his eyes twinkling. "But I might do it."

"Only trouble is," said Rhoda, after the laugh at Walter's
suggestion, "I don't see any brush clumps out there. Do you?"

"No-o," said Nan. "The plain is as bare as your palm."

"Exactly," Rhoda agreed. "So we must try running them down."

"But you say they are very speedy," objected

"Oh, yes. But there are ways of running them," said Rhoda. "We will
ride on a little further and then let our ponies breathe. I'll show
you how you must ride."

Nan was looking back again at the cloud on the horizon. "Isn't that
a funny looking thing?" she said to Bess.

"What thing?" asked her chum, staring back also.

"It is a cloud of dust--perhaps?"

"Who ever saw the like!" exclaimed Bess. "Say, Rhoda!"

The Western girl looked around and made a quick gesture for
silence. So neither of the Tillbury girls gave the cloud another
thought.

They came at length to a piece of high brush which, with a pile of
rocks, hid them completely from the herd of peacefully grazing