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Rabbit, fried on a stove-lid, makes a pretty satisfying meal when eating ceases to be a pleasure and becomes a necessity. Sundown wisely reserved a portion of his kill for future consumption. As the morning grew warmer, he fell asleep in the shade of the ranch-house. Late in the afternoon he wakened, went into the house and made coffee.
I want to watch one of you cross the threshold for the first time." Dicksie, moving ahead, retreated with a laugh. "You first, then, Marion." "No, Dicksie, you." "Never! you first." So Marion, quite red and wretchedly ill at ease, walked into the ranch-house first. Sinclair shone nowhere better than as a host.
There was no response. He stalked across to the ranch-house. He found the door unlocked. "Hi! Tony!" he called. No one answered. He pushed the door open and entered. Holding the lantern above his head he peered around the room. In the dim light of the lantern vague outlines took shape. He noticed that the small safe in the corner was open. He became alarmed and again called.
They had reached the verge of the scrub and the front of the ranch-house faced them barely twenty yards distant. They could discern a faint light glimmering around the lower edge of one of the windows. "He is in!" whispered Slavin exultantly. "Blinds down though. 'Tis a quare custom av his. Come on thin, Yorkey, me bould second-in-command!
He rode hard and there was a look of anxiety in his eyes when he came upon his friend smoking thoughtfully in the big living-room of the ranch-house. It was late evening and a week after the departure of Howard's guests. Howard dragged his boot heels down from the table top when he saw who it was and jumped to his feet his hand outstretched. 'Hello, John old boy, he cried warmly.
The vaquero with them rode forward and pointed to the valley below, where the ranch-house huddled in a pellucid sea of moonlight. "That's the Rocking Chair, sir." Presently there came a shout from the ranch, and a man galloped toward them. He passed Bucky with a wave of his hand and made directly for Henderson. "Dave!
But Kate did not feel at liberty to make of Belle a confidant in everything certainly not in what happened at home; so she neither said anything to Belle nor asked of her any explanation of things that she herself did not understand such as guarded and more frequent consultations between her father and Van Horn, Pettigrew and Stone; and such as men riding up with a clatter to the ranch-house at night and calling Doubleday out and calling for Van Horn who often now spent the night at the ranch and left before daybreak.
Before his mount had come to a standstill, Bud was out of his saddle fumbling with the catch. When he swung it open, Stratton dashed through, swiftly crossed the shallow creek, and galloped up the long, easy slope beyond. A chill struck him as the ranch-house loomed up, ominously black and desolate as any long-deserted dwelling.
At length the last sheep was shorn, the last sack marked, the pools on that interesting figure, the total clip of the year, decided, and the shearers in motley tableau assembled in the ranch-house, before the table, to have their paper slips redeemed.
He stared after her a moment, shrugged, turned his back, and strode rapidly toward the Ranch Number Ten corrals. He had planned correctly; he had correctly measured Blenham's impulses and desires. Further, he had come in time, just in time. The light was in the ranch-house. Though but little after eleven o'clock it was dark within the bunk-house, the men long ago asleep.
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