at's the matter?" Old Heck asked uneasily, "what's happened? Where's
Skinny?"

In a few words, while the Ramblin' Kid sat silently on the back of
Captain Jack, Carolyn June told of the ride across the river; the
meeting with Pedro and the message he brought that the cattle were out
and some had been killed by lightning; of sending Skinny with the
Mexican to help with the steers; of her return alone toward the ranch,
the struggle in the quicksand and the death of the horse she had been
riding.

"Poor Old Blue--poor old fellow!" she finished with a little catch in
her voice.

Old Heck's cheeks whitened as he listened.

"Good lord," he half-groaned, "you had a close call! It's lucky th'
Ramblin' Kid saw you coming toward the upper ford--if he hadn't--you'd
never got out! But go on into the house and get some dry clothes on.
Boys, we'll have to hurry up and eat dinner and then go help get them
steers back. I wish Parker was here--we'll need all the help we can get.
You'd better catch up another horse," he continued, speaking to the
Ramblin' Kid, "Captain Jack is probably worn out from chasing that Gold
Dust maverick last night, and if you ain't too tired yourself, go with
us--"

"I ain't too tired," the Ramblin' Kid replied quietly, "I'll go--an'
ride Captain Jack--he ain't done up." He took the broncho to the corral,
removed the saddle and turned him in with the outlaw mare. After giving
the horses fresh hay--there was water in the corral, supplied by a small
ditch that was fed from the larger irrigation canal and which ran under
one side of the fence--he joined the others at dinner.

An hour later Old Heck, Bert, Charley and the Ramblin' Kid rode away
from the ranch to help Chuck, Skinny and Pedro round up and return to
the big pasture the cattle that had broken out and were rushing toward
their old range on the Purgatory.

Carolyn June was left alone with Sing Pete, the Chinese cook at the
Quarter Circle KT. She still felt somewhat shaken from her experience of
the morning, although a bath, clean dry clothing and the meal had
refreshed her considerably. She carried a chair to the front porch,
thinking to spend the afternoon resting. The events of the day raced in
review through her mind. It did not seem possible so much could have
happened in so short a time. Only yesterday had Ophelia and she arrived
at the ranch. Already she had the feeling that they both were fixtures,
and had been indefinitely, at the Quarte