"Well, my dear, what would you like to do?"
"Now, Larch, you won't laugh at me if I tell you," she replied, in her most coquettish manner.
"Laugh at you!" he protested; "this is no time for laughing; it was a shame that those people should turn your house into a fort, when it could do them no good. Tell me what you want and it shall be done, if it is in my power."
"Thanks! You are very kind, and I shall never forget this favour; I want to mount one of the best horses in the stable and ride out so far that I am sure to be beyond reach of danger."
The proposition staggered the rustler—so much so that it did not occur to him, just then, that the daughter appeared a great deal more anxious to look after her own safety than her mother's.
"You have a horse in the stable, haven't you?"
"Yes, Jack is there, and he is a splendid fellow; he is the one I want."
"But the saddle?"
"I have it with me; here it is; you and I will adjust it together."
And the impulsive miss placed the saddle in his grasp before he knew it. She certainly was rushing things. It must be admitted, too, that she showed fine discretion. There was but one way of handling Mr. Larch Cadmus, and she was using that way.