OUR young man, upon hearing this

resolve of Miss Howell to ride with him to the ranch and share his dangers, felt a thrill of pride: this maiden whom he hoped with good reason to make his own, was evidently of the sort that stands by friends-not only through safety, but in danger. "I am a lucky dog, after all", he murmured to himself. "She is a poor girl, so far as cold cash is concerned, but I am able to make money enough for both of usand her heart of gold is a better dower than any millionaire-father could have given her.

"And she shall have her way, too: she shall go with me to the ranch-that is, theoretically. There's nothing like letting a woman have her way, in a plan, whatever may be best to do in carrying it out."

'My brave girl," he exclaimed, clasping her hands, "you will be glorious company, if you do go with me. Can you ride well?"

"Don't you remember, dear, that lovely evening on the seashore, when we distanced all the rest of the company?" answered the girl, with a bit of reproach in her tone. "You said then, that I was the best horsewoman you ever had seen."

"Yes, yes," replied Jack, with a bit of a stammer: "the question was, whether you had kept in practice. If so"

"You may decide that, after we start," replied the girl, with a smile, "and if I'm not in good enough form to ride into a company of strikers, just inform me, and I will turn back."

off alone into danger, after-afterdreaming of you all these years"

This frank little statement delayed the resuming of the conversation, for a full half-minute: and a faithful old house-keeper, who. was doing her best at listening through the keyhole of a door not far away, thought Miss Howell's young-man visitor was a good while in starting, even after he had started.

It was finally agreed that the whole party should leave at eight o'clock (presumably next morning), and make the journey to the ranch.

"I said eight o'clock", murmured Alderson to himself, as he went back thoughtfully to his hotel, "and-I'm afraid she thought I meant that we would start at that hour to-morrow morning. On the contrary, we must get our people together immediately, and leave at eight tonight. We should be there the first thing in the morning. I will leave Miss Howell a note, stating that as she was not ready at the hour, we had to push forward without her. She will appreciate, some time, my anxiety to guard her from any possible danger."

And at eight o'clock that evening, the little band of "regulators" had started, and were soon a good distance on their way-which, however, it must be confessed, they did not keep for a great many miles. The night was dark and cloudy, the trail easily missed, and they finally had to confess to themselves that they were lost. There was nothing for it, but to camp down until the earliest rays of morning, and then press on-which they did.

When finally, having found their way, they arrived at the ranch, they saw that they were expected: a line of men met them, with guns loaded and poised. The company of insurgents was commanded by the gigantic foreman, Darrell.

"Don't come a step nearer," shouted the burly leader, as our invading company halted to reconnoiter more thoroughly. "You fellows that pretend to represent the property-rights, have got

to learn that Australia doesn't all belong either to you or to your new employers-at least not yet. If you come any nearer, you'll get your medicine: and there'll be some cold lead in the prescription."

"You know very well," said Alderson, advancing several steps over the imaginary "dead line", with a dangerous and, perhaps, useless display of courage, "that this is Mrs. Mathew's property, and that I as her agent and manager, have a right to the possession of it. You know, too"

"I know, too, that this is not Mrs. Mathews' property", interrupted Darrell. "I know that you came here under false pretenses. I know that you and she both, are just simply liars, and cheats."

It

This was more than the young Englishman could stand. He did a strange thing, but, as nearly all that were there thought, an entirely correct one. was partly instinctive: but was the result of the general methods and opinions of the race from which he had sprung. It aroused the admiration of all present: even that of the mutineers. They stood looking eagerly on.

He sprang from his horse, threw all his weapons to the ground, and strode to the herculean ringleader, with no regard to the threatening gestures of those near him.

"You say I am a liar, and a cheat," he shouted, shaking his fist under the other's nose. and then giving his mouth a good substantial slap that could be heard a fair fraction of a mile. "You know better, and are lying, or at least pretty careless in the statement. Have that little matter out with me now, in regular English style, and we'll settle the rest of it afterwards."

So fascinating was a good square fistfight to most of the company, that they gathered around and watched this one, regardless of the main point at issue. It was such an admirably contested one, that even the strikers began to have a sneaking regard for Jack, because of his affording them so good an entertainment. "On my word, Jem, it's as good

as anything I hever see in the ring," said one of them. "The young hinterloper can 'it anyhow, an' he can 'it 'ard”, said another.

And it must be admitted that they were both good fighters. It was a pretty even mill for about five minutes, when Jack, with a swinging blow he had learned from a promising American pugulist at Santiago, during the Spanish-American war, laid the big Darrel low, with a peculiarly nasty cut on the nose, which gave a copious tribute of gore to the impromptu little battle-ground.

This incident maddened the giant, who had thus far been making a cool, careful fight, with no idea of finally being worsted. With a terrible blasphemy, even for one of his sort, he sprang to his feet, grasped a rifle from one of the men that stood by, and levelled it full at Jack Alderson.

It was not in the young man's nature to dodge, run, fall suddenly, or to use any other of the impromptu methods that might possibly have enabled him. to escape. He simply looked the ruffian in the eye, and said,

"Well, you evidently intend to make the next round a peculiarly lively one."

"I intend to blow out your brains", shouted the other, hoarsely.

"When it comes to blowing out brains, you have the advantage of me", replied Jack, coolly: "if I tried to be in the game with you, I'd fail for lack of material. Blow away."

This was all done in a few secondsbefore any one could get time to interfere-even had they dared: but all at once there came a woman's voice, shrill, but full of the magnetism of authority, and Katherine Howell rushed between the young man and the muzzle of the gun.

"Joe Darrell, what are you doing? shoot me, if you want to shoot any one!"

The other dropped his rifle, and cowed before the owner of the voice, like a whipped dog.

"Oh, is it you, Miss Howell? I am

under your orders. Do you want me to obey this man?"

"Yes!" replied the girl, who had discovered the trick Jack had played on her, and ridden along after the party, with another competent escort: “I command you to! don't you know he is my overseer?"

"No," replied the big fellow, whimpering: "he claimed to be some one else's. There was a story that you had been cheated out of the property. But if you still own the ranch, Miss Howell, that settles it: nobody's goin' to make any disturbance against your holdings. If he's your overseer, he ain't a cheat, nor a liar, ma'am. A woman who has saved so many of our lives by nursin' us back to health when we was near dead, like you did, ma'am, wouldn't have a rascal for an overseer. I beg your pardon, sir, for being hit by you. Things will go on all right, now we know who we're serving, ma'am."

Indeed, it was true. Not Mrs. Mathews, but Mrs. Mathews' niece, owned the ranch and a good deal of property besides--of which she was heiress. In getting betrothed to "a poor, penniless girl, Jack Alderson had unconsciously put himself in the way to marry a fortune.

She laughed at him a good deal, on the way back to Melbourne. "So you thought you would slip away from me, did you?" she said. "Let it be a warning to you in future. You did get away, but not very long before I found it out. As if I wasn't going along to look after my own property!-of which, dear Jack, I now consider you as the most own, and by which, using a good deal of poetic license, I am owned.

"Of course you won't be overseer, now: you can let your friend take that position-you won't need it'—

"Indeed, I do need it, though", responded Jack. "I need something to keep me active and busy, even in my present happiness. If you don't discharge me".

"No, I won't," was the reply, "if, whenever strike-breaking is necessary, you let me go along."