"I sure was," he admitted. And then: "You rode off with my blanket on." He
was very proud of his matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh!" Miss Conroy was almost deceived, and a bit disappointed. "I'll give it
to you now, and you can go back--if you know the way."

"No hurry," said Rowdy politely. "I'll go on and see if you can find a place
that looks good to you. You seem pretty particular."

Miss Conroy may have blushed, in the shelter of the blanket. "I suppose it
did look strange to you," she confessed, but defiantly. "Bill Brown is an
enemy to--Harry. He--because he lost a horse or two out of a field, one
time, he--he actually accused Harry of taking them! He lied, of course, and
nobody believed him; nobody could believe a thing like that about Harry. It
was perfectly absurd. But he did his best to hurt Harry's name, and I would
rather freeze than ask shelter of him. Wouldn't you--in my place, I mean?"

"I always stand up for my friends," evaded Rowdy. "And if I had a brother--"

"Of course you'd be loyal," approved Miss Conroy warmly. "But I didn't want
you to come on; it isn't your quarrel. And I know the way now. You needn't
have come any farther "

"You forgot the blanket," Rowdy reminded wickedly. "I think a lot of that
Navajo."

"You insisted upon my taking it," she retorted, and took refuge in silence.

For a long hour they plodded blindly. Rowdy beat his hands often about his