loth and ashes with
pleasure to-morrow if you will only forgive me, and I can find them
anyways handy about the ranch." Jim laughed and bent over, suddenly
taking Ruth's hand in his to say good night, and she could but wonder if
it was because he was so big and strong that he held it in such a tight
grip.

CHAPTER III

CAUGHT IN THE TRAP

Jean and Jack and Olive were cantering slowly through the fields about
an hour before breakfast the next morning. The spring air was so
delicious that they had not been able to resist it. Jack had waked
before dawn and had kept quite still to listen to the silvery song of
the wood thrush outside her bedroom window; she had not wished to go to
sleep again, for her mind was too busy with Jean's plan for their summer
holiday. When daylight came Jean was aroused by the noise of Jack's
movements in the room, and opened her eyes to find her cousin slipping
into her riding clothes. She too was eager for a ride, and when they
softly called to Olive to join them the three girls stole out together.

"Jack, you will have to broach the subject of our caravan trip to Jim
to-day; I am sure you will be all powerful," Jean suggested, as soon as
they were fairly on their way. "The more I am out of doors the more I
think of how utterly rapturous it will be to spend our summer in
traveling around and camping wherever we like. Tell Olive and me
something about the people who want to rent our ranch, Jack," Jean ended
curiously.

Jack shook her head slowly. "I am afraid I don't know very much about
them, Jean," she answered. "Mr. and Mrs. Harmon are New York people; he
is a stock broker and they are friends of Mrs. Post's and Laura's. Aunt
Sallie does not know them personally, but she says they have one son and
a daughter. The daughter is lame and an invalid; I believe they want to
bring her out west to see what the climate will do for her." Jack gave
an unconscious shudder of horror and sympathy and touched her pony
lightly with her whip. The girls were galloping over a part of the ranch
that was carpeted with wild prairie roses.

"Where are we going, Jack?" Olive queried, riding close beside her.

"If you and Jean don't mind, Olive, we are going over on the other side
of Rainbow Creek," Jack replied apologetically. "Jim and one of the men
set a trap over there yesterday to catch some animal that has been
worrying our sheep. You know I don't mind when the poor thieves are
killed outright f