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Page 73
"The poor fellow must be suffering all kinds of torture," she said as
Norton reined in with her. "Let's hurry."
He offered no answer as they clattered out of San Juan and turned out
across the level lands toward Las Estrellas. So, as upon another night
when speeding upon a similar errand, they rode for a long time in
silence. Again they two alone were pushing out into the dark and the
vast silence that was broken only by the soft thudding of their own
horses' hoofs and the creak of saddle leather and jingle of spur and
bit chains.
"You wanted to talk with me?" suggested the girl after fifteen minutes
of wordless restraint between them.
"Yes," he answered. "But not now. That is, if you will give me a
further chance after you have done what you can for poor old Tony. You
will hardly need to stay at Las Estrellas all night, I imagine. When
we leave you can listen to me. Do you mind?"
"No," she said slowly. "I don't mind. I'd rather it was then. You
and I have a good bit to think about before we do any talking. Haven't
we?"
They fell silent again. The soft beauty of the night over the southern
desert lands . . . and there is no other earthly beauty like it . . .
touched the girl's soul now as it had never done before; perhaps,
similarly, it disturbed shadows in the man's. She was distressed by
the position in which she found herself, and the night's infinite quiet
and utter peace was grateful to her. As she left the hotel her
thoughts were in chaos; she was caught in a fearsome labyrinth whence
there appeared no escape. Now, though no way out suggested itself,
still the stars were shining.
At last the twinkling lights of Las Estrellas, seeming at first fallen
stars caught in the mesquite branches, swam into view. Plainly Tony's
accident had stimulated much local interest; among the few straggling
houses men came and went, while a knot of women, children, and
countless mongrel dogs had congregated just outside of the hut where
the injured man lay. A brush fire in the street crackled right
merrily, its sparks dancing skyward.
"You promise me," said Norton as they drew their horses down to a trot,
"not to say anything until we can have had time to talk?"
"I promise," she said wearily.
She entered the sufferer's room first, Norton delaying to tie the
horses and lift down the instrument cases from the saddle-strings. She
stopped abruptly just beyond the threshold; the smell of chloroform was
heavy upon the air, Tony lay whitefaced upon a table, Caleb Patten with
coat off and sleeves rolled up was bending over him.
"Oh, se�orita!" cried a woman, hurrying forward, her hands twisting
nervously in her apron. And a torrential outpouring in Spanish greeted
the mystified Virginia.
"I thought that I was wanted here," she said, looking about her at the
four or five grave faces. "Tony's brother came for me."
One of the men shambled forward to explain. "Tony want you," he said
quickly. "Tony ver' bad hurt. Dr. Patten come in Las Estrellas by
accident, he say got to cut off the arm, can't wait too long or Tony
die. He just beginnin' now."
The woman, who, it appeared was Tony's wife and the mother of two of
the ragged children out by the fire, joined her voice eagerly to the
man's. He translated.
"Eloisa say she thank God you come; Tony want you, she want you.
Patten charge one hundred dollar an'. . . ." He shrugged eloquently.
"She say you do for Tony; you do better than Patten."
Virginia's eyes flashed upon Patten. He came a step toward her, his
attitude half belligerent.
"The man has to be operated upon immediately," he said sharply. "He
was hurt in the afternoon out on the end of the ranch; has been all day
getting in; fainted half a dozen times, I guess. The arm has to come
off at the elbow."
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