The men
talked it over. They could lay off for a day and Courant, who knew the
trails, could lead the search party. He was much against it, and Daddy
John was with him. Too much time had been lost. Zavier was an
experienced mountain man and his horses were good. Besides, what was
the use of bringing them back? They'd chosen each other, they'd taken
their own course. It wasn't such a bad lookout for Lucy. Zavier was a
first-rate fellow and he'd treat her well. What was the sense of
interfering? Bella was furious, and shouted,
"The sense is to get her back here and keep her where it's civilized,
since she don't seem to know enough to keep there herself."
Daddy John, who had been listening, flashed out:
"It don't seem to me so d--d civilized to half kill her with work."
Then Bella wept and Glen swore, and the men had pulled up the picket
stakes, cinched their girths tight and started off in Indian file
toward the distant spurs of the hills.
Susan had said little. If it did not violate her conscience to keep
silent, it did to pretend a surprise that was not hers. She sat at her
tent door most of the day watching for the return of the search party.
Pages:
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298