ut to him.

"My--my little girl!" murmured the old Captain, and his voice broke.
"Then--then you are not grown up, after all?"

"Nor do I want to be, for ever and ever so long yet, Daddy!" she cried,
and ran to enfold him in her warm embrace.

"Humph!" said the old Captain, confidentially. "I was half afraid of
that young person who was just down here, Frances. I can kiss you now
without mussing you all up, eh?"

Pratt had stolen out of the room through one of the windows to the
veranda.

His heart was swelling and salt tears stung his eyes.

Like the old Captain, the youth had felt some awe of the richly-bedecked
young girl who had displayed to such advantage the stunning and
wonderful old jewelry that had once adorned Spanish senoras or Aztec
princesses. Despite the fact that he disapproved of such a barbarous
display, Pratt had been impressed.

He had an inkling, too, as to Sue Latrop's attitude toward the range
girl and believed that some unkind expression of the Boston girl's
feelings had tempted Frances to show herself in barbaric guise at the
dinner. Pratt could not have blamed the Western girl if she had "knocked
their eyes out," to use Tom Gallup's expression, with an exhibition of
the gorgeous jewels Captain Rugley had got out of the treasure chest.

Without much doubt the old ranchman would have been very proud of his
daughter's beauty, set off by the glitter of the wonderful old gems. It
was his nature to boast of his possessions, although his pride in them
was innocent enough. His wealth would never in this wide world make
Captain Dan Rugley either purse-proud or arrogant!

The old man's sweetness of temper, kindliness of manner, and
open-handedness had been inherited by Frances. She was a true daughter
of her father. But she was her mother's child, too. The well-bred,
quiet, tactful lady whom the old Border fighter had married had left her
mark upon the range girl. Frances possessed natural refinement and good
taste. It was that which had caused her to go to her chamber after the
display of the jewels, and return for a second "review."

The appearance of the simply-dressed girl who had come downstairs the
second time had so impressed Pratt Sanderson that he wished to get off
here on the porch by himself for a minute or two.

The first load of visitors was just driving up to the gate of the
compound.

He watched the girls from Amarillo, and Sue, and all the others descend,
shake out their ruf