ness
to punish Old Heck, Parker and the cowboys, out of the heart of Carolyn
June. A bit of doubt that the role she and Ophelia were playing was
worthy of true womanhood crept into her mind.

When the widow and Carolyn June were alone Ophelia laughed.

"Whew!" she exclaimed, "that was a strenuous party! I've danced till my
feet ache! Do you think our little 'counterplot' was a success?"

"Entirely!" Carolyn June replied with an uncertain chuckle. "Uncle
Josiah, Parker and Charley will dream dreams about you and fight duels
in their sleep to-night!"

"I think the others--" the widow started to say, then pausing, finished:
"Wasn't it queer the Ramblin' Kid decided to ride that outlaw horse
to-night instead of coming to the house to dance?"

"Oh, I don't know," Carolyn June answered indifferently.

"I guess it's as Charley says," Ophelia remarked: "'You can't tell what
th' Ramblin' Kid's liable to do'--"

"I suppose not," Carolyn June replied wearily as she went into her room.
"Good night!"

"Good night!" Ophelia echoed.

CHAPTER XII

YOU'LL GET YOUR WISH

It was a silent group that gathered in the bunk-house after the dance.
Old Heck, Parker, Charley and the other cowboys had been unduly
stimulated by the music, the laughter and the bright smiles of Carolyn
June and Ophelia. When they stepped out of the house into the cool night
these all were left behind. The cow-men quickly sobered down and by the
time they reached their sleeping quarters on the faces of all were
half-ashamed looks as if they had been playing at a game not quite
dignified enough or proper for men of maturity and seriousness.

All were thoughtful and none seemed eager to start conversation.

Skinny was dejected and utterly miserable.

He felt that he had been cruelty treated. Carolyn June had acted all
evening as though his only object in living was to stand in the corner
and wind up that blamed graphophone, while she openly flirted with the
other cowboys. Skinny was grateful to the Ramblin' Kid who, alone of all
the cow-punchers, had decency enough to stay away and not interfere with
the original agreement. The Ramblin' Kid had some sense and was square.
He had realized that any fellow officially elected to make
love--especially when he didn't want to do it in the first place--ought
to be allowed to go ahead and make it without having a lot of darned
buckaroos butting in on the job.

The way the others had acted was a regular