"Unless you think the man is hurt, that would
be best, but we'll keep him if you like."
"No, sir. I couldn't trouble you," said Winston hastily. "Men of his
kind are also very hard to kill."
Five minutes later he and the hired man hoisted Courthorne into the
wagon and packed some hay about him, while, soon after the rattle of
wheels sank into the silence of the prairie, the girl Maud Barrington
had spoken to rejoined her companion.
"Could Courthorne have seen you coming in?" he asked.
"Yes," said the girl, blushing. "He did."
"Then it can't be helped, and, after all, Courthorne wouldn't talk,
even if he wasn't what he is," said the lad. "You don't know why, and
I'm not going to tell you, but it wouldn't become him."
"You don't mean Maud Barrington?" asked his companion.
"No," said the lad, with a laugh. "Courthorne is not like me. He has
no sense. It's quite another kind of girl, you see."
CHAPTER XXII
COLONEL BARRINGTON IS CONVINCED
It was not until early morning that Courthorne awakened from the stupor
he sank into soon after Winston conveyed him into his homestead.
First, however, he asked for a little food, and ate it with apparent
difficulty. When Winston came in he looked up from the bed where he
lay, with the dust still white upon his clothing, and his face showed
gray and haggard in the creeping light.
"I'm feeling a trifle better now," he said; "still, I scarcely fancy I
could get up just yet.
Pages:
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290