“And what were you mooning about, Sir Jack?” Josephine challenged him, when both girls paused in front of him and made a curtsey.
“I’ll never tell you,” he answered, as with a bow he returned their salute. “You both would have swelled heads, and I refuse to have two vain girls on my hands.”
Both girls charged at him and insisted that he tell them at once. He laughingly compromised with them by offering to show them around the ranch in the short time before his mother should arrive.
Mason first conducted them to the corral, his sister being an admirer of fine horses, and as they were starting to leave the corral for an inspection of the bunk-house and mess room, Bud Anderson with a group of mounted cowboys swept past them with a rush.
“Oh, who was that fine looking man at the head of those cowboys?” his sister asked in open admiration.
“That’s Bud Anderson, the sheriff and foreman of this ranch,” he answered, trying to conceal a rising note of vexation that had crept into his voice in spite of himself.
Was it possible his sister would fall in love with Bud, as had Josephine? He put the question to himself as the thought struck him. Bud was a fine fellow, he had to admit, but he felt a sharp pang of jealousy whenever he saw Josephine talking to Bud. Josephine had called to him and he wheeled from the group of cowboys and bringing his plunging horse to a stand, dismounted in front of them.
“What a superb horseman,” was Ethel’s comment after she had been introduced to him.
He had left them after promising Josephine that he would be on hand the next morning with his cowboys to show the visitors some fancy riding. Ethel began to feel a little tired after they had walked around a bit longer, and Josephine suggested that they go into the house and rest up for the next day. This plan was agreed to and on arriving at the house they had chairs placed on the porch, where lunch was served to them by Pomp, the cowboys’ cook, who had been pressed into double service.
Josephine explained that she often had him come to the house to prepare special dishes and that he was a very expert cook who took delight in showing his skill. Josephine soon excused herself, saying she had to see Pomp about a late dinner. Mason seized the opportunity to ask his sister about their father, and what she knew about the long enmity Ricker held against him.