girl faintly. "But I can't. You bewilder me. You seem to be throwing away a "
"Miss Bennett," said Ronicky, "I figure that you'll have to work it out this way: that if you believe everything Charlie Loring said about me, you never can understand."
"You ask me to put him down as a liar?"
"I don't ask that. Only maybe he's mistaken."
"Ah, yes. I'm foolish to say so, but I can't help it. I was interested from the very first. It was hard to believe of you all that my father, for instance, believes. And I'm half prepared to sympathize with any good explanation you can offer. You had no chance to talk downstairs. Will you talk now to me?"
He was sharply tempted, but he shook his head.
"Words ain't going to help me none," declared Ronicky. "Nope! What's needed is a little action. When I've done a few things, maybe you'll be willing to take another think. But if I talk to-night, Blondy Loring will talk in the morning. And what he says will wipe out what I say."
It was such frank, clear-cut talk that she was amazed and showed her surprise.
"You really don't intend to buy your liberty with a promise?" she asked.
"Look here," said Ronicky argumentatively, "you talk as if a promise I gave might be worth something."
"Of course!"
"Then you figure that my honor is worth something. And if it is, I sure can't wait around after Charlie Loring has knocked me down and lied about me! Miss Bennett, I got to fight back!"
"Then you can't expect me to help you!"
"Why not? I'll give you this promise that I won't hurt him on this ranch. Will that suit you? And if I ever get the upper hand with him, I'll promise to go easy for your sake."
At this she smiled in frank scorn. It was plain that her mind was unable to grasp the possibility of big Charlie Loring being defeated by any man that lived.
"Very good," she said thoughtfully. "Suppose I let you go and trust to your promise it seems to me that I'm doing a great deal for a very small return and no security at least none that a bank would take."
"It'll be the first time," said Ronicky, "that I've had this sort of a favor done me. But wait and see. In the end, maybe, I can pay you back."
She bit her lip and looked down at the floor, and by that he knew that she would do as he wished.
"I'm going to take your word and let you go," she said at the last. "And your word is simply that you'll never come back to the Bennett Ranch to hunt down Charlie and lie in wait for him on the range."
He nodded, and Elsie Bennett without another word unlocked the handcuffs and stepped back from him, a little frightened by the possibilities of what he might do. He reassured her with a smile and by chafing his wrists to restore the circulation. Then, as she backed toward the door, he followed her to it.
She put out the candle before she stepped into the hall. There, swallowed again in the gloom, they exchanged some whispered words.
"I suppose it's for the sake of your name that I'm doing this," she said. "But there's such a fine free swing to that name Ronicky Doone that I couldn't hold all the evil against you that my father does, for instance."
"I've noticed it before," said Ronicky Doone, "that a good woman don't need any long list of reasons for doing a good thing. God bless you for this one!"
She could literally feel the quiver of the gesture with which he jerked his liberated hands above his head and shook them at nothingness, rejoicing in his freedom. Then he turned down the stairs, but with his foot on the first step he turned back again toward the dim form in the hall.
"And when they start in damning me to-morrow and the days that come after," he said, "will you keep a place in the back of your brain where you cache away a couple of good, man-sized doubts? Just wait to be showed?"
"I think I shall," said the girl. "At least I'll honestly try to!"
"Then good-by!"
"Good-by," said Elsie Bennett, and he felt her leaning above him in the darkness, as he glided down the steps.
The consummate
"Miss Bennett," said Ronicky, "I figure that you'll have to work it out this way: that if you believe everything Charlie Loring said about me, you never can understand."
"You ask me to put him down as a liar?"
"I don't ask that. Only maybe he's mistaken."
"Ah, yes. I'm foolish to say so, but I can't help it. I was interested from the very first. It was hard to believe of you all that my father, for instance, believes. And I'm half prepared to sympathize with any good explanation you can offer. You had no chance to talk downstairs. Will you talk now to me?"
He was sharply tempted, but he shook his head.
"Words ain't going to help me none," declared Ronicky. "Nope! What's needed is a little action. When I've done a few things, maybe you'll be willing to take another think. But if I talk to-night, Blondy Loring will talk in the morning. And what he says will wipe out what I say."
It was such frank, clear-cut talk that she was amazed and showed her surprise.
"You really don't intend to buy your liberty with a promise?" she asked.
"Look here," said Ronicky argumentatively, "you talk as if a promise I gave might be worth something."
"Of course!"
"Then you figure that my honor is worth something. And if it is, I sure can't wait around after Charlie Loring has knocked me down and lied about me! Miss Bennett, I got to fight back!"
"Then you can't expect me to help you!"
"Why not? I'll give you this promise that I won't hurt him on this ranch. Will that suit you? And if I ever get the upper hand with him, I'll promise to go easy for your sake."
At this she smiled in frank scorn. It was plain that her mind was unable to grasp the possibility of big Charlie Loring being defeated by any man that lived.
"Very good," she said thoughtfully. "Suppose I let you go and trust to your promise it seems to me that I'm doing a great deal for a very small return and no security at least none that a bank would take."
"It'll be the first time," said Ronicky, "that I've had this sort of a favor done me. But wait and see. In the end, maybe, I can pay you back."
She bit her lip and looked down at the floor, and by that he knew that she would do as he wished.
"I'm going to take your word and let you go," she said at the last. "And your word is simply that you'll never come back to the Bennett Ranch to hunt down Charlie and lie in wait for him on the range."
He nodded, and Elsie Bennett without another word unlocked the handcuffs and stepped back from him, a little frightened by the possibilities of what he might do. He reassured her with a smile and by chafing his wrists to restore the circulation. Then, as she backed toward the door, he followed her to it.
She put out the candle before she stepped into the hall. There, swallowed again in the gloom, they exchanged some whispered words.
"I suppose it's for the sake of your name that I'm doing this," she said. "But there's such a fine free swing to that name Ronicky Doone that I couldn't hold all the evil against you that my father does, for instance."
"I've noticed it before," said Ronicky Doone, "that a good woman don't need any long list of reasons for doing a good thing. God bless you for this one!"
She could literally feel the quiver of the gesture with which he jerked his liberated hands above his head and shook them at nothingness, rejoicing in his freedom. Then he turned down the stairs, but with his foot on the first step he turned back again toward the dim form in the hall.
"And when they start in damning me to-morrow and the days that come after," he said, "will you keep a place in the back of your brain where you cache away a couple of good, man-sized doubts? Just wait to be showed?"
"I think I shall," said the girl. "At least I'll honestly try to!"
"Then good-by!"
"Good-by," said Elsie Bennett, and he felt her leaning above him in the darkness, as he glided down the steps.
The consummate
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