CHAPTER XI
HEBE POCOCK
"Oh, Laura!" gasped Eve. "That boy will never give the colt up."
"Why not? See him?" exclaimed Mother Wit. "He knows he is riding astolen horse. There! he's sliding out of the saddle."
The fact was, the colt--still but half broken under the saddle and withits eyes on its mother--would not move out of its tracks. The boyjumped off and tried to lead Jinks.
"Get away from that horse, boy!" commanded Laura, bringing the oldmare down to a more moderate pace as they approached the stolen colt.
"I'll tell my brother!" yelled the youngster. "I'll set him on ye!This critter is his'n."
"And he came by it just as dishonestly as you came by such grammar asyou use," said Laura, laughing, while Eve hopped over the wheel on herside of the cart and grabbed the reins out of the boy's hands.
"Let that horse alone!" cried the youngster, kicking at Eve with hisbare foot.
But Eve Sitz wasn't afraid of any boy--not even had he been of her ownsize and age. Her open palm smacked the youngster's head resoundinglyand he staggered away, bawling:
"Lemme erlone! Hebe! Hebron Pocock! I wantcher!"
Laura was already backing the mare, preparatory to turning about.
"Come on with the colt, Eve!" she cried.
The boy they had unhorsed continued to bawl at the top of his voice.But for the moment nobody appeared. Eve lengthened the bridle rein fora leading strap and then essayed to climb into the cart again. The boyceased crying and threw a stone. The colt jumped and tried to pullaway, for the stone struck her.
"Whoa, Jinks!" cried Eve. "If I could catch that boy! I'd do more thanbox his ears--so I would!"
"Come on, Eve!" called Laura, looking over her shoulder. "Here comesome women from the shanties. They will do something to us besidecalling us names----or throwing stones," as she dodged one that the boysent in her direction.
"Whoa, Jinksey!" commanded Eve, again, trying to lead the frightenedcolt toward the cart.
"Hebe Pocock! Yi-yi! You're wanted!" yelled the small boy again,sending down a perfect shower of stones from the bank above them, butfortunately throwing them wild.
Eve managed to climb up into the cart, still holding the snorting,pawing colt by the strap.
"Drive on! drive on!" she gasped, looking back at the severalill-looking and worse dressed women who were running toward them.
"Go on!" urged Laura to the mare, and Old Peggy started back up thehill, while Eve towed Jinks behind. Suddenly, however, the bushesparted, and a roughly dressed fellow, with a red handkerchief tiedaround his head in lieu of a cap, stepped out into the road. Hecarried a gun in the hollow of his arm, the muzzle of which was turnedthreateningly toward the cart and the two girls in it. The two barrelslooked as big around as cannon in the eyes of Laura and EvangelineSitz!
"Hey, there!" advised the ugly looking fellow. "You ladies better stopa bit."
"It's Pocock!" whispered Laura.
"I know it," returned Eve, in the same tone.
"That horse you're leadin' belongs to me," said Pocock, with an uglyscowl.
"You know better, Hebron," exclaimed Eve, bravely. "It belongs to myfather."
"It may look like your father's colt," said Pocock. "But I bought herof a gypsy, and it ain't the same an--i--mile."
"The old mare knows her," said Laura, quickly, as the colt nuzzled upto Peggy and the gray mare turned around to look upon the colt withfavorable eye.
"That don't prove nothing," growled Pocock. "Drop that rein."
"No, I won't!" cried Eve. "Even the bridle is father's. I recognizeit."
By this time the women from the shanties had arrived. They weredreadful looking creatures, and Laura was more afraid of them than shewas of Pocock's shot-gun.
"What's them gals doin' to your brother Mike, Hebe?" demanded one ofthe women. "They want slappin', don't they?"
"They want to l'arn to keep their han's off'n my property," growledPocock. "Come! let the little horse go."
"No!" cried Eve.
"Yes," cried Pocock, shifting his gun threateningly.
"You bet she will!" cried the woman who had spoken before, and shestarted to climb up on Laura's side of the cart.
Laura seized the whip and the woman jumped back.
"Shoot her, Hebe!" she yelled. "She'd a struck me with that thing!"
But Laura had no such intention. She brought the lash of the whip downupon the mare's flank. With a snort of surprise and pain the old horsesprang forward and had not Hebe Pocock leaped quickly aside he wouldhave been run over.
But unfortunately neither Eve nor the colt were prepared for thissudden move on Laura's part. The colt stood stock-still and Eve losther grip on the bridle rein.
"Go it!" yelled Pocock, laughing with delight. "I got the colt!"
He sprang at the head of Jinks. The women were laughing and shrieking.
"That's the time I did it!" gasped Laura, in chagrin, pulling down theold mare.
And just then the purring of an automobile sounded in their ears andthere rounded the nearest turn in the road a big touring car. Itrolled down toward the cart and the group about the colt, withdiminished speed.
"Oh! we mustn't lose that colt after coming so near getting it away,"cried Laura.
"But father can go after it with a constable," declared Eve,doubtfully.
"But Pocock will get it away from here----"
"Why, Laura Belding!" exclaimed a loud, good-natured voice. "What isthe matter here?"
"Mrs. Grimes!" gasped Laura, as the auto stopped. The butcher's wifeand daughter were sitting in the tonneau. Hester looked straight aheadand did not even glance at her two school-fellows.
"Isn't that young Pocock, that used to work for your father, Hester?"demanded Mrs. Grimes. "That's a very bad boy. What's he been doing toyou, Laura?"
"He has stolen that little horse from Eve's father," cried Laura. "Andnow he won't give it up."
"'Tain't so!" cried Hebe Pocock, loudly. "Don't you believe that gal,Mis' Grimes. I bought this horse----"
"Hebe," said the butcher's wife, calmly, "you never had money enoughin your life to buy a horse like that--and you never will have. Lead itup here and let the girl have her father's property. And you women, goback to your homes--and clean up, for mercy's sake! I never did seesuch a shiftless, useless lot as you are at the Four Corners. When Ilived there, we had some decency about us----"
"Oh, Mother!" gasped Hester, grasping the good lady's arm.
"Well, that's where we lived--your father an' me," declared Mrs.Grimes. "It was near the slaughter houses and handy for him. And letme tell you, there was respectable folk lived there in them days. HebePocock! Are you goin' to do what I tell you?"
The fellow came along in a very hang-dog manner and passed the strapto Eve Sitz.
"'Tain't fair. It's my horse," he growled.
"You know better," said Mrs. Grimes, calmly. "And you expect Mr.Grimes to find you a good job, do you? You wanted to get to bewatchman, or the like, in town? If I tell Henry about this what chancedo you suppose you'll ever have at _that_ job?"
"Mebbe I'll get it, anyway," grinned Pocock.
"And maybe you won't," said Mrs. Grimes, calmly.
Meanwhile Laura and Eve, after thanking the butcher's wife, drove on.But Hester never looked at them, or spoke.