"Of course I do! Why wouldn't anyone want to live there? That's real living--with the wonderful air, and the mountains, and the boundless unfenced range! Not right in Timber City, or any of the other towns, but on a ranch, somewhere. We could stay there till we got tired of it, and then go to California, or New York, or Florida for a change. But we could call the ranch home, and live there most of the time. Now that you have closed out your business, there is no earthly reason why we should live in this place--it's neither east nor west, nor north, nor south--it's just half way between everything. I wish we would hear from that Mr. Carlson, or whatever his name is so we could go and look over his ranch the day after our anniversary." "His name is Colston, and we have heard," smiled Endicott. "I got word this morning." "Oh, what did he say?" "He said to come and look the property over. That he was willing to sell, and that he thought there was no doubt about our being able to arrange satisfactory terms." "Oh, Win, aren't you glad! You must sit right down after dinner and write him. Tell him we'll----" "I wired him this afternoon to meet us in Timber City." "Let's see," Alice chattered, excitedly, "it will take--one night to Chicago, and a day to St. Paul, and another day and night, and part of the next day--how many days is that? One, two nights, and two days and a half--that will give us ten days to sell the house and pack the furniture and ship it----" "Ship it!" exclaimed the man. "We better not do any shipping till we buy the ranch. The deal may not go through----" "Well, Mr. What's-his-name don't own the only ranch in Montana. If we don't buy his, we'll buy another one. You better see that Mr. Schwabheimer tomorrow--he's wanted this place ever since we bought it, and he's offered more than we paid." "Oh, it won't be any trouble to sell the house. But, about shipping the furniture until we're sure----" Alice interrupted impetuously: "We'll ship it right straight away--because when we get it out there we'll just have to buy a ranch to put it in!" Endicott surrendered with a gesture of mock despair: "If that's the way you feel about it, I guess we'll have to buy. But, I'll give you fair warning--it will be up to you to help run the outfit. I don't know anything about the cattle business----" "We'll find Tex! And we'll make him foreman--and then, when we get all settled I'll invite Margery Demming out for a long visit--I've picked out Margery for Tex--and we can put them up a nice house right near ours, and Margery and I can----"