"Glenn, I'm a faithful creature.You should be glad of that.I love New York.""Very well, then.Arizona to New York," he said, lightly brushing her cheek with his lips.And swerving back into his saddle, he spurred his horse and called back over his shoulder: "That mustang and Flo have beaten me many a time.Come on."It was not so much his words as his tone and look that roused Carley.Had he resented her loyalty to the city of her nativity? Always there was a little rift in the lute.Had his tone and look meant that Flo might catch him if Carley could not? Absurd as the idea was, it spurred her to recklessness.Her mustang did not need any more than to know she wanted him to run.The road was of soft yellow earth flanked with green foliage and overspread by pines.In a moment she was racing at a speed she had never before half attained on a horse.Down the winding road Glenn's big steed sped, his head low, his stride tremendous, his action beautiful.But Carley saw the distance between them diminishing.Calico was overtaking the bay.
She cried out in the thrilling excitement of the moment.Glenn saw her gaining and pressed his mount to greater speed.Still he could not draw away from Calico.Slowly the little mustang gained.It seemed to Carley that riding him required no effort at all.And at such fast pace, with the wind roaring in her ears, the walls of green vague and continuous in her sight, the sting of pine tips on cheek and neck, the yellow road streaming toward her, under her, there rose out of the depths of her, out of the tumult of her breast, a sense of glorious exultation.She closed in on Glenn.From the flying hoofs of his horse shot up showers of damp sand and gravel that covered Carley's riding habit and spattered in her face.She had to hold up a hand before her eyes.Perhaps this caused her to lose something of her confidence, or her swing in the saddle, for suddenly she realized she was not riding well.The pace was too fast for her inexperience.But nothing could have stopped her then.No fear or awkwardness of hers should be allowed to hamper that thoroughbred mustang.
Carley felt that Calico understood the situation; or at least he knew he could catch and pass this big bay horse, and he intended to do it.Carley was hard put to it to hang on and keep the flying sand from blinding her.
When Calico drew alongside the bay horse and brought Carley breast to breast with Glenn, and then inch by inch forged ahead of him, Carley pealed out an exultant cry.Either it frightened Calico or inspired him, for he shot right ahead of Glenn's horse.Then he lost the smooth, wonderful action.He seemed hurtling through space at the expense of tremendous muscular action.Carley could feel it.She lost her equilibrium.She seemed rushing through a blurred green and black aisle of the forest with a gale in her face.Then, with a sharp jolt, a break, Calico plunged to the sand.
Carley felt herself propelled forward out of the saddle into the air, and down to strike with a sliding, stunning force that ended in sudden dark oblivion.
Upon recovering consciousness she first felt a sensation of oppression in her chest and a dull numbness of her whole body.When she opened her eyes she saw Glenn bending over her, holding her head on his knee.A wet, cold, reviving sensation evidently came from the handkerchief with which he was mopping her face.
"Carley, you can't be hurt--really!" he was ejaculating, in eager hope."It was some spill.But you lit on the sand and slid.You can't be hurt."The look of his eyes, the tone of his voice, the feel of his hands were such that Carley chose for a moment to pretend to be very badly hurt indeed.It was worth taking a header to get so much from Glenn Kilbourne.
But she believed she had suffered no more than a severe bruising and scraping.
1
Glenn gave a terrible start and his face turned a deathly white.He burst out with quavering, inarticulate speech.
Carley gazed up at him and then closed her eyes.She could not look at him while carrying on such deceit.Yet the sight of him and the feel of him then were inexpressibly blissful to her.What she needed most was assurance of his love.She had it.Beyond doubt, beyond morbid fancy, the truth had proclaimed itself, filling her heart with joy.
Suddenly she flung her arms up around his neck."Oh--Glenn! It was too good a chance to miss!...I'm not hurt a bit."