The Kinemons had a mort of friends who would have gladly
accompanied, assisted Hunter; but this, the boy told himself, was their
own affair--their own pride.
From within came the sound of his mother, crying softly, and of Allen
murmuring in his pain. David was appalled by the swift change that had
fallen over them--the breaking up of his entire world, the shifting of
every hope and plan. He was appalled and confused; the thoughtless
unquestioning security of his boyhood had been utterly destroyed. He
looked about dazed at the surrounding scene, callous in its total
carelessness of Allen's injury, his haggard father with the rifle. The
valley was serenely beautiful; doves were calling from the eaves of the
barn; a hen clucked excitedly. The western sky was a single expanse of
primrose on which the mountains were jagged and blue.
He had never known the elder to be so long getting the bridle on the
roan; the buggy was drawn up outside. An uneasy tension increased
within him--a pressing necessity to see his father leading out their
horse. He didn't come, and finally David was forced to walk over to the
shed.
The roan had been untied, and turned as the boy entered; but David, at
first, failed to find Hunter Kinemon; then he almost stepped on his
hand. His father lay across a corner of the earthen floor, with the
bridle tangled in stiff fingers, and his blue eyes staring blankly up.
David stifled an exclamation of dread, and forced himself to bend
forward and touch the gray face.
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