t
sturdy confidence in his expert plainscraft yielded him sufficient sense
of direction. He had noted the bark of the cottonwoods, the direction of
the wind, and steered a course accordingly straight northward, alert to
avert any variation.

The girl rode easily, although in a man's saddle, the stirrups much
too long. Keith glanced aside with swift approval at the erectness with
which she sat, the loosened rein in her hand, the slight swaying of her
form. He could appreciate horsemanship, and the easy manner in which
she rode relieved him of one anxiety. It even caused him to break the
silence.

"You are evidently accustomed to riding, Miss Hope."

She glanced across at him through the darkness, as though suddenly
surprised from thought, her words not coming quickly.

"I cannot remember when I first mounted a horse; in earliest childhood,
surely, although I have not ridden much of late. This one is like a
rocking chair."

"He belonged to your friend, Mr. Hawley."

She drew a quick breath, her face again turned forward.

"Who--who is that man? Do you know?"

"I possess a passing acquaintance," he answered, uncertain yet how much
to tell her, but tempted to reveal all in test of her real character.
"Few do not who live along the Kansas border."

"Do you mean he is a notoriously bad character?"

"I have never heard of his being held up as a model to the young, Miss
Hope," he returned more soberly, convinced that she truly possessed
no real knowledge regarding the man, and was not merely pretending
innocence. "I had never heard him called Hawley before, and, therefore,
failed to recognize him under that respectable name. But I knew his
voice the moment he entered the cabin, and realized that some devilment
was afoot. Every town along this frontier has his record, and I've met
him maybe a dozen times in the past three years. He is known as 'Black
Bart'; is a gambler by profession, a desperado by reputation, and a cur
by nature. Just now I suspect him of being even deeper in the mire than
this."

He could tell by the quick clasping of her hands on the pommel of the
saddle the effect of his words, but waited until the silence compelled
her to speak.

"Oh, I didn't know! You do not believe that I ever suspected such a
thing? That I ever met him there understanding who he was?"

"No, I do not," he answered. "What I overheard between you convinced me
you were the victim of deceit. But your going to that place alo