escaped and brushed the wet cheeks flushed by the sting of the rain.
The girl rode splendidly. Even the slicker that she wore could not
disguise the flat back and the erect carriage of the slender body.

Dingwell lifted his hat. "Good-evenin', Miss Rutherford."

She nodded curtly. Her intelligent eyes passed from his to those of
Fox. A question and an answer, neither of them in words, flashed forth
and back between Beulah Rutherford and the little man.

Dave took a hand in the line-up as they fell into place beside each
other. "Hold on, Fox. You keep to the left of the road. I'll ride
next you with Miss Rutherford on my right." He explained to the girl
with genial mockery his reason. "Chet and I are such _tillicums_ we
hate to let any one get between us."

Bluntly the girl spoke out, "What's the matter?"

The cattleman lifted his eyebrows in amused surprise. "Why, nothing at
all, I reckon. There's nothing the matter, is there, Chet?"

"I've got an engagement to meet your father and he won't let me go,"
blurted out Fox.

"When did you make that hurry-up appointment, Chet?" laughed Dingwell.
"You didn't seem in no manner of hurry when you was lying in the
mesquite back there at Lonesome Park."

"You've got no business to keep him here. He can go if he wants to,"
flashed the young woman.