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.”
Dorn 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.
Dorn 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 gratitude.
“So far then,” resumed Dorn, 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. Today, sometime, the rest of the boys…Roy, John, an’ Hal were to leave Show Down, which is a town farther on from Snowdrop. They have my horses an’ packs besides their own. Somewhere on the road we’ll meet them…tonight maybe…or tomorrow. I hope not tonight 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 Dorn, 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.”
“Mister…Mister Dorn,” 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 Dorn. “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 hosses 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…. Hello, 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.
Dorn opened the door and peered out. The stage rolled to a halt. Dorn stepped down and peered ahead.
“Joe, who was that?” he queried.
“Nary me. An’ Bill didn’t know him, either,” replied Joe.
“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.”
Dorn 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.
Dorn 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 gratitude.
“So far then,” resumed Dorn, 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. Today, sometime, the rest of the boys…Roy, John, an’ Hal were to leave Show Down, which is a town farther on from Snowdrop. They have my horses an’ packs besides their own. Somewhere on the road we’ll meet them…tonight maybe…or tomorrow. I hope not tonight 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 Dorn, 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.”
“Mister…Mister Dorn,” 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 Dorn. “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 hosses 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…. Hello, 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.
Dorn opened the door and peered out. The stage rolled to a halt. Dorn stepped down and peered ahead.
“Joe, who was that?” he queried.
“Nary me. An’ Bill didn’t know him, either,” replied Joe.
Similar Books
