Judith of Blue Lake Ranch

by Jackson Gregory

  CHAPTER XXXI

  YES, JUDITH WAS WAITING . . .

  At the old cabin above the lake Bud Lee dismounted. His hand in itsrude sling was paining him terribly, demanding some sort of first-aidtreatment. To-morrow he could take it to a doctor; perhaps in an houror so he could get Tripp to look to it; just now he must do what hecould for it himself with hot water and strips torn from an old shirt.

  The hand treated first, it was slow, tedious business seeking to removethe traces of his recent encounter with Trevors; and, though he couldwash his face and manage a change of clothes, there was nothing dapperabout the result. But at length, shaking his head at the bruised facelooking at him from his bit of mirror, he went out to his horse androde down the trail that led to the ranch headquarters. Judith waswaiting for him--that was vastly more important than the fact that hehad a crippled hand and a cut or so upon his face.

  Night had descended, serene with stars. He wondered if the boys wereback yet from the lumber-camp. He had met them, as Carson hadpredicted he would, riding in a close-packed, silent, ominous body. Hefelt assured that they would find no work for them to do at thecompany's office, that Carson was right and Trevors would "be on hisway." But he stopped at the bunk-house.

  No, the boys hadn't come in yet. But there was a message for Lee, justreceived by the cook. It was from Greene, the forester, brief and tothe point:

  Greene had lost no time in finding the sheriff of the adjoining countyat White Rock and in going with him to the cave. They had foundQuinnion. He was dead, the manner of his death clearly indicated. Forhe lay at the foot of the cliffs straight below the cave's mouth, hisface terribly torn and scratched by a mad woman's nails, the mad womanherself lying huddled and still close beside him. He had allowed theescape of her captive; she had accused him after the two of them hadgone back to the cavern, had thrown herself upon him, tearing at hisface, and the two had fallen. Mother and son? Lee shuddered, hopingwithin his heart that Judith had been mistaken. It was too horrible.

  But, such is youth, such is love. Bud Lee promptly forgot both ChrisQuinnion and Mad Ruth as he went through the lilacs to the house. Heremembered how Marcia had flown once to Pollock Hampton when he hadmade a hero of himself, how again just to-day she had gone swiftly tohim because he had made a fool of himself and because it seemed sheloved him. In due time there was going to be a wedding at Blue Lakeranch. A wedding! Just one? Lee hurried on.

  Yes, Judith was waiting for him. She was there in the living-room,curled up on a great couch, lifting her eyes expectantly as his stepsounded on the veranda. A wonderfully gowned, transcendently lovelyJudith; a Judith of bare white arms, round and warm and rich in theirtender curves; a Judith softly, alluringly feminine even in the eyes ofBud Lee, no longer theorist; a Judith whose filmy gown clunglingeringly to her like a sun-shot mist, a Judith whose tender mouthwas a red flower, whose eyes were Aphrodite's own, glorious, dawn-gray,soft with the light shining in them, the unhidden light of love for theman who came toward her swiftly; the Judith he had first held in hisarms and kissed.

  He came in quickly, his heart singing. The color suddenly ran up hotand vivid in the girl's cheeks. Standing over her he put out his hand.But she slipped her own hands behind her.

  "Good evening, Mr. Lee," said Judith brightly. "Really, you have takenyour time in making your first call. Won't you sit down?"

  "No," said Bud Lee gravely. "I'll take mine standing, please!"

  "Like a man to be shot at dawn?" cried Judith. "Dear me, Mr. Lee, thatsounds so tragic. What, pray, are you taking?"

  "A new job," said Lee. "I've come to tell you that just being horseforeman doesn't suit me any longer. What you need and need right awayis a general manager. That's what I want to be, your general manager,Judith. For life!"

  Judith laughed softly, happily. Her hands flew out to him like twolittle homing birds, and she followed them--home.

  "You'll find your work cut out for you, Mr. Lee," she told him.

  "You'll find your work cut out for you."]

  "It's the kind of work I want," answered Bud Lee.

  Then suddenly her arms went about his neck and tears sprang into hereyes and she set her lips to the cut he had sought to cover with hishair, and took his sore, swathed hand tenderly into her own two hands,laying it against her cheek.

  "Carson telephoned me," she whispered, her lips trembling all of asudden. "He told me how Trevors fought . . . and how you fought! Andhe was half crying over the telephone, he was so proud of you. And Iam proud of you! And--oh, Bud Lee, Bud Lee, I love you so!"

  From without came the sound of the Blue Lake boys returning, Carson attheir head. Riding close together they were singing, their voicesfloating through the night in an old cowboy song. Mrs. Simpson heardand ran out into the courtyard to listen. Marcia and Pollock Hampton,lost to all save each other in the shadows far down the veranda,listened, and Marcia clapped her hands. The voices were to be heardfrom afar, the strong voices of a score of men. The strange thing isthat neither Judith nor Bud Lee heard; that neither had the vaguestconsciousness just then that there were in all the world any other,mortals than--Judith and Bud Lee.