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Graha the hills that overlooked the ranch center, was getting acquainted with Seli which Dick had furnished hi the good nature, the roguishness and the dependableness of the animal, Graham hummed the words of the "Gypsy Trail" and allowed the of bucolic lovers carving their initials on forest trees, he broke a spray of laurel and another of redwood He had to stand in the stirrups to pluck a long- steered fern hich to bind the sprays into a cross When the patteran was fashioned, he tossed it on the trail before hi upon it Glancing back, Grahaood oht, that it had not been tra,his face as he rode, invited him to continue the manufacture of patterans, which he dropped as he fashioned them An hour later, at the head of the canyon, where he knew the trail over the divide was difficult and stiff, he debated his course and turned back

Seli nicker from close at hand The trail ide and easy, and Graha a wide bend, and overtook Paula on the Fawn

"Hello!" he called "Hello! Hello!"

She reined in till he was alongside

"I was just turning back," she said "Why did you turn back? I thought you were going over the divide to Little Grizzly"

"You kneas ahead of you?" he asked, ad into his

"Why shouldn't I? I had no doubt at the second patteran"

"Oh, I'd forgotten about theuiltily "Why did you turn back?"

She waited until the Fawn and Selim had stepped over a fallen alder across the trail, so that she could look into Graham's eyes when she answered: "Because I did not care to follow your trail--To follow anybody's trail," she quickly amended "I turned back at the second one"

He failed of a ready answer, and an aard silence was between them Both were aware of this aardness, due to the known but unspoken things

"Do youpatterans?" Paula asked