With this they parted.

“Jolly old chap,” said Ted to himself.  “I know just how he feels about having a lot of people come to visit him.  I like it myself.”

Stella had been out for a ride with little Dick.  She had secured a couple of ponies from the stable connected with the hotel, and had given Dick his first riding lesson.

Ted met them as they were dismounting in front of the hotel.

“Ted, that boy is going to be a second edition of you in the saddle,” cried Stella enthusiastically.  “I never saw such a seat for a kid.  Why he takes to a horse like a young duck to water.”

“That’s good,” said Ted.  “Do you like to ride, Scrub, I mean Dick?”

The boy flushed at the name Scrub, but he recovered himself immediately.

“Yes, it’s fine,” he answered.  “I like horses, and they seem to take to me.  I’d like to ride a horse all the time.”

“Well, you’ll have all you want of it when you get out to Moon Valley,” said Ted.  “Would you like to go out again?  If you do, go ahead.  I guess we can trust you not to break your neck.”

The boy smiled and nodded, and climbed into his saddle again, and was off.

“Ted, that boy is going to be a credit to us all,” said Stella.  “But he must have an education.  Although he speaks well and doesn’t use much slang, that is, for a boy, he knows absolutely nothing that he hasn’t picked up.  He must go to school some day, but not now, for he hardly knows his alphabet, and as for other branches of knowledge, why, he doesn’t know they exist, and he is as full of superstition as a Cocopo squaw.  Wherever he got his beliefs, I can’t imagine.”

“All right, Stella, he shall go to school.  It doesn’t really matter much, that he has never been to school before.  He’ll learn so fast that he’ll make up for lost time, don’t fear.  That boy has a good head.”

“I’m going to teach him myself until he is able to take his place in school with boys of his own age.  He’s just crazy to learn.”

“His early education is up to you.  I’m not afraid he will learn anything he shouldn’t from you.  Go at him slowly and sensibly.  Don’t try to stuff it all into him at once.  Meanwhile, I’ll teach him to ride, shoot, herd, rope, and all that, occasionally impressing upon him the cardinal principles of the broncho boys—­truth, honesty, sincerity, courage, and kindness.”

“He’ll be a fine fellow some of these days, Ted, and a good-looking and good-tempered one.”

“I think he will.  Suppose we take a little walk, if you have nothing better to do.  I want to get your opinion on some matters.”

“The very thing.  I saw a pretty little park on the bank of a river.  We’ll walk there.”

“I have promised to go out to Colonel Billings’ ranch to-morrow, and I took the liberty of accepting the invitation for you all, as there is nothing to do around here, and I have a hunch that something good will come of it.”