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diff --git a/old/66974-0.txt b/old/66974-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1502cc9..0000000 --- a/old/66974-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7004 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Virginia's Ranch Neighbors, by Grace -May North - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Virginia's Ranch Neighbors - -Author: Grace May North - -Release Date: December 19, 2021 [eBook #66974] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VIRGINIA'S RANCH -NEIGHBORS *** - - - - - -VIRGINIA’S RANCH NEIGHBORS - - - - -[Illustration: They were entering the door-yard where a cowboy advanced -to take their ponies.] - - - - -VIRGINIA’S RANCH NEIGHBORS - -By GRACE MAY NORTH - -Author of - - “Virginia of V. M. Ranch,” “Virginia at Vine Haven,” - “Virginia’s Adventure Club,” “Virginia’s Romance.” - -A. L. BURT COMPANY - -Publishers—New York - -Printed in U. S. A. - - - - -THE VIRGINIA DAVIS SERIES - -A SERIES OF STORIES FOR GIRLS OF TWELVE TO SIXTEEN YEARS OF AGE - -By GRACE MAY NORTH - - VIRGINIA OF V. M. RANCH - VIRGINIA AT VINE HAVEN - VIRGINIA’S ADVENTURE CLUB - VIRGINIA’S RANCH NEIGHBORS - VIRGINIA’S ROMANCE - -Copyright, 1924 - -By A. L. BURT COMPANY - -VIRGINIA’S RANCH NEIGHBORS - -Made in “U. S. A.” - - - - -VIRGINIA’S RANCH NEIGHBORS - - - - -CHAPTER I—HOME ONCE MORE - - -“Oh Virg, are we really to arrive at your desert home this morning?” -Betsy Clossen exclaimed the first moment that she opened her eyes on -the fifth day after their departure from the Vine Haven Boarding -School. - -“Not until nearly noon,” Virginia, who was dressing in the lower -berth, smiled up at the eager face that peered down from the upper. - -“And will your nice brother Malcolm be there to meet us, do you -suppose?” - -“I certainly hope so. I wired him from Chicago that we were to be on -this train. If he can’t come himself, for any reason, he will surely -send Lucky over with the car.” - -“That’s one disillusioning thing about the desert,” Betsy continued. -“I’m powerfully sorry that you have an automobile. It’s heaps too -modern. I wish we were to be met with a—well a prairie schooner or -something like that.” - -Virg laughed. “I’m afraid you are going to be disappointed in us, -Betsy. You’ll find V. M. really quite tame if you have been reading -Wild West stories.” Then Margaret said quietly to her berth -companion, “I do wish something exciting would happen the moment we -arrive, don’t you, Virg?” - -The older girl smiled but shook her sunny head. “No need to wish for -that these days, dear. Life in Arizona is not nearly as thrilling as -it is in the city of New York, if one can believe the newspapers.” - -“Don’t tell Betsy, for if she thinks it is to be too commonplace, it -will take all the thrill of expectancy out of it for her. You know -she is never really enjoying herself unless there is a mystery to -unravel or some adventure awaiting her.” - -Fifteen minutes later the four girls were in the dining car. - -Betsy beamed on her companions. The early morning sun falling on her -red-brown hair made it shine like burnished gold. - -“Even your freckles look gilded this morning,” Barbara teased. - -The pug nose of the youngest wrinkled at her tormentor, then with an -excited little squeal she exclaimed, “Oh, isn’t the desert just -gloriously lonesome looking? Those mountains over there are so bleak -and gray and the canons so dark! I can’t see a living thing -anywhere, can you?” - -Margaret, being questioned, peered out at the wide sandy waste of -desert stretching to the distant mountains that rose grim, gray and -forbidding. Here and there a clump of greasewood or of mesquite was -half buried in mounds of sand that the frequent whirlwinds had left. - -Betsy shivered. “Girls,” she said solemnly, “the very scene teems -with mystery. I just feel sure that an exciting adventure is about -to begin at most any moment. The setting is perfect for one. I’m -going to watch that sandhill over there as long as it’s in sight. I -expect to see a Mexican bandit peer around it and utter a shrill cry -which will mean—” - -“Do the young ladies wish oatmeal this morning?” It was the suave -waiter who had interrupted, and although the girls gave their orders -with solemn faces, they laughed merrily when they were again alone. - -“It’s too bad to disappoint you, Betsy, but that’s about the way all -of your hoped-for adventures will end,” Virginia told her friend. - -The four girls, Virginia Davis, the seventeen-year-old mistress of -V. M. Ranch and her adopted sister, Margaret Selover, who was -sixteen, their neighbor, Barbara Blair Wente, also sixteen, and -Virginia’s guest, Betsy Clossen, who as yet was but fifteen, had -traveled from Vine Haven, where they had been attending boarding -school for the past year. - -Although the other three girls were well acquainted with the Arizona -desert, Betsy Clossen had never been west of Chicago. However, she -had often frequented that big city, as she had many others in the -east, for her father was a famous detective who was often following -clues that led him from Chicago to New York, and, at first, not -wanting to be parted from his motherless little girl, he had taken -her with him, but at last, believing that he was doing the child an -injustice, he had placed her in the Vine Haven boarding school, -where she had since remained, making friends of all whom she met. -The years she had spent as her father’s close companion had given -her an insight into the ways of unraveling mysteries and the game -had fascinated her adventure-loving nature. - -To the great amusement of the girls she was always trying to imagine -a mystery that she might solve it, but in the past year she had -twice failed while two of her comrades who had no such ambition had -been successful, and so, no wonder was it that Betsy looked forward -to the desert as a place where she would surely find a mystery to -solve. - -Virginia, who had been born on the V. M. Ranch, which was twenty -miles from the town of Douglas, and who had lived there all her -seventeen years, was indeed overjoyed because she was returning to -the home she so loved, to her very dear brother Malcolm Davis and to -old Uncle Tex, who, when he was younger, had been the foreman of V. -M. - -The father of Barbara Wente had recently purchased the Dartley Ranch -which was four miles north of V. M. This he had given to his son -Peyton. Barbara had learned that the old house was interesting, but -she had never seen it as, with the other girls, she had left almost -at once after the deal had been completed, for the school in the -east. - -“What do you think, Virg?” Babs chattered as the four girls with -their hats on and their bags ready, sat peering ahead, “Peyton wrote -in his very last letter that he hasn’t even opened the old ranch -house yet. He is leaving it for us to do.” - -“I adore old houses,” Betsy began, when Virginia exclaimed as she -pointed out the windows. “See that dark hole in the mountain just -ahead of us?” The others leaned forward to look. - -“Oh, good!” Margaret exclaimed. “It’s the last tunnel, and Silver -Creek station is just beyond.” Megsy turned toward her adopted -sister, a flushed eagerness betraying the excitement she felt. “Just -think, Virg, in ten minutes we are to see Malcolm.” - -Betsy uttered a little excited squeal as the train plunged into the -darkness of the tunnel. - -“Virg, isn’t this a thrilling moment,” Barbara whispered, “not being -sure who is to be at the other end?” - -Sunlight again flashed into the car windows. Virginia stooped and -looked out. “There’s the little old station that’s the only house -for miles and miles around, but I don’t see anyone on the platform -except the old man who lives there. Wonder what has happened?” - -Mr. Wells, the Silver Creek station master, hurried forward when he -saw that the limited was slowing down. It never stopped unless it -had passengers. When the four girls alighted, the tallest placed her -bags on the platform and went toward the weather-tanned middle aged -man with hands outstretched. “Oh, Mr. Wells,” she exclaimed, and her -voice betrayed her anxiety, “why isn’t my brother here to meet me, -or Uncle Tex or one of the boys? I sent them a telegram. Didn’t you -get it?” - -The small boy, Davie, who had a front tooth missing, had come -running up from somewhere. “Yes’m, Miss Virginia,” he said -breathlessly, “I took the telegram over to V. M. two days ago jest -as soon as Pa give it to me. Mis’ Mahoy was all the folks I could -find. The men was out riding the range. She said they seemed to be -huntin’ for something. She didn’t know what, but they acted mighty -puzzlin’. Uncle Tex, though, he was ’spected back that night or the -next.” - -The girls had gathered around, listening, when suddenly the boy, who -felt very important, as he was the center of attention, suddenly -leaped across the platform and looked toward the north. “Pa,” he -shouted, “see that dust cloud a-comin’? D’y ’spose it’s a stampede -or suthin’? D’y ’spose—” - -“I do believe it’s our automobile.” Virginia shaded her eyes to gaze -through the dazzling sunshine. It was indeed, but it was approaching -in such a zig-zag manner that even Mr. Wells was puzzled. - -“I reckon the fellar at the steerin’ gear is plumb beat out. I -figger that thar car’s sort o’ runnin’ itself,” he speculated. - -The watchers were convinced that this was true for as the cloud of -sand cleared away, they could see the big seven passenger car that -belonged to the V. M. Ranch, but the driver was neither Lucky nor -Malcolm. - -“It can’t be Uncle Tex, for he doesn’t know how to drive,” Virginia -had just said, when Margaret exclaimed, “But it is Uncle Tex, and he -certainly doesn’t know how to drive. Oh, Virg, did you see the lunge -he took just then? I do believe he is going right over the tracks -and down into the dry creek instead of coming this way.” - -“Mighty-tighty!” The station master’s favorite expletive expressed -his consternation. “Cain’t nuthin’ be done to head him off? I dunno -a tarnel thing about them pesky iron-bronchos.” - -Virginia had caught one glance of the driver’s face as the front -wheel had struck a hummock of sand, causing the car to swerve. If it -should cross the tracks, it would plunge over the steep bank and -crash down among the huge rocks on the bed of the dry creek. - -Leaping from the platform Virginia shouted, “Uncle Tex, stop the -car!” - -Luckily it had slowed considerably since the sand, through which it -was ploughing, was deep and soft. Virginia sprang upon the running -board, leaned over and shut off the gas. - -“Uncle Tex,” she cried, “why did you risk your life that way?” The -old man removed his sombrero and was mopping his brow. “I dunno, -Miss Virginia, dearie, I foresee, now, I orter not have done it, but -it allays looked plumb easy, and when thar wan’t no one else to come -an’ meet yo’ all, I jest figgered as I’d take a chance.” - -The girl got in the car and skillfully brought it alongside the -platform. Then, leaping out, she began stowing the bags in back, -while Margaret and Babs welcomed the old man, who found, when he -tried to stand that his knees were “plumb beat out.” Betsy was -introduced, then Virginia asked, “Why didn’t Malcolm come?” - -Uncle Tex looked quickly around to be sure that Mr. Wells was out of -hearing, then he said softly, “I cain’t be tellin’ ye, least-wise, -not here, Miss Virginia, dearie. Malcolm said, ‘Keep it dark.’ He’s -all right, though. You needn’t be fearin’ as to that.” - -Betsy had heard enough of this conversation to be tingling with -curiosity and excitement. It certainly did sound to her as though -there was both mystery and adventure awaiting them, nor was she -wrong. - - - - -CHAPTER II—HUNTING THE SURPRISE - - -With Virginia at the wheel, the seven passenger car kept on the -well-beaten road that extended from the Silver Creek Junction to the -V. M. Ranch. - -Uncle Tex sat beside the girl whom he so loved and the three on the -rear seat often sent smiling glances, one to another, as they -noticed his pride in his “gal’s” skillful driving. - -“Seems powerful pleasin’ to have yo-all back, Miss Virginia dearie,” -the old man said as the car began the ascent of the mesa road. - -The girl at the wheel flashed him a bright smile. “Oh, but it’s good -to be home. I can hardly wait to reach the top of the trail.” Then -glancing back over her shoulder, she called “Betsy, in just another -moment you are to behold the nicest spot on earth, or, at least, it -is to me.” Then chancing to recall something, she inquired “Uncle -Tex, I’m just ever so curious to know what the surprise is that you -have for me. May I have three guesses?” - -She and Malcolm as children had always had three guesses whenever -the old man had brought them a treasure from out on the range. Then, -when they had guessed, they searched through his many pockets to -find it. The weather-tanned face wrinkled in an amused smile. “I -reckon ’twould take more’n three guesses, Miss Virginia, this time, -I reckon ’twould, an’ even then, ’twon’t be found in my pocket -nowise.” - -“Oho, that’s a hint. It’s something big!” Then over her shoulder. -“Girls, help guess. Megsy, you and Babs have lived with me at V. M., -so you might perhaps, think what Uncle Tex has planned for my -surprise.” - -“Maybe it’s a new hen-corral,” Margaret suggested. “I remember one -twilight last year when I went out to get the eggs, and found a -coyote in the hen house, Uncle Tex said the very first thing he was -going to do after we left was to build stronger fences.” - -The pleased grin on the old man’s face was evident even to the girls -on the back seat. “Ah was messin’ round fixin’ that fence long fore -yo-all’s train hit the big city, I reckon, but that guess missed the -heifer, so coil yer rope and throw again.” - -Betsy chuckled. She was delighted with the old man, not only because -he was such an interesting character but also because he was -lovable. - -“Hm’ let me see!” Babs pretended to think hard. “I recall now that -Virginia wished she had a pond near the wind mill so that she might -keep ducks.” - -“Oh, but Uncle Tex wrote me that he had made a duck pond for me just -as soon as spring rains were over, so that can’t be it.” - -The old man’s head was shaking. “Yo-all ain’t teched it yet,” he was -saying, when Virg uttered a little cry of joy. “Look ahead, Betsy, -quick, if you want to get the very first glimpse of V. M.” - -The little maid on the back seat stood up and peered between the two -in front as the car reached the edge of the plateau nearest the -ranch. - -There in the valley was the big rambling low-built adobe house, -beyond it were the bunk houses, the hen yard, the wrangling corral, -the pens for the cattle that needed temporary sheltering, the small -adobe house nearer the dry creek bottom in which lived the Mahoys, -and towering above them all was the huge red windmill, the great -wings of which were slowly turning in the gentle breeze that was -blowing from the west. - -[Illustration: There in the valley was the big rambling low-built -adobe house.] - -While the little stranger’s glance roamed from one of these -buildings to another, Virginia’s violet eyes were eagerly searching -the trails leading to the ranch, hoping that on one of them she -might see her brother returning from the mysterious errand about -which Uncle Tex had hinted and the nature of which as yet she did -not know. There was no one in sight. Not wishing her companions to -know how truly anxious she was, Virg stopped the car and turned with -a bright smile to exclaim: “Girls, welcome to my home.” - -Betsy was charmed with the inside of the ranch house as she had been -with the out. The great living room, with its wide fireplace on -which a mesquite root burned slowly, suggested cosy evenings spent -around it. - -The long library table scattered over with books and magazines, the -student lamp with its wide warm-colored shade, many comfortable arm -chairs, a piano and its companioning music box, bear skin rugs on -floor and wall, and pictures framed by the windows, of desert, sand -hill and distant mountains, furnished the most home-like room that -little Betsy had ever seen. - -“I’m going to just love it here,” she said, then to tease, she -merrily added, “if you can provide me with a mystery.” - -Virginia laughed. “Girls,” she turned to the other two, “since we -three are hostesses, and it is our aim to please, let’s make up a -mystery, but there, I musn’t tell Betsy what it is to be. In fact I -haven’t thought it out yet. But come, let’s take our bags to our -rooms for Uncle Tex is waiting to show us the surprise.” - -The two large, sun-flooded bedrooms were next each other with a door -opening between. - -Margaret and Virginia were to share the room which Virg had occupied -since her childhood, while Babs and Betsy were to have the other for -their very own. - -“I can hardly wait until our trunks come,” Babs prattled. “I am just -wild to see myself in my new cow-girl costume.” - -“You looked at yourself times enough in the school mirror,” Megsy -said to tease. - -“Perhaps, but the setting wasn’t right. It will look quite different -out here where the mesquite bushes grow,” Babs retorted. - -“I came so unexpected like,” Betsy deplored. “I didn’t have time to -buy me a khaki outfit, so what shall I do. I don’t want to look like -a tenderfoot.” - -“As though you could help it, whatever you wore!” Babs began, on -mischief-bent, but Virg solaced. “I’ll loan you one of mine that I -have outgrown. You won’t have to buy one just for the month that you -are with us.” But the little maid declared eagerly, “Oh yes, I will, -Virg, if there is a place to buy it. I’d love to wear it at my -aunt’s summer home in the east and make the boys envious.” - -Uncle Tex was seen coming slowly up from the garage, and Virg knew -that he was eager to show them what he had planned as a surprise. - -Catching Betsy and Babs by the hand and nodding a merry invitation -to Margaret, Virg led the way out of the wide front doors, but, -before she had gone many steps from the veranda, a big shaggy -creature hurled itself at her from the trail leading from the cabin -of the Mahoys. - -“Goodness!” Betsy cried in alarm, “Is it a desert wolf or a coyote?” -She needed no answer, for the creature, wagging itself for joy -sprang upon its beloved mistress and uttered queer little yelps of -delight. - -“Shags is plumb nigh as pleased to see yo-all, Miss Virginia dearie, -seems like, as yo’ old Uncle Tex was, though I reckon, he cain’t be, -quite.” - -A glance in the direction from which the dog had come revealed the -Mahoy family awaiting in front of their small adobe house to share -in the welcome, so, excusing herself, Virg ran down the trail, Shags -at her heels barking his glee. Mrs. Mahoy had a new baby in her arms -and Virginia beckoned the other girls to come and see it. - -“Ain’t she nice though?” It was Patsy, now aged ten, who looked -about at the group of girls who were eagerly peering into a flannel -bundle to find the wee bit baby. Virginia glowed. “Uncle Tex,” she -cried turning toward the old man who had ambled after them. “I do -believe this little baby is the surprise that you said we would find -on V. M. Ranch.” - -“Wall, I reckon ’twas one of ’em,” he confessed, “but thar’s -another, Miss Virginia, dearie. Spose yo-all scatter now and see -who’ll be furst to find it.” - -Then away the girls ran. Margaret led them to the hen-house, so -eager was she to be sure that the fences were coyote-proof. They -were indeed, for the wire fence extended so far underground that -none of the desert creatures would take the time to burrow beneath -it so near a residence of the enemy man. Too there was a roof of -wire netting over the small yard, which protected the feathered -brood from any of the vulturous birds of prey. - -“That certainly is improvement number one,” Virginia cried in -delight. “Many a time I have been heart-broken entirely because some -of my little new chicks have been carried away by pirate birds.” -They were leaving, when Megsy caught Virg’s arm as she squealed -gleefully, “I do believe that I’ve discovered the surprise. Hark! -Don’t you hear a faint peeping somewhere?” - -Virginia listened and then, noting that their escort’s grin was -broadening, if that were possible, she exclaimed, “Oh Uncle Tex, are -there really some baby chicks? Where are they? Please show them to -us?” - -The chicken yard gate was opened and the old man led them to the -sunny side of the hen house where, from between the bars of a barrel -coop, the yellow head of an anxious mother protruded as she clucked -a warning to fifteen balls of fluff that ran to her, tumbling on the -way and piping their fright. - -“Oh, the dear little things! Please let them stay a moment, Biddy -Mother,” Margaret implored. “I want to hold just one.” - -The one that was lifted ever so tenderly, begged so pitifully to be -set free, that Megsy put it down close to the coop and smiled to -watch it scud for the shelter of its mother’s wings. - -“Lucky little puff-ball!” Betsy said with a note of sadness in her -usually merry voice. “What wouldn’t I give to have a mother to run -to.” Uncle Tex, who had remained outside, happened to call just -then. “Better be hurryin’, Miss Virginia dearie. Pears like its mos’ -lunch time as yo-all names it.” - -Virginia glanced at her wrist watch. “True enough,” she exclaimed -“and now that I am home, Uncle Tex, you are to have a long vacation -from the kitchen. We girls will do all the cooking and brewing and -mopping and scrubbing and—” but the old man, shaking his head, -interrupted— - -“Wall, I reckon yo-all won’t have time to do much playin’ if yer -scheming that-a-way.” - -All unconsciously Virginia sighed. How she did wish that the -faithful Chinaman, who had been cook in her home since she was a -baby, had not, the year before, decided to revisit the land of his -birth. He had slipped away without giving notice, (although he had -told them months before that he was going, sometime), and he had -never returned. - -As they crossed the descending trail that led to the towering red -windmill, Virg glanced at the old man, and silently renewed her -resolve to relieve him of much of the kitchen work, which had been -his self-assumed task. They had tried Mexican cooks, Malcolm had -written her, but Uncle Tex had fretted through the brief stay of -each one, and had at last declared that he didn’t want any more -“cholos” messin’ round Miss Virginia’s kitchen, “spatterin’ it up,” -and that he’d take “keer” of it fer her himself, but Virg knew how, -during those long months of faithful service, his big heart had -yearned for the freedom of the range. “I’ll show him how much I -appreciate what he has done to make the home pleasant for my brother -while I was gone,” the girl had just decided when a cry from Betsy -and Babs, who had skipped on ahead attracted her attention. They -were standing near the windmill beckoning excitedly. “I do believe -they have found the surprise,” Virg confided to Margaret, then she -glanced inquiringly at the old man, but his beaming expression -revealed nothing. - -A moment later the something was revealed. - -“Oh Uncle Tex, how pretty! Did you make that all alone and for me?” -Virginia’s delight was indeed real and she was convinced, as were -the other girls, that at last they had found the surprise about -which Uncle Tex had written. Beyond the windmill and in the warm -shelter of its wide walls stood a little garden house over which a -blossoming vine was growing. Within was a table and four comfortable -chairs that had been entirely made of yucca stalks and had been -skillfully fashioned with infinite patience by the leathery, -wrinkled hands of the old cattleman. - -The garden house itself was made of yucca, the stalks being so long -and strong that Virginia knew, to procure them, the old man had to -visit a distant part of the desert where they grew. - -Just below the door of this summer house was the pond of which Uncle -Tex had written, and on it several ducks were lazily swimming. - -“There’s water enough for a garden, Miss Virginia dearie, but Ah -reckon’d as yo-all’d want to set out the sort of flowers yo’d like -best.” Then, as Virginia had not spoken, he asked, almost wistfully. -“Yo-all likes it, don’t yo’, Miss Virginia dearie?” - -There were tears in the violet eyes that turned toward him. “Like -it! Oh, Uncle Tex!” Her arms were about him and her soft young cheek -was pressed close to his leathery one. “I was just hoping mother -might know. She used so often to wish since there are no shade trees -near that we might have a cool, sheltered out-of-doors place where -we could take our books and sewing.” - -Then, fearing that the tender-hearted old man would regret not -having thought to make such a summer house in the long ago, she -exclaimed merrily, “This very day at four, we will serve afternoon -tea, and you, Uncle Tex, shall be the guest of honor.” Then, giving -the again smiling old man a sudden bear hug, she whispered in his -ear, “You dear, I’m going to think up the nicest kind of a surprise -and spring it on you—some day.” - -“When’s your birthday, Uncle Tex?” It was Margaret who asked. The -old man looked truly startled. “Me? Why, Ah’s plumb forgot. Sorto -seems like it comes in the summer, though.” He had removed his -sombrero and was scratching one ear meditatively. He seemed actually -to be trying to recall a forgotten date. - -“I’ll tell you what,” Babs sang out, “let’s pick out a day before -Betsy goes home and give Uncle Tex a surprise party.” - -“It won’t be much of a surprise, since you are telling him about -it,” Margaret began, but Barbara declared that it would be, since he -wouldn’t know, until he received the invitation, which day had been -chosen. - -They were walking toward the house as they chatted. Virginia and the -old man lingered back of the others. Margaret had made this -possible, for she felt sure that her adopted sister was anxious -about Malcolm’s prolonged absence, and, for that matter, she was -herself, and surely she had a right to be, since she was his ward. - -Virg had often glanced at the trails that led one of them toward the -sand hills, another toward Seven Peak Range, and a third toward -Puffed Snake Water Hole, but on none of them did horsemen appear. - -“Uncle Tex,” she said softly as she slipped a detaining arm in that -of her companion, “can’t you tell me why Malcolm is away at this -time? It must be something of a very serious nature to keep him from -home when he knew that I would be arriving this week.” - -There was a shade of anxiety on the face of the old man. “’Tis, Miss -Virginia dearie. Leastwise, Ah reckon ’tis. It all happened hurried -like. Lucky came ridin’ in ’long ’bout sundown two nights ago. -‘Ah’ve hit the trail sure sartin,’ was all Ah heard him say. Then -Malcolm buckled on his gun belt. ‘Keep it dark which way we ride,’ -he says to me, then they was gone. Ah was plumb puzzled and Ah sure -am still, but on certain thought Malcolm’d be comin’ back by now or -sendin’ word, knowin’ as yo-all was ’spected.” - -“Well, I’ll not worry,” the girl said wisely. “Malcolm never runs -into trouble needlessly.” Then, as they had overtaken the others, -Virginia called as gaily as she could, that her guests need not know -of her anxiety. “Who wants to be helper in the kitchen this noon? -I’m going thither to be chief cook.” - -“Oh, can’t we all help?” Margaret hurried to inquire. Then she -nudged Virg and nodded toward the old man who (trying to keep behind -them) was making frantic motions towards a kitchen window. When -Virginia turned, he attempted to assume such an innocent expression -that the girls were even more puzzled. - -Virg pretending not to have seen his gestures, caught his hardened -hand as she leaped up on the veranda, calling, “Uncle Tex, you come -too, and be my advisor. It’s so long since I have cooked, maybe I -have forgotten how.” - -Virginia felt sure that another of the old man’s surprises awaited -her in the kitchen, nor was she wrong. - - - - -CHAPTER III—MALCOLM’S RETURN - - -It was four in the afternoon and the girls, having had a long siesta -after their lunch, had donned their muslin dresses (for the station -master had arrived soon after noon with their trunks), and, taking -Barbara’s cherished tea set, without which she never traveled, they -had hied them to the summer house. Virg gathered a few of the -scarlet blossoms that grew wild after the rains. Nearly all of them -dried up but one clump had remained to welcome the girls. These she -placed on the yucca table. Margaret was carrying a plate of small -cakes. Betsy had a tray on which were five cups and saucers and tiny -spoons. Babs, at the end of the line, held the fragile pot of -delicate blue which was brimming with weak but hot tea. - -Virg stood back to admire the table when it was set. Then laughingly -she exclaimed: “I just can’t get over it. I never was more surprised -in all my life. When I opened the kitchen door and saw that dear old -Sing Long fussing around the stove, as though he weren’t expecting -us, I just had to rush up and hug him.” - -“Whizzle, but you certainly took the wind out of my sails, as Cousin -Bob says,” Betsy declared, “I’ve always been scared of Chinamen and -to see you actually embracing one! I dunno as I’ll ever recover from -the shock.” - -“I don’t believe there’s a kinder, nobler, more faithful race of -people on this earth,” Margaret championed, “and Sing Long is just -like home folks to Virginia, isn’t he Virg?” - -The shining-eyed girl nodded. “He surely is. Why, Betsy, Sing was -here before mother came as a bride. I’m so glad he wanted to come -back. I wouldn’t have Uncle Tex know it, not for worlds, but I was -rather dreading the responsibility of cooking for so many people, -and now we won’t have anything to do, but plan—” - -“Mysteries,” Betsy cut in. Then she asked: “Virg, I may be slow as a -detective, but I certainly do think the way you keep looking in -first one direction and then another is most mysterious.” - -The young hostess sat down in one of the comfortable yucca chairs. -“Have you noticed it?” she inquired, “Well, then, I’ll explain. I’m -not really worried, but I’ll confess I am puzzled.” - -She then told the other three girls all that Uncle Tex knew of her -brother’s sudden departure two nights before. - -Megsy smiled and nodded toward the little stranger-to-the-desert, -for, with a brow supposedly wrinkled in deep thought, she sat gazing -across the shining stretch of sand toward the mountains. - -“What do you make of it, Mistress Detective?” Babs asked merrily. - -“I don’t,” was the frank answer. “Virg, what do you?” - -“Well,” the oldest girl replied, “since Lucky rode in, after -nightfall, in such haste and told brother that he was sure he had -hit the trail, I conclude that there had been a—” - -“Oh, do you think it was a holdup, or something like that?” This -from the eager Betsy. - -“No, I don’t. I think a mountain lion may have been killing the -young calves and that Lucky and Slim have been trying to trail it.” - -“How disappointing! I’m not at all interested in solving a mystery -which has only a mountain lion in the leading part.” - -Babs teased. “I’ll say you aren’t. You wouldn’t want to start on any -clues that would lead you to a lion’s den.” - -“Girls,” Virg suddenly exclaimed, “our guest of honor has forgotten -to come. There he goes riding along the creek bottom, so we’ll have -to drink the tea, for, if we don’t, it will soon be cold.” - -“Oh dear, that is too bad! It’s piping hot now and this pot holds -six cups. Can’t we find another guest of honor to—” - -“Lookee! Lookee!” Betsy had leaped to her feet and was pointing -toward the trail that led from the sandhills. - -Two horsemen were approaching at a gallop, and Virginia cried, “Oh, -how I hope one of them is Brother Malcolm.” - -“Then the mystery will be solved,” Betsy exclaimed joyfully. - -As the horsemen neared, Virg and Margaret ran out of the summer -house and waved their handkerchiefs for they were no longer in doubt -as to the identity of the newcomers. - -There was an answering shout of joy from the one in the lead and -Malcolm leaped from his horse and ran toward them waving his -sombrero. The older cowboy led the ponies to the corral. - -“O brother, brother,” Virginia’s welcome was at once laughing and -tearful, as she was caught in the lad’s strong arms. “I’m glad, glad -I went away just for the joy of knowing what home means. Not that I -didn’t always love it here, but Oh, brother, you can’t guess how -many wakeful hours I had just hungering to hear your voice, and now, -if you’ll let me I’m going to stay right here for ever and ever and -ever.” - -The giant of a lad laughed happily as he turned to greet his ward, -who, with flushed cheeks and a wistful light in her tender brown -eyes, was waiting near until the brother and sister had welcomed -each other. Then Babs came and Betsy was introduced. “This is our -would-be young detective,” Virg said merrily. “She declares that the -desert is an ideal setting for a mystery and so we girls are going -to make up one and let her solve it.” - -“You won’t have to invent one,” Malcolm declared as he dropped into -the yucca chair toward which his sister had led him. “Lucky and I -have been awake two days and nights trying to solve one that is very -real. Slim is working on it, too, but he has a Mexican boy with him -and they have ridden toward Sonora.” - -“Oh Mr. Davis!” Betsy leaned forward eagerly. “What are the clews? -Do tell us.” - -But Virginia said: “Not until brother has had some refreshment.” -Then to Malcolm: “I don’t suppose you’ve had a thing to eat this -noon.” - -“Righto, and for that matter Lucky and I had very little for -breakfast. We had no idea that we would find ourselves on a blind -trail,” the lad began; then ended with: - -“So a cup of tea will do well for a starter.” He accepted the -delicate blue cup that Barbara handed him with an amused smile. - -Lucky was approaching shyly, sombrero in hand. Virginia, chancing to -see him, stepped out of the summer house and beckoned to him. - -His awkward bow when he was introduced would have amused Betsy at -another time, but just then her entire thought was given to the -mystery about which she was soon to hear. - -“No, ma’am, thanks.” Lucky twirled his hat and shifted from one foot -to the other when Barbara offered him one of the eggshell china -cups. “Ah jest wanted to say howdy to yo-all.” He was visibly -embarrassed. Then with a nod toward the house he added, “Sing said -frijoli all hottee.” - -Malcolm rose. “Young ladies,” he addressed them all, “if you will -permit us to satisfy our inner cravings, I’ll promise within the -hour to tell you all the clews we have been able to discover.” - -Lucky had gone on ahead and Virginia, linking her arm in that of her -brother, walked with him toward the house. - -“Can’t you give me an inkling of an idea as to what it is all about? -Is it anything we girls can help solve?” - -The lad was at once serious. “No, sister. You girls are better off -here at home with Uncle Tex, but we’ll report progress each time we -return.” - -Virginia looked troubled. “Oh brother, are you going away again? -Surely not today.” - -“Not until morning,” he replied. “We’ll both be better fit after a -good night’s sleep.” Then at the kitchen porch, she left him and -walked slowly back to the summer house. The three girls eagerly -awaited her. - -“Did Malcolm tell you the clews?” Of course this was from Betsy. -“Why, no,” Virginia declared. “I was so concerned about my brother -that I forgot to ask him where he had been or why.” Then Margaret -had an inspiration. - -“It’s after five by my little wrist watch and so I suggest that we -put away the tea things and have our supper of nice frijolies and -bread in the kitchen with the boys. They can tell us the clews while -we’re eating, for I am sure they will want to tumble into bed as -soon as they can.” - -Virginia looked at her other guests to see if the plan met with -their approval. She was not long left in doubt. “Oh, goodie, I’d -love to have supper with a real cowboy. My Cousin Bob will be green -with envy when I write him about it.” Betsy was gathering up the -spoons as she spoke. Soon the little procession approached the -house. - -Malcolm saw them coming and smiled. “I tell you, Lucky, it seems -mighty nice to see that sister of mine once more. Maybe it’s selfish -of me, but I hope she won’t want to go away again.” - -Lucky, having finished his supper, rose as the girls entered the -long kitchen that was flooded with the late afternoon sun. - -The middle aged cowboy spoke apologetically: “Miss Virginia, if -yo-all will excuse me, Ah’ll turn in. Ah reckon Ah cain’t keep -awake, an’ Malcolm here and me’s figgerin’ on hittin’ the trail -again come sunup.” - -When he was gone, Sing Long served the girls to heaping plates of -steaming frijolies, generous slices of cornbread and tumblers -brimming with creamy milk. This fare greatly delighted Betsy for it -was very different from that to which she was accustomed. - -Malcolm told Sing Long that he, too, might go, as they no longer -needed him. When they were alone, the giant of a lad smiled about at -the girls, who were eagerly awaiting the beginning of his story. - -“Now,” Virginia said when the door closed behind the Chinaman, “what -happened first?” - -“We heard about it last Monday,” Malcolm began, “Lucky and I were -loping slowly along down near the station. We were on the outlook -for strays when we saw little Davie Wells riding toward his home -from the direction of the Three Sand Hills as though a stampede of -cattle was about to overtake him.” - -“‘What’s up with the kid, d’ye reckon,’ Lucky asked me, and I -replied, ‘By the way he keeps looking back over his shoulder, you’d -think he was being pursued, but I don’t see anything chasing him.’ - -“When the lad was near enough for us to see his face, we knew, -without his telling us, that he was very much excited about -something. - -“‘Hi-o! Davie, has there been a train robbery?’ I shouted when he -was near enough to hear. He evidently had not seen us, but upon -hearing my voice, he wheeled his pony and galloped toward us. I -repeated my question. - -“‘Nope,’ he replied breathlessly. ‘Leastwise there ain’t been one -yet, but Pa says sure as a cactus ain’t a mesquite thar’ll be a -robbery in these here parts afore sunup tomorrow, Pa says it’s sure -sartin.’ - -“Of course we were interested. We never knew our respected station -master to prophesy anything but that it came to pass with almost -uncanny accuracy, so Lucky and I drew rein and listened to what the -little fellow had to tell, but when we had heard him out, all we -could make of it was that a queer kind of caravan had been seen -leaving Douglas early that morning headed toward Silver Creek. Davie -thought maybe there were half a dozen covered wagons and a dozen -mules and dogs, but he wasn’t certain. The cowboy who’d seen the -outfit hadn’t stopped to count them. - -“‘Gypsies, I reckon,’ was Lucky’s conclusion, ‘and if so, kid, your -pa’s right. Thar’ll be some stealin’ ’fore sunup sure sartin.’ Then -he looked at me with a puzzled expression as he said, ‘Malcolm, I -never heard tell of gypsies trailin’ across the desert hereabouts, -have you now?’ - -“I agreed that I had not, but the lad’s description seemed to fit -and so we let it go at that. - -“‘Wall, I must be off.’ Davie seemed suddenly to remember his former -haste but I detained him long enough to ask, ‘Where are you going in -such a hurry?’ - -“‘Over to Slater’s to warn ’em ‘bout that robbery as Pa says it’s -sure sartin.’ - -“Davie’s little wild pony needed no urging and a second later all we -could see of him was a racing sand cloud. I laughed, but Lucky -seemed to take the matter more seriously. ‘What do you make of it?’ -I asked when I had let him study on the matter in silence for -several moments. - -“‘Ah jest don’t,’ he replied. ‘Ah cain’t figure nohow why a caravan -of gypsies ’d start across this here trackless part of the desert.’ - -“‘It isn’t as trackless as it used to be,’ I reminded him, ‘for now -that all the ranchers own automobiles there’s a makeshift sort of a -road from one place to the next.’ - -“‘Mebbe so, but Ah cain’t figger out why gypsies would go to all the -trouble of draggin that there caravan o’ theirs through the sand -jest to be robbin’ ranches. They couldn’t make fast enough time to -get away with it. More’n likely, if they was gypsies, they-all -thought as how this might be a short cut to some place up north -where they’re bound for.’ - -“I agreed that Lucky’s version was probably the correct one, and, as -we saw no evidence of the reported caravan in our neighborhood, I -doubtless would never have thought of them again if it hadn’t been -for something which happened that very night.” - -Malcolm paused and the girls, having ceased eating to listen, leaned -forward with renewed interest. - -“Oh, brother, what happened? Please don’t stop there.” - -The lad smiled. “I only stopped to take a breath. That is -permissible, isn’t it?” - -“Oh-ee! I’m so excited.” Betsy’s flushed cheeks and glowing eyes -were evidence that what she said was true. “Did the gypsy caravan -come?” - -“Was the station master’s prophecy correct?” Margaret asked. - -“Were we robbed?” Virginia inquired anxiously. - -Malcolm rose. “Let’s go in by the fire,” he said. “Sing Long wants -to clean the table.” The Chinaman had been opening the door from his -room every few moments to see if the young people were through. -Following Malcolm’s suggestion the girls led the way into the big -living room. The lad put a dry mesquite root on the coals and then -sat down in his favorite grandfather chair. “Yes, indeed, something -of an unusual nature happened that night and this is what it was:” - - - - -CHAPTER IV—MALCOLM’S STORY - - -When the girls were seated about the fireplace, they turned eagerly -to the narrator of the tale which had been interrupted by their -moving from the kitchen to the living-room. - -“Let me see,” the lad was purposely tantalizing, “where did I end -the first chapter?” Then, before he could be prompted, he continued: -“Oh, yes; I remember. - -“After Davie Wells had left us, Lucky suggested that we ride over to -the Three Sand Hills. He wanted to climb to the top of the highest -one and take observations, so to speak, of the entire surrounding -country. It’s a hard climb, because of the sliding stones and sand, -but we made it and held to the giant yucca up there, while, with -shaded eyes we looked in every direction. It was an unusually clear -day and every object stood out as though it were magnified, but not -a sign of a gypsy wagon did we see. Lucky did make out a sand cloud -way to the north, but it wasn’t large enough to hold a caravan. -Lucky believed it to be made by a small herd of cattle trailing -toward Puffed Snake Water Hole. - -“It was dusk when we entered the ranch house, and Sing Long was the -only person at home. He had been baking all the afternoon in the -kitchen, and had neither seen nor heard anyone passing. We did not -tell him that we had been informed that a gypsy caravan, made up of -at least six covered wagons, had been seen leaving Douglas and -heading our way. We had decided that there really was nothing in the -report, and Sing Long was inclined to be imaginative. - -“After supper Lucky and I sat for a time in front of the fireplace. -I was reading, and, though Lucky held a newspaper and stared at it -as though he were deeply engrossed in some item of Douglas news, he -was evidently thinking all the time of what we had heard that -afternoon. His first remark proved this. - -“Suddenly he sat up very straight and seemed to be listening. ‘Did -you hear it?’ he asked. ‘A sort of a rattling noise?’ - -“I put down my book and listened. I heard nothing and I told him so. -‘That is nothing, except the bellowing of the prize yearlings that -we had driven into the corral the day before.’ It did seem as though -they were making more noise than they had during the day. - -“‘Wall, I reckon that’s only natural,’ Lucky tried to reassure -himself by sayin’. ‘They’re restless, them young steers air, being -shet in arter allays havin’ had the freedom of the range.’ He -returned to his newspaper and I to my book, but before many minutes -I was conscious of the fact that my companion was again listening -intently. I laughed. ‘Lucky,’ I remonstrated, ‘aren’t you -imaginative tonight? Surely you are not expecting a visit from -Davie’s Gypsy caravan, are you? That would be utterly impossible, -since only two hours ago you saw for yourself, when we were on the -top of Yucca Hill, that there was nothing of the kind for many miles -around.’ - -“‘Wall, I call’ate Ah am sort of skeerful. Truth is Ah never did -like them Gypsy folk. Ran into ’em once when Ah was a little shaver, -down in Texas, and Ah’ve given ’em a wide berth ever since.’ Then he -rose, saying, as he yawned and stretched: ‘Wall, sort o’ guess Ah’ll -turn in. Ah reckon Slim’s back from the border, or soon will be. -Ah’ll take one more look at the corral an’ see if them gates are -still barred.’ - -“‘All right, Lucky. S’long.’ Then I couldn’t resist teasing. ‘But -don’t stay awake all night listening for tambourines.’ - -“After he was gone, I became so interested in my book that I sat up -much later than usual. When I did decide to turn in, I first of all -stepped out on the front porch and looked around. - -“The bunk house was dark and there wasn’t a light anywhere on the -desert. I was sure that if Gypsies were camped nearby they would -have a night fire to protect them from wild animals and keep away -insects. - -“The prize yearlings in the corral were quieter, although every now -and then one would start a restless lowing which would awaken a few -others. Then a moment later, all would be silent. - -“They’re safe enough,” I thought as I turned in and went to bed. - -“I didn’t awaken until dawn, and then it was to slowly come to the -consciousness that someone was pounding on my door. I can’t remember -when I had ever locked it before. - -“‘Who’s there?’ I called, leaping half dazed from bed. - -“It was Lucky who answered, and, in his voice I sensed tragedy. - -“‘It’s me, Malcolm! The prize yearlings! They’re plumb gone!’ - -“Of course I was into my clothes before I was hardly awake, nor did -I fully grasp the meaning of what I had heard until I had flung open -the door and had beheld Lucky’s face, white in spite of the tan -which has been deepening there for the past forty years. One glance -at him and I knew that I had heard aright. - -“‘What do you make of it?’ we were swinging down the trail toward -the corral when I asked the question. - -“‘Gypsies, of course,’ was his laconic reply. - -“‘It doesn’t seem possible nor reasonable.’ I was not convinced, -but, of course, if the prize yearlings were really gone, someone had -taken them unless—‘Lucky,’ I said, ‘are you sure they didn’t break -through the fence somewhere?’ - -“‘Ah thought of that, but the tarnel thing is jest as whole as ’twas -when Slim got through mendin’ it only Saturday week.’ - -“Just then we reached the drop in the trail and I could see the -corral. Lucky had spoken truly; not a rail was misplaced, and, -although the gate was standing open and torn from its hinges, it was -evident that it had been broken by the impact of the stampeding -cattle. - -“I stood and stared almost stunned and hardly able to believe, even -then, that so tragic a disaster had come to us. ‘Lucky,’ I said, -‘are you sure you barred the gate? The yearlings couldn’t get -through there any more than through another part of the fence if it -were equally secure.’ - -“I saw at once that my companion was hurt. - -“I was sorry that I had asked the question, and I told him so. -‘Lucky,’ I said, with my hand on his shoulder, ‘there’s no one on -the entire desert more trustworthy than you are. Of course the -cattle got out some other way.’ - -“‘An’ the way was them gypsies.’ Lucky doggedly kept to his -preconceived theory that a band of thieving gypsies were sure to rob -us that night. - -“It didn’t seem possible to me, nor probable either, but I didn’t -tell him so. - -“What I did say was. ‘Let’s get a snack to eat, climb Yucca Hill -once more and see if there is any trace of the herd.’ Of course it -would be impossible for gypsies to drive them very far in the few -hours between midnight, when I turned in, and early dawn. - -“But Lucky seemed determined to believe the worst. ‘Not if they were -headed for the border,’ he replied. ‘They’d be across ’afore sunup -easy.’ - -“I knew that to be true but decided to take an observation from the -highest of the Three Sand Hills as soon as possible. Leaving our -horses at the bottom we began the ascent. I had the misfortune when -half way up to step on an insecure rock, which loosened and sent me -sliding to the desert again. Lucky had kept right on and soon -reached the top. I heard him shouting as he gestured excitedly. -‘What do you see?’ I called, feeling convinced that it was something -which had interested him, nor was I wrong. - -“‘It’s a tarnel whopper of a sand cloud and ’tisn’t Mexico way, -neither, so we can take hope from that.’ - -“I had scrambled to his side by that time and stood shading my eyes -from the glare of the rising sun. I, too, could see the rapidly -moving cloud of sand. - -“‘What do you make of it?’ I asked. - -“‘Ah reckon it’s our yearlings all right on a stampede. But what’s -puzzlin’ me is how a caravan on wheels that’s pulled by mules, as -Davie said ’twas, kin go ’long fast enough to keep up with ’em.’ - -“‘It couldn’t,’ I replied, ‘but a bunch of rustlers on bronchos -could keep up without half trying.’ - -“I was heart sick, Virg, at the thought that some clever cattle -thieves had made away with our prize stock. The distance that they -had already traveled, if they were our yearlings, was so great I -could have no hope of overtaking them. There was one thing that -puzzled me. That rapidly moving cloud of sand was headed directly -for the part of our desert that is called Burning Acres. Not a ranch -nor a water hole for miles and miles and sure death awaits man, -horse or cattle if they get stranded in that barren waste. - -“I was deeply discouraged. However, as we descended the hill I said: -‘Lucky, it’s a lost hope I guess, but the most we can do is to pack -enough grub to last a few days, take two extra mounts, all the -canteens we can carry and head that way.’ - -“That’s what we did, which brings the story up to the hour of our -departure.” - -“Did you find any trace of our yearlings?” Virginia’s query was -anxious, for she knew that herd had been the pride of her brother’s -heart. The lad shook his head. “No,” he said, “we didn’t. We rode as -far into the Burning Acres as we dared go. When our water supply was -half gone, we turned back, knowing that we would need an equal -amount on our return trip. We had ridden in silence for some time -when Lucky said: ‘Malcolm, Ah don’t hold that notion about gypsies -any more. Ah reckon the thieves was rustlers that knew their -business. Ah figger the fellow that told that yarn to Davie was -stringin’ him. Thar wan’t any wheeled caravan in these parts, of -that Ah’m sure sartin.’ - -“I was glad that he had come around to my way of thinking, but just -as we were leaving the Burning Acres, I saw Lucky, who was in the -lead, leap from his horse and examine the sand. Then turning, he -gestured, beckoning me to hurry.” - -Malcolm paused. “What had he found?” Betsy asked. She was sitting so -close to the edge of her chair that she seemed in danger of falling -off. - -“Well, when I reached the spot,” Malcolm knew that what he was going -to tell would astonish his hearers, “I saw Lucky pointing -triumphantly at what were unmistakable wheel tracks in the sand.” - -“Brother, do you really think that a band of gypsies has ridden into -those dreadful dry lands?” - -“I don’t know, Virg. We couldn’t stop to investigate as we were out -of water and so we returned to V. M. As it was noon, we ate the good -dinner Sing had ready for us and I turned in for an hour’s sleep but -Lucky could not rest, and so after having had not more than forty -winks of a doze, I heard him again riding away in search of further -evidence. - -“It was nearly dusk when he returned and he came on a gallop -shouting my name. I was out on the porch in a moment. ‘Ah think -Ah’ve hit a trail sure sartin this time,’ he called. I saw that he -was leading my horse and a fresh mount that was laden with supplies. - -“Uncle Tex rode in just then and seemed surprised to see that we -were starting out so near nightfall. He had been to his cabin on -Second Peak for several days and so had heard nothing of what had -happened. I didn’t wait to explain, but must have mystified him -greatly by calling, ‘Keep it dark which way we ride.’” - -Virginia nodded for the old man had told her that he was indeed -puzzled. “What did you find, brother?” she eagerly inquired. - -“The same wagon tracks a mile to the west of where we had seen them -before, but we could only find them in sheltered places. Of course -in the open they were quickly covered with the drifting sand. We -hunted for two days and all we found was this.” - -He drew a scarlet silk scarf with fringed edges from his leather -coat pocket. “That’s rather conclusive evidence that Lucky is right, -isn’t it?” his sister inquired. “Shouldn’t you say that a gypsy -woman might have used that scarf as a head covering?” - -“I don’t know much about gypsies,” the lad replied, and the tale -being told, he leaned back wearily. - -It was the quiet Margaret who noticed how truly tired her guardian -looked. “You’ve been over-working, Malcolm,” she said solicitously. -“It has been a terrible strain for you to keep awake day and night -with all the worry about the lost yearlings.” - -The lad smiled down at her as he rose. “I think we’ll have to change -places, Mistress Margaret,” he said. “I’ll be the ward and you the -guardian since you look after me so well.” The sweet face of the -girl was flushed, but, as Betsy had at that moment twisted the -scarlet scarf about her own head, no one noticed Megsy. - -When Malcolm was gone, the merry maid skipped lightly about on her -toes shaking an imaginary tambourine. - -“Betsy, you make a very fine gypsy,” Babs said, then, noting that -Virginia sat, quietly gazing at the fire as though she were deep in -thought, Barbara rested a hand on her arm as she added, “Virg, this -means a good deal of a loss, doesn’t it, to you and Malcolm?” - -The young hostess nodded, “Yes, dear, it does, but I am more -concerned about Malcolm’s anxiety than I am about the disappearance -of the yearlings. I do wish there was something that girls could do -to help.” - -Betsy had drawn near to listen. “Let’s get up just as soon as ever -we can awaken,” she suggested, “and let’s try to find the wagon -trails. If only I could solve this mystery, I’d be the happiest girl -in all the land.” - -Virginia, who understood the desert better than did her companions, -even those who had visited it the year before, hesitated. Well she -knew that it was very easy for even one desert-bred, to be lost in -the Burning Acres. Then, noticing how truly disappointed Betsy -looked, the young hostess conceded. “We can ride as far as the Three -Sand Hills if you wish.” And with this Betsy had to be content, but -how she did hope that they would go farther, and, Oh, if only she, -Betsy Clossen, could find the caravan trail and restore the missing -cattle. Her active brain was planning imaginary clews long after the -others were asleep and yet, she was the first to awaken as soon as a -faint grey light revealed the horizon. What would the day bring -forth, she wondered. - - - - -CHAPTER V—BETSY’S FIRST RIDE - - -Malcolm, weary indeed with the long hard riding on the three days -previous, did not waken, nor did Uncle Tex when, at a very early -hour, the four girls stole out of the ranch house and, while the -stars were still shining in the paling sky they skipped down to the -wrangling corral. In a nearby shelter hung the saddles and Virg, -with Margaret’s help, soon had the four ponies ready to ride. If -Malcolm had known of their expedition, he would have insisted upon -accompanying them, not knowing what dangers might await them. In -fact he had intended to warn Virginia not to leave the immediate -neighborhood of the ranch until he and Lucky had discovered the -hiding place of the mysterious caravan, but, although he thought of -it after he had retired, he reminded himself that it would be time -to tell them at breakfast. - -Virginia indeed had little hope of coming upon the trail of the -rumored caravan, for, during the night, a sandstorm had swept across -the desert and though of but brief duration, it would have -obliterated whatever tracks had been visible the day before. She had -thought of explaining this to the girls, but, knowing that Betsy -would be greatly disappointed, she decided to ride with them at -least as far as the Three Sand Hills. - -This she often did, and, as the hills were surrounded by a vast -waste of open desert, she knew that unless the gypsies were camped -on the other side of the hills themselves, they would not come -unexpectedly upon them. - -Betsy, before she had left school, had expected to be timid about -riding the western horses but Virg chose for her a gentle pony that -was well broken and so interested was the Eastern girl in the quest -upon which they were starting, that she found that she was not at -all afraid. - -The east was beginning to glow with pale rose and lilac when the top -of the mesa was reached and Virginia, in the lead, pointed, as they -all drew rein, to the Three Sand Hills that loomed dark and -isolated, standing alone like sentinels on an otherwise flat expanse -of desert. - -Betsy looked up with glowing eyes. “It’s wonderful!” she said, “just -to see this sun rise on the desert is worth a great deal, even if we -don’t find a trail.” - -Then they started on again riding single file. Betsy’s pony had -taken the lead which delighted the young rider. - -“It’s going to be a glorious day,” Margaret smiled back at Virg. “If -it weren’t for the lost yearlings and the anxiety it means to you -and Malcolm, I would be Oh, just ever so happy to think that we are -home again.” - -Virginia was pleased to hear her adopted sister call the desert -“home.” - -“Dear,” she said, “I am not going to worry over the loss nor will -Malcolm. Being unhappy and making others unhappy never restores the -thing that is lost. I mean to try to forget it as soon as we are -sure that the herd cannot be recovered.” - -For a moment they rode on in silence, then Megsy looked back again -and smilingly nodded toward Betsy, who, quite forgetting that she -intended to be afraid of Western horses, was leaning far over in her -saddle and gazing at the sand that had been ribbed and scalloped by -the wind during the night. Suddenly she stopped her pony to await -the others. “Virg,” she asked eagerly, “are we near the place where -Lucky first saw the wagon trail?” - -Virginia had to confess that they were yet many miles from the edge -of the Burning Acres where that trail had been seen. “I’m sorry to -disappoint you, Betsy,” she said, “but it would be impossible for us -to ride that far unless we were prepared for a hard journey and were -accompanied by Malcolm or Uncle Tex.” - -They paused at the foot of the group of hills and Betsy shuddered as -she said, “I don’t know why they seem so uncanny to me. Did anything -ever happen here, Virg, anything spooky?” - -“Why, nothing that I know about.” The Western girl laughed at the -eager expression on the face of their youngest. “What, for -instance?” - -“Oh, some famous bandit might have been captured and bound to that -giant yucca that stands all alone on the highest hill, and the -masked men who had captured him might have stood down here and shot -him, then silently ridden away while the vultures came with their -weird cries to—” - -Megsy put her hands over her ears. “Betsy,” she remonstrated, -“you’re telling the story of that moving picture we saw at Vine -Haven. My, but it was gruesome!” - -Betsy laughed mischievously but Virg said seriously, “Those popular -pictures give a very wrong impression of our desert life, as it -really is. Now, if the rest of you would like to climb to the top of -Yucca Hill, I’ll stay here with the ponies. It might be hard to -catch them if they strayed in search of grass, and I do want to get -home before Malcolm can miss us and be worried.” - -Betsy was scrambling down from the back of her patient mount as she -replied, “I’m going to climb up there, and stand right where the -bandit stood—and—” - -“Well, go on then.” It was Barbara who spoke. “We’ll wait for you -down here. I, for one, am not pining for such a hard climb before -breakfast.” - -“Do you dare me?” the twinkling eyed Betsy asked, her arms akimbo. - -“Double dare!” Babs retorted. Then they all laughed to see the speed -with which Betsy began the ascent, but she soon found that she -slipped back about as far as she progressed. However, in time, she -reached the top and holding to the giant yucca she waved her other -hand to the watching group. Then, shading her eyes, she looked long -and intently in the direction of the Burning Acres. Suddenly she -began to beckon wildly. Virginia was puzzled. “I wonder if she is -doing that to tease or if she has really seen something of -interest.” - -[Illustration: “It seems to be all wings, and it’s white, isn’t it?”] - -Virg was the first to climb to the top of Yucca Hill, Margaret -having offered to remain with the four ponies. Barbara, breathless, -reached them a moment later, in time to hear an excited Betsy -exclaim, as she pointed toward the south, “Virg did you ever see a -bird as big as that? It seems to be all wings, and it’s white, isn’t -it?” - -Babs protested. “Goodness Betsy. Did you call us way up here and in -such a hurry just to show us a bird?” - -But Virginia, whose eyes were keener, since she was used to desert -distances, watched the wide-winged object which was high in the air, -and at least half a mile away. - -“If it is a bird, which I doubt, it has hurt one of its wings for -surely it is not flying in—” she interrupted herself to exclaim: -“Oh, I see now! there goes one of the little whirlwinds that scud -over the desert so often. Whatever that flying thing is, it was -evidently tossed high in the air and is fluttering back to earth.” - -Virg had surmised correctly for, with awkward movements of -apparently wide stretched wings, the something, which had so aroused -Betsy’s curiosity, fluttered groundward, but before it touched the -sand it caught on the arm of a formidable thorny cactus which stood -near the mesa trail. Laughingly the girls descended and told the -curious Margaret what Betsy’s excitement had been over. - -“And there I had hoped that it might be a clew,” that maiden -mourned, as again, single file, they rode back toward V. M. - -“Not a wagon track have we found nor anything exciting or even -interesting,” Babs began, when Virg, being in the lead, called over -her shoulder as she pointed at the great cactus that appeared near -the trail not far ahead: - -“There’s your wide-winged bird, Betsy. Nothing but a newspaper that -tried to soar for a time but failed.” - -Since they were in a hurry to reach V. M. before the hour which -Malcolm had suggested that they have breakfast together, the girls -did not stop to examine the newspaper, but, when they had reached -the ranch yard, Betsy, who had been unusually quiet during the -downward ride, suddenly exclaimed: - -“Girls, I’m not sure but that we missed a clew, after all, when we -passed that newspaper. If you don’t mind, Virg, I’m going back and -get it. However,” and she smiled in a mischievous way, “if it’s all -the same to everybody, I guess I’d rather walk. It’s ages since I’ve -been on horseback, and I’m getting powerfully stiff.” - -“If you’ll wait until after breakfast I’ll go back with you,” Babs -told her friend. - -“Can’t be done, old dear,” Betsy declared. “Another whirlwind might -come along and where would my newspaper be?” - -“Well, do hurry. I can tell by a certain appetizing fragrance on the -air that ham and eggs are being prepared, and Oh! but I’m hungry.” - -Betsy acknowledged that she herself was most starved, but added that -if Babs had the real detective instinct which she possessed, mere -eating would not even be considered when there might be a clew to be -had for just a little effort. - -The three girls, having turned their unsaddled ponies into the -corral, walked arm in arm up to the house. Their youngest had -already started on a run toward the mesa trail. - -“It’s at least a quarter of a mile back to that cactus,” Virginia -said, “so we needn’t expect Betsy for quite a while.” - -But to their surprise, ten minutes later, as they were emerging from -their rooms, having changed their khaki riding habits for gingham -morning dresses, they heard a familiar voice shouting without. Then -the front door burst open and a most excited Betsy waved torn -fragments of an old newspaper as she cried: “It’s a clew, it is a -clew; just listen to this.” - - - - -CHAPTER VI—BETSY’S FIND - - -The girls gathered about Betsy Clossen to gaze eagerly at the torn -fragments of newspaper when that excited little maid burst into the -ranch living room announcing that she really had found a clew. - -“Where is it? I can’t see anything but plain print,” Babs chattered. - -“How did you get back so soon?” Virg inquired. “You couldn’t -possibly have climbed the mesa trail. You’ve only been gone ten -minutes and that would have taken you half an hour.” - -Betsy laughed. “I had an ally in another whirl-wind. I hadn’t gone -far when I saw torn fragments of the same newspaper that had been -caught on the cactus scudding toward me. Then a gust of wind blew -sand in my eyes and I had to turn my back. I was afraid that I had -lost the flying pieces, but luckily they had caught on a mesquite -bush right at my feet. I pounced on them and on the very top I found -written—” - -Betsy was holding the pieces back of her and just to tease she -asked, “Guess what!” - -“Oh Betsy, how provoking you are, must we guess?” Babs pondered a -moment then said, “Maybe it was something in the Romany tongue. That -is what they call the gypsies’ language, isn’t it?” - -But the would-be young detective shook her head and looked -inquiringly at Margaret. “Oh, I never could guess, can you Virg?” - -“Hm-m! Let me see. It might be a note scribbled by somebody on the -Burning Acres, who was trying to send a message to tell that he is -stranded and in need of aid.” - -“I don’t think that is it.” Betsy brought the paper around and held -it up that all might see. Then she pointed at some very fine writing -on an upper margin. “If it were intended for someone else to read, -it would be larger and clearer.” - -“What does it say?” Margaret inquired. But Betsy could not tell. -“Why, I thought you told us that you were sure that it is a clew to -the whereabouts of the gypsy caravan or of the stolen yearlings.” - -Betsy was about to defend her theory when Virginia, who had taken -the paper to the window that she might better see the very fine -writing, exclaimed: “It seems to be a memorandum of some kind. I can -read several words, but altogether they make but little sense. They -are ‘five miles beyond.’ I can’t make out beyond what, then comes -‘turn toward mountains,’ after that the pencil marks are blurred -until the last sentence, which is, ‘likely to make a find there.’” - -Betsy whirled toward Margaret, glowing, triumphant. “There now, -Mistress Doubter, isn’t that a clew and a fine one?” - -“Well,” the other maid replied rather reluctantly. “It might be, and -yet again it might be merely a paper that some mining prospector was -reading when a whirl-wind came along. What you read, Virg, would be -just about what a miner would jot down, don’t you think?” - -The Western girl nodded. “Yes, dear, I believe so. Wait until I get -the magnifying glass and perhaps the blurred part will be clearer.” - -While Virg had gone in search of it, Malcolm appeared calling, -“Ready for breakfast girls?” Then seeing their excited expressions, -he inquired: “What’s up?” Betsy’s words fairly tumbled out in her -eagerness to be the one to relate the story of her find. The lad -took the fragment and looked at it intently. “It wasn’t written by -the type of prospector who usually climbs over these mountains with -pick and shovel hunting for copper. In fact most of them can hardly -write at all,” was the lad’s decision. - -Virg at that moment appeared, and holding up the magnifying glass, -she exclaimed, “Now perhaps we will find out the secret hidden in -that blurred writing.” - -Even Malcolm believed that Betsy might have found a clew and they -all bent over the fragment of newspaper which Virginia had spread on -a table near the window. After several moments of intent scrutiny, -he told the girls what he believed was the meaning of the very fine -and frequently blurred hand writing. - -Betsy was elated. - -“Whizzle,” she exclaimed excitedly, “it is a clew after all. A whale -of a clew!” - -“Brother, read it again and then tell us what you make of it,” -Virginia urged. - -So once more Malcolm placed the magnifying glass over the torn -fragment of the newspaper and read the fine writing. - -“Tenderfoot, O. K. Wheels N. G. in desert. Ought to have known -better. Stuck for keeps, seems like. No ranches in sight. Don’t know -what to do with—” The paper was torn there. - -“Malcolm,” Virginia began anxiously, “do you suppose that the -missing word might have been yearlings? Has some tenderfoot -attempted to make away with our entire herd?” - -The lad looked serious but after a thoughtful moment he shook his -head. “I can’t believe it is possible. What paper is this, anyway?” - -“A page from the _Chicago Tribune_,” Betsy told him. Then, eager to -help solve the mystery, she hurried on to say: “Chicago is the place -where your cattle were to be sold, isn’t it?” - -“Yes, I planned shipping the yearlings in a few days. The empty cars -are on the side track at Silver Creek station this very minute. As -soon as Lucky and I had them loaded, we were to wire Douglas and the -cars were to be picked up by the freight that night.” - -“I know what Betsy thinks,” Virginia said. “She believes that some -tenderfoot rustler tried to steal the cattle and ship them as his -own. Would such a thing be possible, Malcolm?” - -“Possible, but not probable,” was the answer. - -“Then what do you make of it?” Margaret asked. - -“I don’t,” was the smilingly given reply. “But I do know that we -will all starve and that Sing Long will be on the rampage if we -don’t go out and eat the fine breakfast he has prepared for us.” - -“Whizzle! I have been so interested and excited that I had actually -forgotten that I am almost starved,” Betsy declared as they entered -the big sunny kitchen, at one end of which was a table that could -seat twelve without crowding, for, on the desert, one never knew -when a passing cowboy, or a group of them, might stop at meal time. - -When the first pangs of hunger had been satisfied, Virginia said: -“Now brother, tell us your theory.” - -“I’d like to hear Betsy’s first.” Malcolm was much amused by the -small, bright-eyed girl who took such an unusual interest (for one -feminine) in the solving of mysteries. - -They all turned to listen and so Betsy began. “Well, of course I -know very little about the ways of the desert, but I should think -that Virginia’s suggestion, a little while ago, might be the right -one. But since you doubt it, Malcolm, I’m beginning to think that -the something the writer didn’t know what to do with, might not be -the stolen yearlings after all.” - -The lad nodded. Then glancing at Margaret, he asked, “Who else has a -theory?” Flushing prettily as she always did when her guardian -addressed her, the quiet Megsy replied, “I don’t believe that I have -one, but I just know that you have, Malcolm. Won’t you tell it to -us?” - -“I may be wrong,” the lad began, “but, from the wording of the -memorandum, I believe a boy has written it, and surely a tenderfoot, -else he would not have tried to cross the desert in a prairie -schooner, if that’s what he has. Maybe he’s here for his health. -Many a lad finds his lungs in danger after years of hard study, and -they come out here to rough it and get strong again. Anyway, that’s -my guess. I don’t believe that the writer of this note has ever even -heard of our lost yearlings.” - -“Hark!” Virginia cried, springing up and running to the door. -“What’s all the commotion outside?” - -There was indeed a most unusual commotion not far away, but, from -the kitchen window nothing could be seen but the sandy door-yard, -the chicken corral, the outhouses and farther down the slope and -near the dry creek, the adobe cabin of the Mahoys. - -Malcolm, at once on the alert, caught his sombrero from its place -near the back door. He leaped from the porch without taking time to -descend the steps, and, before the astounded girls could speak, he -was racing for the corral that was down in the valley-like hollow -near the towering red windmill. - -“Girls!” Virg had listened but a moment when she whirled, her cheeks -burning, her eyes glowing, “Don’t you know what it means, that -bellowing of cattle and shouting of men?” - -“It sounds like a round-up to me,” Barbara ventured. - -“It is! It surely is! Oh, if only someone has found the lost -yearlings.” The four girls were running so fast that Virg had not -breath to finish her sentence. A second later they reached the top -of the trail and in the depression below them, they saw something -which filled their heart with rejoicing. - -“The yearlings! Oh how happy Malcolm will be,” Margaret cried. -“Virg, you too, how glad you must be!” - -“How do you suppose it happened?” Betsy was tremendously interested, -this being the first time she had witnessed the driving in of a -restless herd of cattle. - -“Slim found them,” Virg said. “See Megsy, how cleverly he herds them -toward the open gate of the corral. There’s one that is trying to -make a break.” - -“Goodness that wild one has turned. It’s charging right at that -cowboy. Slim, did you call him?” Betsy had her hand on her heart and -her eyes expressed terror, but Virginia laughed. “That’s nothing -unusual. Watch what happens.” - -It was quite evident that the young cowboy, Slim, had his eye on the -angry young steer that had stopped to paw the ground and snort in a -most threatening manner. The boy drew rein and coiled his rope. -Lucky and Malcolm were also in the saddle and they were trying to -quiet the remainder of the herd and drive them into the corral. Slim -backed his horse, all the time swinging his rope and keeping a -watchful eye on the snorting young steer. - -“Whizzle,” Betsy clutched Virginia’s arm and held tight. “I wish -Slim would look where he is going. He may back his horse right over -that cliff and into the dry creek.” - -“Don’t worry, dear. Slim knows every step his horse is taking even -though he isn’t looking. If I didn’t know how that cowboy of ours -can ride, I too, might be worried. There, now watch!” - -Angered beyond endurance by the whistling of the rope as it swung -round and round the head of Slim, the enraged creature which knew in -some way that this cowboy was depriving him of the freedom of the -range, made a sudden lunge, his head bent to bowl over whatever it -first struck. - -Betsy screamed, but the lowing of the restless cattle drowned her -cry. “He’ll be thrown! Why doesn’t Slim do something?” - -“He is waiting his time,” Virg said quietly. “See how his pony -leaped to one side. They’re well trained, those wiry bronchos.” - -Malcolm and Lucky, having driven the remainder of the herd into the -corral, had closed and barred the gate. Malcolm, however, stood -there ready to swing it open if the rebellious steer should be -headed that way, while Lucky rode out to assist Slim if his services -were needed, but they were not, for once again the young steer -plunged, the rope sung through the air, and catching the forefeet of -the animal, sent it with a thud to the ground. - -The loop of Lucky’s rope caught about its neck. Then, when Slim’s -rope had loosened, the creature scrambled to its feet, and, half -stunned, permitted itself to be led and driven into the corral. Then -the gates were again closed. - -“Now tell us, where did you find them?” Malcolm asked Slim. - -The good looking young cowboy removed his sombrero, wiped his hot -brow with his red bandana handkerchief and then burst into -unexpected laughter. - -“Well, Malcolm,” he chuckled, “Ah reckon that thar dod-busted steer -that’s been so plumb rampagious this mornin’ was at the bottom of -the whole thing.” - -“Then you don’t think that gypsies tried to steal them?” It was the -first time that Betsy had addressed Slim. - -He had not noticed the young stranger. Virginia, noting his -expression of surprise exclaimed, “Betsy, this is Slim our prize -broncho buster and sure shot roper.” - -The young cowboy laughed disparagingly. “Don’t take no stock in all -a-that, Miss Betsy,” he said. - -“Oh, I know it without being told,” was the young girl’s eager -response. “Didn’t I see you rope that wild steer with my very own -eyes.” - -Malcolm, anxious to know where the cattle had been found turned the -subject back to the point where it had digressed. - -“No, sir, ’twant gypsies nor yet again cattle thieves that let the -yearlings out of their pen. ’Twas that wild one himself.” - -“But, Slim, that doesn’t seem probable or possible for the fence was -not broken and the cattle cannot open the gate,” Malcolm was saying -when Betsy who had turned to glance at the corral in which the -restless herd was pacing back and forth, uttered a cry of warning. - -“Look! Quick! Slim is right! That wild steer is pushing the bar.” - -With a variety of expletives the cowboys leaped forward and were in -time to prevent a second escape of the herd. - -For sometime after that, they were engaged in making the fastening -of the gate more secure. The girls remained as interested -spectators. When Malcolm at last straightened up, he turned to them -and said with his pleasant smile, “And so, Mistress Betsy, we are -doomed to disappoint you, for there really isn’t any mystery to -unravel after all.” - -But Slim had again removed his sombrero and he was thoughtfully -rubbing his glossy brown hair. Suddenly he turned toward the little -stranger. - -“Ah say, Miss Betsy, what was that thar you asked me in the -beginning. ’Pears to me like ’twas suthin’ namin’ gypsies.” - -“Yes, it was.” Then eagerly, hopefully. “Mr. Slim, you didn’t see -anything of them while you were hunting for the cattle, did you?” - -“Wall now, I reckon mebbe I did and yet agin mebbe, I didn’t. Ah’m -not tolerably sartin’, but I saw suthin’ mighty perplexin’.” - -Then inquiringly to Malcolm. “You-all don’ figger that any copper -diggers ’d be loony enuf to cross the desert in a wagon, do you?” - -“No, indeed. I’m as good as certain that they wouldn’t,” Malcolm -began, when Betsy hopped up and down and clapped her hands as she -interrupted. “Oh! Oh! tell us quick, Mr. Slim, _did_ you see the -wagon? We’ve been hunting for it everywhere.” - -The cowboy was so plainly puzzled that Virginia told him the story -of the gypsy caravan as Davie had told it to Malcolm and Lucky. - -“Wall, all as I saw was tracks headin’, seemed like toward Puffed -Snake Water Hole. But Ah was driving the herd in jest then an’ -couldn’t leave to do no investigatin’.” - -“Good! I’m glad they were heading away from V. M. Ranch, whoever -they are.” Malcolm said then added: “Boys, I think we’d better all -three drive this herd in to the station. It’s going to take some -skillful handling to get them aboard the cars. It’s nine now and I -expected to get them loaded by this time.” Then anxiously, “Slim, -you’ve had a hard time of it this past twenty-four hours. You ought -to get some sleep before we start.” - -“Caint spare the time, Malcolm. Ah reckon thar’ll be enough for -sleep when this here herd is boxed up in the car. Ah reckon thar -will.” - -Lucky had been silently watching the restlessly lowing heard. -“Malcolm,” he said, “we’d better start, ’pears like. That wild one’s -got to wear a drag to keep it from boltin’, an’ that’ll make it -plumb slow goin’ for the rest.” - -“Right you are,” the young master of V. M. replied. “We certainly -don’t want to take any chances on a stampede today, since the cars -are scheduled to be picked up by the through freighter tonight at -seven.” Then, turning to his sister, he added, “Virg, will you girls -pack us some grub and we’ll start as soon as we can get the herd in -shape.” - -“Indeed we will.” Then catching the hands of two of her friends and -nodding to the third, away she ran toward the ranch house. - -“Oh, I just adore all this,” Betsy exclaimed an hour later when the -girls, having packed the saddle bags with good things until they -bulged, stood out on the front veranda watching the three cowboys as -they drove the still restless herd up over the mesa. - -“That poor wild steer will wish he had been less obstreperous,” the -quiet Margaret said. “He can hardly take a step without stumbling -over that long pole that drags between his front legs.” - -“I like him,” Babs surprised the others by remarking. “I like his -spirit. Somehow a desire for freedom seems to belong to the desert -and his surely is unquenchable, but next week he will be—” - -“Oh, do let’s forget that part of it.” Virginia spoke with unusual -seriousness. “I hate it.” Then noting the expressions of inquiry, -she explained. “I don’t understand in the least what makes me feel -so queerly about it. Nevertheless, I do. I don’t believe that we -have any right to take that wonderful thing, Life, from any creature -to which it has been given. We may find sometime that we have been -doing something grievously wrong. But there,” she added in a gayer -tone, “since I am the part owner of a business that raises live -stock for the sole purpose of taking life, it hardly behooves me to -moralize about it.” - -“Does Malcolm know that you feel that way?” Margaret asked. - -Virg shook her head. Then slipping her hand in that of her friend, -Megsy, said earnestly, “I agree with you. I’d heaps rather raise -beets to sell.” - -A merry laugh greeted this remark, and then Betsy, who was never -long content with just conversing exclaimed. “Virg, let’s do -something interesting right after lunch.” - -Virginia smiled. “I was going to suggest that we all take a siesta.” -Then she laughed at the dismay pictured in the face which a moment -before had been so eager. - -But the youngest was not to be daunted. Whirling toward Barbara, she -wheedled. “Babsie, you don’t want to sleep, do you? Let Megsy and -Virg siesticate if they wish, but suppose you and I go for a ride.” - -“I’ll make a bargain with you, Betsy.” It was Virg who was speaking. -“If you’ll be as quiet as a little mouse and let us, who wish to, -nap until three, we’ll all go for a ride anywhere you choose.” - -“Oh, will you, honest injun, cross your heart!” The would-be little -detective seemed more eager than before and the reason was that she -wanted to get Virginia to promise to do something without telling -her what it was. - -The unsuspecting older girl nodded, then as the bell was ringing -they all went in to lunch. Betsy lingered back of Virg and beckoning -Babs she whispered something in her ear. “Oh, Virg won’t do that,” -Barbara told her. - -“But she’ll have to. You yourself heard her promise to ride this -afternoon in any direction that I wish and I’m just wild to go -there.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII—A PLANNED RIDE - - -Directly after lunch, Virginia, Margaret and Barbara retired to -their rooms for the customary afternoon nap which seemed to be as -much a part of desert life as anything else in the routine. The sun -beat down upon the shimmering white sand relentlessly during the -noon hours and all live creatures were glad to seek the cool of some -shadow or to hide in underground burrows if that was according to -their nature. - -Betsy, unused to sleeping during the day, had decided to take that -time for letter writing. She was wild to tell her Cousin Bob, who -was fourteen, of all the exciting things which had befallen her -since her departure from boarding school such a very short time -before. - -How he would envy her. Virg had suggested that she write at the big -old desk which stood on the shady side of the long living room and -there, for a quiet hour the little girl sat scribbling as fast as -her pencil would fly and the story of her adventures was so -thrillingly told that the boy, who was to receive it, would indeed -be envious. She had just concluded with—“Virg hasn’t any idea where -I am going to suggest that we go for our ride when she wakes up, but -of course she’ll have to go because she has promised. I’m ever and -ever so sure that an exciting adventure awaits us and I’ll add it to -this letter before I send it. There’ll be plenty of time, anyway, -for the mail pouch is only taken to the station about twice a week.” - -It was at this point in the epistle that the three girls, who had -been asleep, appeared and they were dressed in their riding habits. - -“You’ll have to don yours, Betsy,” Babs called. “I’ll wait for you. -Virg and Megsy are going down to the corral to saddle our horses.” - -While the young would-be detective was changing her apparel, Babs -sat on the arm of a chair watching her. “Virg has forgotten all -about her promise to you,” she volunteered. “I heard her tell -Margaret that she wanted to ride over to Hog Canon and see the poor -dry ranchers who live there. She has brought some gifts for the -three children and their mother.” - -“Oh dear, isn’t that just too provoking. I did so want to ride in -the direction of that Puffed Snake Water Hole and see if we could -find the gypsy caravan, but, of course, if our hostess has other -plans, I suppose I’ll have to give up mine, only I don’t think she -should have promised. Honestly I don’t.” - -Babs hardly knew what to say. “But dear, you can visit that water -hole some other time, maybe tomorrow. Wouldn’t that do as well?” - -“Why, of course not Babs. You know as well as I do that if we are to -get there before that gypsy caravan moves on, we’ll have to go -today. They’re not going to just camp out there and wait to be -found.” - -“Well, you’ll have to be the one to remind Virg of her promise. I -won’t. I heard her say that the little woman who lives over in Hog -Canon is very frail and that she has brought her some things that -she needs just dreadfully.” - -Betsy sighed as she laced the riding boots that Virg had loaned her, -but all she said was “What’s a dry rancher anyway? Someone who’s -awfully poor I judge.” - -Babs nodded. “Yes indeed. Mr. Wallace, ‘Foolish Andy,’ I’ve heard -him called, is certainly not prosperous. Dry ranching means trying -to get along without water except such as can be caught in a cistern -during the rainy season. There’s no water for the few head of cattle -they have except in water holes. I guess they’re poor enough all -right.” - -Betsy stood up clothed, but only partly resigned to the seemingly -inevitable. “Virg would rather go on a visit of mercy any time than -try to unravel a mystery which shows how different we are,” she -confided to her companion as they ran down the trail that led to the -corral where the others awaited them with the four ponies saddled -and ready. - -A small pack-horse near had on its back two saddle bags well packed. -“Here you are,” Virg sang out, then noting an expression of -disappointment in the face of their youngest, the hostess recalled -something. “Oh Betsy,” she said self-rebukingly, “I completely -forgot that you were to choose the direction of our ride this -afternoon and here I have packed Old Stoic with food and gifts that -I want to take to the Wallace family over in Hog Canon. Well, I can -unpack him again if you wish me to keep that promise. - -“My only reason for wanting to go today is that the children have -heard that I am home from school, Slim told them, and they sent word -that they’re wild to see me, and Slim said I should have seen poor -Mrs. Wallace’s expression when she heard it. He said that it was as -though she had heard something that was going to give her a new -lease on life. - -“But of course one day more won’t matter if you wish to hold me to -my promise.” - -“I should say not, Virg!” Betsy spoke emphatically. “I was merely -going to suggest that we go over to that Puffed Snake Water Hole Mr. -Slim told about and see if we could find the gypsy caravan. But it -might be a wild-goose chase.” Virginia laughed. “It would be, I can -assure you. The odors around that water hole are such that even -gypsies wouldn’t linger there long. They are miles and miles away by -now.” But Betsy interrupted. “Virg, how can they be? Don’t you -recall what the writing on the newspaper said. ‘Stuck for keeps.’ No -ranches in sight.” - -“Then there’s no use visiting the Puffed Snake Water Hole for one -can plainly see Slater’s Ranch from there. Now the question is,” -Virg looked from one friend to another, “which way shall we go? Of -course we can visit Hog Canon tomorrow and—” - -“Indeed not! I’m not as selfish as all that. We’ll visit Hog Canon -and your poor family today, then tomorrow we’ll hunt for the gypsy -caravan.” - -Little did Betsy dream what her decision would lead to. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII—OLD STOIC - - -Single file the four mounted girls rode down the trail which led -across the dry creek bottom for a time and then ascended the rather -steep opposite bank. The fifth horse “Old Stoic” followed -faithfully. When they were again on the level trail, Virg in the -lead, smiled over her shoulder. Betsy just back of her was evidently -deep in thought. - -“What are you puzzling about now, little mystery solver?” she sang -out gaily. - -Betsy looked up brightly. “I’m trying to solve three things at -once.” - -Babs and Megsy rode up, and, as the sand was hard enough to permit, -they continued in a group which was better for conversation. - -“What are they? And how are you succeeding?” Each maid asked a -question. - -Betsy laughed. “I’m wondering what Puffed Snakes are. I’ve heard of -rattlers and copper heads and—and water snakes, but never Puffed -ones.” - -“Guess!” Virg turned to say. - -“I don’t have to guess because I know.” Margaret smiled at Betsy. -“Use that good brain of yours. It’s ever so easy. It isn’t the kind -of snake. It’s something that happens to it.” - -“Hm. Let me see. It’s the name of a water hole with a dreadful -odor.” Betsy seemed to be thinking hard. Suddenly she laughed. “Oh, -of course, that’s easy! A snake fell into the water hole, couldn’t -get out and puffed.” - -“Righto!” Virg had whirled her pony and to the great admiration of -the other girls, was riding backwards. - -“What was your second puzzle?” Babs asked. - -“Why this picturesque place ahead of us in the mountains, should be -called Hog Canon?” - -“Oh, that is too easy,” Megsy declared. - -“Probably because some former dry rancher tried to raise hogs,” Babs -suggested. - -“You are nearly right, but not entirely so. It was Nature itself -that raised the little wild hogs that ‘abounded,’ as the story books -say, in these mountains, but they are gone now or nearly so.” - -“Goodness, you don’t mean the kind that I’ve seen in pictures with -tusks that look so dangerous.” - -“No, not wild boars. These were very small creatures, I’ve heard -father say, but they were all gone when brother and I came to the -desert to live. Now what is your third puzzle.” - -“Why you named your pack horse Old Stoic.” - -“All you have to do is to look at him and that mystery is solved. He -hasn’t a spark of fire in his eye, he has never been known, within -the memory of the oldest inhabitant, to do anything but plod. I -guess the colt in him vanished years ago.” - -The girls all turned to look at the pack horse that was following -them but it deigned not to return their notice. It did indeed seem -to be stolid and stunned. Suddenly Virginia began to laugh. She was -riding ahead by that time and the others pressed forward to hear the -cause of her mirth. - -“What’s the joke, Virg,” Betsy said, “Let us all in on it. Is it -something about Old Stoic?” - -Virginia nodded. “Yes, it is,” she said merrily. “I believe after -all I have wronged the old horse. I recall now that brother modified -his statement that nothing could stir an interest in Stoic. There -was one thing he said that could.” - -“What was it?” Betsy was always curious about everything. None of -the girls had a brain more eagerly alert. - -“A bear! Malcolm said that Old Stoic can smell a bear farther than -any horse he ever rode and run faster to try to get away from it, -but apart from that, he shows no sign of interest in life except in -doing his duty as a pack animal and doing it well.” - -Betsy looked anxiously toward the rugged Seven Peak Range which they -were approaching. “I say, Virg,” she said, “there aren’t any bears -in the mountains these days are there?” - -Then the questioner sighed with relief when she heard the reply. - -“No, dear, nary a one, or so few that one seldom if ever appears. I -did hear Lucky say last winter that he saw bear tracks in the snow -way up north in the higher, colder mountains, but I don’t believe -they come down this way now-a-days. They did, though, when Lucky was -a boy. His father was a trapper and exciting tales he can tell. -We’ll get him to recount the most thrilling of them for us some -night when we’re all sitting around the fire.” - -The girls having ridden for several miles without stopping were -glad, when Virg suggested that they stop awhile in the shade of a -giant cactus. Dismounting, she ran back to Old Stoic who had stopped -with the others and slipping her hand into one of the saddle bags -she brought out four oranges. “I’m not robbing the Wallace family,” -she smilingly told them, “for I put these in here just for our very -own refreshment. I knew we’d all be hot and thirsty by the time we -reached this half-way point.” - -The girls were indeed glad to eat the sweet juicy fruit. Betsy, -unused to the saddle was also pleased to have a chance to stretch -her legs, and so, slipping from her mount, she threw herself down on -the sand, warm even in the shade of the cactus, but she was on her -feet again almost as quickly when she heard Babs laughingly caution -her. “Look out for tarantulas and scorpions.” - -“Too, you might be lying directly over the hole of a rattler,” Megsy -added. But Virg protested. “Let the poor girl rest. There isn’t a -poisonous creature in our immediate neighborhood, I’ll vouch for -that.” - -But Betsy would not lie down again. Pretending to want to make the -acquaintance of the pack horse she walked back toward where he so -patiently stood, half dozing. Patting him on the head she said, “Old -Stoic, if there’s a rattler or a tarantula, a scorpion or anything -else startling or unusual around, you let me know won’t you.” Then -she cried triumphantly. “Look girls, he’s nodding his head. He is -intelligent after all. He just assumes that dull uninterested -expression for reasons of his own. Maybe he’s a detective. That’s -just the way Dad does when he’s in a group where he expects to -overhear something of great importance. He acts as though he were -intently thinking of something far away.” - -The listeners laughed. “Honestly Betsy, I doubt your theory in this -case. I don’t believe Old Stoic thinks. He seems to just plod, but -now if you’re all rested enough, we’ll up in the saddle and away.” - -“Whizzle, but it’s hot, hotter, hottest!” Betsy exclaimed when they -had ridden a mile farther on their way. - -“Or, as the story books say, ‘The relentless tropical sun beat down -upon the lone traveler and his beast of burden. Nowhere about him on -the vast sandy waste could he see a sprig of vegetation that would -suggest a life-saving oasis—’” - -“Oh Babs, have a heart! I’d heaps rather have you spiel about ice -cream sodas and cool things like that if it’s all the same to you.” - -Virg smiled back over her shoulder. “Perhaps we ought to have waited -for a cooler hour,” she said. “I forgot that you Eastern girls are -not as used to our Arizona sun as I am, and, I’ll confess, it _is_ -rather warm, but there’s hope ahead, for in just a few moments we -will have sighted the canon up which we will soon be riding.” - -Betsy drew her sombrero farther down over her eyes, and then peered -ahead through the air that was quivering with the heat. - -The canon which they were nearing did not look inviting. There were -no green growths that would have suggested a cool brook flowing down -among them, only bare jagged rocks with here and there a scraggly -mesquite bush growing in the cracks of rock where sand had gathered. - -“Well, I don’t wonder the neighbors call the gentleman who chose -that canon as his dwelling place ‘foolish,’” she remarked with a -little disdainful grunt. - -“Oh, but that isn’t his chief folly, or rather, not the one for -which he is noted far and wide,” Virginia looked over her should to -inform them. - -“Why is he called Foolish Andy, Virg? I’ve often wondered,” Megsy -inquired. - -“It’s because he is an inventor. He is very well educated, and seems -always to be inventing something which he is sure will bring his -little family fame and fortune. Mrs. Wallace tells me that they were -comfortably well off, once upon a time, but that all they could save -had been squandered on one invention after another and they became -poorer and poorer until now they can hardly keep alive, but nothing -seems to quench Mr. Wallace’s faith in his inventive powers. I heard -brother say that the instrument he is now trying to perfect, he -believes will not only bring him the money he needs but be a great -boon to mankind, or at least to that portion of it that chooses the -desert places for a home.” - -“What is the instrument, Virg?” Megsy inquired. - -“It’s some very sensitive mechanism that is supposed to locate water -and that is why Mr. Wallace choose the driest section of the desert -in this neighborhood. He particularly likes Hog Canon, and his -theory is that since it was, once upon a time, overrun with small -hogs, there must then have been water. He believes, that the stream -took to flowing underground as they so often do in Arizona and that -his instrument will locate it. Then this land, which he has taken -up, homesteaded I mean, will be invaluable. Brother says he is right -about that, but the other ranchers have no faith whatever in his -invention. At least it hasn’t succeeded. Mr. Slater is a very -wealthy, progressive man and when the Wallaces first moved here, he -took an interest in the instrument. When he was about to have a well -dug for his new windmill, he sent for Mr. Wallace to help him locate -a spot where he would be sure to find water. Fate was against the -inventor, for the very spot where an excellent well has been dug, -the instrument reported no water. That is why the poor man, who -still clings to his faith in the invention is called ‘Foolish -Andy’.” - -“He ought to be put in an insane asylum,” was Betsy’s indignant -verdict. “The very idea of his being permitted to bring such -misfortune on the heads of his innocent wife and children. Why -doesn’t she leave him?” - -“For the simple or rather wonderful reason that she loves him and -has faith in him,” Virginia replied, “but, unfortunately, if he ever -does succeed, I fear it will be too late for his wife to share in -whatever prosperity will follow. If they don’t find water very soon -now, the little woman will have slipped away. Slim tells me that she -seems to be holding to life by a thread. That will mean three more -children left motherless in the world.” - -Betsy flared. “I just hate that selfish man! I’m sorry we came! I -know I won’t be able to speak civilly to him.” But Virg remarked, -“You’ll be surprised to find how different he is from the man you -have pictured. Now, here’s where we turn to enter the canon. Why, -what is the matter with Old Stoic?” The girls whirled in their -saddles to look at the pack horse. To their amazement they saw that -it had stopped and was staring at the dark entrance of the canon -ahead with a look of fear, ears thrown back and every muscle -quivering. - -“Oh, it must be a bear,” Betsy cried, when, with a shrill frightened -whistle, Old Stoic turned tail toward the mountains, and, burdened -though he was, raced across the trackless sand, but not toward home. - - - - -CHAPTER IX—WAS IT A BEAR - - -“Do you think old Stoic saw a bear?” Margaret asked as the girls, -puzzled indeed, by the faithful creature’s strange and unexpected -behavior sat in their saddles, two of them gazing anxiously into the -dark entrance of the canon, while the third, Virg, watched the -flight of their pack animal. - -“Oh I can’t believe it possible that there is a bear about,” she -said. “We are very near the Wallaces’ cabin now, that is, it’s not -more than half a mile away and bears do not venture near settlements -if they know it.” - -“Maybe this one is a big grizzly and maybe he’s eaten the Wallace -family all up and perhaps be coming now to—” - -Megsy laughed at the wide-eyed Betsy. “To eat us, I suppose you are -going to say. But honestly, dear child, if he has eaten five -Wallaces and their burros, I don’t believe he’ll have much of an -appetite for delicacies like us.” - -Betsy turned rebuking eyes. “I don’t see how you can joke at a time -like this when maybe something terrible is about to happen.” - -Virg was relieved to see that the pack horse had come to a -stand-still in the shade of a giant cactus about an eighth of a mile -away. “Girls,” she suggested, “would you like to wait here until I -go and get Old Stoic or—” - -“What!” Betsy fairly screamed. “We stay here when any minute a bear -or something is going to come right out of the canon? Nixie for -mine. Where you go, there I’ll go too.” - -The other girls could not keep from laughing which further increased -the indignation of their youngest. “Laugh if you want to,” she said, -“but didn’t Virg tell us herself that Old Stoic never showed sign of -fear except when a bear was near?” - -Their hostess agreed. “I’ll confess I did. That is what brother told -me, but of course there must be something else that can frighten our -faithful pack animal.” Then with sudden animation and pointing -toward the mountains a little way beyond them, Virginia cried: -“Look! girls, look!” - -Every one gazed, expecting to see something very unusual, Betsy -alone was convinced that it would be a huge grizzly. - -“Why, that’s nothing but smoke.” Babs spoke regretfully. She had -almost hoped that it would be a bear for she knew, what Betsy did -not, that they were harmless unless cornered or attacked. - -“Why Virginia, surely Old Stoic isn’t afraid of smoke, is he?” -Margaret turned inquiringly toward her adopted sister. - -“No indeed! Brother always takes that pack horse with him when he -goes to the mine and they have camp fires every night.” - -“What do you suppose this smoke means? A camp?” Barbara began when -Betsy interrupted eagerly. “Oh Virg, maybe that’s where the gypsy -caravan is stuck. Do you suppose it might be?” - -Virginia shaded her eyes and gazed long at the jutting point of rock -which hid from their sight whatever was beyond it. “It’s a fire of -course,” she told them. “Shall we ride over and see who is camping -there?” - -“Oh yes, let’s!” Betsy was her old brave self again. She had no fear -of gypsies nor of cattle rustlers she was sure, though she had never -seen any of them except on the screen. - -A short gallop took them to a point where they could see the fire. -Virg, in the lead, uttered a cry of surprise, then turned and -beckoned. “It is the gypsy caravan, or at least it is a covered -wagon, like a prairie schooner of the olden days, I should say, but -there seems to be no one around. Shall we go closer?” - -“Of course!” This emphatically from Betsy. “Haven’t I been -wild—crazy to find this very caravan, and you don’t suppose I’d -leave without seeing the gypsies. Anyway, aren’t they in trouble? -Don’t you remember the handwriting said ‘Stuck for keeps. No ranches -in sight’.” So Virg laughingly led the way toward the apparently -deserted covered wagon. - -“We’re wrong about one thing,” the young mistress of V. M. remarked. -“This is not the caravan that was stuck, for the wheels are quite -free, at present, anyway.” - -“I wonder where the gypsies are.” Betsy was dismounting as she -spoke. “I’m going up to their front door and knock,” she informed -the others. This she did pounding loudly on the wooden sides of the -wagon. A low growl from within was the only answer but it was -sufficient, as Betsy said afterwards, to make her hair stand on end. -With a shrill cry she took to her heels and where she would have -gone, it is hard to know, had she not suddenly been confronted by a -girl of about sixteen who had leaped from between the flaps of the -tent-like covering. Her expression was at first puzzled, then merry -and apologetic. - -Holding out her hand to Betsy, she exclaimed, “Oh, do forgive us for -having given you such a dreadful scare when you came to call.” Then -her sweeping glance, which held an inquiry, included them all. “You -have come to call, haven’t you?” - -Virginia had dismounted and the other two girls did likewise. “We -did not really start out with that intention, we’ll have to -confess,” she said, with her friendliest smile, “because you see we -did not know of your existence.” Then, fearing that this was not -quite truthful, she concluded. “That is, we did, and we didn’t.” - -Noting the puzzled expression in the fine face of the girl she was -addressing, Virginia told the whole story of the tale that the -station master’s boy had told of the large caravan of thieving -gypsies, and of their subsequent loss of cattle, their search for -the caravan, the finding of the wagon trail and then the newspaper -with its message. - -“Oh, Brother Gordon must have written that. We were stuck for a day -and a night but some prospectors, I think they were called, came -along and dug us out. We’re on our way back to Douglas now, but -we’ve stopped here to get water and fill our canteens. Oh good, here -comes brother. He’s been up the canon where the prospectors told us -we would find a rancher who had water in a cistern.” - -A tall lad, too pale to be a real Westerner, appeared on a loping -run from the canon beyond. “No luck, sister,” he had started to say -when he saw the three strangers and their horses. - -“We have guests,” the girl called happily. Then to the others: “You -can’t guess how glad I am to see someone of my own age and I’m just -wild to know who you are and where you came from. Can’t you stay and -have supper with us? We have it very early and it’s now after -three.” - -The lad came up and snatching off his hat, he stood waiting for his -sister’s invitation to be acknowledged, but not accepted, as Virg -told them that their home was some distance and that her brother -would be troubled if he returned from Silver Creek and found her not -there. “But now since we have met so informally, let’s introduce -ourselves,” she concluded. This was done and the four visitors found -that instead of gypsies, the two were the son and daughter of a -copper magnate whose name was very familiar to Virginia, since he it -was who owned many of the mines and smelting founderies in Douglas -and Bisbee. - -“We are truly tenderfoots,” the girl, whose name was Annette -Traylor, told them, “for our home is in New York City and we have -never before been on the desert where our dad came from college to -prospect so many years ago. He’s always telling us tales of his -adventures and so this year, when brother broke down in his freshman -year at Yale, dad said the best thing for us to do would be to visit -his old haunts on the desert. He was coming West to inspect some -mines and as he was to be busy for about two weeks, he put us in the -care of an old man whom he had known years ago and told him to show -us the sights.” - -“Then you’re not alone?” Virginia looked about for a guide but saw -no one. - -Annette smiled. “Yes, we are, quite alone and unprotected. You see -it happened in this wise. We hadn’t been gone more than a day from -Douglas when Old Piute, as Dad called the guide who was part Indian -and the rest French, got sick, and so we sent him back. He didn’t -want to go, but we could easily see that he was too ill to travel, -so we gave him the money Dad had promised him if he returned us -safely to Douglas in two weeks. Then we gave him one of the burros -in our train and he sadly rode away. We could see him shaking his -old grizzled head until he was out of sight. Brother declared that a -youth who was wise enough to go to Yale ought to be wise enough to -drive a team of wiry horses over the desert. You see where we made -the mistake was in not minding Old Piute. He told us to keep to the -roads where autos travel, but brother thought there would be no -adventures along a beaten way and so he turned out into the open -desert and the third day we stuck.” - -The lad laughed in a hearty boyish manner. “Well, I’m glad we did -since we met one of the most interesting characters I ever knew -outside of the ‘Dick Dead-eye’ books and, too, we acquired a bear.” - -“A what?” Betsy’s eyes were big and round. - -The lad nodded. “Yes indeed, a real bear. The old miner had had him -since his cub-hood days and he’s as tame a pet as one could wish to -see.” - -Virginia laughed. “Which brings us back to the first part of our -visit to you.” Then she told about Old Stoic and how he had -evidently smelled the bear and had taken to his heels. Gordon -Traylor was delighted. “Great Stuff,” he said inelegantly. Then -added, “Miss Virginia, loan me your horse and I’ll bring back the -truant member of your band.” - -Virg shaded her eyes and remarked. “Good. He is still patiently -waiting in the shade of distant cactus, and while you are gone, -we’ll get better acquainted with your sister.” - - - - -CHAPTER X—A VISIT TO HOG CANON - - -Half an hour later the girls saw Annette’s brother returning, -leading the faithful old pack animal who had evidently forgotten his -former fear and was plodding along with his usual lack of interest -in all about him, until, as they neared the mountains a breeze -evidently carried the scent of the creature he so feared. - -However the lad had been expecting this very thing to happen and he -was on the watch. At the first movement of Old Stoic, Gordon had -whirled in his saddle and was holding firmly to the rope by which he -was leading the pack animal. - -But try as he might to persuade, to assure, to command, the stolid -creature would not move. He did not attempt to run away but having -planted all four feet squarely in the sand, mule fashion, there he -stood and would not budge. - -Laughingly Virginia leaped to her horse’s back, and galloped out to -lend what assistance she might. - -She patted Old Stoic, assured him that it was only a tame bear and -was not in any way a creature to be feared, but the stubborn animal -blinked and winked his expressionless eyes and just stood. - -“I’ll tell you what,” Virg suggested. “Let’s lead him away from your -camp. There’s a trail up to the Wallace cabin from beyond that -jutting out rock. It’s about an eighth of a mile from here and as -the wind is not blowing in that direction, I believe Old Stoic will -soon again forget the near presence of a bear.” This was done. The -small horse began to walk when Gordon pulled him in another -direction. When the watching girl observed that the pack animal was -willing to be led to the point she had indicated, she said that she -would ride back to the covered wagon and tell the girls to accompany -her. Although Gordon had recently visited the cabin in the canon in -search of water, he had seen no one but the boy Peter who had -gloomily told him that they didn’t have any to spare. - -The lad having always had a secret desire to be an inventor, and -having, in fact, won the admiration of his boy friends by fashioning -all kinds of mechanical devices for toys in his own shop, was very -eager to see the man who had a vision which he could not fulfill. - -“May Annette and I go with you?” he asked eagerly. - -“Why, of course, you may. We’ll be glad to have you. You will like -poor Mr. Wallace. He is very lovable in spite of his queerness.” - -Meanwhile Betsy having been permitted to peep at the tame bear -(which to her thought had growled at her in a manner most untame) -was glad indeed when Virg rode up and told them all to accompany -her. Single file they rode up the narrow rugged trail, Virg in the -lead and Gordon last that he might still hold the guiding rope -attached to Old Stoic not knowing at what minute the wind might -change and startle the pack animal into flight. - -As they neared the shack-like cabin, half hidden by overhanging -boulders, Virg gave a call with which she always heralded her -approach. Instantly three children ran pell mell to the top of the -trail, their homely freckled faces shining with their joy at seeing -the good angel friend whom they had so missed. - -Little Jane, aged six, hopped up and down so fast (clapping her -hands all the time) that her two braids bobbed merrily. - -Thoughtful eyed Sara, who was so like her faithful mother, smiled -too, but made no move of welcome although her heart was just as -glad. Twelve year old Peter raced to meet them down the trail and -catching Virginia’s bridle, he looked up with adoration in his -red-brown eyes. “Oh, Miss Virgie,” he cried, “Ma’s been that eager -to have you come home from the East. Often I’ve heard her say, -‘Somehow things will be better when Miss Virginia comes’.” - -There were sudden tears in the eyes of the girl, and reaching down -she put her hand over the small brown one on her horse’s head. - -“I’m glad to get home, Peter. How are your mother and dad?” - -There was a shade of anxiety on the boy’s freckled face. “Pa’s been -took queer this very day,” he said looking up toward the cabin as -though he feared he might be overheard, “and Ma says now with the -water most gone, she just doesn’t know what we are to do. There -weren’t any late rains and the cistern’s most empty.” - -“Dear boy, your mother must not worry about that. There’s plenty of -water at V. M. and you are welcome to all you can carry.” But the -girl’s heart was heavy for even as she made the offer, she knew that -there would be no convenient way of packing water so many miles -across the desert. - -Having dismounted on the small flat space which served as a -dooryard, the others turned anxiously to Virg. “Ought we to remain,” -Annette Traylor inquired. “If the Wallaces have this new trouble, we -might be intruding.” - -But Gordon stepped forward and said earnestly, “Miss Virginia, I -would like to meet Mr. Wallace. I believe that I can be of service -to him.” - -Mrs. Wallace, more pale and fragile than when Virg had gone east to -school, appeared in the doorway and Virginia went forward to greet -her. The girls saw her bend and kiss the sunken cheek and were -touched at the light of tenderness in the face of the older woman. - -It was evident that the girl was inquiring about poor Mr. Wallace. -“I don’t know what has happened exactly. Something that discouraged -him so much that he just gave up and ever since he’s sat there in -his chair around on the north side of the cabin and staring into -space, though once in a while he does say something, but it’s about -his instrument and I don’t understand.” - -Meanwhile Gordon had seen the listless figure of the man, and, with -an earnest desire to be of service, he had walked toward him. - -“Good afternoon, Mr. Wallace,” the boy said, hoping to attract the -attention of the inventor, but the dreamy grey-blue eyes of the -thin, kindly-faced man did not move from what seemed to be one -definite spot farther up the canon. - -The boy, noting that the girls had gone in the cabin with the -mother, sat on a rock near to wait until a more opportune moment to -again address the man who seemed deep in thought. - -At last, in a voice that seemed infinitely sad, the inventor spoke. -“I’ve failed! I was so sure it could be done, but now, I know the -truth. I’ve failed!” - -“In what way have you failed, Mr. Wallace?” Again hopefully the boy -ventured a remark. - -This time the dreamy grey-blue eyes turned toward him. “I was sure -there was a hidden spring up there,” he said more to himself than to -a listener. “But the instrument doesn’t show water and I won’t -dynamite until it does.” - -Gordon, more interested than he thought wise to show, asked, “Mr. -Wallace, may I see your instrument?” - -The older man nodded and pointed toward a long narrow wooden box on -the ground near. - -Reverentially the lad knelt and lifted the cover. There lay an -instrument of delicate mechanism. At the sight of it, the inventor’s -eyes burned and leaning forward he said, Gordon thought almost -angrily, “Give it to me! I’ll break it into a thousand pieces. I’ve -given my life’s blood to try to perfect it, I’ve caused untold -suffering to my wife and children, but, God knows, I meant no harm. -I had faith in it. I dreamed that a fortune would be theirs, -everything, everything, schooling for the kiddies, Peter was to go -to Yale where I went.” - -Gordon was on his feet at once, and, grasping the thin hand of the -man, he cried in boyish glee, “I say, Mr. Wallace, I’m bully glad -that you went to Yale. And don’t you worry. It’s always darkest -before the dawn, you know that. Peter’ll make college. Everything -will turn out all right. You see if it doesn’t. Don’t give up. Keep -your faith.” - -The dreamy eyes had turned toward the boy when he began this -enthusiastic outburst, and in them there gradually dawned a light of -understanding. - -“Who are you?” the man inquired as one awakening from a sleep. “I -haven’t seen you before, have I?” - -“No, Mr. Wallace. I’m just passing this way, but I’m ever so -interested in your invention. Won’t you come up to the spot where -you are sure there is water, or ought to be, and show me how it -works.” - -There was a sudden renewed eagerness in the eyes of the poor man who -had been so scoffed and laughed at. “Why, would you really like to -see it work?” he asked as though hardly able to believe his ears. - -“Wouldn’t I though,” the lad had hold of the man’s hand and was -firmly lifting him to his feet. Then he added confidentially, “I’m -something of an inventor myself in a small way. I say, Mr. Wallace, -I’ll bet you have a good thing there. May be it needs a little -different adjusting. Let’s try it out.” - -It was pitiful to see the joy in the dim eyes of the man who had -failed. Here was someone, what if only a boy, someone who had faith -in him. With shaking hands he lifted the instrument he had a moment -before threatened to break into a thousand pieces, and with an -eagerness he had never again expected to feel, he led the way up, up -the canon with a sureness of step that amazed the lad who had such a -brief time before pitied his weakness. - -“Are you good for a stiff climb?” the man turned to call. “There’s a -wall of rock ahead that’s as perpendicular as a barn door, but -there’s no way but to go up over it to reach the spot which I am -sure long years ago was the source of a water way. See! See!” he -cried excitedly. “Now, you know why I am so sure there has been -water here.” - -The lad, looking ahead at the huge boulder, saw on its surface a -smooth, many-colored groove which could only have been made by -running water. “It wasn’t much of a volume, I’ll agree, but there -_was_ water, but where is it now?” Then again inquiringly, “Do you -think you can climb it?” - -“Certainly, sir, if you can,” the boy replied, amazed though that -the man so recently weak, could even think of making the attempt. - -“Well, then, follow me closely. I’ve been up so many times, I know -just where the indentures in the rock will serve for steps.” - -The lad inwardly confessed that it was an almost impossible feat, -but if one Yale man could accomplish it, he assured himself, then so -too could another. - -At length they stood above the boulder and saw that the canon had -narrowed until the rocks overhanging on one side often touched the -opposite wall. - -“There’s a hidden spring, I am convinced, somewhere about here,” the -man’s eyes were no longer dreamy but shining with the light of -rekindled faith. - -“I believe you are right, Mr. Wallace.” The lad leaped to a spot -where he saw another of the smoothed grooves in the rocks. “Let’s -try it here,” he suggested. The instrument was set up, and Mr. -Wallace explained that if there were water, it was his hope that the -sensitized swinging needle would dip and point toward it, but it -made no movement at all. - -The lad on his knees was watching it intently. Looking up he saw the -old expression of despair returning to the ashen face of the man. -That would never do. Hope _must_ be kept alive. - -“I say, Mr. Wallace, don’t you think maybe that needle’s held too -tight? Have you ever tried loosening that minute screw there? Gee, -but I’d jolly like to try that experiment.” - -Almost mechanically the inventor put his hand in a large leather -pocket and drew out an infinitesimally small screw driver. “Do what -you wish,” he said as he sat upon a flat rock and leaned his head on -his hands. “I’ve failed. Not that I have any reason to be sure that -there _is_ water here, but it did not move over at Slaters and there -_was_ water.” - -While the man talked, the boy, with heart beating like a -trip-hammer, was actually praying for inspiration while he loosened -ever so little the tiny screw that held the sensitive needle. But -even then, it did not stir. - -“I say, Mr. Wallace, may I take it higher up? Way to the very top of -the canon?” - -The older man shook his head. “No use, son. There aren’t any -watermarks farther up and it’s almost impassible.” - -“But, may I try?” - -A silent, resigned nod was the only answer and so securing the -instrument, the lad carefully climbed over boulders, higher and -higher. At last he stopped. Mr. Wallace had spoken truly, there were -no signs of the water marks that had been made, no one knew how many -years before. Retracing his steps, he turned a little to the right. -Something seemed to impell him to stoop and look into a fissure -where a boulder, perhaps ages before, had been rent asunder by some -tremendous power, an earth-quake, without doubt. - -It was an almost impossible feat to hold himself so that he could -thrust the instrument into the fissure, but he did it, and with a -startling suddenness, the sensitive needle dipped straight down. - -“Mr. Wallace! Mr. Wallace! Come quick! I’ve found the spring.” - -The boy’s triumphant cry rang out, reverberating down the canon and -penetrating even the again dulled senses of the inventor. Not for -one moment did the boy doubt that the needle was telling the truth. - -Unable to wait for the older man to climb to him, Gordon fairly -leaped down from rock to rock, though he wondered afterwards at the -sureness with which he had stepped, and catching the man’s hand, he -dragged him up, up until the fissure was seen in a perilous place -beyond and below. - -“Why son, you couldn’t get down there. No one could,” the man said. - -“But I did! See! I just chanced to find the way. I guess my guardian -angel showed it to me. The instrument’s in that fissure and the -needle dipped. Mr. Wallace, it dipped straight down. Oh, if only we -had some dynamite.” - -The boy’s faith was just the spur the older man needed. “There’s -dynamite in a cavern just below here,” he said. “Wait, we’ll bring a -stick and shoot it off.” - -The boy secured the instrument and took it to a place of safety. - -“We’ll have to make a long fuse,” the man told the lad. “We don’t -want to take any chances with flying rock.” Then he looked at the -sun. “We ought to get back to the cabin in half an hour. I’ll time -it for about then.” - -This was done and then the two scrambled back down the rocks. How -Gordon hoped the fire of the fuse would not be extinguished. Too, he -hoped the explosion would not take place before they reached the -girls lest they should be too greatly frightened. - - * * * * * - -During the absence of the man and boy, Virginia glanced often at her -watch. She did want to see Gordon before she left to thank him for -having procured her pack animal and to urge him to bring his sister -to V. M. before returning to Douglas. She was sure that Malcolm -would wish her to do so. But the afternoon was wearing away and, as -they did not return, the girl at last arose saying: “I fear that we -cannot wait longer.” Then to the little mother, whose expression was -much happier than when the visitors had arrived, she said, “Tell Mr. -Wallace how sorry I am, not to have seen him this time, but I shall -come again and often, and do remember, dear Mrs. Wallace, the V. M. -Ranch house is large and if you run out of water in a few days, as -you fear, I want you all to come to us until your cistern can be -refilled.” - -There were tears of gratitude in the eyes of the frail woman. “I -don’t understand why it is,” she said, “but now that you are here, -Miss Virgie, I feel confident that all will be well, somehow.” - -They were out in the plateau-like dooryard and each girl had a horse -by the bridle which was lucky when a deafening report like thunder -boomed through the mountains. - -“W-what was that?” Betsy cried in alarm, but Mrs. Wallace at once -quieted their fears, for it was a sound she had often heard. “It’s -my Peter dynamiting for water,” she said sadly. “But he won’t find -it. He never has.” But little Peter whose eyes had been afire with -enthusiasm had raced toward the canon bed and was seen waving and -beckoning frantically. “Ma,” he shouted, “I hear it. I’m as sure as -anything that I hear water.” - -The girls listened and far up in the canon they heard a rushing -sound that came nearer and nearer, then they heard something else. A -shout of triumph, then a man and boy appeared and in the face of the -inventor was light, an inner radiance of great joy. - -He seemed to see no one but the wife he loved. Going straight toward -her, with arms outstretched, he cried, “Molly, Molly, little girl! -We’ve succeeded at last, you and I! Thank God your days of privation -are over.” Then turning to the lad he said, “But I can’t call it all -my invention. It was your thought that perfected it. I’ll share with -you.” But the boy exclaimed, “Mr. Wallace, you alone are the -inventor of that instrument. It would have been only a matter of -time before you thought to make the slight change that I suggested.” - -Then, although it seemed as though they just must stay to rejoice -with their friends, Virginia was reminded by the lowness of the sun -that she must start on the homeward way. - -Annette and Gordon decided to remain in their present camp until the -morrow. Then, although they would like nothing better than to visit -V. M., the lad decided that he did not care to chance being stuck -again in the sand and so he accepted Virginia’s advice that he start -out for Slater’s Ranch early the next day. - -“Mr. Slater is the richest man on the desert. You will have no -trouble reaching his place,” the girl assured him, “and from there -into town is one of the best roads anywhere to be found as he keeps -it up himself, or rather he has the peons in his employ constantly -working on it.” Then, holding out her hand to Annette, Virg said, -“If your father is not ready to return East, we shall be glad to -have you and Gordon visit us. If you will send us word, we will come -for you in our car.” - -Two hours later, when the girls were dismounting near the corral at -V. M., Betsy said, “Well, wasn’t that all just like a story book -adventure?” Then going to the pack horse, she patted him as she -laughingly said, “And, although he doesn’t know it, Old Stoic was -the hero.” - - - - -CHAPTER XI—LETTERS OF INTEREST - - -The girls had reached home just in time, for hardly had they removed -their sombreros when there arose a shouting without and a pounding -of horses’ feet. - -“Good, the boys are back,” Babs cried running to throw open the wide -front door. - -“Ohee, what a bulging mail bag,” Betsy who had closely followed -shouted gleefully. “There must be a million letters or more in it.” - -Malcolm swung from his tired horse and giving it a friendly slap, -bade it go to the corral with its companions. Lucky and Slim, as he -knew, would attend to its needs. - -“We had a close call.” Malcolm tossed his sombrero on the table, -placing the mail bag beside it, then sank wearily in his favorite -grandfather chair. - -“What happened?” Virg inquired with interest. “Did that wild steer -try to lead a stampede even with the drag on?” - -“No, not that,” her brother replied. “The poor creature seemed to -have lost all desire to make a break for freedom. The close call was -that when we drove the herd into the corral at the station, Mr. -Wells came running up and said that he had just received a wire that -the cars were to be taken on by a freighter that was due to arrive -two hours sooner than scheduled, and didn’t we work though. - -“Then was the time the young steer might have made trouble had he -but known. However, he didn’t attempt it, but walked up into his -prison as meekly as a sheep would have done.” Then the boy laughed, -“I suppose you’ll think I’m foolish, but I certainly had a decided -impulse at that moment to give him his freedom. It came over me how -I would rejoice, were I in his place, if I once again found myself -roaming where I would, out on the range with only the blue sky above -me and the distant mountains for walls. Luckily the freighter came -along before I had carried out my sentimental inclination, else our -check would have been that much less, Virg, when it comes from -Chicago.” - -Margaret, remembering what Virginia had said about hating to raise -cattle just to have their freedom taken from them, realized that -something of the same sentiment was in the heart of the brother, -although he had not fully realized it as the girl had. - -“You look just too weary for words, Malcolm,” Megsy said, leaping up -from the window seat. “I’m going to make you some lemonade.” - -“Make enough for Lucky too, will you? Slim won’t need any. He’ll be -dead to the world before you could get a lemon squeezed. He hasn’t -had an hour’s sleep in two nights and a day.” - -“I’ll help.” Babs skipped by the side of her friend kitchenward. - -“And while you’re gone, I’ll sort the mail.” Virginia was emptying -the contents of the leather pouch out on the long library table as -she spoke. - -Betsy watched eagerly. Suddenly she pounced on a large envelope -addressed in a boy’s hand writing. “It’s from Cousin Bob, sure -certain! I wonder if they’re still quarantined. If so I ’spect this -letter has been—what do you call it—fumigated.” - -“Two for Babs and two for me and not one for Megsy. That’s too bad. -I hope she will not feel left out,” the youngest said, but Virg -glanced up smilingly. “No indeed! Margaret is too generous and -loving to ever feel neglected or left out. That is a form of -selfishness. Then, more-over, all of Megsy’s home people are right -here, for, you know, Betsy, she belongs to us. Malcolm is her -guardian and I am her adopted sister.” - -“I hear a jingle approaching,” Malcolm rose as the little pitcher -bearer entered the room. He went forward ostensibly to carry it, but -he took the opportunity to say softly, “I’m mighty glad my little -ward is home again.” - -The flush which always mounted to the quiet girl’s cheeks when this -lad addressed her made her unusually pretty, but, as yet Malcolm had -given it no thought. Virg had been the only girl he had ever known -intimately and he supposed a certain reserve, which Margaret surely -had, was responsible for the pretty flush. - -“Any mail for me?” Babs was following with a tray on which were five -tumblers. - -“Two letters and both from boys or I miss my guess.” Betsy was -peering at the letters that lay side by side on the table. - -“Then it is easy to know who they are from.” Babs having passed the -tumblers, picked them up and looked at them curiously. “This one is -from dear old brother Peyton.” Then lifting an eager face she -addressed her hostess. “Virg, I hope you won’t think I’m lacking in -appreciation of your hospitality if I say that I’d like to ride over -to my brother’s ranch tomorrow. I’ve made you a real long visit.” - -“Three days isn’t an eternity!” Betsy put in, but Megsy said: “It -seems like one sometimes, when one is separated from home folks.” - -“You are right,” Virg said, slipping a loving arm around the waist -of the pretty friend who was sometimes called “The Dresden China -girl.” “We would love to have you stay longer with us, but I know -you must be ever so eager to see Peyton.” To herself the thought -came, unbidden. “And so too am I.” Then to her brother. “Why isn’t -Peyton here Malcolm? I thought surely he would be at the train to -meet us with you.” - -The boy drank the lemonade gratefully before he replied. “I don’t -know, sister. I have been expecting to hear from him for a week. I -did hear in a round-about way, that is one of Mr. Slater’s cowboys -passing V. M. last Friday week, stopped and took dinner with us. He -said Peyton was having some trouble with his Mexican herders and -didn’t think best to leave them, although he was inclined to believe -that a new one, who had recently arrived, might prove more -trustworthy than the others had. But suppose you read your letter, -Babs. That may tell us what you want to know.” - -It did, for in it Peyton told his sister that he had deeply -regretted not having been at the station and then he related his -reason, which was much the same as that which had been reported by -the Slater cowboy. - -But it was the last part of the letter which caused a stir in the -little group. - - -“Much as I want to see you, dear sister, I’m going to ask you to -remain at V. M. a short time longer or until I am sure whether or no -there is going to be an outbreak among these Mexican herders. I am -writing Virginia today to ask her to permit my little sister to be -her guest a few days, perhaps a week longer. By that time I will -know how much I can rely on my new overseer. You understand, Sis, I -wouldn’t want to ride over to V. M. and find, when I return, that -these peons had driven my prize cattle across the border, nor would -I want you and your friends to come here until I am sure that my -herders are not of the bandit class. - -“I hope you _are_ disappointed, however, for selfishly I very much -want my sister to come and open up the old house that she is to make -into a home for her loving brother. - - Peyton.” - - -Virginia looked at Malcolm with an expression of anxiety. “Do you -feel that Peyton is in any real danger?” she asked. “If an outbreak -of any kind should occur, I mean.” - -“No, I think not,” Malcolm replied. Then Virg read her own little -letter from Peyton whom she had once known as “Trusty Tom,” but that -former time was never referred to by any of them. - -Megsy noticed that her adopted sister did not read aloud her letter -from the brother of Barbara, and she believed that she knew why. It -was not hard for even a casual observer to notice how sincerely the -lad admired Virginia. - -“Well, then that’s settled,” the hostess smiled lovingly at Babs. -“Now we may keep with us a certain little girl whom we all love.” - -“Why Barbara,” Margaret then exclaimed as she noted a look of real -concern on the pretty face, “what has Benjy written to make you seem -so troubled? Has he found his mother worse?” - -“He didn’t know when he wrote this. It’s just a few lines that he -scribbled at the station in Red Riverton. You know he expected his -brother Harry Wilson to meet him, and he wasn’t there but his own -horse had been sent for him. Benj is just ever so sure that means -his mother is not so well. I do hope she will live. I never knew two -boys to care more for a mother than they do.” - -“She is such a lovable, motherly woman,” Virginia said earnestly. -“Everyone who knows her, loves her. She always reminds me of a hen -with a brood and even when the chickens are away, she is sort of -spreading her wings with a welcome for any one in trouble who needs -their comforting shelter, but it’s nearly a year now that she has -not been well.” - -“It’s too bad that Harry doesn’t seem to care to marry. If only Mrs. -Wilson had a nice daughter to take the responsibility of home-making -for a time, she could get a real rest.” - -Virginia astonished the others by saying, “Girls, surely you know -that Harry does care for someone, but I’m afraid his mother would -never willingly accept that someone for a daughter.” - -Margaret said. “I, too, have felt sure that Harry cares for our -wonderful Winona, as who, knowing her well, does not. She is one of -the noblest characters I have ever met, and I know you think so too, -Virg.” - -“Indeed I do,” was the emphatic reply, “but one can understand how a -mother might feel that a member of the Papago tribe would not be a -suitable wife for her idolized son, but Winona would. They are more -nearly kin, mentally and—and what shall I say, in their love for -the wide spaces of the desert, than any two I ever knew. You know -Harry likes nothing better than to ride far away into the mountains -studying the rocks and trying to read the messages of the ages in -the different formations. Had he been able to leave home, he would -have studied along those lines. Of course he is, even now, and what -is more, our Winona is the very first girl who has ever appealed to -him as a companion.” - -“Isn’t it about time Winona finished that course of practical -nursing that she was taking when she left us at boarding school?” It -was Barbara who asked the question. - -Virg nodded, then for the first time glanced at the second letter -that she held. “Oh, good, this is from our Winona and since it was -written on the train, she may be in her walled-in village home this -very minute.” - -“May we all hear what she has written?” Babs asked. - -“Of course,” Virginia made herself comfortable on the window seat -and then began to read. Malcolm, having excused himself, had retired -to his own room for a much needed nap. - -Dear White Lily: - -At last I am homeward bound glad, deep in the heart of me, that I -have learned a way to be of real service to my father’s people, who, -having lost faith in their old Medicine Man, had no one to whom they -could take their little ones when they were hurt or ill. - -I shall be there in two days, and, dear friend, I am not alone. With -me is a comrade of my childhood, but I must tell you how it all -happened. - -One day when I went on duty, I found in the ward much excitement for -a lad who was being called brave had been brought in and no one knew -who he was. He was too exhausted to be conscious it seemed, for he -had no real illness and so could not tell about himself. - -The story was that in one of the city tenements a plague broke out -which terrorized the neighborhood. Many became ill and those who -were not strong died. It was so terrible a plague that few -volunteered to help. Kind old Doctor Quinton gave his services and -risked his life but alone he could do little. It was when he was -completely worn out that this youth, who said that he was a medical -student, volunteered to take the place of the good doctor while he -took a much needed rest. Nor would the lad leave his post when the -older physician returned. They were too much occupied with real -service to ask who he might be or from where he had come, but, at -last, he too had succumbed, not to the plague but to weariness and -they had brought him to the hospital. - -I listened to the story and said that I would like to see the lad -who had been willing to sacrifice his life for humanity. - -White Lily, when I saw him, so thin and tired, lying on a cot in the -ward, I knew him at once. It was Fleet Foot, one of the Papago boys -who accompanied the kindly missionary who had taken three of our -lads as you recall, to a school for Indian boys. I had not seen him -since that long ago day, but he had changed little. - -You, White Lily, will know what finding Fleet Foot meant to me, for -is he not one of my father’s people? I cared for him as tenderly as -a sister might. Then the good doctor took him to his country home, -that he might grow strong away from the noise of the city, but, when -I had finished my course, Fleet Foot wished to return with me to our -village and so together we are now nearing the end of our long -journey. Will you not soon ride north to our village and remain with -me as long as you wish. - -My friendliest thoughts I send to Margaret and Barbara if they are -with you. - - Your Winona. - - -At the close of the letter, the four girls were all thinking the -same thing but it was the quiet Margaret who voiced it. “Poor -Harry!” she said. “For of course this Papago lad, who is of her own -people, will be the one Winona will love and eventually marry.” - -“I shall be sorry if this is true,” Virginia remarked, “for Harry -Wilson is so unlike other boys. He may never again find just the -companion he wishes.” - -Then, as the dinner gong was sounding, the girls sprang up to -hastily remove their khaki suits and don their house-dresses. - -Meanwhile what of the neighbors farther north? - - - - -CHAPTER XII—BENJY ARRIVES HOME - - -In the meantime when Benjy Wilson left the train at Red Riverton, he -glanced about anxiously hoping that his brother Harry would be there -to meet him. He had been the only passenger to descend to the -platform and, almost at once, the station master hurried up to him -to say that his brother had been in a few days before and had told -him to keep on the watch-out for Benjy. “He said he mightn’t be able -to get in to meet you an’ if he didn’t, you’d find yer little horse -Clipper over to the stables waitin’ for yo’.” Then the kindly man -searched in the pockets of his blue denim coat and drew from one of -them a letter. “Likewise he left this for you to sorto’ explain -things.” - -“Thank you, Mr. Hendrix. I’ll go at once after Clipper,” the boy -said with a break in his voice, which drew from the sympathetic old -man the query. “Yo’ ma wan’t any worse last yo’ heard, was she? Hal -was in a hurry t’other day, I didn’t get to ask.” - -“I’m afraid mother isn’t very well,” then fearing that he would cry -from dread and loneliness, (never before had his older brother -failed to meet him), the lad picked up his bags and hurried away -toward the stables that were just beyond the station. - -The boy naturally happy and optimistic was sadly troubled. The pony -was glad indeed to see his young master and showed it in every way -that he could. - -It was not until the town had been left behind and Benjy was riding -on a desert trail that he opened the letter which the station master -had given him. With tear dimmed eyes he read: - - -“Dear Ben, - -“I have not wanted to worry you needlessly and I have not been sure, -(even now I am not sure), that there is real need for alarm, but I -decided that I must warn you before you arrive, that you may be -prepared for a great change in our mother’s appearance. She was -strong and well when you left eleven months ago, but now she is -frail and wearies at the least exertion. I am telling you, not to -frighten you, (for it may merely mean that our mother is growing -older or that she needs a complete rest), but I want you to be -prepared for the change so that you will not exclaim about it when -you arrive. It would be a great shock to our father, who, (perhaps -because it has come so gradually), seems as yet unconscious of it. -In mother’s own brave, cheerful way, she hides it from him. When he -comes home each night, weary from a hard day’s work on the ranch, -she is always at the head of the table, with her bright smile, and a -good supper is waiting. Of late I have managed to ride home an hour -earlier each night that I might help to prepare it. - -“The one thing which has prevented my being greatly worried is -mother’s own attitude in the matter. She insists that there is -nothing radically wrong; that she is merely tired, as one often is -in the spring, and she laughingly, said last night: ‘When little -Benjy comes home, I’m going to play fine lady for a fortnight. Then -you will see how well and strong I will be.’ - -“Ben, old pal, don’t take this letter too much to heart, but I do -think best to have you prepared for the change in the mother who is -our all. If I were sure that I could get to the station to meet you, -would not have written this. I’ll be there if I can possibly make -it. - - “Your brother, Hal” - - -But he hadn’t been there. - -As the boy rode along over the hard sand trail he thought of his -quiet, dependable brother, who was so like their mother. - -“Hal would have come if he could possibly have made it,” he said -with a half sob, as he realized the probable meaning of his older -brother’s absence. - -“He never promised to do a thing in all his life but that he did -it.” Then the lad’s thoughts returned to his little boyhood, when he -had learned that the older brother’s word could be trusted -unfailingly. - -“If Hal promised to make a kite or whittle a top on the first stormy -day that we were shut in, he never forgot it, never tried to get out -of it. Quite the contrary, Hal would be the first to say: ‘Bring -along your kite materials, little Ben. This is the day I promised -I’d make one for you.’ - -“I’m going to be just like him,” Benjy thought. “Mother is right. -The man you want for a friend is the one you can trust.” - -The first half of the ride was over level desert trails that had -been beaten hard by cattle and horses, but farther on the way grew -rough and rocky and there was a high rugged mountain range to be -crossed, for, on the other side, lay the wide, sheltered valley -belonging to the Wilson ranch. - -Reaching the water-hole about noon, Benjy dismounted to permit his -horse to drink. - -Again in the saddle, he petted the beautiful pony’s head. “Clipper, -old pal,” he said in a tone of sympathetic understanding, “I’m sorry -to ask you to climb High Pine Mountain trail without giving you a -chance to rest before we start upgrade, but I’ll have to do it this -time. I’ll make it up to you, though, old pal, you see if I don’t.” - -The pony seemed pleased to feel his young master’s caress. He tossed -his head, looked back over his shoulder and whinnied a reply. It was -at that moment that the horse stepped on a rolling stone, scrambled -madly to keep his foothold, stepped off the narrow, ascending trail -and rolled with his rider into a shallow ravine. The fall had been -but slight and Benjy leaped to his feet unhurt, but Clipper arose -with more difficulty, and when he attempted to walk he limped and -held his right forefoot as though it pained him. - -Poor Benjy felt as though everything was against him, but, just at -that moment he seemed to see his dear mother’s face and to hear her -say as she so often had, “Benjy, Boy, courage wins.” - -“I know it, mother,” the lad replied aloud with a half sob, and -putting one arm around the pony’s neck he choked back the tears that -had tried to come, as he said, “I’m awfully sorry you’re hurt, -Clipper. I ought to have let you rest for a while at the water-hole. -I guess we’ll have to keep going somehow, but I won’t ride you. If -you don’t have to carry a load, don’t you think you can climb the -trail, old pal?” - -Clipper, looking at his young master, whinnied again, but, though he -tried he could not walk without pain. - -Just at that moment, Benjy heard a pounding of horses’ feet. At -first he thought it might be a herd of the small wild ponies that -sometimes were seen near the mountains, but as he waited and watched -around the jutting rocks there appeared a tall Indian lad seated on -a pony, leading another that he had evidently just captured from a -wild herd and followed by a third small horse. - -Benjy climbed high on a rock and halooed at the top of his voice but -the rider was going in the direction of the Indian village and away -from Benjy. Again the lad shouted but each second took the galloping -horses farther and farther away from him. - -Realizing that his voice could not be heard, the boy stood still -watching the retreating figures and wondering what he ought to do, -when suddenly he became tense and alert. - -The wild pony that had been captured by the Indian lad made a sudden -break for liberty. After rearing, it made a backward lunge and the -rope that had been an improvised halter was torn from the hand of -its captor; then snorting shrilly, the small horse galloped away and -back toward the mountains. - -The dangling rope, snapping this way and that at his heels, -terrorized him, and, with eyes wild, he raced as he had never raced -before. Plunging blindly, he headed directly for the spot where -Benjy stood watching. In an instant the boy had formed a plan. -Leaping behind a mesquite bush, he crouched waiting the oncoming -horse. Nearer and louder came the swift pounding of hoofs, then, -just as the lad had hoped, the dragging rope was flung toward him. -The boy endeavored to seize it, but the pony had seen him, and, -rearing on his hind feet, he whirled, but that very motion made him -captive, for the rope swung around the stout mesquite bush and held -long enough for Benjy to make it fast. - -Then the boy wisely ran out of reach of the wildly plunging horse, -which enraged at his unexpected recapture, snorted and dragged so -hard on the rope that Benjy feared the bush would be uprooted. - -The Indian lad was galloping toward them at top speed, followed by -the faithful pony. “Hold him if you can!” was the cry that reached -Benjy’s ears. It was English, which meant that the rider was either -Strong Heart, or Fleet Foot of whom he had not heard. - -A lasso whirled through the air as the rider neared. It coiled like -a snake about the forefeet of the rearing pony and pulled him to the -ground. - -“What a beautiful little horse you have there,” Benjy said by way of -greeting. - -The stoical Indian lad bowed. “I had none and so I have captured him -for my own, but he would have been lost again if you had not made -him fast.” - -Then he asked, “What is wrong with your pony?” - -Benjy told in a few words about his great anxiety concerning his -mother, of his eagerness to reach her soon as possible and about -poor Clipper’s mishap. - -The Indian lad lifted the hurt foot, and taking his soft leather -belt, he wound it tightly about the strain. Rising, Fleet Foot, for -it was that fine Indian lad, bade Benjy place his saddle on the -horse that had been following, adding that he would take Clipper to -the village and give him care. “He will be all right in a few -weeks,” the Indian lad said. “I hope so,” Benjy replied, “Clipper -and I have been pals ever since I was a little shaver.” - -Then, having thanked Fleet Foot the boy again started up the long -hard trail. - -It was nearly dusk when he reached the summit. Looking down into the -valley, he could see the group of white-washed buildings that were -home to him. With a sob he reached out both arms. “Mother! Mother!” -he said, “I’m coming. I’ll be with you soon now.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII—MOTHER! - - -As Benjy neared his ranch home he saw that a dim light was burning -in his mother’s room. This confirmed his fears that the one he so -loved was really ill. Urging his steed to a gallop, he was soon -dismounting at the corral, where he left his pony. The front door -quietly opened and his brother appeared. He advanced with -outstretched hands. - -“Hal,” the young lad said, with a sob, “is our mother ill?” - -“I don’t know, Benny Boy,” was the reply. “Mother insists that she -is merely tired and that she is going to remain in bed until she is -rested, and you must pretend that you believe her. It will be hard -for you, fearfully hard, but it must be done. Come. Our mother has -been listening all day. Just now she called to me and said: ‘Son, go -quickly and open the door. My little boy has come home.’ She knows -that you are here and so we must not delay longer or she will think -it strange.” - -Never before had the young lad been through so hard an ordeal. He -longed to put his arms about his big, strong brother and sob out his -dread and grief, but instead, he had to choke back his tears and -enter the dimly lighted room with a smile. - -“Little Ben,” the woman on the bed called, with infinite love and -tenderness in her voice. - -“Mother mine,” the lad replied as he sank on his knees and pressed -his cheek against hers. Tears would come but in the dim light they -were not seen and his voice sounded cheerful. - -“Brother tells me that you are taking a week’s rest. I am so glad. -You have needed one for a long time and now Hal and I will show you -what fine daughters we would have been, if we hadn’t been sons.” - -Harry, standing at the foot of the bed was proud of his brother. -Benjy had always been so loved and petted, (even he had given in to -the younger lad sometimes when he thought it might be unwise), that -he had feared Benjy might not be strong enough to rise to the -emergency, but he was doing so bravely. In a voice that sounded -natural to his mother, Benjy said: “I’m most starved, Mummie, I hope -your new cook can make pies and things as well as you can.” - -The older boy had noted a sudden anxious expression on the dear -face, for the mother was reproaching herself for having remained in -bed when her little Ben was coming home, hungry. - -“Indeed, I can,” Hal hastened to say: “You’ll find the larder filled -with the choicest viands.” - -Kissing the pale cheek, Benjy left the room, turning at the door to -toss a kiss and send back a bright smile, but it was to his own room -that he went. Throwing himself down on the bed, he sobbed and -sobbed. There Hal found him ten minutes later. “I can’t live without -my mother,” the younger boy said, “I can’t! I can’t!” - -Harry put a comforting arm about his brother. “May heaven grant that -we need not for many years to come.” - -Then placing a hand on each shoulder, he looked straight into his -brother’s eyes. “Benny boy,” he said, “I’m counting on you. It’s -hard; well do I know how hard, but cheerful courage is all that our -father and mother must see. I have been waiting for your return. Now -I am going to ride to Red Riverton for a doctor. I will be back -tomorrow morning early, if all goes well.” - -“Hal!” Benjy exclaimed, “you aren’t going to take that long hard -ride tonight. You know that it isn’t safe to go through Red River -mountain pass alone after dark.” - -“Even so, there must not be another moment’s delay. I must go -tonight. I want you to keep your door open. If our mother stirs, go -to her.” - -“I won’t try to sleep,” the younger boy replied. “I do not waken -easily. I’ll sit up all night.” Hal grasped his brother’s hand to -show his approval and then he was gone. It was the hardest night -that Benjy Wilson ever lived through, but in it he left his -heedless, selfish boyhood in which he had accepted all that his -mother had done for him, as due, and realized that he, too, must -share the burdens and responsibilities that came every day. When Hal -returned at the grey of the next dawn, one glance at his tired -brother assured him that his confidence in the younger boy had not -been misplaced. Then followed a long half hour filled with anxiety -of waiting while the kindly physician made a thorough examination of -the little woman so loved by these two boys. - -“Where’s our father?” Benjy suddenly asked as he looked up from the -fire on the hearth at which he had been thoughtfully gazing since -the kindly physician had entered their mother’s room fifteen minutes -before. - -“Father went to visit the North camp last week and he has not yet -returned,” Harry said. “I am glad, for he does not know that our -mother has given up trying to keep about. That of course would worry -him greatly. I hope that she will be much better before he returns. -Dad depends on mother so completely for his comfort and happiness -that I fear he would collapse if he knew the truth, as, of course he -must know it soon.” - -Again they were silent and it was still another quarter of an hour -before the door opened. Both boys were on their feet at once eagerly -scanning the face of the physician. His cheerful smile was -encouraging. - -“Lads,” he said as he placed a hand on the shoulder of each, “your -mother is not going to die. Mrs. Wilson has unwisely permitted a -condition to exist for a long time which should have been corrected -months ago. There are very few casualties resulting from the -operation which your mother must undergo.” - -There was a sudden glad light in the face of the older lad. - -“Doctor Warren,” he said, “the hope you are giving us is the -greatest joy that has ever come into my life.” - -The elderly physician, gazing at the earnest faces, thought that he -had never met finer boys. Worthy sons of a brave, courageous little -mother. - -“Now tell us what we are to do.” The load of dread that had been -crushing Harry’s heart having been lifted, the lad was eager to be -of active service. - -“Your mother must remain in bed until we can build up her strength,” -the physician replied. “Perhaps for two weeks, and then we will take -her to the Red Riverton hospital and have the slight operation -performed, but, first of all I must procure a nurse.” - -The physician put his hands in his pockets and turning, gazed -thoughtfully at the fire. “There is an epidemic in Red Riverton and -I do not like to engage a nurse from there to care for your mother.” -Then he glanced up at Hal. “Do you know of anyone near here who -would come?” - -“I do,” was Benjy’s eager response. “Our good friend Winona will -come, I am sure she will, Doctor Warren. She just received a diploma -as a practical nurse from the Red Cross Hospital on the Hudson.” - -“Fine!” the physician replied. “How soon can we have her here? Where -does she live?” - -The reply brought a puzzled expression to the face of the doctor. - -“An Indian maiden?” he said with a rising inflection. “I have heard -of the Papagoes and that they are a remnant of a very superior tribe -of red men, but I had not supposed that an Indian girl could possess -the qualities required for a nurse. Are you quite sure that it would -be wise to have her?” - -Strange things happen, stranger than fiction. Before Hal could -reply, there was the sound of horses’ feet in the yard, and a moment -later a light rapping on the front door. - -Hal sprang to open it, and there stood the maiden about whom they -had been talking, with little Red Feather at her side. - -“Friend Harry,” she said. “Fleet Foot told me that your mother is -ill. I thought you might need me.” - -The lad stepped forward, his hand outstretched. - -“We do indeed need you,” he replied, his voice tense with emotion. -Then turning to the older man he added, “Doctor Warren, this is -Nurse Winona.” - -The physician was deeply impressed with the quiet dignity of the -really beautiful Indian girl. Like all others, who knew her, the -good man at first could not have told why he thought her beautiful. - -Before entering the house, the maid turned and said a few words in -the Papago tongue, then little Red Feather, without a word of -farewell, mounted his small horse and rode away. - -Doctor Warren asked to be permitted to speak alone with the young -nurse, and the boys withdrew to prepare a lunch for both the -newcomer and the physician who had a long and hard ride ahead of -him. - -After asking about the training which Winona had received at the Red -Cross Hospital, Doctor Warren said: - -“Your remuneration will be the same that would be given a nurse from -Red Riverton.” - -Then it was that the older man knew why the Indian girl was -beautiful. “It is a service of friendship that I came to offer,” she -quietly replied. “Will you tell me what I am to do?” - -An hour later the physician left feeling sure that his directions -would be carried out to the letter. He had learned that an Indian -maiden could not only be a sincere friend but also an intelligent -nurse. - -Before Doctor Warren departed he asked Harry to accompany him to the -corral. As they walked together, the physician said: “From the -conversation I have had with your nurse, I believe her to be very -capable, and luckily, just before she left the East, she had the -care of a little woman whose condition was the same as your mother’s -and so we will trust her to use her own judgment whenever she wishes -to do so.” - -Mrs. Wilson who had supposed that she had not much longer to be with -the little family she so loved, was overjoyed when she realized that -she would soon be strong again. - -She was lying in the darkened room when Harry entered a few moments -after the doctor’s departure. At his side she saw someone dressed in -blue with white cap and apron. She was too weak to wonder from where -the apparition had come, and so she accepted Winona’s presence as a -matter of course believing that she had accompanied the doctor from -Red Riverton. Harry merely said, “Mother, this is your nurse.” - -The little woman held out a frail hand and smiled wanly, then she -closed her eyes and rested. She was conscious all that day that she -was being tenderly cared for, and, toward evening when Benjy knelt -at her side, in answer to her anxious query, he told his mother that -the new nurse was also a fine cook. Mrs. Wilson who had wished that -she was up that she might prepare the good things her younger son so -liked, felt a sense of relief that did much toward restoring her -needed strength. - -Never once in the two weeks that followed did the little woman -suspect that the slender dark-eyed girl who cared for her was the -Indian maiden of whom she had heard. Winona, with her black hair -coiled under her nurse’s cap in her blue and white gown might easily -have been taken for a French girl. - -Harry, wishing his mother to learn to love Winona without prejudice -had asked Benjy to address her merely as “Nurse.” - -At the end of a fortnight, Mrs. Wilson was strong enough to sit up. -When Harry believed that his presence was no longer needed at home, -he rode to the northern camp to tell his father what had happened. -He was greatly relieved because he could now honestly say that all -would be well. - -This was not hard for the older man to believe, for on their return -they found the little mother seated in the living room and beaming a -welcome when they opened the front door. From that day, she rapidly -regained her strength, and, at the end of the fortnight, she was -driven in a big comfortable car to Red Riverton. It was on that ride -that Mrs. Wilson made a discovery which pleased her greatly. It was -that her son, Harry, really cared for the girl who had nursed her so -tenderly. How she knew this she could not have told, perhaps it was -just a mother’s intuition. - -Another two weeks passed and the happy family was once more gathered -in the ranch home. Mrs. Wilson was soon strong enough to walk about -the house, and, the long weeks of anxiety having ended, the members -of the household again went about their tasks in a natural manner. -Benjy returned with his father to the North Camp and Harry asked -Winona if she would like to ride with him to inspect a water-hole -not far away. Mrs. Wilson had urged her to go, saying that for an -hour she could get along nicely alone. It was during that hour that -she learned the real identity of her nurse. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV—A DEEP LOVE REVEALED - - -Mrs. Wilson sat in a big comfortable chair in front of the wide -hearth on which a log that the boys had dragged down from the -mountains, was cheerily burning. The frail woman smiled happily as -she watched the flames. How wonderful it was to know that after all -she was going to live, perhaps many more years to minister to her -little family. In her heart there had been a secret fear for months -that she was soon to leave them. - -She leaned back among the pillows that her nurse had arranged so -comfortably before she had departed for a short horseback ride with -Harry. - -From where she sat Mrs. Wilson could look out of the window and -watch the trail down which she would soon see the young people -returning. - -Then again she fell to dreaming. Perhaps she would live long enough -to see both of her boys married, and it might be that in some future -day she would be seated in front of this same fireplace watching -another log burn and holding a wee grandchild. Tears sprang to her -eyes as she pictured her beloved husband growing old with her and -little ones playing about them. - -This happy reverie was interrupted by the sound of approaching -ponies. It might be the men from the North Camp for the nurse and -Harry had not been gone long enough to be returning. She sat -watching the picture framed by her window. As the hurrying -hoof-beats neared, she guessed, and truly, that there were more than -two ponies, for, down the part of the trail that she could see, -single file, came six small, wiry horses. Instantly she knew that -their riders were from the Indian village. - -The little black-haired boy in the lead wore a red feather in the -band about his head, and, at his side rode a tall, slender girl with -a scarlet blanket about her shoulders. There were four others, but -they were dressed in khaki. It was only by their black hair and -dusty complexions that she knew that they, too, were Indians. Then -it was that Mrs. Wilson recalled something which of late she had -forgotten. It was that an Indian maiden from this same Papago -village had been East to a fashionable boarding school with Barbara -Wente, the fairy-like little girl who was so liked by Benjy. - -Perhaps the Winona of whom she had heard, was the tall, graceful -Indian maiden riding in the lead with the lad of the red feather, -Mrs. Wilson thought, and then, idly, she wondered where they were -going. Perhaps to some hunting camp farther north in the mountains. - -She was not long left in doubt regarding the destination of the -riders, for, almost as soon as they had passed from her vision, -there came a rapping on the front door. - -Harry had made her promise that she would not leave her chair and so -she called, “come in,” hoping that one among the strange visitors -might be able to understand the language that she spoke. - -The door opened at once and a tall young man with a clear, direct -gaze stood before her. To the little woman’s surprise, he spoke -excellent English. - -“Madame Wilson, I am Strong Heart, chief of the tribe of Papagoes. -It is my wish to converse with my sister. One month ago Red Feather -returned with the message that Winona was to remain with you and be -your nurse.” - -There was a rush of conflicting emotions in the heart of the -listener, and foremost among them was the sudden realization that -her son, Harry, loved, really loved an Indian maiden. If her voice -shook a little as she replied, Strong Heart did not notice it for -her words were friendly as they always were to any fellow-being. - -“My very kind nurse then is your sister?” she inquired. “I have been -too ill to wonder who she was or from where she came.” Then, fearing -that in some way this had lacked in graciousness, she added simply -and sincerely: “Strong Heart, we all dearly love your sister. She -has truly been an angel in our home.” - -And, even as she spoke, Mrs. Wilson knew that it was the truth. -Harry loved Winona and so too did his mother. Then she directed the -Indian lad to the water-hole toward which Winona and Harry had -ridden, and, when the visitors were gone, she sat for a long time -watching the fire and thinking: “My boy shall never know that I -regret his choice, and yet, do I really regret it, for a nobler girl -he could not have chosen.” - -In the meantime Winona and Harry had been riding at a canter. Then, -letting their horses walk more slowly, they conversed quietly -together. They spoke of his mother and Harry expressed to the dusky -girl at his side his great appreciation of her services. - -By now and then asking a question the lad persuaded Winona to talk -about her year at school. She ended by telling of Fleet Foot and she -described in glowing terms his deed of heroism. Harry Wilson, -listening, believed that Winona cared for the Indian lad about whom -she was talking, and, a few moments later he was convinced that his -surmise had been correct. - -Suddenly they had been halted by a whooping call from little Red -Feather, and, turning in their saddles, they drew rein and waited -for the Papagoes to ride up. Instantly Harry knew that the tall, -arrow-straight youth, who whirled his pony about that he might speak -to Winona, was the one of whom he had just heard. - -They rode apart, somewhat, and for a time seemed unconscious of the -presence of the others as they talked earnestly in low undertones. - -Harry tried to be interested in a conversation with Strong Heart -concerning the condition of water-holes at that time of the year, -but now and then he found his gaze wandering in the direction of his -mother’s nurse while his thought assured him that Winona naturally -would care more for one of her own people than for one of another -race. - -When the young Papagoes had ridden away toward the mountain trail -which they would have to cross to reach their walled-in village, the -other two, after visiting the water-hole, returned to the Wilson -ranch. Winona was in the lead and each was thoughtfully silent. As -they neared the house Harry hastily hastened his pony and rode at -the girl’s side. She looked up with a smile so radiant that the lad -was more than ever assured that her visit with Fleet Foot had -brought her great happiness. - -“Dear girl,” he thought, “from now on I will try to think of her as -I would of a sister. After all, mother will need one of her boys -just to care for her.” Aloud he said, “Winona, Ben and I have often -wished we had a sister. You have been to all of us in our trouble -what I believe she would have been. I hope you will come often to -visit in our home.” - -The girl turned and looked at him frankly. “Thank you, Harry,” she -said, simply. It was then that Hal was convinced that the Indian -girl had never thought of him other than a dear friend and -companion. - -When they reached the ranch house, Harry took both of the horses to -the corral, while Winona quietly entered the living room, believing, -and truly, that she would find Mrs. Wilson dozing in her comfortable -chair. - -For a moment Winona stood gazing at the sweet face to which the -color of health was slowly returning. Then, quietly, she tip-toed -close and, bending, she lightly kissed the forehead beneath the soft -gray hair. - -She was not usually demonstrative, but, although even her dearest -friend had never guessed it, there had always been in the heart of -this Indian girl a yearning for that wonderful something that she -had never had, the love of a mother. - -When a few moments later the little woman opened her eyes it was to -see her quiet nurse again in the neat blue and white uniform -preparing the evening meal. - -Harry came in and offered his services, which were accepted. -Winona’s manner, usually so reserved, seemed almost joyous. - -“Friend of mine,” she said, “I have a beautiful secret and I think I -will tell it to you.” - - * * * * * - -It was after the evening meal. Mrs. Wilson had been made comfortable -for the night and the young people thought her asleep as they sat -near the hearth in the living room and spoke quietly together. - -“You promised to tell me a beautiful secret,” the lad said, a dread -heavy at his heart. “May I hear it now?” - -“Yes,” the girl replied, turning her clear gaze toward him. “It is -about Fleet Foot.” - -“I knew it,” was the unexpected response, and Winona looked up -inquiringly. “Why, how could you know it?” Then, as the lad did not -answer, she continued: “This afternoon I told you about the kind, -elderly physician in the East who was so pleased with Fleet Foot’s -spirit of a sacrifice, and how, when the lad was well enough to be -moved from the hospital, Doctor Quinton took him to his country home -in New Jersey, where he remained through the three lovely months of -spring?” - -Harry nodded. He could not understand why Winona was beginning her -story in this way if the secret was what he believed it to be, that -the Indian maiden and Fleet Foot cared for each other. - -“Are you listening, Harry?” the girl asked, for the lad was gazing -at the burning log with a faraway expression in his grey-blue eyes. - -He turned and smiled at her. “Indeed I am, Winona,” he said, “I am -greatly interested in what you have to tell me.” - -“So am I, greatly interested,” the girl continued. “It is all like a -beautiful poem, and yet, true. The summer home of this kind old -physician is a picturesque log cabin in the midst of a pine wood -just above a clear blue lake which Fleet Foot described as a -wonderful mirror reflecting every fleecy white cloud that sailed -above it by day and every star at night. When they first arrived at -the cabin they heard singing somewhere among the pines, and then, -skipping toward them came a gold-and-white fairy of a girl who was -Sylvia, the granddaughter of Doctor Quinton. She was delighted -because her ‘dear old grand-dad,’ as she called him, had brought a -comrade, and, as the days passed, Fleet Foot learned to love this -lassie who was so unlike—well, so unlike the Papago maidens. - -“He called her ‘Sunshine-on-a-Dancing-Brook.’ Fleet Foot never spoke -of his love, for he believed that the physician, much as he liked -him, would not wish him to marry his granddaughter, the flower of -his life, but when Fleet Foot came West, that little flower drooped, -and then it was that Doctor Quinton learned that Sylvia cared for -Fleet Foot, really cared, and now comes the wonderful part of it -all. Yesterday my friend had a letter from the elderly physician -asking him to return to them if he really loved his little -‘Sunshine-on-a-Dancing-Brook.’ Fleet Foot came to say goodbye, for -tomorrow he departs.” - -There was a glad light in the eyes of the listener. - -“Winona,” Harry said, more impulsively than he had ever before -spoken, “I thought you cared for Fleet Foot and I was sad, for I do -so want to try to win your love.” - -Winona did not reply at once, and, as there was only the light of -the fire about them, the lad could not tell by her expression what -she might be thinking. - -When the girl spoke, she said: “Harry, your mother wants you to -marry one of your own people.” - -It was then that they heard a soft voice calling to them, “Come to -me, both of you.” - -They entered the dimly lighted room and stood by the bedside. The -little woman smiled up at them and in her eyes there was a new -tenderness. Holding out a frail hand, she said: “I have always -wanted a little girl, Winona. Won’t you be my beloved daughter?” - -The young people knelt and she placed their hands together. “Now,” -she said, “my dearest wish has been fulfilled. My older son is to -have just the wife that I would choose for him.” - - - - -CHAPTER XV—A MYSTERY AT LAST - - -A week after the arrival of Peyton’s letter, suggesting that his -sister remain longer, another came with quite a different request. -In it the lad assured them all of his great faith in his new -overseer. - -“Trujillo seems to have complete control of his helpers. In fact, at -times, I think that they treat him reverentially, which, of course I -cannot understand, but I am now confident that there will be no -uprising among the peons and so Babsie I do hope that Virginia and -your other girl friends will come to Three Cross and make you as -long a visit as you have made them, longer indeed, if they can be -spared.” - -“Oh, Virg, will you go, you and Betsy and Megsy? I’d so love to have -you all with me when I open up that old house. You know Peyton has -been living in one of the small adobes, not wishing to open up the -big place until I came. Virg, you’ve been there time and again. I -remember how Mrs. Dartley called you her ‘Angel of Mercy.’” - -“As everyone else does on the desert or anywhere,” Margaret put in. - -Virg laughed. “And all because I rode over to Three Cross one day -and applied first aid measures when the Dartley baby was cutting -teeth.” - -“What did you do?” Betsy inquired. - -“Rubbed the poor little gums with a sterilized thimble till the wee -teeth poked through,” Virginia replied. - -Barbara was eager to be away and so the very next morning, while it -was still cool, they rode to the North, promising Malcolm to return -in a fortnight. - -Peyton, expecting them, had ridden a few miles southward to meet -them and joyous was the reunion between the brother and sister, but -it was at Virginia’s side that the lad was soon riding. - -The old ranch house which they were approaching (and which Mr. Wente -had purchased from the Dartleys), was one of the most picturesque on -the desert. It was a large Spanish adobe built around an inner court -over which were hanging balconies. The windows were barred; wide -verandas surrounded it on all sides, and each room had a door -opening thereon. A clump of cottonwood trees grew around a -water-hole in the door-yard. The house was very old and in some -places the adobe walls were crumbling. - -Mr. Dartley had been too poor to repair it, and Peyton, since he had -acquired it, had been too much occupied with the cattle he had -purchased to attend to renovating the house. - -“What a wonderful old place it is,” Virginia said as she smiled at -the lad. - -“It looks wonderful to me,” he replied, “because I keep hoping that -someday it will be your home as well as mine.” - -Before the girl could reply, Babs galloped up alongside. “Oh Virg,” -she said with sparkling eyes. “I just know I’m going to love this -old place. If only there were blossoming vines climbing over the -veranda, wouldn’t it be beautiful?” - -It was hard for the maiden addressed to think of vines just then, -but she smilingly replied, “Yes, dear, I am sure they would. Your -well is never dry and anything will grow on the desert if it is well -watered.” - -“Oh Virg, are you making a pun?” Betsy Clossen called as she and -Margaret rode up within hearing. - -Virginia laughed as she gaily replied, “Maybe I am. I don’t feel -accountable just at this particular moment.” - -Peyton glanced at the flushed pretty face of the speaker and -wondered why Virginia seemed confused but he did not have another -moment alone with her for they were entering the door-yard where a -cowboy, apparently a Mexican of the better class, advanced to take -their ponies. - -“Who is your new acquisition, brother?” Barbara asked as she gazed -with interest at the graceful Mexican lad, who, having made almost -courtly salutations to the young ladies, had, without speaking, -turned and led the horses toward the corral. - -Peyton remonstrated. “Don’t you know enough about the ways of the -desert, little sister, not to ask who anyone is? I really am as -ignorant concerning the past of my faithful head rider Trujillo as -you are. He blew in one day last March—literally blew in! We were -having one of those terrible hurricanes which frequently visit us in -the spring. For the first time since I had acquired ‘The Three Cross -Ranch’ I was desperately dismal. The only capable cowboy I had, -departed to become overseer elsewhere, and I was left with the -shiftless Mexican peons who knowing my ignorance, took advantage of -it. Then, as though that were not trouble enough, a blinding -sandstorm came, and I feared my newly acquired herd would be driven -by it over into Mexico. It was in the midst of all this that I heard -a pounding on the front door. Opening it, I let in a whirl of wind -and sand and also this Mexican lad, Trujillo. - -“I was desperate for companionship just then, and, although he did -not speak English, he could understand my Spanish and I told him my -woes. When the tale was finished, the sandstorm had passed. Silently -the stranger arose. I believed that he was leaving without a word of -gratitude for the refreshment I had given him. I watched him mount -his weary horse and ride down to the bunk house. He called to the -peons and they gathered about him. I saw them bring him a fresh -mount and then they all rode away with him toward the South. I -thought dismally that perhaps he had come to take them away from me, -but, toward evening I heard them all returning. They had rounded up -my frightened, scattering herd, and, before dark, the cattle were -safe in the five-acre enclosure. Then the stranger came to say -adios, but I persuaded him to remain until morning and he is still -here.” - -“I believe there is a mystery about your Trujillo,” Betsy Clossen -said. “Wouldn’t it be interesting if we could find out what it is?” - -The other girls laughed. - -“Betsy is always on a still hunt for a mystery,” Babs told her -brother, as they walked toward the house. “We call her Detective -Betsy in school, but, as yet, she has never discovered one worth the -effort to unravel. School girls are not mysterious.” - -“Personally, I think one might find a mystery in this old house,” -Margaret said. “If walls had tongues as well as ears what -interesting stories it could tell.” - -Peyton led the way within, and the young people, standing in the -long living room which extended across the entire front of the -house, uttered varying exclamations of delight. - -“It’s just the sort of a room one sees on the screen when the home -of a Spanish Don is being pictured, isn’t it?” Margaret said. “The -original owners were Spanish, were they not?” - -“Yes,” Peyton replied, “Don Carlos Spinoza was a wealthy Spaniard, -who became a political outlaw during one of the frequent uprisings -in Mexico City. He remained in hiding with his family in the -mountains near here for some time and finally built this house. This -interesting old furniture belonged to him. Later, when his friends -were in power, he returned and rescued the family paintings and -other treasures from their home in Mexico. However, after a year or -two of isolation the Donna and their beautiful daughter became -discontented and yearned once more for the gay life to which they -had been accustomed. Don Carlos had many political enemies in -Mexico, and so he had no desire to return. At last he sold this -place for a small sum to Mr. Dartley and left for Spain.” - -“Mrs. Dartley did not appreciate this mahogany furniture,” Virginia -told them. “She often said she wished that she could make a bonfire -of it all and buy some nice, new chairs that didn’t have carvings to -catch the dust.” - -“But she could not because the old furniture and family paintings -were only left here temporarily, or so the story goes, but years -have passed and no one has returned to claim them.” - -Virginia smiled. “Poor Mrs. Dartley looked strangely out of place in -the midst of all this grandeur. She was a dear and ever so kind -hearted, but I often thought that the Dons and Donnas looking down -from the walls must have wondered what had happened and how they -chanced to be living with folk who dressed in gingham instead of -silk. But they didn’t see her often, for this room was usually left -in darkened solitude, for the Dartley family lived almost entirely -in the kitchen.” - -Suddenly Barbara inquired: “Betsy, why are you staring so hard at -the painting of that grand old Donna? Does the picture fascinate -you?” - -Betsy laughed at them over her shoulder. “You know I have an active -imagination,” she replied, “and so you will not be surprised to hear -me say that I believe I have met this fine lady somewhere.” - -“That would be impossible, my dear girl,” Margaret protested, “for -that Donna could not possibly be living now.” - -“I do believe that the lovely dark-eyed Senorita in this picture is -her daughter,” Virginia said, “and here she is again older and with -a little girl standing by her side and a beautiful dark-eyed baby -boy on her lap. It really is too bad that the descendants of the -Spinoza family cannot have these paintings in their gallery wherever -they are. In Spain, I suppose, as they have never been heard from -since they departed so long ago.” - -“Girls,” Babs said, “it is growing dusky in here, which reminds me -that the sun will soon set and that the beds are not made and that -I, for one, am ravenously hungry.” - -“Lead us to your culinary department, Peyton, and we will spread out -our picnic lunch. Good, here comes the cowboy, Trujillo. Now Betsy, -you begin solving the mystery, but don’t let the poor lad know that -you are trying to unravel him,” Virginia cautioned, as they entered -the more modern kitchen which, since it faced toward the west, was -bright with the late afternoon sunshine. At one end was the great -black range, which had been the pride of the good housekeeper, who -so recently lived there. - -Across the other end was the long dining table and near the windows -were plain wooden rockers which Mrs. Dartley had made comfortable -with soft cushioned seats, covered with bright colored materials, -for this had been the home part of the house for her little family. - -The solemn grandeur of the other rooms had depressed the rancher’s -wife and she once confided to Virginia that the life-sized portraits -hanging around the walls gave her the shivers. “Those painted folks -all have beady black eyes and they watch every move I make,” she had -said. “It doesn’t matter which part of the room I walk to, their -eyes turn and keep a spyin’ at me. It’s too spooky a place to live -in. I don’t step a foot in that room, month in and month out, if I -can help myself.” - -It was partly because of this uncanny closed room that Mrs. Dartley -had been so eager to have her husband sell the Three Cross Ranch -that she might return to the Middle-West and to the farmer folk -whose pleasant houses were all furnished in the simple way that she -liked. - -During the evening meal, Peyton asked many questions of the girls -concerning their year at school. Margaret, Virginia and Babs -chattered of one thing and another. Suddenly Virg, wondered why the -usually loquacious Betsy Clossen was keeping so still. She looked -across the table and saw that the would-be young detective seemed to -be deep in thought. Now and then she would glance at the Mexican -cowboy who sat opposite. Since he did not understand the English -language, the girls did not attempt to converse with him, although -Peyton frequently addressed Trujillo in Spanish. - -Virg smiled to herself, for she guessed, and rightly, that Betsy was -trying to imagine a mystery about the really good-looking, dark -young stranger—that she might solve it. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI—A MYSTERIOUS ROOM - - -The boys went down to the corral after supper and the girls being -left alone decided to see what the long darkened front room looked -like at night. - -Virg, in the lead, was carrying a burning candle. - -“Leave the kitchen door standing open until we have lighted one of -these hanging lamps,” she said. - -Babs did this and they had advanced to the middle of the room when a -breeze from somewhere swept through, blew out the tiny flame on the -candle and closed the kitchen door with a bang. Babs uttered a -shrill scream. - -“Be still girls,” Virg said in her calm voice. “There is nothing to -be afraid of even if we are in the dark. Now all of you stand here -where you are. I know this house better than any of the rest of you -and so I will grope my way back and reopen the kitchen door.” - -Betsy Clossen’s detective instinct was on the alert. She seized Virg -by the arm as she whispered, “There’s something queer about this. -The light in the kitchen must also have been put out, otherwise we -would see it shining under the door, wouldn’t we?” - -“I should think so,” Virg said slowly as she paused, then she added, -“even so, I will investigate. The boys are near. If we are -frightened, we will call them.” - -She groped her way toward the wall, where she believed she would -find the kitchen door. “Good!” she told the waiting group. “Here it -is.” But, when she turned the knob, the door would not open. She -pushed and pulled, but all to no effect. - -“Please call Peyton,” Megsy implored. “I have the chilly shivers -going up and down my spine. I just know this house is haunted and -that the haunt is angry because we came, and wishes to scare us -away.” - -“Girls,” Betsy Clossen said in a low voice, “I believe that I -understand it all. It’s that mysterious Trujillo. He has some object -in living here, I’ll wager, and he fears that this object, whatever -it is, will be defeated if so many girls are around to watch him, -and so he is trying to scare us away. Well, I for one shall stay.” - -Virginia’s laugh from out of the dark sounded merry and natural. -Then, just at that moment, having found the right knob, she opened -the kitchen door and a flood of light from the big lamp fell upon -the huddled group. - -Margaret and Babs darted for the home-like kitchen as though it were -a harbor of safety but Betsy Clossen remained in the darkness. -“Virg,” she called, “let the other girls stay there and you bring -one of the small lamps that won’t blow out easily and let’s look -around and see where the wind came in that blew out the candle and -slammed the door.” - -“Don’t think that we feel offended, Betsy,” Margaret called as she -sank down in a big comfortable kitchen rocker. “I have no yearning -to unravel mysteries. You and Virg may have all of the honor and all -of the shivers.” - -“Ditto!” Babs said as she sat in another of the rockers and drew it -closer to the stove. Virginia having found a lantern, lighted it and -again entered the long silent front room. Having closed the kitchen -door, she turned to speak to Betsy, but, to her surprise, the other -girl was nowhere to be seen. - -Believing that her friend had hidden, just to mystify her, Virginia -went about the room holding her lantern high and peering behind the -big, heavily-carved mahogany furniture. At first she was in no way -alarmed, but, when each nook and corner had been searched, she stood -still, troubled indeed. She had not wanted to call the name of her -friend for she knew that the two more timid girls in the kitchen -would hear and become alarmed, but, at last, there being no other -alternative she said, “Betsy, where are you?” Then she stood -listening, but the moaning of the wind down the chimney was the only -sound that she could hear. - -What could have become of Betsy? Perhaps she had stepped out of the -front door and was hiding on the porch, but, when Virg turned to -look, she saw that the heavy wooden doors were barred on the inside. - -The usually calm Virginia was becoming troubled and she was indeed -glad to hear Peyton entering the kitchen. She would have to tell -them all now, and have them join in the search for Betsy who had so -mysteriously disappeared. - -“Virg, what is the matter? You look as though you had seen a ghost,” -Megsy exclaimed, as she sprang up from her comfortable rocker when -she saw Virginia returning from the dark, silent front room. - -Peyton had just entered the kitchen. Having blown the light out in -his lantern, he was hanging it on its peg, but upon hearing -Margaret’s startled exclamation, he whirled and looked at Virg. He -noted that she was very pale and seemed greatly agitated. - -This was indeed unusual, for as long as he had known this calm girl, -she had been mistress of every situation that had arisen. He took a -quick step toward her, fearing that she would faint. - -Babs, too, had risen. Virg spoke almost incoherently: “Betsy, she’s -lost—disappeared,” she told them. - -Peyton protested in amazement. “But Virg, how could Betsy be lost. -She has been right here in the house all of the time, hasn’t she?” - -Then Virg told the lad just what had happened. - -“I do not wonder that Trujillo has aroused Betsy’s curiosity,” -Peyton remarked. “For that matter, if it were not the custom of the -desert to ask no questions, I believe that I, myself, would be -tempted to ask him who he really is and from whence he came. He is -greatly the superior of the Mexican peons that I have working here -and they obey his slightest word as though they too recognized his -superiority. He seems content to be my foreman, for he has said -nothing about leaving. In fact he seldom speaks. He replies -graciously in perfect Spanish when I address him, but says almost -nothing of his own accord. But Virg, what has all this to do with -Betsy? How can she have disappeared?” - -“It certainly is mysterious,” that maiden replied. “Not ten minutes -ago we were all in the front room. Betsy said that she wanted to see -what it would look like when those queer hanging lamps were -lighted.” - -“I said we ought not to go,” Babs interrupted, tremulously, “and -now, if anything has happened to Betsy we’ll—” - -“Why, sister, nothing could happen to her right here in our own -house,” Peyton declared in a tone of conviction. Then to Virg, he -added: “Please tell me the rest of your story.” - -“As Babs says, she and Megsy were in favor of remaining in the -well-lighted and far more comfortable kitchen, but Betsy begged and -so we all went with her, carrying only a lighted candle. We had not -gone far into the room when the door closed with a bang and the -flame on the candle went out, although I did not feel a stir of -wind. Of course we returned to the kitchen, all but Betsy. She -suggested that the other girls stay by the stove and that I return -to her with a lighted lantern. I was not away from her five minutes, -but when I went back Betsy was not standing where I had left her, -and where she had promised to remain. I supposed that she was hiding -somewhere, and so I held the lantern high and looked behind all of -those massive pieces of carved furniture, but I could not find her. -Then I called her name, softly, but there was no reply. By that time -I was truly frightened and when I heard you returning, I came at -once to ask you to join me in searching for her.” - -Peyton looked more puzzled than troubled. “Virg,” he said, “if this -were a tale in a story-book, we might think that Betsy had fallen -through a trap-door, but surely there is nothing of that sort in -this old ranch house, even though it was built—” he paused and -snapped his fingers. “Hum!” he exclaimed, “the plot thickens. Come -to think of it, this house was built by an old Spanish Don who was a -political outlaw from Mexico. For months he hid in the mountains -with his wife, children and servants. Then, when he believed that he -had evaded his pursuers, his peons built this adobe house and so it -is very possible that he might have built some sort of trap-door -through which they could all quickly disappear and evade capture. -Come,” he added, as he swung open the door into the dark, silent -front room, “we’ll make a thorough search but I still feel convinced -that your Detective Betsy is hiding to tease.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII—WHERE BETSY WAS HIDING - - -But the searchers were soon convinced that Betsy was not hiding to -tease. Peyton lighted all of the heavy brass hanging lamps but they -did little to illumine the long, dark room. Indeed, their dim light -made the corners darker and more ghostly than they had been before. -Each girl was carrying a lantern and the room was searched more -thoroughly than it had been by Virginia alone. - -“Perhaps Betsy climbed out of a window and is hiding out doors,” -Babs suggested. - -“That would be an impossible feat,” Peyton replied, “for, in common -with all Spanish houses, these windows are barred.” - -As he spoke the lad turned and walked toward the fireplace. He -looked into its cavernous opening and carefully examined the walls -and chimney. Turning back into the room, Peyton met Virginia and -they exchanged discouraged glances. “I simply cannot understand it,” -the boy said in a low tone. - -Before Virginia could reply, a startled cry rang out. They both -whirled, expecting to see Betsy, but instead it was Babs who was -gazing at one of the barred windows as though she had seen the ghost -about which she had been talking. - -Peyton leaped to her side. “Barbara,” he said, “why are you staring -at the window in that wild way? I can see nothing.” - -“No, you can’t now,” the girl replied. “It is gone—the face—” - -“I believe that mischievous Betsy Clossen is outside peering in at -us and laughing to think how she is fooling us all,” Virginia said -in almost a natural tone. “I know her of old. She loves to tease.” - -But Babs shook her head as she continued to gaze at the barred -window. - -“It wasn’t Betsy,” she whispered. “It was a dark face. I think -Trujillo.” - -“Girls, you come back to the kitchen,” Peyton said, “and bar the -door after me. I am going to see if Betsy Clossen is really hiding -outside. If she is the kind of a girl who would cause you all this -concern just to play a prank, I think you would better send her back -East when she is found.” - -“I, too, thought at first that she was hiding to tease,” Margaret -said, “but Betsy really has good common-sense and she would not -continue to frighten us in this way. Now, I am sure that something -has happened to her.” - -Peyton was much more troubled than he wished the girls to know. It -was his house and they were his guests, and his sister’s. Too, he -had been quietly watching his new Mexican overseer for the past few -weeks, as some of his actions seemed very strange. - -Then Peyton left the kitchen. - -“Oh, how I do wish this mystery was solved,” Margaret declared as -she sank down in a rocker, her eyes watching the closed door leading -into the front room, but almost instantly she was on her feet again -clutching Virginia’s arm. - -“Look! Quick!” she whispered. “Didn’t the door open a crack?” - -Virginia laughed. “No, no, child,” she replied. “Don’t let your -imagination run riot. I am sure there is some perfectly natural -commonplace reason for Betsy’s disappearance. You girls know -perfectly well that there is no such thing as a ghost. You hear -stories about them but you never met a single person who ever saw -one.” - -Then they were silent, just waiting, they knew not for what. - -In the meantime Peyton had gone down to the bunk-house. - -The lad knew that the girl could not have left the room by any of -the exits known to him. The front door had been heavily barricaded -by the Spanish Don on the inside and as Peyton did not use that -room, he had not opened the massive wooden doors. The windows were -barred and the only door of which he had knowledge was the one -leading into the kitchen. Suddenly he recalled that there was -another door but he had found it locked, with no key in evidence, -and believing it led into a store room of some kind, he had thought -little of it. - -When Babs had cried out that she had seen a face peering in at one -of the barred windows, a dark face that looked like Trujillo’s, -Peyton had determined to go at once to the bunk-house and find out -the whereabouts of his head rider. - -There was a very long adobe building in which the ten peons lived -together. Not far from it was one small solitary adobe which had -been built for the overseer of the Three Cross Ranch. It was in this -that Trujillo slept, although he took his meals with Peyton at the -big house. The owner of the ranch felt that this was a courtesy due -his head rider, and, moreover Trujillo had served him well by saving -his cattle on the day of his first appearance in the wild March -blizzard. - -As he thought of these things, he rebuked himself for having doubted -the loyalty of his Mexican cowboy in whom he had so much faith that -he had placed him in charge of the entire ranch, and yet, try as he -might to banish it, he could not but agree with Betsy that there was -something very mysterious about Trujillo. - -The long adobe was lighted and the Mexicans squatting on the floor -were intent on a game which they played every evening. - -Peyton quietly passed the open door and did not attract their -attention. He went at once to the overseer’s adobe dwelling. It was -dark. The door was standing open and in the faint light of the -rising moon, Peyton could see that the single room was unoccupied. - -“Trujillo,” he said softly, but there was no response. - -Peyton, troubled indeed, turned back toward the ranch house. He did -not inquire of the peons the whereabouts of Trujillo, for the -overseer never associated with his helpers although he treated them -kindly. - -What should he do? What could he do? The lad was thinking as he -again ascended the steps and entered the kitchen door. It was then -that he heard a crash followed by a shrill cry in the front room. - -Instantly the girls were on their feet and they were all staring at -the closed door when it burst open and Betsy Clossen rushed in. Her -face was very pale and she was so excited that at first she could -not speak. - -“Betsy, is it really you?” Barbara exclaimed joyfully as she caught -her friend in her arms. - -“I’m not sure certain it is, myself,” Betsy replied as she sank down -in a rocker. “I’ve had the most exciting experience.” - -The others gathered about her. “Do tell us just what happened,” -Virginia said. - -“Well, when you left me standing alone in the dark room, I happened -to take a step backward and that caused me to sit down very suddenly -in a big mahogany chair. I caught at the arms and I must have pushed -a button that was part of the carving. Instantly I realized that I -was slowly sinking, although it was so dark I could not tell just -what was happening. The floor seemed to have opened under me and -very quietly and easily the chair was descending like an elevator. -At last I was convinced that I had been let down through a -trap-door. I could hear it closing above me. I found myself in a -dark room. I didn’t dare leave the chair, however, so there I sat, -shouting lustily for help, but I could not make you hear. I must -have been there an hour when I decided that I would experiment with -the chair. I thought that if by pushing one knob I had caused it to -descend into the cellar-like room, there must be another knob that -would lift it again. At last I found such a contrivance, pushed it -and slowly the chair ascended. I gave a cry of joy when I was once -more in the front room, I sprang from the chair, knocking over a -small table which fell with a crash and here I am. Now that it’s all -over, I am glad that it happened. What an exciting experience it -will be to tell Cousin Bob.” - -“And so you see, girls, the mysterious Trujillo had nothing to do -with it,” Virginia said. - -Peyton, however, remembering the unoccupied bunk-house of the -overseer was still troubled, but a moment later his fears concerning -the loyalty of his cowboy were set at rest. The galloping of a -horse’s feet was heard and then a hallooing. Peyton swung open the -door and Trujillo stood there. - -Rapidly in Spanish he told the other lad that one of the peons had -reported early in the evening that a yearling had fallen into a -water-hole and that together they had departed to endeavor to rescue -it. Luckily there was but little water in the hole and the young -cow, though greatly frightened, was unhurt and they had brought it -back to keep for a few days in the hospital corral. - -This was all so commonplace that it restored the girls to a more -normal state of mind and Peyton rebuked himself for having doubted -his head rider who was ever serving him so faithfully. - -“Now, let’s go to bed, girls, and forget all that has happened. We -are quite used to elevators and since we know that the Don, who -built this house, needed some way to hide quickly from his pursuers, -we can easily understand his descending chair. Tomorrow I intend to -take a ride in it.” - -Virginia’s matter of fact tone calmed the younger and more nervous -girls and soon they retired. - -The recent owners of the Three Cross Ranch had built a wing leading -from the kitchen. This contained two simply furnished bedrooms which -the four girls were to occupy. - -Betsy Clossen was the last to fall asleep. She kept wondering where -she had seen Trujillo before. Nowhere, that she could remember, and -yet, if not, why did she seem to be haunted with the idea that she -had seen him. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII—AN ELEVATOR CHAIR - - -The next day the girls were awakened by the sun shining in at their -open windows; young calves in the near corral were calling to their -mothers and the hens in the chicken yard at the back of the house -were cheerily clucking as they busily scratched for their breakfast. - -This was all so commonplace that the girls arose, laughing as they -spoke of their fears of the night before. As soon as their morning -meal had been finished, Betsy Clossen wished to visit the scene of -her recent adventure, and so all together they entered the dark, -silent front room. - -There were heavy wooden blinds on all of the windows except the one -through which Babs on the night before had seen a dusky face -peering. - -“Girls,” the little mistress of the Three Cross Ranch exclaimed, -“since this is to be my home, I am going to frighten away the ghost -by letting in the sunshine. Virg, will you help me unbar these -wooden blinds?” - -Willing hands assisted and soon the sunshine was flooding in, -revealing the wonderful old mahogany furniture. There was dust deep -in each of the carvings, while long deserted cobwebs stretched -across corners and they, too, were dust laden. - -“It is all very fine, I’ve no doubt,” Babs began, as, with arms -akimbo she looked about at her new possessions, “but I certainly do -wish that the Spanish Don to whom all this grandeur belongs would -return and claim it. I’m like Mrs. Hartley, I would just love to -have this long, big room furnished in the cozy, comfortable way to -which I am accustomed.” - -“Well, I certainly would take those paintings down from the wall,” -Margaret declared with a shudder. “I would rather have any number of -ghosts than those foreign folks watching every move I made. Honest -Injun, they give me the chilly shivers staring at one the way they -do.” - -Virginia laughed. “Where’s Betsy Clossen?” she suddenly inquired. - -While the other girls had been busy removing the wooden blinds, that -maiden had been experimenting with her “elevator” chair. As Virg -spoke, the girls heard a gay shout and turned in time to see Betsy’s -head disappearing below the floor. They ran in that direction and -reached the spot just as the trap-door closed and snapped into -place. - -Babs shook her finger at the spot as she declared: “Mysterious -chair, this is the very last day that you will operate. I’m going to -make this wonderful long room livable and I surely don’t want chairs -that will carry some unsuspecting guest down to the cellar.” - -Margaret laughed merrily. - -“Wouldn’t it be amusing, though, if one did have a solemn, serious -caller, a deacon or someone like that, who happened to sit on this -chair and suddenly disappear? You had better keep it, Babs, it may -come in handy.” - -But the little housekeeper vigorously shook her head. “No, my mind -is made up once for all. Every bit of this foreign furniture is -going to be stored in an outhouse until the rightful owner claims -it, and I am going to Douglas when you girls return to V. M. Ranch -and buy just the things that I would enjoy having.” - -“I wonder why Betsy doesn’t come back,” Margaret remarked. She had -been intently watching the trap door to see what would happen next. - -The three girls knelt and called in chorus: “Betsy! Are you down -there? Why don’t you bring the elevator chair up again?” There was -no reply. Not a sound from below could they hear. The girls tried to -open the trap-door, but the contrivance that secured it was -underneath the floor. - -“What if the machinery doesn’t work?” Margaret said, looking up in -sudden dismay, “Betsy might smother down there.” - -“Who is talking about me?” a merry voice called. The astonished -girls sprang to their feet and whirled around. There was the -laughing Betsy standing back of them. - -The other three crowded about. “Did you make any new discoveries? -Tell us what happened!” - -“Well, when I reached the cellar,” Betsy began, “I hunted about to -find the other knob, the one that would lift me again to this room, -but lo and behold, it appeared to have lost its magic. I pulled on -it and pushed, but the chair did not move. I could hear you calling -to me, although your voices sounded faint and far. I replied but I -was sure that you could not hear. Then I sat for a few moments -thinking what I ought to do next. Of course I knew that you would -soon call for help if I did not return and that Peyton would break -open the trap. When my eyes became accustomed to the darkness, I -thought I saw a door at the far side of the room. Groping my way -toward it, I found that it opened easily. Just beyond was a spiral -stairway which I ascended. At the top was another door, but it was -locked. I was about to pound upon it, when I happened to touch a key -which I turned and here I am.” - -“Oh!” Virginia exclaimed. “I remember that door. It is the one I -tried to open last night when the candle blew out, but I found it -locked. Peyton said he supposed that it led into a store room but he -had never been curious enough about the matter to investigate.” - -Babs was opening the windows, letting in the cool morning breeze. -“I’m going to ask Peyton if we can’t have these bars removed,” she -declared as she stood peering through them. “I feel as though I were -in a jail looking out between bars this way.” Suddenly she uttered -an exclamation which took all of the girls hurrying to her side. - -“What is it, Babs? What do you see? Why are you staring so intently -at the ground?” were the questions hurled at her. Babs whirled about -and faced them, her eyes wide with excitement. “This is the window -through which I saw a Mexican last night peering in at us,” she -said. - -The others nodded. “You all laughed at me and declared that I was -letting my imagination run riot.” Then she added, exultingly, -“Follow me, young ladies, and you will discover that I, too, am a -very fine detective.” - -Much mystified, the girls trooped out of the kitchen door and around -the house. Babs, in the lead, stopped and picked up something from -the ground not far from the barred window. Turning she held aloft a -peculiarly shaped key. - -“This probably will solve the mystery for us,” she declared. “Good, -there is Peyton. Hail him, Betsy, will you?” - -The lad mounted, was about to start with several peons for the -valley pasture when he heard the girls calling. Whirling his horse -and bidding the Mexicans wait his return, he galloped up. -Dismounting, he asked Babs what was wanted of him. He listened to -her story, almost believing that she had been imaginative until she -produced the strangely shaped key as evidence that some one had been -there. - -“Brother, did you ever see that key before?” Babs eagerly inquired. - -The lad nodded. “Yes,” he replied. “I saw it lying on Trujillo’s bed -yesterday morning when I went to his bunk early to ask his advice -before beginning the work of the day. I picked up the key at the -time and examined it because of its queer shape, but I made no -comment as the matter I had called to discuss was much more -important. However, I cannot believe that my trusted overseer would -spy upon the actions of my sister and her guests. There must be some -other solution of this mystery,” he said. Then he added: “Please say -nothing concerning it and I will try to find out the truth about the -whole matter.” - -Peyton slipped the key into one of his coat pockets and lifting his -hat to the girls he rode away. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX—THE GIRL DETECTIVE - - -Betsy Clossen in her role of young detective watched for an -opportunity to slip away from the others as she wished to think out -some plan by which she might be able to discover the real identity -of the mysterious Mexican, Trujillo. - -When Peyton had said that he had seen the oddly shaped key only the -morning before in the bunkhouse of his overseer, Betsy was more than -ever convinced that Trujillo’s presence on the Three Cross ranch was -not merely because he needed employment. And yet what could he want? -Peyton had no money on the place. Betsy had heard him tell his -sister only the night before that he would have to ride to Douglas -the following day to visit the bank and procure the money he would -need to pay the peons for a month’s work. - -There were no treasures in the old Spanish house that Trujillo could -wish to possess. The mahogany furniture was valuable, no doubt, but -much too heavy for anyone to spirit away, and the only other -possible treasures in the room which Babs called haunted were the -paintings of the family of Don Carlos Spinoza. Surely no one would -wish to steal those. In fact if any one did, Babs would gladly -assist them, so eager was she to remove from the walls of her new -home the life-sized portraits of those “foreigners.” - -“I don’t believe I’m a very good detective after all,” Betsy sighed. -“I don’t seem to hit upon the right clue to start from,” she thought -as she followed a trail leading, she did not notice where, so -intently was she thinking and gazing at the ground. - -“I have three main facts to work with,” she told herself. “The first -is that Trujillo is mysterious, even Peyton thinks that. The second -is the dark face that peered through the barred window last night -when the girls were searching for me and the third is that the -person who peered dropped an oddly shaped key which Peyton had seen -in the room of his overseer. - -“The conclusion to be drawn is that Trujillo is remaining at the -Three Cross ranch, not because of the remuneration he receives, but -in order to obtain some information, since there is nothing valuable -to carry away.” - -“Three Cross,” she repeated to herself. “That surely is a queer name -for a cattle ranch. Oh, I remember now! Peyton said that old Don -Carlos was very religious, and that somewhere on the place he had -erected a shrine on which were three crosses and that he went there -to implore protection from his pursuing political enemies. I must -ask Babs where—” Betsy suddenly paused and looked about her. She -saw that the trail she had been following seemed to end abruptly in -a lonely sheltered hollow among sand hills. In front of the girl -stood an old shrine above which were three wooden crosses. One had -fallen to the ground, another leaned far over, but the center one -was erect and seemed to be more firmly established in the sand than -the other two had been. - -Betsy stood looking around, awed by the loneliness of the place, -when suddenly, through the stillness there arose a long-drawn-out -wail. With a startled cry the girl turned and fled. She ran back -over the trail as she had never run before. - -When she felt that she was a safe distance away she turned and -looked back, almost believing that she would see some ghostly figure -pursuing her. Standing on the top of a sand hill, its lean length -silhouetted against the bright sky, she saw a lone coyote. She -shuddered and looked back again, but at last she was convinced that -the wolf of the desert had no intention of following her but had -departed for some other haunt. - -Slowing her pace, Betsy soliloquized: “Well, I discovered something, -even though it may have nothing to do with unraveling the mystery. -Now let me see, where did I leave off? Oh, yes; I had decided that -Trujillo is staying on this ranch for some reason other than that of -employment, and yet it cannot be to steal, for there is nothing on -the place that one would want, and—” Suddenly Betsy stood still and -stared into space, thinking intently. Then she laughed. “I’m a great -detective, I must say. I haven’t given a moment’s thought to the -most important clue of all—the key! Trujillo must think there is -something around here to unlock, otherwise why did he have the key?” -The overseer had arrived in a March blizzard, she had heard Peyton -tell, without box or baggage of any kind, nor had he obtained any -since his arrival. - -“Hum,” thought the would-be detective. “I see it all now. There is a -treasure hidden at the house, probably in the front room which has -always been kept closed, and Trujillo had planned that night to slip -in, unobserved, but having seen a light in the room, he had first -peered through the window and had then beat a hasty retreat. Hurray -for me!” Betsy concluded exultingly. “The mystery is solved. I do -believe.” - -She was nearing the house and she saw the girls on the porch -beckoning to her. - -“Where have you been? Lunch is ready,” Margaret called. - -“Oh, just for a walk,” was Betsy’s non-committal reply. She had -decided to say nothing of her discovery until she had had time to -look around a little more all by herself. But the would-be detective -was to hear something that noon which convinced her that she was -following the wrong clue. - - - - -CHAPTER XX—A QUEER KEY - - -The girls were seated about the table at one end of the big -comfortable kitchen and, it being Margaret’s turn to play waitress, -she was passing a dish of frijolies when they heard a horse -galloping under the windows. “Peyton has returned just in time,” -Megsy announced, but, when the door opened, it was Trujillo who -appeared. He seemed to be much excited, but what he said caused a -great deal more excitement among his listeners, for in perfectly -good English he inquired: - -“Senoritas, have you seen an oddly shaped key? It is an antique and -of great value to me, though to no one else. I left it in my -bunk-house yesterday morning. I recall having seen your brother,” -turning to address the astonished Barbara, “when he picked it up and -examined it. Since then I have given the key no thought, but a -moment ago, chancing to look for it, I could not find it. Believing -that Senor Peyton, without thought had slipped it into his pocket, I -came here in search of him.” - -Barbara cast a helpless glance at the ever calm Virginia, who -replied: “Trujillo, the key about which you speak, is, I am sure, -the one that we found close to the house early this morning. We gave -it to Peyton. He is spending the day at the valley pasture directing -the mending of the fence around the grass lands.” - -“I thank you, Senorita,” the tall dark lad said, sweeping his -sombrero in a courtly manner. - -When he was gone in search of his employer, the girls sank back in -the chairs from which they had risen, and, one and all uttered some -characteristic exclamation. - -“Silver fishes in a shining sea,” Betsy Clossen said, and although -the remark could mean nothing, it was evident that the speaker meant -a great deal. “I surely am a wonderful detective,” she declared. -“Every clue I thought I had has vanished.” Then turning to Babs, she -added: “Didn’t you tell us that Trujillo could not speak English?” - -That maiden looked puzzled. “I don’t seem to recall why I thought he -couldn’t,” she confessed. “Probably because he never did in all the -time he has been here.” - -Virginia smiled: “We haven’t been here two days as yet,” she -reminded them, “and we have made no effort to converse with -Trujillo. We just took it for granted he wouldn’t understand us. -Well, one thing is certain and that is that Trujillo did not peer in -the window nor drop the key and I am glad that he didn’t. Everything -Peyton has told us about him has been so fine and noble, I would be -sorry to discover that he was a spy.” - -“Hark! What was that?” Virginia had risen and was listening, -intently. There was the sound of something heavy falling in the -front room, then a hurrying of feet and the slamming of a door. - -Virginia fearlessly entered the room which was flooded with -sunlight, since the blinds had been removed. She went at once to the -door opening upon the spiral stairway. It was unlocked early that -morning. The other girls had cautiously followed and were searching -for the something which had fallen. “There it is,” Margaret -whispered, pointing. - -The something that had fallen with a crash proved to be a rock which -had been pried out of the wall of the fireplace. - -“Oh, girls,” Betsy said, her eyes glowing. “We’re on the trail of -whoever it was peered in last night. There is something in this room -that he wants. Of course we have decided definitely that it wasn’t -Trujillo, and—” - -“I’m not so sure of that.” It was the quiet Margaret who spoke and -the others turned toward her. - -“Not sure? Why of course we’re sure. If he had dropped the key, he -wouldn’t have to ask where it had been lost, would he?” Babs -inquired. - -“Oh, I know what Margaret means,” Betsy interrupted. “She thinks -that in order to throw suspicion away from himself, he would pretend -ignorance of the whereabouts of the key. Then, when we directed him -to the valley pasture, what could be simpler than for him to pretend -to go there, but in reality to wheel back when he was out of our -sight and return to procure whatever it is that he seems to want.” - -The girls had returned to the kitchen and were huddled as far from -the front room as they could get and were whispering together -excitedly. - -“Well,” Betsy confessed. “I’ve always wanted a mystery to unravel, -but I seem doomed to failure now that I really have one. It grows -more mysterious every minute.” - -Margaret had to laugh at her friend’s dismal expression. “Betsy,” -she said to tease, “I’ll dare you to ride down to the cellar room in -your elevator chair and see who is hiding there. Someone must be, -for he just went down the spiral stairs and locked the door behind -him.” - -The would-be detective shook her head. “I told you this morning that -the machinery is broken. That chair is doomed to remain in the -cellar.” - -To verify her statement, Betsy drew the reluctant Margaret toward -the door, opened it cautiously and peered into the front room. Then -she closed it with a bang, and turned a pale face toward the girls. -“The chair—it’s in its right place. Someone has ridden up in it and -must be hiding in the front room. How I wish Peyton would come. I -for one have had enough mystery to last for a lifetime.” - -“Here comes brother, and someone is riding at his side. I declare, -it’s Trujillo, and so the intruder must be someone else. I do wish -they would hurry. I’m expecting any minute that something is going -to happen,” Babs declared. - -Margaret, who had opened the door leading to the back porch, uttered -an exclamation of astonishment, then, turning she beckoned as she -said: “Come, quick! Something is happening right this minute.” - -What the girls, crowding into the open doorway, saw was the figure -of a peon crouching and creeping along behind a hedge of mesquite -bushes. He kept watching the trail down which he saw Peyton and -Trujillo descending, and, when they were close to him, he lay flat -on the sand burrowing as deep as he could in his endeavor to escape -detection. - -The riders, deeply engrossed in their conversation, were not looking -in that direction, and when Margaret saw that they were riding past -the mesquite clump without seeing the hiding peon, she ran out on -the porch and hallooed to them, making frantic motions. These might -not have been understood by the two riders, but the ignorant and -greatly frightened Mexican, believing that his hiding place was -being revealed, took to his feet and raced for the sand hills. -Peyton and Trujillo, seeing him, wheeled their horses and galloped -in pursuit, and he was quickly overtaken. - -“It is Pinez, whom we recently engaged.” Trujillo said in English, -which the peon could not understand. “I have been watching him for -several days. Last week I sent him to town for my mail and I was -convinced that one of my letters was being withheld from me.” Then -turning to the sullen peon, he asked: “Pinez, why were you hiding? -Have you a letter that belongs to me?” - -“Si, Senor,” was the reply, and from his pocket the Mexican drew an -envelope, much soiled from frequent handling. - -Trujillo’s face brightened. “It is for this that I have been -waiting,” was his remark, which greatly mystified Peyton, but he -made no comment. - -Then the overseer addressed the peon in Spanish, saying: “Pinez, you -are dismissed. Return to Sonora but say nothing of the content of -this letter.” - -The peon’s manner was deferential in the extreme. Turning, he walked -toward the long bunk-house from which, half an hour later, the girls -saw him ride away toward the South on the small, mottled horse on -which he had so recently arrived. - -All through lunch the two boys talked about the affairs of the ranch -as though nothing mysterious or unusual had happened. After the noon -meal was finished the overseer turned toward the little mistress of -Three Cross saying with frank pleasantness: “Senorita, I have heard -you speak of a front room that you call haunted. With your kind -permission, I would like to visit that room in your company.” - -Babs was too well bred to show the astonishment she certainly felt. -“Come, let us all go in there,” she replied, rising. - -Trujillo stepped aside with Peyton to permit Barbara and her girl -friends to enter. Betsy regretted that she had to go ahead as she -wished to watch the overseer’s every move, for she felt that now, if -ever, she would prove that she was really a good detective. She -believed that the moment for solving the mystery had come. - -Trujillo walked about, gazing especially at the life-sized portraits -upon the walls. Indeed he was so absorbed in one and another that he -seemed to quite forget their presence. - -He stood for a long time before the painting of a beautiful young -Spanish mother with a dark-eyed little girl on her lap and a tall, -handsome youth standing at her side. - -Trujillo, directly beneath this painting, turned and smiled at the -almost breathless girls. He was about to speak, but before he could -utter a word, there was a glad cry from Betsy Clossen. - -“I know now who you are,” she exclaimed glowingly. “You are the -little boy in that painting, grown up!” - -Trujillo bowed in his courtly way. “Si Senorita. I am Trujillo -Carlos Spinoza. Now I will tell you why I am here.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI—TRUJILLO IDENTIFIED - - -When Trujillo announced that he was indeed the lad portrayed in the -painting, now grown, Betsy Clossen was overjoyed that she had -unraveled the mystery as she had so desired. Notwithstanding the -fact that the Spanish youth closely resembled the portrait of the -boy in the picture hanging directly above his head, not one of the -other young people had observed this. - -“Oh, I am so glad!” Babs joyfully exclaimed. “Now you will take all -this furniture away, won’t you? Because it really belongs to your -family, you know. Mrs. Dartley said that Don Carlos Spinoza asked -permission to leave this room furnished, promising to remove -everything in it at his first opportunity. That being so long ago we -feared no one was ever coming to claim it.” - -Before the Spanish lad could reply, Peyton asked: “Trujillo, why did -you not tell me at once who you were?” - -“Merely because I did not know that I had reached the ranch which -had formerly belonged to my grandfather. I believed it to be miles -north of here. But, let me begin at the beginning of my story. When -we left this place years ago with my grandfather, Don Carlos -Spinoza, we all went to Spain, where we remained until recently. The -sudden death of my grandfather followed by a financial crash left my -mother, sister and me almost penniless. It was then that mother told -me that I, as the only living grandson, was really the owner of a -large estate in Mexico, which had been a gift to my ancestors from -the king of Spain and that this land grant could not be confiscated -nor sold except with the signed consent of the heir thereto. - -“When I inquired why they had left this rich heritage, for the -estate is in Sonora and the mines are of great value, mother told -me, for the first time, that we had been political exiles from -Mexico. However, she believed that the government had been -completely changed and that we might now return with safety and take -possession of the land of our fathers. Soon after this we set sail -for America, and my mother and sister are now in Mexico awaiting my -return.” - -“But Trujillo, even yet I do not understand the reason for your -sojourn here as my overseer,” Peyton said. - -The Spanish youth smiled. “No, but you will as I continue my story. -When we reached Mexico City we were welcomed by old friends of the -family, who informed us that soon after our flight our estate had -been confiscated and occupied by the political enemies of my -grandfather. On looking into the matter I found that this family had -papers proving, (or so it would seem), that the land grant had -really belonged to their ancestors and had been usurped by my great -grandfather. - -“It was evident that we could not disprove their claim, as we had no -papers whatever to show. Then it was that my mother recalled her -father’s futile effort on the day that he died to tell her of the -location of some very important papers. So overcome had she been -with grief that she had been unable to heed even the little he could -say, and so, when later she tried to recall what my grandfather had -endeavored to tell her, she could not. - -“It was then that I determined to ride across the desert, finding, -if I could, the ranch to which my grandfather had fled when he -became a political exile. I doubt if I would ever have found my way -here had it not been that I was driven far from the trail I was -following by the wild blizzard which you will recall. I at once -accepted your offer, partly because I needed money to send to my -mother, and also because I thought I might learn something which -would enable me to locate the ranch formerly belonging to my -grandfather. When you told me that you had recently come from the -East and had obtained the ranch from the Dartleys, in whose family -it had been for many years, I did not question you more, not -dreaming that this was the place for which I was searching. - -“The letter which Pinez was concealing was from my mother telling me -that she had suddenly recalled what her father had said in his last -hour. ‘The land grant—Three Cross.’ - -“Of course I had often heard you speak of this place as The Three -Cross Ranch and now, when I enter this room for the first time and -find myself surrounded with portraits of my family, I realize that -this is where the lost papers are to be found.” - -“Trujillo, why was Pinez searching for those papers?” It was -Margaret who spoke. The Spanish youth turned toward her as he -replied: “I believe his plan was to find them and then hold them -until I offered him a large reward.” Then smiling directly at Betsy, -he added: “Senorita, since you so cleverly discovered my identity, -will you not also discover for me the hiding place of my land -grant?” - -The little would-be detective felt greatly honored to be chosen as -aide to the handsome Spanish youth, and she determined to make every -effort to find the hidden papers. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII—SEARCHING FOR THE LAND GRANT - - -Betsy Clossen had hardly slept a wink the night following her -discovery of the real identity of the mysterious Trujillo. She kept -thinking and thinking of a possible hiding place for the lost papers -which, when found, would restore to the family of Don Carlos Spinoza -their rightful estate. - -“How I do hope I may be the one to find them,” was her last -conscious thought at night and her first on waking the next morning. - -It was not yet daybreak, but Betsy quietly arose, dressed and -tiptoed out of the room without having disturbed Margaret from her -peaceful slumber. - -Reaching the kitchen, Betsy stood for a moment trying to think where -she would begin her search. Then, suddenly, she remembered -something. The peon had been trying to pry the stones from the walls -of the great old fireplace. There might be a secret opening with a -stone fitted in to conceal it. Lighting a lantern, for it was still -dark, Betsy stole into the long silent front room, not without many -a tremor of fear, for, even now, when the mystery was nearly solved, -the place seemed haunted with the many foreign faces gazing down at -her from the walls. - -Trying not to look at them as they were revealed one by one in the -dim light of her lantern, Betsy went at once to the fireplace. She -did not attempt to pry out the stones, but tried to find one that -looked as though it had not been securely fastened and could easily -be removed. - -However, each stone within her reach was cemented to its neighbor, -and, convinced at last that her search at the fireplace was to be -unrewarded, she turned away. Walking to the center of the room, she -stood looking about, trying to recall all of the detective stories -she had ever read. - -There was always a secret panel in the wall which revealed a hidden -treasure if one could but find the spring, but these walls were -adobe and there were no panels. True, there was the small dark -cellar into which the elevator chair descended, and from which -spiral ascended, and yet, did she quite dare to go down in that -dungeon-like place alone while the rest of the household slept? -Betsy suddenly lifted her head and listened intently. She had heard -soft foot-steps approaching in the kitchen, then the door opened -cautiously. It was Margaret who appeared, pale and wide eyed. - -“What in the world are you doing here, Betsy?” she inquired, as she -advanced into the room. “I woke up and found you were gone. I -thought you might be walking in your sleep. You were so restless all -night and kept saying things.” - -“What did I say?” Betsy inquired curiously. - -“Nothing that made any sense as far as I could tell,” was the reply. -“You kept mumbling every now and then, but once you sat right up in -bed and said in the queerest voice: ‘Three crosses. That’s where the -papers are.’ I shook you and whispered, ‘Betsy, what are you -saying?’ but you lay down again and did not reply. Then I realized -that you had been asleep all of the time.” - -The eyes of the young would-be detective were glowing with sudden -inspiration. Seizing the wondering Margaret by the arm, she -exclaimed: “Come with me, Megsy!” and before the other girl could -realize what was happening, she was being dragged across the kitchen -and out of the house where the desert lay silent and uncanny in the -deepest darkness of the night, which comes just before the dawn. - -Margaret, being of a more timid nature, was truly frightened when -she saw that Betsy was dragging her farther and farther away from -the ranch house and toward the lonely sand hills. The truth of the -matter was that at any other time, Betsy would have been frightened -also, but at present she was possessed of just one idea which was -that the papers for which they were searching were hidden, in all -probability, at the Shrine of The Three Crosses. When Margaret told -her what she had said in her sleep, Betsy believed that the message -had come to her as an inspiration, and so sure was she of this, that -for the moment she had become unconscious of fear; too, she had -forgotten the lean, gaunt wolf of the desert, whose long drawn-out -wail had so startled her on the occasion of her last visit. - -“Betsy, let go of my arm,” Margaret managed to gasp, “and tell me -where we are going.” Then a terrible thought came to Megsy. What if -Betsy should be walking in her sleep after all, and what if she were -taking them both to some place where harm would befall them. So -convinced was Margaret that this was the real explanation of her -friend’s actions that she whirled about as soon as Betsy loosened -the clasp on her arm and raced back toward the ranch house. A light -appeared in the small adobe, then, as she was about to pass, the -door opened and Trujillo stepped out. In the grey light of the early -dawn, Margaret’s flying form was easily seen and the overseer, much -mystified by the appearance of one of the girls in such seemingly -terrorized flight, quickly overtook her. - -“Senorita,” he exclaimed when she turned a white face toward him. -“What is the matter? Where have you been? What have you seen?” - -“Oh, I am so glad you came,” Megsy replied. “I was going after -Peyton. Betsy Clossen is walking in her sleep. I just know that she -is, and she’ll come to some harm if we don’t bring her back. She -says the queerest things about lost papers being hidden at the -Shrine of The Three Crosses. I never heard of such a place. Did you, -Senor?” - -Trujillo replied in the negative. He had never heard the peons -mention a shrine and surely they would know if there were one. - -“Wait here, Senorita, I will get horses and we will follow your -friend.” - -When Margaret had deserted Betsy, for a moment the young would-be -detective felt a strong desire to turn and race after her, but she -would not permit herself to do this. She was so eager to find the -lost papers and she was more than ever convinced, as she thought -about the matter, that they were probably near the shrine. This had -been the daily haunt of the old Don who had prayed that his estate -might be restored to him. What would be more natural than that he -would conceal the papers there, believing, as he probably did, that -his political enemies when they found him would confiscate the -documents, making it impossible for him to prove that the land grant -had really belonged to his ancestors. - -As Betsy neared the lonely sand hills, she dreaded more and more the -moment when she would enter the sheltered dug-out where she had -found the shrine. She knew that, loud as she might call, no one -would hear. - -“Oh, I can’t go on! I can’t! I can’t” she exclaimed, her -fearlessness suddenly deserting her. Then it was that she heard -something weird indeed. - -In a voice that sounded almost like a mournful echo, some one was -calling. Then in her heart there was a sudden joyful realization of -the truth. Some one was shouting her name and the sand hills were -sending back the echo: “Betsy, where are you?” - -“Here! Here!” she replied as she ran out to meet the approaching -riders. Of course she might have known that Margaret would soon -return with one of the boys. - -She was glad to recognize that the other rider was Trujillo. As they -drew near, the Spanish youth saw that the girl standing alone near -the sand hills did not look as courageous as her fearless actions -had implied. Instead her face was pale, her eyes wide, although her -expression was one of gladness, because she was no longer alone. - -Betsy was not asleep, of that Trujillo was convinced. Leaping to the -ground, he exclaimed: “Senorita, what mad fancy brought you to this -lonely place before the dawning of the day?” - -“Oh, senor, the papers! I am sure, as sure as one can be when one -does not really know, that they are hidden somewhere near the Shrine -of the Three Crosses.” - -“Three Crosses?” Margaret repeated. “That is what you said in your -sleep.” - -“Where is the shrine, senorita?” Trujillo inquired. Betsy led the -way between the sand hills to the small dug-out in which were three -large wooden crosses. One had fallen to the sand, another leaned -over, but the third stood erect. Trujillo bared his head and knelt -upon the sand for a moment in prayer. The girls could understand -that the lad must indeed feel awed to find himself before the shrine -which had been so often visited by his grandfather, Don Carlos -Spinoza. He soon arose and when he turned toward them they knew that -he had been deeply affected. Then in a tone of conviction he said: - -“Senorita, your dream, I am sure, is to be fulfilled. My -grandfather’s last words were: ‘The land grant at the Three -Crosses.’ If he had meant at the Three Cross ranch, he would not -have used the plural.” - -Then Trujillo stood gazing about him, thinking intently. He was -trying to decide the probable hiding place of the document he -sought. Suddenly his thought was interrupted by an exclamation from -Betsy, the girl was gazing as though fascinated at the large wooden -cross standing erect between the two that had fallen. - -“Senor,” she said, “there must be some reason why that cross in the -center has stood while the others have not. It must have a firmer -foundation. Do you not think so?” - -“I do indeed,” was the reply of the youth, who at once knelt and -began digging at the base of the cross. The sand on top was soft, -but, as he advanced, he found that it became more difficult to -remove. The action of the rain and sun during the ten years since -the cross had been erected had hardened it until it was the nature -of sand stone. - -He arose. “Senorita Betsy,” he said, “our surmise was not correct -after all. There seems to be nothing holding this cross but the -hardened sand.” - -Betsy was keenly disappointed, although she was not entirely -convinced. Trujillo left the girls standing alone while he advanced -farther into the cave-like dug-out. It extended deeper into the sand -hills than he had at first supposed. He did not advance far, -however, but stopped suddenly and gazed intently into the interior, -and then, assuming an attitude of seeming indifference, he returned. -He did not wish to startle the girls by telling them that he had -seen two green eyes gleaming in the darkness at the back of the -cave. He believed the creature to be either a mountain lion or a -coyote, which of late had been killing the young calves. - -“Senoritas,” he said in a voice which did not betray his real -concern, “our friends at the ranch house will be troubled because we -do not return. The breakfast hour is long passed. I suggest that we -come here later in the day, bringing with us a pick and shovel that -we may make a thorough investigation.” - -As he spoke, he led the girls away from the crosses to the place -where the ponies were. - -“Promise me you won’t search for the papers unless I am with you,” -Betsy implored. The Spanish youth smiled at the pretty, flushed face -of the pleading girl, as he replied: “I promise, Senorita.” - -All that morning Betsy watched and waited. She almost lost faith in -the promise of Trujillo when, at last, she beheld him returning from -the sand hills, accompanied by Peyton, but when she saw that they -were armed with guns and did not carry a shovel or pick, she knew -that they had been on some other mission. - -Trujillo rode to the ranch house and entering the living room, he -said to the eager girl: “If you are ready, Senorita Betsy, we will -go at once.” - -Margaret and Virginia were busily employed in the kitchen, but they -glanced up when they heard the cantering of horses’ hoofs beneath -the window. - -“I wonder where Betsy and Trujillo are going,” Virg said. Margaret, -who had been sworn to secrecy, did not reply. - -“Oh, I presume they are still searching for the land grant papers,” -Megsy said. “I’d heaps rather be in this sunny, comfortable kitchen -making pies, wouldn’t you, Virg?” - -The older girl smiled. “Perhaps it is well that we have different -interests,” she replied. “Some of us like to do adventurous things -and some of us like to do the quiet, homely things, but I really -enjoy both the desert life and then home life.” Then she added, with -one of her radiant smiles: “I do believe, Megsy, that I am a natural -born enjoyer.” - -“You are indeed,” her friend responded, admiringly. “You always seem -so happy and contented, Virg, wherever you are. Tell me your -secret.” - -Virginia put her arm about Margaret and drew her down to the sunny -window-seat, as she replied: “Mother often told me that we ought to -let our lives blossom as a flower unfolds, just peacefully and -trustingly, enjoying the song of a bird, and the warmth of the sun -and whatever beauty is near us. Many people try to force their life -blossoms open and are so continually reaching for something beyond, -that they never really enjoy the loveliness that is near them and so -they become worried and weary. Every morning I ask myself: ‘What -happiness can I find and give _today_ in the place where I am? That -keeps me contented and happy.” Then springing up, she laughingly -added: “Yum! Doesn’t the pie smell good? I do hope everyone will be -here in time for lunch.” But it was long after the lunch hour before -Betsy and Trujillo returned. - -In the meantime Betsy and Trujillo had reached the sand hills and -were standing in front of the three crosses. Trujillo glanced into -the cave beyond the shrine. Little did his companion know that in -the darkness there was a newly made grave. - -At Betsy’s suggestion he began at once to dig beneath the middle -cross. The pick was needed to break the sand stone, but suddenly it -struck something that did not break. One corner of an iron box was -revealed, which however, was so firmly imbedded in the rock that it -took a long time to entirely free it. Betsy, after the first -exultant exclamation, had stood silently watching. - -How she did hope that this box contained the land grant document -that the mother and sister of Trujillo might have their home -restored to them. - -When at last the box was freed, they both knelt beside it to see if -the key hole was as queerly shaped as was the key that the mother of -Trujillo had given him. When they found that it fitted exactly, -Betsy’s joy could no longer be restrained, and leaping up, she -clapped her hands and uttered varied exclamations of delight. - -Trujillo glanced at her with a happy smile. “Senorita,” he said, -“before I open this box, I want you to promise me something. If the -papers are here, and if our home is restored, will you and your -friends come some day, and visit us? My mother and my sister -Carmelita will welcome you gladly.” - -Then the key turned and the box was opened. There was a glad cry -from the girl who had been watching breathlessly, for there lay a -packet of yellowing papers. Placing them in his pocket, the Spanish -lad rose and held out his hand to his flushed and excited companion. -“Senorita Betsy,” he said, his melodious voice tense with feeling, -“I thank you for your interest and my mother and sister will want to -thank you when, with your friends, you can visit us.” - -Then leaving the heavy iron box in the sand by the crosses, these -two rode back to the ranch house to tell the others that, at last, -the long lost papers had been found. - -[Illustration: There lay a packet of yellowing papers.] - -“I shall leave for Mexico tomorrow if Monsieur Peyton can spare me, -but before I go I shall return alone to the shrine and leave the -three crosses standing, firm and erect, in the memory of my -grandfather.” - -And this Trujillo did, going to the shrine at sunrise on the -following morning. Then directly after breakfast, the Spanish youth -rode away to the south. - -“Girls,” Betsy cried, “how I do wish, before I have to return East, -that we might visit the beautiful Carmelita Spinoza.” - -“Stranger things than that have happened,” Virginia replied. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII—ALARM ABOUT MALCOLM - - -A few days after the departure of Trujillo, Virginia remarked one -morning at breakfast, “Barbara, I feel much as you did when you were -with us at V. M., a great anxiety, which I cannot understand, to -return home and see if all is well with Malcolm. The truth is I have -been away from him and from dear old Uncle Tex for so many, many -months, that I feel sure they were sorry to have me desert them, -and, so, if Margaret and Betsy are willing, I think we would better -return to V. M. today.” - -The pretty face of Babs plainly showed her disappointment, and -Virginia hastened to add, “Won’t you come with us, Barbara, or, if -not that, perhaps, Betsy would like to make you a longer visit here -at Three Cross.” - -A sudden hopeful brightening in the blue eyes of Barbara brought -from her dear friend Betsy an immediate acceptance of the plan, and, -so, an hour later, that they might start before the sun was high, -the two who were departing bade goodbye to the three who were to -remain and rode away, looking back often to wave and smile. - -When at last they had crossed the ridge which hid the Three Cross -Ranch from their view and were riding along the level desert, -Margaret looked anxiously, inquiringly at her friend. - -“Dear, you seem very thoughtful. Are you troubled about anything in -particular?” - -The questioner was more than ever puzzled when she saw the morning -glow in the truly beautiful face that was turned toward her. - -“No, sister of mine, I was thinking of something very wonderful, but -just for a time it must be my secret.” - -Virginia was recalling an hour that she and Peyton had spent alone -the evening before, sitting on a huge boulder that was near the -ranch house. It had been a gloriously moonlighted night, and, for a -long time, they had remained silent, just content, it would seem, to -be together in that truest and rarest of all forms of comradeship. -Then quietly Virg had led Peyton to talk of his ranch, his interest, -and of what he had done while she had been away. - -Somehow, in the magic of the loveliness all about them, it had -seemed but natural that the lad should tell her of his love. - -“May I hope, Virginia, that some day, you will be here with -me,—with us?” And Virginia’s reply had been seriously given. “Ask -me that again when I am eighteen, will you Peyton?” - -And with that answer the lad had to be content, but in it he found -much to cause him to rejoice; much that gave him hope. - -It was a strange coincidence, that, at that moment, as Virginia was -thinking over the conversation of the night before, Megsy should -ask, “Virg, who do you suppose will be the first girl of our -acquaintance to marry?” - -Her companion smiled, “Why dear, I don’t know,” she replied. “Babs -and Betsy are far too young, some way, to even think of such things. -Betsy declares that she is to be wedded to her career and Barbara, -though she likes Benjy Wilson has not as yet even thought of -romance.” - -“Well, I am sure it will not be me.” Virg thought she heard Margaret -sigh and this puzzled her. Quick was her response. “I’m not so sure -of that, Megsy. You are so sweet and lovable, I know you will be -stolen away from me long before I am ready to lose you.” Then, as -they reached the top of the mesa, she continued happily, “Oh, how -good it is to see V. M. Ranch again. This time I do hope that -brother of mine will be at home to greet us. I have had so much -change and recreation this past year that I actually feel guilty. It -has been all work and responsibility for Malcolm.” - -“I have a plan to suggest,” Megsy said. “Let’s insist that Malcolm -take a two weeks’ vacation and go away somewhere so isolated that he -could not possibly receive there a message about the ranch.” - -Virg shook her head. “I don’t believe that we could persuade my -brother to go,” she replied. - -“I’m going to try,” was Margaret’s quiet response. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV—AND THE REASON FOR IT - - -The girls entered the ranch house living room and stood looking -about. - -“How queer not to hear a sound,” Margaret said. “Why does it seem so -much more still than usual do you suppose?” - -“Perhaps because we do not hear the shouting of the Mahoy children,” -Virg replied. “They are usually at play in the door yard at this -hour. Let’s go over to their home and ask Mrs. Mahoy where everyone -is.” - -With a heart filled with an unaccountable foreboding, Virg led the -way to the small adobe back of the big ranch house and nearer the -dry creek. - -As they approached they saw the four small children seated on the -porch step huddled together. The oldest girl was softly crying, the -two younger ones looked frightened, as though something had happened -which they could not understand, and Patsy, though his lips were -quivering, seemed to be trying not to cry. - -Virginia leaped forward, and kneeling put her arms about the sobbing -girl, then, looking at the boy, she said, “Patsy, lad, what has -happened? Is your mother—” - -She said no more, for the door opened and the little Irish woman -appeared. She had on her hat and carried a bundle. The kneeling girl -sprang to her feet. “Mrs. Mahoy,” she said with a new alarm in her -heart, “where are you going? Has anything happened in the mine?” - -The little woman nodded. “Indeed there has, Miss Virginia. It’s -caved in somewheres. A boy from Slater’s just rode over to get you, -but bein’ as you wasn’t here, I was starting mesilf. It’s thankful I -am as ye’ve come, for I was beside mesilf entoirely not knowin’ what -to do wid the children. Me Pat is all right, the saints be praised, -but—” she hesitated. - -“Malcolm, what about Malcolm?” It was Margaret who asked the -question, her eyes thought of what might have happened to her -guardian. - -The little Irish woman hardly knew how to reply. “The boy said as -how they hadn’t found him yet,” she told them, “but, like as not, -they have by this time,” she hastened to add. “Uncle Tex went right -back with the boy an’ I was goin’ mesilf with liniments and -bandages.” - -“I will take them, Mrs. Mahoy. You stay with the children.” Then -turning to the other girl, Virginia added: “Margaret, perhaps you -would better remain at home. I’ll send the Slater boy back with a -message as soon as I know that all is well.” - -She glanced anxiously at her adopted sister. There had been a long -ride already that morning and Megsy was not as strong as the other. - -“I am going with you,” was the quiet reply, and Virg knew that when -Margaret spoke that way there was nothing more to be said. - -Mrs. Mahoy had disappeared, but was quickly back in the open -doorway, her hat removed. “Miss Virginia,” she said, “I’ve put the -kettle on and in a minute now I’ll have a snack for you to be eatin’ -before yez start on the ride to the mine.” - -Half an hour later the girls were again in the saddle and were -following the trail across Dry Creek toward Seven Peak Range. -Virginia’s heart was filled with self-reproach, because she had -permitted Malcolm to carry more than his share of the -responsibility, and yet, how could she have helped it? It had been -all work and no play for him ever since their father died. Suddenly -she realized that Margaret was riding close at her side. - -“Dear,” Megsy said, and there was a quiver in her voice, “try not to -grieve yet. Wait until we know more. I feel sure that all is well -with my guardian.” But was all well with the brave, strong, quiet -Malcolm? - - - - -CHAPTER XXV—AN HOUR OF SUSPENSE - - -As the girls neared the Second Peak their anxiety increased. They -could see men hurrying about near the mine and they urged their -horses to greater speed. However, one man, chancing to look in their -direction, seemed to be much concerned because of their rapid -approach and, seizing a red flag, he climbed out on the over-hanging -rocks and waved frantically, while another, leaping to his side, -motioned the girls to stay back. - -They then drew rein and Margaret exclaimed: “What can it mean, do -you suppose?” - -“I think they must be going to blast,” Virginia replied, her face -white as she shaded her eyes and gazed intently in the direction of -the seemingly excited men. - -“But, how can they blast if Malcolm, if anyone is buried in the -mine?” - -“I don’t understand,” Virg told her, “but I’m not going to worry -more than I can help until I know that there is really something to -worry about.” - -“One of the men is mounting a horse now,” Margaret said. “Perhaps he -is coming to explain to us what is happening.” - -This surmise proved true, for they saw a cowboy approaching them on -a racing mustang. “It’s Rusty Pete from the Slater Ranch. At least -our suspense will soon be over, for he will tell us what it all -means.” - -It was very evident by the expression on the face of the cowboy that -he dreaded telling the message he had been sent to convey. So -pre-occupied and concerned was he that he jerked upon the reins of -his mustang in a manner which his steed wrongly interpreted and the -result was that it reared and plunged and arrived in the -neighborhood of the girls in so nervous a state that it was with -difficulty quieted long enough for the rider to speak. - -“What have you to tell us, Pete?” Virginia eagerly inquired, when at -last the restive horse was for a moment standing with all four feet -upon the ground, although it continued to whistle and paw the sand -with its right fore foot. - -Rusty Pete was evidently at a loss for words to express his message. -“Your brother, Miss Virginia,” he began, “that is, they’re going to -blast,” he hurried on as though he couldn’t complete the sentence he -had started, “and they sent me to say, don’t come nearer, till they -signal.” - -Virg, believing that the cowboy was about to ride away again, leaned -over and put her hand on his arm. “Tell me, Pete,” she implored, -“what has happened to my brother?” - -Before the cowboy could reply there was a flash of fire on Second -Peak, an upheaval of rock and smoke, and a thundering noise that -reverberated through the mountains echoing back from the far peaks, -and then a shower of sand and bits of stone fell all about them. The -horses, stung by the sharp edges of this unexpected fusilade, leaped -and plunged, and it was sometime before they could be quieted. -Excited shouts from the mine then attracted their attention. They -turned to see another rider approaching them with all haste. - -“It’s Uncle Tex, and he has good news, I am sure,” Virg exclaimed, -“for see, he is waving his sombrero and shouting joyfully.” - -Virginia leaped to the ground and ran toward the approaching -horseman, who also dismounted and took the sobbing girl in his arms. - -“Uncle Tex! Uncle Tex!” she cried “Tell me, has anything happened to -my brother?” - -“Thar! Thar! Miss Virginia, dearie,” the old man said, consolingly, -though tears were trembling on his wrinkled cheeks, “something did -happen to Master Malcolm, but he’s all right now. We sure had to -take an awful big chance blastin’ that way, but we didn’t durst wait -to ask what you’d have us do, we just had to do it, and Heaven be -praised ’twas the right thing. Master Malcolm’s safe and they’ll be -fetchin’ him along in a minute. - -“You see, Miss Virginia, dearie, ’twas this a-way,” the old man -continued. “Master Malcolm was bent on goin’ into a new tunnel along -side of a vein that had just been opened. Pat Mahoy warned him as -’twasn’t safe yet, bein’ as the struts weren’t all up, but Master -Malcolm said he was in a hurry to get back to V. M., to be thar when -you gurls returned, and so he took the chance. Wall, Pat Mahoy says -’twas just as he prognosticated. Master Malcolm hadn’t no more’n -disappeared into the new tunnel when there was a rumblin’ noise as -Pat knew meant trouble. He ran shouting, but though he saw Master -Malcolm turn back ’twas too late. The rocks and dirt up above -crushed down, shuttin’ him out, but more rocks kept slidin’ down and -’twasn’t safe no how. Then ’twas they took the chance to blast the -big rock from the openin’. When ’twas all over, they found Master -Malcolm a little way in lying white as a ghost and most smothered, -seemed like, but he came to, quick enough, when he was fetched out. -Howsomever it will be a long time before he gets his strength back, -I’m a-thinkin’. He’s all wore out anyway. I’ve been noticin’ it for -months past, but he wouldn’t stop a peggin’, but now I guess as -he’ll have to take a rest.” - -Virginia saw a slow moving procession leaving the mine. She again -mounted her pony and rode in that direction, closely followed by the -others. A wagon that was used for hauling timber had been quickly -changed by the miners into an ambulance, bedding having been piled -on the cross boards, and, as it neared, the girls saw Malcolm lying -listless as though he were too weary to move. However, when Virginia -rode up alongside, her brother smiled wanly. - -“I’m all right, Sis,” he said. “I tried to get buried too soon, I -guess.” Then with a sigh as though the exertion of speaking had been -too much for him, he closed his eyes, nor did he open them again -during the long, slow ride over the desert. - -It was with great difficulty that the crossing of the Dry Creek was -made, but, in the late afternoon the anxious Mrs. Mahoy saw the -procession slowly climbing up the sloping trail back of the ranch -house. She hurried out to meet them. - -“Was me Pat all right?” was her first query, and when she had -received a reply in the affirmative, the little woman added: “It’s -bakin’ I’ve been all the arternoon, Miss Virginia, for I was -thinkin’ as thar’d be many to feed.” - -“Thank you for you thoughtfulness,” the young mistress of V. M. -said, with sincere appreciation. - -Margaret assisted Mrs. Mahoy to spread the many good things on the -long kitchen table that the miners who had accompanied them might -have a hearty supper before their return to Second Peak. - -Uncle Tex and Virginia meanwhile helped Malcolm into his own bed, -and for the first time in many years the lad turned toward his -sister and said: “Virgie, I’m so tired, tired clear through.” - -“I know you are brother, dear,” Virginia said, as she knelt by his -side and held his listless hand to her cheek. “I haven’t mothered -you as much as I should have done, but from now on you are going to -just rest. I don’t know yet what we’re going to do, but it’s going -to be something different and wonderful.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI—MAKING PLANS - - -“Where, Oh where shall we take my brother for a complete rest?” -Virginia had softly closed the door of Malcolm’s bedroom, having -told that giant of a lad that he must sleep all of the afternoon. - -He had laughed at the suggestion. It did indeed seem preposterous. -In all of his nineteen years, he had never slept in the day-time. -When his sister had left him, he determined to rise, dress and steal -out of the window and down to the corral, but when he had tried to -stand, he found that he was not as strong as he had supposed, and he -was actually glad to lie down again, and, being truly weak and -weary, he was soon asleep. - -Margaret looked up from her sewing. She and Virginia were planning -to cut over two of their dresses that were still pretty, but which -they had outgrown. Megsy’s was to be for six year old Jane Wallace, -while Virg was to make one for ten year old Sari. - -“Are we really going to take my guardian somewhere?” she asked -eagerly, adding at once. “I do hope so, Virg! What a heavy burden of -responsibility he has had since your father died. I don’t know where -you would find another boy, only sixteen as he was then, who would -have the courage to attempt to run a big ranch and compete with men -old enough to be his father.” Margaret’s voice had a ring of -enthusiasm in which there was mingled much of admiration and perhaps -something more. - -But no praise of her brother seemed to the listener to be more than -he deserved. Seating herself on the window seat, she took from a -basket, (which had been made in the Indian village), a pretty gold -brown dress. Holding it up, she asked: “Megsy, don’t you think this -especially suits little Sari? There’s a glint of gold in that brown -hair of hers and I’m not at all sure but that there is in her -thoughtful eyes as well.” Her companion nodded. “I’m glad I have -outgrown this rose colored muslin,” Margaret added. “Janey will just -love it, and she’ll look like a little wild rose-bud in it. I think -she’s the sweetest child, and Oh Virg, now since that nice Gordon -Traylor helped Mr. Wallace to perfect his water locating device that -forlorn family in Hog Canon won’t be so poor, will they?” - -But Virginia shook her head as though she were not at all sure that -immediate prosperity would follow. “Of course they have water now on -their place, but water won’t buy cattle, nor food, nor clothes. I -fear that prosperity is still far removed. Unless,” Virg had dropped -her sewing on her lap and was gazing thoughtfully out of the window, -“unless Mr. Wallace can induce some rich men to be pardners with -him. Without capital, he cannot make his invention of much value to -him.” - -“Hark, what’s all the shouting?” Margaret looked up to inquire. “It -sounds like wild Indians let loose. Isn’t it a shame, whatever it -is, for it surely will waken Malcolm and we did so want him to -sleep.” - -Virginia had leaped to the door to see who was coming. “Oh, good,” -she cried. “It’s Babs and Betsy and Peyton no less. Of course they -don’t know about brother and so would not think of being quiet.” - -Skipping out on the wide veranda, Megsy and Virg waved to the three -who were galloping down the mesa trail, but they had ceased their -shouting, having correctly interpreted Virg’s signal when she put -her fingers to her lips. - -“Is anyone sick?” Barbara inquired as she dismounted and gave the -mistress of V. M. a girlish hug. - -The other two listened anxiously. “Yes, that is, not exactly sick, -but I’ll tell you all about it when you come in. There’s Patsy -Mahoy.” The small Irish boy came on a run when Virg beckoned, and he -was proud indeed when she asked him to take the three ponies to the -corral. “Now we’ll go in and I’ll tell you what has happened. My, -Betsy, you and Babs look flushed and warm. It’s pretty hot riding so -far in the sun. Sit down, everybody, and I’ll go to our cooling -cellar and bring up some nice lemonade that Megsy and I made only an -hour ago, thinking that brother might like some every now and then.” - -“Let me get it,” Margaret was on her feet as she spoke. “You can -tell the story of the mine much better than I can.” And so Virg took -the chair her adopted sister had vacated and told to anxious -listeners how, when she and Margaret had returned from the Three -Cross Ranch, there had been no one at all at V. M. Then from poor -frightened Mrs. Mahoy they had learned of the cave-in over at the -mine. - -“Oh Virg!” Babs cried in alarm. “Your brother wasn’t hurt, was he?” - -“No, thank heaven, not really hurt,” the girl replied with fervent -gratitude, “but he was buried in that smothering place for several -hours. Uncle Tex thinks there must have been an air current -somewhere, or Malcolm could not have lived until they blasted.” - -“Blasted!” Peyton repeated in surprise. “That was taking a big -chance, wasn’t it?” - -“Yes, indeed! I shudder to think of it now, but then, when it was -the only thing that could possibly save my brother, it had to be -done of course.” - -“And you say he wasn’t hurt in the least?” - -“Not hurt, but he is so weak that he cannot stand alone, or rather -he could not then, and now he is asleep I am sure.” Then turning to -the listening lad, Virginia asked, “Peyton, where would you suggest -that brother be taken to have as complete a rest as he needs. I -would like to go to some place where even the scenery would be -different and where he couldn’t see a cow or a cowboy or anything -that would suggest his own occupation.” - -For a thoughtful moment the lad looked steadily into the questioning -eyes of the girl he loved. “Virginia,” he said at last, “if I were -as tired as Malcolm is, I know where I would want you to take me.” - -If there was an emphasis on the pronoun, it was unnoticed by the -others, but a sudden flush in the cheeks of Virginia and a tender -light in the eyes of the lad told more than mere words could. - -But when the girl spoke, it was as though her only thought had been -her brother’s welfare, as, indeed, it really had been. - -“Once, in the days of my rambling life,” it was the first time that -Peyton had ever referred to the time when he had run away from home -because his father was unkindly severe, “I boarded the train in -Boston and went to the end of the line, so to speak, and found -myself in paradise, if ever there was one on this earth of ours.” - -“Oh, then you must have been in California,” Margaret leaned forward -to exclaim. “That, of course, would be the end of the line if you -were crossing the continent, for there is nothing beyond but ocean. -I went there once with Mother when she was trying to get well, and -Oh, how wonderful it is! I’ve often hoped that I might go again, -although I would not want to revisit the same place, not where -little Mother and I were together.” - -“Of course not, dear,” the thoughtful Virginia had slipped an arm -about her adopted sister. Then glancing again at the lad who seldom -looked at anything or anyone but her, she asked. “Then you think -California the best place for us to take brother for a vacation and -to get back his strength?” - -“I do indeed. That’s where I’d want to go. Hark!” the lad lifted a -finger and listened. “I think I hear Malcolm calling.” - -“Oh yes, he must have awakened.” Virginia was skipping toward the -closed door at the opposite end of the long living room. “If he is -awake Peyton, I will call you.” Then the door opened and closed -again. The lad walked to the window and looked out. How all of the -brightness of the room had seemed to vanish when Virginia left it, -he was thinking. Then he rebuked himself, for dearly he loved his -pretty little “Dresden China” sister. He had heard the girls call -her that, because she seemed so breakable and withal so exquisitely -pink and blue and gold, with her fluffy sunlit curls, her eyes that -were like June skies and her rose-bud complexion which the winds of -the desert did not seem to want to tan. He did indeed, love her, but -his love for Virginia was different, so very different! But God had -planned it that way. Such love indeed was a gift from the Father of -them all and was to be treated reverentially, although, who could -treat it otherwise? It was with a start that the lad whirled when he -heard his name called. Virginia had returned and was standing by the -table pouring lemonade into a glass. “Brother has awakened and I -have propped him up on two pillows,” she was saying. “Will you take -this to him, Peyton, but don’t tell him as yet that we are planning -to take him away from his beloved ranch, for, if you do, he will -declare that everything will go to pieces if he isn’t here to hold -it together. We’ve got to plan a way to make him think, that, for a -time, V. M. will be better off, under different management.” Virg’s -smile, as she handed the brimming glass to the lad, was so frank and -friendly that he wondered, if, after all, it was merely comradeship -that she felt for him. Well, he could wait. He had promised never -again to mention his love for her until she was eighteen and she was -but seventeen now. However hard it might be, he meant to keep that -promise. Of one thing he was sure. Even though Virg might not care -for him in the big way yet, neither did she love any other lad. When -the door had closed behind Peyton, Betsy cried. “Oh good, here comes -Slim from the station and he has the Mail Bag.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII—UNEXPECTED NEWS - - -“Letters!! Letters! Who wants a letter?” Betsy Clossen had skipped -out to the wide veranda to receive the mail bag from the -good-looking young cowboy Slim. - -“I do!” - -“I’ll take three!” Megsy and Babs cried in chorus. - -“Oh Barbara, what a piggy-wig you are. Three indeed! Now, just to -punish you, it’s Virg who shall have the three and you only one.” -Betsy had poured the contents of the bag on the big library table -and was looking it over. Margaret and Virginia had returned to their -sewing. That latter maid found herself strangely indifferent to -whether or no there would be a letter for her. This she could easily -understand since, was she not at home with Uncle Tex and Malcolm, -and the girls she liked best were right then in the room with her, -and Peyton would not need to write her the weekly letter she had -received while she had been away at boarding school. Betsy -interrupted her thoughts by saying: “I was a prophet! Here are three -letters for Miss Virginia Davis. Guess, Virg, if you can, who they -may be from?” - -That tall slender maiden, being addressed, dropped her sewing in her -lap, as she replied, “I’d like to hear from dear Mrs. Martin. Is -there a foreign stamp on any of them, Betsy? Our beloved principal -must be in Japan, I suppose, about now, on her around the world -tour.” - -“Nary a foreign stamp. Well, since you can’t guess, I’ll give them -to you and when you open them up you will know who they are from.” - -“What a brilliant remark!” Barbara teased, but Virg having accepted -the letters Betsy had handed her, attracted the attention of them -all by exclaiming, “Well, if this isn’t the queerest! I’m just ever -so sure that the handwriting on this envelope is Winona’s, but it is -postmarked Red Riverton. What can she be doing up there? Ever since -she wrote that she was back on the desert with that nice Indian lad, -Fleet Foot, I have been hoping that she would come over to see us.” - -As she talked, Virginia was opening the envelope. The first line in -the letter caused her to cry joyfully, “Girls! Girls! Listen to -this!” - -“Dear White Lily,” the letter began. “I was married yesterday—” - -“What! Winona married to Fleet Foot?” Margaret and Betsy exclaimed -in excited chorus. - -“I’m sure I don’t know,” Virg told them. “Just wait a minute and -we’ll find out.” Her eyes went rapidly down the sheet and then -turning she gave Margaret an ecstatic little hug. “Oh, what glorious -news! Think of it! Our wonderful Winona has married that splendid -Harry Wilson. It seems that his mother has been ill for a long time -and Winona has been there as nurse ever since we came from school. -That’s why we haven’t seen her.” Then, turning a page, Virg read -aloud: - - -“I had never even thought of marrying anyone. Of course I knew that -most of all I admired Harry, but I believed that his mother would -want him to marry one of his own kind, but, Virginia, can you think -how great is my happiness when I tell you that his mother loves me, -really loves me, and asked me to be her daughter. - -“I have always been so alone, for my father, Chief Grey Hawk, and my -brother, Strong Heart, were much away, that it seems strange to me -that anyone should care. - -“I told Harry that much as I love him, I feared that it would be -hard for me to be as domestic as his wife should be, for there are -times when I feel that I am kin to the wind that sweeps over the -desert or to the bird that flies where it will. Then it was that -Harry told me his own good news. He has received an appointment as -state geologist and we are soon to start on horseback (our honeymoon -we call it) and travel all over Arizona that he may obtain specimens -of rock to send to Smithsonian Institute. - -“We would not go were it not that Mrs. Wilson is rapidly regaining -her strength and that her recently widowed sister in the East is -coming to keep house, and to make this her home. - -“I am sorry not to see my school-mates before we depart, but that -cannot be, as we leave on horseback at dawn tomorrow and journey -north.” - - -There were tears in the eyes of Virginia as she lifted them from the -letter to look at her friends. - -“How happy they are going to be,” she said, “I am glad for them -both.” - -“We were wondering who among us would be the first bride,” Betsy -remarked. “We little thought, did we, that it would be Winona?” - -Betsy Clossen had recognized her aunt’s handwriting on one of her -letters and so when Margaret asked which was to be read next, that -maiden eagerly announced, “Mine, please, for I do want to know what -Aunt Laura has to say. If the quarantine has been lifted, she will -want me to be coming home, and, although I have had the most -wonderful time here on the desert, and I am endlessly grateful to -you, Virginia, for having invited me, for you saved me from a most -desolate month all alone in school, still, of course, if the twins -have recovered, I do want to spend part of my vacation at my -mother-aunt’s Cape Cod home.” - -“I know dear,” Virginia replied, as she clasped her friend’s hand. -“Although other places may be interesting, there is no place quite -like the one that shelters our own home people. Read your letter and -tell us about it.” - -The missive did not take long to read. - - -“Darling girl,” it began. “I rejoice to be able to tell you that the -quarantine has been lifted and that the twins are wild to see their -best loved cousin Bettykins, and, as for me, my heart is yearning -for my sister’s motherless little daughter, so come, dear, just as -soon as the fastest train bound for the East can bring you to three -people who so dearly love you. - -“One of them being, Your Aunt Laura.” - - -“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” Betsy told them. “I’m so -glad somebody loves me that way. Mother and Aunt Laura were twins, -and she seems more like a mother to me than my other two aunts, -although, they, too, are nice.” Then putting her arms impulsively -about her hostess, she exclaimed, “Virginia, how can I thank you for -having been so kind, and you, too, Margaret.” She reached out and -clasped the hand of her other friend. Then she asked eagerly: “Virg, -shall you mind if I begin to pack at once and take the next train -East?” - -“Of course not, dear, I know just how you feel and we will help you, -but if you really take the next train, we will all have to rush to -get you ready.” - -“My letters can wait,” Margaret said unselfishly. “They are from -members of our Lucky Thirteen Club, and although I know that they -will be filled with jolly news items, they will be just as -interesting later.” - -As Megsy spoke, she placed her unopened letters between the pages of -a magazine on the table for safe keeping and then she joined the -other girls who were already opening Betsy’s trunk, preparing to -pack. - -That maiden had skipped to Malcolm’s room to tell him the news, but -she had found him asleep and, knowing that rest was one thing -required to restore his strength, she had tiptoed out. Three hours -later, she went again to his door, this time her hat and coat on. - -The lad had been informed by his sister of Betsy’s sudden and -unexpected departure and was prepared to say goodbye. - -“Miss Cossen,” he said as he held out his hand, “I hear that you are -a wonderful detective, and so, if we ever have need of your -services, may we send for you?” - -Betsy laughed. “Indeed yes, and don’t forget,” she replied, “for I -know that I will be just as wild to come back as I am now to go home -to Aunt Laura and the twins.” - -Another three hours had passed and Margaret and Virginia were again -in the living room having escorted Betsy to Silver Creek Junction, -where the train, being on time, had borne her away. - -“Well,” Virginia remarked as she sank down in a big easy chair, -“what a whirl of a day we have had. I am almost dizzy-tired. First -there was that exciting news about Winona’s marriage and then for -the last six hours we have rushed madly to get that dear girl -started for the place that is home to her. Now the next thing for us -to do is to decide where we shall take Malcolm for a complete rest.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII—A PLACE TO GO - - -“I like Peyton’s suggestion that we go to California. I wish he had -been able to stay longer and tell us more about what he saw when he -was there. He might recall just the very place for us to take -Malcolm,” Megsy said. - -“I invited them to remain all night,” Virg remarked as she took up -her sewing, “but Peyton thinks, now that his trusted overseer, -Trujillo, has gone back to Mexico, that he had better not leave his -ranch long at a time until he has another equally dependable.” The -two of whom they were speaking had ridden back to “Three Cross” when -Margaret and Virginia had accompanied Betsy to the station at Silver -Creek. - -“What did I do with my letters, Virg?” Margaret had suddenly -recalled that she had not opened her mail. “I put them into -something for safe keeping. Oh yes, here they are! Why, I declare. -One of them is for you.” - -“Oho, this is great! It’s from Eleanor Pettes! I was hoping to hear -from her soon. She told me when she came to our closing exercises at -Vine Haven that she had written a story which she believed to be the -very best thing she had ever done and she was actually going to send -it to a real magazine. I suppose by now she has heard from it. How I -do hope that it was accepted.” - -“Eleanor writes so exceptionally well and had so much experience -editing the school magazine before she went to college prep that I -am sure, in time, she is bound to succeed,” Margaret was remarking -when her companion, having opened the letter, uttered a little -squeal of delight. - -“What is it, Virg? Has Eleanor sold her story? I am sure by the way -your eyes are shining that there must be good news.” - -Virginia had continued to silently read down the first page, then -she looked up, her face aglow. “Good? It’s glorious! Just wait until -you hear.” Then she read aloud from the delicately scented missive: - - -“Dear Kindred Spirit, - -“If I were not afraid of falling from the literary pedestal upon -which I know that you two girls have placed me, I would begin this -letter with some expressive school girl slang. ‘Gee whiliker, but -it’s corking good news.’ But since Betsy Clossen can use that more -naturally than I can, I’ll simply say that I am amazed beyond -comprehending what this wonderful thing is which has happened. I -find myself rubbing my eyes and pinching myself as did Alice in -Wonderland. ‘Can it be really true?’ I ask myself a dozen times a -day. Then, fearing it to be but a dream, or a plot that I have -planned for a story, I go again to my desk and take the letter -therefrom and re-read what it has to say on the subject. You never -could guess what it is, no one could. I couldn’t myself if I didn’t -know, so I will have to tell you. - -“I have inherited Something. I just had to start that with a capital -letter, for the inheritance surely deserves it. In fact it ought to -be all capital letters. Have I sufficiently aroused your curiosity? -Well, then, harken and you shall hear. - -“A great-aunt of my Dad’s (goodness knows how old she was, I don’t), -has left me her estate. Think of that, Virginia, if you can grasp a -thing so stupendous. I’ll agree it’s very hard to believe all at -once and sudden like. This same estate, it seems, is located in the -Garden of Eden, not figuratively, but really true. The name of the -place, however, on the railroad map (I don’t suppose it’s big enough -to be on a school geography), is San Ceritos and it’s in California, -that Paradise-on-earth that you and I have heard so much about. When -I say that I am wild to behold it with my own eyes, I only faintly -describe my feelings. Think of it, Virg, you who love nature as much -as I do, this estate of mine has mountains to shelter it at the back -and its wooded acres slope down to the sea. Dad says that the water -in that sheltered cove is at times as blue as the Mediterranean, and -I own it; or, that is, I own half of it, but the mysterious part of -all this is that I don’t know who owns the other half and I haven’t -any way of finding out. The will is the queerest! - -“Dad says that his Great-Aunt Myra was always called eccentric by -everyone who knew her. It seems that when she was a young girl she -was engaged, but on the very eve of her wedding day something -happened. Dad doesn’t know what, but his Great-Aunt Myra never -married. - -“Dad’s parents came East when he was a little fellow, and, although -he heard now and then of this aunt who had shut herself up in her -mountain and sea-encircled home, neither he, nor any of the kin that -he knew of, had really corresponded with her. She didn’t even know -of my existence until last year and it was just the merest chance -that she learned of it even then. It happened this way: You remember -last winter in school when we girls had such a fad for looking up -our family trees. Well, when I came home for the holidays, I asked -Dad to tell me about every Pettes he could think of. It was a stormy -night and we sat in the cosy library by the fireplace and I wrote -down on a pad all the names and addresses he could recall. At last -he came to this great-aunt. He just happened to think of her, and, -girls, what if he hadn’t? I decided to write to each of these -relatives, and, since Aunt Myra was the oldest living branch on the -family tree, out of courtesy I began with her and sent her my -picture, the one I had taken last May Day at school. I didn’t hear a -word in reply, I wasn’t even sure that she had received it, until -last week a legal-looking envelope arrived addressed to me. It -contained the startling information I have just imparted. - -“Well, as I said before, the will of my Dad’s Great-Aunt Myra is -surely the queerest. One might think that the dear old lady was _non -compos mentis_, but no, her attorney and servants report that up to -the last her mind was sane and sound. Of course, I am glad, for, if -she had not been mentally all right, the will, queer as it is, would -have been null and void, and your Kindred Spirit would not be -writing this thrilling epistle to tell you of her almost -incomprehensible inheritance. - -“The will, of course, is couched in high-sounding legal terms, and -so I’ll just tell you the gist of it. - -“‘I, Myra Pettes, do hereby will and bequeath one-half of my estate, -located between the Sierra Padre Mountains and the sea, to Eleanor -Pettes, the daughter of my grand-nephew, Oris Pettes, on condition -that she never opens the locked door of the upper front room until -she has found Hugh Ward, to whom I will and bequeath the other half -of my estate. When he has been found, they are to enter the room -together.’ - -“Did you ever hear of anything like that outside of a story-book? Of -course, _in_ a story queer things are to be expected, but in the -humdrum life of a school girl one doesn’t anticipate occurrences so -mysterious and exciting. - -“Hugh Ward! Who in the world do you suppose he is? Dad says he never -heard the name before, and even Great-Aunt Myra’s attorney reports -that he has no knowledge whatever of the man, young or old. They -have advertised in every paper in the country, but have had no -reply. I suppose he is some very old gentleman whom my Aunt Myra -knew when she was young. Perhaps we ought to hunt for him in a ‘home -for the aged and infirm.’ - -“Well, be that as it may, I am supposed to go West and occupy my new -possession; that is, all but the locked front room, and, since the -housekeeper, in sending a description of the place, informs me that -there are twenty rooms, ten of them being sleeping apartments, I -presume I will be able to get along without entering the one that is -locked. I don’t see how one lone-maiden can occupy ten bedrooms. Dad -is obliged to go to Europe this month. - -“Now harken and hear something which I think thrilling. Dad says I -may invite you and Margaret and Babs and the brothers I have heard -you tell about, Peyton and Malcolm, to accompany me when I visit my -new estate. I’m to have the use of Dad’s private car. For once I’m -glad he is a high-up railway official, and I’ll telegraph you at -what hour we will side-track at Douglas. If you can accept, be there -bag and baggage. I’m so excited I can hardly keep my feet on earth. -Sometimes I feel as though I were going to spin away up in the air. -Goodbye for now. I’ll telegraph tomorrow. - - “Your K. S. - “Eleanor.” - - -Virginia looked up with glowing eyes. “It sounds like magic, doesn’t -it?” she inquired. “We wish for a place to go, in fact, we were -wishing that we might go to this very California, and here is a -letter inviting us to do so.” - -Margaret was equally delighted and excited. “It’s perfectly -wonderful,” she agreed. “But, Virg, I didn’t suppose that dignified -girl could be so, well, girlishly jubilant about anything. Maybe -because she was a senior at school, I always thought she was -unusually mature, I mean.” - -“News like this is enough to make any one act hilarious,” Virg -declared. “Moreover, although Eleanor has a dignified carriage, I -know that she is very enthusiastic about ever so many things.” - -“Of course, you know her much better than I do,” Megsy agreed, -“since it was she who showed you how to edit the school magazine, -and, of course, you had an opportunity to get better acquainted, as -you spent hours together. I don’t wonder that Eleanor calls you -‘Kindred Spirit.’ I always did think that Winona and Eleanor were -more mental companions for you than any of the rest of us. Don’t -think I’m jealous, Virg. Honestly, I am not. I am glad that you do -love them, and even more glad that I have something no one can take -from me, and that is the great happiness of being your adopted -sister.” Then rising, Megsy held out her hand as she said, “If -Malcolm is awake, let’s read the letter to him and then tell him our -plan.” - -Silently Virginia rose and tenderly she kissed the quiet Margaret. -“I do love you, little sister, and you occupy a place in my heart -that no one else shall ever have.” Then with arms about each other, -they went softly toward the closed door. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX—MALCOLM’S DECISION - - -Malcolm listened to the enthusiastic chatter of the two girls, who, -having read Eleanor’s letter to him were each trying to outdo the -other in thinking up arguments that might persuade the lad that -accepting the invitation was the very best thing that he could do -and just what he should do to regain his strength. - -“But who will conduct the V. M. Ranch? Tell me that,” the lad -protested. - -“Uncle Tex was overseer whenever Dad went away, and if our father -could trust his judgment, surely we can.” - -“Righto, and, with such able helpers as Slim and Lucky, I really -have nothing to fear on that score, and yet, of course, they might -need my advice now and then. Did your friend, Eleanor, mention a -town from which one could telegraph?” - -“Why, no, she didn’t, but of course there are towns everywhere. -However, that is the one thing we want to get you away from, a long -distance telephone or any other method of easy communication, for -every day you would be wanting to call up and find out if V. M. were -all right.” - -Then, as Malcolm still hesitated, Virg hastened on to say, “Of -course, I didn’t know that we might go to California, as I only just -now received this letter, but I _did_ know that we wanted to go -_somewhere_, and so, yesterday, I talked it all over with dear old -Uncle Tex and he agrees with me that it is your duty to all of us to -go where you can rest and when I said, ‘You could take charge of V. -M. just as you used to do for Dad, couldn’t you?’ Well, Malcolm, I -wish you could have seen that dear old man’s face. Glowing doesn’t -describe it. ‘Miss Virginie, dearie, Ah’d take it as powerful -complimentin’ if Malcolm’d trust me, Ah sure would, an Lucky an’ -Slim’d stand by me, that’s sartin’, was what he said, and his voice -trembled, brother, honestly it did.” - -“I know how he feels,” the lad declared earnestly. “Uncle Tex has -felt much like an old horse may, one that we feel has outlived its -usefulness and is given pasturage for the rest of its life. Dad told -us that he once had a horse like that. He thought it had served him -long enough, and so he did not permit any of the boys to ride it, -but after a time, he noticed that the old horse used to come up to -the bars when its companions were being saddled and actually looked -wistful, as though it were being left out. Then came the day of the -great stampede. You’ve heard Father tell about it time and again, -Virg, how the boys were all away helping Mr. Slater with his -roundup, and only old Peter left in the fenced-in pasture. The boys -had cut out our cattle and had started them for home, Dad says, when -all of a sudden he heard a noise that sounded like distant thunder. -As it neared, he knew it to be the pounding of hoofs; then he could -hear the bellowing of frightened cattle. He was alone on the ranch -and the only horse nearby was old Peter. - -“Dad ran to the rise of ground above the dry creek and saw that the -maddened herd was swerving toward the north and might be lost in -that waterless part of the desert called ‘The Burning Acres.’ While -he was wondering what could be done to stop them, he heard a shrill -whistling neigh from old Peter. Dad turned in time to see that horse -race across the small pasture and leap that high-barred fence, nor -did it stop, but kept on galloping as it had in its younger days, -directly toward the mass of surging cattle. Dad said he was sure the -old horse would be trampled to death. Many a time, in years gone by, -he himself had ridden Peter when he wanted to turn cattle back, and -now, though riderless, the old horse seemed bent on doing that very -thing. Dad said he held his breath, but the unexpected happened. The -cattle, not knowing what to make of the horse that was hurling -itself at them, did swerve, and then, to Dad’s great joy, they -descended into a dry creek where, since they could not run, they -were soon under the control of the cowboys who came riding on ponies -that were covered with lather.” - -“What of old Peter?” Megsy inquired. “Did he die then from -exhaustion?” - -“Indeed not!” Malcolm told her. “And never again was he treated as -though his days of usefulness were all over. Dad himself rode him, -not on hard rides, to be sure, but whenever he was just going to the -station or to visit with a neighbor, and, after that, the old horse -seemed much more content.” Then turning to his sister, the lad said, -“I recalled that story when you told me how almost wistfully eager -Uncle Tex was to be once more trusted as overseer of the place. And -he shall be, too. Dear faithful old man.” - -“Then you will go with us? You will let us take you to this -wonderful San Ceritos?” the two girls cried at once. - -Laughingly the lad held out a hand to each of them. “Damsels fair,” -he said, “take me wherever you wish, but now please depart. I wish -to lay my plans.” - -Then Margaret accused, “Malcolm, there are twinkles in your eyes. I -do believe that you are amused at something.” - -The lad, who still held the hand of his ward, turned and looked at -her, then he smiled again as though he were pleased with what he -saw, as indeed he well might be, for Margaret had been so excited -that her cheeks were flushed and as pink as roses, while her dreamy -brown eyes were shining like stars. Then, as the lad continued to -gaze at her, the color deepened, and, withdrawing her hand, she said -mischievously, “Virginia, perhaps we better go, since Malcolm has -just told us that he prefers his own thoughts to our company.” - -“I’ve changed my mind,” the lad declared. “I’d rather have you -stay.” - -Virginia, who for the last few moments had been busy in another part -of the room, turned suddenly and looked intently at her brother as -though she were surprised about something. He was usually so -serious, so occupied with business that she had forgotten that he -could tease. Then her face brightened, and stooping, she kissed him -lightly on the forehead. “You are much better, dear, aren’t you?” -she said, then taking her friend by the arm, she continued, “Come, -Megsy, let’s hie us to our rooms and select the wardrobe we are to -take with us. Eleanor’s telegram may come tomorrow and we will then -have not more than three days to prepare for the journey.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXX—A SCARE - - -Late that afternoon the two girls went out to feed the hens and -then, as was often their custom, they climbed the trail to the mesa -that they might watch the sunset. On their return, Margaret gathered -a few late desert flowers to place on the table beside Malcolm’s -bed. It was still daylight when they returned and Megsy went at once -to the closed door and tapped thereon. There was no response. What -could it mean? Even if Malcolm had fallen asleep, the rapping would -have awakened him. Beckoning to Virginia, she whispered anxiously, -“Oh, Virg, what can have happened? Your brother can’t have lost -consciousness, could he?” - -There was a sudden terror in the heart of Virginia. Leaping forward, -she turned the knob, but the door was locked. Before they could be -thoroughly frightened, however, they heard a merry laugh, and there -stood Malcolm back of them. He had on his nice wooly bathrobe that -the girls had given him for Christmas and his comfortable slippers. - -“You see,” he apologized, “I’ve never had an opportunity to wear -them before, because this is the first time I’ve ever been even near -sick, so please don’t scold, and I _did_ want to get up and have -supper with you girls. It seems to me that I’ve been in bed for -weeks.” - -“One, only, to be accurate,” his sister corrected. “Malcolm, you sit -down in this easy chair at once and let me feel your pulse.” - -“Very well, nurse,” the lad smilingly complied. In fact he was glad -to sink into the big comfortable chair, which was drawn close to the -hearth. He wasn’t as strong as he had expected to be. Virginia -brought a knitted blanket to put over his knees while Margaret put -sofa pillows back and around him. - -“If I’m treated this way,” he beamed, “I’m not at all sure that I’ll -want to get well.” - -“Let’s have our supper in here by the fire,” Virginia suggested. - -“Oh yes, let’s,” Megsy seconded. “Now, what ought our patient to -eat? Bring me a pencil and paper and I’ll write my order.” There was -again that merry twinkle in the eyes that were often so serious. - -Margaret skipped to the big writing desk and returned with the -requested materials. “And while you think about it, Virg and I will -prepare for the feast.” They brought Virginia’s work table from her -room and spread it with a dainty lunch cloth and put Margaret’s red -blossoms in the center. “I don’t see what Malcolm can be writing,” -Virginia said. “He ought only to have eggs on toast or something -like that.” But when a moment later she looked at the paper which -the lad gaily presented, she said, “Why Malcolm Davis, you’ve -ordered everything that you ought not to have. Creamed oysters, of -all things!” - -“Perhaps they wouldn’t hurt him,” interceded Margaret. “And you know -the thing you have a hankering for is supposed to be what you need.” -Then clapping her hands girlishly, she exclaimed, “Oh Virg, please -say that we may have them. I’ll get the chafing dish out of my -trunk. You know what fun we had in school with it. Then you get two -cans of oysters, the milk, butter and seasoning, and we can prepare -it all right here on the table. Wouldn’t that be jolly?” - -Virginia agreed that it would. Then she prepared the toast while -Margaret, flushed and happy because she could do something for her -beloved guardian, stirred up the cream sauce and dropped in the -oysters. Malcolm, leaning back in solid comfort, watched and -admired. At last he commented, “Did ever a chap in all the world -have two such sisters to take care of him!” - -There was a sudden twinge in the heart of Margaret. What could it -mean? Surely she was glad, glad to have the splendid Malcolm call -her “sister.” There was a note of tender wistfulness in her voice, -which she herself did not know when she replied, “We would do -anything, give up anything, Oh, it doesn’t matter what, if it would -add to your happiness, Brother Malcolm.” Almost unconsciously the -girl was thinking of the time that would surely come when someone, -perhaps now unknown to them, would take in his life a place closer -than that of sister. - -“Toast’s ready! How about the creamed oysters?” Virginia looked up -from the hearth where she had been kneeling. - -“It’s done to a turn.” Megsy’s voice was merry once more. Then Virg -put the buttered slices of toast on each plate, and Margaret placed -dainty portions of the creamed oysters on them. - -Malcolm ate with greater relish than he had since he had been ill or -rather exhausted, for he had no definite malady, just extreme -weariness. When he asked for a second portion, he pretended to look -imploringly at Virginia as though he feared she would say, “You have -had sufficient for tonight.” And, indeed, maybe she might have said -something of the kind, but Margaret was refilling his plate and it -was too late to protest. - -When the dainty little meal was over and the small table had been -carried away, Malcolm smiled contentedly at the two girls, who sank -into nearby chairs, the light from the fire falling on their faces. -For a time they were silent, each thinking his or her own thoughts. -At last Malcolm said, “Virg, are they worth the proverbial penny?” - -The girl looked up brightly. “I was wondering how we are to convey -Eleanor’s invitation to Babs and Peyton,” she replied. “I do hope -that they can accompany us.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI—DAWN THOUGHTS - - -The next morning before daylight Margaret was conscious that someone -was stirring in the room next to hers. Becoming more fully awake, -she rose, drew on her kimono and slippers and tiptoed to the door -which stood open between the bedrooms of the two girls. - -In the dim grey light she saw Virginia dressing. She was donning her -riding khakis. - -“Why, Virg!” Megsy exclaimed in surprise, “where away so early? You -aren’t going to ride to the Three Cross Ranch, are you, to tell Babs -and Peyton about the invitation?” - -“Not this morning, dear. I want to wait until we receive the -telegram from Eleanor that I may be more definite in what I have to -tell them.” - -“Then, where are you going? I might guess the Papago Village, only I -know that Winona is not there.” - -Virginia smiled brightly. “It’s an odd fancy, this of mine,” she -confessed, “but last night I had a dream; one of those wonderfully -realistic dreams when you feel sure that you are awake and that the -something is actually happening. I dreamed that you and I had ridden -over to Hog Canon to see the Wallace family. You know, Megsy, my -conscience has troubled me because, after our first visit, I never -went again and that was at least three weeks ago. Mrs. Wallace and -the children have so little to interest them that even a visit from -their neighbors seems like a treat.” - -Megsy, seated on the edge of the bed, remarked, “I don’t believe -they feel that way about neighbors in general, but just about -Virginia Davis in particular.” - -The girl, who was lacing her high riding boots, looked up with a -smile. “My friends spoil me, don’t they, Megsy. It’s well that I -know myself as I am not as they try to picture me. While I’m gone, -will you take good care of my brother? I want him to stay in bed all -morning, though you may have Sing Long make him some nice broth at -ten if you will. However, I expect to be back long before that.” - -Virginia had not asked her friend to accompany her and Margaret, -though she had thought of requesting to be allowed do so, believed -that for some reason Virg wished to be alone, nor was she wrong. - -It was still the grey of early dawn when the girl ran down the trail -leading to the small pasture where the ponies remained at night. -Some of them were lying down and others were tugging at an enclosed -haystack which was kept filled with the long desert grass that grew -in the valley pasture, a mile from the house. But one among them -whinnied as the girl approached and, kicking up frolicsome heels, he -cantered to the bars, knowing well that his mistress was about to -let them down. And he was right. - -“Good morning, Comrade,” Virginia said as she smoothed his nose -affectionately. “Would you like to take me for a ride this morning?” - -Again the pony whinnied. “Of course, I knew you would, and if you -won’t tell, I’ll tell you a secret. I wanted to be all alone just -once more before I go away. There’s something I want to think about. -It doesn’t have to be decided just yet; not until I’m nearer -eighteen, but I do want to be thinking about it.” - -Then kissing the flipping ear of her apparently interested -companion, the girl started on a light run to the shed near the -great windmill where the saddles hung. Comrade, with colt-like -antics, followed. It was evident that he was trying to express the -joy that he, too, felt at being the only companion his loved -mistress desired. - -They had crossed the dry creek bed and had climbed up on the high -opposite bank before a flush of rose appeared in the eastern skies. -Virginia drew rein and sat for one long silent moment watching the -loveliness of the dawning day. A fleecy white cloud near the horizon -became opalescent with first one exquisitely delicate color and then -another. Then with a burst of glory, the sun rose in sheets of -flaming gold and the desert, which had been like a gloomy waste of -desolation but a moment before, was transformed to a wide billowing -expanse of shimmering silvery-grey. - -Jack rabbits fearlessly gamboled about the girl and pony; birds sang -and a wren darted from its nest in the top of a choya cactus to -contentedly return again to its wee young when it knew that the one -who was passing by was a friend of all things that live. - -The trail dipped into a hollow where mesquite grass grew. Instantly -there was a whirring rush of wings and a flock of quail soared high -into the air, to whirl, a moment later, and settle back to their -former feeding place. It made the heart of the girl rejoice because -her wild neighbors seemed to know that she was one of them. - -“We’re all kin folks, somehow, though we can’t understand, and why -try, since the sages of all time have not yet been able to tell how -a wee seed can fashion a flower. After all, Comrade, if we’re just -kind to every form of life we meet on this wonderful earth, I think -we will have done the best we know.” - -There was a long stretch of sand to be crossed before the Seven Peak -Range would be reached and the girl, watching the trail ahead, -gradually became unconscious of all about her and was once again on -the rock in the moonlight with the lad who loved her at her side. - -“I might think that I care enough to marry Peyton,” she was -thinking, “but would it be quite fair to others? There are Barbara, -and Malcolm and Margaret to consider. I just couldn’t leave my -wonderful brother all alone on V. M. My adopted sister I might take -to Three Cross with me, if I went to live there, but Malcolm—I just -can’t leave him! First he lost the mother whom he so idolized, and -then our father, and never did a boy have a closer pal than Dad was, -and now if I go, he will lose his only sister and be so lonely and -so all alone. I only wish he might meet some nice girl for whom he -could care as Peyton cares for me, but he does not seem to feel the -need of love; I mean, not that way.” - -Then it was that another thought suggested. “Perhaps it is just -because he has you that he has not thought of bringing another -mistress to V. M. Perhaps he would care for someone, if he knew you -were going away.” - -Suddenly there was a rush of tears in the violet eyes, and -impulsively leaning her cheek against her pony’s head, Virginia said -with a little half sob, “Oh Comrade, I don’t believe after all that -I really care for Peyton as much as I should, for I can’t bear the -thought of leaving my very own home where Mother and Dad were so -happy and where I have been so loved. I can’t think of any other -girl I would want there, but just Margaret, and, of course, she -would want to go with me.” - -Then looking up with a smile that flashed through the tears she held -out her arms to the shining sky. “Little Mother,” she said softly, -as though she were really addressing someone, “I am forgetting that -you told me to let my life blossom as quietly and trustingly as a -flower unfolds, knowing that the right thing will come at the right -time.” Then again the girl ruminated, “How topsy-turvy would be this -universe of ours if the flowers said to themselves, ‘Dear me, I -wonder now if I’d better open up my petals to the sun; no telling -how soon clouds may come and my bloom spoiled in a storm.’ - -“Comrade, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to trust, and let -my life blossom as it will. What would Brother Malcolm think if he -knew that I am trying to marry him to someone whom as yet he doesn’t -know?” Then as the canon trail had been reached, Virg turned her -pony’s head that way and slowly began the ascent. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII—NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS - - -It was Peter Wallace who first saw the approaching visitor. -Instantly his joyful shout rang out, “Ma! Ma! Here she is! Here’s -Miss Virgie just as you were a-wishing.” - -So, after all, Mrs. Wallace had been wanting to see the girl and, -with a panicky feeling in her heart, she hoped that nothing was -seriously wrong. “What if someone were ill or—” She had no time for -further surmizing, for Comrade, having reached the top of the trail, -made it possible for her to see the little house overhung with -sheltering rocks. What she saw amazed her more than anything she had -fancied. - -Trunks stood packed and strapped on the small front porch. The house -had evidently been closed for an indefinite period as there were -wooden blinds at the windows barred across, and the entire family -was arrayed as for a journey. Mr. Wallace at the moment was busily -boarding up the front door. - -Had the water supply ceased? Were they being forced to leave and -where could they be going? But it was evident by the shining face of -the little mother that the something that had happened must be of a -pleasant nature. “Oh, Miss Virginia,” she was hurrying forward with -hands outstretched as soon as the girl had dismounted, “how I did -want to see you before we left, but I just couldn’t think of a way. -I believe I sent you messages all day yesterday to say goodbye. Did -you get any of them?” - -“I did indeed, Mrs. Wallace. That’s why I came,” the girl replied, -glad indeed that she had followed her intuitive guiding. Then, as -her roving eyes seemed to be asking a question, the mother hurried -on to answer it. “You wonder where we are going. It’s almost like an -answer to prayer. In fact, I think it _is_ an answer, and a -fulfillment of Dad’s faith. We’re going to Douglas to live where the -children can get a schooling.” - -“I am going to Yale,” freckled-faced Peter put in excitedly. - -“Ssh! Sonny, you mustn’t be telling that around, or folks will think -you’re a bit queer. Little boys don’t go to Yale, and you’ll have to -study powerfully hard and be extra smart to ever get there, won’t -he, Miss Virginia?” - -“I believe he’ll make it.” The girl had placed a loving hand on the -hair that was sunburnt, for the boy’s expression had been suddenly -crestfallen. “Keep it always as your goal, Peter, and before many -years you’ll be writing me a letter telling me that you’re on your -way to that great Eastern college.” Then to the mother, “Now, please -begin at the beginning and tell me what has happened? Did the water -give out?” - -It was Mr. Wallace who replied as he advanced with a hand -outstretched. “Indeed it did not and it’s the water that has brought -us our wonderful good luck, or rather, the instrument, I suppose.” - -Virginia’s expressive face encouraged the speaker to continue, which -he did. “You recall that fine lad who camped down at the entrance to -the canon, the one who came up here with you?” - -“Yes, indeed, the Traylors. I have been hoping we’d hear more about -both of them. Have you seen them again?” - -“Well, not exactly seen them, but Mr. Traylor sent a legal -representative to see me. He said that, because of his son’s glowing -descriptions of my invention, he wanted to back me financially in -having it patented. He also offered me a splendid position in -connection with his smelting founderies in Douglas and Bisbee. It -seems that for some time he has been trying to perfect some -labor-saving devices and he believes, and so do I, that it can be -done.” - -“And it isn’t something we’re taking on chance either,” Mrs. Wallace -hastened to explain. “Dad, of course, is pretty much of a dreamer -but this is a sure income for five years with a signed contract -backing it.” - -At this point, Peter, who had evidently been watching from a peak -higher up, flew down to the group crying excitedly, “It’s coming, -Ma! Mr. Slater’s truck that’s to take us to town.” - -“Well, I don’t know when I have heard more wonderful news,” the -visiting girl declared. “I won’t say goodbye, for, after all, you -are still to remain one of my neighbors. Douglas, being only twenty -miles away, with a good road between it and V. M., is almost nearer -via our auto, then it is to Hog Canon on horseback.” - -Then she shook hands with the grown-ups, kissed the children, who -clung to her, left a bundle with Sari and another with Jane, telling -Peter that his would come later, and rode away. - -“Don’t open them yet,” the mother said. “I know what’s in them. Miss -Virgie told me. They are pretty dresses that she and her friend have -made for you girlies. They’ll be just what you need for starting in -school. Goodness, where is your Dad?” - -“There he is, high up where the spring is. Now, he’s coming. Hurry -Pop! Mr. Slater’s cowboys are coming up the trail to pack our trunks -down.” - -The man’s eyes glowed, but he spoke no word. Silently he reached out -his hand and clasped that of his faithful little wife, and she -understood. - -The End. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VIRGINIA'S RANCH -NEIGHBORS *** - -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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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