He pushed back his hat with the old familiar gesture. His face was expressionless. There were hollows under his eyes. He looked thin. Poor boy. He had had an awfully hard time. And he had fought for her. He had risked his life for her. Certainly she owed him a good deal,—everything, in fact. And here she couldn't even find sufficient courage to thank him. As though thanks, empty thanks, could possibly be adequate. Sally Jane was right. She was a coward. And proud. Especially proud. She shivered.
Suddenly Billy pulled his hat forward and picked up his reins. She saw his heel move. The horse began to turn. It was then that something snapped in Hazel's breast. Strength came to her shaking knees. She sprang to her feet, ran to the door, flung it open and dashed out. Billy's startled horse shied away. Billy dragged him back with a jerk.
Six feet from the horse Hazel stopped and stood very straight, her arms stiff at her sides. Her knees began to shake again. She knew that her voice would tremble. It did. "Bill, I—I've changed my mind. I was wrong. I—you—you did the right thing to see it through. If—if you hadn't, I don't know what would have become of me."
Then, of a sudden, he was off his horse, his arms were around her, and she knew that all her troubles were over.
THE END
Other Books by William Patterson White
THE OWNER OF THE LAZY "D"
Frontispiece. 12mo. 324 pages.