Austin’s heart was lighter as he and Sands rode back to Keno City. As
far as the death of Slade was concerned, everything was all right. Sands
had handled things well, and Austin was grateful to the tall foreman.
“If we can only fix things to get Hal back home, everything will be
fine,” he told Sands. “I made you a proposition yesterday, if you
remember. I said I’d give you half interest in the Star A, if you
married Juana Diaz. Now, I’ll go further than that, Cal. To-morrow
we’ll go to a lawyer in Keno City and draw up partnership papers.
After to-morrow, you own half of the Star A. No, don’t say a word,”
when Sands started to speak. “I don’t want any thanks. I need you
there. I can’t take any active part in the handling of the ranch.
Things are in pretty much of a mess--rustling and all that.”
“That’s a pretty big gift,” said Sands slowly.
“All right. Stop all this rustling. It’s your stock as well as mine
now.”
“I’ve done all I could.”
“Oh, I know that. I’m not accusing you of negligence, Cal. But I wish
Slade had lived long enough to tell me what he knew.”
“Did he know anything?”
“Perhaps.”
They found that Hal had not come back to Keno City; so they went on to
the ranch. Austin had hoped against hope that Hal had relented and gone
to the ranch to see his mother and sister, but Hal had not been there.
“Either Hal does not know we are in this country, or something terrible
has happened to him,” declared Mrs. Austin, after her husband had told
her they could not find Hal.
“I don’t think he knows we are here,” lied Austin wearily. If he could
only induce Hal to go back to San Francisco and let them find him there,
it would clear up everything.
“I shall search for him myself to-morrow,” declared Mrs. Austin. “I
shall enlist the assistance of the sheriff’s office, and if he is in
this----”
“No, I wouldn’t do that,” said Austin quickly. “I--I’ll find him. As
soon as he finds we are here he will come to the ranch.”
“Why did he leave here in the first place? You do not know? I do.”
“You do?”
“He quarrelled with Cal Sands over that Mexican girl. Sands tried to
prevent Hal from seeing her, because he is in love with her himself.”
“Ridiculous! Sands doesn’t love that girl.”
“I suppose he told you he doesn’t.”
“Who told you all this?”
“That,” said Mrs. Austin firmly, “is a confidential report. Hal refused
to take orders from Sands.”
“Sands didn’t want Hal to throw himself away on a Mexican girl. He felt
responsible to me.”
“Very considerate, I’m sure. But have you seen this Mexican girl?”
Austin hesitated, but decided to admit that he had seen Juana. “Yes. I
have seen her.”
“Pretty?” demanded his wife.
Austin shrugged his shoulders.
“Pretty enough, I suppose--if you care for that type of beauty.”
“So Omaha, the cook, said.”
“You got all your information from Omaha, eh?”
“He answered a few questions,” Mrs. Austin snapped.
“I believe Sands would be interested in knowing that the cook is a
gossip.”
“I know I was,” she smiled. “He told me many things, and among them
was the fact that Slade, the man who was killed in Silver Bar, was a
detective sent here by you.”
“How in hell did Omaha know that?” blurted Austin. “That is something I
must find out.”
“I asked him how he knew, and he said Slade talked in his sleep.”
“Talked in his sleep!”
“Some folks do, Frank. You have.”
He jumped. “I have? What did I say?”
“Many times. Last night, for instance, you were babbling about somebody
shooting their half-sister in the back. Not an intelligent statement,
but it shows what might happen.”
Austin mopped his brow with a handkerchief. This was serious. Betty came
in and Austin sighed with relief.
“No news of Hal?” queried Betty, and her father shook his head.
“Is he hiding from us, dad?”
“Why, no, of course not. He just don’t know we are here. He hasn’t been
in Silver Bar nor Keno City lately.”
“Then he must be in Indian Wells. Mother, did you tell dad what we had
decided to do?”
“No, I had not mentioned it yet.”
“What was that?” the official head of the household inquired anxiously.
“This place is unbearable,” said Mrs. Austin. “The food is terrible
and the sleeping accommodations vile. To-morrow we are going to Indian
Wells and find Hal. After a talk with him, we are taking a night train
for home. That is my decision.”
“But, my dear, that doesn’t give me any time----”
“You may stay, if you care to be uncomfortable; we do not.”
“But I wish you would not be too hasty. You--you may not find Hal in
Indian Wells, and you would surely not want to go home without seeing
him. Perhaps he will be in Keno City or Silver Bar to-morrow. I’ll try
and find him. I’m sure he will come here as soon as he knows.”
“We shall go to Indian Wells to-morrow, Frank.”
“But suppose you do not find him? Would you go back without seeing him?”
“Certainly. Hal would understand.”
“Well, perhaps it would be better if you and Betty went back,” Austin
said lamely.
“You do? Hm-m-m-m-m. I’m not so sure of that.”
“Do as you please, my dear,” her husband offered wearily. “But I must
stay a while. There are certain things that must be cleared up.”
Austin left the house and met Sands at the stable. He told Sands that
old Omaha had told Mrs. Austin a lot of things, among them the fact
that Slade was a cattle detective.
“How in hell did Omaha know this?” snorted Sands. “I didn’t.”
“He said Slade talked in his sleep.”
“I wonder why Omaha didn’t tell me?”
“I don’t know. He also told her that the reason Hal wouldn’t stay here
was because you and Hal quarrelled over that Mexican girl.”
Sands flushed angrily. He knew this to be the truth, but was eager to
deny it.
“That blasted old liar! I’ll tie a can on him so tight that he won’t get
another job in this county. Anyway, he can’t cook.”
“Do as you please about that. Mrs. Austin has made up her mind to go
to Indian Wells to-morrow, find Hal if possible, and leave for home
from there.”
“She and Betty?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it might be a good idea, at that, Frank.”
“Best in the world--if only they don’t find Hal. That fool kid might
talk too much, thinking they already know what he does. If we can only
find Hal and keep him under cover until they leave.”
“They’d probably find him at the Casa del Diaz.”
“We can’t let them do that, Cal. I’ve got to keep my wife----”
Austin broke off the sentence quickly. He had not meant to say what
was in his mind. Sands was looking at him curiously. Austin mopped his
flushed face with a handkerchief.
“Suppose she did go to the Casa del Diaz?” queried Sands.
Austin sat down wearily on an old box, staring ahead. Should he tell
Sands, he wondered? Sands was to be his partner in the Star A. He
trusted Sands. Why not tell him the truth? Possibly Sands suspected
something already.
“You recognised Rosita Diaz,” Sands was saying, as Austin looked up.
“She was my wife years ago,” said Austin thickly. “Juana is my daughter.
Now, do you understand?”
“For God’s sake!” exclaimed Sands.
“God hasn’t anything to do with it, Cal; it’s a devil’s mixture. My
own son is in love with my own daughter, and I--I don’t dare---- I
left Rosita. There was no divorce. Rosita is a Catholic. I knew there
was a baby coming, but I went away. I’d been to San Francisco with
some cattle, and I met Laura--my present wife. I haven’t any excuse,
except that---- Oh, what’s the use?”
“Would Rosita let Juana marry Hal?” asked Sands slowly.
“Who knows? I left her destitute. Perhaps this might be her way of
getting revenge.”
“But her own daughter!”
“Is she--does she seem to be doing anything to prevent it?”
“No, that’s true as hell--she ain’t.”
“And I can’t tell Laura that this Mexican woman was my wife--that Juana
is my daughter. Don’t you see what it would mean?”
“It shore is a mess,” agreed Sands thoughtfully. “We’ve got to find a
way out. I never thought it was that bad.”
“I didn’t know, until I saw Rosita. I just didn’t want Hal to marry a
Mexican girl. If we can only get Laura and Betty out of the country!
That’s what we’ve got to do--get ’em away.”
Omaha was hammering on the old circular saw which hung on the back porch
in lieu of a dinner bell, calling them to supper.
“Hammer it plenty,” thought Sands. “To-morrow you go down the road.” But
aloud he said: “I’m takin’ a ride to-night, Frank, and I may not be back
until mornin’. I’ll stop in Keno City and have Charley Bell fix up them
papers, if you’ll give me the dope on what yuh want in ’em.”
“All right, I’ll do that. Are you going to Indian Wells, Cal?”
“I think I will. I want to get a line on Hal and see if I can’t figure
out some way to get him out of Indian Wells for a while.”
“Good; I’ll leave it to you. Let’s go and eat.”