Her head was bare, her white dress and her delicate slippers were very
thin, and the chill of the autumnal night was already coming on. But she
thought of none of these things, felt none of them, and did not stop at
the door of the stable, although she had never entered it before, and it
was now very dark within. But there was nothing for her to fear, she
knew all about the horses, as every girl of the country did, since
riding was a part of the life of the wilderness. Keeping close to
David's side, she followed him to the pony's stall, and when she heard
him take down the saddle and bridle that hung overhead, her hands
eagerly went out in the darkness to help him buckle the girth.
"There! You will ride as fast as you can--I know you will. And you will
help him fight. Make haste. Why didn't we think to get your rifle? Oh,
why! You are very slow. There! Isn't it ready?"
But as the boy started to lead the pony from the stable, a sudden
thought flashed through her mind, and she acted upon it as quickly as
she grasped it.
"Let me have the pony," she gasped.
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