I did gurgle,” Marshmallow admitted. “I wanted to yell, but knew I mustn’t.”
“Because,” said Dave, “when I glanced past Marsh down the hall where Moon and his two friends were coming, they saw us and began to run in our direction.”
“Oh, dear! Oh, dear!” Mrs. Mallow moaned softly.
“So we dived through the open window,” Marshmallow continued. “Moon poked his head out of the window right over us and yelled, ‘There they go!’”
“The next thing he said was, ‘It was those two young cubs from the Crazy Bear Ranch! I should have known they weren’t in this forsaken hole for fun!’” Dave interjected.
“Then the orders flew,” Marshmallow went on. “He told one man he called Wolf to stand guard, right in the room. Then he asked a fellow he called Sam to come with him, as he was going to get the sheriff and drive out toward the ranch and catch us on the way.”
“We sneaked up to the front of the hotel,” Dave said, “and there was our car, of course, parked in the street. Moon recognized it, so he made this Sam fellow get in the back and crouch down, to grab us when we got in.”
“That gave us our idea,” Marshmallow laughed.
“But how did you get here, then?” Doris cried.
“With Moon and the sheriff!” roared Marshmallow. “Right near us Moon’s car was parked well in the dark, so Dave and I jumped into the rear compartment and pulled a lot of oily slickers and dungarees over us. Soon Moon came along with the deputy, raving about how he had caught us stealing everything he owned and flashing a gun at him. They got in the car and drove to the ranch.
“So, when Moon was turning in here, and we figured he and the sheriff were looking sharp at the house, Dave and I dropped out, and ran around the back way while they parked in front. We hopped into bed, and that’s all.”
“You took desperate chances, boys, and rather illegal ones, I am afraid,” said Mrs. Mallow. “You have aroused the suspicions of Mr. Moon in the bargain.”
Doris thanked the boys sweetly for all they had done in her behalf. Dave and Marshmallow were rather crestfallen as goodnights were exchanged and everyone repaired to bed and to sleep, if possible, after the exciting events.
In the morning, as the five trooped across the patio to their breakfast, Miss Bedelle’s airplane roared overhead, and all wondered where she was going at such an early hour.
The breakfast was just about over when a familiar-sounding automobile drove into the yard and Ben Corlies jumped out. Without the least ceremony he dashed into the house and hurled something on the table with a cowboy whoop that brought everyone to his feet.
“Why—oh! My handbag!” cried Mrs. Mallow. “Mr. Corlies, how can I ever reward you?”
“Don’t talk that way, Ma’am,” Ben grinned. “Jest open the bag and see if all your belongings is in it, for I didn’t lift the clasp on it.”
“If you will excuse me, then?” Mrs. Mallow smiled, and the smile grew as she examined the contents of the handbag. “Everything is here. Where did you find it?”
“Miss Bedelle found it,” Ben said. “She found it between the wall and a seat of that cast-iron katydid you all flew out here in.”
“We will drive over some time today and thank her,” Mrs. Mallow declared. “We owe Miss Bedelle many more thanks besides.”
“Well, I—I don’t know,” Ben said, shuffling his feet and twisting his sombrero. “I don’t think Miss Bedelle would like any company just now. Anyhow, she ain’t home. She flew off this mornin’ in a hurry with Pete Speary.”
Then, as if overcome with indignation, Ben blurted out:
“It’s that ornery brother of hers, an’ I hope he gets bucked off his hoss into a cholla cactus! He’s showed up again, and no one knows where from, but he got into a peck of trouble somewheres along the line. I ain’t no eavesdropper, but Miss Bedelle had to jly over to some place in a hurry this mornin’ to straighten out the mess, an’ I don’t know where the boy lit out to at all. He was missin’ again last night.”
“I can tell you,” Marshmallow spoke up. “He was at the hotel last night with that Henry Moon who is bossing the oil crew.”
Ben’s face darkened, and he shifted the holste? in which his long-barreled six-gun rested.
“Those crooks, hey?” he snarled. “They got their orders to keep off our land, and I’m one person who will keep ’em off, too! And now the boy has got mixed up with ’em, has he?”
Doris stared into her empty cocoa cup.
“Ben,” she said, lifting her clear blue eyes to the rancher, “I’ll tell you a secret. Those men are our enemies, too. We are certain they stole some very valuable papers, deeds to the land they are drilling on, from my uncle.”
Ben’s jaw dropped.
“Is that the truth, now?” he exclaimed. “Well, Miss Bedelle will help you all she can. She’ll be glad to have you come up, I know. And Ben Corlies’ll stand by you, come rain or shootin’, or I’m a—”
Words failed him. He strode up and solemnly shook hands all around.
CHAPTER XVIII
Doris’s Disappearance
“We won’t make another move, now, until Miss Bedelle gets back,” Doris decided.
“That is the wisest plan,” Mrs. Mallow said. “It is Sunday and Mr. Moon probably won’t do anything today.”
Ben, muttering to himself, announced that he, at any rate, had plenty to do.
“I’ve got to round up Miss Bedelle’s brother,” he said.
Refusing Mrs. Mallow’s repeated offer to reward him for returning the purse, Corlies very soon drove off.
“Everything looks brighter and more cheerful,” Kitty observed. “We have a powerful new ally, Mrs. Mallow has her money and rings back, and Marshmallow and Dave are still out of jail.”
The day was spdnt in scanning the skies for the airplane, but to no avail. Wherever Miss Bedelle’s errand had taken her, it was no one-day trip, even in an airplane.
It was a somewhat disappointed group, therefore, that retired that night, but morning brought new excitement.
Doris had just asked the boys to drive her into town, and had been reminded that the automobile had been abandoned at Raven Rock, when a man rode into the yard, tossed the reins over his cayuse’s neck, and asked for Miss Force.
“I am Miss Force,” Doris said, stepping forward.
“I got a telegram for you, Miss,” the stranger grinned amiably. “It came late last night, but I knew there wasn’t any hurry about it, because your uncle won’t get here until after sundown.”
“My uncle!”
