"It all scares me," replied Slone. He did feel panicky, and that was from thoughts of what shame might befall Lucy. The cold sweat oozed out of every pore. What might not Bostil do? "Holley, I love the girl. So I--I didn"t insult her. Bostil will never understand. An" what"s he goin" to do when he finds out?"
"Wal, let"s hope you won"t git any wuss"n you give Joel."
"Let Bostil beat me!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Slone. "I think I"m willin--now--the--way I feel. But I"ve a temper, and Bostil rubs me the wrong way."
"Wall leave your gun home, an" fight Bostil. You"re pretty husky. Sure he"ll lick you, but mebbe you could give the old cuss a black eye."
Holley laughed as if the idea gave him infinite pleasure.
"Fight Bostil? ... Lucy would hate me!" cried Slone.
"Nix! You don"t know thet kid. If the old man goes after you Lucy"ll care more fer you. She"s jest like him in some ways." Holley pulled out a stubby black pipe and, filling and lighting it, he appeared to grow more thoughtful. "It wasn"t only Lucy thet sent me up here to see you.
Bostil had been pesterin" me fer days. But I kept fightin" shy of it till Lucy got hold of me."
"Bostil sent you? Why?"
"Reckon you can guess. He can"t sleep, thinkin" about your red hoss.
None of us ever seen Bostil have sich a bad case. He raised Sage King.
But he"s always been crazy fer a great wild stallion. An" here you come along--an" your hoss jumps the King--an" there"s trouble generally."
"Holley, do you think Wildfire can beat Sage King?" asked Slone, eagerly.
"Reckon I do. Lucy says so, an" I"ll back her any day. But, son, I ain"t paradin" what I think. I"d git in bad myself. Farlane an" the other boys, they"re with Bostil. Van he"s to blame fer thet. He"s takin" a dislike to you, right off. An" what he tells Bostil an" the boys about thet race don"t agree with what Lucy tells me. Lucy says Wildfire ran fiery an" cranky at the start. He wanted to run round an"
kill the King instead of racin". So he was three lengths behind when Macomber dropped the flag. Lucy says the King got into his stride. She knows. An" there Wildfire comes from behind an" climbs all over the King! ... Van tells a different story."
"It came off just as Lucy told you," declared Slone. "I saw every move."
"Wal, thet"s neither here nor there. What you"re up ag"in is this.
Bostil is sore since you called him. But he holds himself in because he hasn"t given up hope of gittin" Wildfire. An", Slone, you"re sure wise, ain"t you, thet if Bostil doesn"t buy him you can"t stay on here?"
"I"m wise. But I won"t sell Wildfire," replied Slone, doggedly.
"Wal, I"d never wasted my breath tellin" you all this if I hadn"t figgered about Lucy. You"ve got her to think of."
Slone turned on Holley pa.s.sionately. "You keep hintin" there"s a hope for me, when I know there"s none!"
"You"re only a boy," replied Holley. "Son, where there"s life there"s hope. I ain"t a-goin" to tell you agin thet I know Lucy Bostil."
Slone could not stand nor walk nor keep still. He was shaking from head to foot.
"Wildfire"s not mine to sell. He"s Lucy"s!" confessed Slone.
"The devil you say!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Holley, and he nearly dropped his pipe.
"I gave Wildfire to her. She accepted him. It was DONE. Then--then I lost my head an" made her mad.... An"--she said she"d ride him in the race, but wouldn"t keep him. But he IS hers."
"Oho! I see. Slone, I was goin" to advise you to sell Wildfire--all on account of Lucy. You"re young an" you"d have a big start in life if you would. But Lucy"s your girl an" you give her the hoss.... Thet settles thet!"
"If I go away from here an" leave Wildfire for Lucy--do you think she could keep him? Wouldn"t Bostil take him from her?"
"Wal, son, if he tried thet on Lucy she"d jump Wildfire an" hit your trail an" hang on to it till she found you."
"What"ll you tell Bostil?" asked Slone, half beside himself.
"I"m consarned if I know," replied Holley. "Mebbe I"ll think of some idee. I"ll go back now. An" say, son, I reckon you"d better hang close to home. If you meet Bostil down in the village you two"d clash sure.
I"ll come up soon, but it"ll be after dark."
"Holley, all this is--is good of you," said Slone. "I--I"ll--"
"Shut up, son," interrupted the rider, dryly. "Thet"s your only weakness, so far as I can see. You say too much."
Holley started down then, his long, clinking spurs digging into the steep path. He left Slone a prey to deep thoughts at once anxious and dreamy.
Next day Slone worked hard all day, looking forward to nightfall, expecting that Holley would come up. He tried to resist the sweet and tantalizing antic.i.p.ation of a message from Lucy, but in vain. The rider had immeasurably uplifted Slone"s hope that Lucy, at least, cared for him. Not for a moment all day could Slone drive away the hope. At twilight he was too eager to eat--too obsessed to see the magnificent sunset. But Holley did not come, and Slone went to bed late, half sick with disappointment.
The next day was worse. Slone found work irksome, yet he held to it. On the third day he rested and dreamed, and grew doubtful again, and then moody. On the fourth day Slone found he needed supplies that he must obtain from the store. He did not forget Holley"s warning, but he disregarded it, thinking there would scarcely be a chance of meeting Bostil at midday.
There were horses standing, bridles down, before Brackton"s place, and riders lounging at the rail and step. Some of these men had been pleasant to Slone on earlier occasions. This day they seemed not to see him. Slone was tingling all over when he went into the store. Some deviltry was afoot! He had an angry thought that these riders could not have minds of their own. Just inside the door Slone encountered Wetherby, the young rancher from Durango. Slone spoke, but Wetherby only replied with an insolent stare. Slone did not glance at the man to whom Wetherby was talking. Only a few people were inside the store, and Brackton was waiting upon them. Slone stood back a little in the shadow. Brackton had observed his entrance, but did not greet him. Then Slone absolutely knew that for him the good will of Bostil"s Ford was a thing of the past.
Presently Brackton was at leisure, but he showed no disposition to attend to Slone"s wants. Then Slone walked up to the counter and asked for supplies.
"Have you got the money?" asked Brackton, as if addressing one he would not trust.
"Yes," replied Slone, growing red under an insult that he knew Wetherby had heard.
Brackton handed out the supplies and received the money, without a word. He held his head down. It was a singular action for a man used to dealing fairly with every one. Slone felt outraged. He hurried out of the place, with shame burning him, with his own eyes downcast, and in his hurry he b.u.mped square into a burly form. Slone recoiled--looked up. Bostil! The old rider was eying him with cool speculation.
"Wal, are you drunk?" he queried, without any particular expression.
Yet the query was to Slone like a blow. It brought his head up with a jerk, his glance steady and keen on Bostil"s.
"Bostil, you know I don"t drink," he said.
"A-huh! I know a lot about you, Slone.... I heard you bought Vorhees"s place, up on the bench."
"Yes."
"Did he tell you it was mortgaged to me for more"n it"s worth?"
"No, he didn"t."
"Did he make over any papers to you?"
"No."
"Wal, if it interests you I"ll show you papers thet proves the property"s mine."
Slone suffered a pang. The little home had grown dearer and dearer to him.
"All right, Bostil. If it"s yours--it"s yours," he said, calmly enough.