folks feel at home.

"You must be thoroughly tired out from your long trip," said she. "So we
will have supper right away, and then if any of you want to go to bed you
can do so."

"I can't say that I'm tired," answered Jack. "But I suppose the girls are
and maybe Aunt Grace is, too."

The travelers were shown to some rooms and then told where they could
wash up if they so desired.

"Supper will be ready in ten minutes," announced Mrs. Powell. "So don't
take too much time in primping up," she added, with a smile to the girls.
"Remember, you are on a ranch now and you can dress exactly as you
please."

"I'm going to slip on a plain gingham right now," declared Martha.

Their hand baggage had been brought along on the running-board of the
touring car, and a little later one of the cowboys came in with their
trunks, which had been brought over from the station in a wagon. In the
meanwhile the crowd sat down to a somewhat elaborate supper which Hop
Lung had prepared under Mrs. Powell's supervision.

"He's a very good cook," the lady of the ranch confided to Mrs. Rover.
"But he occasionally tries to turn out some very funny concoctions, so
that I find it advisable to keep my eyes on him."

"The cowboys are quite excited over the idea of having visitors here all
summer," said Songbird Powell during the course of the meal. "And two or
three of them are especially excited over the fact that there are going
to be so many girls and ladies. You see, the brothers who used to own
these combined ranches weren't married, and all they had around the
houses were an Indian woman and a real old Dutch woman who was almost
entirely deaf.

"Joe Jackson told me that one of the cowboys, a fellow named Hank Minno,
was very bashful and had almost been on the point of giving up his job
when he heard so many skirts were coming here."

"Oh, dear, I think I'd like to make the acquaintance of Mr. Hank," said
Martha mischievously.

"Perhaps if he saw you coming he'd run away," returned Mary.

"Oh, I think he'll get over his bashfulness, and so will some of the
others," answered Songbird Powell. "And let me tell you one thing--when I
first got here I thought the men were a pretty rough crowd, but the more
I get to know them, the more I'm satisfied they're all right at heart."

"Your foreman certainly seems to be a fine fellow," said Jack. "We got
well acquainted with him riding over."

"He was well recommended by the former owners of