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Morning brought Ellen further vacillation At length she rolled the obnoxious package inside her blankets, saying that she would wait until she got hon it cheerfully to the flames Antonio tied her pack on a burro She did not have a horse, and therefore had to walk the several miles, to her father's ranch

She set off at a brisk pace, leading the burro and carrying her rifle And soon she was deep in the fragrant forest The h frost to rass sparkle as if with diaularly full of, life Her youth would not be denied It was pulsing, yearning She hummed an old Southern tune and every step seeible future happiness All the unknown of life before her called Her heart beat high in her breast and she walked as one in a dreaue, not of yesterday or to-day, nor of reality

The big, gray, white-tailed squirrels crossed ahead of her on the trail, scaround to hop on tree trunks, and there they paused to watch her pass The vociferous little red squirrels barked and chattered at her Froobble of turkeys The blue jays squalled in the tree tops A deer lifted its head fro ears erect, watching her go by

Thus happily and dreamily absorbed, Ellen covered the forest miles and soon reached the trail that led down into the wild brakes of Chevelon Canyon It was rough going and less conducive to sanderings ofassailed her, one she never failed to have upon returning to her father's ranch--a reluctance, a bitter dissatisfaction with her houe sense that all was not as it should be

At the head of this canyon in a little, level, grassyred-stone chie old ue and his occupation was raising burros No sheep or cattle or horses did he own, not even a dog Ruue was a prospector, one of the old ue knew more about the Basin and Rim than any of the sheepmen or ranchers From Black Butte to the Cibique and from Chevelon Butte to Reno Pass he knew every trail, canyon, ridge, and spring, and could find his way to theht His fa but raise burros, and would raise none but black burros hite faces These burros were the finest bred in ail the Basin and were in great deue sold a few every year He had h he hated to part with them This old man was Ellen's one and only friend