"Then I must say good-by?"
She waited, but he did not answer.
"You have been so good to me," she went on, "so brave, and—have I been brave, too?" she broke in pleadingly.
Hooker nodded his head, but he did not meet her eyes.
"Ah, yes," she sighed. "You have heard what Phil has said. I wish now that my mother were here, but—would you mind? Before I go I want to—give you a kiss!"
She reached out her hands impulsively and Hooker started back. His eyes, which had been downcast, blazed suddenly as he gazed at her, and then they flitted to Phil.
"No," he said, and his voice was lifeless and choked.
"You will not?" she asked, after a pause.
"No!" he said again, and she shrank away before his glance.
"Then good-by," she murmured, turning away like one in a dream, and Bud heard the crunch of her steps as she went toward the horses with Phil. Then, as the tears welled to his eyes, he heard a resounding slap and a rush of approaching feet.