CHAPTER XX
A RAILWAY JOURNEY
The morning of departure had come and, trembling with both fear andeagerness, Jessica stood beside the reporter upon the station, waitingfor the great train to move outward.
"Step aboard, Lady Jess. Homeward bound!"
"Oh! it looks so big and somehow dreadful. I can ride any kind of ahorse, or an ostrich, and burros, of course, but----"
"But you don't know yet how to ride a railway carriage. Then let metell you you'll find it so delightful you'll not want to get out whenthe journey's done."
"Don't you believe that, Mr. Sharp. The end of the journey, this part,at least, means, Marion, and that's but a bit of a way from my mother.Is everything ready? Scruff? Is he here?"
"Come and see the sorrowful chap in his moving stable if you wish.Though it hasn't moved as yet. He'll probably rebel against the stateof affairs, at first; then be just as unwilling to leave the car ashe was to enter it. It's a fine place for sleeping, and sleeping isScruff's chief aim in life."
"He's had to make up for lost time, for he'd never too much sleep athome, where Ned and Luis were. Oh! to think! To-morrow, to-morrow--thisvery next day that's coming--I shall have my arms around thosechildren's precious necks and feel my mother's kisses on my lips. Ican't wait. I can't."
"Humph! I shall begin to think you can wait and very contentedly if youdon't step into this car pretty soon."
Jessica had never traveled by rail and the shock of the accident whichhad befallen Luis' father made her more timid than she had ever beenbefore. She had pleaded to make the return trip by saddle, as she hadcome, but Mr. Sharp would not consent.
"Time. Time. We must make time, Lady Jess. A newspaper man never usesa week where a day will do. If he did--well, no knowing if we shouldever get out a single issue of _The Lancet_. Come on. If there were anydanger do you think I would make you face it?"
Thus shamed and by the friend who had proved so true to her interests,the little girl shut her eyes, held out her hands and was lightly swungupon the rear platform of the luxurious coach in which they were tomake the first half of their trip. Later, they would have to leavethe main line for a branch road, terminating at Marion, their postalstation. From Marion, the thirty miles of saddle work, with the addeddetour on account of El Desierto, would be all the reporter fancied heshould care for.
"Some day I'll come back to Sobrante, if I'm invited, and get thatfamous rider, Samson, to teach me the trick of 'broncho busting' orsome other caper. But now, the engine can't travel fast enough to suitmy impatience."
Nor Jessica, neither, after the first few moments of the journey. Sheforgot her fear in watching the swiftly moving landscape, and found ithard to believe that the landscape itself was still and she who wascarried past it. This time there was none of Aunt Sally's bountifulluncheon but what seemed to Lady Jess something far finer--a diningcar. To be sure, during their first meal in this, served by coloredwaiters whose unfamiliar faces distracted her attention, and swayed bythe motion of the train, the girl's appetite was not worth mentioning;but by the time the supper hour was reached she was ready to enjoy almosteverything which her companion ordered for her. It delighted him toobserve how swiftly she comprehended and adapted herself to new things,and in his spirit of "teasing" he laid several harmless "traps" forher entanglement.
But she had now learned to distinguish his fun from his earnest and,after one keen glance into his face, would skillfully avoid the littleslips of speech or manner that would have so diverted him.
"No, Mr. Sharp, I'm ever so ignorant of the way city people andtraveling people do, but one thing Ephraim taught me, even on ourquiet way out. That was: 'Use your eyes, not your tongue, and watchwhat other folks do.' So, if watching will prevent my doing awkwardthings, I'll watch, surely enough."
They were to sleep at Marion, and when they finally left the lesscomfortable car of the branch road at that town, it was very dark and novehicles were in waiting to convey passengers to the one hotel of theplace. Few persons stopped at Marion, except such as resided there ornear, and such either walked from the station to their homes or had theirown wagons meet them.
Ninian Sharp was disgusted. He was tired, his head ached, and he hadanticipated no such "one horse" village as this. "Why, I thought itwas your post town and all that."
"So it is. And a very pretty place by daylight, save that they don'tirrigate."
"Which means there isn't a spear of grass within the town limits,doesn't it?"
"Almost as bad. But now we'll change places, if you please. I've beento Marion several times with my father and once since--since he wentaway, with Samson. There! They're taking Scruff out of the car and youmust ride him. I know the way. It's only a mile, about, to the hotel. Ofcourse, there's a lodging-house nearer, right by this station, indeed,but the hotel's much nicer. You'll get a better bed there, and we'dbest go on."
"I'd rather sleep on the ground than walk a mile."
"You shall do neither. Didn't you hear me say we've changed placesnow? I'm so near home I am at home and I'm--the captain. Obey orders,sir, and mount Scruff's back."
He was too weary to protest and too ill. Subject to acute neuralgia, hewas, like plenty of people, rather less courageous when he was in painthan at other times. Besides, now there was something of that decisionin Jessica's tone which sick people find restful, and he quietly threwone leg across Scruff's back and let the girl do as she pleased.
This was to start forward over the unpaved, unlighted street at a swiftunbroken run, which Scruff had some work to equal; but the speed broughtthem promptly to a wooden "tavern," from one window of which theregleamed a solitary oil lamp.
"Horrors! Antonio described a ranch called Desolation, or something likethat, and I reckon we've arrived," lamented the reporter, jolted intofresh distress by the burro's trot.
Jessica laughed.
"Wait. Be patient, dear man. Within five minutes you'll be sleepingon a clean, sweet bed, and when you wake up in the morning it will be toa fine breakfast, a perfect day, and--Sobrante!"
Then she tapped on the window and called:
"Hello, there! Sobrante folks! Open the door, quick!"
A head was thrust out of another window, further along the narrow porch,and a sleepy voice asked:
"What's that you say? Who wants----"
"I do! Jessica Trent, from Sobrante. But last, right from Los Angelescity. Please be quick!"
In less time than seemed possible, for such a drowsy person to reachit, the door was flung wide and there rushed out upon the porch a manand a woman, who both seized Jessica at one time and in their effortto embrace her succeeded in hugging each other. Whereupon the landladyflung her stalwart husband aside and caught the little girl in her arms,to carry her within.
"Oh! but this is the darling home again! And is it good news you'vebrought, my dear? Ah! by the shining of your bonny eyes one can see thatplain. Light up, Aleck! Light up! How can we have such darkness when thebairn is safe back? And begging pardon, lassie, who is this yon?"
Jessica presented her friend and added, quickly:
"Only for him I could never have done that business, Janet, Aleck. Andit is done. Everybody----"
"All the countryside knows it already, Jessica Trent. It's ringing withit, as it rung with the story of a wave little lass who set out aloneand unfriended, save for one old man, to clear her father's memory of astain some ne'er-do-well had dared to splash it with; and how the oldman broke his leg and lost the bairn; and, losing, she fell into wiserhands and all, and all. Why, the 'boys' are here long before sun up;hours before mailtime, to get the latest news. Ah! it's proud is allthis land because of you, my wee bit bairnie!"
Again was Jessica caught and kissed till her breath was gone; butreleased she demanded, and with disappointment in her tone:
"So the news is no news, and does my mother, too, know all?"
"Hasn't the sweet lady read the papers that the 'boys' have carried,loping to break their necks! Ah,
lassie, 'twill be an ovation you'llget when once they sight your bonny head shining on the sandy branchroad!"
Jessica turned toward Ninian Sharp with the first feeling of anger shehad ever had toward him.
"The papers? Your _Lancet_, I suppose. But you knew, you knew how muchI wanted to surprise my mother."
"Even so. But could you expect a man to keep back such fine 'copy'from his office? If you did, or if I could, somebody else, like _TheGossip_, would have got ahead of us. It was public property, my littleLady, and private interests, or fancies, always yield to the greatpublic. We'll discuss this further to-morrow. To-night I'd like tosee the bed you promised."
Jessica caught the hand of her weary friend and begged:
"Forgive me. I forgot. And I suppose that the very feeling which madeyou so kind and faithful to us, strangers, made you faithful to--to thathorrid old _Lancet_, too. Now Janet, you are to give Mr. Sharp your verynicest bed and breakfast, for he is tired and suffering."
"'Tis ready this instant. 'Tis always ready, lassie, though few comenowadays, to use it. This way, sir. After I show him I'll come for you,Lady Jess."
Jessica had not overpraised the neatness and comfort of thisout-of-the-way hostelry, and Ninian Sharp slept dreamlessly tilljoyous voices outside his window roused him to the fact that morningand hunger had arrived together. Remembering, too, the long ridethat lay before him and the necessity of finding a horse for it, he roseand hastily dressed. He had lost his neuralgic pains and his spiritswere again such as Jessica had always seen him show. She, too, wasup and waiting, and it looked as if her ovation had begun; for she wasalready the center of an admiring group yet held closest to the side ofa big ranchman, grizzled and rugged, but beaming upon her and all therest like an incarnate joy.
"Samson, Samson, here he is! Mr. Sharp, dear Mr. Sharp, this is mybiggest 'boy'!"
"Huh! Glad to see you, little one. 'Looks like you'd be quite a manwhen you get growed up,'" quoted the joker, giving Samson's hand acordial grasp.
"Come on! Come on! You're the lad for us! Well, sir, you do me proud.You do Sobrante proud. You do all the world proud, and that's mysentiment to a t-i-o-n, sir! Breakfast's ready."
"Oh, Mr. Ninian, he's brought--my mother has sent you the horse thatnobody else has ridden since my father did. Nimrod, the swiftest,gentlest thoroughbred that anybody ever rode."
"Sent him for me? Why, how could she know that we were coming?"
"Why shouldn't she?" asked Samson. "Him and John Benton was overyesterday, but to-day it was my turn. One of us has been every daysince the captain left Sobrante; and since the good news arrived there'salways been a led horse for you, sir. Would have been till the dayof judgment, too, if you hadn't struck us afore. Reckon you aren'tacquainted with our little settlement, sir."
"Reckon I wasn't, but I'm beginning to be. My! What a magnificentanimal. And it solves the difficulty of finding a mount out to the ranch.I'm not much of a horseman, though. I don't know but I'd better stickto Scruff and leave Nimrod to Lady Jess."
Samson wheeled around and eyed the stranger, curiously. Then he advancedand held out his hand again.
"Shake, Sharp. You're a man, even if you do live in a city, and thefirst one I ever met who hailed from such a place and didn't think heknew it all. You'll do. And you can ride. A baby could, that creatur'.If you can't stick I'll hold you on. Now, breakfast, I say."
This was Jessica's chance, and before they sat down to the bounteousmeal which Janet had been hours in preparing she managed to draw Ninianaside and whisper a request, to which he nodded prompt assent. So nobodybut they two knew what was meant when, as the three mounted and wereabout to ride away, she asked Samson:
"Do you know the trail to El Desierto?"
"Do I know a pisen serpent? What in the name of reason put such aforsaken hole into your head on this joyful occasion?"
"Never mind what, and never mind speech-making, dear old fellow. I haveto call at El Desierto on my way to Sobrante and would like to know theshortest road."
"Is she--has she got a little 'touched' down there in your City ofAngels and Scamps, eh?"
"Samson, am I still the captain, or am I not?"
"Captain, I salute. Ride on! You, Aleck, hitch up a board and takethat trunk of Miss Trent's to her country seat, and be quick aboutit. Hurray! I'm so happy I'm looney! Here's for El Desierto and noquestions asked. Hurray!"