Andy fell back and stared at his cousin helplessly when he heard
this startling announcement.
Meanwhile Frank had started in to assist Charley Woo cut the rope
which had been so cruelly used to make the housekeeper a prisoner.
Then he helped her to regain her feet, for she had sank down utterly
exhausted as soon as released.
But Mrs. Ogden was a sensible woman, and she was trying the best she
knew how to recover her speech; so that presently Frank thought it
time to ask her something about what had happened.
“He must have crept in through the open window!” she gasped. “I
thought the night wind had started blowing the blind, and got up to
fix it, when he caught hold of me, and that was the last I knew
until I came to my senses and found myself bound, and with a towel
fastened across my face so that I could not cry out, when he was
just passing out of the window. In the moonlight I could see that he
held a bundle in his arms, and I knew what it must be. Oh! what will
Mr. Witherspoon say when he learns how I have let that sweet child
be taken away from under my eyes.”
That seemed to be the main cause for her distress; she thought
nothing at all about her own sufferings, but was only concerned
about what her employer would think because she had not been able to
prevent the kidnapping of the child.
Though Andy had not yet recovered his voice, and was groping in the
dark with regard to what it all meant, Frank, clearer visioned, had
already made a pretty straight guess. He immediately started to ask
a few questions, and each one of them went straight to the point.
“Did you see the man clearly, Mrs. Ogden?” he demanded; and somehow
the housekeeper seemed to feel something of the same confidence in
Frank that his manner nearly always produced in those who were in
distress.
“No, because the moon was on the other side of the house,” she
replied; “and besides, he seemed to have some sort of bandanna
handkerchief fastened around the lower part of his face as a
disguise.”
“And did he say anything that you heard, anything that would give
you a clue with regard to who he was?” Frank went on to ask. “I
remember that when he first caught me by the throat he did utter a
low word, and it was a Mexican word, too,” she answered, slowly, as
though her mind might not yet be working as clearly as usual.
“That is a point, then, to be remembered,” the boy insisted, “and
here’s something that might give us another clue.”
He picked an object up from the floor, and held it aloft.
“A Mexican sombrero!” exclaimed Andy, recovering his speech at last.
“Just what it is,” said Frank, steadily, “and as is the habit with
these men from over the border, this one is decorated heavily with
silver beads, and gold buttons, as well as filigree work. One of
these hats is worth a lot of money, and the owner is as proud of it
as a lady would be of her magnificent diamonds at the opera. Please
try and think, Mrs. Ogden, did you ever see this sombrero before?”
He held it up in front of her eyes, slowly turning it around, so
that she might observe every part in turn.
The housekeeper uttered a low bubbling cry. Evidently the truth had
flashed into her mind, and she was no longer groping in the dark.
“Yes, yes, I do remember seeing that hat, Frank, Andy!” she
exclaimed.
“On the head of a certain gentleman who went by the name of Jose
Sandero?” pursued the boy, as if trying to aid her memory.
“No other, though it was some years ago!” she cried. “They always
decorate each new hat in the same way as the last. And when he was
here that time to demand his child, only to hear that the court had
given her into the keeping of Mr. Witherspoon, Jose Sandero wore
just such a sombrero. Oh! it was him, all right; and the poor little
darling has been carried off by her own unworthy father. He will
make for the border as fast as horses can carry him, hoping to be
safe beyond the line before the return of Mr. Witherspoon.”
Frank had already guessed this much. It looked like a serious
proposition; but then he was a boy not easily daunted. The more
difficult the task the greater was Frank Bird’s resolution apt to be
aroused.
First of all it seemed essential that the ranchman must be notified
of what had happened and that as quickly as possible. They were many
miles away, and doubtless much valuable time would be lost, even
after the messenger reached the round-up camp, since the boys would
be off here and there engaged in their work of gathering the cattle
for the purpose of picking out unbranded stock, and driving it in to
be marked, after it had been roped and thrown.
Meanwhile, it was necessary that they find out if possible which way
the kidnapper had gone; though the chances were ten to one the
direction would be south. There were several reasons for believing
this. In the first place Mexico lay in that quarter; and doubtless
across the border Jose Sandero had prepared a hiding place where he
could defy the United States courts to summon him. Perhaps he also
had friends and comrades awaiting him there, who would defend him
against any pursuit of the Double X Ranch cow punchers, bent on
recovering the child and punishing the bold abductor.
Frank stepped over to the window, and looked out.
It happened that just below the earth was soft, for Mr. Witherspoon
had made a brave effort to have certain flowering shrubs bloom near
the house, and several pink oleanders and scarlet hibiscus did
manage to survive the heat, being carefully watered each morning and
evening by Charley Woo with his hose. And looking closely Frank
could see the mark of footprints. He climbed out of the window and
began to follow them, Andy being quickly at his side, bubbling over
with indignation and breathing all sorts of dire threats against the
bad man who had for some reason other than affection chosen to steal
the child to whom he no longer had any claim, selecting the very
time when the punchers would be far away from the ranch house, which
he had expected would be practically left unprotected.
Frank kept on following the tracks until finally he came to the now
almost empty corral, where the riding horses were kept when the boys
were at home.
“See,” Frank observed, “here is where he had his pony tied—there
were two of them, Andy, showing that he came here with the intention
of carrying little Becky off.”
“Yes,” added Andy, “and now we ought to learn which way he went. But
Frank, there’s hardly a pony fit to ride except Alkali Joe’s mount
in the corral. They took every one along for use in the rough work
of the round-up. Uncle says he will have to break in a lot more
right away. They’ve been losing a large number lately, you remember.
Heads into the south, don’t it, Frank?”
“Yes, just as I thought it would,” muttered the other coming to a
stand, and looking away off over the level stretch of plain, as
though he wished he had eyes strong enough to discover the fleeing
marauder, miles and miles away though he must be before now.
“Poor little Becky, how frightened she must be to find herself being
carried off by that man,” remarked Andy, his voice trembling with
feeling; and he had to stop speaking to grit his teeth, as anger
almost overwhelmed him. “Of course he’s told her before now that he
is her father; but that won’t make her feel any better, because she
has heard enough from the boys to know that Jose is a bad man, who
deserted her mother, and was in one way the cause of her death.
Whatever do you suppose he did it for, Frank; not that he could care
about Becky, who looks too much like her mother did to ever make him
love her? More’n likely now, he’s gone to all this trouble, and
risked his neck in the bargain, just to get even with Uncle Jethro.”
“I wouldn’t be much surprised if you’ve hit the nail on the head,
Andy,” observed the other soberly. “But the question is, what are we
going to do about it, for it seems to me it’s up to us pretty much
to start something moving.”
Andy suddenly looked up eagerly.
“Tell you what, Frank!” he exclaimed, “we’ve got something better
than ponies to take us over the ground to where Uncle Jethro and the
boys are at work. What’s going to hinder us from making use of the
biplane to cover these miles of space? Why, we can just whizz down
there, and carry the news!”
Frank appeared to be thinking, for he did not make any remark in
answer to this bright suggestion on the part of his chum.
“Look,” Andy went on to remark, “if there isn’t Alkali Joe hobbling
around on one foot with a cane to support him. Chances are, he’ll be
asking us to let him ride for help, while we try and overtake the
kidnapper; but that would be a terrible thing to let him do. Better
send Charley Woo, if somebody has to go, and you don’t want to waste
time by using the machine.”
“I was thinking why shouldn’t we set out straight on the track of
Jose, using the biplane instead of ponies?” Frank suddenly broke out
with.
“Good! Great stunt! It does take you to think up things, Frank.
There I kept on beating about the bush, and saying we might carry
the news to the boys, when all the time we had the opening before us
to chase right after the skunk, hot-footed. And say, there’s those
fine Marlin guns we used on the bear hunt; couldn’t we make out to
carry a couple of that sort along with us, Frank? Oh! the way I feel
right now, it wouldn’t take much to tempt me to put a chunk of lead
in that Mexican, I tell you. How about that, Frank; ain’t we going
armed, if we have to try and get our little ranch butterfly back
again?”
“Of course, Andy; it would be silly to think of going without some
sort of gun along. When you’re meaning to arrest a bad man you had
ought to make sure you’re heeled so as to enforce your demands.
We’ll take shooting-irons along in numbers enough to riddle him if
it comes to a question of a stand-up fight. And now’s let’s hurry
back to the house. Before we can get off there are a few things we
must see to, you understand.”
“Then you don’t think we had better run over to where the boys are,
first of all, and let them know?” Andy went on to ask, loth to let
his suggestion be wholly thrown into the discard.
“A waste of time, when everything is going to depend on how fast we
can overtake Jose and little Becky,” Frank asserted, firmly. “We can
start Charley Woo off; or if necessary, Mrs. Ogden, who can ride
nearly as well as a man, will go. Come, the sooner we start in the
quicker we’ll be able to do something worth while.”
And Andy, duly impressed once more with the fact that Frank was able
to handle the situation, if any one could, only too gladly hurried
after his cousin when the latter headed for the house.
No one paid the least attention to the fact that it was a fine airy
morning, for the catastrophe which had come upon Double X Ranch so
suddenly had by this time filled their minds to the exclusion of
everything else.
And it was an excited group that gathered by the horse block in
front of the door—the housekeeper wringing her hands in anguish;
Frank and Andy looking very determined; Charley Woo in a flutter;
and Alkali Joe furious because of his crippled condition.