'Upon my word, I feel as if I lived in a powder-magazine, and don'tknow which barrel will explode next, and send me flying,' said Mrs Joto herself next day, as she trudged up to Parnassus to suggest to hersister that perhaps the most charming of the young nurses had betterreturn to her marble gods before she unconsciously added anotherwound to those already won by the human hero. She told no secrets;but a hint was sufficient; for Mrs Amy guarded her daughter as apearl of great price, and at once devised a very simple means ofescape from danger. Mr Laurie was going to Washington on Dan'sbehalf, and was delighted to take his family with him when the ideawas carelessly suggested. So the conspiracy succeeded finely; andMrs Jo went home, feeling more like a traitor than ever. She expectedan explosion; but Dan took the news so quietly, it was plain that hecherished no hope; and Mrs Amy was sure her romantic sister had beenmistaken. If she had seen Dan's face when Bess went to say good-bye,her maternal eye would have discovered far more than the unconsciousgirl did. Mrs Jo trembled lest he should betray himself; but he hadlearned self-control in a stern school, and would have got throughthe hard moment bravely, only, when he took both hands, sayingheartily:
'Good-bye, Princess. If we don't meet again, remember your old friendDan sometimes,' she, touched by his late danger and the wistful lookhe wore, answered with unusual warmth: 'How can I help it, when youmake us all so proud of you? God bless your mission, and bring yousafely home to us again!'
As she looked up at him with a face full of frank affection and sweetregret, all that he was losing rose so vividly before him that Dancould not resist the impulse to take the 'dear goldy head' betweenhis hands and kiss it, with a broken 'Good-bye'; then hurried back tohis room, feeling as if it were the prison-cell again, with noglimpse of heaven's blue to comfort him.
This abrupt caress and departure rather startled Bess; for she feltwith a girl's quick instinct that there was something in that kissunknown before, and looked after him with sudden colour in her cheeksand new trouble in her eyes. Mrs Jo saw it, and fearing a verynatural question answered it before it was put.
'Forgive him, Bess. He has had a great trouble, and it makes himtender at parting with old friends; for you know he may never comeback from the wild world he is going to.'
'You mean the fall and danger of death?' asked Bess, innocently.
'No, dear; a greater trouble than that. But I cannot tell you anymore--except that he has come through it bravely; so you may trustand respect him, as I do.'
'He has lost someone he loved. Poor Dan! We must be very kind tohim.'
Bess did not ask the question, but seemed content with her solutionof the mystery--which was so true that Mrs Jo confirmed it by a nod,and let her go away believing that some tender loss and sorrowwrought the great change all saw in Dan, and made him so slow tospeak concerning the past year.
But Ted was less easily satisfied, and this unusual reticence goadedhim to desperation. His mother had warned him not to trouble Dan withquestions till he was quite well; but this prospect of approachingdeparture made him resolve to have a full, clear, and satisfactoryaccount of the adventures which he felt sure must have beenthrilling, from stray words Dan let fall in his fever. So one daywhen the coast was clear, Master Ted volunteered to amuse theinvalid, and did so in the following manner:
'Look here, old boy, if you don't want me to read, you've got totalk, and tell me all about Kansas, and the farms, and that part. TheMontana business I know, but you seem to forget what went before.
Brace up, and let's have it,' he began, with an abruptness whichroused Dan from a brown study most effectually.
'No, I don't forget; it isn't interesting to anyone but myself. Ididn't see any farms--gave it up,' he said slowly.
'Why?'
'Other things to do.'
'What?'
'Well, brush-making for one thing.'
'Don't chaff a fellow. Tell true.'
'I truly did.'
'What for?'
'To keep out of mischief, as much as anything.'
'Well, of all the queer things--and you've done a lot--that's thequeerest,' cried Ted, taken aback at this disappointing discovery.
But he didn't mean to give up yet, and began again.
'What mischief, Dan?'
'Never you mind. Boys shouldn't bother.'
'But I do want to know, awfully, because I'm your pal, and care foryou no end. Always did. Come, now, tell me a good yarn. I lovescrapes. I'll be mum as an oyster if you don't want it known.'
'Will you?' and Dan looked at him, wondering how the boyish facewould change if the truth were suddenly told him.
'I'll swear it on locked fists, if you like. I know it was jolly, andI'm aching to hear.'
'You are as curious as a girl. More than some--Josie and--and Bessnever asked a question.'
'They don't care about rows and things; they liked the mine business,heroes, and that sort. So do I, and I'm as proud as Punch over it;but I see by your eyes that there was something else before that, andI'm bound to find out who Blair and Mason are, and who was hit andwho ran away, and all the rest of it.'
'What!' cried Dan, in a tone that made Ted jump.
'Well, you used to mutter about 'em in your sleep, and Uncle Lauriewondered. So did I; but don't mind, if you can't remember, or wouldrather not.'
'What else did I say? Queer, what stuff a man will talk when his witsare gone.'
'That's all I heard; but it seemed interesting, and I just mentionedit, thinking it might refresh your memory a bit,' said Teddy, verypolitely; for Dan's frown was heavy at that moment.
It cleared off at this reply, and after a look at the boy squirmingwith suppressed impatience in his chair, Dan made up his mind toamuse him with a game of cross-purposes and half-truths, hoping toquench his curiosity, and so get peace.
'Let me see; Blair was a lad I met in the cars, and Mason a poorfellow who was in a--well, a sort of hospital where I happened to be.
Blair ran off to his brothers, and I suppose I might say Mason washit, because he died there. Does that suit you?'
'No, it doesn't. Why did Blair run? and who hit the other fellow?
I'm sure there was a fight somewhere, wasn't there?'
'Yes!
'I guess I know what it was about.'
'The devil, you do! Let's hear you guess. Must be amusing,' said Dan,affecting an ease he did not feel.
Charmed to be allowed to free his mind, Ted at once unfolded theboyish solution of the mystery which he had been cherishing, for hefelt that there was one somewhere.
'You needn't say yes, if I guess right and you are under oath to keepsilent. I shall know by your face, and never tell. Now see if I'm notright. Out there they have wild doings, and it's my belief you werein some of 'em. I don't mean robbing mails, and KluKluxing, and thatsort of thing; but defending the settlers, or hanging some scamp, oreven shooting a few, as a fellow must sometimes, in self-defence.
Ah, ha! I've hit it, I see. Needn't speak; I know the flash of yourold eye, and the clench of your big fist.' And Ted pranced withsatisfaction.
'Drive on, smart boy, and don't lose the trail,' said Dan, finding acurious sense of comfort in some of these random words, and longing,but not daring, to confirm the true ones. He might have confessed thecrime, but not the punishment that followed, the sense of itsdisgrace was still so strong upon him.
'I knew I should get it; can't deceive me long,' began Ted, with suchan air of pride Dan could not help a short laugh.
'It's a relief, isn't it, to have it off your mind? Now, just confidein me and it's all safe, unless you've sworn not to tell.'
'I have.'
'Oh, well, t............
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