As he stepped to the door and rapped, Peggy opened it, but Alice took up the inquiry. "What do you want?" she asked, imperiously. The man, after looking keenly about, quietly replied: "I'm wonderin' how you women come to be here alone, but first of all I want to know who made them tracks outside the door?" Alice ignored the latter part of his question and set about satisfying his wonder. "We came up here with a geological survey, but my horse fell on my foot and I couldn't ride, so the men had to leave me behind--" "Alone?" sharply interrogated the man. "No; one man stayed." "What was his name?" "I don't know. We called him Smith." "Was he the man that rode away this morning?" "What does that matter to you?" asked the girl. "Why are you so inquisitive?" He maintained his calm tone of mild authority. "I'm the sheriff of Uinta County, ma'am, and I'm looking for a man who's been hiding out in this basin. I was trailin' him close when the snow came on yesterday, and I didn't know but what these tracks was his." Peggy turned toward Alice with an involuntary expression of enlightenment, and the sheriff read it quickly. Slipping between the two women, he said: "Jest a minute, miss. What sort of a looking man was this Smith?" Alice took up the story. "He was rather small and dark--wasn't he, Peggy?" Peggy considered. "I didn't notice him particularly. Yes, I think he was." The man outside called: "Hurry up, Cap. It's beginning to snow again." The sheriff withdrew toward the door. "You're both lying," he remarked without heat, "but it don't matter. We'll mighty soon overhaul this man on the horse--whoever he is. If you've been harboring Hall McCord we'll have to take you, too." With that threat as a farewell he mounted his horse and rode away. Peggy turned to Alice. "Did you know that young fellow was an outlaw?" "Yes; I saw his picture and description on a placard in the railway station. I recognized him at once." "Why didn't you tell me?" "Well, I liked his looks, and, besides, I wanted to find out if he were really bad or only unfortunate." "What has he done?" "They say he held up a train!" "Merciful Heavens! a train-robber! What's his real name?" "The name on the placard was Hall McCord." "And to think he was in the same room with us last night, and you were chumming with him! I can't understand you. Are you sure he is the robber?" "Yes. He confessed to having tried to rob the express car." "He seemed such a nice fellow. How did he come to do it?" Alice concluded not to honor the other girl by bringing her into the discussion. "Oh, it is hard to say. Need of money, I suppose. Poor boy, I pity him." "They'll get him, sure. They can follow his tracks as easy as anything. I don't suppose I ought to say it, but I hope he'll get away. Don't you?" "Yes, I do!" was Alice's fervent response. "But see! it's snowing again. It may cover his trail."