e they had sought refuge from the valley he
dismounted, wrenched his own saddle out of the mud, and examined the
broken cinch. "If the pilgrim hadn't saved me the trouble, I'd of sure
had to get Purdy for that," he muttered, and looked up to encounter the
eyes of the girl, who was watching him from the top of the bank. Her
face was very white, and the sight stirred a strange discomfort within
him. "I bet she wouldn't turn no such colour for me, if I'd be'n
drowned for a week," he thought, bitterly.

"You--didn't find him?" The words came with an effort.

The Texan forced a smile: "I wouldn't have be'n here if I hadn't. Or
rather Bat did, an' I found the two of 'em. He's all to the mustard
an' none the worse for wear, except his clothes--they won't never look
quite the same, an' his socks need mendin' in sixty or seventy spots.
They'll be along directly. You run along and fix 'em up some breakfast
an' keep out of sight. I'm goin' to do a little scoutin' an', maybe,
won't be back 'til pretty near dark."

"But you! Surely, you must be nearly starved!" The relief that
flashed into her face at the news of Endicott's safety changed to
sincere concern.

"I ain't got time, now."

"Please come. The coffee is all ready and it won't take but a minute
to fry some bacon."

The Texan smiled up at her. "If you insist," he said. The girl
started in surprise at the words, and the man plunged immediately into
the vernacular of the cow-country as he followed her into the timber.
"Yes. A cup of Java wouldn't go bad, but I won't stop long. I want to
kind of circulate along the back-trail a ways to see if we're bein'
followed." He took the cup of coffee from her hand and watched as she
sliced the bacon and threw it into the frying pan. "Did you ever
figure on turnin' nester?" he asked abruptly.

The girl looked at him inquiringly: "Nester?" she asked. "What's a
nester?"

Tex smiled: "Nesters is folks that takes up a claim an' fences off a
creek somewheres, an' then stays with it 'til, by the grace of God,
they either starve to death, or get rich."

Alice laughed: "No, I never thought of being a nester. But it would be
loads of fun. That is, if----"

The Texan interrupted her almost rudely: "Yes, an' if they didn't, it
would just naturally be hell, wouldn't it?" He gulped down the last of
his coffee, and, without waiting for the bacon, strode out of the
timber, mounted his horse, and rode away.

At the rese