a ranch hand who slid from the top of the stack. Without
answering, he called to the man: "Take the lady's horse along an' give
him a feed."

"It's noon," he explained, turning to the girl. "You'll stay fer
dinner." He pointed toward the house. "You'll find Miz T. in the
kitchen. If you want to wash up, she'll show you."

The ranch hand was leading her horse toward the barn. "But," objected
Patty, "I didn't mean to run in like this just at meal time. Mrs.
Thompson won't be expecting a guest, and I brought a lunch with me."

Thompson laughed: "You must be a pilgrim in these parts," he said.
"Most folks would ride half a day to git here 'round feedin' time. We
always count on two or three extry, so I guess they'll be a-plenty."
The man's laugh was infectious, and Patty found herself smiling. She
liked him from the first. There was a ponderous heartiness about him,
and she liked the way his little brown eyes sparkled from out their
network of sun-browned wrinkles. "You trot along in, now, an' tell Miz
T. she can begin dishin' up whenever she likes. We'll be 'long
d'rectly. They'll be plenty time to talk horse after we've et. My work
teams earns a good hour of noonin', an' I don't begrudge 'em an hour
an' a half, hot days."

Patty found Mrs. Thompson slight and quiet as her husband was big and
hearty. But her smile was as engaging as his, and an indefinable
something about her made the girl feel at home the moment she crossed
the threshold. "I came to see Mr. Thompson about a horse, and he
insisted that I stay to dinner," she apologized.

"Why, of course you'll stay to dinner. But you must be hot an' tired.
The wash dish is there beside the door. You better use it before
Thompson an' the hands comes, they always slosh everything all
up--they don't wash, they waller."

"Mr. Thompson said to tell you you could begin to dish up whenever
you're ready."

The woman smiled. "Yes, an' have everythin' set an' git cold, while
they feed the horses an' then like's not, stand 'round a spell an'
size up the hay stack, er mebbe mend a piece of harness or somethin'.
I guess you ain't married, er you wouldn't expect a man to meals 'til
you see him comin'. Seems like no matter how hungry they be, if they's
some little odd job they can find to do just when you get the grub set
on, they pick that time to do it. 'Specially if it's somethin' that
don't 'mount to anythin', an' like's not's b'en layin' 'round in plain
sight a week."

P