CHAPTER XXXII
The Advent of Midnight
The ride home after that fateful decision was an event to be remembered.Jim was on a cavalry mount, loaned for the occasion. Belle felt thatsince he had given up so much for her, it was her part now to prove howgood a bargain he had made; and she exerted all her powers to double herample hold on his love and devotion. She had no reason to question herpower; she had almost overmuch success. Jim wanted her to name the day,but whatever her wishes might have been, her judgment held her back.
"Jim, dear love, don't you see? We must wait a long time. Your income isbarely enough for one. You are only a probationer with one year's leavefrom college, and, at most, an extension of another year possible. Whatlittle I can bring as my share of the 'combine' won't go very far."
"Well," said Jim, "I've got the cash to furnish our house with, anyway,"and he slapped his hand on his wallet pocket. "I'll put that in the banktill we need it."
"Good boy!" and Belle smiled happily.
Arrived at Cedar Mountain, Jim took the cavalry mount to the liverystable; and three days later, the little stable he had built for BlazingStar was torn down and carried away.
Jim was looking for a new mount, when one day Cattleman Kyle appeared inthe town, and they met for a few minutes at the blacksmith shop.
"Hello, Jim! What are you riding these days?" was his greeting.
"To tell the truth, I'm afoot, hard afoot," was the reply.
"Anything in sight?"
"Not yet."
"Come with me for a minute. I'm cutting down my saddle stock for thewinter. I've got a bunch of bronchos in the corral by the river. Have alook at them."
Jim went rather reluctantly; his heart was still sore over Blazing Star,and he was not ready yet to put another into the vacant place. After asilent five minutes' walk, they reached the corral with fifty horses ofall colours, sizes, and shapes. Then Kyle said: "Jim, I've beenthinking, preachers ain't exactly broken-backed carrying theirspondulix. I kind o' think I owe ye something in the way ofpossibilities for putting Blazing Star in hands which may be a big helpto me. So there's my bunch; you can go over them at your own time andpick the best as a free gift."
"Ye mean it?"
"That's what I mean, and there's my hand on it," said Kyle. And it wasso. That was the way of the old-time cattleman. If he lived at all, hismoney came in large chunks. He lived lavishly, and made a fortune, ifmoderately lucky. So they were a generous lot; they were truly cattlekings.
But the cattle king reducing his horse herd does not select his beststock for the hammer; quite the reverse. Some would have called hisbunch the scrubs and tailings of the Circle K ranch. Hartigan knew that;but he also knew that it must contain some unbroken horses and he askedto see them. There were ten, and of these he selected the biggest. A manof his weight must have a better mount than a pony. So the tall,rawboned, black three-year-old was roped and handed over to thePreacher. Kyle did not fail to warn him that "Midnight" had a temper.
"Faith, it's mesilf can see that," said Hartigan, "but he isn't brokenyet, and that means his temper isn't spoiled. And it's mesilf will bringhim to time, and he never will be broke. If your broncho-busters takehim in hand, they'll ride him in a week, but they'll make a divil ofhim. I'll take him in hand and in three months I'll have him followingme round with tears in his eyes, just begging me to get on his back, andgo for a run."
Who that knows the horse will doubt it? Hartigan's first aim was toconvince the black colt that men were not cruel brutes, and that he,Hartigan, was the gentlest and kindest of them all. And this he did bybeing much with him, by soft talking, by never being abrupt, and bybringing him favourite food. Not in a stable--it was a month before thewild horse would consent to enter a stable--this first period oftraining was all in a corral. Then came the handling. Midnight was veryapt to turn and kick when first a hand was laid on him, but he learnedto tolerate, and then to love the hand of his master; and when thistreatment was later reinforced with a currycomb, the sensation pleasedhim mightily. The bridle next went on by degrees--first as a halter,then as a hackimore, last complete with bit. The saddle was the nextslow process--a surcingle, a folded blanket and cinch, a double blanketand cinch, a bag of oats and cinch and, finally, the saddle and rider.It was slow, but it was steadily successful; and whenever the blackcolt's ears went back or his teeth gave a rebellious snap, Jim knew hewas going too fast, and gently avoided a clash. Never once did he fightwith that horse; and before three months had passed, he was riding thetall black colt; and the colt was responding to his voice and his touchas a "broken" horse will never do.
"Yes," said Kyle, "I know all about that. It costs about twenty-fivedollars to learn a horse that way, and it costs about five dollars tobreak him cowboy way. An average horse is worth only about twenty-fivedollars. The cowboy way is good enough for our job, so I don't see anyprospect of change till we get a price that will justify the'training.'"
Belle was an intensely interested spectator of all this Midnightchapter. She wanted Jim to get a good horse that he would love, but oh,how she prayed and hoped he would not happen on another speeder! Sheknew quite well that it was about one chance in ten thousand; but shealso knew that Jim could make a good horse out of mediocre material; andit was with anxiety just the reverse of his that she watched the blackcolt when first they rode together. He was strong and hard, but, thankheaven, she thought, showed no sign of racing blood.
"Of course, he'll come up a little later, when I get him well in hand,"Jim explained apologetically.
And Belle added, "I hope not."
"Why?" asked Jim in surprise.
"Because, you might ride away from me." And she meant it.