As he thought, he unconsciously slackened his horse's pace.

The girl was a rod or more ahead, and just vanishing behind a clump of sage-brush.

She vanished, and he stopped for an instant, and looked about him on the desolation; and a great loneliness settled upon him like a frenzy.

He was glad to see the girl riding back toward him with a smile of good fellowship on her face.
"What's the matter ?" she called.

"Come on! There's water in the valley." The sound of water was good; and life seemed suddenly good for no reason whatever but that the morning was bright, and the sky was wide, and there was water in the valley.