"Sure you don"t want some more?" teased Billiard.
"No. Guess I"ll go home."
"And tat--tell about last night?" Billiard remembered all at once the reason they were so far from the Eagles" Nest, and was alarmed lest Toady"s threatened confession should involve him also.
"Y-e-s."
"I think you"re downright mean, Toady McKittrick!"
"I shan"t tell on you."
"Might as well! They will know I was in it."
"And you know you ought to own up, too."
"Cut it out, good--Toady. If you won"t tell, I"ll not plague them--nor you--any more."
Toady silently plodded on, and in exasperation Billiard caught him by the shoulder and shook him roughly.
"Le" go!" muttered the boy. "I"m going home, I tell you! Ge" out my way!"
The white misery of that round, freckled face as it turned toward him struck terror to the older brother"s heart, and he excitedly demanded, "What"s the matter, kid? Are you sick?"
"Feel funny," panted the castor-bean victim. "I--want--to--lie--down."
"Let"s hurry then. We"ll soon be home." Billiard was genuinely alarmed now, and seizing the other"s cold hand, he tried to hasten the lagging steps up the rocky trail. But Toady was really too ill to care what happened or where he went, and he stumbled blindly on, tripping over a loose pebble here, or bruised by staggering into a boulder there, protesting one minute that he could go no further, and the next instant begging Billiard to hurry faster.
At length, however, the house was reached, and Toady drifted like a crumpled leaf across the threshold and lay down in the middle of the floor. Irene had seen them coming, and rushed pell-mell for Tabitha, shrieking in horrified accents, "Kitty, oh, Kitty, they"ve been to a s"loon and got drunk!"
So Tabitha was somewhat prepared for their dramatic entrance; but one glance at the livid lips, pinched nose and heavy, l.u.s.terless eyes would have convinced her that Irene was mistaken, even if Billiard had not caught the words and indignantly denied it. However, recalling a certain episode in Jerome Vane"s life in Silver Bow, she demanded severely, "How many cigarettes has he smoked, Billiard McKittrick?"
"He hain"t been smoking at all!" declared that young gentleman, more ruffled at Tabitha"s tone than at her accusation. "He--he--I dared him to eat some castor-beans, and I guess they made him sick."
"Castor-beans!" shrieked Tabitha in wild alarm. "Go for the doctor at once. Dr. Hayes at the drug-store! Tell him it"s castor-beans. He worked all night to save the Horan children who ate them once."
Billiard had shot out of the door before the words were out of her mouth and was half-way down the trail before the dazed girl awoke with a start to the realization that something must be done at once for the suffering boy on the floor, or it might be too late. "We must make him vomit," she said to red-eyed Mercedes, who had come out of her hiding-place to see what was the cause of all the commotion.
"But how?"
"I don"t know myself what emetic would be best. They use mustard and warm water for some poisons, and--oh, I remember! Bring me that three-cornered, blue bottle from the cupboard, Susie. Hurry! Your mother told me to use plenty of that if any of you got poisoned.
Mercedes, light the stove and set on the tea kettle. Inez, get the boy"s bed ready, and Irene, bring some clean towels from the closet."
Tabitha had suddenly grown calm again, and as she issued orders to the panic-stricken sisters, she was deftly at work herself, pouring the vile-tasting emetic down poor, unresisting Toady"s throat. She worked hard and furiously, fearful that her efforts might fail, and her heart sank within her as she watched the white face grow whiter and listened to the weak moans which escaped his lips with every breath.
Would the doctor never come? The suspense was horrible. When it seemed as if she must scream with frenzy, the five watchers on the door-step shouted wildly, "He"s coming, he"s coming! Billiard found him and he"s got his v"lise!"
Another instant and he was in the kitchen kneeling beside the limp form on the floor, and working as he questioned. It was over at last, the boy was p.r.o.nounced out of danger, and Tabitha, weak and trembling, felt her strength suddenly ooze from her limbs.
"Here, here, none of that!" commanded the physician in gruff but kindly tones. "There is no use of fainting now, my girl, when you have done your work so well. But for your efforts before I got here, the chap might have been--well, he can thank his lucky stars that he is in the land of the living."
Perhaps Toady heard, for when Tabitha bent over him a few moments later, the brown eyes fluttered weakly open, and the repentant sinner murmured, "How is Glory?"
"Better. She will be well by morning. But you mustn"t talk now."
"Yes, I must, "cause I made her sick. I burgled--that is, I pretended I was a burglar last night and hid under your bed. I only meant to scare you, though. Honest!"
"Sh! I know all about it. Go to sleep now, Toady." When seeing an unspoken question in his eyes, she answered, "No, Glory didn"t give you away. I found it out myself."
"The constable----"
"I never went for him at all. He doesn"t know a thing about it."
"Uncle Hogan--I expect you"d better write him. It was awful mean of me, and I"m sorry, but he ought to know."
"Not this time, Toady. I am sure you will not forget again."
A great light of relief crept into the big, brown eyes, and Toady answered with all the vim he could muster, "You are right, I won"t."
CHAPTER VIII
BILLIARD RUNS AWAY
Billiard, white, scared, remorseful, had crept away up the mountainside the minute he had seen Dr. Hayes bending beside the still form on the kitchen floor, and remained in his retreat, watching the house with frightened eyes, until the physician"s bulky figure strode down the path toward town again. Then, flinging himself face down in the gravel, he sobbed in unrestrained relief, until, exhausted by the strain of his recent fearful experience, he fell asleep in the shadow of a ragged boulder, where late that afternoon Tabitha found him, after a vain search about house and yard.
Surprised at having caught a glimpse of this unsuspected side of the bully"s character, she beat a hasty retreat, and with the tact of a diplomat, sent one of the younger girls in quest of him, feeling that he might resent being awakened by her while the trace of tears still showed on his face. Nor was she mistaken in this surmisal, for the instant the boy"s eyes unclosed in response to Susie"s energetic shaking, he demanded, "Does Tabitha--know where I am?"
"She wouldn"t have set the rest of us to hunting if she had, would she?"
"Well, "tain"t necessary for you to tell her I was asleep. The sun was so hot it made my head ache, and I guess it has burned my face to a blister," cautiously touching his puffed, smarting cheeks.
Susie eyed the swollen lids and scarlet visage suspiciously, but for once held her tongue, only announcing briefly as she started on a trot down the trail, "We"re waiting supper for you."
"Well, you needn"t for I"m not hungry. Tell Tabitha I don"t want anything to eat. I am going to bed. My head aches."
"All right," retorted Susie, too cheerfully, he thought with bitterness in his heart, as he followed her nimble feet toward the house. He had hoped she would at least express some sympathy for his aching head; but what did she care? What did anyone care about him? Morosely he shambled along behind his agile cousin; but instead of entering the kitchen, which was of necessity also the dining-room, he chose the front door, and quietly sought the room where he and his brother slept.
Toady"s pale face on the pillow made him pause on the threshold, while a twinge of remorse tugged at his heart, but the victim, hearing the creak of the opening door, opened his round eyes, and smiling beatifically, asked in a weak voice, "Seen Tabitha?"
Billiard grunted an unintelligible reply.
"Tell you what, she"s a crackerjack!" continued the invalid. Then, as Billiard"s only answer was a vicious jerk which divested him of collar and waist at a single effort, Toady cried in surprise, "Why, Bill, have you had your supper?"
"Don"t want any!" growled the other, tugging savagely at his boots.
"What"s the matter? Sick?"