She walked across the room to put the cup on the table and Ellhorn sprang to her side and threw his arm about her. She drew back a little, tossed her head, and looked at him with eyes gleaming "if you dare, if you dare," from under their soft lids. She faced the door as she did so and as he bent his head to take the kiss she dared, a sudden, gray horror fell over her laughing face and changed it in a second to a wide-eyed, open-mouthed, drawn thing, pitiful in its helpless, ashen fear. The sudden change stopped him with his lips close to hers, and with his hand on his gun he wheeled toward the door to see what had frightened her. The other two, looking and laughing, saw the sudden horror transform her face and they also sprang toward the open entrance, revolvers in hand. But there was nothing there. The _portal_ was empty of any living thing. And all across the gray-green plain the only sign of life was the drove of cattle far down the winding road. They turned to the girl in surprise and asked her what was the matter. She had recovered her smiling, coquettish self, and declared that Senor Ellhorn had frightened her. She scolded him prettily, in the soft, sweet, Mexican tones that are a caress in themselves, and, with a demure expression, to which only the black eyes would not lend themselves, she told him it was not right for a man to take advantage of a girl when she was all alone. If he wished to kiss her when her mother was present, ah, that was different. Yes, she would forgive him this one time if he truly were very sorry, but he must never, never frighten her so again. And her eyes flashed a smile at him that flouted every word she said. As the three men rode away Tuttle asked: "Emerson, did she really mean what she said about Nick's frightening her?" Mead looked at him with an indulgent smile: "Tom Tuttle, you're the biggest maverick I ever saw. I reckon havin' a man want to kiss her ain't such an unusual thing that it's goin' to frighten Amada Garcia into a conniption fit." "What in thunder was the matter with her then?" said Ellhorn, a bit nettled over the outcome of his gallantry. "It couldn't have been because she didn't want me to kiss her." Mead broke into a loud, hearty roar, Tuttle grinned broadly, and Ellhorn regarded the two of them with an angry look. Mead leaned over and slapped his shoulder. "Nick, you're a devil of a fellow with the women, and I know it as well as you do. I guess Amada's not very different from the rest of 'em, if she did stop your performance. She looked as if she saw a ghost, and maybe she thought she did. These Mexicans are a superstitious lot. Maybe she's kissed one too many some time and happened to think of it just when it spoiled your fun." "She's a stunner, anyway!" said Ellhorn enthusiastically, his good humor restored. "I say, Emerson, is she straight?"