can remove her disabilities--well,
you won't have to run off the next time. And Theodore, remember what
I told you the other day about sparking a girl. You're too timid and
backward for a young fellow. I don't care if you come home with one eye
scratched out, just so you and Frances have come to an understanding and
named the day."

CHAPTER XVI

MATCHMAKING

After our return to the Frio, my first duty was writing, relative to the
proposed match, an unfavorable reply to Don Alejandro Travino.

On resuming work, we spent six weeks baling hides, thus occupying our
time until the beginning of the branding season. A general round-up of
the Nueces valley, commencing on the coast at Corpus Christi Bay, had
been agreed upon among the cowmen of the country. In pursuance of the
plan four well-mounted men were sent from our ranch with Wilson's wagon
to the coast, our _segundo_ following a week later with the wagon,
_remuda_ and twelve men, to meet the rodeo at San Patricio as they
worked up the river. Our cattle had drifted in every direction during
the drouth and though many of them had returned since the range had
again become good, they were still widely scattered. So Uncle Lance took
the rest of us and started for the Frio, working down that river and
along the Nueces, until we met the round-up coming up from below. During
this cow hunt, I carried my fiddle with me in the wagon, and at nearly
every ranch we passed we stopped and had a dance. Not over once a week
did we send in cattle to the ranch to brand, and on meeting the rodeo
from below, Deweese had over three thousand of our cattle. After taking
these in and branding the calves, we worked over our home range until
near the holidays.

On our return to the ranch, we learned that young Blas Travino from
the Mission had passed Las Palomas some days before. He had stopped in
passing; but, finding the ranchero absent, plead a matter of business at
Santa Maria, promising to call on his return. He was then at the ranch
on the Tarancalous, and hourly expecting his reappearance, the women of
the household were in an agitated state of mind. Since the formal answer
had been sent, no word had come from Don Blas and a rival had meanwhile
sprung up in the person of Fidel Trujillo. Within a month after his
employment I noticed the new vaquero casting shy glances at Juana, but
until the cow hunt on the Frio I did not recognize the fine handwriting
of the old matchmaker. Tho