She had no need of defenders, but if an occasion should arise that
Polly required a knight, there were a score of guns at her service at
an hour's notice.

"Looks like a picture from a book," said Fresno, hoping to win back the
ground he had lost by Sage-brush's openly expressed admiration.

Polly was flattered by the comments and the glances of the boys, which
expressed their approval of her appearance more loudly than spoken
words. She pretended, however, to be annoyed. "Go 'long," she said.
"Where's Bud Lane? Didn't you give him his invite?"

The boys turned from one to the other with feigned glances of disgust
at being slighted by Polly for an absent one. The one-sided courtship
of Bud and Polly was known up and down the valley, and indefinite
postponement of their wedding-day was one of the jests of the two
ranches.

"Oh, we sent it on to him at Florence. He'll git it in time, if he
ain't gone to the Lazy K with Buck McKee," said Sage-brush; then,
turning to the other cowboys, he added in an aggrieved tone: "Polly
ain't got no eyes for no one excep' Bud."

Polly stepped to Allen's side, and, laying her head on his shoulder,
said: "Ain't I?" Allen patted the girl's head. He was very fond of
her, looking upon her as another daughter.

Polly smiled back into his face, and then, with a glance at the
cowboys, said: "Say, Uncle Jim, there's some bottles to be opened."

The invitation was an indirect one, but all knew what it meant, and
started for the house.

"Root-beer," added Polly mischievously; "the corks pull awful hard."

Allen glanced at her in feigned alarm.

"What do you want to do--stampede the bunch?"

Before she could answer, the approach of a horse attracted the
attention of the group.

"There's Jack, now!" cried Sage-brush, in tones which plainly showed
his relief; "no, it ain't," he added reflectively, "he rode his pacin'
mare, and that's a trottin' horse."

The cry of the rider was heard quieting his mount. Allen recognized
the voice. "It's Slim Hoover," he cried.

Polly clapped her hands, and said mischievously to Sage-brush: "Now
you'll see me makin' goo-goo eyes to somebody besides Bud Lane. I
ain't a-going to be the only girl in Pinal County Slim Hoover ain't set
up to."

"An' shied off from," added Sage-brush, a little nettled by Polly's
overlooking him as a subject for flirtation. "But what's Slim doin'
over this way?"

"Come to Jack's weddin', of course," replied