"Lucky you're not a worm,--I'm hungry enough to eat one!" she said gaily. Under cover of the jest she stole a quick look at him. Yes, in spite of the sunburn he looked worn out and ill; he needed to rest and be taken care of. She refrained from asking how he felt and instead kept up a steady fire of nonsense, describing their dull day at the ranch without him. If Alec had felt any resentment at her coming for him, it melted under her light treatment of the situation; and by the time they reached the little "rio" he was more like his usual, interested self. "I think I'd like to follow up this cree--er--river, I mean," he remarked, looking up the winding, willow-grown course. "Not before breakfast, thank you!" "Well, I didn't mean right this minute, but sometime," he corrected. "We will, surely. I want to introduce you to the lovely spots of the ranch, just as you showed me the charming places about Woodford. It will be different from following the brook as we used to do there, but I think you'll like it. There are picnic places along San Franciscito that can't be beat." "San Frances_cheeto_?" he echoed; "where's that?" "That's the name of this river," she replied loftily. Alec threw back his head and laughed. "The name's bigger than the stream!" he declared. "It has advantages over the brook, as you'll see. One of them is the swimming hole. Do you swim?" Alec's eyes glistened. "I'm ready to learn." "Well, get Shady to teach you. I'm going to make the girls learn. You boys and we girls will have the pool on alternate days,--won't it be fun?" "The best ever. This is the first I've heard of it." "I wanted some things for surprises," Blue Bonnet declared. "Isn't it odd your being here and seeing everything I used to talk about? It was a novelty then, but after this I won't have anything left to describe to you. What do you suppose we will talk about on our first jaunt by the brook next spring?" Alec's face changed oddly. "Maybe there won't be any jaunt by the brook next spring--for me," he said, looking away from her startled eyes. "Why, what do you mean?" she asked, and then wished she had not spoken, for she was suddenly afraid of his answer. "I may not be,--you can't always tell," he stammered, looking as if he wanted to take it all back. "Let's not talk about it now, please," he begged, and Blue Bonnet gladly let the subject drop. She rode on in silence the rest of the way, depressed and miserable. Alec's words were a revelation; she had not dreamed he felt so ill and doubtful of living. She had thought he would grow strong and well at the ranch, and already he was worse and spoke of his case as hopeless. They were greeted with a loud outcry from the girls, who were perched on the top bar of the corral gate awaiting them. They had been somewhat startled upon arising to find Blue Bonnet gone, but Firefly's absence from his stall had explained her disappearance.