"Our supper won't agree with us, either, if it sits on the stove any longer," said Harry. "And now you can tell me all about where we're going this winter and who bought the cattle. Was it a regular stock buyer or a rancher?" "A rancher." "And where did you find, the hay? At the ends of the earth, I suppose." "No. Not so far out. Same fellow that is going to take the cattle sold me the hay. He'll take part pay in work; I'm going to feed the whole outfit together." "That sounds pretty fine. Is there a shack near by where we can live?" "Oh, sort of a shack!" Rob admitted reluctantly, while Garnett threw his head back and shook with soundless laughter. "What's the matter?" Harry inquired. "Is there a house there or not, Garnett?" "Sure. Didn't he tell you?" "I'll bet it's nothing but a barn," Harry declared, whereat both boys tittered again. "If I had time I'd write down to the man and find out what sort of house he's giving us," she added. "By the way, you haven't told me his name." "Let's see. What was the name of that old skinflint?" Rob asked, scratching his head and turning to Garnett. "Say! If you can't remember, how do you expect me to?" the forest ranger exclaimed, grinning. "You two certainly are silly to-night," Harry said loftily. But at the same moment she was thinking how good it was to see Rob his old self once more. And what a thing it was to have a friend like Garnett--so full of fun and yet, underneath it all, as solid as a rock. If his ranch were anywhere near the place they were going to, what good times the four of them could have that winter! And how near she had come to losing it all;--to giving up and going back East in that first summer of discouragement! In a flash of memory she saw again Chris Garnett's steady eyes as he had looked down at her that day on the train, heard the conviction in his voice as he told her: "You'll stay!" Was it his standing by them in all their difficulties that had helped his prophetic words come true? Suddenly, with a strange surprise she felt her cheeks burn and she bent low over her work. "How soon are we going, Bobby?" she asked abruptly. "As soon as we can get ready. I suppose there's a week's work to do up here first. Fortunately, Robinson says he'll take the pigs, butcher and cure the meat and make the lard for one third. But we'll have to dig vegetables, haul wood----" Harry merely smiled, but her turn came in the morning, when Rob found that during his absence she had done virtually everything to get the ranch ready for winter. "Great work, sis," he acknowledged, with a broad smile. "Thanks to you we can get off to-morrow. That kind of help is worth money." "Good! I'll take my pay in cattle," she answered gleefully. "Let me choose 'em back for you out of the herd before old skinflint's starved 'em to death," Garnett suggested, whereat Rob exploded into noisy laughter.