ttained level ground upon the same side as the
girl. Ten minutes he spent in urging Rambler up the bank, and when the
horse stood breathing heavily beside him, Ford knew that, for all the
good there was in him at present, he might as well have left him at the
bottom. He walked around him, rubbing leg and shoulder muscles until he
located the hurt, and shook his head when all was done. Then he started
on slowly, with Rambler hobbling painfully after him. Ford knew that
every rod would aggravate that strained shoulder and that a stop would
probably make it impossible for the horse to go on at all.

He was not quite sure, after all those windings where he could not see,
just where it was he had seen the girl, but he recognized at last the
undulating outline of the ridge over which she had appeared, and made
what haste he could up the slope. The grazing horse was no longer in
sight, though he knew it might be feeding in a hollow near by.

He had almost given up hope of finding her, when he turned his head and
saw her off to one side, lying half concealed by a clump of low rose
bushes. She was not unconscious, as he had thought, but was crying
silently, with her face upon her folded arms and her hat askew over one
ear. He stooped and touched her upon the shoulder.

She lifted her head and looked at him, and drew away with a faint,
withdrawing gesture, which was very slight in itself but none the less
eloquent and unmistakable. Ford backed a step when he saw it and closed
his lips without speaking the words he had meant to say.

[Illustration: She lifted her head and looked at him, and drew away.]

"Well, what do you want?" the girl asked ungraciously, after a minute
spent in fumbling unseen hairpins and in straightening her hat. "I don't
know why you're standing there like that, staring at me. I don't need
any help."

"Appearances are deceitful, then," Ford retorted. "I saw you limping
over the hill, after your horse, and I saw you fall down and stay down.
I had an idea that a little help would be acceptable, but of course--"

"That was an hour ago," she interrupted accusingly, with a measuring
glance at the sun, which was settling toward the sky-line.

"I had trouble getting across that washout down there. I don't know
this part of the country, and I went down it instead of up. What are you
crying about--if you don't need any help?"

She eyed him askance, and chewed upon a corner of her lip, and flipped
the upturne