rriedly. "I ask it as a favor. I want to speak to you.
Jessie and I are here alone. Father is away. YOU are one of our oldest
friends."

He hesitated. She turned to the astonished young banker, who rode up.

"I have just met an old friend. Will you please ride back as quickly as
you can, and tell Jessie that Mr. Kearney is here, and ask her to join
us?"

She watched her dazed escort, still speechless from the spectacle of the
fastidious Miss Carr tete-a-tete with a common Mexican vaquero, gallop
off in the direction of the canyon, and then turned to George.

"Now take me home, the shortest way, as quick as you can."

"Home?" echoed George.

"I mean to Mr. Prince's house. Quick! before they can come up to us."

He mechanically put spurs to his horse; she followed. They presently
struck into a trail that soon diverged again into a disused logging
track through the woods.

"This is the short cut to Prince's, by two miles," he said, as they
entered the woods.

As they were still galloping, without exchanging a word, Christie began
to slacken her speed; George did the same. They were safe from intrusion
at the present, even if the others had found the short cut. Christie,
bold and self-reliant a moment ago, suddenly found herself growing weak
and embarrassed. What had she done?

She checked her horse suddenly.

"Perhaps we had better wait for them," she said timidly.

George had not raised his eyes to hers.

"You said you wanted to hurry home," he replied gently, passing his hand
along his mustang's velvety neck, "and--and you had something to say to
me."

"Certainly," she answered, with a faint laugh. "I'm so astonished at
meeting you here. I'm quite bewildered. You are living here; you have
forsaken us to buy a ranche?" she continued, looking at him attentively.

His brow colored slightly.

"No, I'm living here, but I have bought no ranche. I'm only a hired man
on somebody else's ranche, to look after the cattle."

He saw her beautiful eyes fill with astonishment and--something else.
His brow cleared; he went on, with his old boyish laugh:

"No, Miss Carr. The fact is, I'm dead broke. I've lost everything since
I saw you last. But as I know how to ride, and I'm not afraid of work, I
manage to keep along."

"You have lost money in--in the mines?" said Christie suddenly.

"No"--he replied quickly, evading her eyes. "My brother has my interest,
you know. I've been foolish on my own account solely. You