“With pleasure,” answered the strange girl promptly, “although I am afraid you’ll be disappointed with the bread. It’s quite soggy.”
“Perhaps you will allow me to offer you some of our zwieback,” put in Miss Campbell, stretching forth her hand for the box. “We have it sent to us from time to time, because we simply cannot eat the bread out here.”
“You are traveling West?” asked the girl.
Then Miss Campbell, always ready and willing to make friends, explained and introduced the Motor Maids.
There was something extremely appealing about the beautiful face of the stranger, and when presently she saw that she was attracting the notice of other people at the table, she blushed and pulled her hat well down over her face, and drew nearer to Miss Campbell’s side. The girls liked her from the first. Then there was the mystery about her which added to her charm—the mystery of whom she was and where she was going. She had asked questions, but had volunteered nothing about herself.
After dinner they strolled into the hall of the hotel, which served as a sort of lobby, where they hoped to find letters awaiting them from the evening mail. The girl followed them timidly.
“I hope I’m not in the way or presuming too much,” she said to Miss Campbell, as they proceeded into the hotel parlor to wait for the mail stage.
“Not at all, my dear,” answered the kind soul. “If it is any pleasure to you, I’m sure it is a great pleasure to us. Are you alone?”
“Yes,” hesitated the girl.
“You are taking a riding trip?” Miss Campbell looked at the riding suit.