inite relief surged through
Leslie's heart and he lifted a very white face to look at the ranchman.

"Oh, Captain Lem! I--I was wild to do that! I beg your pardon--please
forgive me--if you can!"

The petition ended with a sob, that was really a gasp for breath, due to
the excitement of his rage, and the anger of his mates changed to pity
for him.

"His weak heart! How ill he has made himself!" thought Helena,
compassionately putting her hand under his arm and helping him to his
feet, where he stood trembling and still breathing with much difficulty.

Dorothy had told her of this weakness of the lad's and that his parents
had been somewhat doubtful if he could endure the rarefied air of that
high region. If he could it would cure that other weakness of his lungs
and they hoped for the best. She was frightened by his appearance and
inwardly resolved to oppose any sort of fun which might bring on a
return of this attack. She had already heard her brother and Monty
proposing a bear hunt on the more distant peaks of the mountains and
decided that it should never take place.

But Captain Lem was answering the boy and she listened to his words:

"Course, sonny, I shan't lay it up again' you. An' I allow 't there's
one thing decent about you: if you're quick to get r'iled you're just as
quick to own yourself in fault. I'm willin' to wash the slate all clean
now, an' start over again with any little problems we may meet, same's
when I was a little shaver, an' 'tended deestrict school an' got my sums
wrong, the teacher made me do. I'm no hand to lay up malice just 'cause
a feller's got more 'n his share o' temper, specially not again' your
father's son. Anybody 't spells his name Ford can do most as he's a mind
to with Lemuel Hunt. Only--_don't you dast to do it again_; 'cause I'm
some on the temper myself, an' I ain't much used to bein' struck.
So--so--just don't show off any more o' that there little playfulness
again. That's all."

Too proud to show how really shaken and miserable he felt, the
sharpshooter retired to his own quarters at the Barracks and was seen no
more that night: but he sent word to Dorothy, the "Little One," that
Netty, the lamb, had been given a soft bed close to his own and would be
carefully attended.

The hours passed quietly till bedtime, which all the young strangers at
San Leon felt inclined to make early that night. Seven young people,
with all the means of enjoyment at hand which these ha