upon hers with a quiet
pressure, and her smaller fingers thrilled and nestled in his grasp.

In the shadow of a big tree beside the house he bade her good-by, the
men busying themselves with turning about the buckboard noisily, and Bud
discreetly taking himself to the back door to get one of the men a drink
of water.

"You have been suffering in some way," said Margaret, with sudden
intuition, as she looked up into Gardley's face. "You have been in
peril, somehow--"

"A little," he answered, lightly. "I'll tell you about it to-morrow. I
mustn't keep the men waiting now. I shall have a great deal to tell you
to-morrow--if you will let me. Good night, _Margaret_!" Their hands
lingered in a clasp, and then he rode away with his bodyguard.

But Margaret did not have to wait until the morrow to hear the story,
for Bud was just fairly bursting.

Mrs. Tanner had prepared a nice little supper--more cold chicken, pie,
doughnuts, coffee, some of her famous marble cake, and preserves--and
she insisted on Margaret's coming into the dining-room and eating it,
though the girl would much rather have gone with her happy heart up to
her own room by herself.

Bud did not wait on ceremony. He began at once when Margaret was seated,
even before his mother could get her properly waited on.

"Well, we had _some ride_, we sure did! The Kid's a great old scout."

Margaret perceived that this was a leader. "Why, that's so, what became
of you, William? I hunted everywhere for you. Things were pretty
strenuous there for a while, and I needed you dreadfully."

"Well, I know," Bud apologized. "I'd oughta let you know before I went,
but there wasn't time. You see, I had to pinch that guy's horse to go,
and I knew it was just a chance if we could get back, anyway; but I had
to take it. You see, if I could 'a' gone right to the cabin it would
have been a dead cinch, but I had to ride to camp for the men, and then,
taking the short trail across, it was some ride to Ouida's Cabin!"

Mrs. Tanner stepped aghast as she was cutting a piece of dried-apple pie
for Margaret. "Now, Buddie--mother's boy--you don't mean to tell me
_you_ went to _Ouida's Cabin_? Why, sonnie, that's an _awful place_!
Don't you know your pa told you he'd whip you if you ever went on that
trail?"

"I should worry, Ma! I _had_ to go. They had Mr. Gardley tied up there,
and we had to go and get him rescued."

"_You_ had to go, Buddie--now what could _you_ do in that awful