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  CHAPTER X

  SANDY RETURNS

  Eight days passed before Sandy came riding back on Goldie, leading thebay, reaching the Three Star at the end of sunset. Mormon was in hischair with the one letter that Sandy had written on his lap. It wasalmost too dark to read it. Mormon's eyes were beginning to fail him atanything short of long distance but he knew the contents by heart, yethe liked to keep the letter near him as a dog loves a favorite bone longafter all the nourishment from it has been absorbed. Mormon was stillpenitent. He knew that the sheriff had just failed to make the train,but he did not cease to blame himself for submitting Sandy and Molly toso close a chance, neither did Sam forget occasionally to remind him ofhis lapse of tongue.

  Sandy pulled in the mare beyond the corral. He could hear the sound ofSam's harmonica and pictured him with the instrument cuddled up underhis great mustache. Sam was playing _The Girl I Left Behind Me_ and hemanaged to breathe a good deal of pathos into the primitive mouth organ.

  "It's sure good to be home, Goldie," said Sandy. The mare whinnied. Thebay nickered. Answers came back from the corral. Pronto, Sandy's firststring horse, came trotting cross the corral, head up.

  "Hello, you ol' pie-eater!" said Sandy. "You sure look good to me.C'udn't take you erlong this trip, son, but we'll be out ter-morrertogether." Then he let out a mighty, "Hello, the house!"

  Sam's lilt ceased abruptly. The riders came hurrying. Sam appeared, withMormon waddling after, too swiftly for his best ease or grace of motion,both grabbing at Sandy, swatting him on the back as he off-saddled.

  "Lemme go," said Sandy. "I'm hungry as a spring b'ar. Where's Pedro?Pedro, I'm hungry--_muy hambriento_. _Despachese Vd. Pronto!Huevos--seis huevos--fritos! Frijoles! Jamon! Cafe! Panecilos! Todo elrancho! Pronto!_"

  "_Si, senor, inmediatamente._" And, with a yell for Joe the half-breed,Pedro hurried away, grinning, to prepare the six fried eggs, the ham,the coffee, the muffins, everything in the larder!

  His two partners watched him eat, plying him with food and then withquestion after question about the trip, about Barbara Redding and aboutMolly's going to school. Mormon made abject apology for talking too muchand Sandy told how close a shave it had been.

  "I don't cotton to playin' jack-rabbit to Plimsoll and Jordan'scoyotes," said Sandy. "Speshully Plimsoll, who's at the bottom of thewhole thing. Nex' time he may not have the law backin' him, an' I won'thave to run. How's the sheriff?"

  "Sort of tamed. They've been kiddin' him a mite. Seems he done someboastin' 'fore he started. His car's laid up fo' repairs. Jordan'slayin' low. Miss Bailey, she's at the head of the Wimmen's League togen'ally clean up politics an' the town, one to the same time. I figgerthe first thing their broom's goin' to locate'll be either Jordan orPlimsoll. They're sure goin' into all the dark corners an' under thefurniture. She's a hustler an' she's thorough, is Mirandy Bailey."

  "Where'd you learn all this, Mormon? Over to Herefo'd?"

  "'Pears Miss Bailey's took a great interest--in Molly," said Sam, with agrin. "She's been over here twice to see if there was news. Mormonentertained her. He seems to be the fav'rite. Beats all how one man'llcharm the fair sect, like honey'll bring flies, while another ain't everbothered."

  Mormon changed the trend of the conversation by demanding to know aboutthe school.

  "Molly's got an outfit Barbara Redding bought her," said Sandy. "Trunkan' leather grip, all kinds of do-dads. School costs fifteen hundredbucks a year. The rest of Molly's money is banked. Barbara picked out aschool in Pennsylvania she said was the best. Here's an advertisement ofit."

  He handed the magazine leaf to Sam who read over the items with Mormonlooking over his shoulder, forming the words with his lips. Sam read:

  CORONA COLLEGE

  "_Developing School for Girls. Development of well poised personality through intellectual, moral, social and physical trainin'._

  "_Extensive Campus_--(whatever that is)--_Elective Academic_--(Sufferin' Cows!)--_Domestic Science, Household Economics, Expression, Supervised Athletics._

  "_Horseback Riding_--(Huh, I never see an eastener yet who c'ud ride)--_Swimming, basketball, country tramping, dancing, military drill._"

  Sam made heavy going of many of the words that left him in the dark asto their meaning. Sandy tried to elucidate, repeating the explanationsBarbara Redding had given him.

  "Campus is the College Field, Sam," he said.

  "Then why in time don't they say so? Ain't they goin' to teach her totalk United States? I s'pose them things is all fine an' necessary fo'the female eddication but, dern me, if I can see where she's goin' tofind time to eat an' sleep."

  "It's been all-fired lonely with both you an' her gone," said Mormon."An' the dawg ain't eat a mouthful, I don't believe. Mebbe you can coaxhim, Sandy. Set around an' howled like a sick coyote fo' fo'-fivedays--mostly nights. If the gel balks at all that line of stuff I'llstand back of her to quit an' come back to Three Star."

  "An' have Jordan git her away an' put her under Plimsoll'sguardeenship?"

  "He c'udn't do that. Mirandy Bailey 'ud block him."

  "He c'udn't do anything," said Sandy. "I got myse'f app'inted legalguardeen to Molly while we was in Santa Rosa, one day Barbara an' Mollywas shoppin'. John Redding's lawyer fixed it up."

  The months passed without especial incident at the Three Star. Sandypurchased a Champion Hereford bull for the herd out of the ranch shareof the faro winnings. Other improvements were added, and the threepartners seemed on the fair way to prosperity. Sandy's theory thatbetter bred and better fed beef, bringing better prices, would pay,began to demonstrate itself slowly, though it would take three yearsbefore the get of the thoroughbred stock was ready for marketing.

  Occasional letters came from Molly. Homesickness and unhappiness showedbetween the lines of the first epistles, despite her evident efforts toconceal them. Her ways were not the ways of the other girls who were_developing a well poised personality through intellectual, moral,social and physical training_. She apparently formed no friendships andit seemed that none were invited from her.

  "But I'm going to stick with it till I get same as the rest--on the outside, anyway," she wrote. "I don't know how some of them work inside. It ain't like me. But I've started this and you-all want me to go through so I will, though I get lonesome as a sick cat for the ranch. I don't swear any more--I got into awful trouble for spilling my language one time--and I can spell pretty good without hunting up every word in the dictionary. I reckon I'm a hard filly to break but then I was haltered late. I don't think it would be allowed for me to have Grit, so you'll have to look out for him and not let him forget me. I hope you won't do that yourselves. Some of the other girls are nice enough. It will be all right soon as we get to understand each other. Don't think I'm starting out to buck or that I'm unhappy, because I'm not."

  "If she's happy, I'm a Gila lizard," said Mormon. "What's the sense ofhavin' her miserable fo' the sake of a li'l' book learnin'. She'sgettin' to spell so I can't make out what she's writin' about."

  At last Molly wrote that she had made the basketball team and won honorsand favors. She gained laurels for Corona in swimming and tennis, andlife went more merrily. Mormon looked up tennis outfits in his mailcatalogue and sent for a book on the game, which he soon abandoned.

  "You have to learn a foreign langwidge before you start to play," hesaid. "Leastwise a code. The langwidge ain't what you'd expect them tobe handin' out in a young lady's college. All erbout deuce an' love. I'da notion we'd fix up the game fo' her so she'd c'ud keep it up but Idunno. It sure ain't a fat man's game. It's a human grasshopper's."