Ruth Fielding at Silver Ranch Part 24

"And what will Helen and the other girls say?" cried Tom.

"I wish I had thought," murmured Ruth. "I would have warned Jib not to let Mary know."

"What's that?" asked Tom, in surprise, for he had but imperfectly caught Ruth's words.

"Never mind," returned the girl from the Red Mill, quickly.

The others were discussing what should be done. Ruth still stood in the doorway and now a murmur from the bed called her turn back into the shack to make the unfortunate on the couch more comfortable-for in his tossings he became more feverish and hot. When she returned to the outer air the others had decided.

"Darcy and I will remain, Ruth," Tom said, with decision. "We'll bring the water, and cook something for you to eat out here, and stand guard, turn and turn about. But you are a very obstinate girl."

"As long as one is in for it, why increase the number endangered by the fever?" she asked, coolly. "You are real kind to stay, Tom-you and Darcy."

"You couldn't get me away with a Gatling gun," said Tom, grimly. "You know _that_, Ruth."

"I know I have a staunch friend in you, Tommy," she said, in a low voice.

"One you can trust?"

"To be sure," she replied, smiling seriously at him.

"Then what is all this about Mary c.o.x? What has _she_ got to do with the fellow you've got hived up in that shack?" shot in Master Tom, shrewdly.

"Oh, now, Tommy!" gasped Ruth.

"You can't fool me, Ruth--"

"s.h.!.+ don't let the others hear you," she whispered. "And don't come any nearer, Tom!" she added, warningly, and in a louder tone.

"But The Fox has something to do with this man?" demanded Tom.

"I believe so. I fear so. Oh, don't ask me any more!" breathed the girl, anxiously, as Jane Ann and the cowboy rode up to say good-bye.

"I hope nothing bad will come of this, Ruth," said the ranch girl. "But Uncle Bill will be dreadfully mad."

"Not with me, I hope," rejoined Ruth, shaking her head.

"And all the girls will be crazy to come out here and help you nurse him."

"They certainly _will_ be crazy if they want to," muttered Tom.

"They would better not come near here until the man gets better-if he ever _does_ get better," added Ruth, in a low tone.

"I expect they'll all want to come," repeated Jane Ann.

"Don't you let them, Jane Ann!" admonished Ruth. "Above all, don't you let Mary c.o.x come over here-unless I send for her," and she went into the shack again and closed the door.

CHAPTER XXIII-BASHFUL IKE TAKES THE BIT IN HIS TEETH

There was great commotion at Silver Ranch when Jib Pottoway (on a fresh horse he had picked up at the riverside cow camp) rode madly to the ranch-house with the news of what was afoot so far away across Rolling River. From Old Bill down, the friends of Ruth were horror-stricken that she should so recklessly (or, so it seemed) expose herself to the contagion of the fever.

"And for a person who is absolutely nothing to her at all!" wailed Jennie Stone. "Ruth is utterly reckless."

"She is utterly brave," said Madge, sharply.

"She has the most grateful heart in the world," Helen declared. "He saved her life in the canon-you remember it, Mary. Of course she could not leave the poor creature to die there alone."

The Fox had turned pallid and seemed horrified. But she was silent while all the others about the ranch-house, from Old Bill Hicks down to Maria the cook, were voluble indeed. The ranchman might have laid violent hands upon Jib Pottoway, only there was so much to do. Such simple medicines as there were in the house were packed to take to Tintacker.

Old Bill determined to go over himself, but he would not allow any of the young folks to go.

"And you kin bet," he added, "that you'll see Jane Ann come back here a-whizzin'!"

The unfortunate Jib had enough to do to answer questions. The girls would not let him go until he had told every particular of the finding of the man at Tintacker.

"Was he just _crazy_?" queried Heavy.

"I don't know whether he's been loony all the time he's been hanging around the mines, or not," growled the Indian. "But I'm mighty sure he's loco _now_."

"If that was him who shot the bear up in the canon that day, he didn't appear to be crazy enough to hurt," said Helen.

"But is this the same man?" queried Mary c.o.x, and had they not all been so busy pumping Jib of the last particular regarding the adventure, they might have noticed that The Fox was very pale.

When Jib first rode up, however, and told his tale, Bashful Ike Stedman had set to work to run the big touring car out of the shed in which it was kept. During the time the young folk had been at Silver Ranch from the East, the foreman had learned from Tom and Bob how to run the car.

It came puffing up to the door now, headed toward the Bullhide trail.

"What in tarnashun you goin' ter do with that contarption, Ike?" bawled Mr. Hicks. "I can't go to Tintacker in it."

"No, yuh can't, Boss. But I kin go to Bullhide for the sawbones in it, and bring him back, too. We kin git as far as the Rolling River camp in the old steam engine-if she don't break down. Then we'll foller on arter yuh a-hawseback."

"You won't git no doctor to come 'way out there," gasped the ranch owner.

"Won't I?" returned the foreman. "You wait and see. Ruthie says a doctor's got to be brought for that feller, and I'm goin' to git Doc.

Burgess if I hafter rope an' hogtie him-you hear me!"

The engine began to pop again and the automobile rolled away from the ranch-house before Mr. Hicks could enter any further objections, or any of the young folk could offer to attend Ike on his long trip.

Fortunately Tom and Bob had seen to it that the machine was in excellent shape, there was plenty of gasoline in the tank, and she ran easily over the trail.

At the Crossing Ike was hailed by Sally d.i.c.kson. Sally had been about to mount her pony for a ride, but when the animal saw the automobile coming along the trail he started on the jump for the corral, leaving Miss Sally in the lurch.

"Well! if that ain't just like you, Ike Stedman!" sputtered the red-haired schoolma'am. "Bringin' that puffin' abomination over this trail. Ain't you afraid it'll buck and throw yuh?"

"I got it gentled-it'll eat right off yuh hand," grinned the foreman of Silver Ranch.

"And I was going to ride in to Bullhide," exclaimed Sally. "I won't be able to catch the pony in a week."