he
started out of the room, Jacqueline Ralston marched into it. Every bit
of color left her face and she stared at him in blank astonishment.

CHAPTER V.

SEEKING ADVICE.

JEAN giggled. Frank Kent and Jack were so funny. They both turned and
glared at her with reproachful eyes.

"I hope you don't think I have intruded," Frank protested hotly.

"Oh, no, certainly not," Jack answered with frozen politeness. "That is,
at least,--I don't understand."

The scene was enough to have bewildered almost anybody. The quiet room
where Jack had left the Indian girl half unconscious and guarded only by
tranquil Frieda, was now in a state of suppressed excitement.

Olilie lay back in her chair with the same expression on her face that
she had worn on the day she was discovered. Aunt Ellen had her eyes
rolled back so that only the whites were showing. Frieda was bouncing up
and down, she was so agitated, and Jean looked as though she had been
through the war. And in the midst of the family group stood the strange
young fellow whom Jacqueline had met on the Norton ranch and most
cordially requested not to make their acquaintance.

Frieda rushed into the breach. "Oh, Jack, the most awfullest thing
almost happened!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands and forgetting her
grammar in her hurry. "That dreadful old Indian woman and a boy came
here and tried to drag Olilie away. I hollered and hollered out the
window for Jim or you or anybody to come drive them off, and he came,"
Frieda bobbed her head at their visitor.

She was so excited that Jean and Jack laughed. But Frank Kent did not
smile the least bit. You see he was English and English people don't see
jokes quickly. Besides, he was angry at Jack's first suspicion of him.
He guessed by her high and mighty manner that she thought he had come to
the ranch against her wishes.

He looked so stiff and unfriendly that Jacqueline did not know what to
say first.

"Your cousin will tell you how I happened to be near," he said icily,
backing out the door.

Jack rushed after him, nearly tripping over the spurs on her riding
boots. "Please don't go quite yet," she begged. "At least let me thank
you for whatever you did." Jack had a way of smiling suddenly that
changed her whole expression, and made people forgive her almost
anything. "Won't you please come into the living-room and one of you
tell me calmly exactly what has happened, or I shall simply die of
curiosity."

Ja