t, and duty
was their only god. They told her, simply as children, of deeds which
now caused a shudder, now set tingling the full blood of enthusiasm,
and opened up unconsciously to her view a rude field of
knight-errantry, whose principles sat strangely close with the best
traditions of her own earlier land and time. They were knights-errant,
and for all on the Ellisville trail there was but one lady. So
hopeless was the case of each that they forbore to argue among
themselves.

"No broadhorn there," said Pinky Smith, after he got well, and assumed
the envied position of oracle on matters at the Halfway House. "That
ain't no range stock, I want to tell you all. What in h----l she doin'
out yer I give it up, but you can mark it down she ain't no common
sort."

"Oh, she like enough got some beau back in the States," said another,
grumblingly.

"Yes, er up to Ellis," said Pinky, sagely. "Thet lawyer feller up
there, he come down to the ranch twict when I was there, and I 'low
he's shinin' round some."

"Well, I dunno," said the other, argumentatively, as though to classify
lawyers and cow-punchers in much the same category.

"But, pshaw!" continued Pinky. "He don't seem to hold no edge neither,
fur's I could see. It was him that was a-doin' all the guessin'. She
just a-standin' pat all the time, same fer him as fer everybody else.
Reckon she ain't got no beau, an' don't want none."

"Beau be d----d!" said his friend. "Who said anything about beau?
First thing, feller's got to be fitten. Who's fitten?"

"That's right," said Pinky. "Yet I shore hope she's located yer fer
keeps. Feller says, 'They's no place like home,' and it's several mile
to another ranch like that'n', er to another gal like her."

"D----n the lawyer!" said the other, after a time of silence, as they
rode on together; and Pinky made understanding reply.

"That's what!" said he. "D----n him, anyhow!"

As for Edward Franklin himself, he could not in his moments of wildest
egotism assign himself to a place any better than that accorded each
member of the clans who rallied about this Southern lady transplanted
to the Western plains. Repulsed in his first unskilled, impetuous
advance; hurt, stung, cut to the quick as much at his own clumsiness
and failure to make himself understood as at the actual rebuff
received. Franklin none the less in time recovered sufficient
equanimity to seek to avail himself of such advantages as still
r