Penny of Top Hill Trail

by Belle Kanaris Maniates

  CHAPTER XV

  In the little valley by Westcott's, Pen stood waiting and staring upward.At last she heard the sharp sound of an engine and saw the planedescribing a sweeping circle. It came gently down, the little wheelsrolling along the grass.

  "I'm in debt to Hebler," said Larry. "It was only your fear of him thatovercame your fear of flying."

  Then looking at her, he continued, confidingly, "I wouldn't take up theaverage girl, Pen, and especially one who owned up to being afraid. But Iknow you. You'll forget fear in the thrills. All you've got to do is tosit still, hold on and look out on the level. We won't do any swivels;just straight stuff, and you'll be as safe as you would any place."

  She put on the hood and goggles and was adjusted to the seat.

  "Now where do you want to go?" he asked.

  "Anywhere to lose myself. Hebby is in town and so--are others. Let us takethe opposite direction and you can land me at some place where theeast-bound stops and I can get some more luggage. Then we'll make plans."

  "Suits me. First thing we'll do is to have a grand flight. Then I'll leaveyou at a nice, little, sky-high inn I know up in the clouds. I'll fly backto town, pay my bill, pack my traps and join you by train."

  He started the engine. The plane skipped along for a few paces, thenarose, it seemed to Pen, to great and dizzy heights. In spite of herinstructions she ventured to look down. Everything earthly wasdisappearing. They dodged the clouds, went above them and then slid downto the splendors of the sunlight. Over the hills at full speed they sweptalong, Larry's air-wise, lightning-swift sensibilities making naught ofchange of currents and drafts. Then came the joy and thrill of asixty-mile straightaway spurt.

  It was wonderful, but the most wonderful part of it to Pen was that shehad not even a second of fear, although always this thought of being shotup suddenly straight into an unknown realm had been most terrifying.

  Up there above the hills and in the clouds, she felt entranced,spiritualized. It was with a feeling of depression that she saw they werespinning down until they hovered over a field, scudding smoothly andslowly along.

  "You weren't afraid!" exclaimed Larry triumphantly, as they walked alongtoward a little inn resting at the base of one of the undulating hills.

  "No;" she answered, "only awed."

  "Was it anything like you expected?"

  "No," she replied.

  A man came out of the inn to meet them.

  "Halloa, Larry! Too bad I couldn't have had a full house to see. The lasttourist left on the train to-day."

  "Then you'll have more room for us. This is Miss Lamont, Nat. Mr. Yates,the proprietor," he explained to Pen. "Can you give us supper and put MissLamont up for the night? I have to fly back to my hotel. I'll return bytrain in the morning."

  "Sure thing! House is yours."

  He showed Pen to a neat little room and told her "supper'd be on in ajiffy."

  She sat down dazedly. Presently she was roused to her surroundings byLarry's "Oh, Pen!" from below.

  When she came down to the dining-room, Larry's clear young eyes looked ather keenly.

  "Not down to earth yet, Pen? I know how you feel. First time I made thesky route, I went off by myself for a day."

  "Larry, I can't talk about it yet. I will tell you now why I joined you. Ithought I would like to go to France--with you. I thought I might beuseful some way, but now--"

  "We won't think of plans now. We'll talk it all over in the morning when Iam back. You'll be safe here. Nat would as lief shoot Hebby or anyone elsewho trailed you. Supper's on the table, so come on."

  Throughout the meal Larry did most of the talking, Pen scarcelyresponding. Then he was off, steering in great circles toward town, Penwatching with the quickening of pulse and a renewal of the elation she hadfelt when taking the air. When he was but a mere speck in the sky, shewent up to her little room.

  "You'll never look quite so high or so wonderful to me again," shethought, as she looked out on the hills. "It's because I've looked down onyou, I suppose--the law of contrast. I learned a great deal up there--inthe vapors. I put out my feelers, something I never did before. I see I'vealways faked my sensations. But my wings are pin feathers as yet. I haveto look at everything from a new angle of vision. All my life I've beenlonging for thrills--real thrills, my own thrills; not other peoples. Ihad a few little shivers when I was riding to Top Hill that morning; a fewmore last night--but my first true thrill of rapture came when I waschallenging the sky, an argonaut."

  It was a hard struggle for Pen to adjust her new self that she had foundup in the high altitudes where all the tepid, petty things of life haddropped from her--where she had found the famous fleece, the truth. In thevastness of that uncharted land, like a flash in the dark something hadleaped at her. Her dream of a dream had come true. She had learned thegreat human miracle, the meaning of a love that had the strength torenounce. A god-made love, sweet and strong, conceived on earth, butbrought forth on high where the call of destiny had sounded with clarionclearness. She knew now what she had missed; that he was not of the worldof miniature men who exact and never return.

  She was roused from her visions of the new and radiant world which hadbeen opened unto her by a knock at her door.

  "Yes," she answered vaguely.

  "There's a man downstairs to see you," said the proprietor.

  She was at once alert and on the defensive, thinking of an encounter withHebler.

  "Do you know who he is?" she asked apprehensively.

  "He said to tell you 'twas Jo."

  Joyfully she hastened down to the deserted office of the little inn.

  "Jo, I am so glad it's you!"

  "So am I. Come outside and take a walk with me."

  "How did you ever track me up here, Jo?" she asked as they walked up ahillside.

  "Not hard to track the first skycraft that ever came up to these parts. Isaw one land near Westcott's, and I had a hunch it was lighting for you.Then I thought no more about it until things happened that made it up tome to find you. I inquired around and about and found a big balloon hadcome this way, so I figured this was about your goal for a train."

  "Why was it up to you to find me, Jo?"

  "Well, Miss Penny Ante, I am a little interested in you, seeing as it wasyou who brought Marta to me. And I knew you would be interested in knowingMarta didn't take the ring."

  "Oh, Jo! I tried to think it wasn't Marta, but--"

  "She says she acted just as though she had taken it. It was old Merlin,nosing around the hall, who tucked it away. But the real reason I had torun you down was for my pal. He wants you."

  "Why?" she asked. "To apologize? You didn't tell him, Jo--"

  "I told him nothing."

  "Then he must want me as an ex-sheriff."

  "Cut that out, Miss Penny Ante. He wants to find you because he lovesyou."

  "What makes you think so, Jo?"

  "He 'fessed up when he found you had gone."

  "He didn't love me--not as you love Marta," she reminded him. "It made nodifference with you that Marta--"

  He made a quick gesture of protest.

  "You forget," he said soberly, "that when I met Marta and fell in lovewith her, I didn't know about--her. Bender had told him about you beforehe met you, and then he thought you belonged to me."

  "Jo, if you had known Marta stole before you met her, wouldn't you haveloved her and asked her to marry you?"

  "I don't know," he said frankly, "and I don't care about 'might havebeens.' I know I love her now and always shall. That is enough."

  "Miss Penny Ante," he continued, as she did not answer him, "you don'tknow Kurt Walters as I do. He is a square man, square as a die."

  "Yes, Jo," she said softly. "He is a real man--a square man. I know itnow, too late."

  "Not too late. Not if you care. Go back with me to the ranch. He has goneto town with the children to meet the Kingdons. Mrs. Kingdon is there,too. They will all be back to-night."

  "No, Jo; it's
too late."

  "Why?"

  "Because I gave Francis a letter telling him everything. He might overlookwhat he did know, but I understand his pride. He'll never overlook theother. He'll not forgive the deception."

  "Go to him unexpectedly, Miss Penny Ante. A man off guard, you know. Comeback to Top Hill with me."

  "No; I am going to wait here until Larry comes back. I must."

  "Who is he, and what is he to you?" asked Jo resentfully andsuspiciously.

  "So you see, Jo," she said, when she had finished a brief account ofLarry's entrance into her life, "I can't go back with you. Don't tellanyone but Marta where you found me. Ask her to forgive me for being sostupid about the ring. I'll walk down to your car with you."

  They walked slowly without speaking until they came to the inn. She lookedat the car wistfully.

  "I haven't been in this poor, little old car since that first ride to TopHill," she said reminiscently.

  He made no reply, but got into the car and put his hand on the wheel.

  "Jo!"

  "Well," he answered in the tone of one balked in his intentions.

  "He'll get over it."

  "No; men like Kurt don't get over anything like that. I know what it is tolove without hope. I am sorry for Kurt. You'll be sorry for him, too, someday."

  She had come close to the car, and he looked into her eyes as he saidimpressively:

  "He loved you from that very first night."

  "That very first night!" she echoed. "Not surely on that ride fromtown--from jail to Top Hill! Why, he fairly hated me then!"

  "You're not hep to Kurt," he declared. "He said to me in just these words:'I have loved her since that first night I saw her, when we camped on thetrail--when she lay asleep in the moonlight.'"

  After making this enlightening remark, he motored away, while Pen stoodmotionless with the shock of amazement in her eyes.

  * * * * *

  When Larry returned on the early east-bound, he found Pen on the verandaof the little inn.

  "Why, Pen!" he exclaimed. "Is this a stay-up late, or a get-up early?"

  "Both, Larry. I couldn't sleep. I am still thinking of our flightup--where I found myself."

  "I know," he said comprehendingly. "You have to get away from people andthings to do that--to get the right line on yourself; and that is the onlyplace you can do it. But I met a man at the hotel who knows you."

  "Not Hebby!"

  "No; I dodged Hebby for fear he'd quiz me or follow me. This other manbegan a cross exam., so I beat it. He said he was from the ranch where youstopped. I asked the clerk when I paid my bill who he was, and he said hewas a sheriff, or had been one. Maybe Hebler got him to track you. Idodged his questions so as not to put him wise."

  "He isn't a colleague of Hebby's," denied Pen. "He is the foreman of theranch where I stayed. I think he was there in town to meet the Kingdons."

  "He met some people who went out to the ranch, but this man stayed on atthe hotel. The night clerk said he would be there until noon to-day. Wehad better get ready for the next train."

  "I am ready," said Pen quietly.