ere herded ahead of the two
who followed more slowly, and very close together.

Cap Pike left the fire to stand guard over the water barrels and shoo
the mules away.

"Look who's here?" he called waving his hat in salute. "The patriots
of Sonora have nothing on you when it comes to making collections on
their native heath! I left you a poor devil with a runt of a burro, a
cripple, and an Indian kid, and you've bloomed out into a bloated
aristocrat with a batch of high-class army mules. And say, you're just
in time, and you don't know it! We're in at last, by Je-rusalem, we're
_in_!"

Kit grinned at him appreciatively, but was too busy getting water to
ask questions. The wagon was rattling through the dry river bed and
would arrive in a few minutes, and the first mules had to be got out
of the way.

"You don't get it," said Billie alongside of him. "He means war. We're
in!"

"With Mexico? _Again?_" smiled Kit skeptically.

"No--something real--helping France!"

"No!" he protested with radiant eyes. "Me for it! Say, children, this
is some homecoming!"

The three shook hands, all talking at once, and Kit and Billie forgot
to let go.

"Of course you know Cap swore an alibi for you against that suspicion
Conrad tried to head your way," she stated a bit anxiously. "You
stayed away so long!"

"Yes, yes, Lark-child," he said reassuringly, "I know all that, and a
lot more. I've brought letters of introduction for the government to
some of Conrad's useful pacifist friends along the border. Don't you
fret, Billie boy; the spoke we put in their wheel will overturn their
applecart! The only thing worrying me just now,--beautifullest!--is
whether you'll wait for me till I enlist, get to France, do my stunt
to help clean out the brown rats of the world, and come back home to
marry you."

"Yip-pee!" shrilled Pike who was slicing bacon into a skillet. "I'm
getting a line now on how you made your other collections!"

Billie laughed and looked up at him a bit shyly.

"I waited for you before without asking, and I reckon I can do it
again! I'm--I'm wonderfully happy--for I didn't want you to worry over
coming home broke--and----"

"Whisper, Lark-child. _I'm not!_"

"What?"

"Whisper, I said," and he put one hand over her mouth and led her over
to the little gray burro. "Now, not even to Pike until we get home,
Billie,--but I've come out alive with the goods, while every other
soul who knew went 'over the range'! Bun