when he thought
better of the notion and shut his lips.

Urging Patches forward, he rode toward Ruth's pony at a moderate pace.
Three times during the ride he looked back. Twice he was able to see
Ruth, but the third time he had swerved so that some bushes concealed him
from her. He was forced to swerve still further to come up with the pony,
and he noted that Ruth would never have been able to see her pony from
her position.

It was more than a mile to where the animal stood, and curiously, as
though to make amends for his previous bad behavior to Ruth, he came
trotting forward to Randerson, whinnying gently.

Randerson seized the bridle, and grinned at the animal.

"I reckon I ought to lam you a-plenty, you miserable deserter," he said
severely, "runnin' away from your mistress that-a-way. Is that the way
for a respectable horse to do? You've got her all nervous an' upset--an'
she sure roasted me. Do you reckon there's any punishment that'd fit what
you done? Well, I reckon! You come along with me!"

Leading the animal, he rode Patches to the edge of the timber. There,
unbuckling one end of the reins from the bit ring, he doubled them,
passed them through a gnarled root, made a firm knot and left the pony
tied securely. Then he rode off and looked back, grinning.

"You're lost, you sufferin' runaway. Only you don't know it."

He loped Patches away and made a wide detour of the mesa, making sure
that he appeared often on the sky line, so that he would be seen by Ruth.
At the end of half an hour he rode back to where the girl was standing,
watching him. He dismounted and approached her, standing before her, his
expression one of grave worry.

"That outlaw of yours ain't anywhere in sight, ma'am," he said. "I reckon
he's stampeded back to the ranchhouse. You sure you ain't seen him go
past here?"

"No," she said, "unless he went way around, just after it got dark."

"I reckon that's what he must have done. Some horses is plumb mean. But
you can't walk, you know," he added after a silence; "I reckon you'll
have to ride Patches."

"You would have to walk, then," she objected. "And that wouldn't be
fair!"

"Walkin' wouldn't bother me, ma'am." He got Patches and led him closer.
She looked at the animal, speculatively.

"Don't you think he could carry both of us?" she asked.

He scrutinized Patches judicially. A light, which she did not see, leaped
into his eyes.

"Why, I didn't think of that. I reckon he