Читать книгу The X Bar X Boys at Nugget Camp - Roger Garis - Страница 7

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“Then—” Teddy Manley began, and stopped. “I see,” he said after a minute. “They plugged him, robbed him, and took his bronc.” His voice was low—bitter. “The spirit of the West! Romance! Well, we can do very well without that. Blamed cowards!” He clenched his fist. “Why couldn’t they take his money and call it a day? What did they have to—murder—him for?”

Roy placed a hand on his brother’s arm.

“Take it easy, boy,” he said slowly. “Talking won’t do a bit of good. We’ll have to wait and hear his story. Then, perhaps—”

The fire gradually died out of Teddy’s eyes. He realized that his brother was right, that it would do no bit of good to avenge the wounded man mentally. There would be time to take up the chase of the highwaymen after their charge was delivered into the hands of a doctor.

They reached the 8 X 8 without the man regaining consciousness. Mrs. Ball, a motherly woman who had within her the courage of the plains, was waiting for them at the door of the ranch house. She hurried forward as she saw the car pull into the yard.

“Where is he?” she exclaimed, although she plainly observed the figure in the rear. “Now, then—”

Bug Eye brought the car to a stop and Mrs. Ball fairly leaped to the running board.

“The poor soul! The poor soul! The doctor will be here any minute. I sent the girls upstairs and told them to stay there. This is no sight for them. Bug Eye, you take them horses to the back. All right, boys, bring him into the front room. I fixed the cot.” She looked again at the sunken cheeks of the old man. “Ah, the poor soul!” she muttered. “He’s going to have a bad time of it!”

Carefully the Manley boys lifted the sufferer out and bore him into the house. Nell and Ethel, wide-eyed, were leaning over the banisters. Belle Ada was sitting composedly on the top step. She saw Roy, and noticed the cut on his forehead.

“I’m going down,” she announced definitely. Wisely, she said nothing to the others of her brother’s injury. “You two stay here. No use crowding around him.”

Nell nodded, rather white of face. She had no wish to view the proceedings from a closer point.

Belle walked down the stairs calmly and when the man had been laid on the cot she approached Roy.

“What happened to you?” she asked in a low voice.

He turned swiftly.

“Nothing of any account, Sis,” he answered. “Tell you later. I got hurt a little trying to catch Nell’s bronc. Say, you’d better get some water boiling.”

Belle started toward the kitchen without a word. She was not unused to emergencies.

Mrs. Ball was doing all in her power to make the man comfortable. As the two boys stood there, contemplating the figure on the cot, the front door opened and the doctor entered, followed by Mr. Ball.

One glance Peter Ball took at the wounded man.

“Stranger,” he said briefly. “Miner, from his clothes. All right, doc, he’s yours. We’re waitin’.”

The doctor, a young chap but newly arrived in that section, seemed a trifle nervous. He set his bag on the floor and opened it. The moment he started to work, however, his nervousness disappeared. His entire thought was concentrated on the case before him.

“Boiling water,” he said sharply. “Where is it? Should have been ready!”

“It is,” a girl’s voice replied. “Here.”

Belle handed him a kettle and placed a basin at his side. Strangely enough, although the young doctor had scarcely looked at the others in the room, he glanced swiftly up at Belle and smiled.

“Thanks,” he said. “I didn’t mean to speak shortly. But I’ve got to work fast.”

The bandage about the man’s neck was removed and a thick stream of blood welled out. Mrs. Ball grew white, and leaned against her husband.

“I guess—after all—” she faltered.

“Out you go, honey, with me,” Peter Ball said simply. “This ain’t for you. There’s enough in here as it is.” He led her to the stairs and up.

The doctor looked swiftly about him. “I need some one—” he began, and fixed his gaze on Belle.

“Could I?” she asked eagerly. “I’m not afraid, you know.”

“I know you’re not,” was the quiet reply. “Now, boys, if you’ll just leave us alone for a while—I could work better. Mind?”

“Sure not!” Teddy answered heartily. He watched his sister for a moment, then turned to Roy. “Let’s go,” he said softly. “Belle is all right.”

They walked across the room and out of the door. Bug Eye was leaning against the railing, his eyes wide with anticipation.

“How is he? Find out who he was? Is he hurt bad? How much was he robbed of? Say, I bet—”

“Get a cinch-strap on that tongue of yours,” Roy said calmly. “Feels like a wind coming up.”

“Aw, but listen,” the puncher protested. “I want to know—”

“So do we,” Teddy interrupted. “But we don’t, yet. The doc’s in there fixing him up. By the way, Roy, when he comes out—” Teddy nodded significantly.

“Forget it!” his brother exclaimed. “You mean this scratch? I can’t tell it’s there.”

“Say, jingo, I never noticed that!” Bug Eye declared excitedly. “They get you too, Roy?” The puncher at this moment resembled a small boy who has just seen a circus wagon tip over. “When did that happen? The blamed polecats! Well, scorch my pants—”

“Switch over—you’re on the wrong track,” Roy said, with a grin. “This has got nothing to do with—him.” He jerked an expressive thumb. “I fell into the river and struck a rock. Teddy helped pull me out. That’s why we’re both rather damp. That’s all!”

“Oh,” said Bug Eye weakly. “I see.”

“Well, you old galoot!” Teddy cried. “I actually believe you’re disappointed! I bet you’d rather have him shot, wouldn’t you? Say, you have a fine nerve!”

“That ain’t so!” Bug Eye protested. “I thought maybe—”

“I know. I was only kidding,” Teddy said in a lower voice. “But we have other things to worry about now. I’d like to find out how much he was robbed of, if he was robbed.” He walked toward the corral, a little distance from the ranch house. “Let’s sit,” he suggested, and climbed to the top rail.

Roy and Bug Eye followed Teddy’s example.

“Say, one of the boys is fixin’ your bronc up,” Bug Eye said suddenly. “He’s got quite a few scratches, Roy.”

“I’m going to have a look,” the boy said quickly. “Be back soon.” He jumped to the ground.

Teddy and Bug Eye watched him go.

“He’ll go an’ do the very same thing to Star that Jules Kolto just did,” Bug Eye said musingly. “Sure loves that bronc. Well, Teddy?”

“You want the story?” Teddy answered, grinning. “It isn’t very long. Roy and I were coming in from capturing the pony that Nell got spilled from. As we were passing those woods, we heard a yell. Then a shot. Then we found him. The rest you know.” He said nothing about his rescue of Roy, believing, and rightly, that Bug Eye was too excited over the wounded man to make any inquiries.

“Say, you think he’s gonna cash in?” the puncher demanded.

Teddy shook his head.

“Can’t say. I sure hope not. But he’s got a mighty bad wound—right through the neck. How the bullet missed the jugular vein I don’t see. He sure had Providence looking after him.”

“Old guy, ain’t he? Looks like a miner. Think he’s any relation to Pop Burns?”

“Oh, you noticed it too, did you? He certainly looks enough like him to be his brother. Wonder what his name is?”

“Maybe we’ll never know that.” Bug Eye kicked somberly at a lower rail. “It’ll be bad business if he cashes in his checks.”

“Forget that kind of talk,” Teddy said sharply. “I have an idea that he’ll pull through.” He hesitated a moment. “Say, what’s the doc’s name?”

“Ring, I think. Don’t know his first name. Seems like a good feller.”

“He does, for a fact.” Teddy examined his thumb carefully. “Hope Belle won’t get sick, helping him. She’s not so old to be doing that sort of thing.”

“Belle is plenty there,” Bug Eye exclaimed decidedly, if not too clearly. “She won’t welsh.”

“Anyhow, I’ll take a look and see,” Teddy said suddenly. “I think it would be all right to go in now.”

He and Bug Eye climbed to the ground and started for the house. As they neared the entrance, Belle appeared at the door. Her cheeks were a little pale, but, otherwise, she was perfectly composed.

“He’s conscious,” she said clearly. “And Doctor Ring says he has a good chance. Where’s Roy?”

“Looking after Star. How do you feel, Belle? Did you—”

She shook her head.

“Didn’t bother me in the least. I’m thirteen, you know—almost fourteen. Say, Teddy, you and Roy are wanted inside.” She held the door open. “The man who was hurt has been asking for you.”