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Chapter XXI
The Last Climb
That first visit of Aaron King and Conrad Lagrange to the old home of
Sibyl Andres was the beginning of a delightful comradeship.
Often, in the evening, the two men, with Czar, went to spend an hour in
friendly intercourse with their neighbors up the canyon. Always, they were
welcomed by Myra Willard with a quiet dignity; while Sibyl was frankly
delighted to have them come. Always, they were invited with genuine
hospitality to "come again." Frequently, Brian Oakley and perhaps Mrs.
Oakley would be there when they arrived; or the Ranger would come riding
into the yard before they left. At times, the canyon's mountain wall
echoed the laughter of the little company as Sibyl and the novelist played
their fantastical game of words; or again, the older people would listen
to the blending voices of the artist and the girl as, in the quiet hush of
the evening, they sang together to Myra Willard's accompaniment on the
violin; or, perhaps, Sibyl, with her face upturned to the mountain tops,
would make for her chosen friends the music of the hills.
Not infrequently, too, the girl would call at the camp in the sycamore
grove--sometimes riding with the Ranger, sometimes alone; or they would
hear her merry hail from the gate the other side of the orchard as she
passed by.
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