e mussed up a bit."

"It will teach him not to lasso calves after this," said Mr. Bunker.

"I'm not so sure of that," murmured Mrs. Bunker. "It is more apt to make
the others want to try the same thing."

A moment later they turned around the corner of one of the ranch
buildings and came in sight of the corral. In one end they could see
some frightened calves standing huddled together. In the middle of the
corral was a cloud of dust.

"That must be Russ and the calf," said Uncle Fred.

He and Daddy Bunker ran faster toward the fence, within which the calves
were kept, but, before they could reach it, they saw a man run out from
one of the buildings, jump over the fence without touching it and land
inside the corral. Then he disappeared in the cloud of dust.

A moment later he came out, carrying Russ in his arms, and from the
little boy's leg there dangled a piece of clothesline. Then, also out of
the dust cloud, came a very much frightened spotted calf, and around
its neck was another piece of line.

"Oh, is he--is he hurt?" gasped Mrs. Bunker, for Russ was limp.

"Not a bit, I'm glad to say!" answered the man who had Russ in his arms.
"He's pretty dusty, and scratched up a bit, and his clothes are mussed,
and he's frightened, but he's not hurt; are you?" and he laughed as he
set Russ down on his own feet.

"I--I guess I'm all right," Russ answered, a bit slowly. "I--I had a
dandy time!"

"Well, I should say you did!" exclaimed his father. "What did you do?"

"Well, I was playing I was a cowboy in the Wild West and I lassoed a
buffalo. I made believe the calf was a buffalo."

"And then I guess the calf made believe you were a football, by the way
it pulled you about the corral," said the man who had rescued Russ.

"Yes, sir, I guess so," answered Russ.

"I'm glad you rescued him," said Mrs. Bunker to the stranger. "I can't
thank you enough."

"Oh, I didn't do anything," was the answer. "I heard the little fellow
yelling shortly after I had seen him in the corral with the piece of
clothesline. I guessed what had happened, and I jumped in. I found the
calf pulling him around, for the lasso the little boy made had gotten
tangled around his legs. The other end was on the calf.

"So I just cut the rope and picked up the youngster. Here he is, not
much worse for wear. But you won't do it again, will you?"

"No--no--I don't guess I will," answered Russ.

"Captain Roy, this is my sister, Mrs. Bunker, and th