wondered what it was that had
drawn them from their work at this time of day; what that big,
bull-voiced man was saying to them. She heard the muttering rumble of
his words before the words themselves meant anything to her. A quick
glance over her shoulder showed her Charlie Miller hastening behind
her, pick-handle in hand.

Her way carried her by a long, narrow building standing out like a
great capital E, the cow hospital. She thought of Bill Crowdy and the
sick calves as she drew near, but was passing on to the men at the milk
corrals, when the breeze, blowing lightly from the west, brought to her
nostrils a whiff of sulphur.

A quick tide of red ran into her cheeks; that fool, Ed Masters, had not
told Crowdy to refrain from the old-fashioned, deadly treatment!
Almost before her horse had set his four feet at the command of a quick
touch upon the reins, the girl was down and hurrying into the middle
door of the three, calling out as she went:

"Crowdy! Oh, Crowdy!"

She came into a small whitewashed room where were a table, two chairs,
and a telephone; passed through this into the calf-yard. Here were
several compartments with doors which allowed of making them almost
air-tight. And here she was met by a stronger smell of sulphur fumes.

"Crowdy!" she called again. "Where are you?"

Bill Crowdy, a heavy, squat figure of a man, shifty-eyed, with hard
mouth and a nervous, restless air, came down a long hallway, smoking a
cigarette. His eyes rested with no uncertain dislike upon Judith's
eager face.

"I'm Crowdy," he said. "Want me?"

"I told Masters to tell you to stop the sulphur treatment for the
lung-worm calves. Hasn't he told you?"

"Mr. Trevors said I was to give it to them," said Crowdy. "I can't be
taking orders off'n every hop-o'-my-thumb like that college kid."

"Then Masters did tell you?"

"Sure, he told me," said Crowdy in surly defiance. "But if I was to
listen to everything the likes of him says----"

Judith's eyes were fairly snapping.

"You'll listen to the likes of me, Bill Crowdy!" she cried
passionately, a small fist clinched. "You get those calves out into
some fresh air just as quick as the Lord will let you! Into a pen by
themselves. Doc Tripp will attend to them in the morning."

"Tripp's gone."

"He's on his way back, right now. And you're on your way off the
ranch. Understand? You can come to the office for your pay to-night."

Crowdy shrugged his shoulde