find our lost title to the old
ranch. Ain't things often revealed unto babes that are hid from the rest
of us?" Jim quoted reverently, not remembering exactly the great words
of the text, but sure enough of its meaning.

"Wait here a minute for me, please, Jack," Jim remarked suddenly, "there
is one of our calves stuck in the mud in the creek bottom. Funny how the
farther we get away from the Lodge the slower our creek runs! It didn't
used to be that way. Ought to be five or six feet of water along here
and there's only about one, and that silly calf has sunk to her knees in
mud and slime."

Jim rode away from Jack, a few feet into the creek, feeling his way
cautiously for fear of quicksands. The calf bleated and struggled, but
with a skillful swing of his lasso, Jim caught the mired animal securely
and dragged her back safe to dry land. When he joined Jack again, the
worried expression had disappeared entirely from his face.

"Cheer up, pard," he resumed affectionately. "You have got the best head
on your shoulders of any girl on this side the great divide. We will
straighten things out some way and have one of the jolliest Christmases
that ever took place at Rainbow Lodge, as a celebration. But didn't you
and Jean have something on your minds that you meant to ask me about?
Out with it! We don't want to do any talking when we get along toward
the end of our creek. Sure as fate, some way the water is being drained
from our creek and I have got to find out how it's done."

"Oh, my news doesn't amount to anything now, Jim," Jacqueline announced.
"After what you have just told me, there wouldn't be any point in trying
to carry out our plan. Indeed it is entirely out of the question."

"Tell me the plan just the same, Jack," Jim insisted, anxious to get
Jack's mind off the subject of their troubles.

"You will be awfully surprised, Jim," Jack declared, her face
crimsoning, "but Jean and I had just about decided that we ought to have
a chaperon to come to live with us at Rainbow Lodge."

Jim gave a long drawn out whistle. He gazed meditatively up at the blue
sky. "Good thing it ain't night," he replied slowly, "because if it had
been, the stars would have fallen at that remark of yours. You and Jean
think you ought to have a chaperon! Well, my word!"

"Don't be silly, Jim," Jack remonstrated. "You know we have talked over
our having a chaperon at the Lodge dozens of times since father died.
And even when I haven't t