t just what y'u can call exciting," he continued,
"and when a young lady fresh from back East drops among us while sixguns
are popping, breaks up a likely feud and mends right neatly all the
ventilated feudists it's a corollary to her fun that's she is going to
become famous."

What he said was true enough. The unsolicited notoriety her exploit had
brought upon her had been its chief penalty. Garbled versions of it had
appeared with fake pictures in New York and Chicago Sunday supplements,
and all Cattleland had heard and discussed it. No matter into what
unfrequented canon she rode, some silent cowpuncher would look at her
as they met with admiring eyes behind which she read a knowledge of the
story. It was a lonely desolate country, full of the wide deep silences
of utter emptiness, yet there could be no footfall but the whisper of it
was bruited on the wings of the wind.

"Do you know where the Lazy D ranch is from here?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Can you take me home?"

"I surely can. But not to-night. You're more tired than y'u know. We'll
camp here, and in the mo'ning we'll hit the trail bright and early."

This did not suit her at all. "Is it far to the Lazy D?" she inquired
anxiously.

"Every inch of forty miles. There's a creek not more than two hundred
yards from here. We'll stay there till morning," he made answer in a
matter of course voice, leading the way to the place he had mentioned.

She followed, protesting. Yet though it was not in accord with her
civilized sense of fitness, she knew that what he proposed was the
common sense solution. She was tired and worn out, and she could see
that his broncho had traveled far.

Having reached the bank of the creek, he unsaddled, watered his horse
and picketed it, and started a fire. Uneasily she watched him.

"I don't like to sleep out. Isn't there a ranchhouse near?"

"Y'u wouldn't call it near by the time we had reached it. What's to
hinder your sleeping here? Isn't this room airy enough? And don't y'u
like the system of lighting? 'Twas patented I forget how many million
years ago. Y'u ain't going to play parlor girl now after getting the
reputation y'u've got for gameness, are y'u?"

But he knew well enough that it was no silly schoolgirl fear she had,
but some deep instinct in her that distrusted him and warned her to
beware. So, lightly he took up the burden of the talk while he gathered
cottonwood branches for the fire.

"Now if I'd only thou