"Shall I call her back again?" asked Kate.
"Not if Bart comes with her," answered Lee Haines. "I've seen enough of him
to last me a while."
"Well, we'll have her to ourselves when Dan comes; of course Bart leaves
her to tag around after Dan."
"When is he comin' back?" asked Buck, with polite interest.
"Anytime. I don't know. But he's always here before it's completely dark."
The glance of Buck Daniels kicked over to Lee Haines, exchanged meanings
with him, and came back to Kate.
"Terrible sorry," he said, "but I s'pose we'll have to be on our way before
it's plumb dark."
"Go so soon as that? Why, I won't let you."
"I--" began Haines, fumbling for words.
"We got to get down in the valley before it's dark," filled in Buck.
Suddenly she laughed, frankly, happily.
"I know what you mean, but Dan is changed; he isn't the same man he used to
be."
"Yes?" queried Buck, without conviction.
"You'll have to see him to believe; Buck, he doesn't even whistle any
more."
"What?"
"Only goes about singing, now."
The two men exchanged glances of such astonishment that Kate could not help
but notice and flush a little.
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