She expected his loud snort, and was prepared for it when it rang out.
In a second he would bolt. She knew that. She thrilled. She tried to call to him, but her lips were weak. Creech seemed paralyzed. The King shifted his position, and Lucy"s last glimpse of Creech was one she would never forget. It was as if Creech faced burning h.e.l.l!
Then the King whistled and reared. Lucy heard swift, dull, throbbing beats. Beats of a fast horse"s hoofs on the run! She felt a surging thrill of joy. She could not think. All of her blood and bone and muscle seemed to throb. Suddenly the air split to a high-pitched, wild, whistling blast. It pierced to Lucy"s mind. She knew that whistle.
"Wildfire!" she screamed, with bursting heart.
The King gave a mighty convulsive bound of terror. He, too, knew that whistle. And in that one great bound he launched out into a run.
Straight across the line of burning gra.s.s! Lucy felt the sting of flame. Smoke blinded and choked her. Then clear, dry, keen wind sung in her ears and whipped her hair. The light about her darkened. The King had headed into the pines. The heavy roar of the gale overhead struck Lucy with new and torturing dread. Sage King once in his life was running away, bridleless, and behind him there was fire on the wings of the wind.
CHAPTER XVII
For the first time in his experience Bostil found that horse-trading palled upon him. This trip to Durango was a failure. Something was wrong. There was a voice constantly calling into his inner ear--a voice to which he refused to listen. And during the five days of the return trip the strange mood grew upon him.
The last day he and his riders covered over fifty miles and reached the Ford late at night. No one expected them, and only the men on duty at the corrals knew of the return. Bostil, much relieved to get home, went to bed and at once fell asleep.
He awakened at a late hour for him. When he dressed and went out to the kitchen he found that his sister had learned of his return and had breakfast waiting.
"Where"s the girl?" asked Bostil.
"Not up yet," replied Aunt Jane.
"What!"
"Lucy and I had a tiff last night and she went to her room in a temper."
"Nothin" new about thet."
"Holley and I have had our troubles holding her in. Don"t you forget that."
Bostil laughed. "Wal, call her an" tell her I"m home."
Aunt Jane did as she was bidden. Bostil finished his breakfast. But Lucy did not come.
Bostil began to feel something strange, and, going to Lucy"s door, he knocked. There was no reply. Bostil pushed open the door. Lucy was not in evidence, and her room was not as tidy as usual. He saw her white dress thrown upon the bed she had not slept in. Bostil gazed around with a queer contraction of the heart. That sense of something amiss grew stronger. Then he saw a chair before the open window. That window was rather high, and Lucy had placed a chair before it so that she could look out or get out. Bostil stretched his neck, looked out, and in the red earth beneath the window he saw fresh tracks of Lucy"s boots. Then he roared for Jane.
She came running, and between Bostil"s furious questions and her own excited answers there was nothing arrived at. But presently she spied the white dress, and then she ran to Lucy"s closet. From there she turned a white face to Bostil.
"She put on her riding-clothes!" gasped Aunt Jane.
"Supposin" she did! Where is she?" demanded Bostil.
"SHE"S RUN OFF WITH SLONE!"
Bostil could not have been shocked or hurt any more acutely by a knife-thrust. He glared at his sister.
"A-huh! So thet"s the way you watch her!"
"Watch her? It wasn"t possible. She"s--well, she"s as smart as you are.... Oh, I knew she"d do it! She was wild in love with him!"
Bostil strode out of the room and the house. He went through the grove and directly up the path to Slone"s cabin. It was empty, just as Bostil expected to find it.
The bars of the corral were down. Both Slone"s horses were gone.
Presently Bostil saw the black horse Nagger down in Brackton"s pasture.
There were riders in front of Brackton"s. All spoke at once to Bostil, and he only yelled for Brackton. The old man came hurriedly out, alarmed.
"Where"s this Slone?" demanded Bostil.
"Slone!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Brackton. "I"m blessed if I know. Ain"t he home?"
"No. An" he"s left his black hoss in your field."
"Wal, by golly, thet"s news to me.... Bostil, there"s been strange doin"s lately." Brackton seemed at a loss for words. "Mebbe Slone got out because of somethin" thet come off last night.... Now, Joel Creech an"--an"--"
Bostil waited to hear no more. What did he care about the idiot Creech?
He strode down the lane to the corrals. Farlane, Van, and other riders were there, leisurely as usual. Then Holley appeared, coming out of the barn. He, too, was easy, cool, natural, lazy. None of these riders knew what was amiss. But instantly a change pa.s.sed over them. It came because Bostil pulled a gun. "Holley, I"ve a mind to bore you!"
The old hawk-eyed rider did not flinch or turn a shade off color. "What fer?" he queried. But his customary drawl was wanting.
"I left you to watch Lucy.... An" she"s gone!"
Holley showed genuine surprise and distress. The other riders echoed Bostil"s last word. Bostil lowered the gun.
"I reckon what saves you is you"re the only tracker thet"d have a show to find this cussed Slone."
Holley now showed no sign of surprise, but the other riders were astounded.
"Lucy"s run off with Slone," added Bostil.
"Wal, if she"s gone, an" if he"s gone, it"s a cinch," replied Holley, throwing up his hands. "Boss, she double-crossed me same as you! ...
She promised faithful to stay in the house."
"Promises nothin"!" roared Bostil. "She"s in love with this wild-hoss wrangler! She met him last night!"
"I couldn"t help thet," retorted Holley. "An" I trusted the girl."
Bostil tossed his hands. He struggled with his rage. He had no fear that Lucy would not soon be found. But the opposition to his will made him furious.
Van left the group of riders and came close to Bostil. "It ain"t an hour back thet I seen Slone ride off alone on his red hoss."
"What of thet?" demanded Bostil. "Sure she was waitin" somewheres.
They"d have too much sense to go together.... Saddle up, you boys, an"
we"ll--"
"Say, Bostil, I happen to know Slone didn"t see Lucy last night,"
interrupted Holley.