Carolyn June was left alone with Sing Pete, the Chinese cook at the Quarter Circle KT.  She still felt somewhat shaken from her experience of the morning, although a bath, clean dry clothing and the meal had refreshed her considerably.  She carried a chair to the front porch, thinking to spend the afternoon resting.  The events of the day raced in review through her mind.  It did not seem possible so much could have happened in so short a time.  Only yesterday had Ophelia and she arrived at the ranch.  Already she had the feeling that they both were fixtures, and had been indefinitely, at the Quarter Circle KT.  The elemental atmosphere of the range country had completely enveloped her, seemed to have absorbed her, and made her a part of it.  Some way she rather delighted in this sensation of permanency.  Her rescue by the Ramblin’ Kid and the close view she had been able to get of his impulses made her thrill with a queer mixture of admiration and pity for him even while his brutal answer when she had apologized for her harsh words still echoed in her mind.

“Gracious,” she thought with a whimsical smile, “things move fast in this western country!”

She had seen, already, that both her Uncle Josiah and Parker were yielding to the charms of Ophelia.  The fancy made her chuckle.  She remembered Skinny’s too rapidly developing tenderness toward herself.  “Poor fellow,” she murmured, slowly shaking her head, “I wish he wouldn’t!  But I suppose he can’t help it—­I wonder why men are always falling in love with me, anyhow?  I’m sure I don’t try to make them!  I never saw one yet I really wanted to care—­” she stopped suddenly while a warm flush spread over her body as the Ramblin’ Kid was imaged rather vividly in her mind.  “Nonsense!” she said aloud with a soft, throaty laugh.  “Carolyn June, you are getting silly!”

She sprang up and went into the house.

“Sing Pete,” she said, stepping into the kitchen, “may I have some sugar—­I’d like the lumpy kind if you have it?”

“Sure!  You have him sugal—­how muchee you want?” as he held out to her a tin containing squares of the desired article.

“Oh, enough to win a heart!” Carolyn June answered laughing, at the same time taking a handful from the can.

“You eat him?” Sing Pete asked with a grin.

“No,” she replied, “I feed it to broncho—­to Gold Dust maverick.  Some folks sprinkle salt on bird’s tail to catch him—­I put sugar on horse’s tongue to make him love me—­”

“Lamblin’ Kid, he do that.  Allee time him gettee sugal for Clap’n Jack!”

“Feeds ‘Clap’n Jack’ sugar, does he?” Carolyn June said pensively.  “Captain Jack’s a nice little broncho,” she added, “he deserves sugar.”  She paused a moment. “‘Lamblin’ Kid’s’ a funny fellow, don’t you think so, Sing Pete?” she finished idly.

“Not funny—­him dangelous!” the Chinaman replied earnestly.  “He gettee velly mad ‘cause I puttee butter in can so cat catchee his head in an’ go lound an’ lound—­buckee like a bloncho—­havee lots a good time!  He not talkee much, Lamblin’ Kid don’t—­just dangelous—­that’s all!”