eaknesses peculiar to the male of our
species. He was inclined to pity Ches, in spite of his mental
acknowledgment that she was a very nice woman indeed; and he was half
inclined to tell Mason when he saw him that he'd have to look further
for a foreman.

He found the girl lying upon a bunk just inside the door, still with
closed eyes and that corpse-like look in her face. He was guilty of
hoping that she would remain in that oblivious state for at least five
minutes longer, but the hope was short-lived; for when he lifted her
carefully in his arms, her eyes flew open and stared up at him intently.

Ford shut his lips grimly and tried not to mind that unwinking gaze
while he carried her out and up the path, across the little bridge and
on to the house, and deposited her gently upon her own bed. He had not
spoken a word, nor had she. So he left her thankfully to Kate's tearful
ministrations and hurried from the room.

"Lordy me!" he sighed, as he closed the door upon them and went back to
the bunk-house, which he entered with a sigh of relief. One tribute he
paid her, and one only: the tribute of feeling perturbed over her
presence, and of going hot all over at the memory of her steady stare
into his face. She was a queer girl, he told himself; but then, so far
as he had discovered, all women were queer; the only difference being
that some women were more so than others.

He sat down on the bunk where she had lain, and speedily forgot the girl
and the incident in facing the problem of that foremanship. He could not
get away from the conviction that he was not to be trusted. He did not
trust himself, and there was no reason why any man who knew him at all
should trust him. Ches Mason was a good fellow; he meant well, Ford
decided, but he simply did not realize what he was up against. He meant,
therefore, to enlighten him further, and go his way. He was almost sorry
that he had come.

Mason, when Ford confronted him later at the corral and bluntly stated
his view of the matter, heard him through without a word, and did not
laugh the issue out of the way, as he had been inclined to do before.

"I'll be all right for a month, maybe," Ford finished, "and that's as
long as I can bank on myself. I tell you straight, Ches, it won't work.
You may think you're hiring the same fellow that came out of the North
with you--but you aren't. Why, damn it, there ain't a man I know that
wouldn't give you the laugh if they knew the of