It seemed as if he had already known her for years.
"Most certainly question; I had no thought of any concealment." She smiled at the confusedness of his words, yet her own speech was not entirely devoid of embarrassment.
"It does appear almost ridiculous, but really I do not even know your name." "It is Ned Winston." "Not so bad a name, is it?
Do you mind telling me where your home is ?" "I can scarcely lay claim to such a spot, but my people live in Denver." She drew a quick, surprised breath, her eyes instantly falling, as though she would thus conceal some half-revealed secret.

For a moment her parted lips trembled to a question she hesitated asking.
"I--I believe I have heard of a Colonel Daniel Winston in Denver, a banker," she said finally.

"I--I have seen his house." "He is my father." Her shadowing lashes suddenly uplifted, the color once again flooding the clear cheeks.
"You are, indeed, becoming a man of mystery," she exclaimed, affecting lightness of utterance.

"The son of Colonel Winston acting as utility for a troupe of strollers! I can hardly believe it true." Winston laughed.
"It does seem a trifle out of proportion," he confessed, "and I can hardly hope to make the situation entirely clear.

Yet I am not quite so unworthy my birthright as would appear upon the surface.