animal, a
gentle looking bay mare. "I'll ride Blue, you take the mare," she said.

He surveyed the roan dubiously: "He looks snorty. You better let me
handle him."

She shook her head: "No, I've ridden him before. Really, I'm quite a
twister. You can help saddle him, though."

The saddling proved to be no easy task. The animal fought the bit, and
shied and jumped out from under blanket a half-dozen times before they
finally succeeded in cinching him up. Then, Tex saddled the mare, and
led both horses through the gate. Outside the corral, the girl reached
for the roan's reins but the man shook his head. "I'll ride him, you
take the bay."

The girl stared at him while the slow red mounted to her cheeks. There
was a note of defiance in her tone as she answered: "I tell you I am
going to ride him. I've ridden him, and I'll show him that I can ride
him again."

The Texan smiled: "Sure, I know you can ride him--I knew that when I saw
you catch him up. But, what's the use? He's got a bad eye. What's the
use of you takin' a chance?"

The girl hesitated just a moment: "You're in no condition to ride him,
you're hurt, and all tired out----"

The cowboy interrupted her with a laugh: "I ain't hurt to speak of, an'
since I got that coffee inside me, I'm good for all day an' then some."

"Whose horse is Blue? And what right have you to tell me I can't ride
him?"

"Whose horse he is, don't make any difference. An' if I ain't got the
right to tell you not to ride him, I'll take the right."

"Well, of all the nerve! Anybody would think you owned the earth!"

The Texan regarded her gravely: "Not much of it, I don't. But, I'm goin'
to own more----"

"More than the earth!" she mocked.

"Yes--a whole heap more than the earth," he answered, as his steady grey
eyes stared straight into her own stormy, blue-black ones. Then, without
a word, he extended the reins of the mare, and without a word, the girl
took them and mounted.

As the cowboy swung into the saddle, the blue roan tried to sink his
head, but the man held him up short, and after two or three half-hearted
jumps the animal contented himself with sidling restlessly, and tonguing
the bit until white, lathery foam dripped from his lips.

As the girl watched the animal the resentment died from her eyes:
"That's the littlest fuss I ever saw Blue kick up," she announced.

The Texan smiled: "He's on his good behaviour this mornin'."

"He saw it was no use," she replie