Blue Bonnet's Ranch Party

by Lillian Elizabeth Roy

  CHAPTER VI

  AN ADVENTURE

  "HAVE you decided, Grandmother," asked Blue Bonnet, "whether or not wecan go to Jonah this morning?"

  "I think you may as well go," said Mrs. Clyde. "If they have nosuitable material at Jonah, we shall have to send away for it, and thesooner we know the better. And, besides, we need several things forthe house."

  Blue Bonnet smiled gratefully. Grandmother was so sweetlyreasonable--most of the time. To her surprise Sarah was the only oneof the girls who greeted the proposal with any enthusiasm. The otherslooked listless and heavy-eyed.

  "I feel tired all over," said Debby.

  "I can't move my arms without groaning," complained Amanda.

  "I'm as stiff as a poker," added Kitty mournfully.

  Sarah looked wise. "It's the swimming," she declared.

  "Trying to swim," Blue Bonnet corrected her. "I'm not tired or stiff."

  "If trying to swim has made us feel this way, why doesn't Sarah makeher little moan?" demanded Kitty.

  Sarah looked still wiser. "I was so stiff before that I think swimmingjust limbered me up," she explained delightedly. Sarah could not helpfeeling a little very human satisfaction at the consciousness that shehad borne her sufferings with far greater courage than the others nowdisplayed.

  "I couldn't ride a mile," groaned Kitty.

  "Nor I!" declared both Debby and Amanda.

  "Then, Senorita Blake, do we go by our lones?" asked Blue Bonnet.

  "I'd love to," Sarah assented readily, beating down a nagging fear ofComanche's eyes.

  "Then let's hurry and dress. We must start while it's cool."

  "I think you will have to drive, dear," said her grandmother, lookingup from the shopping list she was making. "Lisa says we must havelaundry soap, and I don't see how you can bring a big box unless youtake the buckboard."

  Blue Bonnet's face fell. "Lisa's always wanting soap," she grumbled.

  "I should love to drive," Sarah suggested wistfully.

  Blue Bonnet hesitated; after all a hostess should consider a guest'spreference, and Sarah was certainly a "good sort." "Very well," sheassented, smothering a sigh.

  "Have you all decided what color you want your bathing-suits?" askedthe Senora.

  "Let's have them all alike," suggested Sarah.

  "Red!" exclaimed Blue Bonnet.

  "No, thank you," returned Kitty. "Pray consider the feelings of myhair! I'm willing to have any color so long as--"

  "--so long as it's green!" Blue Bonnet finished for her, recollectingformer debates of this sort.

  "Green is lovely for swimming, anyway," Kitty contended. "It's somermaidy, you know."

  "And so becoming to red--er--auburn hair," put in Blue Bonnet. "Havingblue eyes myself, I'm not partial to green."

  "Oh, if you're going to insist on harmony of colors I think we hadbetter stick to black and blue--I'm one big bruise." Kitty illustratedher remark with a groan.

  "Yes, I've seen blue trimmed with black and it was very pretty," saidSarah, quite missing Kitty's point.

  "Here, Grandmother, please make a list. Now, everybody, decide. Redfor me. Debby, what shall yours be?"

  "Red with white braid, please," replied Debby after a moment'sthought.

  "Blue with white ditto," was Amanda's choice.

  "Green," came from Kitty.

  "Black and blue,"--this from the consistent Sarah.

  "I think you will have to change the name of your club from the 'Weare Sevens' to 'The Rainbow Quintet,'" said the Senora, laughing asshe wrote down the variegated list.

  After all it was a delightful drive to Jonah. The two fleet horsesdrew the light buckboard over the smooth road with a motion that Sarahfound far preferable to the cat-like leaps of Comanche; and BlueBonnet was so proud of being trusted to drive a team that she wasquite reconciled to the arrangement.

  "Denham would have fainted if I had even suggested drivingGrandmother's carriage horses," she told Sarah, with a scornful snifffor those fat Woodford beasts.

  "You drive beautifully," was Sarah's comforting rejoinder.

  To their great satisfaction they found just what they wanted in Jonah.Alpaca was to be had in almost every shade, and wide white braid thatmade an excellent trimming. And to Blue Bonnet's delight she found abright red sash that would add the finishing touch of elegance to hersuit. Their shopping done and the buckboard well-heaped with theirvaried purchases, the two girls drove back as far as Kooch's ranch,where, according to an immemorial custom, they lunched and resteduntil the cool of the afternoon. On the return trip they met with anadventure.

  The road ran for a short distance beside the little river with the bigname--San Franciscito--which had so amused Alec. It was there thatSarah did something unprecedented. For several miles she had beenenvying Blue Bonnet her easy manner of handling the reins and thelight touch that sent the mustangs right or left as she willed. It wasa beautiful accomplishment.

  "Blue Bonnet," she asked suddenly, "may I drive for a little while?"

  Blue Bonnet looked up in speechless surprise; Sarah was certainly"coming on." "Surely you may," she said cordially, straightway handingover the reins. "Hold them firmly--these colts are apt to run under aloose rein."

  Sarah felt a curious sense of power as she grasped the leather in herunpracticed hands. Conscientious to a degree, she did as she was bidand held the mustangs firmly. In her anxiety to do the thing properly,she overdid it, and the next moment the horses were tossing theirheads angrily and backing with all their might. The bank of the streamjust here was very high and steep, though just beyond was a ford wherethe road branched. The light buckboard offered no resistance to thespirited mustangs, and, in a second, before Blue Bonnet could graspthe reins, one hind wheel had slipped an inch or two over the ledge.For a second or two the girls were in grave danger. Blue Bonnet felt aswift overpowering fear; the half-broken colts were as apt to plungebackward as to advance if they felt the whip, and that meant a plungedown the steep bank. She looked about her helplessly. Sarah, with afaint shriek, shut her eyes and prepared for the catastrophe.

  At that moment a horseman came suddenly up the bank at the ford,emerging as if from out the earth. At a glance he took in thesituation, was off his horse, caught the near colt by the bit andbrought both frightened animals to a standstill with the wheel a safemargin from the bank. Then without waiting to hear the faintlymurmured thanks of the terrified girls, their rescuer turned at onceto his own horse, which had seized the moment to make a break forfreedom. The boy--for he was hardly more--had thrown the lines overthe animal's head and now, with another of his incredibly swiftmovements, he caught them and in a second more had jerked the horseabout. Then in a flash he was once more in the saddle. Blue Bonnet hadjust managed to catch her breath,--when it was taken away again. Forbefore the boy had put his right foot in the stirrup, he was out ofthe saddle once more, lying all of a heap in the grass, while hishorse with a wicked kick-up of his heels, vanished around a turn inthe road.

  Not daring to trust the reins out of her hands a second time, BlueBonnet almost pushed Sarah from her seat. Fearfully the girlapproached and bent over the fallen hero; to her relief she saw thathis eyes were open. He blinked queerly for a moment, then gave a gaspylittle laugh.

  "I'm all right. Don't worry. It's knocked the breath out of me--that'sall," he managed to say at last; and then, after another pause, hescrambled up to a sitting posture.

  "I'm so sorry," said Sarah, finding her voice. "I hope you're notseriously hurt."

  "I'm--quite whole!" he assured her, and stopped with a wince of pain."It's my wrist, I reckon--broken or sprained." He examined the injuredmember closely and after a vain attempt to lift it said briefly:"Broken. Isn't that the limit?"

  "Oh, dear," exclaimed Sarah, all sympathy. "What shall we do?" Sheapproached Blue Bonnet with a very serious face. "We shall have to geta doctor to set his arm right away," she said in a low tone. "You knowthe bones go crooked if they're not set soon."

  "If h
e can get up into the buckboard we can take him to the doctor,that'll be quicker," replied Blue Bonnet.

  Sarah went back to the boy. He still sat, rather dazed and white,looking disgustedly at his injured arm. "Say," she beganhesitatingly; she wished she knew his name--"say" was so plebeian;"--are you too badly hurt to get into the buckboard?"

  "No, indeed," he replied cheerfully. "Be--with you--in a minute. Butsorry--to trouble you."

  "It's no trouble," said Sarah. "We're terribly sorry about your arm."

  "Nothing much,--only a bother," he maintained stoutly, setting histeeth as he said it and scrambling to his feet. Then he swayed andwould have fallen if Sarah had not caught him. He clung to her for amoment, fighting the dizziness with all the pride of his seventeenyears, then giving in sheepishly, let her lead him to the buckboard.Once there he leaned weakly against the wheel, while the two girls,anxious and frightened, yet too considerate of his feelings to showtheir concern, watched him in speechless sympathy. At last hestraightened up and gave a short, embarrassed laugh.

  "Reckon I've got a funny-bone in my head," he said impatiently. Thensteadying himself with his right hand he climbed slowly into the backseat of the buckboard.

  "We'd better go to Jonah at once, don't you think--for the doctor?"Blue Bonnet asked him.

  "Is it far?" he asked. Blue Bonnet looked her surprise and he added:"I don't know these parts. I'm camping up at the Big Spring and wasjust riding down this way looking for a place they call Kooch's."

  "Why, we've just come from there," exclaimed Blue Bonnet.

  "Then it is near?" he asked. "I'd begun to think I must have taken thewrong road."

  "Just a mile or two back," explained Blue Bonnet.

  "Then if you will kindly take me there, I'll not trouble you anyfurther," the youth said eagerly.

  "But you must have your arm set right away," protested Sarah.

  "Well, if the man I was looking for is at Kooch's, maybe he can setit," he replied, adding, "He's a 'medic' from Chicago--a friend of acousin of mine. Left college on account of lung trouble, and I heardhe was camping on Kooch's ground somewhere."

  "Maybe it was his tent we saw back there a ways," said Sarah. "That'squite near."

  Blue Bonnet turned the horses and driving very slowly, so as not tohurt the boy's injured arm, went back over the road they had justtraversed. It was not long before they came in sight of the tent sheand Sarah had noticed; a rather high fence prevented her approachingit very closely, and she stopped just opposite the camp.

  "I reckon you'll have to go and see if the man's there, Sarah," saidBlue Bonnet.

  Sarah looked fearfully at the high fence. "I just know I can't getover."

  Blue Bonnet gave her a withering glance. "You--Woodfordite!" was theworst epithet she dared trust herself to before a stranger. "Thenyou'll have to hold the horses. There's no river to spill intohere--and you don't have to pull them over backwards."

  "There's no need, really," the young fellow interrupted. "I can bringAbbott if he's here." He raised his right hand, put the tips of twofingers to his lips and blew. The shrillest, most penetrating whistlethe girls had ever heard pierced the air, causing the colts to lungeforward in a way that might have precipitated another catastrophe, hadnot Blue Bonnet's little steel wrist brought them up sharply.

  At the summons a tall lanky figure appeared from within the tent andstood peering under his hand at the occupants of the buckboard. Theyouth whistled again, this time only with his lips,--a bird-like call."That's his frat whistle. Ought to bring him."

  And bring him it did. The lanky figure deserted the tent and with aneager stride crossed the meadow and came up to the fence. After onescrutinizing glance at the girls his eye fell on the boy and hegrinned broadly.

  "Hullo, Knight!--is it really you? Glad to see you, old chap!"

  "Hello, Doc. How am I going to get over this hospitable fence ofyours?" returned the boy, with an abruptness born of an aching wrist."My nag threw me and I've broken my left arm. Know anybody that canset it?" He winked impudently at the fledgling doctor.

  The latter beamed with professional delight. "Just my line, dear boy.I wish it had been your leg, now,--I do those beautifully!"

  "Or my neck--I don't doubt it. But this is quite enough, thank you,"retorted the boy. He was white with pain and yet could joke!--it wasthe sort of pluck Blue Bonnet admired.

  "If your cousin will drive down to the gate,--" the young mansuggested.

  The boy looked a trifle embarrassed. "This isn't my cousin," hereplied. "These gir--er--young ladies picked me up after my spilland--"

  "I'm Elizabeth Ashe," Blue Bonnet supplied, coloring slightly.

  "Of the Blue Bonnet ranch?" asked the medico, and at her affirmativenod he added, "I've met Mr. Ashe."

  "This is Doctor Abbott," said the boy, striving to make theintroduction easily, though one could see that such social amenitieswere not a matter of habit with him.

  "I can't claim that title yet," the "doctor" protested. "My friendsbestowed it when I was a freshman. I hope to earn it yet. Now,Knight,--about that arm. If Miss Ashe will drive on--there's a gate ahundred yards down the road. It isn't big enough to drive through, butI'll meet you there. I've some bandages in my tent. Be with you in aminute."

  He appeared at the little gate bearing a most professional lookingleather case and various packages that emitted queer odors. Hisenjoyment of the operation in store was plain.

  "Hadn't I better go over to the tent with you?" asked the patient. Tohave an arm set with two strange girls looking on was evidently not tohis taste.

  "Too far for you to walk if you feel as shaky as you look," saidDoctor Abbott, his keen eyes taking in young Knight's pale face andtwitching lips. "And I may need assistance." He sprang lightly intothe seat beside the patient and made a rapid examination. The girlsresolutely kept their eyes away, but they could hear the boy's quickbreathing. He made no other sound.

  "A sprain, my boy," was the verdict which the girls heard with vastrelief.

  "Only a sprain?" asked Knight in an injured tone. "Then what makes ithurt so like the mischief?"

  "A sprain hurts worse than a fracture, sometimes, but it is lessserious and will heal quicker," said the doctor. "I've just the rightthing here and will fix you up in no time."

  The next five minutes were bad ones for the sufferer; Sarah and BlueBonnet knew it, though they still stared off over the meadow and triedto chat unconcernedly, while the hurried breathing of the boycontinued.

  "There you are!" The girls turned to see the young man viewing hiswork and the neat bandage with approval, while Knight, with his lipsstill trembling, looked up at him with forced cheerfulness. "You'llhave to keep it still for a few days,--wish we had some sort of asling." Abbott knit his brow.

  Knight touched the bandanna about his neck. "How about this?"

  Abbott tried it but found it too short. Blue Bonnet had one of hersudden inspirations. Diving down underneath the seat she fished up oneof the many packages. Under the interested eyes of the others sheopened it and then held up something bright and silky.

  "Your red sash!" gasped Sarah.

  "Will it do?" Blue Bonnet asked the doctor anxiously.

  "Just the thing!" he exclaimed; and in a minute had slung hispatient's arm in the scarlet folds of the sash.

  "I say," Knight protested, "I hate like everything to take this fromyou, Miss Ashe."

  Blue Bonnet gave him a bright smile. "I'm very glad to have it proveso useful. Sarah called me frivolous when I bought it."

  The boy looked uncomfortable but was forced to submit, vowing inwardlythat he would buy her the "fanciest article in the sash line" thatChicago could boast, to make up for the loss of her finery.

  "Now, my friend," said the young surgeon, as he gathered up hisinstrument case in a professional manner, "I must see that wrist inthe morning. Where are you staying?"

  The youth colored; it was evident that he had expected an invitationto stay with his friend. Blue Bonnet spoke
up at once: "You must comewith us to the ranch. Uncle would never forgive me if I let you stayanywhere else."

  "Sorry I can't ask you to stay with me," Abbott said, observing theboy's confusion. "But I've only a cot built for one, you know. You'llbe a heap more comfortable at the Blue Bonnet ranch than in myquarters. I'll ride over in the morning and take a look at you."

  With the matter thus taken out of his hands, Knight had to submit."It's mighty good of you," he said to Blue Bonnet.

  "Not at all," she returned heartily. "I'd have to do a great deal toget even!"

  "That wasn't anything," he protested. Then, turning to the doctor, heremarked with a return of his usual humor: "So long, Doc--hope youhaven't injured me for life. Bring over your bill in the morning!"