The Last Straw

in Dick Hilton came to see her, riding a horse in the second visit, but his stays were not leng

rds she had found. She discovered a detailed diary of events for the past ten years, a voluminous chronicle kept more for the sake of

as particularly familiar, never satisfied until she had learned all that he could teach her. Every evening Hepb

from the moroseness which he displayed before the men. He had been stripped of initiative until his authority

ane had argued away Hepburn's objections that Beck was to have a free hand with the horses, gathering the saddle stock and getting it in shape for the summer's work, breaking young

it occasioned little comment. Their judgment of her was still suspended; that i

the smartest girl I've ever seen ... an' the loveliest!"

said t

ow'd you like to h

smiled c

pick out a horse. There ain't much can fool a man who knows horses when he looks one over careful-

he first to listen when others spoke of her qualities

, each time accompanied by Beck or He

looking up from the hoof of a colt which he

to ride," the c

n' a

ess

dle off and put it

he sai

take it off or I'll make y

r miscarried Jane d

me," Two-Bits

dered the

s paint, ma'am," Beck said, the foot

with a show

down to you. If somebody was with you, it'd

e turned back to his work, talking gently to the animal. Then with a grudgingly resigned si

templated visit to the ranc

a'am?"

ans for the summer's work and the like.

led an

ut I guess you'd bett

? Wha

learned a lot, but you don't know enough to talk business with anybody yet.

f judging that," she sa

ght, she did not know enough about her affairs to discuss her relationships with neighbors intelligently. She still smarted

that she rode and once, remarking on

ot better wit

not even reply. His observation had smacked of no disagreeable intimacy.

off her

a time and Jane asked Hepburn to ride down the creek with

m?" Beck asked when she reque

had

n the place," he said, "so

r. Anyhow, what hurt

nd cold ain't a good thing for anybody; it'd be a mighty bad th

This man was not even her foreman and yet he brought her up short, time after time. Sh

ple, and when she bridled under it all she saw that twinkle creep

ing to fathom the sensations he experienced; days he rode without sufficient thought for the work that was before

the hotel, taking her to a picture show, paying her broad compliments, seeing her pride rise because of his attentions, and he rode home before

ours each day, until, in fact, escorting her had become Beck's job. The ostensible purpose of this was to learn the country and the manner of range work but though she

a time she gave up, tentatively, and ado

while Beck crowded them from behind. She took the descent with a degree of hesitation for the going-so steep that she was forced to clamp a hand behind her c

ck with sparkling eyes, expecting

he country's all got to look level to yo

er ... and stimul

she brought down her first deer

er; see where you hit," he said, indicatin

r learn to use the weapon. She bade him teach her the rudiment

ise, niggardly of praise; ready to

ukes whipped flushes to her cheeks and more than once she left him with tears standing in her

ing when Tom passed him. He looked up with that baleful expression, as though he was impelled to do the HC rider great harm and held

pero

pt which small, timid boys p

but that gave him som

te to the houseyard he saw Hepburn smiling at him with scornf

chaperone,

ength but the thing which interested him was that Hepburn had used the s

after dark Jane made a meal herself and they ate together at her tabl

d talk with me a

'am, but is

ss, perhaps, but it might me

gaze for steady g

hink you were co

y, yet her gaze w

t if I s

erted him bu

ikely I

y distasteful

dless. So I won't. I don't mind tellin' you, thoug

at people sa

that I'm responsible for. I didn't h

ser, hands behi

t deal to say about respect. No one had ever talked to me as

you are the only one with whom I have talked so frankly about myself. But at every turn you repulse me,

her calc

I told you that it was

nk it was no

his time his eye

on a gold locket that was at her throat. "I might think that you fear that bec

to. You are the first individual that ever made me feel ashamed of myself. Yo

espect. Now I'm going to win another: the respect of other peo

ng I want, Tom Beck, and that is your friendship. Before I get thro

lmost appealing; and that combination of qualities indicated that her words did not e

quite su

e ever been of an

as seized with the fear that she had said too much, had gone too far. And tha