Inquire for Miss Darling. She isn't used to jolting two days in a
rig, but I know you will be careful of her."

"I'll surely be as careful of the old lady as if she was my own
mother."

The mistress of the ranch smothered a desire to laugh.

"I'm sure you will. At her age she may need a good deal of care.
Be certain you take rug enough."

"I'll take care of her the best I know how. expect she's likely
rheumatic, but I'll wrop her up till she looks like a Cheyenne
squaw when tourist is trying to get a free shoot at her with
camera."

"Please do. I want her to get a good impression of Wyoming so
that she will stay. I don' know about the rheumatism, but you
might ask her."

There were pinpoints of merriment behind th guileless innocence
of her eyes, but they came to the surface only after the foreman
had departed.

McWilliams ordered a team of young horse hitched, and presently
set out on his two day; journey to Gimlet Butte. He reached that
town in good season, left the team at a corral and walked back to
the Elk House. The white dust of the plains was heavy on him,
from the bandanna that loosely embraced the brown throat above
the flannel shirt to the encrusted boots but through it the good