befallen him;
and about the beautiful mare, Little Bay, he had captured for her; and
now they could talk and plan endlessly, all the way down to Siccane.

When would Lucy marry him? That was a staggering question. His heart
swelled to bursting. Had he the courage to ask her at once? He tried
to see the matter from Lucy's point of view, but without much success.

Dreaming thus, Pan rode along without being aware of the time or
distance.

"Hey, pard," called Blinky, in loud banter. "Are you goin' to ride
past where your gurl lives?"

With a violent start Pan wheeled his horse. He saw that he had indeed
ridden beyond the entrance to a farm, which upon second look he
recognized. It was, however, an angle with which he had not been
familiar. The corrals and barn and house were hidden in trees.

"I'm loco, all right," he replied with a little laugh.

Through gate and lane they galloped, on to the corral, and round that
to the barn. This was only a short distance to the house. Pan leaped
from his horse and ran.

With an uplift of his heart that was almost pain, he rushed round the
corner of the house to the vine-covered porch.

The door was shut. Stealthily he tiptoed across the porch to knock.
No answer! He tried the door. Locked! A quiver ran through him.

"Strange," he muttered, "not home this early."

He peered through the window, to see on floor and table ample evidence
of recent packing. That gave check to a creeping blankness which was
benumbing Pan. He went on to look into his mother's bedroom. The bed
looked as if it had been used during the night and had not been made
up. Perhaps his mother and Lucy had gone into Marco to purchase
necessities.

"But--didn't I tell Lucy not to go?" he queried, in bewilderment.

Resolutely he cast out doubtful speculations. There could hardly be
anything wrong. Hurriedly he returned to the barn.

"Wal, I'll tell you," Blinky was holding forth blandly, "this heah
grubbin' around without a home an' a woman ain't no good. I'm shore
through. I'm agoin'--"

"Nobody home," interrupted Pan.

"Well, that's nothin' to make you pale round the gills," returned his
father. "They're gone to town. Mother had a lot of buyin' to do."

"But I particularly told Lucy to stay here."

"S'pose you did," interposed Blinky. "Thet's nothin'. You don't
expect this heah gurl to mind you."

"No time for joking, Blink," said Pan curtly. "It just doesn't set
right o