The Mornin'-Glory Girl

								

fluttered all night under the starry heavens.

CHAPTER V.
A DANCE IN THE CEDAR HILLS.

It was a fine summer evening. The whole Wopp family was getting ready
to go to a dance, to be held at a ranch some ten miles off. An array
of clean clothing was laid out on the different beds and an odor of
musk-scented soap pervaded the air.
“Now, Moses, look sharp. Quit yer foolin’ an’ git busy,” called Mrs.
Wopp, to the son and heir, whose toilet was not even begun. She
herself was busy braiding Betty’s fair hair. “Be sure to warsh yer
neck an’ ears. Larst party we was to, Mis’ Williams says to me, she
says, ‘Is that your Moses settin’ on that bench? La me! he seems
darker complected than I ever seed him before. I thort he were some
Arfrican,’ she says. I hev always been a godly woman, Moses, ef I do
go to a dance now an’ agin. Anyhow, the good book says there is a time
to dance, but it aint got no patience with dirt. Git yerself cleaned
up, then go an’ hook up the team.”
At this juncture there was a knock at the door. It was Howard Eliot
who had called for Nell.
Howard rode his chestnut saddle-horse “The Kid,” while Nell had
“Ladybird.” Moses was not so pious by nature as his mother, and he had
flatly refused to have his pinto’s disposition spoiled by giving her
such a name as “Hephzibah” his mother’s choice.
The two riders, who were to be followed by the family in the democrat,
set off at a gentle lope. Before them lay the Cedar Hills over which
the moon was just rising sharply defining their wooded crests. They
followed a trail well-known to Howard who had ridden the range, in
this district for several years. Nell, though an eastern girl, was at
home in the saddle having always been accustomed to riding.
“I believe you are becoming a confirmed westerner,” said Howard as
they slowed down to a walk. “If you once drink slough water you know
you will never like any other.”
“Perhaps not,” answered Nell, “I can see there are wonderful
possibilities in this vast country. Some day this prairie will be
dotted here and there with prosperous towns. But don’t let us be
serious. Here’s a grand place for a race. I know ‘Ladybird’ can beat
‘The Kid.’”
Off she darted followed by Howard. The horses swept over the smooth
turf in long easy strides, gradually increasing in speed as pinto and
chestnut realized that this was a trial of fleetness. It was glorious,
but presently Nell, remembering Moses’ parting injunctions in regard
to his beloved pinto, pulled up. “Next time, Ladybird, we will win
never fear,” she said consolingly, patting the horse’s sleek neck.
The dance was held in a new barn of which the floor was especially
good. Indeed the young people of the family had seen to that.
Unfortunately the stable end of the building was already in use and
this proved to be somewhat inconvenient. During the festivities of the