Читать книгу Storm King Banner - H. A. Cody - Страница 10

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The vapours of night had lifted from the Valley, and only a few stray wisps were hovering over the hills as Kent Rayson mounted Midnight before the door of Val Haven, the name Mr. Dean had given to his house. He smiled as he looked at Jacynth standing at the horse's head with her right hand upon the bridle-rein.

"What a helpless creature I am this morning. Wait until my foot is well, and then you shall see how I can mount a horse. I wish you were going to the shore."

"Father won't let me. He thinks a man can take better care of you than a girl."

"But when shall I see you again, Jacynth? I must come back. Why, this place is a heaven on earth."

"I hope you will come soon. Steady, Midnight. You are anxious to get away."

"He is more anxious than I am," Kent declared. "What a noble horse he is. He is your own, I suppose?"

"He is, and I have ridden him for several years. He was quite unmanageable at first, and I had a hard time with him. But we are great friends now."

Kent watched the girl as she stroked the horse's glossy neck. He noticed the glow upon her face, the sparkle in her eyes, and the stray tresses of hair touching lightly her cheeks and brow. She looked very beautiful to him this morning. What a girl! And she was hidden away here in this lonely place! She was a woodland flower, untouched by the great world of artifice and strife beyond. What a discovery he had made!

All through the night he had thought about her. He had not slept well owing to the pain in his foot. But he did not mind, for he believed that Jacynth was thinking of him as he was of her. He recalled every word she had uttered, the expression upon her face, the look of sympathy in her eyes, nothing escaped him, all came back touched with the enchantment which love alone can bestow. He had unexpectedly entered a veritable fairy-land. But what was the meaning of this house in the forest, and of the banner floating above the great pine? Why was Mr. Dean living here with his daughter and old Martha? That he was no ordinary man was most apparent. Not only in manner and appearance, but everything about the house pointed to his outstanding personality. He was a deep student, as his shelves of books testified. His artistic taste was shown by the pictures of the master-painters on the walls, the furniture, mostly old mahogany, carpets of Oriental pattern, with rich curtains and draperies over doors and windows. All these clearly revealed his refinement of soul and mind. Why had such a man retreated from the world to a place like this? He longed to know the reason. There must be some mystery connected with his life. He recalled Mr. Dean's strange manner when he first met him. Why had his hand dropped so suddenly at the mention of the word Rayson? All this was very puzzling.

He rose early, before anyone else was astir, and sat for some time at the window facing the east, feasting his eyes upon the scene which was presented to his view, especially the dense land-fog in the valley struggling vainly against the steadily-rising sun. To him they seemed like two great giants in combat, each contending for supremacy. Then as the vapour slowly dispersed, it appeared like a fleeing army with its ranks broken and its banners in tatters. As it retreated, the outlines of trees became visible, first like innumerable shadowy spectres, and at last standing forth in all their strength and beauty. It was a picture to entrance his artistic eye, but instead of sketching the scene, he began to meditate upon his own life. It was something like what he was beholding, shrouded in the vapour of disappointment and failure. But light had come to dispel the darkness, and the light was the girl he had met the day before. Was she to do for him what the sun was doing in the valley? He hoped so, and the thought gave him much pleasure and comfort.

Kent was in no hurry to leave for the city, but Mr. Dean took it for granted that he wished to be away as soon as possible.

"You must have your foot attended to, young man," he informed him at breakfast. "See a doctor when you get home. I shall go with you to the wharf. Joe left an hour ago, but we shall overtake him. I shall get the horses at once."

There was little opportunity for Kent and Jacynth to talk to each other, for in a few minutes Midnight and Camilla were before the door. But just then Mr. Dean had to return to the house to change his coat and hat, so the two young people were alone for a short time.

"I am so sorry to leave this beautiful place," Kent remarked with a deep sigh as he looked around.

"You will come again, I hope," Jacynth replied. "But you must not hurt your foot the next time."

"Oh, I shall not come on foot. One experience of that kind is enough. But here is your father, and he is in a hurry."

Mr. Dean kissed his daughter and sprang into the saddle.

"We must get on our way, for we have not much time. Do you feel like a sharp ride this morning?" he asked turning to Kent.

"I am in good form, and with such a horse as this to ride, it will be a great pleasure."

"If you keep up with me you will do well. Midnight is a fine horse on a long journey, and he has great staying power. But on a short run he is nowhere with Camilla. She is like her namesake, the queen of the Volscians, who was so swift of foot that she could fly over standing corn without causing it to bend. This horse may not be like that ancient queen, but she is very swift, as you shall soon see."

A word to Camilla, and she was off down the road, with Midnight following, eager to overtake his rival. Jacynth watched them as they sped on their way until they disappeared around a bend in the road. Once Kent turned and waved a hand to her. Then he was gone, and she was left alone.

For a while she stood there looking in the direction the horsemen had taken. How she longed to be with them, for a wild ride was what she needed now to calm the agitated state of her heart and mind. There was nothing, however, she could do but wander about the woods. She might help Martha in the house as was her usual custom, but the thought of remaining in doors this morning was distasteful to her now. She must be in the open to think over all that had taken place since yesterday.

Suddenly she remembered that Kent had called to see Peter Horn, and most likely Mrs. Horn had met him. She would like to know what she thought of him. Acting on this idea, she crossed the bridge and walked along the road leading to the little settlement beyond. She was surprised to see how everything had changed since she was here a few days before mounted upon Midnight. The trees seemed to have a brighter hue, the songs of the birds sweeter, and even the squirrels had a new note of joy in their chatter. She did not know that it was her own heart that made the apparent difference in all she beheld. Neither did she realize that love transforms everything with its own subtle magic. And it was doing this to her now, for as she walked she was thinking of a strong manly form who had come suddenly into her life, and she vividly pictured him speeding towards the river. She was glad that he was riding Midnight, her own horse, and the thought brought her much happiness.

In this mood she passed out of the wooded region into a clearing, used as a pasture, where raspberry bushes grew in profusion about the large stone piles. The berries were plentiful this year, and she and Martha had already picked sufficient to make preserves for the winter.

She was about half-way through this clearing, when a shout arrested her attention. At once she saw a straw hat waving from behind a heap of stones, and then two little figures appeared in view. She knew them at once, waved her hand in reply, and moved towards them. The little ones ran to meet her, a boy of ten and a girl of eight, with sun-browned faces, and eyes glowing with delight. Each carried a basket, well-filled with red luscious berries. These they proudly displayed for inspection.

"My, my, what a lot you have picked!" Jacynth exclaimed. "Your baskets are full."

"Mine's fuller than Peggy's," the boy declared. "She ate more'n she picked."

"Oh, Tom, that's a lie, and you know it," the girl indignantly defended. "You ate as many as I did. And my basket is as full as yours, isn't it, Jacynth?"

"You both have done well," was the tactful reply. "But how hot you are! And you must be tired, too. Suppose we rest for a while under the shade of this big tree."

"We were just going home when you came along," Tom explained. "Gran'ma told us not to stay too long. She didn't want us to come, for she's afraid the bears might get us. But I'm not afraid. I could fight a dozen bears. But Peggy's afraid of them."

"I'm not," the girl stoutly protested. "But you are, Tom. And you're afraid of the dark. You wouldn't go from the house to the barn alone at night, and you know it, so there."

Jacynth smiled good-naturedly at the wrangling of these two little ones. She loved them both, and many a happy hour had she spent with them. Their father, Captain William Horn, one of the youngest masters of the famous clipper-ships that sailed from the Port of St. John, had been lost at sea two years before when his ship, the Sea Faun, struck a derelict at night and sank with all on board. Since then Tom and Peggy had lived with their grandparents, while their mother worked in the city to make a living for herself and provide as much as she could for her children. Jacynth had often seen young Mrs. Horn, and always admired her courage and great affection for her two little ones.

"Tell us a story, Jacynth," Peggy begged, as she seated herself comfortably upon the ground.

"What kind of a story, dear?"

"About the Babes in the Wood."

"I don't want to hear that," Tom protested. "That's all right for girls and babies. I want a story about ships and the sea."

"Oh, no, no," Peggy cried. "I'm afraid of the sea. It took our Daddy from us, and now Mummy has to work so hard."

"I'm going to sea when I grow up," Tom declared. "I'm going to be a captain, too. All captains don't get drowned. And I'm going to have a ship just like the Sea Faun and sail round the world. I'll bring you all kinds of lovely things, Peggy, and maybe I'll take you with me once in a while."

"I don't want to go, Tom. I'm going to stay with my Mummy and help her all I can."

"Help her! What can a girl do? But I'll make a lot of money, and then our mother won't have to work so hard."

Jacynth smiled a little sadly as she watched the lad standing so erect before her, his face aglow with eagerness, and his eyes gleaming with the light of enthusiasm. She knew how the sea was calling him, as it had called his father and so many other hardy men who had made a great name for Bluenose skippers and clipper-ships in every port of the world. She herself had often longed to be a man that she, too, might go to sea. Living so near to a large shipping-port, where noble vessels were being constantly built, listening to tales of the sea, and breathing the very atmosphere of shipping, it was but natural that she should long for adventure upon the deep. So she could sympathize with the boy in his desire to follow his father's example.

"I believe you would make a fine captain, Tom," she said. "Your father was brought up here, and he left to be a sailor. You will do the same some day, no doubt, and we shall all be proud of you when you become the master of a great clipper-ship."

"I'll have to go sooner than my father, I guess," Tom replied. "I'm going as cabin boy when I'm a little older. You see, we've got to leave this place and go away. Gran'pa says we'll all have to go to the Poor House now."

"Poor House!" Jacynth exclaimed in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Why, haven't you heard, Jacynth?"

"Heard what?"

"That old Mr. Rayson is going to turn us out."

At these words, Jacynth reached up and clutched the boy by the arm.

"What are you talking about, Tom? I can't believe that Mr. Rayson is going to turn you all out. What for?"

"But it's true. Two men came to our house yesterday and gave Gran'pa a letter. It was from Mr. Rayson, and he says this place is his, and he is going to cut all our big trees. Gran'pa is nearly crazy. He and Gran'ma talked late last night and kept me awake. I don't know what they said, but I heard Gran'ma crying. I never heard her cry before, did you Peggy?"

"No, I never really heard her," the girl thoughtfully replied. "But I saw her cry once when we were talking about my Daddy. Gran'ma was telling me what he was like when he was a boy like you, Tom. I was looking right into her face, and I saw tears rolling down her cheeks. Now, wasn't that crying, Jacynth?"

The latter made no reply, but rose to her feet and brushed some leaves from her dress.

"I am going home with you," she announced. "I was on my way there, anyway, when I saw you two here."

Just then Tom gave a shout and pointed towards the road.

"It's Lad! He's looking for us."

He gave a sharp whistle, and at once the dog lifted his nose from the ground, saw them, bounded forward. He leaped upon Jacynth and almost knocked her down in his frenzied delight, at the same time making the woods re-echo with his frantic barks.

"Down, Lad," she ordered. "You are too rough. Where have you been? Not up to any mischief, I hope?"

Then she suddenly realized that this was the first time she had seen him this morning. And she had not missed him! The thought was startling, for he had always been early at the door eager to get into the house. But today she had not noticed his absence. And she knew the reason.

Affectionately she laid her right hand upon the dog's head. As she did so, she caught sight of a cord about his neck, so deeply embedded in his mass of thick fur that she had not noticed it before. She stooped and examined it carefully.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked. "What has happened to you, Lad?"

"Somebody's been trying to steal him," Tom replied. "See, Lad broke this rope and got away. It's tight around his neck. I'll cut it."

Drawing a knife from his pocket, he severed the cord, at which the dog expressed his gratitude by barking more furiously than ever, and bounding around them like a creature half-crazed.

"He's glad to be free from that," Jacynth remarked. "Why should anyone want to steal my dog?"

"I dunno, Jacynth. But if Mr. Rayson wants this place, maybe there's somebody who wants Lad. He's a great dog, the finest in the world, I guess. He'd fight for you, wouldn't he?"

"He would, Tom. When I have Lad along I feel perfectly safe."

"But no one would want to hurt you, Jacynth. Everybody loves you."

"Bears might, though," Peggy reminded. "They don't love anything."

All at once there flashed before Jacynth's mental vision a face, low and brutal, which brought a sense of fear into her heart. Why should it come to her now? And why should she connect that face with the piece of rope which had been around Lad's neck? It puzzled and worried her as she walked with the children out of the pasture and along the road towards their home.