“Did you see the man on horseback, going down, just before dusk?” asked the officer.

“Yes, but not near enough to know him.  You don’t suppose Sibyl would go up to her old home do you, Brian?”

“She might, under the circumstances.  Aaron and I will ride up there, on the chance.”

“You’ll stop in on your way back?” called the rancher, as the two horsemen moved away.

“Sure,” answered the Ranger.

An hour later, they were back.  They had found the old home under the giant sycamores, on the edge of the little clearing, dark and untenanted.

Lights were shining, now, from the windows of the Carleton ranch-house.  Down at the corral, the twinkling gleam of a lantern bobbed here and there.  As the Ranger and his companion drew near, the lantern came rapidly up the hill.  At the porch, they were met by Henry Carleton, his two sons, and a ranch hand.  As the four stood in the light of the window, and of the lantern on the porch, listening to Brian Oakley’s report, each held the bridle-reins of a saddle-horse.

“I figured that the chance of her being up there was so mighty slim that we’d better be ready to ride when you got back,” said the mountain ranchman.  “What’s your program, Brian?” Thus simply he put himself and his household in command of the Ranger.

The officer turned to the eldest son, “Jack, you’ve got the fastest horse in the outfit.  I want you to go down to the Power-House and find out if any one there saw Sibyl anywhere on the road.  You see,” he explained to the group, “we don’t know for sure, yet, that she came into the mountains.  While I haven’t a doubt but she did, we’ve got to know.”

Jack Carleton was in the saddle as the Ranger finished The officer turned to him again.  “Find out what you can about that automobile and the man on horseback.  We’ll be at the Station when you get back.”  There was a sharp clatter of iron-shod hoofs, and the rider disappeared in the darkness of the night.

The other members of the little party rode more leisurely down the canyon road to the Ranger Station.  When they arrived at the house, Brian Oakley said, “Make yourselves easy, boys.  I’m going to write a little note.”  He went into the house where, as they sat on the porch, they saw him through the window, his desk.

The Ranger had finished his letter and with the sealed official envelope in his hand, appeared in the doorway when his messenger to the Power-House returned.  Without dismounting, the rider reined his horse up to the porch.  “Good time, Jack,” said the officer, quietly.

The young man answered, “One of the company men saw Sibyl.  He was coming up with a load of supplies and she passed him a mile below the Power-House just before dark.  When he was opening the gate, the automobile went by.  It was too dark to see how many were in the machine.  They heard the ‘auto’ go down the canyon, again, later.  No one noticed the man on horseback.  Three Company men will be up here at daybreak.”