lue Bonnet called "the other
side of the hills,"--a land of sheep-ranches, for the most part;
rather barren and level, unlike the rolling green prairie of the
cattle-country she loved. They could see the Judson's wagon winding
its way across the plain, until only a blur of dust marked its course
towards the horizon.

"Let's hurry," said Blue Bonnet, "I promised Grandmother we'd surely
be back for lunch."

"It isn't your turn to cook, is it?" asked Kitty.

"No,--it's my turn to eat!" And Blue Bonnet, urging Firefly, was off
at a lively clip towards camp.

"Please stop, Blue Bonnet," panted Kitty after a few minutes of this
sort of going. "I've a dreadful pain in my side."

Blue Bonnet good-naturedly fell back with her, and the rest swept past
them with a chorus of taunts for being "quitters." Both girls looked
after Comanche and his rider with something like wonder in their eyes.
Sarah was riding like a veteran; it was plain that she and Comanche
understood each other at last.

"Sarah's coming on, isn't she?" said Kitty.

"Coming?--I think she's arrived!" Blue Bonnet exclaimed.

"She can thank me for picking out Comanche for her," remarked Kitty;
she preferred herself to be the object of Blue Bonnet's approbation
and could not be roused to much enthusiasm on Sarah's account.

"Considering your motive, Kitty-Kat, I'm not so sure Sarah owes you
any gratitude," laughed Blue Bonnet. Suddenly she gave an exclamation.
"Why, there's a lamb,--I wonder if it's dead."

"Where?" asked Kitty.

Blue Bonnet pointed to a spot some distance off the road, but Kitty's
city-bred eyes could make out nothing. Just then there came a feeble
bleat, and in a second Blue Bonnet had slipped from the saddle and
handed the reins to Kitty.

"Hold Firefly a minute, please. That _is_ a lamb!"

Kitty obediently held the unwilling Firefly, while Blue Bonnet hurried
in the direction of the bleat. A moment later she stooped, and when
she straightened up, there was a small woolly object in her arms.

"It's too little to travel and the mean old mother's gone off with
the flock," Blue Bonnet said, coming up with the deserted baby.

"What are you going to do with it?" demanded Kitty helplessly.

"I'm going to find the flock. It's been driven along here and inside
that fence. I'm going to let down the bars and cross the field. You
see the little shanty over there?--I believe there must be a shepherd
somewhere about, and I'll give him the lam