When they camped a little while for lunch he showed the thoughtfulness and care for her comfort that many an older man might not have had. Even his talk was a mixture of boyishness and experience and he seemed to know her thoughts before she had them fully spoken.
"I do not understand it," she said, looking him frankly in the eyes at last. "How ever in the world did one like you get landed among all those dreadful men! Of course, in their way, some of them are not so bad; but they are not like you, not in the least, and never could be."
They were riding out upon the plain now in the full afternoon light, and a short time would bring them to her destination.
A sad, set look came quickly into the Boy's eyes and his face grew almost hard.
"It's an old story. I suppose you've heard it before," he said, and his voice tried to take on a careless note, but failed. "I didn't make good back there"--he waved his hand sharply toward the East--"so I came out here to begin again. But I guess I haven't made good here, either--not in the way I meant when I came."
"You can't, you know," said Margaret. "Not here."
"Why?" He looked at her earnestly, as if he felt the answer might help him.
"Because you have to go back where you didn't make good and pick up the lost opportunities. You can't really make good till you do that right where you left off."
"But suppose it's too late?"
"It's never too late if we're in earnest and not too proud."
There was a long silence then, while the Boy looked thoughtfully off at the mountains, and when he spoke again it was to call attention to the beauty of a silver cloud that floated lazily on the horizon. But Margaret Earle had seen the look in his gray eyes and was not deceived.
A few minutes later they crossed another mesa and descended to the enterprising little town where the girl was to begin her winter's work. The very houses and streets seemed to rise briskly and hasten to meet them those last few minutes of their ride.
Now that the experience was almost over, the girl realized that she had enjoyed it intensely, and that she dreaded inexpressibly that she must bid good-by to this friend of a few hours and face an unknown world. It had been a wonderful day, and now it was almost done. The two looked at each other and realized that their meeting had been an epoch in their lives that neither would soon forget--that neither wanted to forget.