ole much as a burdened ant goes through, over, or under whatever
lies in its path.

It was a very good way to reach home quickly, but it had one drawback
which Johnny could not possibly have foreseen. It brought him face to
face with Mary V without any chance at all of retreating unseen or making
a detour.

The three horses stopped, as range horses have a habit of doing when they
meet like that. The riders stared for a space. Then Bland Halliday turned
his attention to certain raw places on his person, trying to ease them by
putting all his weight on what he termed the foot-controls. Even a pretty
girl could not interest him very much just then, and Mary V, I must
confess, was not looking as pretty as she sometimes looked.

"Well, Johnny Jewel!" said Mary V disapprovingly. "_What_ have you
there?"

"Well, Mary V! _What_ are you doing here?" Johnny echoed promptly,
choosing to ignore her question.

"What is that to you, may I ask?" Mary V challenged him.

"What is the other to you, may I ask?" Johnny retorted.

Deadlocked, they looked at each other and tried not to let their eyes
smile.

"You're all over your cold, I see," said Mary V meaningly. "You didn't
come after all to ride with me last Sunday, although you promised to
come."

"Promised? I did? Well, what did you expect? Not me--I'll bet on it."
Johnny had been nearly caught, but he recovered himself in time, he
believed.

"I expected you wouldn't know the first thing about it--which you didn't.
Oh, there's something here I want to show you." She tilted her head
backward, and gave him a warning scowl, and rode slowly away.

Johnny followed, uncomfortably mystified. She did not go more than fifty
yards--just out of the hearing of the stranger. She stopped and pointed
her finger at a rock which was like any other rock in that locality.

"What is that fellow doing here? He can't ride. I saw you, when you came
out of the canon, so he isn't a new hand. And why did somebody answer
your telephone for you, and pretend he had a cold so dad wouldn't know he
was a stranger? Dad didn't, for that matter, but _I_ knew, the very first
words he spoke. And what are you up to, Johnny Jewel? You better tell me,
because I shall find out anyway."

"Go to it!" Johnny defied her. "If you're going to find out anyway,
what's the use of me telling yuh?"

"Who was it answered your 'phone? You better tell me that, because if I
were to just _hint_ to dad--"

"What would you