elieve that it will finally prove the most valuable part of the ranch."

Then Fred led the way further down the road in a southerly direction,
skirting the timber, and at almost every ten feet quail and prairie
chickens flew up out of their way.

After they had gone about a couple of miles Evelyn suddenly saw
something running through the tall grass as if trying to avoid being
seen.

"Fred." said she, "aren't those wolves out there?"

"Where?" and Fred gazed in the direction in which she was pointing.

He could barely catch a glimpse of their backs through the tall grass.

"I guess they are coyotes," he said. "Let's give them a race," and he
put spurs to his horse and dashed off after them. Evelyn, of course,
followed, for she was quite as good a rider as he.

To his surprise, he gained on them, and he knew that the coyote was
about the swiftest little animal of the kind anywhere, so he supposed
that the tall grass was impeding their progress.

When he urged his horse faster the brutes turned, growled, showed their
fangs and stood at bay.

"Great Scott, Evelyn!" he exclaimed, "they are timber wolves!" and his
horse showed fear of them.

Evelyn reined up her horse right alongside of Fred.

"Why, Fred," said she, "they seem to be defying us, which is a mighty
bold thing for them to do in the open daylight."

"Yes, indeed; but they saw that we were gaining on them. Luckily I have
my revolver in my pocket," and with that he drew the weapon and again
dashed toward the wolves, who seemed to be full of fight. When within
fifteen feet of them he fired and the wounded wolf yelped with pain,
while his mate seemed on the point of charging upon them. He fired the
second time and the bullet crashed through the wolf's head. They both
gave a single yelp, sank down in the grass and did a little kicking. The
first one he had shot at hadn't been hit in a vital spot.

So he stood by snarling and showing his fangs until another shot
stretched him on the ground alongside of his mate.

"Why, Fred," said Evelyn, as she rode up and looked at them after they
were dead, "is it possible that they come up so near the houses on the
ranch?"

"Well, I never saw them up so far this way before. I fear that they came
up during the night in search of a calf, and I dare say if we search
around we can find a dead calf half devoured somewhere in the
neighborhood; but we won't stop to look for it. We will go back to the
house and send two c