This
done he regarded the girl furtively, deciding that though not exactly
pretty, she was mighty easy to look at. Blue eyes, fair hair, nice skin,
tall and well-built. He hoped she wouldn't faint. That would be--well,
it would be embarrassing. He wouldn't know what the--that is he would be
helpless.

"I'm not going to faint," she said as if in answer to his thought. "I'm
just shaken up."

Turkey nodded. A run down hill jolts even a hardened puncher at times.
Girls were complicated machines--soft, too. Shaking up wasn't good for
'em. But in a moment the color began to come back to her cheeks.

"There," she said, "I feel better. I want to thank you really, now."

"That's all right," said Turkey. "I couldn't stop him on the grade; he'd
have gone over, likely. What started him?"

"A piece of newspaper blew off the sides of the road under his feet. I
couldn't hold him at all."

Turkey feebly expressed his opinion of people who dropped paper beside a
road, the feebleness being due to the sex of his unknown companion.

The girl regarded him closely.

"You remind me of somebody," she said, "but I don't think I've ever seen
you before."

"My name is Mackay," Turkey vouchsafed, and waited for a similar
confidence which did not come.

"Mackay!" the girl exclaimed. Her eyes were veiled for a moment. When
she again looked him in the face their expression had altered.

"Are you the Mr. Mackay who has a ranch somewhere near here?"

"That's my brother, Angus," Turkey replied.

"What a really Scotch name! Yours should be Donald, or Duncan, or
Murdoch?"

"Worse than that," Turkey grinned. "Torquil. But most people call me
'Turkey.'"

"May I call you 'Turkey'?"

"If--if you like," Turkey stammered.

"Well, I do like. And I like _you_, Turkey."

"Huh!" said Turkey.

"Really and truly I do. Don't you like me?"

"I don't know you," the startled Turkey responded defensively.

"Oh, Turkey! what a speech! But wouldn't you like to know me better?"

Gosh! was this darn girl trying to be fresh, to flirt with him.

"I--I hadn't thought about it," he stammered.

"Oh, worse and worse! I want you to like me, and I want you to come and
see me. I'm going to live here--in this district--for a while."

Turkey cast a longing eye at the blue mare. He would feel much safer in
the saddle.

"Will you pay me a visit, Turkey--a nice, long visit. I'll make you
comfy, really I will. I'd love to."

This was a holy fright.

"I