Part 6 (1/2)

Then, as she settled back in her chair, her swift side-glance swept Tisdale. It was incredible he had removed so much dust in that brief interval, but plainly, somewhere in that miserable station, he had found water and towels; he had not seemed more fit that morning in the observation car. The hand he laid on the wall as a brace against the rocking of the light caboose was on a level with her eyes, and they rested there. It was a strong, well-made hand, the hand of the capable draughtsman, sensitive yet controlled, and scrupulously cared for. ”I hope I pa.s.s muster,” he said, and the amus.e.m.e.nt played gently in his face, ”for I am going to venture to introduce myself. Possibly you have heard Judge Feversham speak of me. I am Hollis Tisdale--Miss Armitage.”

In the instant he hesitated on the name, she gave him another swift upward glance, and he caught a question in her eyes; then the sparkles rose, and she looked off again to the point where the railroad track was lost among the dunes. ”Of course I have heard of you,” she admitted. ”We--Mrs.

Feversham--recognized you this morning in Snoqualmie Pa.s.s and would have spoken to thank you for your service had you not hurried aboard your train. She has known you by sight and has wished to meet you personally a long time. But I--I--as you must know--I--”

She had turned once more to give him the direct look of her unveiled eyes, and meeting his her voice failed. The color flamed and went in her face; then, her glance falling to the basket at her feet, she bent and took the largest apple. ”Did you ever see such a marvel?” she asked. ”It came from that station master's orchard in the Wenatchee valley. He called it a Rome Beauty. Divide it, please; let us see if the flavor is all it promises.”

”If it is”--and Tisdale took the apple and felt in his pocket for his knife--”the ground that grew the tree is a bonanza.” He waited another moment, watching the changing color in her face, then turned and walked to the upper end of the caboose, where he deliberately selected a stool which he brought forward to the door. Her confusion puzzled him. Had she been about to confess, as he had at first conjectured, that Miss Armitage was an incognito used to satisfy the _Press_ reporter and so avoid publicity?

It was clear she had thought better of the impulse, and he told himself, as he took the seat beside her and opened his knife, he was to have no more of her confidence than Jimmie Daniels.

CHAPTER VI

NIP AND TUCK

Bailey was right; the colts were beauties. But at the time Tisdale arrived at the Kitt.i.tas stables, Lighter, having decided to drive them to North Yakima, was putting the pair to a smart buggy. They were not for hire at double or treble the usual day rate.

”I want to sell this team,” the trader repeated flatly. ”I don't want to winter 'em again, and my best chance to show 'em is now, down at the fair.

I can keep 'em in good shape, making it in two stages and resting 'em over night on the road, and be there by noon to-morrow.”

One of the horses reared, lifting the stable-boy off his feet, and Lighter sprang to take the bit in his powerful grasp. ”Steady, Tuck, steady! Whoa, whoa, back now, back, steady, whoa!” The animal stood, frothing a little, his beautiful coat moist, every muscle tense. ”See there, now! Ain't he peaceable? Nothing mean under his whole hide; just wants to go. The other one will nip your fingers once in a while, if you don't watch out, but he don't mean anything, either; it's all in fun.”

He gave his place to the boy again and stepped back to Tisdale's side, still watching his team, while a second stableman hurried to fasten the traces. ”The fact is,” he went on, dropping his voice confidentially, ”I've got wind of a customer. He's driving through from the Sound to the races in his machine. A friend of mine wired me. Mebbe you know him. It's one of those Morgansteins of Seattle; the young feller. He saw these bays last year when they took the blue ribbon and said he'd keep an eye on 'em.

They were most too fly then for crowded streets and spinning around the boulevard 'mongst the automobiles, but they're pretty well broke now.

Steady, Nip, whoa there!”

”But,” said Tisdale quietly, ”young Morganstein met with an accident this morning in Snoqualmie Pa.s.s. An axle was broken, and he was thrown out of his machine. His leg was injured, and he took the train back to Seattle. I happened to be on the eastbound at the siding where it all occurred.”

Lighter gave him a skeptical glance between narrowed lids. ”Then, if he can't come himself, I guess he'll send his man. He told that friend of mine he counted on having another look at this team.”

Tisdale's brows contracted. ”See here, I want to drive to Wenatchee; what is the best you can do for me?”

”Why, let's see. My best livery rig is on the Wenatchee road now. One of them High Line fellers hired the outfit with a driver to take him through to the valley. If you'd be'n here when they started, likely they'd be'n glad to accommodate you. And the sorrels is out with a picnic to Nanum canyon. That leaves the roans. They come in half an hour ago. A couple of traveling salesmen had 'em out all the forenoon, and these drummers drive like blue blazes; and it's a mean pull through to Wenatchee. But wait till to-morrow and, with an early start, you can make it all right with the roans. That's the best I can do, unless you want a saddle-horse.”

Tisdale walked back to the stalls and, convinced at a glance the jaded roans were impossible for that day, at least, stopped to look over the saddle animals. He saw that there were two promising travelers, but it would be necessary to impress an indifferent third to carry the baggage.

Besides, judging from all he had seen, the resources of Kitt.i.tas did not include a ready-made lady's habit. He returned and stood another silent moment watching the lithe, impatient bays. Finally his eyes moved to the entrance and down the road to the railroad station where Miss Armitage was waiting. She was seated on a bench near the door. He could distinguish her gray figure in relief against the reddish-brown wall.

Directly he swung around. ”What is your price?” he asked.

Lighter's hand dropped from the edge of the buggy seat. He stepped back to the heads of his team. ”You get in, Harry,” he said. ”Drive 'em five or six blocks. Keep your eyes open.”

Harry gathered the reins warily and sprang in; Lighter released his hold, then hurried forward to the driveway and stood with Tisdale watching the team. ”Ain't they a sight?” he said.

And they were. Their coats shone like satin in the sun; they stepped airily, spurning the dust of Kitt.i.tas, and blew the ashen powder from their nostrils; then without warning the splendid span was away.

Tisdale repeated: ”What is your price?”

Lighter's shrewd eyes swept his new customer over; it was as though he made an estimate of how much Tisdale could pay. ”Five hundred dollars,” he said. ”Five hundred--if it's spot cash.”