essed Senora!" breathed Benita fervently.

"This is my grandmother, everybody," said Blue Bonnet, presenting Mrs.
Clyde to the entire circle, "and these are my friends--'amigos' from
Massachusetts."

"Pleased to know ye!" said Pinto Pete and Shady, the only American
cowboys on the ranch; while the Mexicans, as one voice, gave a hearty
chorus of greeting.

The six "amigos" from Massachusetts were thrilled to the core,
although at the same time a trifle embarrassed as to the correct way
of responding to this vociferous welcome. Blue Bonnet set them all an
example: she had a smile and a word for every man, woman and child,
and finally sent them all off with a--"Come back when my trunks
arrive!" And the hint brought a fresh gleam to already beaming faces.

Later, after a bountiful supper, they all gathered once more on the
broad veranda while Blue Bonnet distributed her gifts. That those days
in New York had been profitably spent was fully attested now when the
contents of the many trunks were displayed. There were ribbons, scarfs
and gay beads for the women, toys and sweets for the children, and
wonderful pocket-knives, pipes and tobacco pouches for the men.

The Blue Bonnet ranch had been part of an original Spanish land-grant
in the days when Texas was still part of Mexico, and had descended
from father to son until it came into the hands of Blue Bonnet's
grandfather. Many of the Mexican ranch-hands had been born on the
place and looked on the Ashe family as their natural guardians and
protectors. As yet they had not acquired a Yankee sense of
independence, nor had they lost the soft Southern courtesy inherent in
their race. They came up one at a time to Blue Bonnet as she stood at
the top of the steps, her gifts in a great heap beside her; and each
one, as he received his gift from her hand, called down a blessing on
the head of the young Senorita. Then, laughing, chatting, and
comparing gifts like a crowd of children, they trooped away, the
single men to the "bunk-house" by the big corral, the married couples
and their children to little cabins scattered over the place.

"It's just like some old Spanish tale," declared Alec. "Blue Bonnet is
a princess just returned to her castle, and all the serfs are come to
pay her homage."

"I suppose Don Quixote will be off soon, hunting wind-mills?"
suggested Kitty, with a mocking glance at Alec, whose new gun was the
pride of his heart.

Alec deigned no reply.

"Look!