“Peyton is ever so eager to have us come home,” Babs exclaimed as she glanced back at the open letter which she had been reading aloud when Virginia’s entrance had interrupted. “Shall I go on?”
“Oh, yes, indeed, please do.” The girl, whose home had always been on the desert (more than any of the others), was eager to have news from there.
“Begin over again, Babs.” Megsy was on the window seat with her roommate. “Then Virg will better understand just what is happening in her home country.”
And so Babs read. “Dear sister and friends:
“Malcolm and I have just returned from a ride to the north. We have been hunting for cows with young calves that we might drive them in and brand them before they fell into the hands of rustlers. We were told that a bunch of cattle from V. M. had been seen not far south of the Wilson ranch and so we rode up there after them. We despaired of finding them, and were turning back to the south when that little Mexican chap with the long name, Francisco Quintano Mendoza, appeared. He seemed to rise right up out of the chaparral on that little wild broncho of his and he galloped toward us shouting frantically.
“We turned our horses and waited. He told us in broken English that Harry had sent him to herd our little bunch of stray cattle until he had an opportunity to drive them to V. M. and that he had them safe in a nearby hollow. Just at that moment Harry appeared coming down the canyon trail, and, as we had not seen him since Christmas, we were indeed glad to hear his news and have an opportunity to thank him for having protected our strays.
“Hal looked troubled. He is worried about his mother, but don’t mention it to Benjy. They want him to finish out his year at Drexel if possible. He certainly is a fine chap. He inquired about you girls, but especially about Winona. He seems to greatly admire that Indian friend of yours.
“It took us a day and a night to return to the ranch belonging to Barbara and Peyton Wente. Sis, I’ll ’fess up that I haven’t done a thing to the inside of that old house. I’m leaving it all for you to change to suit yourself.
“Malcolm said to tell Virginia that Uncle Tex spends most of his time this spring planning a surprise for his beloved ‘gal.’”
“Dear old man,” Virg said when Babs paused. “I wonder what it can be that he is making for me.”