CHAPTER XXXIV
Springtime
Have you seen the springtime dawn on the Black Hills? No? Then you havenever seen a real spring.
For long, dark, silent months the land has lain under a broad whiterobe, the plains are levelled, hidden, and the whiteness of the highspaces sweeps down to meet, on the lower hills, the sudden blackness ofthe forest pine. And now you know why these are named Black Hills. Fullfour white moons have waned; the blizzard wind has hissed and stung,till the house-bound wonder if the days of spring will ever come. InMarch, when the northward-heading crows appear, the sting-wind weakens,halts; the sweet south wind springs up, the snow-robe of the plainsturns yellow here and there as the grass comes through, then lo! comesforth a world of crocus bloom. The white robe shrivels fast now, thebrown pursues it up the mountain side till at the last there is nothingleft but a high-up snow-cap hiding beneath the pines, slowly dissolvingin a million crystal rills to swell the rolling Cheyenne far below. Thespring birds fill the air, the little ones that twitter as they pass,and the great gold-breasted prairie lark that sings and sings: "TheSpring, the Spring, the glory of the Spring!" Then all the world isglad, and stronger than the soft new wind, deeper than the impulse ofawakening flower bulbs, broader than the brightening tinge of green--isthe thrill of a world-wide, sky-wide joy and power, the exquisitetenderness and yearning which if you know, you know; and if you do notknow it none can make you understand.
"O God of the blue and the green and the wind, oh, send me what myspirit craves." That is the prayer, the unspoken prayer, of everysun-wise creature in these days; and the wild things race and seek, andsearch and race, not knowing what draws them ever on; but they surelyknow when they find it, and then they are at rest.
And they rode, Belle and Jim, the big square man, and the maid with theage-old light in her eyes, and they rejoiced in the golden plains. Theyrode with the wild things of the plain, and though they talked of thepast and the future there was for them but one thing worth a thought,the golden present in their golden youth.
"Oh, Belle, what fools we are! We talk of the past and of far-off days,of the blessings that are ahead of us, and I know there is no better joythan this, to ride and shout and be alive right now with you!"
Midnight had burgeoned out into a big strong horse; not swift, butstaunch and better fitted than the other for a rider of such weight. Thewound of losing Blazing Star had healed, and the scar it left was aprecious thing to Jim much as the Indian holds his Sun Dance scars asproofs of fortitude unflinching.
Fort Ryan and all the plains were in a rosy light this spring. It was athreefold joy to ride on Midnight, with Belle, and to visit Blazing Starin his stall at the Fort. Hartigan felt a little guilty as the gentlecreature would come and nose about for sugar lumps while Midnight wouldlay back his ears at the approach. Midnight had a temper, as was wellknown; but it was never let forth, for the master that had so littleskill in handling men was adept with the horse.
These were very full days for Jim and Belle, though they took theirhappiness in very different moods. There never was a grown man moreincapable of thought for the morrow than Hartigan; he was alive rightnow, he would right now enjoy his life and Belle should be the crown.But in her eyes even his imperception discovered a cloud.
"What is it, Belle? Why do you get that far-off troubled look?"
"Oh, Jim, you big, blind, childish giant; do you never think? You areonly a probationer with one year's leave. That year is up on the firstof May."
"Why, Belle darling, that's five weeks off. A world of things may happenbefore that."
"Yes, if we make them happen, and I'm going to try."
"Well, Belle, this thing I know; if you set your mind to it I'd bet--ifI weren't a preacher--I'd bet there's not a thing could stand againstyou."
"I like your faith, Jim; but 'faith without works is dead'; and thatmeans we must get up and rustle."
"What do you suggest?"
"Well, I have been rustling this long while back. I've been working Dr.Jebb and Mrs. Jebb and anybody else I could get hold of, to have yourprobation extended for another year. And the best news we have so far isthe possibility of another six months. After that, you must go back tocollege to complete your course."
COLLEGE! Jim was thunderstruck. How many a man has all his dream ofbliss summed up in that one word--college? "Oh, if only I had moneyenough to go to college!" is the cry of hundreds who hunger for thethings that college means; and yet, to Jim, it was like a doom of death.College, with all the horror of the classroom ten times worse sinceknowing the better things. College in the far-off East--deadly,lifeless, crushing thing; college that meant good-bye to Belle, to life,and red blood on the plains. Yes, he knew it was coming, if ever he gavethe horrid thing a thought; but now that it was close at hand the ideawas maddening. College was simply another name for hell. The effect ofthe sudden thought on his wild, impulsive nature was one great surgingtide of rebellion.
"_I won't go!_" he thundered. "Belle, do you suppose God brought me outhere to meet you, and have you save me from ruin and help me to know thebest things on earth, just to chuck it all and go back to a lot ofuseless rot about the number of wives the kings of Judah used to have,or how some two-faced Hebrew woman laid traps for some wine-soakedPhilistine brute, and stuck the rotten loafer in the back with a kitchenknife all for the pleasure and glory of a righteous God! I don't wantany more of it, Belle; _I won't go!_ You've told me often enough that myinstincts are better than my judgment, and my instincts tell me to stayright here," and his face flushed red with passion.
"Dear boy! Don't you know I'm trying to help you? Don't you know I meanto keep you here? You know that we can get anything we want, if we arewilling to pay the price, and _will_ have it. I mean to keep you here;only I am trying not to pay too high a price."
She laid her hand on his. He reached out and put an arm about her. Shesaid nothing, and did nothing. She knew that he must blow off thisfierce steam, and that the reaction would then set in with equal force.
They rode for a mile in silence; she wanted him to speak first.
"You always help me," he said at last, heaving a great sigh. "You arewiser than I am."
She gently patted his cheek. He went on: "What do you think I shoulddo?"
"Nothing for three days; then we'll see."
They galloped for half a mile, and every sign of worry was gone from hisface as they reined their horses in at the stable of Fort Ryan.
The Preacher of Cedar Mountain: A Tale of the Open Country Page 35