She can't have him when he ain't round to be had," her husband
answered. "Low's better than a man that's either a prisoner with the
Indians or dead somewhere. David was a good boy, but I don't seem to
see he'd be much use to her now."

Bella sniffed again, and let the squirming children go to get what good
they could out of the unpromising moment of the surprise.

What Low had said to Susan was an angry,

"Why did you bring them?"

She fell back from him not so crestfallen at his words as at his dark
frown of disapproval.

"Why, I wanted them," she faltered, bewildered by his obvious
displeasure at what she thought would be welcome news, "and I thought
you would."

"I'd rather you hadn't. Aren't we enough by ourselves?"

"Yes, of course. But they're our friends. We traveled with them for
days and weeks, and it's made them like relations. I was so glad to
see them I cried when I saw Bella. Oh, do try and seem more as if you
liked it. They're here and I've brought them."

He slouched forward to greet them. She was relieved to see that he
made an effort to banish his annoyance and put some warmth of welcome
into his voice. But the subtlety with which he could conceal his
emotions when it behooved him had deserted him, and Bella and Glen saw
the husband did not stand toward them as the wife did.

It was Susan who infused into the meeting a fevered and fictitious
friendliness, chattering over the pauses that threatened to fall upon
it, leaving them a reunited company only in name. She presently swept
Bella to the camp, continuing her nervous prattle as she showed her the
tent and the spring behind it, and told of the log house they were to
raise before the rains came. Bella was placated. After all, it was a
lovely spot, good for the children, and if Glen could do as well on a
lower bend of the river as they had done here, it looked as if they had
at last found the Promised Land.

After supper they sat by Daddy John's fire, which shot an eddying
column of sparks into the plumed darkness of the pine. It was like old
times only--with a glance outward toward the water and the star-strewn
sky--so much more--what was the word? Not quiet; they could never
forget the desert silence. "Homelike," Susan suggested, and they
decided that was the right word.

"You feel as if you could stay here and not want to move on," Bella
opined.

Glen thought perhaps you felt that way because you knew you'd come to
the