the mesquite and the far bay of
Singleton's hounds circling a coyote.

But Pat pricked up his ears, and lifted his head as if feeling rather
than hearing the growing thud of coming hoofs. The girl waited until
they were within fifty feet, when she pursed up her lips and whistled
the call of the meadow lark. It sounded like a fairy bugle call across
the morning, and the roan was halted quickly at the forks of the
road.

"Howdy, senorita?" he called softly. "I can't see you, but your song
beats the birds. Got a flag of truce? Willing to parley with the
enemy?"

Then she emerged, eyeing him sulkily.

"You were going without seeing me!" she stated with directness, and
without notice of the quizzical smile of comradeship.

"Certainly was," he agreed. "When I got through the scrap with your
disciple of _kultur_, my mug didn't strike me as the right decoration
for a maiden's bower. I rode out of the scrap with my scratches,
taking joy and comfort in the fact that he had to be carried."

"There was no reason for your being so--so brutal!" she decided
austerely.

"Lord love you, child, I didn't need a reason--I only wanted an
excuse. Give me credit! I got away for fear I'd go loco and smash
Singleton for interfering."

"Papa Phil only did his duty, standing for peace."

"Huh, let the Neutral League do it! The trouble with Singleton is he
hasn't brains enough to lubricate a balance wheel,--he can't savvy a
situation unless he has it printed in a large-type tract. Conrad was
scared for fear I'd stumbled on a crooked trail of his and would tell
the boss, so he beat me to it with the lurid report that I made an
assault on him! This looks like it--not!" and he showed the slashes in
his sombrero to make room for the blue banda around his head. "Suppose
you tell that Hun of yours to carry a gun like a real hombre instead
of the tools of a second-story man. The neighbors could hear a gun,
and run to my rescue."

The girl regarded his flippancy with disapproval.

"He isn't my Hun," she retorted. "I could worry along without him on
our map,--but after all, I don't know a single definite thing against
him. Anyway, it's decided I've got to go away somewhere to school and
be out of the ranch squabbles. Papa Phil thinks I get in bad company
out here."

"Meaning me?"

"Well, he _said_ Captain Pike was demoralizing to the youthful mind.
He didn't mention you. And Cap certainly did go the limit yesterday!"

"How so?"

"Well