It was after sunset when they came back into the gulch along a forgotten skid road. They reached the kitchen door of the townhouse at a remarkable moment when the entire sky was aglow, burning scarlet beyond the bleak western peaks and cooling down to a grayish pink in the east as night seeped into it. The buildings of the town, the trees, the earth itself were suspended in a pinkish haze. Persia caught Tesno's hand and halted him.
"It's almost frightening!" she said. "It gives you the feeling something strange is about to happen."
He knew what she meant, but he grinned and said artlessly, "It will be a clear day tomorrow."
Stella was at the back door then, saying dinner was ready and going stale. Sam Lester met them in the kitchen. He gave Persia a questioning look and turned to Tesno.
"Vickers is in there," Sam said, jerking his head toward the parlor. "He's been combing the town for you. He finally learned from Stella that you'd gone off somewhere with a basket of food—she didn't know where. He's been camped in there ever since."
Tesno found Ben dozing in a chair. He leaped to his feet wild-eyed when he heard his name.
"The boiler's on it's way up here!" Ben said. "It will move fast enough until the road hits the mountains, and I expect it's damn near to Cle Elum by now. If you ride all night, you can be there by dawn. Where in the merry hell have you been?"
"Picnic," Tesno said.
"You could leave word where I could find you."
"I've been trying to think things out, Ben. I've decided to quit."