about her that moved emotions in him which slept in the
other's presence. Perhaps it was the romance of their first meeting;
perhaps it was the power of her dark, expressive eyes. Certainly Lambert
had seen many prettier women in his short experience, but none that ever
made his soul vibrate with such exquisite, sweet pain.

"If you owned this ranch, Mr.----"

"Lambert is my name, Miss Kerr."

"If you owned it, Mr. Lambert, I believe we could live in peace, even if
you kept the fence. But with that girl--it can't be done."

"Here are your nippers, Miss Kerr; you lost them when you jumped that
arroyo. Won't you please leave the fence-cutting to the men of the
family, if it has to be done, after this?"

"We have to use them on the range since Philbrook cut us off from
water," she explained, "and hired men don't take much interest in a
person's family quarrels. They're afraid of Vesta Philbrook, anyhow.
She can pick a man off a mile with her rifle, they believe, but she
can't. I'm not afraid of her; I never was afraid of old Philbrook, the
old devil."

Even though she concluded with that spiteful little stab, she gave the
explanation as if she believed it due Lambert's generous leniency and
courteous behavior.

"And there being no men of the family who will undertake it, and no
hired men who can be interested, you have to cut the fence yourself," he
said.

"I know you think I ought to be ashamed of cutting her fence," she said,
her head bent, her eyes veiled, "but I'm not."

"I expect I'd feel it that way if it was my quarrel, too."

"Any man like you would. I've been where they have fences, too, and
signs to keep off the grass. It's different here."

"Can't we patch up a truce between us for the time I'm here?"

He put out his hand in entreaty, his lean face earnest, his clear eyes
pleading. She colored quickly at the suggestion, and framed a hot
reply. He could see it forming, and went on hurriedly to forestall it.

"I don't expect to be here always! I didn't come here looking for a job.
I was going West with a friend; we stopped off on the way through."

"Riding fence for a woman boss is a low-down job."

"There's not much to it for a man that likes to change around. Maybe
I'll not stay very long. We'd just as well have peace while I'm here."

"You haven't got anything to do with it--you're only a fence-rider! The
fight's between me and that girl, and I'll cut her fence--I'll cut her
heart out if she