or you? He don' maree yoh, eh? He don' lov' yoh; he
think too good for maree Indian girl. Me, I not think like that. I,
Ramon Chavez, I think proud to lov, yoh. Ramon--"

"I not think Wagalexa Conka marry me." The girl was turning stubborn
under his importunities. "Wagalexa Conka my brother--my friend. I tell
you plenty time. Now I tell no more."

"Ramon loves yoh so moch," he pleaded, and smiled to himself when he saw
her turn toward toward him again. The love-talk--that was what a woman
likes best to hear! "Yoh say yoh lov' Ramon jus' little bit!"

"I not say now. When I say I be sure I say truth."

"All right, then I be sad till yoh lov' me. Yoh maybe be happy, yoh know
Ramon's got heavy heart for yoh."

"I plenty sorry, you be sad for me," she confessed demurely. "I lov' yoh
so moch! I think nothing but how beautiful my sweetheart is. I not tease
yoh no more. Tell me, how long Luck says he stay out here? Maybe yoh
hear sometimes he's going for taking pictures in town?"

"I not hear."

"Going home, maybe? You mus' hear little bit. Yoh tell me, sweetheart;
what's he gone do when roundup's all finish? Me, I know she's finish
las' week. Looks like he's taking pictures out here all summer! You hear
him say something, maybe?"

"I not hear."

"Them vaqueros--bah! They don't bear nothings either. What's matter over
there, nobody hear nothing? Luck, he got no tongue when camera's shut
up, perhaps?"

"Nah--I dunno."

Ramon looked at her for a minute in mute rage. It was not the first time
he had found himself hard against the immutable reticence of the Indian
in her nature.

"Why you snapping teeth like a wolf?" she asked him slyly.

"Me? I don' snap my teeth, sweetheart." It cost Ramon some effort to
keep his voice softened to the love key.

"Why you not ask Wagalexa Conka what he do?"

"I don' care, that's why I don' ask. Me, it's' no matter."

He hesitated a moment, evidently weighing a matter of more importance
to him than he would have Annie-Many-Ponies suspect. "Sweetheart, yoh do
one thing for Ramon?" His voice might almost be called wheedling. "Me,
I'm awful busy tomorrow. I got long ride away off--to my rancho. I got
to see my brother Tomas. I be back here not before night. Yoh tell Bill
Holmes he come here by this rock--yoh say midnight that's good time--I
sure be here that time. Yoh say I got something I wan' tell him. Yoh do
that for Ramon, sweetheart?"

He waited, trying to hide the fact tha