“Good. I go back on mine. Plenty grub, plenty water there. You take
him money. Mebbe you go Reservation; buy two horse. No tell Thunder
Bird you buy him for me. You do that, Charlie Paul?”
“I go,” said the Indian. “Mebbe so tomorrow night I be back.”
Sundown the following day found Charlie back at the mine. Johnny had
slept for hours, and soon after the Indian’s arrival he determined
to ride to the Diamond-Bar and let Molly know that he was not dead.
He could depend on her to keep his secret. To withhold the truth
from her was needless cruelty.
Johnny circled the house before he approached it. A dim light burned
in Molly’s room. Crawling to the side window he lay upon the ground
listening for some sound which would tell him she was awake. Once or
twice he fancied he heard a low sob or moan. Getting to his feet he
fastened his hands on the sill above him and began drawing up his
body so that he could see into the room.
His head and shoulders were even with the bottom of the window when
a nail tore into his forearm. The pain of it forced a moan from his
lips. It had a startling effect on the occupants of the room.
Molly was in bed; but not asleep. Old Kent sat beside her. Neither
had been aware of the boy’s nearness until that mournful cry escaped
his lips. They turned, mouths open, eyes wide.
The old man screamed as he saw Johnny. Pain and the dead weight of
his body upon his arms had put a hideous expression on the boy’s
face. His clothes were ragged, his face white, his hair uncombed.
The dim light threw shadows which only magnified his weirdness.
“Take him away! Take him away!” Kent screeched. “Don’t you see him?”
he wailed. “He’s there—in the window. Aw-w-w!” And he covered his
face with his hands to shut out the gruesome sight.
Without knowing that he did it, Johnny flung a beseeching hand
toward Molly. A shriek answered him and he saw her topple over upon
her bed. The men were running from the bunk-house. There was nothing
left for the boy to do but go.
From the cover of the willows by the creek he could see men moving
about with lanterns. Cries came to him, and above others, the sound
of Kent yelling:
“A ghost, I tell yuh! He’s come back to haunt me! Don’t laugh at me!
Don’t laugh!” And Kent’s cry rose until it broke in a fit of
choking.
“Take him inside,” came an order in Hobe’s voice. “He’s babblin’
like a child.”
The old man fought them off as they tried to lift him.
“He’s here!” he cried. “I heard him! Don’t let him git me. Molly,
Molly, I didn’t do it. Gallup paid Madeiras to kill him. I swear I
didn’t do it. I swear——”
The old man’s cries died away in a moan of anguish. The door banged
and Johnny knew that they had taken him to his room.
A cold sweat broke out on Johnny. It had never occurred to him that
this construction would be put on his appearance. Was it possible
that this was the very thing Tony had had in mind when he shot him?
The sight of him had frightened Kent out of his wits.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account