The Adventure Girls at K Bar O by Clair Blank

Author:Clair Blank
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781634215343
Publisher: Duke Classics

Chapter XII - Gone

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Phyllis reached out a hand. "Awake, Val?" But when there was no answer and her hand encountered empty air she sat up alarmed. "Val?" she called softly. Still there was no answer and Phyllis went to the tent flap and stepped out. Everywhere was silence. "Val!" she called again.

"What's the matter?" a soft voice spoke behind her and Virginia joined her.

Phyllis smiled. "Can't you sleep either?"

"No," Virginia answered. "But—Val. Where is she?"

"She isn't in the tent. I thought she might have stepped out here," Phyllis said with a thoughtful frown. "But I don't see her. I wonder where she can be?"

"Probably went for a walk," Virginia smiled. "I suppose she was thinking of Gale. I wish it was morning," she added uneasily.

"What do you honestly think has happened to Gale?" Phyllis asked.

"I wish I knew," Virginia said with a sigh. "I wish I knew," she repeated.

"Will you two chatterboxes please go to sleep?" Tom yawned from his blankets. "Regular night owls, that's what you are."

"We can't sleep," Virginia said, seating herself cross-legged on the ground beside her brother. "And there is no reason you should either," she added mischievously.

"Go away!" her brother implored. "We have to get up at dawn."

"Anything wrong?" Jim asked, sitting up and shaking off his blanket. "Girls all right?"

"Val has gone for a walk," Phyllis informed him. "How long ago I don't know."

"I wish—" Virginia was beginning when she stopped.

From the darkness behind them came a piercing scream. It echoed like thunder through the sleeping stillness of the valley. It brought the remaining girls tumbling from their tent. The four by the campfire exchanged startled, incredible glances.

"That was Val's voice!" Phyllis said with an effort.

"Come on, Jim!" Tom was already disappearing into the sagebrush. Behind him was Jim and the girls trailed after. No one proposed to be left alone in camp.

But, uncertain as they were of the exact spot from whence the scream had come, they thrashed about in the darkness finding nothing. Finally Tom held up a commanding hand for silence.

"Listen!" he ordered.

There was borne to them on the night air the pounding of hoofs. For a time they were heard and then the sound died slowly into silence.

"Horses!" Janet said incredibly. "But who—why—who screamed?" she demanded.

Jim was off at top speed for the spot where the horses must have been when they started. When the rest joined him he was bending over examining hoof marks with the aid of a burning pine faggot. He stamped the torch out when he saw the girls and turned to lead the way back to camp. There he bent serious glances upon all of them.

"Tom," he said finally, "saddle your horse and ride to the ranch for yore father and some men. Don't lose any time about it either. There's something mighty funny goin' on up here and we're goin' to need help."

The girls exchanged frightened glances.

"What do you think, Jim?" Virginia asked.

"I think, I know," he corrected himself, "those riders we heard were the bandits we've been runnin' across ever since we came on this trip.

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