CHAPTER XXXCAPTURED
A rough hand closed over Dorothy’s mouth, shutting off her breath, strangling her. In an instant Tavia and Joe were similarly gagged and helpless.
There was a silence during which their captors waited breathlessly, hoping that the horseman had not heard the cry, would pass the cave by.
For a moment, remembering how well the spot was concealed, Dorothy was horribly afraid that this might actually happen. If it was really Garry coming! If he had heard her!
But the clattering hoofs still came on. She could hear the shouts of the riders, Garry’s voice, calling her name!
She felt herself released with a suddenness and violence that sent her reeling toward the rear of the cave. The men were making for the entrance, jostling one another and snarling in their efforts to escape.
The men out of sight beyond the huge rock, Dorothy and Tavia rushed to the cave mouth, leaving poor Joe to limp painfully after them,just in time to see the knaves disappear among the trees.
The next moment a horseman broke through the underbrush, charging straight for them. It was Garry!
At sight of Dorothy he pulled his horse to its haunches, drawing in his breath in a sharp exclamation.
“Dorothy! Thank heaven! I thought——”
“Never mind about us, Garry. They went over that way—the men you are after!”
She pointed in the direction the men had disappeared and Garry nodded. The next moment he had spurred his pony in pursuit, followed by several other horsemen who had come up behind him.
The girls watched them go, and Joe, coming up behind them, laid a dirty hand upon his sister’s shoulder.
“You—you were great, Sis, to those men!” he said awkwardly. “I was awfully proud of you.”
Dorothy smiled through tears and, taking Joe’s grimy hand, pressed it against her cheek.
“It is so wonderful to have you again, dear!” she said huskily.
They were back again in a moment, Garry and his men, bringing with them two captives—the big-framed, loose-lipped fellow who had first taunted Joe in the cave, and George Lightly.
By Garry’s face it was easy to see he was in no mood to deal gently with his prisoners.
He dismounted, threw the bridle to one of the men, and approached the big fellow whom he knew to be a tool of the Larrimer gang.
The fellow was sullen and glowering, but Garry was a good enough judge to guess that beneath this exterior the fellow was ready to break.
“Now then,” Garry said coolly, as he pressed the muzzle of his revolver in uncomfortable proximity to the ribs of his prisoner, “you tell us what you were doing in that cave over there and you’ll go scot free. Otherwise, it’s jail for you—if not worse. My men,” he added, in a gentle drawl, “are just hankering to take part in a lynching party. It’s a right smart time since they have been treated to that sort of entertainment, and they are just ripe for a little excitement. How about it, boys, am I right?”
There came an ominous murmur from the “boys” that caused the prisoner to look up at them quickly and then down again at his shuffling feet.
Lightly tried to interfere, but Garry silenced him sharply.
“You hankering to be in this lynching party, too?” he inquired, adding gratingly: “Because if you are not, I’d advise you to keep your mouth tight shut!”
It was not long before the captive yielded tothe insistence of that revolver muzzle pressed beneath his fifth rib and made a clean breast of the whole ugly business. Possibly the invitation to the lynching party had something to do with his surrender.
As he stutteringly and sullenly revealed the plot which would have forced Garry to the sale of his lands to insure the safety of his fiancée’s brother, Garry jotted down the complete confession in his notebook and at the conclusion forced both his prisoners at the point of his revolver to sign the document.
Then Garry turned to two of the cowboys, who had been looking on with appreciative grins.
“Here, Steve, and you, Gay, take these two worms to town and see that they are put where they belong,” he ordered, and the two boys leaped to the task eagerly. “You others go help the boys round up the rest of the gentlemen mentioned in this valuable document,” and he tapped the confession with a cheerful grin. “So long, you fellows!”
They waved their hats at him, wheeled their ponies joyfully, and were off to do his bidding.
Then it was that Garry came toward Dorothy, his arms outstretched. It is doubtful if at that moment he even saw Joe and Tavia standing there.
Dorothy took a step toward him and suddenlythe whole world seemed to rock and whirl about her. She flung out her hand and grasped nothing but air. Then down, down into fathomless space and nothingness!
Dorothy opened her eyes again to find herself in a bed whose softness and cleanliness meant untold luxury to her. Her body ached all over, horribly, and her head ached too.
She closed her eyes, but there was a movement beside the bed that made her open them again swiftly. Somebody had coughed, and it had sounded like Joe.
She turned over slowly, discovering new aches and pains as she did so, and saw that it was indeed Joe sitting there, his eyes fixed hungrily upon her.
She opened her arms and he ran to her and knelt beside the bed.
“Aw, now, don’t go to crying, Sis,” he said, patting her shoulder awkwardly. “They said if I bothered you they wouldn’t let me stay.”
“I’d like to see them get you away,” cried Dorothy. “Joe, sit back a little bit and let me look at you. I can’t believe it’s you!”
“But I did an awful thing, Dot,” he said, hanging his head. “You’d better let me tell you about it before you get too glad I’m back.”
“Tell me about it then, dear,” said Dorothyquietly. “I’ve been wanting to know just why you ran away.”
“It was all because of the fire at Haskell’s toy store,” said Joe, speaking swiftly, as though he would be glad to get the explanation over. “Jack Popella said the explosion was all my fault and he told me I would be put in prison——”
“But just whatdidyou do?” Dorothy insisted.
“Well, it was like this.” Joe took a long breath, glanced up at her, then turned his eyes away again. “Jack had a fight with Mr. Haskell over some money he picked up in the road. Mr. Haskell said he stole it from his cash drawer, but Jack kept on saying he found it in the road. I shouldn’t wonder if he did steal it though, at that,” Joe went on, thoughtfully, and for the first time Dorothy looked at him accusingly.
“You know I begged you not to have anything to do with Jack Popella, Joe.”
The lad hung his head and flushed scarlet.
“I know you did. I won’t ever, any more.”
“All right, dear. Tell me what happened then.”
“Jack was so mad at Mr. Haskell he said he would like to knock down all the boxes in the room back of his store just to get even. He asked me to help him and—just for fun—I said sure I would. Then he told me to go on in and get started and he would come in a minute.
“I knocked down a couple of boxes,” Joe continued,after a strained silence. “And then—the explosion came. Jack said I was to blame and—the—the cops were after me. I wasn’t going to let them send me to prison,” he lifted his head with a sort of bravado and met Dorothy’s gaze steadily. “So—so I came out West to Garry.”
“And you are going back again with me, Joe,” said his sister firmly. “It was cowardly to run away. Now you will have to face the music!”
Joe hung his head for a moment, then squared his shoulders and looked bravely at Dorothy.
“All right, Dot. I guess it was kind of sneaking to run away. I—I’m awful sorry.”
The door opened softly behind them and Tavia poked her head in.
“My goodness gracious, Doro Doodlekins,” she cried, “you look as bright as a button. First thing you know I’ll be minus a patient.”
Dorothy propped herself up on her elbow and stared at her chum.
“Tavia, we must send a telegram immediately,” she cried. “The Major must know that Joe is safe.”
Tavia came over and smoothed her pillow fondly.
“Foolish child, did you think no one but you would think of that?” she chided. “Garry sent one of the boys to Dugonne with orders to send a night letter to The Cedars telling everythingthat happened. That was after you fainted, you know, and we brought you here.”
“Such a foolish thing to do,” sighed Dorothy, sinking back on her pillow. “What must Garry think of me?”
“Suppose I let him answer that for himself,” suggested the flyaway, and before Dorothy could protest she had seized Joe by the arm and escorted him gently from the room. A moment later Dorothy could hear Tavia calling to Garry that he was “needed very much upstairs.”
Dorothy closed her eyes and opened them the next minute to find Garry standing beside the bed, looking down at her. She reached out a hand to him and he took it very gently, kneeling down beside her.
“Joe and Tavia have been telling me how you stood up to those men in the cave, little girl. I only wish I had been there to see you do it. We’ve got them all, by the way, and Stiffbold and Lightly and the rest of them are where they won’t hatch any more schemes in a hurry—thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me?” repeated Dorothy, wondering. “Garry, why?”
“I never would have discovered that cave if I hadn’t heard you call out,” Garry explained. “That hole in the mountainside was the coziest little retreat I ever saw.”
“Well, I’m glad if I helped a little,” sighedDorothy. “I was afraid you might be going to scold me.”
“Scold you?” repeated Garry tenderly. “You foolish, little brick!”
It was a long time before Garry remembered something that had once seemed important to him. With an exclamation of dismay he stuck his hand in his pocket and drew forth a yellow envelope.
“Here’s a telegram from The Cedars, and I clean forgot all about it,” he said penitently. “One of the boys brought it from Dugonne where he went to send the telegram to Major Dale. I didn’t mean to keep it, honest I didn’t!”
“Under the circumstances, I don’t blame you in the least,” said Dorothy demurely, as she hastily tore open the telegram.
She read it through, then turned to Garry with shining eyes.
“This is the one thing I needed to make me perfectly happy, Garry,” she said. “Nat says that Jack Popella has been arrested for setting Haskell’s store on fire. That automatically clears Joe of suspicion!”
“That’s great. The poor kid has had more than his share of worry lately. Just wait till he reads that telegram.” And to Tavia, passing the door at that moment, he gave the yellow sheetwith the request that she convey it to Joe with all possible speed.
“Just to be comfortable and safe and happy once more,” murmured Dorothy, as Garry came back to her. “It seems very wonderful, Garry.”
“And my job,” said Garry softly, “will be to keep you safe and comfortable and happy for the rest of your life!”
THE END
THE END
THE END