She was on the ranch more for the sake of being with her parents than from any necessity of employment.

Vaguely he seemed to understand that, in that great new land of the West, in the open-air, healthy life of the ranches, where the conditions of earning a livelihood were of the easiest, refinement among the younger women was easily to be found--not the refinement of education, nor culture, but the natural, intuitive refinement of the woman, not as yet defiled and crushed out by the sordid, strenuous life-struggle of over-populated districts.

It was the original, intended and natural delicacy of an elemental existence, close to nature, close to life, close to the great, kindly earth.
As Hilma laid the table-spread, her arms opened to their widest reach, the white cloth setting a little glisten of reflected light underneath the chin, Annixter stirred in his place uneasily.
"Oh, it's you, is it, Miss Hilma ?" he remarked, for the sake of saying something.

"Good-morning.

How do you do ?" "Good-morning, sir," she answered, looking up, resting for a moment on her outspread palms.