Gateway question

[Dave Feustel <dfeustel_(_at_)_verizon_(_dot_)_net>]

I now have a working dhcpd and  bridge.
The bridge is between xl0 (connected to the internet)
and xl1 (connected to my laptop). I can ping the laptop
(set by10.0.0.32) from my desktop (set by verizon dhcpd
to 4.33.230.187), but I get a "no route to host"
when I attempt to ping the desktop from the laptop.
I assume I'm getting the error message because
my laptop has no value set in /etc/mygate at boottime.
I think the question is, on the laptop, how do I set mygate 
with the proper value at the proper time? 

I've tried using the route command but with no success so far.

Thanks,
Dave Feustel