JERRY SIMPSON, SQUATTER
The señorita, it would seem, had lost interest in the white horse
as well as in his master. That was the construction which Dade
pessimistically put upon her smiling assurance that she could never be
so selfish as to take Señor Hunter's wonderful Surry and condemn him
to some commonplace caballo; though she gave also a better reason than
that, which was that her own horse was already saddled--witness the
peon leading the animal into the patio at that very moment--and that
an exchange would mean delay. Dade took both reasons smilingly, and
mentally made a vow with a fearsome penalty attached to the breaking
of it. After which he felt a little more of a man, with his pride to
bear him company.
Manuel came out from the room which Don Andres used for an office,
saluted the señorita with the air of a permanent leave-taking, as
well as a greeting, and passed the gringos with face averted. A moment
later the don followed him with the look of one who would dismiss
a distasteful business from his mind; and entered amiably into the
pleasure-seeking spirit of the ride.
With the March sun warm upon them when they rode out from the wide
shade of the oaks, they faced the cooling little breeze which blew out
of the south.
"Valencia tells me that the prairie schooner which José spoke of
has of a truth cast anchor upon my land," observed the don to Dade,
reining in beside him where he rode a little in advance of the others.
"Since we are riding that way, we may as well see the fellow and make
him aware of the fact that he is trespassing upon land which belongs
to another; though if he has halted but to rest his cattle and
himself, he is welcome. But Valencia tells me that the fellow is
cutting down trees for a house, and that I do not like."
"Some emigrants seem to think, because they have traveled over so much
wilderness, there is no land west of the Mississippi that they haven't
a perfect right to take, if it suits them. They are a little like your
countryman Columbus, I suppose. Every man who crosses the desert feels
as if he's out on a voyage of discovery to a new world; and when he
does strike California, it's hard for him to realize that he can't
take what he wants of it."
"I think you are right," admitted Don Andres after a minute. "And
your government also seems to believe it has come into possession of a
wilderness, peopled only by savages who must give way to the march
of civilization. Whereas we Spaniards were in possession of the land
while yet your colonies paid tribute to their king in England, and we
ourselves have brought the savages to the ways of Christian people,
and have for our reward the homes which we have built with much toil
and some hardships, like yourselves when your colonies were young.
Twenty-one years have I looked upon this valley and called it mine,
with the word of his Majesty for my authority! And surely my right to
it is as the right of your people to their haciendas in Virginia or
Vermont. Yet men will drive their prairie schooners to a spot which
pleases them and say: 'Here, I will have this place for my home.' That
is not lawful, or right."
Ten steps in the rear of them Teresita was laughing her mocking little
laugh that still had in it a maddening note of tenderness. Dade tried
not to hear it; for so had she laughed at him, a week ago, and set
his blood leaping towards his heart. He was not skilled in the ways of
women, yet he did not accuse her of deliberate coquetry, as a man is
prone to do under the smart of a hurt like his; for he sensed dimly
that it was but the seeking sex-instinct of healthy youth that
brightened her eyes and sent the laugh to her lips when she faced
a man who pleased her; and if she were fickle, it was with the
instinctive fickleness of one who has not made final choice of a mate.
Hope lifted its head at that, but he crushed it sternly into the dust
again; for the man who rode behind was his friend, whom he loved.
It is to be feared that the voice of the girl held more of his
attention than the complaint of the don, just then, and that the sting
of injustice under which Don Andres squirmed seemed less poignant and
vital than the hurt he himself was bearing. He answered him at random;
and he might have betrayed his inattention if they had not at that
moment caught sight of the interlopers.
Valencia had not borne false witness against them; the emigrants were
indeed cutting down trees. More, they were industriously hauling the
logs to the immediate vicinity of their camp, which was chosen with an
eye to many advantages; shade, water, a broad view of the valley and
plenty of open grass land already fit for the plow, if to plow were
their intention.
A loose-jointed giant of a man seated upon the load of logs which two
yoke of great, meek-eyed oxen had just drawn up beside a waiting pile
of their fellows, waited phlegmatically their approach. A woman, all
personality hidden beneath flapping calico and slat sunbonnet, climbed
hastily down upon the farther side of the wagon and disappeared
into the little tent that was simply the wagon-box with its canvas
covering, placed upon the ground.
"Valencia told me truly. Señor Hunter, will you speak for me? Tell the
big hombre that the land is mine."
To do his bidding, Dade flicked the reins upon Surry's neck and rode
ahead, the others closely following. Thirty feet from the wagon
a great dog of the color called brindle disputed his advance with
bristling hair and throaty grumble.
"Lay down, Tige! Wait till you're asked to take a holt," advised
the man on the wagon, regarding the group with an air of perfect
neutrality. Tige obeying sullenly, to the extent that he crouched
where he was and still growled; his master rested his elbows on his
great, bony knees, sucked at a short-stemmed clay pipe and waited
developments.
"How d'yuh do?" Dade, holding Surry as close to the belligerent Tige
as was wise, tried to make his greeting as neutral as the attitude of
the other.
"Tol'ble, thank yuh, how's y'self? Shet your trap, Tige! Tige thought
you was all greasers, and he ain't made up his mind yet whether he
likes 'em mixed--whites and greasers. I dunno's I blame 'im, either.
We ain't either of us had much call to hanker after the dark meat.
T'other day a bunch come boilin' up outa the dim distance like they
was sent fur and didn't have much time to git here. Tied their tongues
into hard knots tryin' to tell me somethin' I didn't have time to
listen to, and looked like they wanted to see my hide hangin' on a
fence.
"Tige, he didn't take to 'em much. He kept walkin' back and forth
between me and them, talking as sensible as they did, I must say, and
makin' his meanin' full as clear. I dunno how we'd all 'a' come out,
if I hadn't brought Jemimy and the twins out and let 'em into the
argument. Them greasers didn't like the looks of old Jemimy, and they
backed off. Tige, he follered 'em right up, and soon's they got outa
reach of Jemimy, they took down their lariats an' tried to hitch onto
him.
"They didn't know Tige. That thar dawg's the quickest dawg on earth.
He hopped through their loops like they was playin' jump-the-rope
with him. Fact is, he'd learned jump-the-rope when he was a purp. He
wouldn't 'a' minded that, only they didn't do it friendly. One feller
whipped out his knife and throwed it at Tige--and he come mighty nigh
makin' dawg-meat outa him, too. Slit his ear, it come that close.
Tige ain't got no likin' fer greasers sence then. He thought you was
another bunch--and so did I. Mary, she put inside after Jemimy and the
twins.
"Know anything about them greasers? I see yuh got a sample along. T'
other crowd was headed by a slim feller all tricked up in velvet
and silver braid and red sash; called himself Don José Pacheco, and
claimed to own all Ameriky from the ocean over there, back to the
Allegheny Mountains, near as I could make out. I don't talk that kinda
talk much; but I been thinkin' mebby I better get m' tongue split, so
I can. Might come handy, some time; only Tige, he hates the sound of
it like he hates porkypines--or badgers.
"Mary and me and Tige laid up in Los Angeles fer a spell, resting
the cattle. All greasers, down there--and fleas--and take the two
t'gether, they jest about wore out the hull kit and b'ilin' of us.
"What's pesterin' the ole feller? Pears like he's gittin' his tongue
twisted up ready to talk--if they call it talkin'."
"What is the hombre saying?--" asked the don at that moment, seeing
the glance and sensing that at last his presence was noticed.
Dade grinned and winked at Jack, who, by the way, was neither looking
nor listening; for Teresita was once more tenderly ridiculing his
star-incrusted saddle and so claimed his whole attention.
"He says José Pacheco and some others came and ordered him off. They
were pretty ugly, but he called out a lady--the Señora Jemima and dos
niños--and--"
"Sa-ay, mister," interrupted the giant Jerry Simpson from the load of
logs. "D'you say Senory Jemimy?"
"Why, yes. Señora means madame, or--"
"Ya'as, I know what it means. Jemimy, mister, ain't no senory, nor no
madame. Jemimy's my old Kentucky rifle, mister. And the twins ain't no
neenos, but a brace uh pistols that can shoot fur as it's respectable
fer a pistol to shoot, and hit all it's lawful to hit. You tell him
who Jemimy is, mister; and tell 'im she's a derned good talker, and
most convincin' in a argyment."
"He says Jemima is not a señora," translated Dade, his eyes twinkling,
"but his rifle; and the niños are his pistols."
Don Andres hid a smile under his white mustache. "Very good. Yet I
think your language must lack expression, Señor Hunter. It required
much speech to say so little." There was a twinkle in his own eyes.
"Also, José acts like a fool. You may tell the big señor that the
land is mine, but that I do not desire to use harsh methods, nor have
ill-feeling between us. It is my wish to live in harmony with all
men; my choice of a majordomo should bear witness that I look upon
Americanos with a friendly eye. I think the big hombre is honest and
intelligent; his face rather pleases me. So you may tell him that José
shall not trouble him again, and that I shall not dispute with him
about his remaining here, if to remain should be his purpose when he
knows the land belongs to me. But I shall look upon him as a guest. As
a guest, he will be welcome until such time as he may find some free
land upon which to build his casa."
Because the speech was kindly and just, and because he was in the
service of the don, Dade translated as nearly verbatim as the two
languages would permit. And Jerry Simpson, while he listened, gave
several hard pulls with his lips upon the short stem of his pipe,
discovered that there was no fire there, straightened his long leg
and felt gropingly for a match in the depth of a great pocket in his
trousers. His eyes, of that indeterminate color which may be either
gray, hazel, or green, as the light and his mood may affect them,
measured the don calmly, dispassionately, unawed; measured also Dade
and the beautiful white horse he rode; and finally went twinkling
over Jack and the girl, standing a little apart, wholly absorbed in
trivialities that could interest no one save themselves.
"How much land does he say belongs to him? And whar did he git his
title to it?" Jerry Simpson asked, when Dade was waiting for his
answer.
Out of his own knowledge Dade told him.
Jerry Simpson brought two matches from his pocket, inspected them
gravely and returned one carefully; lighted the other with the same
care, applied the flame to his tobacco, made sure that the pipe was
going to "draw" well, blew out the match, and tucked the stub down out
of sight in a crease in the bark of the log upon which he was sitting.
After that he rested his elbows upon his great, bony knees and smoked
meditatively.