"Hold on, you boy riders!" he yelled. "We ain't a-goin' to have any arguments like thet.... Now, Bostil, it's settled, then? You'll let Cordts come?" "Glad to have him," replied Bostil. "Good. An' now mebbe we'd better get down to the bizness of this here meetin'." They seated themselves around the table, upon which Bostil laid an old and much-soiled ledger and a stub of a lead-pencil. "First well set the time," he said, with animation, "an' then pitch into details.... What's the date?" No one answered, and presently they all looked blankly from one to the other. "It's April, ain't it?" queried Holley. That assurance was as close as they could get to the time of year. "Lucy!" called Bostil, in a loud voice. She came running in, anxious, almost alarmed. "Goodness! you made us jump! What on earth is the matter?" "Lucy, we want to know the date," replied Bostil. "Date! Did you have to scare Auntie and me out of our wits just for that?" "Who scared you? This is important, Lucy. What's the date?" "It's a week to-day since last Tuesday," answered Lucy, sweetly. "Huh! Then it's Tuesday again," said Bostil, laboriously writing it down. "Now, what's the date?" "Don't you remember?" "Remember? I never knew." "Dad! ... Last Tuesday was my birthday--the day you DID NOT give me a horse!" "Aw, so it was," rejoined Bostil, confused at her reproach. "An' thet date was--let's see--April sixth.... Then this is April thirteenth. Much obliged, Lucy. Run back to your aunt now. This hoss talk won't interest you." Lucy tossed her head. "I'll bet I'll have to straighten out the whole thing." Then with a laugh she disappeared. "Three days beginnin--say June first. June first--second, an' third. How about thet for the races?" Everybody agreed, and Bostil laboriously wrote that down. Then they planned the details. Purses and prizes, largely donated by Bostil and Muncie, the rich members of the community, were recorded. The old rules were adhered to. Any rider or any Indian could enter any horse in any race, or as many horses as he liked in as many races. But by winning one race he excluded himself from the others. Bostil argued for a certain weight in riders, but the others ruled out this suggestion. Special races were arranged for the Indians, with saddles, bridles, blankets, guns as prizes.