“They’ll be here very quickly,” she almost sang.
“You forget the clearness of the air,” I said, and then asked the sheriff how far away the dust-cloud was.
“Yer mean that cattle-drive?” he asked. “’Bout ten miles.”
“You seem to think of everything,” exclaimed Miss Cullen, as if my knowing that distances are deceptive in Arizona was wonderful. I sometimes think one gets the most praise in this world for what least deserves it.
I waited half an hour to be safe, and then released No. 3, just as we were called to luncheon; and this time I didn’t refuse the invitation to eat mine in 218.
We didn’t hurry over the meal, and towards the end I took to looking at my watch, wondering what could keep the cavalry from arriving.
“I hope there is no danger of the train arriving first, is there?” asked Madge.
“Not the slightest,” I assured her. “The train won’t be here for an hour, and the cavalry had only five miles to cover forty minutes ago. I must say, they seem to be taking their time.”
“There they are now!” cried Albert.
Listening, we heard the clatter of horses’ feet, going at a good pace, and we all rose and went to the windows, to see the arrival. Our feelings can be judged when across the tracks came only a mob of thirty or forty cowboys, riding in their usual “show-off” style.