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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4634e5a --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #54022 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54022) diff --git a/old/54022-0.txt b/old/54022-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 20f2da0..0000000 --- a/old/54022-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7843 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dorothy Dale in the West, by Margaret Penrose - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Dorothy Dale in the West - -Author: Margaret Penrose - -Release Date: January 19, 2017 [EBook #54022] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY DALE IN THE WEST *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: SHE WALKED RIGHT UP TO THE PONY’S HEAD. _Dorothy Dale in -the West Page 61_] - - - - - DOROTHY DALE - IN THE WEST - - BY - MARGARET PENROSE - - AUTHOR OF “DOROTHY DALE: A GIRL OF TO-DAY,” “DOROTHY - DALE AT GLENWOOD SCHOOL,” “THE MOTOR - GIRLS SERIES,” ETC. - - ILLUSTRATED - - NEW YORK - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY - - - - -BOOKS BY MARGARET PENROSE - - -THE DOROTHY DALE SERIES - - DOROTHY DALE: A GIRL OF TO-DAY - DOROTHY DALE AT GLENWOOD SCHOOL - DOROTHY DALE’S GREAT SECRET - DOROTHY DALE AND HER CHUMS - DOROTHY DALE’S QUEER HOLIDAYS - DOROTHY DALE’S CAMPING DAYS - DOROTHY DALE’S SCHOOL RIVALS - DOROTHY DALE IN THE CITY - DOROTHY DALE’S PROMISE - DOROTHY DALE IN THE WEST - - -THE MOTOR GIRLS SERIES - -12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. - -Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid. - - THE MOTOR GIRLS - THE MOTOR GIRLS ON A TOUR - THE MOTOR GIRLS AT LOOKOUT BEACH - THE MOTOR GIRLS THROUGH NEW ENGLAND - THE MOTOR GIRLS ON CEDAR LAKE - THE MOTOR GIRLS ON THE COAST - THE MOTOR GIRLS ON CRYSTAL BAY - THE MOTOR GIRLS ON WATERS BLUE - - - _Cupples & Leon Co., Publishers, New York_ - - - - - Copyright, 1915, by - CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY - - DOROTHY DALE IN THE WEST - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. A SURPRISE IS COMING 1 - - II. “HOORAY FOR THE WILD WEST!” 10 - - III. THE “TWO-FACED” MAN 17 - - IV. TO CATCH THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS 24 - - V. THE OLD LADY WITH THE BASKET 33 - - VI. “THE BREATH OF THE NIGHT” 44 - - VII. A NIGHT WITH A KNIGHT 57 - - VIII. THE NIGHT ADVENTURE CONTINUED 72 - - IX. WHAT FOLLOWED AN ELOPEMENT 82 - - X. THE MAN WHO WOULD HAVE DIED INDOORS 91 - - XI. AT DUGONNE AT LAST 101 - - XII. ON THE ROAD TO HARDIN’S 109 - - XIII. AT THE RANCH-HOUSE 123 - - XIV. “THE SNAKE IN THE GRASS” 133 - - XV. EXPLORING 141 - - XVI. IN THE GORGE 147 - - XVII. FLORES 154 - - XVIII. OPHELIA COMES VISITING 162 - - XIX. “’WAY UP IN THE MOUNTAIN-TOP, TIP-TOP!” 172 - - XX. TWO EYES IN THE DARK 182 - - XXI. DOROTHY’S COURAGE 192 - - XXII. DOROTHY HEARS SOMETHING IMPORTANT 199 - - XXIII. “WHERE IS AUNT WINNIE?” 207 - - XXIV. THE CHASE 220 - - XXV. A LITTLE MORE EXCITEMENT 227 - - XXVI. SAYING GOOD-BYE ALL AROUND 238 - - - - -DOROTHY DALE IN THE WEST - -CHAPTER I - -A SURPRISE IS COMING - - -“He, he, he!” giggled Tavia. - -“What _is_ the matter now, child?” demanded Dorothy Dale, haughtily. -“There are no ‘hes’ in this lane. The road is empty before us----” - -“And the world would be, too, if it wasn’t for the possible ‘hes’ that -are to come into our lives,” quoth Tavia, with shocking frankness. - -“You talk like a cave girl,” declared her chum. “Is there nothing on -your mind but _boys_?” - -“Yes’m! More boys!” chuckled Tavia. “It is June. The bridal-wreath is -in bloom. If ‘In spring the young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts -of love,’ can’t our girls’ fancies turn in June to thoughts of white -lace veils, shoes that pinch your feet horribly--and can’t we dream of -hobbling up to the altar to the sound of Mendelssohn’s march?” - -“Hobble to the _haltar_, you mean,” sniffed Dorothy, with her best -suffragette air. - -“How smart!” crowed her chum. “But you mustn’t blame me for giggling -_this_ morning--you mustn’t!” - -“Why not? What particular excuse have you?” - -“That shad we had for breakfast. Shad is as full of bones as Cologne’s -shoes are of feet. I always manage to swallow some of them--the bones, -I mean, not dear Florida Water--Rosemary’s tootsies--and those said -bones are tickling me right now.” - -“How absurd,” said Dorothy Dale, as Tavia went off in another “spasm.” -“Do you realize that you are growing up, Tavia--or, pretty near?” - -“‘Pretty near,’ or ‘near pretty’?” asked Tavia, making a little face at -her. - -“Baiting your hook for a compliment, I see,” laughed Dorothy. “Well, -you get none, Miss. I want you to behave. Think!” - -Tavia immediately struck an attitude that seemed possible for only a -jointed doll to get into. “Business of thinking,” she said. - -“Suppose anybody _should_ see you?” pursued Dorothy, admonishingly. - -“Then you _do_ expect the boys to motor in by this road?” cried Tavia. -“Sly Puss!” - -“No, Ma’am. I am not thinking of Ned and Nat--or even of Bob Niles.” - -Tavia made another little face at mention of Bob’s name. “Poor Bob!” -she sighed. “No fun for him this summer. His father says he must go to -work and begin to learn the business--whatever that may mean. Bob wrote -me a dreadfully mournful letter. It almost tempted me to go to the same -town and get a job in his father’s office, and so alleviate the poor -boy’s misery.” - -“You wouldn’t!” gasped Dorothy. - -“Got to go to work somewhere,” decided Tavia. “And I _hate_ housework -and cleaning up after a lot of children.” - -“But just think! how proud your father will be to have you at the head -of the household. And remember, too, how much your brothers and sisters -need you.” - -“Goodness, Doro! You talk like the back end of the spelling-book--where -all the hard words are. And the hardest word in the whole vocabulary -is ‘duty.’ Don’t remind me of it while I am here with you at North -Birchlands.” - -“And think!” cried Dorothy, giving a little skip as they walked on. -“Think! we are not a week away from dear old Glenwood School yet, -and to-day Aunt Winnie’s surprise is coming. Gracious, Tavia! I can -scarcely wait for ten o’clock.” - -“I know--I know,” said Tavia. “If your Aunt Winnie wasn’t the very -dearest little gray-haired, pink-cheeked woman who ever lived, I’d -have shaken the secret out of her long ago. I just would! And we can’t -even guess what the surprise is going to be like.” - -“Goodness! No!” gasped Dorothy. “I’ve given up guessing. I know it is -something perfectly scrumptious, but nothing like anything we ever had -before.” - -“I hope, whatever it is, that I’ll be in it,” groaned Tavia. - -“I am sure you will be, or Aunt Winnie wouldn’t have invited you here -to her home at just this time,” declared Dorothy. - -They were walking down the shady road toward the railroad station -“killing time,” before the family conference which had been called for -ten o’clock. - -Nat and Ned White, Dorothy’s cousins, had gone off in their auto, the -_Fire Bird_, on an errand, and the girls had an idea they might come -home by this route, and so pick them up. - -“Hush!” cried Tavia, suddenly. “Methinks I hear footsteps approaching -on horseback.” - -“That’s no horse you hear,” Dorothy said. “It is somebody walking on -the bridge over the brook.” - -There was a turn in the road just ahead and the girls could not see the -bridge. But in a moment they could descry the figure of a man striding -toward them. - -“This must have been what you were he-heing for,” whispered Dorothy. - -“How romantic!” was Tavia’s utterance. - -“What is romantic about a man coming up from the station?” - -“Don’t you see his long, silky black mustache? And his long hair and -broad hat? Goodness! he’s a picture.” - -“Yes. The stage picture of a villain--_Simon Legree_ type,” scoffed -Dorothy. “That red silk handkerchief sticking out of his pocket--and -the big diamond in his shirt front--and another flashing on his -finger----” - -“My!” gasped Tavia, clasping her hands. “He might have stepped right -out of Bret Harte. Ah-ha! ah-ha! Jack Dalton! unhand me!” - -“Hush, Tavia!” begged her chum. “He will hear you.” - -“Oh!” exclaimed Tavia, suddenly disturbed. “He’s looking at us--and -he’s crossing over to this side of the road.” - -“Well, don’t you look at him any more and--_we’ll_ cross the road, too.” - -“Do you suppose he eats little girls?” queried Tavia, with a most -ridiculous air. - -Dorothy felt as though she wanted to shake her chum. But then, she -frequently felt _that_ desire. The man was too near for her to speak -again, but the girls crossed the road suddenly. - -The man stopped, half turned as though to approach them, and leered -at Dorothy and Tavia. He was not a large man, but he was remarkably -dressed. His black suit was rather wrinkled, as though he had been -traveling some time in it. The broad-brimmed hat gave him the air of -a Westerner, or Southerner. And his flashy appearance made him very -distasteful to Dorothy. - -She made Tavia hurry on, and soon they reached the bridge themselves. -Tavia was “raving” again: - -“Those wonderful eyes! Did you see them? Deep brown pools of -light--only one was green? Did you notice it, Doro?” - -“No, I didn’t. I told you not to look at him again. You might have -encouraged him to follow us.” - -“I wonder how it would feel to be a gambler’s bride. I just _feel_ -that he’s from the West and is a gambler, or a cowpuncher--or a -maverick--or----” - -“You don’t even know what a maverick is,” scoffed Dorothy. - -“Yes, I do! A maverick steals cattle,” declared Tavia, quite soberly. - -“You ridiculous thing! It’s ‘rustlers’ that steal cattle--or used to. A -‘maverick’ is a stray calf without a brand.” - -“Well! he looked as though he had strayed---- Oh, Doro!” gasped Tavia, -suddenly. “He’s coming back.” - -The girls had reached the bridge and had stopped upon it. The brown -water was gurgling over the stones, the birds were twittering in the -bushes, and the scent of the wild roses was wafted to them as they -leaned upon the bridge-rail. - -It was a lovely picture, and Dorothy and Tavia fitted right into it. -But the picture did not suit Dorothy and Tavia at all when they saw the -black-hatted man round the turn in the road. - -They felt just as though the picture needed some action. An automobile -with Ned and Nat in it, would have furnished just the life the girls -thought would improve the scene. - -“Come on!” whispered Dorothy. “Don’t let him speak.” - -But it was too late to escape that. “Little ladies!” exclaimed the man. -“You’re not going to run away from me, are you?” - -Tavia _would_ have run; only, as she confessed to Dorothy later, her -skirt “was not built that way.” Now, however, Dorothy had to face the -man. - -“What do you want?” she asked, just as sternly as she could speak. - -“Oh, now, little lady,” began the fellow, “you mustn’t be angry.” - -Dorothy turned her back and seized Tavia’s arm. “Come on,” she said, -with much more confidence in her voice than she actually felt. - -“Ned and Nat will soon be along. Come!” - -The girls began walking briskly. “Is--is he going to follow us?” -whispered Tavia. - -“Don’t you _dare_ look back to see,” commanded Dorothy, fiercely. - -Either the black-hatted man was not very bold and bad, after all, or -Dorothy’s remark about expecting the boys fulfilled its duty. He did -not follow them beyond the bridge. - -“Oh, Doro! You can’t blame me this time,” urged Tavia, as they hurried -on. - -“I do not believe the fellow would have dared speak to us if you had -not rolled your big eyes at him,” declared Dorothy, rather sharply. - -“Oh, Doro! I didn’t!” Then she began giggling again. “It is your fatal -beauty that gets us into such scrapes--you know it is.” - -It was little use scolding Tavia. Dorothy was well aware of that. -She had “summered and wintered” her chum too long not to know how -incorrigible she was. - -For fear the man might still follow them, Dorothy insisted upon taking -the first side road and so walking back to Aunt Winnie White’s home, -the Cedars, by another way. When they arrived the boys were there -before them. - -“Hi, girls! where were you?” shouted Nat. “We looked for you along the -station road.” - -“Did you come right up from the station?” demanded Tavia, eagerly. - -“Sure!” - -“Did you see a black-mustached pirate down there by the bridge, with a -yellow diamond in his bosom----” - -“In the bridge’s bosom?” demanded Nat. - -“Of the pirate’s shirt,” finished Tavia. “Such a mustache! He looked -deliciously villainous.” - -“Another conquest?” grunted Nat, who never liked to see any fellow -“tagging about after Tavia,” as he expressed it, unless it was a -gallant of his own choosing. - -“He followed Dorothy--and spoke to her,” declared Tavia, with -effrontery. “And she spoke to him.” - -“Soft pedal! soft pedal, there, Tavia!” urged Ned, who had overheard. -“We know Dorothy.” - -“And we know _you_,” added his brother. “You’ll have to unwind a better -string than that, Tavia. There’s a ‘knot’ in it--Dorothy did _not_.” - -“Ask her!” snapped Tavia, quite offended, and marched away toward the -house. - -Dorothy at that moment appeared on the side porch. “Come in, boys, do,” -she urged. “It’s ten o’clock and everybody else is in the library. Your -mother is all ready to unveil the Great Surprise.” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -“HOORAY FOR THE WILD WEST!” - - -The family gathered in the library. Major Dale, Dorothy’s father, sat -forward in his armchair, leaning his crossed hands and chin upon his -cane. Joe and Roger, Dorothy’s brothers, fidgetted side by side upon -the leather couch. - -Mrs. Winnie White, Major Dale’s sister, and her two big sons, Ned and -Nat, occupied chairs at the table. Dorothy and Tavia, their arms about -each others’ waists, were on a narrow settee in the fireplace, that was -banked with green, odorous Balsam boughs. - -“Now, children, I have a great announcement to make--two, in fact,” -said Aunt Winnie, playing with her lorgnette and smiling about at the -expectant faces. “The Major tells me to ‘go ahead,’ and I am going to -do so. - -“First of all, the Dale and White families have come in for a -considerable increase in this world’s goods. In other words, the Major -and I have been left in partnership, the great Hardin Ranch and game -park, in Colorado.” - -“Game! Shooting! Wow!” ejaculated Nat. - -“Ranch! Cattle! Ah!” added his brother. - -“Sounds like a new college yell,” muttered Tavia in Dorothy’s ear. - -“I was well aware,” continued Aunt Winnie, “that old Colonel Hardin -contemplated making the Major a beneficiary of his will. The Colonel -was my brother’s companion in arms during the war----” - -“And a right good fellow, too,” interposed Dorothy’s father, heartily. - -“When Colonel Hardin came East several years ago, he spoke to me about -this intended disposition of his estate. He knew he could not live for -long. The doctors had already pronounced upon his case, and he had -no family, you will remember,” Aunt Winnie said. “I had no idea he -proposed making _me_ a legatee, as well. But he has done so. The Hardin -property is a great estate--one of the largest in Colorado.” - -“Hooray for the Wild West!” murmured Tavia, waving a handkerchief, yet -evidently suffering under some emotion beside extravagant joy! - -“The Hardin property was first of all a quarter section of Government -land--one hundred and sixty acres--that the Colonel took up and proved -upon when he obtained his discharge from the army. Then he bought up -neighboring sections and finally obtained control of a vast, wild park -in the foothills adjoining his cattle range. - -“Of late years cattle have gone out and farming has come in. All -between the Hardin land and Desert City are farms. They need irrigation -for their developement. - -“Colonel Hardin told me he held the water supply for the whole region -in his hands. It would cost a large sum, he said, to make the water -available for Desert City and the dry farming lands.” - -“How is that, mother?” asked Ned, interested. - -“I do not just know?” - -“Can’t they dig wells and get water?” demanded Roger Dale. - -“It strikes me,” said the Major, chuckling, “that in some of those -desert lands, they say it is easier to pipe it in fifty miles than to -dig for it. It’s just as far under the surface, or overhead, as it is -latitudinally!” - -“I suppose it must be something like that,” agreed Aunt Winnie. “I only -know that Colonel Hardin said when the City and the farmers could raise -the money necessary he stood ready to lease the water rights to them. -Such lease would add vastly to the income from his property. - -“Now, his lawyers have informed us that the will giving all this great -estate to the Major and me, has been probated, and that somebody must -come out there and look over the property and meet the people who want -the water, and all that.” - -“And somebody means _us_, mother?” cried Nat, joyfully. - -“Us young folks--yes,” said Mrs. White, smiling. “That is my second -announcement--and the larger part of the surprise, I warrant. We are -going to celebrate Dorothy’s graduation by taking a trip West. - -“The Major does not feel equal to the journey, because of his lameness; -I am to take over the property jointly in our names. I shall need you -four young people, of course, to advise me,” and she laughed. - -“Say! Say! what four young people?” demanded Roger and Joe in chorus. - -“Why,” said their Aunt, “you know somebody must remain to look after -the Major. _That_ duty, Joe, devolves upon you and Roger. Ned and Nat -are going with me, and of course Dorothy can’t go without Tavia.” - -“Hold me, somebody!” begged Tavia. “I am going to faint with joy,” and -she fell weakly into Dorothy’s arms. “I was afraid I was going to be -left out,” she muttered. - -Nat ran with an ink bottle in lieu of smelling salts, but Tavia waved -him away. - -“Keep your distance, sir!” she cried. “This is a brand new frock--and -they don’t grow on bushes; at least, they don’t in Dalton.” - -“You bet they don’t,” commented Ned. “If the present-day girl’s frocks -grew in the woods all the wild animals certainly _would_ run wild. The -bite of a chipmunk would give one hydrophobia.” - -“Every knock’s a boost,” sniffed Tavia, who was very proud indeed of -her narrow skirt. “I notice the boys are just as much interested in us -as ever, no matter what we wear. Why! Dorothy and I had a perfectly -scandalous adventure this morning----” - -The maid appeared in the doorway at that moment and looked at Mrs. -White. “What is it, Marie?” asked the lady. - -“A--a gentleman, Madam,” said the maid. “At least, it’s a man, Mrs. -White. And he wants to see you particular, so he says. He says he’s -come all the way from Colorado about getting some water. I don’t -understand what he means.” - -“Crickey!” exclaimed the irreverent Nat. “What a long way to come for a -drink.” - -“It must be about this very thing we are speaking of,” said the Major, -starting. - -The two girls had risen and gone to a window. They could see out upon -the porch. - -“Goodness, Doro!” gasped Tavia, grabbing her chum tightly. “That’s the -very man we met on the road this morning.” - -We began to get acquainted with Dorothy Dale, and Tavia Travers, and -their friends in the first volume of this series, entitled “Dorothy -Dale: A Girl of To-day.” At that time Dorothy was more than three years -younger than she is to-day. Nevertheless, when her father was taken -ill, she undertook the regular publication of his weekly paper, _The -Dalton Bugle_, which was the family’s main dependence at that time. - -Later the family received an uplift in the world and went to live at -the Cedars, Aunt Winnie’s beautiful home, while Dorothy and Tavia -went to Glenwood School where, through “Dorothy Dale at Glenwood -School,” “Dorothy Dale’s Great Secret,” “Dorothy Dale and Her Chums,” -“Dorothy Dale’s Queer Holidays,” “Dorothy Dale’s Camping Days” and -“Dorothy Dale’s School Rivals” our heroine and her friends enjoyed many -pleasures, had adventures galore, worked hard at their studies, had -many schoolgirl rivalries, troubles, secrets, and learned many things -besides what was contained in their textbooks. - -In the eighth volume of the series, entitled, “Dorothy Dale in the -City,” Dorothy and Tavia spent the holidays with Aunt Winnie and her -sons, in New York. Aunt Winnie had taken an apartment in the city, on -Riverside Drive, and the girls had many gay times, likewise helping -Mrs. White very materially in the untangling of a business matter that -had troubled her. - -“Dorothy Dale’s Promise,” the volume preceding our present story, deals -with Dorothy’s last semester at Glenwood School, and her graduation. -Tavia, who is a perfect flyaway, but one with a heart of gold, is close -to her chum all the time, and the two inseparables had now, but the -week before, bidden the beautiful old school good-bye. - -Dorothy Dale was a bright and quick-witted girl; the impulsive Tavia -was apt to get them both into little scrapes of which Dorothy was -usually obliged to find the door of escape. - -Now, when the maid announced the black-mustached man, and the boys -departed by another door, Tavia drew Dorothy into the embrasure of a -curtained window, whispering: - -“Let’s wait. I’m _crazy_ to know what has brought such a brigandish -looking fellow here.” - -“But it is not nice to listen,” objected Dorothy. - -“But your aunt doesn’t mind.” - -Mrs. White smiled at the two girls as she saw them pop behind the -draperies. There was nothing private about the proposed interview. - -The Major sat back in his chair while Aunt Winnie arose to meet the -stranger as the maid ushered him into the library. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE “TWO-FACED” MAN - - -The boys were discussing the extent of Colonel Hardin’s great estate -when Dorothy and Tavia joined them at the garage an hour later. The -possibilities of the vast cattle pastures and game preserves, walled in -by the natural boundary of the higher Rockies, appealed strongly to Ned -and Nat, and even to Dorothy’s younger brothers. - -“And it was all begun by Colonel Hardin taking advantage of the -Homestead Law when he came out of the army. Too bad your father didn’t -do that, Dorothy,” said Ned. - -“What _is_ the Homestead Law?” asked Dorothy. - -“I can tell you,” interposed Nat, quickly. “Not just in the wording -of the law--the legal phraseology, you know,” he added, his eyes -twinkling. “But the upshot of it is, that the Government is willing to -bet you one hundred and sixty acres of land against fourteen dollars -that you can’t live on it five years without starving to death!” - -“How ridiculous!” scoffed Dorothy. - -“What is the use of asking these boys anything?” demanded Tavia, her -nose in the air. “They’re like all other college freshmen.” - -“Don’t say that, Miss,” urged Ned, easily. “Remember that we’re -freshmen no longer, but sophs. Or, we will be so rated next fall.” - -“Then perhaps you’ll know a little less than you have appeared to know -this past year,” said the sharp-tongued Tavia. “As juniors you will -know a little less. And when you’re seniors, you’ll probably be still -more human--less like Olympic Joves, you know.” - -“Compliments fly when quality meets,” quoth Dorothy. “Don’t let’s -scrap, children. We can tell the boys something they _don’t_ know. -We’ve got to get a hustle on, to quote the provincialism of the -locality for which we are bound--the wild and woolly West. A telegram -has been already sent to Tavia’s folks. We start West to-morrow.” - -“To-morrow!” cried Ned and Nat, in surprise. - -“The Mater must have changed her mind mighty sudden,” added Ned. - -“She did,” said Tavia, nodding. “Or, rather, we changed it for her.” - -“How was that?” asked Nat. “And say! what did the fellow want who came -so far for a drink?” and he grinned. “What’s his name?” - -“Mr. Philo Marsh,” said Dorothy, gravely. “And a very shrewd, if not -an out-and-out _bad_ man.” - -“Hul-lo!” exclaimed Ned. “What’s happened? Let’s hear about it.” - -“You should have stayed and seen the visitor,” said Dorothy. - -“He’s a two-faced scamp!” declared Tavia, with emphasis. - -“Right out of Barnum & Bailey’s--eh?” asked Nat. “One of the greatest -freaks of the age. Two faces, no less!” - -But Ned saw that something serious had happened. “What is it, Dorothy?” -he asked. - -“I wish you had remained and seen that Philo Marsh,” said Dorothy Dale. -“I--I think he is a bad man. I do not trust him at all.” - -“And good reason!” broke in Tavia, forgetting that she had first -exclaimed over the romantic appearance of the man with the silky black -mustache and the yellow diamond. - -Then, eagerly, she went on to tell the boys of what had happened to her -and Dorothy on the road that morning. - -“Why! the scamp!” ejaculated Nat, quite savagely. - -“But that isn’t _all_ the story?” queried Ned, turning to Dorothy. -“What were you going to say about Philo Marsh?” - -Dorothy at once told them how she and Tavia had hidden behind the -window draperies when Mr. Philo Marsh was announced, having recognized -him as he stood waiting on the porch. - -“And you should have heard him talk!” interrupted Tavia. - -“He is a very smooth talking man,” went on Dorothy, seriously, “and we -could see father and Aunt Winnie were impressed.” - -“But what did he _want_?” Ned demanded. - -“He says he represents a committee of citizens of Desert City and the -farmers on that side of the Hardin estate. He had papers all drawn up, -ready to sign, leasing to him and his fellow-committeemen the water -rights on the Hardin place, and he wants father and Aunt Winnie to sign -up right now.” - -“But they didn’t?” cried Ned and Nat. - -“He urged them to. He claims haste is necessary.” - -“Why?” asked the older cousin. - -“He wasn’t just clear about _that_. I guess that is what made father -doubtful. But he was very persuasive.” - -“Say!” interrupted Nat. “What about this water? If there is so much of -it on the Hardin place, doesn’t it flow somewhere?” - -“That’s a curious thing,” Dorothy said, quickly. “It seems this -water-supply is a stream called Lost River.” - -“Lost River?” ejaculated Ned. - -“Yes. There’s more than one like it out there, too. I guess this -particular Lost River has its rise on the estate somewhere. And without -flowing beyond the boundaries of the land Colonel Hardin has left to -us, it dives right down into a crack in the earth again.” - -“Crickey!” exclaimed Nat. “Some river! I want to see that.” - -“I’ve read of such things,” said his brother. - -“It must be wonderful,” Dorothy said. “You see, they want father and -Aunt Winnie to let them turn the water into another channel. From that -channel they will pipe water to Desert City, while the surplus will be -carried by open ditches to the irrigated farms.” - -“And how about the water supply for the cattle pastures?” demanded Ned, -who, from the first, had shown a deep interest in the cattle end of the -business in hand. - -“Oh, they say there is water in abundance,” Dorothy answered. - -“Well,” asked Ned, “did that fellow get mother to sign up? _That’s_ the -important question.” - -“Do you think we would let her, after what we know about the fellow?” -retorted Tavia, indignantly. - -“I don’t see how you girls knew much about him,” chuckled Nat. “You -simply did not like the cut of his jib, as the sailors say.” - -“What did you do to stop them?” asked Joe Dale, round-eyed. “Walk right -in and give him away?” - -“That would have been melodramatic, wouldn’t it?” laughed Dorothy. - -“But what did you do?” insisted Joe. - -“Why,” said Tavia, “we climbed out of the window--and I ripped my -skirt, of course!--and we ran around to the hall and sent the maid -in to call Mrs. White out. Then we told her about Philo Marsh--the -two-faced scamp! Why, to hear and see him in that library, you’d think -butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth!” - -“Well, wouldn’t it?” grunted Nat. - -“I guess the Major was suspicious, anyway,” chuckled Tavia, ignoring -Master Nat. “And Mrs. White declared she would have to look over the -ground personally before she could make any decision.” - -“He was in an awful hurry,” said Dorothy. - -“Who’s in a hurry?” asked Ned, quickly. - -“That Philo Marsh, as he calls himself. So we are going to start for -the West to-morrow, instead of next week.” - -“And what is this fellow who’s come East here going to do?” asked Ned. - -“Going back. Says he’ll meet us at Dugonne. That is where we leave -the train. Oh, Aunt Winnie has already looked up our route, and the -time-tables, and all that,” Dorothy said. - -“Well, we’ll be on hand to look out for Little Mum, and see that this -fellow doesn’t ‘double cross’ her in any way,” said Nat, with assurance. - -“We girls shall watch him, too,” Tavia declared. “I believe he’s a -regular ‘bad man’--like you read about.” - -“Shouldn’t read about such things,” advised Dorothy, laughing. - -“I guess we four can hedge Little Mum about so that no wild and woolly -Westerner will trouble her,” Ned said, with gravity. - -But only time could prove whether that was so, or not. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -TO CATCH THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS - - -The _Fire Bird_ looked like an express truck--or so Nat said. They had -loaded up the boys’ auto with more than a fair share of the baggage. - -“But just the same, you girls have got to find room in here,” declared -Ned. “Nat and I must have somebody to chin to while we’re driving over -Hominy Ridge. They say there are ‘ha’nts’ in the woods, and we’d be -afraid to go alone.” - -“Poor ’ittle sing!” crooned Tavia. “Doro and I know just how scared you -are. But we’ll go with you--providing you can find us room.” - -“We’ll make room,” said Nat. “Mother will have to carry some of the -baggage in her car. There is no use in putting the last camel on the -straw’s back!” - -“Joe and Roger have begged to go along,” Dorothy said. - -“Well, they’re excess baggage, too,” answered Nat. “They’ll have to go -in the other car.” - -It was the evening following the June day on which Aunt Winnie had -divulged her Great Surprise. The intervening hours had been very, very -busy for the girls. - -It was arranged that the party should go by auto to Portersburg to -catch the midnight express on the P. B. & O. - -Dorothy and Tavia--as well as Mrs. White--had made exceedingly swift -preparations for this journey. Of course, Ned and Nat did not have much -to get ready. - -“Wish I were a boy,” groaned Tavia. - -“I’ve heard you express that wish a thousand times,” declared Dorothy. - -“This is the thousand-and-wunth time then! Look at how easy they have -it, Doro! All they have to do is put a clean collar and a toothbrush in -their pockets, and start for a tour of Europe!” - -It was a long journey over the forest-covered ridge to Portersburg. -They started at nine o’clock so as to be sure to be on time at the -railway station. The chauffeur who drove Mrs. White’s machine would -chain the cars together and bring them--with Joe and Roger--back to the -Cedars, after seeing the tourists off for the West. - -Dorothy kissed the Major good-bye. “My little Captain” he still called -her. Major Dale was very proud of his daughter. - -They got away at last, the _Fire Bird_ in the lead. There would be no -moon until after midnight, so they had to depend entirely upon the -headlights for the discovery of any obstruction in the road. - -Nat was under the wheel and he had insisted upon Tavia sitting beside -him. Naturally Ned was glad to get Dorothy to himself in the tonneau. -It was a tight squeeze for the latter couple, for the motor car _was_ -overburdened with baggage. - -“Are you comfortable, Doro?” shouted Tavia, turning to look at her chum. - -“Just as comfortable as I can be with the end of Nat’s dress-suit case -poking me in the back, and a bundle of umbrellas right across my poor -shins. Oh! I did not dream it would be so uncomfortable.” - -“Our dreams seldom come true,” declared Tavia, sentimentally. - -“Don’t know about that,” said Nat. “You know, a couple of tramps were -talking about the same thing. One says: ‘Isn’t it strange how few of -our youthful dreams come true?’ And the other fellow answers back: ‘Oh, -I dunno. I remember when I used to dream of wearing long pants, and now -I guess I wear ’em longer than anybody else in the country.’” - -“Better ’tend to your business, boy, and stop cracking jokes,” advised -Ned. - -“I’ll see that he doesn’t run us up a tree,” promised Tavia, -confidently. - -The _Fire Bird_ swiftly passed out of the neighborhood with which -the young people were familiar and struck into the road leading to -Portersburg. It was a fairly good auto track, but had never been oiled. -Therefore, there were “hills and hummocks,” as Tavia said, “in great -profusion.” - -“Oh! _oh!_ OH!” she gasped, in crescendo, as the car bounced and jarred -over some of these “thank-you-ma’ams.” “Did you _ever_ see such a -hubbly road, Doro?” - -“I don’t see much of this one,” confessed Dorothy. - -The forest shut the road about so thickly that beyond the headlights’ -glare the way looked like a tunnel. Occasionally, some small, night -wandering animal, scurried across the track. - -“There’s a rabbit!” ejaculated Tavia. “I wonder what he thinks this -auto is?” - -“The Car of Juggernaut,” said Dorothy. “Lucky he escaped.” - -They were going down a hill. Suddenly Nat threw out the clutch and -braked hard. The horn likewise uttered a stuttering warning. - -A ray of light flickered upon some object directly in the path of the -flying car. It was impossible to stop and the road was too narrow for -Nat to swerve aside and in this way escape the collision. - -“Low Bridge!” he shouted, and they all crouched down. The next instant -the car struck the creature standing in its path. - -“A deer!” yelled Ned, as the car came to a jarring stop, some yards -beyond the point of collision. - -He hopped out and ran back to see if the poor animal was really dead. -His mother’s car meanwhile halted where the deer lay beside the road. -The _Fire Bird_ had thrown the creature some distance away, and it was -quite dead, its neck being broken. - -“Killing game out of season is a misdemeanor, Nat,” said his brother, -returning to the automobile. “Lucky you are going to get out of the -state to-night. The game warden might be after you.” - -“I don’t think it is a thing to laugh over,” said Tavia. “The poor -deer!” - -“Thank you,” Nat said. “I never expected to hear you call me by such a -tender name.----” - -“Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. Nat!” snapped Tavia, scrambling out of the -front seat and joining Dorothy in the tonneau. “I don’t want to risk -being in front if you are going to run down all the livestock in the -country.” - -“It’s too bad to leave perfectly good venison behind,” Ned said. “I -suppose he was dazzled by the lights. You must have a care how you -drive, Nathaniel. Mother says so.” - -“Huh! I couldn’t see the deer until we were right on top of it.” - -“I know Nat didn’t mean to,” said Dorothy, the peacemaker. “It _is_ -awfully dark.” - -Nat only grunted, but he drove more slowly. The deer had been actually -hypnotized by the lamps; Nat did not want to play the same rough joke -on another. - -“Huh!” he muttered to his brother. “If the law had been off and we’d -come up this way hunting deer, we wouldn’t have gotten within a mile of -one!” - -“Life is full of disappointments--just like that,” chuckled Ned, -turning so that the two girls could hear him. “There was the old farmer -who saw something in the clothing store window that kept him marching -up and down before it for an hour, looking frequently at his watch. - -“Finally he went inside and demanded of a salesman: ‘What’s your time?’ -‘Twenty minutes past five,’ says the salesman. ‘That’s what I make -it,’ says the farmer, ‘and I’ll take them pants,’ and he pointed to a -ticket in the window which read: ‘Given Away at 5.20.’ But _he_ was -disappointed, too.” concluded Ned. - -“How ridiculous,” said Dorothy. “Oh! here’s the end of the woods. I’m -so glad.” - -“It’s the end of this piece,” said Ned. “But there’s more ahead.” - -It was much lighter when they came out into the farming lands, and Nat -could speed up his engine a little. Behind the _Fire Bird_ coughed the -other car. They met nobody, nor overtook any vehicle. This was a lonely -road by night. They were still a long distance from Portersburg, and it -was after eleven o’clock. - -“You’d better get a wiggle on, boy,” declared Ned. “We don’t want to -miss that train.” - -“And I _do_ want to miss any other deer that may be loafing about this -right of way,” grumbled his brother. - -They flew past a farmhouse where a dog tugged at his chain and almost -barked his head off at the two automobiles. A wall of forest loomed -up before them again. It was fortunate that the darkness beyond the -lamplight made Nat reduce speed. - -Up heaved a disturbing figure beside the road. Nat applied the brakes -in a hurry once more. The beast stepped right into the radiance of the -lamplight and then--the automobile struck it! - -Everybody screamed--including the object battle-rammed! “Another deer!” -shrieked Tavia. But the bellow that replied made her realize at once -that she was wrong. No deer ever bawled like that! - -“It’s a cow,” said Ned. “Crickey, boy! you’ll slaughter all the animals -in the state.” - -“That cow isn’t hurt,” growled Nat, “or she wouldn’t bawl so.” - -The other automobile stopped in the rear and Aunt Winnie was anxious to -know what had happened. Ned was already out of the _Fire Bird_, trying -to discover the whereabouts of the cow and the extent of her injuries. - -“Something doing back there at the farmhouse,” warned the chauffeur of -Mrs. White’s car. “You boys will be deep in trouble in a minute.” - -They could see lights in the windows, and now heard a banging of -doors. A harsh voice began to shout commands, and a waggling lantern -approached across the fields. - -Ned had found the cow. She was leaning up against the roadside fence, -and one horn was hanging by a thread of tissue, in a drunken looking -manner over her eye. Otherwise she seemed to be unhurt--only surprised. -The varnish of the car had suffered more than the cow. - -When the farmer arrived he was very angry. - -“I’ll fix you city fellers fer this. I’m a constable. Ye air all -arrested!” - -His dress was haphazard. Over his coarse nightshirt he had drawn his -trousers, and he was barefooted. But he had not forgotten his star of -office, and he carried a locust club as well as the lantern. He fixed -himself in the road directly in front of the _Fire Bird_ and demanded -fifty dollars. - -“I could buy cows like that skinny old thing for fifty dollars a -dozen,” grumbled Ned. - -“You’ll pay me fifty for this here caow, or th’ whole on ye will march -ter jail at Hacktown.” - -“Your cow is perfectly good,” suggested Tavia, “all except one horn. -And that horn serves no good purpose on a domestic animal. Most farmers -dehorn their cattle anyway. I think this man owes us about fifty cents.” - -Nat began to chuckle at that, and the farmer was not at all pleased. - -“Ye gotter fork over fifty dollars, or go to Hacktown an’ see the -Jestice of the Peace.” - -“But we’re in a hurry,” said Ned. - -“That’s what they all say,” chuckled the farmer. - -“You had no business to allow your cattle to run loose in the road,” -cried Ned. - -“Think not, eh, young man?” retorted the man. “You’d better read aour -county ord’nance on cattle. Don’t hafter fence aour farms no more.” - -“I bet,” growled Ned to the girls, “that the old scoundrel just set -this crow-bait of a cow like a trap for any automobilist who might come -by. Goodness! I hate to pay that fifty dollars.” - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE OLD LADY WITH THE BASKET - - -Time was flying and Mrs. White was becoming anxious. “Do pay the man, -Ned, and let us go on. Of course, the cow is not worth so much----” - -“Why, mother, it’s a miserable little thing,” began Nat; but the farmer -burst in with a lot of threats as to what he would do if the money was -not immediately forthcoming, and Nat subsided. - -“It is an imposition, Mrs. White,” warned her chauffeur. “I’ll go with -him, if he likes, and tell the judge about it.” - -“I’ll pull you all,” threatened the farmer, boisterously, “if you don’t -fork over the money for my caow--yes, I will, by Jo!” - -“If he talks fresh to mother,” growled Nat to Ned, “we ought to take -away his tin star and club and throw him into the ditch.” - -“No use making a bad matter worse,” said Ned. - -“It is unfair,” Dorothy said, warmly. “Fifty dollars is a lot of -money. Can’t we postpone our trip and go to court with this man?” - -“Goodness, Dot!” exclaimed her aunt, who heard this. “Our berths are -engaged upon that train. We positively cannot wait here. Of course the -cow isn’t worth so much as this man asks----” - -At that moment a dilapidated figure shuffled into the radiance of the -automobile lights. It was an ancient darkey, with kinky gray wool, and -he took off his ragged hat as he asked: - -“Ebenin’, genmen an’ ladies. Is yo’ seed anythin’ ob my cow? She done -strayed erway ag’in, an’ I’s powerful anxious ter recover her--ya-as, -suh!” - -“Another cow!” groaned Nat. “The owner of that pet deer will be around -next.” - -“What kind of a cow was it?” asked Tavia, giggling. - -“Jes’ a cow, Ma’am,” said the old darkey. “Jes’ a ord’nary ornery cow, -Ma’am. Ebenin’, Mars’ Judson,” he added, seeing the farmer for the -first time. “Has _you_ seed my cow?” - -“Naw, I ain’t,” snapped the farmer. - -Here Dorothy Dale suddenly broke into the inquiry meeting. “Did your -cow have a big white patch on her left shoulder, and is she otherwise a -red cow?” asked the girl. - -“Ya-as’m. That suah is my cow.” - -“Turn your light on that one against the fence, Ned,” commanded -Dorothy. “Now look, sir,” she added, to the old negro. “Is that your -cow?” - -“Suah is!” declared the darkey, gladly. “Das my Sookey-cow. Law-see! -She done broke her horn. I wisht she bruk two on ’em; den she couldn’t -hook herself t’rough de parstur fence no mo’.” - -“Well! what do you know about that?” demanded Tavia. - -“This constable ought to have his badge taken away,” grumbled Nat. - -Aunt Winnie was a most timid lady, but she was angry now. “You shall -be reported for this, sir, just as soon as I get back from the West,” -she promised the farmer. “Give the colored man five dollars, Ned. He -deserves something for showing us what this other man is.” - -The old darkey was tickled enough to accept a five dollar note for the -loss of the cow’s horn. The creature was not really hurt, and everybody -was satisfied save the constable-farmer who had over-reached himself. -He dared say nothing more about arresting the automobile party, and -the two cars soon got under way again and shot off along the road to -Portersburg station. - -There was no further adventure on the way. They arrived at the station -with five good minutes to spare. The town was asleep, but the agent -was in his office with the tickets for Mrs. White’s party and the -coupons for the Pullman berths. - -They were to have a section to themselves, and an extra berth besides. -Dorothy was to occupy this extra berth, which proved to be an upper. - -Everybody else aboard the car was asleep and the porter made up their -berths at once. “I _do_ so hate to half undress in the corridor of a -car,” grumbled Tavia. “It’s as bad as camping out.” - -“But we pay good money for the privilege,” said Dorothy. “I wonder why -we are always so easy--we Americans?” - -“Our fatal good nature. That’s it!” cried Tavia. - -Dorothy had a hazy idea that somebody in the berth beneath her was -restless. Then she fell asleep, roused only now and then by the -stopping and starting of the train. At seven she was wide awake, -however, and as the train was still going at full speed, she crept down -from her high perch and started for the ladies’ room at the end of the -car. - -But suddenly a hand was stretched out for her and the person in the -lower berth whispered: - -“I say, Miss! I say!” - -Dorothy turned to see a little old lady, in a close, black bonnet with -the strings untied, but otherwise fully dressed. It was plain she had -gone to bed in all her clothing the night before. - -“Can a body git up, Miss?” whispered the worried old creature. “My -goodness me! I been useter gittin’ up when the fust rooster crows; this -has been the longest night I ever remember.” - -“Why, you poor dear!” returned Dorothy, warmly. “Of course you can get -up. Come with me and I’ll help you tidy yourself for the day. You must -feel all mussed up.” - -“I do,” admitted the old lady, feelingly. - -She came after Dorothy, but the latter saw that she bore with her a -covered basket, the cover being tied close with bits of string. - -“You need not be afraid of leaving your lunch basket in the berth. -Nobody will take it,” Dorothy said. - -“I--I guess I’ll keep it by me,” said the old lady, with a timid smile. - -Dorothy was able to make the old lady comfortable, and she found out -several things about her while the porter arranged their berths. She -was a Mrs. Petterby, and had lived all her life long (she was over -sixty) in the little mill town of Rand’s Falls, in Massachusetts. - -This was the very first time the old lady had ever been ten miles from -the house where she was born. She had lived alone in her own house for -the last few years, her husband and all her children but one being dead. - -“My baby, he’s out West. I’m a-going to see him,” declared Mrs. -Petterby. “He sent me money for ticket and all, long ago; he told me to -put it in the bottom of the old teapot, where I’d be sure to know where -it was, and then I could start for Colorado any time the fit tuk me. - -“Did seem day b’fore yisterday, as though I’d got to see my baby again. -He was dif’rent from the other children--sort o’ wild and hard to -manage. He had a flare-up with his dad and went West. - -“But there ain’t a mite o’ harm in my baby--no, Ma’am! An’ so I tell -’em. His father said so himself b’fore he died. He warn’t like the rest -o’ the children, so his father didn’t understand him. - -“He’s doin’ well, he writes. Gets his forty-five dollars ev’ry month, -and sends me part. Of course, I don’t need it; I got it all in the -Rand’s Falls Bank. But I kep’ out this ticket money, like he said; -and--here I be!” and she cackled a soft little laugh, and smiled a -transfiguring smile as she thought of the surprise she was going to -give “her baby.” - -She was going to Dugonne, the very town where Dorothy and her friends -were to leave the train. So the girls sort of adopted the little old -lady. But they could not find out what was in her basket. - -Tavia was enormously curious. “I saw her dropping something through a -crack into the basket,” she whispered to Dorothy. “She was feeding it.” - -“Nonsense!” exclaimed her chum. - -“You see. It’s no lunch basket. It’s something alive.” - -“A dog?” suggested Dorothy. - -“Maybe a cat.” - -“Or a parrot?” again said Dorothy. - -“Or a rabbit.” - -“It couldn’t be a canary, I s’pose?” asked Dorothy. - -“Or a pet goldfish?” giggled Tavia. - -“How ridiculous!” returned the other girl. - -Everybody went to breakfast when it was announced, save Mrs. White. She -had a “railroad headache,” and lay back in her seat with closed eyes -and an ice-pack upon her forehead. But Dorothy thought she ought to -have something to “stay her stomach.” - -“You know,” she said to Tavia, “this car will be taken off and we will -not be able to get even a glass of milk for her before noon.” - -Mrs. Petterby overheard this, and she blushed and whispered: “I got one -o’ them bottles that keeps things hot or cold, as you want ’em. You get -some milk off the ice, and then it will be all ready to have the egg -broke into and shaken up when your auntie wants it, by and by.” - -“That’s nice of you!” cried Dorothy, and proceeded to call the waiter -and order the cold milk. - -“But where’ll you get an egg--a real fresh egg, I mean?” sniffed Tavia. -“Not on a dining-car.” - -“That’s so!” groaned Dorothy. “And Aunt Winnie is _so_ particular about -her eggs. She can always tell if an egg is the least bit stale.” - -The old lady leaned forward again, and once more the pretty pink flush -suffused her withered cheek. She was a keen-eyed, birdlike person, and -her manner was timid like a bird’s. - -“If--if you don’t mind waiting about an hour, I shouldn’t be surprised -if I--I could supply the fresh egg,” she said. - -“You?” gasped Tavia, amazed. - -“You know where we can buy one, you mean?” queried Dorothy. - -“Oh, you won’t have to buy one,” declared Mrs. Petterby. “I’d be glad -enough to give it to you.” - -“But who has fresh eggs on this train?” demanded Tavia. - -“I guess nobody has them to sell, dearie,” said the little old lady, -smiling. “But in about an hour I can get one.” - -“Do--do you think she’s just right, Doro?” whispered Tavia, on the sly. - -Dorothy did not know. It sounded very peculiar to her. But the little -old lady seemed quite in her right mind, and she went back to the -Pullman, still clinging to her basket. - -That mystery furnished the girls and Ned and Nat with subject matter -for an endless discussion. They guessed at its contents as everything -from a white rat to a jewel-box, or a root of horseradish that Nat -declared he believed she was taking with her from her garden, to -transplant on her son’s ranch. “His horses will like it, you know,” -said Nat, seriously. - -“Yes,” agreed his brother, “on their oysters. Horseradish is very good -as a relish with raw oysters.” - -“And of course they rake oysters right out of the streams and ponds -in Colorado,” sniffed Tavia, with a superior air. “Was anything ever -crazier?” - -Dorothy went to sit beside Mrs. Petterby again. The old lady was -smiling contentedly. “I guess I’ll stay as much as a week with my -baby,” she declared to Dorothy. “I hope I won’t be homesick before the -week’s up.” - -“But it will take you almost a week to get there, and a week to -return--and you intend to stay in Colorado only a week?” - -“I declare, child! I don’t believe I could stand it longer. I don’t -think I could stand furrin’ parts--not at all. Rand’s Falls, -Massachusetts, is good enough for me.” - -There was a movement in the basket. Dorothy was sure of it. And a sort -of crooning noise. Dorothy looked her amazement and curiosity--she -could not help it. - -“There! there!” said the old lady, softly, and tapping the basket. Then -she looked aside at the girl and whispered: - -“Don’t you tell that conductor. They told me that I couldn’t take her -with me unless I crated her and put her in the baggage car. But I’ll -show ’em!” - -“What is it?” breathed Dorothy. “Oh! I won’t tell.” - -“There! your auntie can have her fresh egg in a minute or two now. I -know Ophelia.” - -“Ophelia?” gasped Dorothy. - -“Yes. That’s her name. I gave it to her when she was a little bit of a -chicken.” - -“A hen!” exclaimed the amazed Dorothy. - -“Yes. She’s a regular pet--and not much more than a year old. She was -the only one left of a brood that my old Blackie brought off last May -was a year ago,” said Mrs. Petterby. - -“I couldn’t afford to have old Blackie nussin’ just one chicken,” she -pursued, calmly. “So I brought Ophelia up by hand. She was just as -cunning as she could be. - -“She sat on my shoulder when I ate breakfast, and she’d eat her share -of johnny-cake and sausages, too--yes, Ma’am! Then she’d take a nap -sometimes, in my lap, when I sot down in my rocker by the kitchen -window. - -“And when she got to be a good sized pullet and I was lookin’ for her -to begin to lay pretty quick, I declare if she didn’t hop up into my -lap and lay her first egg.” - -“My!” exclaimed Dorothy, in appreciative wonder. - -“I left my flock in the care of my next door neighbor; but I knowed -Ophelia would be lonesome for me. - -“So,” concluded the little old lady, “I’m a-takin’ her through -unbeknownst to the conductor. Don’t you tell! And now--there!” - -She thrust her hand under one flap of the covered basket. There was a -little rustling sound, a seemingly objecting croak, and out came the -old lady’s hand with a white, clean and warm egg. - -“I expect she’s gettin’ sort of broody,” said Mrs. Petterby, dropping -the egg into Dorothy’s hand. “She’s beginnin’ to think of settin’ an’ -tryin’ to raise a famb’ly. That’s all _she_ knows about it--poor thing! - -“Well, there’s your aunt’s egg, child.” - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -“THE BREATH OF THE NIGHT” - - -The girls and Mrs. White’s sons were vastly amused by the egg incident. -Aunt Winnie thankfully drank her egg and milk, but her boys joked about -the production of “Ophelia” being so quickly “swallowed up.” - -“And why didn’t the old lady bring along Hamlet?” demanded Nat. “The -Prince of Denmark would have found life in a Pullman endurable, I -fancy. He was a philosophical old shark.” - -“Speaking of eggs,” Ned said, ignoring his brother’s irreverent -observation about the Melancholy Dane, “speaking of eggs----” - -“Well! speak, I prithee!” said Tavia. - -“Why, there was a chap performing tricks of legerdermain one night, and -he took eggs from a high hat, as usual. In his ‘patter’ he interpolated -a remark to a wide-eyed small boy who sat down front. - -“‘Say, sonny, your mother can’t get eggs without hens, can she?’ he -said to the kid. - -“‘Yes, she can,’ replied the boy. - -“‘How does she do it?’ chuckles the conjurer. - -“‘She keeps ducks,’ says the kid.” - -“Good! good!” quoth Nat, applauding. “If you hadn’t told it, Ned, I -would.” - -“Ah-ha!” cried Tavia. “You boys have been reading the same joke-book, -and have gotten your wires crossed.” - -“Goodness, Tavia! Don’t. Such slang as you use!” - -The train was bearing them rapidly and smoothly toward the West. The -girls and Ned and Nat enjoyed this sort of traveling immensely. At the -rear of the train was a fine observation platform, and the four young -folk got more benefit of the chairs there than any of the travelers. - -The prospect in part was lovely. They liked, too, to sit there as the -train roared through the smaller towns where there was no stop. And -it was nice when they swept over the rolling prairies and crossed the -mid-western rivers on the long bridges. - -The stops at the larger cities were never long; then the train would -fly on again, reeling off the miles at top-speed. The second night they -did not mind sleeping in the berths. And Dorothy helped Mrs. Petterby -get ready for bed so that she felt more comfortable. - -“But it does seem awful resky,” she sighed. “Suppose there should be a -smash-up--an’ me without my skirt on!” - -There _was_ a smash-up the next day, but fortunately the train in which -Dorothy Dale rode was not in the accident. Two freight trains went into -each other some ways ahead of the express, and spread themselves all -over the right of way. It would take some time to clear the mess up so -that the express could pass; therefore the latter was stopped at a very -pleasant Illinois town and the conductor told the young folk they would -have at least two hours to wait. - -“Goody-good!” exclaimed Tavia. “Let’s run and see if we can get some -candy at a decent price, Doro. The candy-butcher aboard this train is a -highway-robber.” - -“I can beat that for a suggestion,” Nat said. “Why not find a place -where we can get something beside this buffet stuff to eat. I haven’t -the heart to eat all I want to in the dining-car.” - -“Why not?” asked Dorothy. - -“It costs so much.” - -“Come on,” agreed Ned. “We’ll go foraging.” - -“Be sure you get back in time, children,” ordered Aunt Winnie. - -But she expected Dorothy to keep her wits about her, whether the rest -of them did or not. Near the railroad station there was nothing that -appealed to Dorothy and Tavia--no restaurant, at least. But up a clean, -bright little side street from the public square they saw a small, -white painted house, with green doors and green window frames. Over the -one big window beside the open door was a sign that read: - - ORIENTAL LUNCH ROOM - -“That looks nice,” said Dorothy. - -“And look at that dear, old, _clean_ colored Mammy!” gasped Tavia. - -On the platform before the little restaurant was a large colored woman -with a crimson bandana on her head, a spotless dress and white apron, -and her sleeves rolled up to her fat elbows. - -“I bet she can cook,” quoth Ned, with assurance. - -“We’ll give the Oriental a whirl,” agreed Nat. - -But just as they were crossing the street to go to the place, Tavia -suddenly exclaimed: “Oh! there’s somebody in there.” - -“Well, what of it?” asked Ned. - -“It’s hardly big enough for us. Let’s wait till that man comes out. I -don’t like his looks, anyway. He has his hat on,” declared Tavia. - -They all saw the man in question. He was a black-browed and -broad-hatted stranger, and he sat at a table in the little eating -place, staring out through the window with a frown on his brow. He was -not an attractive looking man at all. - -“I bet he has a bad conscience!” exclaimed Nat. - -“Or indigestion,” chimed in his brother. - -“He won’t eat us,” said Dorothy, doubtfully. “If we do go in----” - -“I say, Mammy!” cried Tavia, to the smiling colored woman. “Do you do -the cooking?” - -“’Deed an’ I do, Missie,” declared the woman. “An’ I got de freshes’ -catfish dat eber come out o’ de ribber. An’ light beaten’ biscuit--an’ -co’npone, an’ all de odder fixin’s.” - -“Sounds good to me,” said Nat, smacking his lips. - -“But can’t we have the place to ourselves?” complained Tavia. “If that -man was only gone!” - -“Yo’ mean Cunnel Pike?” whispered the colored woman. “He comes yere -befo’. He’s er-gwine out on dat train wot’s stalled down yander----” - -“That’s the train we’re going out on,” Tavia declared. “Like enough -he’ll stay here till it goes.” - -“But we can eat in there if he is present,” said Dorothy, again. She -knew just how stubborn Tavia was when she got an idea in her head. - -“We’ll get him out! I’ll tell you,” gasped Tavia, suddenly. - -“How?” demanded the others, in chorus. - -“No, I won’t. Only Nat. I’ll tell _him_. You can order the meal, Ned, -and while it is being cooked we’ll fix it so that horrid man will -leave. Come on, Nat.” - -Nat went off with her. The others were doubtful of her scheme, but they -were hungry. So Ned instructed the colored woman as to the repast and -then he and Dorothy sat down on the steps to wait for developments. - -Meanwhile Tavia led Nat back to the main square of the village. “Run, -get me a telegraph blank from the station,” she ordered, and Nat, -without question, did as he was bade. - -Tavia quickly wrote a message and addressed it to “Colonel Pike, -Oriental Lunch Room,” with the name of the town appended. “Now,” she -said to Nat, “I dare you to send this message,” and her eyes danced. - -Nat read it through once, looked puzzled, and then read it twice and -grinned--the grin expanding as the full significance of the joke -penetrated his mind. - -“Crickey-Jiminy!” he exclaimed. “But if they tell him?” - -“Telegraph operators are not supposed to tell. Instruct this one not to -do so, Nat. Now, I dare you!” - -“You can’t dare me,” boasted Nat, and hurried back to the station. When -he returned they strolled on to the Oriental Lunch Room once more and -rejoined Ned and Dorothy. - -“Now! whatever have you been doing, Tavia?” demanded Dorothy. - -Tavia could not help giggling. “Just you wait and see,” she said. - -“I hope you didn’t let her do anything very bad,” Dorothy said to Nat. - -“I helped her do something mighty smart,” returned her cousin, looking -with admiration at pretty Tavia. - -Just then a boy with a Western Union cap came up and went into the -little restaurant. “Say!” he demanded of the black-browed man. “Are you -Pike?” - -“Am I _what_?” asked the man, in a hoarse voice. - -“Cunnel Pike’s the name,” said the boy. “And right at this restaurant.” - -“Oh! a telegram?” demanded the man, in surprise. “Well, that’s my -name,” and he put his hand out for the envelope. - -“Sign here,” said the boy, and after he had gotten the signature in his -book he gave up the message and went out. - -“Look!” gasped Tavia, clinging to Dorothy’s hand. - -All four of the young people watched covertly the man behind the -window. They saw him tear open the envelope and read the message -curiously. Then his heavy, dark face changed and curiosity was blended -first with amazement and then with something very like fear. - -He started to tear the message up. Then he got to his feet and his face -began to pale. Dorothy and the others watched him in wonder and some -alarm. - -Finally the man grabbed his hat brim and pulled it down over his eyes. -He strode out of the place and down the steps, without looking at the -boys and girls, and started straight for the railroad station. - -As he went his trembling fingers relaxed and the telegraph message -dropped at Dorothy’s feet. - -“What do you know about that?” whispered Nat. “We sent him that -message.” - -“What?” demanded Dorothy, and snatched it up. - -She uncrumpled the sheet of yellow paper and read in the crooked -letters of the old typewriter which the local operator used: - - “Come home at once. All is forgiven.” - -“Tavia Travers!” cried Dorothy. Then she burst into laughter, and so -did Ned when he had read the slip of paper. - -“I believe I have done a very good thing,” claimed Tavia, quite -seriously. “No wonder that old Colonel Pike looked like a ‘grouch.’ -He had trouble on his mind, and now we’ve sent him home to get it all -straightened out.” - -“Oh, Tavia!” groaned Dorothy again. - -“I’d give a good bit to be at his home--if he goes there--and see what -happens,” Ned said, when he had ceased laughing. - -“Anyway,” grinned Nat, “the ‘bogey man’ is gone and we can take -possession of the Oriental Lunch Room.” - -Which they forthwith proceeded to do. The old colored woman served them -a delicious meal, and added to their enjoyment of it by her comments -upon many things, not the least of which was her wonder as to “what tuk -Cunnel Pike out o’ yere so suddent like.” - -The gay little party left the restaurant in good season and rejoined -Aunt Winnie aboard the train. They saw nothing more of the man called -“Cunnel” Pike. Another train had just gotten away for the East and -Tavia said: - -“I tell you he has gone home. We did a very good action--probably have -changed the current of his whole life.” - -“Like to peek over the shoulder of the Recording Angel, Tavia, and see -what’s marked down against you for that telegram--eh?” chuckled Ned. - -“Well!” declared Dorothy, “I hope when he gets home they will be as -glad to see him as that message intimated.” - -“Well, I shouldn’t worry and get wrinkled!” shrugged Tavia. - -“I guess we’ll never know about that,” said Ned. - -“It’s like one of those serial stories in the papers, ‘continued in our -next’--and you always miss your copy of the next number,” said Nat. -“I’ve a dozen different plots ‘hanging fire’ in my mind that I never -will get to know how they finish up.” - -“Learn to read books, then,” advised his brother, “and stop littering -up your mind with such useless stuff.” - -“Wow!” exclaimed Nat. “You talk like Professor Grubber. Oh, I say! Did -you hear of that one they had on Old Grubs in class one day? He was -discussing organic and inorganic kingdoms. Says he: - -“‘Now, if I should shut my eyes--so--and drop my head--so--and remain -perfectly still, you would say I was a clod. But I move. I leap. Then -what do you call me?’ - -“And Poley Gray says, quite solemnly, ‘A clodhopper, sir.’ It got them -all,” concluded the slangy Nat. “Even Old Grubs himself had to laugh.” - -After that two-hour hold-up of their train the party found that the -speed at which they traveled was greatly increased. Each engineer in -turn tried to make up a bit of that handicap, and the travelers were -tossed about in their berths that night in rather a disturbing manner. - -Mrs. Petterby would not have gone to bed at all had it not been for -Dorothy’s encouragement; she would have sat up with her pullet in her -lap, and her bonnet firmly tied under her chin. - -“I’m ever expectin’ to have this train crash right into another,” said -the old lady. “And I want to be ready for it.” - -“Do you think you’ll be any more ready sitting up than you will be -lying down, dear Mrs. Petterby?” Dorothy asked. - -“Seems as if I would,” returned the old lady. “I tell you what! I -sha’n’t come out to see my baby no more. I shall tell him that. And I -dread the going back.” - -“Perhaps you will like Colorado so much that you will want to stay.” - -“What? And never see Rand’s Falls, Massachusetts, again?” exclaimed -Mrs. Petterby, in horror. “I--guess--not.” - -“I hope we shall see her baby when she meets him,” Doro said, tenderly. -“And I hope he’s all she expects him to be.” - -“A cow-puncher at forty-five a month,” sniffed Nat. - -“Oh! but cowboys are awfully romantic,” said Tavia, quickly. - -“Look out for her, Dot,” begged Ned. “You’ll have to blindfold her to -get her past any cow-punching outfit we may meet. I can see that.” - -On the following day when the train crossed the first ranges and -they beheld little bunches of five hundred or a thousand head of -“longhorns,” Tavia went into raptures. - -The four young folk from the East remained upon the observation -platform most of the time. Even after supper the girls went back there -to view the prairies in the gloaming. - -There was a distant light here and there, like a low-hung star; but -there were few towns, or even settlements. Suddenly the train slowed -down and they saw several switch-targets. Then they passed the ghostly -fence of a large corral, and they ran by a barn-like, darkened station -and freight sheds. - -The train stopped altogether. The girls saw the flagman seize his -lantern and run back to set his signal. “Come on!” exclaimed Tavia. -“He’s left the gate open.” - -She gave Dorothy no time to decide, but ran lightly down the steps -herself and sprang onto the cinder path. Dorothy followed. - -“Listen!” whispered Tavia, seizing her chum’s hand, tightly. “Hear the -night breathe.” - -There did seem to be a vast, curious sound to the inhalation of breath. - -Dorothy listened to the sound with a wonder that grew. It was not the -engine exhaust. It was a sound like nothing she had ever heard before. - -“See! there’s another big corral beyond the station,” Tavia said. “Come -on!” - -She led Dorothy down the platform, and out upon the softly giving earth. - -The headstrong Tavia went directly toward the high fence. The regular, -rhythmic breathing seemed to surround them. - -Of a sudden, something scrambled against the fence before them. There -was a bump against the bars, and two shining eyes transfixed them. - -The engine gave a single long-drawn shriek. Instantly the car wheels -began to turn, while from the creature inside the corral fence came a -bellow. - -“Goodness me!” shrieked Tavia. “It’s cattle--the corral’s full of -cattle.” - -“That isn’t the worst of it!” returned Dorothy, grabbing her hand and -starting to run. “We’re being left behind, Tavia Travers!” - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -A NIGHT WITH A KNIGHT - - -“Well! I wouldn’t talk as though it had never happened before to -anybody,” said Tavia, at last. “Why! even we, Doro, have been left -behind before. - -“Still, I grant you, we were never left before behind a fast express, -which was speeding your aunt and the boys away from us so rapidly that -we will be miles and miles behind before they discover our absence.” - -“If, however, they learn that we are behind before they reach----” - -“_Stop!_” commanded Dorothy, dropping down beside the track and -covering her ears. “If you say that again, I’ll certainly do something -to you.” - -They had followed the train down the long platform, screaming to the -flagman to pull the signal cord. He had not heard them. He had merely -closed the gate and gone into the car. - -Here Dorothy Dale and Tavia Travers were, deserted at this un-named -prairie station, where--to all appearances--there was not a soul. - -“And if anyone _is_ here, I expect I shall be scared to death,” -admitted Tavia, sitting down beside her chum. - -It was so dark that only the vastness of the earth and sky was made -known to them--and that but vaguely. Stars twinkled above their heads, -but seemingly so high that, as Tavia complained, they did not seem like -“the stars at home, back East!” - -Sitting facing the railroad tracks, they saw no lights but the switch -targets. There was no tower here, nor did there seem to be any life -at all about the railroad property. Why the express train had stopped -here, to tempt them to disembark, the girls could not imagine. - -They were sitting close up against the great corral fence. The deep -breathing of the herd was like the distant, low notes of an organ; the -girls were not now interested in the manifestation of the presence of -such a great number of cattle. But the cattle were curious. - -Another came and snorted behind them, and Dorothy and Tavia scrambled -up in a hurry. “They sound just as savage as bears,” declared Tavia. - -“I don’t see why they have all deserted the cattle,” murmured Dorothy. -“I should think there would be a night watch.” - -“And all the railroad people have deserted, too.” - -“Oh, dear!” said Dorothy. “We can’t even send a telegram after the -train to tell Aunt Winnie we are all right.” - -“But that wouldn’t be true,” said Tavia, shivering. “We are _not_ all -right.” - -“We-ell,” said her friend, slowly. “I don’t expect there is anything -here to hurt us.” - -“That’s all right. Maybe there isn’t. But I never _did_ like to be -alone in a strange place. I want to be introduced to folks.” - -“Maybe there is a cowboy camp near----” - -“Bully! let’s find it!” ejaculated Tavia. - -“But you wouldn’t know the cowboys. They’d all be strange men.” - -“Well! Cowboys are so romantic,” urged Tavia. “Let’s look.” - -“You can use your eyes as well as I can,” sighed Dorothy. “But I must -say the prospect for finding anybody in this half darkness is not very -alluring.” - -They started, following the line of the corral fence away from the -station. Dorothy was convinced there was no telegraph operator there, -and the barn-like building looked more dreary and threatening than did -the open prairie. So they were glad to get away from it. - -The fence seemed unending. Occasionally a beast faced them, glaring -with eyes like hot coals, and pawing the earth. But the fence looked -strong. - -They were not booted for walking, however, and the ground was uneven. -So they hobbled on very slowly. - -Tavia seized Dorothy’s arm. “Oh! what’s that?” - -“Now, don’t you begin scaring me,” commanded Dorothy. “Oh!” - -“Didn’t I tell you?” - -“A man on horseback.” - -They could see him between them and the skyline. He was riding slowly, -and riding toward them. The girls hugged close to the fence and their -dark traveling frocks were not noticeable. - -The horseman drew nearer. The girls, clinging together, saw that he -wore a wide hat and sheepskin chaps that looked like a woman’s divided -skirt, they were so wide. - -His pony pranced and snorted, doubtless scenting the girls. But the man -spoke a soothing word and did not even gather up the reins that lay -loose on the animal’s neck. - -His voice had a pleasant, drawling tone to it. “Easy, there, Gaby--yuh -shore ain’t gettin’ no thousand plunks er night for dancing yere--no, -Ma’am! Stan’ still a moment, Gaby.” - -Then a spark flared up and the girls knew the cowboy had been rolling -a cigarette and was now lighting it. - -“Sh!” breathed Dorothy. “Watch his face.” - -The match flared up, held in the hollow of his hand. The yellow glare -of it fell full upon the cowboy’s face. - -That was what Dorothy had waited for. She wanted to see what manner of -face it was before she spoke--_if_ she spoke at all. - -It was a bronzed, beardless, rather reckless countenance; but there was -nothing bad in its expression, and if the features were not strikingly -handsome they were pleasant. The mouth and eyes laughed too easily, -perhaps; but Dorothy risked it. She walked right up to the pony’s -surprised head. - -“Please!” she said. - -The match went out. So did the spark of the cigarette, as it dropped -from the man’s fingers. - -“Jerusha Juniper!” gasped the man. “I got ’em!” - -“Will you please listen?” asked Dorothy. - -“A gal--and a gal from back East--shore! Why, yes, Ma’am! I’ll listen -tuh yuh,” said the amazed cowboy. - -Just then Tavia joined her chum and the man muttered: “There’s two on -’em--Jerusha Juniper!” - -“Please help us, sir,” pleaded Dorothy again. - -“I shore will, Miss,” declared the cowboy. “But yuh did tee-totally -sup-prise me--yes, Ma’am!” - -Tavia began to giggle. “I guess you’re not used to meeting ladies -around here?” she questioned, saucily. - -“Jerusha Juniper! I reckon we ain’t; not around here.” - -“I didn’t know, for sure,” said the wicked Tavia; “hearing you take a -lady’s name in vain so frequently, you know. Is she a friend of yours?” - -“Who, Ma’am?” asked the puzzled cowboy, while Dorothy tugged at Tavia’s -sleeve. - -“‘Miss Jerusha Juniper’--or is she a ‘Mrs.’?” - -The man laughed heartily at that and urged his pony nearer to the two -girls. - -“We see so few females out here we hafter talk about ’em, and name -critters after ’em, and all that.” - -“I see,” said Tavia, quite assured of herself now. - -“Oh, dear!” interrupted Dorothy, anxiously. “All this isn’t getting us -anywhere.” - -“Jeru---- Well!” said the man. “Where do yuh want tuh go?” - -“Why, we’ve been left behind,” said Dorothy, and then she fully -explained their predicament. - -The cowboy, who was a young fellow, grasped the situation at once. - -“You won’t git even a slow train out o’ yere before noon to-morrer,” he -said. “And ’twixt now and then you’d be mighty uncomfortable, I reckon. -There ain’t nawthin’ yere but a boardin’ shack, an’ there ain’t a woman -ever stops thar only Miz’ Little, whose old man runs the shack and -keeps the corral yere.” - -“Goodness!” gasped Dorothy. - -“Gracious!” gasped Tavia. - -“Oh, they’re nice folks, but they ain’t fixed right to entertain -ladies,” said the man. - -“And we don’t want to be entertained,” wailed Dorothy. “We want to get -on.” - -“Shore you do,” granted the cowboy. “No other good train on this -road, as I say. If you follered by slow trains you’d never catch that -flyer--not in a dawg’s age.” - -“What _can_ we do, then?” demanded Dorothy. “Can’t we even telegraph?” - -“Now, I’ll fix that for yuh, first of all,” declared the man. “The -operator lives at Little’s shack. We’ll rout him out and make him tell -your folks on that train that you’ll overtake ’em at Sessions.” - -“But how can we?” asked Dorothy. - -“Sessions is a junction of this line and the old D. & C. Yuh see, I -know this country pretty well. I’m over yere for the Double Chain -Outfit right now, shipping cows, and I was startin’ back to-morrer, -anyway. I’ll git you ladies ponies, and we’ll start for Killock -to-night.” - -“Where’s Killock?” asked Dorothy, doubtfully. - -The cowboy pointed vaguely across the prairie. “Right over -thar--that-a-way,” he said. “It’s on the D. & C. There’s a fast train -stops thar at five in the morning. If we make a pretty quick get-away -we’ll easy make it in time, and you’ll ketch your folks at Sessions.” - -“Oh, that will be jolly!” cried Tavia. - -“But, Tavia!” gasped Dorothy. “How can we ride--in these frocks?” - -“Side saddle?” queried her chum, doubtfully. “Why not?” - -“We’d never be able to hang on,” groaned Dorothy, “without a proper -riding habit!” - -Here the cowboy interrupted. “There isn’t a lady’s saddle in this neck -o’ woods. But I can find easy mounts and easy saddles for you. An’ Miz’ -Little will let you have skirts. You can send them back with the ponies -from Killock.” - -“You think of everything!” exclaimed Tavia, gratefully. - -Dorothy Dale was doubtful. She had trusted the man’s face and his -manner, still---- - -“Come on, now, to Miz’ Little,” said the cowboy, frankly. “I’ll rout -’em out and we’ll be on the jog in half an hour, ladies.” - -The man’s free and familiar way troubled Dorothy more than anything -else. Yet, she knew that this was the West and that western ways were -not eastern ways. And there was a woman they could talk to, at least! - -So she and Tavia, hand in hand, followed behind the cowboy. He had -dismounted, but the track would not allow of their walking abreast. And -he made as slow progress in his high-heeled riding boots as the girls -did, over the rough way. - -Their eyes were more accustomed to the path now, or else it was not so -dark. However, they could not have mistaken the bulk of the cowboy and -that of the pony, before them. - -It certainly was a strange experience. Two eastern girls thrown -suddenly into a situation of this character! An unknown protector, an -unknown locality, and unknown adventures before them. - -“What an experience!” breathed the delighted Tavia. “And he’s a regular -knight.” - -“Is he?” - -“A knight of the lariat,” whispered Tavia. “It’s so romantic.” - -“I am glad you like it,” said Dorothy, grimly. - -“Why! don’t you, Dorothy Dale?” - -“I would give a good deal to be back aboard that train with Aunt -Winnie.” - -“Never!” cried Tavia. - -“All right there, ladies?” threw back the “knight” over his shoulder. -“There’s the light ahead.” - -“Oh! we are perfectly all right,” said Tavia, with assurance. - -Dorothy was not at all sure, so she said nothing. - -In a few minutes they came to a long, low building. There was a dim -light shining through a window in the end of the shack. - -The cowboy dropped his pony’s bridle-rein upon the ground and the -well-trained animal stood still. The “knight” knocked on the door and -at once a fierce voice asked: - -“Who’s thar?” - -“Lance,” said the man. - -“Well. I told you Number Eight was empty, Lance.” - -“I ain’t goin’ to stay, Miz’ Little.” - -“Aw-right,” pursued the same gruff voice, which the girls could -scarcely believe was a woman’s. “I’ll let the nex’ pilgrim thet comes -erlong have it.” - -“I gotter see yuh,” said the cowboy. “Git up, will yuh?” - -“What yuh want, Lance?” - -“Come yere. Land’s sake! S’pose I’m talkin’ for pleasure?” - -A couch squeaked. There was immediately a heavy footstep on the -creaking plank floor. The girls were rather startled. They wondered if -the savage sounding female was coming to the door just as she got out -of bed? - -But “Miz’ Little” had evidently been lying down dressed. When the door -opened she was revealed in a shapeless dark gown. Only, her head and -feet were bare. - -She was a gigantic creature--a good deal bigger than the cowboy who had -befriended the girls. Dorothy saw at once that she had a very kindly -face, despite her masculine appearance. - -“I vow!” she said, starting. “Ladies with you, Lance?” - -“Yep. And they want to git on to Killock to-night. They’ll tell you all -about it. I’m goin’ to rout out that thar key-pusher.” - -“He’s in Number Six,” said Mrs. Little. Then to the girls: “Come in. -Gals are yere erbout as often as angels--an’ I ain’t never hearn -_their_ wings yit.” - -Dorothy and Tavia entered--yet not without some hesitancy. The room was -large, and almost bare of furnishings. There was a broad bed, and on it -Mrs. Little had been lying. But there was no other occupant of it, or -of the room. - -There was a small cookstove, a chest of drawers, a clock on the shelf, -and a picture of Washington crossing the Delaware on the wall. One -rocker had a tidy on the back of it, but the other plain deal chairs -were entirely undecorated. - -The woman herself, however, drew Dorothy Dale’s attention. She was very -curious as to what manner of creature she could be--this masculine and -gruff spoken female. - -In the lamplight Dorothy had a better view of Mrs. Little’s face. Mrs. -Little did not have a single pretty or attractive feature, but the girl -from the East would have trusted her with anything she possessed! - -Mrs. Little looked closely into the faces of both girls. She saw -something shining in Dorothy’s eyes. - -“Why, chile!” she gasped. “You ain’t re’lly afraid, be yuh?” - -Dorothy seized the big, hard hand the woman put out to her. There was -help in that hand--and comfort. Tavia appeared not to care, but Dorothy -Dale knew that her chum was just as much disturbed in secret over the -situation as she was herself. - -In rather a breathless way Dorothy told Mrs. Little of the -circumstances leading up to their predicament, and her new friend -listened sympathetically. “Don’t that beat all?” was her comment. “And -I expect your folks is scaret, too. But you do like Lance says----” - -“Is Lance to be trusted, Mrs. Little?” asked Dorothy, eagerly. - -“Lance? Shore! Ef you was both my darters I’d trust yuh with Lance. -Men is tuh be trusted with gals out yere. They hafter be. Wimmen is -scurce--homes air far apart--a lone woman has a claim on a man in the -wild places that she don’t have in cities. Shore! - -“That’s what it is, Miss. It takes an out an’ out vilyun to be mean -to a woman or a gal w’en there ain’t a mite of protection for her -otherwise. Shore! Most western men, I ’low, air to be trusted.” - -But Dorothy and Tavia thought of Philo Marsh, and took this broad -statement with a grain of salt. Or was it, that Mr. Marsh, even, would -have been chivalrous under the present conditions? - -Dorothy was satisfied that the cowboy called Lance was a man to be -depended upon. She had really believed in him from the start; now she -believed even more in Mrs. Little, who stood sponsor for him. - -Almost at once Lance reappeared with a sleepy man whom he had evidently -gotten out of bed. - -“Write your message, Ma’am,” said the cowboy, “and this man will -send it. Make it re’l strong. We’ll ketch ’em at Sessions by noon -to-morrer. They kin stop over an’ wait a while for yuh. - -“Their tickets will be good on the D. & C. I’ve often done it myself. -And yuh’ll all be in Dugonne to-morrer night, anyway, so it won’t -matter erbout your berth coupons.” - -It was evident that Lance had traveled some and knew his way about. Now -he hurried away for the horses while Dorothy wrote the message to be -sent after the flying train. It was not yet an hour since Dorothy and -Tavia had left the observation car. - -Fortunately Dorothy had her handbag with her, and the purse in it was -well supplied with money. She asked the operator to count the words of -the message, and paid him for it on the spot. - -Meanwhile Mrs. Little had made coffee and she insisted upon the girls -having some and sampling her cake. When Lance came with the mounts he -was likewise regaled, standing in the doorway. - -A chill wind was blowing off the prairie, but not a cloud was to be -seen. The sky was thickly speckled with stars. - -“You’re going to have a right pleasant ride,” prophesied Mrs. Little, -producing two of her own voluminous skirts for the girls. - -She helped them tuck up their own frocks neatly and arranged the skirts -about them after they were mounted. - -“Everybody rides a-straddle out yere,” said the good lady, laughing. -“An’ yuh kin cling on better. Yuh got some ridin’ tuh do b’fore yuh -reach Killock. It’s fifty mile. - -“Now, Lance, don’t yuh be reckless. Ef anythin’ happens tuh these gals -I’ll be in yuh wool, an’ no mistake!” - -“Huh! nawthin’s goin’ tuh happen to them,” laughed Lance. “How erbout -_me_? I eat two slabs of that cake o’ yourn, Miz’ Little, an’ I expect -Gaby will bog right down with me inside of a mile, I’ll be so heavy.” - -“Git erlong with yuh!” retorted Mrs. Little, used to the cowboys’ rough -jokes. “It’s better cake than that Chinaman makes you at the Double -Chain Outfit, I vow!” - -After that they rode off into the night, with the “knight of the -lariat.” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE NIGHT ADVENTURE CONTINUED - - -The little cavalcade had to cross the tracks and the crossing was -beside the telegraph office. - -“I wonder if he has caught Aunt Winnie’s train yet?” said Dorothy, -aloud. - -“We’ll see about that, Miss,” said Lance, the cowboy, and he pulled in -and shouted for the operator: - -“Hey, Bill!” - -The window opened and the frowsy head of the telegraph man appeared. - -“Ketch Number Seventy yet?” asked the cowboy. - -“Just. At Massapeke. Your folks has got your message by this time, -ladies.” - -“Oh, thank you!” cried Dorothy. - -“A thousand times,” added Tavia. - -“Come on,” said Lance. “Goo’night, Bill!” - -“Goo’night!” responded the operator, and slammed down the window. - -They rattled over the crossing and then the ponies set into an easy -trot, led by the cowboy’s Gaby. - -Dorothy Dale and Tavia Travers had both learned to ride when they were -much younger. Indeed, Tavia had learned to ride bareback upon the -horses left out to pasture around Dalton, in the days when she was a -regular tomboy. - -The action of these cow ponies was easy, and the girls enjoyed the -strange ride during the first few miles, at least. They had ridden with -divided skirts at home; therefore their present position in the saddle -was not as strange to them as it might have been. - -But there were fifty miles to travel when they left Mrs. Little’s. “It -looks like an awfully big contract,” admitted Tavia. - -“Yuh ain’t got tuh look at it all tuh once, Miss,” said Lance, -good-naturedly. “Yuh take it mile by mile, an’ it ain’t so far.” - -“That’s so,” declared Tavia. “I never thought of that.” Then to Dorothy -she whispered. “Isn’t he just splendid? And how sweetly he drawls his -words?” - -“Now, Tavia!” gasped Dorothy. “If you don’t behave yourself----” - -“Why, I am!” cried Tavia. “I think you are too particular for anything, -Doro. Didn’t that large _Little_ lady tell us he was perfectly all -right?” - -Dorothy was being jounced around too much just then to make reply. But -she saw that Tavia had recovered completely from her “scare” and was -looking for mischief. - -Out on the open prairie the stars gave light enough for the girls to -see Lance better. The track was broader, too, and the trio continued -on, side by side, the cowboy riding between the two girls. - -Lance was not a bad looking young man at all. Dorothy began to realize, -too, that he was nowhere near as old as she had at first supposed. His -out of door life had given him that air of maturity. - -So, it troubled Dorothy when she saw that Tavia was determined to -“buzz” the cowboy. - -“Are you a really, truly cowboy?” the irrepressible asked, demurely. - -“Well, yuh might call me that, Ma’am, though I wasn’t borned to it like -some of these old-timers yuh’ll meet out yere.” - -“Then you are not a native of the West?” - -“Now you’ve said something, Ma’am. I come from back East; but t’was -quite some time ago--believe me!” - -“You must have been very young when you came out here--to seek your -fortune, I suppose?” pursued Tavia. - -“Tuh git cl’ar of my old man’s strap,” chuckled Lance. “He and I didn’t -hitch wuth a cent. But he was a good old feller at that.” - -“And you never went back?” asked Dorothy, becoming interested herself. - -“Never got the time for it. Yuh see, Miss, it does seem as though a man -never gets caught up with his work. That’s so!” - -“I should think you’d be homesick--want to see your folks,” the -insistent Tavia said. - -“Jerusha Juniper! My fam’bly was right glad to git shet of me, I -reckon; all but my mother. But I reckon she’s too old to travel out -yere, an’, as I say, it’s hard for a man like me to git time and money -both together for a vacation. I ’low I’d like to see the ol’ lady right -well,” he concluded. - -Scarcely had he spoken when a rattle of ponies’ hoofs behind them -startled their own spirited mounts. The ponies tried to “break” and -run, too, as they heard the rat-tat-tat of the hoofs approaching. - -“Whoa, thar, Gaby!” commanded Lance. “Ain’t yuh got a bit o’ sense?” -Then to Dorothy and Tavia he shouted: “Pull hard on them bits, ladies. -They got mouths like sheet-iron--an’ that ain’t no dream!” - -The girls pulled their ponies in, as instructed. As they did so two -other ponies appeared beside them in the trail. The girls from the East -could identify the riders as a man and a girl. - -“Jerusha Juniper!” yelled Lance, stopping Gaby from bolting with some -difficulty and swinging her across the path of the eastern girls’ -mounts, so as to halt them. “Jerusha Juniper! what yuh tryin’ tuh do? -Comin’ cavortin’ along the trail this a-way?” - -“Is that you, Lance?” asked the man. - -“It shore is--an’ two ladies,” said the cow-puncher, proudly. - -“Don’t tell ’em we come this way, Lance,” called a shriller voice, -which Dorothy knew must belong to the girl, as the couple passed and -urged their ponies to a gallop. - -“Jerusha Juniper! is it you, Colt--and you, Molly Crater? I’ll be -blessed! Tell on yuh? Reckon not--ef Colt’s fin’lly got up his spunk -tuh take yuh right from under the ol’ man’s nose, Molly.” - -“Oh! what is it?” cried Tavia. - -Lance began to laugh--and he laughed loudly, sagging from side to side -in his saddle. - -“’Scuse me, Ma’am!” he finally got breath to say. “But ef that ain’t -th’ beatenes’!” - -“Maybe it is,” said Tavia, with sarcasm. “But until you are a little -more explicit, Mr. Lance, I don’t see how we can join in your hilarity.” - -“Ain’t it so?” drawled Lance, still bubbling over with laughter. - -“Do be still, Tavia!” exclaimed Dorothy, admonishingly. “Give Mr. -Lance a chance to tell us.” - -“And that I shore will do,” chuckled the cowboy, as they jogged on -again. “I plumb believe the whole county will laugh to-morrer--that is, -if Colt carries it through.” - -“Carries _what_ through?” demanded Tavia, sharply. - -“Did yuh see that feller an’ gal?” began Lance, in his slow drawl. -“That thar is Jim Colt and Peleg Crater’s darter, Molly. Peleg’s a -pizen critter as ever was; but Molly’s jest as sweet an’ purty as a May -mawnin’--an’ that’s goin’ _some_. - -“Wal, this here Jim Colt has been sparkin’ on Molly for a dawg’s -age--yes, Ma’am! That pizen critter, Peleg, done drove him off his -farm--Peleg’s a nestor--time an’ time ag’in. Ain’t a single livin’ -thing the matter with the boy; but Peleg don’t wanter lose his -housekeeper. Works that Molly gal like a reg’lar slave. - -“Wal! the last time, I hear, Peleg chased Colt with a shotgun, and -purt’ nigh blowed the boy as full of holes as a colander.” - -“How awful!” gasped Dorothy. - -“What larks!” was Tavia’s comment. - -“Guess the smell o’ powder sort o’ put spunk intuh Colt. He’s got th’ -gal tuh-night and they’re racin’ for a parson.” - -“To get married?” cried Dorothy. - -“An elopement?” was Tavia’s delighted cry. - -“Shorest thing you know,” agreed Lance. - -“My! I’d like to see them married,” cried Tavia. - -“And is her father following them, do you suppose, Mr. Lance?” asked -Dorothy Dale, anxiously. - -“Ef he knows they’ve started you kin bet he’s after ’em--hot foot! -Unless Colt throwed an’ tied him fust,” added Lance. - -“Mercy! is that somebody coming behind us now?” asked Tavia, delighted -at this entirely new source of interest. - -But this was a false alarm. The three did ride faster, however, -although Lance warned the girls that the distance to Killock was too -far for them to hurry the ponies much. - -“These yere cayuses air all tuh th’ good,” declared the cowboy. “But -there ain’t no use in runnin’ their leetle legs off right now. Somebody -else may wanter use ’em after we git through.” - -“But that eloping couple were tearing away as fast as they could go,” -complained Tavia. - -“I ’low a shotgun in the rear will make a man ride fast,” chuckled -Lance. - -“Aren’t they going to the same town we are?” asked Tavia. - -“Killock? No, Ma’am! There’s Parson Hedwith at Branch Coulie--Jerusha -Juniper! I bet they ain’t even goin’ thar,” ejaculated Lance, with -revived interest. “Hop erlong, Gaby! Push on, ladies. Ef yuh wanter see -thet thar marriage, mebbe we kin make it, after all. I bet they air -bound for Bill Whistler’s.” - -“Who is he?” asked Tavia. “Somebody like the blacksmith at Gretna -Green?” - -“Never hearn tell of _him_, Ma’am; an’ a blacksmith ain’t qualified -tuh marry in this state. But Bill Whistler is. He’s just been made a -Justice of the Peace.” - -“A ‘Squire’!” cried Tavia. “So’s my father.” - -“Wal, then, Ma’am; you know he kin marry as slick as airy parson,” said -Lance. “It’s for his house Colt and Molly air aimin’, I ’low.” - -“Oh, Mr. Lance!” cried Dorothy Dale, enthusiastic herself now, “is Mr. -Whistler’s house on this road?” - -“It shore is.” - -“Can’t we stop and see them married?” - -“That’s what I was thinkin’ on,” declared the cowboy. “I was ’lowin’ to -give the ponies a rest there, anyway. And we’ll need it ourselves.” - -“Let’s hurry!” cried Tavia. “Maybe we can catch up with that girl.” - -The trio hastened forward. The girls were somewhat tired of riding, for -they had already been in the saddle two hours, but this new topic of -interest made them forget their weariness for the time. - -A light suddenly flashed up on the prairie ahead. “That’s in Bill’s -winder,” declared Lance. “Colt and the gal have got thar.” - -“Oh, _do_ let’s hurry!” cried Tavia. - -In their enthusiasm the girls urged on their little steeds. The ponies -quite took the bits away from Dorothy and Tavia during the last half -mile of the run, and they tore up to the low, slab-built house at a -rattling pace. - -There was some disturbance in the house, and the door opened but a -crack. The window had already been shuttered. - -“Who’s thar?” demanded a falsetto voice. - -“It’s Lance, tell ’em, Bill,” called out the cowboy. “Hold back the -ceremony a minute. These yere young ladies from the East wants ter -stand up with Molly, and if Colt wants a best man, why, I reckon I kin -fill the bill. That’ll make a grand, proper weddin’.” - -“Come in,” said the falsetto voice. “And bar the door behind yuh. I -un’erstan’ this yere is a hasty job. They say Peleg’s on the trail -behind ’em.” - -Lance was already helping Dorothy and Tavia to dismount. They were as -excited as they could be. - -“It’s just as though we were being chased by Indians, and this was a -blockhouse,” whispered Tavia to her chum. - -The cowboy hustled the three ponies around to the shed back of the -house. Then he ran back and followed the girls into the open door, -shutting it quickly and dropping the bar into place. - -“Shoot, Bill!” exclaimed the cowboy. “We’re all ready, I reckon.” - -The girls were amazed at the appearance of the Justice of the Peace. -He was a huge man with bushy red whiskers which looked as though they -would fill a half-bushel measure. And the tiny, shrill, falsetto voice -that came from his mouth when he opened it, almost set Tavia into -hysterics. - -“Stand up yere--git in line,” said the Justice, fishing out a book from -behind a littered couch. “I’ll marry yuh as tight and fast as airy -parson in the county.” - -At the very moment he was beginning there came from without the thunder -of advancing hoofs. Everybody heard it. Molly Crater grabbed the -bridegroom (who was a good-looking young fellow) by the arm, and sang -out: - -“It’s pap and the sheriff!” - -The next moment the horses arrived, and there came a thunderous knock -on the door of the slab house. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -WHAT FOLLOWED AN ELOPEMENT - - -“Take my gun, Lance, and stand at the door,” commanded the solemn, -bewhiskered Justice. “Ain’t nobody gwine tuh disturb this court while -in th’ puffawmance of its duty. No, sir! - -“Git busy, folks! Ketch holt of han’s,” and he proceeded to read -through the form made and provided for such occasions by the State -Judiciary, while Mr. Peleg Crater continued to hammer at the door. - -Dorothy and Tavia marveled at the courage of Molly Crater, who actually -responded to the questions in unshaken voice while her angry father -shouted threats outside. - -“Now, by jinks!” exclaimed the Justice, throwing down the book and -saluting the bride with a kiss like the crack of a bullwhip, “yuh air -tied hard an’ fast. Le’s see ol’ Peleg untie yuh.” - -“He’s got a gun,” said the cowpuncher warningly, at the door. “Ef he -blows Colt’s head off the knot will be purty well busted--what?” - -“Wal, I’ll lend Jim my gun,” said the philosophic Justice. “Then let -’em go to it.” - -“No, sir-ree!” exclaimed the newly made Mrs. Colt. “I won’t have my -husband and my father a-shooting at one another.” - -“Peleg means business, Molly,” said Lance. - -“So do I,” declared the bride. “I’d leave Jim right now ef he aimed a -gun at pap. Just as I left pap ’cause he shot at Jim.” - -Dorothy and Tavia were badly frightened. These people talked of the use -of lethal weapons in a most barbarous way. Even Tavia began to think -the West was more uncivilized than it was romantic. - -“That’s a good, strong door,” squealed the bewhiskered Whistler. “And -the window shutters are bullet-proof. We kin stand a siege. I got a -cyclone cellar, too.” - -“But _we_ can’t stay here!” cried Dorothy, in great distress. - -“That is so, Doro. We have to catch that train,” agreed Tavia. - -“There’s more’n one train stops at Killock, Miss,” said Molly Colt, -_nee_ Crater, to Dorothy Dale. “And pap will git tired and go away.” - -“Nop,” said Lance, the cowboy. “I promised to git these ladies to -Killock in time for the mawnin’ train, an’ I’m goin’ ter do it, or bust -er leg!” - -“And it’s after midnight now,” said Dorothy, looking at her watch. - -“Yuh’ll hafter slip out the back way, git yuh ponies, an’ scoot,” -advised Whistler through his whiskers. - -“We’ll all light out that way,” said young Colt. - -“But we don’t wanter get these girls in any trouble,” said Mrs. Colt. - -“We’ll leave ’em at once. Make for Branch Coulie. That’ll toll your pap -off _their_ trail,” said her husband of five minutes. - -Dorothy Dale, although she was much frightened by the situation, did -not lose her presence of mind. “Why don’t you and your husband stay -here, Mrs. Colt?” she said, clinging to the older girl’s hand. “_You_ -remain in the house--or in this cellar Mr. Whistler speaks of, while -Mr. Lance and Tavia and I slip out at the back and get away. Your -father will think we are you.” - -“That idea is as good as gold,” declared Lance, admiringly. “What the -little lady says goes, Bill. You agreed, Jim?” - -“And me, too,” said Molly Colt, when her husband nodded. - -“Go to it,” squealed Whistler in his funny voice. - -Tavia nudged Dorothy, and whispered: “You’re crazy! you’ll get us -shot.” - -“Not a bit,” said Lance, quickly, hearing her. “Our ponies are as fresh -as can be now, while Peleg’s is clean tuckered out. He’s traveled -already three times as fur as we have--and he ain’t been savin’ -horseflesh, nuther, the state of mind he’s in. Believe me!” - -“But the sheriff?” asked Tavia. “Won’t he arrest us?” - -“If he wants my vote nex’ year,” shrilled Whistler, “he won’t -interfere. He’s only along to see fair play, I reckon.” - -“Come on, then,” cried Lance. - -“I’ll keep Peleg at the door. Colt, you an’ Molly slip inter the -cellar,” commanded the Justice of the Peace. “Peleg will hear Lance and -these young ladies after they git started, and I’ll sick him ontuh yuh. -He wouldn’t ketch yuh in a week o’ Sundays--an’ I never seed that week -come around yit.” - -The girls from the East had only time to kiss Molly Colt good-bye and -wish her happiness, when Lance hurried them out of the back door of the -slab house. They were both keyed up with excitement, but Lance did not -realize how troubled they were as he lifted them onto their respective -ponies, after cinching the saddles again. - -“All ready?” whispered the cowboy. “Then we’ll start. I’ll ride behind. -If the old goose does any shooting he’ll aim at me, anyway--and none -o’ these nestors kin shoot wuth a hang. You can see the trail, ladies?” - -“Oh, yes,” replied Dorothy. - -They rode out quietly, skirting a group of sheds, and struck into the -trail. The ponies were well under way before the angry farmer heard -them. - -“He’s fell for it!” cried the cowboy. “Jerusha Juniper! Here he comes. -Let ’em out, ladies. The ponies is fresh as jackrabbits.” - -For perhaps two miles they heard the farmer hooting and yelling behind -them. But he did not shoot. Then the sounds of his pursuit abruptly -ended. The ‘nestor’ had given up the chase. - -“I hope he’ll not find his daughter and her husband until he gets over -his mad fit,” said Dorothy, anxiously. - -“That mean man would never be decent,” said Tavia. “But wasn’t it -exciting?” - -“Colt’s goin’ to take Molly a fur ways off,” said the cowboy. “Old -Peleg will have plenty of time to simmer down afore he sees airy of ’em -again.” - -They rode on through the night and after a time Lance left the regular -trail. Dorothy was a bit worried by this move and asked him why. - -“Isn’t there a chance of our getting lost, Mr. Lance?” - -“No, Ma’am. This trail goes a roundabout way, and we can cut off nigh -ten miles by striking right ’cross country. If there was high water we -couldn’t do it, but the streams are nigh dry.” - -“It looks so dark,” said Tavia. “How can you ever find the way?” - -Then he showed them the North Star and other planets and combinations -of stars by which the plainsman casts his course at night, as the -sailor does at sea. - -They came to several water-courses, unbridged; the ponies splashed -through the shallow water, and then broke into their easy gallop again. - -Dawn came, tripping over the prairie behind them, soon catching and -passing the three riders, and rushing on to lighten the deep shadows of -the mountains far, far in advance. All night these mountains had masked -the western horizon like a threatening cloud. - -Dorothy had dreamed of sunrise on the prairie; but she had not supposed -it half so wonderful as it was! - -The hem of Dawn’s garment was tinged with opal light, which quickly -changed to faint pink--then deep rose--then an angry saffron which -spread like a prairie fire all along the eastern horizon. - -She could not help looking back at it to the detriment of her riding. -But her pony was surefooted, and she came to no harm. - -The glow increased. They were bathed in the light, and quickly the -first level rays of the sun chased their own elongated shadows over the -ground. There sprang into view ahead, as they cantered over a small -rise, several sharply sparkling objects. - -“What _are_ they?” cried Tavia. - -“Them’s winders in Killock,” said Lance. “We’ll soon be there--and in -plenty of time for your train, Miss.” - -“Oh, Mr. Lance,” Dorothy said, gratefully, “I don’t know how we can -thank you for your kindness.” - -“Don’t say a word--don’t say a word,” urged their knight of the lariat. -“We know how to treat ladies out yere, I reckon. An’ I ain’t done a -thing tuh be thanked for.” - -“Are you going on with us to Sessions?” Dorothy asked him. - -“I can’t rightly do so,” said the cowboy. “I got to ’tend to some -business for my boss here in Killock.” - -“Oh! I am so sorry,” said Dorothy. “I want you to meet my Aunt Winnie -and my cousins.” - -“Mebbe I’ll see yuh at Dugonne--later,” said Lance, bashfully. “The -Double Chain Outfit ain’t far from there.” - -Dorothy had money enough left to buy tickets to Sessions for herself -and Tavia. Lance refused to take anything for the use of the ponies. -As the train hooted in the distance for its brief stop at Killock, the -girls hugged the ponies, and Tavia kissed Gaby plumb upon her soft nose. - -“She’s a dear, Mr. Lance!” she cried. “I hope I shall see her again.” - -“You’ll see her if yuh see me,” declared the cowpuncher. “Where I go -Gaby goes, too, you bet!” - -They shook hands with the good-natured man and scurried aboard the -cars. As they found a seat on the side away from the station, Dorothy -clutched Tavia’s arm. - -“Look at that man, Tavia!” she whispered, pointing through the window. - -The person to whom Dorothy drew her chum’s attention was stealing out -of the bushes beside the tracks. He was a gray-haired man, with a Grand -Army hat, although the head-covering was battered and torn. He wore a -ragged blue coat, too, and Dorothy had identified the button he wore on -the lapel of the disreputable coat. - -He was an unshaven and altogether unhappy looking object; but that -button assured Major Dale’s bright eyed daughter, that the poor old -creature was a Veteran. - -“What do you suppose he is doing here?” gasped Dorothy. “Oh! the poor -old man!” - -The car wheels began to turn again. The train had halted for only -a minute. They saw the man hobble across the tracks, and seize the -railing as their car passed him. It was plain to the girls that he -meant to steal a ride upon the fast train. - -“Oh! he’ll be killed,” gasped Dorothy, half rising from her seat. - -“Sit down, Doro Dale!” exclaimed Tavia. “If you tell anybody, he’ll be -put off.” - -Dorothy was greatly troubled. She never saw a Grand Army man without -being interested in him. And she had never seen one before who so -looked like a tramp. - -“That worries me,” said Dorothy Dale, the tears standing in her -beautiful eyes. “I fear that poor man will fall off the steps of the -car.” - -“I am afraid the brakeman will see him and put him off at the first -stop,” retorted Tavia. “And we haven’t money enough to pay his fare.” - -“Goodness! No!” cried Dorothy. “I have less than a dollar left in my -purse.” - -“And of course, I have no money at all. I never _do_ have,” groaned the -reckless Tavia. - -“After the conductor goes through the car,” whispered Dorothy, seeing -the man in question coming down the aisle, “I am going to steal back -there and see if the poor old creature really _did_ get upon the steps -outside the vestibule door.” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE MAN WHO WOULD HAVE DIED INDOORS - - -The conductor seemed a jolly man, and he took a fatherly interest in -Dorothy and Tavia, having a daughter about their age at home, so he -said. Yet Dorothy did not feel like telling him about the old tramp -whom she and Tavia had seen attempting to board the train. - -“You see, the conductor has his rules to go by,” explained Dorothy, -“and we couldn’t expect him to break them for _us_. I wish we had money -to pay the fare of the poor old creature.” - -“You don’t really know, Dorothy Dale, whether the man is on the step, -or not,” urged Tavia. - -“I’m going to find out,” pronounced her chum, with decision. - -She left her seat, following the conductor slowly to the end of the -car. Ostensibly she went for a drink, but the moment the blue-coated -official had passed through to the next car, Dorothy went out into the -vestibule. The brakeman chanced to be out of sight at the moment. - -The doors on the “off” side of the vestibule were locked, but Dorothy -could peer through the glass. Directly beneath her she could see the -broken top of the old army hat. - -“He’s there!” gasped Dorothy, running back to Tavia. “Whatever shall we -do about it?” - -“I wish Lance was here,” said her friend. “He’d know what to do.” - -“We can’t have men-folk around to help us out of all our troubles,” -sniffed Dorothy. - -“This isn’t trouble,” declared Tavia. “It’s really nothing to us----” - -“But suppose the poor man should fall off?” - -“We’re anxious for nothing, I wager,” said Tavia. “He is probably used -to riding on car steps.” - -“It’s such a narrow place,” groaned Dorothy. “He can’t more than cling -to it. Oh! here’s a curve!” - -They whirled around this corner and then over a long trestle that -crossed a placid river. When the train _did_ stop the girls did not see -the tramp get off. All the stations chanced to be on the other side, as -Killock had been. - -The peril of the man whom Dorothy believed to be a fellow-soldier with -her own father, Major Dale, was the uppermost topic in Dorothy’s mind -and conversation. Tavia began to have another, and more personal, -worry. - -“I could eat a planked steak--plank and all!--right now,” said the -flyaway. “Dear me, Doro! I wish your purse was like the widow’s cruse, -and never gave out. There’s a buffet car on, too.” - -They had to satisfy their appetites for the time being by buying some -fruit from the train boy. But this was a poor substitute for planked -steak--or any other hearty viand. - -“I hope Aunt Winnie and Ned and Nat will wait for us at Sessions, as I -asked them,” sighed Dorothy. - -“If they don’t, _we’ll_ have to steal a ride,” said Tavia, quickly. -“Ned has our tickets, you know.” - -But _that_ was not a real worry. Dorothy was pretty sure her aunt and -the boys would do just as she had asked them to do. What was happening -outside that car, on the rear step, was a matter (so she thought) for -real anxiety! - -A dozen times she went back to peer through the window in the vestibule -door and caught a glimpse of the top of the battered Grand Army hat. - -Perhaps she went once too often--for the contentment of the old man -who was cheating the railroad company of a fare. Or, it may have been -in some other manner that the brakeman’s attention was called to the -presence of the stowaway on the step. For he was discovered before the -train reached the junction, at eleven o’clock, where Dorothy and Tavia -were to leave the train. - -The conductor had been through again and talked to them, and they had -learned when and where to look for the station. Other passengers were -already getting their baggage out of the racks, and putting on their -light wraps. - -Suddenly the two friends heard a disturbance at the end of the car. -Tavia jumped up and looked back. - -“Oh, Doro!” she cried, in a horrified tone, “they have him!” - -Dorothy turned quickly and saw the brakeman drag the old tramp into the -car and fling him into an end seat. - -“How rough he is!” gasped Tavia, referring to the railroad employee. - -Dorothy darted down the aisle. She would have interfered had the -conductor not come at once and taken charge. - -“On the step, eh? Well! he took his life in his hands,” grumbled the -conductor. “Give him a drink of water, John. I expect he’s famished for -it--chewing grit as he has been since we started.” - -“Oh! what will you do with him?” cried Dorothy, clutching at the -conductor’s sleeve. - -“Nothing very bad, little lady,” assured the conductor, smiling at her. -“We’ll hand him over to the railroad police at Sessions. They’ll take -him to court.” - -“Oh! must he be punished?” - -“I am afraid so. The company’s pretty strict. He’s been stealing a ride -and the magistrate will send him to the rockpile for that.” - -“But he’s such an old man--and he’s a soldier,” whispered Dorothy, -pointing to the button on the lapel of the old coat. - -The conductor started and looked more closely. “It’s a Grand Army -button--sure enough,” he muttered. Then he looked into the soot-lined -face of the man and shook his head. - -“Stole it, most likely,” was his comment, and went on through the car. - -Dorothy did not believe that. The man’s eyes were dull, and it was -evident that he was much exhausted. A traveling-man came up and offered -him a drink from his pocket-flask. Dorothy was sorry to see how eagerly -the trembling old hands went out for the spirits. - -Soon color returned to the flabby cheeks, and a certain look of -confidence to the old eyes, after the tramp had imbibed the liquor. - -He was kept in the seat until the train stopped at the Sessions -platform. Then, as the girls hurried out to find their friends, Dorothy -saw the old man with the Grand Army button being taken off the car by -two policemen in plain clothes. - -“Dorothy Dale!” - -“Tavia Travers!” - -Two lusty shouts greeted the girls the moment they showed themselves -upon the steps of the car. Ned and Nat White burst through the crowd -outside and seized upon the two girls as they descended. - -“Glory!” yelled Nat. “I could pound you girls, I’m so glad to see you. -You had us scared stiff. And Little Mum will never get over it.” - -“Not so bad as that,” rejoined his brother. “But you girls certainly -managed to give us all a scare. I’d just as soon travel with two kids -as with you graduates of Glenwood School.” - -“Now, Neddie,” advised Tavia, “don’t put on airs.” - -“We’re real sorry, boys,” admitted Dorothy. “But that old train went -off and left us without saying one word!” - -“I should think it did,” answered Ned. “And what business had you off -of it?” - -“It wasn’t we that went off,” declared Tavia. “It was the train that -went off.” - -“Where have you been all this time?” asked Nat. “How did you get _here_ -by an entirely different road? And who helped you?” - -“Oh, there! now you’ve said something,” cried Tavia. “Just the very -nicest young man. A cattle puncher by trade, and we rode fifty miles -with him, and saw a Mrs. Little of gigantic size, and helped a young -woman and her lover elope, and witnessed the ceremony while her father -battered at the door and threatened to blow all our heads off--and were -chased by the angry father thinking _we_ were the elopers, and----” - -“Stop her! stop her!” shouted Nat. “I know you girls can collect -adventures as a magnet does steel filings, but you are going too far -now. An elopement! and an angry father with a gun----” - -“And our Grand Army man!” cried Dorothy, suddenly. “Where is he? We -must do something to help him.” - -“That’s so, Doro,” agreed Tavia. “We must find him.” - -“Now they’re off again!” groaned Nat, looking helplessly at his brother. - -“Where is Aunt Winnie?” demanded Dorothy, suddenly. - -“She is at the hotel. And she’s gone to bed,” said Ned, gloomily. “You -girls will give Little Mum the conniptions, if you’re not careful. She -was awfully worried.” - -“But you got our telegram?” cried Dorothy. - -“Sure. But it read a good deal like the Irish foreman’s message to the -widow of his fellow-countryman suddenly killed in the stone quarry: -‘Don’t worry about Pat. He’s only lost both legs and one arm; and if it -wasn’t that his head was cut off, too, he’d be as good as ever.’ Your -telegram gave just enough particulars to worry mother.” - -“We’ll run and show her we are all right,” cried Tavia. - -But Dorothy held back. Her eyes were fixed upon the ragged figure of -the old tramp being led out of the station by the two policemen. - -“Do you see that poor fellow, Ned?” she whispered. “He wears a Grand -Army button--like father.” - -“That tramp?” gasped Ned. - -“Yes. But maybe he isn’t really a tramp. Only he stole a ride clear -from Killock,” and she hastily told her cousins about the stowaway -on the steps of the car. “And Ned!” added Dorothy Dale, “I want to -save him from punishment. They are going to take him before the -magistrate--and the conductor says the magistrate will send him to -jail.” - -“I expect so,” said Ned, slowly. - -“Come, Ned!” exclaimed the girl, anxiously, shaking him by the sleeve. -“Let Nat take Tavia to Aunt Winnie, and you come to court with me. -Maybe we can help the poor old man. A Grand Army man, Ned!” - -Ned White knew that there was no stopping his cousin when she had -“taken the bit in her teeth.” And here was a case where she was -greatly moved. - -Nobody could gain Dorothy Dale’s sympathy like a Grand Army man. Ned -merely shrugged his shoulders and went with her, while Nat and Tavia -started in the other direction. - -“Remember we go on the one o’clock train,” shouted Nat after them. - -Dorothy and her cousin quickly caught up with the railroad police and -their captive. - -“Oh, please, sir!” cried Dorothy, to one of the officers, who had a -very kind face, “where are you taking him?” - -“Hello, Miss!” exclaimed the policeman, taking off his hat. “Are you -interested in this old chap?” - -Dorothy told him why, and how. “Oh!” said the railroad man, “I didn’t -know but you knew him. He’s got to go to court, anyway.” - -“Right away?” asked the girl, breathlessly. - -“That’s where we are taking him, Miss,” said the other officer. - -“May we go with you?” - -“Of course you may. And if you want to say a good word for the old -fellow to Judge Abbott, I’ll fix it so you can,” he added. - -“That is _so_ kind of you!” Dorothy said. “You see, he is a Grand Army -man.” - -“Mebbe he stole the button, Miss,” growled one of the police. - -Dorothy turned swiftly to the prisoner. His old face was drawn and -haggard. Dorothy put her finger upon the button on the frayed lapel of -his coat. - -“Where did you get that, sir?” she asked. - -Almost instantly the dull eyes brightened. The sagging chin came up and -the old shoulders were squared. - -“It belongs to me, Miss,” he said, in a broken voice. “I am an army -man--oh, yes! Thank you. I--I been in the Home; but I couldn’t stay -indoor. So--so I ran away.” - -“Ran away!” gasped Dorothy. “And where were you running to?” - -“To the great out-of-doors,” whispered the old man. “I always lived in -the open. I prospected, and I hunted, and I worked--all through these -hills,” and he pointed westward. - -“I suppose I did wrong in beating my way on the cars. But I’ve often -done it,” confessed the old man. “I had no money for carfare. My -pension’s turned over to the Home as is only right, I s’pose. But I got -to get out into the open, or die!” - -The two railroad police looked at each other, grimly. “What do you know -about that?” one muttered. Dorothy was frankly crying. - -[Illustration: “OUGHT HE TO BE A PRISONER WITH THAT BUTTON ON HIS -COAT?” CRIED DOROTHY. _Dorothy Dale in the West Page 101_] - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -AT DUGONNE AT LAST - - -“You see, Miss,” said one of the officers, “we got to take him to -court. It’s as much as our job’s worth to let him go.” - -“We’ll all go along,” said Ned, firmly. “Maybe the judge will be kind -to him.” - -“But they’ve got a bad law in this town,” said the other officer, -shaking his head. - -“What kind of a law?” asked Ned, quickly. - -“In regard to vagrants. It’s three months on the stone pile, or with -ball and chain. No getting out of it, unless the prisoner has money -enough to buy a ticket that will take him fifty miles away, on one road -or the other.” - -“Why! that is barbarous!” exclaimed Dorothy. - -“Dunno about that, Ma’am; but it’s the municipal ordinance.” - -“Oh! the judge of the court must have _some_ power,” cried Dorothy. “Do -let me talk to him.” - -The magistrate’s court was not far distant. Ned felt rather peculiar -as he climbed the stairs in company with the prisoner and officers, -holding Dorothy’s hand in the crook of his arm. There were some pretty -rough looking characters on the stairs and hanging about the door of -the magistrate’s court. But Ned and Dorothy pushed on in the wake of -the railroad police and their prisoner. - -Dorothy sympathized so deeply with the old man who had escaped from -the discipline and routine of the Soldiers’ Home, that she paid little -attention to her surroundings. - -The courtroom was long, and ugly, and bare. The man sitting at the high -desk at the end of the room, Dorothy knew, must be the magistrate. He -was a young, smoothly shaven man, dressed very fashionably, and with a -flower in his buttonhole. That flower was the single bright spot in all -the somber place. - -The railroad policeman looked knowingly at Dorothy, and she went -forward with Ned. They were both allowed inside the railing. One of the -officers spoke in a low tone to the magistrate, and the latter glanced -interestedly at Dorothy. - -Although Dorothy Dale had been traveling night and day for some time, -she was too attractive a girl to lose all her bonny appearance under -_any_ circumstances. - -The magistrate listened to the railroad detective. Then he called the -poor old man to the bar. - -“What is your name?” asked the magistrate. - -“John Dempsey, your honor.” - -“Without a home in this county, and no visible means of support, the -officer says--is that right?” - -“I--I--Yes, your honor.” - -“And found riding on the train without a ticket?” - -“I was, your honor.” - -“Why? Why did you do it?” - -“Sure, your honor, they treat me well enough at the Home; but I want to -get out in the open. It’s stifled I am become by four walls.” - -“But that does not explain away the fact that you stole a ride upon the -complainant’s train?” said the magistrate, sternly. - -Dorothy looked up at him pleadingly. John Dempsey was silent; he could -not plead his own cause in speech as eloquent as Dorothy’s eyes pleaded -for him! Judge Abbott beckoned the young girl to step up beside him. - -“I understand you wish to speak in the prisoner’s behalf?” said the -magistrate. - -“Oh, Judge! ought he to be a prisoner with that button on his coat?” -cried Dorothy Dale, impulsively. “He is an old Veteran--a man who -fought for our country. I am sure Mr. Dempsey is a good man. _Don’t_ -punish him, Judge!” - -“But, my dear young lady, how can I help it? He has committed a -misdemeanor. He must either be sent to jail, or he must produce his -fare out of town--and fifty miles out of town, at that!” - -“Oh, sir! can’t somebody else pay his fare?” asked Dorothy, anxiously. - -“Surely, Miss. Are you prepared to do so?” - -“No, sir, not now. But I will take him away on the one o’clock train--I -will indeed.” - -“Very well. Sentence suspended. Paroled in _your_ care,” added the -judge to one of the railroad officers. “You have him at the station in -season for the train, and the young lady will be responsible for his -fare.” - -Dorothy thanked him, but went eagerly to the prisoner. - -“Where do you want to go, sir?” she asked. - -“I--I--Well, Miss, it don’t so much matter as long as I git to _go_. I -want to reach the hills.” - -“You shall go with us as far as Dugonne, at least,” said Dorothy, -impulsively. “I’m sure we can find something for him to do at the -Hardin place, Ned?” she added, turning to her cousin. - -Ned was more than a little startled by this. Things were moving rather -too fast for him. But he managed to say: - -“You--you’ll have to settle that with the mater, Dot.” But then he -whispered: “What can an old fellow like him do on a ranch?” - -“That’s all right,” Dorothy returned. “We’ll make him _think_ he can do -something.” - -“You do beat all!” gasped her cousin, with astonishment. - -Dorothy shook hands with the judge, and with the railroad officers, and -with John Dempsey. She scattered the sunshine of her smiles all about -the dingy court room, and things seemed to brighten up for everybody. - -Then she hurried with Ned to the hotel where Aunt Winnie was waiting. - -“My dear girl!” said that good lady. “How you have worried me. And -Tavia’s account of your adventures have not served to relieve our -anxiety--much. Going to court with a tramp----” - -“Not a tramp, Auntie!” interposed Dorothy Dale. “He is one of father’s -old comrades. He is a Veteran.” - -“I hope so. I hope you have not been imposed upon. But it will cost -money----” - -“You told me,” said Dorothy, earnestly, “that when we got to the Hardin -place you’d buy a pony for my very own use. Take that money and pay -John Dempsey’s fare. I don’t need a pony.” - -Aunt Winnie kissed her. “My dear girl! I am afraid your sympathy will -often lead you astray,” she said. “But you will stray in kindly paths. -I do not believe there will be much serious harm for you that way.” - -“What do you think of _me_?” broke in Tavia. “I am always going astray, -too. At least, so they all tell me.” - -“Your heart is all right, my dear Octavia,” said Mrs. White, smiling, -“but it is your head that leads _you_ astray,” she added, not unkindly. - -They all went to the railroad station in good season, and there found -the policeman and old John Dempsey waiting for them. The good-natured -officer had improved the old man’s appearance considerably by having -his clothing brushed and finding him the means for washing. Dempsey had -likewise been fed. - -He was a brown-faced, blue-eyed man of nearly seventy. The blue eyes -had, perhaps, a wandering look, and the muscles about the old man’s -mouth had weakened, but otherwise he was sturdy looking. - -He saluted Dorothy when she hurried toward him, but took off his hat to -Mrs. White. - -“’Tis a pity, Ma’am,” he said, to the lady, “that you do be troubled by -such as me. But I’m fair desp’rit! I’d take charity from anybody to git -back into the open once more. - -“They’ve hived me up in four walls till it’s fair mad they’ve made me. -I might strike it rich yet, out in the hills, an’ pay ye for----” - -“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” said Mrs. White, kindly. “I am sure -we can find something for you to do out of doors on our big place that -will make you self-supporting.” - -“God bless ye for saying that, Ma’am,” said John Dempsey, gratefully, -and followed on behind the party to the train, where the policeman bade -them good-bye. - -The boys took charge of John Dempsey and saw him comfortably seated in -the day coach. It was a long run to Dugonne, where the party arrived at -nine o’clock that evening. - -Dorothy was so anxiously looking forward to the end of the train -journey that she had quite forgotten some of the circumstances -connected with this sudden trip. There, on the lighted platform, as the -train rolled in, appeared the stocky, black mustached man for whom she -and Tavia had taken such a dislike. - -“Philo Marsh!” ejaculated Dorothy to her chum. - -“He got here ahead of us.” - -“He had no intention of letting Aunt Winnie get here first,” declared -Dorothy. “Now, Tavia, we must watch that man; he means Aunt Winnie no -good, I’m sure.” - -Philo Marsh rushed forward to greet Mrs. White, with both hands -extended, when the party from the East left the train. - -“I certainly made good connections,” he said, with enthusiasm, -insisting upon shaking hands with the two boys as well as the lady -herself. The girls kept away from him, and it was evident that the man -did not recognize them, but he swept off his hat and bowed deeply to -Dorothy and Tavia, when Mrs. White presented them as “my niece, and her -friend.” - -“I’ve the best suite in the best hotel in Dugonne saved for you,” Philo -Marsh declared. “I’ve ordered supper for you, too. They’ll serve it -just as soon as you arrive, in your sitting room. Oh, we can do things -in good style out yere if we put our minds to it,” and the man laughed -heartily. - -“And in the morning I’ll come and talk with you, Mrs. White. If you -want to see some of the other men interested in this water-right -business, I’ll bring them.” - -“Oh, mercy, sir!” cried Aunt Winnie. “Let us get rested and look -about a little before we rush into business. But I will let you call -to-morrow afternoon, Mr. Marsh.” - -With this, Philo Marsh had to be content. The party of tourists were -driven away in a depot wagon for the Commonwealth Hotel. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -ON THE ROAD TO HARDIN’S - - -“Goodness gracious, grumpy gree!” yawned Tavia. “Isn’t a really-truly -bed the greatest invention known to civilized man, Doro?” - -“I don’t know about its being the first on the list; but it certainly -_is_ a delight after sleeping on a shelf in that car,” agreed Dorothy -Dale, stretching luxuriously. - -“I hate to get up.” - -“You can stay here all day alone, then,” said her chum, briskly. “Aunt -Winnie means to get to the Hardin ranch-house before night.” - -“Then what about Philo Marsh?” cried Tavia. - -“She confided to me,” chuckled Dorothy, “that that is why she told him -not to come around until afternoon. She will see him just before we -start for Hardin’s.” - -“He’ll be mad as fury.” - -“Let him be. Auntie says she is determined to look over the estate, and -see the water supply herself, and survey the proposed new channel, -before she signs a paper.” - -“Bully for her!” cried the slangy Tavia. “I bet that pirate, Philo -Marsh, has something up his sleeve beside his arm.” - -Bang! bang! bang! A knock at the girls’ door. - -“Oh! is the house afire?” shrieked Tavia, leaping out of bed. “Or is it -Papa Crater again, trying to find Molly and her bridegroom?” - -“What are you girls waiting for?” demanded Nat, on the other side of -the door. “Come on! Ned and I have been up for hours, and have hired a -four-horse stage-coach--a regular old timer out of a show, I bet--to -cart us and the baggage to Hardin’s.” - -“Oh!” cried Dorothy. “You’re not starting at once?” - -“Guess you’ll have time to dress and eat breakfast first--if you -hurry,” chuckled Nat, as he went off down the hotel corridor. - -This was only Nat’s fun. He and Ned were lonely and wanted to show the -girls the town. Not that the sprawling western metropolis was much of a -sight, after all! - -Dugonne was a rambling, raw, uninviting place. The junction of the two -railroads made its existence here possible, for there were neither -cattle interests, farms, or mines very near. - -Aunt Winnie remained in her room, but Ned and Nat took the girls -down to the breakfast table and proved that the Commonwealth Hotel of -Dugonne could cater to the taste of touring Easterners. - -They saw a small bunch of steers being driven through a back street of -the town and learned that they were from the Double Chain Outfit. - -“That is a big concern, they tell me,” said Ned White, who was much -interested in cattle--or seemed to be since his mother had become part -owner of a range and ranch. “Colonel Hardin sold most of his herd -before he died.” - -“But the Double Chain isn’t very near this town?” asked Tavia. “That -Mr. Lance told me it was a day’s ride--and you can ride a long way in a -day on these cow ponies--can’t you, Doro?” - -“Those dear little things!” cried Dorothy. “They just fly.” - -“And you’re not going to have a pony, after all,” said Ned, solemnly. -“Aren’t you sorry you picked that tramp up, Dot?” - -“He’s not a tramp, Ned White!” exclaimed Dorothy. “Don’t call him that, -please. And where is Mr. Dempsey?” - -“He went with us to hire the stage-coach,” said Nat. “And believe me, -he has his wits about him. He has lived out this way ever since the -war, he says, and he knows all about everything,” added the younger -boy, with some admiration. - -“We left him at the corral where we engaged the wagon and team and -driver,” Ned said. “He is going with us--never you fear, my dear coz.” - -Dorothy did not mind their poking fun at her because of her protégé. - -The quartette of young folks came back to the hotel before noon and -found Aunt Winnie at a late breakfast. - -“I have seen one of the lawyers who had charge of Colonel Hardin’s -affairs,” she said. “He will be back here in half an hour with certain -papers, and I shall go to court with him. - -“My intention is to go on to the ranch to-day, as I said last evening,” -continued Aunt Winnie. “So don’t go far away from the hotel, children. -What time did you tell the man to have the conveyance here, Edward?” - -“Two o’clock.” - -“And you ought to see it!” cried Nat. “Looks just like the one the -Indians chase and capture in the Buffalo Bill show.” - -“Is that the best conveyance you could find, Edward?” asked Mrs. White, -with some suspicion. - -These mischievous young people were forever playing jokes, and she was -doubtful. But Ned was serious. - -“Best I could find, Mother--believe me! All the carriages they have -in this man’s town are buckboards--and we’d have to hire a caravan of -those to pile all the baggage on--and us, too. This old coach with four -mustangs to draw it, will take ‘all hands and the cook.’” - -“I hope you have done the right thing, my son,” said Aunt Winnie. “Take -care of yourselves, children, till I come back from the court with Mr. -Jermyn.” - -There was not much going on in the business part of Dugonne that the -four young Easterners did not see. They came to the dinner table with -ravenous appetites and a whole lot to chatter about. - -Mrs. White’s business with the lawyers, and with the court, was -finished for the time being. Just before two o’clock a great, -staggering old coach, on four rattling wheels, drew up at the door of -the hotel. At a former day, mail and passengers had been transported -between Dugonne and various outlying mining camps in all directions in -this vehicle. - -“And the mud of twenty years ago is still clinging to the wheels,” said -Dorothy. “Oh, Ned! it is a most disgraceful looking affair.” - -“I couldn’t find anything better,” answered the young man. - -“He is making a regular show of us,” said Tavia. “I suppose we ought -to dress in short skirts, and buckskin blouses, Doro, and wear fringed -leggins and sombreros. Be regular ‘cowgirls.’” - -“Well, Tavia,” drawled Nat. “You have a cowboy on the string they tell -me----” - -“Nathaniel!” admonished Mrs. White. “What language!” and she bustled -forward to see the outfit. - -Four spirited mustangs drew the coach--and those mustangs looked as -though they had never known currycomb and brush--which was probably -the fact! Old John Dempsey was sitting beside the driver, who was a -broad-hatted, smiling Mexican, with gleaming teeth, beadlike black -eyes, and gold rings in his ears. - -“It _is_ an awful looking thing,” gasped Aunt Winnie, when she saw the -old coach. - -“It is a whole lot better than it looks, mother,” urged Ned. - -“And only think!” cried Nat, “the man that owns it says that that stage -was held up by ‘Billy, the Kid,’ a famous road agent in these parts, -who got the registered mail-sack after shooting the driver, and all the -passengers’ money and jewelry.” - -“How deliciously horrid!” said Tavia. “Do you suppose Mr. Billy, the -Kid will hold _us_ up?” - -“Not unless his ghost comes back to do it,” chuckled Ned. “They hanged -Billy, the Kid, years ago, so the man told me.” - -“It would be just too romantic for anything to meet a real highwayman,” -said Tavia. - -“Why, this town has mounted police that patrol the suburbs--I saw a -couple,” laughed Ned. “Romance is dead, Miss Tavia, in these parts.” - -“You wouldn’t say so if you’d seen our cowboy--would he, Doro?” - -“A cowpuncher!” sniffed Nat. “Like that ‘baby’ old Mrs. Petterby is -going to visit.” - -“I wonder where the old lady is?” said Dorothy. “She arrived at Dugonne -ahead of us, of course.” - -“Sure,” said her cousin Ned. “She stayed on the train when we left it -at Sessions. But she was just as worried about you girls as any of us -when she learned you had been left behind.” - -“We shall look her up later,” pronounced Dorothy. “And I’m awfully -anxious to see her son.” - -“Wonder if he works for the same outfit Tavia’s new beau works for?” -queried Ned. “You know, the Double Chain Outfit is the only sizable one -left in this part of the country. Its ranges adjoin Colonel Hardin’s -on the north. On the south of this land we are going to see, lies the -farming country and Desert City.” - -“I should think we would have gone right to Desert City by train,” -said Dorothy, “if that is where these people want the water.” - -“But you can’t get to Desert City by rail,” her cousin explained. -“North of the Hardin place are the Double Chain ranges, and the mining -properties in the hills belonging to the Consolidated Ackron Company--a -big concern. South of Desert City, the map shows nothing but desert for -hundreds of miles.” - -“There’s that Marsh man,” said Tavia, suddenly, to Dorothy. “I don’t -want to see him again.” - -“He doesn’t remember that he met us in the road near home----” - -“But _I_ haven’t forgotten it,” finished Tavia. - -“Neither have I,” sighed Dorothy. “And I am really afraid for Aunt -Winnie to have anything to do with him.” - -Mrs. White kept them waiting while she conferred with Mr. Philo -Marsh, for whom she had telephoned when she knew the stagecoach was -in waiting. The gentleman was not pleased by the brevity of the -conference, as his face very plainly showed when he came out. His -piratical mustache seemed to droop more than ever and he had completely -lost his suave manner. - -“I shall ride out to see you very soon, Mrs. White,” he said--rather, -he threatened! “And I shall bring the committee with me. We’ve got to -have this thing settled up.” - -“Not until I am quite ready to settle it, Mr. Marsh,” said Aunt Winnie, -firmly. “I think you must forget that it is within the power of Major -Dale and myself to refuse to lease the water-rights entirely.” - -“Say! that was a stiff jolt Little Mum gave him,” whispered Ned to -Dorothy. - -“And did you see his face?” returned Dorothy. “I--I am really afraid of -that man.” - -“Ah, pshaw! no reason for being afraid,” returned Ned, confidently. “I -guess nothing will ever happen to mother, with me and Nat along.” - -The trunks and bags had been strapped on the rack behind the coach, -or thrown into its interior. The whole party--even Aunt Winnie--had -elected to ride on the roof of the vehicle. - -There was room beside the driver for only John Dempsey, but in two -wide, low seats fastened to the roof behind the driver, was room for -the remainder of the party. Aunt Winnie, with Dorothy and Tavia on -either side of her, sat on the more forward of these seats, while Ned -and Nat lolled on the one behind. - -“If we only had a horn now, we’d be fixed for this tallyho ride,” said -Nat. - -“But, goodness gracious!” gasped Tavia, peering down over the iron arm -of her seat. “Suppose we should fall off?” - -“That isn’t what you climbed up here for,” advised Dorothy. “Do be -careful, Tavia.” - -At that moment the Mexican saw that all was free and clear, and he -lifted the reins. His long whiplash writhed over the leaders’ ears, and -cracked like a pistol shot. The half-wild mustangs leaped against their -collars. - -“Oh--dear--me!” gasped Aunt Winnie. “We shall certainly be shaken off.” - -“It will be easier riding, Ma’am,” said John Dempsey, turning and -touching his hat respectfully, “when we get out of town. Don’t you be -afraid, Ma’am.” - -But the old coach did dip, and wiggle, and threaten to toss the girls -and Mrs. White off at every turn. Tavia squealed, and then saw that -people on the sidewalks were quietly enjoying her discomfort. - -“Do let’s be dignified,” she said to Dorothy. “There! there’s a man -staring---- Oh!” - -“It’s Mr. Lance!” cried Dorothy, recognizing their friend, the cowboy -from the Double Chain Outfit. - -“My goodness! so it is,” agreed Tavia, and smiled upon the knight of -the lariat ravishingly. - -Dorothy would have been glad to introduce Lance to Aunt Winnie and the -boys, but the time did not seem opportune. The Mexican twisted his -team into a side street, and the coach took the corner on two wheels -only! - -As Dorothy caught at the rail and hung on for dear life, she looked -back and saw Lance hailed by another man. She could not mistake this -second individual; it was Mr. Philo Marsh. As their coach plunged -around the corner Dorothy saw Marsh seize the cowboy by the arm and -lead him confidentially away. - -There was too much happening to her personally just then for Dorothy -Dale to wonder much about this association of the cowpuncher and Philo -Marsh. The mustangs settled into a gallop and the stagecoach was -whirled out of town in a cloud of dust. But when the cobbles were left -behind, the vehicle jounced less, and they could get their breath. - -“Don’t ever ask me to sit upon such a thing again, Edward,” exclaimed -Mrs. White, with some exasperation. - -“But if you had gone inside, you’d have been shaken about like a loose -pea in a pod,” declared her son. “I fancy you are better off up here, -mother.” - -The sweep of the road that lay before them was gray and dusty. The -trees were scrub, and there was rather a deserted look to the country -immediately outside of Dugonne. - -Wheeling southwest, they quickly lost the railroad lines, and low hills -surrounded them. There was not a house in sight, and the last few they -had seen were merely slab shacks--some with corrugated iron roofs. - -But within two miles of the edge of the town they descried a moving -figure ahead, even if no human habitation appeared. It was a woman, -trudging along, at the bottom of an arroyo, or dry water-course, which -here was the trail. - -She did not look around at them, but the young folks on top of the -coach got a clear view of the lonely figure. She wore a close black -bonnet, and she carried a basket in one hand. Her decent black dress -was gray with dust. - -“Do you see who that is, Tavia Travers!” gasped Dorothy, suddenly. -“It’s Mrs. Petterby!” - -“Never!” ejaculated Tavia. - -The mustangs began to prick up their ears as they approached the lone -pedestrian. Dorothy bent forward and seized the Mexican’s shoulder. - -“Stop them--do stop them, sir!” she cried. “We know that old lady and -we’ll give her a ride if she’s going our way.” - -The Mexican yelled at the mustangs, and dragged them down to a slower -pace. They did not want to stop, but by the time they came abreast of -the little old lady from Rand’s Falls, Massachusetts, they were merely -trotting. - -“Mrs. Petterby!” cried Dorothy, leaning down from the seat and waving -her hand. “Wherever are you going--and with Ophelia?” - -“Bless us!” exclaimed Mrs. Petterby. “If it ain’t that nice Dale -gal--and all her folks. I was re’l worrited about you, my dear--and -your pretty friend. I see you caught up all right,” and she nodded and -smiled at them all, while the mustangs impatiently shook their heads -and stamped with all their sixteen hoofs. - -“We are all right, surely, Mrs. Petterby,” said Dorothy’s aunt. “But -what are you doing on this road?” - -“Why, Ma’am, I expect to meet my son out this a-way. They told me he -often stops with a man named Nicholson, just beyond here. I didn’t feel -like payin’ for a ride; and I’m spry. But Ophelia’s gittin’ cross.” - -There was a flutter inside the basket and the nearest horse pricked up -his ears and rolled his eyes at it. - -“Is Nicholson’s on our road?” Dorothy asked the Mexican driver. - -“Si, si!” said the man. “She not far.” - -“You will ride with us, won’t you, Mrs. Petterby?” cried Dorothy. - -“Wal, child, that’s pretty high for me to climb, ain’t it?” - -But she was tired and warm, and the chance to ride tempted her. Spry -as she was, back in Rand’s Falls, this dust and sun of Colorado were -different. - -“We’ll give her a hand up,” exclaimed Ned. - -Before he or Nat could descend, the driver did so. He thrust the reins -into the hands of old John Dempsey, and went over the wheel in a flash. -Smiling and bowing he put out his hand for the basket, and turned -swiftly to hand it up before aiding the old lady herself. - -It was at this very moment that the sensitive Ophelia decided to make a -break for liberty. She squawked, pushed up one of the basket lids, and -flopped right out over the Mexican’s head. - -“Oh! stop her!” cried Mrs. Petterby. - -But there was no stopping Ophelia just then. She struck the nearest -mustang and he plunged ahead, snorting. On the instant all four of the -beasts were off at a gallop, leaving the Mexican, Mrs. Petterby, and -Ophelia herself, behind. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -AT THE RANCH HOUSE - - -“I thought I was in an airship!” Tavia declared. - -That was after the excitement was all over, however. At the moment the -mustangs started, all she did was to scream! - -The four half-wild little beasts leaped forward with one accord when -the frightened pullet flew squawking over them. The coach lurched -horribly; but the wheels remained in the ruts. - -Old John Dempsey held the ribbons, and held them firmly; but he was -not on the driver’s side of the seat. There was both a foot-break and -a half-lever-break; but he was unable to reach either. And in his old -arms was no longer the strength to pull the beasts in. - -Ned and Nat were shut off from the front seat by their mother and the -two girls. Tavia, beside screaming, seized the railing of the seat. -Aunt Winnie clung to her, and would have seized Dorothy as well, but -the latter flung off her aunt’s hand and plunged over the back of the -driver’s seat. - -Frightened as she was, brave Dorothy knew that it was her chance, and -her chance only. As the mustangs gathered their feet under them and -whipped the tottering old coach up the side of the arroyo, Dorothy slid -into the place the Mexican had deserted. - -Fortunately she had watched him manipulate the brakes. And the mustangs -had the drag of the coach behind them going up hill. Going down it -might have been a very different story. True it was, that when the -panting, straining horses came out upon the level at the top of the -rise, they were glad to stop to breathe. With Dorothy giving them the -brakes and the old Grand Army Veteran on the lines, the four rascals -were glad to stop. - -Up came José Morale, having left the excited old lady, and the excited -hen, at the bottom of the hill. What he said in his own language to the -horses was a plenty! But in the next breath he praised Dorothy for her -pluck in most extravagant terms. - -As for that matter, they all praised her; but Dorothy would not listen. - -“Somebody had to do it--why not me?” she demanded. “Now, Ned and Nat, -you run back there and help Mrs. Petterby catch that hen, and then -bring them both on. We’ll wait here for you.” - -It was then that Tavia had a slight attack of hysterics. “That hen will -be the death of me! she will! she will!” gasped the girl. “Did you ever -hear of anything so ridiculous in all your life?” - -“Now, don’t laugh and make Mrs. Petterby feel as though you were -laughing at her,” admonished Dorothy. - -“But if we take her to ride with us, and Ophelia lays an egg in this -stage, and the egg hatches out a chicken,” gasped Tavia, “that chicken -will be a nervous wreck from the start. At least, it will be afflicted -with St. Vitus Dance.” - -“Do be reasonable!” exclaimed Dorothy. “There! the boys have caught -Ophelia.” She was standing up on the stage roof, looking back at the -little group below. Suddenly a man on pony-back appeared over the last -rise the coach had crossed, and headed down into the hollow. - -“Who’s that coming?” demanded Tavia, from whose bright eyes little -escaped. - -“Why--why----” - -“It’s our knight of the lariat!” exclaimed Tavia, excitedly. “It’s Mr. -Lance.” - -“I believe you are right. That is Gaby he is riding.” - -“Of course it is Gaby,” said Tavia. “_Now_ we can introduce him to your -aunt. And oh! Mrs. White! he is just the loveliest thing!” - -“How recklessly you talk about the young men, Octavia,” said Mrs. -White. “I believe he was very kind to you girls, however. I shall be -glad to thank him.” - -Ned was helping Mrs. Petterby along on his arm, while Nat carried the -basket, with Ophelia safely fastened within, when Lance overtook them. - -The cowboy raised his hat in salute and would have ridden on, but Mrs. -Petterby suddenly manifested much excitement. She screamed aloud and -even Dorothy, on top of the hill, heard her: - -“Lance Petterby! for the good land’s sake! if it ain’t my baby!” - -The cowboy swung in his saddle, pulled the pony up short, and instantly -leaped to the ground. - -“Jerusha Juniper!” he yelled. “MOTHER!” - -The little old lady ran straight into his arms. The big cowpuncher -caught her up and hugged her tightly. Even at that distance Dorothy -could see the surprise and delight depicted upon his countenance. - -“And we never dreamed,” murmured Tavia, “that ‘Lance’ was his _first_ -name.” - -“She has found him; isn’t it delightful?” cried Dorothy, and she -insisted upon climbing down and running to meet the little old lady -from Rand’s Falls, Massachusetts, and her stalwart son. - -“Mr. Lance!” she cried, “I am so delighted to see you. And to think -we know your mother, and were just about to give her a ride when those -horrid ponies ran away!” - -“Jerusha Juniper, Miss!” said the cowboy. “However this old lady got -clean out yere, I dunno. But maybe I ain’t glad to see her!” - -He caught her up again in his arms, and Mrs. Petterby laughed and -flushed like a girl. “Stop your silliness, Lance Petterby,” she -ordered. “Set me down. Miss Dale will think ye ain’t got the sense ye -was born with. And don’t let that boy drop Ophelia.” - -It took some minutes to explain to the cowboy the present -situation--and especially how his mother came to be on this lonely -trail, afoot. - -It seemed that he was often at the squatter--Nicholson’s--house and -that was why people in Dugonne had advised Mrs. Petterby to look for -Lance there. - -They got the old lady into the coach and seated her with the chicken’s -basket in her lap, and Mrs. White elected to get down and ride with -her. The mustangs started on; Lance Petterby rode beside the stage. -Dorothy noticed that the cowboy kept close to Tavia’s side. - -Tavia was talking “nineteen to the dozen,” as Nat disgustedly said; -“and the use she’s making of her eyes is a shame!” he added, in an -aside, to Dorothy. But Dorothy could not stop her chum. The reckless -girl had “taken the bit in her teeth.” - -Lance was fairly bowled over by the batteries of Tavia’s speech and -glances. After all, to the unsophisticated cowboy, Tavia was quite a -grown-up young lady. Dorothy knew that if he lost his head it would not -be his fault, but her chum’s. - -“I’m ashamed of you, Tavia Travers,” she whispered, fiercely, in the -black-eyed girl’s ear. “How dare you? If Aunt Winnie was up here with -us now she’d put a stop to this, young lady.” - -“Oh, Doro! you’re just killing!” cried Tavia, wickedly, and giggled, -and bridled, just as though her friend had said something very funny to -her. After that Dorothy held her peace grimly. - -She was glad that Lance was going no further with them than Nicholson’s -place. There he and Mrs. Petterby were to stay for a day or two before -going on to the headquarters of the Double Chain Outfit, where Lance -worked. - -Mrs. White invited them both to come over to Hardin’s, where she -decided that she and the young folk would remain for six weeks, at -least. She was especially gracious to Lance, and thanked him again for -his kindness to the two girls when they had been left behind by the -train; she might not have asked him so cordially to visit Hardin’s had -she known how Tavia had been acting. - -“We sartain sure’ll come to see ye,” Mrs. Petterby said, briskly, -“pervidin’ Lance kin find something a mite more steady for me to ride -in. I shall want to see ye all again before I start back East.” - -“Oh, yuh won’t want tuh start back yet awhile, mother,” drawled Lance. - -“I dunno,” said Mrs. Petterby. “I ain’t seen nothin’ yet in Colorado -the ekal of Rand’s Falls, Massachusetts.” - -“We’ll fix _that_,” grunted Lance, waving his hat again, as the old -coach lumbered away along the track. - -The sun was sinking when the now wearied mustangs drew the coach up -the round flank of the hill on which the Hardin ranch house was set. -Like most dwellings in the cattle country, the house was sprawling, one -story only in height, and rather picturesque. - -“I just love the look of it,” Dorothy declared, standing up to see it -better. “Don’t you, Tavia?” - -“I would if I could think of the scene long enough,” admitted her chum. -“But, oh, me! oh, my! I am wondering if there will be anything in the -line of supper forthcoming? I’m so hungry it takes my mind off the -scenery.” - -“How ridiculous! of course there will be something to eat.” - -“But will there be enough?” cried Tavia. - -Mrs. White assured her there would be supper. The lawyers at Dugonne -had told her that there were Colonel Hardin’s foreman and his family on -the place, as well as several herdsmen. - -Dorothy continued to gaze wonderingly at the rolling green and brown -pastures, wire-fenced and evidently carefully kept up, rising in -high terraces from beyond the ranch house into the wooded and rugged -foothills to the west. - -“I expect,” said Aunt Winnie, “up in that rugged country yonder lies -the wonderful Lost River they tell me about--the water supply. It may -increase the value of the great estate enormously, as the lawyers say, -but I fear it is going to make me a lot of trouble.” - -“Do you think so, Aunt Winnie?” asked Dorothy, earnestly. - -“Yes. I spoke of the matter to Mr. Jermyn, and he advised me to go -slowly. There are other people after the water beside Desert City and -some farmers to whom Colonel Hardin promised it.” - -“Who else?” - -“Some big mining syndicate.” - -“That must be the Consolidated Ackron Company,” Ned broke in. “But what -do _they_ want of water?” - -“Hydraulic mining, I understand,” said his mother. “It would greatly -cheapen their process of extracting gold from the soil. I do not -understand much about it, I must admit.” - -“Maybe the mining syndicate would give you more for the water than the -desert people?” suggested Nat. - -“That would make no difference to us,” said his mother, firmly. “If -Colonel Hardin promised Desert City and the farmers, that Lost River -would flow south, south it shall flow, if they keep their part of the -bargain, and the thing can be done.” - -“But,” cried Dorothy, “can it be made to flow either way? How -wonderful! It must have a natural channel, mustn’t it?” - -“So I suppose,” replied Aunt Winnie. “There seems to be more to the -matter than we know about--yet. Mr. Philo Marsh gave us very few -particulars.” - -“I am sure that _he_ is not a very trustworthy informant,” declared -Dorothy, obstinately, to Tavia. “We must watch Mr. Philo Marsh.” - -“And you objected before because I just looked at him!” breathed Tavia, -making very big eyes at her chum. - -While they were indulging in these surmises the rattling old stagecoach -had been mounting the rise toward the Hardin ranch-house. Finally José -shouted to the mustangs again and they sprang forward in what Nat -called “a grandstand finish,” stopping with a flourish before the -front of the house. - -There was nobody on the wide veranda to greet them, but beyond was a -group of less important buildings, and from these came running several -people. - -First came Hank Ledger, the foreman of the ranch, to whom Mrs. White -had a letter of introduction from the lawyers. With him was his wife--a -handsome, buxom woman, who came with floury arms and an apron on, being -in the midst of preparations for supper for her husband and the hands. - -Two Mexicans appeared, too, who greeted José Morale, the stage driver, -in his own language. Last of all came a very pretty, dark and rosy -girl, younger than Dorothy and Tavia in years, yet with something -indefinably “grown-up” about her. The girl cast alternately shy looks -at the visitors and at José Morale, with whom, later, Dorothy saw her -talking very intimately in a secluded corner. - -Just then, however, Dorothy was more interested in seeing the interior -of the ranch-house that was to be their home for the next few weeks. -The door was open and with Tavia she entered, while Mrs. White talked -with Mr. and Mrs. Ledger on the veranda. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -“THE SNAKE IN THE GRASS” - - -“Goodness me, Doro! did you ever see so much out-of-doors before in all -your life? Isn’t the world awfully _big_?” - -Tavia was at the window of the large room in which the girls slept, on -the second morning of their stay at the ranch-house and she had not -begun to dress. This big world that she was looking out at, seemed just -now deserted. - -There were miles upon miles of rolling country to north, east, and -south. In the early light this vast expanse of out-of-doors was colored -in many hues--and the hues were ever changing. The wall of mountains to -the west, which shut off their view seemed so near that Tavia declared -she could run over to them before breakfast! - -“You might before breakfast, but not before breakfast time!” laughed -Dorothy. “Mr. Ledger says it’s two days’ ride on a good pony to that -huge rock that we see standing up there so clearly.” - -“I suppose so. Lost River is over that way, too. The foreman says that -most of this rolling country we see belongs to the Hardin estate.” - -“What a huge, huge place it is!” sighed Dorothy. “And what will we ever -do with it all?” - -“Ned wants to raise cattle on it,” chuckled Tavia, “but I believe Nat -would rather raise mischief.” - -Dorothy did not pay attention to this. She was gazing afar, and said -very quietly: - -“Mr. Ledger says the land is rich enough to raise anything.” - -“Don’t you believe all your hear--and not more than half of what you -_see_,” said her chum, philosophically. “Appearances are deceitful. -That’s like the little girl who lost her penny.” - -“What little girl?” demanded Dorothy, dreamily. - -“Oh! it might have been _any_ little girl--who was sharp,” chuckled -Tavia. “At any rate a fine, handsome, benevolent old party comes along -the street and finds the ragged little girl crying, and asked in that -benevolent tone that goes with a white vest and gold-headed cane: - -“‘What’s the matter, my little dear? What are you crying for?’ - -“‘I’ve lost my penny,’ says the kid. - -“‘Never mind! never mind!’ says the old gentleman, reaching into his -pocket. ‘Here is a penny,’ and he hands her one. The kid looks up at -him and sees right through the game. Says she: - -“‘Why! you horrid man! you had it all the time, didn’t you?’ And the -next time,” chuckled Tavia, “he will go right along about his business -and not try to play Santa Claus to young ladies to whom he has not been -introduced.” - -Dorothy laughed at her chum’s little story, and said: “I guess most -appearances are deceitful. At least, Aunt Winnie says you mustn’t form -an opinion upon mere looks--so that gives _me_ a chance to point a -moral, and adorn a tale.” - -“There was Pat, who was a coal heaver, coming home and finding that the -children had been using his Ancient Order of Hibernian regalia-hat to -bring home coals in. ‘Mary Ann! Mary Ann! Phy do youse let thim kids do -that?’ holding up the maltreated high hat. ‘I’ve told youse before--I -don’t like it!’ - -“‘Shure, Pat,’ says she, ‘phat harm does it be doin’? A little more -coaldust won’t hurt yez.’ - -“‘That may be thrue, woman,’ says Pat, ‘but yez don’t see the point. -When I wear the hat out, shure, an’ take it off, it laves a black -mar-r-k around me forehead. An’ wot’s th’ consekences?’ demands Pat, -warmly. ‘Shure it gits me accused of washin’ me face with me hat on!’” - -Tavia ran out of the room. Both girls were well acquainted with the -house now. It had most modern improvements and Colonel Hardin, -although he was a man of no family, had entertained largely and -believed in having all the comforts attainable. A huge windmill pumped -water for the house and stables, for _this_ was not the desert, and a -vein of water could be tapped something like a hundred and fifty feet -below the surface. - -Hank Ledger had told the girls when they inquired that this vein of -water was supposed to be a branch of Lost River, which plunged into the -earth so many miles away in the low hills to the west. - -“Tell yuh what!” croaked the foreman, who seemed to be a bird of -ill-omen, “ef that thar river is ever turned out onto the desert, as I -tol’ the old Kern” (Colonel) “when he was alive, ye air goin’ tuh shut -off yuh own water supply right yere. Now! yuh hear me shoutin’!” - -“Do you suppose that is so?” asked Tavia of Dorothy. - -“Mrs. Ledger says Hank doesn’t know. She’s a real jolly woman, -and declares that Hank can’t see anything but worry and trouble -ahead of him. She says he’d prophesy another Deluge if there was a -summer shower, and a seven-year drouth if the sun shone two days in -succession!” - -“But we’re going to know something about Lost River to-day--hooray!” -cried Tavia. - -It had been decided that the party would explore the wilder part of -the estate--some of it, at least--on this day. Hank was to be their -leader, and the young folk and Mrs. White were to mount ponies and see -all that there was to be seen between an early breakfast and suppertime. - -The boys were already--early as was the hour--down in the corral -picking out the ponies they were to ride. Neither Nat nor Ned wanted -“hobby horses”; but as big Hank let them have their own choice in the -matter, the boys got several falls before they selected ponies that -were both spirited and well trained. Naturally the foreman selected the -mounts for the girls and Mrs. White, himself. - -Mrs. Ledger had undertaken the cooking for the party at the big house, -for it was hard to get even Mexican women at short notice. The girls -dusted and ridded up the house every morning, early. - -As for old John Dempsey, he came out strong! He proved to be just the -person needed about the Hardin ranch. He was general handy man, indoors -and out, and was on this morning engaged in cleaning up the rooms that -Colonel Hardin had used as his office. In the corner was a great heap -of papers and rubbish that had been cleared out of the old Colonel’s -desk after his death, and which the lawyers had examined. - -As Dorothy came through the hall she peered in and saw the old man -sorting this rubbish. He turned with a shining face and held out a -yellowed paper towards her. - -“Miss Dorothy! Miss Dorothy! see here, will ye? Be my eyes deceivin’ -me? Shure, I feel like a fairy had led me by the hand into this place.” - -Dorothy was both amazed and anxious at his earnestness. She ran forward -and took the paper which he put reverently into her hand. - -It was a letter, and written in a peculiarly long, angular hand. At the -bottom was the unforgettable signature, “A. Lincoln.” - -Dorothy gasped, looked back at the old man with shining eyes, and then -devoured the letter: - - “EXECUTIVE MANSION, - “Washington, Nov. 21, 1864. - - “TO MRS. BIXBY, - “Boston, Mass. - - “Dear Madam: I have been shown in the files of the War Department - a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are - the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of - battle. - - “I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which - would attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so - overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the - consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic - they died to save. I pray that Our Heavenly Father may assuage - the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished - memory of the loved and lost and the solemn pride that must - be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of - freedom. - - “Yours very sincerely and respectfully, - “A. LINCOLN.” - -“Oh, Mr. Dempsey! is it real?” cried Dorothy. - -“It is that, Ma’am,” he said, confidently. “He that was President--and -the finest gentleman that ever lived--wrote that letter to a poor -widow. How it come in Colonel Hardin’s papers, I dunno----” - -“And the lawyers threw it aside. How awful! They were looking only for -stocks, and bonds, and wills, and such,” cried Dorothy, eagerly. “Yet -that letter from President Lincoln, Mr. Dempsey, must be worth a lot of -money, too. And you found it, Mr. Dempsey! It’s yours.” - -“Oh, no, Ma’am. Your aunt----” - -“Would never lay claim to it, I am sure. And if the letter is worth -money----” - -“What’s this that’s worth money, Miss?” asked a suave voice behind her. -Dorothy Dale turned to see the smiling Mr. Philo Marsh in dusty riding -clothes standing, hat in hand, behind her. - -“Good morning, Miss!” he said, with a sweeping bow. “I chanced to -overhear you. What’s the old fellow found?” and he stretched forth a -bold hand and took the letter. - -“It belongs to Mr. Dempsey,” said Dorothy, with chilling directness. “I -shall tell Aunt Winnie you are here, sir.” - -“Oh! don’t let me hurry her,” said the man. - -His sharp eyes were fixed upon the letter as Dorothy turned away to go -to her aunt’s room. When she returned a little later, Mr. Philo Marsh -had settled himself in a chair on the veranda to await Mrs. White. John -Dempsey beckoned her into the office and closed the door. - -“Have a care of that fellow, Miss,” he whispered. “He’s a snake in the -grass.” - -“Why do you say so?” asked the girl. - -“The rascal offered me fifty dollars for the letter from President -Lincoln.” - -“Oh, Mr. Dempsey! that is a lot of money.” - -“Why, Miss Dale! if the letter was mine to sell, I wouldn’t part wi’ -it for a fortune. Poor I may be,” said old John Dempsey, reverently, -“but never poor enough to sell a scrap of writin’ in the hand of the -greatest hearted and tenderest man this country ever seen--no, Ma’am!” - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -EXPLORING - - -There was double excitement at the breakfast table that morning. Not -only were the young folk eager to get away on the trip of exploration -planned the day before; but old John Dempsey’s find among the discarded -papers in the office excited them. - -The letter written in Lincoln’s angular hand was passed from one to -the other. Mrs. White of course agreed with Dorothy that the letter -belonged to the Grand Army man. - -“He shall certainly have it--to keep, or to sell,” she said. - -“Your protégé is turning out pretty well, Dot,” said Ned. “And if he -keeps on finding valuable letters like that, he’ll soon be as rich as -the other ‘John D.’ Some collectors would give a round sum for this -letter.” - -“He’s already had one offer,” Dorothy said, hesitatingly. - -“What!” cried Tavia. “You never offered to buy it?” - -“Certainly not. And Mr. Dempsey says he wouldn’t sell.” Then she -related what the old man had said regarding Philo Marsh. - -“‘Snake in the grass!’” exclaimed Tavia. “That’s just what he is.” - -“Hush,” said Aunt Winnie. “The man is really bothering me a good deal. -He has gone off with Mr. Ledger to breakfast. I did not care to invite -him in here----” - -“I should hope not!” exclaimed Ned. - -“Well, I am free to confess,” said his mother, thoughtfully, “that I do -not know just how to treat Mr. Marsh. He tried to have me invite him to -ride with us to-day; but I do not want him.” - -“You say the word, mother,” said Nat, belligerently, “and Ned and I -will send him to the right-about-face.” - -Mrs. White laughed. “Oh, I fancy he is not very dangerous, my boy.” - -“Then, if that’s the case,” added Nat, grinning, “why not sick Tavia -onto him?” - -“Nathaniel!” - -“You horrid thing!” exclaimed Tavia, perfectly able to fight her own -battles with the boys. “You talk as though I might be a bulldog.” - -“You’re a sight more dangerous,” chuckled Nat. “If you once rolled -those big eyes of yours at Philo--as you did at that cowboy, Lance, for -instance----” - -“Nathaniel!” exclaimed his mother again. “I am ashamed of you.” - -“You’d have been ashamed of Tavia if you’d seen her,” grunted the young -fellow. - -That was the beginning of a tiff between Tavia and Nat. “You wait, Mr. -Smartie!” she whispered, giving him a vicious pinch as he passed her -chair. “I’ll get square with you for saying that.” - -But afterward, when she and Dorothy were together, the latter spoke -seriously to her chum. - -“You must have a care, my dear. Aunt Winnie would be horrified if she -knew you were in the least flirtatious with these men----” - -“What men?” demanded Tavia, with some anger. - -“Lance Petterby, we’ll say. If he comes here with his mother, you -behave.” - -“Oh, you’re a regular Grandmother Grunt. And I’ll fix Nat for saying -that to his mother, see if I don’t.” - -Tavia was, indeed, quite vexed, and they were several miles from the -ranch house that forenoon before she became her jolly irresponsible -self. - -Before noon the exploring party had seen much of the range and -pasturage. Hank Ledger said even after this drouth the pasture could -well support ten thousand steers. - -“But we ain’t had that many critters on the ranch for ten year. Cattle -ain’t what they was--no sir! We’ve got a couple of thousand, and -that’s full and plenty. I reckon, Miz White, you won’t want to increase -the number much?” - -“We shall talk about that later,” said the lady. “At present I want to -see about this water privilege.” - -“All right, Ma’am. I’ll take you right up there, and we can eat our -snack beside Lost River.” - -“That sounds very romantic,” said Tavia. - -“Especially the eating part,” laughed Dorothy. “Riding _does_ give one -such an appetite.” - -Ledger escorted them into the low hills. Soon they were riding up a -sharply inclined gully, and reached higher land. The woods grew denser. -Ahead the murmur of falling water soon rose to a steady volume of sound -which, although it did not deafen them, made a background for all other -noises. - -Huge boulders cropped out of the thin soil. The trees were not tall, -but were standing in very thick groups. In some places the ponies -pushed through thickets that seemed to be almost impassable. - -At last a plateau was reached--several hundred feet higher than the -knoll upon which the ranch-house stood--and at once, when they came -into the clear, Dorothy and Tavia broke into a simultaneous cry of -surprise and delight. - -Sweeping across this level plain, directly toward them, came a broad, -silver stream. Small groves of soft-barked trees fringed its banks. -Here and there a boulder intruded, around the base of which the -otherwise peaceful river boiled and sprayed the rock with foam. - -All the surface of the stream was sparkling as though the banks -actually brimmed with molten silver. Such a refreshing looking mountain -stream Dorothy had never before seen--or one-half so beautiful. - -Just in front of the cavalcade a veil of mist rose some twenty feet -into the air. In this mist the sunshine played delightfully, lending -itself to a dozen different rainbows. - -The almost impalpable moisture drifted across a stretch of grass, as -green as it could be--a veritable fairy lawn. The curtain of mist hid -from them what appeared to be the abrupt ending of the river. - -“What a marvel!” gasped Dorothy. “Why! Mr. Ledger! where does the water -go?” - -Ledger grinned and wheeled his horse aside, following a distinct path -which approached the nearer bank of the stream. The spray swept over -them for a moment, and then they came out above it, and upon the steep -bank. - -Right beside them was a narrow chasm in the rock--a yawning gulf the -full width of the stream which was here all of twenty yards across. -Into this opening in the earth the river plunged. - -“Lost River, indeed!” cried Dorothy, looking back at the others, with -shining eyes. “Did you ever see anything so wonderful, Aunt Winnie?” - -A deep, thunderous murmur, like the bass notes of a great organ, came -up from the depths. The perfectly clear water advanced to the lip of -rock over which it flowed, falling into the chasm with scarcely a -ripple. But the spray rising in so thick a cloud showed that the volume -of water must strike some ledge not far below the surface of the plain, -from which it caromed against the wall of the crevice. - -“Say! this is some river,” said Nat, in awe. - -“How beautiful!” repeated Dorothy. - -The foreman told them that the stream was fed above by numberless -mountain springs, and had never been known to go dry. - -“Such a waste of good water!” exclaimed Tavia. “No wonder those people -in the desert want it. Why, it ought to make the desert blossom like -the rose! That’s poetry, I want you to notice. But goodness! I won’t -do a thing to those sandwiches and the coffee--when Mr. Ledger gets it -made.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -IN THE GORGE - - -They went up the bank of the river afoot after luncheon. Ledger walked -with Aunt Winnie, explaining as they went the scheme of changing the -river’s course. The young folk ran on ahead. - -They came to a narrow reef of rock which hemmed in the river on this -westerly side. On the left hand they looked down into a deep gorge. -Here, by blowing out the rock-wall which was not more than ten yards -across, the river would plunge into the gorge which cut through the -plateau toward the south. - -This was the natural channel that had been spoken of. At the mouth of -the gorge, the foreman said, a dam could be built at a comparatively -small expense, which would hold an enormous amount of water in reserve. - -The tentative agreement between Colonel Hardin and the Desert people -included the building of this dam at the expense of the subscribers for -the water. The intention was to dig a great ditch from the mouth of the -gorge across the plain, with branch ditches and gates for the farmers, -the main ditch carrying the water to the outskirts of Desert City. - -There a pumping station was to be established and the water piped into -the town. The irrigation work and all would occupy at least two years, -and cost a good deal of money, but the result, as Tavia had suggested, -would be to “make the desert blossom like the rose.” - -Mrs. White would travel no farther than this reef at the head of the -gorge, but the young folk were bent upon a real exploring expedition. -She gave her consent for them to go on, and Ned and Nat found a path -which led down the nigh bank of the deep hollow. - -The trees that had struck root into this rocky soil were scrubby -looking things and there were not many of them, but there was a deal of -brush and briers. - -“Suppose this was an old Indian path?” proposed Nat to his brother, -when they were at the bottom of the steep descent. - -“More likely made by wild animals,” was the reply. - -“Whew!” exclaimed Nat, his eyes twinkling. “Maybe it leads to a bear’s -den.” - -“Now stop, Nat White!” commanded Tavia. “You are trying to scare us.” - -[Illustration: OUT OF THE CREVICE PROTRUDED THE UPPER LENGTH OF A -RATTLESNAKE. _Dorothy Dale in the West Page 150_] - -“Don’t listen to him, Tavia,” said Dorothy. “There are no wild animals -near here. Mr. Ledger didn’t even bring a gun.” - -“It’s supposed to be a game preserve, isn’t it?” demanded Nat. “And -aren’t bears game?” - -“If you should see one you’d be the bear’s game,” sniffed Dorothy. -“You’d run.” - -“Sure I would,” admitted Nat. “I’d rather a good deal folks would say -of me, ‘See him run!’ than ‘Here he lies.’” - -“I suppose there _are_ some wild beasts deeper in these hills--and on -Colonel Hardin’s property,” Ned said, thoughtfully. - -“What kind of beasts?” demanded Tavia, sharply. - -“Oh--bears, and wolves, and panthers, and the like.” - -“That’s enough!” declared Tavia, stopping short. “I’ve gone far enough. -Let’s climb up again, Doro.” - -“But I want to see what the gulch looks like,” objected Dorothy, who -had little belief in Nat’s wild animal scare. - -“’Fraid-cat!” sing-songed Nat, grinning. - -“No. I’ve gone far enough. I’m tired,” said Tavia, decisively. “I’m -going to sit right down here on this rock. I’ll wait for you if a wild -bear doesn’t come along and chase me back up the hill.” - -“Wild bear, your grandmother!” said Nat, with disgust. - -“Come on, Dot,” Ned said to his cousin. “I’m glad you haven’t lost your -pluck.” - -“You’ll lose more than that if you see a bear,” advised Tavia. - -“I don’t believe there’s a thing to hurt us in this place, and I want -to see,” repeated Dorothy Dale. - -The trio went on, but they did not really believe Tavia would remain -far behind them. “She’s up to some trick,” Nat announced. - -“I believe you’re right,” agreed Dorothy, but when they had gone at -least half a mile down the gorge, and the irrepressible Tavia had not -overtaken them, Dorothy began frequently to look back. - -“_What_ do you suppose she is doing?” she repeated, greatly puzzled. - -“Oh, she is up to something. You know Tavia,” responded Ned, carelessly. - -At last Dorothy said: “I’m going back. I am worried about Tavia.” - -“Nonsense!” cried Nat. “She’s gone back to join mother, I bet you.” - -“Betting never proved anything yet, little boy,” laughed Dorothy. “You -boys can go on if you like. But it’s no fun without Tavia.” - -She started back briskly; the boys started more slowly. “Huh!” grunted -Nat, “Tavia isn’t often a ‘spoil sport.’ I don’t see what’s gotten -into her to-day.” - -Dorothy did not run, but she lost no time and was some distance ahead -of her cousins when she came in sight of the rocks where Tavia had -seated herself. - -Her chum was still there. When Dorothy shouted to her Tavia did not -look her way. The rock was a low, flat-topped boulder with a crack -across the middle of it. Tavia seemed to be looking at something before -her on the rock. - -“What have you found there, Tavia?” cried Dorothy. “It must be -something tremendously interesting.” - -Still her chum did not move--nor make reply. As though she were posing -for her picture, the young girl sat motionless. Dorothy could not see -her face at the angle from which she was advancing. But something about -Tavia’s attitude finally startled her. - -“What is the matter?” screamed Dorothy Dale, suddenly bounding forward. - -She could run as well as any boy. Her gymnasium work at Glenwood, and -her vacations out-of-doors, had made Dorothy hardy and strong. She -dashed forward over the rough way, crying out again and again as she -saw that her chum still sat stonily. - -Dorothy leaped up beside her and would have--the next moment--seized -Tavia by the shoulder. But there, with her hand outstretched, she -halted. The intake of her breath sounded harsh in her own ears. She saw -what had paralyzed Tavia--and the horrid object nearly froze Dorothy, -too, in her tracks. - -Out of the crevice in the rock protruded the arrow-headed upper length -of a rattlesnake. It was coiled less than two feet below the level of -Tavia’s face, and its tail was a-quiver. The whir of the rattles is a -dreaded sound that, once heard, is never to be forgotten. - -There the reptile stretched itself, its eyes fairly holding Tavia -charmed. Of course, it was the girl’s own nerves that held her -motionless and speechless--her nerves affected by fear. - -Tavia could neither rise to escape the threatened stroke of the -rattler, nor do aught to defend herself from it. The immediate neck of -the creature was curved back, and the pointed head, with the swiftly -shooting tongue, threatened instant attack. - -Dorothy felt a dreadful tightening about her heart--just as though a -savage hand had gripped it. She felt as though she would faint--yet she -knew she must not give way to such weakness. - -On her depended her chum’s very life! - -She glanced about for some weapon. There was no stick within her reach -of sufficient weight to be of use. But there were pebbles and broken -bits of rock scattered over the ground. - -She seized the nearest heavy piece of rock. She dared not pitch it at -the snake--the chance of missing the target was too great. But with the -dornick in both hands she crept one--two--three steps toward the rock. -The missile was poised over her head. It was all that Dorothy Dale -could hold steadily. - -Down came the heavy piece of rock, just as the rattlesnake darted its -head forward. Its diamond pointed head had been on a level with Tavia’s -chin, for it was a huge fellow. - -Dorothy had stopped it in midflight. Scared she most certainly was--her -very soul seemed filled with horror of the poisonous creature. But -Dorothy Dale could not fail her chum in this time of awful peril. - -She struck the snake down. Its head and the upper part of its writhing -body was smashed under the rock Dorothy held. She had put her whole -force into the blow and she fell across the rock and the coiling and -uncoiling snake just as the boys came whooping and yelling into view. - -As for Tavia, she went quietly off into a faint, and she did not revive -until Ned and Nat carried her up the steep path and laid her down -beside Lost River, from which water was taken to bathe her wrists and -brow. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -FLORES - - -“I never want to hear even a baby’s rattle again,” sobbed Tavia, after -she and Dorothy were alone in their room at the ranch house. “Anything -from the rattle of a dry seed in a pod to a load of bricks being dumped -on a cement walk, will remind me of that dreadful snake. - -“Why, I had a little stick in my hand, and I poked it into that crack -in the rock to see if there was anything there, and up darted that -rattler’s head! - -“Oh, dear, me, Doro! if you hadn’t come as you did, I would have been -bitten all to pieces!” - -“Nonsense!” laughed Dorothy. “A snake isn’t a bulldog. It wouldn’t have -chewed you up. But they _are_ dangerous.” - -“Poisonous! And I didn’t have the strength to move, I was so -frightened. You’ve always helped me out of messes, Doro Doodlebug! but -this time you saved my life,” and Tavia seized her chum in her arms. “I -hope I’ll be able to do something _big_ for you some day to pay you up -a little, wee mite!” - -“You poor child!” Dorothy said, tenderly. “Don’t talk such perfectly -nonsensical stuff. I did no more for you than you would have done for -me in like circumstances.” - -“I know all about _that_,” said Tavia, wiping her eyes. “But you’d -never get into such a silly scrape, and so give me a chance. I _do_ get -into such perfect bunches of trouble, Doro. Life, for me, seems to be -just one silly scrape after another!” - -By morning, however, Tavia had put the lesson of her adventure into the -background. There was so much to do and see on the ranch that she could -not really spend the time in thinking of a rattlesnake that was already -dead! - -The four young folk rode hard with one of the Mexicans that day. -Dorothy and Tavia were rather shy of the long, wicked looking horns and -the tossing heads and flashing eyes of the cattle, so gave them a wide -berth. Ned and Nat began practising throwing the rope, and displayed a -deeper interest in the cattle business than the girls could possibly -feel. - -Dorothy and Tavia thought the Mexican rather a villainous looking -fellow, too--not at all like the handsome José Morale, who had driven -them over from Dugonne, so after a while they rode back toward the home -corral, leaving Ned and Nat to go on to the second herd without them. - -The girls had, by this time, no fear of the ponies they bestrode. Both -were well broken steeds without any vicious characteristics. As they -drew near the end of the first shed, Dorothy’s mount “side-stepped” -unexpectedly and the girl was almost thrown. - -“Did you see it?” demanded Tavia, hastily. - -“I didn’t see anything, but the pony evidently did,” laughed Dorothy, -fearlessly. “What was it, Tavia?” - -“That Mexican girl popped right out from behind that shed, and then -popped back again. No wonder your pony jumped. She dresses like a -Fourth of July celebration. I never did see such gay colors combined in -a girl’s dress in all my life.” - -“Flores, you mean?” - -“Is that her name?” asked Tavia. - -“So Mrs. Ledger told me,” said Dorothy. “Flores helps the foreman’s -wife. She is an orphan. Her parents died of smallpox in a squatter’s -cabin a few miles out in the desert, last year.” - -“Goodness, Doro! how much you know about her already. Is she going to -be your next protégée?” demanded Tavia. - -“Well,” confessed Dorothy, “I was interested in her at once. And do you -know why?” - -“Just because you are always interested in everybody and everything, -Doro Doodlekins. I never did see such a girl,” repeated Tavia. - -“Oh! I had a real reason,” rejoined Dorothy, laughing. “You see, -she is not as old as you and I, Tavia, yet I saw her talking very -confidentially with that Mexican driver, José.” - -“Oh, _him_? Do you blame her?” chuckled Tavia. “What wonderfully white -teeth he has--and just a _love_ of a mustache!” - -Dorothy made a little face at her. “You are incorrigible, Tavia,” she -groaned. “I am interested in Flores, not in that driver.” - -“Well, you spoke of him,” insisted Tavia. “_I_ didn’t bring him--and -his mustache--into the conversation.” - -“I wondered if Flores’ folks--if she had any--approved of her talking -with the man,” continued Dorothy, ignoring her chum’s flippancy. “And -what do you think?” - -“She is going to run away with him like Molly Crater did with _her_ -young man!” ejaculated the romantic Tavia. - -“Do be sensible!” exclaimed Dorothy, with disgust. “Molly Crater is -nineteen--she was of age in this state. I wish you’d listen----” - -“Officer! she’s in again!” interrupted Tavia. “See! that Mex. girl is -beckoning to you, Doro.” - -“No! she can’t mean _me_?” - -“I’m sure she isn’t after me,” said Tavia. “I’ve never said ten words -to her, for she can’t speak English. I found _that_ out.” - -Flores had appeared again at the far corner of the long shed they were -passing. She _did_ gesture for Dorothy to come to her. - -“I’m going!” declared Dorothy. “You take my pony on to the corral, -Tavia.” - -She was out of the saddle as soon as she had spoken and tossed the -bridle-reins to her friend. Flores popped out of sight again, but -Dorothy followed her around the corner of the shed. - -At this corner Dorothy saw the Mexican girl dodging around the next -corner, but quickly Flores led her to an empty shed and there turned, -waiting for her. All the sheds appeared to be empty, for the horse -wrangler had driven all the ponies out to pasture, and there was no -cattle here save a few calves bawling their heads off in a pen. - -“You wish to talk to me?” asked Dorothy, puzzled, but smiling at the -younger girl. - -“I no sp’ak mooch Inglese,” said Flores, softly. “You come?” - -She seized Dorothy’s hand and drew her gently away. “Come where?” asked -the Eastern girl. - -“Wiz me,” and Flores pointed to herself. “I no sp’ak, but I leeston. -You leeston, too.” - -“Listen?” - -Flores nodded her head vigorously. “They talk--you leeston.” - -She still dragged at Dorothy’s hand. The fact that the Mexican girl -wished her to play eavesdropper did not at first enter Dorothy’s mind. -She went with Flores wonderingly. - -Her guide led the way surely between the rows of sheds. Keeping well -away from the bunkhouse and paddock, where there were likely to be -loiterers, Flores skillfully chose a way in which Mrs. Ledger could not -possibly see them from her doorway. - -When Colonel Hardin had really made cattle raising a business, there -were often ten thousand steers at the home corral, besides hundreds of -ponies. Corrals and sheds occupied several hundred acres. - -With a finger on her lip, Flores looked back to see that the American -girl was following closely. Dorothy heard voices--men’s voices. At -first she did not recognize them. - -The Mexican girl led her close behind a slab wall and silently pointed -to a crevice. At the moment there was not a sound beyond the wall, and -Dorothy tiptoed to it and peered through the crack. - -There sat Hank Ledger, the foreman of the ranch, and Philo Marsh. Both -were smoking and they were evidently having an earnest conference. - -Dorothy looked back at Flores questioningly, and the Mexican girl -nodded with emphasis. She had brought Dorothy here that the latter -might “leeston” to these two men. But Dorothy had no intention of doing -such a thing. - -Of course, Flores knew no better. The puzzling fact that Flores wished -Dorothy to listen to Hank and Marsh was a secondary consideration in -the Glenwood girl’s mind in the first flush of her discovery. She -turned swiftly again to shake her head angrily at the girl, when Philo -Marsh spoke: - -“Why, you know very well what will happen here, Hank. This woman is -just a plain fool. She’ll get to sticking her nose into everything, -and you’ll soon be hunting another job. And it won’t be at a hundred a -month, neither! - -“You might as well pad your pocket a little against your fall. It’s -comin’ tuh yuh--and a good, hard bump it will be, too.” - -“I dunno that,” growled Hank. - -“Then you’re the only one around here who _don’t_ know it. It’s comin’ -tuh yuh,” he repeated. - -“I kalkerlate this Mrs. White is a mighty able lady,” said Hank, slowly. - -“Pah!” sneered Philo Marsh. “She’s nawthin’ of the kind. And her -brother-in-law is all crippled up and can’t git out yere. Anyway, no -two ways about it, we’re goin’ to beat ’em. You better come in with us, -_pronto_. You don’t have to do nawthin’ but keep your mouth shut. We -want the water, and we’re goin’ to have it--that’s all.” - -Before Philo Marsh had spoken a dozen words Dorothy had a change of -heart! The scoundrel’s coarse remark about Aunt Winnie was sufficient -to hold the girl at her post and fix her attention, and her anger and -interest both grew exceedingly as the talk between the two men -continued. - -Just what Philo Marsh meant--why he should speak as he did--what -advantage he proposed to take of her father and Aunt Winnie--Dorothy -did not know. But she proposed to stay right there until she heard all -that they said upon the subject, hoping that such eavesdropping would -repay her--and believing that it was excusable in such a cause. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -OPHELIA COMES VISITING - - -“Will you please tell me, Doro Doodlekins, just why everything in my -trunk is mismates? I believe I have half a pair of everything I own in -the world with me, and the other half is at home!” - -Dorothy giggled, deep in the mysteries of her own toilette. - -“If I wore spectacles,” pursued the complaining Tavia. “I’d have only -half a pair with me. And half a pair of scissors would be my fate if -I owned scissors. If I wore false teeth, I’d be able to find only the -upper set.” - -“You packed the trunk yourself,” mumbled Dorothy, with pins in her -mouth. - -“I never!” denied Tavia. “I was so excited over the prospect of coming -West that I just threw the first things that came handy into my trunk. -When it was overflowing I jumped on the lid to make it lock, and--there -you are! At least, it looks as though I did just that when it comes to -finding things.” - -“Poor Tavia Trouble-ty-bubble!” cooed Dorothy. - -“Yes,” admitted her chum. “Look!” with desperation. - -She held up two stockings--they never could have made a pair of “hose,” -for one was white while the other was flesh color. - -“See what I am reduced to,” continued the irrepressible. “If I wear -them with pumps folks will think I’m mismated, too! Whatever shall I -do, Doro?” - -There was company expected at the Hardin ranch-house and the girls were -“dolling up,” as Nat called it, in honor of old Mrs. Petterby and Lance. - -“Wear black ones,” answered the practical Dorothy. - -“Oh, but black isn’t fashionable--and certainly not with white pumps,” -said Tavia, sadly. - -“I cannot advise you, then,” said Dorothy. “And, anyway, Tavia, you -always talk so fast that nobody ever looks at your feet.” - -“But--when I’m silent?” demanded Tavia. - -“When is that?” demanded her friend, laughing. - -“The unkindest cut of all! But I tell you what I’ll do,” added Tavia, -slowly. “I will bind an emergency bandage around one ankle, and put the -flesh colored stocking on that foot. Then it will look the same color -as the white one. ‘Ah-ha!’ says the villain. ‘I am avenged! Down to -your doom, Jack Dalton!’” - -And she sat right down on the floor and proceeded to do this, to -Dorothy’s vast amusement. - -The girls were scarcely dressed when a buckboard, drawn by a pair of -half broken ponies, came into view over the break of the knoll, coming -from the Dugonne trail. - -“Here comes Lance!” exclaimed Tavia. - -“And dear old Mrs. Petterby,” agreed Dorothy. - -“Hi!” ejaculated Nat, whom the girls had joined on the big front porch. -“What has the old lady in her lap, I want to know?” - -“Oh!” gasped Dorothy. “How the ponies gallop. And look at the carriage -hop and bounce. She was nearly thrown out that time. I wish Mr. Lance -wasn’t so reckless.” - -“But she’s hanging to that thing in her lap----” - -“It’s Ophelia, of course,” said Tavia. “She’s brought her on a visit, -too.” - -“Why not?” demanded Dorothy, as the others laughed. “It’s the one thing -that connects her with Rand’s Falls, Massachusetts. I expect without -Ophelia Mrs. Petterby would be very homesick out here in Colorado.” - -Lance drove up with a flourish. Like most people out in the Colorado -mountains, he seemed to be a very reckless driver. His mother was -quite calm, however; she evidently had perfect confidence in her son’s -ability to handle the ponies, and at the same time take care of her. - -The girls ran down the steps to help Mrs. Petterby out of the -buckboard. “So delighted to see you, dear Mrs. Petterby,” cried Dorothy. - -“And Ophelia,” giggled Tavia, reaching out her hands for the basket, -but making big eyes at the cowboy. - -“Howdy! howdy!” Lance was exclaiming, his face very red under Tavia’s -wicked scrutiny. He would not let the girl take the basket, but removed -it from his mother’s lap himself. “Don’t you mind, Miss,” he urged. -“I’ll take this yere along to the bunkhouse, mother. Yuh don’t want -thet thar little hen with you in Miz White’s nice house.” - -“Quite right, Lance,” agreed the old lady, hopping out. “But you see -that nothing happens to her, son.” - -“I’ll take keer of her like she was eggs instead o’ a chicken,” he -assured her, and then gave the impatient ponies their heads. They -dashed away toward the sheds. - -Aunt Winnie appeared at the door to welcome the old lady from -Massachusetts, and they bore her into the house and showed her the -room she was to occupy. Lance would bunk with the Ledgers, but he was -coming up to supper. - -As Dorothy came back through the wide central hall a little later, -old John Dempsey appeared from the office. He had gotten everything -cleaned up in there, and kept it tidy. Mrs. White was now using Colonel -Hardin’s old desk as her own. - -“Miss Dorothy,” whispered the veteran, “what do you think? That snake -in the grass was after me agin yesterday about that old letter.” - -Dorothy looked very grave at the mention of Philo Marsh. “What does he -want now?” she asked. - -“He’s after that letter, I tell ye. He offered me sixty dollars for it. -He’s the most persistent critter I ever see. I told him I couldn’t sell -at no price.” - -“Wait, Mr. Dempsey,” said Dorothy. “I wrote father about that letter -the day you found it. I expect to hear from him soon.” - -“But I wouldn’t sell--if ’tis mine _to_ sell, belike,” said John -Dempsey, earnestly. - -“It may be worth a lot of money.” - -“Sure, an’ I don’t need a lot of money,” declared the old soldier. “I’m -contint right as I be--as long as your aunt will let me stay.” - -“And you may rest assured that she will let you stay,” said Dorothy, -cheerfully. “Why, Mr. Dempsey, she says you are a lot of help around -the ranch-house.” - -“’Tis kind of her to say so,” said he, gratefully. “But I feel mighty -beholden to ye all.” - -It was because of this brief conversation that Dorothy went down toward -the bunk-house to meet Lance Petterby coming up to supper. Had Tavia -done this, Dorothy would have been scandalized, but Dorothy considered -that she had a good and sufficient reason for what she did. - -What old John Dempsey had said reminded Dorothy Dale of the -conversation she had overheard between Philo Marsh and Hank Ledger, -the foreman of the ranch. She had discussed this with nobody--not even -with her chums. It was a secret between the Mexican girl, Flores, and -herself. - -Dorothy did not understand what if all meant. Aunt Winnie had not -refused to lease the water-right to the Desert people, and the girl -could not see why Philo Marsh was so anxious to close up the matter and -get Mrs. White’s signature to the papers he had prepared. - -Nor did his evident attempt to bribe Hank Ledger serve to illuminate -Dorothy’s mind to any degree. This was a mystery. Philo Marsh--well -named “a snake in the grass” by old John Dempsey--was up to some shrewd -trick. - -Dorothy believed Flores knew what it was, but the Mexican girl could -not explain. She understood spoken English well enough, but she could -not speak more than a dozen words herself. Dorothy had, therefore, -determined to talk with Lance Petterby. She remembered seeing Philo -Marsh speak familiarly with Lance in Dugonne--just as Dorothy and her -friends were leaving town on the old stagecoach. Dorothy believed he -was kindly disposed toward her and her aunt. She thought she could -trust him--to a degree. At any rate, she was sure he would tell her -the truth about Marsh. - -Lance had unharnessed the ponies and turned them into one of the horse -corrals with a bunch of the Hardin stock. Neither Hank nor the wrangler -was at hand to tell him that the particular bunch in that corral had -just been gathered in off the range and were wilder than his own broncs. - -Dorothy saw the cowpuncher from the Double Chain Outfit close the -corral gate and she hurried down to speak to him. - -“Mr. Petterby,” she said, “what do you know of Mr. Philo Marsh?” - -“Philo Marsh, Ma’am? He’s a left-handed lawyer in Dugonne,” drawled the -big cowboy, with a wondering look. - -“Yes. But what _kind_ of a lawyer? and what kind of a man?” - -Lance was smiling broadly. “I done told yuh that, Miss Dale, when I -first answered yuh.” - -“Left handed?” exclaimed Dorothy. - -“Now you done said something, Ma’am.” - -“You mean he’s not to be trusted?” - -“Not too fur, Ma’am--not too fur.” - -“Then, why have the Desert people who want water from this ranch put -their business into his hands?” demanded the girl. - -“Have they, Miss Dale?” returned Lance, with surprise. - -“Yes. He comes here and bothers Aunt Winnie a great deal. He came ’way -East to see her and my father, about these water rights. He was very -anxious then, and is extremely anxious now, to have the papers signed.” - -“Wal, I hear tell Desert City, and them thereabout, are anxious to -git water. But I wouldn’t have looked for Philo Marsh to lead ’em to -it--not much. That air is surprising,” admitted the cowpuncher. - -“Why does it so surprise you?” Dorothy asked, quickly. - -“Why, tuh tell the truth,” drawled Lance, “I reckoned Philo would -represent other int’rests--if any.” - -“What interests?” - -“Other people that’s honin’ for that Lost River supply.” - -“_Are_ there other people who want it?” queried Dorothy, earnestly. “I -know Aunt Winnie has been approached by nobody but Mr. Marsh.” - -“Not by the Ackron Company? The mine people?” - -“Nobody but Mr. Marsh,” reiterated Dorothy. - -Lance nodded slowly. “That might be. That might be. It’s well known, I -reckon, that your A’nt favors the Desert City folks, just as Colonel -Hardin did?” - -“I suppose so,” Dorothy said. “And nobody but Mr. Marsh has come to see -her. He wants to pay down money to bind the bargain.” - -“Wal, Miss Dale,” Lance drawled, “if Philo Marsh is willing tuh pay out -re’l money, he expects tuh git somethin’ in exchange. He must want the -Lost River water mighty bad.” - -“And in such haste!” - -“Wal,” Lance added, “I dunno what they air in a hurry about. The -desert’s been thar a right smart o’ years, an’ Lost River’s been -rollin’ on for an ekal number, it’s likely. Tell yuh A’nt tuh take her -time,” advised Lance, wisely. “When a man’s in sech an itch tuh close a -deal, more’n likely he has his reasons, an’ it’s jest as well tuh wait -an’ find out what them reasons air.” - -He had been approaching the buckboard as he spoke and now lifted down -Ophelia’s basket. A hound pup came running from the bunk-house door -and sniffed inquiringly around the basket. Ophelia uttered a squawk of -objection. - -The pup started back, sniffed curiously again, and then rolled the -basket over. There was a sudden thunder of hoofs from the far side of -the corral, and raucous squeals rose from the ponies. Dorothy turned, -startled, to see the herd charging straight toward her. - -“Don’t be scart, Miss Dale,” shouted Lance Petterby. “They won’t hit -the fence.” - -The pup had been busy worrying the basket. He broke the string that -held the cover and Ophelia immediately wriggled out. With another -affrighted squawk she scuttled under the lower rail of the fence, into -the corral. Down upon the scared hen came the charging gang of ponies. -She flew right up into the faces of the leaders. - -Instead of breaking evenly and swinging either way to escape collision -with the fence, the forefront of the charging herd went up into the air -to escape the fluttering Ophelia and--the next instant--the full weight -of the mob of ponies dashed against the fence! - -Strong as the fence was, two lengths went down before the charge and, -squealing with rage and pain, the stampede of ponies burst through. - -Dorothy Dale stood, stricken with amazement and horror, directly in the -path of the stampede. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -“‘WAY UP IN THE MOUNTAIN-TOP, TIP-TOP!” - - -Dorothy realized her peril as the fence crashed. She saw the mad -bronchos boil out of the opening like water bursting through a dam, but -she could not escape. - -She found her limbs powerless, and would have sunk to the ground when -she attempted to move, had not Lance leaped forward and swept her -into the crook of his left arm. His yell--and the throwing of his -wide-brimmed hat into the faces of the charging beasts--did not turn -them, but the cowpuncher never for an instant lost his presence of mind. - -With Dorothy he leaped to the far side of the buckboard, after having -flung his hat. One heave of his shoulder sent the lightly built wagon -over upon its side. Against this frail barrier the maddened horses -came--but not so recklessly as they had charged the fence. - -They were spreading out, too, and thus thinned, the mob was not likely -to do much damage. Only one horse came over the overturned buckboard. -He smashed several spokes of two wheels, and knocked the back seat awry. - -The peril to the girl was over in half a minute, but the trouble for -the ranch hands lasted all night and the next day. They were until the -next evening collecting all the ponies again. - -Lance Petterby helped them, for he considered that his mother’s pet hen -was one cause of the stampede. “Though, if thet thar miser’ble little -houn’ dawg had kep’ his nose out o’ thet thar basket, thar wouldn’t -have been no combobberation,” drawled Lance. “That’s as sure as kin be.” - -They made much of Lance at the ranch-house the evening of the stampede, -for the adventure lost nothing in Dorothy’s telling. Tavia undertook to -“play tricks with her eyes,” as Dorothy accused, and was taken firmly -to task for it by her chum. - -“Now, Tavia, you are not going to act like a grown-up society girl with -Lance Petterby. I won’t have it,” Dorothy said. “He’s a fine fellow, -and you shan’t try to make him look silly. He helped us, that time we -were left behind, to follow Aunt Winnie and the boys, and now he’s -actually saved my life.” - -“It wouldn’t be _my_ luck, of course, to be snatched from beneath the -hoofs of a whole pack of wild horses,” pouted Tavia. - -“If you think it was fun, Miss----” - -“Well! it was dreadfully romantic,” declared Tavia, using her well-worn -expression. “You don’t half appreciate your adventure.” - -“Adventure! And have your heart almost jump out of your mouth?” - -“But that’s only for the moment,” sighed Tavia. “You’re all right now.” - -“I thank Heaven I escaped death,” Dorothy said, reverently. “And you -let Lance alone.” - -But Lance Petterby had already had his attention strongly drawn to -Tavia Travers, and even had she so wished, she could not have easily -avoided him while he remained at the ranch. - -Lance stayed for only two nights. Then he had to return to duty, but -his mother remained. Ophelia was not easily caught after her last -escapade. She had joined Mrs. Ledger’s half-wild flock of fowl, and -thus far nobody had been able to catch the little hen from Rand’s -Falls, Massachusetts. - -When Hank and his wife had a chicken for dinner, Mrs. Ledger took the -shotgun and got near enough to the flock to blow the head off of the -chicken she selected. - -So, as Mrs. Petterby could not think of being parted from Ophelia for -any length of time, she agreed to remain at the Hardin Ranch. The -lively old lady was some company for Aunt Winnie, so Dorothy and Tavia -decided to roam a little after Lance went away. - -There was no hope of the girls getting Ned and Nat for companions these -days. They were both in the saddle from morning till night. They had -helped run down the wild ponies that had stampeded. - -Hank declared the boys were wearing out all the cow ponies, they rode -so hard. But there were a couple of more or less quiet mounts for the -girls’ use, and Flores was always about to help Dorothy and Tavia catch -and saddle them. Flores could handle horses like any man, could throw -the lariat, and otherwise displayed achievements natural to a girl in -the West, but strange to those from the East. - -“There!” complained Tavia, as she and her chum rode away from the -corral. “You never finished telling me about that girl and the handsome -stage driver, Doro. Aren’t they planning to run away and get married?” - -“I don’t think so,” said Dorothy, with a little smile. - -“But you don’t know for sure?” said the eager Tavia. - -“I’m pretty sure,” admitted her chum gravely. “Not unless each is going -to elope with another party.” - -“Why, have they quarreled?” - -“I don’t think so.” - -“Doro Doodlebugs! You tell me at once. You’re every bit as mysterious -as a baker’s mincepie.” - -“But what do you want me to tell you?” asked Dorothy. - -“Aren’t Flores and José sweethearts?” - -“Certainly not!” - -“Why not?” - -“Because they happen to be brother and sister!” cried Dorothy, with a -burst of laughter. For once one of Tavia’s romances was punctured! - -The girls had started for the hills, but they followed a trail which -led them farther north than the path they had followed under Hank -Ledger’s guidance. - -“Perhaps we shall find the source of Lost River,” Dorothy said. - -They had taken nobody into their confidence upon setting out, nor did -anybody at the ranch-house see them go save Flores Morale. In ten -minutes after the girls started they were completely out of sight of -the home buildings, the country was so rolling. - -The ponies were good travelers. Long before noon Dorothy and Tavia were -deep in the wooded hills. - -“I’d love to go to the top of that mountain, Tavia,” said Dorothy, -pointing to a green hill that rose right before them. - -“Let’s!” cried Tavia. “From that height we ought to be able to see -far--miles and miles!” - -“Do you suppose we can get there and back by suppertime?” - -“Why not?” returned the cheerfully reckless Tavia. “Hurrah for the -mountain-top! - - “‘Hark! I hear a voice - ’Way up in the mountain-top, tip-top, - Resounding down below-- - Re-sound-ing down be-low!’ - -and I almost choked getting the last low note,” croaked Tavia, coughing -spasmodically. - -They began mounting a shoulder of the hill almost at once. An hour -later they were on the level of the plateau where the beautiful Lost -River rolled. The sound of its terrific fall was only a murmur in the -girl’s ears, for they were some distance above the spot to which they -had explored on that other day. - -The reef of rock which was to be blown out to let the waters of the -stream into the forge was upon the other side of the river. Dorothy and -Tavia pursued the eastern bank, and in a northerly direction. - -This led them around to the far side of the mountain, to the top of -which they had determined to ascend. Their sturdy little ponies carried -them on at a good pace, for the way was easy. - -They finally reached a sharp, short rise, over which the river tumbled -in a beautiful cascade. Above these rapids the stream was spread out in -sort of a lake, bordered by rocky shores. The character of the country -suddenly became more rugged. A rude prospect opened beside them as the -girls turned their ponies’ heads up the steeper hillside. - -On their left the ground fell away into another gulch, quite as deep -and rugged as that gorge on the other side of the river, in which Tavia -had had her awful experience with the rattlesnake. - -Suddenly Dorothy pulled in her pony and pointed down the steep incline. - -“What is that, Tavia?” she asked, startled. - -“What--for goodness’ sake, don’t say you see one of Nat’s bears, -Dorothy Dale!” - -“Hush! not so loud.” - -“_Is_ it a bear?” - -“It’s a man. I can see him plainly now. He’s coming this way--up the -gorge.” - -“Well, that’s a mercy! For if there should be a bear, maybe the man has -a gun.” - -“Crowd in here beside me, Tavia,” commanded Dorothy. “I don’t want him -to see you.” - -“Why not?” asked Tavia, in surprise. “Do you think a sight of me would -scare him?” - -A clump of low bushes hid the ponies, and probably the girls themselves -could not have been observed from the bottom of the gulch. They peered -through a fringe of greenery into the hollow and observed the stranger -advancing up the rock-strewn bottom. - -“What under the sun, Doro, is he doing?” gasped Tavia, after a moment. - -“That’s what I want to know,” returned her chum, seriously. - -The man turned then and shouted down the gorge. A faint echo of his -voice reached the girls, but what he said they could not distinguish. - -“He’s dragging something. Is it a rope?” murmured Dorothy. - -“Maybe they are measuring the gorge----” - -“That is about what they are doing, Tavia Travers!” exclaimed Dorothy. -“It is a surveyor’s chain. There is the man with the trident.” - -A second stranger had appeared. He set up his instrument quickly and -the chain-bearer followed his chief’s gestures in placing a stake. - -“Do let’s go on, Dorothy!” Tavia exclaimed, with immediate loss of -interest in this seemingly prosaic matter. “We’ll never get to the top.” - -“But what are those men doing here?” - -“Can’t you see? Surveying, of course.” - -“What for?” - -“Oh, for a railroad, perhaps. For something or other. What does it -matter?” - -“This is within the boundaries of the Hardin Ranch,” Dorothy said, -reflectively. “I don’t understand surveyors being here. I am sure Aunt -Winnie knows nothing about it.” - -“Tell her when we get back. Come on, Doro,” said the impatient Tavia. - -They urged the ponies on again and Tavia put the surveyors out of her -mind--quite. Not so Dorothy Dale. She could not solve the puzzle of -their presence on the Hardin estate, and she was troubled. - -It was almost two o’clock when the girls reached a little lawn hidden -on the mountainside. It was quite surrounded by the forest, both above -and below, and they had had hard work pushing through the brush to it. -There seemed to be no practicable path for the ponies, leading upward. - -“Let’s leave them and go on afoot,” cried the eager Tavia. “We _must_ -reach the top.” - -“Suppose the ponies run away?” - -“They won’t. Can’t we hobble them?” - -“Mercy! I wouldn’t go so near their heels for a fortune.” - -“Tie them to trees, then,” said the resourceful--and obstinate--Tavia. - -It was hard work, for although the top of the mountain was quite -covered with trees and brush, the ground was rocky. - -Panting, but triumphant, the two girls reached the summit. The opening -in the forest here was very tiny--scarcely larger than a good-sized -dining-room table. The trees hedged them in and at once Tavia voiced -her disappointment. - -“It’s a shame!” she exclaimed. “Why, Doro, we can’t even see the -ranch-house from here.” - -“Isn’t that too bad?” agreed her chum. “Never mind. We got here.” - -“I wanted to see all over the range.” - -“We can see up into the mountains--how near the peaks seem now,” said -Dorothy. “And, oh, Tavia! the sun is setting.” - -“Well! goodness! you’d give one a conniption----” - -“But we must hurry right down the hill. Suppose we should be caught up -here all night?” - -“Up in the ‘mountain-top, tip-top!’ Not so much fun,” admitted her -chum. “But it must be early yet. You see, the sun goes down behind -those peaks so soon. There will be a long twilight.” - -“I don’t want to be in these hills in the twilight,” said Dorothy. “We -must go back.” - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -TWO EYES IN THE DARK - - -Now, although there had been no path up the mountain from the dell -where the girls had tied their ponies, both Dorothy and Tavia were -sure they could retrace their steps easily enough. And as the sun was -already nearing the tops of the higher peaks to the westward, neither -of the girls cared to linger longer on the height. - -“It’s all a fizzle,” grumbled Tavia. “That’s what I call it. Why! I -thought we would be able to look right down into the dooryard at the -ranch.” - -“It did look so from below. And if we could climb the trees here, I -expect we would be able to see much of the range between the mountain -and the ranch-house,” agreed Dorothy. - -“Well! let us spend no time in vain repinings,” quoth Tavia, briskly. -“We’ll tumble down and get into the saddle again. Guess we’re poor -mountain climbers, Doro.” - -“Oh, I think we have done very well.” - -“Not a bit of it. Regular mountain climbers would have known from the -start that nothing could be seen from the top of _this_ mountain.” - -“Every one to his trade,” laughed Dorothy. - -“And mountain climbing is a trade like everything else. Of course,” -added Tavia, whimsically, “to learn any trade, you have to begin at the -bottom and work up.” - -“Oh, I don’t know. How about parachute jumping?” chuckled Dorothy. - -“Dear me! how smart you are,” said Tavia. “That reminds me of one my -brother Johnny got off--because it is so different! It was when he was -going to the little old school in Dalton.” - -“What fun _we_ had there,” sighed Dorothy. - -“Yea, verily! Ages and ages ago--when we were young,” sniffed Tavia. -“Anyhow, the teacher asked Johnny to tell what an anecdote was. ‘A -short, funny tale,’ says Johnny. - -“‘True,’ says the teacher. ‘Go to the blackboard and write a sentence -containing the word.’ - -“So Johnny did so,” chuckled Tavia. “He wrote: ‘A rabbit has four legs -and one anecdote.’” - -“Now, Tavia!” cried Dorothy, panting and laughing, too. “You know that -is a made-up story. And I bet you stole it from somewhere.” - -“Pshaw!” returned Tavia. “Where do you suppose all the funny people -since Noah got their jokes?” - -“Out of a joke-book published just before the Flood,” giggled Dorothy. -“And you certainly must have a copy that you read on the sly.” - -Just then the two girls, who had been all this time descending the -hill, burst through a screen of bushes into an opening. - -“Here we are!” cried Dorothy, with satisfaction. - -“Hi! is this the place?” queried Tavia. “Of course it is!” she added, -answering her own question. “There’s that scarred tree,” pointing to a -lightning-riven pine across the glade. - -“Oh, that is so,” admitted Dorothy. Then she suddenly screamed: “Tavia -Travers! where are the ponies?” - -“Dorothy!” shrieked Tavia, in return. “They’ve gone.” - -“Goodness!” said Dorothy Dale. “Have they run away--or been stolen?” - -“It’s plain to be seen they are not to be seen,” said Tavia. -“It’s--it’s dreadfully unfortunate, Doro.” - -“And we can’t walk home!” wailed Dorothy. - -“All right, Miss. We’ll fly.” - -“We’ll find the ponies,” declared the practical Dorothy, recovering to -a degree from her panic. “Come on.” - -But the two girls from the East were not familiar with the wilds. As -for trailing horses through the woods, they did not know one single -thing about that business. They could not even find the spot where the -ponies had been tied, side by side. - -“My goodness me, Doro,” asked Tavia, at length, “whatever shall we do? -The ponies are lost. What will your Aunt Winnie say to that?” - -“I guess she won’t trouble much about the loss of the ponies--and I’m -not going to,” declared Dorothy. “But _we_ don’t want to get lost.” - -“Why! we can’t. We know our way back--perfectly.” - -“Do we?” - -“Right down the hill to the brink of that gorge where we saw the -surveyors; then south to that water-fall. From that point there is a -regular trail--you know there is, Doro!” - -“Ye--es,” admitted Dorothy, doubtfully. “It _sounds_ simple enough.” - -“It’s perfectly all right,” declared Tavia, again. “Come on.” - -“Well, dear, I’ll let you lead,” said Dorothy, quietly. - -While they had searched about the dell, and discussed the situation, -time had been flying. Already the red globe of the sun was disappearing -behind a western peak. - -All the sky there was shrouded in rolling clouds. The sun plunging -into these wreaths of mist turned them all to gold and crimson. Such a -gorgeous sunset would have transfixed the girls with delight at another -time. - -But, as Tavia said, this was no moment to “worship at the shrine of -beauty.” “Oh, Doro! I’m thinking of Mrs. Ledger’s hot biscuit, and ham, -and potato chips. Goodness! how hungry I am. Never mind the sunset.” - -“I am not minding it,” Dorothy said, quietly. “But you suggested -leading the way down this ‘bad eminence’ to which we were reckless -enough to climb. Go on.” - -Tavia started, and stared about the opening in the trees. It would seem -to be a simple matter to leave this place, descend through the woods to -the plateau, and so down the riverside. - -But there was not a landmark to guide them. They had not thought to -take note of the trees and rocks, in relation to each other, while they -made the ascent. Their knowledge of the points of the compass were -somewhat vague, despite the view they had of the setting sun. - -“Oh, Doro!” wailed Tavia, suddenly. “I’m afraid! I’m afraid of these -woods. I’m afraid we’ll get down into that deep gorge where those men -were. Oh, dear! Oh, dear! let’s not move from this spot.” - -Tavia was almost hysterical. That was the way it was with her--always. -If she was startled she lost her self-possession entirely. - -But with Dorothy it was different. A situation like this brought -her better sense to the surface. She was determined to keep -cool--especially when her chum showed the white feather. - -“Now, Tavia! do be sensible,” begged Dorothy Dale. “We’ve got to face -the thing squarely. Of course, without the horses we could not get home -to-night. And to wander around in the dark, seeking a way that is none -too clear by daylight, would be a perfectly ridiculous thing to do, -under any circumstances.” - -“Well, Doro! do you mean to stay here?” - -“Why not?” - -“The bears--wolves--cat-o’-mountains----” - -“Are probably creations of Nat’s vivid imagination,” interposed -Dorothy, with decision. - -“Well, there _was_ a snake,” murmured Tavia. - -“We’ll build a fire. That will keep away snakes, at least,” Dorothy -said, cheerfully. - -“Oh, Doro!” shrieked Tavia. “You don’t mean to stay in this awful place -all night?” - -“Do you know a better? It is open. There is shelter beside that big -boulder. There’s a little rill that must be sweet water---- By the way! -I didn’t notice that stream when we came here first. Did you, Tavia?” - -“Oh, I don’t know!” wailed Tavia. - -“Do you suppose we _have_ found the place where we left the ponies -tied?” asked Dorothy, anxiously. - -“Of course. And the nasty things have run away. I’ll never trust one of -those broncs again.” - -“Don’t be foolish, dear. It must have been our own fault. We did not -tie them properly.” - -“I know I tied _mine_ tight enough,” grumbled Tavia. “And say! how you -going to build a fire?” - -“Just the same as anybody else would build one,” Dorothy declared. - -“But you can’t.” - -“Why not?” asked Dorothy, in surprise. - -“By rubbing two sticks together?” scoffed Tavia. - -“By rubbing one stick upon a stone,” chuckled Dorothy. “I have matches.” - -“I’m glad you find it such a joke, Dorothy Dale.” - -“You talk as though you had never been out in the open all night -before.” - -“But it wasn’t like this, you know very well. This isn’t like our woods -at home. This is the West----” - -“The wild and woolly West, eh?” laughed Dorothy. “Come! don’t be a -goose, dear. Let’s gather plenty of fuel before it grows too dark.” - -They did this, breaking off the dead branches of the trees which -skirted the glade and gathering sticks already fallen on the ground. -But Tavia cast fearful glances into the now darkening forest and would -not venture beneath the trees at all. - -“We don’t know what’s in there,” she said. - -“Well! we haven’t got to know,” her chum said, cheerfully. “We’ll keep -out of the woods to-night.” - -“Maybe something will come out of them after us.” - -“Not if we keep a fire burning. And in the morning, as soon as it’s -light, we’ll start for home. We can walk it by noon.” - -“If we are alive,” sighed Tavia. - -Dorothy refused to be depressed by her friend’s melancholy. She -proposed making a couch of leaves and branches, and they did this. When -it really grew dark and the stars came out, she produced matches and -lit the fire. - -She did not make a big blaze. Really, there was no need of it at all, -for the evening was warm enough and a spark of light on this hillside -would never be seen by any party looking for them. - -By this time, of course, word had gone over the ranch that the girls -were lost. Aunt Winnie would be worried. Ned and Nat would be out after -them with all the men who could be spared. - -“And in all probability,” Dorothy said, gravely, “nobody--not even -Flores--noticed in which direction we headed on leaving the corral.” - -“Well! We should worry about _their_ worries. It’s our worries that -worry me.” - -Dorothy laughed. “You speak quite as intelligibly,” she said, “as the -old catch question and answer: ‘What sort of a noise annoys an oyster? -Why, a noisy noise annoys an oyster!’” - -“My goodness! I wouldn’t mind being an oyster right now.” - -“Mercy! What for?” - -“’Cause I could close my shell tight and nothing could get at me. Oh, -Doro! what is that?” - -A belated bird flew overhead and its cry had startled Tavia. Dorothy -laughed at her again. - -“Let’s be brave, Tavia.” - -“What for? There’s nobody to see us. It’s other folks looking on that -makes people brave. I know you so well, Doro, that I don’t care if you -_do_ know I’m afraid.” - -The sky arched them like a dome of dark blue velvet on which silver -spangles had been sewn. The woods were filled with deep shadows. - -A breathless silence seemed to have fallen over the hillside. The -girls, huddled together on their rude couch, could distinguish the -faint tinkle of the little rill at which they had quenched their -thirst. - -“But our appetites!” groaned Tavia. “There’s nothing to quench them. -Oh, Doro! you are so nice and plump. I’d like to bite you.” - -“You are the most savage animal in all this forest, I do believe, -Tavia,” laughed Dorothy. - -Dorothy’s cheerfulness had its limits. As they huddled there in the -shelter of the overhanging boulder, the night seemed to drop down upon -them, and Tavia hid her eyes against Dorothy’s shoulder. With their -arms about each other they remained speechless for a while, and then -both girls must have dozed. - -Suddenly Tavia tightened her grip upon her chum and uttered a terrified -gasp. It awoke Dorothy--her eyes opened wide. Tavia was pointing -straight out into the darkness before them, and she was trembling -hysterically. - -The fire had died down to a little bed of embers, but one stick laid -across the coals suddenly snapped in two and the ends burst into flame. - -The flickering light glittered upon two bright spots which were -seemingly across the glade, just at the edge of the forest. - -Without a word passing between them the terrified girls knew what those -sparkling objects were. The firelight was reflected in the eyes of some -beast which was staring fixedly at them! - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -DOROTHY’S COURAGE - - -Not a sound did the prowling animal make, but its very silence seemed -to add to the terrifying effect it had upon Dorothy Dale and her chum. - -As the feeble flames rose and fell, so the reflected glare of the eyes -increased and decreased. The pitiless, unwinking orbs displayed the -savage intent of the beast. - -For half a minute Dorothy was helpless, as was her chum. She had not -partaken of Tavia’s panic before; she had really scouted the idea that -savage animals roamed these woods. But she must believe now! - -However, to faint--to give up hope of escape--to helplessly await the -closer approach of the beast whose eyes they saw, did not once enter -Dorothy Dale’s mind. - -She threw off Tavia’s clutching hands quickly, reached for some fuel, -and threw it on the flickering campfire. Almost at once the flames -burst out and mounted higher. Their glare revealed the immediate -surroundings of the rude encampment, but nothing of the strange -marauder but the glittering eyes was visible to the girls. - -Dorothy was quite sure that while the fire burned brightly no wild -animal would throw itself upon them. Wolves, she knew, were cowardly -alone; only in the pack were they courageous enough to attack man. As -for its being a bear--those eyes never belonged to Bruin. He would not -remain still so long. - -The unwinking nature of their observation forced Dorothy to determine -that the eyes belonged to a member of the cat tribe. A panther? No more -terrible beast, she was sure, roamed the Colorado wilderness. - -Somewhere, when she was much younger, Dorothy had seen a picture in -a book of African adventure, in which a huge lion was shown leaping -over a line of fires around a hunter’s camp to get at the cattle. -Ordinarily, she was sure, the cat tribe was much afraid of the flames, -but suppose this individual that was watching her and Tavia was -particularly hungry? - -Would the miserable little blaze prevent the beast from leaping upon -them? The same thought seemed to unlock the chains of Tavia’s speech, -for she whispered: - -“Throw on more wood, Dorothy. Make a big blaze.” - -“But we haven’t so _much_ wood,” objected Dorothy. - -“Oh, do! Perhaps a big fire will drive it off.” - -Dorothy recklessly heaped on more fuel. The flames leaped and crackled. -But their light did not show the outlines of the enemy. It seemed to be -crouching in the deep shadow at the edge of the forest. Nothing showed -of the creature but those terrible eyes. - -“If we only had a gun,” whispered Dorothy, with longing. - -“We’d be afraid to shoot at it,” gasped Tavia. - -“Not I! I’d try to make a bullseye.” - -“Can’t we try to scare it off in some way?” - -“Let’s scream--both together!” cried Dorothy Dale. “Now!” - -If fear-inspired shrieks ever issued from feminine throats, the -abandoned yell of Tavia was a triumphant specimen. Nor was Dorothy far -behind in the piercing quality of her cry. - -It is doubtful if any mountain lion in all the wild places of the West -could have equalled the quality of the girls’ yells. And---- - -“The nasty beast never so much as winked an eye!” Tavia gasped, -horrified. - -Dorothy was fully as much amazed as her chum. There was something -uncanny about the twinkling, glistening spots. She had never heard of -any creature with such unwinking eyes--save a serpent. And surely -these eyes did not belong to any reptile. - -She threw more fuel on the fire. Again the flames leaped up. The heap -of wood they had gathered was fast being diminished. Dorothy looked at -her watch. Only half-past ten! The beast had been watching them--she -was sure--for an hour. - -Suppose it remained all night? They had not fuel enough to last until -midnight at the reckless rate they were using it. - -When it was all gone, and the fire died down--what then? The thought -was really terrifying. If the blaze was what kept the beast at bay, -once the fire was dead, the girls would be at the animal’s mercy. - -Dorothy Dale did not lose her head and become hysterical, like Tavia. -She knew something must be done. Tavia was absolutely helpless. After -they had so uselessly screamed, she just sat hiding her eyes, and -trembling. - -Dorothy knew that if anything was to be done to scare away the beast, -it devolved upon her to do it. Now! should she try to gather more fuel, -or should she rise up and attack the watchful brute? - -The latter was the more desperate expediency, yet the wiser. A quick -dash might drive the animal away. - -Without a word to Tavia of her intention, Dorothy gathered her feet -under her, reached for a blazing branch on the fire, and suddenly -sprang erect. - -With a scream she leaped past the fire and, holding the flaming branch -straight out before her, ran across the glade toward the staring eyes! - -Had she stopped to contemplate the desperate venture, she never would -have started. Almost as she determined on making the attack, she had -sprung into action. - -She was half way to the edge of the woods ere she realized that her -charge did not seem to startle the enemy at all. _The eyes did not even -blink._ - -If ever in her life, Dorothy Dale showed desperate courage at this -moment. She kept straight on--whirling the burning branch to make the -sparks fly--and dashed up to the bulky object which had so terrified -her and her chum. - -It was a good sized boulder imbedded in the earth at the edge of the -forest. Its face was split and scarred; two bits of mica in its front -had caught and reflected the firelight, and so looked like a pair of -staring eyes. _This_ was the dreadful beast of prey that had held them -in durance for an hour and a half! - -The reaction of her discovery deprived Dorothy Dale’s limbs of their -strength. She fell to the ground, and the flaming branch sputtered -before her and flickered out. Tavia screamed again, but Dorothy was -laughing weakly--almost hysterically. - -“Oh, Tavia Travers! What a perfect pair of dunces we are,” gasped -Dorothy. “It’s nothing--nothing, I tell you! Just some bright specks in -a rock. If the boys ever hear of this they will tease us to death about -it.” - -“Let them,” cried Tavia, with recovered bravado. “I shall tell. You’re -just the very bravest girl I ever saw, Dorothy Dale! You believed that -was an awful, ravenous beast when you started for it with the torch. I -consider that you have saved me from being devoured by the most savage -creature that ever happened!” - -“What shall we name it?” giggled Dorothy, climbing slowly to her feet -and coming back with Tavia to the fire. - -“Oh, a Bhronosaurus--or a Dynosaura--or--or something. Maybe a -Pteryodactyl. Didn’t they all live in the Stone Age?” - -“And you just from the scholastic halls of old Glenwood!” cried -Dorothy. “I am astounded, Tavia Travers.” - -“You needn’t be,” said her chum, coolly. “There are a whole lot of -things I had to learn that I hope I have already forgotten. I guess -the history of a million years, or so, ago, is fading fast from my -overburdened mind. And I’ll certainly feel better when it is _all_ -wiped out.” - -The incident served to bring Tavia to a better condition of mind. She -shook off her foolish fears, and even assisted Dorothy in gathering a -larger supply of firewood. - -“For although those eyes were those of a bogey,” said Dorothy, wisely, -“there may be creatures who would trouble us before morning if we had -no fire.” - -“Who’s going to keep awake to feed the fire?” yawned Tavia. - -“I’ll keep first watch,” agreed Dorothy. - -“All right. Ow--yow! I can’t keep my eyes open and my mouth shut. If -a whole herd of bears ringed us, I should just have to sleep! Call me -when it’s time for my watch, Doro. Ow-_yow_!” - -And the next moment her breathing showed that she slumbered. - -Dorothy fell asleep herself after a time, trusting to the chill of the -night air to awaken her when the fire died down. - -But what really woke her up was a shrill cry that echoed through the -forest in a most weird way, and startled both girls into an upright -position before their eyes were even open. - -Again the strange cry rang out. Tavia broke off in a mighty yawn and -seized Dorothy’s hand. - -“More trouble!” she gasped. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -DOROTHY HEARS SOMETHING IMPORTANT - - -“And just to think!” Tavia groaned, as the two girls rode slowly down -the riverside an hour after sunrise. “We hadn’t any business having an -adventure at all.” - -“I--don’t--know,” responded Dorothy, slowly. - -“Well, _I_ do! The boys will tease us to death about it. There the -ponies were, tied where we left them, just in another opening in the -woods, not a hundred yards away from where we spent the night. But when -I first heard them whinnying for water at daybreak, I was scared into -fits--weren’t you, Doro?” - -Dorothy admitted her fright. Tavia’s whole statement was not far from -correct. The entire adventure had been preventable. Dorothy considered -herself seriously to blame. - -If she and her chum had marked their path up the steep hillside beyond -the spot where the ponies had been abandoned, they would have had no -difficulty in finding their mounts again. - -So, had they recovered the ponies they could easily have returned to -the ranch-house by dark. Aunt Winnie, Dorothy knew, must have been -dreadfully worried over their disappearance. - -Indeed, the whole country round about had been roused, as the girls -quickly learned. Half a dozen search parties were out after them. While -they still followed the course of Lost River they heard whooping, and -rifle shots, ahead. - -“Come on!” cried Tavia, “they are searching for us.” - -Both girls hurried their ponies, rounded a turn in the path, and were -hailed with delight by Ned, Nat and half a dozen cowpunchers, who had -started into the hills for a second search for the lost girls. - -They had ridden over the ranges and lower country all night, searching -for the runaways, and after breakfasting at the bunkhouse, had started -forth again. - -Dorothy and Tavia were warmly welcomed--and scolded just as warmly by -Ned and Nat, too! When Mrs. White had kissed and hugged them, she, too, -turned upon them and threatened to take away their ponies if they ever -rode more than two miles from the ranch-house again without a guide. - -Dorothy knew she had no right to complain about this restriction. It -had been a reckless thing to do--that trip to the mountain-top. And -she could not get over the fact that her own oversight had caused her -and Tavia to remain out in the open all night. - -There had been no serious results, however, and in a day or two the -escapade was forgotten. The girls had agreed not to tell of their awful -fright caused by the bits of mica shining in the rock. If Ned and Nat -had gotten hold of _that_ tale the girls never would have heard the -last of it. - -It was about this time that Dorothy heard from Major Dale regarding -the Lincoln letter that John Dempsey had found among Colonel Hardin’s -discarded papers. Dorothy had told her father the whole story--of -Philo Marsh’s desire to purchase the letter, and all. She had likewise -expressed herself as being more than ever antagonistic to the Dugonne -lawyer. - -“Don’t fret your pretty head, Little Captain, about matters that do not -concern you,” Major Dale wrote. “I have confidence in Winifred’s good -sense, and she will be a match for a man like Marsh. As for the old -soldier and his famous letter--tell him not to put any great trust in -the validity of the letter, and if he can sell it for a good round sum, -to do so.” - -Major Dale went on to tell his daughter of a test by which she could -assure herself and Dempsey as to the actual value of the letter. This -amazed Dorothy, and she ran off to tell the old soldier and to follow -her father’s suggestion. - -The letter to the Massachusetts widow proved to be valid. It really was -a very interesting document. After Dorothy and John Dempsey had talked -it over, the old man changed his mind about selling it. - -“If that snake in the grass raises his offer to me much higher, I’ll -jest natcherly be obleeged to sell,” he said, grimly. “Let it be on his -own head.” - -Philo Marsh was at the ranch-house almost every day. Aunt Winnie -wondered why some of the other interested parties had not called to get -her views upon the water-rights question; but not a person from the -farming land to the south or from Desert City, came to the Hardin ranch. - -“It must be,” she told the boys and Dorothy, “that these Desert people -have left the whole matter--as he says--in Mr. Marsh’s hands. I would -have felt better about it had I talked with others--to make sure that -this agreement Philo Marsh offers suits all hands. I believe I shall -sign the preliminary papers the next time Mr. Marsh calls.” - -“I guess it’s all right, mother,” said big Ned, carelessly. “And the -fellow _is_ getting to be a nuisance hanging about here.” - -Dorothy was tempted to tell her aunt of the conversation she had -overheard between Marsh and the foreman, Hank Ledger, despite the fact -that the conference seemed to have led to nothing. The foreman was a -good sort, and Dorothy liked Mrs. Ledger, so the girl did not wish to -make her aunt suspicious of Hank. - -She understood that this preliminary agreement between her aunt and -those who desired water from Lost River, was not a binding document. -Aunt Winnie said the lawyers in Dugonne would look after the estate’s -interest before the matter was concluded, and make everything legal and -shipshape. - -Naturally, even Dorothy--with all her suspicion of Philo Marsh--did not -pay much attention to the business of the water-rights, only when the -subject was brought up in family conclave. The young folk were having -too good a time to think of much but their own pleasure--the boys in -their way, and the girls in theirs. - -Old Mrs. Petterby had caught Ophelia and now was anxious to go back -to the Nicholson place, where she was to meet Lance again. She was to -drive over in a buckboard, one of the Mexican hands being employed as -driver, and of course there were two empty seats. - -“Let’s go with her--you and I, Doro,” proposed Tavia, eagerly. - -Dorothy suspected that her chum was just roguish enough to want to -plague Lance Petterby, and she tried to veto the proposal. - -“All right for you, then!” said Tavia, coolly. “If you won’t go with -me, I’ll go anyway.” - -That settled it. Dorothy did not want Tavia to go without her. So -they drove away in the buckboard with the old lady from Rand’s Falls, -Massachusetts. - -It was a jolly ride, for Mrs. Petterby was good fun and both the girls -were fond of her. When they arrived at the squatter’s double cabin, -sure enough, there was Lance and his pony, Gaby. - -“Sartain shore am glad tuh see yuh!” was the cowboy’s welcome, smiling -broadly upon the girls. But it was plain to Dorothy that his bold eyes -lingered longer upon Tavia’s brilliant face. - -Tavia was at her best--sprightly, talkative, laughing--behaving indeed -in a most bewildering fashion. A much more sophisticated fellow than -Lance Petterby might have had his head turned over Tavia Travers on -that particular day. - -Dorothy knew very well that it was only Tavia’s fun, but the cowboy did -not know. Even old Mrs. Petterby said: - -“I declare for’t! I never did see sech a gal for runnin’ on as you do. -Can’t tell when ye air funnin’ an’ when ye air in earnest.” - -Lance had something to say to Dorothy in private. - -“Yuh axed me about Philo Marsh last time I seen yuh, Miss Dale. Has yuh -aunt signed up for them water-rights yet?” - -“No. But she is about to.” - -“Tell her to wait a bit longer. I got a line on something queer.” - -“Oh, Mr. Lance! What is it? About Philo Marsh?” - -“Yes, Ma’am. You say he’s workin’ for the Desert City folks?” - -“Why--yes. He must be.” - -“Then he’s got two strings to his bow. I got a straight tip that he’s -employed by the Consolidated Ackron Company.” - -“The mining company?” - -“Yes, Ma’am.” - -“But what is he doing for them?” - -“Why, they tell me he’s been in their pay for a long time. Does their -dirty work, Miss Dale. Meanin’ that he settles damage cases out o’ -court. Man gits hurt in the shaft, or somehow. Before he kin git fixed -up by the doctor, ’round comes Philo and offers to pay bills and give -the man a small sum. Otherwise man loses his job--you see? If the poor -feller’s killed, Philo settles with the widder.” - -“I understand,” said Dorothy. “But that would not keep him from taking -cases for other people?” - -“No, Ma’am. But Philo wouldn’t be likely to take a job that might queer -him with the mining company. And them folks want the water jest as bad -as they want it out in the desert.” - -“But how could they get it?” cried Dorothy, in wonder. “That gorge by -which Lost River can be drained off, runs to the edge of the desert. It -doesn’t slope north at all.” - -“That’s shore an’ sartain, Miss,” declared Lance. “But thet thar ain’t -the only way Lost River kin be turned--don’t think it!” - -Suddenly the thought of the surveyors she and Tavia had seen, flashed -into Dorothy’s mind. - -Eagerly the girl told the cowpuncher of what she and Tavia had observed -behind the green mountain. He listened closely and nodded at the end. - -“Shore as you air a foot high, them surveyors was runnin’ a line to -Lost River for the mining corporation. Once they git the water---- -Well! good-_night_! They’ve got plenty of money to fight you folks in -the courts. Possession, in this case, I reckon, would be nine p’ints of -the law. - -“Now, tell your a’nt tuh go slow. Don’t let her sign a paper that Philo -brings her. There’ll be some quirk about it that’ll tie her hands. Or -else, he is seeking to delay matters until the mining folks can put in -dynamite and blow out a channel for the river.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -“WHERE IS AUNT WINNIE?” - - -Tavia declared Dorothy’s insisting upon going back to the ranch so -early “spoiled all her fun.” - -“You can miss that fun, Miss,” said her chum, somewhat sharply. -“Teasing Mr. Petterby is a good deal like a cat playing with a mouse. -It’s fun for the cat, but tragic for the mouse.” - -“Tragedy! Fancy!” responded Tavia, tossing her head. “As though my -innocent little conversations with Lance were tragic in any way.” - -“He thinks you are in earnest when you show interest in his affairs,” -declared Dorothy. - -“But you know, dear, he’s such fun!” pouted Tavia. “I can’t help -plaguing him. He is so very innocent--a big man like him!--that he’s -fair game. You are a regular spoil-sport.” - -“I’ve another reason for going home,” said Dorothy, seriously. “Just -the same, you are not to be trusted, Tavia. I am ashamed of you.” - -“You needn’t be. I wouldn’t harm poor little Lance Petterby for the -world!” giggled the black-eyed girl. - -Dorothy was too worried over what the cowboy had told her about Philo -Marsh to keep on joking with her friend. The instant they reached the -ranch-house she ran to find Aunt Winnie. - -“Oh, Auntie! you haven’t signed those horrid papers, have you?” Dorothy -cried. - -“What do you mean, child?” asked Mrs. White. - -“For that Marsh man.” - -“Why, Dorothy! you are greatly excited. What _is_ the matter?” - -“Then you _have_ signed?” wailed Dorothy. - -“No. I told him I would to-morrow if he brought out a commissioner of -deeds with him. I cannot go to town now.” - -“Don’t do it!” begged her niece, excitedly. “There’s something queer -about it. Let me tell you,” and there poured forth then all her -suspicions and her reasons for holding them. She told her aunt about -the strange talk she had overheard between the foreman of the ranch and -Philo Marsh, as well as about the surveying party she and Tavia had -seen back in the hills. She likewise repeated what Lance Petterby had -told her that very day. - -“I cannot understand it,” Mrs. White said. “I have read the agreement -Mr. Marsh offers very carefully. It is between your father and me, as -party of the first part (that is the legal phrase), and Mr. Marsh, Mr. -Kendrick, and Mr. Stephen Goode, who jointly agree to take the water of -Lost River under certain conditions. There is no corporation formed as -yet, I am told, and these men constitute a committee.” - -“A committee for whom?” asked Dorothy, briskly. - -“Why--why, for the people who want the water.” - -“But who _are_ they, Aunt Winnie? Philo Marsh says he is acting for the -Desert people; but you don’t really _know_ if it is so.” - -“Child! it can’t be possible that the man would boldly conspire to gain -my signature for a different purpose from that Colonel Hardin intended?” - -“That’s exactly what I believe Marsh is aiming to do,” cried Dorothy. -“Don’t you sign.” - -“I won’t. A bad promise is better broken than kept. I shall write to -Mr. Jermyn. When I spoke to him in Dugonne he said he had had no reason -for looking into the matter, but he supposed that Mr. Marsh was acting -in good faith. Lawyers, I am afraid, are like doctors. The ethics of -the profession sometimes stand before their duty to a client. - -“But Mr. Jermyn shall come out here and examine the papers and talk -with Mr. Marsh in my presence, before I sign,” added Mrs. White. -“Thank you, my dear, for being so helpful. Go tell Dempsey to find a -man to ride into Dugonne at once with a note.” - -Dorothy ran to do as she was bid, while Mrs. White went to write the -letter. A man came to the ranch-house in a few minutes, a-straddle of -a vicious pony. He was a sullen, rough looking fellow, but Mrs. White -presumed he was to be trusted as a messenger. - -However, had she known that the fellow carried her note to Philo Marsh -instead of to Mr. Jermyn--being in Marsh’s pay--the lady from the East -would not have been so tranquil in her mind. Having been unsuccessful -in wheedling Hank Ledger into aiding him, Marsh had hired this Mexican -to play the spy at the Hardin ranch. - -Tavia and the boys were not informed of the new mystery regarding the -water-rights affair. Dorothy had promised Aunt Winnie not to speak of -it at present. - -“After working as hard as we do all day,” quoth Ned at the supper table -that night, “a fellow needs a little recreation in the evening. You -girls aren’t at all entertaining. Why! you haven’t had even a ‘sing’ -since we came out here to the ranch.” - -“What will we do for music?” asked Dorothy. “There isn’t even a banjo -in the house.” - -“There are mandolins, or guitars, or something, down to the -bunkhouse,” Nat broke in. “I heard somebody plunking one to-day. You -know, these Mexicans are great on music--of a kind.” - -“I’ll ask Flores,” promised Dorothy, briskly. “Just as soon as supper -is over.” - -“And we’ll all sing,” announced Ned, gravely. - -Tavia immediately relinquished her knife and fork. “I object,” she -declared. “Perhaps I should say that I rise to a point of order.” - -“What about, Miss?” demanded Ned. - -“Are _you_ going to attempt to sing?” asked Tavia, point blank. - -“What if I do?” - -“Prithee, don’t, dear Neddie,” begged the teasing girl. “We’ve heard -you make the attempt before. You escaped with your life on that -occasion, but remember it was in a comparatively ‘tame’ country. - -“This is the wild and woolly West. They hang people here for -horse-stealing--and perhaps for eating with their knives, I don’t know! -At any rate, Lance Petterby tells me that many of the ‘old-timers’ -shoot from the hip, and without much provocation. Your sweet young life -may be snuffed out, Neddie, if you try to sing, by some native with an -ear for music.” - -“Ha, ha!” cried Nat. “Old Ned’s like the minister they tell about who -was called to a new pastorate. One of the members of the new church -asked a friend of the minister if he was a good man. - -“‘He is a very good man,’ agreed the minister’s friend. - -“‘Well, what are his faults? He must have _some_ fault?’ said the -curious one. - -“‘Since you press me,’ said the other, ‘I know of but one grave fault -in your new minister.’ - -“So the man asked him what that fault was. ‘He doesn’t know how to -sing,’ declared the candid friend. - -“‘Well, that’s not a very serious fault,’ said the anxious one, much -relieved. - -“‘No,’ was the reply; ‘but, you see, he sings just the same as if he -_did_ know.’” - -“That settles it,” growled Ned, appearing to be much offended. “I’ll -not sing, no matter how much I am urged. I positively refuse.” - -“I can go on with my supper, then,” said Tavia, calmly, “and with a -mind relieved of anxiety.” - -“And while you are finishing,” laughed Dorothy, “I’ll go hunt up -Flores, and see if there is music to be had to soothe the savage -breasts of these amateur cowpunchers.” - -She ran down to the shack where the foreman and his wife lived. The -twilight was falling, and Dorothy thought the country beautiful. Bare -as the ranges were, the vari-colored sky arching the rolling plain -lent a softness to the earth’s outline that pleased the eye. - -By broad day she could see the boulders cropping out of the hillsides, -and the scars of ancient land-slips upon the faces of the higher -mountains, but now purple and saffron shadows mantled all these rude -outlines of the landscape, while the little valleys were pits of gray -mist and shadow. - -Dorothy came, cheerfully singing, to the door of the foreman’s house. -“Where is Flores?” she asked Mrs. Ledger, who had hurried down from the -big house as soon as supper there was served to get the evening meal -for her husband and the hands. - -“Drat the gal!” replied Mrs. Ledger, with some exasperation. “I wish I -knew. I left her here to get things started, and she’s run off.” - -“Run away?” cried the startled Dorothy. - -“Not fur, I reckon. She’s always buzzing some of the men. ’Druther play -than work, any time, that gal had.” - -“I’ll find her,” promised the girl from the East, and went on toward -the horse sheds. - -But she would have passed Flores in the dusk had she not heard excited -voices speaking Spanish. Dorothy could not understand Spanish, but she -recognized the tones of the Mexican girl’s voice. - -“Flores!” - -Instantly Dorothy saw one of the herdsmen dive into the deeper shadow -beside the shed, while Flores came swiftly toward her. The Mexican girl -had been crying, Dorothy knew, although it was too dark to see her face -but dimly. - -“What is the matter, Flores?” - -“I--I no can tell you, Señorita,” sobbed Flores. - -“You won’t tell me?” - -“I--I dare not. I no explain. Hush!” whispered the girl. “You take care -at beeg house. Bad mans about.” - -This was anything but lucid, but try as she might Dorothy could get -nothing more explicit from Flores. The latter seemed not only unable to -explain herself in English, but she was afraid to speak at all! - -Flores hurried back to the Ledger domicile and lent Dorothy a mandolin -of her own. Tavia could play the mandolin, and the young folk at the -big house had a nice “sing” that evening. - -When Dorothy and her chum went to bed the former told Tavia about -Flores’ strange speech and actions. - -“More mystery, Rudolpho!” cried Tavia. “What can she mean? ‘Bad mans,’ -eh? Sounds awfully interesting. Almost _any_ male man with intelligence -would be a delightful change from these ignorant Mexican herdsmen.” - -“Even a villain like Philo Marsh?” - -“Oh! he is a disappointment, despite his mustache,” admitted Tavia. -“Even as a villain he proved second rate.” - -“Perhaps we haven’t seen the last of his villainy,” said Dorothy, -darkly. - -Tavia, her hearing momentarily impaired by a big yawn, did not catch -the drift of Dorothy’s prophecy. The next day there was more than the -usual stir about the Hardin ranch. Philo Marsh and a low-browed, greasy -looking man, whom the lawyer introduced as “Jedge Biggs”--a Justice of -the Peace and Notary Public--arrived early in the day. - -The girls were by now deeply interested in the matter of the -water-rights. The boys had ridden away as usual, right after breakfast. -Dorothy had told Tavia enough about Aunt Winnie’s difficulties to -arouse the black-eyed girl’s interest and to excite her over this -morning visit of Marsh. - -The chums remained on the veranda, within hearing of the discussion in -the office, when Aunt Winnie appeared to meet the two men from Dugonne. - -“Mawnin’, Mrs. White,” said Philo Marsh, in his unctuous way. “We’re -all prepared this mawnin’ for business--loaded tuh the muzzle, as yuh -might say.” - -“I have sent for Mr. Jermyn,” said Aunt Winnie, quietly. “I prefer to -have him here before I sign anything, Mr. Marsh.” - -“Sufferin’ snakes, Ma’am! this ain’t another hold-up, I hope? Why, ye -agreed tuh sign----” - -“Quite so. When Mr. Jermyn comes, if he does not advise against it, I -will sign.” - -“But, Mrs. White! I have reason to know Jermyn is not in Dugonne at -present.” - -“That is too bad,” said Mrs. White, with real disappointment. “I -thought it strange that he returned no reply to the note I sent him -last evening.” - -It was not strange to Philo Marsh, but he gave no sign that he had ever -heard of the message. - -“It seems a pity to hold the matter up again, Mr. Marsh,” said Aunt -Winnie, calmly. “But I feel that my lawyer should have an opportunity -to advise.” - -“Mrs. White!” cried Philo Marsh, his wrath getting the better of his -judgment, “this is childish. It’s a joke for you, perhaps, but not for -me. You promised----” - -“Mr. Marsh!” exclaimed Aunt Winnie. “I am not in the habit of being -spoken to in such a tone.” - -She rose and passed to the door, leaving the two men standing, scowling -at each other. - -“I am sorry for your disappointment, Mr. Marsh,” proceeded the lady, -“but I can no longer discuss this matter--or go on with it at -all--until I secure the advice of Mr. Jermyn. Good morning.” - -“Bully for Aunt Winnie!” whispered Tavia, on the porch, squeezing -Dorothy’s arm. - -“But I am afraid of what Philo Marsh will do,” returned Dorothy, in a -similar tone. “He looks like a thunder-cloud.” - -Mrs. White had swept from the office, and the two men finally came out. -They did not notice the girls, and went off whispering together. A -little later they rode away from the ranch sheds, but did not take the -trail to Dugonne. - -Ned and Nat had told the girls that some yearlings were to be branded -that morning, down in the far corral, and Dorothy and Tavia wanted to -see the work done--although they shrank from the idea of giving pain to -the helpless cattle. - -“But I suppose that is the only way to keep run of the stock,” Dorothy -said, wisely. - -“They couldn’t very well paste numbers on their horns,” rejoined Tavia, -whimsically. - -When they told Aunt Winnie they were going, they found her looking very -grave, and she confessed to a headache. She suffered severely from that -affliction at times and she said the glare of the sun outside oppressed -her. - -Dorothy knew that nervousness, enhanced by the argument with Philo -Marsh, was the real cause of her aunt’s illness. She offered to remain -at the house, but Aunt Winnie sent her out with Tavia. - -“Go along and have a good time, child,” she said. “I shall be all right -alone here.” - -For at this time of day there was not a soul else about the big house. -Mrs. Ledger and Flores were busy at their own quarters. - -It was an hour later--after retiring in bad order because of the odor -of burning hair and flesh in their nostrils, and the sound of piteous -bawling in their ears--that the two girls approached the ranch-house. -The branding operations had been too much for their courage. - -“I don’t want to be a ‘cattle queen,’” Tavia declared, with a shudder. -“One of those poor calves had blue eyes and he looked at me so pitiful!” - -“Yet you have no tender feeling for the poor humans you plague--like -Lance Petterby,” chuckled Dorothy. - -“Oh! they are fair game!” said Tavia, shaking her braids and running on -before. - -Suddenly--right at the corner of the house--she halted, and wildly -beckoned Dorothy forward. - -“Look! oh, look, Doro!” she gasped, as her friend came running. - -Tavia, breathless, pointed off toward the west. A party of at least -six horsemen were riding at a gallop away from the front of the -ranch-house. - -“Philo Marsh!” cried Dorothy. “I see him.” - -“There is a woman with them--she is riding in the middle of the crowd,” -screamed Tavia. “Oh, Doro! she’s a prisoner! He’s carried her off.” - -“Who’s carried whom off?” demanded the startled Dorothy, as the -cavalcade disappeared into a coulie. - -“Your aunt! Philo Marsh has her. He’s kidnapped her--to make her sign -those papers--I _know_ he has,” cried Tavia, weakly sitting down on the -steps. - -“Nonsense!” exclaimed Dorothy, and ran into the house to find her aunt. - -But she could not find her. She called, and there came no answer. With -fast beating heart and trembling limbs Dorothy Dale returned to the -veranda. Tavia was talking to a man on horseback who had just arrived. -It was Lance Petterby. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -THE CHASE - - -“I tell you they’ve run away with her! Whatever shall we do?” - -Tavia was quite familiar in her excitement. She had seized Lance -Petterby’s free hand and shook it with emphasis. But even at this -tragic moment Dorothy noticed the way the cowpuncher looked down at her -chum, and she was sorry that Tavia was not more dignified. - -“Jerusha Juniper! do yuh mean it?” Lance said. - -“We saw them riding away,” declared Tavia. “You _didn’t_ find your -aunt, did you, Doro?” - -“She’s gone,” admitted Dorothy, feeling a little ill and faint. - -“Jerusha Juniper! yuh don’t mean it?” repeated Lance. “’Tain’t possible -that she’s been run off against her will?” - -“It’s that awful Philo Marsh,” said Tavia. “You don’t understand. -She had promised to sign the papers for him this morning, and then -she heard something, so she wouldn’t. He was here with a man named -Biggs----” - -“I know the scamp,” growled Lance. - -“Well! they were just as _mad_!” pursued Tavia. - -“So Philo has shown his hand, has he?” said Lance Petterby, slowly. -“The ornery cur! I come over here to tell yuh aunt more thet I heard -last night. Philo’s been workin’ for the mining company all the time.” - -“Don’t stop here talking!” urged Tavia. “We must go after them. Doro -and I will get our ponies.” - -“Ain’t Hank here?” demanded Lance. - -“Mr. Ledger has gone to see about something at the other end of the -range,” Dorothy said, in answer to this question. - -“But there’s some of the Greasers here--and them boys?” - -“Oh, yes!” cried Dorothy, and she told him where they were at work down -in the branding pen. - -“We’d better go,” admitted the cowboy. “I understand there is going to -be something doing up in the hills this very day.” - -“What do you mean, Mr. Lance?” cried Dorothy. - -“Them minin’ people have got a gang to put in a few dynamite ca’tridges -where they’ll do the most good--for _them_. They intend to blow out -enough rock at the head of that gorge you seen the surveyors working -in, to drain the current of Lost River out of its bed.” - -“Oh! the wicked things!” gasped Tavia. - -“You don’t mean it?” was Dorothy’s comment. - -“So it was give to me, Miss Dale,” said Lance. “Them surveyors was -workin’ for the Consolidated Ackron Company. I got it from the feller -that kerried the chain.” - -“We saw him,” interrupted Tavia. “A bushy whiskered man.” - -“Gil Patrick. That’s him,” said Lance, with emphasis. “When I got the -straight tip I reckoned you folks oughter know it. For once let them -mining people turn the river their way (they kin get it to their works -a sight easier than the Desert City folks kin handle it) and yuh aunt -would have a stiff fight on her hands in the courts. Possession is all -of nine p’ints of the law--specially in water-rights,” added Lance, -nodding vigorously. - -“They must be very wicked men,” said Dorothy, “to wish to rob the poor -farmers down there in the desert of water. And they will be robbing us, -too.” - -“I expect they’ll settle at a fair price--only yuh aunt won’t git Lost -River back intuh its banks--no, sir!” - -[Illustration: THEY KEPT UP WITH THE WILD RIDING MEXICANS. _Dorothy Dale -in the West Page 223_] - -“It must not be,” declared Dorothy Dale, vigorously. “And if they have -made auntie ride over to that place with them----” - -“They have kidnapped her, I tell you!” cried Tavia, her excitement -growing. - -“I kyan’t believe it, gals,” said Lance Petterby. “But I’ll rout out -yuh hands.” - -“And we’ll get our ponies. Come, Doro,” added Tavia, starting on a run -for the horse corral. - -“Sorry Hank ain’t here,” said Lance, as he gave Gaby the rein. “But -I’ll git the hull bunch yuh say is down there to the brandin’ pen.” - -“Oh, come on, Doro! Come on!” shouted Tavia, over her shoulder. “We -must go with them. It will be a regular cowboy chase--just like we see -in the movies.” - -“Oh, Tavia! do be sensible.” - -“How can I be? Your auntie is kidnapped. They’ll try to make her sign -the paper----” - -Somehow Dorothy felt that this sounded awfully melodramatic. And Tavia -was bubbling over with excitement. It did not seem to Dorothy as though -Aunt Winnie could really have been carried off by a band of outlaws in -the employ of the big mining corporation. It “didn’t sound sensible.” - -But the story that men in the employ of the corporation were to blow -out the bank of the river and turn the water into a new channel toward -the north, instead of toward the south, impressed the girl as being -eminently practical. And this dastardly scheme must be stopped. - -Flores was not on hand to help the girls catch and saddle their ponies, -but by this time Dorothy and Tavia had made such friends and pets of -their mounts that the ponies trotted right up to the corral gate the -moment they saw the girls. - -“Hurry! hurry!” gasped Tavia, pulling up the cinch with trembling -fingers. “_Do_ stand still Baby! I am so excited--Doro! isn’t it -romantic----” - -“Stop!” commanded her friend. “You’ve worked that phrase to death, -Tavia Travers, since you started West. If you say it again before -Auntie is found I’ll--I’ll spank you.” - -Lance came sweeping up from the distant corral as soon as the girls -were ready, bringing with him Ned and Nat White and all the Mexicans on -the job. There was one fellow missing who should have been there. That -was the man who had carried the message to Dugonne the night before for -Mrs. White. - -But the pursuing party knew nothing of his treachery at this time. It -was merely remarked by the boys that the fellow had slipped away from -the work at the branding pen just before the girls themselves started -back to the ranch-house. - -Naturally Ned and Nat were quite as excited over the report of their -mother’s disappearance as Tavia herself had been. The girls pointed out -the way in which the cavalcade they had seen disappeared, and without -going near the big house again the party, all mounted on fresh ponies, -drove straight away across the range toward the hills. - -“We ain’t goin’ tuh do no trailin’,” said Lance, as they started. “We -kin pretty nigh guess whar they air aimin’ for. That’s the place where -they mean to blow up the river bank, and we’ll take a crow-line for it.” - -There was not much said after they started--not for the first ten -miles, at least. The horses were eager, the Mexicans excited, Lance -grim, and Ned and Nat both mad and worried. Tavia was really the only -rider who thoroughly enjoyed the race. - -Her eyes were brighter than ever; her hair was flying; she was hatless, -of course; and altogether she appeared to be in the spirit of the chase. - -Up hill and down they dashed, the tireless ponies skimming the ground, -it seemed. Had the girls not been in the saddle so much during the -weeks they had been at Hardin, they certainly would have been shaken -off the ponies’ backs now. - -But their mounts were sound and eager, and they kept up with the wild -riding Mexicans. There was no yelling, or whooping, as they rode; -nevertheless the whole cavalcade was in earnest. - -Dorothy was very anxious. She could not really believe that Aunt Winnie -had been carried off against her will by Philo Marsh and his crew, yet -she could not understand why the lady should have gone of her own free -will, either! She surely would have let the girls know before starting. -And she was not even riding one of the Hardin horses. - -Ned and Nat threatened condign punishment for Philo Marsh when they -caught him. When the pursuers overtook the party ahead there was likely -to be trouble, and that thought increased Dorothy Dale’s anxiety. - -On and on they rode, perhaps not following the same trail as the party -which they pursued; but they were going quite as directly into the -hills (and to the head of that gorge where the girls had seen the -surveyors at work) as were Philo Marsh and his companions. Indeed, the -Mexicans with Dorothy knew the way more definitely; so the pursuers -might arrive at the goal first. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -A LITTLE MORE EXCITEMENT - - -The party Dorothy Dale and her companions were following into the -wilder section of the great Hardin Ranch, had almost an hour’s start -of their pursuers. If they were ignorant of such pursuit they might -not ride at top speed; therefore the pace set by Lance Petterby on his -pony, Gaby, must bring the pursuers to the river at about the time -Philo Marsh struck it. Only Dorothy and her friends were bound to -strike the stream higher up and nearer the point where Lance believed -the dynamite was to be used by the men working for the big mining -corporation. - -The puzzle was how Philo Marsh and his crowd could have traveled as -fast as they did, with Mrs. White in the party. Aunt Winnie was a -cautious rider and the boys and Dorothy were ever complaining of her -slowness when they were all out on the range together. - -But when the pursuers chanced to cross the trail of the cavalcade they -pursued, the hoofmarks of the ponies showed that they were traveling -fast. - -“Goodness!” exclaimed Nat. “She never would ride with us faster than a -toad funeral.” - -“That shows she is forced to keep up with them,” Tavia declared, with -conviction. - -“Don’t talk about it!” groaned Dorothy. “I only hope those awful men -can be punished for this.” - -“Don’t you fret, Miss Dale,” broke in Lance Petterby, grimly. “If Philo -has offered Mrs. White any indignity I dunno but he’ll be hung for it. -The boys’ll be mighty sore--believe me!” - -“_That_ would be dreadful, too,” sighed Dorothy. - -“Serve him just right, I say!” said Tavia, shortly. - -This conversation had been carried on while they were mounting the -steep rise to the plateau formerly described. In ten minutes they were -at the river bank. The ground was of such a nature here that at a -casual glance one could not tell whether horsemen had recently passed, -going up stream, or not. - -“Come on!” commanded Lance, waving his hat. “Whether them hombres is -thar, or not, we’ll pull a hot finish.” - -The ponies dashed on, following Gaby, as though perfectly fresh. They -thundered on up the very narrow trail the girls had followed that day -they had climbed to the mountain-top. - -Suddenly, in a wide opening of the forest-clad plateau, they caught -sight of a number of horsemen ahead. It was Marsh and his companions, -but they got out of sight so quickly that Dorothy could not be sure -that Aunt Winnie was with them. - -The cowboys broke into yells of excitement. The ponies dashed forward, -and whether the girls would, or no, they were borne at a desperate pace -right up the trail after the other flying squadron of horses. - -“Isn’t it great?” yelled Tavia, as she rode knee to knee with Dorothy. - -“I think it is dreadful,” gasped Dorothy. - -But Tavia seemed to be enjoying the race to the full. And it _was_ a -race now. Philo Marsh had seen them coming, and without doubt he would -try to do what he had to do, and get it over with, before the pursuers -overtook him. - -If the dynamite was ready set, and he could explode it before the -pursuers reached the spot, nothing could put Lost River back into its -course again. - -Again and again Dorothy and her companions came in sight of the party -ahead, but the glimpses they obtained were for a moment only. - -“They’ve got some hoss-flesh thar,” commented Lance Petterby. “And they -warn’t as fresh in the beginnin’ as ourn--that’s sartain. They been -punishin’ of ’em some, by Jerusha Juniper!” - -“I--don’t--see--how--Aunt--ie--can ride so fast!” stammered Dorothy. - -“She never did before,” repeated Nat. - -The pursuers had not lost hope. The trail over the plateau was twisted, -but almost level. Their horses seemed quite as willing as when they had -started from the ranch-house. - -They dashed up the little rise beside the noisy rapids and then the -prospect opened before them for some two miles. Philo Marsh and his -crowd were just ahead. The pursuers could see them quite plainly. - -Lance began to yell and beat his pony with his hat. The Mexicans’ yelps -were as shrill as a dog’s howl. The boys and Tavia were caught up by -the excitement, and they shouted, too, but Dorothy remained silent. - -She searched the cavalcade ahead for a glimpse of her aunt’s figure. -There _was_ a female in the crowd; but, was it Aunt Winnie? - -Surely, that good lady could never have ridden with such abandon--not -even if she had been lashed to her saddle! And this person ahead wore -garments of much more brilliant color than Aunt Winnie had ever been -known to put on. - -“That never in the world is Auntie!” cried Dorothy, at last. - -Tavia heard her, and flashed her chum a broad smile. Then Tavia urged -her horse on, shouting as the boys shouted. - -“You knew it all the time, Tavia Travers!” screamed Dorothy, in anger. - -She crowded her own pony close to Tavia’s mount and shook that -irrepressible young person by the arm. Tavia would pay no attention to -her. The end of the race promised to be exciting, and Tavia’s attention -would not be coaxed aside. - -They were in sight of the head of the gorge. The men in the lead began -to yell. Evidently they expected to find some of their own kind here. - -One of the Mexicans in the party of pursuit whipped a long-barreled -revolver into sight. The herdsmen of Hardin Ranch were not supposed to -carry weapons save at night when riding herd. Lance Petterby saw the -gun and yelled at his follower: - -“Put away that gat.! I’ll natcher’ly manhandle any feller that fires a -gun.” - -The next moment Ned White uttered a shout. “Hi! that’s not mother with -those fellows. It’s--it’s that Mexican girl, Flores!” - -Only a hundred yards separated the two parties. The girl who had ridden -in the midst of the leading crew, suddenly swung her pony to one side, -wheeled him about, and dashed back toward Dorothy and her friends. - -“Flores! Flores!” cried Dorothy. - -“They blow up! They blow up! Dynamite!” shrieked Flores, waving her -arms excitedly and letting her pony take his course. - -Some of the Mexicans held in their ponies. At the warning more than one -desired to keep out of the danger zone. But Lance Petterby drove on, -yelling: - -“Not much they won’t set off no dynamite. They ain’t gwine tuh be -_let_.” - -Without doubt he would have flung himself the next minute, single -handed, upon the half dozen scoundrels had there not occurred something -quite unexpected. Philo Marsh and his henchmen had leaped from their -horses. They were almost at the head of the gorge. The rock between -where the ground fell away into the chasm, and the brink of the rushing -river, was narrow. It was plain to be seen that a properly set blast -must open a gap into the bank of the river and turn the latter’s course. - -Once changed into this gorge which led to the north, it would be very -difficult to shut off the flow of water from the new channel. - -Just as Lance was about to throw himself upon the men working for the -mining company, a figure lounged into view before the party. It was -that of a tall, slouching man, and he was heavily and prominently -armed, having a brace of pistols slung about his body outside his -coat. He was smoking a pipe. - -“Hank Ledger!” ejaculated Philo Marsh. - -“Yep,” drawled the foreman of the Hardin Ranch. “I run off your two -friends this mawnin’. They’d got them holes drilled and the dynamite -sticks set. All they waited for was that ’lectric battery you got thar -in that thar leetle box, Philo. - -“But it ain’t no go. I’ve extracted them dynamite sticks an’ they -air soakin’ in the river right now. I tol’ yuh tuh let Miz White -erlone. She’s er mighty able lady and I don’t kalkerlate tuh let no -squirrel-faced, bald-headed feller, with a dyed mustache, interfere -with her consarns. D’ye get me?” - -Lance Petterby led the cheering as the party from the Hardin Ranch -reached the scene and heard the foreman’s words. Lance rode right up to -Philo’s pony and knocked the electric battery off the saddle-bow, and -the box was smashed on the ground. - -“What you doin’, Petterby?” yelled Marsh. - -Lance leaned from his saddle and wagged a finger under the villain’s -nose. “Gimme another word and I’ll smash you like I done your play-toy -yonder. I’m achin’ tuh leave my mark on yuh,” whispered Lance, so that -the girls could not hear him--or, he thought they could not. - -“Isn’t he splendid?” cried Tavia to Dorothy. “Lance is a regular -story-book hero.” - -But Dorothy wanted to hear Flores’ story. “How did you come to be with -those men, Flores?” she asked the Mexican girl. - -“Oh, Señorita! I know--I see--I no can sp’ak da Inglese well, you know, -Señorita. I know dey come here to blow up de river. I run to de beeg -house to tell. Dey ketch me--mak’ me ride wit’ dhem----” - -“We get you, Flores,” said Lance, quickly. Then he said something to -the Mexicans in their own tongue and the fellows exchanged fierce -glances and scowled at Philo Marsh, who sneaked away from their -vicinity in quick retreat. - -Flores was in tears; but Tavia was still widely smiling. “Oh, dear!” -she sighed. “Wasn’t it fun, Doro--as long as it lasted? I never do -expect to have such a ride again. It was just like one of those moving -picture chases we used to see.” - -“Tavia Travers!” exclaimed Dorothy. “I believe you knew all the time -that it wasn’t Aunt Winnie these men had carried off.” - -“Well! you might have seen all the colors of the rainbow in her frock, -too, before they first rode out of sight,” said Tavia, her eyes -wickedly dancing. “I never saw Mrs. White sporting very gay colors, my -dear.” - -“_But where is Auntie?_” - -“She went to lie down, you remember, before ever we went down to -see them burn those poor little calves,” Tavia replied. “She had a -headache. Like enough she fell asleep and did not hear us when we came -back. You called only once for her.” - -If never before, Dorothy Dale felt a measure of exasperation at Tavia -which came near causing a falling-out between them. And yet, when -Dorothy stopped to think, she realized that she was at fault in that -she had not searched properly for Aunt Winnie before starting upon this -wild-goose chase. - -Then she heard what Nat was saying to Tavia. Nat could always find -something to praise in the latter young person’s conduct, no matter -what she did: - -“Say, Tavia! if you hadn’t started this riot about mother being -kidnapped, Hank would have had to face this gang alone. Maybe they -would have _got_ him. You’re all right, Tavia!” - -“Thanks, Monsieur!” responded the elfish Tavia, bowing. - -“And no knowing what Philo Marsh would have done, had his crowd been in -the majority,” growled Ned, from the other side of the girls. “He looks -ugly enough right now to chew nails.” - -But Mr. Marsh had come to the end of his rope. He and his friends -conferred together for only a few moments and then rode slowly away. - -“But they may be back with more dynamite, if this place isn’t watched,” -said Ned. “How about it, Mr. Ledger?” - -“The boy’s right,” said Lance. “Philo is a regular snake in the grass.” - -“That’s what John Dempsey calls him,” said Tavia to Dorothy; but -Dorothy would not speak to her chum just then, for she still felt -aggrieved. - -“What yuh want,” said Lance to Hank Ledger, “is somebody tuh patrol -this here river till them Desert City people sign up an’ take charge of -things--if Miz White is goin’ tuh let ’em have the water.” - -“Them’s the fellers that’s goin’ to git it,” agreed Hank. “She told -me so. And you air right, Lance--you bein’ the man for the job. I’ll -speak to Miz White about it--if yuh’ll sign on. Sixty a month an’ -found--better’n you’re gittin’ now, old boy.” - -“I’m on,” agreed the cowpuncher, looking at the two girls slily. But -Dorothy saw the glance, and she was again disturbed. “I got tired of -eatin’ that Chink’s cookin’ over at the Double Chain Outfit, anyhow. -B’sides, I believe I kin git my old lady tuh stay out yere with me for -a spell, an’ I’ll need a raise in wages, Hank.” - -They left him there on guard and rode back to the ranch-house. Aunt -Winnie was placidly knitting on the veranda, for Mrs. Ledger had -assured her that her sons and the two girls had ridden off in company -with Lance Petterby and the Mexicans. - -But she _was_ excited when she received the report of what had been -done over by Lost River. The way Philo Marsh and his henchmen had -treated Flores could not be overlooked. - -Mrs. White wrote to Mr. Jermyn again and this time the lawyer received -the letter. He drove out the next day to the ranch, and after hearing -the particulars of Philo’s attempted raid upon the Lost River water -supply, he advised a settlement of the whole affair to be made at once. - -It was discovered that Marsh had circulated the report in Desert -City and among the dry-farmers that the new owners of Colonel -Hardin’s property had already agreed to sell the water-rights to the -Consolidated Ackron Company. As soon as it was made known to the city’s -council that Mrs. White stood ready to carry out the dead Colonel’s -tentative agreement, the city fathers and the farmers came forward -with a proposition and a bond that Lawyer Jermyn advised Mrs. White to -accept. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -SAYING GOOD-BYE ALL AROUND - - -“He must be dreadfully lonesome over there,” said Tavia, with a sigh, -staring out of the window. - -Dorothy was counting her handkerchiefs preparatory to storing away -those she would not need on the return journey, in the tray of her -trunk. - -“Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven----Tavia! I can’t find that -forty-eighth handkerchief. I know I had four dozen when we started from -North Birchlands. Where----” - - “There were forty and seven that safely lay - In the shelter of the trunk,” - -wailed Tavia. “Maybe even _you_, my dear Doro, could mislay a -handkerchief.” - -“No. I most always never do. You know that, Tavia.” - -Tavia’s interest in the missing handkerchief failed. “I wonder if he’s -thinking of us,” she said. - -“I couldn’t have dropped it anywhere----” - -“Why! if I had forty-seven handkerchiefs all at once--or even seven--I -wouldn’t worry my head over a single, measly little one. Maybe one of -the boys is keeping it for you, Doro.” - -“Nonsense!” - -“For a keepsake, you know. Lance borrowed one of mine and I’ll never -see it again, I s’pose.” - -“Why, Tavia! don’t let Aunt Winnie hear of it.” - -“Oh, pooh!” said the irresponsible girl, shrugging her shoulders. -“What’s a handkerchief?” - -“But mine were all good ones,” complained Dorothy. - -“Good or cheap, I wouldn’t trouble my head about them.” - -“That’s why you have so few,” accused Dorothy. - -“Oh, fudge!” quoth Tavia, turning to the window again. “It must be -terrible wearisome to be alone in the wilderness.” - -“Whatever are you talking about?” snapped Dorothy, at last awaking to -the fact that Tavia’s mind was engaged in a mysterious line of thought. - -“Why--poor Lance,” replied Tavia, in a most soulful tone of voice. - -“Tavia Travers!” gasped Dorothy. “Won’t you _ever_ let that poor fellow -alone?” - -“That’s exactly it,” said Tavia. “He is all, all alone, ’way up there -in the woods, watching that river flow by. Isn’t it awful?” - -“Do behave!” snapped Dorothy. “He’s well out of your way----” - -“But he doesn’t think so, I am sure. Even his mother says I’m a -‘monstrous interesting gal.’” - -For Mrs. Petterby had come over to the Hardin Ranch again by Mrs. -White’s express invitation. The little old lady from Rand’s Falls, -Massachusetts, was actually getting cured of her prejudices against the -West. - -“And Ophelia seems contented,” said she. “I got ter admit that there’s -some things about Colorado I like. I never _did_ eat sech melons. An’ -the sky’s bluer than I ever see it before. - -“My baby says I got ter stay out here and keep house for him--though -he’s off in them hills now and his home might’s well be an Injun -wigwam.” - -Mrs. Petterby agreed, however, to be housekeeper and caretaker of the -ranch-house. Lance was going to stay on with the Hardin outfit, and his -mother was a spry old lady and was glad of the position Aunt Winnie -offered her. - -“For we shall be coming out here often,” declared Mrs. White. “I know -my brother, Major Dale, will like it immensely, once he’s well enough -to visit the ranch. And the young folk are quite crazy over it.” - -Ned was determined to go into the cattle business and stock -raising--when he was out of college. - -“What’s the use of boning at books, then?” demanded Nat. “‘All Gaul is -divided into three parts’ isn’t going to help you raise longhorns for -the market.” - -“How do you know?” asked his brother, coolly. “And the cattle business -will be a sideline.” - -When old Mrs. Petterby took hold of affairs at the big house Aunt -Winnie began to have a better time. “Help” was hard to get in that -region and Mrs. White and the girls had done all but the kitchen work -since coming to the ranch. - -Now she had time to ride with Dorothy and Tavia as far as Desert -City, and meet the men who were going to make possible the great -transformation scene in that part of the desert that was to be -irrigated with the water from Lost River. - -Dorothy and Tavia enjoyed these jaunts immensely, too, but in between -they had found time to ride up into the hills occasionally to see the -tall young cowpuncher who guarded the river. Tavia _would_ go, and -Dorothy did not propose to let her go alone. - -That was what Tavia was hinting at on the morning of the trunk packing -incident. The following afternoon they were to ride into Dugonne, -taking train next morning for the East. - -“Well, I’ll go,” said Dorothy, rather displeased it must be confessed. -“But I wish we’d never seen Lance Petterby--that I do!” - -“Why, Dorothy Doolittle Doodlebug! how you talk,” cried the -innocent-eyed Tavia. “And he’s been _such_ fun! Why, without Lance -my trip out here to the ‘wild and woolly’ would have been without a -particle of savor. And I’m going to send him a necktie for a Christmas -present. Going to knit it myself.” - -“If Nat heard you say that, he would observe, ‘Yes, you are--_nit_!’” -chuckled Dorothy. “And Lance never wears a necktie. A red handkerchief -around his neck, and tied behind, is _his_ limit.” - -A little later, in their chic riding habits, the girls ran down to the -corrals. The Mexican girl appeared from the Ledger shack to attend them. - -“Flores is such a nice little thing,” Tavia said to Dorothy as Flores -caught and bridled the second pony. “Don’t you wish she was going back -East with us?” - -“Perhaps she wouldn’t be happy there,” replied Dorothy. “Mrs. Petterby -is going to take her in hand and--so the old lady says--going to make a -thorough New England housewife of her.” - -“And I wager you put her up to it,” retorted Tavia. “Why is it, Doro, -that you are forever thinking of other people, and doing things for -them?” - -“Nonsense!” said Dorothy, blushing. “Flores ought to have a better -chance.” - -“Oh, Mees!” cried the pretty, dark skinned girl, as she brought the -second pony up to the gate. “I am so ver’ sorree dhat you go ’way. We -shall be l-l-lonely here wit’out you. See! I soon dhe Ingleesh sp’ak -nice--no?” - -“It’s fine, Flores,” declared Tavia, laughing. “Who has taught you so -much?” - -The glowing eyes of the Mexican girl rested on Dorothy’s face. “_She_ -teach me, Mees. She is so good!” - -For some reason Tavia grew suddenly serious. At least, she did not tell -a joke or say a whimsical thing till they had ridden more than ten -miles over the now well-beaten trail to Lost River. - -“Doro Doodledum!” exclaimed the irrepressible, suddenly. “Do you know -what you are?” - -“Yes, Ma’am. American; white; single; age--not stated; no political -preferences, although leaning toward the suffragettes; attend the -Congregational church----” - -“How smart! But you are something else,” declared Tavia, still quite -serious of countenance. - -“Sure! A graduate of Glenwood School. Oh, Tavia! how I wish Ned Ebony, -and Cologne, and half a dozen of the other girls, were here. Wouldn’t -we have had fun?” - -“Yes. But that is another story----” - -“It’s the truth!” - -“Ha! you do not know your Kipling,” cried Tavia. “But never mind. -The point is, Doro, that I have come to the conclusion that you are -something more than human.” - -Dorothy looked at her in amazement. “How you talk! What is the joke?” - -“It is no joke. Seriously,” said Tavia. “You see, Doro, I have been -thinking, and more deeply than you would believe.” - -“Don’t do it,” laughed Dorothy. “It might grow upon you. Then you would -no longer be Terrible Tavia, thoughtlessly threading her way through -the thistles of this terrestrial life.” - -“Goodness!” exclaimed her chum. “That must have hurt you.” - -“Not much, but it was a strain,” confessed Dorothy. - -“Now! listen to me,” commanded her chum. “I have been thinking it out. -You are forever helping people, Doro, while I go along having a good -time myself, and never thinking of a living soul but myself.” - -“Why, Tavia! that is not so,” Dorothy said, gravely. - -“Oh, yes, it is. Don’t contradict. Look at this trip. You began -helping people almost as soon as we started. There was old Lady -Petterby.” - -“For pity’s sake! what did I do for her?” demanded Dorothy, in honest -amazement. - -“You put yourself out to make her comfortable.” - -“I did not.” - -“Then you picked up old John Dempsey,” went on Tavia, accusingly. “You -have given that old boy a new lease of life, Doro.” - -“Don’t be ridiculous,” said her friend. “Anybody would have done the -same. And it was really Aunt Winnie who helped him.” - -“She’d never have heard of John Dempsey if it hadn’t been for you,” -said Tavia. “Then there is Flores. It never entered _my_ head to try -to teach her English. Why? Because all I can do--all I think of--is to -have a good time. I never thought of helping Lance Petterby, even,” and -she wickedly grinned again. “I’ve just been having fun with him.” - -“And thank goodness! that’s got to stop now,” said Dorothy, with -confidence. - -“You are super-human, Doro,” pursued Tavia, shaking her head. “While -I--well, I’m just an animal, I guess--a ‘featherless biped.’ Of course, -I have tastes similar to yours and other humans; but I don’t use my -intellect as a real human being ought--not even as a Boston bean -should,” added Tavia, making one of her very worst puns. - -“You display many traits common to the human family,” said Dorothy, her -eyes twinkling. - -“Don’t I?” responded Tavia, briskly. “That reminds me of the little -girl to whom the teacher was explaining about the friendship certain -animals have for man. - -“‘Now, do animals ever possess sentiment or affection?’ she finally -asked the kid. - -“‘Yes, Ma’am,’ says the embryo. - -“‘Tell me,’ says the teacher, ‘what animal has the greatest affection -for man?’ - -“And the kid knew. ‘Woman!’ she exclaims, very promptly. You can laugh! -I think I have _that_ human trait very well developed. I _am_ fond of -the boys. They’re lots more fun than girls--present company excepted, -of course, Doro. But I’m never thoughtful about others, and you are.” - -“Serious talk from Miss Flyaway Travers,” said Dorothy, lightly, yet -pleased that her chum should really display some gravity. “Don’t you -show too much fondness for Lance Petterby to-day--now mind!” - -Tavia was lively and irresponsible enough when they came to the -cowpuncher’s camp. He had built a lean-to shelter and was comfortably -fixed--so he said. Once a week he was relieved for a day by one of -the Mexicans whom Hank could trust, and on that day Lance had always -appeared at the ranch-house. - -“Why, ladies, I shore am glad tuh see yuh,” was the big cowpuncher’s -welcome. - -“I know,” said Tavia, nodding. “If you suffered from ophthalmia you’d -be cured.” - -“Huh? I reckon so,” agreed Lance, “though I ain’t jest next to that -‘opthmy’ word.” - -“She means if your eyes were inflamed the sight of us would cure them,” -explained Dorothy, smilingly. - -“Ain’t she the great little josher?” quoth Lance, admiringly. “I never -see a gal like her.” - -“And you won’t want to again,” said Tavia, pertly. “Now! confess.” - -“Yuh got me there, Miss,” said Lance. “One of yuh at a time is jest -enough. Two like yuh would drive a man plumb distracted.” - -“You will not be plagued by my presence for long, sir,” said Tavia, -making a little face at him. “This is a real good-bye visit. You’ll -probably never see me again, Mr. Lance.” - -“Hold on, now! Don’t say that,” cried the cowboy. “You folks will be -comin’ out yere frequent. Miz White Says so.” - -“Dorothy will,” replied Tavia. “But I may not. You see, I have to be -specially invited to come.” - -“I invite yuh right now,” said Lance, with emphasis. “Me and my old -lady will be mighty glad to see yuh.” - -“I can’t promise,” Tavia said. - -“Let a feller hear from yuh,” urged Lance, devouring her piquant face -with his bold eyes. - -“Oh, yes! we’ll write Mrs. Petterby,” agreed Tavia. - -“You will surely hear from us,” interposed Dorothy, before Lance could -say any more. “And we’ll hear about you, too. Mr. Lance, you have been -very kind to us all and we never shall forget you.” - -She shook hands with the cowboy and then hastened Tavia into the saddle -again. Lance evidently wished them to linger and tried to keep Tavia -engaged in conversation. - -Slily Dorothy touched the flank of Tavia’s pony with her heel. The -nervous little beast sprang away--almost unseating its rider; but -the movement broke up any “private confab” between her chum and the -cowpuncher. - -“Good-bye, Mr. Lance!” cried Dorothy, spurring after Tavia. - -Tavia was again her trifling self. She chuckled as they rode away. - -“Poor Lance! He’ll wake up some day. Hope it will be a real nice -‘cowgirl’ who gets him. Meanwhile we’ll just slip back East, Dorothy, -leaving him nothing but fond recollections of us as he dreams over his -campfire at night.” - -Aunt Winnie refused to send for the big stagecoach in which to ride -to town, so the young folk rode in the saddle to Dugonne the next -afternoon, where the ponies were left at a stable to be called for the -next time Hank Ledger had occasion to go to town. John Dempsey drove -Mrs. White in a single-seated buckboard. - -Old John Dempsey had made a place for himself at the ranch and was to -be continued on the payroll. The veteran’s eyes overflowed when he bade -Dorothy Dale good-bye at the hotel. - -“You was my salvation, Miss Dorothy, that’s what you was,” he said. “I -got a chance to live out o’ doors an’ work--and when I can’t work I -hope the good Lord’ll take me away, Miss.” - -“That will be many, many years hence, Mr. Dempsey,” cried Dorothy, -smiling. - -He drove away, but half an hour afterward the bellhop came to Mrs. -White’s suite and said that an old man wanted to see Dorothy. It was -John Dempsey. His wrinkled old face was twisted into a wry grin and -he thrust a handful of banknotes into the hand of the surprised girl -before he said a word. - -“I done it,” he cackled. “Dunno as I’d oughter; but that snake in the -grass insisted. I sold him the letter. When he finds out it’s only -a lithograph copy of the original letter Old Abe wrote to that poor -widder woman, he’ll be hoppin’ like a hen on a hot griddle, I reckon. -A hundred dollars he give me,” added John Dempsey, “and ha’f of it -belongs to you, Miss.” - -“Not a penny shall I take,” declared Dorothy. “You must put it all in -the bank against a rainy day, Mr. Dempsey.” - -Dempsey then drove away, and the sight of his stooped shoulders as the -ponies turned the corner was the last glimpse Dorothy Dale had of the -Hardin Ranch folk for some time. - -Ere she would see that great property again Dorothy was to have many -new adventures, and some of them will be related in “Dorothy Dale’s -Strange Discovery.” - -Dugonne had faded from sight behind them when the girls went back to -the observation platform. The Great West was flying past them. - -“It is a wonderfully interesting country,” said Dorothy, thoughtfully. -“And the people--most of them--are awfully nice.” - -“Poor Lance!” sighed Tavia, in a most lugubrious tone; but she turned -her face away that Dorothy might not see her dancing eyes. - - -THE END - - - - -THE MOTOR GIRLS SERIES - -By MARGARET PENROSE - -Author of the highly successful “Dorothy Dale Series” - - 12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid. - -[Illustration] - -THE MOTOR GIRLS _or A Mystery of the Road_ - - When Cora Kimball got her touring car she did not imagine so many - adventures were in store for her. A tale all wide awake girls will - appreciate. - -THE MOTOR GIRLS ON A TOUR _or Keeping a Strange Promise_ - - A great many things happen in this volume. A precious heirloom is - missing, and how it was traced up is told with absorbing interest. - -THE MOTOR GIRLS AT LOOKOUT BEACH _or In Quest of the Runaways_ - - There was a great excitement when the Motor Girls decided to go to - Lookout Beach for the summer. - -THE MOTOR GIRLS THROUGH NEW ENGLAND _or Held by the Gypsies_ - - A strong story and one which will make this series more popular than - ever. The girls go on a motoring trip through New England. - -THE MOTOR GIRLS ON CEDAR LAKE _or The Hermit of Fern Island_ - - How Cora and her chums went camping on the lake shore and how they - took trips in their motor boat, are told in a way all girls will - enjoy. - -THE MOTOR GIRLS ON THE COAST _or The Waif from the Sea_ - - The scene is shifted to the sea coast where the girls pay a visit. - They have their motor boat with them and go out for many good times. - -THE MOTOR GIRLS ON CRYSTAL BAY _or The Secret of the Red Oar_ - - More jolly times, on the water and at a cute little bungalow on the - shore of the bay. A tale that will interest all girls. - -THE MOTOR GIRLS ON WATERS BLUE _or The Strange Cruise of the Tartar_ - - Before the girls started on a long cruise down to the West Indies, - they fell in with a foreign girl and she informed them that her - father was being held a political prisoner on one of the islands. - A story that is full of fun as well as mystery. - - CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - -RUTH FIELDING SERIES - -By ALICE B. EMERSON - - 12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 40 cents, postpaid. - -[Illustration] - -RUTH FIELDING OF THE RED MILL _or Jaspar Parloe’s Secret_ - - Telling how Ruth, an orphan girl, came to live with her miserly - uncle, and how the girl’s sunny disposition melted the old - miller’s heart. - -RUTH FIELDING AT BRIARWOOD HALL _or Solving the Campus Mystery_ - - Ruth was sent by her uncle to boarding school. She made many - friends, also one enemy, who made much trouble for her. - -RUTH FIELDING AT SNOW CAMP _or Lost in the Backwoods_ - - A thrilling tale of adventures in the backwoods in winter, is - told in a manner to interest every girl. - -RUTH FIELDING AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT _or Nita, the Girl Castaway_ - - From boarding school the scene is shifted to the Atlantic Coast, - where Ruth goes for a summer vacation with some chums. - -RUTH FIELDING AT SILVER RANCH _or Schoolgirls Among the Cowboys_ - - A story with a western flavor. How the girls came to the rescue - of Bashful Ike, the cowboy, is told in a way that is most - absorbing. - -RUTH FIELDING ON CLIFF ISLAND _or The Old Hunter’s Treasure Box_ - - Ruth and her friends go to Cliff Island, and there have many good - times during the winter season. - -RUTH FIELDING AT SUNRISE FARM _or What Became of the Raby Orphans_ - - Jolly good times at a farmhouse in the country, where Ruth - rescues two orphan children who ran away. - -RUTH FIELDING AND THE GYPSIES _or The Missing Pearl Necklace_ - - This volume tells of stirring adventures at a Gypsy encampment, - of a missing heirloom, and how Ruth has it restored to its owner. - - CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: - - Punctuation has been standardized. Spelling has been - retained as it appears in the original publication - except as follows: - - Page 34 - - an ancient darky, with kinky _changed to_ - an ancient darkey, with kinky - - Page 141 - - collectors woud give a round _changed to_ - collectors would give a round - - Page 161 - between the two men continud _changed to_ - between the two men continued - - Page 168 - - rememberd seeing Philo Marsh speak _changed to_ - remembered seeing Philo Marsh speak - - Page 193 - - but suopose this individual _changed to_ - but suppose this individual - - Page 198 - most wierd way _changed to_ - most weird way - - Page 217 - - suffered severly from _changed to_ - suffered severely from - - Page 243 - - quite serious of countetnance _changed to_ - quite serious of countenance - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Dorothy Dale in the West, by Margaret Penrose - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY DALE IN THE WEST *** - -***** This file should be named 54022-0.txt or 54022-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/0/2/54022/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Dorothy Dale in the West - -Author: Margaret Penrose - -Release Date: January 19, 2017 [EBook #54022] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY DALE IN THE WEST *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<hr class="divider" /> -<h1>DOROTHY DALE<br /> -IN THE WEST</h1> -<hr class="divider2" /> - -<div class="hidehand"> -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<img src="images/cover2.jpg" width="400" height="614" alt="Cover" /> -</div></div> - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<a name="frontis" id="frontis"></a> -<img src="images/frontis.jpg" width="400" height="641" alt="" /> -<div class="caption">SHE WALKED RIGHT UP TO THE PONY’S HEAD.<br /> -<i>Dorothy Dale in the <span class="word-spacing">West Page</span></i> -<a href="#frontispiece">61</a></div> -</div> - - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<p class="center p180">DOROTHY DALE<br /> -IN THE WEST</p> - - -<p class="center mt3"><span class="p110">BY</span><br /> -<span class="p140">MARGARET PENROSE</span></p> - -<p class="center"><small>AUTHOR OF “DOROTHY DALE: A GIRL OF TO-DAY,” “DOROTHY<br /> -DALE AT GLENWOOD SCHOOL,” “THE MOTOR<br /> -GIRLS SERIES,” ETC.</small></p> - -<hr class="small" /> -<p class="center">ILLUSTRATED</p> -<hr class="small2" /> - -<p class="center p130 mt3"><small>NEW YORK</small><br /> -CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY</p> - - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<p class="center p180">BOOKS BY MARGARET PENROSE</p> - -<hr class="small2" /> - -<p class="center p140 mb0">THE DOROTHY DALE SERIES</p> - -<div class="book-list-container"> -<ul class="nobullet"> -<li>DOROTHY DALE: A GIRL OF TO-DAY</li> -<li>DOROTHY DALE AT GLENWOOD SCHOOL</li> -<li>DOROTHY DALE’S GREAT SECRET</li> -<li>DOROTHY DALE AND HER CHUMS</li> -<li>DOROTHY DALE’S QUEER HOLIDAYS</li> -<li>DOROTHY DALE’S CAMPING DAYS</li> -<li>DOROTHY DALE’S SCHOOL RIVALS</li> -<li>DOROTHY DALE IN THE CITY</li> -<li>DOROTHY DALE’S PROMISE</li> -<li>DOROTHY DALE IN THE WEST</li> -</ul> -</div> - - -<p class="center p140 mb0">THE MOTOR GIRLS SERIES</p> - -<p class="center word-spacing mt0 mb0">12mo. Cloth. Illustrated.</p> - -<p class="center mt0 mb0">Price per volume, 60 cents, postpaid.</p> - -<div class="book-list-container"> -<ul class="nobullet"> -<li>THE MOTOR GIRLS</li> -<li>THE MOTOR GIRLS ON A TOUR</li> -<li>THE MOTOR GIRLS AT LOOKOUT BEACH</li> -<li>THE MOTOR GIRLS THROUGH NEW ENGLAND</li> -<li>THE MOTOR GIRLS ON CEDAR LAKE</li> -<li>THE MOTOR GIRLS ON THE COAST</li> -<li>THE MOTOR GIRLS ON CRYSTAL BAY</li> -<li>THE MOTOR GIRLS ON WATERS BLUE</li> -</ul> -</div> - -<p class="center"><i>Cupples & Leon Co., Publishers, New York</i></p> - -<hr class="divider2" /> - -<p class="center">Copyright, 1915, by<br /> -CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY</p> -<hr class="small2" /> - -<p class="center">DOROTHY DALE IN THE WEST</p> - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<h2><a name="contents" id="contents"></a>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table summary="Contents"> -<tr> -<th class="tdr">CHAPTER</th> -<th> </th> -<th class="tdr2">PAGE</th> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdr">I.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">A Surprise Is Coming</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#i">1</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="tdr">II.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">“Hooray for the Wild West!”</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#ii">10</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">III.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">The “Two-Faced” Man</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#iii">17</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">IV.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">To Catch the Midnight Express</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#iv">24</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">V.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">The Old Lady With the Basket</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#v">33</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VI.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">“The Breath of the Night”</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#vi">44</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VII.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">A Night With a Knight</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#vii">57</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">VIII.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">The Night Adventure Continued</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#viii">72</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">IX.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">What Followed an Elopement</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#ix">82</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">X.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">The Man Who Would Have Died Indoors</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#x">91</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XI.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">At Dugonne at Last</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xi">101</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XII.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">On the Road to Hardin’s</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xii">109</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XIII.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">At the Ranch-House</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xiii">123</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XIV.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">“The Snake in the Grass”</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xiv">133</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XV.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Exploring</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xv">141</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XVI.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">In the Gorge</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xvi">147</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XVII.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Flores</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xvii">154</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XVIII.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Ophelia Comes Visiting</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xviii">162</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XIX.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">“’Way Up in the Mountain-Top, Tip-Top!”</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xix">172</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XX.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Two Eyes in the Dark</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xx">182</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXI.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Dorothy’s Courage</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xxi">192</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXII.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Dorothy Hears Something Important</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xxii">199</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXIII.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">“Where Is Aunt Winnie?”</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xxiii">207</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXIV.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">The Chase</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xxiv">220</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXV.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">A Little More Excitement</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xxv">227</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr">XXVI.</td> -<td class="tdl smcap">Saying Good-Bye All Around</td> -<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xxvi">238</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<p class="center p180"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">1</a></span> -DOROTHY DALE IN THE WEST</p> -</div> - -<h2><a name="i" id="i"></a>CHAPTER I<br /> -<small>A SURPRISE IS COMING</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">He</span>, he, he!” giggled Tavia.</p> - -<p>“What <em>is</em> the matter now, child?” demanded Dorothy Dale, haughtily. -“There are no ‘hes’ in this lane. The road is empty before us——”</p> - -<p>“And the world would be, too, if it wasn’t for the possible ‘hes’ that -are to come into our lives,” quoth Tavia, with shocking frankness.</p> - -<p>“You talk like a cave girl,” declared her chum. “Is there nothing on -your mind but <em>boys</em>?”</p> - -<p>“Yes’m! More boys!” chuckled Tavia. “It is June. The bridal-wreath is -in bloom. If ‘In spring the young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts -of love,’ can’t our girls’ fancies turn in June to thoughts of white -lace veils, shoes that pinch your feet horribly—and can’t we dream of -hobbling up to the altar to the sound of Mendelssohn’s march?”</p> - -<p>“Hobble to the <em>haltar</em>, you mean,” sniffed Dorothy, with her best -suffragette air.</p> - -<p>“How smart!” crowed her chum. “But you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">2</a></span> mustn’t blame me for giggling -<em>this</em> morning—you mustn’t!”</p> - -<p>“Why not? What particular excuse have you?”</p> - -<p>“That shad we had for breakfast. Shad is as full of bones as Cologne’s -shoes are of feet. I always manage to swallow some of them—the bones, -I mean, not dear Florida Water—Rosemary’s tootsies—and those said -bones are tickling me right now.”</p> - -<p>“How absurd,” said Dorothy Dale, as Tavia went off in another “spasm.” -“Do you realize that you are growing up, Tavia—or, pretty near?”</p> - -<p>“‘Pretty near,’ or ‘near pretty’?” asked Tavia, making a little face at -her.</p> - -<p>“Baiting your hook for a compliment, I see,” laughed Dorothy. “Well, -you get none, Miss. I want you to behave. Think!”</p> - -<p>Tavia immediately struck an attitude that seemed possible for only a -jointed doll to get into. “Business of thinking,” she said.</p> - -<p>“Suppose anybody <em>should</em> see you?” pursued Dorothy, admonishingly.</p> - -<p>“Then you <em>do</em> expect the boys to motor in by this road?” cried Tavia. -“Sly Puss!”</p> - -<p>“No, Ma’am. I am not thinking of Ned and Nat—or even of Bob Niles.”</p> - -<p>Tavia made another little face at mention of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">3</a></span> Bob’s name. “Poor Bob!” -she sighed. “No fun for him this summer. His father says he must go to -work and begin to learn the business—whatever that may mean. Bob wrote -me a dreadfully mournful letter. It almost tempted me to go to the same -town and get a job in his father’s office, and so alleviate the poor -boy’s misery.”</p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t!” gasped Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Got to go to work somewhere,” decided Tavia. “And I <em>hate</em> housework -and cleaning up after a lot of children.”</p> - -<p>“But just think! how proud your father will be to have you at the head -of the household. And remember, too, how much your brothers and sisters -need you.”</p> - -<p>“Goodness, Doro! You talk like the back end of the spelling-book—where -all the hard words are. And the hardest word in the whole vocabulary -is ‘duty.’ Don’t remind me of it while I am here with you at North -Birchlands.”</p> - -<p>“And think!” cried Dorothy, giving a little skip as they walked on. -“Think! we are not a week away from dear old Glenwood School yet, -and to-day Aunt Winnie’s surprise is coming. Gracious, Tavia! I can -scarcely wait for ten o’clock.”</p> - -<p>“I know—I know,” said Tavia. “If your Aunt Winnie wasn’t the very -dearest little gray-haired, pink-cheeked woman who ever lived, I’d<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">4</a></span> -have shaken the secret out of her long ago. I just would! And we can’t -even guess what the surprise is going to be like.”</p> - -<p>“Goodness! No!” gasped Dorothy. “I’ve given up guessing. I know it is -something perfectly scrumptious, but nothing like anything we ever had -before.”</p> - -<p>“I hope, whatever it is, that I’ll be in it,” groaned Tavia.</p> - -<p>“I am sure you will be, or Aunt Winnie wouldn’t have invited you here -to her home at just this time,” declared Dorothy.</p> - -<p>They were walking down the shady road toward the railroad station -“killing time,” before the family conference which had been called for -ten o’clock.</p> - -<p>Nat and Ned White, Dorothy’s cousins, had gone off in their auto, the -<i>Fire Bird</i>, on an errand, and the girls had an idea they might come -home by this route, and so pick them up.</p> - -<p>“Hush!” cried Tavia, suddenly. “Methinks I hear footsteps approaching -on horseback.”</p> - -<p>“That’s no horse you hear,” Dorothy said. “It is somebody walking on -the bridge over the brook.”</p> - -<p>There was a turn in the road just ahead and the girls could not see the -bridge. But in a moment they could descry the figure of a man striding -toward them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">5</a></span> -“This must have been what you were he-heing for,” whispered Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“How romantic!” was Tavia’s utterance.</p> - -<p>“What is romantic about a man coming up from the station?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you see his long, silky black mustache? And his long hair and -broad hat? Goodness! he’s a picture.”</p> - -<p>“Yes. The stage picture of a villain—<i>Simon Legree</i> type,” scoffed -Dorothy. “That red silk handkerchief sticking out of his pocket—and -the big diamond in his shirt front—and another flashing on his -finger——”</p> - -<p>“My!” gasped Tavia, clasping her hands. “He might have stepped right -out of Bret Harte. Ah-ha! ah-ha! Jack Dalton! unhand me!”</p> - -<p>“Hush, Tavia!” begged her chum. “He will hear you.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” exclaimed Tavia, suddenly disturbed. “He’s looking at us—and -he’s crossing over to this side of the road.”</p> - -<p>“Well, don’t you look at him any more and—<em>we’ll</em> cross the road, too.”</p> - -<p>“Do you suppose he eats little girls?” queried Tavia, with a most -ridiculous air.</p> - -<p>Dorothy felt as though she wanted to shake her chum. But then, she -frequently felt <em>that</em> desire. The man was too near for her to speak -again, but the girls crossed the road suddenly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">6</a></span> -The man stopped, half turned as though to approach them, and leered -at Dorothy and Tavia. He was not a large man, but he was remarkably -dressed. His black suit was rather wrinkled, as though he had been -traveling some time in it. The broad-brimmed hat gave him the air of -a Westerner, or Southerner. And his flashy appearance made him very -distasteful to Dorothy.</p> - -<p>She made Tavia hurry on, and soon they reached the bridge themselves. -Tavia was “raving” again:</p> - -<p>“Those wonderful eyes! Did you see them? Deep brown pools of -light—only one was green? Did you notice it, Doro?”</p> - -<p>“No, I didn’t. I told you not to look at him again. You might have -encouraged him to follow us.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder how it would feel to be a gambler’s bride. I just <em>feel</em> -that he’s from the West and is a gambler, or a cowpuncher—or a -maverick—or——”</p> - -<p>“You don’t even know what a maverick is,” scoffed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I do! A maverick steals cattle,” declared Tavia, quite soberly.</p> - -<p>“You ridiculous thing! It’s ‘rustlers’ that steal cattle—or used to. A -‘maverick’ is a stray calf without a brand.”</p> - -<p>“Well! he looked as though he had strayed—— Oh,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">7</a></span> Doro!” gasped Tavia, -suddenly. “He’s coming back.”</p> - -<p>The girls had reached the bridge and had stopped upon it. The brown -water was gurgling over the stones, the birds were twittering in the -bushes, and the scent of the wild roses was wafted to them as they -leaned upon the bridge-rail.</p> - -<p>It was a lovely picture, and Dorothy and Tavia fitted right into it. -But the picture did not suit Dorothy and Tavia at all when they saw the -black-hatted man round the turn in the road.</p> - -<p>They felt just as though the picture needed some action. An automobile -with Ned and Nat in it, would have furnished just the life the girls -thought would improve the scene.</p> - -<p>“Come on!” whispered Dorothy. “Don’t let him speak.”</p> - -<p>But it was too late to escape that. “Little ladies!” exclaimed the man. -“You’re not going to run away from me, are you?”</p> - -<p>Tavia <em>would</em> have run; only, as she confessed to Dorothy later, her -skirt “was not built that way.” Now, however, Dorothy had to face the -man.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” she asked, just as sternly as she could speak.</p> - -<p>“Oh, now, little lady,” began the fellow, “you mustn’t be angry.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy turned her back and seized Tavia’s arm. “Come on,” she said, -with much more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">8</a></span> confidence in her voice than she actually felt.</p> - -<p>“Ned and Nat will soon be along. Come!”</p> - -<p>The girls began walking briskly. “Is—is he going to follow us?” -whispered Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you <em>dare</em> look back to see,” commanded Dorothy, fiercely.</p> - -<p>Either the black-hatted man was not very bold and bad, after all, or -Dorothy’s remark about expecting the boys fulfilled its duty. He did -not follow them beyond the bridge.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Doro! You can’t blame me this time,” urged Tavia, as they hurried -on.</p> - -<p>“I do not believe the fellow would have dared speak to us if you had -not rolled your big eyes at him,” declared Dorothy, rather sharply.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Doro! I didn’t!” Then she began giggling again. “It is your fatal -beauty that gets us into such scrapes—you know it is.”</p> - -<p>It was little use scolding Tavia. Dorothy was well aware of that. -She had “summered and wintered” her chum too long not to know how -incorrigible she was.</p> - -<p>For fear the man might still follow them, Dorothy insisted upon taking -the first side road and so walking back to Aunt Winnie White’s home, -the Cedars, by another way. When they arrived the boys were there -before them.</p> - -<p>“Hi, girls! where were you?” shouted Nat. “We looked for you along the -station road.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">9</a></span> -“Did you come right up from the station?” demanded Tavia, eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Sure!”</p> - -<p>“Did you see a black-mustached pirate down there by the bridge, with a -yellow diamond in his bosom——”</p> - -<p>“In the bridge’s bosom?” demanded Nat.</p> - -<p>“Of the pirate’s shirt,” finished Tavia. “Such a mustache! He looked -deliciously villainous.”</p> - -<p>“Another conquest?” grunted Nat, who never liked to see any fellow -“tagging about after Tavia,” as he expressed it, unless it was a -gallant of his own choosing.</p> - -<p>“He followed Dorothy—and spoke to her,” declared Tavia, with -effrontery. “And she spoke to him.”</p> - -<p>“Soft pedal! soft pedal, there, Tavia!” urged Ned, who had overheard. -“We know Dorothy.”</p> - -<p>“And we know <em>you</em>,” added his brother. “You’ll have to unwind a better -string than that, Tavia. There’s a ‘knot’ in it—Dorothy did <em>not</em>.”</p> - -<p>“Ask her!” snapped Tavia, quite offended, and marched away toward the -house.</p> - -<p>Dorothy at that moment appeared on the side porch. “Come in, boys, do,” -she urged. “It’s ten o’clock and everybody else is in the library. Your -mother is all ready to unveil the Great Surprise.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">10</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="ii" id="ii"></a><span>CHAPTER II</span><br /> -<small>“HOORAY FOR THE WILD WEST!”</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> family gathered in the library. Major Dale, Dorothy’s father, sat -forward in his armchair, leaning his crossed hands and chin upon his -cane. Joe and Roger, Dorothy’s brothers, fidgetted side by side upon -the leather couch.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Winnie White, Major Dale’s sister, and her two big sons, Ned and -Nat, occupied chairs at the table. Dorothy and Tavia, their arms about -each others’ waists, were on a narrow settee in the fireplace, that was -banked with green, odorous Balsam boughs.</p> - -<p>“Now, children, I have a great announcement to make—two, in fact,” -said Aunt Winnie, playing with her lorgnette and smiling about at the -expectant faces. “The Major tells me to ‘go ahead,’ and I am going to -do so.</p> - -<p>“First of all, the Dale and White families have come in for a -considerable increase in this world’s goods. In other words, the Major -and I have been left in partnership, the great Hardin Ranch and game -park, in Colorado.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">11</a></span> -“Game! Shooting! Wow!” ejaculated Nat.</p> - -<p>“Ranch! Cattle! Ah!” added his brother.</p> - -<p>“Sounds like a new college yell,” muttered Tavia in Dorothy’s ear.</p> - -<p>“I was well aware,” continued Aunt Winnie, “that old Colonel Hardin -contemplated making the Major a beneficiary of his will. The Colonel -was my brother’s companion in arms during the war——”</p> - -<p>“And a right good fellow, too,” interposed Dorothy’s father, heartily.</p> - -<p>“When Colonel Hardin came East several years ago, he spoke to me about -this intended disposition of his estate. He knew he could not live for -long. The doctors had already pronounced upon his case, and he had -no family, you will remember,” Aunt Winnie said. “I had no idea he -proposed making <em>me</em> a legatee, as well. But he has done so. The Hardin -property is a great estate—one of the largest in Colorado.”</p> - -<p>“Hooray for the Wild West!” murmured Tavia, waving a handkerchief, yet -evidently suffering under some emotion beside extravagant joy!</p> - -<p>“The Hardin property was first of all a quarter section of Government -land—one hundred and sixty acres—that the Colonel took up and proved -upon when he obtained his discharge from the army. Then he bought up -neighboring sections<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">12</a></span> and finally obtained control of a vast, wild park -in the foothills adjoining his cattle range.</p> - -<p>“Of late years cattle have gone out and farming has come in. All -between the Hardin land and Desert City are farms. They need irrigation -for their developement.</p> - -<p>“Colonel Hardin told me he held the water supply for the whole region -in his hands. It would cost a large sum, he said, to make the water -available for Desert City and the dry farming lands.”</p> - -<p>“How is that, mother?” asked Ned, interested.</p> - -<p>“I do not just know?”</p> - -<p>“Can’t they dig wells and get water?” demanded Roger Dale.</p> - -<p>“It strikes me,” said the Major, chuckling, “that in some of those -desert lands, they say it is easier to pipe it in fifty miles than to -dig for it. It’s just as far under the surface, or overhead, as it is -latitudinally!”</p> - -<p>“I suppose it must be something like that,” agreed Aunt Winnie. “I only -know that Colonel Hardin said when the City and the farmers could raise -the money necessary he stood ready to lease the water rights to them. -Such lease would add vastly to the income from his property.</p> - -<p>“Now, his lawyers have informed us that the will giving all this great -estate to the Major and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">13</a></span> me, has been probated, and that somebody must -come out there and look over the property and meet the people who want -the water, and all that.”</p> - -<p>“And somebody means <em>us</em>, mother?” cried Nat, joyfully.</p> - -<p>“Us young folks—yes,” said Mrs. White, smiling. “That is my second -announcement—and the larger part of the surprise, I warrant. We are -going to celebrate Dorothy’s graduation by taking a trip West.</p> - -<p>“The Major does not feel equal to the journey, because of his lameness; -I am to take over the property jointly in our names. I shall need you -four young people, of course, to advise me,” and she laughed.</p> - -<p>“Say! Say! what four young people?” demanded Roger and Joe in chorus.</p> - -<p>“Why,” said their Aunt, “you know somebody must remain to look after -the Major. <em>That</em> duty, Joe, devolves upon you and Roger. Ned and Nat -are going with me, and of course Dorothy can’t go without Tavia.”</p> - -<p>“Hold me, somebody!” begged Tavia. “I am going to faint with joy,” and -she fell weakly into Dorothy’s arms. “I was afraid I was going to be -left out,” she muttered.</p> - -<p>Nat ran with an ink bottle in lieu of smelling salts, but Tavia waved -him away.</p> - -<p>“Keep your distance, sir!” she cried. “This<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">14</a></span> is a brand new frock—and -they don’t grow on bushes; at least, they don’t in Dalton.”</p> - -<p>“You bet they don’t,” commented Ned. “If the present-day girl’s frocks -grew in the woods all the wild animals certainly <em>would</em> run wild. The -bite of a chipmunk would give one hydrophobia.”</p> - -<p>“Every knock’s a boost,” sniffed Tavia, who was very proud indeed of -her narrow skirt. “I notice the boys are just as much interested in us -as ever, no matter what we wear. Why! Dorothy and I had a perfectly -scandalous adventure this morning——”</p> - -<p>The maid appeared in the doorway at that moment and looked at Mrs. -White. “What is it, Marie?” asked the lady.</p> - -<p>“A—a gentleman, Madam,” said the maid. “At least, it’s a man, Mrs. -White. And he wants to see you particular, so he says. He says he’s -come all the way from Colorado about getting some water. I don’t -understand what he means.”</p> - -<p>“Crickey!” exclaimed the irreverent Nat. “What a long way to come for a -drink.”</p> - -<p>“It must be about this very thing we are speaking of,” said the Major, -starting.</p> - -<p>The two girls had risen and gone to a window. They could see out upon -the porch.</p> - -<p>“Goodness, Doro!” gasped Tavia, grabbing her chum tightly. “That’s the -very man we met on the road this morning.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">15</a></span> -We began to get acquainted with Dorothy Dale, and Tavia Travers, and -their friends in the first volume of this series, entitled “Dorothy -Dale: A Girl of To-day.” At that time Dorothy was more than three years -younger than she is to-day. Nevertheless, when her father was taken -ill, she undertook the regular publication of his weekly paper, <cite>The -Dalton Bugle</cite>, which was the family’s main dependence at that time.</p> - -<p>Later the family received an uplift in the world and went to live at -the Cedars, Aunt Winnie’s beautiful home, while Dorothy and Tavia -went to Glenwood School where, through “Dorothy Dale at Glenwood -School,” “Dorothy Dale’s Great Secret,” “Dorothy Dale and Her Chums,” -“Dorothy Dale’s Queer Holidays,” “Dorothy Dale’s Camping Days” and -“Dorothy Dale’s School Rivals” our heroine and her friends enjoyed many -pleasures, had adventures galore, worked hard at their studies, had -many schoolgirl rivalries, troubles, secrets, and learned many things -besides what was contained in their textbooks.</p> - -<p>In the eighth volume of the series, entitled, “Dorothy Dale in the -City,” Dorothy and Tavia spent the holidays with Aunt Winnie and her -sons, in New York. Aunt Winnie had taken an apartment in the city, on -Riverside Drive, and the girls had many gay times, likewise helping -Mrs. White<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">16</a></span> very materially in the untangling of a business matter that -had troubled her.</p> - -<p>“Dorothy Dale’s Promise,” the volume preceding our present story, deals -with Dorothy’s last semester at Glenwood School, and her graduation. -Tavia, who is a perfect flyaway, but one with a heart of gold, is close -to her chum all the time, and the two inseparables had now, but the -week before, bidden the beautiful old school good-bye.</p> - -<p>Dorothy Dale was a bright and quick-witted girl; the impulsive Tavia -was apt to get them both into little scrapes of which Dorothy was -usually obliged to find the door of escape.</p> - -<p>Now, when the maid announced the black-mustached man, and the boys -departed by another door, Tavia drew Dorothy into the embrasure of a -curtained window, whispering:</p> - -<p>“Let’s wait. I’m <em>crazy</em> to know what has brought such a brigandish -looking fellow here.”</p> - -<p>“But it is not nice to listen,” objected Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“But your aunt doesn’t mind.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. White smiled at the two girls as she saw them pop behind the -draperies. There was nothing private about the proposed interview.</p> - -<p>The Major sat back in his chair while Aunt Winnie arose to meet the -stranger as the maid ushered him into the library.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">17</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="iii" id="iii"></a><span>CHAPTER III</span><br /> -<small>THE “TWO-FACED” MAN</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> boys were discussing the extent of Colonel Hardin’s great estate -when Dorothy and Tavia joined them at the garage an hour later. The -possibilities of the vast cattle pastures and game preserves, walled in -by the natural boundary of the higher Rockies, appealed strongly to Ned -and Nat, and even to Dorothy’s younger brothers.</p> - -<p>“And it was all begun by Colonel Hardin taking advantage of the -Homestead Law when he came out of the army. Too bad your father didn’t -do that, Dorothy,” said Ned.</p> - -<p>“What <em>is</em> the Homestead Law?” asked Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“I can tell you,” interposed Nat, quickly. “Not just in the wording -of the law—the legal phraseology, you know,” he added, his eyes -twinkling. “But the upshot of it is, that the Government is willing to -bet you one hundred and sixty acres of land against fourteen dollars -that you can’t live on it five years without starving to death!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">18</a></span> -“How ridiculous!” scoffed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“What is the use of asking these boys anything?” demanded Tavia, her -nose in the air. “They’re like all other college freshmen.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t say that, Miss,” urged Ned, easily. “Remember that we’re -freshmen no longer, but sophs. Or, we will be so rated next fall.”</p> - -<p>“Then perhaps you’ll know a little less than you have appeared to know -this past year,” said the sharp-tongued Tavia. “As juniors you will -know a little less. And when you’re seniors, you’ll probably be still -more human—less like Olympic Joves, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Compliments fly when quality meets,” quoth Dorothy. “Don’t let’s -scrap, children. We can tell the boys something they <em>don’t</em> know. -We’ve got to get a hustle on, to quote the provincialism of the -locality for which we are bound—the wild and woolly West. A telegram -has been already sent to Tavia’s folks. We start West to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“To-morrow!” cried Ned and Nat, in surprise.</p> - -<p>“The Mater must have changed her mind mighty sudden,” added Ned.</p> - -<p>“She did,” said Tavia, nodding. “Or, rather, we changed it for her.”</p> - -<p>“How was that?” asked Nat. “And say! what did the fellow want who came -so far for a drink?” and he grinned. “What’s his name?”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Philo Marsh,” said Dorothy, gravely.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">19</a></span> “And a very shrewd, if not -an out-and-out <em>bad</em> man.”</p> - -<p>“Hul-lo!” exclaimed Ned. “What’s happened? Let’s hear about it.”</p> - -<p>“You should have stayed and seen the visitor,” said Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“He’s a two-faced scamp!” declared Tavia, with emphasis.</p> - -<p>“Right out of Barnum & Bailey’s—eh?” asked Nat. “One of the greatest -freaks of the age. Two faces, no less!”</p> - -<p>But Ned saw that something serious had happened. “What is it, Dorothy?” -he asked.</p> - -<p>“I wish you had remained and seen that Philo Marsh,” said Dorothy Dale. -“I—I think he is a bad man. I do not trust him at all.”</p> - -<p>“And good reason!” broke in Tavia, forgetting that she had first -exclaimed over the romantic appearance of the man with the silky black -mustache and the yellow diamond.</p> - -<p>Then, eagerly, she went on to tell the boys of what had happened to her -and Dorothy on the road that morning.</p> - -<p>“Why! the scamp!” ejaculated Nat, quite savagely.</p> - -<p>“But that isn’t <em>all</em> the story?” queried Ned, turning to Dorothy. -“What were you going to say about Philo Marsh?”</p> - -<p>Dorothy at once told them how she and Tavia<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">20</a></span> had hidden behind the -window draperies when Mr. Philo Marsh was announced, having recognized -him as he stood waiting on the porch.</p> - -<p>“And you should have heard him talk!” interrupted Tavia.</p> - -<p>“He is a very smooth talking man,” went on Dorothy, seriously, “and we -could see father and Aunt Winnie were impressed.”</p> - -<p>“But what did he <em>want</em>?” Ned demanded.</p> - -<p>“He says he represents a committee of citizens of Desert City and the -farmers on that side of the Hardin estate. He had papers all drawn up, -ready to sign, leasing to him and his fellow-committeemen the water -rights on the Hardin place, and he wants father and Aunt Winnie to sign -up right now.”</p> - -<p>“But they didn’t?” cried Ned and Nat.</p> - -<p>“He urged them to. He claims haste is necessary.”</p> - -<p>“Why?” asked the older cousin.</p> - -<p>“He wasn’t just clear about <em>that</em>. I guess that is what made father -doubtful. But he was very persuasive.”</p> - -<p>“Say!” interrupted Nat. “What about this water? If there is so much of -it on the Hardin place, doesn’t it flow somewhere?”</p> - -<p>“That’s a curious thing,” Dorothy said, quickly. “It seems this -water-supply is a stream called Lost River.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">21</a></span> -“Lost River?” ejaculated Ned.</p> - -<p>“Yes. There’s more than one like it out there, too. I guess this -particular Lost River has its rise on the estate somewhere. And without -flowing beyond the boundaries of the land Colonel Hardin has left to -us, it dives right down into a crack in the earth again.”</p> - -<p>“Crickey!” exclaimed Nat. “Some river! I want to see that.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve read of such things,” said his brother.</p> - -<p>“It must be wonderful,” Dorothy said. “You see, they want father and -Aunt Winnie to let them turn the water into another channel. From that -channel they will pipe water to Desert City, while the surplus will be -carried by open ditches to the irrigated farms.”</p> - -<p>“And how about the water supply for the cattle pastures?” demanded Ned, -who, from the first, had shown a deep interest in the cattle end of the -business in hand.</p> - -<p>“Oh, they say there is water in abundance,” Dorothy answered.</p> - -<p>“Well,” asked Ned, “did that fellow get mother to sign up? <em>That’s</em> the -important question.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think we would let her, after what we know about the fellow?” -retorted Tavia, indignantly.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how you girls knew much about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">22</a></span> him,” chuckled Nat. “You -simply did not like the cut of his jib, as the sailors say.”</p> - -<p>“What did you do to stop them?” asked Joe Dale, round-eyed. “Walk right -in and give him away?”</p> - -<p>“That would have been melodramatic, wouldn’t it?” laughed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“But what did you do?” insisted Joe.</p> - -<p>“Why,” said Tavia, “we climbed out of the window—and I ripped my -skirt, of course!—and we ran around to the hall and sent the maid -in to call Mrs. White out. Then we told her about Philo Marsh—the -two-faced scamp! Why, to hear and see him in that library, you’d think -butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth!”</p> - -<p>“Well, wouldn’t it?” grunted Nat.</p> - -<p>“I guess the Major was suspicious, anyway,” chuckled Tavia, ignoring -Master Nat. “And Mrs. White declared she would have to look over the -ground personally before she could make any decision.”</p> - -<p>“He was in an awful hurry,” said Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Who’s in a hurry?” asked Ned, quickly.</p> - -<p>“That Philo Marsh, as he calls himself. So we are going to start for -the West to-morrow, instead of next week.”</p> - -<p>“And what is this fellow who’s come East here going to do?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“Going back. Says he’ll meet us at Dugonne.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">23</a></span> That is where we leave -the train. Oh, Aunt Winnie has already looked up our route, and the -time-tables, and all that,” Dorothy said.</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll be on hand to look out for Little Mum, and see that this -fellow doesn’t ‘double cross’ her in any way,” said Nat, with assurance.</p> - -<p>“We girls shall watch him, too,” Tavia declared. “I believe he’s a -regular ‘bad man’—like you read about.”</p> - -<p>“Shouldn’t read about such things,” advised Dorothy, laughing.</p> - -<p>“I guess we four can hedge Little Mum about so that no wild and woolly -Westerner will trouble her,” Ned said, with gravity.</p> - -<p>But only time could prove whether that was so, or not.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">24</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="iv" id="iv"></a><span>CHAPTER IV</span><br /> -<small>TO CATCH THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> <i>Fire Bird</i> looked like an express truck—or so Nat said. They had -loaded up the boys’ auto with more than a fair share of the baggage.</p> - -<p>“But just the same, you girls have got to find room in here,” declared -Ned. “Nat and I must have somebody to chin to while we’re driving over -Hominy Ridge. They say there are ‘ha’nts’ in the woods, and we’d be -afraid to go alone.”</p> - -<p>“Poor ’ittle sing!” crooned Tavia. “Doro and I know just how scared you -are. But we’ll go with you—providing you can find us room.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll make room,” said Nat. “Mother will have to carry some of the -baggage in her car. There is no use in putting the last camel on the -straw’s back!”</p> - -<p>“Joe and Roger have begged to go along,” Dorothy said.</p> - -<p>“Well, they’re excess baggage, too,” answered Nat. “They’ll have to go -in the other car.”</p> - -<p>It was the evening following the June day on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">25</a></span> which Aunt Winnie had -divulged her Great Surprise. The intervening hours had been very, very -busy for the girls.</p> - -<p>It was arranged that the party should go by auto to Portersburg to -catch the midnight express on the P. B. & O.</p> - -<p>Dorothy and Tavia—as well as Mrs. White—had made exceedingly swift -preparations for this journey. Of course, Ned and Nat did not have much -to get ready.</p> - -<p>“Wish I were a boy,” groaned Tavia.</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard you express that wish a thousand times,” declared Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“This is the thousand-and-wunth time then! Look at how easy they have -it, Doro! All they have to do is put a clean collar and a toothbrush in -their pockets, and start for a tour of Europe!”</p> - -<p>It was a long journey over the forest-covered ridge to Portersburg. -They started at nine o’clock so as to be sure to be on time at the -railway station. The chauffeur who drove Mrs. White’s machine would -chain the cars together and bring them—with Joe and Roger—back to the -Cedars, after seeing the tourists off for the West.</p> - -<p>Dorothy kissed the Major good-bye. “My little Captain” he still called -her. Major Dale was very proud of his daughter.</p> - -<p>They got away at last, the <i>Fire Bird</i> in the lead. There would be no -moon until after midnight, so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">26</a></span> they had to depend entirely upon the -headlights for the discovery of any obstruction in the road.</p> - -<p>Nat was under the wheel and he had insisted upon Tavia sitting beside -him. Naturally Ned was glad to get Dorothy to himself in the tonneau. -It was a tight squeeze for the latter couple, for the motor car <em>was</em> -overburdened with baggage.</p> - -<p>“Are you comfortable, Doro?” shouted Tavia, turning to look at her chum.</p> - -<p>“Just as comfortable as I can be with the end of Nat’s dress-suit case -poking me in the back, and a bundle of umbrellas right across my poor -shins. Oh! I did not dream it would be so uncomfortable.”</p> - -<p>“Our dreams seldom come true,” declared Tavia, sentimentally.</p> - -<p>“Don’t know about that,” said Nat. “You know, a couple of tramps were -talking about the same thing. One says: ‘Isn’t it strange how few of -our youthful dreams come true?’ And the other fellow answers back: ‘Oh, -I dunno. I remember when I used to dream of wearing long pants, and now -I guess I wear ’em longer than anybody else in the country.’”</p> - -<p>“Better ’tend to your business, boy, and stop cracking jokes,” advised -Ned.</p> - -<p>“I’ll see that he doesn’t run us up a tree,” promised Tavia, -confidently.</p> - -<p>The <i>Fire Bird</i> swiftly passed out of the neighborhood<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">27</a></span> with which -the young people were familiar and struck into the road leading to -Portersburg. It was a fairly good auto track, but had never been oiled. -Therefore, there were “hills and hummocks,” as Tavia said, “in great -profusion.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! <em>oh!</em> OH!” she gasped, in crescendo, as the car bounced and jarred -over some of these “thank-you-ma’ams.” “Did you <em>ever</em> see such a -hubbly road, Doro?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see much of this one,” confessed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>The forest shut the road about so thickly that beyond the headlights’ -glare the way looked like a tunnel. Occasionally, some small, night -wandering animal, scurried across the track.</p> - -<p>“There’s a rabbit!” ejaculated Tavia. “I wonder what he thinks this -auto is?”</p> - -<p>“The Car of Juggernaut,” said Dorothy. “Lucky he escaped.”</p> - -<p>They were going down a hill. Suddenly Nat threw out the clutch and -braked hard. The horn likewise uttered a stuttering warning.</p> - -<p>A ray of light flickered upon some object directly in the path of the -flying car. It was impossible to stop and the road was too narrow for -Nat to swerve aside and in this way escape the collision.</p> - -<p>“Low Bridge!” he shouted, and they all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">28</a></span> crouched down. The next instant -the car struck the creature standing in its path.</p> - -<p>“A deer!” yelled Ned, as the car came to a jarring stop, some yards -beyond the point of collision.</p> - -<p>He hopped out and ran back to see if the poor animal was really dead. -His mother’s car meanwhile halted where the deer lay beside the road. -The <i>Fire Bird</i> had thrown the creature some distance away, and it was -quite dead, its neck being broken.</p> - -<p>“Killing game out of season is a misdemeanor, Nat,” said his brother, -returning to the automobile. “Lucky you are going to get out of the -state to-night. The game warden might be after you.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think it is a thing to laugh over,” said Tavia. “The poor -deer!”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” Nat said. “I never expected to hear you call me by such a -tender name.——”</p> - -<p>“Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. Nat!” snapped Tavia, scrambling out of the -front seat and joining Dorothy in the tonneau. “I don’t want to risk -being in front if you are going to run down all the livestock in the -country.”</p> - -<p>“It’s too bad to leave perfectly good venison behind,” Ned said. “I -suppose he was dazzled by the lights. You must have a care how you -drive, Nathaniel. Mother says so.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">29</a></span> -“Huh! I couldn’t see the deer until we were right on top of it.”</p> - -<p>“I know Nat didn’t mean to,” said Dorothy, the peacemaker. “It <em>is</em> -awfully dark.”</p> - -<p>Nat only grunted, but he drove more slowly. The deer had been actually -hypnotized by the lamps; Nat did not want to play the same rough joke -on another.</p> - -<p>“Huh!” he muttered to his brother. “If the law had been off and we’d -come up this way hunting deer, we wouldn’t have gotten within a mile of -one!”</p> - -<p>“Life is full of disappointments—just like that,” chuckled Ned, -turning so that the two girls could hear him. “There was the old farmer -who saw something in the clothing store window that kept him marching -up and down before it for an hour, looking frequently at his watch.</p> - -<p>“Finally he went inside and demanded of a salesman: ‘What’s your time?’ -‘Twenty minutes past five,’ says the salesman. ‘That’s what I make -it,’ says the farmer, ‘and I’ll take them pants,’ and he pointed to a -ticket in the window which read: ‘Given Away at 5.20.’ But <em>he</em> was -disappointed, too.” concluded Ned.</p> - -<p>“How ridiculous,” said Dorothy. “Oh! here’s the end of the woods. I’m -so glad.”</p> - -<p>“It’s the end of this piece,” said Ned. “But there’s more ahead.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">30</a></span> -It was much lighter when they came out into the farming lands, and Nat -could speed up his engine a little. Behind the <i>Fire Bird</i> coughed the -other car. They met nobody, nor overtook any vehicle. This was a lonely -road by night. They were still a long distance from Portersburg, and it -was after eleven o’clock.</p> - -<p>“You’d better get a wiggle on, boy,” declared Ned. “We don’t want to -miss that train.”</p> - -<p>“And I <em>do</em> want to miss any other deer that may be loafing about this -right of way,” grumbled his brother.</p> - -<p>They flew past a farmhouse where a dog tugged at his chain and almost -barked his head off at the two automobiles. A wall of forest loomed -up before them again. It was fortunate that the darkness beyond the -lamplight made Nat reduce speed.</p> - -<p>Up heaved a disturbing figure beside the road. Nat applied the brakes -in a hurry once more. The beast stepped right into the radiance of the -lamplight and then—the automobile struck it!</p> - -<p>Everybody screamed—including the object battle-rammed! “Another deer!” -shrieked Tavia. But the bellow that replied made her realize at once -that she was wrong. No deer ever bawled like that!</p> - -<p>“It’s a cow,” said Ned. “Crickey, boy! you’ll slaughter all the animals -in the state.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">31</a></span> -“That cow isn’t hurt,” growled Nat, “or she wouldn’t bawl so.”</p> - -<p>The other automobile stopped in the rear and Aunt Winnie was anxious to -know what had happened. Ned was already out of the <i>Fire Bird</i>, trying -to discover the whereabouts of the cow and the extent of her injuries.</p> - -<p>“Something doing back there at the farmhouse,” warned the chauffeur of -Mrs. White’s car. “You boys will be deep in trouble in a minute.”</p> - -<p>They could see lights in the windows, and now heard a banging of -doors. A harsh voice began to shout commands, and a waggling lantern -approached across the fields.</p> - -<p>Ned had found the cow. She was leaning up against the roadside fence, -and one horn was hanging by a thread of tissue, in a drunken looking -manner over her eye. Otherwise she seemed to be unhurt—only surprised. -The varnish of the car had suffered more than the cow.</p> - -<p>When the farmer arrived he was very angry.</p> - -<p>“I’ll fix you city fellers fer this. I’m a constable. Ye air all -arrested!”</p> - -<p>His dress was haphazard. Over his coarse nightshirt he had drawn his -trousers, and he was barefooted. But he had not forgotten his star of -office, and he carried a locust club as well as the lantern. He fixed -himself in the road directly in front of the <i>Fire Bird</i> and demanded -fifty dollars.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">32</a></span> -“I could buy cows like that skinny old thing for fifty dollars a -dozen,” grumbled Ned.</p> - -<p>“You’ll pay me fifty for this here caow, or th’ whole on ye will march -ter jail at Hacktown.”</p> - -<p>“Your cow is perfectly good,” suggested Tavia, “all except one horn. -And that horn serves no good purpose on a domestic animal. Most farmers -dehorn their cattle anyway. I think this man owes us about fifty cents.”</p> - -<p>Nat began to chuckle at that, and the farmer was not at all pleased.</p> - -<p>“Ye gotter fork over fifty dollars, or go to Hacktown an’ see the -Jestice of the Peace.”</p> - -<p>“But we’re in a hurry,” said Ned.</p> - -<p>“That’s what they all say,” chuckled the farmer.</p> - -<p>“You had no business to allow your cattle to run loose in the road,” -cried Ned.</p> - -<p>“Think not, eh, young man?” retorted the man. “You’d better read aour -county ord’nance on cattle. Don’t hafter fence aour farms no more.”</p> - -<p>“I bet,” growled Ned to the girls, “that the old scoundrel just set -this crow-bait of a cow like a trap for any automobilist who might come -by. Goodness! I hate to pay that fifty dollars.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">33</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="v" id="v"></a><span>CHAPTER V</span><br /> -<small>THE OLD LADY WITH THE BASKET</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Time</span> was flying and Mrs. White was becoming anxious. “Do pay the man, -Ned, and let us go on. Of course, the cow is not worth so much——”</p> - -<p>“Why, mother, it’s a miserable little thing,” began Nat; but the farmer -burst in with a lot of threats as to what he would do if the money was -not immediately forthcoming, and Nat subsided.</p> - -<p>“It is an imposition, Mrs. White,” warned her chauffeur. “I’ll go with -him, if he likes, and tell the judge about it.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll pull you all,” threatened the farmer, boisterously, “if you don’t -fork over the money for my caow—yes, I will, by Jo!”</p> - -<p>“If he talks fresh to mother,” growled Nat to Ned, “we ought to take -away his tin star and club and throw him into the ditch.”</p> - -<p>“No use making a bad matter worse,” said Ned.</p> - -<p>“It is unfair,” Dorothy said, warmly. “Fifty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">34</a></span> dollars is a lot of -money. Can’t we postpone our trip and go to court with this man?”</p> - -<p>“Goodness, Dot!” exclaimed her aunt, who heard this. “Our berths are -engaged upon that train. We positively cannot wait here. Of course the -cow isn’t worth so much as this man asks——”</p> - -<p>At that moment a dilapidated figure shuffled into the radiance of the -automobile lights. It was an ancient -<a name="darkey" id="darkey"></a><ins title="Original has 'darky'">darkey</ins>, with kinky gray -wool, and he took off his ragged hat as he asked:</p> - -<p>“Ebenin’, genmen an’ ladies. Is yo’ seed anythin’ ob my cow? She done -strayed erway ag’in, an’ I’s powerful anxious ter recover her—ya-as, -suh!”</p> - -<p>“Another cow!” groaned Nat. “The owner of that pet deer will be around -next.”</p> - -<p>“What kind of a cow was it?” asked Tavia, giggling.</p> - -<p>“Jes’ a cow, Ma’am,” said the old darkey. “Jes’ a ord’nary ornery cow, -Ma’am. Ebenin’, Mars’ Judson,” he added, seeing the farmer for the -first time. “Has <em>you</em> seed my cow?”</p> - -<p>“Naw, I ain’t,” snapped the farmer.</p> - -<p>Here Dorothy Dale suddenly broke into the inquiry meeting. “Did your -cow have a big white patch on her left shoulder, and is she otherwise a -red cow?” asked the girl.</p> - -<p>“Ya-as’m. That suah is my cow.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">35</a></span> -“Turn your light on that one against the fence, Ned,” commanded -Dorothy. “Now look, sir,” she added, to the old negro. “Is that your -cow?”</p> - -<p>“Suah is!” declared the darkey, gladly. “Das my Sookey-cow. Law-see! -She done broke her horn. I wisht she bruk two on ’em; den she couldn’t -hook herself t’rough de parstur fence no mo’.”</p> - -<p>“Well! what do you know about that?” demanded Tavia.</p> - -<p>“This constable ought to have his badge taken away,” grumbled Nat.</p> - -<p>Aunt Winnie was a most timid lady, but she was angry now. “You shall -be reported for this, sir, just as soon as I get back from the West,” -she promised the farmer. “Give the colored man five dollars, Ned. He -deserves something for showing us what this other man is.”</p> - -<p>The old darkey was tickled enough to accept a five dollar note for the -loss of the cow’s horn. The creature was not really hurt, and everybody -was satisfied save the constable-farmer who had over-reached himself. -He dared say nothing more about arresting the automobile party, and -the two cars soon got under way again and shot off along the road to -Portersburg station.</p> - -<p>There was no further adventure on the way. They arrived at the station -with five good minutes to spare. The town was asleep, but the agent -was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">36</a></span> in his office with the tickets for Mrs. White’s party and the -coupons for the Pullman berths.</p> - -<p>They were to have a section to themselves, and an extra berth besides. -Dorothy was to occupy this extra berth, which proved to be an upper.</p> - -<p>Everybody else aboard the car was asleep and the porter made up their -berths at once. “I <em>do</em> so hate to half undress in the corridor of a -car,” grumbled Tavia. “It’s as bad as camping out.”</p> - -<p>“But we pay good money for the privilege,” said Dorothy. “I wonder why -we are always so easy—we Americans?”</p> - -<p>“Our fatal good nature. That’s it!” cried Tavia.</p> - -<p>Dorothy had a hazy idea that somebody in the berth beneath her was -restless. Then she fell asleep, roused only now and then by the -stopping and starting of the train. At seven she was wide awake, -however, and as the train was still going at full speed, she crept down -from her high perch and started for the ladies’ room at the end of the -car.</p> - -<p>But suddenly a hand was stretched out for her and the person in the -lower berth whispered:</p> - -<p>“I say, Miss! I say!”</p> - -<p>Dorothy turned to see a little old lady, in a close, black bonnet with -the strings untied, but otherwise fully dressed. It was plain she had -gone to bed in all her clothing the night before.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">37</a></span> -“Can a body git up, Miss?” whispered the worried old creature. “My -goodness me! I been useter gittin’ up when the fust rooster crows; this -has been the longest night I ever remember.”</p> - -<p>“Why, you poor dear!” returned Dorothy, warmly. “Of course you can get -up. Come with me and I’ll help you tidy yourself for the day. You must -feel all mussed up.”</p> - -<p>“I do,” admitted the old lady, feelingly.</p> - -<p>She came after Dorothy, but the latter saw that she bore with her a -covered basket, the cover being tied close with bits of string.</p> - -<p>“You need not be afraid of leaving your lunch basket in the berth. -Nobody will take it,” Dorothy said.</p> - -<p>“I—I guess I’ll keep it by me,” said the old lady, with a timid smile.</p> - -<p>Dorothy was able to make the old lady comfortable, and she found out -several things about her while the porter arranged their berths. She -was a Mrs. Petterby, and had lived all her life long (she was over -sixty) in the little mill town of Rand’s Falls, in Massachusetts.</p> - -<p>This was the very first time the old lady had ever been ten miles from -the house where she was born. She had lived alone in her own house for -the last few years, her husband and all her children but one being dead.</p> - -<p>“My baby, he’s out West. I’m a-going to see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">38</a></span> him,” declared Mrs. -Petterby. “He sent me money for ticket and all, long ago; he told me to -put it in the bottom of the old teapot, where I’d be sure to know where -it was, and then I could start for Colorado any time the fit tuk me.</p> - -<p>“Did seem day b’fore yisterday, as though I’d got to see my baby again. -He was dif’rent from the other children—sort o’ wild and hard to -manage. He had a flare-up with his dad and went West.</p> - -<p>“But there ain’t a mite o’ harm in my baby—no, Ma’am! An’ so I tell -’em. His father said so himself b’fore he died. He warn’t like the rest -o’ the children, so his father didn’t understand him.</p> - -<p>“He’s doin’ well, he writes. Gets his forty-five dollars ev’ry month, -and sends me part. Of course, I don’t need it; I got it all in the -Rand’s Falls Bank. But I kep’ out this ticket money, like he said; -and—here I be!” and she cackled a soft little laugh, and smiled a -transfiguring smile as she thought of the surprise she was going to -give “her baby.”</p> - -<p>She was going to Dugonne, the very town where Dorothy and her friends -were to leave the train. So the girls sort of adopted the little old -lady. But they could not find out what was in her basket.</p> - -<p>Tavia was enormously curious. “I saw her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">39</a></span> dropping something through a -crack into the basket,” she whispered to Dorothy. “She was feeding it.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!” exclaimed her chum.</p> - -<p>“You see. It’s no lunch basket. It’s something alive.”</p> - -<p>“A dog?” suggested Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Maybe a cat.”</p> - -<p>“Or a parrot?” again said Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Or a rabbit.”</p> - -<p>“It couldn’t be a canary, I s’pose?” asked Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Or a pet goldfish?” giggled Tavia.</p> - -<p>“How ridiculous!” returned the other girl.</p> - -<p>Everybody went to breakfast when it was announced, save Mrs. White. She -had a “railroad headache,” and lay back in her seat with closed eyes -and an ice-pack upon her forehead. But Dorothy thought she ought to -have something to “stay her stomach.”</p> - -<p>“You know,” she said to Tavia, “this car will be taken off and we will -not be able to get even a glass of milk for her before noon.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Petterby overheard this, and she blushed and whispered: “I got one -o’ them bottles that keeps things hot or cold, as you want ’em. You get -some milk off the ice, and then it will be all ready to have the egg -broke into and shaken up when your auntie wants it, by and by.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">40</a></span> -“That’s nice of you!” cried Dorothy, and proceeded to call the waiter -and order the cold milk.</p> - -<p>“But where’ll you get an egg—a real fresh egg, I mean?” sniffed Tavia. -“Not on a dining-car.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so!” groaned Dorothy. “And Aunt Winnie is <em>so</em> particular about -her eggs. She can always tell if an egg is the least bit stale.”</p> - -<p>The old lady leaned forward again, and once more the pretty pink flush -suffused her withered cheek. She was a keen-eyed, birdlike person, and -her manner was timid like a bird’s.</p> - -<p>“If—if you don’t mind waiting about an hour, I shouldn’t be surprised -if I—I could supply the fresh egg,” she said.</p> - -<p>“You?” gasped Tavia, amazed.</p> - -<p>“You know where we can buy one, you mean?” queried Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you won’t have to buy one,” declared Mrs. Petterby. “I’d be glad -enough to give it to you.”</p> - -<p>“But who has fresh eggs on this train?” demanded Tavia.</p> - -<p>“I guess nobody has them to sell, dearie,” said the little old lady, -smiling. “But in about an hour I can get one.”</p> - -<p>“Do—do you think she’s just right, Doro?” whispered Tavia, on the sly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">41</a></span> -Dorothy did not know. It sounded very peculiar to her. But the little -old lady seemed quite in her right mind, and she went back to the -Pullman, still clinging to her basket.</p> - -<p>That mystery furnished the girls and Ned and Nat with subject matter -for an endless discussion. They guessed at its contents as everything -from a white rat to a jewel-box, or a root of horseradish that Nat -declared he believed she was taking with her from her garden, to -transplant on her son’s ranch. “His horses will like it, you know,” -said Nat, seriously.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” agreed his brother, “on their oysters. Horseradish is very good -as a relish with raw oysters.”</p> - -<p>“And of course they rake oysters right out of the streams and ponds -in Colorado,” sniffed Tavia, with a superior air. “Was anything ever -crazier?”</p> - -<p>Dorothy went to sit beside Mrs. Petterby again. The old lady was -smiling contentedly. “I guess I’ll stay as much as a week with my -baby,” she declared to Dorothy. “I hope I won’t be homesick before the -week’s up.”</p> - -<p>“But it will take you almost a week to get there, and a week to -return—and you intend to stay in Colorado only a week?”</p> - -<p>“I declare, child! I don’t believe I could stand it longer. I don’t -think I could stand furrin’<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">42</a></span> parts—not at all. Rand’s Falls, -Massachusetts, is good enough for me.”</p> - -<p>There was a movement in the basket. Dorothy was sure of it. And a sort -of crooning noise. Dorothy looked her amazement and curiosity—she -could not help it.</p> - -<p>“There! there!” said the old lady, softly, and tapping the basket. Then -she looked aside at the girl and whispered:</p> - -<p>“Don’t you tell that conductor. They told me that I couldn’t take her -with me unless I crated her and put her in the baggage car. But I’ll -show ’em!”</p> - -<p>“What is it?” breathed Dorothy. “Oh! I won’t tell.”</p> - -<p>“There! your auntie can have her fresh egg in a minute or two now. I -know Ophelia.”</p> - -<p>“Ophelia?” gasped Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Yes. That’s her name. I gave it to her when she was a little bit of a -chicken.”</p> - -<p>“A hen!” exclaimed the amazed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Yes. She’s a regular pet—and not much more than a year old. She was -the only one left of a brood that my old Blackie brought off last May -was a year ago,” said Mrs. Petterby.</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t afford to have old Blackie nussin’ just one chicken,” she -pursued, calmly. “So I brought Ophelia up by hand. She was just as -cunning as she could be.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">43</a></span> -“She sat on my shoulder when I ate breakfast, and she’d eat her share -of johnny-cake and sausages, too—yes, Ma’am! Then she’d take a nap -sometimes, in my lap, when I sot down in my rocker by the kitchen -window.</p> - -<p>“And when she got to be a good sized pullet and I was lookin’ for her -to begin to lay pretty quick, I declare if she didn’t hop up into my -lap and lay her first egg.”</p> - -<p>“My!” exclaimed Dorothy, in appreciative wonder.</p> - -<p>“I left my flock in the care of my next door neighbor; but I knowed -Ophelia would be lonesome for me.</p> - -<p>“So,” concluded the little old lady, “I’m a-takin’ her through -unbeknownst to the conductor. Don’t you tell! And now—there!”</p> - -<p>She thrust her hand under one flap of the covered basket. There was a -little rustling sound, a seemingly objecting croak, and out came the -old lady’s hand with a white, clean and warm egg.</p> - -<p>“I expect she’s gettin’ sort of broody,” said Mrs. Petterby, dropping -the egg into Dorothy’s hand. “She’s beginnin’ to think of settin’ an’ -tryin’ to raise a famb’ly. That’s all <em>she</em> knows about it—poor thing!</p> - -<p>“Well, there’s your aunt’s egg, child.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">44</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="vi" id="vi"></a><span>CHAPTER VI</span><br /> -<small>“THE BREATH OF THE NIGHT”</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> girls and Mrs. White’s sons were vastly amused by the egg incident. -Aunt Winnie thankfully drank her egg and milk, but her boys joked about -the production of “Ophelia” being so quickly “swallowed up.”</p> - -<p>“And why didn’t the old lady bring along Hamlet?” demanded Nat. “The -Prince of Denmark would have found life in a Pullman endurable, I -fancy. He was a philosophical old shark.”</p> - -<p>“Speaking of eggs,” Ned said, ignoring his brother’s irreverent -observation about the Melancholy Dane, “speaking of eggs——”</p> - -<p>“Well! speak, I prithee!” said Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Why, there was a chap performing tricks of legerdermain one night, and -he took eggs from a high hat, as usual. In his ‘patter’ he interpolated -a remark to a wide-eyed small boy who sat down front.</p> - -<p>“‘Say, sonny, your mother can’t get eggs without hens, can she?’ he -said to the kid.</p> - -<p>“‘Yes, she can,’ replied the boy.</p> - -<p>“‘How does she do it?’ chuckles the conjurer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">45</a></span> -“‘She keeps ducks,’ says the kid.”</p> - -<p>“Good! good!” quoth Nat, applauding. “If you hadn’t told it, Ned, I -would.”</p> - -<p>“Ah-ha!” cried Tavia. “You boys have been reading the same joke-book, -and have gotten your wires crossed.”</p> - -<p>“Goodness, Tavia! Don’t. Such slang as you use!”</p> - -<p>The train was bearing them rapidly and smoothly toward the West. The -girls and Ned and Nat enjoyed this sort of traveling immensely. At the -rear of the train was a fine observation platform, and the four young -folk got more benefit of the chairs there than any of the travelers.</p> - -<p>The prospect in part was lovely. They liked, too, to sit there as the -train roared through the smaller towns where there was no stop. And -it was nice when they swept over the rolling prairies and crossed the -mid-western rivers on the long bridges.</p> - -<p>The stops at the larger cities were never long; then the train would -fly on again, reeling off the miles at top-speed. The second night they -did not mind sleeping in the berths. And Dorothy helped Mrs. Petterby -get ready for bed so that she felt more comfortable.</p> - -<p>“But it does seem awful resky,” she sighed. “Suppose there should be a -smash-up—an’ me without my skirt on!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">46</a></span> -There <em>was</em> a smash-up the next day, but fortunately the train in which -Dorothy Dale rode was not in the accident. Two freight trains went into -each other some ways ahead of the express, and spread themselves all -over the right of way. It would take some time to clear the mess up so -that the express could pass; therefore the latter was stopped at a very -pleasant Illinois town and the conductor told the young folk they would -have at least two hours to wait.</p> - -<p>“Goody-good!” exclaimed Tavia. “Let’s run and see if we can get some -candy at a decent price, Doro. The candy-butcher aboard this train is a -highway-robber.”</p> - -<p>“I can beat that for a suggestion,” Nat said. “Why not find a place -where we can get something beside this buffet stuff to eat. I haven’t -the heart to eat all I want to in the dining-car.”</p> - -<p>“Why not?” asked Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“It costs so much.”</p> - -<p>“Come on,” agreed Ned. “We’ll go foraging.”</p> - -<p>“Be sure you get back in time, children,” ordered Aunt Winnie.</p> - -<p>But she expected Dorothy to keep her wits about her, whether the rest -of them did or not. Near the railroad station there was nothing that -appealed to Dorothy and Tavia—no restaurant, at least. But up a clean, -bright little side street<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">47</a></span> from the public square they saw a small, -white painted house, with green doors and green window frames. Over the -one big window beside the open door was a sign that read:</p> - -<p class="center">ORIENTAL LUNCH ROOM</p> - -<p>“That looks nice,” said Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“And look at that dear, old, <em>clean</em> colored Mammy!” gasped Tavia.</p> - -<p>On the platform before the little restaurant was a large colored woman -with a crimson bandana on her head, a spotless dress and white apron, -and her sleeves rolled up to her fat elbows.</p> - -<p>“I bet she can cook,” quoth Ned, with assurance.</p> - -<p>“We’ll give the Oriental a whirl,” agreed Nat.</p> - -<p>But just as they were crossing the street to go to the place, Tavia -suddenly exclaimed: “Oh! there’s somebody in there.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what of it?” asked Ned.</p> - -<p>“It’s hardly big enough for us. Let’s wait till that man comes out. I -don’t like his looks, anyway. He has his hat on,” declared Tavia.</p> - -<p>They all saw the man in question. He was a black-browed and -broad-hatted stranger, and he sat at a table in the little eating -place, staring out through the window with a frown on his brow. He was -not an attractive looking man at all.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">48</a></span> -“I bet he has a bad conscience!” exclaimed Nat.</p> - -<p>“Or indigestion,” chimed in his brother.</p> - -<p>“He won’t eat us,” said Dorothy, doubtfully. “If we do go in——”</p> - -<p>“I say, Mammy!” cried Tavia, to the smiling colored woman. “Do you do -the cooking?”</p> - -<p>“’Deed an’ I do, Missie,” declared the woman. “An’ I got de freshes’ -catfish dat eber come out o’ de ribber. An’ light beaten’ biscuit—an’ -co’npone, an’ all de odder fixin’s.”</p> - -<p>“Sounds good to me,” said Nat, smacking his lips.</p> - -<p>“But can’t we have the place to ourselves?” complained Tavia. “If that -man was only gone!”</p> - -<p>“Yo’ mean Cunnel Pike?” whispered the colored woman. “He comes yere -befo’. He’s er-gwine out on dat train wot’s stalled down yander——”</p> - -<p>“That’s the train we’re going out on,” Tavia declared. “Like enough -he’ll stay here till it goes.”</p> - -<p>“But we can eat in there if he is present,” said Dorothy, again. She -knew just how stubborn Tavia was when she got an idea in her head.</p> - -<p>“We’ll get him out! I’ll tell you,” gasped Tavia, suddenly.</p> - -<p>“How?” demanded the others, in chorus.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">49</a></span> -“No, I won’t. Only Nat. I’ll tell <em>him</em>. You can order the meal, Ned, -and while it is being cooked we’ll fix it so that horrid man will -leave. Come on, Nat.”</p> - -<p>Nat went off with her. The others were doubtful of her scheme, but they -were hungry. So Ned instructed the colored woman as to the repast and -then he and Dorothy sat down on the steps to wait for developments.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Tavia led Nat back to the main square of the village. “Run, -get me a telegraph blank from the station,” she ordered, and Nat, -without question, did as he was bade.</p> - -<p>Tavia quickly wrote a message and addressed it to “Colonel Pike, -Oriental Lunch Room,” with the name of the town appended. “Now,” she -said to Nat, “I dare you to send this message,” and her eyes danced.</p> - -<p>Nat read it through once, looked puzzled, and then read it twice and -grinned—the grin expanding as the full significance of the joke -penetrated his mind.</p> - -<p>“Crickey-Jiminy!” he exclaimed. “But if they tell him?”</p> - -<p>“Telegraph operators are not supposed to tell. Instruct this one not to -do so, Nat. Now, I dare you!”</p> - -<p>“You can’t dare me,” boasted Nat, and hurried back to the station. When -he returned they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">50</a></span> strolled on to the Oriental Lunch Room once more and -rejoined Ned and Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Now! whatever have you been doing, Tavia?” demanded Dorothy.</p> - -<p>Tavia could not help giggling. “Just you wait and see,” she said.</p> - -<p>“I hope you didn’t let her do anything very bad,” Dorothy said to Nat.</p> - -<p>“I helped her do something mighty smart,” returned her cousin, looking -with admiration at pretty Tavia.</p> - -<p>Just then a boy with a Western Union cap came up and went into the -little restaurant. “Say!” he demanded of the black-browed man. “Are you -Pike?”</p> - -<p>“Am I <em>what</em>?” asked the man, in a hoarse voice.</p> - -<p>“Cunnel Pike’s the name,” said the boy. “And right at this restaurant.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! a telegram?” demanded the man, in surprise. “Well, that’s my -name,” and he put his hand out for the envelope.</p> - -<p>“Sign here,” said the boy, and after he had gotten the signature in his -book he gave up the message and went out.</p> - -<p>“Look!” gasped Tavia, clinging to Dorothy’s hand.</p> - -<p>All four of the young people watched covertly the man behind the -window. They saw him tear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">51</a></span> open the envelope and read the message -curiously. Then his heavy, dark face changed and curiosity was blended -first with amazement and then with something very like fear.</p> - -<p>He started to tear the message up. Then he got to his feet and his face -began to pale. Dorothy and the others watched him in wonder and some -alarm.</p> - -<p>Finally the man grabbed his hat brim and pulled it down over his eyes. -He strode out of the place and down the steps, without looking at the -boys and girls, and started straight for the railroad station.</p> - -<p>As he went his trembling fingers relaxed and the telegraph message -dropped at Dorothy’s feet.</p> - -<p>“What do you know about that?” whispered Nat. “We sent him that -message.”</p> - -<p>“What?” demanded Dorothy, and snatched it up.</p> - -<p>She uncrumpled the sheet of yellow paper and read in the crooked -letters of the old typewriter which the local operator used:</p> - -<blockquote> -<p class="center">“Come home at once. All is forgiven.”</p> -</blockquote> - -<p>“Tavia Travers!” cried Dorothy. Then she burst into laughter, and so -did Ned when he had read the slip of paper.</p> - -<p>“I believe I have done a very good thing,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">52</a></span> claimed Tavia, quite -seriously. “No wonder that old Colonel Pike looked like a ‘grouch.’ -He had trouble on his mind, and now we’ve sent him home to get it all -straightened out.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Tavia!” groaned Dorothy again.</p> - -<p>“I’d give a good bit to be at his home—if he goes there—and see what -happens,” Ned said, when he had ceased laughing.</p> - -<p>“Anyway,” grinned Nat, “the ‘bogey man’ is gone and we can take -possession of the Oriental Lunch Room.”</p> - -<p>Which they forthwith proceeded to do. The old colored woman served them -a delicious meal, and added to their enjoyment of it by her comments -upon many things, not the least of which was her wonder as to “what tuk -Cunnel Pike out o’ yere so suddent like.”</p> - -<p>The gay little party left the restaurant in good season and rejoined -Aunt Winnie aboard the train. They saw nothing more of the man called -“Cunnel” Pike. Another train had just gotten away for the East and -Tavia said:</p> - -<p>“I tell you he has gone home. We did a very good action—probably have -changed the current of his whole life.”</p> - -<p>“Like to peek over the shoulder of the Recording Angel, Tavia, and see -what’s marked down against you for that telegram—eh?” chuckled Ned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">53</a></span> -“Well!” declared Dorothy, “I hope when he gets home they will be as -glad to see him as that message intimated.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I shouldn’t worry and get wrinkled!” shrugged Tavia.</p> - -<p>“I guess we’ll never know about that,” said Ned.</p> - -<p>“It’s like one of those serial stories in the papers, ‘continued in our -next’—and you always miss your copy of the next number,” said Nat. -“I’ve a dozen different plots ‘hanging fire’ in my mind that I never -will get to know how they finish up.”</p> - -<p>“Learn to read books, then,” advised his brother, “and stop littering -up your mind with such useless stuff.”</p> - -<p>“Wow!” exclaimed Nat. “You talk like Professor Grubber. Oh, I say! Did -you hear of that one they had on Old Grubs in class one day? He was -discussing organic and inorganic kingdoms. Says he:</p> - -<p>“‘Now, if I should shut my eyes—so—and drop my head—so—and remain -perfectly still, you would say I was a clod. But I move. I leap. Then -what do you call me?’</p> - -<p>“And Poley Gray says, quite solemnly, ‘A clodhopper, sir.’ It got them -all,” concluded the slangy Nat. “Even Old Grubs himself had to laugh.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">54</a></span> -After that two-hour hold-up of their train the party found that the -speed at which they traveled was greatly increased. Each engineer in -turn tried to make up a bit of that handicap, and the travelers were -tossed about in their berths that night in rather a disturbing manner.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Petterby would not have gone to bed at all had it not been for -Dorothy’s encouragement; she would have sat up with her pullet in her -lap, and her bonnet firmly tied under her chin.</p> - -<p>“I’m ever expectin’ to have this train crash right into another,” said -the old lady. “And I want to be ready for it.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think you’ll be any more ready sitting up than you will be -lying down, dear Mrs. Petterby?” Dorothy asked.</p> - -<p>“Seems as if I would,” returned the old lady. “I tell you what! I -sha’n’t come out to see my baby no more. I shall tell him that. And I -dread the going back.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you will like Colorado so much that you will want to stay.”</p> - -<p>“What? And never see Rand’s Falls, Massachusetts, again?” exclaimed -Mrs. Petterby, in horror. “I—guess—not.”</p> - -<p>“I hope we shall see her baby when she meets him,” Doro said, tenderly. -“And I hope he’s all she expects him to be.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">55</a></span> -“A cow-puncher at forty-five a month,” sniffed Nat.</p> - -<p>“Oh! but cowboys are awfully romantic,” said Tavia, quickly.</p> - -<p>“Look out for her, Dot,” begged Ned. “You’ll have to blindfold her to -get her past any cow-punching outfit we may meet. I can see that.”</p> - -<p>On the following day when the train crossed the first ranges and -they beheld little bunches of five hundred or a thousand head of -“longhorns,” Tavia went into raptures.</p> - -<p>The four young folk from the East remained upon the observation -platform most of the time. Even after supper the girls went back there -to view the prairies in the gloaming.</p> - -<p>There was a distant light here and there, like a low-hung star; but -there were few towns, or even settlements. Suddenly the train slowed -down and they saw several switch-targets. Then they passed the ghostly -fence of a large corral, and they ran by a barn-like, darkened station -and freight sheds.</p> - -<p>The train stopped altogether. The girls saw the flagman seize his -lantern and run back to set his signal. “Come on!” exclaimed Tavia. -“He’s left the gate open.”</p> - -<p>She gave Dorothy no time to decide, but ran<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">56</a></span> lightly down the steps -herself and sprang onto the cinder path. Dorothy followed.</p> - -<p>“Listen!” whispered Tavia, seizing her chum’s hand, tightly. “Hear the -night breathe.”</p> - -<p>There did seem to be a vast, curious sound to the inhalation of breath.</p> - -<p>Dorothy listened to the sound with a wonder that grew. It was not the -engine exhaust. It was a sound like nothing she had ever heard before.</p> - -<p>“See! there’s another big corral beyond the station,” Tavia said. “Come -on!”</p> - -<p>She led Dorothy down the platform, and out upon the softly giving earth.</p> - -<p>The headstrong Tavia went directly toward the high fence. The regular, -rhythmic breathing seemed to surround them.</p> - -<p>Of a sudden, something scrambled against the fence before them. There -was a bump against the bars, and two shining eyes transfixed them.</p> - -<p>The engine gave a single long-drawn shriek. Instantly the car wheels -began to turn, while from the creature inside the corral fence came a -bellow.</p> - -<p>“Goodness me!” shrieked Tavia. “It’s cattle—the corral’s full of -cattle.”</p> - -<p>“That isn’t the worst of it!” returned Dorothy, grabbing her hand and -starting to run. “We’re being left behind, Tavia Travers!”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">57</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="vii" id="vii"></a><span>CHAPTER VII</span><br /> -<small>A NIGHT WITH A KNIGHT</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Well!</span> I wouldn’t talk as though it had never happened before to -anybody,” said Tavia, at last. “Why! even we, Doro, have been left -behind before.</p> - -<p>“Still, I grant you, we were never left before behind a fast express, -which was speeding your aunt and the boys away from us so rapidly that -we will be miles and miles behind before they discover our absence.”</p> - -<p>“If, however, they learn that we are behind before they reach——”</p> - -<p>“<em>Stop!</em>” commanded Dorothy, dropping down beside the track and -covering her ears. “If you say that again, I’ll certainly do something -to you.”</p> - -<p>They had followed the train down the long platform, screaming to the -flagman to pull the signal cord. He had not heard them. He had merely -closed the gate and gone into the car.</p> - -<p>Here Dorothy Dale and Tavia Travers were,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">58</a></span> deserted at this un-named -prairie station, where—to all appearances—there was not a soul.</p> - -<p>“And if anyone <em>is</em> here, I expect I shall be scared to death,” -admitted Tavia, sitting down beside her chum.</p> - -<p>It was so dark that only the vastness of the earth and sky was made -known to them—and that but vaguely. Stars twinkled above their heads, -but seemingly so high that, as Tavia complained, they did not seem like -“the stars at home, back East!”</p> - -<p>Sitting facing the railroad tracks, they saw no lights but the switch -targets. There was no tower here, nor did there seem to be any life -at all about the railroad property. Why the express train had stopped -here, to tempt them to disembark, the girls could not imagine.</p> - -<p>They were sitting close up against the great corral fence. The deep -breathing of the herd was like the distant, low notes of an organ; the -girls were not now interested in the manifestation of the presence of -such a great number of cattle. But the cattle were curious.</p> - -<p>Another came and snorted behind them, and Dorothy and Tavia scrambled -up in a hurry. “They sound just as savage as bears,” declared Tavia.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see why they have all deserted the cattle,” murmured Dorothy. -“I should think there would be a night watch.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">59</a></span> -“And all the railroad people have deserted, too.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear!” said Dorothy. “We can’t even send a telegram after the -train to tell Aunt Winnie we are all right.”</p> - -<p>“But that wouldn’t be true,” said Tavia, shivering. “We are <em>not</em> all -right.”</p> - -<p>“We-ell,” said her friend, slowly. “I don’t expect there is anything -here to hurt us.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all right. Maybe there isn’t. But I never <em>did</em> like to be -alone in a strange place. I want to be introduced to folks.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe there is a cowboy camp near——”</p> - -<p>“Bully! let’s find it!” ejaculated Tavia.</p> - -<p>“But you wouldn’t know the cowboys. They’d all be strange men.”</p> - -<p>“Well! Cowboys are so romantic,” urged Tavia. “Let’s look.”</p> - -<p>“You can use your eyes as well as I can,” sighed Dorothy. “But I must -say the prospect for finding anybody in this half darkness is not very -alluring.”</p> - -<p>They started, following the line of the corral fence away from the -station. Dorothy was convinced there was no telegraph operator there, -and the barn-like building looked more dreary and threatening than did -the open prairie. So they were glad to get away from it.</p> - -<p>The fence seemed unending. Occasionally a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">60</a></span> beast faced them, glaring -with eyes like hot coals, and pawing the earth. But the fence looked -strong.</p> - -<p>They were not booted for walking, however, and the ground was uneven. -So they hobbled on very slowly.</p> - -<p>Tavia seized Dorothy’s arm. “Oh! what’s that?”</p> - -<p>“Now, don’t you begin scaring me,” commanded Dorothy. “Oh!”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t I tell you?”</p> - -<p>“A man on horseback.”</p> - -<p>They could see him between them and the skyline. He was riding slowly, -and riding toward them. The girls hugged close to the fence and their -dark traveling frocks were not noticeable.</p> - -<p>The horseman drew nearer. The girls, clinging together, saw that he -wore a wide hat and sheepskin chaps that looked like a woman’s divided -skirt, they were so wide.</p> - -<p>His pony pranced and snorted, doubtless scenting the girls. But the man -spoke a soothing word and did not even gather up the reins that lay -loose on the animal’s neck.</p> - -<p>His voice had a pleasant, drawling tone to it. “Easy, there, Gaby—yuh -shore ain’t gettin’ no thousand plunks er night for dancing yere—no, -Ma’am! Stan’ still a moment, Gaby.”</p> - -<p>Then a spark flared up and the girls knew the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">61</a></span> cowboy had been rolling -a cigarette and was now lighting it.</p> - -<p>“Sh!” breathed Dorothy. “Watch his face.”</p> - -<p>The match flared up, held in the hollow of his hand. The yellow glare -of it fell full upon the cowboy’s face.</p> - -<p>That was what Dorothy had waited for. She wanted to see what manner of -face it was before she spoke—<em>if</em> she spoke at all.</p> - -<p>It was a bronzed, beardless, rather reckless countenance; but there was -nothing bad in its expression, and if the features were not strikingly -handsome they were pleasant. The mouth and eyes laughed too easily, -perhaps; but Dorothy risked it. <a name="frontispiece" id="frontispiece"></a>She -walked right up to the pony’s surprised head.</p> - -<p>“Please!” she said.</p> - -<p>The match went out. So did the spark of the cigarette, as it dropped -from the man’s fingers.</p> - -<p>“Jerusha Juniper!” gasped the man. “I got ’em!”</p> - -<p>“Will you please listen?” asked Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“A gal—and a gal from back East—shore! Why, yes, Ma’am! I’ll listen -tuh yuh,” said the amazed cowboy.</p> - -<p>Just then Tavia joined her chum and the man muttered: “There’s two on -’em—Jerusha Juniper!”</p> - -<p>“Please help us, sir,” pleaded Dorothy again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">62</a></span> -“I shore will, Miss,” declared the cowboy. “But yuh did tee-totally -sup-prise me—yes, Ma’am!”</p> - -<p>Tavia began to giggle. “I guess you’re not used to meeting ladies -around here?” she questioned, saucily.</p> - -<p>“Jerusha Juniper! I reckon we ain’t; not around here.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know, for sure,” said the wicked Tavia; “hearing you take a -lady’s name in vain so frequently, you know. Is she a friend of yours?”</p> - -<p>“Who, Ma’am?” asked the puzzled cowboy, while Dorothy tugged at Tavia’s -sleeve.</p> - -<p>“‘Miss Jerusha Juniper’—or is she a ‘Mrs.’?”</p> - -<p>The man laughed heartily at that and urged his pony nearer to the two -girls.</p> - -<p>“We see so few females out here we hafter talk about ’em, and name -critters after ’em, and all that.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” said Tavia, quite assured of herself now.</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear!” interrupted Dorothy, anxiously. “All this isn’t getting us -anywhere.”</p> - -<p>“Jeru—— Well!” said the man. “Where do yuh want tuh go?”</p> - -<p>“Why, we’ve been left behind,” said Dorothy, and then she fully -explained their predicament.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">63</a></span> -The cowboy, who was a young fellow, grasped the situation at once.</p> - -<p>“You won’t git even a slow train out o’ yere before noon to-morrer,” he -said. “And ’twixt now and then you’d be mighty uncomfortable, I reckon. -There ain’t nawthin’ yere but a boardin’ shack, an’ there ain’t a woman -ever stops thar only Miz’ Little, whose old man runs the shack and -keeps the corral yere.”</p> - -<p>“Goodness!” gasped Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Gracious!” gasped Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Oh, they’re nice folks, but they ain’t fixed right to entertain -ladies,” said the man.</p> - -<p>“And we don’t want to be entertained,” wailed Dorothy. “We want to get -on.”</p> - -<p>“Shore you do,” granted the cowboy. “No other good train on this -road, as I say. If you follered by slow trains you’d never catch that -flyer—not in a dawg’s age.”</p> - -<p>“What <em>can</em> we do, then?” demanded Dorothy. “Can’t we even telegraph?”</p> - -<p>“Now, I’ll fix that for yuh, first of all,” declared the man. “The -operator lives at Little’s shack. We’ll rout him out and make him tell -your folks on that train that you’ll overtake ’em at Sessions.”</p> - -<p>“But how can we?” asked Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Sessions is a junction of this line and the old D. & C. Yuh see, I -know this country pretty well.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">64</a></span> I’m over yere for the Double Chain -Outfit right now, shipping cows, and I was startin’ back to-morrer, -anyway. I’ll git you ladies ponies, and we’ll start for Killock -to-night.”</p> - -<p>“Where’s Killock?” asked Dorothy, doubtfully.</p> - -<p>The cowboy pointed vaguely across the prairie. “Right over -thar—that-a-way,” he said. “It’s on the D. & C. There’s a fast train -stops thar at five in the morning. If we make a pretty quick get-away -we’ll easy make it in time, and you’ll ketch your folks at Sessions.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that will be jolly!” cried Tavia.</p> - -<p>“But, Tavia!” gasped Dorothy. “How can we ride—in these frocks?”</p> - -<p>“Side saddle?” queried her chum, doubtfully. “Why not?”</p> - -<p>“We’d never be able to hang on,” groaned Dorothy, “without a proper -riding habit!”</p> - -<p>Here the cowboy interrupted. “There isn’t a lady’s saddle in this neck -o’ woods. But I can find easy mounts and easy saddles for you. An’ Miz’ -Little will let you have skirts. You can send them back with the ponies -from Killock.”</p> - -<p>“You think of everything!” exclaimed Tavia, gratefully.</p> - -<p>Dorothy Dale was doubtful. She had trusted the man’s face and his -manner, still——</p> - -<p>“Come on, now, to Miz’ Little,” said the cowboy,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">65</a></span> frankly. “I’ll rout -’em out and we’ll be on the jog in half an hour, ladies.”</p> - -<p>The man’s free and familiar way troubled Dorothy more than anything -else. Yet, she knew that this was the West and that western ways were -not eastern ways. And there was a woman they could talk to, at least!</p> - -<p>So she and Tavia, hand in hand, followed behind the cowboy. He had -dismounted, but the track would not allow of their walking abreast. And -he made as slow progress in his high-heeled riding boots as the girls -did, over the rough way.</p> - -<p>Their eyes were more accustomed to the path now, or else it was not so -dark. However, they could not have mistaken the bulk of the cowboy and -that of the pony, before them.</p> - -<p>It certainly was a strange experience. Two eastern girls thrown -suddenly into a situation of this character! An unknown protector, an -unknown locality, and unknown adventures before them.</p> - -<p>“What an experience!” breathed the delighted Tavia. “And he’s a regular -knight.”</p> - -<p>“Is he?”</p> - -<p>“A knight of the lariat,” whispered Tavia. “It’s so romantic.”</p> - -<p>“I am glad you like it,” said Dorothy, grimly.</p> - -<p>“Why! don’t you, Dorothy Dale?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">66</a></span> -“I would give a good deal to be back aboard that train with Aunt -Winnie.”</p> - -<p>“Never!” cried Tavia.</p> - -<p>“All right there, ladies?” threw back the “knight” over his shoulder. -“There’s the light ahead.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! we are perfectly all right,” said Tavia, with assurance.</p> - -<p>Dorothy was not at all sure, so she said nothing.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes they came to a long, low building. There was a dim -light shining through a window in the end of the shack.</p> - -<p>The cowboy dropped his pony’s bridle-rein upon the ground and the -well-trained animal stood still. The “knight” knocked on the door and -at once a fierce voice asked:</p> - -<p>“Who’s thar?”</p> - -<p>“Lance,” said the man.</p> - -<p>“Well. I told you Number Eight was empty, Lance.”</p> - -<p>“I ain’t goin’ to stay, Miz’ Little.”</p> - -<p>“Aw-right,” pursued the same gruff voice, which the girls could -scarcely believe was a woman’s. “I’ll let the nex’ pilgrim thet comes -erlong have it.”</p> - -<p>“I gotter see yuh,” said the cowboy. “Git up, will yuh?”</p> - -<p>“What yuh want, Lance?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">67</a></span> -“Come yere. Land’s sake! S’pose I’m talkin’ for pleasure?”</p> - -<p>A couch squeaked. There was immediately a heavy footstep on the -creaking plank floor. The girls were rather startled. They wondered if -the savage sounding female was coming to the door just as she got out -of bed?</p> - -<p>But “Miz’ Little” had evidently been lying down dressed. When the door -opened she was revealed in a shapeless dark gown. Only, her head and -feet were bare.</p> - -<p>She was a gigantic creature—a good deal bigger than the cowboy who had -befriended the girls. Dorothy saw at once that she had a very kindly -face, despite her masculine appearance.</p> - -<p>“I vow!” she said, starting. “Ladies with you, Lance?”</p> - -<p>“Yep. And they want to git on to Killock to-night. They’ll tell you all -about it. I’m goin’ to rout out that thar key-pusher.”</p> - -<p>“He’s in Number Six,” said Mrs. Little. Then to the girls: “Come in. -Gals are yere erbout as often as angels—an’ I ain’t never hearn -<em>their</em> wings yit.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy and Tavia entered—yet not without some hesitancy. The room was -large, and almost bare of furnishings. There was a broad bed, and on it -Mrs. Little had been lying. But there was no other occupant of it, or -of the room.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">68</a></span> -There was a small cookstove, a chest of drawers, a clock on the shelf, -and a picture of Washington crossing the Delaware on the wall. One -rocker had a tidy on the back of it, but the other plain deal chairs -were entirely undecorated.</p> - -<p>The woman herself, however, drew Dorothy Dale’s attention. She was very -curious as to what manner of creature she could be—this masculine and -gruff spoken female.</p> - -<p>In the lamplight Dorothy had a better view of Mrs. Little’s face. Mrs. -Little did not have a single pretty or attractive feature, but the girl -from the East would have trusted her with anything she possessed!</p> - -<p>Mrs. Little looked closely into the faces of both girls. She saw -something shining in Dorothy’s eyes.</p> - -<p>“Why, chile!” she gasped. “You ain’t re’lly afraid, be yuh?”</p> - -<p>Dorothy seized the big, hard hand the woman put out to her. There was -help in that hand—and comfort. Tavia appeared not to care, but Dorothy -Dale knew that her chum was just as much disturbed in secret over the -situation as she was herself.</p> - -<p>In rather a breathless way Dorothy told Mrs. Little of the -circumstances leading up to their predicament, and her new friend -listened sympathetically. “Don’t that beat all?” was her comment.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">69</a></span> “And -I expect your folks is scaret, too. But you do like Lance says——”</p> - -<p>“Is Lance to be trusted, Mrs. Little?” asked Dorothy, eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Lance? Shore! Ef you was both my darters I’d trust yuh with Lance. -Men is tuh be trusted with gals out yere. They hafter be. Wimmen is -scurce—homes air far apart—a lone woman has a claim on a man in the -wild places that she don’t have in cities. Shore!</p> - -<p>“That’s what it is, Miss. It takes an out an’ out vilyun to be mean -to a woman or a gal w’en there ain’t a mite of protection for her -otherwise. Shore! Most western men, I ’low, air to be trusted.”</p> - -<p>But Dorothy and Tavia thought of Philo Marsh, and took this broad -statement with a grain of salt. Or was it, that Mr. Marsh, even, would -have been chivalrous under the present conditions?</p> - -<p>Dorothy was satisfied that the cowboy called Lance was a man to be -depended upon. She had really believed in him from the start; now she -believed even more in Mrs. Little, who stood sponsor for him.</p> - -<p>Almost at once Lance reappeared with a sleepy man whom he had evidently -gotten out of bed.</p> - -<p>“Write your message, Ma’am,” said the cowboy, “and this man will -send it. Make it re’l<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">70</a></span> strong. We’ll ketch ’em at Sessions by noon -to-morrer. They kin stop over an’ wait a while for yuh.</p> - -<p>“Their tickets will be good on the D. & C. I’ve often done it myself. -And yuh’ll all be in Dugonne to-morrer night, anyway, so it won’t -matter erbout your berth coupons.”</p> - -<p>It was evident that Lance had traveled some and knew his way about. Now -he hurried away for the horses while Dorothy wrote the message to be -sent after the flying train. It was not yet an hour since Dorothy and -Tavia had left the observation car.</p> - -<p>Fortunately Dorothy had her handbag with her, and the purse in it was -well supplied with money. She asked the operator to count the words of -the message, and paid him for it on the spot.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Mrs. Little had made coffee and she insisted upon the girls -having some and sampling her cake. When Lance came with the mounts he -was likewise regaled, standing in the doorway.</p> - -<p>A chill wind was blowing off the prairie, but not a cloud was to be -seen. The sky was thickly speckled with stars.</p> - -<p>“You’re going to have a right pleasant ride,” prophesied Mrs. Little, -producing two of her own voluminous skirts for the girls.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">71</a></span> -She helped them tuck up their own frocks neatly and arranged the skirts -about them after they were mounted.</p> - -<p>“Everybody rides a-straddle out yere,” said the good lady, laughing. -“An’ yuh kin cling on better. Yuh got some ridin’ tuh do b’fore yuh -reach Killock. It’s fifty mile.</p> - -<p>“Now, Lance, don’t yuh be reckless. Ef anythin’ happens tuh these gals -I’ll be in yuh wool, an’ no mistake!”</p> - -<p>“Huh! nawthin’s goin’ tuh happen to them,” laughed Lance. “How erbout -<em>me</em>? I eat two slabs of that cake o’ yourn, Miz’ Little, an’ I expect -Gaby will bog right down with me inside of a mile, I’ll be so heavy.”</p> - -<p>“Git erlong with yuh!” retorted Mrs. Little, used to the cowboys’ rough -jokes. “It’s better cake than that Chinaman makes you at the Double -Chain Outfit, I vow!”</p> - -<p>After that they rode off into the night, with the “knight of the -lariat.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">72</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="viii" id="viii"></a><span>CHAPTER VIII</span><br /> -<small>THE NIGHT ADVENTURE CONTINUED</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> little cavalcade had to cross the tracks and the crossing was -beside the telegraph office.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if he has caught Aunt Winnie’s train yet?” said Dorothy, -aloud.</p> - -<p>“We’ll see about that, Miss,” said Lance, the cowboy, and he pulled in -and shouted for the operator:</p> - -<p>“Hey, Bill!”</p> - -<p>The window opened and the frowsy head of the telegraph man appeared.</p> - -<p>“Ketch Number Seventy yet?” asked the cowboy.</p> - -<p>“Just. At Massapeke. Your folks has got your message by this time, -ladies.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, thank you!” cried Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“A thousand times,” added Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Come on,” said Lance. “Goo’night, Bill!”</p> - -<p>“Goo’night!” responded the operator, and slammed down the window.</p> - -<p>They rattled over the crossing and then the ponies set into an easy -trot, led by the cowboy’s Gaby.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">73</a></span> -Dorothy Dale and Tavia Travers had both learned to ride when they were -much younger. Indeed, Tavia had learned to ride bareback upon the -horses left out to pasture around Dalton, in the days when she was a -regular tomboy.</p> - -<p>The action of these cow ponies was easy, and the girls enjoyed the -strange ride during the first few miles, at least. They had ridden with -divided skirts at home; therefore their present position in the saddle -was not as strange to them as it might have been.</p> - -<p>But there were fifty miles to travel when they left Mrs. Little’s. “It -looks like an awfully big contract,” admitted Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Yuh ain’t got tuh look at it all tuh once, Miss,” said Lance, -good-naturedly. “Yuh take it mile by mile, an’ it ain’t so far.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” declared Tavia. “I never thought of that.” Then to Dorothy -she whispered. “Isn’t he just splendid? And how sweetly he drawls his -words?”</p> - -<p>“Now, Tavia!” gasped Dorothy. “If you don’t behave yourself——”</p> - -<p>“Why, I am!” cried Tavia. “I think you are too particular for anything, -Doro. Didn’t that large <em>Little</em> lady tell us he was perfectly all -right?”</p> - -<p>Dorothy was being jounced around too much just then to make reply. But -she saw that Tavia<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">74</a></span> had recovered completely from her “scare” and was -looking for mischief.</p> - -<p>Out on the open prairie the stars gave light enough for the girls to -see Lance better. The track was broader, too, and the trio continued -on, side by side, the cowboy riding between the two girls.</p> - -<p>Lance was not a bad looking young man at all. Dorothy began to realize, -too, that he was nowhere near as old as she had at first supposed. His -out of door life had given him that air of maturity.</p> - -<p>So, it troubled Dorothy when she saw that Tavia was determined to -“buzz” the cowboy.</p> - -<p>“Are you a really, truly cowboy?” the irrepressible asked, demurely.</p> - -<p>“Well, yuh might call me that, Ma’am, though I wasn’t borned to it like -some of these old-timers yuh’ll meet out yere.”</p> - -<p>“Then you are not a native of the West?”</p> - -<p>“Now you’ve said something, Ma’am. I come from back East; but t’was -quite some time ago—believe me!”</p> - -<p>“You must have been very young when you came out here—to seek your -fortune, I suppose?” pursued Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Tuh git cl’ar of my old man’s strap,” chuckled Lance. “He and I didn’t -hitch wuth a cent. But he was a good old feller at that.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">75</a></span> -“And you never went back?” asked Dorothy, becoming interested herself.</p> - -<p>“Never got the time for it. Yuh see, Miss, it does seem as though a man -never gets caught up with his work. That’s so!”</p> - -<p>“I should think you’d be homesick—want to see your folks,” the -insistent Tavia said.</p> - -<p>“Jerusha Juniper! My fam’bly was right glad to git shet of me, I -reckon; all but my mother. But I reckon she’s too old to travel out -yere, an’, as I say, it’s hard for a man like me to git time and money -both together for a vacation. I ’low I’d like to see the ol’ lady right -well,” he concluded.</p> - -<p>Scarcely had he spoken when a rattle of ponies’ hoofs behind them -startled their own spirited mounts. The ponies tried to “break” and -run, too, as they heard the rat-tat-tat of the hoofs approaching.</p> - -<p>“Whoa, thar, Gaby!” commanded Lance. “Ain’t yuh got a bit o’ sense?” -Then to Dorothy and Tavia he shouted: “Pull hard on them bits, ladies. -They got mouths like sheet-iron—an’ that ain’t no dream!”</p> - -<p>The girls pulled their ponies in, as instructed. As they did so two -other ponies appeared beside them in the trail. The girls from the East -could identify the riders as a man and a girl.</p> - -<p>“Jerusha Juniper!” yelled Lance, stopping<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">76</a></span> Gaby from bolting with some -difficulty and swinging her across the path of the eastern girls’ -mounts, so as to halt them. “Jerusha Juniper! what yuh tryin’ tuh do? -Comin’ cavortin’ along the trail this a-way?”</p> - -<p>“Is that you, Lance?” asked the man.</p> - -<p>“It shore is—an’ two ladies,” said the cow-puncher, proudly.</p> - -<p>“Don’t tell ’em we come this way, Lance,” called a shriller voice, -which Dorothy knew must belong to the girl, as the couple passed and -urged their ponies to a gallop.</p> - -<p>“Jerusha Juniper! is it you, Colt—and you, Molly Crater? I’ll be -blessed! Tell on yuh? Reckon not—ef Colt’s fin’lly got up his spunk -tuh take yuh right from under the ol’ man’s nose, Molly.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! what is it?” cried Tavia.</p> - -<p>Lance began to laugh—and he laughed loudly, sagging from side to side -in his saddle.</p> - -<p>“’Scuse me, Ma’am!” he finally got breath to say. “But ef that ain’t -th’ beatenes’!”</p> - -<p>“Maybe it is,” said Tavia, with sarcasm. “But until you are a little -more explicit, Mr. Lance, I don’t see how we can join in your hilarity.”</p> - -<p>“Ain’t it so?” drawled Lance, still bubbling over with laughter.</p> - -<p>“Do be still, Tavia!” exclaimed Dorothy, admonishingly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">77</a></span> “Give Mr. -Lance a chance to tell us.”</p> - -<p>“And that I shore will do,” chuckled the cowboy, as they jogged on -again. “I plumb believe the whole county will laugh to-morrer—that is, -if Colt carries it through.”</p> - -<p>“Carries <em>what</em> through?” demanded Tavia, sharply.</p> - -<p>“Did yuh see that feller an’ gal?” began Lance, in his slow drawl. -“That thar is Jim Colt and Peleg Crater’s darter, Molly. Peleg’s a -pizen critter as ever was; but Molly’s jest as sweet an’ purty as a May -mawnin’—an’ that’s goin’ <em>some</em>.</p> - -<p>“Wal, this here Jim Colt has been sparkin’ on Molly for a dawg’s -age—yes, Ma’am! That pizen critter, Peleg, done drove him off his -farm—Peleg’s a nestor—time an’ time ag’in. Ain’t a single livin’ -thing the matter with the boy; but Peleg don’t wanter lose his -housekeeper. Works that Molly gal like a reg’lar slave.</p> - -<p>“Wal! the last time, I hear, Peleg chased Colt with a shotgun, and -purt’ nigh blowed the boy as full of holes as a colander.”</p> - -<p>“How awful!” gasped Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“What larks!” was Tavia’s comment.</p> - -<p>“Guess the smell o’ powder sort o’ put spunk intuh Colt. He’s got th’ -gal tuh-night and they’re racin’ for a parson.”</p> - -<p>“To get married?” cried Dorothy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">78</a></span> -“An elopement?” was Tavia’s delighted cry.</p> - -<p>“Shorest thing you know,” agreed Lance.</p> - -<p>“My! I’d like to see them married,” cried Tavia.</p> - -<p>“And is her father following them, do you suppose, Mr. Lance?” asked -Dorothy Dale, anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Ef he knows they’ve started you kin bet he’s after ’em—hot foot! -Unless Colt throwed an’ tied him fust,” added Lance.</p> - -<p>“Mercy! is that somebody coming behind us now?” asked Tavia, delighted -at this entirely new source of interest.</p> - -<p>But this was a false alarm. The three did ride faster, however, -although Lance warned the girls that the distance to Killock was too -far for them to hurry the ponies much.</p> - -<p>“These yere cayuses air all tuh th’ good,” declared the cowboy. “But -there ain’t no use in runnin’ their leetle legs off right now. Somebody -else may wanter use ’em after we git through.”</p> - -<p>“But that eloping couple were tearing away as fast as they could go,” -complained Tavia.</p> - -<p>“I ’low a shotgun in the rear will make a man ride fast,” chuckled -Lance.</p> - -<p>“Aren’t they going to the same town we are?” asked Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Killock? No, Ma’am! There’s Parson Hedwith<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">79</a></span> at Branch Coulie—Jerusha -Juniper! I bet they ain’t even goin’ thar,” ejaculated Lance, with -revived interest. “Hop erlong, Gaby! Push on, ladies. Ef yuh wanter see -thet thar marriage, mebbe we kin make it, after all. I bet they air -bound for Bill Whistler’s.”</p> - -<p>“Who is he?” asked Tavia. “Somebody like the blacksmith at Gretna -Green?”</p> - -<p>“Never hearn tell of <em>him</em>, Ma’am; an’ a blacksmith ain’t qualified -tuh marry in this state. But Bill Whistler is. He’s just been made a -Justice of the Peace.”</p> - -<p>“A ‘Squire’!” cried Tavia. “So’s my father.”</p> - -<p>“Wal, then, Ma’am; you know he kin marry as slick as airy parson,” said -Lance. “It’s for his house Colt and Molly air aimin’, I ’low.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Lance!” cried Dorothy Dale, enthusiastic herself now, “is Mr. -Whistler’s house on this road?”</p> - -<p>“It shore is.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t we stop and see them married?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I was thinkin’ on,” declared the cowboy. “I was ’lowin’ to -give the ponies a rest there, anyway. And we’ll need it ourselves.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s hurry!” cried Tavia. “Maybe we can catch up with that girl.”</p> - -<p>The trio hastened forward. The girls were somewhat tired of riding, for -they had already been in the saddle two hours, but this new topic<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">80</a></span> of -interest made them forget their weariness for the time.</p> - -<p>A light suddenly flashed up on the prairie ahead. “That’s in Bill’s -winder,” declared Lance. “Colt and the gal have got thar.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, <em>do</em> let’s hurry!” cried Tavia.</p> - -<p>In their enthusiasm the girls urged on their little steeds. The ponies -quite took the bits away from Dorothy and Tavia during the last half -mile of the run, and they tore up to the low, slab-built house at a -rattling pace.</p> - -<p>There was some disturbance in the house, and the door opened but a -crack. The window had already been shuttered.</p> - -<p>“Who’s thar?” demanded a falsetto voice.</p> - -<p>“It’s Lance, tell ’em, Bill,” called out the cowboy. “Hold back the -ceremony a minute. These yere young ladies from the East wants ter -stand up with Molly, and if Colt wants a best man, why, I reckon I kin -fill the bill. That’ll make a grand, proper weddin’.”</p> - -<p>“Come in,” said the falsetto voice. “And bar the door behind yuh. I -un’erstan’ this yere is a hasty job. They say Peleg’s on the trail -behind ’em.”</p> - -<p>Lance was already helping Dorothy and Tavia to dismount. They were as -excited as they could be.</p> - -<p>“It’s just as though we were being chased by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">81</a></span> Indians, and this was a -blockhouse,” whispered Tavia to her chum.</p> - -<p>The cowboy hustled the three ponies around to the shed back of the -house. Then he ran back and followed the girls into the open door, -shutting it quickly and dropping the bar into place.</p> - -<p>“Shoot, Bill!” exclaimed the cowboy. “We’re all ready, I reckon.”</p> - -<p>The girls were amazed at the appearance of the Justice of the Peace. -He was a huge man with bushy red whiskers which looked as though they -would fill a half-bushel measure. And the tiny, shrill, falsetto voice -that came from his mouth when he opened it, almost set Tavia into -hysterics.</p> - -<p>“Stand up yere—git in line,” said the Justice, fishing out a book from -behind a littered couch. “I’ll marry yuh as tight and fast as airy -parson in the county.”</p> - -<p>At the very moment he was beginning there came from without the thunder -of advancing hoofs. Everybody heard it. Molly Crater grabbed the -bridegroom (who was a good-looking young fellow) by the arm, and sang -out:</p> - -<p>“It’s pap and the sheriff!”</p> - -<p>The next moment the horses arrived, and there came a thunderous knock -on the door of the slab house.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">82</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="ix" id="ix"></a><span>CHAPTER IX</span><br /> -<small>WHAT FOLLOWED AN ELOPEMENT</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Take</span> my gun, Lance, and stand at the door,” commanded the solemn, -bewhiskered Justice. “Ain’t nobody gwine tuh disturb this court while -in th’ puffawmance of its duty. No, sir!</p> - -<p>“Git busy, folks! Ketch holt of han’s,” and he proceeded to read -through the form made and provided for such occasions by the State -Judiciary, while Mr. Peleg Crater continued to hammer at the door.</p> - -<p>Dorothy and Tavia marveled at the courage of Molly Crater, who actually -responded to the questions in unshaken voice while her angry father -shouted threats outside.</p> - -<p>“Now, by jinks!” exclaimed the Justice, throwing down the book and -saluting the bride with a kiss like the crack of a bullwhip, “yuh air -tied hard an’ fast. Le’s see ol’ Peleg untie yuh.”</p> - -<p>“He’s got a gun,” said the cowpuncher warningly, at the door. “Ef he -blows Colt’s head off the knot will be purty well busted—what?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">83</a></span> -“Wal, I’ll lend Jim my gun,” said the philosophic Justice. “Then let -’em go to it.”</p> - -<p>“No, sir-ree!” exclaimed the newly made Mrs. Colt. “I won’t have my -husband and my father a-shooting at one another.”</p> - -<p>“Peleg means business, Molly,” said Lance.</p> - -<p>“So do I,” declared the bride. “I’d leave Jim right now ef he aimed a -gun at pap. Just as I left pap ’cause he shot at Jim.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy and Tavia were badly frightened. These people talked of the use -of lethal weapons in a most barbarous way. Even Tavia began to think -the West was more uncivilized than it was romantic.</p> - -<p>“That’s a good, strong door,” squealed the bewhiskered Whistler. “And -the window shutters are bullet-proof. We kin stand a siege. I got a -cyclone cellar, too.”</p> - -<p>“But <em>we</em> can’t stay here!” cried Dorothy, in great distress.</p> - -<p>“That is so, Doro. We have to catch that train,” agreed Tavia.</p> - -<p>“There’s more’n one train stops at Killock, Miss,” said Molly Colt, -<em>nee</em> Crater, to Dorothy Dale. “And pap will git tired and go away.”</p> - -<p>“Nop,” said Lance, the cowboy. “I promised to git these ladies to -Killock in time for the mawnin’ train, an’ I’m goin’ ter do it, or bust -er leg!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">84</a></span> -“And it’s after midnight now,” said Dorothy, looking at her watch.</p> - -<p>“Yuh’ll hafter slip out the back way, git yuh ponies, an’ scoot,” -advised Whistler through his whiskers.</p> - -<p>“We’ll all light out that way,” said young Colt.</p> - -<p>“But we don’t wanter get these girls in any trouble,” said Mrs. Colt.</p> - -<p>“We’ll leave ’em at once. Make for Branch Coulie. That’ll toll your pap -off <em>their</em> trail,” said her husband of five minutes.</p> - -<p>Dorothy Dale, although she was much frightened by the situation, did -not lose her presence of mind. “Why don’t you and your husband stay -here, Mrs. Colt?” she said, clinging to the older girl’s hand. “<em>You</em> -remain in the house—or in this cellar Mr. Whistler speaks of, while -Mr. Lance and Tavia and I slip out at the back and get away. Your -father will think we are you.”</p> - -<p>“That idea is as good as gold,” declared Lance, admiringly. “What the -little lady says goes, Bill. You agreed, Jim?”</p> - -<p>“And me, too,” said Molly Colt, when her husband nodded.</p> - -<p>“Go to it,” squealed Whistler in his funny voice.</p> - -<p>Tavia nudged Dorothy, and whispered: “You’re crazy! you’ll get us -shot.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">85</a></span> -“Not a bit,” said Lance, quickly, hearing her. “Our ponies are as fresh -as can be now, while Peleg’s is clean tuckered out. He’s traveled -already three times as fur as we have—and he ain’t been savin’ -horseflesh, nuther, the state of mind he’s in. Believe me!”</p> - -<p>“But the sheriff?” asked Tavia. “Won’t he arrest us?”</p> - -<p>“If he wants my vote nex’ year,” shrilled Whistler, “he won’t -interfere. He’s only along to see fair play, I reckon.”</p> - -<p>“Come on, then,” cried Lance.</p> - -<p>“I’ll keep Peleg at the door. Colt, you an’ Molly slip inter the -cellar,” commanded the Justice of the Peace. “Peleg will hear Lance and -these young ladies after they git started, and I’ll sick him ontuh yuh. -He wouldn’t ketch yuh in a week o’ Sundays—an’ I never seed that week -come around yit.”</p> - -<p>The girls from the East had only time to kiss Molly Colt good-bye and -wish her happiness, when Lance hurried them out of the back door of the -slab house. They were both keyed up with excitement, but Lance did not -realize how troubled they were as he lifted them onto their respective -ponies, after cinching the saddles again.</p> - -<p>“All ready?” whispered the cowboy. “Then we’ll start. I’ll ride behind. -If the old goose does any shooting he’ll aim at me, anyway—and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">86</a></span> none -o’ these nestors kin shoot wuth a hang. You can see the trail, ladies?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes,” replied Dorothy.</p> - -<p>They rode out quietly, skirting a group of sheds, and struck into the -trail. The ponies were well under way before the angry farmer heard -them.</p> - -<p>“He’s fell for it!” cried the cowboy. “Jerusha Juniper! Here he comes. -Let ’em out, ladies. The ponies is fresh as jackrabbits.”</p> - -<p>For perhaps two miles they heard the farmer hooting and yelling behind -them. But he did not shoot. Then the sounds of his pursuit abruptly -ended. The ‘nestor’ had given up the chase.</p> - -<p>“I hope he’ll not find his daughter and her husband until he gets over -his mad fit,” said Dorothy, anxiously.</p> - -<p>“That mean man would never be decent,” said Tavia. “But wasn’t it -exciting?”</p> - -<p>“Colt’s goin’ to take Molly a fur ways off,” said the cowboy. “Old -Peleg will have plenty of time to simmer down afore he sees airy of ’em -again.”</p> - -<p>They rode on through the night and after a time Lance left the regular -trail. Dorothy was a bit worried by this move and asked him why.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t there a chance of our getting lost, Mr. Lance?”</p> - -<p>“No, Ma’am. This trail goes a roundabout<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">87</a></span> way, and we can cut off nigh -ten miles by striking right ’cross country. If there was high water we -couldn’t do it, but the streams are nigh dry.”</p> - -<p>“It looks so dark,” said Tavia. “How can you ever find the way?”</p> - -<p>Then he showed them the North Star and other planets and combinations -of stars by which the plainsman casts his course at night, as the -sailor does at sea.</p> - -<p>They came to several water-courses, unbridged; the ponies splashed -through the shallow water, and then broke into their easy gallop again.</p> - -<p>Dawn came, tripping over the prairie behind them, soon catching and -passing the three riders, and rushing on to lighten the deep shadows of -the mountains far, far in advance. All night these mountains had masked -the western horizon like a threatening cloud.</p> - -<p>Dorothy had dreamed of sunrise on the prairie; but she had not supposed -it half so wonderful as it was!</p> - -<p>The hem of Dawn’s garment was tinged with opal light, which quickly -changed to faint pink—then deep rose—then an angry saffron which -spread like a prairie fire all along the eastern horizon.</p> - -<p>She could not help looking back at it to the detriment of her riding. -But her pony was surefooted, and she came to no harm.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">88</a></span> -The glow increased. They were bathed in the light, and quickly the -first level rays of the sun chased their own elongated shadows over the -ground. There sprang into view ahead, as they cantered over a small -rise, several sharply sparkling objects.</p> - -<p>“What <em>are</em> they?” cried Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Them’s winders in Killock,” said Lance. “We’ll soon be there—and in -plenty of time for your train, Miss.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Lance,” Dorothy said, gratefully, “I don’t know how we can -thank you for your kindness.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t say a word—don’t say a word,” urged their knight of the lariat. -“We know how to treat ladies out yere, I reckon. An’ I ain’t done a -thing tuh be thanked for.”</p> - -<p>“Are you going on with us to Sessions?” Dorothy asked him.</p> - -<p>“I can’t rightly do so,” said the cowboy. “I got to ’tend to some -business for my boss here in Killock.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! I am so sorry,” said Dorothy. “I want you to meet my Aunt Winnie -and my cousins.”</p> - -<p>“Mebbe I’ll see yuh at Dugonne—later,” said Lance, bashfully. “The -Double Chain Outfit ain’t far from there.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy had money enough left to buy tickets<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">89</a></span> to Sessions for herself -and Tavia. Lance refused to take anything for the use of the ponies. -As the train hooted in the distance for its brief stop at Killock, the -girls hugged the ponies, and Tavia kissed Gaby plumb upon her soft nose.</p> - -<p>“She’s a dear, Mr. Lance!” she cried. “I hope I shall see her again.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll see her if yuh see me,” declared the cowpuncher. “Where I go -Gaby goes, too, you bet!”</p> - -<p>They shook hands with the good-natured man and scurried aboard the -cars. As they found a seat on the side away from the station, Dorothy -clutched Tavia’s arm.</p> - -<p>“Look at that man, Tavia!” she whispered, pointing through the window.</p> - -<p>The person to whom Dorothy drew her chum’s attention was stealing out -of the bushes beside the tracks. He was a gray-haired man, with a Grand -Army hat, although the head-covering was battered and torn. He wore a -ragged blue coat, too, and Dorothy had identified the button he wore on -the lapel of the disreputable coat.</p> - -<p>He was an unshaven and altogether unhappy looking object; but that -button assured Major Dale’s bright eyed daughter, that the poor old -creature was a Veteran.</p> - -<p>“What do you suppose he is doing here?” gasped Dorothy. “Oh! the poor -old man!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">90</a></span> -The car wheels began to turn again. The train had halted for only -a minute. They saw the man hobble across the tracks, and seize the -railing as their car passed him. It was plain to the girls that he -meant to steal a ride upon the fast train.</p> - -<p>“Oh! he’ll be killed,” gasped Dorothy, half rising from her seat.</p> - -<p>“Sit down, Doro Dale!” exclaimed Tavia. “If you tell anybody, he’ll be -put off.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy was greatly troubled. She never saw a Grand Army man without -being interested in him. And she had never seen one before who so -looked like a tramp.</p> - -<p>“That worries me,” said Dorothy Dale, the tears standing in her -beautiful eyes. “I fear that poor man will fall off the steps of the -car.”</p> - -<p>“I am afraid the brakeman will see him and put him off at the first -stop,” retorted Tavia. “And we haven’t money enough to pay his fare.”</p> - -<p>“Goodness! No!” cried Dorothy. “I have less than a dollar left in my -purse.”</p> - -<p>“And of course, I have no money at all. I never <em>do</em> have,” groaned the -reckless Tavia.</p> - -<p>“After the conductor goes through the car,” whispered Dorothy, seeing -the man in question coming down the aisle, “I am going to steal back -there and see if the poor old creature really <em>did</em> get upon the steps -outside the vestibule door.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">91</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="x" id="x"></a><span>CHAPTER X</span><br /> -<small>THE MAN WHO WOULD HAVE DIED INDOORS</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> conductor seemed a jolly man, and he took a fatherly interest in -Dorothy and Tavia, having a daughter about their age at home, so he -said. Yet Dorothy did not feel like telling him about the old tramp -whom she and Tavia had seen attempting to board the train.</p> - -<p>“You see, the conductor has his rules to go by,” explained Dorothy, -“and we couldn’t expect him to break them for <em>us</em>. I wish we had money -to pay the fare of the poor old creature.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t really know, Dorothy Dale, whether the man is on the step, -or not,” urged Tavia.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to find out,” pronounced her chum, with decision.</p> - -<p>She left her seat, following the conductor slowly to the end of the -car. Ostensibly she went for a drink, but the moment the blue-coated -official had passed through to the next car, Dorothy went out into the -vestibule. The brakeman chanced to be out of sight at the moment.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">92</a></span> -The doors on the “off” side of the vestibule were locked, but Dorothy -could peer through the glass. Directly beneath her she could see the -broken top of the old army hat.</p> - -<p>“He’s there!” gasped Dorothy, running back to Tavia. “Whatever shall we -do about it?”</p> - -<p>“I wish Lance was here,” said her friend. “He’d know what to do.”</p> - -<p>“We can’t have men-folk around to help us out of all our troubles,” -sniffed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“This isn’t trouble,” declared Tavia. “It’s really nothing to us——”</p> - -<p>“But suppose the poor man should fall off?”</p> - -<p>“We’re anxious for nothing, I wager,” said Tavia. “He is probably used -to riding on car steps.”</p> - -<p>“It’s such a narrow place,” groaned Dorothy. “He can’t more than cling -to it. Oh! here’s a curve!”</p> - -<p>They whirled around this corner and then over a long trestle that -crossed a placid river. When the train <em>did</em> stop the girls did not see -the tramp get off. All the stations chanced to be on the other side, as -Killock had been.</p> - -<p>The peril of the man whom Dorothy believed to be a fellow-soldier with -her own father, Major Dale, was the uppermost topic in Dorothy’s mind -and conversation. Tavia began to have another, and more personal, -worry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">93</a></span> -“I could eat a planked steak—plank and all!—right now,” said the -flyaway. “Dear me, Doro! I wish your purse was like the widow’s cruse, -and never gave out. There’s a buffet car on, too.”</p> - -<p>They had to satisfy their appetites for the time being by buying some -fruit from the train boy. But this was a poor substitute for planked -steak—or any other hearty viand.</p> - -<p>“I hope Aunt Winnie and Ned and Nat will wait for us at Sessions, as I -asked them,” sighed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“If they don’t, <em>we’ll</em> have to steal a ride,” said Tavia, quickly. -“Ned has our tickets, you know.”</p> - -<p>But <em>that</em> was not a real worry. Dorothy was pretty sure her aunt and -the boys would do just as she had asked them to do. What was happening -outside that car, on the rear step, was a matter (so she thought) for -real anxiety!</p> - -<p>A dozen times she went back to peer through the window in the vestibule -door and caught a glimpse of the top of the battered Grand Army hat.</p> - -<p>Perhaps she went once too often—for the contentment of the old man -who was cheating the railroad company of a fare. Or, it may have been -in some other manner that the brakeman’s attention was called to the -presence of the stowaway on the step. For he was discovered before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">94</a></span> the -train reached the junction, at eleven o’clock, where Dorothy and Tavia -were to leave the train.</p> - -<p>The conductor had been through again and talked to them, and they had -learned when and where to look for the station. Other passengers were -already getting their baggage out of the racks, and putting on their -light wraps.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the two friends heard a disturbance at the end of the car. -Tavia jumped up and looked back.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Doro!” she cried, in a horrified tone, “they have him!”</p> - -<p>Dorothy turned quickly and saw the brakeman drag the old tramp into the -car and fling him into an end seat.</p> - -<p>“How rough he is!” gasped Tavia, referring to the railroad employee.</p> - -<p>Dorothy darted down the aisle. She would have interfered had the -conductor not come at once and taken charge.</p> - -<p>“On the step, eh? Well! he took his life in his hands,” grumbled the -conductor. “Give him a drink of water, John. I expect he’s famished for -it—chewing grit as he has been since we started.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! what will you do with him?” cried Dorothy, clutching at the -conductor’s sleeve.</p> - -<p>“Nothing very bad, little lady,” assured the conductor, smiling at her. -“We’ll hand him over<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">95</a></span> to the railroad police at Sessions. They’ll take -him to court.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! must he be punished?”</p> - -<p>“I am afraid so. The company’s pretty strict. He’s been stealing a ride -and the magistrate will send him to the rockpile for that.”</p> - -<p>“But he’s such an old man—and he’s a soldier,” whispered Dorothy, -pointing to the button on the lapel of the old coat.</p> - -<p>The conductor started and looked more closely. “It’s a Grand Army -button—sure enough,” he muttered. Then he looked into the soot-lined -face of the man and shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Stole it, most likely,” was his comment, and went on through the car.</p> - -<p>Dorothy did not believe that. The man’s eyes were dull, and it was -evident that he was much exhausted. A traveling-man came up and offered -him a drink from his pocket-flask. Dorothy was sorry to see how eagerly -the trembling old hands went out for the spirits.</p> - -<p>Soon color returned to the flabby cheeks, and a certain look of -confidence to the old eyes, after the tramp had imbibed the liquor.</p> - -<p>He was kept in the seat until the train stopped at the Sessions -platform. Then, as the girls hurried out to find their friends, Dorothy -saw the old man with the Grand Army button being taken off the car by -two policemen in plain clothes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">96</a></span> -“Dorothy Dale!”</p> - -<p>“Tavia Travers!”</p> - -<p>Two lusty shouts greeted the girls the moment they showed themselves -upon the steps of the car. Ned and Nat White burst through the crowd -outside and seized upon the two girls as they descended.</p> - -<p>“Glory!” yelled Nat. “I could pound you girls, I’m so glad to see you. -You had us scared stiff. And Little Mum will never get over it.”</p> - -<p>“Not so bad as that,” rejoined his brother. “But you girls certainly -managed to give us all a scare. I’d just as soon travel with two kids -as with you graduates of Glenwood School.”</p> - -<p>“Now, Neddie,” advised Tavia, “don’t put on airs.”</p> - -<p>“We’re real sorry, boys,” admitted Dorothy. “But that old train went -off and left us without saying one word!”</p> - -<p>“I should think it did,” answered Ned. “And what business had you off -of it?”</p> - -<p>“It wasn’t we that went off,” declared Tavia. “It was the train that -went off.”</p> - -<p>“Where have you been all this time?” asked Nat. “How did you get <em>here</em> -by an entirely different road? And who helped you?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, there! now you’ve said something,” cried Tavia. “Just the very -nicest young man. A cattle puncher by trade, and we rode fifty miles<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">97</a></span> -with him, and saw a Mrs. Little of gigantic size, and helped a young -woman and her lover elope, and witnessed the ceremony while her father -battered at the door and threatened to blow all our heads off—and were -chased by the angry father thinking <em>we</em> were the elopers, and——”</p> - -<p>“Stop her! stop her!” shouted Nat. “I know you girls can collect -adventures as a magnet does steel filings, but you are going too far -now. An elopement! and an angry father with a gun——”</p> - -<p>“And our Grand Army man!” cried Dorothy, suddenly. “Where is he? We -must do something to help him.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so, Doro,” agreed Tavia. “We must find him.”</p> - -<p>“Now they’re off again!” groaned Nat, looking helplessly at his brother.</p> - -<p>“Where is Aunt Winnie?” demanded Dorothy, suddenly.</p> - -<p>“She is at the hotel. And she’s gone to bed,” said Ned, gloomily. “You -girls will give Little Mum the conniptions, if you’re not careful. She -was awfully worried.”</p> - -<p>“But you got our telegram?” cried Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Sure. But it read a good deal like the Irish foreman’s message to the -widow of his fellow-countryman suddenly killed in the stone quarry: -‘Don’t worry about Pat. He’s only lost both legs and one arm; and if it -wasn’t that his head<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">98</a></span> was cut off, too, he’d be as good as ever.’ Your -telegram gave just enough particulars to worry mother.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll run and show her we are all right,” cried Tavia.</p> - -<p>But Dorothy held back. Her eyes were fixed upon the ragged figure of -the old tramp being led out of the station by the two policemen.</p> - -<p>“Do you see that poor fellow, Ned?” she whispered. “He wears a Grand -Army button—like father.”</p> - -<p>“That tramp?” gasped Ned.</p> - -<p>“Yes. But maybe he isn’t really a tramp. Only he stole a ride clear -from Killock,” and she hastily told her cousins about the stowaway -on the steps of the car. “And Ned!” added Dorothy Dale, “I want to -save him from punishment. They are going to take him before the -magistrate—and the conductor says the magistrate will send him to -jail.”</p> - -<p>“I expect so,” said Ned, slowly.</p> - -<p>“Come, Ned!” exclaimed the girl, anxiously, shaking him by the sleeve. -“Let Nat take Tavia to Aunt Winnie, and you come to court with me. -Maybe we can help the poor old man. A Grand Army man, Ned!”</p> - -<p>Ned White knew that there was no stopping his cousin when she had -“taken the bit in her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">99</a></span> teeth.” And here was a case where she was -greatly moved.</p> - -<p>Nobody could gain Dorothy Dale’s sympathy like a Grand Army man. Ned -merely shrugged his shoulders and went with her, while Nat and Tavia -started in the other direction.</p> - -<p>“Remember we go on the one o’clock train,” shouted Nat after them.</p> - -<p>Dorothy and her cousin quickly caught up with the railroad police and -their captive.</p> - -<p>“Oh, please, sir!” cried Dorothy, to one of the officers, who had a -very kind face, “where are you taking him?”</p> - -<p>“Hello, Miss!” exclaimed the policeman, taking off his hat. “Are you -interested in this old chap?”</p> - -<p>Dorothy told him why, and how. “Oh!” said the railroad man, “I didn’t -know but you knew him. He’s got to go to court, anyway.”</p> - -<p>“Right away?” asked the girl, breathlessly.</p> - -<p>“That’s where we are taking him, Miss,” said the other officer.</p> - -<p>“May we go with you?”</p> - -<p>“Of course you may. And if you want to say a good word for the old -fellow to Judge Abbott, I’ll fix it so you can,” he added.</p> - -<p>“That is <em>so</em> kind of you!” Dorothy said. “You see, he is a Grand Army -man.”</p> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">100</a></span> -“Mebbe he stole the button, Miss,” growled one of the police.</p> - -<p>Dorothy turned swiftly to the prisoner. His old face was drawn and -haggard. Dorothy put her finger upon the button on the frayed lapel of -his coat.</p> - -<p>“Where did you get that, sir?” she asked.</p> - -<p>Almost instantly the dull eyes brightened. The sagging chin came up and -the old shoulders were squared.</p> - -<p>“It belongs to me, Miss,” he said, in a broken voice. “I am an army -man—oh, yes! Thank you. I—I been in the Home; but I couldn’t stay -indoor. So—so I ran away.”</p> - -<p>“Ran away!” gasped Dorothy. “And where were you running to?”</p> - -<p>“To the great out-of-doors,” whispered the old man. “I always lived in -the open. I prospected, and I hunted, and I worked—all through these -hills,” and he pointed westward.</p> - -<p>“I suppose I did wrong in beating my way on the cars. But I’ve often -done it,” confessed the old man. “I had no money for carfare. My -pension’s turned over to the Home as is only right, I s’pose. But I got -to get out into the open, or die!”</p> - -<p>The two railroad police looked at each other, grimly. “What do you know -about that?” one muttered. Dorothy was frankly crying.</p> - -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<a name="ought" id="ought"></a> -<img src="images/i-page101.jpg" width="400" height="633" alt="" /> -<div class="caption">“OUGHT HE TO BE A PRISONER WITH THAT BUTTON ON HIS -COAT?” CRIED DOROTHY.<br /> -<i>Dorothy Dale in the <span class="word-spacing3">West Page</span> <a href="#ought2">101</a></i></div> -</div> - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">101</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xi" id="xi"></a>CHAPTER XI<br /> -<small>AT DUGONNE AT LAST</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">You</span> see, Miss,” said one of the officers, “we got to take him to -court. It’s as much as our job’s worth to let him go.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll all go along,” said Ned, firmly. “Maybe the judge will be kind -to him.”</p> - -<p>“But they’ve got a bad law in this town,” said the other officer, -shaking his head.</p> - -<p>“What kind of a law?” asked Ned, quickly.</p> - -<p>“In regard to vagrants. It’s three months on the stone pile, or with -ball and chain. No getting out of it, unless the prisoner has money -enough to buy a ticket that will take him fifty miles away, on one road -or the other.”</p> - -<p>“Why! that is barbarous!” exclaimed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Dunno about that, Ma’am; but it’s the municipal ordinance.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! the judge of the court must have <em>some</em> power,” cried Dorothy. “Do -let me talk to him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">102</a></span> -The magistrate’s court was not far distant. Ned felt rather peculiar -as he climbed the stairs in company with the prisoner and officers, -holding Dorothy’s hand in the crook of his arm. There were some pretty -rough looking characters on the stairs and hanging about the door of -the magistrate’s court. But Ned and Dorothy pushed on in the wake of -the railroad police and their prisoner.</p> - -<p>Dorothy sympathized so deeply with the old man who had escaped from -the discipline and routine of the Soldiers’ Home, that she paid little -attention to her surroundings.</p> - -<p>The courtroom was long, and ugly, and bare. The man sitting at the high -desk at the end of the room, Dorothy knew, must be the magistrate. He -was a young, smoothly shaven man, dressed very fashionably, and with a -flower in his buttonhole. That flower was the single bright spot in all -the somber place.</p> - -<p>The railroad policeman looked knowingly at Dorothy, and she went -forward with Ned. They were both allowed inside the railing. One of the -officers spoke in a low tone to the magistrate, and the latter glanced -interestedly at Dorothy.</p> - -<p>Although Dorothy Dale had been traveling night and day for some time, -she was too attractive a girl to lose all her bonny appearance under -<em>any</em> circumstances.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">103</a></span> -The magistrate listened to the railroad detective. Then he called the -poor old man to the bar.</p> - -<p>“What is your name?” asked the magistrate.</p> - -<p>“John Dempsey, your honor.”</p> - -<p>“Without a home in this county, and no visible means of support, the -officer says—is that right?”</p> - -<p>“I—I—Yes, your honor.”</p> - -<p>“And found riding on the train without a ticket?”</p> - -<p>“I was, your honor.”</p> - -<p>“Why? Why did you do it?”</p> - -<p>“Sure, your honor, they treat me well enough at the Home; but I want to -get out in the open. It’s stifled I am become by four walls.”</p> - -<p>“But that does not explain away the fact that you stole a ride upon the -complainant’s train?” said the magistrate, sternly.</p> - -<p>Dorothy looked up at him pleadingly. John Dempsey was silent; he could -not plead his own cause in speech as eloquent as Dorothy’s eyes pleaded -for him! Judge Abbott beckoned the young girl to step up beside him.</p> - -<p>“I understand you wish to speak in the prisoner’s behalf?” said the -magistrate.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Judge! <a name="ought2" id="ought2"></a>ought he to be a prisoner with -that button on his coat?” cried Dorothy Dale, impulsively. “He is an old -Veteran—a man who fought for our country. I am sure Mr. Dempsey is a -good man. <em>Don’t</em> punish him, Judge!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">104</a></span> -“But, my dear young lady, how can I help it? He has committed a -misdemeanor. He must either be sent to jail, or he must produce his -fare out of town—and fifty miles out of town, at that!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, sir! can’t somebody else pay his fare?” asked Dorothy, anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Surely, Miss. Are you prepared to do so?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir, not now. But I will take him away on the one o’clock train—I -will indeed.”</p> - -<p>“Very well. Sentence suspended. Paroled in <em>your</em> care,” added the -judge to one of the railroad officers. “You have him at the station in -season for the train, and the young lady will be responsible for his -fare.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy thanked him, but went eagerly to the prisoner.</p> - -<p>“Where do you want to go, sir?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“I—I—Well, Miss, it don’t so much matter as long as I git to <em>go</em>. I -want to reach the hills.”</p> - -<p>“You shall go with us as far as Dugonne, at least,” said Dorothy, -impulsively. “I’m sure we can find something for him to do at the -Hardin place, Ned?” she added, turning to her cousin.</p> - -<p>Ned was more than a little startled by this. Things were moving rather -too fast for him. But he managed to say:</p> - -<p>“You—you’ll have to settle that with the mater, Dot.” But then he -whispered: “What can an old fellow like him do on a ranch?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">105</a></span> -“That’s all right,” Dorothy returned. “We’ll make him <em>think</em> he can do -something.”</p> - -<p>“You do beat all!” gasped her cousin, with astonishment.</p> - -<p>Dorothy shook hands with the judge, and with the railroad officers, and -with John Dempsey. She scattered the sunshine of her smiles all about -the dingy court room, and things seemed to brighten up for everybody.</p> - -<p>Then she hurried with Ned to the hotel where Aunt Winnie was waiting.</p> - -<p>“My dear girl!” said that good lady. “How you have worried me. And -Tavia’s account of your adventures have not served to relieve our -anxiety—much. Going to court with a tramp——”</p> - -<p>“Not a tramp, Auntie!” interposed Dorothy Dale. “He is one of father’s -old comrades. He is a Veteran.”</p> - -<p>“I hope so. I hope you have not been imposed upon. But it will cost -money——”</p> - -<p>“You told me,” said Dorothy, earnestly, “that when we got to the Hardin -place you’d buy a pony for my very own use. Take that money and pay -John Dempsey’s fare. I don’t need a pony.”</p> - -<p>Aunt Winnie kissed her. “My dear girl! I am afraid your sympathy will -often lead you astray,” she said. “But you will stray in kindly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">106</a></span> paths. -I do not believe there will be much serious harm for you that way.”</p> - -<p>“What do you think of <em>me</em>?” broke in Tavia. “I am always going astray, -too. At least, so they all tell me.”</p> - -<p>“Your heart is all right, my dear Octavia,” said Mrs. White, smiling, -“but it is your head that leads <em>you</em> astray,” she added, not unkindly.</p> - -<p>They all went to the railroad station in good season, and there found -the policeman and old John Dempsey waiting for them. The good-natured -officer had improved the old man’s appearance considerably by having -his clothing brushed and finding him the means for washing. Dempsey had -likewise been fed.</p> - -<p>He was a brown-faced, blue-eyed man of nearly seventy. The blue eyes -had, perhaps, a wandering look, and the muscles about the old man’s -mouth had weakened, but otherwise he was sturdy looking.</p> - -<p>He saluted Dorothy when she hurried toward him, but took off his hat to -Mrs. White.</p> - -<p>“’Tis a pity, Ma’am,” he said, to the lady, “that you do be troubled by -such as me. But I’m fair desp’rit! I’d take charity from anybody to git -back into the open once more.</p> - -<p>“They’ve hived me up in four walls till it’s fair mad they’ve made me. -I might strike it rich yet, out in the hills, an’ pay ye for——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">107</a></span> -“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” said Mrs. White, kindly. “I am sure -we can find something for you to do out of doors on our big place that -will make you self-supporting.”</p> - -<p>“God bless ye for saying that, Ma’am,” said John Dempsey, gratefully, -and followed on behind the party to the train, where the policeman bade -them good-bye.</p> - -<p>The boys took charge of John Dempsey and saw him comfortably seated in -the day coach. It was a long run to Dugonne, where the party arrived at -nine o’clock that evening.</p> - -<p>Dorothy was so anxiously looking forward to the end of the train -journey that she had quite forgotten some of the circumstances -connected with this sudden trip. There, on the lighted platform, as the -train rolled in, appeared the stocky, black mustached man for whom she -and Tavia had taken such a dislike.</p> - -<p>“Philo Marsh!” ejaculated Dorothy to her chum.</p> - -<p>“He got here ahead of us.”</p> - -<p>“He had no intention of letting Aunt Winnie get here first,” declared -Dorothy. “Now, Tavia, we must watch that man; he means Aunt Winnie no -good, I’m sure.”</p> - -<p>Philo Marsh rushed forward to greet Mrs. White, with both hands -extended, when the party from the East left the train.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">108</a></span> -“I certainly made good connections,” he said, with enthusiasm, -insisting upon shaking hands with the two boys as well as the lady -herself. The girls kept away from him, and it was evident that the man -did not recognize them, but he swept off his hat and bowed deeply to -Dorothy and Tavia, when Mrs. White presented them as “my niece, and her -friend.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve the best suite in the best hotel in Dugonne saved for you,” Philo -Marsh declared. “I’ve ordered supper for you, too. They’ll serve it -just as soon as you arrive, in your sitting room. Oh, we can do things -in good style out yere if we put our minds to it,” and the man laughed -heartily.</p> - -<p>“And in the morning I’ll come and talk with you, Mrs. White. If you -want to see some of the other men interested in this water-right -business, I’ll bring them.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, mercy, sir!” cried Aunt Winnie. “Let us get rested and look -about a little before we rush into business. But I will let you call -to-morrow afternoon, Mr. Marsh.”</p> - -<p>With this, Philo Marsh had to be content. The party of tourists were -driven away in a depot wagon for the Commonwealth Hotel.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">109</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xii" id="xii"></a><span>CHAPTER XII</span><br /> -<small>ON THE ROAD TO HARDIN’S</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Goodness</span> gracious, grumpy gree!” yawned Tavia. “Isn’t a really-truly -bed the greatest invention known to civilized man, Doro?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know about its being the first on the list; but it certainly -<em>is</em> a delight after sleeping on a shelf in that car,” agreed Dorothy -Dale, stretching luxuriously.</p> - -<p>“I hate to get up.”</p> - -<p>“You can stay here all day alone, then,” said her chum, briskly. “Aunt -Winnie means to get to the Hardin ranch-house before night.”</p> - -<p>“Then what about Philo Marsh?” cried Tavia.</p> - -<p>“She confided to me,” chuckled Dorothy, “that that is why she told him -not to come around until afternoon. She will see him just before we -start for Hardin’s.”</p> - -<p>“He’ll be mad as fury.”</p> - -<p>“Let him be. Auntie says she is determined to look over the estate, and -see the water supply herself,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">110</a></span> and survey the proposed new channel, -before she signs a paper.”</p> - -<p>“Bully for her!” cried the slangy Tavia. “I bet that pirate, Philo -Marsh, has something up his sleeve beside his arm.”</p> - -<p>Bang! bang! bang! A knock at the girls’ door.</p> - -<p>“Oh! is the house afire?” shrieked Tavia, leaping out of bed. “Or is it -Papa Crater again, trying to find Molly and her bridegroom?”</p> - -<p>“What are you girls waiting for?” demanded Nat, on the other side of -the door. “Come on! Ned and I have been up for hours, and have hired a -four-horse stage-coach—a regular old timer out of a show, I bet—to -cart us and the baggage to Hardin’s.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” cried Dorothy. “You’re not starting at once?”</p> - -<p>“Guess you’ll have time to dress and eat breakfast first—if you -hurry,” chuckled Nat, as he went off down the hotel corridor.</p> - -<p>This was only Nat’s fun. He and Ned were lonely and wanted to show the -girls the town. Not that the sprawling western metropolis was much of a -sight, after all!</p> - -<p>Dugonne was a rambling, raw, uninviting place. The junction of the two -railroads made its existence here possible, for there were neither -cattle interests, farms, or mines very near.</p> - -<p>Aunt Winnie remained in her room, but Ned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">111</a></span> and Nat took the girls -down to the breakfast table and proved that the Commonwealth Hotel of -Dugonne could cater to the taste of touring Easterners.</p> - -<p>They saw a small bunch of steers being driven through a back street of -the town and learned that they were from the Double Chain Outfit.</p> - -<p>“That is a big concern, they tell me,” said Ned White, who was much -interested in cattle—or seemed to be since his mother had become part -owner of a range and ranch. “Colonel Hardin sold most of his herd -before he died.”</p> - -<p>“But the Double Chain isn’t very near this town?” asked Tavia. “That -Mr. Lance told me it was a day’s ride—and you can ride a long way in a -day on these cow ponies—can’t you, Doro?”</p> - -<p>“Those dear little things!” cried Dorothy. “They just fly.”</p> - -<p>“And you’re not going to have a pony, after all,” said Ned, solemnly. -“Aren’t you sorry you picked that tramp up, Dot?”</p> - -<p>“He’s not a tramp, Ned White!” exclaimed Dorothy. “Don’t call him that, -please. And where is Mr. Dempsey?”</p> - -<p>“He went with us to hire the stage-coach,” said Nat. “And believe me, -he has his wits about him. He has lived out this way ever since the -war, he says, and he knows all about everything,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">112</a></span> added the younger -boy, with some admiration.</p> - -<p>“We left him at the corral where we engaged the wagon and team and -driver,” Ned said. “He is going with us—never you fear, my dear coz.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy did not mind their poking fun at her because of her protégé.</p> - -<p>The quartette of young folks came back to the hotel before noon and -found Aunt Winnie at a late breakfast.</p> - -<p>“I have seen one of the lawyers who had charge of Colonel Hardin’s -affairs,” she said. “He will be back here in half an hour with certain -papers, and I shall go to court with him.</p> - -<p>“My intention is to go on to the ranch to-day, as I said last evening,” -continued Aunt Winnie. “So don’t go far away from the hotel, children. -What time did you tell the man to have the conveyance here, Edward?”</p> - -<p>“Two o’clock.”</p> - -<p>“And you ought to see it!” cried Nat. “Looks just like the one the -Indians chase and capture in the Buffalo Bill show.”</p> - -<p>“Is that the best conveyance you could find, Edward?” asked Mrs. White, -with some suspicion.</p> - -<p>These mischievous young people were forever playing jokes, and she was -doubtful. But Ned was serious.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">113</a></span> -“Best I could find, Mother—believe me! All the carriages they have -in this man’s town are buckboards—and we’d have to hire a caravan of -those to pile all the baggage on—and us, too. This old coach with four -mustangs to draw it, will take ‘all hands and the cook.’”</p> - -<p>“I hope you have done the right thing, my son,” said Aunt Winnie. “Take -care of yourselves, children, till I come back from the court with Mr. -Jermyn.”</p> - -<p>There was not much going on in the business part of Dugonne that the -four young Easterners did not see. They came to the dinner table with -ravenous appetites and a whole lot to chatter about.</p> - -<p>Mrs. White’s business with the lawyers, and with the court, was -finished for the time being. Just before two o’clock a great, -staggering old coach, on four rattling wheels, drew up at the door of -the hotel. At a former day, mail and passengers had been transported -between Dugonne and various outlying mining camps in all directions in -this vehicle.</p> - -<p>“And the mud of twenty years ago is still clinging to the wheels,” said -Dorothy. “Oh, Ned! it is a most disgraceful looking affair.”</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t find anything better,” answered the young man.</p> - -<p>“He is making a regular show of us,” said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">114</a></span> Tavia. “I suppose we ought -to dress in short skirts, and buckskin blouses, Doro, and wear fringed -leggins and sombreros. Be regular ‘cowgirls.’”</p> - -<p>“Well, Tavia,” drawled Nat. “You have a cowboy on the string they tell -me——”</p> - -<p>“Nathaniel!” admonished Mrs. White. “What language!” and she bustled -forward to see the outfit.</p> - -<p>Four spirited mustangs drew the coach—and those mustangs looked as -though they had never known currycomb and brush—which was probably -the fact! Old John Dempsey was sitting beside the driver, who was a -broad-hatted, smiling Mexican, with gleaming teeth, beadlike black -eyes, and gold rings in his ears.</p> - -<p>“It <em>is</em> an awful looking thing,” gasped Aunt Winnie, when she saw the -old coach.</p> - -<p>“It is a whole lot better than it looks, mother,” urged Ned.</p> - -<p>“And only think!” cried Nat, “the man that owns it says that that stage -was held up by ‘Billy, the Kid,’ a famous road agent in these parts, -who got the registered mail-sack after shooting the driver, and all the -passengers’ money and jewelry.”</p> - -<p>“How deliciously horrid!” said Tavia. “Do you suppose Mr. Billy, the -Kid will hold <em>us</em> up?”</p> - -<p>“Not unless his ghost comes back to do it,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">115</a></span> chuckled Ned. “They hanged -Billy, the Kid, years ago, so the man told me.”</p> - -<p>“It would be just too romantic for anything to meet a real highwayman,” -said Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Why, this town has mounted police that patrol the suburbs—I saw a -couple,” laughed Ned. “Romance is dead, Miss Tavia, in these parts.”</p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t say so if you’d seen our cowboy—would he, Doro?”</p> - -<p>“A cowpuncher!” sniffed Nat. “Like that ‘baby’ old Mrs. Petterby is -going to visit.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder where the old lady is?” said Dorothy. “She arrived at Dugonne -ahead of us, of course.”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” said her cousin Ned. “She stayed on the train when we left it -at Sessions. But she was just as worried about you girls as any of us -when she learned you had been left behind.”</p> - -<p>“We shall look her up later,” pronounced Dorothy. “And I’m awfully -anxious to see her son.”</p> - -<p>“Wonder if he works for the same outfit Tavia’s new beau works for?” -queried Ned. “You know, the Double Chain Outfit is the only sizable one -left in this part of the country. Its ranges adjoin Colonel Hardin’s -on the north. On the south of this land we are going to see, lies the -farming country and Desert City.”</p> - -<p>“I should think we would have gone right to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">116</a></span> Desert City by train,” -said Dorothy, “if that is where these people want the water.”</p> - -<p>“But you can’t get to Desert City by rail,” her cousin explained. -“North of the Hardin place are the Double Chain ranges, and the mining -properties in the hills belonging to the Consolidated Ackron Company—a -big concern. South of Desert City, the map shows nothing but desert for -hundreds of miles.”</p> - -<p>“There’s that Marsh man,” said Tavia, suddenly, to Dorothy. “I don’t -want to see him again.”</p> - -<p>“He doesn’t remember that he met us in the road near home——”</p> - -<p>“But <em>I</em> haven’t forgotten it,” finished Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Neither have I,” sighed Dorothy. “And I am really afraid for Aunt -Winnie to have anything to do with him.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. White kept them waiting while she conferred with Mr. Philo -Marsh, for whom she had telephoned when she knew the stagecoach was -in waiting. The gentleman was not pleased by the brevity of the -conference, as his face very plainly showed when he came out. His -piratical mustache seemed to droop more than ever and he had completely -lost his suave manner.</p> - -<p>“I shall ride out to see you very soon, Mrs. White,” he said—rather, -he threatened! “And<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">117</a></span> I shall bring the committee with me. We’ve got to -have this thing settled up.”</p> - -<p>“Not until I am quite ready to settle it, Mr. Marsh,” said Aunt Winnie, -firmly. “I think you must forget that it is within the power of Major -Dale and myself to refuse to lease the water-rights entirely.”</p> - -<p>“Say! that was a stiff jolt Little Mum gave him,” whispered Ned to -Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“And did you see his face?” returned Dorothy. “I—I am really afraid of -that man.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, pshaw! no reason for being afraid,” returned Ned, confidently. “I -guess nothing will ever happen to mother, with me and Nat along.”</p> - -<p>The trunks and bags had been strapped on the rack behind the coach, -or thrown into its interior. The whole party—even Aunt Winnie—had -elected to ride on the roof of the vehicle.</p> - -<p>There was room beside the driver for only John Dempsey, but in two -wide, low seats fastened to the roof behind the driver, was room for -the remainder of the party. Aunt Winnie, with Dorothy and Tavia on -either side of her, sat on the more forward of these seats, while Ned -and Nat lolled on the one behind.</p> - -<p>“If we only had a horn now, we’d be fixed for this tallyho ride,” said -Nat.</p> - -<p>“But, goodness gracious!” gasped Tavia,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">118</a></span> peering down over the iron arm -of her seat. “Suppose we should fall off?”</p> - -<p>“That isn’t what you climbed up here for,” advised Dorothy. “Do be -careful, Tavia.”</p> - -<p>At that moment the Mexican saw that all was free and clear, and he -lifted the reins. His long whiplash writhed over the leaders’ ears, and -cracked like a pistol shot. The half-wild mustangs leaped against their -collars.</p> - -<p>“Oh—dear—me!” gasped Aunt Winnie. “We shall certainly be shaken off.”</p> - -<p>“It will be easier riding, Ma’am,” said John Dempsey, turning and -touching his hat respectfully, “when we get out of town. Don’t you be -afraid, Ma’am.”</p> - -<p>But the old coach did dip, and wiggle, and threaten to toss the girls -and Mrs. White off at every turn. Tavia squealed, and then saw that -people on the sidewalks were quietly enjoying her discomfort.</p> - -<p>“Do let’s be dignified,” she said to Dorothy. “There! there’s a man -staring—— Oh!”</p> - -<p>“It’s Mr. Lance!” cried Dorothy, recognizing their friend, the cowboy -from the Double Chain Outfit.</p> - -<p>“My goodness! so it is,” agreed Tavia, and smiled upon the knight of -the lariat ravishingly.</p> - -<p>Dorothy would have been glad to introduce Lance to Aunt Winnie and the -boys, but the time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">119</a></span> did not seem opportune. The Mexican twisted his -team into a side street, and the coach took the corner on two wheels -only!</p> - -<p>As Dorothy caught at the rail and hung on for dear life, she looked -back and saw Lance hailed by another man. She could not mistake this -second individual; it was Mr. Philo Marsh. As their coach plunged -around the corner Dorothy saw Marsh seize the cowboy by the arm and -lead him confidentially away.</p> - -<p>There was too much happening to her personally just then for Dorothy -Dale to wonder much about this association of the cowpuncher and Philo -Marsh. The mustangs settled into a gallop and the stagecoach was -whirled out of town in a cloud of dust. But when the cobbles were left -behind, the vehicle jounced less, and they could get their breath.</p> - -<p>“Don’t ever ask me to sit upon such a thing again, Edward,” exclaimed -Mrs. White, with some exasperation.</p> - -<p>“But if you had gone inside, you’d have been shaken about like a loose -pea in a pod,” declared her son. “I fancy you are better off up here, -mother.”</p> - -<p>The sweep of the road that lay before them was gray and dusty. The -trees were scrub, and there was rather a deserted look to the country -immediately outside of Dugonne.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">120</a></span> -Wheeling southwest, they quickly lost the railroad lines, and low hills -surrounded them. There was not a house in sight, and the last few they -had seen were merely slab shacks—some with corrugated iron roofs.</p> - -<p>But within two miles of the edge of the town they descried a moving -figure ahead, even if no human habitation appeared. It was a woman, -trudging along, at the bottom of an arroyo, or dry water-course, which -here was the trail.</p> - -<p>She did not look around at them, but the young folks on top of the -coach got a clear view of the lonely figure. She wore a close black -bonnet, and she carried a basket in one hand. Her decent black dress -was gray with dust.</p> - -<p>“Do you see who that is, Tavia Travers!” gasped Dorothy, suddenly. -“It’s Mrs. Petterby!”</p> - -<p>“Never!” ejaculated Tavia.</p> - -<p>The mustangs began to prick up their ears as they approached the lone -pedestrian. Dorothy bent forward and seized the Mexican’s shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Stop them—do stop them, sir!” she cried. “We know that old lady and -we’ll give her a ride if she’s going our way.”</p> - -<p>The Mexican yelled at the mustangs, and dragged them down to a slower -pace. They did not want to stop, but by the time they came abreast<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">121</a></span> of -the little old lady from Rand’s Falls, Massachusetts, they were merely -trotting.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Petterby!” cried Dorothy, leaning down from the seat and waving -her hand. “Wherever are you going—and with Ophelia?”</p> - -<p>“Bless us!” exclaimed Mrs. Petterby. “If it ain’t that nice Dale -gal—and all her folks. I was re’l worrited about you, my dear—and -your pretty friend. I see you caught up all right,” and she nodded and -smiled at them all, while the mustangs impatiently shook their heads -and stamped with all their sixteen hoofs.</p> - -<p>“We are all right, surely, Mrs. Petterby,” said Dorothy’s aunt. “But -what are you doing on this road?”</p> - -<p>“Why, Ma’am, I expect to meet my son out this a-way. They told me he -often stops with a man named Nicholson, just beyond here. I didn’t feel -like payin’ for a ride; and I’m spry. But Ophelia’s gittin’ cross.”</p> - -<p>There was a flutter inside the basket and the nearest horse pricked up -his ears and rolled his eyes at it.</p> - -<p>“Is Nicholson’s on our road?” Dorothy asked the Mexican driver.</p> - -<p>“Si, si!” said the man. “She not far.”</p> - -<p>“You will ride with us, won’t you, Mrs. Petterby?” cried Dorothy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">122</a></span> -“Wal, child, that’s pretty high for me to climb, ain’t it?”</p> - -<p>But she was tired and warm, and the chance to ride tempted her. Spry -as she was, back in Rand’s Falls, this dust and sun of Colorado were -different.</p> - -<p>“We’ll give her a hand up,” exclaimed Ned.</p> - -<p>Before he or Nat could descend, the driver did so. He thrust the reins -into the hands of old John Dempsey, and went over the wheel in a flash. -Smiling and bowing he put out his hand for the basket, and turned -swiftly to hand it up before aiding the old lady herself.</p> - -<p>It was at this very moment that the sensitive Ophelia decided to make a -break for liberty. She squawked, pushed up one of the basket lids, and -flopped right out over the Mexican’s head.</p> - -<p>“Oh! stop her!” cried Mrs. Petterby.</p> - -<p>But there was no stopping Ophelia just then. She struck the nearest -mustang and he plunged ahead, snorting. On the instant all four of the -beasts were off at a gallop, leaving the Mexican, Mrs. Petterby, and -Ophelia herself, behind.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">123</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xiii" id="xiii"></a><span>CHAPTER XIII</span><br /> -<small>AT THE RANCH HOUSE</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">I thought</span> I was in an airship!” Tavia declared.</p> - -<p>That was after the excitement was all over, however. At the moment the -mustangs started, all she did was to scream!</p> - -<p>The four half-wild little beasts leaped forward with one accord when -the frightened pullet flew squawking over them. The coach lurched -horribly; but the wheels remained in the ruts.</p> - -<p>Old John Dempsey held the ribbons, and held them firmly; but he was -not on the driver’s side of the seat. There was both a foot-break and -a half-lever-break; but he was unable to reach either. And in his old -arms was no longer the strength to pull the beasts in.</p> - -<p>Ned and Nat were shut off from the front seat by their mother and the -two girls. Tavia, beside screaming, seized the railing of the seat. -Aunt Winnie clung to her, and would have seized Dorothy as well, but -the latter flung off her aunt’s hand and plunged over the back of the -driver’s seat.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">124</a></span> -Frightened as she was, brave Dorothy knew that it was her chance, and -her chance only. As the mustangs gathered their feet under them and -whipped the tottering old coach up the side of the arroyo, Dorothy slid -into the place the Mexican had deserted.</p> - -<p>Fortunately she had watched him manipulate the brakes. And the mustangs -had the drag of the coach behind them going up hill. Going down it -might have been a very different story. True it was, that when the -panting, straining horses came out upon the level at the top of the -rise, they were glad to stop to breathe. With Dorothy giving them the -brakes and the old Grand Army Veteran on the lines, the four rascals -were glad to stop.</p> - -<p>Up came José Morale, having left the excited old lady, and the excited -hen, at the bottom of the hill. What he said in his own language to the -horses was a plenty! But in the next breath he praised Dorothy for her -pluck in most extravagant terms.</p> - -<p>As for that matter, they all praised her; but Dorothy would not listen.</p> - -<p>“Somebody had to do it—why not me?” she demanded. “Now, Ned and Nat, -you run back there and help Mrs. Petterby catch that hen, and then -bring them both on. We’ll wait here for you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">125</a></span> -It was then that Tavia had a slight attack of hysterics. “That hen will -be the death of me! she will! she will!” gasped the girl. “Did you ever -hear of anything so ridiculous in all your life?”</p> - -<p>“Now, don’t laugh and make Mrs. Petterby feel as though you were -laughing at her,” admonished Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“But if we take her to ride with us, and Ophelia lays an egg in this -stage, and the egg hatches out a chicken,” gasped Tavia, “that chicken -will be a nervous wreck from the start. At least, it will be afflicted -with St. Vitus Dance.”</p> - -<p>“Do be reasonable!” exclaimed Dorothy. “There! the boys have caught -Ophelia.” She was standing up on the stage roof, looking back at the -little group below. Suddenly a man on pony-back appeared over the last -rise the coach had crossed, and headed down into the hollow.</p> - -<p>“Who’s that coming?” demanded Tavia, from whose bright eyes little -escaped.</p> - -<p>“Why—why——”</p> - -<p>“It’s our knight of the lariat!” exclaimed Tavia, excitedly. “It’s Mr. -Lance.”</p> - -<p>“I believe you are right. That is Gaby he is riding.”</p> - -<p>“Of course it is Gaby,” said Tavia. “<em>Now</em> we can introduce him to your -aunt. And oh! Mrs. White! he is just the loveliest thing!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">126</a></span> -“How recklessly you talk about the young men, Octavia,” said Mrs. -White. “I believe he was very kind to you girls, however. I shall be -glad to thank him.”</p> - -<p>Ned was helping Mrs. Petterby along on his arm, while Nat carried the -basket, with Ophelia safely fastened within, when Lance overtook them.</p> - -<p>The cowboy raised his hat in salute and would have ridden on, but Mrs. -Petterby suddenly manifested much excitement. She screamed aloud and -even Dorothy, on top of the hill, heard her:</p> - -<p>“Lance Petterby! for the good land’s sake! if it ain’t my baby!”</p> - -<p>The cowboy swung in his saddle, pulled the pony up short, and instantly -leaped to the ground.</p> - -<p>“Jerusha Juniper!” he yelled. “MOTHER!”</p> - -<p>The little old lady ran straight into his arms. The big cowpuncher -caught her up and hugged her tightly. Even at that distance Dorothy -could see the surprise and delight depicted upon his countenance.</p> - -<p>“And we never dreamed,” murmured Tavia, “that ‘Lance’ was his <em>first</em> -name.”</p> - -<p>“She has found him; isn’t it delightful?” cried Dorothy, and she -insisted upon climbing down and running to meet the little old lady -from Rand’s Falls, Massachusetts, and her stalwart son.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Lance!” she cried, “I am so delighted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">127</a></span> to see you. And to think -we know your mother, and were just about to give her a ride when those -horrid ponies ran away!”</p> - -<p>“Jerusha Juniper, Miss!” said the cowboy. “However this old lady got -clean out yere, I dunno. But maybe I ain’t glad to see her!”</p> - -<p>He caught her up again in his arms, and Mrs. Petterby laughed and -flushed like a girl. “Stop your silliness, Lance Petterby,” she -ordered. “Set me down. Miss Dale will think ye ain’t got the sense ye -was born with. And don’t let that boy drop Ophelia.”</p> - -<p>It took some minutes to explain to the cowboy the present -situation—and especially how his mother came to be on this lonely -trail, afoot.</p> - -<p>It seemed that he was often at the squatter—Nicholson’s—house and -that was why people in Dugonne had advised Mrs. Petterby to look for -Lance there.</p> - -<p>They got the old lady into the coach and seated her with the chicken’s -basket in her lap, and Mrs. White elected to get down and ride with -her. The mustangs started on; Lance Petterby rode beside the stage. -Dorothy noticed that the cowboy kept close to Tavia’s side.</p> - -<p>Tavia was talking “nineteen to the dozen,” as Nat disgustedly said; -“and the use she’s making of her eyes is a shame!” he added, in an -aside, to Dorothy. But Dorothy could not stop her chum.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">128</a></span> The reckless -girl had “taken the bit in her teeth.”</p> - -<p>Lance was fairly bowled over by the batteries of Tavia’s speech and -glances. After all, to the unsophisticated cowboy, Tavia was quite a -grown-up young lady. Dorothy knew that if he lost his head it would not -be his fault, but her chum’s.</p> - -<p>“I’m ashamed of you, Tavia Travers,” she whispered, fiercely, in the -black-eyed girl’s ear. “How dare you? If Aunt Winnie was up here with -us now she’d put a stop to this, young lady.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Doro! you’re just killing!” cried Tavia, wickedly, and giggled, -and bridled, just as though her friend had said something very funny to -her. After that Dorothy held her peace grimly.</p> - -<p>She was glad that Lance was going no further with them than Nicholson’s -place. There he and Mrs. Petterby were to stay for a day or two before -going on to the headquarters of the Double Chain Outfit, where Lance -worked.</p> - -<p>Mrs. White invited them both to come over to Hardin’s, where she -decided that she and the young folk would remain for six weeks, at -least. She was especially gracious to Lance, and thanked him again for -his kindness to the two girls when they had been left behind by the -train; she might not have asked him so cordially to visit Hardin’s had -she known how Tavia had been acting.</p> - -<p>“We sartain sure’ll come to see ye,” Mrs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">129</a></span> Petterby said, briskly, -“pervidin’ Lance kin find something a mite more steady for me to ride -in. I shall want to see ye all again before I start back East.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yuh won’t want tuh start back yet awhile, mother,” drawled Lance.</p> - -<p>“I dunno,” said Mrs. Petterby. “I ain’t seen nothin’ yet in Colorado -the ekal of Rand’s Falls, Massachusetts.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll fix <em>that</em>,” grunted Lance, waving his hat again, as the old -coach lumbered away along the track.</p> - -<p>The sun was sinking when the now wearied mustangs drew the coach up -the round flank of the hill on which the Hardin ranch house was set. -Like most dwellings in the cattle country, the house was sprawling, one -story only in height, and rather picturesque.</p> - -<p>“I just love the look of it,” Dorothy declared, standing up to see it -better. “Don’t you, Tavia?”</p> - -<p>“I would if I could think of the scene long enough,” admitted her chum. -“But, oh, me! oh, my! I am wondering if there will be anything in the -line of supper forthcoming? I’m so hungry it takes my mind off the -scenery.”</p> - -<p>“How ridiculous! of course there will be something to eat.”</p> - -<p>“But will there be enough?” cried Tavia.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">130</a></span> -Mrs. White assured her there would be supper. The lawyers at Dugonne -had told her that there were Colonel Hardin’s foreman and his family on -the place, as well as several herdsmen.</p> - -<p>Dorothy continued to gaze wonderingly at the rolling green and brown -pastures, wire-fenced and evidently carefully kept up, rising in -high terraces from beyond the ranch house into the wooded and rugged -foothills to the west.</p> - -<p>“I expect,” said Aunt Winnie, “up in that rugged country yonder lies -the wonderful Lost River they tell me about—the water supply. It may -increase the value of the great estate enormously, as the lawyers say, -but I fear it is going to make me a lot of trouble.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think so, Aunt Winnie?” asked Dorothy, earnestly.</p> - -<p>“Yes. I spoke of the matter to Mr. Jermyn, and he advised me to go -slowly. There are other people after the water beside Desert City and -some farmers to whom Colonel Hardin promised it.”</p> - -<p>“Who else?”</p> - -<p>“Some big mining syndicate.”</p> - -<p>“That must be the Consolidated Ackron Company,” Ned broke in. “But what -do <em>they</em> want of water?”</p> - -<p>“Hydraulic mining, I understand,” said his mother. “It would greatly -cheapen their process<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">131</a></span> of extracting gold from the soil. I do not -understand much about it, I must admit.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe the mining syndicate would give you more for the water than the -desert people?” suggested Nat.</p> - -<p>“That would make no difference to us,” said his mother, firmly. “If -Colonel Hardin promised Desert City and the farmers, that Lost River -would flow south, south it shall flow, if they keep their part of the -bargain, and the thing can be done.”</p> - -<p>“But,” cried Dorothy, “can it be made to flow either way? How -wonderful! It must have a natural channel, mustn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“So I suppose,” replied Aunt Winnie. “There seems to be more to the -matter than we know about—yet. Mr. Philo Marsh gave us very few -particulars.”</p> - -<p>“I am sure that <em>he</em> is not a very trustworthy informant,” declared -Dorothy, obstinately, to Tavia. “We must watch Mr. Philo Marsh.”</p> - -<p>“And you objected before because I just looked at him!” breathed Tavia, -making very big eyes at her chum.</p> - -<p>While they were indulging in these surmises the rattling old stagecoach -had been mounting the rise toward the Hardin ranch-house. Finally José -shouted to the mustangs again and they sprang forward in what Nat -called “a grandstand finish,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">132</a></span> stopping with a flourish before the -front of the house.</p> - -<p>There was nobody on the wide veranda to greet them, but beyond was a -group of less important buildings, and from these came running several -people.</p> - -<p>First came Hank Ledger, the foreman of the ranch, to whom Mrs. White -had a letter of introduction from the lawyers. With him was his wife—a -handsome, buxom woman, who came with floury arms and an apron on, being -in the midst of preparations for supper for her husband and the hands.</p> - -<p>Two Mexicans appeared, too, who greeted José Morale, the stage driver, -in his own language. Last of all came a very pretty, dark and rosy -girl, younger than Dorothy and Tavia in years, yet with something -indefinably “grown-up” about her. The girl cast alternately shy looks -at the visitors and at José Morale, with whom, later, Dorothy saw her -talking very intimately in a secluded corner.</p> - -<p>Just then, however, Dorothy was more interested in seeing the interior -of the ranch-house that was to be their home for the next few weeks. -The door was open and with Tavia she entered, while Mrs. White talked -with Mr. and Mrs. Ledger on the veranda.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">133</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xiv" id="xiv"></a><span>CHAPTER XIV</span><br /> -<small>“THE SNAKE IN THE GRASS”</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Goodness</span> me, Doro! did you ever see so much out-of-doors before in all -your life? Isn’t the world awfully <em>big</em>?”</p> - -<p>Tavia was at the window of the large room in which the girls slept, on -the second morning of their stay at the ranch-house and she had not -begun to dress. This big world that she was looking out at, seemed just -now deserted.</p> - -<p>There were miles upon miles of rolling country to north, east, and -south. In the early light this vast expanse of out-of-doors was colored -in many hues—and the hues were ever changing. The wall of mountains to -the west, which shut off their view seemed so near that Tavia declared -she could run over to them before breakfast!</p> - -<p>“You might before breakfast, but not before breakfast time!” laughed -Dorothy. “Mr. Ledger says it’s two days’ ride on a good pony to that -huge rock that we see standing up there so clearly.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose so. Lost River is over that way,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">134</a></span> too. The foreman says that -most of this rolling country we see belongs to the Hardin estate.”</p> - -<p>“What a huge, huge place it is!” sighed Dorothy. “And what will we ever -do with it all?”</p> - -<p>“Ned wants to raise cattle on it,” chuckled Tavia, “but I believe Nat -would rather raise mischief.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy did not pay attention to this. She was gazing afar, and said -very quietly:</p> - -<p>“Mr. Ledger says the land is rich enough to raise anything.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you believe all your hear—and not more than half of what you -<em>see</em>,” said her chum, philosophically. “Appearances are deceitful. -That’s like the little girl who lost her penny.”</p> - -<p>“What little girl?” demanded Dorothy, dreamily.</p> - -<p>“Oh! it might have been <em>any</em> little girl—who was sharp,” chuckled -Tavia. “At any rate a fine, handsome, benevolent old party comes along -the street and finds the ragged little girl crying, and asked in that -benevolent tone that goes with a white vest and gold-headed cane:</p> - -<p>“‘What’s the matter, my little dear? What are you crying for?’</p> - -<p>“‘I’ve lost my penny,’ says the kid.</p> - -<p>“‘Never mind! never mind!’ says the old gentleman, reaching into his -pocket. ‘Here is a penny,’ and he hands her one. The kid looks up<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">135</a></span> at -him and sees right through the game. Says she:</p> - -<p>“‘Why! you horrid man! you had it all the time, didn’t you?’ And the -next time,” chuckled Tavia, “he will go right along about his business -and not try to play Santa Claus to young ladies to whom he has not been -introduced.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy laughed at her chum’s little story, and said: “I guess most -appearances are deceitful. At least, Aunt Winnie says you mustn’t form -an opinion upon mere looks—so that gives <em>me</em> a chance to point a -moral, and adorn a tale.”</p> - -<p>“There was Pat, who was a coal heaver, coming home and finding that the -children had been using his Ancient Order of Hibernian regalia-hat to -bring home coals in. ‘Mary Ann! Mary Ann! Phy do youse let thim kids do -that?’ holding up the maltreated high hat. ‘I’ve told youse before—I -don’t like it!’</p> - -<p>“‘Shure, Pat,’ says she, ‘phat harm does it be doin’? A little more -coaldust won’t hurt yez.’</p> - -<p>“‘That may be thrue, woman,’ says Pat, ‘but yez don’t see the point. -When I wear the hat out, shure, an’ take it off, it laves a black -mar-r-k around me forehead. An’ wot’s th’ consekences?’ demands Pat, -warmly. ‘Shure it gits me accused of washin’ me face with me hat on!’”</p> - -<p>Tavia ran out of the room. Both girls were well acquainted with the -house now. It had most<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">136</a></span> modern improvements and Colonel Hardin, -although he was a man of no family, had entertained largely and -believed in having all the comforts attainable. A huge windmill pumped -water for the house and stables, for <em>this</em> was not the desert, and a -vein of water could be tapped something like a hundred and fifty feet -below the surface.</p> - -<p>Hank Ledger had told the girls when they inquired that this vein of -water was supposed to be a branch of Lost River, which plunged into the -earth so many miles away in the low hills to the west.</p> - -<p>“Tell yuh what!” croaked the foreman, who seemed to be a bird of -ill-omen, “ef that thar river is ever turned out onto the desert, as I -tol’ the old Kern” (Colonel) “when he was alive, ye air goin’ tuh shut -off yuh own water supply right yere. Now! yuh hear me shoutin’!”</p> - -<p>“Do you suppose that is so?” asked Tavia of Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Ledger says Hank doesn’t know. She’s a real jolly woman, -and declares that Hank can’t see anything but worry and trouble -ahead of him. She says he’d prophesy another Deluge if there was a -summer shower, and a seven-year drouth if the sun shone two days in -succession!”</p> - -<p>“But we’re going to know something about Lost River to-day—hooray!” -cried Tavia.</p> - -<p>It had been decided that the party would explore<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">137</a></span> the wilder part of -the estate—some of it, at least—on this day. Hank was to be their -leader, and the young folk and Mrs. White were to mount ponies and see -all that there was to be seen between an early breakfast and suppertime.</p> - -<p>The boys were already—early as was the hour—down in the corral -picking out the ponies they were to ride. Neither Nat nor Ned wanted -“hobby horses”; but as big Hank let them have their own choice in the -matter, the boys got several falls before they selected ponies that -were both spirited and well trained. Naturally the foreman selected the -mounts for the girls and Mrs. White, himself.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Ledger had undertaken the cooking for the party at the big house, -for it was hard to get even Mexican women at short notice. The girls -dusted and ridded up the house every morning, early.</p> - -<p>As for old John Dempsey, he came out strong! He proved to be just the -person needed about the Hardin ranch. He was general handy man, indoors -and out, and was on this morning engaged in cleaning up the rooms that -Colonel Hardin had used as his office. In the corner was a great heap -of papers and rubbish that had been cleared out of the old Colonel’s -desk after his death, and which the lawyers had examined.</p> - -<p>As Dorothy came through the hall she peered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">138</a></span> in and saw the old man -sorting this rubbish. He turned with a shining face and held out a -yellowed paper towards her.</p> - -<p>“Miss Dorothy! Miss Dorothy! see here, will ye? Be my eyes deceivin’ -me? Shure, I feel like a fairy had led me by the hand into this place.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy was both amazed and anxious at his earnestness. She ran forward -and took the paper which he put reverently into her hand.</p> - -<p>It was a letter, and written in a peculiarly long, angular hand. At the -bottom was the unforgettable signature, “A. Lincoln.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy gasped, looked back at the old man with shining eyes, and then -devoured the letter:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Executive Mansion</span>,<br /> -“Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.</p> - -<p class="noi mb0">“<span class="smcap">To Mrs. Bixby</span>,</p> - -<p class="mt0">“Boston, Mass.</p> - -<p class="noi">“Dear Madam: I have been shown in the files of the War Department a -statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the -mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.</p> - -<p>“I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which would -attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. -But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">139</a></span> that -may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I -pray that Our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your -bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved -and lost and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so -costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="pr1">“Yours very sincerely and respectfully,</span><br /> -“<span class="smcap">A. Lincoln</span>.”</p> -</blockquote> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Dempsey! is it real?” cried Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“It is that, Ma’am,” he said, confidently. “He that was President—and -the finest gentleman that ever lived—wrote that letter to a poor -widow. How it come in Colonel Hardin’s papers, I dunno——”</p> - -<p>“And the lawyers threw it aside. How awful! They were looking only for -stocks, and bonds, and wills, and such,” cried Dorothy, eagerly. “Yet -that letter from President Lincoln, Mr. Dempsey, must be worth a lot of -money, too. And you found it, Mr. Dempsey! It’s yours.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, Ma’am. Your aunt——”</p> - -<p>“Would never lay claim to it, I am sure. And if the letter is worth -money——”</p> - -<p>“What’s this that’s worth money, Miss?” asked a suave voice behind her. -Dorothy Dale<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">140</a></span> turned to see the smiling Mr. Philo Marsh in dusty riding -clothes standing, hat in hand, behind her.</p> - -<p>“Good morning, Miss!” he said, with a sweeping bow. “I chanced to -overhear you. What’s the old fellow found?” and he stretched forth a -bold hand and took the letter.</p> - -<p>“It belongs to Mr. Dempsey,” said Dorothy, with chilling directness. “I -shall tell Aunt Winnie you are here, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! don’t let me hurry her,” said the man.</p> - -<p>His sharp eyes were fixed upon the letter as Dorothy turned away to go -to her aunt’s room. When she returned a little later, Mr. Philo Marsh -had settled himself in a chair on the veranda to await Mrs. White. John -Dempsey beckoned her into the office and closed the door.</p> - -<p>“Have a care of that fellow, Miss,” he whispered. “He’s a snake in the -grass.”</p> - -<p>“Why do you say so?” asked the girl.</p> - -<p>“The rascal offered me fifty dollars for the letter from President -Lincoln.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Dempsey! that is a lot of money.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Miss Dale! if the letter was mine to sell, I wouldn’t part wi’ -it for a fortune. Poor I may be,” said old John Dempsey, reverently, -“but never poor enough to sell a scrap of writin’ in the hand of the -greatest hearted and tenderest man this country ever seen—no, Ma’am!”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">141</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xv" id="xv"></a><span>CHAPTER XV</span><br /> -<small>EXPLORING</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> was double excitement at the breakfast table that morning. Not -only were the young folk eager to get away on the trip of exploration -planned the day before; but old John Dempsey’s find among the discarded -papers in the office excited them.</p> - -<p>The letter written in Lincoln’s angular hand was passed from one to -the other. Mrs. White of course agreed with Dorothy that the letter -belonged to the Grand Army man.</p> - -<p>“He shall certainly have it—to keep, or to sell,” she said.</p> - -<p>“Your protégé is turning out pretty well, Dot,” said Ned. “And if he -keeps on finding valuable letters like that, he’ll soon be as rich as -the other ‘John D.’ Some collectors <a name="would" id="would"></a><ins title="Original has 'woud'">would</ins> give a round sum for -this letter.”</p> - -<p>“He’s already had one offer,” Dorothy said, hesitatingly.</p> - -<p>“What!” cried Tavia. “You never offered to buy it?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">142</a></span> -“Certainly not. And Mr. Dempsey says he wouldn’t sell.” Then she -related what the old man had said regarding Philo Marsh.</p> - -<p>“‘Snake in the grass!’” exclaimed Tavia. “That’s just what he is.”</p> - -<p>“Hush,” said Aunt Winnie. “The man is really bothering me a good deal. -He has gone off with Mr. Ledger to breakfast. I did not care to invite -him in here——”</p> - -<p>“I should hope not!” exclaimed Ned.</p> - -<p>“Well, I am free to confess,” said his mother, thoughtfully, “that I do -not know just how to treat Mr. Marsh. He tried to have me invite him to -ride with us to-day; but I do not want him.”</p> - -<p>“You say the word, mother,” said Nat, belligerently, “and Ned and I -will send him to the right-about-face.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. White laughed. “Oh, I fancy he is not very dangerous, my boy.”</p> - -<p>“Then, if that’s the case,” added Nat, grinning, “why not sick Tavia -onto him?”</p> - -<p>“Nathaniel!”</p> - -<p>“You horrid thing!” exclaimed Tavia, perfectly able to fight her own -battles with the boys. “You talk as though I might be a bulldog.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a sight more dangerous,” chuckled Nat. “If you once rolled -those big eyes of yours at Philo—as you did at that cowboy, Lance, for -instance——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">143</a></span> -“Nathaniel!” exclaimed his mother again. “I am ashamed of you.”</p> - -<p>“You’d have been ashamed of Tavia if you’d seen her,” grunted the young -fellow.</p> - -<p>That was the beginning of a tiff between Tavia and Nat. “You wait, Mr. -Smartie!” she whispered, giving him a vicious pinch as he passed her -chair. “I’ll get square with you for saying that.”</p> - -<p>But afterward, when she and Dorothy were together, the latter spoke -seriously to her chum.</p> - -<p>“You must have a care, my dear. Aunt Winnie would be horrified if she -knew you were in the least flirtatious with these men——”</p> - -<p>“What men?” demanded Tavia, with some anger.</p> - -<p>“Lance Petterby, we’ll say. If he comes here with his mother, you -behave.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you’re a regular Grandmother Grunt. And I’ll fix Nat for saying -that to his mother, see if I don’t.”</p> - -<p>Tavia was, indeed, quite vexed, and they were several miles from the -ranch house that forenoon before she became her jolly irresponsible -self.</p> - -<p>Before noon the exploring party had seen much of the range and -pasturage. Hank Ledger said even after this drouth the pasture could -well support ten thousand steers.</p> - -<p>“But we ain’t had that many critters on the ranch for ten year. Cattle -ain’t what they was—no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">144</a></span> sir! We’ve got a couple of thousand, and -that’s full and plenty. I reckon, Miz White, you won’t want to increase -the number much?”</p> - -<p>“We shall talk about that later,” said the lady. “At present I want to -see about this water privilege.”</p> - -<p>“All right, Ma’am. I’ll take you right up there, and we can eat our -snack beside Lost River.”</p> - -<p>“That sounds very romantic,” said Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Especially the eating part,” laughed Dorothy. “Riding <em>does</em> give one -such an appetite.”</p> - -<p>Ledger escorted them into the low hills. Soon they were riding up a -sharply inclined gully, and reached higher land. The woods grew denser. -Ahead the murmur of falling water soon rose to a steady volume of sound -which, although it did not deafen them, made a background for all other -noises.</p> - -<p>Huge boulders cropped out of the thin soil. The trees were not tall, -but were standing in very thick groups. In some places the ponies -pushed through thickets that seemed to be almost impassable.</p> - -<p>At last a plateau was reached—several hundred feet higher than the -knoll upon which the ranch-house stood—and at once, when they came -into the clear, Dorothy and Tavia broke into a simultaneous cry of -surprise and delight.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">145</a></span> -Sweeping across this level plain, directly toward them, came a broad, -silver stream. Small groves of soft-barked trees fringed its banks. -Here and there a boulder intruded, around the base of which the -otherwise peaceful river boiled and sprayed the rock with foam.</p> - -<p>All the surface of the stream was sparkling as though the banks -actually brimmed with molten silver. Such a refreshing looking mountain -stream Dorothy had never before seen—or one-half so beautiful.</p> - -<p>Just in front of the cavalcade a veil of mist rose some twenty feet -into the air. In this mist the sunshine played delightfully, lending -itself to a dozen different rainbows.</p> - -<p>The almost impalpable moisture drifted across a stretch of grass, as -green as it could be—a veritable fairy lawn. The curtain of mist hid -from them what appeared to be the abrupt ending of the river.</p> - -<p>“What a marvel!” gasped Dorothy. “Why! Mr. Ledger! where does the water -go?”</p> - -<p>Ledger grinned and wheeled his horse aside, following a distinct path -which approached the nearer bank of the stream. The spray swept over -them for a moment, and then they came out above it, and upon the steep -bank.</p> - -<p>Right beside them was a narrow chasm in the rock—a yawning gulf the -full width of the stream<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">146</a></span> which was here all of twenty yards across. -Into this opening in the earth the river plunged.</p> - -<p>“Lost River, indeed!” cried Dorothy, looking back at the others, with -shining eyes. “Did you ever see anything so wonderful, Aunt Winnie?”</p> - -<p>A deep, thunderous murmur, like the bass notes of a great organ, came -up from the depths. The perfectly clear water advanced to the lip of -rock over which it flowed, falling into the chasm with scarcely a -ripple. But the spray rising in so thick a cloud showed that the volume -of water must strike some ledge not far below the surface of the plain, -from which it caromed against the wall of the crevice.</p> - -<p>“Say! this is some river,” said Nat, in awe.</p> - -<p>“How beautiful!” repeated Dorothy.</p> - -<p>The foreman told them that the stream was fed above by numberless -mountain springs, and had never been known to go dry.</p> - -<p>“Such a waste of good water!” exclaimed Tavia. “No wonder those people -in the desert want it. Why, it ought to make the desert blossom like -the rose! That’s poetry, I want you to notice. But goodness! I won’t -do a thing to those sandwiches and the coffee—when Mr. Ledger gets it -made.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">147</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xvi" id="xvi"></a><span>CHAPTER XVI</span><br /> -<small>IN THE GORGE</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">They</span> went up the bank of the river afoot after luncheon. Ledger walked -with Aunt Winnie, explaining as they went the scheme of changing the -river’s course. The young folk ran on ahead.</p> - -<p>They came to a narrow reef of rock which hemmed in the river on this -westerly side. On the left hand they looked down into a deep gorge. -Here, by blowing out the rock-wall which was not more than ten yards -across, the river would plunge into the gorge which cut through the -plateau toward the south.</p> - -<p>This was the natural channel that had been spoken of. At the mouth of -the gorge, the foreman said, a dam could be built at a comparatively -small expense, which would hold an enormous amount of water in reserve.</p> - -<p>The tentative agreement between Colonel Hardin and the Desert people -included the building of this dam at the expense of the subscribers for -the water. The intention was to dig a great ditch from the mouth of the -gorge across the plain, with branch ditches and gates for the farmers, -the main ditch carrying the water to the outskirts of Desert City.</p> - -<p>There a pumping station was to be established and the water piped into -the town. The irrigation work and all would occupy at least two years, -and cost a good deal of money, but the result, as Tavia had suggested, -would be to “make the desert blossom like the rose.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. White would travel no farther than this reef at the head of the -gorge, but the young folk were bent upon a real exploring expedition. -She gave her consent for them to go on, and Ned and Nat found a path -which led down the nigh bank of the deep hollow.</p> - -<p>The trees that had struck root into this rocky soil were scrubby -looking things and there were not many of them, but there was a deal of -brush and briers.</p> - -<p>“Suppose this was an old Indian path?” proposed Nat to his brother, -when they were at the bottom of the steep descent.</p> - -<p>“More likely made by wild animals,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“Whew!” exclaimed Nat, his eyes twinkling. “Maybe it leads to a bear’s -den.”</p> - -<p>“Now stop, Nat White!” commanded Tavia. “You are trying to scare us.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">148</a></span> -<a name="out" id="out"></a> -<img src="images/i-page150.jpg" width="400" height="637" alt="" /> -<div class="caption">OUT OF THE CREVICE PROTRUDED THE UPPER LENGTH OF A -RATTLESNAKE.<br /> -<i>Dorothy Dale in the <span class="word-spacing3">West Page</span> <a href="#out2">150</a></i> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">149</a></span> -“Don’t listen to him, Tavia,” said Dorothy. “There are no wild animals -near here. Mr. Ledger didn’t even bring a gun.”</p> - -<p>“It’s supposed to be a game preserve, isn’t it?” demanded Nat. “And -aren’t bears game?”</p> - -<p>“If you should see one you’d be the bear’s game,” sniffed Dorothy. -“You’d run.”</p> - -<p>“Sure I would,” admitted Nat. “I’d rather a good deal folks would say -of me, ‘See him run!’ than ‘Here he lies.’”</p> - -<p>“I suppose there <em>are</em> some wild beasts deeper in these hills—and on -Colonel Hardin’s property,” Ned said, thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>“What kind of beasts?” demanded Tavia, sharply.</p> - -<p>“Oh—bears, and wolves, and panthers, and the like.”</p> - -<p>“That’s enough!” declared Tavia, stopping short. “I’ve gone far enough. -Let’s climb up again, Doro.”</p> - -<p>“But I want to see what the gulch looks like,” objected Dorothy, who -had little belief in Nat’s wild animal scare.</p> - -<p>“’Fraid-cat!” sing-songed Nat, grinning.</p> - -<p>“No. I’ve gone far enough. I’m tired,” said Tavia, decisively. “I’m -going to sit right down here on this rock. I’ll wait for you if a wild -bear doesn’t come along and chase me back up the hill.”</p> - -<p>“Wild bear, your grandmother!” said Nat, with disgust.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">150</a></span> -“Come on, Dot,” Ned said to his cousin. “I’m glad you haven’t lost your -pluck.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll lose more than that if you see a bear,” advised Tavia.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe there’s a thing to hurt us in this place, and I want -to see,” repeated Dorothy Dale.</p> - -<p>The trio went on, but they did not really believe Tavia would remain -far behind them. “She’s up to some trick,” Nat announced.</p> - -<p>“I believe you’re right,” agreed Dorothy, but when they had gone at -least half a mile down the gorge, and the irrepressible Tavia had not -overtaken them, Dorothy began frequently to look back.</p> - -<p>“<em>What</em> do you suppose she is doing?” she repeated, greatly puzzled.</p> - -<p>“Oh, she is up to something. You know Tavia,” responded Ned, carelessly.</p> - -<p>At last Dorothy said: “I’m going back. I am worried about Tavia.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!” cried Nat. “She’s gone back to join mother, I bet you.”</p> - -<p>“Betting never proved anything yet, little boy,” laughed Dorothy. “You -boys can go on if you like. But it’s no fun without Tavia.”</p> - -<p>She started back briskly; the boys started more slowly. “Huh!” grunted -Nat, “Tavia isn’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">151</a></span> often a ‘spoil sport.’ I don’t see what’s gotten -into her to-day.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy did not run, but she lost no time and was some distance ahead -of her cousins when she came in sight of the rocks where Tavia had -seated herself.</p> - -<p>Her chum was still there. When Dorothy shouted to her Tavia did not -look her way. The rock was a low, flat-topped boulder with a crack -across the middle of it. Tavia seemed to be looking at something before -her on the rock.</p> - -<p>“What have you found there, Tavia?” cried Dorothy. “It must be -something tremendously interesting.”</p> - -<p>Still her chum did not move—nor make reply. As though she were posing -for her picture, the young girl sat motionless. Dorothy could not see -her face at the angle from which she was advancing. But something about -Tavia’s attitude finally startled her.</p> - -<p>“What is the matter?” screamed Dorothy Dale, suddenly bounding forward.</p> - -<p>She could run as well as any boy. Her gymnasium work at Glenwood, and -her vacations out-of-doors, had made Dorothy hardy and strong. She -dashed forward over the rough way, crying out again and again as she -saw that her chum still sat stonily.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">152</a></span> -Dorothy leaped up beside her and would have—the next moment—seized -Tavia by the shoulder. But there, with her hand outstretched, she -halted. The intake of her breath sounded harsh in her own ears. She saw -what had paralyzed Tavia—and the horrid object nearly froze Dorothy, -too, in her tracks.</p> - -<p><a name="out2" id="out2"></a>Out of the crevice in the rock protruded the arrow-headed upper length -of a rattlesnake. It was coiled less than two feet below the level of -Tavia’s face, and its tail was a-quiver. The whir of the rattles is a -dreaded sound that, once heard, is never to be forgotten.</p> - -<p>There the reptile stretched itself, its eyes fairly holding Tavia -charmed. Of course, it was the girl’s own nerves that held her -motionless and speechless—her nerves affected by fear.</p> - -<p>Tavia could neither rise to escape the threatened stroke of the -rattler, nor do aught to defend herself from it. The immediate neck of -the creature was curved back, and the pointed head, with the swiftly -shooting tongue, threatened instant attack.</p> - -<p>Dorothy felt a dreadful tightening about her heart—just as though a -savage hand had gripped it. She felt as though she would faint—yet she -knew she must not give way to such weakness.</p> - -<p>On her depended her chum’s very life!</p> - -<p>She glanced about for some weapon. There was no stick within her reach -of sufficient weight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">153</a></span> to be of use. But there were pebbles and broken -bits of rock scattered over the ground.</p> - -<p>She seized the nearest heavy piece of rock. She dared not pitch it at -the snake—the chance of missing the target was too great. But with the -dornick in both hands she crept one—two—three steps toward the rock. -The missile was poised over her head. It was all that Dorothy Dale -could hold steadily.</p> - -<p>Down came the heavy piece of rock, just as the rattlesnake darted its -head forward. Its diamond pointed head had been on a level with Tavia’s -chin, for it was a huge fellow.</p> - -<p>Dorothy had stopped it in midflight. Scared she most certainly was—her -very soul seemed filled with horror of the poisonous creature. But -Dorothy Dale could not fail her chum in this time of awful peril.</p> - -<p>She struck the snake down. Its head and the upper part of its writhing -body was smashed under the rock Dorothy held. She had put her whole -force into the blow and she fell across the rock and the coiling and -uncoiling snake just as the boys came whooping and yelling into view.</p> - -<p>As for Tavia, she went quietly off into a faint, and she did not revive -until Ned and Nat carried her up the steep path and laid her down -beside Lost River, from which water was taken to bathe her wrists and -brow.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">154</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xvii" id="xvii"></a><span>CHAPTER XVII</span><br /> -<small>FLORES</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">I never</span> want to hear even a baby’s rattle again,” sobbed Tavia, after -she and Dorothy were alone in their room at the ranch house. “Anything -from the rattle of a dry seed in a pod to a load of bricks being dumped -on a cement walk, will remind me of that dreadful snake.</p> - -<p>“Why, I had a little stick in my hand, and I poked it into that crack -in the rock to see if there was anything there, and up darted that -rattler’s head!</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear, me, Doro! if you hadn’t come as you did, I would have been -bitten all to pieces!”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!” laughed Dorothy. “A snake isn’t a bulldog. It wouldn’t have -chewed you up. But they <em>are</em> dangerous.”</p> - -<p>“Poisonous! And I didn’t have the strength to move, I was so -frightened. You’ve always helped me out of messes, Doro Doodlebug! but -this time you saved my life,” and Tavia seized her chum in her arms. “I -hope I’ll be able to do something <em>big</em> for you some day to pay you up -a little, wee mite!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">155</a></span> -“You poor child!” Dorothy said, tenderly. “Don’t talk such perfectly -nonsensical stuff. I did no more for you than you would have done for -me in like circumstances.”</p> - -<p>“I know all about <em>that</em>,” said Tavia, wiping her eyes. “But you’d -never get into such a silly scrape, and so give me a chance. I <em>do</em> get -into such perfect bunches of trouble, Doro. Life, for me, seems to be -just one silly scrape after another!”</p> - -<p>By morning, however, Tavia had put the lesson of her adventure into the -background. There was so much to do and see on the ranch that she could -not really spend the time in thinking of a rattlesnake that was already -dead!</p> - -<p>The four young folk rode hard with one of the Mexicans that day. -Dorothy and Tavia were rather shy of the long, wicked looking horns and -the tossing heads and flashing eyes of the cattle, so gave them a wide -berth. Ned and Nat began practising throwing the rope, and displayed a -deeper interest in the cattle business than the girls could possibly -feel.</p> - -<p>Dorothy and Tavia thought the Mexican rather a villainous looking -fellow, too—not at all like the handsome José Morale, who had driven -them over from Dugonne, so after a while they rode back toward the home -corral, leaving Ned and Nat to go on to the second herd without them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">156</a></span> -The girls had, by this time, no fear of the ponies they bestrode. Both -were well broken steeds without any vicious characteristics. As they -drew near the end of the first shed, Dorothy’s mount “side-stepped” -unexpectedly and the girl was almost thrown.</p> - -<p>“Did you see it?” demanded Tavia, hastily.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t see anything, but the pony evidently did,” laughed Dorothy, -fearlessly. “What was it, Tavia?”</p> - -<p>“That Mexican girl popped right out from behind that shed, and then -popped back again. No wonder your pony jumped. She dresses like a -Fourth of July celebration. I never did see such gay colors combined in -a girl’s dress in all my life.”</p> - -<p>“Flores, you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Is that her name?” asked Tavia.</p> - -<p>“So Mrs. Ledger told me,” said Dorothy. “Flores helps the foreman’s -wife. She is an orphan. Her parents died of smallpox in a squatter’s -cabin a few miles out in the desert, last year.”</p> - -<p>“Goodness, Doro! how much you know about her already. Is she going to -be your next protégée?” demanded Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Well,” confessed Dorothy, “I was interested in her at once. And do you -know why?”</p> - -<p>“Just because you are always interested in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">157</a></span> everybody and everything, -Doro Doodlekins. I never did see such a girl,” repeated Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Oh! I had a real reason,” rejoined Dorothy, laughing. “You see, -she is not as old as you and I, Tavia, yet I saw her talking very -confidentially with that Mexican driver, José.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, <em>him</em>? Do you blame her?” chuckled Tavia. “What wonderfully white -teeth he has—and just a <em>love</em> of a mustache!”</p> - -<p>Dorothy made a little face at her. “You are incorrigible, Tavia,” she -groaned. “I am interested in Flores, not in that driver.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you spoke of him,” insisted Tavia. “<em>I</em> didn’t bring him—and -his mustache—into the conversation.”</p> - -<p>“I wondered if Flores’ folks—if she had any—approved of her talking -with the man,” continued Dorothy, ignoring her chum’s flippancy. “And -what do you think?”</p> - -<p>“She is going to run away with him like Molly Crater did with <em>her</em> -young man!” ejaculated the romantic Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Do be sensible!” exclaimed Dorothy, with disgust. “Molly Crater is -nineteen—she was of age in this state. I wish you’d listen——”</p> - -<p>“Officer! she’s in again!” interrupted Tavia. “See! that Mex. girl is -beckoning to you, Doro.”</p> - -<p>“No! she can’t mean <em>me</em>?”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure she isn’t after me,” said Tavia.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">158</a></span> “I’ve never said ten words -to her, for she can’t speak English. I found <em>that</em> out.”</p> - -<p>Flores had appeared again at the far corner of the long shed they were -passing. She <em>did</em> gesture for Dorothy to come to her.</p> - -<p>“I’m going!” declared Dorothy. “You take my pony on to the corral, -Tavia.”</p> - -<p>She was out of the saddle as soon as she had spoken and tossed the -bridle-reins to her friend. Flores popped out of sight again, but -Dorothy followed her around the corner of the shed.</p> - -<p>At this corner Dorothy saw the Mexican girl dodging around the next -corner, but quickly Flores led her to an empty shed and there turned, -waiting for her. All the sheds appeared to be empty, for the horse -wrangler had driven all the ponies out to pasture, and there was no -cattle here save a few calves bawling their heads off in a pen.</p> - -<p>“You wish to talk to me?” asked Dorothy, puzzled, but smiling at the -younger girl.</p> - -<p>“I no sp’ak mooch Inglese,” said Flores, softly. “You come?”</p> - -<p>She seized Dorothy’s hand and drew her gently away. “Come where?” asked -the Eastern girl.</p> - -<p>“Wiz me,” and Flores pointed to herself. “I no sp’ak, but I leeston. -You leeston, too.”</p> - -<p>“Listen?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">159</a></span> -Flores nodded her head vigorously. “They talk—you leeston.”</p> - -<p>She still dragged at Dorothy’s hand. The fact that the Mexican girl -wished her to play eavesdropper did not at first enter Dorothy’s mind. -She went with Flores wonderingly.</p> - -<p>Her guide led the way surely between the rows of sheds. Keeping well -away from the bunkhouse and paddock, where there were likely to be -loiterers, Flores skillfully chose a way in which Mrs. Ledger could not -possibly see them from her doorway.</p> - -<p>When Colonel Hardin had really made cattle raising a business, there -were often ten thousand steers at the home corral, besides hundreds of -ponies. Corrals and sheds occupied several hundred acres.</p> - -<p>With a finger on her lip, Flores looked back to see that the American -girl was following closely. Dorothy heard voices—men’s voices. At -first she did not recognize them.</p> - -<p>The Mexican girl led her close behind a slab wall and silently pointed -to a crevice. At the moment there was not a sound beyond the wall, and -Dorothy tiptoed to it and peered through the crack.</p> - -<p>There sat Hank Ledger, the foreman of the ranch, and Philo Marsh. Both -were smoking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">160</a></span> and they were evidently having an earnest conference.</p> - -<p>Dorothy looked back at Flores questioningly, and the Mexican girl -nodded with emphasis. She had brought Dorothy here that the latter -might “leeston” to these two men. But Dorothy had no intention of doing -such a thing.</p> - -<p>Of course, Flores knew no better. The puzzling fact that Flores wished -Dorothy to listen to Hank and Marsh was a secondary consideration in -the Glenwood girl’s mind in the first flush of her discovery. She -turned swiftly again to shake her head angrily at the girl, when Philo -Marsh spoke:</p> - -<p>“Why, you know very well what will happen here, Hank. This woman is -just a plain fool. She’ll get to sticking her nose into everything, -and you’ll soon be hunting another job. And it won’t be at a hundred a -month, neither!</p> - -<p>“You might as well pad your pocket a little against your fall. It’s -comin’ tuh yuh—and a good, hard bump it will be, too.”</p> - -<p>“I dunno that,” growled Hank.</p> - -<p>“Then you’re the only one around here who <em>don’t</em> know it. It’s comin’ -tuh yuh,” he repeated.</p> - -<p>“I kalkerlate this Mrs. White is a mighty able lady,” said Hank, slowly.</p> - -<p>“Pah!” sneered Philo Marsh. “She’s nawthin’ of the kind. And her -brother-in-law is all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">161</a></span> crippled up and can’t git out yere. Anyway, no -two ways about it, we’re goin’ to beat ’em. You better come in with us, -<em>pronto</em>. You don’t have to do nawthin’ but keep your mouth shut. We -want the water, and we’re goin’ to have it—that’s all.”</p> - -<p>Before Philo Marsh had spoken a dozen words Dorothy had a change of -heart! The scoundrel’s coarse remark about Aunt Winnie was sufficient -to hold the girl at her post and fix her attention, and her anger and -interest both grew exceedingly as the talk between the two men -<a name="continued" id="continued"></a><ins title="Original has 'continud'">continued</ins>.</p> - -<p>Just what Philo Marsh meant—why he should speak as he did—what -advantage he proposed to take of her father and Aunt Winnie—Dorothy -did not know. But she proposed to stay right there until she heard all -that they said upon the subject, hoping that such eavesdropping would -repay her—and believing that it was excusable in such a cause.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">162</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xviii" id="xviii"></a><span>CHAPTER XVIII</span><br /> -<small>OPHELIA COMES VISITING</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Will</span> you please tell me, Doro Doodlekins, just why everything in my -trunk is mismates? I believe I have half a pair of everything I own in -the world with me, and the other half is at home!”</p> - -<p>Dorothy giggled, deep in the mysteries of her own toilette.</p> - -<p>“If I wore spectacles,” pursued the complaining Tavia. “I’d have only -half a pair with me. And half a pair of scissors would be my fate if -I owned scissors. If I wore false teeth, I’d be able to find only the -upper set.”</p> - -<p>“You packed the trunk yourself,” mumbled Dorothy, with pins in her -mouth.</p> - -<p>“I never!” denied Tavia. “I was so excited over the prospect of coming -West that I just threw the first things that came handy into my trunk. -When it was overflowing I jumped on the lid to make it lock, and—there -you are! At least, it looks as though I did just that when it comes to -finding things.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">163</a></span> -“Poor Tavia Trouble-ty-bubble!” cooed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” admitted her chum. “Look!” with desperation.</p> - -<p>She held up two stockings—they never could have made a pair of “hose,” -for one was white while the other was flesh color.</p> - -<p>“See what I am reduced to,” continued the irrepressible. “If I wear -them with pumps folks will think I’m mismated, too! Whatever shall I -do, Doro?”</p> - -<p>There was company expected at the Hardin ranch-house and the girls were -“dolling up,” as Nat called it, in honor of old Mrs. Petterby and Lance.</p> - -<p>“Wear black ones,” answered the practical Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, but black isn’t fashionable—and certainly not with white pumps,” -said Tavia, sadly.</p> - -<p>“I cannot advise you, then,” said Dorothy. “And, anyway, Tavia, you -always talk so fast that nobody ever looks at your feet.”</p> - -<p>“But—when I’m silent?” demanded Tavia.</p> - -<p>“When is that?” demanded her friend, laughing.</p> - -<p>“The unkindest cut of all! But I tell you what I’ll do,” added Tavia, -slowly. “I will bind an emergency bandage around one ankle, and put the -flesh colored stocking on that foot. Then it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">164</a></span> will look the same color -as the white one. ‘Ah-ha!’ says the villain. ‘I am avenged! Down to -your doom, Jack Dalton!’”</p> - -<p>And she sat right down on the floor and proceeded to do this, to -Dorothy’s vast amusement.</p> - -<p>The girls were scarcely dressed when a buckboard, drawn by a pair of -half broken ponies, came into view over the break of the knoll, coming -from the Dugonne trail.</p> - -<p>“Here comes Lance!” exclaimed Tavia.</p> - -<p>“And dear old Mrs. Petterby,” agreed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Hi!” ejaculated Nat, whom the girls had joined on the big front porch. -“What has the old lady in her lap, I want to know?”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” gasped Dorothy. “How the ponies gallop. And look at the carriage -hop and bounce. She was nearly thrown out that time. I wish Mr. Lance -wasn’t so reckless.”</p> - -<p>“But she’s hanging to that thing in her lap——”</p> - -<p>“It’s Ophelia, of course,” said Tavia. “She’s brought her on a visit, -too.”</p> - -<p>“Why not?” demanded Dorothy, as the others laughed. “It’s the one thing -that connects her with Rand’s Falls, Massachusetts. I expect without -Ophelia Mrs. Petterby would be very homesick out here in Colorado.”</p> - -<p>Lance drove up with a flourish. Like most people<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">165</a></span> out in the Colorado -mountains, he seemed to be a very reckless driver. His mother was -quite calm, however; she evidently had perfect confidence in her son’s -ability to handle the ponies, and at the same time take care of her.</p> - -<p>The girls ran down the steps to help Mrs. Petterby out of the -buckboard. “So delighted to see you, dear Mrs. Petterby,” cried Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“And Ophelia,” giggled Tavia, reaching out her hands for the basket, -but making big eyes at the cowboy.</p> - -<p>“Howdy! howdy!” Lance was exclaiming, his face very red under Tavia’s -wicked scrutiny. He would not let the girl take the basket, but removed -it from his mother’s lap himself. “Don’t you mind, Miss,” he urged. -“I’ll take this yere along to the bunkhouse, mother. Yuh don’t want -thet thar little hen with you in Miz White’s nice house.”</p> - -<p>“Quite right, Lance,” agreed the old lady, hopping out. “But you see -that nothing happens to her, son.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll take keer of her like she was eggs instead o’ a chicken,” he -assured her, and then gave the impatient ponies their heads. They -dashed away toward the sheds.</p> - -<p>Aunt Winnie appeared at the door to welcome the old lady from -Massachusetts, and they bore her into the house and showed her the -room she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">166</a></span> was to occupy. Lance would bunk with the Ledgers, but he was -coming up to supper.</p> - -<p>As Dorothy came back through the wide central hall a little later, -old John Dempsey appeared from the office. He had gotten everything -cleaned up in there, and kept it tidy. Mrs. White was now using Colonel -Hardin’s old desk as her own.</p> - -<p>“Miss Dorothy,” whispered the veteran, “what do you think? That snake -in the grass was after me agin yesterday about that old letter.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy looked very grave at the mention of Philo Marsh. “What does he -want now?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“He’s after that letter, I tell ye. He offered me sixty dollars for it. -He’s the most persistent critter I ever see. I told him I couldn’t sell -at no price.”</p> - -<p>“Wait, Mr. Dempsey,” said Dorothy. “I wrote father about that letter -the day you found it. I expect to hear from him soon.”</p> - -<p>“But I wouldn’t sell—if ’tis mine <em>to</em> sell, belike,” said John -Dempsey, earnestly.</p> - -<p>“It may be worth a lot of money.”</p> - -<p>“Sure, an’ I don’t need a lot of money,” declared the old soldier. “I’m -contint right as I be—as long as your aunt will let me stay.”</p> - -<p>“And you may rest assured that she will let you stay,” said Dorothy, -cheerfully. “Why, Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">167</a></span> Dempsey, she says you are a lot of help around -the ranch-house.”</p> - -<p>“’Tis kind of her to say so,” said he, gratefully. “But I feel mighty -beholden to ye all.”</p> - -<p>It was because of this brief conversation that Dorothy went down toward -the bunk-house to meet Lance Petterby coming up to supper. Had Tavia -done this, Dorothy would have been scandalized, but Dorothy considered -that she had a good and sufficient reason for what she did.</p> - -<p>What old John Dempsey had said reminded Dorothy Dale of the -conversation she had overheard between Philo Marsh and Hank Ledger, -the foreman of the ranch. She had discussed this with nobody—not even -with her chums. It was a secret between the Mexican girl, Flores, and -herself.</p> - -<p>Dorothy did not understand what if all meant. Aunt Winnie had not -refused to lease the water-right to the Desert people, and the girl -could not see why Philo Marsh was so anxious to close up the matter and -get Mrs. White’s signature to the papers he had prepared.</p> - -<p>Nor did his evident attempt to bribe Hank Ledger serve to illuminate -Dorothy’s mind to any degree. This was a mystery. Philo Marsh—well -named “a snake in the grass” by old John Dempsey—was up to some shrewd -trick.</p> - -<p>Dorothy believed Flores knew what it was, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">168</a></span> the Mexican girl could -not explain. She understood spoken English well enough, but she could -not speak more than a dozen words herself. Dorothy had, therefore, -determined to talk with Lance Petterby. She <a name="remembered" id="remembered"></a><ins title="Original has 'rememberd'">remembered</ins> -seeing Philo Marsh speak familiarly with Lance in Dugonne—just as -Dorothy and her friends were leaving town on the old stagecoach. -Dorothy believed he was kindly disposed toward her and her aunt. She -thought she could trust him—to a degree. At any rate, she was sure he -would tell her the truth about Marsh.</p> - -<p>Lance had unharnessed the ponies and turned them into one of the horse -corrals with a bunch of the Hardin stock. Neither Hank nor the wrangler -was at hand to tell him that the particular bunch in that corral had -just been gathered in off the range and were wilder than his own broncs.</p> - -<p>Dorothy saw the cowpuncher from the Double Chain Outfit close the -corral gate and she hurried down to speak to him.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Petterby,” she said, “what do you know of Mr. Philo Marsh?”</p> - -<p>“Philo Marsh, Ma’am? He’s a left-handed lawyer in Dugonne,” drawled the -big cowboy, with a wondering look.</p> - -<p>“Yes. But what <em>kind</em> of a lawyer? and what kind of a man?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">169</a></span> -Lance was smiling broadly. “I done told yuh that, Miss Dale, when I -first answered yuh.”</p> - -<p>“Left handed?” exclaimed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Now you done said something, Ma’am.”</p> - -<p>“You mean he’s not to be trusted?”</p> - -<p>“Not too fur, Ma’am—not too fur.”</p> - -<p>“Then, why have the Desert people who want water from this ranch put -their business into his hands?” demanded the girl.</p> - -<p>“Have they, Miss Dale?” returned Lance, with surprise.</p> - -<p>“Yes. He comes here and bothers Aunt Winnie a great deal. He came ’way -East to see her and my father, about these water rights. He was very -anxious then, and is extremely anxious now, to have the papers signed.”</p> - -<p>“Wal, I hear tell Desert City, and them thereabout, are anxious to -git water. But I wouldn’t have looked for Philo Marsh to lead ’em to -it—not much. That air is surprising,” admitted the cowpuncher.</p> - -<p>“Why does it so surprise you?” Dorothy asked, quickly.</p> - -<p>“Why, tuh tell the truth,” drawled Lance, “I reckoned Philo would -represent other int’rests—if any.”</p> - -<p>“What interests?”</p> - -<p>“Other people that’s honin’ for that Lost River supply.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">170</a></span> -“<em>Are</em> there other people who want it?” queried Dorothy, earnestly. “I -know Aunt Winnie has been approached by nobody but Mr. Marsh.”</p> - -<p>“Not by the Ackron Company? The mine people?”</p> - -<p>“Nobody but Mr. Marsh,” reiterated Dorothy.</p> - -<p>Lance nodded slowly. “That might be. That might be. It’s well known, I -reckon, that your A’nt favors the Desert City folks, just as Colonel -Hardin did?”</p> - -<p>“I suppose so,” Dorothy said. “And nobody but Mr. Marsh has come to see -her. He wants to pay down money to bind the bargain.”</p> - -<p>“Wal, Miss Dale,” Lance drawled, “if Philo Marsh is willing tuh pay out -re’l money, he expects tuh git somethin’ in exchange. He must want the -Lost River water mighty bad.”</p> - -<p>“And in such haste!”</p> - -<p>“Wal,” Lance added, “I dunno what they air in a hurry about. The -desert’s been thar a right smart o’ years, an’ Lost River’s been -rollin’ on for an ekal number, it’s likely. Tell yuh A’nt tuh take her -time,” advised Lance, wisely. “When a man’s in sech an itch tuh close a -deal, more’n likely he has his reasons, an’ it’s jest as well tuh wait -an’ find out what them reasons air.”</p> - -<p>He had been approaching the buckboard as he spoke and now lifted down -Ophelia’s basket. A<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">171</a></span> hound pup came running from the bunk-house door -and sniffed inquiringly around the basket. Ophelia uttered a squawk of -objection.</p> - -<p>The pup started back, sniffed curiously again, and then rolled the -basket over. There was a sudden thunder of hoofs from the far side of -the corral, and raucous squeals rose from the ponies. Dorothy turned, -startled, to see the herd charging straight toward her.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be scart, Miss Dale,” shouted Lance Petterby. “They won’t hit -the fence.”</p> - -<p>The pup had been busy worrying the basket. He broke the string that -held the cover and Ophelia immediately wriggled out. With another -affrighted squawk she scuttled under the lower rail of the fence, into -the corral. Down upon the scared hen came the charging gang of ponies. -She flew right up into the faces of the leaders.</p> - -<p>Instead of breaking evenly and swinging either way to escape collision -with the fence, the forefront of the charging herd went up into the air -to escape the fluttering Ophelia and—the next instant—the full weight -of the mob of ponies dashed against the fence!</p> - -<p>Strong as the fence was, two lengths went down before the charge and, -squealing with rage and pain, the stampede of ponies burst through.</p> - -<p>Dorothy Dale stood, stricken with amazement and horror, directly in the -path of the stampede.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">172</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xix" id="xix"></a><span>CHAPTER XIX</span><br /> -<small>“‘WAY UP IN THE MOUNTAIN-TOP, TIP-TOP!”</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Dorothy</span> realized her peril as the fence crashed. She saw the mad -bronchos boil out of the opening like water bursting through a dam, but -she could not escape.</p> - -<p>She found her limbs powerless, and would have sunk to the ground when -she attempted to move, had not Lance leaped forward and swept her -into the crook of his left arm. His yell—and the throwing of his -wide-brimmed hat into the faces of the charging beasts—did not turn -them, but the cowpuncher never for an instant lost his presence of mind.</p> - -<p>With Dorothy he leaped to the far side of the buckboard, after having -flung his hat. One heave of his shoulder sent the lightly built wagon -over upon its side. Against this frail barrier the maddened horses -came—but not so recklessly as they had charged the fence.</p> - -<p>They were spreading out, too, and thus thinned, the mob was not likely -to do much damage. Only one horse came over the overturned buckboard.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">173</a></span> -He smashed several spokes of two wheels, and knocked the back seat awry.</p> - -<p>The peril to the girl was over in half a minute, but the trouble for -the ranch hands lasted all night and the next day. They were until the -next evening collecting all the ponies again.</p> - -<p>Lance Petterby helped them, for he considered that his mother’s pet hen -was one cause of the stampede. “Though, if thet thar miser’ble little -houn’ dawg had kep’ his nose out o’ thet thar basket, thar wouldn’t -have been no combobberation,” drawled Lance. “That’s as sure as kin be.”</p> - -<p>They made much of Lance at the ranch-house the evening of the stampede, -for the adventure lost nothing in Dorothy’s telling. Tavia undertook to -“play tricks with her eyes,” as Dorothy accused, and was taken firmly -to task for it by her chum.</p> - -<p>“Now, Tavia, you are not going to act like a grown-up society girl with -Lance Petterby. I won’t have it,” Dorothy said. “He’s a fine fellow, -and you shan’t try to make him look silly. He helped us, that time we -were left behind, to follow Aunt Winnie and the boys, and now he’s -actually saved my life.”</p> - -<p>“It wouldn’t be <em>my</em> luck, of course, to be snatched from beneath the -hoofs of a whole pack of wild horses,” pouted Tavia.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">174</a></span> -“If you think it was fun, Miss——”</p> - -<p>“Well! it was dreadfully romantic,” declared Tavia, using her well-worn -expression. “You don’t half appreciate your adventure.”</p> - -<p>“Adventure! And have your heart almost jump out of your mouth?”</p> - -<p>“But that’s only for the moment,” sighed Tavia. “You’re all right now.”</p> - -<p>“I thank Heaven I escaped death,” Dorothy said, reverently. “And you -let Lance alone.”</p> - -<p>But Lance Petterby had already had his attention strongly drawn to -Tavia Travers, and even had she so wished, she could not have easily -avoided him while he remained at the ranch.</p> - -<p>Lance stayed for only two nights. Then he had to return to duty, but -his mother remained. Ophelia was not easily caught after her last -escapade. She had joined Mrs. Ledger’s half-wild flock of fowl, and -thus far nobody had been able to catch the little hen from Rand’s -Falls, Massachusetts.</p> - -<p>When Hank and his wife had a chicken for dinner, Mrs. Ledger took the -shotgun and got near enough to the flock to blow the head off of the -chicken she selected.</p> - -<p>So, as Mrs. Petterby could not think of being parted from Ophelia for -any length of time, she agreed to remain at the Hardin Ranch. The -lively old lady was some company for Aunt Winnie, so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">175</a></span> Dorothy and Tavia -decided to roam a little after Lance went away.</p> - -<p>There was no hope of the girls getting Ned and Nat for companions these -days. They were both in the saddle from morning till night. They had -helped run down the wild ponies that had stampeded.</p> - -<p>Hank declared the boys were wearing out all the cow ponies, they rode -so hard. But there were a couple of more or less quiet mounts for the -girls’ use, and Flores was always about to help Dorothy and Tavia catch -and saddle them. Flores could handle horses like any man, could throw -the lariat, and otherwise displayed achievements natural to a girl in -the West, but strange to those from the East.</p> - -<p>“There!” complained Tavia, as she and her chum rode away from the -corral. “You never finished telling me about that girl and the handsome -stage driver, Doro. Aren’t they planning to run away and get married?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so,” said Dorothy, with a little smile.</p> - -<p>“But you don’t know for sure?” said the eager Tavia.</p> - -<p>“I’m pretty sure,” admitted her chum gravely. “Not unless each is going -to elope with another party.”</p> - -<p>“Why, have they quarreled?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">176</a></span> -“I don’t think so.”</p> - -<p>“Doro Doodlebugs! You tell me at once. You’re every bit as mysterious -as a baker’s mincepie.”</p> - -<p>“But what do you want me to tell you?” asked Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Aren’t Flores and José sweethearts?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly not!”</p> - -<p>“Why not?”</p> - -<p>“Because they happen to be brother and sister!” cried Dorothy, with a -burst of laughter. For once one of Tavia’s romances was punctured!</p> - -<p>The girls had started for the hills, but they followed a trail which -led them farther north than the path they had followed under Hank -Ledger’s guidance.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps we shall find the source of Lost River,” Dorothy said.</p> - -<p>They had taken nobody into their confidence upon setting out, nor did -anybody at the ranch-house see them go save Flores Morale. In ten -minutes after the girls started they were completely out of sight of -the home buildings, the country was so rolling.</p> - -<p>The ponies were good travelers. Long before noon Dorothy and Tavia were -deep in the wooded hills.</p> - -<p>“I’d love to go to the top of that mountain,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">177</a></span> Tavia,” said Dorothy, -pointing to a green hill that rose right before them.</p> - -<p>“Let’s!” cried Tavia. “From that height we ought to be able to see -far—miles and miles!”</p> - -<p>“Do you suppose we can get there and back by suppertime?”</p> - -<p>“Why not?” returned the cheerfully reckless Tavia. “Hurrah for the -mountain-top!</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poem"> -<div class="verse"> -<div class="line outdent">“‘Hark! I hear a voice</div> -<div class="line indent">’Way up in the mountain-top, tip-top,</div> -<div class="line"> Resounding down below—</div> -<div class="line indent">Re-sound-ing down be-low!’</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="noi">and I almost choked getting the last low note,” croaked Tavia, coughing -spasmodically.</p> - -<p>They began mounting a shoulder of the hill almost at once. An hour -later they were on the level of the plateau where the beautiful Lost -River rolled. The sound of its terrific fall was only a murmur in the -girl’s ears, for they were some distance above the spot to which they -had explored on that other day.</p> - -<p>The reef of rock which was to be blown out to let the waters of the -stream into the forge was upon the other side of the river. Dorothy and -Tavia pursued the eastern bank, and in a northerly direction.</p> - -<p>This led them around to the far side of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">178</a></span> mountain, to the top of -which they had determined to ascend. Their sturdy little ponies carried -them on at a good pace, for the way was easy.</p> - -<p>They finally reached a sharp, short rise, over which the river tumbled -in a beautiful cascade. Above these rapids the stream was spread out in -sort of a lake, bordered by rocky shores. The character of the country -suddenly became more rugged. A rude prospect opened beside them as the -girls turned their ponies’ heads up the steeper hillside.</p> - -<p>On their left the ground fell away into another gulch, quite as deep -and rugged as that gorge on the other side of the river, in which Tavia -had had her awful experience with the rattlesnake.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Dorothy pulled in her pony and pointed down the steep incline.</p> - -<p>“What is that, Tavia?” she asked, startled.</p> - -<p>“What—for goodness’ sake, don’t say you see one of Nat’s bears, -Dorothy Dale!”</p> - -<p>“Hush! not so loud.”</p> - -<p>“<em>Is</em> it a bear?”</p> - -<p>“It’s a man. I can see him plainly now. He’s coming this way—up the -gorge.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s a mercy! For if there should be a bear, maybe the man has -a gun.”</p> - -<p>“Crowd in here beside me, Tavia,” commanded Dorothy. “I don’t want him -to see you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">179</a></span> -“Why not?” asked Tavia, in surprise. “Do you think a sight of me would -scare him?”</p> - -<p>A clump of low bushes hid the ponies, and probably the girls themselves -could not have been observed from the bottom of the gulch. They peered -through a fringe of greenery into the hollow and observed the stranger -advancing up the rock-strewn bottom.</p> - -<p>“What under the sun, Doro, is he doing?” gasped Tavia, after a moment.</p> - -<p>“That’s what I want to know,” returned her chum, seriously.</p> - -<p>The man turned then and shouted down the gorge. A faint echo of his -voice reached the girls, but what he said they could not distinguish.</p> - -<p>“He’s dragging something. Is it a rope?” murmured Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Maybe they are measuring the gorge——”</p> - -<p>“That is about what they are doing, Tavia Travers!” exclaimed Dorothy. -“It is a surveyor’s chain. There is the man with the trident.”</p> - -<p>A second stranger had appeared. He set up his instrument quickly and -the chain-bearer followed his chief’s gestures in placing a stake.</p> - -<p>“Do let’s go on, Dorothy!” Tavia exclaimed, with immediate loss of -interest in this seemingly prosaic matter. “We’ll never get to the top.”</p> - -<p>“But what are those men doing here?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">180</a></span> -“Can’t you see? Surveying, of course.”</p> - -<p>“What for?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, for a railroad, perhaps. For something or other. What does it -matter?”</p> - -<p>“This is within the boundaries of the Hardin Ranch,” Dorothy said, -reflectively. “I don’t understand surveyors being here. I am sure Aunt -Winnie knows nothing about it.”</p> - -<p>“Tell her when we get back. Come on, Doro,” said the impatient Tavia.</p> - -<p>They urged the ponies on again and Tavia put the surveyors out of her -mind—quite. Not so Dorothy Dale. She could not solve the puzzle of -their presence on the Hardin estate, and she was troubled.</p> - -<p>It was almost two o’clock when the girls reached a little lawn hidden -on the mountainside. It was quite surrounded by the forest, both above -and below, and they had had hard work pushing through the brush to it. -There seemed to be no practicable path for the ponies, leading upward.</p> - -<p>“Let’s leave them and go on afoot,” cried the eager Tavia. “We <em>must</em> -reach the top.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose the ponies run away?”</p> - -<p>“They won’t. Can’t we hobble them?”</p> - -<p>“Mercy! I wouldn’t go so near their heels for a fortune.”</p> - -<p>“Tie them to trees, then,” said the resourceful—and obstinate—Tavia.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">181</a></span> -It was hard work, for although the top of the mountain was quite -covered with trees and brush, the ground was rocky.</p> - -<p>Panting, but triumphant, the two girls reached the summit. The opening -in the forest here was very tiny—scarcely larger than a good-sized -dining-room table. The trees hedged them in and at once Tavia voiced -her disappointment.</p> - -<p>“It’s a shame!” she exclaimed. “Why, Doro, we can’t even see the -ranch-house from here.”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t that too bad?” agreed her chum. “Never mind. We got here.”</p> - -<p>“I wanted to see all over the range.”</p> - -<p>“We can see up into the mountains—how near the peaks seem now,” said -Dorothy. “And, oh, Tavia! the sun is setting.”</p> - -<p>“Well! goodness! you’d give one a conniption——”</p> - -<p>“But we must hurry right down the hill. Suppose we should be caught up -here all night?”</p> - -<p>“Up in the ‘mountain-top, tip-top!’ Not so much fun,” admitted her -chum. “But it must be early yet. You see, the sun goes down behind -those peaks so soon. There will be a long twilight.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to be in these hills in the twilight,” said Dorothy. “We -must go back.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">182</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xx" id="xx"></a><span>CHAPTER XX</span><br /> -<small>TWO EYES IN THE DARK</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Now</span>, although there had been no path up the mountain from the dell -where the girls had tied their ponies, both Dorothy and Tavia were -sure they could retrace their steps easily enough. And as the sun was -already nearing the tops of the higher peaks to the westward, neither -of the girls cared to linger longer on the height.</p> - -<p>“It’s all a fizzle,” grumbled Tavia. “That’s what I call it. Why! I -thought we would be able to look right down into the dooryard at the -ranch.”</p> - -<p>“It did look so from below. And if we could climb the trees here, I -expect we would be able to see much of the range between the mountain -and the ranch-house,” agreed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Well! let us spend no time in vain repinings,” quoth Tavia, briskly. -“We’ll tumble down and get into the saddle again. Guess we’re poor -mountain climbers, Doro.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I think we have done very well.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">183</a></span> -“Not a bit of it. Regular mountain climbers would have known from the -start that nothing could be seen from the top of <em>this</em> mountain.”</p> - -<p>“Every one to his trade,” laughed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“And mountain climbing is a trade like everything else. Of course,” -added Tavia, whimsically, “to learn any trade, you have to begin at the -bottom and work up.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know. How about parachute jumping?” chuckled Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Dear me! how smart you are,” said Tavia. “That reminds me of one my -brother Johnny got off—because it is so different! It was when he was -going to the little old school in Dalton.”</p> - -<p>“What fun <em>we</em> had there,” sighed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Yea, verily! Ages and ages ago—when we were young,” sniffed Tavia. -“Anyhow, the teacher asked Johnny to tell what an anecdote was. ‘A -short, funny tale,’ says Johnny.</p> - -<p>“‘True,’ says the teacher. ‘Go to the blackboard and write a sentence -containing the word.’</p> - -<p>“So Johnny did so,” chuckled Tavia. “He wrote: ‘A rabbit has four legs -and one anecdote.’”</p> - -<p>“Now, Tavia!” cried Dorothy, panting and laughing, too. “You know that -is a made-up story. And I bet you stole it from somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“Pshaw!” returned Tavia. “Where do you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">184</a></span> suppose all the funny people -since Noah got their jokes?”</p> - -<p>“Out of a joke-book published just before the Flood,” giggled Dorothy. -“And you certainly must have a copy that you read on the sly.”</p> - -<p>Just then the two girls, who had been all this time descending the -hill, burst through a screen of bushes into an opening.</p> - -<p>“Here we are!” cried Dorothy, with satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“Hi! is this the place?” queried Tavia. “Of course it is!” she added, -answering her own question. “There’s that scarred tree,” pointing to a -lightning-riven pine across the glade.</p> - -<p>“Oh, that is so,” admitted Dorothy. Then she suddenly screamed: “Tavia -Travers! where are the ponies?”</p> - -<p>“Dorothy!” shrieked Tavia, in return. “They’ve gone.”</p> - -<p>“Goodness!” said Dorothy Dale. “Have they run away—or been stolen?”</p> - -<p>“It’s plain to be seen they are not to be seen,” said Tavia. -“It’s—it’s dreadfully unfortunate, Doro.”</p> - -<p>“And we can’t walk home!” wailed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“All right, Miss. We’ll fly.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll find the ponies,” declared the practical Dorothy, recovering to -a degree from her panic. “Come on.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">185</a></span> -But the two girls from the East were not familiar with the wilds. As -for trailing horses through the woods, they did not know one single -thing about that business. They could not even find the spot where the -ponies had been tied, side by side.</p> - -<p>“My goodness me, Doro,” asked Tavia, at length, “whatever shall we do? -The ponies are lost. What will your Aunt Winnie say to that?”</p> - -<p>“I guess she won’t trouble much about the loss of the ponies—and I’m -not going to,” declared Dorothy. “But <em>we</em> don’t want to get lost.”</p> - -<p>“Why! we can’t. We know our way back—perfectly.”</p> - -<p>“Do we?”</p> - -<p>“Right down the hill to the brink of that gorge where we saw the -surveyors; then south to that water-fall. From that point there is a -regular trail—you know there is, Doro!”</p> - -<p>“Ye—es,” admitted Dorothy, doubtfully. “It <em>sounds</em> simple enough.”</p> - -<p>“It’s perfectly all right,” declared Tavia, again. “Come on.”</p> - -<p>“Well, dear, I’ll let you lead,” said Dorothy, quietly.</p> - -<p>While they had searched about the dell, and discussed the situation, -time had been flying. Already the red globe of the sun was disappearing -behind a western peak.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">186</a></span> -All the sky there was shrouded in rolling clouds. The sun plunging -into these wreaths of mist turned them all to gold and crimson. Such a -gorgeous sunset would have transfixed the girls with delight at another -time.</p> - -<p>But, as Tavia said, this was no moment to “worship at the shrine of -beauty.” “Oh, Doro! I’m thinking of Mrs. Ledger’s hot biscuit, and ham, -and potato chips. Goodness! how hungry I am. Never mind the sunset.”</p> - -<p>“I am not minding it,” Dorothy said, quietly. “But you suggested -leading the way down this ‘bad eminence’ to which we were reckless -enough to climb. Go on.”</p> - -<p>Tavia started, and stared about the opening in the trees. It would seem -to be a simple matter to leave this place, descend through the woods to -the plateau, and so down the riverside.</p> - -<p>But there was not a landmark to guide them. They had not thought to -take note of the trees and rocks, in relation to each other, while they -made the ascent. Their knowledge of the points of the compass were -somewhat vague, despite the view they had of the setting sun.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Doro!” wailed Tavia, suddenly. “I’m afraid! I’m afraid of these -woods. I’m afraid we’ll get down into that deep gorge where those men -were. Oh, dear! Oh, dear! let’s not move from this spot.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">187</a></span> -Tavia was almost hysterical. That was the way it was with her—always. -If she was startled she lost her self-possession entirely.</p> - -<p>But with Dorothy it was different. A situation like this brought -her better sense to the surface. She was determined to keep -cool—especially when her chum showed the white feather.</p> - -<p>“Now, Tavia! do be sensible,” begged Dorothy Dale. “We’ve got to face -the thing squarely. Of course, without the horses we could not get home -to-night. And to wander around in the dark, seeking a way that is none -too clear by daylight, would be a perfectly ridiculous thing to do, -under any circumstances.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Doro! do you mean to stay here?”</p> - -<p>“Why not?”</p> - -<p>“The bears—wolves—cat-o’-mountains——”</p> - -<p>“Are probably creations of Nat’s vivid imagination,” interposed -Dorothy, with decision.</p> - -<p>“Well, there <em>was</em> a snake,” murmured Tavia.</p> - -<p>“We’ll build a fire. That will keep away snakes, at least,” Dorothy -said, cheerfully.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Doro!” shrieked Tavia. “You don’t mean to stay in this awful place -all night?”</p> - -<p>“Do you know a better? It is open. There is shelter beside that big -boulder. There’s a little rill that must be sweet water—— By the way! -I didn’t notice that stream when we came here first. Did you, Tavia?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">188</a></span> -“Oh, I don’t know!” wailed Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Do you suppose we <em>have</em> found the place where we left the ponies -tied?” asked Dorothy, anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Of course. And the nasty things have run away. I’ll never trust one of -those broncs again.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be foolish, dear. It must have been our own fault. We did not -tie them properly.”</p> - -<p>“I know I tied <em>mine</em> tight enough,” grumbled Tavia. “And say! how you -going to build a fire?”</p> - -<p>“Just the same as anybody else would build one,” Dorothy declared.</p> - -<p>“But you can’t.”</p> - -<p>“Why not?” asked Dorothy, in surprise.</p> - -<p>“By rubbing two sticks together?” scoffed Tavia.</p> - -<p>“By rubbing one stick upon a stone,” chuckled Dorothy. “I have matches.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you find it such a joke, Dorothy Dale.”</p> - -<p>“You talk as though you had never been out in the open all night -before.”</p> - -<p>“But it wasn’t like this, you know very well. This isn’t like our woods -at home. This is the West——”</p> - -<p>“The wild and woolly West, eh?” laughed Dorothy. “Come! don’t be a -goose, dear. Let’s gather plenty of fuel before it grows too dark.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">189</a></span> -They did this, breaking off the dead branches of the trees which -skirted the glade and gathering sticks already fallen on the ground. -But Tavia cast fearful glances into the now darkening forest and would -not venture beneath the trees at all.</p> - -<p>“We don’t know what’s in there,” she said.</p> - -<p>“Well! we haven’t got to know,” her chum said, cheerfully. “We’ll keep -out of the woods to-night.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe something will come out of them after us.”</p> - -<p>“Not if we keep a fire burning. And in the morning, as soon as it’s -light, we’ll start for home. We can walk it by noon.”</p> - -<p>“If we are alive,” sighed Tavia.</p> - -<p>Dorothy refused to be depressed by her friend’s melancholy. She -proposed making a couch of leaves and branches, and they did this. When -it really grew dark and the stars came out, she produced matches and -lit the fire.</p> - -<p>She did not make a big blaze. Really, there was no need of it at all, -for the evening was warm enough and a spark of light on this hillside -would never be seen by any party looking for them.</p> - -<p>By this time, of course, word had gone over the ranch that the girls -were lost. Aunt Winnie would be worried. Ned and Nat would be out after -them with all the men who could be spared.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">190</a></span> -“And in all probability,” Dorothy said, gravely, “nobody—not even -Flores—noticed in which direction we headed on leaving the corral.”</p> - -<p>“Well! We should worry about <em>their</em> worries. It’s our worries that -worry me.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy laughed. “You speak quite as intelligibly,” she said, “as the -old catch question and answer: ‘What sort of a noise annoys an oyster? -Why, a noisy noise annoys an oyster!’”</p> - -<p>“My goodness! I wouldn’t mind being an oyster right now.”</p> - -<p>“Mercy! What for?”</p> - -<p>“’Cause I could close my shell tight and nothing could get at me. Oh, -Doro! what is that?”</p> - -<p>A belated bird flew overhead and its cry had startled Tavia. Dorothy -laughed at her again.</p> - -<p>“Let’s be brave, Tavia.”</p> - -<p>“What for? There’s nobody to see us. It’s other folks looking on that -makes people brave. I know you so well, Doro, that I don’t care if you -<em>do</em> know I’m afraid.”</p> - -<p>The sky arched them like a dome of dark blue velvet on which silver -spangles had been sewn. The woods were filled with deep shadows.</p> - -<p>A breathless silence seemed to have fallen over the hillside. The -girls, huddled together on their rude couch, could distinguish the -faint tinkle of the little rill at which they had quenched their -thirst.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">191</a></span> -“But our appetites!” groaned Tavia. “There’s nothing to quench them. -Oh, Doro! you are so nice and plump. I’d like to bite you.”</p> - -<p>“You are the most savage animal in all this forest, I do believe, -Tavia,” laughed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>Dorothy’s cheerfulness had its limits. As they huddled there in the -shelter of the overhanging boulder, the night seemed to drop down upon -them, and Tavia hid her eyes against Dorothy’s shoulder. With their -arms about each other they remained speechless for a while, and then -both girls must have dozed.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Tavia tightened her grip upon her chum and uttered a terrified -gasp. It awoke Dorothy—her eyes opened wide. Tavia was pointing -straight out into the darkness before them, and she was trembling -hysterically.</p> - -<p>The fire had died down to a little bed of embers, but one stick laid -across the coals suddenly snapped in two and the ends burst into flame.</p> - -<p>The flickering light glittered upon two bright spots which were -seemingly across the glade, just at the edge of the forest.</p> - -<p>Without a word passing between them the terrified girls knew what those -sparkling objects were. The firelight was reflected in the eyes of some -beast which was staring fixedly at them!</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">192</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxi" id="xxi"></a><span>CHAPTER XXI</span><br /> -<small>DOROTHY’S COURAGE</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Not</span> a sound did the prowling animal make, but its very silence seemed -to add to the terrifying effect it had upon Dorothy Dale and her chum.</p> - -<p>As the feeble flames rose and fell, so the reflected glare of the eyes -increased and decreased. The pitiless, unwinking orbs displayed the -savage intent of the beast.</p> - -<p>For half a minute Dorothy was helpless, as was her chum. She had not -partaken of Tavia’s panic before; she had really scouted the idea that -savage animals roamed these woods. But she must believe now!</p> - -<p>However, to faint—to give up hope of escape—to helplessly await the -closer approach of the beast whose eyes they saw, did not once enter -Dorothy Dale’s mind.</p> - -<p>She threw off Tavia’s clutching hands quickly, reached for some fuel, -and threw it on the flickering campfire. Almost at once the flames -burst out and mounted higher. Their glare revealed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">193</a></span> the immediate -surroundings of the rude encampment, but nothing of the strange -marauder but the glittering eyes was visible to the girls.</p> - -<p>Dorothy was quite sure that while the fire burned brightly no wild -animal would throw itself upon them. Wolves, she knew, were cowardly -alone; only in the pack were they courageous enough to attack man. As -for its being a bear—those eyes never belonged to Bruin. He would not -remain still so long.</p> - -<p>The unwinking nature of their observation forced Dorothy to determine -that the eyes belonged to a member of the cat tribe. A panther? No more -terrible beast, she was sure, roamed the Colorado wilderness.</p> - -<p>Somewhere, when she was much younger, Dorothy had seen a picture in -a book of African adventure, in which a huge lion was shown leaping -over a line of fires around a hunter’s camp to get at the cattle. -Ordinarily, she was sure, the cat tribe was much afraid of the flames, -but <a name="suppose" id="suppose"></a><ins title="Original has 'suopose'">suppose</ins> this individual that was watching her and Tavia -was particularly hungry?</p> - -<p>Would the miserable little blaze prevent the beast from leaping upon -them? The same thought seemed to unlock the chains of Tavia’s speech, -for she whispered:</p> - -<p>“Throw on more wood, Dorothy. Make a big blaze.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">194</a></span> -“But we haven’t so <em>much</em> wood,” objected Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, do! Perhaps a big fire will drive it off.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy recklessly heaped on more fuel. The flames leaped and crackled. -But their light did not show the outlines of the enemy. It seemed to be -crouching in the deep shadow at the edge of the forest. Nothing showed -of the creature but those terrible eyes.</p> - -<p>“If we only had a gun,” whispered Dorothy, with longing.</p> - -<p>“We’d be afraid to shoot at it,” gasped Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Not I! I’d try to make a bullseye.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t we try to scare it off in some way?”</p> - -<p>“Let’s scream—both together!” cried Dorothy Dale. “Now!”</p> - -<p>If fear-inspired shrieks ever issued from feminine throats, the -abandoned yell of Tavia was a triumphant specimen. Nor was Dorothy far -behind in the piercing quality of her cry.</p> - -<p>It is doubtful if any mountain lion in all the wild places of the West -could have equalled the quality of the girls’ yells. And——</p> - -<p>“The nasty beast never so much as winked an eye!” Tavia gasped, -horrified.</p> - -<p>Dorothy was fully as much amazed as her chum. There was something -uncanny about the twinkling, glistening spots. She had never heard of -any creature with such unwinking eyes—save<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">195</a></span> a serpent. And surely -these eyes did not belong to any reptile.</p> - -<p>She threw more fuel on the fire. Again the flames leaped up. The heap -of wood they had gathered was fast being diminished. Dorothy looked at -her watch. Only half-past ten! The beast had been watching them—she -was sure—for an hour.</p> - -<p>Suppose it remained all night? They had not fuel enough to last until -midnight at the reckless rate they were using it.</p> - -<p>When it was all gone, and the fire died down—what then? The thought -was really terrifying. If the blaze was what kept the beast at bay, -once the fire was dead, the girls would be at the animal’s mercy.</p> - -<p>Dorothy Dale did not lose her head and become hysterical, like Tavia. -She knew something must be done. Tavia was absolutely helpless. After -they had so uselessly screamed, she just sat hiding her eyes, and -trembling.</p> - -<p>Dorothy knew that if anything was to be done to scare away the beast, -it devolved upon her to do it. Now! should she try to gather more fuel, -or should she rise up and attack the watchful brute?</p> - -<p>The latter was the more desperate expediency, yet the wiser. A quick -dash might drive the animal away.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">196</a></span> -Without a word to Tavia of her intention, Dorothy gathered her feet -under her, reached for a blazing branch on the fire, and suddenly -sprang erect.</p> - -<p>With a scream she leaped past the fire and, holding the flaming branch -straight out before her, ran across the glade toward the staring eyes!</p> - -<p>Had she stopped to contemplate the desperate venture, she never would -have started. Almost as she determined on making the attack, she had -sprung into action.</p> - -<p>She was half way to the edge of the woods ere she realized that her -charge did not seem to startle the enemy at all. <em>The eyes did not even -blink.</em></p> - -<p>If ever in her life, Dorothy Dale showed desperate courage at this -moment. She kept straight on—whirling the burning branch to make the -sparks fly—and dashed up to the bulky object which had so terrified -her and her chum.</p> - -<p>It was a good sized boulder imbedded in the earth at the edge of the -forest. Its face was split and scarred; two bits of mica in its front -had caught and reflected the firelight, and so looked like a pair of -staring eyes. <em>This</em> was the dreadful beast of prey that had held them -in durance for an hour and a half!</p> - -<p>The reaction of her discovery deprived Dorothy Dale’s limbs of their -strength. She fell to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">197</a></span> the ground, and the flaming branch sputtered -before her and flickered out. Tavia screamed again, but Dorothy was -laughing weakly—almost hysterically.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Tavia Travers! What a perfect pair of dunces we are,” gasped -Dorothy. “It’s nothing—nothing, I tell you! Just some bright specks in -a rock. If the boys ever hear of this they will tease us to death about -it.”</p> - -<p>“Let them,” cried Tavia, with recovered bravado. “I shall tell. You’re -just the very bravest girl I ever saw, Dorothy Dale! You believed that -was an awful, ravenous beast when you started for it with the torch. I -consider that you have saved me from being devoured by the most savage -creature that ever happened!”</p> - -<p>“What shall we name it?” giggled Dorothy, climbing slowly to her feet -and coming back with Tavia to the fire.</p> - -<p>“Oh, a Bhronosaurus—or a Dynosaura—or—or something. Maybe a -Pteryodactyl. Didn’t they all live in the Stone Age?”</p> - -<p>“And you just from the scholastic halls of old Glenwood!” cried -Dorothy. “I am astounded, Tavia Travers.”</p> - -<p>“You needn’t be,” said her chum, coolly. “There are a whole lot of -things I had to learn that I hope I have already forgotten. I guess -the history of a million years, or so, ago, is fading<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">198</a></span> fast from my -overburdened mind. And I’ll certainly feel better when it is <em>all</em> -wiped out.”</p> - -<p>The incident served to bring Tavia to a better condition of mind. She -shook off her foolish fears, and even assisted Dorothy in gathering a -larger supply of firewood.</p> - -<p>“For although those eyes were those of a bogey,” said Dorothy, wisely, -“there may be creatures who would trouble us before morning if we had -no fire.”</p> - -<p>“Who’s going to keep awake to feed the fire?” yawned Tavia.</p> - -<p>“I’ll keep first watch,” agreed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“All right. Ow—yow! I can’t keep my eyes open and my mouth shut. If -a whole herd of bears ringed us, I should just have to sleep! Call me -when it’s time for my watch, Doro. Ow-<em>yow</em>!”</p> - -<p>And the next moment her breathing showed that she slumbered.</p> - -<p>Dorothy fell asleep herself after a time, trusting to the chill of the -night air to awaken her when the fire died down.</p> - -<p>But what really woke her up was a shrill cry that echoed through the -forest in a most <a name="weird" id="weird"></a><ins title="Original has 'wierd'">weird</ins> way, and startled both girls into an -upright position before their eyes were even open.</p> - -<p>Again the strange cry rang out. Tavia broke off in a mighty yawn and -seized Dorothy’s hand.</p> - -<p>“More trouble!” she gasped.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">199</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxii" id="xxii"></a><span>CHAPTER XXII</span><br /> -<small>DOROTHY HEARS SOMETHING IMPORTANT</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">And</span> just to think!” Tavia groaned, as the two girls rode slowly down -the riverside an hour after sunrise. “We hadn’t any business having an -adventure at all.”</p> - -<p>“I—don’t—know,” responded Dorothy, slowly.</p> - -<p>“Well, <em>I</em> do! The boys will tease us to death about it. There the -ponies were, tied where we left them, just in another opening in the -woods, not a hundred yards away from where we spent the night. But when -I first heard them whinnying for water at daybreak, I was scared into -fits—weren’t you, Doro?”</p> - -<p>Dorothy admitted her fright. Tavia’s whole statement was not far from -correct. The entire adventure had been preventable. Dorothy considered -herself seriously to blame.</p> - -<p>If she and her chum had marked their path up the steep hillside beyond -the spot where the ponies had been abandoned, they would have had no -difficulty in finding their mounts again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">200</a></span> -So, had they recovered the ponies they could easily have returned to -the ranch-house by dark. Aunt Winnie, Dorothy knew, must have been -dreadfully worried over their disappearance.</p> - -<p>Indeed, the whole country round about had been roused, as the girls -quickly learned. Half a dozen search parties were out after them. While -they still followed the course of Lost River they heard whooping, and -rifle shots, ahead.</p> - -<p>“Come on!” cried Tavia, “they are searching for us.”</p> - -<p>Both girls hurried their ponies, rounded a turn in the path, and were -hailed with delight by Ned, Nat and half a dozen cowpunchers, who had -started into the hills for a second search for the lost girls.</p> - -<p>They had ridden over the ranges and lower country all night, searching -for the runaways, and after breakfasting at the bunkhouse, had started -forth again.</p> - -<p>Dorothy and Tavia were warmly welcomed—and scolded just as warmly by -Ned and Nat, too! When Mrs. White had kissed and hugged them, she, too, -turned upon them and threatened to take away their ponies if they ever -rode more than two miles from the ranch-house again without a guide.</p> - -<p>Dorothy knew she had no right to complain about this restriction. It -had been a reckless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">201</a></span> thing to do—that trip to the mountain-top. And -she could not get over the fact that her own oversight had caused her -and Tavia to remain out in the open all night.</p> - -<p>There had been no serious results, however, and in a day or two the -escapade was forgotten. The girls had agreed not to tell of their awful -fright caused by the bits of mica shining in the rock. If Ned and Nat -had gotten hold of <em>that</em> tale the girls never would have heard the -last of it.</p> - -<p>It was about this time that Dorothy heard from Major Dale regarding -the Lincoln letter that John Dempsey had found among Colonel Hardin’s -discarded papers. Dorothy had told her father the whole story—of -Philo Marsh’s desire to purchase the letter, and all. She had likewise -expressed herself as being more than ever antagonistic to the Dugonne -lawyer.</p> - -<p>“Don’t fret your pretty head, Little Captain, about matters that do not -concern you,” Major Dale wrote. “I have confidence in Winifred’s good -sense, and she will be a match for a man like Marsh. As for the old -soldier and his famous letter—tell him not to put any great trust in -the validity of the letter, and if he can sell it for a good round sum, -to do so.”</p> - -<p>Major Dale went on to tell his daughter of a test by which she could -assure herself and Dempsey as to the actual value of the letter. This<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">202</a></span> -amazed Dorothy, and she ran off to tell the old soldier and to follow -her father’s suggestion.</p> - -<p>The letter to the Massachusetts widow proved to be valid. It really was -a very interesting document. After Dorothy and John Dempsey had talked -it over, the old man changed his mind about selling it.</p> - -<p>“If that snake in the grass raises his offer to me much higher, I’ll -jest natcherly be obleeged to sell,” he said, grimly. “Let it be on his -own head.”</p> - -<p>Philo Marsh was at the ranch-house almost every day. Aunt Winnie -wondered why some of the other interested parties had not called to get -her views upon the water-rights question; but not a person from the -farming land to the south or from Desert City, came to the Hardin ranch.</p> - -<p>“It must be,” she told the boys and Dorothy, “that these Desert people -have left the whole matter—as he says—in Mr. Marsh’s hands. I would -have felt better about it had I talked with others—to make sure that -this agreement Philo Marsh offers suits all hands. I believe I shall -sign the preliminary papers the next time Mr. Marsh calls.”</p> - -<p>“I guess it’s all right, mother,” said big Ned, carelessly. “And the -fellow <em>is</em> getting to be a nuisance hanging about here.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy was tempted to tell her aunt of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">203</a></span> conversation she had -overheard between Marsh and the foreman, Hank Ledger, despite the fact -that the conference seemed to have led to nothing. The foreman was a -good sort, and Dorothy liked Mrs. Ledger, so the girl did not wish to -make her aunt suspicious of Hank.</p> - -<p>She understood that this preliminary agreement between her aunt and -those who desired water from Lost River, was not a binding document. -Aunt Winnie said the lawyers in Dugonne would look after the estate’s -interest before the matter was concluded, and make everything legal and -shipshape.</p> - -<p>Naturally, even Dorothy—with all her suspicion of Philo Marsh—did not -pay much attention to the business of the water-rights, only when the -subject was brought up in family conclave. The young folk were having -too good a time to think of much but their own pleasure—the boys in -their way, and the girls in theirs.</p> - -<p>Old Mrs. Petterby had caught Ophelia and now was anxious to go back -to the Nicholson place, where she was to meet Lance again. She was to -drive over in a buckboard, one of the Mexican hands being employed as -driver, and of course there were two empty seats.</p> - -<p>“Let’s go with her—you and I, Doro,” proposed Tavia, eagerly.</p> - -<p>Dorothy suspected that her chum was just<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">204</a></span> roguish enough to want to -plague Lance Petterby, and she tried to veto the proposal.</p> - -<p>“All right for you, then!” said Tavia, coolly. “If you won’t go with -me, I’ll go anyway.”</p> - -<p>That settled it. Dorothy did not want Tavia to go without her. So -they drove away in the buckboard with the old lady from Rand’s Falls, -Massachusetts.</p> - -<p>It was a jolly ride, for Mrs. Petterby was good fun and both the girls -were fond of her. When they arrived at the squatter’s double cabin, -sure enough, there was Lance and his pony, Gaby.</p> - -<p>“Sartain shore am glad tuh see yuh!” was the cowboy’s welcome, smiling -broadly upon the girls. But it was plain to Dorothy that his bold eyes -lingered longer upon Tavia’s brilliant face.</p> - -<p>Tavia was at her best—sprightly, talkative, laughing—behaving indeed -in a most bewildering fashion. A much more sophisticated fellow than -Lance Petterby might have had his head turned over Tavia Travers on -that particular day.</p> - -<p>Dorothy knew very well that it was only Tavia’s fun, but the cowboy did -not know. Even old Mrs. Petterby said:</p> - -<p>“I declare for’t! I never did see sech a gal for runnin’ on as you do. -Can’t tell when ye air funnin’ an’ when ye air in earnest.”</p> - -<p>Lance had something to say to Dorothy in private.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">205</a></span> -“Yuh axed me about Philo Marsh last time I seen yuh, Miss Dale. Has yuh -aunt signed up for them water-rights yet?”</p> - -<p>“No. But she is about to.”</p> - -<p>“Tell her to wait a bit longer. I got a line on something queer.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mr. Lance! What is it? About Philo Marsh?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Ma’am. You say he’s workin’ for the Desert City folks?”</p> - -<p>“Why—yes. He must be.”</p> - -<p>“Then he’s got two strings to his bow. I got a straight tip that he’s -employed by the Consolidated Ackron Company.”</p> - -<p>“The mining company?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Ma’am.”</p> - -<p>“But what is he doing for them?”</p> - -<p>“Why, they tell me he’s been in their pay for a long time. Does their -dirty work, Miss Dale. Meanin’ that he settles damage cases out o’ -court. Man gits hurt in the shaft, or somehow. Before he kin git fixed -up by the doctor, ’round comes Philo and offers to pay bills and give -the man a small sum. Otherwise man loses his job—you see? If the poor -feller’s killed, Philo settles with the widder.”</p> - -<p>“I understand,” said Dorothy. “But that would not keep him from taking -cases for other people?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">206</a></span> -“No, Ma’am. But Philo wouldn’t be likely to take a job that might queer -him with the mining company. And them folks want the water jest as bad -as they want it out in the desert.”</p> - -<p>“But how could they get it?” cried Dorothy, in wonder. “That gorge by -which Lost River can be drained off, runs to the edge of the desert. It -doesn’t slope north at all.”</p> - -<p>“That’s shore an’ sartain, Miss,” declared Lance. “But thet thar ain’t -the only way Lost River kin be turned—don’t think it!”</p> - -<p>Suddenly the thought of the surveyors she and Tavia had seen, flashed -into Dorothy’s mind.</p> - -<p>Eagerly the girl told the cowpuncher of what she and Tavia had observed -behind the green mountain. He listened closely and nodded at the end.</p> - -<p>“Shore as you air a foot high, them surveyors was runnin’ a line to -Lost River for the mining corporation. Once they git the water—— -Well! good-<em>night</em>! They’ve got plenty of money to fight you folks in -the courts. Possession, in this case, I reckon, would be nine p’ints of -the law.</p> - -<p>“Now, tell your a’nt tuh go slow. Don’t let her sign a paper that Philo -brings her. There’ll be some quirk about it that’ll tie her hands. Or -else, he is seeking to delay matters until the mining folks can put in -dynamite and blow out a channel for the river.”</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">207</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxiii" id="xxiii"></a><span>CHAPTER XXIII</span><br /> -<small>“WHERE IS AUNT WINNIE?”</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Tavia</span> declared Dorothy’s insisting upon going back to the ranch so -early “spoiled all her fun.”</p> - -<p>“You can miss that fun, Miss,” said her chum, somewhat sharply. -“Teasing Mr. Petterby is a good deal like a cat playing with a mouse. -It’s fun for the cat, but tragic for the mouse.”</p> - -<p>“Tragedy! Fancy!” responded Tavia, tossing her head. “As though my -innocent little conversations with Lance were tragic in any way.”</p> - -<p>“He thinks you are in earnest when you show interest in his affairs,” -declared Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“But you know, dear, he’s such fun!” pouted Tavia. “I can’t help -plaguing him. He is so very innocent—a big man like him!—that he’s -fair game. You are a regular spoil-sport.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve another reason for going home,” said Dorothy, seriously. “Just -the same, you are not to be trusted, Tavia. I am ashamed of you.”</p> - -<p>“You needn’t be. I wouldn’t harm poor little Lance Petterby for the -world!” giggled the black-eyed girl.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">208</a></span> -Dorothy was too worried over what the cowboy had told her about Philo -Marsh to keep on joking with her friend. The instant they reached the -ranch-house she ran to find Aunt Winnie.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Auntie! you haven’t signed those horrid papers, have you?” Dorothy -cried.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean, child?” asked Mrs. White.</p> - -<p>“For that Marsh man.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Dorothy! you are greatly excited. What <em>is</em> the matter?”</p> - -<p>“Then you <em>have</em> signed?” wailed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“No. I told him I would to-morrow if he brought out a commissioner of -deeds with him. I cannot go to town now.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t do it!” begged her niece, excitedly. “There’s something queer -about it. Let me tell you,” and there poured forth then all her -suspicions and her reasons for holding them. She told her aunt about -the strange talk she had overheard between the foreman of the ranch and -Philo Marsh, as well as about the surveying party she and Tavia had -seen back in the hills. She likewise repeated what Lance Petterby had -told her that very day.</p> - -<p>“I cannot understand it,” Mrs. White said. “I have read the agreement -Mr. Marsh offers very carefully. It is between your father and me, as -party of the first part (that is the legal phrase),<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">209</a></span> and Mr. Marsh, Mr. -Kendrick, and Mr. Stephen Goode, who jointly agree to take the water of -Lost River under certain conditions. There is no corporation formed as -yet, I am told, and these men constitute a committee.”</p> - -<p>“A committee for whom?” asked Dorothy, briskly.</p> - -<p>“Why—why, for the people who want the water.”</p> - -<p>“But who <em>are</em> they, Aunt Winnie? Philo Marsh says he is acting for the -Desert people; but you don’t really <em>know</em> if it is so.”</p> - -<p>“Child! it can’t be possible that the man would boldly conspire to gain -my signature for a different purpose from that Colonel Hardin intended?”</p> - -<p>“That’s exactly what I believe Marsh is aiming to do,” cried Dorothy. -“Don’t you sign.”</p> - -<p>“I won’t. A bad promise is better broken than kept. I shall write to -Mr. Jermyn. When I spoke to him in Dugonne he said he had had no reason -for looking into the matter, but he supposed that Mr. Marsh was acting -in good faith. Lawyers, I am afraid, are like doctors. The ethics of -the profession sometimes stand before their duty to a client.</p> - -<p>“But Mr. Jermyn shall come out here and examine the papers and talk -with Mr. Marsh in my presence, before I sign,” added Mrs. White.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">210</a></span> -“Thank you, my dear, for being so helpful. Go tell Dempsey to find a -man to ride into Dugonne at once with a note.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy ran to do as she was bid, while Mrs. White went to write the -letter. A man came to the ranch-house in a few minutes, a-straddle of -a vicious pony. He was a sullen, rough looking fellow, but Mrs. White -presumed he was to be trusted as a messenger.</p> - -<p>However, had she known that the fellow carried her note to Philo Marsh -instead of to Mr. Jermyn—being in Marsh’s pay—the lady from the East -would not have been so tranquil in her mind. Having been unsuccessful -in wheedling Hank Ledger into aiding him, Marsh had hired this Mexican -to play the spy at the Hardin ranch.</p> - -<p>Tavia and the boys were not informed of the new mystery regarding the -water-rights affair. Dorothy had promised Aunt Winnie not to speak of -it at present.</p> - -<p>“After working as hard as we do all day,” quoth Ned at the supper table -that night, “a fellow needs a little recreation in the evening. You -girls aren’t at all entertaining. Why! you haven’t had even a ‘sing’ -since we came out here to the ranch.”</p> - -<p>“What will we do for music?” asked Dorothy. “There isn’t even a banjo -in the house.”</p> - -<p>“There are mandolins, or guitars, or something,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">211</a></span> down to the -bunkhouse,” Nat broke in. “I heard somebody plunking one to-day. You -know, these Mexicans are great on music—of a kind.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll ask Flores,” promised Dorothy, briskly. “Just as soon as supper -is over.”</p> - -<p>“And we’ll all sing,” announced Ned, gravely.</p> - -<p>Tavia immediately relinquished her knife and fork. “I object,” she -declared. “Perhaps I should say that I rise to a point of order.”</p> - -<p>“What about, Miss?” demanded Ned.</p> - -<p>“Are <em>you</em> going to attempt to sing?” asked Tavia, point blank.</p> - -<p>“What if I do?”</p> - -<p>“Prithee, don’t, dear Neddie,” begged the teasing girl. “We’ve heard -you make the attempt before. You escaped with your life on that -occasion, but remember it was in a comparatively ‘tame’ country.</p> - -<p>“This is the wild and woolly West. They hang people here for -horse-stealing—and perhaps for eating with their knives, I don’t know! -At any rate, Lance Petterby tells me that many of the ‘old-timers’ -shoot from the hip, and without much provocation. Your sweet young life -may be snuffed out, Neddie, if you try to sing, by some native with an -ear for music.”</p> - -<p>“Ha, ha!” cried Nat. “Old Ned’s like the minister they tell about who -was called to a new pastorate. One of the members of the new church<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">212</a></span> -asked a friend of the minister if he was a good man.</p> - -<p>“‘He is a very good man,’ agreed the minister’s friend.</p> - -<p>“‘Well, what are his faults? He must have <em>some</em> fault?’ said the -curious one.</p> - -<p>“‘Since you press me,’ said the other, ‘I know of but one grave fault -in your new minister.’</p> - -<p>“So the man asked him what that fault was. ‘He doesn’t know how to -sing,’ declared the candid friend.</p> - -<p>“‘Well, that’s not a very serious fault,’ said the anxious one, much -relieved.</p> - -<p>“‘No,’ was the reply; ‘but, you see, he sings just the same as if he -<em>did</em> know.’”</p> - -<p>“That settles it,” growled Ned, appearing to be much offended. “I’ll -not sing, no matter how much I am urged. I positively refuse.”</p> - -<p>“I can go on with my supper, then,” said Tavia, calmly, “and with a -mind relieved of anxiety.”</p> - -<p>“And while you are finishing,” laughed Dorothy, “I’ll go hunt up -Flores, and see if there is music to be had to soothe the savage -breasts of these amateur cowpunchers.”</p> - -<p>She ran down to the shack where the foreman and his wife lived. The -twilight was falling, and Dorothy thought the country beautiful. Bare -as the ranges were, the vari-colored sky arching the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">213</a></span> rolling plain -lent a softness to the earth’s outline that pleased the eye.</p> - -<p>By broad day she could see the boulders cropping out of the hillsides, -and the scars of ancient land-slips upon the faces of the higher -mountains, but now purple and saffron shadows mantled all these rude -outlines of the landscape, while the little valleys were pits of gray -mist and shadow.</p> - -<p>Dorothy came, cheerfully singing, to the door of the foreman’s house. -“Where is Flores?” she asked Mrs. Ledger, who had hurried down from the -big house as soon as supper there was served to get the evening meal -for her husband and the hands.</p> - -<p>“Drat the gal!” replied Mrs. Ledger, with some exasperation. “I wish I -knew. I left her here to get things started, and she’s run off.”</p> - -<p>“Run away?” cried the startled Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Not fur, I reckon. She’s always buzzing some of the men. ’Druther play -than work, any time, that gal had.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll find her,” promised the girl from the East, and went on toward -the horse sheds.</p> - -<p>But she would have passed Flores in the dusk had she not heard excited -voices speaking Spanish. Dorothy could not understand Spanish, but she -recognized the tones of the Mexican girl’s voice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">214</a></span> -“Flores!”</p> - -<p>Instantly Dorothy saw one of the herdsmen dive into the deeper shadow -beside the shed, while Flores came swiftly toward her. The Mexican girl -had been crying, Dorothy knew, although it was too dark to see her face -but dimly.</p> - -<p>“What is the matter, Flores?”</p> - -<p>“I—I no can tell you, Señorita,” sobbed Flores.</p> - -<p>“You won’t tell me?”</p> - -<p>“I—I dare not. I no explain. Hush!” whispered the girl. “You take care -at beeg house. Bad mans about.”</p> - -<p>This was anything but lucid, but try as she might Dorothy could get -nothing more explicit from Flores. The latter seemed not only unable to -explain herself in English, but she was afraid to speak at all!</p> - -<p>Flores hurried back to the Ledger domicile and lent Dorothy a mandolin -of her own. Tavia could play the mandolin, and the young folk at the -big house had a nice “sing” that evening.</p> - -<p>When Dorothy and her chum went to bed the former told Tavia about -Flores’ strange speech and actions.</p> - -<p>“More mystery, Rudolpho!” cried Tavia. “What can she mean? ‘Bad mans,’ -eh? Sounds awfully interesting. Almost <em>any</em> male man with intelligence -would be a delightful change from these ignorant Mexican herdsmen.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">215</a></span> -“Even a villain like Philo Marsh?”</p> - -<p>“Oh! he is a disappointment, despite his mustache,” admitted Tavia. -“Even as a villain he proved second rate.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps we haven’t seen the last of his villainy,” said Dorothy, -darkly.</p> - -<p>Tavia, her hearing momentarily impaired by a big yawn, did not catch -the drift of Dorothy’s prophecy. The next day there was more than the -usual stir about the Hardin ranch. Philo Marsh and a low-browed, greasy -looking man, whom the lawyer introduced as “Jedge Biggs”—a Justice of -the Peace and Notary Public—arrived early in the day.</p> - -<p>The girls were by now deeply interested in the matter of the -water-rights. The boys had ridden away as usual, right after breakfast. -Dorothy had told Tavia enough about Aunt Winnie’s difficulties to -arouse the black-eyed girl’s interest and to excite her over this -morning visit of Marsh.</p> - -<p>The chums remained on the veranda, within hearing of the discussion in -the office, when Aunt Winnie appeared to meet the two men from Dugonne.</p> - -<p>“Mawnin’, Mrs. White,” said Philo Marsh, in his unctuous way. “We’re -all prepared this mawnin’ for business—loaded tuh the muzzle, as yuh -might say.”</p> - -<p>“I have sent for Mr. Jermyn,” said Aunt Winnie,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">216</a></span> quietly. “I prefer to -have him here before I sign anything, Mr. Marsh.”</p> - -<p>“Sufferin’ snakes, Ma’am! this ain’t another hold-up, I hope? Why, ye -agreed tuh sign——”</p> - -<p>“Quite so. When Mr. Jermyn comes, if he does not advise against it, I -will sign.”</p> - -<p>“But, Mrs. White! I have reason to know Jermyn is not in Dugonne at -present.”</p> - -<p>“That is too bad,” said Mrs. White, with real disappointment. “I -thought it strange that he returned no reply to the note I sent him -last evening.”</p> - -<p>It was not strange to Philo Marsh, but he gave no sign that he had ever -heard of the message.</p> - -<p>“It seems a pity to hold the matter up again, Mr. Marsh,” said Aunt -Winnie, calmly. “But I feel that my lawyer should have an opportunity -to advise.”</p> - -<p>“Mrs. White!” cried Philo Marsh, his wrath getting the better of his -judgment, “this is childish. It’s a joke for you, perhaps, but not for -me. You promised——”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Marsh!” exclaimed Aunt Winnie. “I am not in the habit of being -spoken to in such a tone.”</p> - -<p>She rose and passed to the door, leaving the two men standing, scowling -at each other.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry for your disappointment, Mr. Marsh,” proceeded the lady, -“but I can no longer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">217</a></span> discuss this matter—or go on with it at -all—until I secure the advice of Mr. Jermyn. Good morning.”</p> - -<p>“Bully for Aunt Winnie!” whispered Tavia, on the porch, squeezing -Dorothy’s arm.</p> - -<p>“But I am afraid of what Philo Marsh will do,” returned Dorothy, in a -similar tone. “He looks like a thunder-cloud.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. White had swept from the office, and the two men finally came out. -They did not notice the girls, and went off whispering together. A -little later they rode away from the ranch sheds, but did not take the -trail to Dugonne.</p> - -<p>Ned and Nat had told the girls that some yearlings were to be branded -that morning, down in the far corral, and Dorothy and Tavia wanted to -see the work done—although they shrank from the idea of giving pain to -the helpless cattle.</p> - -<p>“But I suppose that is the only way to keep run of the stock,” Dorothy -said, wisely.</p> - -<p>“They couldn’t very well paste numbers on their horns,” rejoined Tavia, -whimsically.</p> - -<p>When they told Aunt Winnie they were going, they found her -looking very grave, and she confessed to a headache. She suffered -<a name="severely" id="severely"></a><ins title="Original has 'severly'">severely</ins> from that affliction at times and she said the -glare of the sun outside oppressed her.</p> - -<p>Dorothy knew that nervousness, enhanced by the argument with Philo -Marsh, was the real<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">218</a></span> cause of her aunt’s illness. She offered to remain -at the house, but Aunt Winnie sent her out with Tavia.</p> - -<p>“Go along and have a good time, child,” she said. “I shall be all right -alone here.”</p> - -<p>For at this time of day there was not a soul else about the big house. -Mrs. Ledger and Flores were busy at their own quarters.</p> - -<p>It was an hour later—after retiring in bad order because of the odor -of burning hair and flesh in their nostrils, and the sound of piteous -bawling in their ears—that the two girls approached the ranch-house. -The branding operations had been too much for their courage.</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to be a ‘cattle queen,’” Tavia declared, with a shudder. -“One of those poor calves had blue eyes and he looked at me so pitiful!”</p> - -<p>“Yet you have no tender feeling for the poor humans you plague—like -Lance Petterby,” chuckled Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Oh! they are fair game!” said Tavia, shaking her braids and running on -before.</p> - -<p>Suddenly—right at the corner of the house—she halted, and wildly -beckoned Dorothy forward.</p> - -<p>“Look! oh, look, Doro!” she gasped, as her friend came running.</p> - -<p>Tavia, breathless, pointed off toward the west. A party of at least -six horsemen were riding at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">219</a></span> a gallop away from the front of the -ranch-house.</p> - -<p>“Philo Marsh!” cried Dorothy. “I see him.”</p> - -<p>“There is a woman with them—she is riding in the middle of the crowd,” -screamed Tavia. “Oh, Doro! she’s a prisoner! He’s carried her off.”</p> - -<p>“Who’s carried whom off?” demanded the startled Dorothy, as the -cavalcade disappeared into a coulie.</p> - -<p>“Your aunt! Philo Marsh has her. He’s kidnapped her—to make her sign -those papers—I <em>know</em> he has,” cried Tavia, weakly sitting down on the -steps.</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!” exclaimed Dorothy, and ran into the house to find her aunt.</p> - -<p>But she could not find her. She called, and there came no answer. With -fast beating heart and trembling limbs Dorothy Dale returned to the -veranda. Tavia was talking to a man on horseback who had just arrived. -It was Lance Petterby.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">220</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxiv" id="xxiv"></a><span>CHAPTER XXIV</span><br /> -<small>THE CHASE</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">I tell</span> you they’ve run away with her! Whatever shall we do?”</p> - -<p>Tavia was quite familiar in her excitement. She had seized Lance -Petterby’s free hand and shook it with emphasis. But even at this -tragic moment Dorothy noticed the way the cowpuncher looked down at her -chum, and she was sorry that Tavia was not more dignified.</p> - -<p>“Jerusha Juniper! do yuh mean it?” Lance said.</p> - -<p>“We saw them riding away,” declared Tavia. “You <em>didn’t</em> find your -aunt, did you, Doro?”</p> - -<p>“She’s gone,” admitted Dorothy, feeling a little ill and faint.</p> - -<p>“Jerusha Juniper! yuh don’t mean it?” repeated Lance. “’Tain’t possible -that she’s been run off against her will?”</p> - -<p>“It’s that awful Philo Marsh,” said Tavia. “You don’t understand. -She had promised to sign the papers for him this morning, and then -she heard something, so she wouldn’t. He was here with a man named -Biggs——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">221</a></span> -“I know the scamp,” growled Lance.</p> - -<p>“Well! they were just as <em>mad</em>!” pursued Tavia.</p> - -<p>“So Philo has shown his hand, has he?” said Lance Petterby, slowly. -“The ornery cur! I come over here to tell yuh aunt more thet I heard -last night. Philo’s been workin’ for the mining company all the time.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t stop here talking!” urged Tavia. “We must go after them. Doro -and I will get our ponies.”</p> - -<p>“Ain’t Hank here?” demanded Lance.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Ledger has gone to see about something at the other end of the -range,” Dorothy said, in answer to this question.</p> - -<p>“But there’s some of the Greasers here—and them boys?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes!” cried Dorothy, and she told him where they were at work down -in the branding pen.</p> - -<p>“We’d better go,” admitted the cowboy. “I understand there is going to -be something doing up in the hills this very day.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean, Mr. Lance?” cried Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Them minin’ people have got a gang to put in a few dynamite ca’tridges -where they’ll do the most good—for <em>them</em>. They intend to blow out -enough rock at the head of that gorge you seen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">222</a></span> the surveyors working -in, to drain the current of Lost River out of its bed.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! the wicked things!” gasped Tavia.</p> - -<p>“You don’t mean it?” was Dorothy’s comment.</p> - -<p>“So it was give to me, Miss Dale,” said Lance. “Them surveyors was -workin’ for the Consolidated Ackron Company. I got it from the feller -that kerried the chain.”</p> - -<p>“We saw him,” interrupted Tavia. “A bushy whiskered man.”</p> - -<p>“Gil Patrick. That’s him,” said Lance, with emphasis. “When I got the -straight tip I reckoned you folks oughter know it. For once let them -mining people turn the river their way (they kin get it to their works -a sight easier than the Desert City folks kin handle it) and yuh aunt -would have a stiff fight on her hands in the courts. Possession is all -of nine p’ints of the law—specially in water-rights,” added Lance, -nodding vigorously.</p> - -<p>“They must be very wicked men,” said Dorothy, “to wish to rob the poor -farmers down there in the desert of water. And they will be robbing us, -too.”</p> - -<p>“I expect they’ll settle at a fair price—only yuh aunt won’t git Lost -River back intuh its banks—no, sir!”</p> - -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<a name="they" id="they"></a> -<img src="images/i-page223.jpg" width="400" height="634" alt="" /> -<div class="caption">THEY KEPT UP WITH THE WILD RIDING MEXICANS.<br /> -<i>Dorothy Dale in the <span class="word-spacing3">West Page</span> <a href="#they2">223</a></i> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">223</a></span> -“It must not be,” declared Dorothy Dale, vigorously. “And if they have -made auntie ride over to that place with them——”</p> - -<p>“They have kidnapped her, I tell you!” cried Tavia, her excitement -growing.</p> - -<p>“I kyan’t believe it, gals,” said Lance Petterby. “But I’ll rout out -yuh hands.”</p> - -<p>“And we’ll get our ponies. Come, Doro,” added Tavia, starting on a run -for the horse corral.</p> - -<p>“Sorry Hank ain’t here,” said Lance, as he gave Gaby the rein. “But -I’ll git the hull bunch yuh say is down there to the brandin’ pen.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come on, Doro! Come on!” shouted Tavia, over her shoulder. “We -must go with them. It will be a regular cowboy chase—just like we see -in the movies.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Tavia! do be sensible.”</p> - -<p>“How can I be? Your auntie is kidnapped. They’ll try to make her sign -the paper——”</p> - -<p>Somehow Dorothy felt that this sounded awfully melodramatic. And Tavia -was bubbling over with excitement. It did not seem to Dorothy as though -Aunt Winnie could really have been carried off by a band of outlaws in -the employ of the big mining corporation. It “didn’t sound sensible.”</p> - -<p>But the story that men in the employ of the corporation were to blow -out the bank of the river and turn the water into a new channel toward -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">224</a></span> north, instead of toward the south, impressed the girl as being -eminently practical. And this dastardly scheme must be stopped.</p> - -<p>Flores was not on hand to help the girls catch and saddle their ponies, -but by this time Dorothy and Tavia had made such friends and pets of -their mounts that the ponies trotted right up to the corral gate the -moment they saw the girls.</p> - -<p>“Hurry! hurry!” gasped Tavia, pulling up the cinch with trembling -fingers. “<em>Do</em> stand still Baby! I am so excited—Doro! isn’t it -romantic——”</p> - -<p>“Stop!” commanded her friend. “You’ve worked that phrase to death, -Tavia Travers, since you started West. If you say it again before -Auntie is found I’ll—I’ll spank you.”</p> - -<p>Lance came sweeping up from the distant corral as soon as the girls -were ready, bringing with him Ned and Nat White and all the Mexicans on -the job. There was one fellow missing who should have been there. That -was the man who had carried the message to Dugonne the night before for -Mrs. White.</p> - -<p>But the pursuing party knew nothing of his treachery at this time. It -was merely remarked by the boys that the fellow had slipped away from -the work at the branding pen just before the girls themselves started -back to the ranch-house.</p> - -<p>Naturally Ned and Nat were quite as excited<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">225</a></span> over the report of their -mother’s disappearance as Tavia herself had been. The girls pointed out -the way in which the cavalcade they had seen disappeared, and without -going near the big house again the party, all mounted on fresh ponies, -drove straight away across the range toward the hills.</p> - -<p>“We ain’t goin’ tuh do no trailin’,” said Lance, as they started. “We -kin pretty nigh guess whar they air aimin’ for. That’s the place where -they mean to blow up the river bank, and we’ll take a crow-line for it.”</p> - -<p>There was not much said after they started—not for the first ten -miles, at least. The horses were eager, the Mexicans excited, Lance -grim, and Ned and Nat both mad and worried. Tavia was really the only -rider who thoroughly enjoyed the race.</p> - -<p>Her eyes were brighter than ever; her hair was flying; she was hatless, -of course; and altogether she appeared to be in the spirit of the chase.</p> - -<p>Up hill and down they dashed, the tireless ponies skimming the ground, -it seemed. Had the girls not been in the saddle so much during the -weeks they had been at Hardin, they certainly would have been shaken -off the ponies’ backs now.</p> - -<p>But their mounts were sound and eager, and <a name="they2" id="they2"></a>they -kept up with the wild riding Mexicans. There was no yelling, or whooping, as they -rode;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">226</a></span> -nevertheless the whole cavalcade was in earnest.</p> - -<p>Dorothy was very anxious. She could not really believe that Aunt Winnie -had been carried off against her will by Philo Marsh and his crew, yet -she could not understand why the lady should have gone of her own free -will, either! She surely would have let the girls know before starting. -And she was not even riding one of the Hardin horses.</p> - -<p>Ned and Nat threatened condign punishment for Philo Marsh when they -caught him. When the pursuers overtook the party ahead there was likely -to be trouble, and that thought increased Dorothy Dale’s anxiety.</p> - -<p>On and on they rode, perhaps not following the same trail as the party -which they pursued; but they were going quite as directly into the -hills (and to the head of that gorge where the girls had seen the -surveyors at work) as were Philo Marsh and his companions. Indeed, the -Mexicans with Dorothy knew the way more definitely; so the pursuers -might arrive at the goal first.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">227</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxv" id="xxv"></a><span>CHAPTER XXV</span><br /> -<small>A LITTLE MORE EXCITEMENT</small></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> party Dorothy Dale and her companions were following into the -wilder section of the great Hardin Ranch, had almost an hour’s start -of their pursuers. If they were ignorant of such pursuit they might -not ride at top speed; therefore the pace set by Lance Petterby on his -pony, Gaby, must bring the pursuers to the river at about the time -Philo Marsh struck it. Only Dorothy and her friends were bound to -strike the stream higher up and nearer the point where Lance believed -the dynamite was to be used by the men working for the big mining -corporation.</p> - -<p>The puzzle was how Philo Marsh and his crowd could have traveled as -fast as they did, with Mrs. White in the party. Aunt Winnie was a -cautious rider and the boys and Dorothy were ever complaining of her -slowness when they were all out on the range together.</p> - -<p>But when the pursuers chanced to cross the trail of the cavalcade they -pursued, the hoofmarks of the ponies showed that they were traveling -fast.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">228</a></span> -“Goodness!” exclaimed Nat. “She never would ride with us faster than a -toad funeral.”</p> - -<p>“That shows she is forced to keep up with them,” Tavia declared, with -conviction.</p> - -<p>“Don’t talk about it!” groaned Dorothy. “I only hope those awful men -can be punished for this.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you fret, Miss Dale,” broke in Lance Petterby, grimly. “If Philo -has offered Mrs. White any indignity I dunno but he’ll be hung for it. -The boys’ll be mighty sore—believe me!”</p> - -<p>“<em>That</em> would be dreadful, too,” sighed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Serve him just right, I say!” said Tavia, shortly.</p> - -<p>This conversation had been carried on while they were mounting the -steep rise to the plateau formerly described. In ten minutes they were -at the river bank. The ground was of such a nature here that at a -casual glance one could not tell whether horsemen had recently passed, -going up stream, or not.</p> - -<p>“Come on!” commanded Lance, waving his hat. “Whether them hombres is -thar, or not, we’ll pull a hot finish.”</p> - -<p>The ponies dashed on, following Gaby, as though perfectly fresh. They -thundered on up the very narrow trail the girls had followed that day -they had climbed to the mountain-top.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">229</a></span> -Suddenly, in a wide opening of the forest-clad plateau, they caught -sight of a number of horsemen ahead. It was Marsh and his companions, -but they got out of sight so quickly that Dorothy could not be sure -that Aunt Winnie was with them.</p> - -<p>The cowboys broke into yells of excitement. The ponies dashed forward, -and whether the girls would, or no, they were borne at a desperate pace -right up the trail after the other flying squadron of horses.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it great?” yelled Tavia, as she rode knee to knee with Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“I think it is dreadful,” gasped Dorothy.</p> - -<p>But Tavia seemed to be enjoying the race to the full. And it <em>was</em> a -race now. Philo Marsh had seen them coming, and without doubt he would -try to do what he had to do, and get it over with, before the pursuers -overtook him.</p> - -<p>If the dynamite was ready set, and he could explode it before the -pursuers reached the spot, nothing could put Lost River back into its -course again.</p> - -<p>Again and again Dorothy and her companions came in sight of the party -ahead, but the glimpses they obtained were for a moment only.</p> - -<p>“They’ve got some hoss-flesh thar,” commented Lance Petterby. “And they -warn’t as fresh in the beginnin’ as ourn—that’s sartain. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">230</a></span> been -punishin’ of ’em some, by Jerusha Juniper!”</p> - -<p>“I—don’t—see—how—Aunt—ie—can ride so fast!” stammered Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“She never did before,” repeated Nat.</p> - -<p>The pursuers had not lost hope. The trail over the plateau was twisted, -but almost level. Their horses seemed quite as willing as when they had -started from the ranch-house.</p> - -<p>They dashed up the little rise beside the noisy rapids and then the -prospect opened before them for some two miles. Philo Marsh and his -crowd were just ahead. The pursuers could see them quite plainly.</p> - -<p>Lance began to yell and beat his pony with his hat. The Mexicans’ yelps -were as shrill as a dog’s howl. The boys and Tavia were caught up by -the excitement, and they shouted, too, but Dorothy remained silent.</p> - -<p>She searched the cavalcade ahead for a glimpse of her aunt’s figure. -There <em>was</em> a female in the crowd; but, was it Aunt Winnie?</p> - -<p>Surely, that good lady could never have ridden with such abandon—not -even if she had been lashed to her saddle! And this person ahead wore -garments of much more brilliant color than Aunt Winnie had ever been -known to put on.</p> - -<p>“That never in the world is Auntie!” cried Dorothy, at last.</p> - -<p>Tavia heard her, and flashed her chum a broad<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">231</a></span> smile. Then Tavia urged -her horse on, shouting as the boys shouted.</p> - -<p>“You knew it all the time, Tavia Travers!” screamed Dorothy, in anger.</p> - -<p>She crowded her own pony close to Tavia’s mount and shook that -irrepressible young person by the arm. Tavia would pay no attention to -her. The end of the race promised to be exciting, and Tavia’s attention -would not be coaxed aside.</p> - -<p>They were in sight of the head of the gorge. The men in the lead began -to yell. Evidently they expected to find some of their own kind here.</p> - -<p>One of the Mexicans in the party of pursuit whipped a long-barreled -revolver into sight. The herdsmen of Hardin Ranch were not supposed to -carry weapons save at night when riding herd. Lance Petterby saw the -gun and yelled at his follower:</p> - -<p>“Put away that gat.! I’ll natcher’ly manhandle any feller that fires a -gun.”</p> - -<p>The next moment Ned White uttered a shout. “Hi! that’s not mother with -those fellows. It’s—it’s that Mexican girl, Flores!”</p> - -<p>Only a hundred yards separated the two parties. The girl who had ridden -in the midst of the leading crew, suddenly swung her pony to one side, -wheeled him about, and dashed back toward Dorothy and her friends.</p> - -<p>“Flores! Flores!” cried Dorothy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">232</a></span> -“They blow up! They blow up! Dynamite!” shrieked Flores, waving her -arms excitedly and letting her pony take his course.</p> - -<p>Some of the Mexicans held in their ponies. At the warning more than one -desired to keep out of the danger zone. But Lance Petterby drove on, -yelling:</p> - -<p>“Not much they won’t set off no dynamite. They ain’t gwine tuh be -<em>let</em>.”</p> - -<p>Without doubt he would have flung himself the next minute, single -handed, upon the half dozen scoundrels had there not occurred something -quite unexpected. Philo Marsh and his henchmen had leaped from their -horses. They were almost at the head of the gorge. The rock between -where the ground fell away into the chasm, and the brink of the rushing -river, was narrow. It was plain to be seen that a properly set blast -must open a gap into the bank of the river and turn the latter’s course.</p> - -<p>Once changed into this gorge which led to the north, it would be very -difficult to shut off the flow of water from the new channel.</p> - -<p>Just as Lance was about to throw himself upon the men working for the -mining company, a figure lounged into view before the party. It was -that of a tall, slouching man, and he was heavily and prominently -armed, having a brace of pistols<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">233</a></span> slung about his body outside his -coat. He was smoking a pipe.</p> - -<p>“Hank Ledger!” ejaculated Philo Marsh.</p> - -<p>“Yep,” drawled the foreman of the Hardin Ranch. “I run off your two -friends this mawnin’. They’d got them holes drilled and the dynamite -sticks set. All they waited for was that ’lectric battery you got thar -in that thar leetle box, Philo.</p> - -<p>“But it ain’t no go. I’ve extracted them dynamite sticks an’ they -air soakin’ in the river right now. I tol’ yuh tuh let Miz White -erlone. She’s er mighty able lady and I don’t kalkerlate tuh let no -squirrel-faced, bald-headed feller, with a dyed mustache, interfere -with her consarns. D’ye get me?”</p> - -<p>Lance Petterby led the cheering as the party from the Hardin Ranch -reached the scene and heard the foreman’s words. Lance rode right up to -Philo’s pony and knocked the electric battery off the saddle-bow, and -the box was smashed on the ground.</p> - -<p>“What you doin’, Petterby?” yelled Marsh.</p> - -<p>Lance leaned from his saddle and wagged a finger under the villain’s -nose. “Gimme another word and I’ll smash you like I done your play-toy -yonder. I’m achin’ tuh leave my mark on yuh,” whispered Lance, so that -the girls could not hear him—or, he thought they could not.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">234</a></span> -“Isn’t he splendid?” cried Tavia to Dorothy. “Lance is a regular -story-book hero.”</p> - -<p>But Dorothy wanted to hear Flores’ story. “How did you come to be with -those men, Flores?” she asked the Mexican girl.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Señorita! I know—I see—I no can sp’ak da Inglese well, you know, -Señorita. I know dey come here to blow up de river. I run to de beeg -house to tell. Dey ketch me—mak’ me ride wit’ dhem——”</p> - -<p>“We get you, Flores,” said Lance, quickly. Then he said something to -the Mexicans in their own tongue and the fellows exchanged fierce -glances and scowled at Philo Marsh, who sneaked away from their -vicinity in quick retreat.</p> - -<p>Flores was in tears; but Tavia was still widely smiling. “Oh, dear!” -she sighed. “Wasn’t it fun, Doro—as long as it lasted? I never do -expect to have such a ride again. It was just like one of those moving -picture chases we used to see.”</p> - -<p>“Tavia Travers!” exclaimed Dorothy. “I believe you knew all the time -that it wasn’t Aunt Winnie these men had carried off.”</p> - -<p>“Well! you might have seen all the colors of the rainbow in her frock, -too, before they first rode out of sight,” said Tavia, her eyes -wickedly dancing. “I never saw Mrs. White sporting very gay colors, my -dear.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">235</a></span> -“<em>But where is Auntie?</em>”</p> - -<p>“She went to lie down, you remember, before ever we went down to -see them burn those poor little calves,” Tavia replied. “She had a -headache. Like enough she fell asleep and did not hear us when we came -back. You called only once for her.”</p> - -<p>If never before, Dorothy Dale felt a measure of exasperation at Tavia -which came near causing a falling-out between them. And yet, when -Dorothy stopped to think, she realized that she was at fault in that -she had not searched properly for Aunt Winnie before starting upon this -wild-goose chase.</p> - -<p>Then she heard what Nat was saying to Tavia. Nat could always find -something to praise in the latter young person’s conduct, no matter -what she did:</p> - -<p>“Say, Tavia! if you hadn’t started this riot about mother being -kidnapped, Hank would have had to face this gang alone. Maybe they -would have <em>got</em> him. You’re all right, Tavia!”</p> - -<p>“Thanks, Monsieur!” responded the elfish Tavia, bowing.</p> - -<p>“And no knowing what Philo Marsh would have done, had his crowd been in -the majority,” growled Ned, from the other side of the girls. “He looks -ugly enough right now to chew nails.”</p> - -<p>But Mr. Marsh had come to the end of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">236</a></span> rope. He and his friends -conferred together for only a few moments and then rode slowly away.</p> - -<p>“But they may be back with more dynamite, if this place isn’t watched,” -said Ned. “How about it, Mr. Ledger?”</p> - -<p>“The boy’s right,” said Lance. “Philo is a regular snake in the grass.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what John Dempsey calls him,” said Tavia to Dorothy; but -Dorothy would not speak to her chum just then, for she still felt -aggrieved.</p> - -<p>“What yuh want,” said Lance to Hank Ledger, “is somebody tuh patrol -this here river till them Desert City people sign up an’ take charge of -things—if Miz White is goin’ tuh let ’em have the water.”</p> - -<p>“Them’s the fellers that’s goin’ to git it,” agreed Hank. “She told -me so. And you air right, Lance—you bein’ the man for the job. I’ll -speak to Miz White about it—if yuh’ll sign on. Sixty a month an’ -found—better’n you’re gittin’ now, old boy.”</p> - -<p>“I’m on,” agreed the cowpuncher, looking at the two girls slily. But -Dorothy saw the glance, and she was again disturbed. “I got tired of -eatin’ that Chink’s cookin’ over at the Double Chain Outfit, anyhow. -B’sides, I believe I kin git my old lady tuh stay out yere with me for -a spell, an’ I’ll need a raise in wages, Hank.”</p> - -<p>They left him there on guard and rode back to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">237</a></span> the ranch-house. Aunt -Winnie was placidly knitting on the veranda, for Mrs. Ledger had -assured her that her sons and the two girls had ridden off in company -with Lance Petterby and the Mexicans.</p> - -<p>But she <em>was</em> excited when she received the report of what had been -done over by Lost River. The way Philo Marsh and his henchmen had -treated Flores could not be overlooked.</p> - -<p>Mrs. White wrote to Mr. Jermyn again and this time the lawyer received -the letter. He drove out the next day to the ranch, and after hearing -the particulars of Philo’s attempted raid upon the Lost River water -supply, he advised a settlement of the whole affair to be made at once.</p> - -<p>It was discovered that Marsh had circulated the report in Desert -City and among the dry-farmers that the new owners of Colonel -Hardin’s property had already agreed to sell the water-rights to the -Consolidated Ackron Company. As soon as it was made known to the city’s -council that Mrs. White stood ready to carry out the dead Colonel’s -tentative agreement, the city fathers and the farmers came forward -with a proposition and a bond that Lawyer Jermyn advised Mrs. White to -accept.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">238</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxvi" id="xxvi"></a><span>CHAPTER XXVI</span><br /> -<small>SAYING GOOD-BYE ALL AROUND</small></h2> - - -<p>“<span class="smcap">He</span> must be dreadfully lonesome over there,” said Tavia, with a sigh, -staring out of the window.</p> - -<p>Dorothy was counting her handkerchiefs preparatory to storing away -those she would not need on the return journey, in the tray of her -trunk.</p> - -<p>“Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven——Tavia! I can’t find that -forty-eighth handkerchief. I know I had four dozen when we started from -North Birchlands. Where——”</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poem"> -<div class="verse"> -<div class="line outdent">“There were forty and seven that safely lay</div> -<div class="line">In the shelter of the trunk,”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>wailed Tavia. “Maybe even <em>you</em>, my dear Doro, could mislay a -handkerchief.”</p> - -<p>“No. I most always never do. You know that, Tavia.”</p> - -<p>Tavia’s interest in the missing handkerchief failed. “I wonder if he’s -thinking of us,” she said.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">239</a></span> -“I couldn’t have dropped it anywhere——”</p> - -<p>“Why! if I had forty-seven handkerchiefs all at once—or even seven—I -wouldn’t worry my head over a single, measly little one. Maybe one of -the boys is keeping it for you, Doro.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!”</p> - -<p>“For a keepsake, you know. Lance borrowed one of mine and I’ll never -see it again, I s’pose.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Tavia! don’t let Aunt Winnie hear of it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, pooh!” said the irresponsible girl, shrugging her shoulders. -“What’s a handkerchief?”</p> - -<p>“But mine were all good ones,” complained Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Good or cheap, I wouldn’t trouble my head about them.”</p> - -<p>“That’s why you have so few,” accused Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Oh, fudge!” quoth Tavia, turning to the window again. “It must be -terrible wearisome to be alone in the wilderness.”</p> - -<p>“Whatever are you talking about?” snapped Dorothy, at last awaking to -the fact that Tavia’s mind was engaged in a mysterious line of thought.</p> - -<p>“Why—poor Lance,” replied Tavia, in a most soulful tone of voice.</p> - -<p>“Tavia Travers!” gasped Dorothy. “Won’t you <em>ever</em> let that poor fellow -alone?”</p> - -<p>“That’s exactly it,” said Tavia. “He is all,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">240</a></span> all alone, ’way up there -in the woods, watching that river flow by. Isn’t it awful?”</p> - -<p>“Do behave!” snapped Dorothy. “He’s well out of your way——”</p> - -<p>“But he doesn’t think so, I am sure. Even his mother says I’m a -‘monstrous interesting gal.’”</p> - -<p>For Mrs. Petterby had come over to the Hardin Ranch again by Mrs. -White’s express invitation. The little old lady from Rand’s Falls, -Massachusetts, was actually getting cured of her prejudices against the -West.</p> - -<p>“And Ophelia seems contented,” said she. “I got ter admit that there’s -some things about Colorado I like. I never <em>did</em> eat sech melons. An’ -the sky’s bluer than I ever see it before.</p> - -<p>“My baby says I got ter stay out here and keep house for him—though -he’s off in them hills now and his home might’s well be an Injun -wigwam.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Petterby agreed, however, to be housekeeper and caretaker of the -ranch-house. Lance was going to stay on with the Hardin outfit, and his -mother was a spry old lady and was glad of the position Aunt Winnie -offered her.</p> - -<p>“For we shall be coming out here often,” declared Mrs. White. “I know -my brother, Major Dale, will like it immensely, once he’s well enough -to visit the ranch. And the young folk are quite crazy over it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">241</a></span> -Ned was determined to go into the cattle business and stock -raising—when he was out of college.</p> - -<p>“What’s the use of boning at books, then?” demanded Nat. “‘All Gaul is -divided into three parts’ isn’t going to help you raise longhorns for -the market.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know?” asked his brother, coolly. “And the cattle business -will be a sideline.”</p> - -<p>When old Mrs. Petterby took hold of affairs at the big house Aunt -Winnie began to have a better time. “Help” was hard to get in that -region and Mrs. White and the girls had done all but the kitchen work -since coming to the ranch.</p> - -<p>Now she had time to ride with Dorothy and Tavia as far as Desert -City, and meet the men who were going to make possible the great -transformation scene in that part of the desert that was to be -irrigated with the water from Lost River.</p> - -<p>Dorothy and Tavia enjoyed these jaunts immensely, too, but in between -they had found time to ride up into the hills occasionally to see the -tall young cowpuncher who guarded the river. Tavia <em>would</em> go, and -Dorothy did not propose to let her go alone.</p> - -<p>That was what Tavia was hinting at on the morning of the trunk packing -incident. The following afternoon they were to ride into Dugonne, -taking train next morning for the East.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">242</a></span> -“Well, I’ll go,” said Dorothy, rather displeased it must be confessed. -“But I wish we’d never seen Lance Petterby—that I do!”</p> - -<p>“Why, Dorothy Doolittle Doodlebug! how you talk,” cried the -innocent-eyed Tavia. “And he’s been <em>such</em> fun! Why, without Lance -my trip out here to the ‘wild and woolly’ would have been without a -particle of savor. And I’m going to send him a necktie for a Christmas -present. Going to knit it myself.”</p> - -<p>“If Nat heard you say that, he would observe, ‘Yes, you are—<em>nit</em>!’” -chuckled Dorothy. “And Lance never wears a necktie. A red handkerchief -around his neck, and tied behind, is <em>his</em> limit.”</p> - -<p>A little later, in their chic riding habits, the girls ran down to the -corrals. The Mexican girl appeared from the Ledger shack to attend them.</p> - -<p>“Flores is such a nice little thing,” Tavia said to Dorothy as Flores -caught and bridled the second pony. “Don’t you wish she was going back -East with us?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps she wouldn’t be happy there,” replied Dorothy. “Mrs. Petterby -is going to take her in hand and—so the old lady says—going to make a -thorough New England housewife of her.”</p> - -<p>“And I wager you put her up to it,” retorted Tavia. “Why is it, Doro, -that you are forever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">243</a></span> thinking of other people, and doing things for -them?”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!” said Dorothy, blushing. “Flores ought to have a better -chance.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Mees!” cried the pretty, dark skinned girl, as she brought the -second pony up to the gate. “I am so ver’ sorree dhat you go ’way. We -shall be l-l-lonely here wit’out you. See! I soon dhe Ingleesh sp’ak -nice—no?”</p> - -<p>“It’s fine, Flores,” declared Tavia, laughing. “Who has taught you so -much?”</p> - -<p>The glowing eyes of the Mexican girl rested on Dorothy’s face. “<em>She</em> -teach me, Mees. She is so good!”</p> - -<p>For some reason Tavia grew suddenly serious. At least, she did not tell -a joke or say a whimsical thing till they had ridden more than ten -miles over the now well-beaten trail to Lost River.</p> - -<p>“Doro Doodledum!” exclaimed the irrepressible, suddenly. “Do you know -what you are?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Ma’am. American; white; single; age—not stated; no political -preferences, although leaning toward the suffragettes; attend the -Congregational church——”</p> - -<p>“How smart! But you are something else,” declared Tavia, still quite -serious of <a name="countenance" id="countenance"></a><ins title="Original has 'countetnance'">countenance</ins>.</p> - -<p>“Sure! A graduate of Glenwood School. Oh, Tavia! how I wish Ned Ebony, -and Cologne, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">244</a></span> half a dozen of the other girls, were here. Wouldn’t -we have had fun?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. But that is another story——”</p> - -<p>“It’s the truth!”</p> - -<p>“Ha! you do not know your Kipling,” cried Tavia. “But never mind. -The point is, Doro, that I have come to the conclusion that you are -something more than human.”</p> - -<p>Dorothy looked at her in amazement. “How you talk! What is the joke?”</p> - -<p>“It is no joke. Seriously,” said Tavia. “You see, Doro, I have been -thinking, and more deeply than you would believe.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t do it,” laughed Dorothy. “It might grow upon you. Then you would -no longer be Terrible Tavia, thoughtlessly threading her way through -the thistles of this terrestrial life.”</p> - -<p>“Goodness!” exclaimed her chum. “That must have hurt you.”</p> - -<p>“Not much, but it was a strain,” confessed Dorothy.</p> - -<p>“Now! listen to me,” commanded her chum. “I have been thinking it out. -You are forever helping people, Doro, while I go along having a good -time myself, and never thinking of a living soul but myself.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Tavia! that is not so,” Dorothy said, gravely.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, it is. Don’t contradict. Look at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">245</a></span> this trip. You began -helping people almost as soon as we started. There was old Lady -Petterby.”</p> - -<p>“For pity’s sake! what did I do for her?” demanded Dorothy, in honest -amazement.</p> - -<p>“You put yourself out to make her comfortable.”</p> - -<p>“I did not.”</p> - -<p>“Then you picked up old John Dempsey,” went on Tavia, accusingly. “You -have given that old boy a new lease of life, Doro.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be ridiculous,” said her friend. “Anybody would have done the -same. And it was really Aunt Winnie who helped him.”</p> - -<p>“She’d never have heard of John Dempsey if it hadn’t been for you,” -said Tavia. “Then there is Flores. It never entered <em>my</em> head to try -to teach her English. Why? Because all I can do—all I think of—is to -have a good time. I never thought of helping Lance Petterby, even,” and -she wickedly grinned again. “I’ve just been having fun with him.”</p> - -<p>“And thank goodness! that’s got to stop now,” said Dorothy, with -confidence.</p> - -<p>“You are super-human, Doro,” pursued Tavia, shaking her head. “While -I—well, I’m just an animal, I guess—a ‘featherless biped.’ Of course, -I have tastes similar to yours and other humans; but I don’t use my -intellect as a real human being<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">246</a></span> ought—not even as a Boston bean -should,” added Tavia, making one of her very worst puns.</p> - -<p>“You display many traits common to the human family,” said Dorothy, her -eyes twinkling.</p> - -<p>“Don’t I?” responded Tavia, briskly. “That reminds me of the little -girl to whom the teacher was explaining about the friendship certain -animals have for man.</p> - -<p>“‘Now, do animals ever possess sentiment or affection?’ she finally -asked the kid.</p> - -<p>“‘Yes, Ma’am,’ says the embryo.</p> - -<p>“‘Tell me,’ says the teacher, ‘what animal has the greatest affection -for man?’</p> - -<p>“And the kid knew. ‘Woman!’ she exclaims, very promptly. You can laugh! -I think I have <em>that</em> human trait very well developed. I <em>am</em> fond of -the boys. They’re lots more fun than girls—present company excepted, -of course, Doro. But I’m never thoughtful about others, and you are.”</p> - -<p>“Serious talk from Miss Flyaway Travers,” said Dorothy, lightly, yet -pleased that her chum should really display some gravity. “Don’t you -show too much fondness for Lance Petterby to-day—now mind!”</p> - -<p>Tavia was lively and irresponsible enough when they came to the -cowpuncher’s camp. He had built a lean-to shelter and was comfortably -fixed—so he said. Once a week he was relieved for a day by one of -the Mexicans whom Hank could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">247</a></span> trust, and on that day Lance had always -appeared at the ranch-house.</p> - -<p>“Why, ladies, I shore am glad tuh see yuh,” was the big cowpuncher’s -welcome.</p> - -<p>“I know,” said Tavia, nodding. “If you suffered from ophthalmia you’d -be cured.”</p> - -<p>“Huh? I reckon so,” agreed Lance, “though I ain’t jest next to that -‘opthmy’ word.”</p> - -<p>“She means if your eyes were inflamed the sight of us would cure them,” -explained Dorothy, smilingly.</p> - -<p>“Ain’t she the great little josher?” quoth Lance, admiringly. “I never -see a gal like her.”</p> - -<p>“And you won’t want to again,” said Tavia, pertly. “Now! confess.”</p> - -<p>“Yuh got me there, Miss,” said Lance. “One of yuh at a time is jest -enough. Two like yuh would drive a man plumb distracted.”</p> - -<p>“You will not be plagued by my presence for long, sir,” said Tavia, -making a little face at him. “This is a real good-bye visit. You’ll -probably never see me again, Mr. Lance.”</p> - -<p>“Hold on, now! Don’t say that,” cried the cowboy. “You folks will be -comin’ out yere frequent. Miz White Says so.”</p> - -<p>“Dorothy will,” replied Tavia. “But I may not. You see, I have to be -specially invited to come.”</p> - -<p>“I invite yuh right now,” said Lance, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">248</a></span> emphasis. “Me and my old -lady will be mighty glad to see yuh.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t promise,” Tavia said.</p> - -<p>“Let a feller hear from yuh,” urged Lance, devouring her piquant face -with his bold eyes.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes! we’ll write Mrs. Petterby,” agreed Tavia.</p> - -<p>“You will surely hear from us,” interposed Dorothy, before Lance could -say any more. “And we’ll hear about you, too. Mr. Lance, you have been -very kind to us all and we never shall forget you.”</p> - -<p>She shook hands with the cowboy and then hastened Tavia into the saddle -again. Lance evidently wished them to linger and tried to keep Tavia -engaged in conversation.</p> - -<p>Slily Dorothy touched the flank of Tavia’s pony with her heel. The -nervous little beast sprang away—almost unseating its rider; but -the movement broke up any “private confab” between her chum and the -cowpuncher.</p> - -<p>“Good-bye, Mr. Lance!” cried Dorothy, spurring after Tavia.</p> - -<p>Tavia was again her trifling self. She chuckled as they rode away.</p> - -<p>“Poor Lance! He’ll wake up some day. Hope it will be a real nice -‘cowgirl’ who gets him. Meanwhile we’ll just slip back East, Dorothy,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">249</a></span> -leaving him nothing but fond recollections of us as he dreams over his -campfire at night.”</p> - -<p>Aunt Winnie refused to send for the big stagecoach in which to ride -to town, so the young folk rode in the saddle to Dugonne the next -afternoon, where the ponies were left at a stable to be called for the -next time Hank Ledger had occasion to go to town. John Dempsey drove -Mrs. White in a single-seated buckboard.</p> - -<p>Old John Dempsey had made a place for himself at the ranch and was to -be continued on the payroll. The veteran’s eyes overflowed when he bade -Dorothy Dale good-bye at the hotel.</p> - -<p>“You was my salvation, Miss Dorothy, that’s what you was,” he said. “I -got a chance to live out o’ doors an’ work—and when I can’t work I -hope the good Lord’ll take me away, Miss.”</p> - -<p>“That will be many, many years hence, Mr. Dempsey,” cried Dorothy, -smiling.</p> - -<p>He drove away, but half an hour afterward the bellhop came to Mrs. -White’s suite and said that an old man wanted to see Dorothy. It was -John Dempsey. His wrinkled old face was twisted into a wry grin and -he thrust a handful of banknotes into the hand of the surprised girl -before he said a word.</p> - -<p>“I done it,” he cackled. “Dunno as I’d oughter; but that snake in the -grass insisted. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">250</a></span> sold him the letter. When he finds out it’s only -a lithograph copy of the original letter Old Abe wrote to that poor -widder woman, he’ll be hoppin’ like a hen on a hot griddle, I reckon. -A hundred dollars he give me,” added John Dempsey, “and ha’f of it -belongs to you, Miss.”</p> - -<p>“Not a penny shall I take,” declared Dorothy. “You must put it all in -the bank against a rainy day, Mr. Dempsey.”</p> - -<p>Dempsey then drove away, and the sight of his stooped shoulders as the -ponies turned the corner was the last glimpse Dorothy Dale had of the -Hardin Ranch folk for some time.</p> - -<p>Ere she would see that great property again Dorothy was to have many -new adventures, and some of them will be related in “Dorothy Dale’s -Strange Discovery.”</p> - -<p>Dugonne had faded from sight behind them when the girls went back to -the observation platform. The Great West was flying past them.</p> - -<p>“It is a wonderfully interesting country,” said Dorothy, thoughtfully. -“And the people—most of them—are awfully nice.”</p> - -<p>“Poor Lance!” sighed Tavia, in a most lugubrious tone; but she turned -her face away that Dorothy might not see her dancing eyes.</p> - - -<p class="center p130">THE END</p> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<div class="book-list-container"> -<p class="center p180 smcap">The Motor Girls Series</p> - -<p class="center p130">By MARGARET PENROSE</p> - -<p class="center">Author of the highly successful “Dorothy Dale Series”</p> - -<p class="center p120"><span class="word-spacing">12mo. Illustrated. Price</span> -per volume, 60 cents, postpaid.</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="floatleft width150"> -<img src="images/book1.png" width="150" height="205" alt="Book cover—The Motor Girls" /> -</div> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">The Motor Girls</span><br /> -<small><i>or A Mystery of the Road</i></small></p> - -<p class="noi mt0">When Cora Kimball got her touring car she did not imagine so many -adventures were in store for her. A tale all wide awake girls will -appreciate.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">The Motor Girls on a Tour</span><br /> -<small><i>or Keeping a Strange Promise</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">A great many things happen in this volume. A precious heirloom is -missing, and how it was traced up is told with absorbing interest.</p> - - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">The Motor Girls at Lookout Beach</span><br /> -<small><i>or In Quest of the Runaways</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">There was a great excitement when the Motor Girls decided to go to -Lookout Beach for the summer.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">The Motor Girls Through New England</span><br /> -<small><i>or Held by the Gypsies</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">A strong story and one which will make this series more popular than -ever. The girls go on a motoring trip through New England.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">The Motor Girls on Cedar Lake</span><br /> -<small><i>or The Hermit of Fern Island</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">How Cora and her chums went camping on the lake shore and how they took -trips in their motor boat, are told in a way all girls will enjoy.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">The Motor Girls on the Coast</span><br /> -<small><i>or The Waif from the Sea</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">The scene is shifted to the sea coast where the girls pay a visit. They -have their motor boat with them and go out for many good times.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay</span><br /> -<small><i>or The Secret of the Red Oar</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">More jolly times, on the water and at a cute little bungalow on the -shore of the bay. A tale that will interest all girls.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">The Motor Girls on Waters Blue</span><br /> -<small><i>or The Strange Cruise of the Tartar</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">Before the girls started on a long cruise down to the West Indies, they -fell in with a foreign girl and she informed them that her father was -being held a political prisoner on one of the islands. A story that is -full of fun as well as mystery.</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="center p110">CUPPLES & LEON CO., <span class="word-spacing">Publishers, NEW</span> -YORK</p> -</div> - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<div class="book-list-container"> -<p class="center p180 smcap">Ruth Fielding Series</p> - -<p class="center">By ALICE B. EMERSON</p> - -<p class="center p120"><span class="word-spacing">12mo. Illustrated. Price</span> -per volume, 40 cents, postpaid.</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="floatleft width150"> -<img src="images/book2.png" width="150" height="198" alt="Book cover—Ruth Fielding of the Red Mill" /> -</div> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">Ruth Fielding of The Red Mill</span><br /> -<small><i>or Jaspar Parloe’s Secret</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">Telling how Ruth, an orphan girl, came to live with her miserly uncle, -and how the girl’s sunny disposition melted the old miller’s heart.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">Ruth Fielding at Briarwood Hall</span><br /> -<small><i>or Solving the Campus Mystery</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">Ruth was sent by her uncle to boarding school. She made many friends, -also one enemy, who made much trouble for her.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">Ruth Fielding at Snow Camp</span><br /> -<small><i>or Lost in the Backwoods</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">A thrilling tale of adventures in the backwoods in winter, is told in a -manner to interest every girl.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">Ruth Fielding at Lighthouse Point</span><br /> -<small><i>or Nita, the Girl Castaway</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">From boarding school the scene is shifted to the Atlantic Coast, where -Ruth goes for a summer vacation with some chums.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">Ruth Fielding at Silver Ranch</span><br /> -<small><i>or Schoolgirls Among the Cowboys</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">A story with a western flavor. How the girls came to the rescue of -Bashful Ike, the cowboy, is told in a way that is most absorbing.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">Ruth Fielding on Cliff Island</span><br /> -<small><i>or The Old Hunter’s Treasure Box</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">Ruth and her friends go to Cliff Island, and there have many good times -during the winter season.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">Ruth Fielding at Sunrise Farm</span><br /> -<small><i>or What Became of the Raby Orphans</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">Jolly good times at a farmhouse in the country, where Ruth rescues two -orphan children who ran away.</p> - -<p class="center p120 mb0"><span class="smcap">Ruth Fielding and the Gypsies</span><br /> -<small><i>or The Missing Pearl Necklace</i></small></p> - -<p class="mt0">This volume tells of stirring adventures at a Gypsy encampment, of a -missing heirloom, and how Ruth has it restored to its owner.</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="center p110">CUPPLES & LEON CO., <span class="word-spacing">Publishers, NEW</span> -YORK</p> -</div> - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<div class="tn"> -<p class="center p110">Transcriber’s Note:</p> - -<p class="noi">Punctuation has been standardized. Spelling has been -retained as it appears in the original publication -except as follows:</p> - -<ul class="nobullet"> -<li><ul><li>Page 34<br /> - - an ancient darky, with kinky <i>changed to</i><br /> - an ancient <a href="#darkey">darkey</a>, with kinky</li></ul></li> - -<li><ul><li>Page 141<br /> - - collectors woud give a round <i>changed to</i><br /> - collectors <a href="#would">would</a> give a round</li></ul></li> - -<li><ul><li>Page 161<br /> - - between the two men continud <i>changed to</i><br /> - between the two men <a href="#continued">continued</a></li></ul></li> - -<li><ul><li>Page 168<br /> - - rememberd seeing Philo Marsh speak <i>changed to</i><br /> - <a href="#remembered">remembered</a> seeing Philo Marsh speak</li></ul></li> - -<li><ul><li>Page 193<br /> - - but suopose this individual <i>changed to</i><br /> - but <a href="#suppose">suppose</a> this individual</li></ul></li> - -<li><ul><li>Page 198<br /> - most wierd way <i>changed to</i><br /> - most <a href="#weird">weird</a> way</li></ul></li> - -<li><ul><li>Page 217<br /> - - suffered severly from <i>changed to</i><br /> - suffered <a href="#severely">severely</a> from</li></ul></li> - -<li><ul><li>Page 243<br /> - - quite serious of countetnance <i>changed to</i><br /> - quite serious of <a href="#countenance">countenance</a></li></ul></li> -</ul> -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Dorothy Dale in the West, by Margaret Penrose - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOROTHY DALE IN THE WEST *** - -***** This file should be named 54022-h.htm or 54022-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/0/2/54022/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, MFR and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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