“No, I didn’t forget him,” replied Marjorie; “but I simply thought we wouldn’t have to bother much with him!”
“Listen to the indifferent woman!” exclaimed Alice. “But you needn’t put that on with us, Marj. It won’t go.”
All this time Marjorie was paying strict attention to the trail. She was leading the girls to a familiar spot, the destination of many a previous ride; for it was one which possessed the unusual attraction of trees. There they would eat their luncheon rest, and talk until it was time to come back.
Marjorie had planned no formal meeting for the day, but the conversation dwelt chiefly upon scout topics. She and Ethel and Doris took a solemn oath to start new troops in the Fall, and Daisy half promised to do the same. It was Marjorie’s dream that the great scout ideals, which the members of Pansy troop had learned to follow under the leadership of their captain, Mrs. Remington, should be passed on to other young girls.
The group sat for a long time among those few pine trees, discussing their past and their future; but it was their future that interested them most. It seemed as if they all dreaded to stop talking and mount their horses to return to the ranch. Marjorie, however, felt responsible, and was watching the time. At four o’clock she made the move to go.
“If we could only have one more reunion!” sighed Alice. “Marj, you always know how to manage things, won’t you see if you can do something?”
“It would be great!” murmured Marjorie, without entertaining the slightest hope of such a possibility.
When the girls were within a mile of the ranch, they met Kirk and John, coming towards them, on horseback. Little did they know that these two young men had come out for the very purpose of finding them. Both of them, however, had too much tact to tell this to the girls, for they knew that Marjorie would have insisted that they were perfectly able to take care of themselves. Instead, John made some excuse of learning how to ride, and turned back to the ranch with the party. He made no attempt to ride beside Marjorie; he was content to remember that tomorrow was to be his day.
Although Marjorie would scarcely have confessed it to herself, she was looking forward to the following day with almost as much pleasure as John. When the time came, she met him on the porch as she had promised. Instead of the usual riding breeches and flannel shirt, she had substituted a simple summer dress, and the change made her seem even more attractive to the young man.
They left the ranch immediately after lunch, walking slowly, and talking about their recent trip as they went. John seemed as sorry as Marjorie that the vacation was almost over.