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wedding。〃 

     〃That is; if you are。〃 

     〃If   I   amyes。   Y'u   can't   most   always   tell   when   they   have   eyes   like 

hers。〃 

     〃You're quite an authority on the sex considering your years。〃 



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     〃Yes;   ma'am。〃   He   looked   aggrieved;   thinking   himself   a   man   grown。 

〃How did y'u say Mr。 Bannister was?〃 

     〃Wait; and I'll send Nora out to tell you;〃 she flashed; and disappeared 

in the house。 

     Conversation   at   the   bunkhouse   and   the   chucktent   sometimes   circled 

around   the   young   women   at   the   house;   but   its   personality   rarely   grew 

pronounced。       References      to  Helen     Messiter    and    the  housemaid       were 

usually by way of repartee at each other。 For a change had come over the 

spirit   of   the   Lazy   D   men;   and;   though   a   cheerful   profanity   still   flowed 

freely when they were alone together; vulgarity was largely banished。 

     The   morning   after   his   conversation   with   Miss   Messiter;   McWilliams 

was   washing   in   the   foreman's   room   when   the   triangle   beat   the   call   for 

breakfast; and he heard the cook's raucous 〃Come and get it。〃 There was 

the usual stampede for the tent; and a minute later Mac flung back the flap 

and entered。 He took the seat at the head of the table; along the benches on 

both sides of which the punchers were plying busy knives and forks。 

     〃A stack of chips;〃 ordered the foreman; and the cook's 〃Coming up〃 

was   scarcely   more   prompt   than   the   plate   of   hot   cakes   he   set   before   the 

young man。 

     〃Hen fruit; sunny side up;〃 shouted Reddy; who was further advanced 

in his meal。 

     〃Tame   that   fog…horn;   son;〃   advised   Wun   Hop;   but   presently   he   slid 

three fried eggs from a frying…pan into the plate of the hungry one。 

     〃I want y'u boys to finish flankin' that bunch of hill calves to…day;〃 said 

the foreman; emptying half a jug of syrup over his cakes。 

     〃Redtop; he ain't got no appetite these days;〃 grinned Denver; as the 

gentleman mentioned cleaned up a second loaded plate of ham; eggs and 

fried potatoes。 〃I see him studying a Wind River Bible* yesterday。 Curious 

how     in  the   spring   a  young    man's    fancy    gits  to  wandering      on   house 

furnishing。 Red; he was taking the catalogue alphabetically。 Carpets was 

absorbin' his attention; chairs on deck; and chandeliers in the hole; as we 

used to say when we was baseball kids。〃 

     '*A Wind River Bible in the Northwest ranch country is a catalogue of 

one    of  the   big  Chicago     department      stores   that  does   a  large   shipping 



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business in the West。' 

       〃Ain't   a   word   of   truth   in   it;〃   indignantly   denied   the   assailed;   his 

unfinished nose and chin giving him a pathetic; whipped puppy look。 〃Sho! 

I   was   just   looking   up   saddles。   Can't   a   fellow   buy   a   new   saddle   without 

asking leave of Denver?〃 

     〃Cyarpets used to begin with a C in my spelling…book; but saddles got 

off right foot fust with a S;〃 suggested Mac amiably。 

     〃He   was   ce'tainly   trying   to   tree   his   saddle   among   the   C's。   He   was 

looking awful loving at a Turkish rug。 Reckon he thought it was a saddle… 

blanket;〃 derided Denver cheerfully。 

     〃Huh! Y'u're awful smart; Denver;〃 retaliated Reddy; his   complexion 

matching his hair。 〃Y'u talk a heap with your mouth。 Nobody believes a 

word of what y'u say。〃 

     Denver relaxed into a range song by way of repartee: 

     〃I   want   mighty   bad   to   be   married;   To   have   a   garden   and   a   home;   I 

ce'tainly aim to git married; And have a gyurl for my own。〃 

     〃Aw! Y'u fresh guys make me tired。 Y'u don't devil me a bit; not a bit。 

Whyfor should I care what y'u say? I guess this outfit ain't got no surcingle 

on me。〃 Nevertheless; he made a hurried end of his breakfast and flung out 

of the tent。 

     〃Y'u boys hadn't ought to wound Reddy's tender feelings; and him so 

bent on matrimony!〃 said Denver innocently。 〃Get a move on them fried 

spuds and sashay them down this way; if there's any left when y'u fill your 

plate; Missou。〃 

     Nor was Reddy the only young man who had dreams those days at the 

Lazy D。 Cupid must have had his hands full; for his darts punctured more 

than one honest plainsman's heart。 The reputation of the young women at 

the Lazy D seemed to travel on the wings of the wind; and from far and 

near    Cattleland    sent   devotees    to  this  shrine    of  youth    and   beauty。   So 

casually     the  victims    drifted   in;  always    with    a  good    business    excuse 

warranted   to   endure   raillery   and   sarcasm;   that   it   was   impossible   to   say 

they had come of set purpose to sun themselves in feminine smiles。 

     As for Nora; it is not too much to say that she was having the time of 

her   life。   Detroit;   Michigan;   could   offer   no   such   field   for   her   expansive 



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charms as the Bighorn country; Wyoming。 Here she might have her pick of 

a hundred; and every one of them picturesquely begirt with flannel shirt; 

knotted scarf at neck; an arsenal that bristled; and a sun…tan that could be 

achieved only in the outdoors of the Rockies。 Certainly these knights of 

the   saddle   radiated   a  romance    with   which   even   her   floorwalker 

〃gentleman friend 〃 could not compete。 



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       CHAPTER 10。 A SHEPHERD OF 

                            THE DESERT 



     It had been Helen Messiter's daily custom either to take a ride on her 

pony or a spin in her motor car; but since Bannister had been quartered at 

the Lazy D her time had been so fully occupied that she had given this up 

for the present。 The arrival of Nora Darling; however; took so much work 

off her hands that she began to continue her rides and drives。 

     Her patient was by this time so far recovered that he did not need her 

constant   attendance   and   there   were   reasons   why   she   decided   it   best   to 

spend   only  a   minimum   of   her   time   with   him。 These   had   to   do   with   her 

increasing interest in the man and the need she felt to discourage it。 It had 

come to a pretty pass; she told herself scornfully; when she found herself 

inventing excuses to take her into the room where this most picturesque of 

unhanged scamps was lying。 Most good women are at heart puritans; and 

if Helen   was too liberal   to   judge others narrowly  she could   be none the 

less rigid with herself。 She might talk to him of her duty; but it was her 

habit to be frank in thought and she knew that something nearer than that 

abstraction had moved her efforts in his behalf。 She had fought for his life 

because she loved him。 She could deny it no longer。 Nor was the shame 

with   which   she   confessed   it   unmingled   with   pride。   He   was   a   man   to 

compel   love;  one   of   the   mood   imperative;  chain…armored   in   the   outdoor 

virtues of strength and endurance and stark courage。 Her abasement began 

only where   his   superlation   ended。 That a being so godlike   in   equipment 

should have been fashioned without a soul; and that she should have given 

her heart to him。 This was the fount of her degradation。 

     It was of   these things   she thought   as she  drove in the late   afternoon 

toward   those Antelope   Peaks   he   had   first   pointed   out   to   her。   She   swept 

past the scene of the battle and dipped down into the plains for a run to 

that western horizon behind the jagged mountain line of which the sun was 

radiantly   setting   in   a   splash   of   glorious   colors。   Lost   in   thought;   space 

slipped under her wheels unnoticed。 Not till her car refused the spur and 

slowed to a despondent halt did she observe that velvet night was falling 



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over the land。 

     She    prowled     round    the  machine      after  the  fashion    of  the   motorist; 

examining details that might be the cause of the trouble。 She discovered 

soon enough with instant dismay that the gasolene tank was empty。 Reddy; 

always unreliable; must have forgotten to fill it when she told him to。 

     By  the   road   she   must   be   thirty  miles   from  home   if   she   were   a   step; 

across country as the crow flies; perhaps twenty。 She was a young woman 

of resolution; and she wasted no time in tears or regrets。 The XIX ranch; 

owned by a small 〃nester〃 named Henderson; could not be more than five 

or six miles to the southeast。 If she struck across the hills she would be 

sure to run into one of the barblines。 At the XIX she could get a horse and 

reach the   Lazy  D   by  midnight。 Without   any  hesitation   she struck   out。   It 

was unfortunate that she did not have on her heavy laced high boots; but 

she   realized   that   she   must   take   things   as   she   found   them。  Things   might 

have been a good deal worse; she reflected philosophically。 

     And before long they were worse; for the increasing darkness blotted 

out the landmarks she was using as guides and she was lost among the hill 

waves that rolled one after another across the range。 Still she did not give 

way;   telling   herself   that 

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