t sensible
thing you were ever guilty of."

"Glad you think so," returned Dicksie dryly, unpinning her hat. "I
certainly hope it is. Mr. McCloud persuaded me it wasn't right for me
to ride home alone, and I knew better than he what danger there was
for him in riding home with me--so here I am. He is coming over for
supper, too, in a few minutes."

When McCloud arrived he brought with him a porterhouse steak, and
Marion was again driven from the kitchen. At the end of an hour,
Dicksie, engrossed over the broiler, was putting the finishing touches
to the steak, and McCloud, more engrossed, was watching her, when a
diffident and surprised-looking person appeared in the kitchen doorway
and put his hand undecidedly on the casing. While he stood, Dicksie
turned abruptly to McCloud.

"Oh, by the way, I have forgotten something! Will you do me a favor?"

"Certainly! Do you want money or a pass?"

"No, not money," said Dicksie, lifting the steak on her forks, "though
you might give me a pass."

"But I should hate to have you go away anywhere----"

"I don't want to go anywhere, but I never had a pass, and I think it
would be kind of nice to have one just to keep. Don't you?"

"Why, yes; you might put it in the bank and have it drawing
interest."

"This steak is. Do they give interest on passes?"

"Well, a good deal of interest is felt in them--on this division at
least. What is the favor?"

"Yes, what is it? How can I think? Oh, I know! If they don't put Jim
in a box stall to-night he will kill some of the horses over there.
Will you telephone the stables?"

"Won't you give me the number and let me telephone?" asked a voice
behind them. They turned in astonishment and saw Whispering Smith. "I
am surprised," he added calmly, "to see a man of your intelligence,
George, trying to broil a steak with the lower door of your stove wide
open. Close the lower door and cut out the draft through the fire.
Don't stare, George; put back the broiler. And haven't you made a
radical mistake to start with?" he asked, stepping between the
confused couple. "Are you not trying to broil a roast of beef?"

"Where did you come from?" demanded McCloud, as Marion came in from
the dining-room.

"Don't search me the very first thing," protested Whispering Smith.

"But we've been frightened to death here for twenty-four hours. Are
you really alive and unhurt? This young lady rode in twenty miles this
morning and came to the office in tea