It was one of Little Billy's
humiliations that he was not yet tall enough to saddle or bridle his own
horse, and the men tactfully saw to it that his mount was always ready
in the morning, and properly released at night, without any embarrassing
comments on the subject.
Patches checked his horse, and without dismounting greeted his friends.
"You're not going?" he said to Kitty, with a note of protest in his
voice. "I haven't seen you for a week. It's not fair for Phil to take
advantage of his position and send me off somewhere alone while he
spends his time riding over the country with you."
They laughed up at him as he sat there on the big bay, hat in hand,
looking down into their upturned faces with the intimate, friendly
interest of an older brother.
Patches noticed that Kitty's eyes were bright with excitement, and that
Phil's were twinkling with suppressed merriment.
"I must go, Patches," said the young woman. "I ought to have gone two
hours ago; but I was so interested that the time slipped away before I
realized."
"We have company," explained Phil, looking at Patches and deliberately
closing one eye--the one that Kitty could not see.
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