know that the nice young man from college always takes notice
in the second chapter, says 'By Jove! What a little beauty!' in the
third, and from there on till the wind-up spends most of his time
running around in circles because the beautiful flower of the rancho
gives him the bad eye?" He twisted sidewise in the saddle, took a
half-hitch with the reins around the saddle-horn, and proceeded to
manufacture a cigarette while he went on with the burlesque.

"It opened out according to Hoyle, a year ago, William. Nice young man
comes west. Finds Flower of the Rancho first rattle of the box, with
brave young buckaroo riding herd on her to beat four of a kind. Looks
like there's no chance for our young hero. Brave buckaroo has to hie
him forth to toil, however--" Ward paused long enough to light up, and
afterwards blow out the match carefully before dropping it in the
trail, "--at the humble sum of forty dollars per month. That leaves
our young hero on the job temporarily. Stick in a few chapters of
heart-burnings on the part of the brave buckaroo--"

"Oh, yes, no doubt!" from Billy Louise, who was trying not to giggle.

"Oh, he had 'em, far as that goes. Brave buckaroo had heart-burnings
enough for a Laura Jean Libbey romance. All according to Hoyle. Young
hero-- Say, Bill, what's the matter with that gazabo, anyway? Hasn't
he got good eyesight, or what? Can't the chump see he's overlooking a
bet when--"

"Oh, you make me sick!" Billy Louise slashed at a ripening branch of
service berries with her quirt and scared Blue so that he lunged
against the romancer. "You men seem to think the girl has nothing to
say about it! You think we just sit and smile and wait for somebody to
snap his fingers, and we jump at him! You--"

"Didn't I say there would be several chapters where the haughty beauty
keeps our young hero running around in circles, and the brave buckaroo
can't figure out whether he ought to buy a ring or more shells for his
six-gun?"

"With the inference that she flops into his arms in the last chapter
and hides her maidenly blushes against the pocket where he keeps his
sack of Bull Durham and papers--"

"Oh, you Bill-the-Conk! It would be the brave buckaroo in the last
chapter then, would it?" Ward leaned close, swift tenderness putting
the teasing twinkle to flight from his eyes. "Our young hero smokes a
briar, Wilhemina-mine!"

"We-el--don't skip!" cried Billy Louise, backing away from