over such slight matters. I am glad I did not yet carry Chico to live
there in that small camp. Till the house is finished, he shall stay
with me. Truly the storm would kill him if he were there. But perhaps
the storm will not be so great, after all--not so great as is the
storm in the hearts of those two who met and would have fought, had
I not so skillfully prevented it! Santa Maria, I truly must have been
inspired, to act like the dove with the branch of the olive when
I flew between them; and the eyes of Jose were blazing; and Senor
Jack--" There came the smile again, and the dawdling of the brush
while she thought of those two. So the pretty senora was forgotten,
after all, and left to shiver over her mending in the prairie schooner
because Teresita was a spoiled child with more hearts than it is good
for a girl to play with.

As a matter of fact, however, the pretty senora was quite accustomed
to discomfort in varying degrees, and gave less thought to the weather
than did the more tenderly sheltered women of the valley, so that no
harm came of the forgetfulness; especially since the storm fell far
short of Gustavo's expectations and caused that particular prophet the
inconvenience of searching his soul and the heavens for an explanation
of the sunshine that reprehensibly bathed the valley next day in its
soft glow.

Also, no immediate harm resulted from the rage of the two caballeros,
although not even the most partial judge could give the credit to
Teresita's "olive branch." Chance herself stepped in, and sent a
heavy, dead branch crashing down from a swaying oak upon the head
and right shoulder of Jose, while he was riding into his own patio.
Whereupon Jose, who had been promising himself vengefully that he
would send Manuel immediately with a challenge to the gringo who had
dared lift eyes to the Senorita Teresa Picardo, instantly forgot both
his love and his hate in the oblivion that held him until nightfall.

After that his stiffened muscles and the gash in his scalp gave him
time for meditation; and meditation counseled patience. The gringo
would doubtless go to the rodeo, and he would meet him there without
the spectacular flavor of a formal challenge. For Jose was a decent
sort of a fellow and had no desire to cheapen his passion or cause
the senorita the pain of public gossip. It was that same quality of
dignity in his love that had restrained him from seeking a deliberate
quarrel with Jack before now;