Donald seemed to think it would be great sport to see the teacher's maiden effort at riding bareback. "Jest git on, Miss Bright, an' see how easy 'tis," he urged. "I don't know how to mount," she hastened to say. "I haven't learned even that much." "Oh, that's easy enough," said a muscular little chap. "I'll show yer." And he leaped like a squirrel to the horse's back. "Oh, I could never do that," said Esther, joining in the laughter of the children. "I'll tell yer what," said a large Scotch boy, "ye wait a bit, Miss Bright, an' I'll bring ye y'r chair, an' then 'twill be easy enough." So the chair was brought, and the teacher seated herself on the horse's back, sideways. "Oh, ye must ride straddles," insisted Donald, "or ye'll sure fall off." "Yes, straddles," echoed another; but Esther shook her head dubiously, and pointed to her full blue flannel walking skirt. "Oh, that's all right," said the tallest boy, "everybody rides straddles here." "Try it," urged Brigham. So she tried it. But she was not the only passenger who rode astride. Michael and Patrick, the little Murphy twins, were helped to a place behind her. Wathemah then climbed up in front of her. "Is this all?" she asked, laughingly. "I should think it was enough," said Kenneth Hastings, who at that moment joined the company. As he caught Esther's eye, both laughed, and the children joined from pure sympathy. When she recovered her composure, Esther said to Kenneth, "Nothing lacking but some white muslin harness and posies on me." At last, amid shouts and cheers, the much-bedecked horse and his human load started up the mountain road. By three o'clock, the pulse of the Murphy household beat faster. The temperature rose to fever heat. Three-fifteen, three-thirty; still no visitors; and what is more, no signs of visitors. Every five minutes, one of the children would run down the mountain road, and return disappointed. "Do yer s'pose they ain't comin'?" queried Kate, who had been kept at home that day to assist in the preparations. "Oh, yes, they're comin', I think likely," answered the hostess; "but I don't see where they're keepin' theirselves." She frequently straightened the chairs; once more she dusted the furniture with her clean apron; she straightened the pictures on the walls; she brought out an old and much-prized album, sacred to Mormon prophets and elders. The broken mirror, that adorned the wall, had been cleaned and decorated with tissue paper. Mrs. Murphy stood and looked in it. She saw reflected a sharp, severe face shining like the mirror. "I wisht I had a collar," she said. "I uster wear a collar back in York State." Suddenly, she heard a shout from the road. "They're comin'! They're comin'! Schoolma'am's with 'em! Quick, Maw, quick!" There was a rush down the path, Joseph Smith leading the line.