CHAPTER XVSIR KNIGHT
AMONG the few books which the Ross family had brought from their Kentucky home were two or three which Alison read and re-read whenever she was kept indoors by a norther or by any slight illness. Her favorite of these was Spenser’s “Faerie Queen.” This appealed to her by its quaintness of language no less than by its recitals of the adventures of knights and ladies, for while Alison possessed much practical good sense she was an imaginative girl and indulged in day-dreams of such a romantic character as few guessed who saw her roping in an obstreperous calf, or beheld her, paddle in hand, absorbed in working a lump of butter. Her romances, save the one in which Blythe figured, had been of such a nature as to win nothing but her contempt, for it was not to be supposed that either she or Christine would be unsought in a country where men were greatly in the majority. But Alison flouted all her lovers, made fun of them to her girl friends and seemed utterly devoid of sentiment, so her sister told her, for even she did not know of Alison’s air-castles. These day-dreams concerned a dashing young knight who for her sake would undertakesome arduous quest and, wearing her colors, would go through weary adventures returning at last to claim her hand. She knew all this was rather foolish, but novels were few and romance she must have.
She was amusing herself one day with thoughts of her imaginary knight as she was riding home from a visit to Louisa. The summer had come and gone, bringing no great change. In spite of continued hope nothing more definite had been learned of Steve. Pike Smith had disappeared utterly, and there was no hope of ever seeing Hero again. Christine had refused more than one bluff suitor and into her brown eyes was creeping the patient look of one ever seeking, ever hoping against repeated disappointment. The friendship between John and Laura remained upon a comfortable basis, but it was believed by every one concerned that they would one day marry.
“A gentle knight was pricking on the plaine,” repeated Alison to herself as she rode along. “That could not have been my knight, for it was the Knight of the Red Cross. I don’t quite like that name, neither do I like Sir Scudamour. I think I like Sir Guyon or Sir Artegall the best. No, Steve would have to be Sir Guyon, because he lost his steed, that was stolen by Braggadochio; Pike Smith is more like the Blatant Beast, however. I think I am the Lady Florimell. My knight shall be Sir Artegall becauseof that magic sword Chrysaor. Well, here I am riding through the forest. Suppose I should meet the Blatant Beast or the Giant with the Flaming Eyes; I would call for help and my own true knight, Sir Artegall, would come pricking along ‘ycladde in mighty armes and silver shielde.’ I, on my snow-white palfrey would seem to him a vision of angelic loveliness. They always have flowing locks bound by a fillet of blue. Wait a minute, Chico.” She unfastened her fair hair and let it fall over her shoulders, binding it back with a blue ribbon from her neck. “My wanton palfrey should be overspread with ‘tinsell trappings,’ but we shall have to imagine those, Chico. On, on, my gentle steed, I fear the Blatant Beast. What, do my eyes deceive me, or is it a noble knight I see pricking this way?”
She suddenly checked Chico in his progress, for there was, indeed, some one riding towards her, a man in the dress of a Texan Ranger, buckskins, hunting shirt and broad-brimmed sombrero. Alison felt not a sign of fear, but drew Chico to the side of the road and waited the approach of the man. As he drew near she gave a glad little laugh. “It’s Neal, Neal, Chico,” she whispered; “now we will have some fun,” and raising her voice she shrilled out: “Help, help, Sir Knight. I am pursued by the Blatant Beast.”
Neal, for he it was, put spurs to his horse and galloped rapidly towards her. “Alison, Alison,” he cried,as he came up, “what is the matter? What is wrong?”
“The Blatant Beast, he is there in the chaparral. Dear me, I shouldn’t say chaparral, I should say thicket.” She altered her voice. “Why, Neal Jordan, where did you come from?”
“Never mind, tell me what is the matter. What frightened you?”
“Why nothing, except an imaginary something. I was only playing that I was a lovely lady as I came along, and you came in the nick of time to fall into my whim, so I just called out to fool you.”
“You are the same old Alison, I see,” said Neal, smiling.
“Yes, I believe I am. One would suppose that I might stop playing such childish things by this time, but I like to do it.”
Neal scrutinized her closely as she gathered her hair into place, dismounting in order to do so. “You are taller,” he said. “Why, I believe you are taller than your sister.”
“So I am, but that is not answering my question. Where did you come from?”
“Directly from Mexico. The war is practically over.”
“And did you bring me something pretty for writing you that long letter?”
“I brought you something if you will have it.”
“Where is it? I want to see it.”
“I have it safe. I will give it to you soon—I hope.”
“You might have brought it with you. How did you happen to be on this road?”
“I have been to your rancho and they told me where you had gone, so I came out to meet you.”
“Thanks, Sir Knight, and if I had really been a lady in distress you would have been on hand to rescue me.”
“Still acting that play?”
“Well, no, I am coming out of that. You are such a very evident reality that I cannot dream. My, but you are fine. I didn’t notice at first that you had such an elegant outfit, all that silver mounting on your saddle, and those spurs; I suppose you got those all in Mexico. If you had a silver shield and a spear you would be quite like a real knight. You have seen some hard fighting, I have no doubt, but you are back safe in spite of that sabre cut on your forehead. Tell me about the other boys, Reub, and Tom Andrews and the rest.”
“We buried poor old Reub down in Mexico,” said Neal gravely.
“Oh!” Alison’s bright face saddened. “I am so sorry. So many of the boys came safely through that I believed you all would. Poor old Reub,” she said sorrowfully. She scanned Neal’s face. It bore themarks of the two years’ experience; the eyes were less merry, the lines had become firmer, the don’t care expression had left it. “I am glad that you are here,” she said gently. “I cannot bear to think that you, too, might have been left by your friends, there in Mexico, as you left Reuben. I am so very glad you have come back.”
“Are you glad, little girl? Then I am glad, too.”
“But you are glad anyway, aren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Did you see Christine?” asked Alison suddenly. “Did she tell you all the news?”
“She told me some of it. I learned that she still hopes against hope. She is very true.”
Alison looked at him as though she would read something in his face. His eyes met hers frankly. “Perhaps some day she may feel differently,” said the girl.
“Yes, she is young and one cannot wait forever,” said Neal thoughtfully. “Shall we go on, Alison?”
“Oh, yes, I forgot that we were standing here for no reason. I have a hundred questions to ask and you can answer them as we ride along. When did you leave Mexico?”
“A few days after we had entered the city. It has been a clean sweep for us straight through. There was some sharp fighting, but we’ve got all we tried for and Santa Anna has lit out.”
“Then there will be peace.”
“We think so. They are negotiating for it. We should have had it earlier if the Mexicans had known when they were beaten. We took everything in sight on our way down, but they didn’t seem to think that we meant anything by it. Must have thought we were killing ’em off for fun as we made a little pleasure trip through their country.”
“I don’t like to think of your killing off anybody.”
“Has to be done in war.”
“That is the truth, but I would rather some one else than my friends should do that part.”
“I thought you liked those fellows that used to go about slashin’ and killin’ right and left. From what I’ve read they used to be a pretty lively gang and didn’t have any special reason for their tempers sometimes.”
“Oh, but they did. They had to rescue lovely ladies.”
“Yes, and they had a way of ridin’ into town, like I would go into Denton and say, ‘If anybody in this town says Allie Ross ain’t a sight the best looking girl in the county I’ll put daylight through him.’ What would you think of my doing that, for instance? You’d call me some kind of fool, wouldn’t you?”
“Very likely I should. But they were not all that way. They went on quests and delivered prisoners from dungeons and slew wicked beasts and giants and things.”
“You think that’s a heap nicer than the way we-all do, don’t you?” said Neal with a smile and a side glance at her. “Ain’t any of us ever rescued our friends from the Injuns, and what worse beasts will you find than them? Ain’t any of this generation gone into mountain hiding-places after a gang of thieves? I call that just about as good as any of those book adventures.”
“But it doesn’t sound so romantic. You don’t do it for some fair lady’s sake who binds her colors on your shield and sends you forth. Perhaps if I didn’t know you all and if you were not named such plain names as Ira and Bud and Tom it wouldn’t seem so commonplace.”
“Maybe it doesn’t sound romantic, but if it was written up and somebody put in a lot about roses and posies and stuff they could make it sound pretty. Now there’s that about Iry and Lou; it strikes me that was pretty romantic, though they ain’t neither of them much for looks and they haven’t those sugar-plum names.”
“Yes, that was romantic,” said Alison. “Ira did deliver her from the Blatant Beast, Pike Smith, you know. I do think that was a truly romance. Neal, do you know your grammar has suffered very much by your having been so long away. You were getting to speak quite like a gentleman when you went away.”
“Laws, child, I forget. It is so easy to drop into the way the other boys talk.”
“But it isn’t as if you didn’t know better, for you say you never used to talk so before you came to Texas. I shall have to take you in hand again.”
“I’m perfectly willing. I always enjoyed your taking me in hand.” He smiled reminiscently. “But I set my face agen——”
“Not agen; against.”
“Against your making me talk book talk. You can play all your tricks and call me anything you choose, and can make believe all you want to, but I’ll not be made to say, ‘Hence, lady, hence,’ and such bosh as they do in plays.”
Alison’s merry laugh rang out. “I won’t make you say that, and you needn’t talk booky if you don’t like. I shall be perfectly satisfied with good plain English as we speak it. Oh, you haven’t told me yet what you have brought me from Mexico.”
“I don’t mean to tell you yet.”
“Did you bring Christine something? If you did and it is prettier than my present I shall never forgive you.”
“I brought her some sort of foolishness, embroidery, I believe they call it.”
“I think you might tell me what my present is.”
“Can’t do it.”
“Then you are very mean. You have given Christine hers and you make me wait.”
“Suppose I was one of those old-timers, what would you expect me to say?”
“I have brought thee an offering, lady fair. I prithee honor thy poor knight by thine acceptance.”
Neal threw back his head and laughed. “Did you ever hear such fool talk?”
“You shall not make fun of me.”
“I’m not making fun of you; I’m making fun of those old gumps. Now, suppose one of them—those knights came to you, what do you reckon you would want him to do?”
“Oh, I should want him to go on a quest.”
“What’s that?”
“Oh, I’d want him to relieve some fair lady in distress, or to kill some ogre, just as I was telling you awhile ago.”
“I’m not talking about suppose you lived way back in that time; I’m supposing now. Suppose I wanted to be one of those fellows, what would you say to Neal Jordan, for example?”
Alison bent her brows.
“I suppose killin’ Injuns wouldn’t count.”
“Well, hardly. Any of the boys might do that.”
“It isn’t so easy when it comes down to nowadays, is it?” said Neal.
“No,” replied Alison, slowly, “but there is a quest I should like some one to undertake.”
“What’s that?”
“I’d like to send some one to find Steve.”
“And if he found him what would you do?”
“I would reward him with my hand, of course.”
“I’ll go,” said Neal, looking straight ahead.
Alison gazed at him in amazement. “What do you mean?” she asked, wonderingly.
“Just what I said. If you’ll keep your part of the bargain, I’ll keep mine.”
“Do you know where he is?” Alison asked a little suspiciously.
“Haven’t the faintest idea.”
“Then—— Oh, Neal, you are joking.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Do you mean—why—I thought——” she paused and looked down steadfastly at Chico’s ears.
“What was it you thought?”
“That—that——”
“Might as well tell me.”
“I thought you were in love with Christine.” Alison spoke very low.
“Why, you were ’way off, weren’t you?” said Neal without embarrassment.
“Was I?”
“I should think so. Laws, child, you don’t reckon I’d make love to Steve’s girl.”
“I don’t mean that I thought you did, but——”
“That I would like to? Well, I never had any such notion. There used to be a little foolish slip of a girl that I used to like to look at and knock around the place with, but she was only a child and, when I told her brother I’d give my two eyes for her, he said she’d not waked up yet, and that I’d better wait till I got back. That was just before we went off to jine the boys. I didn’t get but one letter from her, but it was a good one, especially the last words: ‘May you came back safe to Alison.’”
“I said John and Christine, too,” put in Alison, quickly.
“Yes, but I left them out when I wanted to feel good. I took a lot of comfort in that letter, and the picture, too, though it was a kind of comic, but I could supply what it hadn’t and it brought you before me and did me good. Now, you see I’ve got back and the little girl has grown up some, but she’s got funny notions, romantic ones. I’m perfectly willin’ she should have ’em, if it amuses her, and if she wants to take that way for me to show her how much I think of her I’ve no objections. She can talk to me any way she likes, too, so long as she doesn’t expect me to answer back in the same lingo. I’ll go hunt Steve and bring him back if he’s above ground, if she will do as she says, give me her hand; only I want her heart with it.”
Alison sat silent, still gazing at Chico’s ears. The effect of Neal’s speech was such as surprised her. She trembled violently; her heart beat fast; she could not speak; she wanted to cry; she wished she could run away and hide; she dared not look at her companion. They rode along in silence, Neal, once in a while stealing a glance at her.
At last he said gently: “Have I skeered you, little girl?”
“I—I don’t know,” said Alison helplessly, after a minute. “I think—I’m going to cry.” And she put her head down on Chico to hide her feelings.
Neal at once stopped his horse, dismounted and lifted the girl from her saddle. “That isn’t comfortable,” he said. “If you want to cry, why cry ahead, but do it right.” And she wept softly on his shoulder for a moment.
But presently she dashed the tears from her eyes and looked up with a smile. “Did you ever know such a silly thing?” she said. “What is there to cry about?”
“I’m sure I don’t know. Ask me something easy, but if you wanted to cry I wasn’t going to object.”
“Oh, Neal, Neal,” said the girl, “you have bewildered me. I don’t know where I stand.”
“Right here by me, where I hope your place will be while we both live,” he said with an undercurrent of seriousness in his voice.
“You see I’ve never thought of you in that way.”
“It isn’t too late to begin.”
“No,” she agreed faintly.
“You don’t mind my asking you one question, do you? You will answer me truly?”
“Yes, if I can.”
“Do you care for any other man? They told me Blythe Van Dorn has been trying mighty hard to wear down the road between his house and yours.”
“Blythe is a nice boy, but I never, never thought of him in that way.”
“And there’s no one else?”
“No one, except——”
“Except. Who is it?” He grasped her hands so closely as to make her draw in a little quick breath.
“Except Sir Artegall,” she said laughing. “I am the Lady Florimell and he is my knight.”
“Oh, if he is only one of those dream fellows I don’t mind him. I shall get him out of the way, and besides you have taken me for your knight.”
“If you are to be my knight you should call me Lady Florimell.”
“I don’t mind calling you lady, little lady; that’s all right, but I can’t go that other hot-house name.” Alison did not expect, and really did not desire acquiescence in this, and assured him she would not exact it.
“Shall we go on?” she said. “I think we ought.”
“As you say. I’ve nothing to do but follow you.” And they continued their way.
“Was that why you came to meet me?” asked Alison after a pause.
“Yes, I couldn’t wait, you see.”
“Did you tell Christine?”
“That I was coming? Yes.”
“No, not that.”
“What then?”
“What you told John.”
“No.”
“I’ll have to think about it.”
“Laws, yes, please do. I’d feel mightily cut up if you didn’t.”
“Neal, why will you always make me laugh?”
“I don’t always; sometimes I make you cry.”
Alison chose to ignore this. “You’ll have to go on that search for Steve.”
“I said I would.”
“We will keep it a secret. I think that will be fine. And when you come back with Steve——”
“That is where I shall take all the tricks. But suppose I don’t come back with him, what then?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ll have to tell you that later. I am not going to think that you will come without him.”
Neal gave her a quick look, but her innocent expression failed to imply that she meant to give him encouragementby the speech, and he realized that it was as John had said; she was not yet wakened.
“If you should come across the Blatant Beast,” she said, turning a mischievous face towards him, “I hope you will not kill him yourself, but will get one of your squires to do it.”
“What squire? Old Jackson?”
“You are so literal,” said Alison, laughing. “I didn’t mean him. I think I must stipulate that you read some of my favorite books so as to understand me better.”
“Can’t you just tell me what those things mean without my reading about them?” asked Neal anxiously. And Alison could but laugh at his anxiety to escape from this evident infliction.