Now dogs an' Barbie was allus exceedin' intimate. Dogs just doted on
her, an she recipercated full measure; but she had one dog what was
only a dog by what they call an act of courtesy. It must 'a' weighed
fully two pounds, an' had bushy hair at that. It had a bark to it like
one o' these intellectual dolls what can say Ma-maa, Ma-maa, but the
critter was as proud o' this bark as though it shook all the buildin's
on the place. The blame thing wasn't physically able to inflict much
more damage than a mosquito, but it was full as bloodthirsty, an' it
had took a keen disregard for Bill Andrews.
Bill Andrews was still the foreman, an' one day he was on his way to
the office to make a report to Dick when this imitation dog came
sailin' around the corner an' took a grab at his leg. He had a
brand-new pair of pants on, an' they was outside his boots. You know
how corduroy tears when the dye has been a bit too progressive. Well,
the pup loosened up a piece like a section of pie. Bill Andrews lost
his Christian fortitude, give that toy muff a kick that landed him
fifteen feet--an' Barbie came around the corner, an' Dick came out of
the office at the same time.
The poor little pup was a-layin' on his back yelpin' like a love-sick
bob-cat; a white rage came over me an' I pulled out my gun; but before
I could use it Dick had sailed into him without a word. Bill Andrews
was too flustered to pull his own gun, so he put up his hands, but it
didn't do no good. Dick caught him under the chin, an' the back of his
head struck the ground several moments before his feet arrived. It was
a beautiful blow; I never seen a neater. I don't reckon Barbie ever did
either; 'cause as soon as she had gathered up the pup she walked up to
Dick an' sez, "I want to thank you for this, an' to say that I am in
your debt to the extent of any favor what's in my power." Course Dick
was locoed the same as usual. His face looked like the settin' sun, an'
he couldn't pump out a word to save him. Them two found it mighty hard
to overcome the first prejudice they'd felt again each other.
Bill Andrews he set up after a bit, with his hands on the ground,
bracin' himself while he was tryin' to recall the history of the few
precedin' moments. Dick looked down at him calmly an' said, "As soon as
you have apologized to Miss Judson you may come into the office and we
shall transact our business." Then he lifted his hat, whirled on his
heel, an 'stalked inside like as if he was a colonel.
Bill Andrews was purty tol'able low-spirited; but he handed out as
affectin' an excuse as he could dream up, and as soon as Barbie had
spoke her piece he slouched into the office purty consid'able cargoed
up with conflictin' emotions. I'd ruther shoot a man an' not kill him,
than to be the cause of makin' him look ridiculous before a woman--that
is, a revengeful sneak like what Bill Andrews was.
As soon as he an' Dick got through with their talk, an' it was a purty
tol'able lengthy confab at that, Bill Andrews went to the boss an'
tendered in his resignation. Cast Steel accepted it mighty hearty,
'cause Barbie had just been callin' on him; an' that very mornin' Dick
made Pete Hanson foreman.
Next night the office safe was opened an' fifteen hundred dollars was
took. Every one thought right away of Bill Andrews, an' the ol' man
sent us out in pairs to scour the country. The' wasn't much scourin' to
be done, how-ever, 'cause we found Bill Andrews on the next ranch, an'
they was ready to swear 'at he hadn't left it all night. The' wasn't no
one else that any one felt like suspectin'. Jabez wasn't the man to
weep over upsettin' a can o' condensed, an' purty soon the theft was
forgot an' everything was runnin' along as smooth as forty quarts o'
joint-oil.
The ol' man kept dependin' more an' more on Dick, until finally Dick
got to signin' checks, orderin' all the supplies, an' takin' full
charge; while Jabez spent most of his time taggin' around after Barbie.
They was like a couple o' young children; but Barbie wasn't quite so
high-headed with Dick after the dog affair, an' they got to ridin'
together quite a bit themselves. Barbie was just as good friends with
me as ever; but I could see--any one could see--that Jabez was willin'
to call Dick a son-in-law just the minute that Barbie was.
By the time he had been there a year Dick was the big head chief, an'
the ranch was boomin' along like a river steamboat. He allus got the
best of everything in the way of supplies, an' every laddie-buck in the
West knew of it; so 'at a Diamond Dot puncher didn't throw up his job
just for exercise. The' was a swarm o' white-faced calves, an' about
half of 'em wore other fellers' brands, which was a receipt for a lot
of fancy money, so 'at Jabez was as well satisfied as the men; an' even
Barbie had come to own up that Dick was the fittin'est man in those
parts. I could read every thought in her head, an' it hurt me to think
that at last I had dropped back to second fiddle; but I could see that
Dick had had chances that I hadn't had, an'--an' I allus aim to play
fair, so I took to ridin' alone an' workin' harder than I was used to.
She could strum a guitar till you'd be willin' to swear it was the
heavenly harps of the Celustial Choir; an' she an' Dick used to loaf
around in the moonlight makin' melody 'at was worth goin' a good long
ways to hear. They sure made a tasty couple, an' all the boys used to
like to see 'em together. In fact, the whole Diamond Dot was as
match-makey as a quiltin' bee.
One moonlight night I'd been up to ol' Monody's grave, an' I came
walkin' back about half-past nine. It was more'n twelve years since Ol'
Monody had passed over, but it didn't seem that long. Just as I turned
a corner; I heard a laugh that seemed to float to me from a long ways
back in the past. It was Jim Jimison's laugh, an' as I came around the
corner of the house there he stood with his back to me, talkin' to
Barbie. "Well, for the Gee Whizz!" I cried. He turned, an' it was Dick.
We looked into each other's eyes a moment, an' then I forced a laugh
an' went on to the stallion stable, where I sat down to puzzle it out.
It wasn't very long before Dick came to me an' held out his hand. I
took it, an' we gave an old-time grip. "I was wonderin' how long it
would be before you saw through me," he sez.
I got the moon in his face an' looked at him a long time. Of course a
dozen years and the beard made a lot of difference, but not near all.
When I'd left him, he was only a boy, a boy all the way
through,--looks, words, actions; while now he was a man an' a sizey one
at that. It ain't years alone that make any such change. I knew in a
minute that Jim had been through something that was mighty near too
narrow to get through. "Well," sez I, "what's the story?"
"You put me on my feet, Happy," sez he, "an' after you left I just kept
on goin'. I tended to my stuff, an' I improved it an' I took on new
ranges, an' I made it go, I sure made it go. Then the Exporters Cattle
Company got after me. My range was needed to fill a gap between two o'
their ranges, an' they tried to make me sell.
"I didn't want to sell, I was makin' money an' I was layin' it up; and
I wasn't ready to stop workin' at my age, so I fought back. I didn't
stand any show. There's a bunch o' these big companies that are all the
same, under different names, an' they fought me on the ground an' on
the railroads, an' at the stock yards; they tried to turn my men again
me; they had my stuff run onto their range, an' then tried to prevent
my gettin' it back. I didn't mind their open warfare; but their
underhanded ways drove me wild. One o' their agents used to dog me
around every time I'd go to town. He'd grin an' ask me if I wasn't
ready to sell out YET. I finally closed out the cattle, an' started to
raise only horses. One night my three thorough-bred stallions had their
throats cut, an' then next time I went to town he came in when I was
eatin' my supper, grinnin' as usual, an' asked me if I thought raisin'
hosses would pay.
"I knew what his game was an' tried my best to hold in, but I couldn't
help tellin' him that I didn't suppose it would pay quite so well as
hirin' out to murder hosses would. This was enough for him; he called
me everything he could lay tongue to, and when I rose to my feet he
pulled his gun. The other men in the room were beginnin' to sneer at
me, but I knew the consequences, and started to leave. He grabbed me by
the shoulder an' whirled me around. 'Git down on your knees,' he sez,
'an' 'pologize to me.'
"That was my limit. My cup was nearly full of coffee, an' I dashed the
coffee in his face, hoping to get hold of his gun. But he jumped back
an' fired. He missed me, an' I hit him in the center of the forehead
with the coffee cup. It was big an' heavy, and it--killed him. This was
just what the bunch wanted; but in spite of their precautions I got
away, came north, and got into another business; but that didn't suit
either; so here I am, with the worst gang in this country achin' to get
track o' me."
"How long ago was this, Jim?" sez I.
"Call me Dick," sez he. "It was about four years ago now. I leased my
land for more'n enough to pay taxes, but I suppose it will all blow up
sometime, an' they'll get me in the end."
"I don't suppose the' 's any way to go back an' square it, is there?"
sez I.
"Hell, no!" he sez, bitter as death. "They own Texas."
"Haven't you any friends there who would swear it was self-defense?"
sez I.
"I've got plenty of friends there--that's how I got away; but they
don't dare to fight that cattle crowd in the open," sez he.
"Looks purty bad," sez I.
"It's rotten bad!" sez he. "But this is business all right. Whenever I
hear any one talk about the morals of business it drives me wild. The'
ain't any morals in business. The best it ever is, is straight
gamblin'--I say the BEST it ever is, is straight gamblin'"--Jim's voice
was gritty with wrath--"while at the worst," he went on, "it stoops to
murder, wholesale and retail, it ruins homes, it manufactures thieves
an' perjurers an'--"
"You remind me of a feller named Fergoson," sez I. "He said that at the
best, business was stealin'."
"I like him," sez Jim, or I suppose I better say Dick. "I like him. You
couldn't fool him with a lot o' pleasant names for things. He dealt in
the spirit of a deed. I like him."
It wasn't much peculiar that I hadn't recognized the boy. As he talked,
I could see the caged tiger glarin' out through his eyes, an' I knew
that something wild would happen if the bars ever broke.
"I'm mighty sorry, Dick," sez I.
"Oh, I ain't through with 'em yet. I'm not clear out of the game. You
don't need to think 'at they've broke me," sez he.
"I wasn't thinkin' o' you," I said in a low tone.
He drew in his breath, an' the noise he made was half way between a sob
an' a groan. "My God!" he said between set teeth. "Do you think that I
haven't carried that cross also? But I've changed a lot in five years,
an' they won't think of me at the Diamond Dot. Happy, I've got a scheme
for organizin' the cattlemen o' the Northwest to fight that Texas crowd
an' whip 'em out o' the business. I know the game from A to Z, an' if I
can just work it through without comin' out in the open I can beat 'em."
"Mebbe," sez I, "but it's exposin' her to a mighty big risk."
"I'll never do that, whatever happens," sez he.
"As long as this Texas crime hangs over you, it hangs over her too,"
sez I, "an' as soon as your fight gets under way they'll turn your
record inside out, an' you know it."
He gripped his hands together an' punched a hole in the ground with his
heel, an' you could tell by his face that he was mighty sorry he
couldn't have picked out the face he'd have liked to have under his
heel instead of the ground. Finally he put his hand on my shoulder an'
sez, "Well, Happy, you allus did have the gift of hittin' the nail on
the head; an' I'll promise that no matter what comes up, I won't do
anything to risk the happiness of--of Barbie. You just remember to keep
on callin' me Dick, an' I reckon I'll be content to let the revenge
part go, an' just settle down with my head under cover. They didn't
remember me in the Chicago stock yards, an' you didn't recognize me; so
I suppose it's safe enough, if I just keep quiet."
We shook hands, an' he went back to the house; but I could easy see
that he was troubled. I stayed out with the stars purty late that
night. It was clear an' bright an' peaceful when I looked up, but when
I tried to look ahead it seemed misty an' dark an' gloomy, so I looked
straight up for a long, long time; an' then when they soothed me, as
they allus do, I went to bed an' slept like a log.