oung stranger. She wondered whether a
"desperate character" could love his horse, and felt a wild desire to
tell him of her plight. But as her eyes rested upon the brown leather
jug she frowned.

The man shifted himself in the saddle. "Well, I must be goin'," he
said. "Good evenin'."

Patty bowed ever so slightly, as he replaced the Stetson upon his head
and touched his horse lightly with a spur. "Come along, you Buck,
you!"

As the horse started down the steep descent on the other side of the
divide a feeling of loneliness that was very akin to terror gripped
the girl. The sunlight showed only upon the higher levels, and the
prospect of spending the night alone in the hills without food or
shelter produced a sudden chilling sensation in the pit of her
stomach.

"Oh! Please----"

The buckskin turned in his tracks, and once more the man was beside
her upon the ridge.

"I _am_ lost," she faltered. "Only, I hated to admit it."

"Folks always do. I've be'n lost a hundred times, an' I never _would_
admit it."

"I started for the Watts's ranch. Do you know where it is?"

"Yes, it's over on Monte's Creek."

Patty smiled. "I could have told _you_ that. The trouble is, someone
seems to have removed all the signs."

"They ought to put 'em up again," opined the stranger in the same
grave tone with which he had bid her good evening.

"They told me in town that I was to take the left hand trail where it
forked at the first creek beyond the canyon."

The man nodded. "Yes, that about fits the case."

"But I did take the trail that turned to the left up the first creek
beyond the canyon, and I haven't seen the slightest intimation of a
ranch."

"No, you see, this little creek don't count, because most of the time
it's dry; an' this ain't a regular trail. It's an' old winter road
that was used to haul out cord wood an' timber. Monte's Creek is two
miles farther on. It's a heap bigger creek than this, an' the trail's
better, too. Watts's is about three mile up from the fork. You can't
miss it. It's the only ranch there."

"How far is it back to the trail?" asked the girl wearily.

"About two mile. It's about seven mile to Watts's that way around.
There's a short cut, through the hills, but I couldn't tell you so
you'd find it. There's no trail, an' it's up one coulee an' down
another till you get there. I'm goin' through that way; if you'd like
to come along you're welcome to."

For a moment Patty hesitated but