alf an hour ago, brother, have you seen my little silk
purse anywhere? There was too much of my scant income in it to have it
disappear entirely."

"Yes, I took it. I 'specially needed the money for a purpose of my own.
I meant to tell you, but I forgot it. I'll bring back the purse later,"
York replied.

Of course Laura understood that this was York's return for catching him
at a disadvantage, but she meant to pursue the quest in spite of her
brother's teasing, for she was really concerned.

Only a few days before, the New Eden leak had opened again and some
really valuable things, far scattered and hardly enough to be considered
separately, had disappeared. Laura by chance had heard that week of two
instances on the town side of the river, and on the evening previous of
one across the river.

Before she spoke again she saw that Jerry's eyes were fixed on the
buffet, where two silver cups, exactly alike, sat side by side. There
was a queer expression about the girl's mouth as she caught her
hostess's eye.

"Is there any more silver of that pattern in this part of the country?"
she asked, with seeming carelessness, wrestling the while with a little
problem of her own.

"Not a pennyweight this side of old 'Castle Cluny' in Scotland, so far
as I know," York replied. "There's your other cup, after all, Laura. By
the way, Miss Jerry, how would you like to take a horseback ride over
'Kingussie'? I must go to the far side of the ranch this morning, and I
would like a companion--even yourself."

"Do go, Jerry. I don't ride any more," Laura urged, with that cheerful
smile that told how heroically she bore her affliction. "I used to ride
miles with York back in the Winnowoc country."

"And York always misses you whenever he rides," her brother replied,
beaming affectionately upon his brave, sweet sister. "Maybe, though,
Jerry doesn't ride on horseback," he added.

At Laura's words Jerry's mind was flooded with memories of the Winnowoc
country where from childhood she had taken long, exhilarating rides with
her father and her cousin Gene Wellington.

"I've always ridden on horseback," she said, dreamily, without looking
up.

"She's going to ride with me, not with ghosts of Eastern lovers, if she
rides to-day," York resolved, a sudden tenseness catching at his throat.

"What kind of mounts are you afraid of? I can have Ponk send up
something easy," he said, in a quiet, fatherly way.

Jerry's eyes darkened. "I can