ccepted, and how fiercely and how
gallantly did she struggle to make it good!

It was The Duke that brought me the news, and as he told me the story
his gay, careless self-command for once was gone. For in the gloom
of the canyon where he overtook me I could see his face gleaming out
ghastly white, and even his iron nerve could not keep the tremor from
his voice.

"I've just sent up the doctor," was his answer to my greeting. "I looked
for you last night, couldn't find you, and so rode off to the Fort."

"What's up?" I said, with fear in my heart, for no light thing moved The
Duke.

"Haven't you heard? It's Gwen," he said, and the next minute or two he
gave to Jingo, who was indulging in a series of unexpected plunges. When
Jingo was brought down, The Duke was master of himself and told his tale
with careful self-control.

Gwen, on her father's buckskin bronco, had gone with The Duke to the big
plain above the cut-bank where Joe was herding the cattle. The day
was hot and a storm was in the air. They found Joe riding up and down,
singing to keep the cattle quiet, but having a hard time to hold the
bunch from breaking. While The Duke was riding around the far side of
the bunch, a cry from Gwen arrested his attention. Joe was in trouble.
His horse, a half-broken cayuse, had stumbled into a badger-hole and had
bolted, leaving Joe to the mercy of the cattle. At once they began to
sniff suspiciously at this phenomenon, a man on foot, and to follow
cautiously on his track. Joe kept his head and walked slowly out, till
all at once a young cow began to bawl and to paw the ground. In another
minute one, and then another of the cattle began to toss their heads and
bunch and bellow till the whole herd of two hundred were after Joe.
Then Joe lost his head and ran. Immediately the whole herd broke into a
thundering gallop with heads and tails aloft and horns rattling like the
loading of a regiment of rifles.

"Two more minutes," said The Duke, "would have done for Joe, for I could
never have reached him; but, in spite of my most frantic warnings and
signalings, right into the face of that mad, bellowing, thundering
mass of steers rode that little girl. Nerve! I have some myself, but I
couldn't have done it. She swung her horse round Joe and sailed out with
him, with the herd bellowing at the tail of her bronco. I've seen some
cavalry things in my day, but for sheer cool bravery nothing touches
that."

"How did it end? Did t