re. He had not spoken to
her at all after the first careless nod of recognition when he rode
up. And although her reason had approved of his caution, her sore heart
ached for a little kindness from him. She turned her eyes toward him
now with a certain wistfulness; but though Ramon chanced to be looking
toward her she got no answering light in his eyes, no careful little
signal that his heart was yearning for her. He seemed remote, as
indifferent to her as were any of the others dulled by accustomedness
to her constant presence among them. A premonitory chill, as from
some great sorrow yet before her in the future, shook the heart of
Annie-Many-Ponies.

"Me, I fine out how moch more yoh want me campa here for pictures,"
Ramon was saying now to Luck who was standing by Pete Lowry, scribbling
something on his script. "My brother Tomas, he liking for us at ranch
now, s'pose yoh finish poco tiempo."

Luck wrote another line before he gave any sign that he heard.
Annie-Many-Ponies, watching from under her drooping lids, saw that Bill
Holmes had edged closer to Ramon, while he made pretense of being much
occupied with his own affairs.

"I don't need your camp at all after today." Luck shoved the script into
his coat pocket and looked at his watch.

"This afternoon when the sun is just right I want to get one or two
cut-back scenes and a dissolve out. After that you can break camp any
time. But I want you, Ramon--you and Estancio Lopez and Luis Rojas. I'll
need you for two or three days in town--want you to play the heavy in a
bank-robbery and street fight. The makeup is the same as when you worked
up there in the rocks the other day. You three fellows come over and
go in to the ranch tomorrow if you like. Then I'll have you when I want
you. You'll get five dollars a day while you work." Having made himself
sufficiently clear, he turned away to set and rehearse the next scene,
and did not see the careful glance which passed between Ramon and Bill
Holmes.

"Annie," Luck said abruptly, swinging toward her, "can you come down
off that point where Jean Douglas came? You'll have to ride horseback,
remember, and I don't want you to do it unless you're sure of yourself.
How about it?"

For the first time since breakfast her somber eyes lightened with a
gleam of interest. She did not look at Ramon--Ramon who had told her
many times how much he loved her, and yet could praise Jean Douglas for
her riding. Ramon had declared that