"Miss Sampson, it's a--" I burst out.
Then Sally fainted. It was I who caught her. Miss Sampson hurried to her
side with a little cry of distress.
"Russ, your hand's called," said Sampson. "Of course you'll swear the
moon's green cheese. And I like you the better for it. But we know now,
and you can save your breath. If Sally hadn't stuck up so gamely for you
I'd have shot you. But at that I wasn't looking for you. Now clear out
of here." I picked up my gun from the bureau and dropped it in its
sheath. For the life of me I could not leave without another look at
Miss Sampson. The scorn in her eyes did not wholly hide the sadness. She
who needed friends was experiencing the bitterness of misplaced trust.
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That came out in the scorn, but the sadness--I knew what hurt her most
was her sorrow.
I dropped my head and stalked out.
Chapter 10
A SLAP IN THE FACE
When I got out into the dark, where my hot face cooled in the wind, my
relief equaled my other feelings. Sampson had told me to clear out, and
although I did not take that as a dismissal I considered I would be wise
to leave the ranch at once. Daylight might disclose my footprints
between the walls, but even if it did not, my work there was finished.
So I went to my room and packed my few belongings.
The night was dark, windy, stormy, yet there was no rain. I hoped as
soon as I got clear of the ranch to lose something of the pain I felt.
But long after I had tramped out into the open there was a lump in my
throat and an ache in my breast. And all my thought centered round
Sally.
What a game and loyal little girl she had turned out to be! I was
absolutely at a loss concerning what the future held in store for us. I
seemed to have a vague but clinging hope that, after the trouble was
over, there might be--there _must_ be--something more between us.
Steele was not at our rendezvous among the rocks. The hour was too late.
Among the few dim lights flickering on the outskirts of town I picked
out the one of his little adobe house but I knew almost to a certainty
that he was not there. So I turned my way into the darkness, not with
any great hope of finding Steele out there, but with the intention of
seeking a covert for myself until morning.
There was no trail and the night was so black that I could see only the
lighter sandy patches of ground. I stumbled over the little clumps of
brush, fell into washes, and pricked myself on cactus. By and by
mesquites and rocks began to make progress still harder for me. I
wandered around, at last getting on higher ground and here in spite of
the darkness, felt some sense of familiarity with things. I was probably
near Steele's hiding place.
I went on till rocks and brush barred further progress, and then I
ventured to whistle. But no answer came. Whereupon I spread my blanket
in as sheltered a place as I could find and lay down. The coyotes were
on noisy duty, the wind moaned and rushed through the mesquites. But
despite these sounds and worry about Steele, and the never-absent
haunting thought of Sally, I went to sleep.
A little rain had fallen during the night, as I discovered upon waking;
still it was not enough to cause me any discomfort. The morning was
bright and beautiful, yet somehow I hated it. I had work to do that did
not go well with that golden wave of grass and brush on the windy open.
I climbed to the highest rock of that ridge and looked about. It was a
wild spot, some three miles from town. Presently I recognized landmarks
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given to me by Steele and knew I was near his place. I whistled, then
halloed, but got no reply. Then by working back and forth across the
ridge I found what appeared to be a faint trail. This I followed, lost
and found again, and eventually, still higher up on another ridge, with
a commanding outlook, I found Steele's hiding place. He had not been
there for perhaps forty-eight hours. I wondered where he had slept.
Under a shelving rock I found a pack of food, carefully protected by a
heavy slab. There was also a canteen full of water. I lost no time
getting myself some breakfast, and then, hiding my own pack, I set off
at a rapid walk for town.
But I had scarcely gone a quarter of a mile, had, in fact, just reached
a level, when sight of two horsemen halted me and made me take to cover.
They appeared to be cowboys hunting for a horse or a steer. Under the
circumstances, however, I was suspicious, and I watched them closely,
and followed them a mile or so round the base of the ridges, until I had
thoroughly satisfied myself they were not tracking Steele. They were a
long time working out of sight, which further retarded my venturing
forth into the open.
Finally I did get started. Then about half-way to town more horsemen in
the flat caused me to lie low for a while, and make a wide detour to
avoid being seen.
Somewhat to my anxiety it was afternoon before I arrived in town. For my
life I could not have told why I knew something had happened since my
last visit, but I certainly felt it; and was proportionately curious and
anxious.
The first person I saw whom I recognized was Dick, and he handed me a
note from Sally. She seemed to take it for granted that I had been wise
to leave the ranch. Miss Sampson had softened somewhat when she learned
Sally and I were engaged, and she had forgiven my deceit. Sally asked me
to come that night after eight, down among the trees and shrubbery, to a
secluded spot we knew. It was a brief note and all to the point. But
there was something in it that affected me strangely. I had imagined the
engagement an invention for the moment. But after danger to me was past
Sally would not have carried on a pretense, not even to win back Miss
Sampson's respect. The fact was, Sally meant that engagement. If I did
the right thing now I would not lose her.
But what was the right thing?
I was sorely perplexed and deeply touched. Never had I a harder task
than that of the hour--to put her out of my mind. I went boldly to
Steele's house. He was not there. There was nothing by which I could
tell when he had been there. The lamp might have been turned out or
might have burned out. The oil was low. I saw a good many tracks round
in the sandy walks. I did not recognize Steele's.
As I hurried away I detected more than one of Steele's nearest neighbors
peering at me from windows and doors. Then I went to Mrs. Hoden's. She
was up and about and cheerful. The children were playing, manifestly
well cared for and content. Mrs. Hoden had not seen Steele since I had.
Miss Samson had sent her servant. There was a very decided change in the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]