own hook. It's just a way I have."

"Well," Judith sniffed, "I don't know. It will be a jolt to me if
there's a square man left on the ranch! Go down to the bunk-house and
tell the cook I'm here and I'm hungry as a wild-cat. Tell him and any
of the boys that are down there that I've come to stay and that Trevors
is fired. They take orders from me and no one else. And hurry, if you
know how. Goodness knows, you look as though it would take you half an
hour to turn around!"

"Thank you, ma'am," said Bud Lee. "But you see I had just told Trevors
here he could count me out. I'm not working for the Blue Lake any
more. As I go down to the corral, shall I send up one of the boys to
take your orders?"

There was a little smile under the last words, just as there was a
little smile in Bud Lee's heart at the thought of the boys taking
orders from a little slip of a girl. Inside he was chuckling, vastly
delighted with the comedy of the morning.

"She's a sure-enough little wonder-bird, all right," he mused. "But,
say, what does she want to butt in on a man's-size job for, I want to
know?"

"Lee," called Trevors, "you take orders from me or no one on this
ranch. You can go now. And just keep your mouth shut."

Bud Lee stood there in the doorway, his hat spinning upon a brown
forefinger, his thoughts his own. He was turning to go out and down to
his horse when he saw the look in Trevors's eyes, a look of consuming
rage. The general manager's voice had been hoarse.

"I guess," said Lee quietly, "that I'll stick around until you two get
through quarrelling. I might come in handy somehow."

"Damn you," shouted Trevors, "get out!"

"Cut out the swear-words, Trevors," said Lee with quiet sternness.
"There's a lady here."

"Lady!" scoffed Trevors. He laughed contemptuously. "Where's your
lady? That?" and he levelled a scornful finger at the girl. "A
ranting tough of a female who brings a breath of the stables with her
and scolds like a fishwife. . . ."

"Shut up!" said Lee, crossing the room with quick strides, his face
thrust forward a little.

"You shut up!" It was Judith's voice as Judith's hand fell upon Bud
Lee's shoulder, pushing him aside. "If I couldn't take care of myself
do you think I'd be fool enough to take over a job like running the
Blue Lake? Now--" and with blazing eyes she confronted Trevors--"if
you've got any more nice little things to say, suppose you say them to
me!"

Trevor