“You don’t say so!” said the woman, looking disappointed.  She had taken a great fancy to the sweet young face.  “Well, dearie, why not stay here a little while, and write to your folks, and then go on with some one who is going your way?  I don’t like to see you go off with that man.  It ain’t the proper thing.  He knows it himself.  I’m afraid he’s deceivin’ you.  I can see by his clo’es he’s one of the fine young fellows that does as they please.  He won’t think any good of you if you keep travellin’ ’lone with him.  It’s all well ‘nough when you get lost, an’ he was nice to help you out and save you from snakes; but he knows he ain’t no business travellin’ ’lone with you, you pretty little creature!”

“You must not talk so!” said the girl, rising and flashing her eyes again.  “He’s a good man.  He’s what my brother called ‘a white man all through.’  Besides, he’s got a lady, a beautiful lady, in the East.  She rides in some kind of a grand carriage that goes of itself, and he thinks a great deal of her.”

The woman looked as if she were but half convinced.

“It may seem all right to you, dearie,” she said sadly; “but I’m old, and I’ve seen things happen.  You’d find his fine lady wouldn’t go jantin’ round the world ’lone with him unless she’s married.  I’ve lived East, and I know; and what’s more, he knows it too.  He may mean all right, but you never can trust folks.”

The woman went away to prepare breakfast then, and left the girl feeling as if the whole world was against her, trying to hold her.  She was glad when the man suggested that they hurry their breakfast and get away as quickly as possible.  She did not smile when the old woman came out to bid her good-by, and put a detaining hand on the horse’s bridle, saying, “You better stay with me, after all, hadn’t you, dearie?”

The man looked inquiringly at the two women, and saw like a flash the suspicion of the older woman, read the trust and haughty anger in the beautiful younger face, and then smiled down on the old woman whose kindly hospitality had saved them for a while from the terrors of the open night, and said: 

“Don’t you worry about her, auntie.  I’m going to take good care of her, and perhaps she’ll write you a letter some day, and tell you where she is and what she’s doing.”

Half reassured, the old woman gave him her name and address; and he wrote them down in a little red notebook.

When they were well started on their way, the man explained that he had hurried because from conversation with the men he had learned that this ranch where they had spent the night was on the direct trail from Malta to another small town.  It might be that the pursuers would go further than Malta.  Did she think they would go so far?  They must have come almost a hundred miles already.  Would they not be discouraged?

But the girl looked surprised.  A hundred miles on horseback was not far.  Her brother often used to ride a hundred miles just to see a fight or have a good time.  She felt sure the men would not hesitate to follow a long distance if something else did not turn them aside.