A half an hour or so of that, and the horse at last quit quivering, showed signs that he was cooled off and got his breath all o. k. again. After a while he drank, and then drank some more, and the girl watching him felt sure that the worst was over and that the horse was saved. She smiled, petted him on the neck, and felt relieved at the natural way he'd got to acting again. The sun was hitting for the tall peaks to the west when the girl finally decided Cloudy was all right again and fit to start back. He was good and dry by then and felt cool; she'd kept him in the shade all the while, and being that mountain shade is not at all warm at that time of the year, the old pony was near shivering from the cold by the time the girl led him back to the saddle and put it on him again. The ride back to the stable was like a funeral march as compared with the one starting out, the horse was kept on a slow walk all the way, and every care was taken by the girl so that only the easiest trail was followed; she worried as she rode along and noticed that the horse didn't seem to be the same as before, his step wasn't so sure and he'd stumble when there was nothing on the ground for him to stumble on, and then he'd sway like he was weak. It was away after dark when finally the stable was reached, the stable man was there and waiting, and greeting the young lady with a smile he asked: "Did you water Cloudy before you left?" "No," says the girl, "but I watered him on the mountain where I turned to come back." "The reason I asked, is because the new stable boy I hired forgot to water him this morning, or he thought _I_ did." * * * * * The grey haired man didn't get to ride Cloudy the next day, nor did anybody else, for that horse was hardly able to even get out of the stall; his legs was like so many sticks of wood and with no more bend in 'em than them same sticks have. His head hung near to the ground, and not a spear of the hay that'd been put in the manger had been touched. The girl came to the stable that noon, and would of cried at the sight of him, only the stable man came up, and she held the tears back best as she could. "Looks like he's done for," says that feller as he came up. He didn't ask the girl what she'd done, cause a look at the horse told him the whole story better than the girl could of, and as he figgered, a man has to take them chances when he's renting horses out that way, besides, the girl looked so downhearted about it that he didn't have the heart to do any more but try to cheer her up. "I'll doctor him up the best I can, and maybe get him to come out of it a little." The girl took hopes at them words, and her eyes a shining, asked: "And can I come and help you?"