“How good of you!” said Sheila.  “I’ll take the best care of him I know how to take.  Could I find my way?  How far is it?”

“All downhill after a half-mile, lady.  You c’d make Rusty afore dark.  It’s a whole lot easier on hoofs than it is on wheels.  You can’t miss the road on account of it bein’ the only road there is.  And Lander’s is the only one hotel in Rusty.  You’d best stop the night there.”

He evidently wanted to ask her her destination, but his courtesy forbade.

Sheila volunteered, “I am going to Miss Blake’s ranch up Hidden Creek.”

A sort of flash of surprise passed across the reserved, brown, young face.  “Yes, ma’am,” he said with no expression.  “Well, you better leave the rest of your trip until to-morrow.”

He slipped from his horse with an effortless ripple, untied a tawny little pony with a thick neck, a round body, and a mild, intelligent face, and led him to Sheila who mounted from her sack.  Thatcher carefully adjusted the stirrups, a primitive process that involved the wearisome lacing and unlacing of leather thongs.  Sheila bade him a bright and adventurous “Good-bye.” thanked the unknown owner of the horse, and started.  The pony showed some unwillingness to leave his companions, fretted and tossed his head, and made a few attempts at a right-about face, but Sheila dug in her small spurred heels and spoke beguilingly.  At last he settled down to sober climbing.  Sheila looked back and waved her hand.  The two tall, lean men were gazing after her.  They took off their hats and waved.  She felt a warmth that was almost loving for their gracefulness and gravity and kindness.  Here was another breed of man than that produced by Millings.  A few minutes later she came to the top of The Pass and looked down into Hidden Creek.

CHAPTER II

ADVENTURE

Sheila stood and drew breath.  The shadow of the high peak, in the lap of which she stood, poured itself eastward across the warm, lush, narrow land.  This was different from the hard, dull gold and alkali dust of the Millings country:  here were silvery-green miles of range, and purple-green miles of pine forest, and lovely lighter fringes and groves of cottonwood and aspen trees.  Here and there were little dots of ranches, visible more by their vivid oat and alfalfa fields than by their small log cabins.  Down the valley the river flickered, lifted by its brightness above the hollow that held it, till it seemed just hung there like a string of jewels.  Beyond it the land rose slowly in noble sweeps to the opposite ranges, two chains that sloped across each other in a glorious confusion of heads, round and soft as velvet against the blue sky or blunt and broken with a thundery look of extinct craters.  To the north Sheila saw a further serenity of mountains, lying low and soft on the horizon, of another and more wistful blue.  Over it all was a sort of magical haze, soft and brilliant