Barely a moment, did the boy hesitate, and then he declared:
“Why, he was a-going through to Californy on the train. We live down on the Rio Verde. Our dad, he’s got a cattle ranch down there. Yesterday we started out to go to Flagstaff. They wouldn’t let us go alone, so we runned away. We thought mebbe we could find the way there all right, but I guess we can’t.”
The two men looked at each other in the starlight and shook their heads.
“Sounds fishy,” said one, immediately detecting that this statement conflicted with the one made by Felicia.
“A whole lot,” agreed the other.
Felicia had gasped when she heard Abe fabricate so glibly. It was a surprise to her, and she was almost sorry she had cautioned him not to tell the facts to those men.
“Well, you certain is off the trail, kids, providing you’re bound for Flagstaff. It’s right lucky we finds you. We takes you to the camp, and mebbe your dad what you speaks of pays us well if we returns you to him safe and sound. I opines he runs a pretty big ranch.”
“You bet,” said the boy quickly. “He’s got one of the biggest down that way. He has jest heaps of cattle and keeps lots of cowpunchers.”
“That being the case,” chuckled the man who had grasped the boy’s shoulder, “he certain pays liberal when he gits his children back. Now you two come along with us.”
He marched them along, one on either side, while his companion set out to catch the grazing horses and bring them.