B. M. Bower

“ But out where nature hasn't ever been manhandled, it don't do to overlook any bets; in those places “All men are brothers” is a good rule to go by. I rode along, and pretty soon I seen it was some human waving me a come-on—and a little closer, I knew it for a woman. ”

“ Now, a woman is most generally a welcome sight to a man out on the range, where they ain't too thick to be a novelty; but that's once when I wasn't glad to have one cross my trail; woman means time wasted, always—and I hadn't none to throw away. ”

“ But I do admire nerve, in man or woman; I never yet saw a coward that was much force, anyhow. You can't depend on them. And when yuh find a woman like Glen—well! I was singing “Just One Girl”—down deep inside uh me—before we left the ledge, even.
Then we went on, and history repeated itself till we was both plumb sick of it. It was walk, walk, walk; scramble and slide and fall down a hill; feel your way across a black coulée bottom, and watch out yuh don't tumble head-first into a washout—I went ahead, places like that, with one hand behind me holding to Glen—climb up out uh that coulée ”

“ Yuh can't carry a woman very far in your arms, the way they do on the stage; it looks better, but you wouldn't get far.
When we did get down into Kilpatrick's coulée, Glen roused up and walked the last few hundred yards, and we went up to the door and I knocked. Old Kilpatrick come to the door, and, so help me, he didn't know Glen from a hole in the ground, she was that black and draggled, and with my coat on. ”

“ A fellow that's used to reading brands on sight, and all that, don't have to drop his jaw and gawp all day to size up anything. I couldn't place her, and I didn't know where was her home range, but I can say right here that she sure looked good to Little Willie! ”

“ Finally I got on, and the way we faded from view up the coulée must uh done the old man good to see. I had ninety miles to get over, but I could bank on Ring every time.
The way I was headed took me straight away from Willow Creek and over toward Sand Piper, but bearing more to the east, so as to strike the round-up somewhere along on Big Birch. You know what a dense population that country hasn't got. There ain't a ranch in twenty mile; nothing but the hills and coulées and benches, all wearing a large, loose garment uh pure lonesomeness. ”

“ But when a man has put in 'steen years on the range, and has gone up against every kind of scaly layout, and has nursed cattle through long, dry drives, he learns some things. I don't for a minute mean that Glen Kilpatrick was like cattle, but, all the same, I applied the same rules as far as I could. I made her take her time ”

“ So pretty soon I unbuttoned my coat and throwed it open, and said that walking was warm work as wrassling calves. She eyed me suspicious, but I never let on. Then, after awhile, I got hotter, and took my coat off—but I didn't offer it to her ”

“ Then I felt more normal—except in the region uh my heart—and I borrowed a horse from Kilpatrick and went and delivered that message to Blank Davis—only they'd moved twice, away from Big Birch, and I had a dickens of a time finding camp, and rode about a hundred and twenty-five miles.
I delivered it, all right—trust Little Willie for that!—and hiked back to the Rocking-R only about two days overdue. And that's where I got turned down. Ring had gone back—how he dodged the fire's a plumb mystery to me, but I told yuh Ring was half human—and the old man wanted explanations and then some. ”

“ I could feel my hair stand on end, under my hat. Straight across behind me stretched a line uh flame, from Willow Creek clear across to Sand Piper, and it was galloping up before a stiff southwest wind. ”

“ KILPATRICK'S
By B. M. Bower
SPEAKING uh the Rocking-R outfit makes me think uh the deal that caused them to bid me a fond farewell—in other words, the time they canned me. It wasn't a square deal, the way I sized it up; I was looking for a laurel wreath to set on my brow—and maybe a steady job as Family Hero, with nothing to do but look pretty and draw wages—and all I got out of it was my time and a lot uh disparaging remarks from the old man. If yuh want a man to admire your noble courage a lot, see to it that yuh don't hit his pocket ”