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Through the window they could see Alida’s dress glimmering, like a phantom in the darkness, as she strained her eyes towards the path. Peter hated to leave the women and children in this desolate place. The night was far spent. To reach the round-up in season, he could at best snatch a couple of hours’ sleep and be again in the saddle while the stars still shone.
Young Judith it was who all unwittingly had told the lynchers that her father was at home, and in Alida’s heart there was towards this child a blind, unreasoning hate. Better had she never been born than live to do this thing! It was the wee man, Jim, who first began to reflect resentfully on this intrusion on his slumbers.
But the fight had all gone out of Alida’s voice; it was the groan of an animal in a trap. "Where’s papa gone to?" "Sh-sh, Judith! Topeka, keep your sister quiet." It was absolutely still, within and without, for a full minute. Then Alida heard the shoving of shoulders against the door. Once, twice, thrice the lock resisted them. The brown bureau spun across the room like a child’s toy.
Jim could feel the thudding of Alida’s heart as she clung to him, but when the knock was repeated a new courage came to her, and she left Jim and went on her knees close to the outer wall. "Jim, is that you?" she called, and now every sense was trained to battle; her voice had even a sleepy cadence, as if she had been suddenly roused. "That won’t do at all, Miz Rodney.
She pointed to it, and stood helpless with the dangling rope in her hand. "Are we too late?" Judith almost whispered, as she caught Alida’s cold, inert hands. "I dreamed it all and came. If I could have dreamed it sooner!" Alida did not seem to hear, neither could she speak. She only pointed again to the thing beside her. Judith understood.
"They’d be, by the sound of them, on the straight bit of road now, before the turn. Soon we’ll hear their hoofs ring hollow as they cross the plank bridge." His plainsman’s faculty was as keen as ever; his calculation of the horsemen’s distance was made as though he were the least concerned. All Alida’s courage had gone, with the dread thing at hand. She clung to him, dazed.
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