“Let me prove that I really am a cook,” the lad exclaimed brightly. “Suppose you two damsels go for a canter and do not return until six o’clock, and then you shall see what you shall see.” Catching and saddling Star and Comrade took but a few moments and then the lad stood waving his sombrero to the girls as they rode away. Ten minutes later when they had reached the top of the mesa trail, Margaret looked back. Her exclamation of surprise caused Virginia also to turn. They saw Tom with his gun over his shoulder riding away in the opposite direction. “What can that mean?” Margaret wondered. “Do you suppose that he wishes to be rid of us that he might leave the V. M. Ranch?” “Well, if he wants to go, let him,” Virginia replied. “We will ride over to the junction and ask Mrs. Wells if she knows someone who would like to cook for us. That is the part of our home work that Uncle Tex assumes when he is here. I never knew that dear old man to stay away from V. M. for two whole months before, and now it is nearly three. He often goes for six weeks or so. I believe that he likes to roam but he gets homesick after a time and comes back for a good long stay.” “Poor old man,” Margaret said. “Perhaps he plans staying away until he thinks I am gone. The mere idea of being my guardian evidently frightened him.” Virginia smiled but her thought had reverted to Tom. “I can’t believe that our new cow-boy is really deserting us, and yet it did seem strange for him to ride away as soon as we were gone. However, we will find out when we return. Here is where we dip down into the dry creek bottom. At this time of the year it is perfectly safe to ride along there. It’s a short-cut to the Junction but woe to man or beast who takes it in the spring for a sudden cloud burst in the mountains changes this creek into a raging torrent before the trail leading out of it could possibly be reached.” Margaret looked anxiously at the sky that was gleaming blue above the mountains, but not a sign of a cloud was to be seen. Half an hour later, they reached the trail that led them again to the desert on the other side and there, near the Santa Fe tracks, stood a combination station, general store and dwelling. In it lived Mr. and Mrs. Wells and their small son, Danny. When at their rap Mrs. Wells opened the door, she exclaimed: “Virginia Davis, what is your brother thinking of to permit you to ride around alone these days? Doesn’t he know there’s an outlaw supposed to be hiding near here in the mountains? Folks say he is fierce looking, like a story book pirate. There’s a posse over from Texas hunting for him and a reward offered for his capture dead or alive. He’ll be caught soon, of course, but till he is, seems like you girls ought to stay pretty close to home.”