the visitors, to Flossie. "Introduce me; won't you, Flossie?"

Belle was furious; and Hortense would have been, too, only she was too
languid to feel such an emotion. Flossie proceeded to introduce Helen to
the three visitors--all of whom chanced to be young ladies whom Belle was
striving her best to cultivate.

And before Flossie and Helen had swallowed their tea, which Belle gave
them ungraciously, Gregson announced a bevy of other girls, until quite a
dozen gaily dressed and chattering misses were gathered before the fire.

At first Helen had merely bowed to the girls to whom she was introduced.
She had meant to drink her tea quietly and excuse herself. She did not
wish now to display a rude manner before Belle's guests; but her oldest
cousin seemed determined to rouse animosity in her soul.

"Yes," she said, "Helen is paying us a little visit--a very brief one. She
is not at all used to our ways. In fact, Indian squaws and what-do-you
call-'ems--Greasers--are about all the people she sees out her way."

"Is that so?" cried Miss Van Ramsden. "It must be a perfectly charming
country. Come and sit down by me, Miss Morrell, and tell me about it."

Indeed, at the moment, there was only one vacant chair handy, and that was
beside Miss Van Ramsden. So Helen took it and immediately the young lady
began to ask questions about Montana and the life Helen had lived there.

Really, the young society woman was not offensive; the questions were
kindly meant. But Helen saw that Belle was furious and she began to take a
wicked delight in expatiating upon her home and her own outdoor
accomplishments.

When she told Miss Van Ramsden how she and her cowboy friends rode after
jack-rabbits and roped them--if they could!--and shot antelope from the
saddle, and that the boys sometimes attacked a mountain lion with nothing
but their lariats, Miss Van Ramsden burst out with:

"Why, that's perfectly grand! What fun you must have! Do hear her, girls!
Why, what we do is tame and insipid beside things that happen out there in
Montana every day."

"Oh, don't bother about her, May!" cried Belle. "Come on and let's plan
what we'll do Saturday if we go to the Nassau links."

"Listen here!" cried Miss Van Ramsden, eagerly. "Golf can wait. We can
always golf. But your cousin tells the very bulliest stories. Go on, Miss
Morrell. Tell some more."

"Do, do!" begged some of the other girls, drawing their chairs nearer.

Helen was not a littl