The girl reddened slightly.

“Roy, then! And you call me Nell. But tell me—did you ever shoot a rustler—Roy?â€�

“No, I can’t say that I did,� Roy answered, with a laugh. “But if you’d like it, I’ll try to arrange to do it for you,� and he laughed again.

“Oh, no!� Nell replied with a pretended shiver. “I don’t want you to do it. I just wondered if you had.�

“Roy’s only joking,â€� Mr. Manley stated. “People back East think we’ve got nothing to do but chase Indians and string up hoss-thieves. Why, even if there were Indians runnin’ around loose, we wouldn’t have time to chase ’em. We have plenty to do on a ranch without lookin’ for trouble,â€� he declared. “That reminds me, Teddy—who’s doin’ most of the outridin’ these days?â€� Outriding was the process of investigating the condition of the stock on the range.

“Nat Raymond and Jim Casey, mostly,� Teddy answered. “Then, I thought maybe it would be a good idea to have Nick Looker take a hand, too. Since the rustlers started raiding the 8 X 8, I’ve been kind of worried about our own cattle.�

“Yes, have Nick do that,� replied the lad’s father approvingly. Mr. Manley thought it best that his sons should assume responsibility early in life. Accordingly, he gave each one the practical management of the ranch on alternate weeks. This week Teddy had been the foreman.

“Well, no use standin’ out in the hot sun,� Mr. Manley continued, with a glance at the fair skin of the two girls. He wondered how long it would be before a coat of tan covered those pink-and-white faces. “Roy, just cart the bags into the depot, will you? Some one coming out from the 8 X 8 for you, I take it?� and he looked over at Nell and Ethel.

“We expect a car,â€� Ethel answered dubiously. “Although Uncle Peter may send horses—â€� and she glanced down at her traveling dress.

“Now, don’t worry about that,â€� Mr. Manley said, with a hearty laugh. “We have autos out here, same as you have in New York. Pete’s got two of the finest cars in the state, though mostly he uses flivvers. You won’t have to fork no bronc—pardon me, I mean ride a horse.â€�