“My dear—did you say you heard me call? Indeed, I had not uttered a sound! Some day—you will not try so hard to resist me, nor to make yourself believe that which you know is not true. May I see you, if only for a moment, while you are in Kalispell?” he continued, but before he could catch the reply the girl had run out to where she saw Mrs. West with some other ladies. CHAPTER XVI “MON DESIR” AND THE BOX OF ROSES “It does seem so good to be home again where it is cool and clean and cozy,” said Bess, as she flung herself into an easy porch chair the morning of their return from the County-seat. She scanned with interest the tall, magnificent pines and firs which bordered the lake, as if she had been away from them months instead of days. A half-drawn glove was held in her clasp, as she lifted her hands to her eyes better to discern some horsemen whom she saw in the distance. “Little Mother,” she cried, “come quickly; I believe those are the boys returning!” Mrs. West came hurrying out with a pair of field glasses, and soon the two were hastening out of the gate and down the road to see “the boys.” For a moment they were out of sight behind the low hill, then suddenly, a single horseman came into sight, riding swiftly toward them. In a moment more Henry West sprang to the ground and held both his mother’s hands as he pressed his tanned and roughened cheek against hers. Turning to Bess with the gladness of return shining in his eyes and ringing from his voice, he said, “Oh, it seems so good to be home again! We had a long, hard siege of it this trip. But where are you going?” as he noticed she still wore her hat. Bess had suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. She could not reply. His mother explained that they had just returned from Kalispell and that she was glad they were at home when he arrived. Just then James Fletcher with several of the cowboys came riding up. “Well, little sister, are you so glad to see us that you can’t control your laughing?” said James, jumping from his horse and giving Bess such a hearty squeeze that she gasped for breath. “Really, Henry, if you could see how funny you look with that—that little goatee, I guess you call it!” Henry gave the whiskers a stroke or two, and replied in a joking manner entirely foreign to himself, “You see, ‘noblesse oblige’. I was chosen foreman of the round-up, and so grew this to give me dignity.” “Yes, Henry could not have carried on the round-up had not the boys been awed by the whiskers,” added James, looking at Henry, and they both laughed as numerous jokes recurred to them. “To say the least, they are awful, don’t you think so, little Mother? Please boys, go hurry and shave and look like yourselves again.”