“I surrender, Captain Stone,” said she, with a smile.
“I thought that there might be some of the miscreants left,” said the captain, returning her smile. “But I prefer to find you this time.”
“No, there does not seem to be a soul here, though I was a little afraid to go down to the barn. The poor stock is in need of being fed, I think.”
“I’ll set some of my lads to work,” replied Captain Stone, and turning, he gave a few orders and disappeared around the corner of the house.
“Are you all right, Betty?” asked Donald anxiously. “You must not stand here,—come in and sit down and tell me what happened to you.”
“Yes, I will. You look pretty tired yourself, and I imagine that you have some things to tell, too. My, but I’m glad you came. I was just wondering what I should do!”
“I suppose the horse threw you.”
“Yes. Did it get home all right?”
“Not until it was found. The bridle got caught in some branches, a sort of Absalom affair, you know. We did not know what had happened to you, of course, though the men thought that they could tell by the hoof marks that the horse got frightened and bolted. You see we were after the men in this affair and ran into the men that were hunting you.”
“I see. What made you think that I was here?”