he's
the next rancher to me, this side--he sometimes has folks come there in
the fishing season."

"Your log house is all painted and nice, isn't it?"

"_Painted_, ma'am? Lord, no! You don't paint a log house none."

"I never saw one in my life," said she contritely; then, sighing. "I
never will, now."

"Do men come to your place very much, then?" she asked at length.

"Why, Wid, he sometimes comes over."

"And who is Wid?"

"Like I said, he's got the next ranch to mine. He's maybe a forwarder
sort of man than me."

"Did he have anything to do with--that advertisement?"

"How can you guess things like that?"

"He thought you were all alone?"

"We did have some talk. But I want to tell you one thing, ma'am--if I
had ever thought onct that we'd a-brung a woman like _you_ here, I'd
never of been part nor party to it. I guess not!"

"And yet you can't see why you're a gentleman!" said she again slowly.

"You said you'd be going back home again before long?" It was the
first thing Sim Gage could say.

"I haven't any home."

"Nor no folks neither?"

"There's not a soul in the world that I could go back to, Mr. Gage. So
now, I've told you the truth."

"But there was oncet, maybe?" he said shrewdly. "How old are you?" He
flushed suddenly at this question, which he asked before he thought.

"I'm twenty-five."

"You don't look that old. Me, I'm thirty-seven. I'm too old to marry.
Now I never will."

"How do you know?" she said. "What do you mean?" As she spoke she
felt the tears come again on her cheeks, felt her hands trembling.

"Well, ma'am, I know mighty well I'll never marry now. Of course, if
one sort of woman had came out here--big and strong enough to be a
housekeeper and nothing else, and all that, and one thing with
another--I won't say what might have happened. Strange things has
happened that way--right out of them damn _Hearts Aflame_ ads--right
around along in here, in this here valley, too, I know. Well, of
course, a man can't get along so well, ranching, unless he has a
wife----"

"Or a housekeeper?"

"Why, yes. That's what we advertised fer. I didn't know it."

Mary Warren pondered for a long time.

"Look at me," she said at last. "There's no place for me back home,
and none here. What sort of housekeeper would I make--and what sort
of--of--wife? I'm disappointing you; and you're disappointing me.
What shall we both do?"

"Why, how do you mean?" said Sim G