in love with Dave Sanders, Dad. It's about time for me
to be jealous."

Crawford defended himself. "He's had a hard row to hoe, and he's comin'
out fine. I aim to give him every chance in the world to make good. It's
up to us to stand by him."

"If he'll let us." Joyce jumped up and ran round the table to him. They
were alone, Keith having departed with a top to join his playmates. She
sat on the arm of his chair, a straight, slim creature very much alive,
and pressed her face of flushed loveliness against his head. "It won't be
your fault, old duck, if things don't go well with him. You're good--the
best ever--a jim-dandy friend. But he's so--so--Oh, I don't know--stiff
as a poker. Acts as if he doesn't want to be friends, as if we're all
ready to turn against him. He makes me good and tired, Dad. Why can't he
be--human?"

"Now, Joy, you got to remember--"

"--that he was in prison and had an awful time of it. Oh, yes, I remember
all that. He won't let us forget it. It's just like he held us off all
the time and insisted on us not forgetting it. I'd just like to shake the
foolishness out of him." A rueful little laugh welled from her throat at
the thought.

"He cayn't be gay as Bob Hart all at onct. Give him time."

"You're so partial to him you don't see when he's doing wrong. But I see
it. Yesterday he hardly spoke when I met him. Ridiculous. It's all right
for him to hold back and be kinda reserved with outsiders. But with his
friends--you and Bob and old Buck Byington and me--he ought not to shut
himself up in an ice cave. And I'm going to tell him so."

The cattleman's arm slid round her warm young body and drew her close.
She was to him the dearest thing in the world, a never-failing, exquisite
wonder and mystery. Sometimes even now he was amazed that this rare
spirit had found the breath of life through him.

"You wanta remember you're a li'l lady," he reproved. "You wouldn't want
to do anything you'd be sorry for, honeybug."

"I'm not so sure about that," she flushed, amusement rippling her face.
"Someone's got to blow up that young man like a Dutch uncle, and I think
I'm elected. I'll try not to think about being a lady; then I can do my
full duty, Dad. It'll be fun to see how he takes it."

"Now--now," he remonstrated.

"It's all right to be proud," she went on. "I wouldn't want to see him
hold his head any lower. But there's no sense in being so offish that
even his friends have to give him up.