CHAPTER VIII
THE MEXICAN ESCAPES
Mason's heart beat violently as he held the dead weight of the girl inhis arms. Tenderly he laid her down and hastily made a pillow of hiscoat to support her head. There was a spring close by and he filledhis hat with the cool water and bathed her temples. His efforts wererewarded by a flutter of her eyelids just as Scotty came up and joinedthem. With a little gasp the girl rose weakly to her feet and staredwith dilated eyes at Powers. He was lying on the ground with bothhands clutched to his side and groaning.
"Is he dying?" The girl motioned the question to them with dry lips.
"He's turned his last trick," Scotty answered, grimly. "The bulletstruck him in a vital spot. I had him covered for over five minutes,but didn't dare fire for fear of hitting you."
Josephine gave him a grateful look.
"I want to thank you both for saving my life," she said in a voicedeep with emotion.
Scotty mumbled something under his breath and seemed pleased at herpraise, while Mason silently pressed her offered hand, his voice toofull for words.
"Come, take me home," she requested with a shudder, after glancingagain at Powers.
The outlaw breathed his last just as they were taking their departure.They planned to send Bud and his men back to look after the removal ofhis body.
"Powers got his just desert," was Scotty's comment, as they made theirway down the gorge.
Josephine gradually threw off the feeling of depression which hadseized her. When they reached the trail leading out of the gorge, shesaw her own favorite horse, Fleet. He was quietly grazing where Masonhad left him. With a glad cry the girl ran up to him, and throwing herarms around his neck gave him a regular bear hug.
Fleet seemed equally pleased to see his mistress and voiced hisappreciation with a low whinny of delight. Scotty insisted on havingMason ride his horse while the Scot rode the horse that Josephine hadridden at the time of her capture by the outlaws.
The girl was in high spirits again by this time, and lightly springinginto the saddle started Fleet towards home. She rode slowly while sherelated her experiences with the outlaws from the time of her capture.
Scotty, in turn, explained how he came to arrive in time to put an endto the outlaw's career.
He had miscalculated his horse's speed and in making a wide detour hadgot far in the outlaw's rear. Hearing only faint sounds of firing hedetermined to search for Josephine while waiting for the cowboys tocome up. He had left his horse at the bottom of a deep gorge andstarted to climb a trail that led to a high plateau where he hoped toget a better view of the locality. He had made the summit and climbedup on a huge boulder when his startled eyes took in the scene alreadydescribed.
"My finger itched when I drew down on that cutthroat, but he had youswung in front of him and I had to wait my chance," Scotty concluded,addressing Josephine.
Mason told Scotty of his part in the chase, and as they were nownearing the spot where the Mexican had fallen the two men rode inadvance as there was a chance of the halfbreed showing fight if he hadnot been wounded seriously. Mason had no idea how badly he had beenhurt, for he had paid little attention to him in his mad dash afterPowers. Mason pointed out the spot to Scotty where the Mexican hadfallen, but they could see no trace of him.
Josephine, who had drawn up to the group while they were discussingthe possible escape of the halfbreed, suddenly remarked:
"Here comes Bud with Joe and the rest of the cowboys."
The cowboys saw them at about the same time and with a rush and roar,bore swiftly down upon them.
There was an excited clamor of voices as the cowboys dismounted andrushed up to Josephine to shake her hand, each man with hat off andexpressing his pleasure at her safe return in his own characteristicway.
Mason and Scotty came in for a generous round of hand-shaking andglory from the cowboys when Josephine told them of their part in herrescue.
Mason walked away from the group of cowboys and sought out Bud, towhom Josephine had immediately gone after greeting the cowboys.
Bud had been wounded in the shoulder and the girl was giving him ascolding for not having gone home at once to have his wound attendedto. She was adjusting a crude bandage for him and it gave Mason asharp pang as he realized that she was gravely concerned over Bud'swelfare. Mason briefly outlined the result of his chase to him, and ofthe possible escape of the halfbreed. Bud listened quietly until hehad finished, then his jaws came together with a snap.
"You and Scotty take the girl home, and the men will stay here with mewhile we clean up and look into the matter of the halfbreed," hedirected Mason.
Josephine uttered a cry of protest.
"You're not coming with us?" she asked in a pained voice.
"No," Bud answered with an air of finality. "We have got some work todo here before we go and I want to see it through."
Mason admired the grit of the man, for he reasoned that he must besuffering tortures from his wound by this time. The girl gave a sighas Bud stalked off to give orders to his men, and Mason, watching her,felt convinced that she was in love with her father's foreman. Soon,Scotty rode toward them on a fresh horse and they set a fast pace forhome with Josephine leading and having little to say.
They arrived at the ranch in due time, and Mason had to turn his headaway at the touching scene, when the girl burst into the house andinto her mother's arms. They were laughing and crying in the samebreath, and the father had his arms around the two, wife and daughter.
The next minute the girl was romping with her dog Rover, and callinghim endearing names. A tear glistened on the ranch owner's cheek as hesilently wrung Mason's hand when Josephine told of his part in herrescue.
That night when Bud and his men returned, they reported that theycould find no trace of the halfbreed. They believed that the Mexicanwith his wide knowledge of the mountains had probably escaped to someretreat.
A few days of rest and quiet were indulged in by the men who hadfollowed the trail of the outlaws so determinedly.
One fine morning, Mason, who had found a shady spot on the porch andhad lazily stretched himself out for a nap, found his plans rudelyshattered by the mistress of the ranch herself. She came running outof the house and stood surveying him with an air of severity.
"I would like to know, Sir Jack, if you are in the habit of breakingyour promises," she demanded, trying to keep her look of severitywhile pointing an accusing finger at him.
Mason looked up at her in astonishment. "Why, Josephine, I don't knowwhat you are driving at," he answered with a blank look. He thought hehad never seen her look as pretty as she did this morning. She stoodbefore him, her eyes fairly dancing with fun.
"Then, Sir, I will refresh your memory," she began with increasingseverity. "Did you or did you not promise me long, long ago to take mefor a ride in that fast racing car of yours?"
Mason sprang to his feet.
"What a dunce I've been, Josephine," he exclaimed. "We'll go for aride this very morning. What do you say?"
"I'll say, I'll go," she answered with a happy laugh and ran to tellher mother.
Mason backed the trim racer out of the shed and had the motor runningsmoothly by the time Josephine rejoined him.
"My, but you make a lot of smoke and noise," she cried, putting herfingers to her ears.
"Just racing the engine a little," he explained, as the girl bent overto watch him adjust the gas mixture. "Jump in, we've picked as fine amorning as you'll find in these parts," he added gaily, as he liftedher into the seat with strong arms.
It was an ideal morning with a cool and gentle breeze blowing. Masonlet the car out at high speed for several miles, then slowing down alittle he turned and looked curiously at the girl beside him. She hadnot uttered a sound, but sat with parted lips smiling in contentment.Her golden hair blown and tumbled by the wind, and her blue-gray eyessparkling with the joy of life and health, made her a most bewitchingpicture.
If she only knew how well he
loved her, but with the thought came theimage of Anderson who had first claim on her. He gripped the wheelsavagely, a frown on his face. The girl was snuggled deep in thecushions.
"Oh, but this ride is fine," she said in a low voice. Then noticinghis frown she added quickly:
"What is the trouble, Sir Jack, didn't your breakfast set well thismorning?"
"Breakfast is the least of my troubles," he answered, forcing a smileas he slowed the car down to about fifteen miles per hour.
He had much to say to her this morning, and had determined to tell herof his love. Josephine was rearranging her tumbled hair with deftfingers while watching him with an amused smile.
"There," she said, putting the finishing touches to a rebellious curl."I hope I look more presentable. You drove like a regular savage, SirJack, and you looked like a fiend a minute ago. Now, I can't see whyyou should have any troubles, you are getting along fine out here.Perhaps you are worrying about that letter your father wrote to youabout Ricker."
She was regarding him with troubled eyes now, and he thought hedetected a tender light in them. He longed to take her in his arms andcover her face with kisses, but crushed the thought out of his mindwith a groan.
"Yes, that is one thing that bothers me, and by the way, I received aletter from mother; she and my sister will be out here in a few days,"his voice was steady and sure now.
"Oh, won't that be grand?" she cried in delight. "I am very anxious tomeet your mother and sister, Sir Jack."
"Sis is a good kid, and I think you will like her. She is about yourage, Josephine."
"Oh, I know I will like your mother and sister just from what you havetold me of them. Now, what other troubles have you got, if you cancall your mother and sister a trouble?" She was leaning slightlytoward him with a half smile mingled with a look of severity on herface.
He shifted uneasily in his seat.
"You have a regular lawyer's way of pinning a man down to a question,"he said at last.
"Does the truth hurt?"
He had driven the car to one side of the trail and stopped the engine.
"Josephine!" Mason turned and faced her.
"Little girl," he began and imprisoned both her hands. "It is you thatis troubling me. Before I came out here I had been leading a fastlife, and had seen bad girls and nice girls, but I never cared for anyof them. I know, now, that I love you, Josephine, and I will tell youhow I came to know the truth. I admired you from the first time wemet, but it took another man to awaken me to the truth; I guess youknow who I mean, his name is Anderson and I know you care for him.Please tell me, dear, if I have a chance."
"I--I--don't--just know," Josephine faltered faintly. "I will think itover."
"You give me a little hope, then?" he cried eagerly. "I won't botheryou about it again to-day, but may I have your permission to tell youhow much I love you, some other time?"
"Yes," she answered gently, "but come, Sir Jack, it's not nice of youto keep me here all day; we started for Trader's Post, you know."
"Really, I had almost forgotten," he said with a happy boyish laugh,"but we're nearly there now. Sit tight and I'll have you there in ajiffy, and then we will take the long road back."
"But not quite so fast as you drove before, besides you promised toteach me how to drive," she demurred, smiling at him naively.
Mason let the car out at a reasonable road speed and soon theoutbuildings of Trader's Post came into view. A moment later he droveup to the general store where Josephine wished to do some trading.
"This is the place where you rescued the fair Waneda," she remindedhim.
His face reddened.
"I still think the Spanish girl was made an innocent tool by Ricker'sgang and didn't know what her message contained," he answered indefence.
Josephine had one foot on the running board and flashed a tantalizingsmile up at him.
"See if you can keep out of trouble, Sir Jack, while I am in thestore. I will try to be quick," and with a wave of her hand shedisappeared inside.
Mason grinned broadly.
"If she is like most women when they go shopping, I will have somewait," he mused to himself.
Swinging around in his seat he took to watching the four corners orcommon, which was all Trader's Post could boast of.
There were a few people in sight, mostly cowboys, and as he looked,the only hotel in the place came under his observation. Suddenly hesat up stiff and straight, staring hard at the hotel porch. He hadmade out the figure of MacNutt and he was staggering with locked armsaround another cowboy, who was maudlin drunk, and the other cowboy wasfrom Ricker's ranch!
A low whistle escaped his lips. All his former distrust for this manwho called himself MacNutt came back to him with double force. Heresolved to denounce MacNutt to the owner of Bar X when he got back tothe ranch. He was interrupted in his meditations by Josephine. Shecame hurrying out of the store with her arms full of bundles anddeposited them at his feet with a sigh of relief.
"I didn't keep you waiting very long, did I?" she asked a littleanxiously.
"Yes, I mean no," he replied absently, still keeping his eyes on thetwo men.
"What are you staring at?" she questioned.
"Jump in and I will explain to you when we get under way," he said,starting the car in motion.
"It's about that man MacNutt," he confided to her. "While you were inthe store I happened to look over to the hotel, and there was MacNutttalking with one of the cowboys from the Ricker ranch. I never quitetrusted the fellow from the start, and it looks mighty suspicious tosee him mixing with that bunch."
"It does look peculiar," Josephine answered gravely. "He knows theRicker crowd are enemies of my father. I don't see what MacNutt wouldwant of them."
"Well, don't worry your pretty head about it, and I will take thematter up with your father when we get back to the ranch. We are outon a pleasure trip to-day and I am going to teach you how to run thiscar before we get home."
"You talk very confidently."
"Is my confidence misplaced?"
She laughed easily.
"I never met a man like you before."
"Nor have I ever met a girl like you before," he returned instantly.
"Oh, come now, you will be trying to make love to me in anotherminute, and you promised to be good for the rest of the day. What isthat thing-ama-jig on the dashboard?"
"That's the instrument board," he corrected her, "and what you arepointing at is the speedometer."
Then he explained the various workings of the instruments to her. Theyhad reached a part of the country that was clear and level for miles,and Mason let the trim racer dart ahead in a fresh burst of speed.Josephine had her eyes glued on the dial indicator and as the handcrept slowly up she saw that they had attained a speed of over fiftymiles per hour.
"Slow down," she managed to gasp, "I can't talk to you when you driveso fast."
He obediently slowed the car down.
"I can promise you some exciting times when my friend Roy Purvis getshere," he said after a long silence.
"Roy Purvis," she repeated after him, "I never heard you mention thatname before."
"He is an old friend of mine and we used to race together before hewent in for aviation. He promised me just before I left New York thathe would visit me out here."
Little did they know what a thrilling part Roy Purvis and his airplanewas to play in their future lives.
The girl was deeply interested in what Mason had told her.
"That will be jolly fun," her eyes were keenly enthusiastic. "I havenever seen an airplane, I hope he comes soon."
Mason nodded.
"Roy is very eccentric, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him outhere any time."
On the way home he stopped the car and let Josephine take his seatwhile he instructed her in driving. Soon she was driving the raceralmost as skillfully as he.
After about an hour she became tired and he relieved her at the wheel.
"You have ac
complished wonders with your first lesson," he told herwith honest conviction in his voice. "I am truly proud of you."
"I am very glad you think so, and if you will take me out again sometime, I think I can do still better." He fancied there was just thesuspicion of an appeal in her voice.
"The pleasure will be all mine," he answered gallantly.
They were nearing the ranch now, and just as they rode past the corralthey were surprised to see MacNutt throwing a blanket over hissweat-reeked horse.
Apparently he had ridden faster and by taking a shorter route hadarrived just ahead of them.