rises me is that in spite of his evident lack
of schooling he's not raw or crude. He's elemental."

"Sister dear, wake up. The man's wonderful. You can learn more from
him than you ever learned in your life. So can I. I always hated books,
anyway."

When, a little later, Dale approached carrying some bridles, the hound
Pedro trotted at his heels.

"I reckon you'd better ride the horse you had," he said to Bo.

"Whatever you say. But I hope you let me ride them all, by and by."

"Sure. I've a mustang out there you'll like. But he pitches a little,"
he rejoined, and turned away toward the park. The hound looked after him
and then at Helen.

"Come, Pedro. Stay with me," called Helen.

Dale, hearing her, motioned the hound back. Obediently Pedro trotted to
her, still shy and soberly watchful, as if not sure of her intentions,
but with something of friendliness about him now. Helen found a soft,
restful seat in the sun facing the park, and there composed herself for
what she felt would be slow, sweet, idle hours. Pedro curled down beside
her. The tall form of Dale stalked across the park, out toward the
straggling horses. Again she saw a deer grazing among them. How erect
and motionless it stood watching Dale! Presently it bounded away toward
the edge of the forest. Some of the horses whistled and ran, kicking
heels high in the air. The shrill whistles rang clear in the stillness.

"Gee! Look at them go!" exclaimed Bo, gleefully, coming up to where
Helen sat. Bo threw herself down upon the fragrant pine-needles and
stretched herself languorously, like a lazy kitten. There was something
feline in her lithe, graceful outline. She lay flat and looked up
through the pines.

"Wouldn't it be great, now," she murmured, dreamily, half to herself,
"if that Las Vegas cowboy would happen somehow to come, and then an
earthquake would shut us up here in this Paradise valley so we'd never
get out?"

"Bo! What would mother say to such talk as that?" gasped Helen.

"But, Nell, wouldn't it be great?"

"It would be terrible."

"Oh, there never was any romance in you, Nell Rayner," replied Bo. "That
very thing has actually happened out here in this wonderful country
of wild places. You need not tell me! Sure it's happened. With the
cliff-dwellers and the Indians and then white people. Every place I look
makes me feel that. Nell, you'd have to see people in the moon through a
telescope before you'd believe that."

"I'm practic