being seen as he felt
again the flash of them strike deep into his heart. Wise eyes, eyes
which held a store of wholesome knowledge gleaned from the years in
those silent places where her soul had grown without a shadow to
smirch its purity.

"There's a difference between wisdom and learning," he said at last,
in low and thoughtful voice. "What's it like over where Dad Frazer
grazes his sheep?"

"Close to the range Swan Carlson and the Hall boys use, and you want
to keep away from there."

"Of course; I wouldn't want to trespass on anybody's territory. Are
they all disagreeable people over that way?"

"There's nobody there but the Halls and Carlson. You know Swan."

"He might improve on close acquaintance," Mackenzie speculated.

"I don't think he's as bad as the Halls, wild and crazy as he is.
Hector Hall, especially. But you may get on with them, all right--I
don't want to throw any scare into you before you meet them."

"Are they out looking for trouble?"

"I don't know as they are, but they're there to make it if anybody
lets a sheep get an inch over the line they claim as theirs. Oh,
well, pass 'em up till you have to meet them--maybe they'll treat you
white, anyway."

Again a silence stood between them, Mackenzie considering many things,
not the least of them being this remarkable girl's life among the
sheep and the rough characters of the range, no wonder in him over her
impatience to be away from it. It seemed to him that Tim Sullivan
might well spare her the money for schooling, as well as fend her
against the dangers and hardships of the range by keeping her at home
these summer days.

"It looks to me like a hard life for a girl," he said; "no diversions,
none of the things that youth generally values and craves. Don't you
ever have any dances or anything--camp meetings or picnics?"

"They have dances over at Four Corners sometimes--Hector Hall wanted
me to go to one with him about a year ago. He had his nerve to ask me,
the little old sheep-thief!"

"Well, I should think so."

"He's been doubly sore at us ever since I turned him down. I looked
for him to come over and shoot up my camp some night for a long time,
but I guess he isn't that bad."

"So much to his credit."

"But I wish sometimes I'd gone with him. Maybe it would have
straightened things out. You know, when you stay here on the range,
Mr. Mackenzie, you're on a level with everybody else, no matter what
you think of yourself.