l the Spanish that I can absorb through my--pores, is welcome to
stick," said Debby, "but I'm not going to dig for it."

Sarah tactfully changed the subject. "Your house is a good way from
the gate, Blue Bonnet," she remarked.

"Nearly two miles," Blue Bonnet smiled.

"There's nothing like owning all outdoors!" commented Kitty.

"Grandfather used to own nearly all outdoors," returned Blue Bonnet.
"When father was a little boy nobody had fences and the cattle ranged
through two or three counties. But now we keep a lot of fence-riders,
who don't do a thing but mend fences, day after day. There's the
bridge,--now as soon as we cross the river you can see the
ranch-house."

"Is this what you call the 'river?'" Sarah asked, as they rattled over
the pretty little stream.

"We call it a 'rio' in Texas, and you'd better not insult us by
calling it a creek, Senorita Blake," Blue Bonnet warned her.

"I won't--'rio' is such a pretty name," said Sarah, making a mental
note of it for future use.

"There!" cried Blue Bonnet, "behold the 'casa' of the Blue Bonnet
ranch!"

What they saw was a long, low, rambling house, with wide, hospitable
verandas embowered in half-tropical vines. It had evidently started
out as a one-roomed, Spanish 'adobe,' and, as the needs of the family
demanded it, an ell had been added here, a room there, like cells in a
bee-hive, until now it covered a good deal of territory, still keeping
its one-storied, Mission-like character.

"Oh, Blue Bonnet--it's just what I wanted it to be," exclaimed Kitty.
"It looks as if a fat, Spanish monk might come out of that door this
very minute."

"Instead of which there is my dear old Benita, and Pancho and his wife
and the children and--oh, everybody!" Blue Bonnet was bouncing up and
down now with excitement.

Alec and the other two riders came up in a cloud of dust just as
Miguel raced the mustangs up to the veranda steps, where all the ranch
hands were gathered to greet the young Senorita.

"Senorita mia!" cried Benita, and Blue Bonnet leaped from the wheel
straight into her old nurse's arms.

"And this is Grandmother, Benita," said Blue Bonnet, helping Mrs.
Clyde from her place.

"The little Senora's mother--God bless you!" cried Benita in Spanish.
Then, in spite of her stiff joints, she made a deep, old-fashioned
curtsy.

Tears sprang to the eyes of the Eastern woman. "Thank you, Benita,"
she said. "My daughter always wrote lovingly of you."

"Bl