Part 20 (2/2)

And who were these raiders? At Thompson's she had heard Monk Bethune's name mentioned in connection with possible horse-thieving. Bethune had spoken of hurried trips, ”to the northward.” She remembered that upon the occasion of their first meeting, she had heard him d.i.c.kering with Watts for the rent of his horse pasture, and she recollected the incident of the changed name. Then, again, only a few days before, she had parted with him when he struck off the trail to the eastward with the excuse that he was going over onto the east slope on a matter having to do with some horses. Bill had mentioned, in talking to Mrs.

Samuelson, that he had been riding through the horses on the east slope. Could it be possible that the suave Bethune was a horse-thief?

On the other hand, Bethune had openly hinted that Vil Holland was a horse-thief--and yet, these other people all believed that he was persistently on the trail of the horse-thieves.

For a long time she lay thinking, guessing, trying to recall little sc.r.a.ps of evidence that would bear upon the case. Again, a slight sound brought her to a sitting posture. This time it was the opening of a door across the hall from her room. The sound was followed by the soft padding of slippered feet in the hall, the low tapping, evidently at another door, a few low-voiced words, and a return of the padding steps. A few moments later other steps hurried along the hall past her door and rapidly descended the stairs. Patty heard the opening of an outside door, and once more stealing to the window she saw the Chinaman hurry across the moonlit yard to the bunk house and throw open the door. He entered to emerge a moment later and rush to the horse-corral, where he peered between the poles for a moment and then made his way swiftly back to the house.

Without lighting the lamp Patty dressed hurriedly. Was the Samuelson ranch a place of mystery? What was the meaning of the light sounds--the soft tramp of horses, and the padding of feet upon the stairs? The footsteps paused at the door across the hall. There followed a whispered colloquy and the steps retreated rapidly to the lower regions. Patty opened her door to see Mrs. Samuelson, her face expressing the deepest agitation, and one thin hand catching together the folds of a lavender kimono.

”What is the matter?” asked the girl. ”What has happened?”

The old lady closed the door from beyond which came sounds of heavy breathing. ”I am afraid he is worse,” she whispered. ”Wong Yie went to the bunk house to send the boys for the doctor and for Mrs. Pierce, and he says they are gone! Their horses are not in the corral. I don't understand it,” she cried. ”I told them not to go away. They know, that with my husband sick, we are in momentary danger from the horse-thieves, and they know that their place is right here.”

”You told Bill to stay until he heard from Vil Holland,” reminded Patty. ”Maybe they heard from him, and left without disturbing you.”

”That's it, of course!” cried the woman. ”I ought to have known I could trust them. But, for a moment it seemed that--” She stopped abruptly and glanced anxiously into the girl's face, ”But what in the world will we do? Wong Yie can't ride a step, and if he could, I need him here----”

”I'll ride to Pierce's!” exclaimed Patty. ”And get Mr. Pierce to go for the doctor, and bring Mrs. Pierce back with me. My horse is in the corral, and I can get down there in no time.”

”Oh, can you? Will you? And you are not afraid--alone at night in the hills? Under any other circ.u.mstances I wouldn't think of letting you do it, child--especially with the horse-thieves about. But, it seems the only way----”

”Of course it's the only way! And I'm not a bit afraid.”

Hurrying to the corral, Patty saddled her horse, and a few moments later swung into the trail that led down the creek. She glanced at her watch; it was one o'clock. The moon floated high in the heavens and the valley was almost as light as day. Urging her horse into a run, she found a wild exhilaration in riding through the night, splas.h.i.+ng across shallows and shooting across short level stretches to plunge through the water again.

After what seemed an interminable wait, Pierce himself appeared at the door in answer to her persistent pounding. Patty thought he eyed her curiously as he stood aside and motioned her into the kitchen. Very deliberately he lighted the lamp and listened in silence until she had finished. Then, coolly, he eyed her from top to toe: ”'Pears to me I've saw you before,” he announced. ”Over on the trail, a while back.

An' you was a-ridin' with--Monk Bethune.”

”Well?” asked the girl, angered by the man's tone.

”Well,” mocked Pierce. ”So to-night's the night yer figgerin' on pullin' the raid, is it?”

”I'm figuring on pulling the raid! What do you mean?”

”I mean you, an' Bethune, an' yer gang. You be'n up a-spottin' the lay, so's to tip 'em off, an' now you come down here an' tell me the Old Man's worst so's I'll take out to town fer the doc--an' one less posse-man in the hills. Yer a pretty slick article, Miss, but it hain't a-goin' to work.”

Patty listened, speechless with rage. When the man finished she found her tongue. ”You--you accuse me of being a--a horse-thief?” she choked.

”Yup,” answered the man. ”That's it--an' not so fur off, neither.

Don't you s'pose I know that if the Old Man was worst one of his own boys would of be'n a foggin' it fer town hisself? I'd ort to take an'

lock you up in the root cellar an' turn you over to Vil Holland, but I guess if we get all the he ones out of yer gang we kin leave you loose. 'Tain't likely you could run off no horses single-handed.”

A woman whose appearance showed an evident hasty toilet had stepped from an inner room, and stood listening to the man. Patty was about to appeal to her when, from the outside came a thunder of hoofs, and suddenly a man burst into the room. Patty recognized him as Bill, of the Samuelson ranch. ”Come on, Jack, quick! Git yer gun, while I slam the kak on yer cayuse. The raid's on, they've cut out a bunch of them three an' four-year-olds offen the east slope an' they're a-foggin'

'em off.”

”Bill! Oh, Bill!” cried the girl, in desperation. But the man had plunged toward the corral, followed by Pierce, buckling on his cartridge belt as he ran. A moment later both men were in the saddle, and the sound of pounding hoofs grew far away.

In tears, Patty turned to the woman. ”Oh, why couldn't he have believed me?” she cried. ”He thinks I'm one of that detestable gang of thieves! But, you--surely you don't think I'm a horse-thief?” In broken sentences she related the facts to the woman, and finished by begging her to go up to the Samuelson ranch. ”I'll ride on to town for the doctor myself!” she exclaimed. ”And surely you can do that much for your neighbor.”

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