Part 49 (2/2)
She knew him at last, and, dropping her rifle to the ground, awaited his approach in silence.
As he leaped from his horse and ran toward her she lifted her hands to him in a gesture of relief and welcome, and he took her in his arms as naturally as he would have taken a frightened child to his breast.
”Great G.o.d! What's the meaning of all this?” he asked. ”Are you hurt?”
She was white, but calm. ”No, but daddy is--” And they hastened to where the old man lay crumpled up beside a rock.
Hanscom knelt to the fallen man and examined him carefully. ”He's alive--he isn't wounded,” he said. ”He's only stunned. Wait! I'll bring some water.”
Running down to the bank, he filled his hat from the flood, and with this soon brought the bruised and sadly bewildered rancher back to consciousness.
Upon realizing who his rescuer was Kauffman's eyes misted with grat.i.tude. ”My friend, I thank G.o.d for you. We were trying to find you.
We were on our way to claim your protection. We lost our road, and then these bandits a.s.saulted us.”
The girl pieced out this explanation. She told of being awakened in the night by a horse's hoofs clattering across the bridge. Some one rode rapidly up to the door, dismounted, pushed a letter in over the threshold, and rode away. ”I rose and got the letter,” she said. ”It warned us that trouble was already on the way. '_Get out!_' it said. I roused daddy, we harnessed the horses and left the house as quickly as we could. We dared not go down the valley, so we tried to reach you by way of the mill. We took the wrong road at the lake. Our pursuers trailed us and overtook us, as you saw.”
It was all so monstrous that the ranger could scarcely believe it true--and yet, there lay the dead horse and here was the old man beside the stone. He did not refer to his own narrow escape, and apparently Helen did not a.s.sociate him with the horseman at whom she had fired with such bewildering zeal.
IV
It was a rugged and barren setting for love's interchange, and yet these two young souls faced each other, across the disabled old man, with spirits fused in mutual understanding. Helen's face softened and her eyes expressed the grat.i.tude she felt. At the moment the ranger's st.u.r.dy frame and plain, strong-featured face were altogether admirable to her.
She relied upon him mentally and physically, as did Kauffman, whose head was bewildered by his fall.
Hanscom roused himself with effort. ”Well, now, let's see what's to be done next. One of your horses appears to be unhurt, but the other is down.” He went to the team and after a moment's examination came back to say: ”One is dead. I'll harness my own saddler in with the other, and in that way we'll be able to reach my cabin. You must stay there for the present.”
Quickly, deftly, he gathered the scattered goods from the ground, restored the seat to the wagon, untangled the dead beast from its harness, and subst.i.tuted his own fine animal, while Helen attended to Kauffman. He recovered rapidly, and in a very short time was able to take his seat in the wagon, and so they started down the road toward the valley.
”It's a long way round by the wagon road,” Hanscom explained. ”But we can make the cabin by eleven, and then we can consider the next move.”
To this Helen now made objection. ”We must not bring more trouble upon you. They will resent your giving us shelter. Take us to the railway.
Help us to leave the state. I am afraid to stay in this country another night. I want to get away from it all to-day.”
A shaft of pain touched the ranger's heart at thought of losing her so soon after finding her, and he said: ”I don't think that is necessary.
They won't attempt another a.s.sault--not while you are under my protection. I'd like the pleasure of defending you against them,” he added, grimly.
”But I'm afraid for daddy. I'm sure he wounded one of them, and if he did they may follow us. You are very good and brave, but I am eager to reach the train. I want to get away.”
To this Kauffman added his plea. ”Yes, yes, let us go,” he said, bitterly. ”I am tired of these lawless savages. We came here, thinking it was like Switzerland, a land inhabited by brave and gentle people, lovers of the mountains. We find it a den of a.s.sa.s.sins. If you can help us to the railway, dear friend, we will ask no more of you and we will bless you always.”
The ranger could not blame them for the panic into which they had fallen, and frankly acknowledged that it was possible for Kitsong to make them a great deal of trouble. Reluctantly he consented.
”I am sorry to have you go, but I reckon you're justified. There is a way to board the northbound train without going to town, and if nothing else happens we'll make the eastbound express. That will take you out of the state with only one stop.”
Conditions were not favorable for any further expression of the deep regret he felt, for the road was rough, and with only one seat in the wagon he was forced to perch himself on his up-ended saddle, and so, urging the team to its best, he spoke only to outline his plan.
”I'll drive you to the Clear Creek siding,” he explained. ”All trains stop there to take on water, and No. 3 is due round about one. We can make it easily if nothing happens, and unless the Kitsong gang get word from some of these ranches we pa.s.s, you will be safely out of the country before they know you've gone.”
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