Things went along purty much the same after that; but I could see 'at
the ol' man sensed a new tone in things, an' he begun to look agey. He
was still gallin' on Barbie, but I couldn't help but feel mighty sorry
for him. He had paid all them years 'at she was away at school, out o'
the joy of his own heart, lookin' for his pay in the time when she'd
come back an' be his chum again, an' here they was with a wall of ice
between 'em an' nairy a lovin' glance to melt it down.
The' come a warm spell toward the last o' the month; an' one evenin'
just as we was finishin' supper we heard a cry o' distress in a man's
voice--an' the cry sounded like "Barbie!" I reckon all our hearts stood
still, an' I reckon we all thought exactly the same thing. In about a
minute the cry came again, an' the ol' man jumped to his feet an'
pulled his gun. "If that's Silver Dick," sez he, "I'll kill him."
Barbie had also sprung up, an' she looked him square in the eyes. "If
you harm a hair of his head I'll--I'll do some shootin' myself."
She pulled a little gun out of her bosom, an' we all stood quiet for a
moment. It was easy to see 'at she wasn't bluffin': but I'm purty sure
that Jabez an' I had different idees as to what she meant. Jabez
thought she meant him self; but he hadn't got the name o' Cast Steel
for nothin', an' a sort of a grim smile crept onto his face. We stood
still for a moment, an' then we went out together, an' before long we
heard the sound again--a long, waverin', ghostly call in the gatherin'
twilight.
We hurried along, an' purty soon we saw a man lyin' across the trail.
The ol' man held his gun in his hand, an' so did Barbie, while I walked
a step behind doin' a heap o' thinkin'. If the ol' man killed Dick,
Barbie would shoot herself; if any one stopped the ol' man that one
would take on weight exceedin' fast, unless he crippled the of man
first. I finally made up my mind that I would try to overpower the ol'
man without hurtin' him, an' ol' Cast Steel was built like a grizzly. I
didn't enjoy that walk as much as some I've took. When we got close to
the figger lyin' in the trail we all walked a little crouchy. It looked
quite a little like Dick; but when we saw it wasn't nothin' but that
fool Hawthorn with a busted leg, we three looked like the reception
committee of the Foolish Society.
I hustled back an' got Hanson an' a couple o' the boys and an ol' door,
an' we fetched him home an' put him to bed an' sent for the doctor--an'
that was the worst luck that ever happened to ol' Dick. You know how a
woman is with anything hurt or sick; they're the same the world over. A
right strickly wise married man would have everything broke except his
pocket-book, an' then he'd be sure o' lots of pettin'. They allus want
to spoil a feller when he's on the flat of his back. When he's walkin'
around on his own feet all he needs to do is to express a desire, an'
they vetoe it on general principles, an' after they've talked
themselves dry they send out an' get the preacher to finish the job;
but when that same vile speciment of masculine humanity gets some of
his runnin' gear damaged, why they bed him on rose leaves, feed him on
honey, an', good or bad, they give him whatever he wants. This
particular feller wanted Barbie, an' Barbie was mighty gentle with him.
Sometimes it seems to me that the only men who can understand a woman
are the men who work a lot with the dumb creatures. Take an animal now,
wild or tame, an' it hates to confess a weakness; it'll just go on head
up an' eyes flashin' till it drops in its tracks--so will a woman. Take
the fiercest female animal the' is, an' it's all mother on the inside.
Why, they're everlastin'ly adoptin' somethin' 'at don't rightly belong
to 'em. Sometimes they go to work an' adopt a little straggler that in
a regular way is their daily food; an' it ain't no step-mother affair
neither, it 's the real thing.
The wild animals are the best to study, 'cause the tame ones have been
some spoiled by associatin' with man. Well, the wild animals spend all
their spare time dressin' up an' cleanin' their clothes, an' when it
ain't absolutely necessary they hate to get a toe wet; but when it
comes to love or duty, why fire, water, nor the fear o' man ain't goin'
to stop 'em; so again I sez 'at the man what can savvy the wild animals
can get purty nigh within hailin' distance of woman, an' that's gettin'
close; but you want to remember this, no animal never tells the truth
to an outsider. The principle part o' their life is spent in throwin'
folks off their trail, an' they allus make their lairs in the most
secret places. If a feller ever gets to know 'em even a little he has
to be mighty patient an' mighty careful, an' above all things, he
mustn't never get the idee that he knows every last thing about 'em
the' is to know, 'cause no man never knows that. Some men try to
estimate a woman by their own earthy way o' doin' things. 'T would be
just as reasonable for a man who was purty wise to the ways of a
pug-dog to get inflated with the idee that he had a natural talent for
hivin' grizzly bears.
But to get back to my tale: this Englishman had fallen on his feet all
right, even if the connection to one of 'em was busted up a bit. I was
around 'em a good bit, bein' forced to consult with Barbie about
things, an' I was able to piece out the method he was usin'. He wasn't
such a fool as he looked, by consid'able many rods. He talked a heap
about the sacrifice he had made for the girl back in England, an' how
much he had loved her an' how much Barbie had comforted him, although
even yet he could not forget her. Once Barbie asked him what her name
was. For a moment he didn't answer, an' then he sez in a low voice,
Alice LeMoyne. I lifted my face quick an' gave him a look, but he
wasn't noticin' me. I didn't say anything; but I couldn't help
wonderin' if this Alice LeMoyne had anything to do with the dancer what
had married into the Clarenden family, an' then died. It was an odd
name, but still I didn't reckon the' was a patent on it.
Finally I could tell by their talk that Barbie had told him about Dick,
an' then I knew the jig was about up. He allus spoke o' Dick in a
gentle, soothin' way, makin' every excuse for him; an' this made her
think him a noble-minded feller! an' the most natural outcome was for
'm to just bunch their woes an' cling together for comfort. She allus
used to sit by his side in the twilight, singin' sorrowful love songs
to him, an' once I caught him holdin' her hand. You see she was just
naturally hungry for somethin' to pet an' care for; luck offered a
spavined Englishman, an' she was tryin' to make the best of it.
Jabez savvied this to the queen's taste, an' he got gentle an' lovin'
to Barbie, an' did all he could to square himself; so that poor old
Dick wasn't much more'n a memory, which is one o' the complications
absence is apt to cause after it gets tired o' makin' the heart grow
fonder.
But hang it, I didn't like this Englishman more than the law required.
The' didn't seem to be much harm to him; but he had washy eyes, an' he
was too blame oily an' gentle. I never heard him swear all through it,
an' it ain't natural for a real man to stand on his back for eight
weeks without havin' a little molten lava slop over into his
conversation. It was all I could do to keep from stickin' a pin into
him.
"Barbie," I sez one day, as innocent as an Injun, "I over-heard our
honored guest tell you that a girl by the name of Alice LeMoyne put a
crack in his heart over the water."
"Yes," sez she, with a sigh.
"It don't seem to be a popular name," sez I. "I've met lots o' women
who wasn't called Alice LeMoyne."
"It is probably French," sez she.
"It does sound like a circus, that's a fact," sez I. "Well, you break
it to him gently that Alice LeMoyne is dead. Don't ask me any
questions, but do be careful not to shock him, he seems purty high
strung."
You might as well use sarcasm on a steer as on a woman; Barbie went up
to Hawthorn with her eyes full o' pity, while I waited below an' made
up pictures o' the crockadile tears he'd pump up for her. All of a
sudden she gave a shriek. I hit the stairs, goin' forty miles an hour,
an' there was Barbie with her hands clasped, lookin' down at the
Englishman.
Well, he was enough to make a snake shriek. He was layin' there with
his head jerked back, his eyes wide open an' pointin' inwards, an'
lookin' altogether like the ancient corpse of a strangled cat. His
hands was doubled up tight, an' the' was a little froth on his lips.
I'd never seen nothing like that before, so I threw some water in his
face. That's about all the rule I know for any one who is missin' cogs,
an' I poured enough water on him to please a duck. He didn't respond
for some several minutes, an' when he did come out of it he looked
loose all over. I helped Barbie get some dry stuff under him, an' then
I went down, wonderin' what kind o' dynamite for him they'd been in
that name I'd sent up.
I tried to convince Barbie that his wires were all mixed up an' he
wasn't healthy; but she argued that it showed a loyal nature to be so
affected by mention of his old sweet-heart, an' tried to pump me for
where I had picked up the name. It looked too much like a chance shot
to me; as this guy had only been among us a few years, an' I gathered
from Bill Hammersly that the Alice LeMoyne I was springin' had
journeyed on, some several years earlier.
But the Englishman continued to repose on his bed o' down, Barbie read
to him, cooked little tid-bits for him, an' he opened up his nature an'
gave a new shine to his eyes; while Jabez--well, Jabez was buoyant as a
balloon, an' sent here an' there for nick-hacks an' jim-cracks an' such
like luxuries. He got to callin' Hawthorn "Clarence" an' "my boy," an'
kindry epithets, till even a casual stranger would 'a' knowed the' was
a roarin' in the ol' man's head like a chime o' weddin' bells.
Hawthorn was able to crutch around a bit by the first o' May; it was an
early season, an' the' was a great harvest o' calves at the round-up. I
was in work up to my eyes, an' sort o' lost track of the doin's except
when Barbie would have the buckboard hooked up an' come out to the
brandin' ground. The weather was glorious, an' you couldn't have blamed
an Injun idol for fallin' in love, so I lost heart an' was two-thirds
mad nine-tenths o' the time.
Jabez had had a hard siege of it an' it showed. His face was lined, his
hair was white at the temples, an' the' was a wistful look in his eyes
which was mighty touchy. Barbie was more chummy with him too, an' they
was edgin' back to ol' times; but I was darn glad to see Hawthorn
finally admit that he was sufficiently recovered to drive over an' see
what had become of his own lay-out.
The very first meal that we et alone, however, showed that the old sore
wasn't plumb healed over yet. Jabez couldn't wait any longer, so he
called for a show-down as soon as our food began to catch up with our
appetite. "Has Clarence popped the question yet, honey?" sez he.
"About twice a day on the average," sez Barbie, chillin' up a trifle;
"but I don't think he stands much chance. I like him an' he is kind an'
good; but I don't reckon I could ever marry him."
The ol' man didn't flare up, same as he would have once. He just sat
still, lookin' at his plate, an' that was the hardest blow he had ever
struck her. She asked me twice that afternoon if I thought he was
failin'.
Next day at dinner Jabez finished his rations, an' then leaned back an'
looked lovin'ly at Barbie for a minute. "Little girl," he sez, "I know
'at you don't like to hurt me intentional; but you have give me a
mighty sight of heartaches in my time. I have allus aimed to do what
seemed best for you, an' it has generally been a hard job. I haven't
complained much; but I'm gettin' old, child, I'm gettin' old. It's not
for myself, Barbie, it's all for you, for you an' for--for the mother
you never knew; but who made me promise to watch over an' protect ya. I
can't speak of her, Barbie; but when I meet her out yonder I want to be
able to tell her that as far as I was able I've done my part.
"This Dick has been gone a year, an' never a word to ya to let you know
even whether he's alive or not. This ain't love, honey; he was only
after my money. Now Clarence is honest an' open; why can't you take up
with him, so 'at if I'd be called sudden I could go in peace. It would
mean a lot to me to see you in good hands, honey. I'm afraid 'at
Dick'll wait until I'm gone, an' then come snoopin' around, like a
coyote sneakin' into camp when the hunters are away. Don't answer me
now, child; just think it over careful. I've generally let you have
your own way, but I do wish you'd give in to me this time."
Was Jabez failin'--was he? Well, not so you could notice it! Course he
wasn't quite so physically able as once; but I never saw him put up a
toppier mental exhibition than he did right then. Barbie didn't have a
word to say that afternoon until about five o'clock. Then she suddenly
looked up from some reports we was goin' over, an' sez, "Happy, if you
had gone away from me like Dick did, what would be the only thing what
would have kept you from comin' back to me?"
"By God, nothin' but death!" sez I, without stoppin' to think.
The color rushed to her cheeks as if I had slapped her; an' then it
oozed away, leavin' her white as chalk, while I bit my lip an' pinched
myself somethin' hearty. I had wanted to compliment her I suppose, if
I'd had any motive at all; but what I had done, when you come to look
it square in the teeth, was to ask her to cut an ace out of a deck with
nothin' left higher than a six spot. I ain't what you would call
inventionative; but I could 'a' done a blame sight better'n that if I'd
taken the time to think, instead o' simply blurtin' out the truth like
some fool amateur.
"Well," sez she, finally, "Dick was twice the man you are, so he must
be--dead."
We didn't say anything for some time. Vanity ain't like a mill-store
about my neck; but at the same time, whenever any one plugs me in the
face with an aged cabbage, I allus like to make a some little
acknowledgment. Of course I knew that she was handin' me one for my
fool break; but she did it in cold blood, an' if it hadn't been for her
bein' so stewed up in trouble, I'd have made her furnish some
specifications to back up that remark. Twice is a good many, but I let
it go.
She sat lost in study for a while, an' then said, mostly to herself, "I
reckon I might as well take him"--my heart popped up in my mouth till I
liked to have gagged, but she went on--"he's honest an' kind, an' he's
been true a long time to his first love. I hope he'll stay true to her
after we're married; I know I'll stay true to mine"--then I knew she
meant that fool Englishman. "Anyway, father has been good to me," she
continued, "an' I don't set enough store by my own life to risk
spoilin' his."
"I suppose that mis-shapen stray from the other side is twice the man I
am, too," sez I. She put her hand on mine an' sez in a tired voice,
"Ah, Happy, you've been my staff so far through the valley, don't you
slip out from under me too"; so I swallered hard a couple o' times an'
let it go.
She sat still a long while, lookin' out the window an' up to the of
gray mountains; and as I watched her with her lips tremblin, an' her
eyes misty, with courage winnin' a battle over pain, I saw the woman
lines of her face steal forth an' bury the last traces o' girlhood.
After a time she sez softly, "Poor ol' Dick, I wonder how it happened";
but never one tear got by her eyelids--never one single tear.
From that on it was plain sailin'. Barbie didn't put up any more fight
to either of 'em. She told 'em open an' fair that she would never in
the world have consented if she had thought that Dick was still alive;
but if they was willin' to take what part of her heart was left why
they was welcome to it. Jabez was pleased at any kind of a compromise
'at would give him his own way, an' Clarence, poor dear, wasn't a proud
lot. The flesh-pots of Egypt was about all the arguments needed to win
his vote, confound him. I used to give him some sneerin' glances what
would 'a' put fight into the heart of a ring-dove; but he was resigned
an' submissive; so 'at I had to swaller my tongue when I saw him
comin', for fear I might tell him my opinion of him an' then stamp his
life out for not bein' insulted.
The first of November was selected for the weddin' day; an' Jabez told
'em 'at his present would be a trip to Europe an' a half interest in
the ranch. Clarence sort o' perked up his face when Jabez told him
about it; an' I thought he was goin' to suggest that they cut out the
trip to Europe an' take the whole o' the ranch. I had the makin's of a
good many cyclones in my system those days.