Jack"s plan was determined upon, and after dinner he went to hitch up his horse to take Harry out to the farm. The family sat in painful suspense for a few moments after Jack went out, and then Mr. Excell said:
"My son, we have never been friends, and the time is past when I can expect to win your love and confidence, but I hope you will not go away with any bitterness in your heart toward me." He waited a moment for his son to speak, but Harold continued silent, which again confused and pained the father, but he went on: "In proof of what I say I want to offer you some money to buy a horse and saddle when you need them."
"I don"t need any money," said Harold, a little touched by the affection in his father"s voice. "I can earn all the money I need."
"Perhaps so, but a little money might be useful at the start. You will need a horse if you herd cattle."
"I"ll get my own horse--you"ll need all you can earn," said Harold in reply.
Mr. Excell"s tone changed. "What makes you say that, Harold? What do you mean?"
"Oh, I didn"t mean anything in particular."
"Have you heard of the faction which is growing up in the church against me?"
Harold hesitated. "Yes--but I wasn"t thinking of that particularly." He betrayed a little interest. "What"s the matter with "em?"
"There has been an element in the church hostile to me from the first, and during your trial and sentence these persons have used every effort to spread a feeling against me. How wide it is I can not tell, but I know it is strong. It may end my work here, for I will not cringe to them. They will find me iron."
Harold"s heart warmed suddenly. Without knowing it the father had again struck the right note to win his son. "That"s right," the boy said, "don"t let "em tramp on you."
A lump arose in the minister"s throat. There was something very sweet in Harold"s sympathy. His eyes smiled, even while they were dim with tears.
He held out his hand and Harold took it.
"Well, now, my son, it"s time for you to start. Don"t you worry about me. I am a fighter when I am aroused."
Harold smiled back into his face, and so it was that the two men parted, for the father, in a flash of insight, understood that no more than this could be gained; but his heart was lighter than it had been for many months as he saw his son ride away from his door.
"Write often, Harold," he called after them.
"All right. You let me know how the fight comes out. If they whip you, come out West," was Harold"s reply; then he turned in his seat. "Drive ahead, Jack; there"s no one now but your folks for whom I care."
As they drove out along the muddy lanes the hearts of the two boys became very tender. Harold, filled with exaltation by every familiar thing--by the flights of ground sparrows, by the patches of green gra.s.s, by the smell of the wind, by the infrequent boom of the prairie chickens--talked incessantly.
"What makes me maddest," he broke out, "is to think they"ve cheated me out of seeing one fall and one winter. I didn"t see the geese fly south, and now here they are all going north again. Some time I mean to find out where they go to." He took off his hat. "This wind will mighty soon take the white out o" me, won"t it?" He was very gay. He slapped his chum on the shoulder and shouted with excitement. "We must keep going, old man, till we strike the buffalo. They are the sign of wild country that _is_ wild. I want to get where there ain"t any fences."
Jack smiled sadly in reply. Harold knew he listened and so talked on. "I must work up a big case of sunburn before I strike Mr. Pratt for a job.
Did he have extra horses?"
""Bout a dozen. His girl was driving the cattle, but he said----"
"Girl? What kind of a girl?"
"Oh, a kind of a tomboy, freckled--chews gum and says "darn it!" That kind of a girl."
Harold"s face darkened. "I don"t like the idea of that girl. She might have heard something, and then it would go hard with me."
"Don"t you worry. The Pratts ain"t the kind of people that read newspapers; they didn"t stop here but a day, anyhow."
The sight of Mr. Burns and his wife at the gate moved Harold deeply.
Mrs. Burns came hurrying out: "You blessed boy! Get right down and let me hug you," and as he leaped down she put her arms around him as if he were her own son, and Harold"s eyes smarted with tears.
"I declare," said Mr. Burns, "you look like a fightin" c.o.c.k; must feed you well down there?"
No note of doubt, hesitation, concealment, or shame was in their greetings and the boy knew it. They all sat around the kitchen, and chatted and laughed as if no ill thing had ever happened to him. Burns uttered the only doubtful word when he said: "I don"t know about this running away from things here. I"d be inclined to stay here and fight it out."
"But it isn"t running away, Dad," said Jack. "Harry has always wanted to go West and now is the first time he has really had the chance."
"That"s so," admitted the father. "Still, I"m sorry to see him look like he was running away."
Mrs. Burns was determined to feed Harry into complete torpor. She put up enough food in a basket to last him to San Francisco at the shortest.
Even when the boys had entered the buggy she ordered them to wait while she brought out some sweet melon pickles in a jar to add to the collection.
"Well, now, good-by," said Harold, reaching down his hand to Mrs.
Burns, who seized it in both hers.
"You poor thing, don"t let the Indians scalp ye."
"No danger o" that," he called back.
"Be good to yourself," shouted Burns, and the buggy rolled through the gate into the west as the red sun was setting and the prairie c.o.c.ks were crowing.
The boys talked their plans all over again while the strong young horse spattered through the mud. Slowly the night fell, and as they rode under the branches of the oaks, Jack took courage to say:
"I wish Miss Yardwell had been here, Harry."
"It"s no use talking about her; she don"t care two straws for me; if she had she would have written to me, at least."
"Her mother may have been dying."
"Even that needn"t keep her from letting me know or sending some word.
She didn"t care for me--she was just trying to convert me."
"She wasn"t the kind of a girl who flirts. By jinks! You should see her look right through the boys that used to try to walk home with her after prayer meeting. They never tried it a second time. She"s a wonder that way. One strange thing about her, she never acts like other girls. You know what I mean? She"s different. She"s going to be a singer, and travel around giving concerts--she told me so once."
Harold was disposed to be fair. "I don"t want anybody to feel sorry for me. I suppose she felt that way, and tried to help me." Here he paused and his voice changed. "But when I"m a cattle king out West and can buy her the best home in Des Moines--maybe she won"t pity me so much.
Anyhow, there"s nothing left for me but to emigrate. There"s no use stayin" around here. Out there is the place for me now."
Jack put Harold down at the station and turned over to him all the money he had in the world. Harold took it, saying:
"Now you"ll get this back with interest, old man. I need it now, but I won"t six months from now. I"m going to strike a job before long--don"t you worry."
Their good-by was awkward and constrained, and Harold felt the parting more keenly than he dared to show. Jack rode away crying--a brother could not have been more troubled. It seemed that the bitterness of death was in this good-by.
CHAPTER VII