"But the wind is from the other direction!"
"Yes, it generally is when the thunder-storms get in their work. If we
can get past the Johnson fences we can take it easy an' camp most
anywhere when the storm hits, but if we get caught on this side without
no moonlight to travel by an' have to camp over tomorrow in some
coulee, there's no tellin' who'll run onto us. This south slope's
infested some plentiful by the riders of three or four outfits." He
headed his horse down the steep descent, the others following in single
file.
As the coulee widened Alice found herself riding by the Texan's side.
"Oh, don't you just love the wild country!" she exclaimed, breaking a
long interval of silence. "The plains and the mountains, the woods and
the creeks, and the wonderful air----"
"An' the rattlesnakes, an' the alkali, an' the soap-holes, an' the
quicksand, an' the cactus, an' the blisterin' sun, an' the lightnin',
an' the rain, an' the snow, an' the ice, an' the sleet----"
The girl interrupted him with a laugh: "Were you born a pessimist, or
has your pessimism been acquired?"
The Texan did not lift his eyes from the trail: "Earnt, I reckon, would
be a better word. An' I don't know as it's pessimism, at that, to look
in under the crust of your pie before you bite it. If you'd et flies
for blueberries as long as I have, you'd----"
"I'd ask for flies, and then if there were any blueberries the surprise
would be a pleasant one.
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