e so early." To which she quickly added, "You know, when
I first came along, I thought the place might possibly be vacant. Of
course, I had to go in and see; and then, as long as I had already made
so free, I thought I might as well use your coffee-pot and things. And
your coffee, too."

"Oh, that's all right--perfectly all right. This place does n't all
belong to me. There's plenty of room for everybody."

He delivered this with a sweep of his arm that seemed to give her
everything inside the horizon, and possibly lap over the edges.

"So I did take your coffee--and sugar. And I hope you 'll like what I
have."

"Judging by the looks, it's mighty good. Perfectly grand. But I 'll
go now and put this lamb where he won't be scaring us again Miss----
Excuse me, but I haven't asked your name."

"My name is Smith. Janet Smith."

"My name is Brown. Stephen Brown. Glad to meet you, Miss Smith."

He put his hat to his head in order to take it off. She acknowledged
the formality with a slight bow.

"I 'll go and fix this lamb," he resumed. "I intended to do some
repairing before sundown; that's why I came home a little early. But
it's rather late now to do much. There's other work I have to 'tend
to, though. I hope it won't take very long."

So saying, he started away. When he had gone a little distance, and
observed that the dog was remaining behind, an interested spectator, he
called back: "Don't mind him if he watches you. His name is Shep. He
likes ladies."

Janet finished setting Mr. Brown's table, which consisted of a place
where the grass was worn short. When he was working among the sheep
with his back turned, she patted the dog on the head with the greatest
familiarity. Janet "loved" dogs. When next she looked up to see what
had become of her guest, or host, he was disappearing in the deep
little gully.

CHAPTER III

When the shack rose upon her vision, Janet's spirits gave a leap. A
mere box it was, in the image of a house; but yet, from the moment its
countenance appeared on the scene, that lost and lorn prairie seemed to
have found a place for itself. The whole interminable region attached
itself to the shack and became a front and backyard; the landscape was
situated and set right, knowing its right hand from its left. Four
walls, a roof, and a door--all the things necessary to make a
threshold, that magic line across which woman faces the world with the
courage of divin