"Then I've got one thing to say. You let Scott Parsons alone." John flung
himself on the bed, and before Mary had taken off his spurred riding
boots he was asleep.

Douglas went out to the corral where, soon after, Judith appeared with
her milking pail. The tender pink mists rolled slowly away from the
yellow wall of Lost Chief range. Judith, with heavy eyes and burning
cheeks, looked from the mists to Douglas, who leaned on the fence and
watched her.

"Jude," he said, "you are on the wrong foot. You ought to let whiskey and
Inez Rodman alone."

"Why don't you let 'em alone?" demanded Judith.

"It's different with a man!"

"O, don't give me that old stuff!" cried the girl. "We women do men's
work in this valley. We'll have the men's kind of fun if we want it!"

"That's not the point," returned Douglas. "Women have to pay a price the
men don't and that's all there is to it."

"It's not fair! It's not fair! I hate the world! I hate it! Looks like
you'd either got to be like Mother or Inez Rodman."

"Your mother's all right. Only Dad's broke her just like he broke old
Molly horse."

"Did I ever say my mother wasn't all right? Only I'll tell you one thing,