"Naw! I ain't goin' to
see thet red hoss-killer jump the King again!"
"Bah! you're afraid. You know there'd be no girl on his back. You know he can
outrun the King an' that's why you want to buy him."
Slone caught his breath then. He realized suddenly, at Bostil's paling face,
that perhaps he had dared too much. Yet, maybe the truth flung into this hard
old rider's teeth was what he needed more than anything else. Slone divined,
rather than saw, that he had done an unprecedented thing.
"I'll go now, Bostil."
Slone nodded a good-by to the riders, and, turning away, he led the two horses
down the lane toward the house. It scarcely needed sight of Lucy under the
cottonwoods to still his anger and rouse his regret. Lucy saw him coming, and,
as usual, started to avoid meeting him, when sight of the horses, or something
else, caused her to come toward him instead.
Slone halted. Both Wildfire and Nagger whinnied at sight of the girl. Lucy
took one flashing glance at them, at Slone, and then she evidently guessed
what was amiss.
Pages:
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364