“Not a bit of it. It is my artistic eye.”
“Shall we bring up the rear? Come on, Calico. This horse has Arabian blood in him. See his spots?”
“Is that why they call him that ridiculous name?”
“I suppose so, but they often call horses that. Let’s catch up with Pauline if we can. There come Lilian and Hilary, I guess they are going. They are dressed for it, at least. See, they are explaining why they are late.”
In the woods, vines trailed down over their heads, branches met above them and the sunlight flickered down through lacy leaves once more. The riders slowed their horses to a walk or jogging trot, while the path wound between tall trees or spindling saplings. Further on, they had a gallop on the country road until they struck the bridle path along the shore, where a beautiful view of the lake was one of the attractive features. Miss Perin, the teacher who had “substituted for Patty,” as the girls said, on the picnic at White Wings, was with the girls and let them stop occasionally to examine a wild flower or pursue some new bird a little distance.
“There’s a wonderful old farm-house over there, Miss Perin,” called Juliet. “Can’t we ride up their drive and see if we can get some milk?”
“I am starved, aren’t you, Pauline?” The girls laughed, but looked at Miss Perin with beseeching glances. “Girls are almost always hungry on a ride, you know, Miss Perin.”
“Or anywhere else,” said Miss Perin, “All right; lead the way, Juliet.”
It was a modern place up whose concrete drive they trotted, Juliet bringing up her horse in style at a side entrance, where a very small girl sat on a stool just inside a latticed path. She ran out upon the upper step to see who was coming, then quickly ran back and hid behind the lattice, peeping out at them.
“Little girl, will you ask your mother if we can have a drink of milk?” asked Juliet, in coaxing tones. A bareheaded, barefooted little boy next came running around the corner of the house and stood still, blinking in the sun and staring at the girls and horses. The girls sat on their horses and looked in turn at the clean lawn, the flower beds, the comfortable looking brick house with its newly painted grey blinds and wide front porch, the big barns and tall silo, the stretching fields, one of them with a herd of handsome Holstein cattle.