g pull to the ranch."

He halted near the camp-fire, and, clambering down, began to unharness
the team. Florence leaped out and turned to help Madeline.

"Walk round a little," she said. "You must be cramped from sitting still
so long. I'll get lunch ready."

Madeline got down, glad to stretch her limbs, and began to stroll about.
She heard Stillwell throw the harness on the ground and slap his horses.
"Roll, you sons-of-guns!" he said. Both horses bent their fore legs,
heaved down on their sides, and tried to roll over. One horse succeeded
on the fourth try, and then heaved up with a satisfied snort and shook
off the dust and gravel. The other one failed to roll over, and gave it
up, half rose to his feet, and then lay down on the other side.

"He's sure going to feel the ground," said Florence, smiling at
Madeline. "Miss Hammond, I suppose that prize horse of yours--White
Stockings--would spoil his coat if he were heah to roll in this
greasewood and cactus."

During lunch-time Madeline observed that she was an object of manifestly
great interest to the three cowboys. She returned the compliment,
and was amused to see that a glance their way caused them painful
embarrassment. They were grown men--one of whom had white hair--yet
they acted like boys caught in the act of stealing a forbidden look at a
pretty girl.

"Cowboys are sure all flirts," said Florence, as if stating an
uninteresting fact. But Madeline detected a merry twinkle in her clear
eyes. The cowboys heard, and the effect upon them was magical. They
fell to shamed confusion and to hurried useless tasks. Madeline found
it difficult to see where they had been bold, though evidently they were
stricken with conscious guilt. She recalled appraising looks of critical
English eyes, impudent French stares, burning Spanish glances--gantlets
which any American girl had to run abroad. Compared with foreign eyes
the eyes of these cowboys were those of smiling, eager babies.

"Haw, haw!" roared Stillwell. "Florence, you jest hit the nail on the
haid. Cowboys are all plumb flirts. I was wonderin' why them boys nooned
hyar. This ain't no place to noon. Ain't no grazin' or wood wuth burnin'
or nuthin'. Them boys jest held up, throwed the packs, an' waited
fer us. It ain't so surprisin' fer Booly an' Ned--they're young an'
coltish--but Nels there, why, he's old enough to be the paw of both you
girls. It sure is amazin' strange."

A silence ensued. The white-haired