"He could cure young Davey Taber."
"Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"I suppose so, but then Davey will take over the foreman's job at the
Circle-7--my job."
Jane got up from her husband's knee. There was horror in her look.
"Dan, do you mean you'd let so small a thing as that influence you
in--?"
Dan Parker sprang up also. "Small? You know we could not get along on a
cow hand's salary. We'd starve to death. And I'm no good for anything
but ranch work. It's all I know!"
"Dan--please!"
He turned suddenly contrite--somewhat ashamed, but in a way, he stuck
to his guns. "Sure--I suppose it's rotten of me to think that way, but
I've got you and Biddy to provide for. You two are my responsibility.
It may not mean anything to you having people say Dan Parker can't
support his family, but it means a lot to me!"
Jane looked at him quietly for a long moment before she said, "Dan,
I--I just haven't any words. What you're thinking is almost evil--the
way you feel about this--but I can't think of a logical answer or
argument to show you where you're wrong. The thing's just--just beyond
words."
Dan dropped to the lounge and sat staring at the floor. "I guess I'm a
pretty rotten individual."
Jane spoke quietly. "The only thing I can say, darling, is that we'll
always get along. We always have."
"Well, I can't do anything about it anyhow. Let's go to bed."
"Of course. You'll feel better in the morning, Dan. By that time you'll
realize what's actually happened. Biddy's been made whole. There's been
a miracle, darling!"
"That's right--a miracle...."
* * * * *
Biddy awoke very early. There was a funny little fluttery fear inside
her and she lay for a while trying to find out what it was. There
wasn't anything to be afraid of--nothing she could think of. Nobody
had--
She sat up and moved both her legs off the bed and put her feet on the
floor. Then she remembered that her left one was all right again and
she forgot all about hunting for where the fear came from. She was too
completely happy to worry about it.
She got out of bed and dressed and tiptoed through the living room,
being very quiet. When she got outside there was a faint streak of dawn
in the east and she almost laughed aloud at the wonderful feeling that
came from the cool, sharp morning air, the dead predawn stillness, and
not having to hobble along with the old brace on her leg.
Buck flopped his ears and seemed a little annoyed at having to get
up so early but he finally agreed to come out of the corral and take
Biddy up to the ridges. Even without any breakfast, so Biddy knew that
regardless of his seeming sullenness he felt pretty good too.
Biddy didn't quite get out of town unseen. There was someone else up
early too. Cecil Bates came slowly up the main street and as Buck
approached him it was light enough for him to look at Biddy and say,
"Wait a minute, honey. You forgot something."
"Good morning, Mr. Bates. No, I don't think so."
"Your brace, Biddy. How in hades did you get on that burro without it?"
"Oh, I don't need it any more. A man fixed my leg yesterday."
"A who--did what?"
"A very nice man up in the hills. He has a shiny box and he had me hold
some wires and now my leg is all healed up again."
"What man are you talking about?"
"He has a cave up there. At first I thought he was from the Eastern
Bloc and was one of our enemies. But he's from space or somewhere and
he's very good."
Cecil Bates stared at Biddy's leg and then came close and put his hands
on it. Biddy didn't like that very much and she kicked a heel into
Buck's ribs and said, "I've got to go now, Mr. Bates. It's going to be
a very nice day isn't it? Good-bye."
She rode away leaving the sheriff standing wide-eyed in the middle of
the street with his mouth open. As she moved out of town she looked
back uneasily, the nameless fear nagging at her again. She had the
feeling of having done or said something wrong but she wasn't sure what.
* * * * *
The east brightened into fresh dawn as Buck pattered along toward the
ridges. Biddy had never been up so early before and she thought it was
wonderful but her happiness was dampened a little by the fact that
she'd gone off without asking Mom. That was wrong, she thought, and
maybe Mom would be angry. But Biddy's thoughts were mainly occupied
with wondering why she had done it. She hadn't consciously wanted to
deceive Mom, but something she could not really understand had made
her sneak off so quietly.
* * * * *
The same thing that made her uneasy about telling Mr. Bates what had
happened. Then the ridges were close and she could see the rocks and
the place the doorway should be. The door was closed and Biddy guessed
that Joe didn't get up very early either.
She rode as close as she could and was just about to call out his name
when a pair of hands lifted her and swung her off Buck and set her on
her feet. And Joe was saying, "Hello there, youngster. Up pretty early
aren't you?"
Biddy wasn't even frightened at his appearing that way from nowhere. At
least that was how he had seemed to appear. She said, "I woke up and I
wanted to come out and thank you for fixing my leg."
"That wasn't necessary."
"Have you had breakfast?"
"Not yet. I was up early too and I was just sitting out here doing some
thinking."
"Are you expecting to eat breakfast soon?"
"Right now as a matter of fact. You wait. I'll bring it out."
Joe touched the small thing on his shirt. The cave door opened and he
went inside and came out very shortly with a tray that he set down on a
rock.