Midnight
But Patches said no ; Phil was expecting him , and he must return to the outfit in Granite Basin . As soon as breakfast was over he set out . He had ridden as far as the head of Mint Wash , and had stopped to water his horse , and to refresh himself with a cool drink and a brief rest beside the fragrant mint-bordered spring , when he heard someone riding rapidly up the wash the way he had come . A moment later , Kitty , riding her favorite Midnight , rounded a jutting corner of the rocky wall of the bluff . As the girl caught sight of him , there beside the spring , she waved her hand in greeting . And the man , as he waved his answer , and watched her riding toward him , felt a thrill of gladness that she had come . The strong , true friendship that began with their very first meeting , when she had been so frankly interested in the tenderfoot , and so kindly helpful , and which had developed so steadily through the year , gave him , now , a feeling of comfort and relief .