ith not more than five
feet of space between them. His gaze was on her with frank curiosity, his
lean, strong face glowing with the bloom of health; his mouth was firm,
his eyes serene, virility and confidence in every movement of his body.
And then he was speaking to her, his voice low, gentle, respectful, even
deferential. He seemed not to have taken offense at Willard, seemed to
have forgotten him.

"I reckon you-all will have to ride out of here on my horse, ma'am," he
said, "if you reckon you'd care to. Why, yes, I expect that's right; I'd
ought to take the old lady an' gentleman first, ma'am," as the girl
indicated them.

He backed his pony and smiled at Aunt Martha, who was small, gray, and
sweet of face. He grinned at her--the grin of a grown boy at his
grandmother.

"I reckon you'll go first, Aunty," he said to her. "I'll have you high
an' dry in a jiffy. You couldn't ride there, you know," he added, as Aunt
Martha essayed to climb on behind him. "This Patches of mine is
considerable cantankerous an' ain't been educated to it. It's likely he'd
dump us both, an' then we'd be freezin' too." And he glanced sidelong at
Willard.

Aunt Martha was directed to step on the edge of the buckboard. Trembling
a little, though smiling, she was lifted bodily and placed sidewise on
the saddle in front of him, and in this manner was carried to the bank,
far up on the slope out of the deep mud that spread over the level near
the water's edge, and set down gently, voicing her thanks.

Then the rescuer returned for Uncle Jepson. On his way to join Aunt
Martha, Uncle Jepson, who had watched the rider narrowly during his talk
with Willard, found time to whisper:

"I had a mule once that wasn't any stubborner than Willard Masten."

"You don't recollect how you cured him of it?"

"Yes sir, I do. I thumped it out of him!" And Uncle Jepson's eyes glowed
vindictively.

"I reckon you've got a heap of man in you, sir," said the rider. He set
Uncle Jepson down beside Aunt Martha and turned his pony back toward the
river to get his remaining passenger. Masten waved authoritatively to
him.

"If it's just the same to you, my man, I'll assist Miss Ruth to land.
Just ride over here!"

The rider halted the pony and sat loosely in the saddle, gravely
contemplating the driver across the sea of mud that separated them.

"Why, you ain't froze yet, are you!" he said in pretended astonishment.
"Your mouth is still able to work considera