second closer gaze. She was a
sweet, wholesome, joyous, pretty girl.

"Shore it musta hurt?" replied Laddy, who sat an interested spectator.

"Yes, I confess it did," replied Dick, slowly, with his eyes on Nell's
face. "But I didn't mind."

The girl's lashes swept up swiftly in surprise. She had taken his
words literally. But the dark-blue eyes met his for only a fleeting
second. Then the warm tint in her cheeks turned as red as her lips.
Hurriedly she finished tying the bandage and rose to her feet.

"I thank you," said Gale, also rising.

With that Belding appeared in the doorway, and finding the operation
concluded, called them in to supper. Dick had the use of only one arm,
and he certainly was keenly aware of the shy, silent girl across the
table; but in spite of these considerable handicaps he eclipsed both
hungry cowboys in the assault upon Mrs. Belding's bounteous supper.
Belding talked, the cowboys talked more or less. Mrs. Belding put in a
word now and then, and Dick managed to find brief intervals when it was
possible for him to say yes or no. He observed gratefully that no one
round the table seemed to be aware of his enormous appetite.

After supper, having a favorable opportunity when for a moment no one
was at hand, Dick went out through the yard, past the gardens and
fields, and climbed the first knoll. From that vantage point he looked
out over the little hamlet, somewhat to his right, and was surprised at
its extent, its considerable number of adobe houses. The overhanging
mountains, ragged and darkening, a great heave of splintered rock,
rather chilled and affronted him.

Westward the setting sun gilded a spiked, frost-colored, limitless
expanse of desert. It awed Gale. Everywhere rose blunt, broken ranges
or isolated groups of mountains. Yet the desert stretched away down
between and beyond them. When the sun set and Gale could not see so
far, he felt a relief.

That grand and austere attraction of distance gone, he saw the desert
nearer at hand--the valley at his feet. What a strange gray, somber
place! There was a lighter strip of gray winding down between darker
hues. This he realized presently was the river bed, and he saw how the
pools of water narrowed and diminished in size till they lost
themselves in gray sand. This was the rainy season, near its end, and
here a little river struggled hopelessly, forlornly to live in the
desert. He received a potent impression of t