Hope Hathaway

p," declared the soft-voiced twin as he coiled

of various sizes were straggling homeward. Hope stood beside her horse patiently waiting for the twin

ce you've got a rope on a steer he'll never budge till the cinch busts off the saddle. He'll ju

he's cinched too tight or gets too much to eat, an' he ain't fit for a lady to ride, nohow. He's an Indian pinto to boot, a regular fo

pretty soldiers over to the post. I notice when there's any real work to be done, Mr. Dude ain't in it. Oh,

ed around to the other side of his pinto and had just turned the stirrup toward him, preliminary to

pon the soft-voiced twin picked himself up, very carefully brushed the

rn. I saw her pick it up by mistake this mornin'. You've tied up your dude cayuse twice with her'n to-day. Must have someth

facedly, throwing her rope on the ground, then hid himself on the opposite side of his pony. In an ins

urned to the other boy-big, clumsy, rough Dave. He was standing out of sight behind his horse, embarrassed by his own error. Hope felt sorry for him. She h

re tempting pasture. The girl thanked him, and walked over to Dave. He looked at her sullenly, a certain dogged obst

y rifle and meet me here at the school in two hours-six o'clock. The

ry up; but the soft-voiced boy had no notion of leaving his teacher, so Dave, with a savage whoop, ran his

go with him?"

for you," rep

st now. You'd better

t in no

nd awhile and keep your ears open. There will be a lot of breeds there, and some of those men over on Crow Creek, and maybe something will be said that we ough

im at once to look years older. For an instant Hope imagined that

at I can find out, but about Dave-I'll get even wi

a womanly woman. We're lucky when we have a good teacher, aren't we? But it's pretty hard to learn what doesn't come natural. Remembe

iled sweetly, and mount

n' over there if I'm goin' t

ave her at last. "I think you're right. Be

She watched him, absent-mindedly, until he disappeared over the hill-

arkable ease and grace. The girl frowned savagely when she saw him, but only for an instant. He waved his hat above his dark head an

the bridle, bringing her horse to a stand-still beside him. It was an old trick of his boyhood. The girl's ringing laughter reached a small group of men

ed. "I thought you'd forgotten i

he answered, growing sober. "Hopie, dear, leave these breeds and go home, that's a good girl! I can't bear to have you stay the

least bit. A steady diet of eggs-boiled in their own shells, is apt to make one hungry a

, and potatoes yet? Eggs only! It's a joke, Hope, but somehow I can't feel amused. I've eaten eggs f

school term ended, and I wouldn't because-I like it here. It's new and exciting. I feel just like a boy does in going out into the world f

urely there was nothing left to be desired. You can't make me believe that you really like it up here among these breeds, teaching a handful of stupid children their A B C's! I can't see the attraction. Clarice Van Rensse

can't go, I'm not going, and I want to forget for t

good! I'll not admit that there is any attraction for you in this Englishman over here. You've known dozens of them, and you've always expressed an aversion to

nterr

oesn't it make you feel ashamed of yourself when you think of all the sweetness of our past life? It makes me, Syd. Sometimes at night before I go to sleep I think of the way you've acted lately, and I can feel a hot flush creep all over my face. It makes me so ashamed! I've grown up with you for my brother, I think of you always as my brother, and this makes a n

y, starving, living among a lot of breeds, and I've added more to your misery. It's all a mistake. I know now when I see you crying-don't do it, dear! You've never cried since you were a baby, and now you're such a

r hands away from her face. She was ashamed of her tears, as people a

in a moment, then reached down and kisse

don't be sorry. Maybe some tim

ow it. You don't know how happy I was all at once when you

is horse again. His own ey

ms better than anything to me,"

aid Hope, "to see if I could help an

n, "right around the bend of this hill just in

. Livingston when the little German girl is expecte

s sister?" a

to marry him! Isn't it sad? Who will meet her and who will tell her, I wonder, and

or fellow, Livingston told me. The wh

y thing to do!" e

ht to put Livingston next. But he probably scents the situation now from this occurrence. He is one of the kind who trusts everyone. I met him last fall in tow

didn't invest in ca

ahead. "You can't see the men, but they're just around that point

ol-house with me. I'm going to meet one of the twins there at s

the camp and let the cook get you up a good, square

any birds," she asked, "does t

" he r