But Dawapa went shyly and quickly by into the house, not waiting for any explanation of Bettina’s presence in her home.
And it was not until afterwards that Bettina learned Dawapa was an Albino, and that there are such girls and boys born now and then among the Hopis.
CHAPTER XII
The Painted Desert
By noon the next day Mrs. Burton and her niece arrived at Nampu’s house near the Painted Desert to find Bettina.
The Indian showed them the way.
The night before, he had appeared at the new Sunrise Hill camp at a little after ten o’clock, finding only Mrs. Burton and a few of the girls there. Peggy and Vera and Ellen Deal had insisted upon joining the searching party from the Gardener ranch led by Terry Benton, who had gone out to look for Bettina.
Fortunately the Indian had come upon them and told them of her rescue on his way to camp so they were following behind more slowly. It was thus that he arrived alone.
Mrs. Burton’s welcome was very enthusiastic; indeed, she showed even more gratitude and friendliness than Bettina. In a way she was more relieved. Moreover, almost at once she recognized the young man as the one whom they had met on the train.
She was walking alone up and down near the border of their mesa, and had been doing this almost without ceasing ever since Vera and Peggy returned bringing the news of Bettina’s loss. They did not mention what they feared, but the same impression came readily enough to the others. And Mrs. Burton thought of almost nothing else.
Over and over she kept repeating to herself that if an accident must happen to one of the Camp Fire girls, it had better have been any girl than Bettina. But not because she cared for her most.