How Elmer unearthed such ancient history was a mystery to
Florrie; but none the less she "hated" him for it. They saw a very
great deal of each other, each serving as a sort of balance-wheel to
the other's self-centred complacency. Perhaps the one subject upon
which they could agree was Jim Galloway; Elmer still liked to look upon
the gambler as a colossal figure standing serene among wolves, while
Florrie could admit to him, with no fear of a chiding, that she thought
Mr. Galloway "simply splendid!"
When one evening, after having failed to show himself for a full month,
Rod Norton came to the Engles', found Elmer and Virginia there, and
suggested the ride to the King's Palace, he awakened no end of
enthusiasm. Elmer had a day off, thanks to the generosity of his
employer, Mr. Engle, and had just secretly purchased a fresh outfit
consisting of a silver-mounted Spanish bit, a new pair of white and
unspeakably shaggy, draggy chaps, a wide hat with a band of snake hide,
and boots that were the final whisper in high-heeled discomfort.
Florrie disappeared into her room to make her own little riding-costume
as irresistible as possible. They were to start with the first streaks
of dawn to-morrow, just the four of them, since the banker and his
wife, lukewarmly invited, had no desire for a forty-mile ride between
morning and night.
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