The Adventure Girls at K Bar O

The thing that went under the name of automobile wheezed into the ranchyard and rattled to a halt. With creaks and groans in every joint the car discharged its six very dusty, very weary occupants.

At the same time, the screen door of the ranch house banged shut and a flying figure descended on the new arrivals.

"Oh, Gale, but I'm glad to see you," the girl from the ranch house declared hugging the foremost one of the visitors.

Gale Howard returned the hug with equal warmth. The two were cousins, and Gale and her friends, The Adventure Girls, had traveled West to spend the summer on the K Bar O Ranch, owned by Gale's uncle.

"But don't tell me you traveled all the way West in that!" Virginia Wilson murmured aghast, when the introductions and first greetings were over.

"We wouldn't have lived to tell the tale," declared Carol Carter. "I never knew a car that had so many bumps in it."

"We came West to Phoenix on the train," Gale explained. "It was there we bought the car and drove up here."

"You wouldn't think we bought it second hand, would you?" Janet Gordon murmured.

"No," Phyllis Elton agreed with a twinkle in her eyes. "It looks as though we made it ourselves."

The last two of the new arrivals, Madge Reynolds and Valerie Wallace, who had been busy unstrapping luggage and tumbling bags onto the ground, turned now to the ranch girl.

"What shall we do with our stuff?" Madge asked.

"I suppose you will want to change from your traveling suits," Virginia suggested, "so just bring along what you want now. Leave the rest here. Tom can bring it in later."

Tom was her elder brother and as the girls walked toward the ranch house he crossed the yard from the corral. Behind him came Gale's uncle. Virginia called her mother and more greetings and introductions followed.

"But how did you manage to leave home without a chaperon?" Virginia asked from her position on the bed in the room shared by Gale and Valerie.

"It was all we could do to get away without one," a laughing voice in the adjoining room declared, and Janet appeared on the threshold.

"Finally our parents decided that Gale and Valerie, being the only sane and level-headed ones among us, could be trusted to see that we behaved properly," Carol added, hanging over Janet's shoulder.

"That shows how much they really know Gale and Valerie," added Janet mischievously. "If they had any sense at all, they would have appointed me guardian angel of the troupe."

"Then we would never have gotten this far," Valerie declared, struggling to pull on a brown riding boot.

"Yes, Virginia," Gale laughed, "when we did let Janet drive for a little while, she ran us into a ditch, went the wrong way on a one way street in a little town below here, talked back to a policeman and nearly landed us all in jail."

"Yes, we had to let Gale drive thereafter for self preservation," Carol murmured.

"That is all the gratitude I get," Janet mourned in an injured tone. "I do my best to make our trip a success and you don't appreciate me."

"What? Aren't you dressed yet?" Phyllis demanded as she and Madge entered the other girls' room. "Slow pokes!" she teased.

"Yes, do hurry," Janet pleaded. "I want to get outside and see the horse I'm to ride."

"I'll wager you don't even know what side of a horse to get on," declared Carol as the latter two disappeared into their own room.

"Well--ah--um--we won't go into that," Janet evaded.

Virginia laughed and the other girls smiled sympathetically.

"Don't mind anything they say," Madge advised Virginia. "They don't mean a word of it."

"I gathered that much," Virginia said, rising as Janet and Carol returned, this time fully dressed and eager to get outside.

The Adventure Girls were dressed alike in brown breeches, leather boots, and khaki shirts with brown silk ties to match. Some of them wore crushable felt hats while the others carried them. They had been delighted with the prospect of spending a summer in the open air on the ranch, looking forward to unknown adventures with keen anticipation. The six had dubbed themselves the Adventure Girls when on school hikes and outings they had usually managed to stir up some kind of excitement. It was their desire to spend their summer becoming better acquainted with the country out here, rather than spend their months free from school in loafing about home. They wanted to get out in the air, see new wonders, and enjoy new adventures.

When, in response to a letter from Virginia, Gale had suggested to the other five girls that they come West and spend the summer in Arizona it had seemed delightful and intriguing, but not probable. Gradually the girls had won round parental objections and collected the things they would need. Now they were here, with a full summer of freedom before them.

The K Bar O Ranch was one of the biggest in the state. This the girls did not fully realize until later, when they began to ride around the countryside. Henry Wilson, Virginia's father, dealt in cattle and his herds were large and of the finest stock. There were horses too, and it was these that the girls were most interested in.

Virginia led the way to the corral. Tom was there, talking to a cowboy and when he saw the girls, brought up three saddled mounts, the cowboy following with a string of four more. The western ponies were sturdy little animals, sure-footed and fast.

The girls claimed their mounts and Gale and Valerie, already experienced riders, mounted their horses immediately.

Janet looked her horse over with speculative eyes. "Well, horse," she said, "I think we are about to become better acquainted and I hope you are as nice as you look."

"They're all tame," Tom assured the girls, assisting Carol into her saddle.

"Hey," Carol called to Janet. "You'll never get on that way!"

Virginia had her horse and by the time Tom had helped Janet into the saddle, the girls were moving forward. Virginia rode ahead with Gale, the two setting their ponies at an easy trot over the trail.

"We won't go far," Virginia said, "it will be suppertime shortly and I know you wouldn't want to miss it. The lunch you had wasn't very substantial."

"And this Arizona air certainly gives one an appetite," Gale declared. "What's that?"

They had come to the crest of a hill and in the green valley below could be seen a slowly moving herd of the K Bar O cattle. But it was not to the cows that Gale called her friend's attention. Off to the left had sounded a series of sharp explosions, as a fusillade of rifle shots.

Virginia had grown a little pale under her tan, and the hand that gripped her horse's reins was clenched tightly, but she summoned a smile for Gale's benefit.

"Just some of the boys having target practice, I reckon," she said easily.

But Gale was not to be deceived. Target practice would not cause Virginia to appear suddenly so nervous. However, Gale did not press the subject at the time. She knew if there was something wrong at the K Bar O she would know it before long.