houghts were plainly a thousand miles away.

'I've caught an inspiration,' he said softly.

'What is it?' smiled Helen.

There'll be a moon in two or three hours. At best the accommodations
here are bad; rooms stuffy and close and hot. If you are not too
tired-----'

He saw that she understood what he meant, and further that she gave her
glad acceptance.

'It will be fun!' she told him. He even detected a something of
eagerness in her tone; he had already thought that it would be just he
and she this time--they two alone riding together out through the
glorious night, chaperoned only by the knowledge that somewhere in the
distance behind them the wagon jolted along. He wondered if she, too,
had thought of this?

When the three at table finished and went out into the cool of the
porch they found only empty chairs; a half-silhouette showed where
Barbee leaned against a pepper tree by the roadside. Helen settled
herself comfortably, wandering if Mrs. Murray had re-entered the hotel
by some side door or if she had business elsewhere. Howard made the
suggestion of the return to Desert Valley. Longstreet hesitated, then
objected, saying that by now the store would be closed and that the
wagon was still to be loaded.

'Tod Barstow will be up at the saloon, probably looking for a game of
cribbage,' said Howard. 'It will take me about three shakes to locate
him. The store will be open; old Mexican Pete lives in the back. I'll
have Tod hitch up at the first peep of the moon; he can load your stuff
on in twenty minutes.'

Helen added her voice to Alan's. Longstreet's eyes travelled out to
the listless figure against the pepper tree. At the moment Barbee's
silhouette disengaged itself from the tree's shadowy trunk and started
up the road.

'All right,' said Longstreet. 'But you needn't trouble about looking
up Barstow; I'd enjoy the walk. If you and Helen will wait here, I'll
see that the wagon is ready about moonrise.' And as though he had just
remembered an important engagement, he hurried away.

They saw him overtake Barbee; they heard his cheerful voice, and then a
surly rejoinder from the boy. Then, far across the sky, a star fell
and their eyes went to it together and they fell silent. When the
brief silence was gone, and they talked in lowered voices, they had
both forgotten Longstreet and Barbee. And, for one, Alan Howard was in
no haste for the rising moon.

Chapter VIII

Poker and