the responsibility they felt for his safety.

"I got my ride, after all," he presently chuckled. "To be sure, I
wasn't expecting Mr. McWilliams to chaperon us. But that's an
added pleasure."

"Would it be an added pleasure to get bumped off to kingdom
come?" drawled the foreman, giving a reluctant admiration to his
aplomb.

"Thinking of those willing boys of yours again, are you?" laughed
Bannister. "They're ce'tainly a heap prevalent with their
hardware, but their hunting don't seem to bring home any meat."

"By the way, how IS your ankle, Mr. Bannister? I forgot to ask."
This shot from the young woman.

He enjoyed it with internal mirth. "They did happen on the target
that time," he admitted. "Oh, it's getting along fine, but I aim
to do most of my walking on horseback for a while."

They swept past the first dangerous grove of cottonwoods in
safety, and rounded the boundary fence corner.

"They're in that bunch of pines over there," said the foreman,
after a single sweep of his eyes in that direction.

"Yes, I see they are. You oughtn't to let your boys wear red
bandannas when they go gunning, Miss Messiter. It's an awful
careless habit."