Nan Sherwood at Rose Ranch; Or, The Old Mexican's Treasure

field; but he had only to seize Prince's reins and manage

er for a girl!" excl

er that a compliment-if you meant it as such.

Walter told Nan and his sister after

h about girls who are born and brought up in the far West. Rho

cried Walter. "I'd like to see

Bess Harley, who ove

e! After all, she has said just enough about it to

haps she thinks we have so many things she hasn't ob

t she doesn't have," Nan put in. "Perhaps she does

ll go in for athlet

t Walter. "Why, there

o could do what

mathematics teacher, and with whom Nan and Amelia Boggs took architectural drawing, selected Rhoda to be one of a small party at his cabin up the lake

as building one for his own use) and finally gave them a supper of wild duck, served on birch-bark platt

he confessed to Nan that she was very much tempted to run away from school and return to the ranch.

h a quiet little smile, "I want com

ent Nan. "You do know peo

retly amused, "I don't want to go away out to Rose Ranch alone an

med Nan, "I can't se

iew H

ee Rose Ranch. T

listened so closely to the tales the Western girl related, that Nan felt herself drawn strongly toward an outdoor exper

tern girl in rejoinder to Nan's last observatio

ot make Nan suspect wh

asons have any warni

ly thought out. But th

on at m

em. Scarcely had they broken the seals of the two fat missives when the door was flung open and Grace Mason

asped Bess, as the smaller gir

her off and viewing her flushed and animate

ce. She held up a letter. "From mother. She

ke!" exclaimed Bess,

u, Grace, had already

ch!" almost

on, Nan and Bess fair

nc

aven't you heard abo

of you girls, too, an

t a

open their own letters, both being those prized "mother letters" so dear to every boarding-schoo

secret from us! She wrote her folks and they wrote to mine-and

d Grace, dancing up a

ee cheers and a tiger! And a wildcat! And a panther! And-and-Well! all the other trimmings th

t be awfully nice peop

her m

here follows the part of it dealing with this wonder

I know she must be a nice girl by the way her mother writes me. Her mother is blind, but she has had somebody write me th

his Mrs. Hammond is very insistent that you shall visit Rose Ranch this summer. Mrs. Harley came to see me about it, and we have decided that you and Elizabeth can go home with Rhoda, if the Masons likewise ag

u must bring Rhoda here to the little cottage in amity for

quite as happy as either Grace or Bess. And all three of them tripped away at on

anch," Nan sighed ecstatically when they had t

harder and harder by the instructors, and Bes

haking her head over the text books piled upon their study table. "Oh, dear me, Nan! if anything s

happen as bad as t

n to us," agreed Bess. "But suppose

winkling. "Do you think of any particular danger she may be

would be awful if anything should happen so

. Still, Bess was not notably unselfish, although she had impro

rnoon when Nan was returning from her architectural drawing lesson at Professor Krenner's cabin, up the lake shore. Amelia had not gone that day, bei

sounds in the sun-bathed woods, when of a sudden Nan heard somebody

ting me like this? I do no

her "r's" magnificently. "But I am not a thief. You, Senorita Ha

shop in Adminster. She had spoken in just this way. And s

ces sounded. Rhoda replied to the castigation of the other's tong

ss-for your ring there on your han'-for all your good times, and to make you a la-dee. But me-I am poor that you and yours

er cry. She was backing away from a girl with flushed countenance and