But the thing was inevitable, because once in his remote, hot youth Dexter, cavorting innocently in an orchard, had kicked over a hive of busy bees which had been attending strictly to their own affairs until that moment. After that they had attended to Dexter with a thoroughness that had seared itself to this day across his memory. He now sincerely believed that he had overturned another hive of bees, and that not but by the most strenuous exertion could he escape from their harrying. They were stinging him venomously along his sides, biting deeper with every jump. At last he would bear his rider safely over the border.
The rider clasped his mount ever more tightly. The deep dust of the alley road mounted high over the spirited scene, and through it came not only the hearty delight of Metta Judson in peals of womanly laughter, but the shrill cries of the three Ransom children whom Merton had not before noticed. These were Calvin Ransom, aged eight; Elsie Ransom, aged six; and little Woodrow Ransom, aged four. Their mother had lain down with a headache, having first ordered them to take their picture books and sit quietly in the parlor as good children should on a Sabbath afternoon. So they had noisily pretended to obtain the picture books and then quietly tiptoed out into the backyard, which was not so stuffy as the parlor.
Detecting the meritorious doings in the Gashwiler barnyard, they perched in a row on the alley fence and had been excited spectators from the moment that Merton had mounted his horse.
In shrill but friendly voices they had piped, “Oh, Merton Gill’s a cowboy, Merton Gill’s a cowboy! Oh, looka the cowboy on the big horse!”
For of course they were motion-picture experts and would know a cowboy when they saw one. Wide-eyed, they followed the perilous antics of Dexter as he issued from the alley gate, and they screamed with childish delight when the spurs had recalled to his memory that far-off dreadful day with the busy bees. They now balanced precariously on the alley fence, the better to trace Merton’s flight through the dust cloud. “Merton’s in a runaway, Merton’s in a runaway, Merton’s in a runaway!” they shrieked, but with none of the sympathy that would have become them. They appeared to rejoice in Merton’s plight. “Merton’s in a runaway,” they joyously chanted.
Suddenly they ceased, frozen with a new and splendid wonder, for their descriptive phrase was now inexact. Merton was no longer in a runaway. But only for a moment did they hesitate before taking up the new chant.
“Looky, looky. He’s throwed Merton right off into the dirt. He’s throwed Merton right off into the dirt. Oh, looky Merton Gill right down there in the dirt!”
Again they had become exact. Merton was right down there in the dirt, and a frantic, flashing-heeled Dexter was vanishing up the alley at the head of a cloud of dust. The friendly Ransom tots leaped from the fence to the alley, forgetting on her bed of pain the mother who supposed them to be engrossed with picture books in the library. With one accord they ran toward the prostrate horseman, Calvin ahead and Elsie a close second, holding the hand of little Woodrow.
They were presently able to observe that the fleeing Dexter had narrowly escaped running down a motor car inopportunely turning at that moment into the alley. The gallant animal swerved in time, leaving the car’s driver and his wife aghast at their slight margin of safety. Dexter vanished to the right up shaded Spruce Street on a Sabbath evening as the first call to evening worship pealed from a neighboring church tower.
His late rider had erected himself and was beating dust from the new chaps and the front of the new shirt. He picked up the ideal hat and dusted that. Underneath all the flurry of this adventure he was still the artist. He had been set afoot in the desert by a treacherous horse; he must find a water hole or perish with thirst. He replaced the hat, and it was then he observed the motor car bearing down the alley upon him.
“My good gosh!” he muttered.
The Gashwilers had returned a full two hours before their accustomed time. The car halted beside him and his employer leaned out a warmly hostile face.
“What’s this mean?” he demanded.
The time was not one to tell Gashwiler what he thought of him. Not only was there a lady present, but he felt himself at a disadvantage. The lady saved him from an instant necessity for words.
“That was our new clothesline; I recognized it at once.” The woman seemed to pride herself on this paltry feat.
“What’s this mean?” again demanded Gashwiler. He was now a man of one idea.
Again was Merton Gill saved from the need of instant speech, though not in a way he would have chosen to be saved. The three Ransom children ran up, breathless, shouting.
“Oh, Merton, here’s your pistol. I found it right in the road there.” “We found your pistol right in the dirt there. I saw it first.” “You did not; I saw it first. Merton, will you let me shoot it off, Merton? I found your pistol, didn’t I, Merton? Didn’t I find it right in the road there?” The friendly tots did little step dances while they were thus vocal.
“Be quiet, children,” commanded Merton, finding a voice. But they were not to be quelled by mere tones.
“He throwed Merton right off into the dirt, didn’t he, Merton? Merton, didn’t he throw you right off into the dirt, Merton? Did he hurt you, Merton?” “Merton, will you let me shoot it off just once — just once, and I’ll never ask again?” “He didn’t either find it first, Merton.” “He throwed you off right into the dirt — didn’t he throw you right off into the dirt, Merton?”
With a harsher show of authority, or perhaps merely because he was bearded — so unreasoning are the inhibitions of the young — Gashwiler stilled the tumult. The dancing died. “What’s this mean?” he repeated.
“We nearly had an accident,” said the lady.
“What’s this mean?”
An answer of sorts could no longer be delayed.
“Well, I thought I’d give Dexter a little exercise, so I saddled him up and was going to ride him around the block, when — when these kids here yelled and scared him so he ran away.”
“Oh, what a story!” shouted the tots in unison. “What a bad story! You’ll go to the bad place,” intoned little Elsie.
“I swear, I don’t know what’s gettin’ into you,” declared Gashwiler. “Don’t that horse get exercise enough during the week? Don’t he like his day of rest? How’d you like me to saddle you up and ride you round the block? I guess you’d like that pretty well, wouldn’t you?” Gashwiler fancied himself in this bit of sarcasm, brutal though it was. He toyed with it. “Next Sunday I’ll saddle you up and ride you round the block — see how you like that, young man.”
“It was our clothesline,” said the lady. “I could tell it right off.”
With a womanish tenacity she had fastened to a minor inconsequence of the outrage. Gashwiler became practical.
“Well, I must say, it’s a pretty how-de-do, That horse’ll make straight back for the farm; we won’t have any delivery horse tomorrow. Sue, you get out; I’ll go down the road a piece and see if I can head him off.”
“He turned the other way,” said Merton.
“Well, he’s bound to head around for the farm. I’ll go up the road and you hurry out the way he went. Mebbe you can catch him before he gets out of town.”
Mrs. Gashwiler descended from the car.
“You better have that clothesline back by seven o’clock tomorrow morning,” she warned the offender.
“Yes, ma’am, I will.”
This