Dorothy Dale to the Rescue by Margaret Penrose

Dorothy had great difficulty in explaining to the kindly woman that her father not only had not accompanied her and Tavia to Desert City, but had no intention of doing so.

"But two young girls like you havin' the courage to travel all this ways alone! " the woman ejaculated, staring at them as though, in Tavia's words, they were "twin animals out of the zoo. " "If that don't beat all!"

On the way to the house, and as briefly as possible, Dorothy explained to the woman-who was Mrs. Hank Ledger, wife of the foreman of the Hardin ranch-what had brought her to Colorado so unexpectedly.

The woman listened, her handsome head cocked to one side, and occasionally put in a pertinent question.

"Land sakes! I declare, that's too bad," she said, at the conclusion of Dorothy's brief recital. "I can't think what could have possessed the boy to have done such a thing. But there, that isn't my business, I guess. Guess I'd better stir you up a bite to eat. Near starved, ain't you?"

The girls were grateful for her good-hearted tact that spared them the embarrassment of further questioning.

They saw nothing of the little Mexican girl who had formerly helped the foreman's wife around the ranch house. In her stead was a rather stolid country girl who responded to the name of Merry.

"I wonder where Flores is," said Tavia, when they were in their room for a quick wash and a change into their riding clothes which they had very thoughtfully packed in their grips. "It doesn't seem like the same old ranch with her missing."

"We must ask Mrs. Ledger about her when we go down," said Dorothy absently, and Tavia, noting her tone, turned thoughtful eyes in her direction.

"Worrying about Joe, Doro?"

"Do I ever do anything else lately? " retorted Dorothy, with a sigh. "But I am dreadfully worried about Garry too, Tavia. What Lance told us about this gang that is out to ‘get him' is anything but comforting."

"Suppose you will be stepping over to Garry's ranch as soon as we get a bite to eat," suggested Tavia, and Dorothy nodded.

"If we can be said to step on horseback," she added.

"Well, the horse steps, doesn't it? " retorted Tavia, but Dorothy was again so absorbed in her unhappy thoughts that she did not hear this weak attempt at humor.

"Tavia," she cried, at last facing her chum, "why do you suppose Garry didn't come to meet the train to-day? I don't know whether to be dreadfully angry at him or terribly frightened for him."

"I don't believe I would be either until we find out more about him than we know at present, Doro," said Tavia gravely. "One thing is certain, we know Garry well enough to be sure he had a good reason for what he did."

"The kind of reason we won't enjoy finding out, maybe," muttered Dorothy so softly that Tavia asked for a repetition.

But instead of answering, Dorothy turned toward the door and opened it.

"I am going downstairs and get a piece of bread and butter if there is nothing else," she cried. "I can't stand the suspense any longer. I must know what has happened to Garry and Joe."

She was out of the room and down the stairs before Tavia had finished brushing her hair.