the Light Of Western Stars (1992) (25 page)

"You'll think so when you see it
.
Hurry out
.
Majesty, old girl, now you won't have to tear down that heap of adobe, as you threatened
.
I don't believe a wall will stand after that fire
.
"

"Well, I'm glad of it," said Madeline
.
"A good healthy fire will purify the atmosphere over there and save me expense
.
Ugh! that haunted rancho got on my nerves!Florence, I do believe you've appropriated part of my riding-habit
.
Doesn't Alfred have lights in this house?"

Florence laughingly helped Madeline to dress
.
Then they hurriedly stumbled over chairs, and, passing through the dining-room, went out upon the porch
.

Away to the westward, low down along the horizon, she saw leaping red flames and wind-swept columns of smoke
.

Stillwell appeared greatly perturbed
.

"Al, I'm lookin' fer that ammunition to blow up," he said
.
"There was enough of it to blow the roof off the rancho
.
"

"Bill, surely the cowboys would get that stuff out the first thing," replied Alfred, anxiously
.

"I reckon so
.
But all the same, I'm worryin'
.
Mebbe there wasn't time
.
Supposin' thet powder went off as the boys was goin' fer it or carryin' it out!We'll know soon
.
If the explosion doesn't come quick now we can figger the boys got the boxes out
.
"

For the next few moments there was a silence of sustained and painful suspense
.
Florence gripped Madeline's arm
.
Madeline felt a fullness in her throat and a rapid beating of her heart
.
Presently she was relieved with the others when Stillwell declared the danger of an explosion needed to be feared no longer
.

"Sure you can gamble on Gene Stewart," he added
.

The night happened to be partly cloudy, with broken rifts showing the moon, and the wind blew unusually strong
.
The brightness of the fire seemed subdued
.
It was like a huge bonfire smothered by some great covering, penetrated by different, widely separated points of flame
.
These corners of flame flew up, curling in the wind, and then died down
.
Thus the scene was constantly changing from dull light to dark
.
There came a moment when a blacker shade overspread the wide area of flickering gleams and then obliterated them
.
Night enfolded the scene
.
The moon peeped a curved yellow rim from under broken clouds
.
To all appearances the fire had burned itself out
.
But suddenly a pinpoint of light showed where all had been dense black
.
It grew and became long and sharp
.
It moved
.
It had life
.
It leaped up
.
Its color warmed from white to red
.
Then from all about it burst flame on flame, to leap into a great changing pillar of fire that climbed high and higher
.
Huge funnels of smoke, yellow, black, white, all tinged with the color of fire, slanted skyward, drifting away on the wind
.

"Wal, I reckon we won't hev the good of them two thousand tons of alfalfa we was figgerin' on," remarked Stillwell
.

"Ah!Then that last outbreak of fire was burning hay," said Madeline
.
"I do not regret the rancho
.
But it's too bad to lose such a quantity of good feed for the stock
.
"

"It's lost, an' no mistake
.
The fire's dyin' as quick as she flared up
.
Wal, I hope none of the boys got risky to save a saddle or blanket
.
Monty-he's hell on runnin' the gantlet of fire
.
He's like a boss that's jest been dragged out of a burnin' stable an' runs back sure locoed
.
There!She's smolderin' down now
.
Reckon we-all might jest as well turn in again
.
It's only three o'clock
.
"

"I wonder how the fire originated?" remarked Alfred
.
"Some careless cowboy's cigarette, I'll bet
.
"

Stillwell rolled out his laugh
.

"Al, you sure are a free-hearted, trustin' feller
.
I'm some doubtin' the cigarette idee; but you can gamble if it was a cigarette it belonged to a cunnin' vaquero, an' wasn't dropped accident-like
.
"

"Now, Bill, you don't mean Don Carlos burned the rancho?" ejaculatcd Alfred, in mingled amaze and anger
.

Again the old cattleman laughed
.

"Powerful strange to say, my friend, ole Bill means jest thet
.
"

"Of course Don Carlos set that fire," put in Florence, with spirit
.
"Al, if you live out heah a hundred years you'll never learn that Greasers are treacherous
.
I know Gene Stewart suspected something underhand
.
That's why he wanted us to hurry away
.
That's why he put me on the black horse of Don Carlos's
.
He wants that horse for himself, and feared the Don would steal or shoot him
.
And you, Bill Stillwell, you're as bad as Al
.
You never distrust anybody till it's too late
.
You've been singing ever since Stewart ordered the vaqueros off the range
.
But you sure haven't been thinking
.
"

"Wal, now, Flo, you needn't pitch into me jest because I hev a natural Christian spirit," replied Stillwell, much aggrieved
.
"I reckon I've hed enough trouble in my life so's not to go lookin' fer more
.
Wal, I'm sorry about the hay burnin'
.
But mebbe the boys saved the stock
.
An' as fer that ole adobe house of dark holes an' under-ground passages, so long's Miss Majesty doesn't mind, I'm darn glad it burned
.
Come, let's all turn in again
.
Somebody'll ride over early an' tell us what's what
.
"

Madeline awakened early, but not so early as the others, who were up and had breakfast ready when she went into the dining-room
.
Stillwell was not in an amiable frame of mind
.
The furrows of worry lined his broad brow and he continually glanced at his watch, and growled because the cowboys were so late in riding over with the news
.
He gulped his breakfast, and while Madeline and the others ate theirs he tramped up and down the porch
.
Madeline noted that Alfred grew nervous and restless
.
Presently he left the table to join Stillwell outside
.

"They'll slope off to Don Carlos's rancho and leave us to ride home alone," observed Florence
.

"Do you mind?" questioned Madeline
.

"No, I don't exactly mind; we've got the fastest horses in this country
.
I'd like to run that big black devil off his legs
.
No, I don't mind; but I've no hankering for a situation Gene Stewart thinks-"

Florence began disconnectedly, and she ended evasively
.
Madeline did not press the point, although she had some sense of misgiving
.
Stillwell tramped in, shaking the floor with his huge boots; Alfred followed him, carrying a field-glass
.

"Not a hoss in sight," complained Stillwell
.
"Some-thin' wrong over Don Carlos's way
.
Miss Majesty, it'll be jest as well fer you an' Flo to hit the home trail
.
We can telephone over an' see that the boys know you're comin'
.
"

Alfred, standing in the door, swept the gray valley with his field-glass
.

"Bill, I see running stock-horses or cattle; I can't make out which
.
I guess we'd better rustle over there
.
"

Both men hurried out, and while the horses were being brought up and saddled Madeline and Florence put away the breakfast-dishes, then speedily donned spurs, sombreros, and gauntlets
.

"Here are the horses ready," called Alfred
.
"Flo, that black Mexican horse is a prince
.
"

The girls went out in time to hear Stillwell's good-by as he mounted and spurred away
.
Alfred went through the motions of assisting Madeline and Florence to mount, which assistance they always flouted, and then he, too, swung up astride
.

"I guess it's all right," he said, rather dubiously
.
"You really must not go over toward Don Carlos's
.
It's only a few miles home
.
"

"Sure it's all right
.
We can ride, can't we?" retorted Florence
.
"Better have a care for yourself, going off over there to mix in goodness knows what
.
"

Alfred said good-by, spurred his horse, and rode away
.

"If Bill didn't forget to telephone!" exclaimed Florence
.
"I declare he and Al were sure rattled
.
"

Florence dismounted and went into the house
.
She left the door open
.
Madeline had some difficulty in holding Majesty
.
It struck Madeline that Florence stayed rather long indoors
.
Presently she came out with sober face and rather tight lips
.

"I couldn't get anybody on the 'phone
.
No answer
.
I tried a dozen times
.
"

"Why, Florence!"Madeline was more concerned by the girl's looks than by the information she imparted
.

"The wire's been cut," said Florence
.
Her gray glance swept swiftly after Alfred, who was now far out of earshot
.
"I don't like this a little bit
.
Heah's where I've got to 'figger,' as Bill says
.
"

She pondered a moment, then hurried into the house, to return presently with the field-glass that Alfred had used
.
With this she took a survey of the valley, particularly in the direction of Madeline's ranch-house
.
This was hidden by low, rolling ridges which were quite close by
.

"Anyway, nobody in that direction can see us leave heah," she mused
.
"There's mesquite on the ridges
.
We've got cover long enough to save us till we can see what's ahead
.
"

"Florence, what-what do you expect?" asked Madeline, nervously
.

"I don't know
.
There's never any telling about Greasers
.
I wish Bill and Al hadn't left us
.
Still, come to think of that, they couldn't help us much in case of a chase
.
We'd run right away from them
.
Besides, they'd shoot
.
I guess I'm as well as satisfied that we've got the job of getting home on our own hands
.
We don't dare follow Al toward Don Carlos's ranch
.
We know there's trouble over there
.
So all that's left is to hit the trail for home
.
Come, let's ride
.
You stick like a Spanish needle to me
.
"

A heavy growth of mesquite covered the top of the first ridge, and the trail went through it
.
Florence took the lead, proceeding cautiously, and as soon as she could see over the summit she used the field-glass
.
Then she went on
.
Madeline, following closely, saw down the slope of the ridge to a bare, wide, grassy hollow, and onward to more rolling land, thick with cactus and mesquite
.
Florence appeared cautious, deliberate, yet she lost no time
.
She was ominously silent
.
Madeline's misgivings took definite shape in the fear of vaqueros in ambush
.