The Thunder Bird Page 7

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  MERELY TWO POINTS OF VIEW

  Mary V wadded a soft cushion under the nape of her neck, looked againat Johnny sprawled in her dad's pet chair and smoking a cigarette aftera very ample meal that had been served him half-way between dinner andsupper, and stifled a sigh. Johnny was alive and well and full ofenthusiasm as ever. He had just finished telling her all the wonderfulthings he could do and would do with his airplane, and the earnings hehad hopefully mentioned ran into thousands of dollars, and left a nicemarrying balance after her father's debt was paid. Yet Mary V felt aheaviness in her heart, and though she listened to all the wonderfulthings Johnny meant to do, she could not feel that they were reallypossible.

  Something else troubled Mary V, but just now, with Johnny there beforeher almost like one risen from the grave, she dreaded to recognize thething that shadowed the back of her mind. Johnny turned his head andlooked at her, and she forced a smile that held so little joy that evenJohnny was perturbed.

  "What's the matter? Don't you believe I can do it?" he challenged herinstantly. "There's no reason why I can't. It's being done all thetime. Other flyers make as much money as your dad makes here on theranch. And--you know yourself, Mary V, I couldn't settle down and bejust a rider again. Fighting bronks is too tame, now--too slow. I'llhave to make a flyer of you, Mary V, and then you'll know--"

  Mary V suddenly buried her face in a cushion. Johnny heard a smotheredsob and got up, looking very much astonished and perturbed. With aglance over his shoulder to make sure no one saw him, ho put an armawkwardly around her shaking shoulders.

  "If you don't want to fly, you needn't," he reassured her. "I didn'tmean you had to. I only meant--"

  "It--it isn't that at all," Mary V managed to enunciate more or lessclearly. "But we've been simply crazy, worrying about you and thinkingall kinds of horrible things, and--"

  "Well, but I'm all right, you see, so you don't need to worry any more.I was all right all the time, if you had only known it. You don't wantto let that give you a prejudice against flying. It's just as safe asriding bronks."

  "It--it isn't the safeness." Mary V choked back a sob and wiped hereyes. "But you don't seem to take it seriously at all!"

  "Now, you know I do! It's the most serious thing in my wholelife---except you, of course. And you know--"

  "I don't mean that!" Mary Y gave a small stamp with her slipper toe onthe porch floor, thereby proving how swiftly her resilient young selfwas coming back to a normal condition after the strain of the pastforty-eight hours. "You ought to know what I mean."

  Johnny sat down again and looked at her with his eyebrows pulledtogether. Mary V had always been more or less puzzling in her swiftchanges of mood, wherefore this sudden change in her did not greatlysurprise him.

  "Well, what do you mean, then?" he asked patiently. "Seems to me I'vebeen taking everything too seriously to suit you, till just thisminute. I've been pretty serious, let me tell you, about making good,and now I can see my way clear for the first time since all thosehorses were run off right under my nose, while I was busy with myairplane, getting it in shape to fly. You've been after me all thetime because I couldn't let things slide. Don't you think, Mary V,you're kinda changeable?"

  Mary V gave him a quick, intent look and bit her lower lip. "I onlywish I could change you a little bit," she retorted. "I don't want tobe disagreeable, Johnny, after you were given up for lost andeverything, and then turned out to be all right. But that's just thetrouble! You--"

  "The trouble is that I wasn't killed? Good golly!"

  "No, I don't mean that at all. But we thought you were, and everybodyin the country was simply frantic, and you weren't even--"

  "Huh!" Johnny got up, plainly hesitating between dignified retreat andanother profitless argument with Mary V. Another, because hisacquaintance with her had been one long series of arguments, it seemedto him; and profitless, because Mary V simply would not be logical, orever stick to one contention, but instead would change her attack inthe most bewildering manner.

  "I'm very sorry," he said stiffly, "that the whole country was franticwithout due cause. But I never asked them to take it upon themselvesto get all fussed up because I happened to be late for my meals. I wasfoolish enough to take it for granted that a man has a right to goabout his business without asking permission of the general public. Ididn't know the public had my welfare on its mind like that. I'll haveto call a meeting after this, I reckon, and put it to vote whether Ican please go up in my little airplane. Or maybe the public will passthe hat around and buy a string to tie on to me, so I can't get too faraway. Then they can take turns holding the string and pull me downwhen they think I've been up long enough! Darned boobs--what did theywant to get up searching parties for? Couldn't they find anything elseto do, for gosh sake?"

  "Why, Johnny Jewel!" Righteous indignation brought Mary V to her feet,trembling a little but with the undaunted spirit of her fightingforebears shining in her eyes. "Johnny Jewel, you silly, ungratefulboy! What if you had been hurt somewhere? You'd have been glad enoughthen for the public to take some interest in you, I guess!"

  "Well, but I wasn't hurt," Johnny reiterated with his mouth setstubbornly. "They had to go and worry the life outa you, MaryV--that's what I'm kicking about. They--"

  Mary V gazed at him strangely. "But you see, Johnny, it was I whoworried the life out of them! When you didn't come, I got dad started,and then I 'phoned the sheriff and offered a reward and big pay andeverything, to get men out. All the sheriff's men will get twenty-fivedollars a day, Johnny, for hunting you. And there was a reward andeverything. So don't blame the public for taking an interest inwhether you were killed or not. Blame me, Johnny--and dad, and theboys that have been riding day and night to find you."

  Johnny reddened. "Well, I appreciate it, of course, Mary V--but Idon't see why you should think--"

  "Because, Johnny, you didn't come the next morning after I told you tocome. And the hotel clerk found your plane was gone, so--"

  "But I never said I'd come. I told you I wouldn't come to the ranchtill I had the money to square up with your dad. I meant it--justthat. You must have known I wasn't talking just to be using thetelephone."

  "But you knew I expected you just the same. And how could I know--howcould I _dream_, Johnny, that instead of coming or letting me know, oranything, you would take up with that perfectly horrible Bland Hallidayagain, and go off in the opposite direction, and be gone three wholedays without a word? I'm sure I wouldn't have believed it possibleyou'd do a thing like that, Johnny. I--I can't believe it now. It--itseems almost worse than if you had started for the ranch and--"

  "Got killed on the way, I suppose! I like that. I must say, I likethat, Mary VI You'd rather have me with my neck broken than not doingexactly as you say. Is that it?"

  Mary V set her teeth together until she had herself under control,which, had you known the girl, would have meant a great deal. For MaryV was not much given to guarding her tongue.

  "Johnny, tell me this: After knowing Bland Halliday as you do, andafter knowing what I think of him, and what he tried to do down thereat Sinkhole when he was going to steal your airplane and fly off withit, _why_ have you taken up with him again, without one word to meabout it? And why didn't you take the time and the trouble to call meup and say what you were going to do, when you knew that I'd be lookingfor you? I hate to say it, Johnny, but it does look as though youdidn't care one bit about me or what I'd think, or anything. You'vejust gone crazy on the subject of flying, and that Bland Halliday isjust working you, Johnny, for an easy mark. You think it's pridethat's holding you back from taking dad's offer and staying here andsettling down. But it isn't that at all, Johnny. It's just plainconceit and swell-headedness, and I hate to tell you this, but it's thetruth.

  "That airplane has simply gone to your head and you can't look atanything sensibly any more. If you could, you'd have _kicked_ thatmiserable
Bland Halliday when he came sneaking around--wanting moneyand a square meal, and you needn't deny it, Johnny. But no, instead oftaking the chance that's given you to make good, you turn up your noseat it because it isn't spectacular enough to keep you in the limelightas the original Boy Wonder! And you--you take that crook, that tramp,that--that _bum_ as a partner, and imagine you're going to do wonderfulthings and get rich and everything! And you won't do anything exceptgive that tramp a chance to steal you blind!"

  "I didn't say I'd taken Bland as a partner. But I may do it, atthat--if my judgment approves of the deal."

  "Your judgment! Johnny Jewel, you haven't got any more judgment than acat!"

  This was putting it rather strongly, since Mary V had fully intended toguard her tongue, being careful not to antagonize him. That headyyoung man now stood glaring at her in a thoroughly antagonistic manner.Speech trembled on his lips that would not formulate the scathingrebuke surging within his mind. He had been called conceited,swell-headed, inconsiderate of others, and now this final insult washeaped upon the full measure of his wrongs, just when he had a clearvision of future achievements that should have dazzled any young womanwhose life was to be linked with his. But Mary V, he reminded himself,could not look beyond her own little desires and whims. Because shehad tried to lay down the law for him and he had failed to obey, sherefused to see that he was playing for big stakes and that he could notbe expected to throw everything up just because she had been worriedover him for a couple of days. The mere fact that he had not been loston the desert, as every one supposed he was, could not affect his plansfor the future, though Mary V seemed to think that it should.

  "Well, since that is the way you feel toward me, I may as well drift,"he made belated retort in a tone of suppressed wrath. "I guess itwould have been better if I'd stayed away, I'll remember--"

  "For gracious _sake_, what does make you so horrid?" Mary V now hadone arm crooked around his neck, which he stiffened stubbornly. Withher other hand she was tweaking his ears rather painfully. "You'regoing to stay right here and behave yourself till dad comes, and you'regoing to have a talk with him about your affairs before you go doinganything silly. You know perfectly well that my father's advice isworth something. Everybody in the country thinks he has a wonderfulbrain when it comes to business or anything like that. He can tell youwhat you ought to do, Johnny, if you'll only be sensible and listen tohim."

  "What do I want to listen to him for?" Johnny's eyes looked down ather with no softening of his anger. "Good golly! Do you think yourdad's got the only brain in the world? How do men run their affairs,and get rich, that never heard of him, do you suppose? I don't want tomock your dad--he's all right in his own field, and a smart man and allthat. But he don't know the flying game, and his advice wouldn't beworth the breath he'd use giving it. Perhaps I am conceited andswell-headed and a few other things, but I am perfectly willing to takea chance on my own judgment for awhile yet, anyway. When I do needadvice, I'll know where to go."

  "To Bland Halliday, I suppose!" Mary V took away her arm and stoodback from him. "You'd take a tramp's advice before you would myfather's, would you?" She pressed her lips together, seeming to holdback with difficulty a storm of reproaches.

  "I would, where flying is concerned." Johnny's lips spelled anger tomatch her own. "He knows the game, and your father doesn't. And justbecause Bland's playing hard luck is no reason why you need call himnames. Give the devil his due, anyway."

  "I just perfectly ache to do it!" cried Mary V. "He wouldn't betalking you into all kinds of crazy things--"

  "Crazy because they don't happen to appeal to you," Johnny flung back."Oh, well, what's the use of talking? You don't seem to get the rightangle on things, is all." He busied himself with a cigarette, hisface, that had been so boyishly eager while he told her his plan, gonegloomy with the self-pity of one who feels himself misunderstood.

  Mary V had gone back to her hammock and was lying with one arm thrownup across the cushion, her face concealed behind it. She, too, feltmiserably misunderstood. Flighty she was, spoiled and impulsive, butbeneath it all she had her father's practical strain of hard sense.Mary V had grown older in the past three days. She had faced somebitter possibilities and had done a good deal of sober thinking. Shefelt now that Johnny was carried away by the fascination of flying, andthat Bland's companionship was the worst thing in the world for him.She was hurt at Johnny's lack of consideration for her, at his completeabsorption in himself and his own plans. She wanted him to "settledown," and be content with loving her and with being loved--to besatisfied with prosperity that carried no element of danger.

  Moreover, that he had not troubled to send her any message but haddeliberately gone flying off in the opposite direction with Bland,regardless of what she might think or suffer, filled her with somethingmore bitter than mere girlish resentment. Johnny was like one under aspell, hypnotized by his own air castles and believing them very real.

  Mary V had no faith in his dreams, and not even to please Johnny wouldshe pretend that she had. She had nothing but impatience for hisplans, nothing but disgust for his partner, nothing but disappointmentfrom his visit. She moved her arm so that she could look at him, andwondered why it should give her no pleasure to see him standing thereunharmed, sturdy, alive to his finger tips--him whom she had but alittle while ago believed dead. Johnny, I must confess, was cot acheerful object. He was scowling, with his face turned so that Mary Vsaw only his sullen profile; with his mouth pinched in at the cornersand his chin set in the lines of stubbornness.

  As if he felt her eyes upon him, Johnny turned and sent her a look notcalculated to be conciliating. If Mary V wanted to sulk, he'd give hera chance. He certainly could not throw up all his plans just on herwhim.

  "I guess I'll go down and help Bland," he said in the repressed tone ofanger forcing itself to be civil. "We ought to be getting backto-night." He opened the screen door, gave her another look, and wentoff toward the corral, sulks written all over him.

  Mary V waited until she was sure he did not mean to turn back, thenwent off to her room, shut the door with a force that vibrated thewhole house, and turned the key in the lock.