stalls, and revel in the gentle nuzzling of two velvety noses. In
those first moments her sensations were unforgettable. The joy of it
all held her in its thrall, and, for the moment at least, there was
nothing else in the world.

The moments passed unheeded. Every sound was lost to her. And so it
came about that she did not hear the galloping of a horse approaching.
She did not hear it come to a halt near by. She did not even notice
the figure that presently filled the doorway. And only did her first
realization of the intrusion come with the pleasant sound of a man's
deep voice.

"Bob an' Kitty's kind o' friendly, Miss Joan," it said.

The girl turned with a jump and found herself confronted by Buck's
smiling face. And oddly enough her first flash of thought was that
this man had used her own name, and not her nickname, and she was
grateful to him.

Then she saw that he had the fork in his hand with which she had first
seen him, and she remembered his overnight promise to do those very
things for her which she had set out to do, but, alas! had forgotten
all about.

His presence became a reproach at once, and a slight pucker of
displeasure drew her even brows together.

"You're very kind," she began, "but----"

Buck's smile broadened.

"'But's' a ter'ble word," he said. "It most always goes ahead of
something unpleasant." He quietly laid the fork aside, and, gathering
an armful of hay, proceeded to fill Kitty's manger. "Now what
you wer' going to say was something like that old--I mean your
housekeeper--said, only you wouldn't say it so mean. You jest want to
say I'm not to git around doing the chores here for the reason you
can't accept favors, an' you don't guess it would be right to offer me
pay, same as a 'hired' man."

He hayed Bob's manger, and then loosened both horses' collar chains.

"If you'll sit on the oat-box I'll turn 'em round an' take 'em to
water at the trough. That's it."

Joan obeyed him without a word, and the horses were led out. And while
they were gone the girl was left to an unpleasant contemplation of the
situation. She determined to deal with the matter boldly, however, and
began the moment he returned.

"You're quite right, Mr. Buck," she began.

"Buck--jest plain Buck," he interrupted her. "But I hadn't jest
finished," he went on deliberately. "I want to show you how you can't
do those things the old--your housekeeper was yearnin' to do. Y' see,
you can't get a 'hired' man