Sydney looked at Hope and began to laugh, then leaned over toward Livingston and placed his hand upon his shoulder. "She'll be telling you how to run your sheep next. You mustn't mind her, though, for she's been teaching school a whole week, and dictating is getting to be sort of second nature with her, isn't it, Hopie? And besides that she isn't responsible. A steady diet of hard-boiled eggs isn't conducive----" She stopped him with a gesture, laughing. "That's awfully true, only I haven't eaten even hard-boiled eggs since breakfast, and I'm famished! It was cruel of you to remind me, Syd!" "You poor youngster!" he exclaimed in real commiseration. "Is it as bad as that? I'm going over and start supper at once. The camp is just over the hill there, up that next draw." He pointed ahead, then looked at his watch. "It's after five now. You keep your appointment with the half-breed, but never mind the chickens till you've had a square meal." She nodded in answer, smiling at him. "They're starving her over there," he explained to Livingston, who looked at them in some wonderment. "They don't feed her anything but boiled eggs. Tell him why you don't eat anything but eggs, Hope, boiled,--hard and soft,--in their _own shells_. Maybe you can get them to bake you a potato or two in their _own jackets_!" "What an idea! I never thought of that," she exclaimed. "You're a genius, Syd. But go home or I shall famish! I'll meet Dave and come right over there. I think the chickens will fly that way to-night, anyway, don't you?" "Of course they will," replied her cousin, "they fly right over the top of my tent every evening!" Then he started away, but turned about quickly as though he had forgotten something, and asked Livingston if he would not come over to camp for supper, too. Livingston looked up into the dark eyes of the girl beside him, then accepted. "Good!" said Sydney. "Come along with Hope." "Be sure and see that there's enough cooked," called the girl as he rode away. "Don't worry about that, pard," he answered, then, lifting his hat, waved it high above his head as he disappeared around the reef of rocks. Hope looked after him and was still smiling when she turned to Livingston. It may have been something in his face that caused her own to settle instantly into its natural quiet. "I'd like to go up there for a moment," she said, then dismounted, and leaving her horse walked quickly up the grassy hill until she stood beside the grave. Some sod had been roughly placed upon the dirt, and scattered over that was a handful of freshly picked wild flowers. "_You_ picked them!" exclaimed the girl softly, turning toward him as he came and stood near her. "And _I_ never even thought of it! How could you think of it! I had supposed only women thought of those things--were expected to think of them, I mean," she added hastily. "You make me wonder what----" He looked at her curiously.