midnight
Anne and I told her not to dress like that , but she _ would _ , you know . She wanted to show folks the style , '' explained Eleanor , taking silent Polly by the arm and leading her out to the main hall . As they left the cloak-room , the girls heard the fiddler shout : `` Git yer pardners fer the Grand March ! '' And from that time on to midnight , the three girls had the best fun ever . But poor Barbara stood near the cloak-room as isolated as the plague , for the ranchers dared not even look at a gown without a top , let alone dance with the doubtful thing . Each day the four girls rode along various trails until , in the judgment of Jeb , they were practiced enough to take a longer ride in the mountains . Polly had been urging Jeb to give a favorable opinion on their ability to stand a prolonged ride to the Flat Tops , but he was careful and practical and persisted in making them try a greater distance daily to finally harden them to a rough trail .