She resumed her seat, knowing he would soon return.
Fifteen minutes and more went by and she was still alone.
Sh! Was she mistaken, or was that the faint sound of a horse's hoofs in the distance?
She turned her head and listened.

The murmur of voices, as her brother and mother talked in low tones, did not disturb her, and the almost inaudible lowing of the cattle on the distant ranges was but a part of silence itself.
Hardly a breath of air was stirring, but all knew the eccentric way in which sound is sometimes carried by it.

Suddenly the reports of rifle-firing were heard, faint but distinct, and lasting several minutes.

Then other and different noises reached her, still faint but clear.
Her power of hearing, like her vision, was exceptionally strong.

It was that which enabled her to tell that the last sounds were not made by a single animal, but by several going at a high rate of speed.
These, with the reports of rifles, made her certain that the rustlers had attacked Sterry.
Meanwhile the young man found matters exceedingly lively.
The reception of the "warning" through the hands of Fred Whitney was proof that his enemies knew he was frequently at his house.