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Page 27
"No!" said the man with decision. "On no account can we go that way. Was
that the man you ran away from?"
"Yes." She looked up at him, her eyes filled with wonder over the way in
which he had coupled his lot with hers.
"Poor little girl!" he said with deep feeling. "You would be better off
with the beasts. Come, let us hurry away from here!"
They turned sharply away from the trail, and followed down behind a family
who were almost out of sight around the hill. There would be a chance of
getting some provisions, the man thought. The girl thought of nothing
except to get away. They rode hard, and soon came within hailing-distance
of the people ahead of them, and asked a few questions.
No, there were no houses to the north until you were over the Canadian
line, and the trail was hard to follow. Few people went that way. Most
went down to Malta. Why didn't they go to Malta? There was a road there,
and stores. It was by all means the best way. Yes, there was another house
about twenty miles away on this trail. It was a large ranch, and was near
to another town that had a railroad. The people seldom came this way, as
there were other places more accessible to them. The trail was little
used, and might be hard to find in some places; but, if they kept the
Cottonwood Creek in sight, and followed on to the end of the valley, and
then crossed the bench to the right, they would be in sight of it, and
couldn't miss it. It was a good twenty miles beyond their house; but, if
the travellers didn't miss the way, they might reach it before dark. Yes,
the people could supply a few provisions at their house if the strangers
didn't mind taking what was at hand.
The man in the wagon tried his best to find out where the two were going
and what they were going for; but the man from the East baffled his
curiosity in a most dexterous manner, so that, when the two rode away from
the two-roomed log house where the kind-hearted people lived, they left no
clue to their identity or mission beyond the fact that they were going
quite a journey, and had got a little off their trail and run out of
provisions.
They felt comparatively safe from pursuit for a few hours at least, for
the men could scarcely return and trace them very soon. They had not
stopped to eat anything; but all the milk they could drink had been given
to them, and its refreshing strength was racing through their veins. They
started upon their long ride with the pleasure of their companionship
strong upon them.
"What was it all about?" asked the girl as they settled into a steady gait
after a long gallop across a smooth level place.
He looked at her questioningly.
"The school. What did it mean? She said it was a Christian Endeavor. What
is that?"
"Why, some sort of a religious meeting, or something of that kind, I
suppose," he answered lamely. "Did you enjoy it?"
"Yes," she answered solemnly, "I liked it. I never went to such a thing
before. The girl said they had one everywhere all over the world. What do
you think she meant?"
"Why, I don't know, I'm sure, unless it's some kind of a society. But it
looked to me like a prayer meeting. I've heard about prayer meetings, but
I never went to one, though I never supposed they were so interesting.
That was a remarkable story that old man told of how he was taken care of
that night among the Indians. He evidently believes that prayer helps
people."
"Don't you?" she asked quickly.
"O, certainly!" he said, "but there was something so genuine about the way
the old man told it that it made you feel it in a new way."
"It is all new to me," said the girl. "But mother used to go to Sunday
school and church and prayer meeting. She's often told me about it. She
used to sing sometimes. One song was 'Rock of Ages.' Did you ever hear
that?
"'Rock of Ages, cleft for me.
Let me hide myself in Thee.'"
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