"Did your uncle Al ever write anythin" about a man named Beasley?" asked Dale.
"Indeed he did," replied Helen, with a start of surprise. "Beasley! That name is familiar to us--and detestable. My uncle complained of this man for years. Then he grew bitter--accused Beasley. But the last year or so not a word!"
"Well, now," began the hunter, earnestly, "let"s get the bad news over.
I"m sorry you must be worried. But you must learn to take the West as it is. There"s good an" bad, maybe more bad. That"s because the country"s young.... So to come right out with it--this Beasley hired a gang of outlaws to meet the stage you was goin" in to Snowdrop--to-morrow--an"
to make off with you."
"Make off with me?" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Helen, bewildered.
"Kidnap you! Which, in that gang, would be worse than killing you!"
declared Dale, grimly, and he closed a huge fist on his knee.
Helen was utterly astounded.
"How hor-rible!" she gasped out. "Make off with me!... What in Heaven"s name for?"
Bo gave vent to a fierce little utterance.
"For reasons you ought to guess," replied Dale, and he leaned forward again. Neither his voice nor face changed in the least, but yet there was a something about him that fascinated Helen. "I"m a hunter. I live in the woods. A few nights ago I happened to be caught out in a storm an" I took to an old log cabin. Soon as I got there I heard horses.
I hid up in the loft. Some men rode up an" come in. It was dark. They couldn"t see me. An" they talked. It turned out they were Snake Anson an" his gang of sheep-thieves. They expected to meet Beasley there.
Pretty soon he came. He told Anson how old Al, your uncle, was on his last legs--how he had sent for you to have his property when he died.
Beasley swore he had claims on Al. An" he made a deal with Anson to get you out of the way. He named the day you were to reach Magdalena. With Al dead an" you not there, Beasley could get the property. An" then he wouldn"t care if you did come to claim it. It "d be too late.... Well, they rode away that night. An" next day I rustled down to Pine. They"re all my friends at Pine, except old Al. But they think I"m queer. I didn"t want to confide in many people. Beasley is strong in Pine, an"
for that matter I suspect Snake Anson has other friends there besides Beasley. So I went to see your uncle. He never had any use for me because he thought I was lazy like an Indian. Old Al hates lazy men.
Then we fell out--or he fell out--because he believed a tame lion of mine had killed some of his sheep. An" now I reckon that Tom might have done it. I tried to lead up to this deal of Beasley"s about you, but old Al wouldn"t listen. He"s cross--very cross. An" when I tried to tell him, why, he went right out of his head. Sent me off the ranch. Now I reckon you begin to see what a pickle I was in. Finally I went to four friends I could trust. They"re Mormon boys--brothers. That"s Joe out on top, with the driver. I told them all about Beasley"s deal an" asked them to help me. So we planned to beat Anson an" his gang to Magdalena.
It happens that Beasley is as strong in Magdalena as he is in Pine.
An" we had to go careful. But the boys had a couple of friends here--Mormons, too, who agreed to help us. They had this old stage....
An" here you are." Dale spread out his big hands and looked gravely at Helen and then at Bo.
"You"re perfectly splendid!" cried Bo, ringingly. She was white; her fingers were clenched; her eyes blazed.
Dale appeared startled out of his gravity, and surprised, then pleased.
A smile made his face like a boy"s. Helen felt her body all rigid, yet slightly trembling. Her hands were cold. The horror of this revelation held her speechless. But in her heart she echoed Bo"s exclamation of admiration and grat.i.tude.
"So far, then," resumed Dale, with a heavy breath of relief. "No wonder you"re upset. I"ve a blunt way of talkin".... Now we"ve thirty miles to ride on this Snowdrop road before we can turn off. To-day sometime the rest of the boys--Roy, John, an" Hal--were to leave Show Down, which"s a town farther on from Snowdrop. They have my horses an" packs besides their own. Somewhere on the road we"ll meet them--to-night, maybe--or tomorrow. I hope not to-night, because that "d mean Anson"s gang was ridin" in to Magdalena."
Helen wrung her hands helplessly.
"Oh, have I no courage?" she whispered.
"Nell, I"m as scared as you are," said Bo, consolingly, embracing her sister.
"I reckon that"s natural," said Dale, as if excusing them. "But, scared or not, you both brace up. It"s a bad job. But I"ve done my best. An"
you"ll be safer with me an" the Beeman boys than you"d be in Magdalena, or anywhere else, except your uncle"s."
"Mr.--Mr. Dale," faltered Helen, with her tears falling, "don"t think me a coward--or--or ungrateful. I"m neither. It"s only I"m so--so shocked.
After all we hoped and expected--this--this--is such a--a terrible surprise."
"Never mind, Nell dear. Let"s take what comes," murmured Bo.
"That"s the talk," said Dale. "You see, I"ve come right out with the worst. Maybe we"ll get through easy. When we meet the boys we"ll take to the horses an" the trails. Can you ride?"
"Bo has been used to horses all her life and I ride fairly well,"
responded Helen. The idea of riding quickened her spirit.
"Good! We may have some hard ridin" before I get you up to Pine. h.e.l.lo!
What"s that?"
Above the creaking, rattling, rolling roar of the stage Helen heard a rapid beat of hoofs. A horse flashed by, galloping hard.
Dale opened the door and peered out. The stage rolled to a halt. He stepped down and gazed ahead.
"Joe, who was that?" he queried.
"Nary me. An" Bill didn"t know him, either," replied Joe. "I seen him "way back. He was ridin" some. An" he slowed up goin" past us. Now he"s runnin" again."
Dale shook his head as if he did not like the circ.u.mstances.
"Milt, he"ll never get by Roy on this road," said Joe.
"Maybe he"ll get by before Roy strikes in on the road."
"It ain"t likely."
Helen could not restrain her fears. "Mr. Dale, you think he was a messenger--going ahead to post that--that Anson gang?"
"He might be," replied Dale, simply.
Then the young man called Joe leaned out from the seat above and called: "Miss Helen, don"t you worry. Thet fellar is more liable to stop lead than anythin" else."
His words, meant to be kind and rea.s.suring, were almost as sinister to Helen as the menace to her own life. Long had she known how cheap life was held in the West, but she had only known it abstractly, and she had never let the fact remain before her consciousness. This cheerful young man spoke calmly of spilling blood in her behalf. The thought it roused was tragic--for bloodshed was insupportable to her--and then the thrills which followed were so new, strange, bold, and tingling that they were revolting. Helen grew conscious of unplumbed depths, of instincts at which she was amazed and ashamed.
"Joe, hand down that basket of grub--the small one with the canteen,"
said Dale, reaching out a long arm. Presently he placed a cloth-covered basket inside the stage. "Girls, eat all you want an" then some."
"We have a basket half full yet," replied Helen.
"You"ll need it all before we get to Pine.... Now, I"ll ride up on top with the boys an" eat my supper. It"ll be dark, presently, an" we"ll stop often to listen. But don"t be scared."
With that he took his rifle and, closing the door, clambered up to the driver"s seat. Then the stage lurched again and began to roll along.
Not the least thing to wonder at of this eventful evening was the way Bo reached for the basket of food. Helen simply stared at her.
"Bo, you CAN"T EAT!" she exclaimed.
"I should smile I can," replied that practical young lady. "And you"re going to if I have to stuff things in your mouth. Where"s your wits, Nell? He said we must eat. That means our strength is going to have some pretty severe trials.... Gee! it"s all great--just like a story! The unexpected--why, he looks like a prince turned hunter!--long, dark, stage journey--held up--fight--escape--wild ride on horses--woods and camps and wild places--pursued--hidden in the forest--more hard rides--then safe at the ranch. And of course he falls madly in love with me--no, you, for I"ll be true to my Las Vegas lover--"
"Hush, silly! Bo, tell me, aren"t you SCARED?"