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There was again the rattle and creak, the whirl of hoofs, and in the breathless stillness that lasted for a few seconds, there came to the strained ears in the Golden Cloud the clip-clap of a singlefooter as the great El Rey led out of town. Then Buck Courtrey, flushed and unsmiling, sent his coldly narrowed eyes over the crowded room, man by man.
"That's a funny name," remarked Janet. "It's how his feet sound when he runs," explained Teddy. "Don't you know clip-clap, clip-clap!" and he imitated the sound of a pony as best he could. "Oh, yes!" exclaimed Janet. "They do go that way." "I haven't heard this one run," added Teddy, "'cause he's sick and he can't gallop.
I was picturing the scene of our arrival the shade and the repose, the long, cool drinks, the friendly hum of the bazaars and wondering what letters I should find awaiting me, all to the tune of 'Onward, Christian soldiers' for the clip-clap of a horse's hoofs invariably beats out in my brain some tune, the most incongruous, against my will when a sudden outcry roused me.
On the following day the blatant cocks of the shrill "Clarion" stood guard at either end of the paper's new golden text. Dr. Surtaine sat in Little George's best chair, beaming upon the world. By habit, the big man was out of his seat with his dime and nickel in the bootblack's ready hand, almost coincidently with the final clip-clap of the rhythmic process.
Time and again she stirred and sighed, and they knew that once again she waited for Jim Last, listened for the clip-clap of El Rey coming home along the sounding ranges. Once, on a night when there was no moon and the tree-toads sang in the cottonwoods by the spring, the girl, sitting so in the familiar window, suddenly dropped her head on her knees and sobbed sharply in the silence.
"And so it was," suddenly declared Bobbie. "Jane Allen has made it so and I'm for a full A.B. course at old Wellington! Let gossips do their worst," and she capered ahead to the playful clip-clap of Firefly, every step indicating the relief she was experiencing. "If Bobbie feels that way I am sure I should not hold out," relented Shirley. "In fact, both Ted and I have our own incomes now.
Silently the riders grouped about her and listened. Sure enough. Down along the range that rang as some open stretches do, there came the clip-clap of a hurrying horse, only now the hoof beats were regular for a little space, to break, halt, start on, and again ring true in the beautiful syncopation of the born singlefooter.
This he knew he had no right to do; she had conferred no such privilege upon him; and he was obliged to be careful of what he did and said lest half a thousand bright unwinking eyes wink too knowingly lest frivolous tongues go clip-clap, and idle brains infer that which, alas! did not exist except in his vision of desire. The Hither Woods had been hung with myriads of lanterns.
Everywhere the surface was starred and ringed and spattered by the jumping fish; and now they could hear them far out, splash! slap! clip-clap! splash! hundreds and hundreds jumping incessantly, so that the surface of the water was constantly broken over the entire expanse.
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