Page:Jackson Gregory--joyous trouble maker.djvu/106

90 Bend they came upon a little knot of horsemen sitting restless, sweat-wet mounts. Parker brought his car quickly down from top speed to standstill. The men raised their hats. Joe Embry, lifting his own, smiled upon Beatrice. "You get action out of your men," he said quietly. "You've got the trick of it."

"Learned from my father," she answered as she stepped out and to the road. "I pay them more than they can get from any one else. If they demur when an order goes out they lose their places. So they don't demur."

"Very simple," smiled Embry. "When you know how."

One swift glance had showed Beatrice Corliss just who the waiting men were. Booth Stanton was there, signs of perplexity showing in his eyes. Ed Hurley, clearly having been peremptorily summoned by Stanton, held his horse reined in close to Stanton's. Two other men, both of them familiar to Beatrice merely as little wheels in her big local machinery, one of them holding her own sorrel mare, looked on interestedly.

"Mr. Embry is riding with me," said Beatrice to Stanton when, her toe in Embry's hand, she had mounted. "He will want a horse."

Stanton nodded to the man who had led Beatrice's mare.

"Give Mr. Embry your horse," he said shortly. "You can report back to work." Joe Embry swung up into the saddle and riding close behind Beatrice turned into the trail leading toward the