They had turned and were riding the back trail. On the way home Mason told the girl about New York and his sister Ethel. Josephine was all attention when he explained why he came to leave home, and how his father had made him a proposition to stay a year on her father’s ranch. “Do you think you can be good out here?” the girl asked mischievously. “Yes, I think I can, with you for company,” he replied, smiling. The girl looked him straight in the eyes. “We are going to be great friends,” she said with a rare smile. “You must invite your mother and sister out here.” “I certainly will, and I am going to send for my ninety horse-power car.” “Oh, that will be fine,” the girl cried with enthusiasm. “I am just crazy about riding fast. You must teach me how to drive. We will have great fun with it. We have a negro cook and the boys call him Smoke, he is so black. Bud took him on a trip to Chicago last summer and to show Smoke a good time he hired a high powered car and told the chauffeur to drive the limit. “Well, Smoke never got over raving about that ride. Bud said his eyes fairly popped out of his head and he was scared stiff. When he got back home he told the boys in the mess room that Bud would never ‘get him in one of them go-devils again’!” Mason laughed heartily at her narrative. The girl touched him on the shoulder and pointed in the direction where he had seen the cattle grazing. He made out a horseman coming their way. “That’s Tex,” she said, “one of our boys, I can tell by the way he rides.” The rider halted and waited for them to come up. Mason noticed the cowboy took his hat off when the girl spoke to him. “Tex, this is Jack Mason from New York,” she said, introducing the Easterner. “How de do?” he jerked out in an offhand manner, “just rode in from the boundary line. Sort of keeping an eye on the Ricker gang,” he added, addressing his conversation to the girl. “What’s the matter, Tex, have they been kicking up any trouble?” she queried in an anxious voice. “Don’t exactly know,” he snapped out, “they have been acting mighty queer since them two punchers joined our outfit. Joe gave me orders to keep watch of them.” Tex was a tall lanky cowboy and extremely nervous. He had a peculiar habit of pulling his belt up to the last notch and letting it out again while talking. Mason sized him up as a hard man to handle at close quarters. The girl shrugged her shoulders. “I know who you mean, Tex,” the girl said, “Powers and Carlo.” He nodded grimly. “Never mind, Tex. I guess Bud can take care of them. You ride in with us, we will tire Jack out with all our troubles.” “I reckon I could take care of them if I get half a chance,” declared Tex with a grunt. He had hitched his belt up until it seemed to Mason that his waist was small as a bean pole, started ahead, riding his horse like one born to the saddle.