the girl looking over her shoulder and keeping the soft burden of the
song still running.



CHAPTER 23


So turned, Terry could not see her clearly. He caught a glimmer of red
bronze hair, dark in shadow and brilliant in high lights, and a sheen of
greenish eyes. Otherwise, he only noted the casual manner in which she
acknowledged the introduction, unsmiling, indifferent, as Pollard said:
"Here's my daughter Kate. This is Terry--a new hand."

It seemed to Terry that as he said this the rancher made a gesture as of
warning, though this, no doubt, could be attributed to his wish to
silently explain away the idiosyncrasy of Terry in using his first name
only. He was presented in turn to the four men, and thought them the
oddest collection he had ever laid eyes on.

Slim Dugan was tall, but not so tall as he looked, owing to his very
small head and narrow shoulders. His hair was straw color, excessively
silky, and thin as the hair of a year-old child. There were other points
of interest in Slim Dugan; his feet, for instance, were small as the feet
of a girl, accentuated by the long, narrow riding boots, and his hands
seemed to be pulled out to a great and unnecessary length. They made up
for it by their narrowness.

His exact opposite was Marty Cardiff, chunky, fat, it seemed, until one
noted the roll and bulge of the muscles at the shoulders. His head was