“Oh, good Lord, yes,” said the doctor, comfortably. “Never knew the child to be anything else. I remember offering her a dollar a day for every day she’d stay in bed while she had the measles but she took it standing! I was in great luck to keep her off her pony. Come on, Sam--can’t you spruce up a little? We’ve got company on board! Yes, Ginger’s well; I should say she is--blooming! Busier than a whole hive of bees, of course, running the ranch. Remarkable girl, Virginia McVeagh; combines her father _and_ her mother to an astonishing degree. They were an odd pair to come together, different as chalk and cheese--but _they_ made a success of it.” There was the faintest possible emphasis on the pronoun. “Heard a good deal of talk, the time I went down there after Snort, about her being engaged to ’Rome Ojeda.” “Yes?” said Dean, courteously attentive. “Yes. In fact, ’Rome himself rather gave me to understand--but I don’t know. I won’t believe it till I hear it from Ginger. I hope she won’t be in too much of a hurry. Still, he’s a fine, upstanding boy, ’Rome Ojeda, and he’s known her all her life and he understands her. Well, Snort’s waiting for you in the corral! A good horse, but he hasn’t been handled right--not what I call right. ’Rome’s pretty hard--and pretty harsh, I consider, with his stock. I’m afraid you won’t find him a very comfortable mount.” “I don’t expect to,” said Dean Wolcott, grimly, a look of reminiscence in his eyes. “But I expect to ride him. I--doubtless it seems rather absurd to you, Doctor, my desire for that particular horse, but I think I’ve come to consider him as a sort of symbol; he showed me--and incidentally the rest of the world”--he was able to grin, ruefully, at the memory--“my utter unfitness; it will be a satisfaction, now that I can ride, to prove it on Snort. It will rather--redeem me in my own eyes.” “I can understand your feelings perfectly,” said the doctor cordially. As a matter of fact, the young man had no idea as to how thoroughly the doctor understood all of his feelings. “But I’m going to caution you about overdoing; it’s hard work, and rough at times, as I said a little while ago, but you can take it reasonably.” “I’m hard as nails, Doctor; _quite_ fit.” The doctor nodded. “Yes, I believe you are. But there may be slumps, you know; I don’t want to alarm you, but--arm you for them.” “You’re very kind; I will bear it in mind.” It was quite clear, however, that he considered the warning wholly superfluous; there was a triumphant strength and verve about him.