n following when he had been bitten by the rattler.

He knew from the location of the cabin that he had not gone very far
out of his way; that a ride of an eighth of a mile would bring him to
the Two Diamond trail. And he could not be very far from the Two
Diamond. Yet because of an order, issued by a girl, he was doomed to
delay his appearance at the ranch.

He had seen no man about the cabin. Did the girl live here alone? He
was convinced that no woman could long survive the solitude of this
great waste of country--some man--a brother or a husband--must share
the cabin with her. Several times he caught himself hoping that if
there was a man here it might be a brother, or even a distant relative.
The thought that she might have a husband aroused in him a sensation of
vague disquiet.

He heard her moving about in the cabin, heard the rattle of dishes, the
swish of a broom on the rough floor. And then presently she came out,
dragging another rocker. Then she re-entered the cabin, returning with
a strip of striped cloth and a sewing basket. She seated herself in
the chair, placed the basket in her lap, and with a half smile on her
face began to ply the needle. He lay back contentedly and watched her.

Hers was a lithe, vigorous figure in a white apron and a checkered
dress of some soft material. She wore no collar; her sleeves were
shoved up above the elbows, revealing a pair of slightly browned hands
and white, rounded arms. Her eyes were brown as her hair--the latter
in a tumble of graceful disorder. Through half closed eyes he was
appraising her in a riot of admiration that threatened completely to
bias his judgment. And yet women had interested him very little.

Perhaps that was because he had never seen a woman like this one. The
women that he had known had been those of the plains-town--the
unfortunates who through circumstances or inclination had been drawn
into the maelstrom of cow-country vice, and who, while they may have
found flattery, were never objects of honest admiration or respect.

He had known this young woman only a few hours, and yet he knew that
with her he could not adopt the easy, matter-of-fact intimacy that had
answered with the other women he had known. In fact, the desire to
look upon her in this light never entered his mind. Instead, he was
filled with a deep admiration for her--an admiration in which there was
a profound respect.

"I expect you must know your business,