When McCloud reached the cottage Dicksie met him. "Katie Dancing's mother is sick, and she has gone home. Poor Marion is all alone this morning, and half dead with a sick headache," said Dicksie. "But I told her, and she said she shouldn't mind the headache now at all." "But what are you going to do?" "I am going to get dinner; do you want to help?" "I'm going to help." "Oh, you are? That would be very funny." "Funny or not, I'm going to help." "You would only be in the way." "You don't know whether I should or not." "I know _I_ should do much better if you would go back and run the railroad a few minutes." "The railroad be hanged. I am for dinner." "But I will get dinner for you." "You need not. I can get it for myself." "You are perfectly absurd, and if we stand here disputing, Marion won't have anything to eat." They went into the kitchen disputing about what should be cooked. At the end of an hour they had two fires going--one in the stove and one in Dicksie's cheeks. By that time it had been decided to have a luncheon instead of a dinner. Dicksie attempted some soup, and McCloud found a strip of bacon, and after he had cooked it, Dicksie, with her riding-skirt pinned up and her sleeves delightfully rolled back, began frying eggs. When Marion, unable longer to withstand the excitement, appeared, the engineer, flushed with endeavor, was making toast. The three sat down at table together. They found they had forgotten the coffee, but Marion was not allowed to move from her chair. When the coffee was made ready the bacon had been eaten and more had to be fried. McCloud proved able for any part of the programme, and when they rose it was four o'clock and too late, McCloud declared, to go back to the office that afternoon. Marion and Dicksie, after a time, attempted jointly to get rid of him, but they found they could not, so the three talked about Whispering Smith. When the women tried to discourage McCloud by talking hats he played the wheezy piano, and when Dicksie spoke about going home he declared he would ride home with her. But Dicksie had no mind that he should, and when he asked to know why, without realizing what a flush lingered in his face, she said only, no; if she had reasons she would give none. McCloud persisted, because under the flush about his eyes was the resolve that he would take one long ride that evening, in any event. He had made up his mind for that ride--a longer one than he had ever taken before or expected ever to take again--and would not be balked. Dicksie, insisting upon going home, went so far as to have her horse brought from the stable. To her surprise, a horse for McCloud came over with it. Quiet to the verge of solemnity, but with McCloud following, Dicksie walked with admirable firmness out of the shop to the curb. McCloud gave her rein to her, and with a smile stood waiting to help her mount. She was drawing on her second glove. "You are not going with me."