hythm while her hair brushed the cowboy's neck and her eyes,
half closed, looked alluringly into his. "I--I--could do this
forever--with you!" she breathed, accenting the last word and making
Chuck want to yell for joy.

At the beginning of the waltz Ophelia paused a moment before Old Heck,
glanced demurely at Parker, took a step toward the latter, turned
quickly to the first and flooding him with a look of tenderness held out
her hands while she spoke the simple entreaty:

"Please!"

Old Heck leaped to his feet, hitched nervously at the belt of his
trousers, ran his fingers around the inside of his collar, and, with a
look of triumph at Parker, led the widow through the dance. She
permitted her body to relax and lean against her partner, dancing with
an abandon that not only fired the emotions of Old Heck to fever heat,
but was as well like dippers of oil on the flame of the foreman's
jealousy.

Parker gritted his teeth and followed Old Heck with a look that meant
nothing less than the desire to kill!

As Ophelia and Old Heck, and Carolyn June with Chuck circled the room
Skinny leaned weakly against the graphophone. He was tortured
agonizingly by the strange action of Carolyn June. He was her lover, her
official, absolute lover! Why did she want to go and get things all
mixed up like this? It wasn't fair. The other boys were not supposed to
make love to her! They had elected him to do it and he was getting
along all right till she thought of having this blamed fool dance. He
began to doubt the efficacy of the white shirt and frequently drew one
of the loose, baggy sleeves--rapidly losing their snowy
spotlessness--across his face to rid himself of beads of perspiration.

The waltz was followed by another one-step and Ophelia granted this
favor to Parker while Old Heck sat and swore steadily under his
breath--regretful that he had not sent the foreman and the cowboys out
on the beef hunt a week ago!

Outside, the Ramblin' Kid half-reclined on the edge of the porch. With a
cigarette between his teeth, a sneering smile on his lips, he watched,
through the open door, the group within. He was convinced now that
Carolyn June was utterly frivolous. She danced and flirted with Bert,
Chuck, Charley--and even Pedro--one after the other and occasionally
Parker. Poor Skinny alone was neglected. She seemed to have forgotten
that he existed save when, from time to time, she suggested that he put
this or that record on the gr