Page:Son of the wind.djvu/113

RV 101 He wouldn't want the horse himself. She's been sure enough that he would never take it away from her."

The way he put it struck coldly on Carron's expectant nerves. He heard in it the explanation of the whole mysterious business—the explanation, and that always meant the descent from the high idea to the reasonable and the ordinary. There was a horse, oh, no doubt! He could believe that now; but it was not the thing it had been represented. It was not his leader of herds, Son of the Wind, but a creature less than marvelous, already touched by the hand of man. He looked the possibility in the face. Over the ruin of his crazy expectations he could smile at it. "Then the horse isn't afraid of her?"

Rader looked at him in astonishment. "Isn't afraid? Why, bless my soul, it's as wild as the wind."

"As wild as the wind!" The mere sound of the words in his ears was delight. "And she can't even come near it?"

"Bless my soul," said Rader again, "it's never even seen her. She has been very careful about that."

"But how does she see it? Where?" He was all a-wonder.

"Ask her—ask her!" Rader insisted.