ch himself at all.

They drove up to the ranch, and at the sound of wheels Jean ran out. She
had been waiting, regretting that she had not accompanied them, anxious
to know the worst and have it over.

"Well, dear!" said Faith tantalizingly.

"You know what. Who bought the ranch? Was it Braden?"

"No," Faith replied, "it was a young man named Chetwood."

"Wha-a-t!" cried Jean in tones which left no doubt of her utter
amazement. "Oh, stop joking! This is serious."

"He bought it," Angus assured her.

"But--but he _couldn't_!" Jean exclaimed incredulously. "Angus, you know
he couldn't. Why he's _broke_! He's working for you for _wages_."

"Just what the old sheriff said," Angus laughed. "But it's straight,
Jean. He bid the ranch in for twenty-four thousand."

"But where did he get the money?"

"I don't know. But he had it."

"Then," Jean flashed, "I'll never speak to him again--never! To buy the
ranch, your ranch, our ranch--at a sale! Oh, the miserable,
contemptible--"

"Hi, hold on!" Angus interrupted. "You don't understand. He didn't buy
it for himself; he bought it in for us--to save it. He's a white man,
all right, Jean."

"I don't care what he bought the ranch for!" Jean cried. "And he's _not_
a white man. He's a sneak. He deceived me. He said his remittance had
stopped. He let me make a fool of myself advising him to homestead and
get a place of his own, and work hard, so that--so that--"

"So that you could be married!" Angus chuckled.

"Ye--yes," Jean confessed, and her brother roared. "Oh, you think it
funny, do you? Well, _he_ won't. I never want to see him. I _won't_ see
him."

"But, Jean dear, listen," Faith put in, for she saw that to Jean there
was nothing humorous in the situation. The girl was deeply offended,
bitterly angry.

"I don't want to listen," Jean snapped. "I don't want to be rude, Faith,
but he--he _lied_ to me. He led me to believe that he was poor, that he
hadn't a dollar. He was playing with me, amusing himself, laughing at me
when I was--oh, I can't talk about it!"

"Oh, shucks, old girl!" said Angus. "You're going into the air about
nothing. You ought to be glad he isn't broke."

"Ought I?" Jean retorted. "Well, I'm not. He wasn't straight with me, he
wasn't fair. He talked about a little cottage, and wanted me to marry
him right away, and--and--"

"And share his poverty," Angus grinned. "Weren't you game, sis?"

"Angus!" Faith warned. But Jean's cheeks flamed.