d. "She's better built than
you are, young lady, and prettier, too."

"Oh, indeed!" Miss Jean sniffed. "Well, beauty doesn't run in our
family. Now tell me about Turkey."

But Angus could not give her much information. Turkey was working
around, here and there, but he never came to the ranch.

"Can't we get him to come back, Angus?"

"He can come when he likes."

"Yes, I know. But won't you ask him?"

Angus did not reply at once.

"No" he said at last, deliberately, "I won't. It's not the fire; I don't
care for that. But we haven't got along well for a long time. It had to
come to a show-down."

Out of her knowledge of her brother, Jean dropped the subject
temporarily. She asked casually about Chetwood.

"Did he ever tell you why his remittances had stopped?"

"No. Of course I never asked. I got the idea that something had gone
bust--that there was no more money coming in. He wasn't actually a
remittance man, you know. He had some money of his own."

"It comes to the same thing--if he hasn't any now," said Miss Jean. "It
will be a good thing for him to do some work."

She exhibited no special enthusiasm when she met the young man. Chetwood
in overalls, with nailed boots, hard and brown, differed materially from
the young idler of the summer before, but his cheery good nature was
unchanged. Apparently the loss of his income or capital, or both, did
not worry him.

The next day Jean rode over with Angus to make Faith Winton's
acquaintance. Angus left them alone to be friends or otherwise.
Returning a couple of hours later, he found that there was no doubt
about their mutual attitude.

"Why, she's a dear!" Jean declared enthusiastically as they rode
homeward. "Why didn't you tell me what she was like?"

"I tried to."

"You said she was clean-built, like a good horse. I told her--"

"What!" Angus cried in horror.

"Not that, of course. I told her you were a clam. She said from your
description she thought I was a skinny, little girl in braids and short
dresses."

"I never said anything about braids and dresses."

"Did you say I was skinny?" Miss Jean demanded.

"Well--"

"Then you did say it. Ye great, long, lummix--"

"Hello!" said Angus. "That sounds like Mrs. Foley.

"'And so yez do be th' sister iv that great, long, lummix iv an Angus
Mackay,'" said his sister in startling imitation of that lady. "'Yez do
not favor him, bein' a good-lookin' slip iv a colleen.' What do you
think of that,