Babs was opening the windows, letting in the cool morning breeze. “I’m going to ask Peyton if we can’t have these bars removed,” she declared as she stood peering through them. “I feel as though I were in a jail looking out between bars this way.” Suddenly she uttered an exclamation which took all of the girls hurrying to her side.
“What is it, Babs? What do you see? Why are you staring so intently at the ground?” were the questions hurled at her. Babs whirled about and faced them, her eyes wide with excitement. “This is the window through which I saw a Mexican last night peering in at us,” she said.
The others nodded. “You all laughed at me and declared that I was letting my imagination run riot.” Then she added, exultingly, “Follow me, young ladies, and you will discover that I, too, am a very fine detective.”
Much mystified, the girls trooped out of the kitchen door and around the house. Babs, in the lead, stopped and picked up something from the ground not far from the barred window. Turning she held aloft a peculiarly shaped key.
“This probably will solve the mystery for us,” she declared. “Good, there is Peyton. Hail him, Betsy, will you?”
The lad mounted, was about to start with several peons for the valley pasture when he heard the girls calling. Whirling his horse and bidding the Mexicans wait his return, he galloped up. Dismounting, he asked Babs what was wanted of him. He listened to her story, almost believing that she had been imaginative until she produced the strangely shaped key as evidence that some one had been there.
“Brother, did you ever see that key before?” Babs eagerly inquired.
The lad nodded. “Yes,” he replied. “I saw it lying on Trujillo’s bed yesterday morning when I went to his bunk early to ask his advice before beginning the work of the day. I picked up the key at the time and examined it because of its queer shape, but I made no comment as the matter I had called to discuss was much more important. However, I cannot believe that my trusted overseer would spy upon the actions of my sister and her guests. There must be some other solution of this mystery,” he said. Then he added: “Please say nothing concerning it and I will try to find out the truth about the whole matter.”
Peyton slipped the key into one of his coat pockets and lifting his hat to the girls he rode away.