E-text prepared by Roger Frank and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration. See 23296-h.htm or 23296-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/3/2/9/23296/23296-h/23296-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/3/2/9/23296/23296-h.zip) THE FIGHTING SHEPHERDESS by CAROLINE LOCKHART With Frontispiece by M. Leone Bracker [Illustration: Kate was sitting on a rock--a dark picturesque silhouette against the sky. See page 235.] A. L. Burt Company Publishers New York Published by arrangement with Small, Maynard & Company Copyright, 1919, By Small, Maynard & Company (Incorporated) Second Printing, February, 1919 Third Printing, March, 1919 Fourth Printing, March, 1919 Fifth Printing, May, 1919 Sixth Printing, June, 1919 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I The Sand Coulee Roadhouse 1 II An Historic Occasion 13 III Prouty 28 IV Disillusionment 40 V For Always 52 VI The Wolf Scratches 58 VII The Blood of Jezebel 75 VIII The Man of Mystery 85 IX The Summons 98 X The Bank Puts on the Screws 109 XI Kate Keeps Her Promise 120 XII The Dude Wrangler 131 XIII Mrs. Toomey's Friendship Is Tested 139 XIV Like Any Other Herder 156 XV One More Whirl 165 XVI Straws 175 XVII Extremes Meet 189 XVIII A Warning 207 XIX An Old, Old Friend 212 XX The Fork of the Road 228 XXI "Heart and Hand" 253 XXII Mullendore Wins 263 XXIII When the Black Spot Hit 274 XXIV Toomey Goes into Something 283 XXV The Chinook 298 XXVI Taking Her Medicine 309 XXVII The Sheep Queen 322 XXVIII The Surprise of Mr. Wentz's Life 333 XXIX Toomey Distinguishes Himself 344 XXX Her Day 353 THE FIGHTING SHEPHERDESS CHAPTER I