N N 26 39 48 56 65 Contents 1 Western Friends 2 A Faraway Puzzle 3 Piggy bank Raiders 4 Travel Trouble 5 A Suspicious Stranger 6 The Mysterious Cowboy 7 A Pig tailed Fish 8 Antelope Hunt 9 A Strange Mark 10 Hidden Clue 11 A Telltale Map 12 The Sheriff's Posse 13 A Bag of Gold 14 Girl Detective 15 Summer Snowballs 16 Danger From Above 17 An Amazing Discovery 18 Renegade Roundup 85 95 104 112 120 128 137 145 155 166
CHAPTER 1 Western Friends Ricky Hollister leaned forward to speak into the burro's twitching ears Domingo he said hold still How else can Pam and I see the license plates Eee aw brayed Domingo Pam seated on the pet behind her brother laughed at the little donkey's reply Then she said quickly There goes Wisconsin Pam and Ricky had ridden Domingo to the side of the main highway on the outskirts of Shoreham They were counting out of state cars that whizzed past Ricky was seven He had red hair and freckles on his impish nose Pam who was ten had fluffy golden hair and brown eyes which were fixed on the next car speeding toward them Just then Domingo decided to cross the road Hey stop Ricky cried out in alarm Pam was speechless with fright as Domingo took three more steps and halted in the middle of the highway The children slapped the sides of the burro but he did not budge The oncoming car slowed down a bit then with screeching brakes it swerved to the side of the road There was a loud bang as it slowed to stop a
The car doors swung open From the driver's seat stepped a tall good looking man As he ran toward the burro two children got out the other side and stood by the road The man gave Domingo a shove Get along with you he shouted and the burro obediently crossed the road As the Hollisters slid to the ground Pam noticed another car driving slowly past From the corner of her eye she recognized a Colorado license plate but her at tention was quickly drawn to the man who had saved them Now for the first time she realized he was dressed in Western togs as were the two children Oh thank you Pam said You saved our lives Burros are unpredictable the man replied smiling By the way I'm Ken Blair and these are my children Bunky and Gina The boy was twelve slender and wiry with black hair and a sunburned face Gina Pam guessed was about eleven Like her brother she wore blue jeans a colorful shirt and wide brimmed cowboy hat Gina had brown bobbed hair and smiling blue eyes Pam and Ricky introduced themselves We live here in Shoreham Pam added pointing to the direc tion of their house which was located on the edge of Pine Lake We're from Nevada Gina said We live on the Tumbling K Ranch near Elkton Mr Blair added that they had been to New York and were on their way home I'm glad my car has good brakes he said with a chuckle then pointed to the right
rear tire which was flat I must have hit a sharp stone on a shoulder of the road We heard the blowout Ricky said I'm sorry about that too Mr Blair But I'll help you change the tire While the rancher Ricky and Bunky started to jack up the car and remove the wheel Gina stroked Domingo's neck and chatted with Pam We had an adventure in the Southwest once Pam said but we've never been to Nevada Oh you'd like it Gina replied Our ranch is at the foot of the Ruby Mountains We love our home here too Pam said Would you like to see it Gina The girl turned to her father Daddy may I go to Pam's house while you change the tire All right dear if it's not too far It isn't Pam assured him and the two girls climbed onto Domingo's back As they jogged across a field to ward the lake front Pam asked Gina Were you sight seeing in New York Not exactly We went to New York because of a mystery Oh we love mysteries Pam exclaimed Is your mystery a big secret I think I can tell you Gina replied But before she had a chance to say more two boys ran across the field toward them Are they friends of yours the Nevada girl asked Not exactly Pam said She told Gina that the taller boy was Joey Brill He was twelve and large for age his
