By the way, where are the cows?" Mr. Horton stood up and looked around
as if he might spy them in the tree-tops or anywhere. "I do'no--I
wisht' 'twas so I could spend the time--" he muttered reflectively.
Then, suddenly: "How long will it take ye to milk 'em? I might wait."

"Oh, no! No indeed! I couldn't think of asking you to do that on my
account!" I exclaimed, feeling very grateful, nevertheless, for the
interest he displayed. "The cows haven't come up yet; besides, it
would do no good to milk them now, at noon, for this evening," I
explained, although Mr. Horton, being a cattleman, should have known
that without my telling him.

"I've thought what I can do," I said, after a moment. "You and Ralph
go with Mr. Horton, Jessie, and after the chores are done this
evening I'll slip over to Crusoe to Mrs. Riley's." Mrs. Riley being
the kindly Irish-woman with whom old Joe usually boarded when working
in the mines.

"That's a good plan," Jessie said. "I couldn't bear to leave you here
alone all night."

Mr. Horton had seemed considerably nonplussed when he found that I was
not coming with him; he now brightened visibly, remarking: "Yes, you
can do that; lonesome work for a young gal stayin' alone all night; no
tellin' what might happen," and then, with that curious fatality that
so often induces people to say exactly the wrong thing for their
purpose, he added: "I should 'a' thought your nigger would 'a' left
the dog here to purtect you young women whilst he was gone. But
niggers is always thoughtless, and yourn is no exception."

Inwardly resenting both the tone and words, I instantly resolved, in a
spirit of loyalty to Joe, to remain where I was that night. Why should
I not, indeed? I had never spent a night alone in my life, but I would
let Mr. Horton know that I was not afraid to do it--I would let
him know afterward--just at present I nodded my head in apparent
acquiescence with his views, and bidding good-by to the trio, walked
away toward the corral, intent on beguiling them into the belief,
should they look back, that I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of
the cows in order that I might the sooner get away myself. In the
silence that followed upon the last faint rumble of their disappearing
wheels I thought of something else. Something that made my blood run
cold with a sickening apprehension of the calamity that had so nearly
befallen us. A moment more and, the numb fit of terror passed, I was
dancing down