"h.e.l.lo! Why didn't you make an alarm when you got up so that I could have heard it."

"Oh, I didn't like to break up little boys' sleep. It is good for them."

The dairyman chuckled at the retort, and so did Fred.

Evelyn milked the pail full, turned it over to the dairyman and went to see the little pigs.

"Evelyn," said Fred, "how would you like to take a ride over the ranch?

We'll get back in time for breakfast."

"I would like it very much, provided you give me a safe horse to ride."

Fred went into the stable and saddled the big grays. They were almost a match in size and appearance for the two big grays which Evelyn had sold up North, and she greatly admired them. She stood there in the lot waiting for them to be made ready, and then, without going into the house to get a hat or any other article of dress, she placed her foot in Fred's hand, which he held out for her, and was quickly lifted in the saddle.

"Are you going without your hat, Evelyn?" Fred asked.

"Yes, the early morning sun can do me no harm, for it has hardly got its eyes open yet."

"All right; open the gate, Joe," and the dairyman went to the outer gate and held it open for them to pa.s.s through.

They went dashing down toward the spring, and when they reached there Fred dismounted, went to where a big, native-raised gourd was hanging to a bush, dipped it full of the water and handed it up to her.

She drank copiously of it, smacked her lips and said:

"Oh, my, Fred! I can taste both sulphur and iron plainly."

"Yes, those ingredients are the strongest in its composition, if it were nearer town it would become a the place of resort."

"Well, you must make it one, anyway. You must lay off the grounds beautifully, thin out the timber somewhat so flowers will grow and yet leave enough to form plenty of shade. Then if you build a few cottages, or maybe a hotel, it would easily become a resort--that is, if I am any judge of the water. It tastes perfectly delicious to me, and really I believe that it will finally prove the most valuable part of the ranch."

Then Fred led the way further down the road in a southerly direction, skirting the timber, and at almost every ten feet quail and prairie chickens flew up out of their way.

After they had gone about a couple of miles Evelyn suddenly saw something running through the tall gra.s.s as if trying to avoid being seen.

"Fred." said she, "aren't those wolves out there?"

"Where?" and Fred gazed in the direction in which she was pointing.

He could barely catch a glimpse of their backs through the tall gra.s.s.

"I guess they are coyotes," he said. "Let's give them a race," and he put spurs to his horse and dashed off after them. Evelyn, of course, followed, for she was quite as good a rider as he.

To his surprise, he gained on them, and he knew that the coyote was about the swiftest little animal of the kind anywhere, so he supposed that the tall gra.s.s was impeding their progress.

When he urged his horse faster the brutes turned, growled, showed their fangs and stood at bay.

"Great Scott, Evelyn!" he exclaimed, "they are timber wolves!" and his horse showed fear of them.

Evelyn reined up her horse right alongside of Fred.

"Why, Fred," said she, "they seem to be defying us, which is a mighty bold thing for them to do in the open daylight."

"Yes, indeed; but they saw that we were gaining on them. Luckily I have my revolver in my pocket," and with that he drew the weapon and again dashed toward the wolves, who seemed to be full of fight. When within fifteen feet of them he fired and the wounded wolf yelped with pain, while his mate seemed on the point of charging upon them. He fired the second time and the bullet crashed through the wolf's head. They both gave a single yelp, sank down in the gra.s.s and did a little kicking. The first one he had shot at hadn't been hit in a vital spot.

So he stood by snarling and showing his fangs until another shot stretched him on the ground alongside of his mate.

"Why, Fred," said Evelyn, as she rode up and looked at them after they were dead, "is it possible that they come up so near the houses on the ranch?"

"Well, I never saw them up so far this way before. I fear that they came up during the night in search of a calf, and I dare say if we search around we can find a dead calf half devoured somewhere in the neighborhood; but we won't stop to look for it. We will go back to the house and send two cowboys down here to get the wolves' pelts, for we always let them have the pelts of any wild beasts that we kill." So they rode back to the house, and just as Terry and Jack were placing breakfast on the table Fred dismounted and a.s.sisted Evelyn to the ground. She ran into the house, while Fred went to the stable with the two horses and sent word around by the stableman to two of the cowboys to go down and get the pelts of the two wolves and make a search for the remains of any cow or calf that the wolves had probably killed during the night.

Before he returned to the house Evelyn had acquainted Terry with the result of their ride.

"I'm not surprised at it," said Terry. "Before we placed cattle on the two ranches wolves were rarely seen in this part of the locality. They come up from the river bottom, some thirty miles away, and I guess we will have to have a grand wolf hunt pretty soon. Jack's and ours are the only ranches between here and the river. There are farms, though; but they don't raise cattle enough to tempt the wolves to leave the swamp, and they kept their hogs pretty well protected by wire fences. I am surprised, though, that only two wolves were seen, for generally they go in gangs for protection. As a general thing they are afraid of the long-horned cattle, and they rarely attack the grown ones; but they manage to catch calves quite often, for these long-horned cattle can toss a wolf high in the air and probably give him his death-wound."

Fred came in and then they sat down to the table, on which was fried prairie chicken and broiled quail.

"Oh, my! such an appet.i.te as I have," said Evelyn, "and I don't think I ever sat down to a more appetizing meal in my life."

Her cheeks were like roses, for the brisk ride in the morning air had flushed them beautifully.

"Terry, just look at those cheeks," said Fred, "did your ever see them glow more than now?"

"Oh, they'll glow every morning down here if she takes rides before breakfast."

They all ate heartily. Jack delighted in cooking since the new range had been put up.

Terry was an expert at broiling quail and any other kind of game, and they had fresh b.u.t.ter and milk.

"Brother," Evelyn said, during the meal, "last night Fred said that you would have to go to town to buy a piano. Are you going?"

"Yes, I guess I will."

"Then I want you to take several b.a.l.l.s of this b.u.t.ter to several different ladies in town as presents from me and tell them that I want them to pick out a good cook for me. Not that I am too lazy to do the cooking myself, but because we will need a good, strong colored woman to do household and laundry work."

"Sensible!" remarked Fred.

"Then bring one or two young ladies down with you," he added.

"Oh, you needn't bring anybody down vet. I'm not becoming lonesome yet by any means. I don't believe I would ever get lonesome with chickens and cows and pigs and, ducks to look after."

"My, sister! are you going to take all that responsibility on your shoulders?"

"Yes, for I'm going to be boss of the entire ranch, boys and all."

"Good! Good!" exclaimed Fred.

"Fred, don't whoop until you get out of the woods," said Terry, "for you will soon find out her style of bossing. You will find her sitting on the fence somewhere yelling to you to do this and to do that, and be quick about it. I know what it is to work for a girl boss, so I will be sure that we'll get competent help if it can be had. I want to do a little bossing myself."