. There was a
moment's hush, then Charley rushed back into the living room.

"She's not there! Felicia!" Her voice rising to a scream. "Felicia!
Where are you?"

Elsa ran wildly into the bedroom followed by the others. The little room
was empty. Felicia's nightdress lay in a heap on the floor. The clothing
she had taken off was gone. A quick search of the house, then of the
outbuildings was made. To no avail. Some one gasped:

"Qui-tha!"

But Charley who had recovered her self control, vetoed this idea at
once. "An Indian isn't like that! Roger, she climbed out of the window
to run to you."

"I'll go down there at once," replied Roger. "The rest of you keep on
calling and searching around here."

"Ride old Nell," Charley suggested, as Roger hurried away.

But Felicia was not at the Sun Plant, nor did Roger's stentorian shouts
raise any reply save faint howls from a coyote pack. With a sinking
heart he rode back to the ranch and called in the others whose lights
were flashing about the mountainside.

"If she started for our camp," he said, "I don't see how she could have
wandered away. She knows that trail so well."

"But she has never taken it alone after dark." Elsa's voice was
uncertain. "And she's so little! And it was so dark to-night, I kept
wandering off the trail myself."

"Let's not waste time surmising!" exclaimed Ernest, impatiently.

"But we must use a little system," returned Roger. "Girls, you patrol
the trail up and down between the Sun Plant and here. I've left a
lighted 'bug' in the tent. You both carry 'bugs' and extra candles and
keep calling. The moon will soon be rising, and that will help. Gustav,
you make a big circle round the camp as far out as you can keep the tent
light in sight. Ern, you follow the Archer's Springs trail a mile or so,
then swing inside of Gustav's circle and cover all the arroyas and rock
heaps you can. I'm going to take the mountain trail. Everybody get
something for a tourniquet. At sun up, come back here. If you can find
her, or even get her trail, fire three shots."

Elsa gave a little sob, but Charley was tearless. As they started for
their respective stations, she asked: "How about Dick?"

Roger flushed a deep red. "Dick rots for all I care until we find
Felicia."

No one commented on this and shortly the desert was dotted with slow
moving fingers of light. Roger, as he panted up and down the
mountainside, knew that never would he forget the wistful mel