zed that the strange lad had been in some danger, he
also realized that the cowboys, fond as they were of fun and practical
jokes, would not have allowed the matter to go too far.

"It's up to me!" declared the slim lad, trying to brush some of the
dust and horse hair from his clothes. "'Tisn't their fault at all."

"Good kid," murmured some of the cowboys, glad to be thus vindicated.

"I told him to keep off," said the fat lad, following Bud and the
daring rider from the corral. "I told him to pick a quiet horse, but
he said he wanted a bucker."

"He shore got it," chuckled Slim Degnan, as he ambled along. "He shore
did!"

"Well, I'm glad you're not hurt," exclaimed Bud. "I guess you're my
cousins; aren't you?" he asked, holding out his brown, muscular hand to
grasp the rather thinner and whiter palm of the lad who had been on
Tartar.

"Yes, I'm Nort," was the response. "This is Dick, my brother. We're
going to stay all summer--if you'll keep us," he added, with a
whimsical smile. "And after this I'll let you pick my horses for me."

"It'll be safer, until you learn to ride," said Bud. "I mean learn to
ride western cow ponies," he added quickly, for he did not want to
assume this other lad could not ride.

"I guess I don't know so much as I thought I did," confessed Nort.
"Though I did ride a lot at the Academy."

"Well, come on to the house," invited Bud. "Dad's away, but mother's
there. Have you met her?"

"No," answered Nort. "We just got here. You see we came ahead of
time. Happened to meet one of your wagons over at the depot, and rode
out here in it. I sort of lost my head when I struck the ranch and
wanted a ride right off the bat. I had it, too!" he added with a smile.

"Dad said something about you moseying out this way before snow flew,"
spoke Bud, as he walked with his cousins toward the main ranch house,
which stood in the midst of a number of low red buildings, itself of
the same structure and color. "But I didn't expect you so soon, or I'd
'a' been over to the station."

"It was all right--we didn't want any fussing," said Nort. "And, as I
say, we started sooner than we expected. Didn't even write."

"No, I guess you didn't," admitted Bud. "Dad sort of mentioned, casual
like, that you'd be along sooner or later, but he didn't get any word
from you recently."

"Well, we're here, anyhow," spoke Dick, the fat youth, with a sigh of
evident relief, as he looked back toward t