. "Dot is fine alretty
yet!"

"Disgusting!" scoffed Miss Pennington, turning up a nose that in itself
showed a tendency to "tilt."

There was time, in the twilight that followed supper, for the players to
look about the buildings at Rocky Ranch. All the structures, as Mr.
Norton had said, were of only one story. There were broad verandas on
most of them and in comfortable chairs one could take one's ease in
delightful restfulness.

There was a bunk-house for the cowboys, and a separate living apartment
for the Chinese cook and his two assistants, for considerable food was
required at Rocky Ranch, especially with the advent of the film players.

The cowboys, their meal over, gathered in a group and looked curiously
at the visitors. The novelty of seeing the pretty girls and the
well-dressed men appealed to the rough but sterling chaps who had so
little to soften their hard lives.

Nearly every one of them smoked cigarettes, which they rolled skillfully
and quickly.

"Give us a song, Buster!" one of the cowboys called to a comrade. "Tune
up! Bring out that mouth organ, Necktie!"

"What odd names!" remarked Alice to Pete Batso, who constituted himself
a sort of guide to Ruth and her sister.

"They call Dick Jones 'Buster' because he's a good bronco trainer, or
buster," the foreman said. "And Necktie Harry got his handle because
he's so fussy about his ties. I'll wager he's got _three_, all
different," and the foreman seemed to think that a great number.

"You should see our Mr. Towne," laughed Paul, who had joined the girls.
"I guess he must have thirty!"

"Thirty!" cried Pete. "What is he--a wholesale dealer?"

"Pretty nearly," admitted Paul.

"Say, Pete!" called one of the cowboys, "can't some of them actor folks
do a song and dance?"

The foreman looked questioningly at Alice, with whom he was already on
friendly terms because of her happy frankness.

"I'm afraid that isn't in our line," she said.

"I'll do that little sketch I did with Miss Pennington and Miss Dixon,"
offered Paul, who had been in vaudeville. "I've got my banjo and----"

"Ki-yi, fellows! We're going to have a show!" yelled Bow Backus. "Come
on!" and he fired his revolver in the air.

Ruth jumped nervously.

"Here, cut that out!" ordered the foreman to the offending cowboy. "Save
your powder to mill the cattle."

"I begs your pardon, Miss," said the cowboy, humbly. "But I jest
couldn't help it--thinkin' we was goin' to have a li