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Drowsily she was sinking into slumber again when she heard the rapid clip-clop of trotting horses. Startled, she raised her head to listen. The men were coming back. Relief and dread seemed to clear her stupor. The trotting horses stopped across the lane from her cabin, evidently at the corral where she had left Spades. She heard him whistle.
Mike shook his head and lifted a finger for silence. Then the girls heard a faint clip-clop of hoof-beats on the rocky trail leading along Top Notch. "Two tenderfut 'mos' catch up. We-all wait an' talkee," suggested Mike, settling himself in his saddle to await the riders. "Mike's right, because they will only follow us and find out where our claim is located, if we start on now," added Polly.
Neale had made her aware of her beauty, and she was proud of it, since it seemed to be such a strange treasure to him. On the May morning that Slingerland left her alone she was startled by the clip-clop of horses trotting up the trail a few hours after his departure. Her first thought was that Neale and Larry had returned. All her being suddenly radiated with rapture. She flew to the door.
Lulled by the creaking of the harness and swaying to the clip-clop of the animal the good man progressed through the delightful countryside, his hands crossed on his stomach, three-quarters asleep from the effect of warmth and wellbeing. Suddenly, as he was entering the town, a loud hail woke him up. "He! You, you great lump! You're Monsieur Tartarin aren't you?"
In the soft light her eyes seemed unnaturally large and black and fearful. Clip-clop! clip-clop! The horse stopped outside. Then followed a metallic clink of spur against stirrup thud of boots on hard ground heavy footsteps upon the porch. A swift, cold contraction of throat, of breast, convulsed Shefford. His only thought was that he could not think. "Ho Mary!"
Her mind was as busy as her hands. As she cleaned and swept and dusted she heard from time to time the voices of men, the clip-clop of shod horses, the bellow of cattle. And a considerable time elapsed before she was disturbed. A tall shadow darkened the doorway. "Howdy, little one!" said a lazy, drawling voice. "So y'u-all got home?" Ellen looked up.
And there, feeling dirty and tired, and slowly wearing to the old depression, she composed herself to wait. Suddenly she heard the clip-clop of hoofs. "There! that's Glenn," she cried, gladly, and rising, she ran to the door. She saw a big bay horse bearing a burly rider. He discovered her at the same instant, and pulled his horse. "Ho!
Shefford saw her plainly, and the slender form had stiffened, alert and strained. She was listening. "What was that?" she whispered. "I didn't hear anything," he whispered back. He stepped softly nearer the open window and listened. Clip-clop! clip-clop! clip-clop! Hard hoofs on the hard path outside! A strong and rippling thrill went over Shefford.
Polly smiled, but she knew her friend's suggestion for her going, too, would have no backing from any one at her home. Saturday dawned and every one at Pebbly Pit was on the lookout for the adventurers, as they surely would not remain on the mountain over another Sunday! But it was late in the afternoon when the clip-clop of horses' hoofs rang out over the crater of the ranch.
Then a few lights twinkled in the darkness that enveloped the cabins; a woman's laugh strangely broke the silence, profaning it, giving the lie to that somber yoke which seemed to consist of the very shadows; the voices of men were heard, and then the slow clip-clop of trotting horses on the hard trail.
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