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.That was her answer to a loving, gentle-hearted sister; thatwas her answer to the call of the West."No use," said Roy, quietly."An' I reckon I'd better trail him up."He, too, strode out and, mounting his horse, galloped swiftly away.Page 145ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlIt turned out that Bo, was more braised and scraped and shaken than she hadimagined.One knee was rather badly cut, which injury alone would have kepther from riding again very soon.Helen, who was somewhat skilled at bandagingwounds, worried a great deal over these sundry blotches on Bo's fair skin, andit took considerable time to wash and dress them.Long after this was done,and during the early supper, and afterward, Bo's excitement remained unabated.The whiteness stayed on her face and the blaze in her eyes.Helen ordered andbegged her to go to bed, for the fact was Bo could not stand up and her handsshook."Go to bed? Not much," she said."I want to know what he does to Riggs."It was that possibility which had Helen in dreadful suspense.If Carmichaelkilled Riggs, it seemed to Helen that the bottom would drop out of thisstructure of Western life she had begun to build so earnestly and fearfully.She did not believe that he would do so.But the uncertainty was torturing."Dear Bo," appealed Helen, "you don't want--Oh! you do want Carmichael to--tokill Riggs?"" No, I don't, but I wouldn't care if he did," replied Bo, bluntly." Do you think--he will?""Nell, if that cowboy really loves me he read my mind right here before heleft," declared Bo."And he knew what I thought he'd do.""And what's--that?" faltered Helen."I want him to round Riggs up down in the village somewhere in a crowd.Iwant Riggs shown up as the coward, braggart, four-flush that he is.Andinsulted, slapped, kicked- -driven out of Pine!"Her passionate speech still rang throughout the room when there camefootsteps on the porch.Helen hurried to raise the bar from the door and openit just as a tap sounded on the door-post.Roy's face stood white out of thedarkness.His eyes were bright.And his smile made Helen's fearful queryneedless."How are you-all this evenin'?" he drawled, as he came in.A fire blazed on the hearth and a lamp burned on the table.By their light Bolooked white and eager-eyed as she reclined in the big arm-chair."What 'd he do?" she asked, with all her amazing force."Wal, now, ain't you goin' to tell me how you are?""Roy, I'm all bunged up.I ought to be in bed, but I just couldn't sleep tillI hear what Las Vegas did.I'd forgive anything except him getting drunk.""Wal, I shore can ease your mind on thet, " replied Roy."He never drank adrop."Roy was distractingly slow about beginning the tale any child could haveguessed he was eager to tell.For once the hard, intent quietness, the soul oflabor, pain, and endurance so plain in his face was softened by pleasurableemotion.He poked at the burning logs with the toe of his boot.Helen observedthat he had changed his boots and now wore no spurs.Then he had gone to hisquarters after whatever had happened down in Pine.Page 146ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Whereis he?" asked Bo."Who? Riggs? Wal, I don't know.But I reckon he's somewhere out in the woodsnursin' himself.""Not Riggs.First tell me where he is.""Shore, then, you must mean Las Vegas.I just left him down at the cabin.Hewas gettin' ready for bed, early as it is.All tired out he was an' thet whiteyou wouldn't have knowed him.But he looked happy at thet, an' the last wordshe said, more to himself than to me, I reckon, was, 'I'm some locoed gent, butif she doesn't call me Tom now she's no good!"'Bo actually clapped her hands, notwithstanding that one of them was bandaged."Call him Tom? I should smile I will," she declared, in delight."Hurrynow--what 'd--""It's shore powerful strange how he hates thet handle Las Vegas," went onRoy, imperturbably."Roy, tell me what he did--what Tom did--or I'll scream," cried Bo."Miss Helen, did you ever see the likes of thet girl?" asked Roy, appealingto Helen."No, Roy, I never did," agreed Helen."But please- -please tell us what hashappened."Roy grinned and rubbed his hands together in a dark delight, almost fiendishin its sudden revelation of a gulf of strange emotion deep within him [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]