althy, heart-whole youth and when he waked
with the dawn he had practically forgotten her existence.

And the woman? Well, after the fashion of woman, she thought more than
once of the bronzed young fellow who had looked at her so audaciously.
As she asked for her mail old Williams had volunteered some interesting
information.

"So you are Bob Carter's leetle gal, the one he used to brag on so much
to the boys, eh? Well, durn my pictur', if he didn't have good reason
to! You look like your mammy, Miss, and she were the puttiest filly that
ever run over this range! An' as good as she were purty! I mind oncet--"
and there followed an interminable string of reminiscences very
interesting to the girl but of no moment to this story.

"That feller thet jest went out is your brother's new foreman, Ken
Douglass, the sandiest galoot an' best cowman on this range," he
concluded. "Of course he didn't know who you was or he'd a spoke to you,
'deed he would! Ken's real polite." The girl smiled at his earnest
assurance and said gently: "I am quite sure of it."

"Betcher life!" affirmed the old man enthusiastically. "He's too da--er,
hem! too much polite to some cattle as doesn't desarve it, accordin' to
my way o' thinkin'. Why las' night he actoolly waited for a feller to
begin killin' of him before drawin' his own gun! It waz plumb downright
keerless o' him, an' some day he'll get it good an' plenty ef he don't
watch out!"

Then, seeing the look of white consternation in the girl's face, he shut
up like a clam, saying only that Ken could "take a plenty good keer o'
hisself, when he wanted to." She went away, wondering what manner of man
that could be who had not his own personal welfare constantly in mind,
that being proverbially the first law of nature. Her wonder increased
when, on casually mentioning her chance encounter with him, Mrs. Vaughan
had acquainted her with as much of Douglass's record as was common
property. It was so new to her, so abnormal in every particular when
compared with her own code of ethics, that she was a little bewildered.
She was shocked not a little at Mrs. Vaughan's frank enjoyment of the
watering-trough episode and the ensuing bravado of the dare-devil fellow
who had deliberately entered the lion's den to intensify the indignity
put upon her brother's outfit. Yet somehow the indomitable courage of
the man appealed to her strongly; all women love personal valor and this
was the most exaggerated ex