Ready to start, Bard ?" "All ready." "S'long, Sally." "Good-night, Miss Fortune." "Evenin', boys.

We'll be lookin' for you back in Eldara to-morrow night, Bard." And her eyes fixed with meaning on Nash.
"Certainly," answered the other, "my business ought not to take longer than that." "I'll take him by the shortest cut," said Nash, and the two went out to their horses.
They had difficulty in riding the trail side by side, for though the roan was somewhat rested by the delay at Eldara it was impossible to keep him up with Bard's prancing piebald, which sidestepped at every shadow.

Yet the tenderfoot never allowed his mount to pass entirely ahead of the roan, but kept checking him back hard, turning toward Nash with an apology each time he surged ahead.

It might have been merely that he did not wish to precede the cowpuncher on a trail which he did not know.

It might have been something quite other than this which made him consistently keep to the rear; Nash felt certain that the second possibility was the truth.
In that case his work would be doubly hard.