"Man, dear," she cried in mock misunderstanding, "you surely are not expecting me to ride the two of them at once!" "No," he answered meekly, "Old Pie Face is my horse, I'm going to ride him and go with you." "Indeed!" she exclaimed, then laughing mischievously. "Oh, certainly--that's a good one--I hadn't thought of it before!" "Don't you want me to go?" Skinny asked doubtfully. "Surely. I should be utterly unhappy if you didn't--I'll get my hat." "Blamed if I can figure her out," Skinny said to himself as Carolyn June ran lightly into the house. "She keeps a feller freezing to death and burning up all at once--sort of in heaven and hell both mixed together." A white, medium-brimmed felt hat was set jauntily on the fluffy brown hair when she reappeared. Skinny's heart leaped hungrily. Carolyn June was a picture of perfect physical fitness. The cowboy silently wondered how long he could keep from making "a complete, triple-expansion, darned fool of himself!" "I'm glad you want me to go," he said, renewing the conversation as they started around the house, "because I wanted to and, well, anyhow it's my job--" "What do you mean 'your job'?" Carblyn June asked quickly. Skinny was stricken silent. He realized he was on dangerous ground. He wasn't sure it would be wise to tell her what he meant. Someway he felt Carolyn June would resent it if she knew he was drawing wages for acting the lover to her. It seemed wholly impossible for him, just at that moment, to explain that, although Old Heck was paying him ten dollars a month extra salary to court, temporarily, his attractive niece, he, Skinny Rawlins, would personally be overjoyed to reverse the order and give his entire income, adding a bonus as well, for the privilege of continuing indefinitely and of his own choice the more than pleasant employment. Yet this was the literal truth, so quickly had his susceptible heart yielded to the charms of the girl. But he dared not try to tell her. He knew the words would not come and if they did he would probably choke on them and she, not believing the truth, would detest him. Skinny had heard of men who courted girls of wealth to win their money and with sincere contempt he despised these degenerates of his sex. Now, suddenly, he felt that he himself was in their class. The thought made him sick, actually caused his stomach to quiver with a sort of nausea. "Skinny Rawlins," Carolyn June said sternly, stopping and looking straight at the confused and mentally tortured cowboy, "tell me--and don't lie--what you meant when you said to go with me was 'your job!'" Skinny raised his eyes; in them was piteous appeal. "I meant--I--" he hesitated. "Tell me the truth," she ordered relentlessly, "or I'll--I'll--do something awful!" "I meant it was my job--" suddenly inspired, he blurted out, "to ride Old Pie Face. He's--he's dangerous and has to be rode every so often to keep him from getting worse and to-day's the day to ride him!"