1. Retta Caldwell is an admirable heroine. She is trustworthy, dependable, responsible, and mature. She is loyal to her friends and sensitive and caring about others, and she and her family experience few conflicts. Has the author been fair to the reader in making Retta so exemplary? Would you have liked Retta better or less if she had exhibited negative traits as well as good ones?

2. Is it realistic that a knowledgeable, seasoned ranch owner would leave his ranch and herd of valuable Arabian horses in the care of a nineteen-year-old whom he hardly knows?

What are some of the reasons one might or might not take this course of action?

3. Retta is angered by Mrs. Bradley's rule that there be no females in Dallas's quarters at any time. Was Mrs. Bradley justified in making the rule? Was Retta justified in feeling resentful and angry...