"Thank God!" breathed Mr. Bell huskily.
Aunt Sally fell into Jess's young arms and wept lustily while old
Bell broke into a rhapsody:
"Out from the desert safe and sound;
Hooray! our boy and girl are found!"
But nobody paid any attention to his verses, either to laugh or admire just then. After the cruel anxiety of the past hours the relief was too great for any of them to trust themselves to speak.
But as Peggy and Roy—for of course our readers have guessed it was they—drew closer and their dust-covered features could be plainly seen, a great shout went up from the butte. And in it mingled the voice of Alverado, the unemotional.
The girl and boy were fairly lifted from their ponies and carried in triumph into the camp.
"Dig down into the stores," ordered Mr. Bell, "Get out all the delicacies we have been savin' for a big occasion."
"We'll never have a bigger one than this," declared Jimsy; "tell us all about it, Roy."
"Oh, Peggy, you darling, is it really you?" cried Jess for the 'steenth time, with brimming eyes.
As for old Mr. Bell, as Jimsy observed afterwards, "he just wrapped poetical circles round himself. You couldn't see him for rhythm."