BUFFALO JIM GIVES WISE COUNSEL
Johnson departed the ranch like a sneak-thief, keeping well off the
trail for fear he should be overtaken by Mrs. MacFarlane and further
humiliated by a blank stare. He wanted to take counsel of Buffalo Jim,
who now lived in Cananea, as I have said, among drying hides and the
fresh carcasses of steers. If you follow a road out of this city--the
wood haulers use it, for the most part, with their laden burros--you
will descend a mesa by wide sweeps and run slap against a slaughter
house. There are corrals and stables also, and a thousand carrion crows
will acknowledge your coming by a reluctant lifting of wings. Here
Lafe's friend resided and slew thirty head daily for beef. Perhaps his
occupation contributed to the study of human problems--killing things is
a serious business--at any rate, Buffalo really knew all that a man may
know in this life.
He took an extremely pessimistic view of Johnson's prospects. Of course,
the girl would believe Mrs. MacFarlane. That was only natural. A woman
might stick to a man through every crime in the calendar against his
fellow men, and still hold faith in him; but when another woman entered
into the plot, it was time for a new deal; he was as good as done for,
then. Thus spake Buffalo Jim. He advised Lafe, however, to write Hetty
without delay. By so doing, he might forestall the widow and prepare the
young lady.
"It'll sort of give the widow woman your dust," he explained, "and then
she's liable to make a bad throw."
Accordingly, Johnson went to the Hotel Carmen and sat himself down at a
desk in a corner. He chose some neatly ruled paper and dipped the pen;
everything in due order. After that he coughed and consumed some minutes
in staring fixedly at the blank sheets. He had no heart for this task.
Resolute in all the crises of his man's life, this was beyond him.
Then he began to write, the pen scratching and sputtering over the page.
The sentences opened with firmness and precision, but gradually slanted
towards the lower corner. First his spurs bothered him, and he took them
off. Next, his neckerchief became sticky and he untied it and left his
shirt collar open.
"If you keep a-writing much more, Lafe, you'll be naked," said the
landlord critically.
Some cowboys passed through and invited Johnson to join them, but he
shook them off. At last it was finished.
_Dear Friend:_
How are you?
I am sitting in a room it is a big room and a lot of loafers
keep coming and going but genrally coming.
This is to say I am well and doing fine I hope you are well
and doing fine. Say a lady met up with me here a few days ago
who said she knew you ain't that a hot one to spring on me
sudden. She is a right nice lady though she don't care a heap
what I think I reckon she as good as toald me I was a bad egg.
Perhaps I am a bad egg how about it.
She said she was going to write to you. I done the best that I
could and it don't seem fair it ain't right that you should
hear what she said she was going to write to you and besides it
was all a stall and wasn't true but you musn't tell that to
Mrs. MacFarlane because it would make her feel bad. Hughie he
was a friend of mine but Hughie wasn't of no account in some
ways for he spoke Mex too good now when a man gets that twist
on his r's and begins to hang around with the natives its time
to take a new hand all round because he ain't satisfied with
his color no more. No sirree it don't do to talk the lingo to
good and I make them speak my language which will improve their
morals if they only had some to improve that was what ailed
Hughie but she must not know and so you be careful. I hope I
have made it all clear.
The heat is fierce to-day I am going to take a little drink
when this is finished I don't take them often only a few with
Buffalo Jim and some of the boys. Do you remember the call down
you done give me about that. Ha ha that was sure a dandy.
How is it back there in Badger Old Lee is there likely ain't
he. Give him my regards the Widow Brown must be there too give
her my regards. Fred Hall and I used to be thicker than thieves
give him my regards. Say tell him to smoke up and let out a
roar of some kind.
There is not much round here to tell you about Cal and Tim
tangled and Tim is under doc's care he's pretty sore. I done
told you about them before. Jerry's wife done run off and Jerry
is scared to death she'll come back but perhaps she wont. I
told him to hope for the best because he cant do nothing more
than that.
Say you'll think I'm trying for to write you a book but I
wanted to get this thing about Mrs. Mac straight so you'd
understand. There's a lot a feller would like to say that he
don't like to say you know how that is and a lot of loafers
hanging round trying to guy you. But a feller thinks a lot
sometimes.
Cattle in good shape and prices right but we need rain bad. I
got to go south to find Steve Moffatt right soon perhaps he
ain't where I think he is but will take a chance.
Well you must have laid down for a sleep by this time and
wonder when I'm going to cut this out I have written so much.
Don't you pay no attention to what Mrs. MacFarlane says though
she is a right nice lady and I ain't got no hard feelings one
way or the other. Well its about time I quit this well
good-bye. I'd like mighty well to hear how you are. I'll bet
you're looking fine.
Yours truly,
LAFE JOHNSON.
Lafe was master of a loose and flowing hand, which had served him
faithfully on cattle tallies--he was not called upon to make written
reports as sheriff--but made a bulky letter. He dropped this missive,
with many misgivings, into a box, and then took horse for the south. We
will not follow him, because ten days of fourteen hours in the saddle
and a steady diet of beans and tortillas and coffee will grow monotonous
to a refined taste. Moreover, tracking down a thief cannot be of any
interest to us of larger effort.
In good time the sheriff returned, but of Moffatt he had found no trace.
Immediately upon arrival, he inquired at the telegraph office for
messages, expecting that Haverty would have wired him further
information from Badger. The man behind the counter listened with a
far-away expression and then assured him sadly that there was nothing.
Lafe went away in doubt and returned next morning, insisting that the
telegrapher had made a mistake; a letter received from Haverty spoke of
a wire sent the day of his departure. The official shrugged his
shoulders at this display of bull-headed persistence, so typically
American, and asked him once again for his name. Then, still pensive, he
thumbed over a pile of flimsy.
"Johnsing, you said?"
"Sure. Johnson. That's me. I done told you that a thousand times."
"Ah, yes. Here are two," said the telegrapher, and very deliberately he
smoothed out the messages and delivered them.
The first dealt with dates of Moffatt's appearances on the Border, so
far as Haverty had been able to learn them. They were nothing but
unconfirmed rumors, and Lafe skimmed over it. The other was unsigned and
he read it several times, the copper hue of his face deepening.
"Don't worry. Nobody can lie to me about you."
He thrust this message into his shirt pocket and forgot all about the
reproof he had rehearsed for the telegrapher's benefit. Very jauntily he
exhibited the slip to Buffalo Jim at the slaughter house. That worthy
butcher eyed it gravely, and grunted.
"She's a daisy," he said, after mature consideration, vaguely aware that
Lafe expected him to say something appropriate.
"You're damn whistlin'," said Lafe. "What'd I tell you, Buf'lo? She'd
never believe nothing against me."
"Yes, sir, she's a daisy," Buffalo repeated. "It's like she just tore
up that widow woman's letter and was as sarcastic as hell."
As Jim said this, he winked at one of the wagon horses. Then he went
leisurely to work again on a piece of harness he was patching.
"All the same, Lafe," he admonished, "you'd better figure on her
throwing that up to you again. The woman never breathed that wouldn't.
Hey? You mark my words--the first row you have, Hetty'll hand you one
about Paula, first crack out of the box."
"You don't know her."
"No, I don't," said Buffalo Jim, "but I've knowed a heap of others."