Before Leaving, She Explained to the Old Half-Indian Woman That She Would Not Return Until Dinner Time

CONTENTS

I. [The Branch of the Tree]9
II. [The Younger Set]20
III. [Old Pastimes]32
IV. [A Former Acquaintance]47
V. [Jean, Olive and Frieda]58
VI. [Jean and Ralph Merritt]75
VII. [The Tea Party]91
VIII. [An Interview]104
IX. [A Year Later]117
X. [A Maiden Speech]129
XI. [The Proposals]140
XII. [A Decision]152
XIII. [The Campaign]169
XIV. [In the Thick of the Fight]178
XV. [Consequences]192
XVI. [The Election]204
XVII. [The Heart's Desire]217

ILLUSTRATIONS

[Before Leaving She Explained That She Would not Return Before Dinner Time] Frontispiece
[With a Single Swift Motion She Lifted Little Peace into the Saddle]72
[Jack Reined in Her Horse and Sat Still, Silhouetted Against the Sky]149
[Not a Bouquet of Flowers but of Evil-Smelling Weeds and Tied With a Rag Instead of a Ribbon]186

The Ranch Girls and Their Heart's Desire