But even as she was hurrying across to the corral to find an angel for this mission of mercy, she saw the Parkers coming down the hill-side, moving slowly, for both were very bad riders. It was plain they had heard nothing, and as she watched them approach Jennie cried: "Don't say a word. They won't see anything suspicious." There was something irresistibly funny in the calm stateliness of the blond Parker as he led the way past the store which was deserted of its patrons, past the school-house where the students were quivering with excitement, and close beside the office behind whose doors Curtis was still in legal battle with the sheriff. Jennie met her visitors at the gate, her hands clinched in the effort to control her laughter. "You are late. Are you hungry?" she asked. "Famished!" said Parker. "I had to ride slow on Mrs. Parker's account." "I like that!" cried Jennie. "As if any one could be a worse rider than you are." "How do women get off, anyway?" asked Parker, as he approached his wife's pony. "Fall off," suggested Jennie, and this seemed so funny that she and Elsie went off into simultaneous hysterical peals of laughter. "You are easily amused," remarked Parker, eying them keenly. "Laugh on; it is good for digestion. Excuse me from joining; I haven't anything to digest." Putting his angular shoulder to Mrs. Parker's waist, he eased her to the ground awkwardly but tenderly. Upon facing the girls again and discovering them still in foolish mirth, Parker looked himself all over carefully, then turned to his wife. "We seem to be affording these young ladies a great deal of hearty pleasure, Mrs. Parker." Mrs. Parker was not so dense. "What is the matter?" she asked, sharply. "What has happened? This laughter is not natural--you are both hysterical." Both girls instantly became as grave as they had been hilarious a moment before. "Now I _know_ something is wrong," said Mrs. Parker. "Where is the Captain? What made you laugh that way? Have the savages broken out?" Jennie met Parker's eyes fairly popping from his head, and went off into another shout. At last she paused and said, breathlessly: "Oh, you are funny! Come into the house. We've been entertaining a lynching party--all the Indians are in the hills and the sheriff's in the office throttling the agent." While the Parkers consumed their crusts of bread and scraps of cold meat, Jennie told them what had happened. Parker rose to the occasion. "We must get out o' here--every one of us! We should never have come in here. Your brother is to blame; he deceived us." "He did not!" replied Jennie. "You shall not hold him responsible!" "He knew the situation was critical," Parker hotly retorted. "He knew an outbreak was likely. It was criminal on his part."