Three thousand! I reckon that'll set the damn
fool back some!"
The two men had only five miles to ride when the storm struck, and
Singleton was experienced. And yet when they rode into the Two Diamond
stable and dismounted, both men were breathless and tired; their legs
and arms stiff with cold and their faces raw and blue from the bitter
wind that had swirled around them.
"Another five miles of that an' we wouldn't be as active as we are now!"
said Singleton, grimly. "She's got a worse bite than any wind I ever
seen!"
Warden's hands were so cold he could not remove the saddle from his
horse. A Two Diamond man performed that service for him, and for
Singleton. While Warden and Singleton were stamping their feet in an
effort to restore circulation, the Two Diamond man called to them from
the far end of the stable:
"You run into Miss Della?"
Warden wheeled toward the man. "What do you mean, Lefty? What about Miss
Della? Isn't she at the ranchhouse?"
"She rode away about three hours ago--on that big roan of hers. Went to
town, most likely. She didn't say. I reckoned that if she _had_ gone to
town, you'd have run into her."
Warden ran stiffly to the ranchhouse, where he came upon Aunt Hannah in
the kitchen.
"Where's Della?" he demanded, excitedly.
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