The notes of a thrush were caught up by a mocking bird, then a warbler joined in, and the waiting people listened. The song of the birds "came like the benediction that follows after prayer."
At last the company dispersed, and Esther Bright sat alone, absorbed in silent prayer.
CHAPTER XVIII
NIGHT ON THE RANGE
The cowboys and cowlasses had long been back on the range, and the attendance at the clubs had decreased in consequence.
Many still came to the Sunday service in the timber; and the children remained in the school, notwithstanding the increasing heat.
Continuous labor, and the intense heat, were beginning to tell on Esther Bright. As June approached, she occasionally spoke of going home; but whenever she did so, there was a chorus of protests, especially from Kenneth Hastings. Couldn't she spend the summer in Arizona, and they would camp on one of the forest mesas, a party of them? It would give her new life and strength.
She shook her head listlessly. One idea grew and possessed her: she must go home, home to her grandfather.
Into Esther's manner, when in the presence of Kenneth Hastings, had come a deepening reserve. And yet, from time to time, she spoke with feeling of her gratitude to him for rescuing Edith and herself on the day of his return. Her erstwhile gayety had departed, and in its place was a seriousness that seemed akin to sadness.