rdly slow and tender, than if she had given way to
tempests of tears. A man could comfort and console a weeping stray of
the desert, but not a girl who sat with unbound hair under the yucca
and called messages to the ghosts until the sun,--a flaming ball of
fire,--sank beyond the far purple hills.

And that was the first day of many days at the hidden treasure place
of the red gold.

CHAPTER XI

GLOOM OF BILLIE

The return of Captain Pike on Kit's horse was a matter of considerable
conjecture at Granados, but the old prospector was so fagged that at
first he said little, and after listening to the things Billie had to
tell him--he said less.

"That explains the curious ways of the Mexicans as I reached the
border," he decided. "They'd look first at the horse, then at me, but
asked no questions, and told me nothing. Queer that no word reached us
about Singleton! No, it isn't either. We never crossed trails with any
from up here. There's so much devilment of various sorts going on down
there that a harmless chap like Singleton wouldn't be remembered."

"Conrad's down at Magdalena now, but we seldom know how far he ranges.
Sometimes he stays at the lower ranch a week at a time, and he might
go on to Sinaloa for all we know. He seems always busy and is
extremely polite, but I gave him the adobe house across the arroya
after Papa Phil--went. I know he has the Mexicans thinking Kit Rhodes
came back for that murder; half of them believe it!"

"Well, I reckon I can prove him an alibi if it's needed. I'll go see
the old judge."

"He'll tell you not to travel at night, or alone, if you know
anything," she prophesied. "That's what he tells me. To think of old
Rancho Granados coming to that pass! We never did have trouble here
except a little when Apaches went on the warpath before my time, and
now the whole border is simmering and ready to boil over if anyone
struck a match to it. The judge hints that Conrad is probably only one
cog in the big border wheel, and they are after the engineer who turns
that wheel, and do you know you haven't told me one word of Kit
Rhodes, or whether he's alive or dead!"

"Nothing to tell! We didn't find it, and he took the back trail with
an Indian girl and her daddy, and----"

"An--Indian girl?"

"Yes, a queer little kid who was in a lot of trouble. Her father was
wounded in one of the fracases they have down there every little
while. Nary one of us could give an address when