valley. They rapidly approached; he could tell by the hard pounding of the hoofs that they were on a trail which he took to be the

k her gently, and called her name; her eyes opened; he could see them, strange and

she exclaimed, reproachf

ching the moon," h

she reprimanded. "Besides, you had to s

pleasant to the ear. But Grant could no

everal people riding up the valley; undoubtedly

his speaking voice, but instantly there was silence, save for the echo of the sound rolling down the valley. Then a voice a

inguished her father. "Gone lame on

dvanced with outstretched arms. There was an eagerness and a relief in his v

word of assurance that she was really nothin

Grant, foreman of th

e occasioned by the fire did not by any means imply p

ed what would in another moment have been a

ept that Mr. Grant saved my life last evening at the ris

ed a greater compliment. "I'm obliged to you, Grant. You know how it is with us cattlemen; w

then Zen introduced Transley and Linder, who were in the party. There w

nsley, with his usual directne

from the point where she had met

could not have expressed the jealousy he felt. But Linder was not too

, and with two words

t, and all hands started back to camp. Y.D. talked almost garrulously; not even

ill trek back to the Y.D. as soon as you feel fit.

d Grant to remain for breakfast, and Tompkins, notwithstanding the demoralization of equipment and supplies eff

. I don't know how the iron stakes got in my meadow, an' you don't know how the fire got in yours. But I give you Y.D.'s word-which goes at par exce

more about the stakes tha

not committin' myself to anythin' in advance. This grass'll grow again next year

rd enough of Y.D.'s boisterous

a thousand tons of hay overrode, temporarily at least, his appreciation of G

ked up, and it seemed to Grant

come over the hills to cut the South Y.D. next

t this young upstart foreman on a second-rate ra

ou. In a word, you've been a good bit of a bully. Now-let me break it to you gently-those good old days are over. In future you're going to stay on your own side of the line. If yo

have it out on the ground, there and then. Y.D. had no such desire. Possibly a curious sense of honor entered into the case. It was not fair to call a young man names, and although there was considerable truth in

hat hay next year I'll cut it,

'll see. Now, if you can spare me a horse to r

rrange for a horse, and in a mom

id, half reproachfully, and yet in a tone

ied. "We were just having a

to ask you to come and see me-to see us-my mother would be glad to see you

ose not," h

d to me; very-dece

y, Linder, and Y.D. ap

ith you and bring back t

mured some words of thanks, and just as he would have withdrawn his hand he felt her f

D. and his daughter drove homeward, some

a neighboring centre which for twenty years had been the principal cow-town of the foothill country. In defiance of all tradition, and, most of all, in defiance of the predictions of the ranchers who had known it so long for a cow-town and nothing more, the place began to grow.

he had not cared whether he offended them or not. Transley was a very self-reliant contractor; he gave, even to the millionaire rancher, no more homage than he demanded in return.... Still, Zen was a very desirable girl. As he turned the matter over in his mind Transley became convinced that he wanted Zen. With Transley, to want a thing meant

man looks with such irrational confidence. But for the heat of the day-for the climb up the hill-they would be unnecessary encumbrances. Transley always took a practical view of these matters. It need hard

ersonality-a delightful individuality-of which any man might be proud. She had that fine combination of attractions which is expressed in the word charm. She had health, constitution, beauty. She had courage and sympathy. She had

g that he had not had a final settlement with Y.D., set out for the ranch in the foothills. While spending the long autumn day alone in the b

opper and bronze on the few clouds becalmed in the heavens, when Transley's tired team jogged in among the cluster of buildings known as the Y.D. The ranch

horses over to the attention of a ranch hand. "Supper

e effort. Indeed, a strange sensation of tenderness suffused him as he walked by her side to the door, supporting her a little with his hand. There they were ushered in by the rancher's wife, and Zen her

stment than he had expected. He had not yet realized to what an extent he had won the old rancher's confidence, and Y.D. was a man who, when his confidence had b

n which he was now engaged. He drew a picture of activities in

for about thirty years, an' never seen it was any good excep' to ge

s at my own price if I could have handled them. It's just as if prosperity was a river which had been trickling through that town for thirty years, and all of a sudden the dam up in the foothills gives away and down she comes with a rush. Lots which sold a year ago for a hundred dollars are selling now for five hundred-sometimes more. Old ranchers living on the bald-headed

ther cigar. Y.D. rolled his

s though the memory of them was of greater im

D.," he said. "Not on the fly-by-night stuff; I don't mean that.

down on to all four leg

ld hit her togeth

you had that confidence in me, and I'm s

you w

hind them. Give them to me and let me put them to work. I'd have to have equipment, too. Your name on the back of my note would get it, and you wouldn't act

alary as manager, of

lding going on. He's anxious to start something, because as soon as building starts in that district the lots will sell for two or three times what they do now. We say to him, 'Give us every second lot in your block and we'll put a house on it.' In this way we get the lots for a trifle; perhaps for nothing. Then we build a lot of houses, more or less to the same plan. We put 'em

well put my spare horses an' credit to work. I don't mind dr

ss material matters. After a while Zen joined them, and a litt

nsley said to her, when they were alone together. He

very interesti

u be int

rested in everything

be-just a little interested in

ut them, and he could not see the contour of her face, but he

will be interested in what you und

ion nett

y shouldn't we unde

ly toward him, and he could feel

e answered, "only we-at l

O

I came over here to-day simply t

that wor

wasn't half the purpose. I wanted to see Y.D., it is

y guess what was the trend of her th

e a bee-line for it. If it is a contract-if it is a business matter-I go right after it, with all the energy that's in me. When I'm looking for a contract I don't start by talking about t

upted, "I suppose if you wanted a wife and ther

etends she would like to go. Both of them know what the real purpose is, and both of them pretend they don't. They start the farce by pretending a deceit which deceives nobody. They wait for nature to set up an attraction which shall overrule their judgment, rather than act by judgment first and leave it to nature to take care of herself. How much better it would be to be perfectly frank-to boldly announce the purpose-to come as I now come to you and say, 'Zen, I want to marry you. My reason, my judgment, tells me that you would be an ideal mate. I shall be proud of you, and I will try to make you proud of me. I will gratify your desires in every way that my means will permit. I pledge you my fidelity in retu

g his physical presence into the scale. He was accustomed to having his way-he had always had it-never did he want it more than he did now.... And although he had made his ple

drew her with his great strength up from her chair. She did no

. "I must have time to think. I did no

hough she were being swept along by a stream against which her feeble strength was as nothing. Zen was as nearly frightened as she had ever

ion into her ear. "You shall have time to think-you shall ask your own heart,

and Transley waited no longer for an answer. He turn