n range, to speak the thing Old Heck,
sitting at supper with Carolyn June, Ophelia and Skinny, at the Quarter
Circle KT was thinking.

Ever since Parker had voluntarily surrendered during the Rodeo, his
right to alternate, day and day about, with Old Heck in the widow's
society, the owner of the Quarter Circle KT had been watching Ophelia,
covertly and carefully, for any sign of "Movements" or an outbreak as a
dreaded suffragette.

While he watched her the widow was becoming more and more a necessity in
the life of Old Heck.

The night of the conversation between Parker and the cowboys, away over
at Rock Creek, Old Heck sat at the supper table in the kitchen at the
ranch and debated in his mind the future relationships of Parker,
Ophelia and himself. In a few days Parker would return. Almost certainly
the foreman would again wish to share, fifty-fifty, in the courtship of
the widow. Old Heck felt that if such were so those odd days, when
Parker was with Ophelia, would be little less than hell. Yet, he dreaded
that suffragette business. If she would only break loose and let him see
how bad she was liable to be he could easily make up his mind. He was
almost ready to take a chance, to ask Ophelia to marry him and settle it
all at once.

Throughout the meal he was moody. After supper he had little to say and
the next few days he brooded constantly over the matter.

Tuesday Parker and the cowboys were expected to return with the beef
cattle. Monday morning, at breakfast, the widow asked Old Heck if he
would take her to Eagle Butte that day.

"I must see the minister's wife," she said, as Old Heck steered the
Clagstone "Six" up the grade that led out to the bench and to Eagle
Butte, "--it is very important"

Old Heck murmured assent and drove silently on. Probably she was going
to start a "Movement" or something to-day! To-morrow, Parker would be
back. It sure did put a man in a dickens of a fix!

Before they reached the long bridge across the Cimarron a mile from
Eagle Butte Old Heck's mind was made up.

"You want to stop at the preacher's house?" he asked.

"If you please," Ophelia replied, "for some little time. There are
things to discuss--"

"Would you mind if I drove around to the court-house first?" Old Heck
questioned again.

"Not at all," she answered sweetly.

A few moments later Old Heck stopped the Clagstone "Six" in front of the
yellow sandstone county building. Leaving Ophelia in the car with t