“Who’s in a hurry?” asked Ned, quickly.
“That Philo Marsh, as he calls himself. So we are going to start for the West to-morrow, instead of next week.”
“And what is this fellow who’s come East here going to do?” asked Ned.
“Going back. Says he’ll meet us at Dugonne. That is where we leave the train. Oh, Aunt Winnie has already looked up our route, and the time-tables, and all that,” Dorothy said.
“Well, we’ll be on hand to look out for Little Mum, and see that this fellow doesn’t ‘double cross’ her in any way,” said Nat, with assurance.
“We girls shall watch him, too,” Tavia declared. “I believe he’s a regular ‘bad man’—like you read about.”
“Shouldn’t read about such things,” advised Dorothy, laughing.
“I guess we four can hedge Little Mum about so that no wild and woolly Westerner will trouble her,” Ned said, with gravity.
But only time could prove whether that was so, or not.