Benham vindictively.
For one wild instant Clarence thought of throwing himself from his
horse and bidding them go on and leave him. But before he could put his
thought into action the two men were galloping forward, with his horse
led by a lariat fastened to the horn of Gildersleeve's saddle.
In two hours more they had overtaken the train, already on the march,
and were in the midst of the group of outriders. Judge Peyton's face,
albeit a trifle perplexed, turned towards Clarence with a kindly,
half-tolerant look of welcome. The boy's heart instantly melted with
forgiveness.
"Well, my boy, let's hear YOUR story. What happened?"
Clarence cast a hurried glance around, and saw Jim, with face averted,
riding gloomily behind. Then nervously and hurriedly he told how he had
been thrown into the gully on the back of the wounded buffalo, and the
manner of his escape. An audible titter ran through the cavalcade.
Mr. Peyton regarded him gravely. "But how did the buffalo get so
conveniently into the gully?" he asked.
"Jim Hooker lamed him with a shotgun, and he fell over," said Clarence
timidly.
A roar of Homeric laughter went up from the party. Clarence looked up,
stung and startled, but caught a single glimpse of Jim Hooker's face
that made him forget his own mortification. In its hopeless, heart-sick,
and utterly beaten dejection--the first and only real expression he had
seen on it--he read the dreadful truth. Jim's REPUTATION had ruined him!
The one genuine and striking episode of his life, the one trustworthy
account he had given of it, had been unanimously accepted as the biggest
and most consummate lie of his record!
CHAPTER VII
With this incident of the hunt closed, to Clarence, the last remembered
episode of his journey. But he did not know until long after that it had
also closed to him what might have been the opening of a new career.
For it had been Judge Peyton's intention in adopting Susy to include a
certain guardianship and protection of the boy, provided he could get
the consent of that vague relation to whom he was consigned. But it
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