Why was it Wolf's Ranche?

Why? If you'd heard the wolves tearing round and howling of a night you would not have been quite so particular to know the reason why. It would have been pretty obvious.

Well, when Bessie pulled up short on that fine spring morning, and expressed her intentions loudly, she meant business.

She wheeled Black Dan round in a twinkling, much against his will, I can tell you; and she never drew rein again until she had cantered back the length of the Liveoak Wood and reached the gully of the Red Cañon. Here she dismounted. "There he is," she said. "Stand you still, Black Dan, and stir if you dare! But for security's sake she fastened the bridle to the branch of a neighbouring tree, and, gathering up her skirt, made her way through the underwood.

A man lay under the soft blue sky, his face upturned to it, white and still. His hands hung by his side, nerveless and motionless. He might be dead. He might be dying. She did not know. She pushed on until she reached him, and then bent down for a closer inspection.

Slowly pulling off her long thick gloves, and taking her hat from her head, she went away in search of the stream whose trickling sound was clearly heard through the intense stillness.

The hat-a serviceable felt one-held the water readily; and filling it, she retraced her steps.

Kneeling down, she bathed his forehead, her soft brown hands pushing back the short close crop of hair. Then putting her right hand in the form of a cup to his parched lips, she let a little moisture trickle, drop by drop, into his mouth, and sat back to observe the effect of her manoeuvres.

The birds on the branches of the tall trees peeped down at her. Butterflies, bees, and many-hued creeping things flittered and crept by on high intent, the sun mounted in the heavens, and her horse pawed the ground in disgust.

"You take an unconscionable time, my good man!" she said in a vexed tone. "Whatever you are going to do, I wish you'd do it quickly!"

With that she gave him a poke with the butt-end of her whip; and the vigour of the attack enforced attention on the man's part. He slowly opened his eyes.

She hailed the movement.

"That's right!" she cried cheerily. "Look alive-I'm downright glad you're not dead anyway. You would have been so heavy!"

He turned his head and gave her a long stare.

"Know me again, will you? All right, I'm game! Now. Can you move? that's the point. I'll help you if you try."

But without the trial on his part, she had raised him to a sitting posture.

"There! Hold on a bit, and we'll fix you yet!"

She propped him against her knee, as if he were a baby, and with infinite trouble and unceasing toil contrived to raise him to his feet.

"If we can only get you on to my horse," said she, "we'll soon have you home and tucked up!"

She did all the talking; he scarcely opened his mouth, except to groan. So she effected the removal, he passively enduring without making much effort, if indeed he were capable of making one.

She brought the horse to his side.

"I reckon you'll have to do this bit of play yourself, neighbour," said Bessie. "See, I'll start you fair and soft! Once to stop." She gave him a mighty lift half-way up to the bare back.

"Twice to stay!" He was a little further on the way. "Three to be ready!" He helped her as much as he could. "And four-away! Now you are safe. Stick fast, I'll lead." It was a long trot, and a longer walk; and Bess was jaded and tired.

"A man's terribly heavy," she said as she wiped her brow with her disengaged hand, "and the day is hot. I wonder what happened to the dinner!"

The man had his work before him. It was as much as he could do to hold on.

The curious procession went forward, and presently the ranche was reached.

We three men were on the verandah smoking.

It had not been

a blissful day, and our tempers, as well as our dinners, had suffered. "I'll see if I let Bess go for the letters again," growled the master over and over. Growls were of no use. We were minus Bess, and we fared accordingly.

Nothing was right-except our smoke.

Jim cooked our steak, and got more kicks than ha'pence by way of reward.

I washed up, and had to stand the jeers of the other two.

The master reclined in lordly state, and we both endured his rage.

Where was Bess? Why did she not return?

Our work done, we thankfully took seats outside, and smoked the pipe of peace. The master condescended to "shut up," and unbent sufficiently to ask our opinion as to his sister's misdemeanour.

Jim gave his freely; I did not.

Jim is another brother. He is privileged; I am not. For reasons best known to myself, I declined to be "drawn," and held my tongue discreetly.

Presently Jim looked up.

'Hallo!" he cried; and said no more.

Seeing he stared in silence, we looked up also.

"Hallo!" echoed the master in profoundest amazement.

It was a queer sight to be sure, and Bessie looked fagged. But waving her hand triumphantly she turned in at the gate, and led her horse to the verandah steps.

"Come, some of you, and take him. Tumble him into a bedanybody's bed. Mine if you like. He'll die if you don't be sharp." We were used to her ordering. We took to it kindly now. The master leisurely walked round the horse. I took the stranger on my back. Jim ran to prepare a bed. We could not land him in her room, so he was planted down in mine. It came handiest; and I am not above a turn-over or a shake-down anywhere.

Bess hunted out her dinner from the pantry, and put it down to warm. She retired for a few moments, and reappeared as neat and as fresh as a new pin.

"There!" she exclaimed gaily. "Is there a cupful of broth to be had in the land, Matt? I want to give my man a feed."

She washed him and fed him, as any grannie might, and then, at a growl from the master, bethought herself of her own provender. "Who is he?" asked Jim earnestly.

"Don't know-don't care! He'd have died if I had not picked him up. That's all I have to do with it." She ate her dinner and removed the dishes.

"Where's Black Dan?" she asked, coming out to look at us.
I signified that he was already stabled.
"Who put him up? You, Matt?

I thought so. They'll kill you off if you don't mind. The master is growing fearfully lazy!"

She disappeared before any of us had recovered from this backhander, and we could hear her singing about her work in the kitchen. The master knocked the ashes out of his pipe.

"Shouldn't wonder if he's a cut-throat," he said solemnly. This was his way of taking revenge.

CHAPTER II.

THE days went by, and brought recovery and health to the stranger.

He was the quietest man I ever saw; just lying there taking us all in with his deep-grey eyes, and watching Bessie as if he could never see enough of her.

The master was about tired of playing at hospitality. He said as much to Bess.

"It's my house, and I won't have it!" He brought his fist down to enforce his words.

"He is my patient, and I will have it!" she said quite as emphatically. And we knew she meant it. She ruled us all.

How long he might have stayed I cannot tell; the offer to move came from himself, however, in the end. If was my off-day, and I chose to spend it at home-cleaning. It is not particularly enlivening work, especially to a member of an English university; but it is apt to become a trifle monotonous, and I was sorry for Bess.

The stranger sat on the window-sill; he was well and getting strong now. Bessie moved about, singing, talking, laughing, in perfect good fellowship. I sat outside washing cups and saucers in the sunshine. It was glorious weather, and we were having good times at the ranche. We are not particular as to names in these parts; we had called our guest Dick, and he had taken to it as kindly. as if his godfathers and godmother had bestowed it on him in baptism.

"It seems

And what I

"I must be off soon," said this same Dick presently. a long time since you picked me up, Miss Blandford. should have done if you had not, I really do not know!" I turned my head to give him a thorough good stare. could favour us with very tolerable English when he chose. It was not often however !

The man

Bessie stopped making her pudding. Her sleeves were rolled above her elbows; her hands rested, amongst the flour, on the table. The arms were strong, capable ones-as Dick knew pretty well. The girl's face was strong too; keen, bright eyes looked out fearlessly at their world; her hair waved softly and lightly all over her head. The oval face was brown with the hues of sun and fresh air upon it: it was a beautiful face! But it had determination, vigour, intellect, in every line; and you felt, at one glance, that humbug would not go down with Bessie Blandford.

Now she leaned on her hands and looked at him earnestly.

"You saved my life!" he went on, speaking quietly. "I am grateful! Words are cheap, and I cannot tell you all I feel. My life may not be worth much-perhaps it is not, still it is life-and but for you I might now be dead!"

"And the future?" asked Bess gravely.

"The future!" he laughed lightly. "Sufficient unto the dayyou know the rest. I never look forward."

"And yet it is the future that is always coming!" said Bessie, more to herself than to him.

"I suppose so," he answered wearily. "More's the pity! You have made me a human being again, Miss Blandford. By jingo, what a hand you have!"

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" She held up the member, all covered with flour, and looked at it, with a bright laugh on her face.

"Yes; I gave you a grip-didn't I?"

"You believe in human nature because a human hand gripped yours that day. Yet I only did for you what I might do for the master-for Jim-for Matt there! You are somebody's son, you know, and as such you are worth saving. Life is never to be flung away, or given away. It is always worth trying to save! And, after all is said and done, it was the water that brought you round, and Black Dan who carried you here; so I had a very little share in the business. See?" She leaned further across the table in her earnestness. "And, besides these, there was Another-He led me!" "I don't follow you," he returned sadly. "Don't you!

cried Bess. "Ah, then, you are poor indeed. Never mind, if you so believe in a human arm and a human hand. Some day-some day there will come to you an idea that there is more beyond, more above than just blue sky and so much space. We'll leave it, stranger. Fight it out by yourself under the stars. Knowledge is for him who seeks it."

They took no more count of me, bless you, than if I did not exist. That is always the way, I believe; but it comes a little rough on me at times.

When all is said and done, I am a human being, and as such I have my feelings. In the twinkling of an eye it flashed across my mind that this man-bad luck to him!-had crossed my path with Miss Blandford. He, the waif of fortune-the tramp, if you likehad dared to admire—to put it by no stronger word-our dear Miss Bessie.