king down to the valley, perhaps even to town,
though the distance was too great for a casual hike of three hours or
so. But there was the depot, not quite at the foot of the mountain;
and at the station was the agent's wife, who was a friendly little
person. Marion had made it a point to mention the agent's wife in an
intimate, personal way, as though she were in the habit of visiting
there. Mrs. Morton had an awful time getting her clothes dry without
having them all smudged up with engine smoke, she had said after her
last trip. Then she had stopped abruptly as though the remark had
slipped out unaware. It was easy enough to fool poor Kate.

But there was a chance that poor Kate would walk clear down to the
station, and find no Marion. In that case, Marion decided to invent a
visit to one of the nearest ranches. That would be easy enough, for if
Marion did not know any of the ranchers, neither did Kate, and she
would scarcely go so far as to inquire at all the ranches. That would
be too ridiculous; besides, Kate was not likely to punish herself by
making the trip just for the sake of satisfying her curiosity.

Marion plunged on down the hill, hurrying because she was later than
she had intended to be, and it was cold for a person standing around
in the snow. She crossed the deep gulch and climbed laboriously up the
other side, over hidden shale rock and through clumps of bushes that
snatched at her clothing like a witch's bony fingers. She had no more
than reached the top when Jack stepped out from behind a pine tree as
wide of girth as a hogshead. Marion gave a little scream, and then
laughed. After that she frowned at him.

"Say, you mustn't come down so far!" she expostulated. "You know it
isn't a bit safe--I've told you so a dozen times, and every time I
come out, here I find you a mile or so nearer to camp. Why, yesterday
there were two men up here hunting. I saw them, and so did Doug. They
gave Doug the liver of the deer they killed and the heart--so he
wouldn't tell on them, I suppose. What if they had seen you?"

"One of them was Hank Brown," Jack informed her unemotionally. "I met
him close as I am to you, and he swung off and went the other way.
Last time we met I licked the daylights out of him, and I guess he
hasn't forgotten the feel of my knuckles. Anyway, he stampeded."

"Well, forevermore!" Marion was indignant. "What's the use of your
hiding out in a cave, for goodness' sake, if you're going to l