plainly spoke unbelief.

"It's a fact," I assured her calmly. "I met him one day in Laurel, and was
fortunate enough to perform a service which earned his gratitude. As
I say, he invited me to come and see him; I told him I should be glad to
have him visit me at the Bay State Ranch, and we embraced each other with
much fervor."

"Indeed!" I could see that she persisted in doubting my veracity.

"Ask your father if we didn't," I said, much injured. I knew she wouldn't,
though.

A scrambling behind us made me turn, and there was Perry Potter climbing
up to us, his eyes sharper than ever, and his face so absolutely devoid of
expression that it told me a good deal. I'll lay all I own he was a good
bit astonished at what he saw! As for me, I could have kicked him back to
the bottom of the hill--and I probably looked it.

"There was something I forgot to put in that note," he said evenly, just
touching the brim of his hat in acknowledgment of the girl's presence. "I
wrote another one. I'd like Ballard to get it as soon as you can make
camp--conveniently." His eyes looked through me almost as if I weren't
there.

My desire to kick him grew almost into mania. I took the note, saw at a
glance that it was addressed to me, and said: "All right," in a tone quite
different from the one I had been using to tease Miss King.

He gave me another sharp look, and went back the way he had come, leaving
me standing there glaring after him. Miss King, I noticed, was sketching
for dear life, and her cheeks were crimson.

When Potter had got to the bottom and was riding away, I unfolded the note
and read:

Don't be a fool. For God's sake, have some sense and keep away
from King's Highway.

I laughed, and Miss King looked up inquiringly. Following an impulse I've
never yet been able to classify, I showed her the note.

She read it calmly--I might say indifferently. "He is quite right," she
said coldly. "I, too--if I cared enough--would advise you to keep away
from King's Highway."

"But you don't care enough to advise me, and so I shall go," I said--and
I had the satisfaction of seeing her teeth come down sharply on her lower
lip. I waited a minute, watching her.

"You're very foolish," she said icily, and went at her sketching again.

I waited another minute; during that time she succeeded in making the pass
look weird indeed, and a fearsome place to enter. I got reckless.

"You've spoiled that sketch," I said, stoopi