“Bud and I are great friends and I like him immensely,” she answered, a far-away look in her eyes.
Percy Vanderpool had been an interested listener up to this point, but now he began to get impatient at the lack of interest they were showing in him.
“Aw, I say girls,” he drawled, “do you really think this bally ranch with the aw, secret passage is a safe place to go?”
Josephine flashed him an amused glance.
“If you are afraid, you may go back, but Ethel and I are going to see this place. There is no danger, for two of Bud’s men are guarding it,” she answered him scornfully.
“Oh, Percy is game, all right,” Ethel cut in; “I know he isn’t afraid to go where us girls dare go.”
At this praise the fop began to tell of some deeds of daring he had performed while on a trip through the jungles of Africa and the girls listened with much merriment.
Thinking he had impressed them with his great prowess he launched into such a lengthy tale of one of his trips that Josephine had to cut him off in the midst of it.
They were nearing Trader’s Post where they had planned to halt for a short rest before proceeding on to the Ricker ranch.
A foreboding of evil was stealing over Josephine and try as she would, she couldn’t seem to shake it off. She wished most heartily that she had permitted Mason to come with them and felt vexed with herself for being so obstinate.