it was morning, high and clear as arizona counts weather, and around the little railroad station were gathered a crowd of curious onlookers; seven indians, three women from nearby shacks—drawn thither by the sight of the great private car that the night express had left on a side track—the usual number of loungers, a swarm of children, besides the station agent who had come out to watch proceedings.
all the morning the private car had been an object of deep interest to those who lived within sight, and that was everybody on the plateau; and many and various had been the errands and excuses to go to the station that perchance the occupants of that car might be seen, or a glimpse of the interior of the moving palace; but the silken curtains had remained drawn until after nine o'clock.
within the last half hour, however, a change had taken place in the silent inscrutable car. the curtains had parted here and there, revealing dim flitting faces, a table spread with a snowy cloth and flowers in a vase, wild flowers they were, too, like those that grew all along the track, just weeds. strange that one who could afford a private car cared for weeds in a glass on their dining-table, but then perhaps they didn't know.
a fat cook with ebony skin and white linen attire had appeared on the rear platform beating eggs, and half whistling, half singing:
"be my little baby bumble-bee—
buzz around, buzz around——"
he seemed in no wise affected or embarrassed by the natives who gradually encircled the end of the car, and the audience grew.
they could dimly see the table where the inmates of the car were—dining?—it couldn't be breakfast at that hour surely. they heard the discussion about horses going on amid laughter and merry conversation, and they gathered that the car was to remain here for the day at least while some of the party went off on a horseback trip. it was nothing very unusual of course. such things occasionally occurred in that region, but not often enough to lose their interest. besides, to watch the tourists who chanced to stop in their tiny settlement was the only way for them to learn the fashions.
not that all the watchers stood and stared around the car. no, indeed. they made their headquarters around the station platform from whence they took brief and comprehensive excursions down to the freight station and back, going always on one side of the car and returning by way of the other. even the station agent felt the importance of the occasion, and stood around with all the self-consciousness of an usher at a grand wedding, considering himself master of ceremonies.
"sure! they come from the east last night. limited dropped 'em! going down to prospect some mine, i reckon. they ordered horses an' a outfit, and shag bunce is goin' with 'em. he got a letter 'bout a week ago tellin' what they wanted of him. yes, i knowed all about it. he brung the letter to me to cipher out fer him. you know shag ain't no great at readin' ef he is the best judge of a mine anywheres about."
thus the station agent explained in low thrilling tones; and even the indians watched and grunted their interest.
at eleven o'clock the horses arrived, four besides shag's, and the rest of the outfit. the onlookers regarded shag with the mournful interest due to the undertaker at a funeral. shag felt it and acted accordingly. he gave short, gruff orders to his men; called attention to straps and buckles that every one knew were in as perfect order as they could be; criticized the horses and his men; and every one, even the horses, bore it with perfect composure. they were all showing off and felt the importance of the moment.
presently the car door opened and mr. radcliffe came out on the platform accompanied by his son—a handsome reckless looking fellow—his daughter hazel, and mr. hamar, a thick-set, heavy-featured man with dark hair, jaunty black moustache and handsome black eyes. in the background stood an erect elderly woman in tailor-made attire and with a severe expression, mr. radcliffe's elder sister who was taking the trip with them expecting to remain in california with her son; and behind her hovered hazel's maid. these two were not to be of the riding party, it appeared.
there was a pleasant stir while the horses were brought forward and the riders were mounting. the spectators remained breath[13]lessly unconscious of anything save the scene being enacted before them. their eyes lingered with special interest on the girl of the party.
miss radcliffe was small and graceful, with a head set on her pretty shoulders like a flower on its stem. moreover she was fair, so fair that she almost dazzled the eyes of the men and women accustomed to brown cheeks kissed by the sun and wind of the plain. there was a wild-rose pink in her cheeks to enhance the whiteness, which made it but the more dazzling. she had masses of golden hair wreathed round her dainty head in a bewilderment of waves and braids. she had great dark eyes of blue set off by long curling lashes, and delicately pencilled dark brows which gave the eyes a pansy softness and made you feel when she looked at you that she meant a great deal more by the look than you had at first suspected. they were wonderful, beautiful eyes, and the little company of idlers at the station were promptly bewitched by them. moreover there was a fantastic little dimple in her right cheek that flashed into view at the same time with the gleam of pearly teeth when she smiled. she certainly was a picture. the station looked its fill and rejoiced in her young beauty.
she was garbed in a dark green riding habit, the same that she wore when she rode attended by her groom in central park. it made a sensation among the onlookers, as did the little riding cap of dark green velvet and the pretty riding gloves. she sat her pony well, daintily, as though she had alighted briefly, but to their eyes strangely, and not as the women out there rode. on the whole the station saw little else but the girl; all the others were mere accessories to the picture.
they noticed indeed that the young man, whose close cropped golden curls, and dark lashed blue eyes were so like the girl's that he could be none other than her brother, rode beside the older man who was presumably the father; and that the dark, handsome stranger rode away beside the girl. not a man of them but resented it. not a woman of them but regretted it.
then shag bunce, with a parting word to his small but complete outfit that rode behind, put spurs to his horse, lifted his sombrero in homage to the lady, and shot to the front of the line, his shaggy mane by which came his name floating over his shoulders. out into the sunshine of a perfect day the riders went, and the group around the platform stood silently and watched until they were a speck in the distance blurring with the sunny plain and occasional ash and cottonwood trees.
"i seen the missionary go by early this mornin'," speculated the station agent meditatively, deliberately, as though he only had a right to break the silence. "i wonder whar he could 'a' bin goin'. he passed on t'other side the track er i'd 'a' ast 'im. he 'peared in a turrible hurry. anybody sick over towards the canyon way?"
"buck's papoose heap sick!" muttered an immobile indian, and shuffled off the platform with a stolid face. the women heaved a sigh of disappointment and turned to go. the show was out and they must return to the monotony of their lives. they wondered what it would be like to ride off like that into the sunshine with cheeks like roses and eyes that saw nothing but pleasure ahead. what would a life like that be? awed, speculative, they went back to their sturdy children and their ill-kempt houses, to sit in the sun on the door-steps and muse a while.
into the sunshine rode hazel radcliffe well content with the world, herself, and her escort.
milton hamar was good company. he was keen of wit and a past-master in the del[16]icate art of flattery. that he was fabulously wealthy and popular in new york society; that he was her father's friend both socially and financially, and had been much of late in their home on account of some vast mining enterprise in which both were interested; and that his wife was said to be uncongenial and always interested in other men rather than her husband, were all facts that combined to give hazel a pleasant, half-romantic interest in the man by her side. she had been conscious of a sense of satisfaction and pleasant anticipation when her father told her that he was to be of their party. his wit and gallantry would make up for the necessity of having her aunt maria along. aunt maria was always a damper to anything she came near. she was the personification of propriety. she had tried to make hazel think she must remain in the car and rest that day instead of going off on a wild goose chase after a mine. no lady did such things, she told her niece.
hazel's laugh rang out like the notes of a bird as the two rode slowly down the trail, not hurrying, for there was plenty of time. they could meet the others on their way back if they did not get to the mine so soon, and the morning was lovely.
milton hamar could appreciate the beauties of nature now and then. he called attention to the line of hills in the distance, and the sharp steep peak of a mountain piercing the sunlight. then skillfully he led his speech around to his companion, and showed how lovelier than the morning she was.
he had been indulging in such delicate flattery since they first started from new york, whenever the indefatigable aunt left them alone long enough, but this morning there was a note of something closer and more intimate in his words; a warmth of tenderness that implied unspeakable joy in her beauty, such as he had never dared to use before. it flattered her pride deliciously. it was beautiful to be young and charming and have a man say such things with a look like that in his eyes—eyes that had suffered, and appealed to her to pity. with her young, innocent heart she did pity, and was glad she might solace his sadness a little while.
with consummate skill the man led her to talk of himself, his hopes in youth, his disappointments, his bitter sadness, his heart loneliness. he suddenly asked her to call him milton, and the girl with rosy cheeks and dewy eyes declared shyly that she never could, it would seem so queer, but she finally compromised after much urging on "cousin milton."
"that will do for a while," he succumbed, smiling as he looked at her with impatient eyes. then with growing intimacy in his tones he laid a detaining hand upon hers that held the bridle, and the horses both slackened their gait, though they had been far behind the rest of the party for over an hour now.
"listen, little girl," he said, "i'm going to open my heart to you. i'm going to tell you a secret."
hazel sat very still, half alarmed at his tone, not daring to withdraw her hand, for she felt the occasion was momentous and she must be ready with her sympathy as any true friend would be. her heart swelled with pride that it was to her he came in his trouble. then she looked up into the face that was bending over hers, and she saw triumph, not trouble, in his eyes. even then she did not understand.
"what is it?" she asked trustingly.
"dear child!" said the man of the world impressively, "i knew you would be interested. well, i will tell you. i have told you of my sorrow, now i will tell you of my joy. it is this: when i return to new york i shall be a free man. everything is complete at last. i have been granted a divorce from ellen, and there remain only a few technicalities to be attended to. then we shall be free to go our ways and do as we choose."
"a divorce!" gasped hazel appalled. "not you—divorced!"
"yes," affirmed the happy man gaily, "i knew you'd be surprised. it's almost too good to be true, isn't it, after all my trouble to get ellen to consent?"
"but she—your wife—where will she go? what will she do?" hazel looked up at him with troubled eyes, half bewildered with the thought.
she did not realize that the horses had stopped and that he still held her hand which grasped the bridle.
"oh, ellen will be married at once," he answered flippantly. "that's the reason she's consented at last. she's going to marry walling stacy, you know, and from being stubborn about it, she's quite in a hurry to make any arrangement to fix things up now."
"she's going to be married!" gasped hazel as if she had not heard of such things often. somehow it had never come quite so close to her list of friendships before and it shocked her inexpressibly.
"yes, she's going to be married at once, so you see there's no need to think of her ever again. but why don't you ask me what i am going to do?"
"oh, yes!" said hazel recalling her lack of sympathy at once. "you startled me so. what are you going to do? you poor man—what can you do? oh, i am so sorry for you!" and the pansy-eyes became suffused with tears.
"no need to feel sorry for me, little one," said the exultant voice, and he looked at her now with an expression she had never seen in his face before. "i shall be happy as i have never dreamed of before," he said. "i am going to be married too. i am going to marry some one who loves me with all her heart, i am sure of that, though she has never told me so. i am going to marry you, little sweetheart!" he stooped suddenly before she could take in the meaning of his words, and flinging his free arm about her pressed his lips upon hers.
with a wild cry like some terrified creature hazel tried to draw herself away, and finding herself held fast her quick anger rose and she lifted the hand which held the whip and blindly slashed the air about her; her eyes closed, her heart swelling with horror and fear. a great repulsion for the man whom hitherto she had regarded with deep respect surged over her. to get away from him at once was her greatest desire. she lashed out again with her whip, blindly, not seeing what she struck, almost beside herself with wrath and fear.
hamar's horse reared and plunged, almost unseating his rider, and as he struggled to keep his seat, having necessarily released the girl from his embrace, the second cut of the whip took him stingingly across the eyes, causing him to cry out with the pain. the horse reared again and sent him sprawling upon the ground, his hands to his face, his senses one blank of pain for the moment.
hazel, knowing only that she was free, followed an instinct of fear and struck her own pony on the flank, causing the little beast to turn sharply to right angles with the trail he had been following and dart like a streak across the level plateau. thereafter the girl had all she could do to keep her seat.
she had been wont to enjoy a run in the park with her groom at safe distance behind her. she was proud of her ability to ride, and could take fences as well as her young brother; but a run like this across an illimitable space, on a creature of speed like the wind, goaded by fear and knowing the limitations of his rider, was a different matter. the swift flight took her breath away, and unnerved her. she tried to hold on to the saddle with her shaking hands, for the bridle was already flying loose to the breeze, but her hold seemed so slight that each moment she expected to find herself lying huddled on the plain with the pony far in the distance.
her lips grew white and cold; her breath came short and painfully; her eyes were strained with trying to look ahead at the constantly receding horizon. was there no end? would they never come to a human habitation? would no one ever come to her rescue? how long could a pony stand a pace like this? and how long could she hope to hold on to the furious flying creature?
off to the right at last she thought she saw a building. it seemed hours they had been flying through space. in a second they were close by it. it was a cabin, standing alone upon the great plain with sage-brush in patches about the door and a neat rail fence around it.
she could see one window at the end, and a tiny chimney at the back. could it be that any one lived in such a forlorn spot?
summoning all her strength as they neared the spot she flung her voice out in a wild appeal while the pony hurled on, but the wind caught the feeble effort and flung it away into the vast spaces like a little torn worthless fragment of sound.
tears stung their way into her wide dry eyes. the last hairpin left its mooring and slipped down to earth. the loosened golden hair streamed back on the wind like hands of despair wildly clutching for help, and the jaunty green riding cap was snatched by the breeze and hung upon a sage-bush not fifty feet from the cabin gate, but the pony rushed on with the frightened girl still clinging to the saddle.
