Read Dude Ranch for Free Online Page B

wondering if she could make it to the window before her mysterious visitor disappeared.
    She scooted across the bunkhouse to the window, but when she couldn’t see anything, she opened the door and crept out onto the porch. She stood in the shadows of the old wooden beams, watching.
    There, not far from her, the person was riding bareback. The dog loped alongside. The horse and rider passed by the main house on the dirt road that led to the open range beyond. He sat tall on the horse’s back, glancing around as if to survey all the land.
    An early-morning breeze ruffled Stevie’s nightgown,and the dog barked. The breeze must have carried her scent to the dog.
    The rider hissed the dog into silence, pulling the horse to a stop, and glanced around. Scared, without knowing why, Stevie backed farther into the shadows of the bunkhouse porch. After a few seconds, the rider urged the horse into motion and the three were soon out of sight.
    Stevie remained on the porch until the odd threesome had disappeared behind a stand of cottonwood trees. She stood still long after the sound of the horse’s hooves had vanished. She remained frozen in the faint gray morning light until she heard the insistent chirp of birds, announcing the advance of dawn. It startled her into motion.
    She reentered the bunkhouse and climbed back into bed, but she couldn’t get back to sleep. She kept wondering about the mysterious visitor who rode before dawn.
    An hour later, the girls’ alarm clock went off, spurring The Saddle Club into beginning the new day.
    “You’re not going to believe this,” Stevie began, reaching for her toothbrush.
    “Wha’?” Lisa asked sleepily.
    “I saw a Native American,” Stevie said.
    “Sure, there are lots of them around,” Kate said. “We see them in town all the time.”
    “This one wasn’t in town,” Stevie explained. “Hewas riding along the roadway here, bareback, before the sun had come up.”
    “Sure you weren’t dreaming?” Carole asked skeptically.
    “I’m sure,” Stevie stated positively, and then, as they all washed up and got ready for breakfast, she told her friends about both of the morning visits—and about the dog.
    “I think it was the dog I saw in Two Mile Creek two days ago,” Stevie said. “And I also think there’s something very mysterious about this Indian riding around in the dark.”
    “You think he’s up to something bad?” Lisa asked, a fearful tremor in her voice.
    “No, it’s not like that at all,” Stevie assured her friend. “It’s more like he’s mysterious.”
    “Like it’s an ancient ritual?” Carole asked, suddenly interested.
    “Maybe,” Stevie said.
    “Maybe he’s studying the old family burial grounds,” Lisa said, following her friends’ line of thought.
    “Maybe it’s more like he’s protecting an old treasure buried in the mountains,” Carole said, pulling on her boots.
    “Maybe he’s guarding the sacred hunting grounds!” Lisa suggested. Carole and Stevie looked at each other to consider the suggestion.
    “And maybe you guys just need some food,” Kate interrupted. “These ideas you’re dreaming up are unreal! Come on, let’s get going. The bell’s about to—”
    The triangle at the main house clanged insistently. Kate beamed with pride. “See, I told you so,” she said, leading the girls to the mess hall for their morning steak and eggs.
    By the time they arrived at the mess hall, three of the girls had almost forgotten Stevie’s mysterious visitor. Stevie, however, could still see the proud silhouette and the spirited horse prancing in front of The Bar None.
    “S O, JUST WHAT do we
do
on a roundup?” Lisa asked while the girls were finishing their breakfasts. “What’s it about?”
    “We do a couple of things when we round up,” Kate explained. “First of all, it’s when we get a chance to count our herd, find out how many calves have been born. Then, we can brand the little ones, too. Also, we can cut out the