Lost Pueblo (1992) by Zane Grey Page B

sombrero she saw him come into sight. He gave a violent start. Leaping out of the saddle he ran to her. His action, his look were unaccountably sweet to Janey. It was hard to close her eyes.
    Evidently he stopped to gaze down upon her a moment, for there was a silence, then he knelt to lay a hand on her shoulder.
    "Now, what's the matter?" he inquired, with more doubt than sympathy.
    Janey stirred and sat up.
    "I fell off my horse," she said.
    "What for?"
    "Guess I got dizzy or something. You must have hurt me internally. Or I wrenched my side--anyway I had a terrible pain."
    "That's too bad. I'm sorry. I never calculated on any weakness, physical or mental." He was studying her face with deep inscrutable eyes, and despite his words he was not sympathetic.
    "Weak! Why I'm bordering on nervous collapse right now," returned Janey.
    "Yes, I observed how weak you were--physically," he said. "You could probably throw me in a catch-as-catch-can wrestling match. And when you hit me on my nose--with your fist--well, you came very near being alone for a while."
    Janey gave him a searching look. "Will you take me back to the post?"
    "Certainly not."
    "But if I'm hurt or ill."
    "You're going to Beckyshibeta in any event."
    "Beckyshibeta? Why, that's a long way, you told me."
    "Sure. It's far away, and lonely too, believe me. No one will find us there."
    "How long do we--do you mean to keep me prisoner there?"
    "I have no idea how long it will take for you to change--or die."
    "Oh!... Very well, you can bury me at Beckyshibeta," concluded Janey, getting up wearily.
    She refused his proffered assistance, and made a fine effort at mounting, as if some of her bones were broken. And she rode on, thinking that the weak-sister stuff would not work with Phil Randolph. She must slowly recover her strength and become a veritable amazon. Perhaps some accident would occur that might be calculated to frighten even her, though she could not imagine what it could be. Then she would try the clinging vine. Even Phil Randolph would fall for that. But it must be something over which a modern girl could safely lose her nerve. A terrible storm or a flood! Janey prayed for both. Phil Randolph must be reduced to a state of perfect misery.
    Janey rode on, gradually recovering her poise in the saddle. The canyon opened wide, with the walls far away. There were flats of green grass and cedar groves to cross. In one place she saw several deserted hogans. Indians had lived there. She had a desire to peep in at the dark door, facing the east.
    The trail came to a point where it forked. Janey waited for Randolph to come up.
    "Which way, Sir Geraint?" she inquired.
    "Left," he said. "And I don't think you're a bit like Enid. She was meek. Besides she was Geraint's wife."
    "Well, Geraint drove Enid ahead, so she would encounter all the risks and dangers first. No doubt the similarity of our ride to theirs ends right there."
    "The only danger here, Miss Endicott, is the one I'm incurring. And it's too late to avoid that."
    Danger! What did he mean? Perhaps the wrath of the cowboys, for it was certain they could not have been let into the secret. How would they take this stunt of Randolph's? Janey began to wonder why she had not thought of that before. True, they had ridden away with a herd of cattle, but they must return sooner or later, and find out. Here was a factor her father had not considered. Even if he did have to tell them she knew the cowboys, especially Ray, would not stand for it. On the other hand, perhaps Randolph had meant the danger to be love of her. And he had said it was too late to avoid it. She was very glad, and if it were actually true she would see to it that he suffered more and more.
    They took the left-hand fork of the trail and entered an interesting canyon, which narrowed until the crumbling walls seemed ready to tumble down upon her. Soon the trail became so rough that Janey had to pay heed to it and have a care for her horse. The ascent