“Hurrah! Out of the way there!” shouted Paul, heading his pony toward the jump. With his ears pricked forward the pinto approached the stream on an easy lope. “Up there, old chap,” cried Paul, lifting his pony with the reins. With never a pause, the pony gathered himself in two or three quick strides and went sailing over the stream like a bird. “That’s nothing,” cried Asa, a stocky youth of fourteen, mounted on a fine rangy cow pony. “Watch old Kicker do it.” He took his broncho back a few yards and at racing speed cleared the stream with ease. “That’s the way we do it, eh?” he shouted back at the others. “Aw, pshaw! Who couldn’t do that?” cried Paul scornfully. “_She_ can’t! She’s afraid!” jeered Asa, pointing to Peg, who, sitting quietly on the fat and placid Tubby, was looking gloomily upon the swift-flowing water. “Come on Peg,” called Asa, “if old Tubby can’t jump she kin float acrost.” “Of course she can jump it if she wants to,” said Paul, who had taken in the whole situation. “But Peg needn’t do it if she doesn’t want to.” As he spoke he circled round on the pinto and once more cleared the stream. “She daren’t. She’s afraid.” Asa’s laugh made Peg wince. “I’m not afraid to jump, but I don’t think Tubby wants to try,” she said to Paul. Asa shouted. “I came acrost as easy as anything,” said Adelina sweetly. “An’ I kin do it again.” “O’ course you did. An’ yeh kin do it again any ole time yeh want to,” said her brother. Paul’s glance wandered from one girl to the other. Peg’s face was pale and set. She was the youngest of the party, tall for her age, but slight in body and of a highly nervous and sensitive temperament. Asa’s taunting jeers disturbed her but little, but Adelina’s smooth superior tone stung her like the lash of a whip. Her pale face flushed a bright red. “I’m _not_ afraid, and I can do it if I want to,” she said with quick defiance. “Go it then! Let’s see you!” cried Asa. “Don’t you do it, Peg, if you don’t want to,” said Paul quietly. “Never mind him!” “Here, young feller, you keep y’re mouth shut,” said Asa truculently, rushing his broncho at Paul. “I’m going to do it,” said Peg, as Paul swerved his pinto out of Asa’s way. “Don’t try it, Peg,” said Adelina’s smooth voice. “You know old Tubby’s pretty slow, an’ she might fall in.” The insult was more than Peg could bear, to whom Tubby was a friend greatly beloved. “I’m going, Paul,” said Peg, between her shut teeth. “All right, Peg, I’ll go with you. Come on, we’ll take it together.” As he spoke they took their ponies back and went at the jump full gallop.