cture outfit?"

"It is," said Mr. Pertell.

"I reckoned that I'd read your brand right," the cowboy went on.
"Welcome to Rocky Ranch!"

"But where is it?" asked Alice, and then she blushed at her own
boldness, for the glance of the half-score of cowboys was instantly
drawn in her direction, and bold admiration shone in their eyes.

"It isn't far from here, Miss," was the answer. "It lies just over that
little rise. You can't see it. We've come to take you out there. That's
why we brung the wagons, and some of the boys thought they'd like to
ride in and see you, seein' as how the round-up is over and we ain't so
terrible rushed with work."

"We heard you coming," said Mr. Pertell. "Some of the ladies were a
little apprehensive."

"I don't quite get you," spoke the cowboy.

"I say some of the ladies were a bit timid on account of the firing."

"Oh, shucks! That ain't nothin'! The boys was feelin' a little bit
frisky, I reckon, and they maybe did let out a few whoops. But land love
you! Mustn't mind a little thing like that. Still, if it's goin' to
cause any uneasiness among the females, why I'll tell the boys to cut
out all----"

"Oh, no, really we don't mind it!" declared Alice, impulsively, and
again she blushed as the broadside of eyes was trained in her direction.

"Do be quiet!" whispered Ruth. "I don't know what they'll think of you,"
and she adjusted her dainty lace cuffs, brushing some engine cinders
from them.

"I don't care," Alice retorted, "if they're going to be cowboys let them
be natural."

The same thought must have been in the mind of Mr. Pertell, for he said:

"Don't put yourselves out on our account, gentlemen. We don't want you
to change your ways or customs just because we have come. We want to get
moving pictures of the ranch and the cowboys, and we want them true to
life. The ladies will soon get used to the firing. We have gone through
worse things than that."

"Well, I sure am glad to hear you say so," was the hearty response. "You
see it's jest plumb natural for a cow-puncher to shoot off his gun, and
it would come a bit hard to stop. But I reckon the boys has had enough
for to-day. Now, who's the boss of this outfit?"

"I guess I am," replied Mr. Pertell. "I'll introduce you to the
different ones when I get a chance. Just now I think we are all anxious
to get to the ranch."

"All right, jest as you say. My name is Batso--Pete Batso, and I'm
foreman of Rocky Ranch. The Circle