Away off to the west, so high that it looked a mere speck floating swiftly, the Thunder Bird went roaring, steadily boring its way to journey’s end.  And a little farther to the south, Mary V was making life unpleasant for the telephone operator and for her mother who preached patience and courtesy to those who toll, and for her dad who had ventured to inquire what she wanted to dog that young imp for, anyway, and why didn’t she try waiting until he showed interest enough in somebody besides himself to call her up?  And where was her pride, anyway?

Then, after what seemed to Mary V sufficient time to call Johnny from the farthest corner of the universe, the telephone jangled.  The operator told her, with what Mary V called a perfectly intolerable tone of spite, that her “party” could not be located for her at present, as he had left town.

“And I hope to goodness he stays!” gritted Mary V, slamming the receiver on its hook.  “With dad acting the way he did and treating Johnny like a dog, and with Johnny acting worse than dad does and treating me as if I were to blame for everything, I just wish men had never been born.  I don’t see what use they are in the world, except to drive a person raving distracted.  Now, dad, just see what you have done!” She confronted Sudden like a small fury.  “You wanted to teach Johnny a lesson, and you refused to let me see him while he was in jail, just because he told you to go somewhere.  And you know perfectly well that you swore worse about him.  And he did not plan to elope.  He—­he just did it because I was right there and—­handy.  And now see what you’ve done!  You wouldn’t let me go to him, and now he’s out, and he has left town, and nobody knows where he is!  I should think, for a parent who is responsible to heaven for his offspring’s happiness, you’d be ashamed of yourself.  You let me be engaged to him, and now you’ve gone and balled things up until I wish I were dead!”

About that time Johnny turned his head and stared wistfully down at the gray expanse sliding away beneath him.  Off there to the left was the Rolling R Ranch—­and Mary V. He wondered dully if it would hurt her, this abrupt ending of their dreams.  Or had she ever really cared?

Bland, sitting in front with his guilty secret, felt the swing Johnny was unconsciously giving to the plane, and set his control against it.  The Thunder Bird veered, hesitated, and came back to the course.  Johnny took a long breath and turned his eyes to the front again.  The past was past—­the future lay all before him.  He set his teeth together and drove the Thunder Bird straight into the west.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

TEE HEGIRA OF JOHN IVAN JEWEL

Fiction would give to the venture a hairbreadth escape or two and many insurmountable obstacles which would, of course, be triumphantly surmounted by the hero.  But fact will have it otherwise, and the chronicler of events must not be blamed if the hegira of John Ivan Jewel lacked excitement.