Judith of the Godless Valley Part 60

"All right, Douglas! I'll go with you!" she said.

Douglas looked at her as if he scarcely believed the evidence of his ears. Then he flushed. "Thank you, Judith," he said. "Good-night!" and he bolted into the night.

On Sat.u.r.day evening, old Johnny was restless. "I have a feeling like I ought to sleep in the chapel," he said.

"Pshaw!" exclaimed Douglas, who was knotting a wonderful new blue neckerchief around his throat. "Everybody will be at the party. You two keep each other company and have the coffee-pot going for me when I get home."

"Charleton ain't going to be at the party," said Johnny. "I heard Jimmy Day deponing at the post-office to-day that Charleton was still off on a trip."

Douglas hesitated and looked at Mr. Fowler. "Go along, Douglas," said the preacher. "We'll bolt the door and no one is going to bother us two old men. You can't sit over me like a mother hen all the time, you know."

"All right," agreed Douglas. "I suppose I do act like an old woman. I'll be home a little after midnight."

The dance was in full swing by the time Douglas and Judith reached the hall, with all the Lost Chief familiars present except Charleton. Inez came with Scott. The vague feeling of uneasiness that Johnny's report had given him did not leave Douglas, not even when he swung into his first dance with Judith. She looked into his eyes mischievously.

"This is nice, Doug, but is it what you call making love?"

Douglas laughed. "Give me time to find words, Jude!" His arm tightened around her, but his face settled with worried lines.

"What's the matter, Douglas?" asked Judith.

"I don't know. I just have the feeling that something is going wrong."

"It would be a foolish feeling if Charleton were here," said Judith.

"But ever since poor old Prince--you know--I've had the feeling that Charleton was just waiting for a chance to hurt you."

"Has he said anything to you?" quickly.

"Of course not! Charleton is clever. Well, don't let it spoil your evening, Douglas. You knew you were courting trouble when you took the preacher in."

"And I sure have found it!" exclaimed Douglas with sudden cheerfulness.

"If they don't hurt my old sky pilot, I don't care. Come on, Jude, a little more pep, if you please!"

Judith chuckled. "Ah! perhaps this is your idea of love making!"

"You'll recognize it all right when I begin," said Douglas, skilfully steering Jude past his father, who had been visiting the pail in the corner and was swinging Inez in a wild fandango down the center of the room.

Douglas had not the least desire to dance with any one but Judith, and when she danced with other men he wandered uneasily around the room.

About eleven o'clock he missed Scott. "Where's Scott gone?" he asked Jimmy.

"O he only stayed for the first dance! I guess he and Inez had a row."

Douglas scowled thoughtfully and wandered over to the phonograph, which Peter was manipulating.

"Where's Charleton, Peter?"

"He went out after a stray stallion he thinks has wandered up on Lost Chief."

Douglas gave Peter a startled glance. "Jimmy Day just said he'd gone into Mountain City."

Peter shrugged his shoulders. "All I know is what Charleton told me last Monday." He slid a new record into the machine.

"Wait a moment!" Douglas put his hand on the starting-lever. "Isn't that the telephone ringing downstairs?"

Peter listened; then nodded.

"I'll answer it!" exclaimed Douglas.

He dashed downstairs and jerked the receiver off the hook. "I want Doug!

I gotta depone to Doug," came a breathless old voice over the wire.

"Yes, Johnny, here I am! Where are you?"

"At Mary's. They got the preacher, Doug!"

"Who? Be cool now, Johnny, and help me. Who did it?"

"Two men. They had things over their faces and they were loco and they never--never--" Johnny's voice trailed into an incoherent muttering.

Douglas jammed up the receiver and leaped back up the stairs. He spoke hurriedly to Peter. "They've got the preacher. I can't get sense out of Johnny. You take care of Jude."

He jerked on his mackinaw and darted for the door. Peter followed him into the cold starlight.

"Wait a moment, Doug. You'd better let me give a general alarm."

"Maybe they're all in on it!" Douglas paused with his hand on the pommel of his saddle. Then he gave a hoa.r.s.e cry, pointing as he did so at Dead Line Peak. "Peter! There's a fire up there!"

He leaped into the saddle and drove the spurs home. The Moose broke into a gallop. A moment later there were shouts on the trail behind him.

"Keep going, old trapper! The birthday party is with you!" roared Jimmy Day.

Douglas did not reply. He saw the flames leap higher as he covered the miles. He felt rage mounting swiftly within him, rage that was akin to what he had felt over the shooting of old Prince, but a thousand times more poignant. But he handled the old Moose coolly. Up the ever-rising trail, between drifted fences, up and up, with the Moose groaning for breath, until the quivering aspens showed clear and black against the leaping flames.

He threw himself from his horse, conscious now of a confusion of voices behind him, of dogs barking, horses groaning and squealing, and coyotes shrieking excitedly from the blue spruce thicket behind the corral. The cabin and the chapel were in full flame. Old Johnny limped up to Douglas. Douglas put a gentle hand on the quivering old shoulder.

"Johnny, when did they come?"

"Right soon."

"You mean after I had gone."

"Yes. They broke the window out. I knew it would happen. This is an awful gregus bad valley."

"Steady now, old boy! Did they hurt the sky pilot?"

"No. They tied him up and took him away. Then I rode down to telephone and they burned it."

"Who was it, Johnny?"