It was Sandy Kilday, his clothes disheveled, his brows lowered, and his lips compressed info a straight, determined line.
Ruth"s startled gaze swept over the riders, then came back to him. She did not know what was the matter; she only knew that he was in trouble, and that she was siding with him against the rest. In the one moment their eyes met she sent him her full a.s.surance of compa.s.sion and sympathy. It was the same message a little girl had sent years ago over a ship"s railing to a wretched stowaway on the deck below.
The men rode on, and she stood holding to the gate and looking after them.
"Here comes Mr. Sid Gray," said Rachel. The approaching rider drew rein when he saw Ruth and dismounted.
"Tell me what"s happened!" she cried.
He hitched his horse and opened the gate. He, too, showed signs of a hard night.
"May I come in a moment to the fire?" he asked.
She led the way to the dining-room and ordered coffee.
"Now tell me," she demanded breathlessly.
"It"s a mixed-up business," said Gray, holding his numb hands to the blaze. "We left here early in the night and worked on a wrong trail till midnight. Then a train-man out at the Junction gave us a clue, and we got a couple of bloodhounds and traced Wilson as far as Ellersberg."
"Go on!" said Ruth, shuddering.
"You see, a rumor got out that the judge had died. We didn"t say anything before the sheriff, but it was understood that Ricks wouldn"t be brought back to town alive. We located him in an old barn. We surrounded it, and were just about to fire it when Kilday came tearing up on horseback."
"Yes?" cried Ruth.
"Well," he went on, "he hadn"t started with us, and he had been riding like mad all night to overtake the crowd. His horse dropped under him before he could dismount. Kilday jumped out in the crowd and began to talk like a crazy man. He said we mustn"t harm Ricks Wilson; that Ricks hadn"t shot the judge, for he was sure he had seen him out the Junction road about half-past five. We all saw it was a put-up job; he was Ricks Wilson"s old pal, you know."
"But Sandy Kilday wouldn"t lie!" cried Ruth.
"Well, that"s what he did, and worse. When we tried to close in on Wilson, Kilday fought like a tiger. You never saw anything like the mix-up, and in the general skirmish Wilson escaped."
"And--and Sandy?" Ruth was leaning forward, with her hands clasped and her lips apart.
"Well, he showed what he was, all right. He took sides with that good-for-nothing scoundrel who had shot a man that was almost his father. Why, I never saw such a case of ingrat.i.tude in my life!"
"Where are they taking him?" she almost whispered.
"To jail for resisting an officer."
"Miss Rufe, de man"s come fer de trunks. Is dey ready?" asked Rachel from the hall.
Ruth rose and put her hand on the back of the chair to steady herself.
"Yes; yes, they are ready," she said with an effort. "And, Rachel, tell the man to go as quietly as possible. Mr. Carter must not be disturbed until it is time to start."
CHAPTER XXIII
"THE SHADOW ON THE HEART"
Just off Main street, under the left wing of the court-house, lay the little county jail. It frowned down from behind its fierce mask of bars and spikes, and boldly tried to make the town forget the number of prisoners that had escaped its walls.
In a small front cell, beside a narrow grated window, Ricks Wilson had sat and successfully planned his way to freedom.
The prisoner who now occupied the cell spent no time on thoughts of escape. He paced restlessly up and down the narrow chamber, or lay on the cot, with his hands under his head, and stared at the grimy ceiling. The one question which he continually put to the jailer was concerning the latest news of Judge Hollis.
Sandy had been given an examining trial on the charge of resisting an officer and a.s.sisting a prisoner to escape. Refusing to tell what he knew, and no bail being offered, he was held to answer to the grand jury. For two weeks he had seen the light of day only through the deep, narrow opening of one small window.
At first he had had visitors--indignant, excited visitors who came in hotly to remonstrate, to threaten, to abuse. Dr. Fenton had charged in upon him with a whole battery of reproaches. In stentorian tones he rehea.r.s.ed the judge"s kindness in befriending him, he pointed out his generosity, and laid stress on Sandy"s heinous ingrat.i.tude. Mr.
Moseley had arrived with arguments and reasons and plat.i.tudes, all expressed in a polysyllabic monotone. Mr. Meech had come many times with prayers and pet.i.tions and gentle rebuke.
To them all Sandy gave patient, silent audience, wincing under the blame, but making no effort to defend himself. All he would say was that Ricks Wilson had not done the shooting, and that he could say no more.
A wave of indignation swept the town. Almost the only friend who was not turned foe was Aunt Melvy. Her large philosophy of life held that all human beings were "chillun," and "chillun was bound to act bad sometimes." She left others to struggle with Sandy"s moral welfare and devoted herself to his physical comfort.
With a clear conscience she carried to her home flour, sugar, and lard from the Hollises" store-room, and sat up nights in her little cabin at "Who"d "a" Thought It" to bake dumplings, rolls, and pies for her "po" white chile."
Sandy felt some misgivings about the delicacies which she brought, and one day asked her where she made them.
"I makes "em out home," she declared stoutly. "I wouldn"t cook nuffin"
fer you on Miss Sue"s stove while she"s talkin" "bout you lak she is.
She "lows she don"t never want to set eyes on you ag"in as long as she lives."
"Has the judge asked for me?" said Sandy.
"Yas, sir; but de doctor he up and lied. He tol" him you"d went back to de umerversity. De doctor "lowed ef he tole him de trufe it might throw him into a political stroke."
Sandy leaned his head on his hand. "You"re the only one that"s stood by me, Aunt Melvy; the rest of them think me a bad lot."
"Dat"s right," a.s.sented Aunt Melvy, cheerfully. "You jes orter hear de way dey slanders you! I don"t "spec" you got a friend in town "ceptin"
me." Then, as if reminded of something, she produced a card covered with black dots. "Honey, I"s gittin" up a little collection fer de church. You gib me a nickel and I punch a pin th"u" one ob dem dots to sorter certify it."
"Have you got religion yet?" he asked as he handed her some small change.
Her expression changed, and her eyes fell. "Not yit," she acknowledged reluctantly; "but I"s countin" on comin" th"u" before long. I"s done j"ined de Juba Choir and de White Doves."
"The White Doves?" repeated Sandy.
"Yas, sir; de White Doves ob Perfection. We wears purple calicoes and sets up wid de sick."
"Have you seen Miss Annette?"
"Lor", honey! ain"t I tol" you "bout dat? De very night de jedge was shot, dat chile wrote her paw de sa.s.siest letter, sayin" she gwine run off and git married wif dat sick boy, Carter Nelson. De doctor headed "em off some ways, and de very nex" day what you think he done? He put dat gal in a Cafolic nunnery convent! Dey say she cut up scan"lous at fust, den she sorter quiet down, an" "gin to count her necklace, an"
make signs on de waist ob her dress, an" say she lak it so much she gwine be a Cafolic nunnery sister herself. Now de doctor"s jes tearin" his shirt to git her out, he"s so skeered she"ll do what she says."
Sandy laughed in spite of himself, and Aunt Melvy wagged her head knowingly.