第2章

"Foreman？"queriedMadeline。

"IamsimplybossofStillwell\'scowboys，andrightgladofmyjob。"

Madelinewasconsciousofaninwardburning。Itrequiredaneffortforhertoretainheroutwardtranquillity。Annoyingconsciousnessshehadalsoofthereturningsenseofnewdisturbingemotions。Shebegantoseejusthowwalledinfromunusualthought-provokingincidentandsensationhadbeenherexclusivelife。

"Cannotyourpropertybereclaimed？"sheasked。"Howmuchdoyouowe？"

"Tenthousanddollarswouldclearmeandgivemeanotherstart。

But，Majesty，inthiscountrythat\'sagooddealofmoney，andI

haven\'tbeenabletoraiseit。Stillwell\'sinworseshapethanI

am。"

MadelinewentovertoAlfredandputherhandsonhisshoulders。

"Wemustnotbeindebt。"

Hestaredatherasifherwordshadrecalledsomethinglongforgotten。Thenhesmiled。

"Howimperiousyouare！I\'dfcrgottenjustwhomybeautifulsisterreallyis。Majesty，you\'renotgoingtoaskmetotakemoneyfromyou？"

"Iam。"

"Well，I\'llnotdoit。Ineverdid，evenwhenIwasincollege，andthentherewasn\'tmuchbeyondme。"

"Listen，Alfred，"shewenton，earnestly，"thisisentirelydifferent。Ihadonlyanallowancethen。YouhadnowaytoknowthatsinceIlastwroteyouIhadcomeintomyinheritancefromAuntGrace。Itwas——well，thatdoesn\'tmatter。Only，Ihaven\'tbeenabletospendhalftheincome。It\'smine。It\'snotfather\'smoney。Youwillmakemeveryhappyifyou\'llconsent。Alfred，I\'mso——soamazedatthechangeinyou。I\'msohappy。Youmustnevertakeabackwardstepfromnowon。Whatistenthousanddollarstome？SometimesIspendthatinamonth。Ithrowmoneyaway。Ifyouletmehelpyouitwillbedoingmegoodaswellasyou。Please，Alfred。"

Hekissedher，evidentlysurprisedatherearnestness。AndindeedMadelinewassurprisedherself。Oncestarted，herspeechhadflowed。

"Youalwayswerethebestoffellows，Majesty。Andifyoureallycare——ifyoureallywanttohelpmeI\'llbeonlytoogladtoaccept。Itwillbefine。Florencewillgowild。AndthatGreaserwon\'tharassmeanymore。Majesty，prettysoonsometitledfellowwillbespendingyourmoney；Imayaswelltakealittlebeforehegetsitall，"hefinished，jokingly。

"Whatdoyouknowaboutme？"sheasked，lightly。

"Morethanyouthink。EvenifwearelostouthereinthewoollyWestwegetnews。EverybodyknowsaboutAnglesbury。AndthatDagodukewhochasedyoualloverEurope，thatLordCastletonhastherunningnowandseemsabouttowin。Howaboutit，Majesty？"

Madelinedetectedahintthatsuggestedscorninhisgayspeech。

Anddeepinhissearchingglanceshesawaflame。Shebecamethoughtful。ShehadforgottenCastleton，NewYork，society。

"Alfred，"shebegan，seriously，"Idon\'tbelieveanytitledgentlemanwilleverspendmymoney，asyouelegantlyexpressit。"

"Idon\'tcareforthat。It\'syou！"hecried，passionately，andhegraspedherwithaviolencethatstartledher。Hewaswhite；

hiseyeswerenowlikefire。"Youaresosplendid——sowonderful。

PeoplecalledyoutheAmericanBeauty，butyou\'remorethanthat。

You\'retheAmericanGirl！Majesty，marrynomanunlessyoulovehim，andloveanAmerican。StayawayfromEuropelongenoughtolearntoknowthemen——therealmenofyourowncountry。"

"Alfred，I\'mafraidtherearenotalwaysrealmenandrealloveforAmericangirlsininternationalmarriages。ButHelenknowsthis。It\'llbeherchoice。She\'llbemiserableifshemarriesAnglesbury。"

"It\'llserveherjustright，"declaredherbrother。"Helenwasalwayscrazyforglitter，adulation，fame。I\'llgamblesheneversawmoreofAnglesburythanthegoldandribbonsonhisbreast。"

"Iamsorry。Anglesburyisagentleman；butitisthemoneyhewanted，Ithink。Alfred，tellmehowyoucametoknowaboutme，\'wayouthere？YoumaybeassuredIwasastonishedtofindthatMissKingsleyknewmeasMajestyHammond。"

"Iimagineitwasasurprise，"hereplied，withalaugh，"ItoldFlorenceaboutyou——gaveherapictureofyou。And，ofcourse，beingawoman，sheshowedthepictureandtalked。She\'sinlovewithyou。Then，mydearsister，wedogetNewYorkpapersouthereoccasionally，andwecanseeandread。YoumaynotbeawarethatyouandyoursocietyfriendsareobjectsofintenseinterestintheU。S。ingeneral，andtheWestinparticular。Thepapersarefullofyou，andperhapsalotofthingsyouneverdid。"

"ThatMr。Stewartknew，too。Hesaid，\'You\'renotMajestyHammond？\'"

"Nevermindhisimpudence！"exclaimedAlfred；andthenagainhelaughed。"Geneisallright，onlyyou\'vegottoknowhim。I\'lltellyouwhathedid。Hegotholdofoneofthosenewspaperpicturesofyou——theoneintheTimes；hetookitawayfromhere，andinspiteofFlorencehewouldn\'tfetchitback。Itwasapictureofyouinriding-habitwithyourblue-ribbonhorse，WhiteStockings——remember？ItwastakenatNewport。Well，Stewarttackedthepictureupinhisbunk-houseandnamedhisbeautifulhorseMajesty。Allthecowboysknewit。Theywouldseethepictureandteasehimunmercifully。Buthedidn\'tcare。OnedayIhappenedtodropinonhimandfoundhimjustrecoveringfromacarouse。Isawthepicture，too，andIsaidtohim，\'Gene，ifmysisterknewyouwereadrunkardshe\'dnotbeproudofhavingherpicturestuckupinyourroom。\'Majesty，hedidnottouchadropforamonth，andwhenhediddrinkagainhetookthepicturedown，andhehasneverputitback。"

Madelinesmiledatherbrother\'samusement，butshedidnotreply。ShesimplycouldnotadjustherselftothesequeerfreeWestern\'ways。Herbrotherhadeloquentlypleadedforhertokeepherselfaboveasordidandbrilliantmarriage，yethenotonlyallowedacowboytokeepherpictureinhisroom，butactuallyspokeofherandusedhernameinatemperancelecture。

Madelinejustescapedfeelingdisgust。Shewassavedfromthis，however，bynothinglessthanherbrother\'snaivegladnessthatthroughsubtlesuggestionStewarthadbeenpersuadedtobegoodforamonth。SomethingmadeupofStewart\'seffronterytoher；

ofFlorenceKingsleymeetingher，franklyasitwere，asanequal；oftheeldersister\'sslow，quiet，easyacceptanceofthisvisitorwhohadbeenhonoredatthecourtsofroyalty；ofthatfainthintofscorninAlfred\'svoice，andhisamusedstatementinregardtoherpictureandthenameMajesty——somethingmadeupofallthesestungMadelineHammond\'spride，alienatedherforaninstant，andthenstimulatedherintelligence，excitedherinterest，andmadeherresolvetolearnalittleaboutthisincomprehensibleWest。

"Majesty，Imustrundowntothesiding，"hesaid，consultinghiswatch。"We\'reloadingashipmentofcattle。I\'llbebackbysupper-timeandbringStillwellwithme。You\'lllikehim。Givemethecheckforyourtrunk。"

Shewentintothelittlebedroomand，takingupherbag，shegotoutanumberofchecks。

"Six！Sixtrunks！"heexclaimed。"Well，I\'mverygladyouintendtostayawhile。Say，Majesty，itwilltakemeaslongtorealizewhoyoureallyareasit\'lltaketobreakyouofbeingatenderfoot。Ihopeyoupackedariding-suit。Ifnotyou\'llhavetoweartrousers！You\'llhavetodothat，anyway，whenwegoupinthemountains。"

"No！"

"Yousurewill，asFlorencesays。"

"Weshallseeaboutthat。Idon\'tknowwhat\'sinthetrunks。I

neverpackanything。Mydearbrother，whatdoIhavemaidsfor？"

"Howdiditcomethatyoudidn\'ttravelwithamaid？"

"Iwantedtobealone。Butdon\'tyouworry。Ishallbeabletolookaftermyself。Idaresayitwillbegoodforme。"

Shewenttothegatewithhim。

"Whatashaggy，dustyhorse！He\'swild，too。Doyoulethimstandthatwaywithoutbeinghaltered？Ishouldthinkhewouldrunoff。"

"Tenderfoot！You\'llbegreatfun，Majesty，especiallyforthecowboys。"

"Oh，willI？"sheasked，constrainedly。

"Yes，andinthreedaystheywillbefightingoneanotheroveryou。That\'sgoingtoworryme。Cowboysfallinlovewithaplainwoman，anuglywoman，anywoman，solongasshe\'syoung。

Andyou！GoodLord！They\'llgooutoftheirheads。"

"Youarepleasedtohefacetious，Alfred。IthinkIhavehadquiteenoughofcowboys，andIhaven\'tbeenheretwenty-fourhours。"

"Don\'tthinktoomuchoffirstimpressions。ThatwasmymistakewhenIarrivedhere。Good-by。I\'llgonow。Betterrestawhile。

Youlooktired。"

ThehorsestartedasAlfredputhisfootinthestirrupandwasrunningwhentheriderslippedhislegoverthesaddle。Madelinewatchedhiminadmiration。Heseemedtobelooselyfittedtothesaddle，movingwiththehorse。

"Isupposethat\'sacowboy\'sstyle。Itpleasesme，"shesaid。

"HowdifferentfromtheseatofEasternriders！"

ThenMadelinesatupontheporchandfelltointerestedobservationofhersurrounding。Nearathanditwasdecidedlynotprepossessing。Thestreetwasdeepindust，andthecoolwindwhippeduplittlepuffs。Thehousesalongthisstreetwerealllow，square，flat-roofedstructuresmadeofsomekindofredcement。Itoccurredtohersuddenlythatthisbuilding-materialmustbetheadobeshehadreadabout。Therewasnopersoninsight。Thelongstreetappearedtohavenoend，thoughthelineofhousesdidnotextendfar。Oncesheheardahorsetrottingatsomedistance，andseveraltimestheringingofalocomotivebell。Wherewerethemountains，wonderedMadeline。Soonlowoverthehouse-roofsshesawadim，dark-blue，ruggedoutline。

Itseemedtocharmhereyesandfixhergaze。SheknewtheAdirondacks，shebadseentheAlpsfromthesummitofMontBlanc，andhadstoodunderthegreatblack，white-tippedshadowoftheHimalayas。ButtheyhadnotdrawnherastheseremoteRockies。

Thisdimhorizonlineboldlycuttingtheblueskyfascinatedher。

FlorenceKingsley\'sexpression"beckoningmountains"returnedtoMadeline。Shecouldnotseeorfeelsomuchasthat。Herimpressionwasratherthatthesemountainswerealoof，unattainable，thatifapproachedtheywouldrecedeorvanishlikethedesertmirage。

Madelinewenttoherroom，intendingtorestawhile，andshefellasleep。ShewasarousedbyFlorence\'sknockandcall。

"MissHammond，yourbrotherhascomebackwithStillwell。"

"Why，howIhaveslept！"exclaimedMadeline。"It\'snearlysixo\'clock。"

"I\'msureglad。Youweretired。Andtheairheremakesstrangerssleepy。Come，wewantyoutomeetoldBill。Hecallshimselfthelastofthecattlemen。HehaslivedinTexasandhereallhislife。"

MadelineaccompaniedFlorencetotheporch。Herbrother，whowassittingnearthedoor，jumpedupandsaid：

"Hello，Majesty！"Andasheputhisarmaroundherheturnedtowardamassivemanwhosebroad，craggyfacebegantorippleandwrinkle。"IwanttointroducemyfriendStillwelltoyou。Bill，thisismysister，thesisterI\'vesooftentoldyouabout——

Majesty。"

"Wal，wal，Al，this\'stheproudestmeetin\'ofmylife，"repliedStillwell，inaboomingvoice。Heextendedahugehand。"Miss——

MissMajesty，sightofyouisaswelcomeastherainan\'theflowerstoanolddesertcattleman。"

Madelinegreetedhim，anditwasallshecoulddotorepressacryatthewayhecrunchedherbaudinagraspofiron。Hewasold，white-haired，weather-beaten，withlongfurrowsdownhischecksandwithgrayeyesalmosthiddeninwrinkles。Ifhewassmilingshefancieditamostextraordinarysmile。Thenextinstantsherealizedthatithadbeenasmile，forhisfaceappearedtostoprippling，thelightdied，andsuddenlyitwaslikerudelychiseledstone。ThequalityofhardnessshehadseeninStewartwasimmeasurablyintensifiedinthisoldman\'sface。

"MissMajesty，it\'splumbhumiliatin\'toallofusthetwewasn\'tonhandtomeetyou，"Stillwellsaid。"Mean\'AlsteppedintotheP。O。an\'saidafewmildan\'cheerfulthings。Themmessagesoughttohevbeensentouttotheranch。I\'msureafraiditwasabitunpleasantferyoulastnightatthestation。"

"Iwasratheranxiousatfirstandperhapsfrightened，"repliedMadeline。

"Wal，I\'msomegladtotellyouthetthere\'snomaninthesepartsexceptyourbrotherthetI\'dasliefhevmetyouasGeneStewart。"

"Indeed？"

"Yes，an\'thet\'stakin\'intoconsiderationGene\'sweakness，too。

I\'mallusfondofsayin\'ofmyselfthetI\'mthelastoftheoldcattlemen。Wal，Stewart\'snotanativeWesterner，buthe\'smypickofthelastofthecowboys。Sure，he\'syoung，buthe\'sthelastoftheoldstyle——thepicturesque——an\'chivalrous，too，I

makeboldtosay，MissMajesty，aswellastheoldhard-ridin\'

kind。FolksaredownonStewart。An\'I\'monlysayin\'agoodwordforhimhecauseheisdown，an\'mebbelastnighthemighthevscaredyou，youbein\'freshfromtheEast。"

Madelinelikedtheoldfellowforhisloyaltytothecowboyheevidentlycaredfor；butastheredidnotseemanythingforhertosay，sheremainedsilent。

"MissMajesty，thedayofthecattlemanisaboutover。An\'thedayofthecowboy，suchasGeneStewart，isover。There\'snoplaceforGene。Iftheseweren\'tmoderndayshe\'dcomenearbein\'agun-man，sameaswehadinTexas，whenIranchedthereinthe\'seventies。Buthecan\'tfitnowherenow；hecan\'tholdajob，an\'he\'sgoin\'down。"

"Iamsorrytohearit，"murmuredMadeline。"But，Mr。Stillwell，aren\'tthesemoderndaysoutherejustalittlewild——yet？Theconductoronmytraintoldmeofrebels，bandits，raiders。ThenIhavehadotherimpressionsof——well，thatwerewildenoughforme。"

"Wal，it\'ssomemorepleasantan\'excitin\'thesedaysthanformanyyears，"repliedStillwell。"Theboyshevtooktopackin\'

gunsagain。Butthet\'sowin\'totherevolutioninMexico。

There\'sgoin\'tobetroublealongtheborder。IreckonpeopleintheEastdon\'tknowthereisarevolution。Wal，MaderowilloustDiaz，an\'thensomeotherrebelwilloustMadero。Itmeanstroubleontheborderan\'acrosstheborder，too。Iwouldn\'twonderifUncleSamhedtogetahandinthegame。There\'salreadybeenholdupsontherailroadsan\'raidsalongtheRioGrandeValley。An\'theselittletownsarefullofGreasers，alldisturbedbythefightin\'downinMexico。We\'vebeenhevin\'

shootin\'-scrapesan\'knifin\'-scrapes，an\'somecattle-raidin\'。I

hevbeenlosin\'afewcattlerightalong。Remindsmeofoldtimes；an\'prettysoonifitdoesn\'tstop，I\'lltaketheold-timewaytostopit。"

"Yes，indeed，Majesty，"putinAlfred，"youhavehituponaninterestingtimetovisitus。"

"Wal，thetsure\'pearstobeso，"rejoinedStillwell。"Stewartgotintroubledownheahto-day，an\'I\'mmorethansorrytohevtotellyouthetyournamefiggeredinit。ButIcouldn\'tblamehim，ferIsurewouldhevdonethesamemyself。"

"Thatso？"queriedAifred，laughing。"Well，tellusaboutit。"

Madelinesimplygazedatherbrother，and，thoughheseemedamusedatherconsternation，therewasmortificationinhisface。

Itrequirednogreatperspicuity，Madelinethought，toseethatStillwelllovedtotalk，andthewayhesquaredhimselfandspreadhishugehandsoverhiskneessuggestedthathemeanttodothisopportunityjustice。

"MissMajesty，Ireckon，bein\'asyou\'reintheWestnow，thetyoumusttakethingsastheycome，an\'mindeachthingalittlelessthantheonebefore。Ifweoldfellershedn\'tbeenthetwaywe\'dneverhevlasted。

"Lastnightwasn\'tparticularbad，ratin\'withsomeothernightslately。Therewasn\'tmuchdoin\'。But，Ihadahardknock。

YesterdaywhenwestartedinwithabunchofcattleIsentoneofmycowboys，DannyMains，alongahead，carryin\'moneyIhedtopayoffhandsan\'mybills，an\'Iwantedthetmoneytogetintownbeforedark。Wal，Dannywasheldup。Idon\'tdistrustthelad。

There\'sbeenstrangeGreasersintownlately，an\'mebbetheyknewaboutthemoneycomin\'。

"Wal，whenIarrivedwiththecattleIwassomeputtoittomakeendsmeet。An\'to-dayIwasn\'tinnoangelichumor。WhenIbedmybusinessalldoneIwentaroundpokin\'mynosebeakan\'there，tryin\'togetscentofthetmoney。An\'Ihappenedinatahallwehevthetdoesdutyfer\'jailan\'hospitalan\'election-postan\'whatnot。Wal，justthenitwasdoin\'dutyasahospital。

Lastnightwasfiestanight——theseGreasershevafiestaeveryweekorso——an\'oneGreaserwhohedbeenbadhurtwaslayin\'inthehall，wherehehedbeenfetchedfromthestation。SomebodyhedsentofftoDouglasferadoctor，butbehedn\'tcomeyet。

I\'vehedsomeexperiencewithgunshotwounds，an\'Ilookedthisfellerover。Hewasn\'tshotupmuch，butIthoughttherewasdangerofblood-poison-in\'。Anyway，IdidallIcould。

"Thehallwasfullofcowboys，ranchers，Greasers，miners，an\'

townfolks，alongwithsomestrangers。IwasabouttogetstartedupthiswaywhenPatHawecomein。

"Pathe\'sthesheriff。Ireckon，MissMajesty，thetsheriffsarenewtoyou，an\'fersakeoftheWestI\'llexplaintoyouthetwedon\'thevmanyoftherealthinganymore。Garrett，whokilledBillytheKidan\'waskilledhimselfnearayearorsoago——hewasthekindofsheriffthethelpstomakeaself-respectin\'

country。ButthisPatHawe——wal，Ireckonthere\'snogoodinmesayin\'whatIthinkofhim。Hecomeintothehall，an\'hewasroarin\'aboutthings。Hewasgoin\'toarrestDannyMainsonsight。Wal，Ijestpolite-liketoldPatthetthemoneywasminean\'heneedn\'tgetriledaboutit。An\'ifIwantedtotrailthethiefIreckonIcoulddoitaswellasanybody。Pathowledthetlawwaslaw，an\'hewasgoin\'tolaydownthelaw。Sureit\'pearedtomethetPatwasdaidsettoarrestthefirstmanhecouldfindexcuseto。

"Thenhecooleddownabitan\'wasaskin\'questionsaboutthewoundedGreaserwhenGeneStewartcomein。WheneverPatan\'Genecometogetheritremindsmeoftheearlydaysbackinthe\'seventies。Jestnaturallyeverybodyshutup。FerPathatesGene，an\'IreckonGeneain\'tverysweetonPat。They\'rejestnaturalfoesinthefirstplace，an\'thenthecourseofeventshereinElCajonhasbeenaggravatin\'。

"\'Hello，Stewart！You\'rethefellerI\'mlookin\'fer，\'saidPat。

"Stewarteyedhiman\'said，mightycoolan\'sarcastic，\'Hawe，youlookagooddealfermewhenI\'mhittin\'upthedusttheotherway。\'

"Patwentredatthet，butheheldin。\'Say，Stewart，you-allthinkalotofthetroanhorseofyourn，withthearistocraticname？\'

"\'IreckonIdo，\'repliedGene，shortly。

"\'Wal，whereishe？\'

"\'Thet\'snoneofyourbusiness，Hawe。\'

"\'Oho！itain\'t，hey？Wal，IguessIcanmakeitmybusiness。

Stewart，therewassomequeergoings-onlastnightthetyouknowsomethin\'about。DannyMainsrobbed——Stillwell\'smoneygone——

yourroanhorsegone——thetlittlehussyBonitagone——an\'thisGreaserneargone，too。Now，seein\'thetyouwasuplatean\'

prowlin\'roundthestationwherethisGreaserwasfound，itain\'tonreasonabletothinkyoumightknowhowhegotplugged——isit？\'

"Stewartlaughedkindofcold，an\'herolledacigarette，allthetimeeyin\'Pat，an\'thenhesaidifhe\'dpluggedtheGreaserit\'dneverhevbeensichabunglin\'job。

"\'Icanarrestyouonsuspicion，Stewart，butbeforeIgothetfarIwantsomeevidence。IwanttoroundupDannyMainsan\'

thetlittleGreasergirl。Iwanttofindoutwhat\'sbecomeofyourhoss。You\'veneverlenthimsinceyoubedhim，an\'thereain\'tenoughraidersacrossthebordertostealhimfromyou。

It\'sgotaqueerlook——thethossbein\'gone。\'

"\'Yousureareaswelldetective，Hawe，an\'Iwishyouaheapofluck，\'repliedStewart。

"Thet\'pearedtonettlePatbeyondbounds，an\'hestampedaroundan\'swore。Thenhehadanidea。Itjeststuckoutalloverhim，an\'heshookhisfingerinStewart\'sface。

"\'Youwasdrunklastnight？\'

"Stewartneverbattedaneye。

\'YoumetsomewomanonNumberEight，didn\'tyou？\'shoutedHawe。

"\'Imetalady，\'repliedStewart，quietan\'menacin\'like。

"\'YoumetAlHammond\'ssister，an\'youtookheruptoKingsley\'s。

An\'cinchthis，mycowboycavalier，I\'mgoin\'uptherean\'askthisgranddamesomequestions，an\'ifshe\'sasclose-mouthedasyouareI\'llarresther！\'

"GeneStewartturnedwhite。Iferoneexpectedtoseehimjumplikelightnin\'，ashedoeswhenhe\'sriledsudden。Buthewascalman\'hewasthinkin\'hard。Presentlyhesaid：

"\'Pat，thet\'safoolidee，an\'ifyoudothetrickit\'llhurtyoualltherestofyourlife。There\'sabsolutelynoreasontofrightenMissHammond。An\'tryin\'toarrestherwouldbesuchadamnedoutrageaswon\'tbestoodferinElCajon。Ifyou\'resoreonmesendmetojail。I\'llgo。IfyouwanttohurtAlHammond，goan\'doitsomemankindofway。Don\'ttakeyourspiteoutonusbyinsultin\'aladywhohascomehyartohevalittlevisit。

We\'rebadenoughwithoutbein\'low-downasGreasers。\'

"ItwasalongtalkforGene，an\'Iwasassurprisedastherestofthefellers。ThinkofGeneStewarttalkin\'softan\'sweettothetred-eyedcoyoteofasheriff！An\'Pat，helookedsodevilishlygleefulthetifsomethin\'aboutGenehedn\'theldmetightI\'dhevgotinthegamemy-self。Itwasplaintomean\'

otherswhospokeofitafterwardsthetPatHawehedforgottenthelawan\'theofficerinthemanan\'hishate。

"\'I\'ma-goin\'，an\'I\'ma-goin\'rightnow！\'heshouted。"An\'afterthetanyonecouldhevheerdaclocktickamileoff。Stewartseemedkindofchokin\'，an\'heseemedtohevbeenbewilderedbytheideeofHawe\'sconfrontin\'you。

"An\'finallyheburstout：\'But，man，thinkwhoitis！It\'sMissHammond！Ifyouseenher，evenifyouwaslocoedordrunk，you——

youcouldn\'tdoit。\'

"\'Couldn\'tI？Wal，I\'llshowyoudamnquick。WhatdoIcarewhosheis？ThemswellEasternwomen——I\'veheerdofthem。They\'renotsomuch。ThisHamrnondwoman——\'

"SuddenlyHaweshutup，an\'withhisredmugturnin\'greenhewentforhisgun。"

Stillwellpausedinhisnarrativetogetbreath，andhewipedhismoistbrow。Andnowhisfacebegantoloseitscragginess。Itchanged，itsoftened，itrippledandwrinkled，andallthatstrangemobilityfocusedandshoneinawonderfulsmile。

"An\'then，MissMajesty，thentherewassomethin\'happened。

StewarttookPat\'sgunawayfromhimandthroweditonthefloor。

An\'whatfollowedwasbeautiful。SureitwasthebeautifulestsightIeverseen。Onlyitwasoversosoon！Alittlewhileafter，whenthedoctorcame，hehedanotherpatientbesidesthewoundedGreaser，an\'hesaidthetthisnewonewouldrequireaboutfourmonthstobeupan\'aroundcheerful-likeagain。An\'

GeneStewarthedhitthetrailfortheborder。"

IVARideFromSunriseToSunsetNextmorning，whenMadelinewasarousedbyherbrother，itwasnotyetdaybreak；theairchilledher，andinthegraygloomshehadtofeelaroundformatchesandlamp。Herusuallanguidmannervanishedatatouchofthecoldwater。Presently，whenAlfredknockedonherdoorandsaidhewasleavingapitcherofhotwateroutside，shereplied，withchatteringteeth，"Th-thanky-you，b-butId-don\'tne-needanynow。"Shefounditnecessary，however，towarmhernumbfingersbeforeshecouldfastenhooksandbuttons。Andwhenshewasdressedshemarkedinthedimmirrorthatthereweretingesofredinhercheeks。

"Well，ifIhaven\'tsomecolor！"sheexclaimed。

Breakfastwaitedforherinthedining-room。Thesistersatewithher。Madelinequicklycaughtthefeelingofbriskactionthatseemedtobeintheair。Fromthebackofthehousesoundedthetrampofbootsandvoicesofmen，andfromoutsidecameadullthumpofhoofs，therattleofharness，andcreakofwheels。

ThenAlfredcamestampingin。

"Majesty，here\'swhereyougettherealthing，"heannounced，merrily。"We\'rerushingyouoff，I\'msorrytosay；butwemusthustlebacktotheranch。Thefallround-upbeginsto-morrow。

Youwillrideinthebuck-boardwithFlorenceandStillwell。

I\'llrideonaheadwiththeboysandfixupalittleforyouattheranch。Yourbaggagewillfollow，butwon\'tgettheretillto-morrowsometime。It\'salongrideout——nearlyfiftymilesbywagon-road。Flo，don\'tforgetacoupleofrobes。Wrapherupwell。Andhustlegettingready。We\'rewaiting。"

Alittlelater，whenMadelinewentoutwithFlorence，thegraygloomwaslightening。Horseswerechampingbitsandpoundinggravel。

"Mawnin\'，MissMajesty，"saidStillwell，gruffly，fromthefrontseatofahighvehicle。

Alfredbundledherupintothebackseat，andFlorenceafterher，andwrappedthemwithrobes。Thenhemountedhishorseandstartedoff。"Gid-eb！"growledStillwell，andwithacrackofhiswhiptheteamjumpedintoatrot。FlorencewhisperedintoMadeline\'sear：

"Bill\'sgrouchyearlyinthemawnin\'。He\'llthawoutsoonasitgetswarm。"

ItwasstillsograythatMadelinecouldnotdistinguishobjectsatanyconsiderabledistance，andsheleftElCajonwithoutknowingwhatthetownreallylookedlike。Shedidknowthatshewasgladtogetoutofit，andfoundaneasiertaskofdispellingpersistenthauntingmemory。

"Herecomethecowboys，"saidFlorence。

AlineofhorsemenappearedcomingfromtherightandfellinbehindAlfred，andgraduallytheydrewahead，todisappearfromsight。WhileMadelinewatchedthemthegraygloomlightenedintodawn。Allaboutherwasbareanddark；thehorizonseemedclose；

notahillnoratreebrokethemonotony。Thegroundappearedtobeflat，buttheroadwentupanddownoverlittleridges。

MadelineglancedbackwardinthedirectionofElCajonandthemountainsshehadseenthedaybefore，andshesawonlybareanddarkground，likethatwhichrolledbefore。

Apuffofcoldwindstruckherfaceandsheshivered。Florencenoticedherandpulledupthesecondrobeandtuckeditcloselyroundheruptoherchin。

"Ifwehavealittlewindyou\'llsurefeelit，"saidtheWesterngirl。

Madelinerepliedthatshealreadyfeltit。Thewindappearedtopenetratetherobes。itwascold，pure，nipping。Itwassothinshehadtobreatheasfastasifshewereunderordinaryexertion。Ithurthernoseandmadeherlungsache。

"Aren\'tyouco-cold？"askedMadeline。

"I？"Florencelaughed。"I\'musedtoit。Inevergetcold。"

TheWesterngirlsatwithunglovedhandsontheoutsideoftherobesheevidentlydidnotneedtodrawuparoundher。Madelinethoughtshehadneverseensuchaclear-eyed，healthy，splendidgirl。

"Doyouliketoseethesunrise？"askedFlorence。

"Yes，IthinkIdo，"repliedMadeline，thoughtfully。"Frankly，I

havenotseenitforyears。"

"Wehavebeautifulsunrises，andsunsetsfromtheranchareglorious。"

Longlinesofpinkfireranlevelwiththeeasternhorizon，whichappearedtorecedeasdaybrightened。Abankofthin，fleecycloudswasturningrose。Tothesouthandwesttheskywasdark；

buteverymomentitchanged，theblueturningbluer。Theeasternskywasopalescent。Theninoneplacegatheredagoldenlight，andslowlyconcentratedtillitwaslikefire。Therosybankofcloudturnedtosilverandpearl，andbehinditshotupagreatcircleofgold。Abovethedarkhorizongleamedanintenselybrightdisk。Itwasthesun。Itroseswiftly，blazingoutthedarknessbetweentheridgesandgivingcoloranddistancetothesweepofland。

"Wal，wal，"drawledStillwell，andstretchedhishugearmsasifhehadjustawakened，"thet\'ssomethin\'like。"

FlorencenudgedMadelineandwinkedather。

"Finemawnin\'，girls，"wentonoldBill，crackinghiswhip。

"MissMajesty，it\'llbesomeoninterestin\'rideallmawnin\'。Butwhenwegetupabityou\'llsurelikeit。There！Looktothesouthwest，jestoverthetfarthestridge。"

Madelineswepthergazealongthegray，slopinghorizon-linetowheredark-bluespiresrosefarbeyondtheridge。

"PeloncilloMountains，"saidStillwell。"Thet\'shome，whenwegetthere。Wewon\'tseenomoreofthemtillafternoon，whentheyriseupsudden-like。"

Peloncillo！Madelinemurmuredthemelodiousname。Wherehadsheheardit？Thensheremembered。ThecowboyStewarthadtoldthelittleMexicangirlBonitato"hitthePeloncillotrail。"

Probablythegirlhadriddenthebig，darkhorseoverthisveryroadatnight，alone。Madelinehadalittleshiverthatwasnotoccasionedbythecoldwind。

"There\'sajack！"criedFlorence，suddenly。

Madelinesawherfirstjack-rabbit。Itwasaslargeasadog，anditsearswereenormous。Itappearedtobeimpudentlytame，andthehorseskickeddustoveritastheytrottedby。FromthenonoldBillandFlorenceviedwitheachotherincallingMadeline\'sattentiontomanythingsalongtheway。Coyotesstealingawayintothebrush；buzzardsflappingoverthecarcassofacowthathadbeenmiredinawash；queerlittlelizardsrunningswiftlyacrosstheroad；cattlegrazinginthehollows；

adobehutsofMexicanherders；wild，shaggyhorses，withheadshigh，watchingfromthegrayridges——allthesethingsMadelinelookedat，indifferentlyatfirst，becauseindifferencehadbecomehabitualwithher，andthenwithaninterestthatflourishedupandinsensiblygrewassherodeon。Itgrewuntilsightofalittleragged；Mexicanboyastridethemostdiminutiveburroshehadeverseenawakenedhertothetruth。Shebecameconsciousoffaint，unmistakableawakeningoflong-deadfeelings——

enthusiasmanddelight。Whensherealizedthat，shebreatheddeepofthecold，sharpairandexperiencedaninwardjoy。Andshedivinedthen，thoughshedidnotknowwhy，thathenceforththerewastobesomethingnewinherlife，somethingshehadneverfeltbefore，somethinggoodforhersoulinthehomely，thecommonplace，thenatural，andthewild。

Meanwhile，asMadelinegazedaboutherandlistenedtohercompanions，thesunrosehigherandgrewwarmandsoaredandgrewhot；thehorsesheldtirelesslytotheirsteadytrot，andmileaftermileofrollinglandslippedby。

FromthetopofaridgeMadelinesawdownintoahollowwhereafewofthecowboyshadstoppedandweresittingroundafire，evidentlybusyatthenoondaymeal。Theirhorseswerefeedingonthelong，graygrass。

"Wal，smellofthetburnin\'greasewoodmakesmymouthwater，"

saidStillwell。"I\'msurehungry。We\'llnoonhyaran\'letthehossesrest。It\'salongpulltotheranch。"

Hehaltednearthecamp-fire，and，clamberingdown，begantounharnesstheteam。FlorenceleapedoutandturnedtohelpMadeline。

"Walkroundalittle，"shesaid。"Youmustbecrampedfromsittingstillsolong。I\'llgetlunchready。"

Madelinegotdown，gladtostretchherlimbs，andbegantostrollabout。SheheardStillwellthrowtheharnessonthegroundandslaphishorses。"Roll，yousons-of-guns！"hesaid。Bothhorsesbenttheirforelegs，heaveddownontheirsides，andtriedtorollover。Onehorsesucceededonthefourthtry，andthenheavedupwithasatisfiedsnortandshookoffthedustandgravel。Theotheronefailedtorollover，andgaveitup，halfrosetohisfeet，andthenlaydownontheotherside。

"He\'ssuregoingtofeeltheground，"saidFlorence，smilingatMadeline。"MissHammond，Isupposethatprizehorseofyours——

WhiteStockings——wouldspoilhiscoatifhewereheahtorollinthisgreasewoodandcactus。"

Duringlunch-timeMadelineobservedthatshewasanobjectofmanifestlygreatinteresttothethreecowboys。Shereturnedthecompliment，andwasamusedtoseethatag1ancetheirwaycausedthempainfulembarrassment。Theyweregrownmen——oneofwhomhadwhitehair——yettheyactedlikeboyscaughtintheactofstealingaforbiddenlookataprettygirl。

"Cowboysaresureallflirts，"saidFlorence，asifstatinganuninterestingfact。ButMadelinedetectedamerrytwinkleinhercleareyes。Thecowboysheard，andtheeffectuponthemwasmagical。Theyfelltoshamedconfusionandtohurrieduselesstasks。Madelinefounditdifficulttoseewheretheyhadbeenbold，thoughevidentlytheywerestrickenwithconsciousguilt。

SherecalledappraisinglooksofcriticalEnglisheyes，impudentFrenchstares，burningSpanishglances——gantletswhichanyAmericangirlhadtorunabroad。Comparedwithforeigneyestheeyesofthesecowboyswerethoseofsmiling，eagerbabies。

"Haw，haw！"roaredStillwell。"Florence，youjesthitthenailonthehaid。Cowboysareallplumbflirts。Iwaswonderin\'whythemboysnoonedhyar。Thisain\'tnoplacetonoon。Ain\'tnograzin\'orwoodwuthburnin\'ornuthin\'。Themboysjestheldup，throwedthepacks，an\'waitedferus。Itain\'tsosurprisin\'ferBoolyan\'Ned——they\'reyoungan\'coltish——butNelsthere，why，he\'soldenoughtobethepawofbothyougirls。Itsureisamazin\'strange。"

Asilenceensued。Thewhite-hairedcowboy，Nels，fussedaimlesslyoverthecamp-fire，andthenstraightenedupwithaveryredface。

"Bill，you\'readog-goneliar，"hesaid。"IreckonIwon\'tstandtobeclassedwithBoolyan\'Ned。Thereain\'tnocowboyonthisrangethet\'smoreappreciatin\'oftheladiesthanme，butIshoreain\'tridin\'outofmyway。IreckonIhevenoughridin\'todo。

Now，Bill，ifyou\'vesichdog-gonegoodeyesmebbeyouseensomethin\'onthewayout？"

"Nels，Ihevn\'tseennothin\'，"hereplied，bluntly。Hislevitydisappeared，andtheredwrinklesnarrowedroundhissearchingeyes。

"Jesttakeasquintatthesehosstracks，"saidNels，andhedrewStillwellafewpacesasideandpointedtolargehoofprintsinthedust。"Ireckonyouknowthehossthetmadethem？"

"GeneStewart\'sroan，orI\'mason-of-a-gun！"exclaimedStillwell，andhedroppedheavilytohiskneesandbegantoscrutinizethetracks。"Myeyesaresurepore；but，Nels，theyain\'tfresh。"

"Ireckonthemtrackswasmadeearlyyesterdaymornin\'。"

"Wal，whatiftheywas？"Stillwelllookedathiscowboy。"It\'ssureasthetrednoseofyournGenewasn\'tridin\'theroan。"

"Who\'ssayin\'hewas？Bill，itsmore\'nyoureyesthet\'sgettin\'

old。Jestfollerthemtracks。Comeon。"

Stillwellwalkedslowly，withhisheadbent，mutteringtohimself。Somethirtypacesormorefromthecamp-firehestoppedshortandagainfloppedtohisknees。Thenhecrawledabout，evidentlyexamininghorsetracks。

"Nels，whoeverwasstraddlin\'Stewart\'shossmetsomebody。An\'

theyhauledupabit，butdidn\'tgitdown。"

"Tolerablegoodforyou，Bill，thetreasonin\'，"repliedthecowboy。

Stillwellpresentlygotupandwalkedswiftlytotheleftforsomerods，halted，andfacedtowardthesouthwest，thenretracedhissteps。Helookedattheimperturbablecowboy。

"Nels，Idon\'tlikethisalittle，"hegrowled。"ThemtracksmakestraightferthePeloncillotrail。"

"Shore，"repliedNels。

"Wal？"wentonStillwell，impatiently。

"Ireckonyouknowwhathossmadetheothertracks？"

"I\'mthinkin\'hard，butIain\'tsure"

"ItwasDannyMains\'sbronc。"

"Howdoyouknowthet？"demandedStillwell，sharply。"Bill，theleftfrontfootofthetlittlehossalwayswearsashoethetsetscrooked。Anyoftheboyscantellyou。I\'dknowthettrackifI

wasblind。"

Stillwell\'sruddyfacecloudedandhekickedatacactusplant。

"WasDannycomin\'orgoin\'？"heasked。

"Ireckonhewashittin\'acrosscountryferthePeloncillotrail。

ButIain\'tshoreofthetwithoutback-trailin\'himaways。I

wasjestwaitin\'feryoutocomeup。"

"Nels，youdon\'tthinktheboy\'sslopedwiththetlittlehussy，Bonita？"

"Bill，heshorewassweetonBonita，sameasGenewas，an\'EdLintonbeforehegotengaged，an\'alltheboys。She\'sshorechain-lightnin\'，thatlittleblack-eyeddevil。Dannymighthevslopedwithherallright。Dannywashelduponthewaytotown，an\'thenintheshameofithegotdrunk。Buthe\'llshewupsoon。"

"Wal，mebbeyouan\'theboysareright。Ibelieveyouare。

Nels，thereain\'tnodoubtonearthaboutwhowasridin\'

Stewart\'shoss？"

"Thet\'sasplainasthehoss\'stracks。"

"Wal，it\'sallamazin\'strange。Itbeatsme。Iwishtheboyswouldeaseupondrinkin\'。IwasprettyfondofDannyan\'Gene。

I\'mafraidGene\'sdonefer，sure。Ifhecrossestheborderwherehecanfightitwon\'ttakelongferhimtogetplugged。IguessI\'mgettin\'old。Idon\'tstandthingslikeIusedto。"

"Bill，IreckonI\'dbetterhitthePeloncillotrail。MebbeIcanfindDanny。"

"Ireckonyouhad，Nels，"repliedStillwell。"Butdon\'ttakemore\'nacoupleofdays。Wecan\'tdomuchontheround-upwithoutyou。I\'mshortofboys。"

Thatendedtheconversation。Stillwellimmediatelybegantohitchuphisteam，andthecowboyswentouttofetchtheirstrayedhorses。Madelinehadbeencuriouslyinterested，andshesawthatFlorenceknewit。

"Thingshappen，MissHammond，"shesaid，soberly，almostsadly。

Madelinethought。AndthenstraightwayFlorencebeganbrightlytohumatuneandtobusyherselfrepackingwhatwasleftofthelunch。MadelineconceivedastronglikingandrespectforthisWesterngirl。Sheadmiredtheconsiderationordelicacyorwisdom——what-everitwas——whichkeptFlorencefromaskingherwhatshekneworthoughtorfeltabouttheeventsthathadtakenplace。

Soontheywereoncemorebowlingalongtheroaddownagradualincline，andthentheybegantoclimbalongridgethathadforhourshiddenwhatlaybeyond。Thatclimbwasrathertiresome，owingtothesunandthedustandtherestrictedview。

WhentheyreachedthesummitMadelinegavealittlegaspofpleasure。Adeep，gray，smoothvalleyopenedbelowandslopedupontheothersideinlittleridgeslikewaves，andtheseledtothefoothills，dottedwithclumpsofbrushortrees，andbeyondrosedarkmountains，pine-fringedandcrag-spired。

"Wal，MissMajesty，nowwe\'regettin\'somewhere，"saidStillwell，crackinghiswhip。"Tenmilesacrossthisvalleyan\'we\'llbeinthefoothillswheretheApachesusedtorun。"

"Tenmiles！"exclaimedMadeline。"Itlooksnomorethanhalfamiletome。"

"Wal，youngwoman，beforeyougotoridin\'offaloneyouwanttogetyoureyescorrectedtoWesterndistance。Now，what\'dyoucallthemblackthingsoffthereontheslope？"

"Horsemen。No，cattle，"repliedMadeline，doubtfully。"Nope。

Jestplain，every-daycactus。An\'overhyar——lookdownthevalley。Somethin\'ofaprettyforest，ain\'tthet？"heasked，pointing。

Madelinesawabeautifulforestinthecenterofthevalleytowardthesouth。

"Wal，MissMajesty，thet\'sjestthisdeceivin\'air。There\'snoforest。It\'samirage。"

"Indeed！Howbeautifulitis！"Madelinestrainedhergazeonthedarkblot，anditseemedtofloatintheatmosphere，tohavenoclearlydefinedmargins，towaverandshimmer，andthenitfadedandvanished。

Themountainsdroppeddownagainbehindthehorizon，andpresentlytheroadbeganoncemoretoslopeup。Thehorsesslowedtoawalk。Therewasamileofrollingridge，andthencamethefoothills。Theroadascendedthroughwindingvalleys。

Treesandbrushandrocksbegantoappearinthedryravines。

Therewasnowater，yetallalongthesandywasheswereindicationsoffloodsatsomeperiods。TheheatandtheduststifledMadeline，andshehadalreadybecometired。Stillshelookedwithallhereyesandsawbirds，andbeautifulquailwithcrests，andrabbits，andonceshesawadeer。

"MissMajesty，"saidStillwell，"intheearlydaystheIndiansmadethiscountryabadonetolivein。Ireckonyouneverheerdmuchaboutthemtimes。Surelyyouwashardlybornthen。I\'llhevtotellyousomedayhowIfoughtComanchesinthePanhandle——

thetwasnorthernTexas——an\'Ihadsomemightyhair-raisin\'

scaresinthiscountrywithApaches。"

HetoldheraboutCochise，chiefoftheChiricahuaApaches，themostsavageandbloodthirstytribethatevermadelifeahorrorforthepioneer。Cochisebefriendedthewhitesonce；buthewasthevictimofthatfriendliness，andhebecamethemostimplacableoffoes。Then，Geronimo，anotherApachechief，had，aslateas1885，goneonthewar-path，andhadleftabloodytraildowntheNewMexicoandArizonalinealmosttotheborder。

Loneranchmenandcowboyshadbeenkilled，andmothershadshottheirchildrenandthenthemselvesattheapproachoftheApache。

ThenameApachecurdledthebloodofanywomanoftheSouthwestinthosedays。

Madelineshuddered，andwasgladwhentheoldfrontiersmanchangedthesubjectandbegantotalkofthesettlingofthatcountrybytheSpaniards，thelegendsoflostgold-mineshandeddowntotheMexicans，andstrangestoriesofheroismandmysteryandreligion。TheMexicanshadnotadvancedmuchinspiteofthespreadofcivilizationtotheSouthwest。Theywerestillsuperstitious，andbelievedthelegendsoftreasureshiddeninthewallsoftheirmissions，andthatunseenhandsrolledrocksdownthegulliesupontheheadsofprospectorswhodaredtohuntforthelostminesofthepadres。

"Upinthemountainsbackofmyranchthere\'salostmine，"saidStillwell。"Mebbeit\'sonlyalegend。ButsomehowIbelieveit\'sthere。Otherlostmineshevbeenfound。An\'asfer\'therollin\'stones，Isureknowthet\'strue，asanyonecanfindoutifhegoestrailin\'upthegulch。Mebbethet\'sonlytheweatherin\'ofthecliffs。It\'sasleepy，strangecountry，thisSouthwest，an\'，MissMajesty，you\'rea-goin\'toloveit。You\'llcallitro-mantic，Wal，Ireckonro-manticiscorrect。Afellergetslazyouthyaran\'dreamy，an\'hewantstoputoffworktillto-morrow。Somefolkssayit\'salandofmanana——alandofto-morrow。Thet\'stheMexicanofit。

"ButIlikebesttothinkofwhataladysaidtomeouct——aneddicatedladylikeyou，MissMajesty。Wal，shesaidit\'salandwhereit\'salwaysafternoon。Ilikedthet。Ialwaysgetupsoreinthemawnin\'s，an\'don\'tfeelgoodtillnoon。ButintheafternoonIgetsortawarman\'likethings。An\'sunsetismytime。IreckonIdon\'twantnothin\'anyfinerthansunsetfrommyranch。YoulookoutoveravalleythatspreadswidebetweenGuadalupeMountainsan\'theChiricahuas，downacrosstheredArizonadesertcleartotheSierraMadresinMexico。Twohundredmiles，MissMajesty！An\'allasclearasprint！An\'thesunsetsbehindallthet！WhenmytimecomestodieI\'dlikeittobeonmyporchsmokin\'mypipean\'facin\'thewest。"

SotheoldcattlemantalkedonwhileMadelinelistened，andFlorencedozedinherseat，andthesunbegantowane，andthehorsesclimbedsteadily。Presently，atthefootofthesteepascent，Stillwellgotoutandwalked，leadingtheteam。DuringthislongclimbfatigueclaimedMadeline，andshedrowsilyclosedhereyes，tofindwhensheopenedthemagainthattheglaringwhiteskyhadchangedtoasteel-blue。Thesunhadsunkbehindthefoothillsandtheairwasgrowingchilly。Stillwellhadreturnedtothedriving-seatandwaschucklingtothehorses。

Shadowscreptupcutofthehollows。

"Wal，Flo，"saidStillwell，"Ireckonwe\'dbetterhevtherestofthettherelunchbeforedark。"

"Youdidn\'tleavemuchofit，"laughedFlorence，assheproducedthebasketfromundertheseat。

Whiletheyate，theshorttwilightshadedandgloomfilledthehollows。Madelinesawthefirststar，afaint，winkingpointoflight。Theskyhadnowchangedtoahazygray。Madelinesawitgraduallyclearanddarken，toshowotherfaintstars。Afterthattherewasperceptibledeepeningofthegrayandanenlargingofthestarsandabrighteningofnew-bornones。Nightseemedtocomeonthecoldwind。MadelinewasgladtohavetherobesclosearoundherandtoleanagainstFlorence。Thehollowswerenowblack，butthetopsofthefoothillsgleamedpaleinasoftlight。Thesteadytrampofthehorseswenton，andthecreakofwheelsandcrunchingofgravel。Madelinegrewsosleepythatshecouldnotkeepherwearyeyelidsfromfalling。Thereweredrowsierspellsinwhichshelostafeelingofwhereshewas，andtheseweredisturbedbythejoltofwheelsoveraroughplace。

Thencameablankinterval，shortorlong，whichendedinamoreviolentlurchofthebuckboard。MadelineawoketofindherheadonFlorence\'sshoulder。Shesatuplaughingandapologizingforherlaziness。Florenceassuredhertheywouldsoonreachtheranch。

Madelineobservedthenthatthehorseswereoncemoretrotting。

Thewindwascolder，thenightdarker，thefoot-hillsflatter。

Andtheskywasnowawonderfuldeepvelvet-blueblazingwithmillionsofstars。Someofthemweremagnificent。Howstrangelywhiteandalive！AgainMadelinefelttheinsistenceoffamiliaryetbafflingassociations。Thesewhitestarscalledstrangelytoherorhauntedher。

VTheRound-UpItwasacracklingandroaringoffirethatawakenedMadelinenextmorning，andthefirstthingshesawwasahugestonefireplaceinwhichlayabundleofblazingsticks。Someonehadkindledafirewhilesheslept。Foramomentthecurioussensationofbeinglostreturnedtoher。Shejustdimlyrememberedreachingtheranchandbeingtakenintoahugehouseandahuge，dimlylightedroom。Anditseemedtoherthatshehadgonetosleepatonce，andhadawakenedwithoutrememberinghowshehadgottentobed。

Butshewaswideawakeinaninstant。Thebedstoodnearoneendofanenormouschamber。Theadobewallsresembledahallinanancientfeudalcastle，stone-floored，stone-walled，withgreatdarkenedraftersrunningacrosstheceiling。Thefewarticlesoffurniturewerewornoutandsadlydilapidated。Lightfloodedintotheroomfromtwowindowsontherightofthefireplaceandtwoontheleft，andanotherlargewindownearthebedstead。

Lookingoutfromwhereshelay，Madelinesawadark，slowup-sweepofmountain。Hereyesreturnedtothecheery，snappingfire，andshewatcheditwhilegatheringcouragetogetup。Theroomwascold。Whenshedidslipherbarefeetoutuponthestonefloorsheveryquicklyputthembackunderthewarmblankets。Andshewasstillinbedtryingtopluckuphercouragewhen，withaknockonthedoorandacheerfulgreeting，Florenceentered，carryingsteaminghotwater。

"Goodmawnin\'，MissHammond。Hopeyousleptwell。Yousureweretiredlastnight。Iimagineyou\'llfindthisoldrancnohouseascoldasabarn。It\'llwarmupdirectly。Al\'sgonewiththeboysandBill。We\'retoridedownontherangeafterawhilewhenyourbaggagecomes。"

Florenceworeawoolenblousewithascarfroundherneck，ashortcorduroydividedskirt，andboots；andwhileshetalkedsheenergeticallyheapeduptheburningwoodinthefireplace，andlaidMadeline\'sclothesatthefootofthebed，andheatedarugandputthatonthefloorbythebedside。Andlastly，withasweet，directsmile，shesaid：

"Altoldme——andIsuresawmyself——thatyouweren\'tusedtobeingwithoutyourmaid。Willyouletmehelpyou？"

"Thankyou，Iamgoingtobemyownmaidforawhile。IexpectI

doappearaveryhelplessindividual，butreallyIdonotfeelso。PerhapsIhavehadjustalittletoomuchwaitingon。"

"Allright。Breakfastwillbereadysoon，andafterthatwe\'lllookabouttheplace。"

MadelinewascharmedwiththeoldSpanishhouse，andthemoreshesawofitthemoreshethoughtwhatadelightfulhomeitcouldbemade。Allthedoorsopenedintoacourtyard，orpatio，asFlorencecalledit。Thehousewaslow，intheshapeofarectangle，andsoimmenseinsizethatMadelinewonderedifithadbeenaSpanishbarracks。Manyoftheroomsweredark，withoutwindows，andtheywereempty。Otherswerefullofranchers\'implementsandsacksofgrainandbalesofhay。

Florencecalledtheselastalfalfa。Thehouseitselfappearedstrongandwellpreserved，anditwasverypicturesque。Butintheliving-roomswereonlythebarestnecessities，andthesewerewornoutandcomfortless。

However，whenMadelinewentoutdoorssheforgotthecheerless，bareinterior。Florenceledthewayoutonaporchandwavedahandatavast，coloredvoid。"That\'swhatBilllikes，"shesaid。

AtfirstMadelinecouldnottellwhatwasskyandwhatwasland。

Theimmensityofthescenestunnedherfacultiesofconception。

Shesatdowninoneoftheoldrocking-chairsandlookedandlooked，andknewthatshewasnotgraspingtherealityofwhatstretchedwondrouslybeforeher。

"We\'reupattheedgeofthefoothills，"Florencesaid。"Yourememberwerodearoundthenorthernendofthemountainrange？

Well，that\'sbehindusnow，andyoulookdownacrossthelineintoArizonaandMexico。ThatlongslopeofgrayistheheadoftheSanBernardinoValley。StraightacrossyouseetheblackChiricahuaMountains，andawaydowntothesouththeGuadalupeMountains。Thatawfulredgulfbetweenisthedesert，andfar，farbeyondthedim，bluepeaksaretheSierraMadresinMexico。"

Madelinelistenedandgazedwithstrainingeyes，andwonderedifthiswasonlyastupendousmirage，andwhyitseemedsodifferentfromallelsethatshehadseen，andsoendless，sobaffling，sogrand。

"It\'llsuretakeyoualittlewhiletogetusedtobeinguphighandseeingsomuch，"explainedFlorence。"That\'sthesecret——

we\'reuphigh，theairisclear，andthere\'sthewholebareworldbeneathus。Don\'titsomehowrestyou？Well，itwill。Nowseethosespecksinthevalley。Theyarestations，littletowns。

Therailroadgoesdownthatway。ThelargestspeckisChiricahua。It\'soverfortymilesbytrail。HereroundtothenorthyoucanseeDonCarlos\'srancho。He\'sfifteenmilesoff，andIsurewishhewereathousand。Thatlittlegreensquareabouthalf-waybetweenhereandDonCarlos——that\'sAl\'sranch。

JustbelowusaretheadobehousesoftheMexicans。There\'sachurch，too。AndheretotheleftyouseeStillwell\'scorralsandbunk-housesandhisstablesallfallingtopieces。Theranchhasgonetoruin。Alltheranchesaregoingtoruin。Butmostofthemarelittleone-horseaffairs。Andhere——seethatcloudofdustdowninthevalley？It\'stheround-up。Theboysarethere，andthecattle。Wait，I\'llgettheglasses。"

BytheiraidMadelinesawintheforegroundagreat，denseherdofcattlewithdark，thickstreamsanddottedlinesofcattleleadingineverydirection。Shesawstreaksandcloudsofdust，runninghorses，andabandofhorsesgrazing；andshedescriedhorsemenstandingstilllikesentinels，andothersinaction。

"Theround-up！Iwanttoknowallaboutit——toseeit，"declaredMadeline。"Pleasetellmewhatitmeans，whatit\'sfor，andthentakemedownthere。"

"It\'ssureasight，MissHammond。I\'llbegladtotakeyoudown，butIfancyyou\'llnotwanttogoclose。FewEasternpeoplewhoregularlyeattheirchoicecutsofroastbeefandporterhousehaveanyideaoftheopenrangeandthestrugglecattlehavetoliveandthehardlifeofcowboys。It\'llsureopenyoureyes，MissHammond。I\'mgladyoucaretoknow。Yourbrotherwouldhavemadeabigsuccessinthiscattlebusinessifithadn\'tbeenforcrookedworkbyrivalranchers。He\'llmakeityet，inspiteofthem。"

"Indeedheshall，"repliedMadeline。"Buttellme，please，allabouttheround-up。"

"Well，inthefirstplace，everycattlemanhastohaveabrandtoidentifyhisstock。Withoutitnocattleman，norhalfahundredcowboys，ifhehadsomany，couldeverrecognizeallthecattleinabigherd。Therearenofencesonourranges。Theyareallopentoeverybody。SomedayIhopewe\'llberichenoughtofencearange。Thedifferentherdsgrazetogether。Everycalfhastobecaught，ifpossible，andbrandedwiththemarkofitsmother。

That\'snoeasyjob。Amaverickisanunbrandedcalfthathasbeenweanedandshiftsforitself。Themaverickthenbelongstothemanwhofindsitandbrandsit。Theselittlecalvesthatlosetheirmotherssurehaveacrueltimeofit。Manyofthemdie。Thenthecoyotesandwolvesandlionspreyonthem。Everyyearwehavetwobiground-ups，buttheboysdosomebrandingalltheyear。Acalfshouldbebrandedassoonasit\'sfound。Thisisasafeguardagainstcattle-thieves。Wedon\'thavetherustlingofherdsandbunchesofcattlelikeweusedto。Butthere\'salwaysthecalf-thief，andalwayswillbeaslongasthere\'scattle-raising。Thethieveshaveagoodmanycunningtricks。Theykillthecalf\'smotherorslitthecalf\'stonguesoitcan\'tsuckandsolosesitsmother。Theystealandhideacalfandwatchittillit\'sbigenoughtofareforitself，andthenbrandit。Theymakeimperfectbrandsandfinishthematalatertime。

"Wehaveourbiground-upinthefall，whenthere\'splentyofgrassandwater，andalltheriding-stockaswellasthecattleareinfineshape。Thecattlemeninthevalleymeetwiththeircowboysanddriveinallthecattletheycanfind。Thentheybrandandcutouteachman\'sherdanddriveittowardhome。Thentheygoonupordownthevalley，makeanothercamp，anddriveinmorecattle。Ittakesweeks。TherearesomanyGreaserswithlittlebandsofstock，andtheyarecraftyandgreedy。BillsaysheknowsGreasercowboys，vaqueros，whoneverownedasteeroracow，andnowthey\'vegotgrowingherds。Thesamemightbesaidofmorethanonewhitecowboy。Butthere\'snotasmuchofthatasthereusedtobe。"

"Andthehorses？Iwanttoknowaboutthem，"saidMadeline，whenFlorencepaused。

"Oh，thecow-ponies！Well，theysureareinteresting。Broncos，theboyscallthem。Wild！they\'rewilderthanthesteerstheyhavetochase。Bill\'sgotbroncosheahthatneverhavebeenbrokenandneverwillbe。Andnoteveryboycanridethem，either。Thevaqueroshavethefinesthorses。DonCarloshasablackthatI\'dgiveanythingtoown。Andhehasotherfinestock。GeneStewart\'sbigroanisaMexicanhorse，theswiftestandproudestIeversaw。Iwasuponhimonceand——oh，hecanrun！Helikesawoman，too，andthat\'ssuresomethingIwantinahorse。IheardAlandBilltalkingatbreakfastaboutahorseforyou。Theywerewrangling。Billwantedyoutohaveone，andAlanother。Itwasfunnytohearthem。Finallytheyleftthechoicetome，untiltheround-upisover。ThenIsupposeeverycowboyontherangewillofferyouhisbestmount。Come，let\'sgoouttothecorralsandlookoverthefewhorsesleft。"

ForMadelinethemorninghoursflewby，withagoodlypartofthetimespentontheporchgazingoutoverthatever-changingvista。

Atnoonateamsterdroveupwithhertrunks。ThenwhileFlorencehelpedtheMexicanwomangetlunchMadelineunpackedpartofhereffectsandgotoutthingsforwhichshewouldhaveimmediateneed。Afterlunchshechangedherdressforariding-habitand，goingoutside，foundFlorencewaitingwiththehorses。

TheWesterngirl\'scleareyesseemedtotakestockofMadeline\'sappearanceinoneswift，inquisitiveglanceandthenshonewithpleasure。

"Yousurelook——you\'reapicture，MissHammond。Thatriding-outfitisanewone。Whatit\'dlooklikeonmeoranotherwomanIcan\'timagine，butonyouit\'s——it\'sstunning。

Billwon\'tletyougowithinamileofthecowboys。Iftheyseeyouthat\'llbethefinishoftheround-up。"

WhiletheyrodedowntheslopeFlorencetalkedabouttheopenrangesofNewMexicoandArizona。

"Waterisscarce，"shesaid。"IfBillcouldaffordtopipewaterdownfromthemountainshe\'dhavethefinestranchinthevalley。"

Shewentontotellthattheclimatewasmildinwinterandhotinsummer。Warm，sunshinydaysprevailednearlyalltheyearround。Somesummersitrained，andoccasionallytherewouldbeadryyear，thedreadedanosecooftheMexicans。Rainwasalwaysexpectedandprayedforinthemidsummermonths，andwhenitcamethegrama-grasssprangup，makingthevalleysgreenfrommountaintomountain。Theintersectingvalleys，rangingbetweenthelongslopeoffoothills，affordedthebestpastureforcattle，andthesewerejealouslysoughtbytheMexicanswhohadonlysmallherdstolookafter。Stillwell\'scowboyswerealwayschasingthesevaquerosofflandthatbelongedtoStillwell。Heownedtwentythousandacresofunfencedlandadjoiningtheopenrange。

DonCarlospossessedmoreacreagethanthat，andhiscattlewerealwaysminglingwithStillwell\'s。AndinturnDonCarlos\'svaqueroswerealwayschasingStillwell\'scattleawayfromtheMexican\'swatering-place。Badfeelinghadbeenmanifestedforyears，andnowrelationswerestrainedtothebreaking-point。

AsMadelinerodealongshemadegooduseofhereyes。Thesoilwassandyandporous，andsheunderstoodwhytherainandwaterfromthefewspringsdisappearedsoquickly。Atalittledistancethegrama-grassappearedthick，butnearathanditwasseentobesparse。Bunchesofgreasewoodandcactusplantswereinterspersedhereandthereinthegrass。WhatsurprisedMadelinewasthefactthat，thoughsheandFlorencehadseemedtoberidingquiteawhile，theyhadapparentlynotdrawnanyclosertotheround-up。Theslopeofthevalleywasnoticeableonlyaftersomemileshadbeentraversed。Lookingforward，Madelineimaginedthevalleyonlyafewmileswide。Shewouldhavebeensureshecouldwalkherhorseacrossitinanhour。Yetthatblack，boldrangeofChiricahuaMountainswasdistantalongday\'sjourneyforevenahard-ridingcowboy。ItwasonlybylookingbackthatMadelinecouldgraspthetruerelationofthings；shecouldnotbedeceivedbydistanceshehadcovered。

Graduallytheblackdotsenlargedandassumedshapeofcattleandhorsesmovingroundagreatdustypatch。Inanotherhalf-hourMadelinerodebehindFlorencetotheoutskirtsofthesceneofaction。Theydrewreinnearahugewagonintheneighborhoodofwhichweremorethanahundredhorsesgrazingandwhistlingandtrottingaboutandliftingheadstowatchthenew-comers。Fourcowboysstoodmountedguardoverthisdroveofhorses。Perhapsaquarterofamilefartheroutwasadustymelee。AroaroftrampinghoofsfilledMadeline\'sears。Thelinesofmarchingcattlehadmergedintoagreat，movingherdhalfobscuredbydust。

"Icanmakelittleofwhatisgoingon，"saidMadeline。"Iwanttogocloser。"

Theytrottedacrosshalftheinterveningdistance，andwhenFlorencehaltedagainMadelinewasstillnotsatisfiedandaskedtobetakennearer。Thistime，beforetheyreinedinagain，AlHammondsawthemandwheeledhishorseintheirdirection。HeyelledsomethingwhichMadelinedidnotunderstand，andthenhaltedthem。

"Closeenough，"hecalled；andinthedinhisvoicewasnotveryclear。"It\'snotsafe。Wildsteers！I\'mgladyoucame，girls。

Majesty，whatdoyouthinkofthatbunchofcattle？"

Madelinecouldscarcelyreplywhatshethought，forthenoiseanddustandceaselessactionconfusedher。

"They\'remilling，Al，"saidFlorence。

"Wejustroundedthemup。They\'remilling，andthat\'sbad。Thevaquerosareharddrivers。Theybeatusallhollow，andwedrovesome，too。"Hewaswetwithsweat，blackwithdust，andoutofbreath。"I\'moffnow。Flo，mysisterwillhaveenoughofthisinabouttwominutes。Takeherbacktothewagon。I\'lltellBillyou\'rehere，andruninwheneverIgetaminute。"

Thebawlingandbellowing，thecracklingofhornsandpoundingofhoofs，thedustywhirlofcattle，andtheflyingcowboysdisconcertedMadelineandfrightenedheralittle；butshewasintenselyinterestedandmeanttostaythereuntilshesawforherselfwhatthatstrifeofsoundandactionmeant。Whenshetriedtotakeinthewholesceneshedidnotmakeoutanythingclearlyandshedeterminedtoseeitlittlebylittle。

"Willyoustaylonger？"askedFlorence；and，receivinganaffirmativereply，shewarnedMadeline："Ifarunawaysteerorangrycowcomesthiswayletyourhorsego。He\'llgetoutoftheway。"

Thatlentthesituationexcitement，andMadelinebecameabsorbed。