“Sure.  But it ’d take time.”

“We must do it in little time,” she went on, in swift eagerness.  “Otherwise Stewart may be—­probably will be—­be shot.”

Link Stevens appeared suddenly to grow lax, shriveled, to lose all his peculiar pert brightness, to weaken and age.

“I’m only a—­a cowboy, Miss Majesty.”  He almost faltered.  It was a singular change in him.  “Thet’s an awful ride—­down over the border.  If by some luck I didn’t smash the car I’d turn your hair gray.  You’d never be no good after thet ride!”

“I am Stewart’s wife,” she answered him and she looked at him, not conscious of any motive to persuade or allure, but just to let him know the greatness of her dependence upon him.

He started violently—­the old action of Stewart, the memorable action of Monty Price.  This man was of the same wild breed.

Then Madeline’s words flowed in a torrent.  “I am Stewart’s wife.  I love him; I have been unjust to him; I must save him.  Link, I have faith in you.  I beseech you to do your best for Stewart’s sake—­for my sake.  I’ll risk the ride gladly—­bravely.  I’ll not care where or how you drive.  I’d far rather plunge into a canyon —­go to my death on the rocks—­than not try to save Stewart.”

How beautiful the response of this rude cowboy—­to realize his absolute unconsciousness of self, to see the haggard shade burn out of his face, the old, cool, devil-may-care spirit return to his eyes, and to feel something wonderful about him then!  It was more than will or daring or sacrifice.  A blood-tie might have existed between him and Madeline.  She sensed again that indefinable brother-like quality, so fine, so almost invisible, which seemed to be an inalienable trait in these wild cowboys.

“Miss Majesty, thet ride figgers impossible, but I’ll do it!” he replied.  His cool, bright glance thrilled her.  “I’ll need mebbe half an hour to go over the car an’ to pack on what I’ll want.”

She could not thank him, and her reply was merely a request that he tell Nels and other cowboys off duty to come up to the house.  When Link had gone Madeline gave a moment’s thought to preparations for the ride.  She placed what money she had and the telegrams in a satchel.  The gown she had on was thin and white, not suitable for travel, but she would not risk the losing of one moment in changing it.  She put on a long coat and wound veils round her head and neck, arranging them in a hood so she could cover her face when necessary.  She remembered to take an extra pair of goggles for Nels’s use, and then, drawing on her gloves, she went out ready for the ride.

A number of cowboys were waiting.  She explained the situation and left them in charge of her home.  With that she asked Nels to accompany her down into the desert.  He turned white to his lips, and this occasioned Madeline to remember his mortal dread of the car and Link’s driving.