ffort at breaking in here."

Bristoe crawled back like a snail, and confident the others would do
their part, Keith thrust his knife blade deep into the narrow crack,
and began probing after the latch. In spite of all caution this effort
caused a slight noise, and suddenly he started back, at the sound of a
woman's voice:

"What do you want? I am armed, and will fire through the door if you do
not go away!"

His heart leaping with exultation, Keith put his lips close to the
crack.

"Hope," he exclaimed as loudly as he dared. "This is Keith; open the
door."

He could hear a little smothered cry break from her lips, and then the
sound of a bar being hastily removed. An instant, and the door opened
silently, just wide enough to permit her slender figure to slip through.
She grasped him with her hands, turning his face to the light of the
stars, and he could feel her form tremble.

"Oh, I knew you would come! I knew you would come!" she sobbed, the
words barely audible.

The man's lips set firmly, yet he held her close to him, begging her not
to break down now.

"It's all right, little girl," he said pleadingly, "we've got you safe,
but there is a fight to be attended to. Come with me; I must ask you a
question or two."

He drew her back into the fringe of bushes, placing her safely behind
the stack of saddles. She was not crying any more, just clinging to him,
as though she could never again bear to let him go.

"Oh, Jack, it is so good just to feel you near again."

"Yes, dear," soothingly, "and it is good to hear you say Jack, but tell
me one thing--is any one else in the cabin? Is Hawley here?"

"No, no! He left us early the first morning. I haven't either seen or
heard of him since. The men have left me alone since we got here; I have
had the cabin all to myself until to-night. I have not suffered,
only mentally--from dread of what they intended doing with me--until
to-night. Three men rode in here just before sundown--two Mexicans and
an Indian. One of them was an awful looking old man, with a scar on his
cheek, and a face that made me shudder. He didn't see me, but I saw him
through the window, and he had such strange eyes. All the men acted as
though they were afraid of him, and I heard him say he didn't care what
Hawley's orders were, he was going to sleep inside; if the girl didn't
like it she could take the other room. I didn't know what to do--oh, I
was so afraid of him; but what he said gave me