together. I'll wager their felicitations fell rather flat."

Beatrice laughed. "Very likely. I know they were mourning because their
lace-making had been neglected lately. What with that trip to Lost
Canyon to-morrow, and to the mountains Friday, I'm afraid the lace will
continue to suffer. What do you think of a round-up, Sir Redmond?"

"It's deuced nasty," said he. "Such a lot of dust and noise. I fancy the
workmen don't find it pleasant."

"Yes, they do; they like it," she declared. "Dick says a cowboy is never
satisfied off the range. And you mustn't call them workmen, Sir Redmond.
They'd resent it, if they knew. They're cowboys, and proud of it. They
seem rather a pleasant lot of fellows, on the whole. I have been talking
to one or two."

"Well, we're all through here," Dick announced, riding up. "I'm going to
ride around by Keith's place, to see a horse I'm thinking of buying.
Want to go along, Trix? Or are you tired?"

"I'm never tired," averred his sister, readjusting a hat-pin and
gathering up her reins. "I always want to go everywhere that you'll take
me, Dick. Consider that point settled for the summer. Are you coming,
Sir Redmond?"

"I think not, thank you," he said, not quite risen above his rebuff of
the morning. "I told Mary I would be back for lunch."

"I was wiser; I refused even to venture an opinion as to when I should
be back. Well, 'so-long'!"