The Call Of The Canyon, Zane Grey [good non fiction books to read txt] 📗

And Sleet,  And The Bitter Wind That Beat In Her Face As

She Struggled Up The Trail--It Was A Day Never To Be Forgotten. Nothing Had

Been Wanting In Glenn's Attention Or Affection. He Had Been Comrade,  Lover,

All She Craved For. And But For His Few Singular Words About Work And

Children There Had Been No Serious Talk. Only A Play Day In His Canyon And

His Cabin! Yet Had She Appeared At Her Best? Something Vague And Perplexing

Knocked At The Gate Of Her Consciousness.

 

 

Chapter 4 Pg 54

Two Warm Sunny Days In Early May Inclined Mr. Hutter To The Opinion That

Pleasant Spring Weather Was At Hand And That It Would Be A Propitious Time

To Climb Up On The Desert To Look After His Sheep Interests. Glenn,  Of

Course,  Would Accompany Him.

 

Chapter 4 Pg 55

"Carley And I Will Go Too," Asserted Flo.

 

"Reckon That'll Be Good," Said Hutter,  With Approving Nod.

 

His Wife Also Agreed That It Would Be Fine For Carley To See The Beautiful

Desert Country Round Sunset Peak. But Glenn Looked Dubious.

 

"Carley,  It'll Be Rather Hard," He Said. "You're Soft,  And Riding And Lying

Out Will Stove You Up. You Ought To Break In Gradually."

 

"I Rode Ten Miles Today," Rejoined Carley. "And Didn't Mind It--Much." This

Was A Little Deviation From Stern Veracity.

 

"Shore Carley's Well And Strong," Protested Flo. "She'll Get Sore,  But That

Won't Kill Her."

 

Glenn Eyed Flo With Rather Penetrating Glance. "I Might Drive Carley Round

About In The Car," He Said.

 

"But You Can't Drive Over Those Lava Flats,  Or Go Round,  Either. We'd Have

To Send Horses In Some Cases Miles To Meet You. It's Horseback If You Go At

All."

 

"Shore We'll Go Horseback," Spoke Up Flo. "Carley Has Got It All Over That

Spencer Girl Who Was Here Last Summer."

 

"I Think So,  Too. I Am Sure I Hope So. Because You Remember What The Ride

To Long Valley Did To Miss Spencer," Rejoined Glenn.

 

"What?" Inquired Carley.

 

"Bad Cold,  Peeled Nose,  Skinned Shin,  Saddle Sores. She Was In Bed Two

Days. She Didn't Show Much Pep The Rest Of Her Stay Here,  And She Never Got

On Another Horse."

 

"Oh,  Is That All,  Glenn?" Returned Carley,  In Feigned Surprise. "Why,  I

Imagined From Your Tone That Miss Spencer's Ride Must Have Occasioned Her

Discomfort. . . . See Here,  Glenn. I May Be A Tenderfoot,  But I'm No

Mollycoddle."

 

"My Dear,  I Surrender," Replied Glenn,  With A Laugh. "Really,  I'm

Delighted. But If Anything Happens--Don't You Blame Me. I'm Quite Sure That

Chapter 4 Pg 56

A Long Horseback Ride,  In Spring,  On The Desert,  Will Show You A Good Many

Things About Yourself."

 

That Was How Carley Came To Find Herself,  The Afternoon Of The Next Day,

Astride A Self-Willed And Unmanageable Little Mustang,  Riding In The Rear

Of Her Friends,  On The Way Through A Cedar Forest Toward A Place Called

Deep Lake.

 

Carley Had Not Been Able Yet,  During The Several Hours Of Their Journey,  To

Take Any Pleasure In The Scenery Or In Her Mount. For In The First Place

There Was Nothing To See But Scrubby Little Gnarled Cedars And Drab-Looking

Rocks; And In The Second This Indian Pony She Rode Had Discovered She Was

Not An Adept Horsewoman And Had Proceeded To Take Advantage Of The Fact. It

Did Not Help Carley's Predicament To Remember That Glenn Had Decidedly

Advised Her Against Riding This Particular Mustang. To Be Sure,  Flo Had

Approved Of Carley's Choice,  And Mr. Hutter,  With A Hearty Laugh,  Had

Fallen In Line: "Shore. Let Her Ride One Of The Broncs,  If She Wants." So

This Animal She Bestrode Must Have Been A Bronc,  For It Did Not Take Him

Long To Elicit From Carley A Muttered,  "I Don't Know What Bronc Means,  But

It Sounds Like This Pony Acts."

 

Carley Had Inquired The Animal's Name From The Young Herder Who Had Saddled

Him For Her.

 

"Wal,  I Reckon He Ain't Got Much Of A Name," Replied The Lad,  With A Grin,

As He Scratched His Head. "For Us Boys Always Called Him Spillbeans."

 

"Humph! What A Beautiful Cognomen!" Ejaculated Carley,  "But According To

Shakespeare Any Name Will Serve. I'll Ride Him Or--Or--"

 

So Far There Had Not Really Been Any Necessity For The Completion Of That

Sentence. But Five Miles Of Riding Up Into The Cedar Forest Had Convinced

Carley That She Might Not Have Much Farther To Go. Spillbeans Had Ambled

Along Well Enough Until He Reached Level Ground Where A Long Bleached Grass

Waved In The Wind. Here He Manifested Hunger,  Then A Contrary Nature,  Next

Insubordination,  And Finally Direct Hostility. Carley Had Urged,  Pulled,

And Commanded In Vain. Then When She Gave Spillbeans A Kick In The Flank He

Jumped Stiff Legged,  Propelling Her Up Out Of The Saddle,  And While She Was

Descending He Made The Queer Jump Again,  Coming Up To Meet Her. The Jolt

She Got Seemed To Dislocate Every Bone In Her Body. Likewise It Hurt.

Chapter 4 Pg 57

Moreover,  Along With Her Idea Of What A Spectacle She Must Have Presented,

It Quickly Decided Carley That Spillbeans Was A Horse That Was Not To Be

Opposed. Whenever He Wanted A Mouthful Of Grass He Stopped To Get It.

Therefore Carley Was Always In The Rear,  A Fact Which In Itself Did Not

Displease Her. Despite His Contrariness,  However,  Spillbeans Had Apparently

No Intention Of Allowing The Other Horses To Get Completely Out Of Sight.

 

Several Times Flo Waited For Carley To Catch Up. "He's Loafing On You,

Carley. You Ought To Have On A Spur. Break Off A Switch And Beat Him Some."

Then She Whipped The Mustang Across The Flank With Her Bridle Rein,  Which

Punishment Caused Spillbeans Meekly To Trot On With Alacrity. Carley Had A

Positive Belief That He Would Not Do It For Her. And After Flo's Repeated

Efforts,  Assisted By Chastisement From Glenn,  Had Kept Spillbeans In A Trot

For A Couple Of Miles Carley Began To Discover That The Trotting Of A Horse

Was The Most Uncomfortable Motion Possible To Imagine. It Grew Worse. It

Became Painful. It Gradually Got Unendurable. But Pride Made Carley Endure

It Until Suddenly She Thought She Had Been Stabbed In The Side. This

Strange Piercing Pain Must Be What Glenn Had Called A "Stitch" In The Side,

Something Common To Novices On Horseback. Carley Could Have Screamed. She

Pulled The Mustang To A Walk And Sagged In Her Saddle Until The Pain

Subsided. What A Blessed Relief! Carley Had Keen Sense Of The Difference

Between Riding In Central Park And In Arizona. She Regretted Her Choice Of

Horses. Spillbeans Was Attractive To Look At,  But The Pleasure Of Riding

Him Was A Delusion. Flo Had Said His Gait Resembled The Motion Of A Rocking

Chair. This Western Girl,  According To Charley,  The Sheep Herder,  Was Not

Above Playing Arizona Jokes. Be That As It Might,  Spillbeans Now Manifested

A Desire To Remain With The Other Horses,  And He Broke Out Of A Walk Into A

Trot. Carley Could Not Keep Him From Trotting. Hence Her State Soon Wore

Into Acute Distress.

 

Her Left Ankle Seemed Broken. The Stirrup Was Heavy,  And As Soon As She Was

Tired She Could No Longer Keep Its Weight From Drawing Her Foot In. The

Inside Of Her Right Knee Was As Sore As A Boil. Besides,  She Had Other

Pains,  Just As Severe,  And She Stood Momentarily In Mortal Dread Of That

Terrible Stitch In Her Side. If It Returned She Knew She Would Fall Off.

But,  Fortunately,  Just When She Was Growing Weak And Dizzy,  The Horses

Ahead Slowed To A Walk On A Descent. The Road Wound Down Into A Wide Deep

Chapter 4 Pg 58

Canyon. Carley Had A Respite From Her Severest Pains. Never Before Had She

Known What It Meant To Be So Grateful For Relief From Anything.

 

The Afternoon Grew Far Advanced And The Sunset Was Hazily Shrouded In Gray.

Hutter Did Not Like The Looks Of Those Clouds. "Reckon We're In For

Weather," He Said. Carley Did Not Care What Happened. Weather Or Anything

Else That Might Make It Possible To Get Off Her Horse! Glenn Rode Beside

Her,  Inquiring Solicitously As To Her Pleasure. "Ride Of My Life!" She Lied

Heroically. And It Helped Some To See That She Both Fooled And Pleased Him.

 

Beyond The Canyon The Cedared Desert Heaved Higher And Changed Its Aspect.

The Trees Grew Larger,  Bushier,  Greener,  And Closer Together,  With Patches

Of Bleached Grass Between,  And Russet-Lichened Rocks Everywhere. Small

Cactus Plants Bristled Sparsely In Open Places; And Here And There Bright

Red Flowers--Indian Paintbrush,  Flo Called Them--Added A Touch Of Color To

The Gray. Glenn Pointed To Where Dark Banks Of Cloud Had Massed Around The

Mountain Peaks. The Scene To The West Was Somber And Compelling.

 

At Last The Men And The Pack-Horses Ahead Came To A Halt In A