A SHOW-DOWN WITH THE WIDOW
If the benevolent Samuel Blount could have seen Wiley Holman's monthly
statement from that mysterious "other bank" he would have crushed him
with one blow of his ready, financial club and gone off with both
bond-and-lease and option. But the pure, serene fire in those first
water diamonds which graced the ring on Wiley's hand--that dazzled
Samuel J. Blount as it had dazzled the Widow and many a store-keeper
in Vegas. For it is hardly to be expected that a man with such a ring
will have a bank account limited to three figures, any more than it is
expected that a man with so little capital will be sitting in a game
with millionaires. But Wiley was sitting in, holding his cards well
against his chest, and already he had won ten thousand dollars. Which
is one of the reasons why all mining promoters wear diamonds--and
poker faces as well.
Yet Blount was playing a game which had once won him a million dollars
from just such plungers as Wiley, and if he also smiled as he tucked
away the note it was not without excuse. There had been a time when this
boy's father had sat in the game with Blount and now he was engaged in
raising cattle on a ranch far back in the hills. And Colonel Huff, that
prince of royal plungers, had surrendered at last to the bank. It was
twelve per cent, compounded monthly, with demand, protest and notice
waived, which had brought about this miracle of wealth; and since it is
well known that history repeats itself, Mr. Blount could see Wiley's
finish. The thing to do first was to regain his confidence and get him
into his power and then, at the first sign of financial embarrassment,
to call his notes and freeze him out. Such were the intentions of the
benevolent Mr. Blount--if the Widow Huff did not kill him.
She came toiling up the trail, followed by Virginia and Death Valley
Charley and a crowd of curious citizens; and as they awaited the shock,
Blount shuddered and smiled nervously, for he knew that she would demand
back her stock. Wiley shuddered too, but instead of smiling he clenched
his jaws like a vise; and as the Widow entered he signaled a waiting
guard, who followed in close behind her. She halted before his desk, one
hand on her hip the other on the butt of a six-shooter, and glanced
insolently from one to the other.
"Aha!" she exclaimed, "so you're talking it over,--how to take advantage
of a poor widow! But I want to tell you now, and I don't care who knows
it, I've been imposed upon long enough. Here you sit in your office,
both of you worth up into the millions, and discuss the division of your
spoils; while the daughter and the widow of the man that found this mine
are slaving away in a restaurant."
"Yes, I'm sorry, Mrs. Huff," interposed Blount, smiling gently. "We were
just discussing your case. But it often happens that the best of us err
in judgment, and in this case I've been caught worse than you were. Yes,
I must admit that when I first heard about this tungsten and realized
that I had sold out for nothing, I was moved for the moment to resent
it; but under the circumstances----"
"Aw, what are you talking about?" demanded the Widow scornfully. "Don't
you think I can see through your game? You pretend to be enemies until
you get hold of my stock and then you come out into the open. I always
knew you were partners, but now I can prove it; because here you are,
thick as thieves."
"Yes, we're friendly," admitted Blount with a painful smile at Wiley,
"but Wiley owns the mine. That is, he owns a bond and lease on the
property, with the option of buying for fifty thousand dollars. And then
besides that, I regret to say, he has an option on all my stock."
"Oh! Yes!" scoffed the Widow. "You've been cleaned by this
whipper-snapper that's just a few months out of college! He's taken
away your mine and your stock and everything--but of course you don't
mind a little thing like that. But what I want to know, and I came
here to find out, is which of you has got my stock--because I'll tell
you right now----" she whipped out her pistol and brandished it in the
air--"I'll tell you right now I intend to get it back or kill the one
or both of you!"
Blount's lips framed a lie, and then he glanced at Wiley, who was
standing with his hand by his gun.
"Well, now, Mrs. Huff," he began at a venture, "I--perhaps this can all
be arranged."
"No! I want that stock!" cried the Widow in hot anger, "and I'm going to
get it, too!"
"Why--why yes," stammered Blount, "but you see it was this way--I had no
idea of the value of the stock. And so when Wiley came to see me I gave
him an option on it for--well, I believe it was five cents a share."
"Ah!" triumphed the Widow, whirling to train her gun on Wiley, "so now
I've got you, Mr. Man! You've been four-flushing long enough but I've
got you dead to rights, and I want--that--Paymaster--stock!"
She threw down on him awkwardly, but as the pistol was not cocked, Wiley
only curled his lip and smiled indulgently, with a restraining glance at
his guard.
"Yes, Mrs. Huff," he agreed quite calmly, "I don't doubt you want it
back. You want lots of things that you'll never get from me by coming
around with these gun-plays. So put up that gun before you pull it off
and I'll tell you about your husband's stock."
"My _husband's_ stock!" cried the Widow in surprise, letting the
six-shooter wobble down to her side. "Well I'd just like to tell you
that that stock is _mine_, and furthermore----"
"Oh, yes! Sure! Sure!" shrugged Wiley scornfully. "Of course you know it
all! But that stock wasn't yours, and you couldn't transfer it, and so I
didn't take any option on it. It's in the bank yet; and if you want to
get it, why, here's the man to talk to."
He jerked his thumb towards the cringing Blount, and exchanged scornful
glances with Virginia. She was standing behind her mother and her glance
seemed to say that he was passing the buck again; but his feeling for
Virginia had suffered a great change and he replied to her head-toss
with a sneer.
"Now--now Wiley!" protested Blount, rising weakly to his feet and
regarding his pseudo-partner reproachfully, "you know very well----"
"Gimme that stock!" snapped the Widow, suddenly cocking the heavy pistol
and throwing down savagely on Wiley; and then things began to happen.
The watchful guard, who had been standing at her side, reached over and
struck up the gun and as it went off with a bang, shooting a hole in the
ceiling, he seized it and wrenched it away.
"You're under arrest, Madam," he said with some asperity, and flashed
his officer's star.
"Well, who are you, sir?" demanded the Widow, vainly attempting to
thrust him aside.
"I'm a deputy sheriff, ma'am," replied the officer respectfully, "and
I'd advise you not to resist. It'll be assault with intent to kill."
"Why--I wouldn't kill anybody!" exclaimed the Widow breathlessly. "I
was--I didn't intend to do anything."
"Will you swear out a warrant?" inquired the deputy and Wiley nodded his
head.
"You bet I will," he said, "this is getting monotonous. She took a shot
at me, once before."
"Oh, Wiley!" wailed the Widow suddenly weakening in the pinch. "You know
I never meant it!"
"Well, maybe not," replied Wiley evenly, "but you hit me in the leg."
"But _he_ pulled off my gun!" charged the Widow angrily, "I never
went to do it!"
"Well, come on;" said the deputy, "you can explain to the judge." And he
took her by the arm. She went out, sobbing violently, and in the
succeeding silence Wiley found himself confronted by Virginia. He had
seen her before when the wild light of battle shot forth from her angry
eyes but now there was a glow of soft, feminine reproach and the
faintest suggestion of appeal.
"Oh, Wiley Holman!" she cried, "I'll never forgive you! What do you mean
by treating Mother like this?"
"I mean," replied Wiley, "that I've taken about enough, and now we'll
leave it to the law. If your mother is right the judge will let her go,
but I guess it's come to a showdown."
"What? Are you going to let them put my mother in jail?" she asked with
tremulous awe, and then she burst into tears. "You ought to be ashamed!"
she broke out impetuously. "I wish my father was here!"
"Yes, so do I," answered Wiley gravely. "I'd be dealing with a
gentleman, then. But if your mother thinks, just because she is a woman,
she can run amuck with a gun, then she gives up all right to be treated
like a lady and she has to take what's coming to her."
"But Wiley!" she appealed, "just let her off this time and she'll never
do it again. She's over-wrought and nervous and----"
"Nope," said Wiley, "it's gone past me now--she'll have to answer before
the judge. But if you think you can restrain her I'll be willing to let
it go and have her bound over to keep the peace."
"Oh, that'll be fine! If she just promises not to bother you and----"
"And puts up a five-thousand-dollar bond," added Wiley. "And the next
time she makes a gun-play or comes around and threatens me the five
thousand dollars is gone."
"Oho!" she accused, "so that's your scheme! You've been framing this up,
all the time!"
"Sure," nodded Wiley, with his old cynical smile, "I just love to be
shot at. I got her to come over on purpose."
"Well, I'll bet you did!" cried Virginia excitedly. "Didn't you have
that officer right there? You've just framed this up to rob us. And how
are we going to give a five-thousand-dollar bond when you know we
haven't a cent? Oh, I--I hate you, Wiley Holman; and if you put my
mother in jail I'll--I'll come back and kill you, myself!"
She stamped her foot angrily, but a light leapt into Wiley's eyes such
as had flamed there when he had faced Stiff Neck George.
"Very well," he said, "if you people think you can rough-house me I'll
show you I can rough it, myself. I've tried to be friendly and to give
you the best of it; but now it's all off, for good. I hate to fight a
woman, but----"
"You do not!" she challenged. "You're a coward, that's what you are! And
you can take your old stock back!"
She drew a package from her bosom and slammed it spitefully on the table
and rushed out after her mother. Wiley picked up the envelope and
regarded it absently, his lip curling to a twisted smile. It was the
package of stock which he had bought from Death Valley Charley and
returned, as a gift, to Virginia.