turned scarlet and her eyes flashed.

"I won't trouble you any further," she announced. "I will find my own
way home from here." Without another word or a backward glance,
Jacqueline gave her pony a gentle cut and Hotspur galloped quickly away.

"Whew," Frank Kent whistled, "methinks some one told me that the people
one met out West were awfully friendly and informal. That girl was as
touchy as you find them. But I wonder who she is? I think I will ride
after her and show her the trail, even if she is so high and mighty."

Jacqueline pretended not to hear the young man trotting along behind
her, and did not turn her head. She rode faster and faster until a sound
like a stifled moan arrested her. Jacqueline paused and saw that the
young fellow who had been so polite to her a few minutes before was
ghastly white. He was swaying so in his saddle that he had not the
strength to stop his horse.

Jacqueline caught his bridle. "Rest a minute," she urged gently. "You
will soon be all right. You have ridden too far and you are not used to
it. People always do too much, when they first come to Wyoming. My name
is Jacqueline Ralston and I am one of the girls at the Rainbow Ranch. I
am sorry I was rude to you a little while ago, but the Nortons are not
our friends." Jacqueline was talking so that the young man could get his
breath. She could not help admiring the brave fight he made. He seemed
to be dreadfully ashamed of his own weakness.

"You will let me show you the right trail, won't you?" he asked. "I am
sorry you are not friendly with my hosts. I thought I heard you talking
to Dan, when I rode up to you, but that won't matter about me, will it?
I don't know anything about your quarrel and if we were properly
introduced, don't you think we could be friends? I can't tell you how
plucky I think it is for you three girls to be managing your own ranch.
Don't you think you might tell me a thing or two about it? It is pretty
lonely out here for a stranger."

The young fellow looked so nice, and so ill, in spite of his efforts to
hide it, that Jacqueline almost relented. Then the thought of Dan
Norton's rudeness and the long feud between them swept over her, and
Jacqueline shook her head firmly.

"I am sorry," she returned. "With any one else it would not matter, but
we can't be friendly with any guest of the Norton's." Jacqueline
hesitated, "I can't explain it to you, there isn't time. Good-bye. I
know the way home from here