CHAPTER XII
A NIGHT RIDE
When Li Yow clattered up the trail leading out of the river bed and up themesa, he was a happy man, in spite of the fact that a horse was to him thelast means of locomotion that he would have chosen for an all night trip,with the possible exception of a camel or an elephant. Except as objectsfor his scientific skill, horses were not dear to his heart. A wagon, atrain, an automobile, these were sensible conveyances for an intellectualman of an old and distinguished family going about his business, but ahorse, never!
Not that Li would have admitted that his family was old. Distinguished,perhaps, but scarcely old when it only counted its ancestry through someeight or nine hundred years. In China that is to be classed among theblatantly new. He was happy, however, because he was being given a chanceto use his skill for that great purpose for which it had been acquired,the alleviation of pain.
Li was a student, and for five years he had had very little opportunityfor the work that he loved. With the patience of the Oriental, he hadtoiled at an inferior art; now opportunity had come, and so eager was heto grasp it, that a twenty-mile ride on an uncongenial animal, in thenight, did not deter him. Not that he was afraid of the dark as we like tothink the Chinese are. Li Yow had a philosophy, old when the Christianphilosophy was born, which amply sufficed to relieve his mind of anysuperstitious terrors. Mexicans on the rampage, and Yaquis on the warpath,did not, however, come under the category of superstitious fears, and heheartily hoped he might accomplish his journey without meeting either ofthem.
He rode Scott's big roan, Cochise, a common-sense animal which could betrusted to the tender mercies of what its master called "a crazy Chink."This excellent beast understood thoroughly the art of saving his strength,and curbing any foolish enthusiasm on the part of a rider to race up-hillor to exhaust one's wind too early in the game.
"Spirit and a bit of deviltry are all right in a horse or a woman, I'llgrant you," Scott used to say when anyone derided the roan. "But the horseor the woman who lives with me has got to have common sense."
So Li Yow and Cochise trotted placidly along the mesa, one thinking of thejoys of surgery, and the other of the pleasure of feeding in one's owncorral. They had been out a couple of hours perhaps, and Li, moved by thebeauty of the night, quoted a fragment of eighth century poetry and turnedin his saddle to see how far he had come--when, suddenly, he gave anexclamation of horror!
Back of him, across the river bed, back of the round-topped hill, fromexactly the spot where Casa Grande stood, he saw the tops of flamesshooting up against the sky line! Something was being burned. Somethingsizable, or its flames would not rise so high. It must be either CasaGrande, its barn, or both. Li's heart stood still. He stopped Cochise insympathy with that important organ. What to do? At Casa Grande was afriend to whom he was attached. Things of a most unpleasant nature mightbe happening to him--could he ride away and leave him?
On the other hand, what could he do--a lone Chinese, unarmed except for aformidable surgical apparatus? After all, they had two horses and perhapsthey had seen the brigands coming and had escaped. Still, if he went backthey would have three horses. The women could ride and the men could rideand tie. Li groaned in spirit. He hated walking more than he hatedriding.
Obviously his duty was to go back and offer his help such as it was. Ifthey were fighting, it would not be worth much, unless he could persuade aMexican or two to stand still while he stabbed them with a lancet. With asigh, Li turned Cochise in the direction of Casa Grande and applied anencouraging dig of the heel.
Cochise, however, saw things differently. He had started for Athens.Athens was home and a good place at that. He saw no reason for going backjust to please an ignoramus who didn't know how to ride and who wouldprobably change his mind again before they had gone a mile. Consequently,when Li kicked, Cochise threw his head in the air and made crab-likemotions with his legs. Li pulled and Cochise reared. Li, mindful of pastinstructions, loosed the reins and Cochise whirled. Li leaned over andpatted the horse's neck and Cochise bucked.
It was a nice exhibition of obstinacy on the part of both man and beast,and no one there but the moon to witness it. The buck, however, did thebusiness. A bump and a rattle reminded Li Yow of his precious medicalchest--absolutely unreplaceable--and with a frightened:
"Whoa, thou son of evil, thou animal of ill omen!" he gave in; andCochise, secure in his victory, settled down to a trot again. "Ah, well, asensible man spends no time in weeping over the inevitable," meditated Li."What is to be, will be. The young man with the injured leg is the gainerby thy obstinacy, oh, vile beast!"
At daybreak a tired man and a stiff horse arrived at Athens. Mrs. VanZandt saw them because she was up attending to Adams who was suffering.She hailed the Chinaman from her doorway, bathrobed and boudoir capped asshe was.
"Is that you, Marc Scott?" she called anxiously, as she recognizedCochise.
"No, lady," replied Li, in his professional manner. "This not Mr. Scott,this Li Yow from Casa Grande. I come see sick boy," and he rolled off thehorse.
"Well, that's good, he needs you! Leave the horse and come in." Licomplied and Cochise, released, started wearily for the corral. "Seehere," Mrs. Van Zandt led the way to the bedroom, "I guess you're prettywell used up, ain't you? I'm going to get you something to eat in aminute. Did you have a hard ride?" She had got a light and looked at himcuriously. Li Yow did look very much used up.
"I hurry a great lot," he said, simply. "I want go back but the horse hewant come on."
"What did you want to go back for?"
"Fire. I see big fire at Casa Grande," replied the Chinaman, gravely. "Imuch afraid the bandits burn the house."
Mrs. Van Zandt pulled him suddenly from the bedroom door.
"Good land, man, don't let the boy hear you! He's half out of his headnow. What do you mean? Has Casa Grande been raided?"
Li nodded.
"By Pachuca?"
"Yes. He come morning, take everything--horses, chow, money, everything!Then Mr. Scott's folks they come in afternoon. Only thlee horse foreverybody. Mr. Scott say he mend wagon and they come over to-morrow. Icome to-night to see sick boy. When I get up on mesa I see fire--don'tknow who make him but mebbe bandits."
Mrs. Van Zandt turned pale. Clutching her bathrobe tightly she made forthe door. "Look here," she called, over her shoulder, "you look after theboy and mind you don't spill any of that news before him. I'll get yousome breakfast and see what's to be done."
Then she came back. "They were all right when you left them? The younglady, too?" she queried, anxiously.
"Yes, they all light. Both them ladies all light."
"Both! Who's the other?" demanded Mrs. Van Zandt, instantly.
"Mr. Hellick got flend--Mrs. Conlad," said Li, wearily. "She come daybefore yest'day--from Mexico City. Mr. Hard's flend, too."
"Good Heavens, now what do you suppose the heathen means by that?" gaspedthe astonished woman. "Come here," she added, sternly, and seizing theChinaman by the sleeve of his blouse, she led him into the room occupiedby Polly. Dramatically, she pointed to the photograph on the wall. "Isthat the woman you're talking about?"
Li examined the face gravely and nodded. "Yes," he said, "only youngerhere."
Mrs. Van released him suddenly. "All right, go on in and see the boy," shesaid, and hurried down the street. "Fire and bandits--and I let that poorgirl go over there with those men!" she gasped. "And what on earth is thatwoman doing at Casa Grande? It's either a scandal or a romance, that's acinch!"
"What's the matter? Whose horse was that? Great snakes, Mrs. Van, what thedevil----" Johnson, hastily and scantily attired, came down the street,followed by the others. Cochise had waked up the camp. Mrs. Van looked atthem tragically.
"It's the Casa Grande Chinaman come over to see Jimmy. He rode Cochise,"she sobbed.
"What'd he ride Cochise for? What's come over Marc Scott, lendin' Cochiseto a Chink?"
"Tom, something awful has happened," and she
burst into the story.
"Didn't the heathen go back to help?"
"I guess he tried to, but Cochise got scared and wouldn't go. What do yousuppose it is ?"
"Gosh, I dunno! Don't sound like Pachuca; he wouldn't come back a secondtime. Sure looks bad."
"And the feller says Mrs. Conrad's there. What's he mean by that, do youthink?"
"Who's she?"
"Mr. Hard's friend; the widow woman that lives down South. Upon my word,Tom Johnson, I do believe that's the woman and the trouble that the ouijameant and I thought all the time it was talking about Polly Street!"
"Dunno, I'm sure. Where's Cochise?"
"Gone down to the corral."
"Guess I'd better go down and give him the once over. They've probablyrode him to death between 'em. Gosh, I'm sorry to hear that news!" and Tomstrode off, sadly, followed by the others. "Poor old chap," he murmured, afew minutes later, as he took the saddle off Cochise. "Can't do nothin'for your boss, so I'll do what I can for you. Pretty well petered out,ain't you?"
"Say, Tom, what are we going to do about this Casa Grande business,anyhow?" demanded O'Grady.
"Well, with a dynamited track, a busted auto, a smashed 'phone connectionand a foundered horse, what would you suggest doing?" demanded Johnson,pessimistically. "Walkin' ain't so durned good in this country."
"If we could get to Conejo we could get Mendoza to drive us over to CasaGrande," hazarded Williams.
"Well, that ain't a bad idea for you, Jack," said Tom, patronizingly. "Ireckon I'll stretch my legs in that direction after breakfast. Suppose wego up and see what the Doc says about Jimmy?"
In the meantime, the doctor had examined his patient's leg, quietlyignoring the flood of excited questions hurled at him by the boy.
"Him velly bad," he declared at length. "You keep him still while I getbullet out, mebbe he get well. You talk a heap and mebbe I cut him off."
"You cut him off and I'll cut your liver out, Li, you sabe?" grinnedAdams, gamely. "Anyhow, it's blamed good of you to ride over here. I'llbet you're sore, eh?"
Mrs. Van Zandt coming up the road with the tray in her arms met the mencoming up from the corral.
"I never did suppose I'd see myself carrying breakfast to a Chinese," shesaid, wearily, "but you can't tell these days what'll come your way. Iknow exactly how that poor guy feels. I rode over to Casa Grande once onCochise. He's wide and he's rough and anyone who wants to ride him twentymiles is welcome to him as far as I'm concerned."
The train gang hung around to hear the verdict on Jimmy Adams. They weremuch relieved to hear that the operation was to be one of probing ratherthan of cutting. They had had some gloomy discussions on that point whichhad ended in consulting the mail order catalogue in order to see whetherit advertised artificial limbs.
"He wants one of you to help," said Mrs. Van, coming out of the room. "Iwisht you would. I feel that nasty this morning that the sight of bloodwould just about finish me. Go on in, Tom." Tom went in. Mrs. Van set thetray on the table. "Seems funny to be waiting on a cook, don't it? But Isuppose it's different when he's tending the sick, and I'll say he'sclean. He washed his hands before he touched Jimmy. I watched him."
"Well, that's more than old Estrada over in Conejo does," said O'Grady."He pulled a tooth for me last winter and he come in from feedin' his pigsto do it. Right plumb into my mouth he started to put his dirty fist.'No,' says I, 'you wash that mitt first. Afterward you can suityourself.'"
"You better get a swig of whiskey ready for Tom," suggested the brakeman,solicitously. "Them operations is ugly things."
"I will," said Mrs. Van, hurrying to the cabinet and taking down thebottle.