But,' I s'ze, 'if they tries to lead the horses off
somewhere for to hide 'em, then _that's_ all they want, and
they'll pretend in the morning to have lost stock themselves.'"
"And which did they do?" urged Robert after a thrilling pause.
"They marched straight for their stable."
The encounter was now to take place. Robert Day braced himself by
means of the wagon-tongue.
"Then what did _you_ do?"
"I rises up," Zene recounted in a cautious whisper, "draws back the
boot, and throws with all my might."
"Not at the woman?" urged Bobaday.
"I wanted to break her first," apologized Zene. "She was worse than
the man. But I missed her and hit him."
Robert was glad Zene aimed as he did.
"Then the man jumps and yells, and the woman jumps and yells, and
the old gray he rears up and breaks loose. He run right past the
straw pile, and before you could say Jack Robinson, I had him by the
hitch-strap--it was draggin'--and hoppin' against the straw, I jumped
on him."
"Jack Robinson," Zene's hearer tried half-audibly. "Then what? Did
the man and woman run?"
"I makes old Gray jump the straw pile, and I comes at them just like
I rose out of the ground! Yes," acknowledged Zene forbearingly, "they
run.
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