r heart sank suddenly with misgivings. She halted as the
unknown visitor addressed himself to Bostwick.

"May I speak to you a moment privately?"

Bostwick bristled with suspicions at once.

"I have nothing of a private nature to discuss with you," he answered.
"If you have anything to say to me, please say it and be prompt."

The horseman changed color, but lost no whit of the native courtesy that
seemed a part of his being.

"It isn't particularly private," he answered quietly. "I only wished to
say I wouldn't rush off to Goldite this morning. I'd advise you to stay
here and rest."

Bostwick, already irritated by delay, and impervious to any thought of a
possible service in the horseman's attitude, grew more impatient and far
more irritating.

"I haven't desired your advice," he answered sharply. "Be good enough to
keep it to yourself." He advanced to the station owner, held out a bill,
and added: "Here you are, my man, for your trouble."

"Heck!" said the lank little host. "I don't want your money."

Across the horseman's handsome visage passed a look that, to the girl,
boded anything but peace. Bostwick's manner was an almost intolerable
affront, in a land where affronts are resented. However, the stranger
answered quietly, despite the fact that Bostwick nettled him to an
extraordinary degree.

"I agree that the sooner _you_ vamoose, the prompter the improvement in
the landscape. But you're not going off to Goldite with these ladies in
the car."

Matters might still have culminated differently had Bostwick even asked a
civil "Why?" for Van was a generous and easy-going being.

Beth, in the road, felt her heart beat violently, with vague excitement
and alarm. Bostwick glared, in sudden apprehension as to what the
horseman had in mind.

"Is this a hold-up?" he demanded. "What do you mean?"

The rider dismounted, in a quick, active manner, and opened the door of
the tonneau.

"You wouldn't have thanked me for advice," he replied; "you would hardly
thank me more for information." He added to the maid in the car:

"Please alight, your friend is impatient to be starting." He nodded
towards the owner of the auto.

The maid came down, demurely, casting but a glance at the tall,
commanding figure by the wheel. He promptly lifted out a suitcase and
three decidedly feminine-looking bags.

Bostwick by now was furious.

"It's an outrage!" he cried, "a dastardly outrage! You can see I am
wh