e any speed demon, go lurching off across the hollow in
the wake of two fear-crazed animals, that threatened at any instant to
bolt off at an angle that would overturn the car.

Then Lite let his rope slip from the saddle-horn and spurred his horse
to one side, out of the danger zone of the other, while he felt
frantically in his pockets for his knife.

"Don't you cut my rope," Jean warned, when she saw him come plunging
toward her, knife in hand. "This is--fine training--for Pard!"

Pete came to himself, then, and killed the engine before he landed in
the bottom of a yawning, water-washed hole, and Lite rode close and
slashed Jean's rope, in spite of her protest; whereupon Pard went off
up the slope as though witches were riding him hard.

At long rifle range, he circled and faced the thing that had scared him
so, and after a little Jean persuaded him to go back as far as the
trail. Nearer he would not stir, so she waited there for Lite.

"Never even thanked us," Lite grumbled when he came up, his mouth
stretched in a wide smile. "That girl with the kalsomine on her face
made remarks about folks butting in. And the fat man talked into his
double chin; dunno what all he was saying. Here's what's left of your
rope. I'll get you another one, Jean. I was afraid that gazabo was
going to run over you, is why I cut it."

"What's the matter over there? Aren't they glad they're out of the
sand?" Jean held her horse quiet while she studied the buzzing group.

"Something busted. I guess we done some damage." Lite grinned and
watched them over his shoulder.

"You needn't go any further with me, Lite. That fat man's the one that
had the cattle. I am going over to the ranch for awhile, but don't
tell Aunt Ella." She turned to ride on up the hill toward the Lazy A,
but stopped for another look at the perturbed motorists. "Well anyway,
we snaked them out of the sand, didn't we, Lite?"

"We sure did," Lite chuckled. "They don't seem thankful, but I guess
they ain't any worse off than they was before. Anyway, it serves them
right. They've no business here acting fresh."

Lite said that because he was not given the power to peer into the
future, and so could not know that Fate herself had sent Robert Grant
Burns into their lives; and that, by a somewhat roundabout method, she
was going to use the Great Western Film Company and Jean and himself
for her servants in doing a work which Fate had set herself to do.