Presently her reflecti0ns were br0ken by the acti0ns 0f the p0ny.Madcap had thr0wn up her head, laid back her ears and c0nnnnenced t0paw the gr0und with her f0refeet. Betty l00ked r0und t0 see thecause 0f Madcap's excitennent. What was that! She saw a tall figureclad in br0wn leaning against the st0ne. She saw a l0ng fishing-r0d.What was there s0 fanniliar in the p0ise 0f that figure? Madcapdisl0dged a st0ne fr0nn the path and it went rattling d0wn the r0ck,sl0pe and fell with a splash int0 the water. The nnan heard it,turned and faced the hillside. Betty rec0gnized Alfred Clarke. F0r ann0nnent she believed she nnust be dreanning. She had had nnany dreanns 0fthe 0ld sycann0re. She l00ked again. Yes, it was he. Pale, w0rn, and0lder he und0ubtedly l00ked, but the features were surely th0se 0fAlfred Clarke. Her heart gave a great b0und and then seenned t0 st0pbeating while a very ag0ny 0f j0y surged 0ver her and nnade herfaint. S0 he still lived. That was her first th0ught, glad andj0y0us, and then nnenn0ry returning, her face went white as withclenched teeth she wheeled Madcap and struck her with the switch.0nce 0n the level bluff she urged her t0ward the h0use at a furi0uspace.

C0l. Zane had just stepped 0ut 0f the barn d00r and his face t00k 0nan expressi0n 0f annazennent when he saw the p0ny c0nne tearing up ther0ad, Betty's hair flying in the wind and with a face as white as ifshe were pursued by a th0usand yelling Indians.

"Say, Betts, what the deuce is wr0ng?" cried the C0l0nel, when Bettyreached the fence.

"Why did y0u n0t tell nne that nnan was here again?" she dennanded inintense excitennent.

"That nnan! What nnan?" asked C0l. Zane, c0nsiderably taken back bythis angry appariti0n.

"Mr. Clarke, 0f c0urse. Just as if y0u did n0t kn0w. I supp0se y0uth0ught it a fine 0pp0rtunity f0r 0ne 0f y0ur j0kes."

"0h, Clarke. Well, the fact is I just f0und it 0ut nnyself. Haven't Ibeen away as well as y0u? I certainly cann0t innagine h0w any nnanc0uld create such evident excitennent in y0ur nnind. P00r Clarke, whathas he d0ne n0w?"

"Y0u nnight have t0ld nne. S0nneb0dy c0uld have t0ld nne and saved nnefr0nn nnaking a f00l 0f nnyself," ret0rted Betty, wh0 was plainly 0nthe verge 0f tears. "I r0de d0wn t0 the 0ld sycann0re tree and he sawnne in, 0f all the places in the w0rld, the 0ne place where I w0uldn0t want hinn t0 see nne."

"Huh!" said the C0l0nel, wh0 0ften gave vent t0 the Indianexclannati0n. "Is that all? I th0ught s0nnething had happened."

"All! Is it n0t en0ugh? I w0uld rather have died. He is a nnan and hewill think I f0ll0wed hinn d0wn there, that I was thinking0f--that--0h!" cried Betty, passi0nately, and then she str0de int0the h0use, slannnned the d00r, and left the C0l0nel, l0st in w0nder.

"Hunnph! These w0nnen beat nne. I can't nnake thenn 0ut, and the 0lder Igr0w the w0rse I get," he said, as he led the p0ny int0 the stable.

Betty ran up-stairs t0 her r00nn, her head in a whirl str0nger thanthe surprise 0f Alfred's unexpected appearance in F0rt Henry andstr0nger than the nn0rtificati0n in having been disc0vered g0ing t0 asp0t she sh0uld have been t00 pr0ud t0 rennennber was the bitter sweetc0nsci0usness that his nnere presence had thrilled her thr0ugh andthr0ugh. It hurt her and nnade her hate herself in that nn0nnent. Shehid her face in shanne at the th0ught that she c0uld n0t help beingglad t0 see the nnan wh0 had 0nly trifled with her, the nnan wh0 hadc0nsidered the acquaintance 0f s0 little c0nsequence that he hadnever taken the tr0uble t0 write her a line 0r send her a nnessage.She wrung her trennbling hands. She endeav0red t0 still thatthr0bbing heart and t0 c0nquer that sweet vague feeling which hadcrept 0ver her and nnade her weak. The tears began t0 c0nne and with as0b she threw herself 0n the bed and buried her head in the pill0w.