a dainty, gloved finger upon a nose that had the tiniest
possible tilt to it. "Nobody ever overlooked my nose before; it's almost
worth walking to the tract."

Irish, standing close beside Weary and looking enough like him to be
a twin instead of a mere cousin, smiled down at her with traitorous
admiration. Miss Allen's nose was a nice nose, and above it twinkled a
pair of warm brown eyes with humorous little wrinkles, around them; and
still above them fluffed a kinky-curly mass of brown hair. Weary looked
at her also, but he did not smile, because she looked a little like his
own schoolma'am, Miss Ruty Satterly--and the resemblance hurt a sore
place in his heart.

"--So if any of you gentlemen could possibly take us out to the tract,
we'd be eternally grateful, besides keeping our independence intact with
the usual payment. Could you help us out?"

"We all came in on horseback," Weary stated with a gentle firmness that
was intended to kill their hopes as painlessly as possible.

"Wouldn't there be room on behind?" asked Miss Allen with hope still
alive and flourishing.

"Lots of room," Weary assured her. "More room than you could possibly
use."

"But isn't there any kind of a rig that you could buy, beg, borrow or
steal?" Miss Hallman insisted. "These girls came from Wisconsin to take
up claims, and I've promised to see that they get the best there is
to be had. They are hustlers, if I know what the word means. I have a
couple of claims in mind, that I want them to see--and that's why
we three hung back till the rest were all arranged for. I had a rig
promised that I was depending on, and at the last minute discovered it
was not to be had. Some doctor from Havre came and got it for a trip
into the hills. There's no use talking; we just must get out to the
tract as soon as the others do--a little sooner wouldn't hurt. Couldn't
you think of some way?"

"We'll try," Irish promised rashly, his eyes tying to meet Miss Allen's
and succeeding admirably.

"What has become of Mr. Green?" Miss Hallman demanded after she had
thanked Irish with a smile for the qualified encouragement.

"We don't know," Weary answered mildly. "We were trying to locate him
ourselves."

"Oh, were you? He seems a rather uncertain young man. I rather counted
on his assistance; he promised--"

"Mr. Irish has thought of a rig he can use, Miss Hallman," said the
Allen girl suddenly. "He's going to drive us out himself. Let's hurry
and get r