Nan of Music Mountain Part 17

His heart jumped at the sight of her young face, and her clear, courageous eyes surveyed him questioningly as he scrambled to his feet.

"I am going to tramp out of here to-morrow night," he confided to her after his thanks. "It is Sat.u.r.day; a lot of your men will be in Sleepy Cat--and they won't all be very keen-sighted on their way back. I can get a good start outside before daylight."

She heard him with relief. "What will you do then?" she asked.

"Hide. Watch every chance to crawl a mile nearer Calabasas. I can't walk much, but I ought to make it by Sunday night or Monday morning.

I may see a friend--perhaps I may see the other fellow's friend, and with my lone cartridge I may be able to bluff him out of a horse," he suggested, gazing at the crimson tie that flowed from Nan's open neck.

"By the way," he added, his glance resting on her right side as he noticed the absence of her holster, "where is your protector to-day?"

She made no answer. "Fine form," he said coldly, "to come unarmed on an errand of mercy to a desperado."

Nan flushed with vexation. "I came away in such a hurry I forgot it,"

she replied lamely.

"A forget might cost you your life."

"Perhaps you've forgotten you left a cartridge-belt behind once yourself," she returned swiftly. The retort startled him. How could she know? But he would not, at first, ask a question, though her eyes told him she knew what she was talking about. They looked at each other a moment in silence.

De Spain, convicted, finally laid his fingers over the b.u.t.t of his empty revolver. "How did you find that out?"

She tossed her head. They were standing only a few feet apart, de Spain supporting himself now with his left hand high up against the wall; Nan, with her shoulder lightly against it; both had become quizzical. "Other people forget, too, then," was all she said, fingering the loosened tie as the breeze from the west blew it toward her shoulder.

"No," he protested, "I didn't forget; not that time. I went over to the joint to get a cup of coffee and expected to be back within five minutes, never dreaming of walking into a bear trap." He drew his revolver and, breaking it negligently, took out the single cartridge.

"Take this." He held the cartridge in his left hand and took two halting steps toward her--"since you are unarmed, I will be, too. Not that this puts us on an even footing. I don't mean that. Nothing would. You would be too much for me in any kind of a contest, armed or unarmed."

"What do you mean?" she demanded to hide her confusion. And she saw that each step he took cost pain, skilfully concealed.

"I mean," he said, "you are to take this cartridge as a remembrance of my forgetfulness and your adventure."

She drew back. "I don't want it."

"Take it."

He was persistent. She allowed him to drop the loaded sh.e.l.l into her hand. "Now," he continued, replacing his gun, "if I encounter any of your people in an attempt to break through a line, and somebody gets killed, you will know, when you hear the story, that _this_ time, at least, _I_ didn't 'start it.'"

"All the same--" She hesitated. "I don't think that's exactly right.

You need not shoot my people, even if you meet them. There are plenty of others you might meet----"

He put her objections aside, enjoying being so near her and happy that she made no retreat. "My reputation," he insisted, "has suffered a little in Morgan's Gap. I mean that at least one who makes her home under Music Mountain shall know differently of me. What's that?" He heard a sound. "Listen!"

The two, looking at each other, strained their ears to hear more through the rush of the falling water. "Some one is coming," said de Spain. Nan ran lightly to where she could peep over the ledge. Hardly pausing as she glanced down, she stepped quickly back. "I'll go right on up the mountain to the azalea fields," she said hastily.

He nodded. "I'll hide. Stop. If you are questioned, you don't know I'm here. You must say so for your own sake, not for mine."

She was gone before he had finished. De Spain drew quickly back to where he could secrete himself. In another moment he heard heavy footsteps where he had stood with his visitor. But the footsteps crossed the ledge, and their sound died away up the path Nan had taken. De Spain could not see the intruder. It was impossible to conjecture who he was or what his errand, and de Spain could only await whatever should develop. He waited several minutes before he heard any sign of life above. Then s.n.a.t.c.hes of two voices began to reach him. He could distinguish Nan's voice and at intervals the heavier tones of a man. The two were descending. In a few moments they reached the ledge, and de Spain, near at hand, could hear every word.

"Hold on a minute," said the man roughly. His voice was heavy and his utterance harsh.

"I must get home," objected Nan.

"Hold on, I tell you," returned her companion. De Spain could not see, but he began already to feel the scene. "I want to talk to you."

"We can talk going down," parried Nan.

De Spain heard her hurried footfalls. "No, you don't," retorted her companion, evidently cutting off her retreat.

"Gale Morgan!" There was a blaze in Nan's sharp exclamation. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you and I are going to have this out right here, before we leave this ledge."

"I tell you, I want to go home."

"You'll go home when I say so."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "Stand away from that girl!" repeated de Spain harshly, backing the words with a step forward.]

"How dare you stop me!"

"I'll show you what I dare, young lady. You've been backing and filling with me for two years. Now I want to know what you're going to do."

"Gale! Won't you have a little sense? Come along home with me, like a good fellow, and I'll talk things over with you just as long as you like."

"You'll talk things over with me right here, and as long as _I_ like,"

he retorted savagely. "Every time I ask you to marry me you've got some new excuse."

"It's shameful for you to act in this way, Gale." She spoke low and rapidly to her enraged suitor. De Spain alone knew it was to keep her humiliation from his own ears, and he made no effort to follow her quick, pleading words. The moment was most embarra.s.sing for two of the three involved. But nothing that Nan could say would win from her cousin any reprieve.

"When you came back from school I told Duke I was going to marry you.

He said, all right," persisted her cousin stubbornly.

"Gale Morgan, what Uncle Duke said, or didn't say, has nothing whatever to do with _my_ consent."

"I told you I was going to marry you."

"Does that bind me to get married, when I don't want to?"

"You said you'd marry me."

Nan exploded: "I never, never said so in this world." Her voice shook with indignation. "You know that's a downright falsehood."

"You said you didn't care for anybody else," he fairly bellowed. "Now I want to know whether you'll marry me if I take you over to Sleepy Cat to-morrow?"

"No!" Nan flung out her answer, reckless of consequence. "I'll never marry you. Let me go home."

"You'll go home when I get through with you. You've fooled me long enough."

Her blood froze at the look in his face. "How dare you!" she gasped.

"Get out of my way!"