e your cattle down in the valley?"

"Sure. I've got near a hundred head. I saved my money and bought
cattle."

"That's a good start for you. I'm glad. But who's going to take care of
you and your stock until you can work again?"

"Why, my friend there, Heaven-Sent Wade," replied Moore, indicating the
little man busy with the utensils on the table, and apparently
hearing nothing.

"Can I fetch you anything to eat--or read?" she inquired.

"Fetch yourself," he replied, softly.

"But, boy, how could I fetch you anything without fetching myself?"

"Sure, that's right. Then fetch me some jam and a book--to-morrow. Will
you?"

"I surely will."

"That's a promise. I know your promises of old."

"Then good-by till to-morrow. I must go. I hope you'll be better."

"I'll stay sick in bed till you stop coming."

Columbine left rather precipitously, and when she got outdoors it seemed
that the hills had never been so softly, dreamily gray, nor their
loneliness so sweet, nor the sky so richly and deeply blue. As she
untied Pronto the hunter came out with Kane at his heels.

"Miss Collie, if you'll go easy I'll ketch my horse an' ride down with
you," he said.

She mounted, and walked Pronto out to the trail, and slowly faced the
gradual descent. It was really higher up there than she had surmised.
And the view was beautiful. The gray, rolling foothills, so exquisitely
colored at that hour, and the black-fringed ranges, one above the other,
and the distant peaks, sunset-flushed across the purple, all rose open
and clear to her sight, so wildly and splendidly expressive of the
Colorado she loved.

At the foot of the slope Wade joined her.

"Lass, I'm askin' you not to tell Belllounds that I'm carin' for Wils,"
he said, in his gentle, persuasive way.

"I won't. But why not tell dad? He wouldn't mind. He'd do that sort of
thing himself."

"Reckon he would. But this deal's out of the ordinary. An' Wils's not in
as good shape as he thinks. I'm not takin' any chances. I don't want to
lose my job, an' I don't want to be hindered from attendin' to
this boy."

They had ridden as far as the first aspen grove when Wade concluded this
remark. Columbine halted her horse, causing her companion to do
likewise. Her former misgivings were augmented by the intelligence of
Wade's sad, lined face.

"Ben, tell me," she whispered, with a hand going to his arm.

"Miss Collie, I'm a sort of doctor in my way. I studied some medicine