Whereupon Carley felt mount in her breast an intense and rebellious

determination to see a sheep-dip. She would astonish Glenn. What did

he want, anyway? Had she not withstood the torturing trot of the

hardest-gaited horse on the range? Carley realized she was going to

place considerable store upon that feat. It grew on her.

When the consultation of the men ended, Lee Stanton turned to Flo. And

Carley did not need to see the young man look twice to divine what ailed

him. He was caught in the toils of love. But seeing through Flo Hutter

was entirely another matter.

"Howdy, Lee!" she said, coolly, with her clear eyes on him. A tiny frown

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knitted her brow. She did not, at the moment, entirely approve of him.

"Shore am glad to see you, Flo," he said, with rather a heavy expulsion

of breath. He wore a cheerful grin that in no wise deceived Flo, or

Carley either. The young man had a furtive expression of eye.

"Ahuh!" returned Flo.

"I was shore sorry about--about that--" he floundered, in low voice.

"About what?"

"Aw, you know, Flo."

Carley strolled out of hearing, sure of two things--that she felt rather

sorry for Stanton, and that his course of love did not augur well for

smooth running. What queer creatures were women! Carley had seen several

million coquettes, she believed; and assuredly Flo Hutter belonged to

the species.

Upon Carley's return to the cabin she found Stanton and Flo waiting for

her to accompany them on a ride up the foothill. She was so stiff and

sore that she could hardly mount into the saddle; and the first mile

of riding was something like a nightmare. She lagged behind Flo and

Stanton, who apparently forgot her in their quarrel.

The riders soon struck the base of a long incline of rocky ground that

led up to the slope of the foothill. Here rocks and gravel gave place

to black cinders out of which grew a scant bleached grass. This desert

verdure was what lent the soft gray shade to the foothill when seen from

a distance. The slope was gentle, so that the ascent did not entail any

hardship. Carley was amazed at the length of the slope, and also to

see how high over the desert she was getting. She felt lifted out of a

monotonous level. A green-gray league-long cedar forest extended down

toward Oak Creek. Behind her the magnificent bulk of the mountains

reached up into the stormy clouds, showing white slopes of snow under

the gray pall.




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