Part 34 (1/2)

”You're beautiful, Judith! A beautiful woman! Let me dress you as you ought to be dressed, give you the right kind of a horse, and the whole of the rodeo will be yours. I tell you, girl, all you've got to do is to ask me for what you want.”

”Do other folks call me beautiful, Dad?” Judith's voice was breathless.

”Why do you call me Dad? I'm not your father, thank G.o.d!”

Douglas strode out of the shed and up to the fence, followed by Peter on Yankee.

”I don't want to quarrel with you, Dad--” he began, furiously.

”Then don't start something you can't see the finish of,” interrupted Judith. ”Let me run my own affairs, Doug.”

”That's sound advice.” John's voice was cool. ”I don't want to quarrel with you either. But I'm still master of my own ranch and, by G.o.d, I'll knock you down if you interfere in this.”

Peter leaned over and put his hand on Douglas' shoulder.

”Don't be a fool, Doug! Go off and think before you talk.”

For a moment there was silence. Douglas stood tense under Peter's kindly hand, his face turned toward the beautiful shadow of Falkner's Peak. The heavens, deep purple and glorious with stars, were very near. Suddenly Douglas turned on his heel and clanked into the house, where he threw himself down on his bed.

The old, futile bitterness was on him again, and he was quite as bitter at Judith as at his father. Of what could the girl be thinking? What did girls think about men like John, or any other men for that matter? If only there were some woman to whom he might go for advice. Grandma Brown?

No; he had talked to her once and she had failed him. Charleton's wife had failed with her own daughter. There remained Inez Rodman, who knew Judith better than any one else knew her. Inez! Doug's mind dwelt long on this name. But he felt sure that the woman of the Yellow Canyon had forgotten what she had thought and felt at sixteen. And, after all, he did not want again to see life through Inez' eyes. Long after the rest of the family slept, Douglas pursued his weary and futile self-examination, coming to a blind wall at the end.

The next day John mentioned casually that he and Judith had settled on taking the trip to Mountain City together. Douglas made no comment. Not that he had any intention of allowing Judith to make the trip under such circ.u.mstances, but he knew that for the present he could only bide his time.

CHAPTER IX

THE TRIP TO MOUNTAIN CITY

”Don't think. Just whistle. And always keep your poncho on the back of the saddle for when it rains.”

--_Jimmy Day_.

Lost Chief was very proud of Judith's invitation and deeply interested in her preparations for the contest. Every day, now, she put Sioux and Whoop-la through their paces. Late in the afternoon when she was working the animals in the corral, it seldom happened that one of Lost Chief's riders was not perched on the buck fence, watching her and criticizing her and always a.s.suring her, with the cowman's pessimism toward the outer world, that she had no chance of winning a prize.

Douglas watched the preparations with deep interest, but said nothing further against the trip. He usually joined the audience on the buck fence and smoked as he watched the really wonderful work in the corral.

One brilliant afternoon Grandma Brown and old Johnny rode up. Jimmy Day already was perched on the fence.

”Well,” called Grandma, ”I hear you've finally reached the goal of your ambition, Judith.”

Judith, leaving Sioux for the moment, strolled over toward the old lady.

”Who told you that, Grandma?”

”Well, ain't you?”

”I don't know what my goal is, but it sure isn't this.”

”I'm glad you haven't lost your head entirely,” said the old lady.