l to the old Cloverdale Ranch
house.

Jo Bennington slept late. She had been up late. She had danced often and
she had waited for Thaine's homecoming. Yet, when she came downstairs in
a white morning dress all sprinkled with little pink sprays, there was
hardly a hint of weariness in her young face or in her quick footsteps.

"I'm glad you stayed, Jo," Mrs. Aydelot greeted her. "This is 'the morning
after the night before,' and, as usual, the desertions equal the wounded
and imprisoned. Asher and the men had to go across the river early to look
after the fences and washouts on the lower quarter. And Rosie Gimpke
decided to go home this morning as soon as breakfast was done. So it is
left for us to get the house over the party. Not so easy as getting ready
for it, especially without help."

"Where's Thaine?" Jo asked carelessly, though her face was a tattler.

"He took some colts over to John Jacobs' ranch. He had Rosie ride one and
he rode another and led two. They were a sight. I hoped you might see them
go by your window. Thaine had his hat stuck on like a Dutchman's and he
puffed himself out and made up a regular Wyker face as he jogged along.
And Rosie plumped herself down on that capering colt as though she shifted
all responsibility for accidents upon it. The more it pranced about, the
firmer she sat and the less concerned she was. I heard Thaine calling out,
'Breakers ahead!' as he watched her bring it back into the road in front
of him with a sort of side kick of her foot."

"What made Gimpke leave?" Jo asked, to cover her disappointment.

"She cut her hand badly last night. She insisted at first that she would
help me today and go home later to stay till it gets well. Then she
suddenly changed her mind. Possibly it was the spare-room bed," Virginia
said laughing. "When I told her not to wake you when she made up the other
beds, she suddenly got homesick, her hand grew worse and she flew the
premises. I'll run up and attend to that bed while you finish your
breakfast," and Virginia left the room.

At that moment young Todd Stewart appeared on the side porch before the
dining room door.

"Thaine stopped long enough to ask me to come over and move furniture for
his mother," Todd sang out. "He doesn't think you were made to lift
cupboards and carry chairs downstairs."

"Oh, it's his mother he's thinking about," Jo said with pretty petulance.
In truth, she was angry with Thaine for taking Leigh home last ni