the world. She
reflected that his attitude was that of so many other men, his idea of
love synonymous with shelter for the object of it, and his main plea
was that of providing her with shelter against all the rough corners of
life. Shelter! And what she wanted was to be part of things--to have
a hand in running her own affairs. It came to her that of all men
perhaps Slade understood her the best.

"I don't want shelter!" she said. "And I can't think of anything else
till after the Three Bar is a going concern."

The voices of the three men round the fire drifted to them.

"Listen," she urged.

"Blind Valley ought to summer-feed three hundred head," the ranger was
saying. "I'll recommend permits for that many cows."

"That'll suit me," Slade nodded. "I'll put in application through you?"

"Not if I can help it you won't," Harris said. "Why should you have
permits right in the back yard of the Three Bar with all the rest of
the hills open to you? There's a natural lead right down to the
corrals; divides to form wings. It's up to Wilton, of course, but I'm
going to make application to graze Blind Valley myself. They'll allow
whichever one he recommends."

"Harris has first call," the ranger stated mildly. "This is the
logical range for his stuff--this and one or two others right close.
We can fix you up in a dozen other good grass countries further on,
Slade, if it's all the same."

Slade nodded agreement. The ranger had authority to recommend the
issuing of permits and his superiors would not go contrary to his
suggestions in any but exceptional cases--certainly not in this matter.
Slade's eyes turned frequently toward the two figures on the log,
silhouetted against the white of the moonlit meadow, and his slashed
mouth set in disapproval. Harris noted this and smiled as it occurred
to him that Slade's views on the subject of Deane's appropriating the
girl for himself were about on a par with Deane's ideas relative to her
touring the hills with four men.

The two came back and sat with the others round the dying fire, then
all turned in for the night, Billie in her teepee and the men in their
bed rolls with no other overhead shelter than the trees. In less than
an hour Harris raised on one elbow. The ranger woke just as Harris
slipped from his bed roll and tugged on his chaps. The steady thud of
hoofs had penetrated each man's consciousness and apprised him of the
fact that the horses were com