Brent laughed nervously.

"It would appear that they are here for no reason whatsoever," he said,
"though a few minutes ago we thought it a matter of life and death."
Her nonplussed expression was sufficiently full of interrogation to cue
a fuller explanation and Brent embarked upon the summarized recital of
what they had discovered.

Alexander's eyes widened into amazement, and she caught one lip between
her white teeth. She stood very straight and indignant, and the men
acknowledged to themselves that she had never seemed so beautiful
before, nor so militant.

"So they aimed ter lay-way me," she murmured incredulously and Halloway
made prompt answer. "Yes, and ye mighty nigh walked right into th'ar
dead-fall. Don't ye see now how plum reckless yore plan is? Whar was
ye at anyhow?"

The girl impatiently tossed her head. "I fared out a leetle way ter
see how ther roads looked," she said. "I wanted ter mek sure that I
could get a daybreak start in the morning. I hain't nobody's sugar ner
salt that I kain't stir abroad without meltin', be I?"

"We saw that your pack was gone too--and we 'lowed----" began Halloway,
but she interrupted him with a curt explanation. "Thet shack war
leakin' like a sieve. I didn't aim ter hev all my belongin's mildewed
an' rusted--so I left 'em at ther store."

"This crowd kin see ye through without mishap, I reckon. We've done
planned hit all out." That contribution came from the giant who seemed
to have become general spokesman but the young woman stood silent and
absorbed; a delicate pucker between her brows, and the violet pools of
her eyes cloud-riffled. At last she announced firmly, "I'm beholden
ter all of ye but I've got ter study this matter out by myself. I'll
come back hyar in a little spell an' tell ye what decision I've done
reached."

"As for getting a daybreak start," Brent observed as she turned away,
"You can't get into the bank until it opens."

Once more she had overlooked the unfamiliar complications of financial
usage.

Jerry O'Keefe had been lounging with the other recruits of Bud's
gathering, looking river-ward until the sound of voices, whose words he
could not distinguish, brought him lazily around. As he stood when the
first view of Alexander broke on his vision, so he remained--immovable.
The low and bantering laughter of his companions for his rapt
statuesqueness, fell on deaf ears. His lips parted and his eyes held
as under hypnotism.