Part 23 (2/2)
Love in The Saddle
”Here come Apollo and Psyche,” said Mrs. Waller, as she glimpsed them from the window. The Colonel was just leaving for his office and called to them, ”Good morning! Go on in; Mrs. Waller is at home. I'll be back in half an hour.”
Already there was a fire in the house, for the nights were chilly, and when the Colonel returned, they were sitting around it in the parlour.
”I want to see the stable,” said Belle, so forth they went together, Hartigan with Mrs. Waller leading, and Belle with the Colonel. She lingered till the others were out of easy hearing, then led up to the subject of the horse race.
”It's a pretty sore subject yet,” answered the Colonel. ”Most of my men are pinching their families on half pay to work off their debts to those wily redskins.”
”Do they have to pay?” said Belle.
”Well, these are debts of honour, you know, and in the man's code, that puts them ahead of rent, clothing, food, or mortgages.”
”I suppose the men have got a lesson that will cure them of gambling for evermore?”
”Oh, no. Not at all. All they are thinking about now is where to get a horse that can turn the tables.”
”Seems to me like burning one's hand because one got a finger scorched.”
”Well, that's the man of it,” said the Colonel. ”If we could get Jim to run Blazing Star, the whole garrison would mortgage their lives for cash to stake on it and win back all they had lost or risked.”
”Well, he won't; I tell you that. But why don't you buy Blazing Star, Colonel?”
”Because he won't sell. We've tried every way. I never saw a man so daffy over his horse.”
”What would you consider a fair price, Colonel?”
”Well, Jim gave five dollars for him, to begin with, and refused two hundred and fifty dollars when he proved what stuff he had got. I should say three hundred dollars would be a fair price, four hundred dollars a good price and five hundred dollars an absolutely outside record price--scaled wholly on the fact that he's the fastest horse on these plains.”
”Would _you_ give five hundred dollars?”
”Yes, I would. I'll give Hartigan five hundred dollars for Blazing Star right now, in hard cash; but I don't say I'll hold it out very long.
Accidents will happen; winter is coming, and a bad wintering often ruins a horse.”
”Will you take the first chance to offer that to Hartigan? He'll refuse; but say you'll leave it open for a week, and I think you'll get Blazing Star.”
The Colonel laughed a little, and wondered what was up. His wife, when she heard of it, said: ”Ho, ho! I know; they want to get married, and that's the easiest way to raise the needful.”
And thenceforth she took a motherly interest in the handsome couple.
Within half an hour the Colonel found the chance to make his offer; and got what he expected, a flat refusal.
”Sure, Colonel, it would be like selling the hand off my arm or the soul out of my body.”
”Well, well,” said the Colonel, ”never mind. I won't take your answer now; we'll leave it open for a week.”
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