“Don’t ask any questions, Bruce,” he said rapidly, “I found the girls all right, and I want to ask a favor of you. I am going to take them back to the ranch in my car and I would like you to take their horses back with you. If you will do me this favor I will never forget it, and you stay at the ranch to-night and I will tell you how I found the girls, but don’t say anything to the folks at the ranch about this stunt the cowboys tried to pull on us. I will take the matter up with Bud as I don’t want the old folks at the ranch to get alarmed. Will you do this for me?” “Sure thing,” Bruce agreed readily; “I am glad to be of some help, but it is just my luck to miss all the fun, and I can see that you have been in a right smart mix-up.” Mason hastily bundled the girls into the car and when the town was left well in their rear he looked reproachfully at Josephine. Her lips were quivering and his heart softened. “I know what you are going to say,” she said demurely, “you are going to scold Ethel and me for getting into this scrape.” “No, I’m not,” he answered soberly, “but I want you to tell me all that happened while you were in that hotel and how you came to be prisoners of those men.” “We didn’t come to any harm, thanks to your timely rescue,” she said earnestly, “and I will tell you the whole story on just one condition.”. “And what is that?” he asked, painfully surprised. “That you don’t tell our parents of our narrow escape.” “I can promise you that right off the reel,” he said, greatly relieved. “Now just fire away, truants.” “And also, that you explain in some way to their satisfaction how we come to return in your car instead of on our horses.” “All right, all right, my fair Princess; I’m great at explaining things.” “Well, I will start from the beginning and then you will understand the whole story, won’t he, Ethel?” Josephine began. “Ethel and I wanted to take a nice long ride this morning, so we finally decided just before we reached Trader’s Post to branch off the trail and go on to Smoky Point. I knew of a short cut we could take, so we didn’t go through Trader’s Post—” “No wonder we couldn’t get any news of you there,” Mason cut in, looking at her in surprise. “Bruce and I came through that town and inquired for you there.”