The afternoon of the sixth day Alfred, Miss Caldwell, and Allen rode
along side by side. Alfred was telling a self-effacing story of
adventure, and Miss Caldwell was listening carelessly because she had
nothing else to do. Allen chaffed lazily when the fancy took him.

"I happened to have a limb broken at the time," Alfred was observing,
parenthetically, in his soft tones, "and so----"

"What kind of a limb?" asked the young Easterner, with direct brutality.
He glanced with a half-humourous aside at the girl, to whom the little
man had been mainly addressing himself.

Alfred hesitated, blushed, lost the thread of his tale, and finally in
great confusion reined back his horse by the harsh Spanish bit. He fell
to the rear of the little wagon-train, where he hung his head, and went
hot and cold by turns in thinking of such an indiscretion before a lady.

The young Easterner spurred up on the right of the girl's mount.

"He's the queerest little fellow _I_ ever saw!" he observed, with a
laugh. "Sorry to spoil his story. Was it a good one?"

"It might have been if you hadn't spoiled it," answered the girl,
flicking her horse's ears mischievously. The animal danced. "What did
you do it for?"

"Oh, just to see him squirm. He'll think about that all the rest of the
afternoon, and will hardly dare look you in the face next time you
meet."

"I know. Isn't he funny? The other morning he came around the corner of
the wagon and caught me with my hair down. I _wish_ you could have seen
him!"

She laughed gayly at the memory.

"Let's get ahead of the dust," she suggested.

They drew aside to the firm turf of the prairie and put their horses to
a slow lope. Once well ahead of the canvas-covered schooners they slowed
down to a walk again.

"Alfred says we'll see them to-morrow," said the girl.

"See what?"

"Why, the Hills! They'll show like a dark streak, down past that butte
there--what's its name?"

"Porcupine Tail."

"Oh, yes. And after that it's only three days. Are you glad?"

"Are you?"

"Yes, I believe I am. This life is fun at first, but there's a certain
monotony in making your toilet where you have to duck your head because
you haven't room to raise your hands, and this barrelled water palls
after a time. I think I'll be glad to see a house again. People like
camping about so long----"

"It hasn't gone back on me yet."

"Well, you're a man and can do things."

"Can't you do things?"

"You know