CHAPTER XXIV A LONG NIGHT WATCH
Someone in the crowd saw the approaching plane. A shout went up which wasaugmented to a roar of welcome. Once again a space was cleared; this timewithout the command from the Deputy Sheriff.
The girls threw open the window and leaned out as the plane landed andthe men closed in about it. How they wished they could hear what wasbeing said. They saw Harry Hulbert leap out and, by his excited gestures,the girls were sure that he had made some discovery which he consideredimportant.
"He seems to be pointing toward 'The Dragoons.'" Mary looked over thescattered buildings of the town, across the gray desert to the dull redcliffs that loomed dark in the moonlight.
Dora caught her friend's arm and held it tight. "Mary Moore," she cried,"if we had gone home tonight, we would have passed the side road thatleads to 'The Dragoons,' wouldn't we?"
Mary nodded, but said nothing. She knew what her friend was thinking.
"Watch what they're doing now. The sheriff is having the men who arearmed show their guns. Here come boys from the jail bringing morefirearms." Mary turned a face, white with alarm. "Oh, Dora, don't youwish this was all over? Look, Jerry and Dick and Harry are getting up onhorseback. I do hope Harry knows how to ride. Good gracious, Dora, thosethree boys are going with the sheriff to lead the posse. Isn't thatterrible?"
"I don't know as it is," was the surprisingly calm reply. "NaturallyHarry would be the one to lead the men to the place where he saw thebandits hiding."
Women in the office of the hotel, seeing that their men were about toride away, rushed out to bid them goodbye.
The young boys and old men were not taken. After the others were gone,there was an almost deathlike stillness down in the square. The womenreturned indoors. Old men, many of them gray-bearded, stood in groups onthe sidewalks talking in low tones and shaking their grizzled headsominously. The boys trooped over to the pool hall. The proprietor hadbeen among the men who had ridden away and so the boys could play withoutcharge which they did gleefully.
Mary sank down on a low rocker near the window and her sweet blue eyeswere tragic as she gazed up at her friend. "Dora," she said "if you werea boy, would you have dared to ride into a robber's den the way--"
"Sure thing," was the brief reply. Dora still stood gazing at the desertvalley. Although the road disappeared from their sight when it firstdipped down from the town, she knew that the riders would again bevisible as they crossed to "The Dragoons."
"If we can see them crossing the valley, so can the bandits," she said,thinking aloud. "Of course, the robbers must have look-outs if that'swhat men are called who spy around to warn the others of danger."
"There they are! There they are!" Mary leaped to her feet to point. Darkdistant objects were moving rapidly across the moonlit sands of thevalley.
Suddenly Mary turned, a new alarm expressed in her face. "Dora," shecried, "now that only old men and boys are left here to protect thistown, what if the bandits should circle around and rob the stores and thepost office--"
"And carry off the beautiful young damsels," Dora laughingly added, "likea chapter out of an old-time story-book."
"It may be amusing to you," Mary seemed actually hurt, "but things _do_happen even _now_ that are worse than anything I ever read in a book."
"Righto! Ah agrees, as Sambo says." Dora turned and slipped an arm abouther friend, and then, as though trying to change her thought, she wenton, "I wonder if that old darky and Marthy, his wife, will be working atSunnybank Seminary next fall when we go back."
"That all seems so far away and so long ago, almost like a dream," Maryreplied, as she gazed down at the silver plane which had been left in thecare of the old men. They were walking around it now, looking it overwith frank curiosity.
Dora tried again. "How I do wish Patsy and Polly were here! Pat,especially, would get a great 'kick,' as she'd call it, out of all thisexcitement."
"More than I am, no doubt," Mary confessed. "My imagination is gettingwilder and wilder every minute. I'm expecting something awful to happenright here and--what was that?" She jumped and put her hand on her heart.
"Someone knocked on the door." Dora went to open it. Mrs. Goode, lookinganxious in spite of her smile, said, "Don't you girls want something toeat? It's almost midnight and you must be hungry."
"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Goode, I suppose we are hungry. We're so terriblynervous, I don't know as we could eat, really."
"Well, try, dearies. Here's Washita with a tray."
Washita was an Indian girl with black, furtive eyes and a red woolendress. She also had red rags twined in with her long black braids. Shecarried a tray into the room. Silently, she placed it on a table andglided out. Mary shuddered unconsciously. "Indians give me the'shilly-shivers' as Pat says."
"Washita is harmless. I've had her for two years now. She's almost thelast of a powerful tribe of Apaches which, long ago, had 'The Dragoons'for their fortress," Mrs. Goode was explaining, when Mary begged, "Oh, dotell us what you think the outcome of this raid will be. You know we havethree dear friends in the posse."
Dora thought, "Aha! Harry Hulbert is a dear friend, is he, even before wehave met him."
Mrs. Goode was replying. "I have a husband and two dearly loved sonsamong those men, but, they _must_ do their duty. The life of a sheriff'swife is one of constant fear. I am feeling sure, though, that they willall come back soon with their captives. The jail is ready for thebandits. Now I must go back to the office. If you want me, ring the bell.I'll send Washita up for the tray--"
"Oh, Mrs. Goode, please don't! Somehow she startles me." It was Maryimploring, although she knew her fears were foolish.
Mrs. Goode merely replied, "All right, dear. The tray can wait untilmorning."
Dora moved the kerosene lamp from the bureau to the small table. Thenthey sat down and nibbled at the chicken sandwiches which had beentemptingly made. The milk was creamy and Dora succeeded in finishing hershare.
Mary, carrying a half-eaten sandwich, went to the window and lookedacross the desert. She whirled and beckoned, then pointed. "Don't you seea horseman galloping this way?"
"I do see some object that seems to be coming pretty fast," Doraconceded. "Now it's out of sight below the silver hills."
Almost breathless they waited until the horseman again appeared. "He'sprobably the bearer of some sort of message," Dora decided when the manleaped from his horse and ran into the hotel.
Mary had put the partly eaten sandwich back on her plate and sat withclenched hands waiting--hoping that they would soon learn the news whichthe man brought.
"Don't expect the worst," Dora begged.
Although Mary was hoping there would come a knock at their door, shejumped again when she heard it. Once more it was Dora who went to admittheir caller. A young cowboy, hot and panting, stood there holding out anenvelope.
"The writin' ain't in it, it's on the back of it," he informed them.
It had evidently been an old letter Dick had found in his pocket as itbore his name on the envelope. The scribbled note was:
"We're all right. The worst is over. Surprised the men while they wereall drunk except the sentinels. We're fetching them in. Be back bydaybreak. Better get some sleep now." Dick's name was signed to it.
"Thanks be." Mary finished her sandwich when the cowboy was gone, whileDora, who was turning back the bedspread, said, "We'll take Dick's adviceand go to sleep or at least try to."
"Well, I'll lie down," Mary was removing her shoes as she spoke, "but Idon't expect to sleep a wink."
They removed their outer clothing, then drew a quilt up over them. Theboys from the pool room had crossed to hear the news and many of themreturned to their homes with their mothers. They evidently believedimplicitly that all of the bandits had been captured and so they hadnothing to fear.
The humming of voices in the office was stilled and soon there were nosounds in the street below.
Dora, no
longer anxious, went to sleep quickly and although Mary had beensure she wouldn't sleep at all, at daybreak they neither of them heardthe men returning. It was hours later when there came a rap on theirdoor. Mary sat up looking about wildly. "Who's there?" she called, almostfearfully, then remembering that all was well, she jumped up and openedthe door a crack. Mrs. Goode smiled in at her. "Dearie," she said, "Jerrysent me up to ask if you girls will come down to breakfast now."
"Of course we will. Thanks a lot." Still Dora slept on. Mary shook herlaughingly as she said, "Wake up, Dodo! The hour is here at last when weare to meet Pat's aviator."
Dora sprang out of bed and hurriedly dressed. "I feel in my bones," sheprophesied, "that you and I will _share_ in some excitement today. See ifwe don't!"