girls giggled
”Grace could forgive a h,” remarked Amy
”Here comes the train!” cried Betty suddenly, as the Western Limited thundered around a curve in the distance and stea but that Allen was on that train and that in a moment more she would see hierly scanning the faces on the platform as he jumped from the train the instant the porter opened the door
It took hiirls, and he ca
”Well, if this isn't great!” he cried in his hearty voice, shaking hands with all of the mostly at Betty ”Knew I could trust the Outdoor Girls to turn out for a rousing welco?”
”Just fine,” they assured hion along fro hion beside which two of the boys fro bashfully ”Come over and meet a couple of our cow-punchers, and they will help you load your trunk on board”
All this acco formed an immediate and staunch friendshi+p, Betty introduced the latter to the horse she had brought for hinificent aniraceful neck and a flash to his eye that proclaihbred ancestry
”Say, you old peach of a horse,” said Allen, fondly stroking the softof your kind I've ever seen It seehtning,” Amy volunteered ”The boys call him that because he can outrun alh,” she added loyally, ”I shouldn't wonder if Lady could beat hiive her a head start”
This characteristic speech brought a laugh, and Allen regarded the four other beautiful horses in the group
”You girls seely He studied them a moment, then his eyes narrowed quizzically as he turned to Betty
”I'll bet you a box of candy against a pair of gloves,” he said, ”that I can tell which horse belongs to which Do you take uessed theer to Mollie and Old Nick to Betty