A MIDNIGHT VISITOR
The snow had thinned a little, though it still blew hard, when, before
retiring, I borrowed a lantern and made a dash for the stable. The horse
which had fallen was a valuable one, and, remembering how stiffly he had
moved, I was anxious about him. Winter should have been over, and this
was its last effort, but the cold struck through me, and I knew by the
depth of the snow that a horse would be a useless incumbrance to the
fugitive, who could not have made a league in any direction. He was
probably hiding in the ravine, and it appeared certain that he would be
captured on the morrow. I was therefore the less surprised when the
stolen mare shuffled towards me. The man had at least kept his promise
to release her when useless; but I was still slightly puzzled as to how
the beast had found her own way to Bonaventure. This meant work for me,
and I spent some time in the long, sod-protected building, which was
redolent of peppermint in the prairie hay, before returning to the
dwelling. My moccasins made no sound as I came softly through the hall,
but it was not my fault that, when I halted to turn out and hang up the
lantern, voices reached me through an open door.
"You are in charge here, and will see that the lamps and stoves are
safe, Lucille," one of them said. "What did you think about our guests?"
"I liked them immensely; the sergeant was simply splendid," answered
another voice. "The young trooper was very nice, too. I did not see much
of Mr. Ormesby. He talked a good deal to you."
There was no mistaking Beatrice Haldane's rippling laugh. "Rancher
Ormesby is amusing for a change. One grows to long for something
original after the stereotyped products of the cities. Contact with
primitive men and fashions acts, for a time, as a tonic, although too
much of it might serve as, say, an emetic."
It was a pity it had not occurred to me to rattle the lantern earlier,
for though women do not always mean what they say, this last observation
was not particularly gratifying. Neither was it quite what I had
expected from Beatrice Haldane. Whether the fair speaker guessed that
she had been overheard or not, I never knew; but because a ripple of
subdued laughter reached me as a door swung to, I surmised that her
sister had found cause for merriment. Tired as I was, I did not feel
immediately disposed for sleep, and, as Haldane had bidden us do just
what best pleased us, I looked into the troopers' quarters and found
Mackay and one of his subordinates, who had preferred to spend the
evening with the hired hands, asleep, and Cotton cleaning his carbine.
"We'll be off before daybreak, and I had not a chance earlier. I would
not have missed a minute of this evening for promotion to-morrow. Of
course, I'll pay for it later; but that's the usual rule, and partly why
I'm serving the nation as Trooper Cotton now," he said, with a mirthless
smile.
"You are getting as bad as the sergeant," I answered impatiently. "Come
along when you have finished, if you're not overtired, and we'll smoke
one of our host's cigars together. He left the box for us beside the big
hearth in the hall."
"I'll be there in ten minutes. Mackay's so confoundedly particular about
the arms," said Cotton.
The fire was burning redly in the hall, though the lamps were out, when
I ensconced myself in a deep chair behind a deerhide screen quaintly
embroidered by Indian women. The cigar was a good one, and I had much to
think about; so it was not until a shaft of light streamed athwart the
screen that, looking round it, I noticed that Lucille Haldane, carrying
a candle, had entered the long room. She set it down on a table, and
stood still, glancing about her, while I effaced myself behind the
screen. The girl had cast her hair loose, and it rippled in glossy
masses from her shoulders to the delicate inward curve of her waist,
setting forth the lithe shapeliness of her figure. Concluding that she
would withdraw as soon as she was satisfied that all was safe, I decided
it would be better if she remained unaware of my presence, and hoped
that Cotton would delay his coming. To judge by the soft footsteps, she
was returning, when a sudden coldness chilled the room. The light grew
uncertain, as though the candle flickered in a draught, and a door I had
not previously noticed opened noiselessly.
Wondering what this might mean, I sat very still, and then stared
blankly, as a snow-whitened object came softly into the room. For a few
seconds I could almost have fancied it was a supernatural visitant
rather than a creature of flesh and blood, for the man's face was
ghastly, and he brought the chill of the grave with him. He was
bareheaded, his cheeks ashy gray, and clotted brown patches streaked the
rag bound round his forehead, while the snow was in his hair; but as he
moved forward I had no difficulty in recognizing him. I heard Lucille
Haldane draw in her breath with a gasp, and it was that which roused me
to action, but the intruder broke the silence first.
"Please don't cry out. You are perfectly safe--and my life is in your
hands," he said.
"Not exactly!" I broke in, and, flinging the screen sideways, stepped
between him and the girl. The stranger's hand dropped instinctively to
the holster at his waist, then he let it fall to his side.
"You here, Rancher Ormesby! I freed your horse, and you have no further
cause for hunting me down," he said, with a composure which astonished
me. "I am sorry to alarm you, Miss Haldane, but it was the truth I told
you. I will not be taken, and it rests with you either to call the
troopers or to turn me out to freeze in the snow."
In spite of his terrifying appearance, it was clear that the man was not
a ruffian. He spoke with deference, and his voice betrayed consideration
for the girl; and again a sense of compassion came upon me. Still,
there was my host's daughter to consider, and I turned towards her.
"Will you go away and leave him to me?" I said.
Lucille Haldane, glancing from one of us to the other, shook her head;
and I think we must have formed a striking tableau as we stood where the
candle-light flickered athwart one small portion of the long shadowy
room. The girl's face was pale, but a sudden wave of color swept across
it when, with a sinuous movement of her neck, she flung back the
lustrous masses of her hair. She was dressed as I had last seen her,
except that the lace collar was missing, and her full white throat
gleamed like ivory. Yet, though her voice trembled a little, she showed
small sign of fear.
"Will you tell me how you came here?" she asked, and as the question
applied to either, we both answered it.
"I have been here some little time, and feared to surprise you; but am
very glad it happened so," I said, and the stranger followed me.
"Rancher Ormesby is unjustified in his inference. I came in by the
ante-room window. Earlier in the evening I lay outside in the lee of the
building watching you, and I felt that I might risk trusting you, so I
waited for an opportunity. I knew the troopers were here; but I was
freezing in the snow, and I wondered whether, out of charity, you would
give me a little food and let me hide in an outbuilding until the
blizzard blows over?"
Lucille Haldane's fear, if it ever lasted more than a moment, had
vanished, and her eyes glistened with womanly pity, for the man's
strength was clearly spent; but she drew herself up a little. "What have
you done to come to this?" said she.
"I am afraid I should tire you, and somebody might surprise us, before I
told you half," he answered logically. "You must take my word that all I
did was to resist by force the last effort of an extortioner to complete
my ruin. He lent me money, and after I had paid it back nearly twice
over he tried to seize the little that remained between me and
destitution. There was a fracas and he was shot--though the wound was
only trifling."
I believed the terse story, and saw that Lucille Haldane did also. Then
I grew anxious lest Cotton should come in before she had made her
decision. "There is not a minute to lose. Your father at least should
know. Had you not better tell him while I stay here?" I said.
"I don't think so. He has told me that I am mistress at Bonaventure, and
I might rouse the troopers in calling him," the girl answered steadily,
turning from me to the intruder. "I think I can believe you, and you
will find sleigh-robes in the harness-room at the end of the long
stable. Slip up the ladder and crawl in among the hay. The sergeant
would never suspect your presence there."
"And Rancher Ormesby?" asked the other, with a glance at me.
"Will accept the mistress of Bonaventure's decision," I answered dryly.
"But I am expecting one of the troopers, and you are risking your
liberty every second you stay."
"He is starving," said Lucille Haldane. "There is brandy in that
sideboard, Mr. Ormesby, and I can find cold food in the kitchen.
Ah!----"
I had forgotten, while I strained my ears, that Cotton's moccasins would
give no warning as he came down the passage, and I hurried forward, at
the girl's exclamation, a second too late to bolt the door. He came in
before I reached it, and halted at sight of the outlaw, gripping the
edge of the table as suddenly as though struck by a bullet. He was a lad
of spirit, and I saw there was some special cause for his consternation,
and that he was also apparently oblivious of the presence of two of the
party.
"Good Lord! Is it you, Boone, we have been chasing all day?" he said.
I seized a chair-back and measured the distance between myself and the
fugitive as I noticed the venomous pistol glint in his hand. But he
lowered the muzzle when he saw Cotton clearly, and, with a glance in
Miss Haldane's direction, let the weapon fall out of sight behind his
thigh.
"It is," he answered steadily. "What in heaven's name brought--you--to
Canada, Charlie Cotton, and thrust you in my way? It was in a very
different character from your present one that I last saw you."
Both apparently forgot the spectators in their mutual surprise, though
Lucille Haldane stared at them wide-eyed, which was small wonder,
considering that she was a romantic girl forced for the first time to
play a part in what threatened to prove an unpleasantly realistic
tragedy. It was hardly possible for her not to guess that these two had
been friends in very different circumstances.
Cotton leaned heavily on the table, and, I fancied, groaned; then
straightened himself and answered in a strained voice that sounded very
bitter: "It would be useless to return the compliment, though the
contrast is more marked in your case. I didn't see your face, and the
name on our warrant suggested nothing. This is Her Majesty's uniform, at
least--though I would give ten years' pay if it weren't. Can't you see
that I'm Trooper Cotton, and must skulk away a deserter unless I arrest
you?"
"There does not seem to be much choice," Boone said grimly. "Heaven
knows how little there is to attract any man in the life I have been
leading; but there is one good cause why I should not be Quixotic enough
to give myself up to oblige you. No! Stand back, Charlie Cotton--I don't
want to hurt you."
The pistol barrel glinted as it rose into sight again, and, though no
one had spoken in more than a hoarse whisper before, a heavy silence
settled upon the room, through which I thought I could hear the girl
catch at her breath. I stood between her and the two men, but I was at
my wits' end as to what should be done. By this time my sympathies were
enlisted on the side of the unfortunate rancher; but the girl's presence
complicated the affair. It seemed imperative that she should be safely
out of the way before either an alarm was given or a struggle ensued.
Yet she had refused to vacate the position, and I realized that she
meant it. Meantime, Cotton's face was a study of indecision and disgust.
The lad was brave enough, but it seemed as though the mental struggle
had partly crippled his physical faculties. With a gesture of dismay he
turned suddenly to me.
"It's a horrible combination, Ormesby. Of course, I can't tell anybody
all, but I knew this man well, and was indebted to him in the old
country. Now he has somehow broken the laws of the Dominion, and I'm
bound by my oath of service to arrest him. There is no other course
possible. Boone, I can't help it. Will you surrender quietly?"
"No!" was the answer. "My liberty is precious because I have work to do.
Move or call out at your peril, Charlie!"
The climax was evidently approaching, and still I could do nothing for
fear of jeopardizing Lucille Haldane's safety if I precipitated it. The
young lad, unarmed as he was, stiffened himself as for a spring, and I
wondered whether I could reach his opponent's pistol arm with the
chair-leg in time when the trooper moved or shouted. Then, because
feminine wits are often quicker than our own, I saw the girl's eyes were
fixed on me, as, unnoticed by the others, she pointed towards the
candle. Another second passed before I understood her; then, for the
light stood on the corner of the table nearest me, I swept one arm out,
and there was sudden darkness as I hurled it sideways across the room.
The door into the main passage swung to, and Cotton fell over something
as he groped his way towards it, while, though strung up in a state of
tension, I smiled, hearing--what he did not--somebody brush through the
other door, which it was evident had escaped his notice.
Next, feeling that the girl was mistress of the position, I stirred the
sinking fire until a faint brightness shone out from the hearth. It just
sufficed to reveal Lucille Haldane standing with her back to the door
the fugitive had not passed through. This quick-witted maneuver
sufficed to deceive the bewildered representative of the law. "You
cannot pass, Trooper Cotton," she said.
The lad positively groaned. "Do you know that you are disgracing me
forever, Miss Haldane?" he said, in a hoarse appeal. "You must let me
pass!"
The girl resolutely shook her head, and the dying light showed me her
slender fingers tightly clenched on the handle of the door. "I will see
that you do not suffer; but I am mistress of this house, and I think you
are an English gentleman, Trooper Cotton," she said.
Then, with an air of desperation, the lad turned to me. "Won't you try
to persuade her, Ormesby?"
"No," I said dryly. "I am Miss Haldane's guest, and not a police
officer. I am sorry for you, Cotton, but you have done your best, and
even if you forget your own traditions I'll certainly see you show her
due respect. It is not your fault that I have twice your strength, but
it will be if, while Miss Haldane remains here, you summon your comrades
by a shout."
"Confound you! You never thought----" he broke out; but, ceasing
abruptly, he left the sentence incomplete; and, feeling that there were
two sides to the question, I stood aside while he commenced a circuit of
the room, which he might have done earlier. Still, Lucille Haldane did
not move, for each moment gained might be valuable, until, with an
ejaculation, he discovered and sprang through the other door. Then,
hurrying to her side, I laid my hand reassuringly on the girl's arm and
found she was trembling like a leaf as I drew the door open.
"You must not lose a moment, and I think you should tell your father;
but you can trust me to manage Cotton and keep what has passed a
secret," I said.
There was a faint "Thank you"; while hardly had she flitted down the
passage than a shout rang out, and hurrying as for my life, I found
Cotton pounding on the inner door of the ante-room. Noticing that the
window was shut, I seized his shoulder and gripped it hard. "Pull
yourself together, and remember, that whatever tale you tell, Miss
Haldane does not figure in it," I said. "A horse would be no use to
him; but I'll make sure by a run to the stable while you acquaint the
sergeant."
It was still snowing, and the drifts were deep, but I managed to plunge
my feet into the hollows left by somebody who had preceded me, and there
was a bottle of brandy in my pocket. I returned, floundering as heavily
as possible along my outward tracks--for one learns a good deal when
trailing wandering steers or stalking antelope--and met Cotton, who now
carried his carbine. It was evident that he was bent on discharging his
duty thoroughly, for when I announced that no horses were missing, he
answered shortly: "Thanks; but I'm going myself to see. Mackay and Mr.
Haldane are waiting for you."
I smiled to myself. Trooper Cotton had acquired small proficiency in the
art of tracking, and I knew that my footprints would not only deceive
him, but that, following them, he would obliterate evidence that might
have been conclusive to the sergeant's practiced eyes. All the male
inmates of Bonaventure had gathered, half-dressed, in the hall, and
Sergeant Mackay, who was asking questions, turned to me. "Ye were here
when he came in, Rancher Ormesby?"
"I was," I answered. "I didn't hear him until he was in the room; but he
seemed starving, and presumably ran the risk in the hope of obtaining
food."
"Why did ye not seize him or raise the alarm?" asked the sergeant; and I
shrugged my shoulders.
"I was wholly unarmed, and he is a desperate man with a pistol. You may
remember mentioning that his capture was not my business."
"I mind that I have seen ye take as heavy risks when, for a five-dollar
wager, ye drove a loaded sledge over the rotten ice," said the sergeant,
with a searching glance at me. "While ye did nothing Trooper Cotton came
in to help ye?"
"Just so! He had no weapon either, but appeared quite willing to face
the outlaw's pistol, when the candle went out, and the man must have
slipped out by the second door in the dark. I made for the stables at
once, but all the horses were safe. My own, I discovered earlier, had
come back by itself."
"Ye showed little sense," said Mackay; while Haldane glanced curiously
at me. "What would he do with a horse in two foot of snow? There are
points I'm no' clear about; but there'll be time for questions later.
Ah! Found ye anything, Trooper Cotton?"
"No," said the lad. "Nothing but the footprints made by Ormesby; and I
can only presume that, there being no lee on that side, the wind would
fill the horse-thief's track with snow. He would never risk trying the
outbuildings when he knew that we were here."
"No," was the sergeant's answer. "He'll be for the ravine. We'll take
our leave, Mr. Haldane, with thanks for your hospitality, leaving the
horses in the meantime. It is a regret to me we have brought this
disturbance upon ye."
Two minutes later the police had vanished into the snow, and in another
ten Bonaventure was almost silent again. I went back to my couch and
slept soundly, being too wearied to wonder whether I had done well or
ill. Next morning Haldane called me into a room of his own.
"My daughter has told me what took place last night, and while, in one
sense, I'm indebted to you, Ormesby, I really can't decide whether you
showed a lamentable lack of judgment in abetting her," he said. "She is
a brave little soul, but does not always spare time to think. Frankly, I
wish this thing had not come about as it did."
He spoke seriously, but there was a kindliness in his eyes, and it was
easy to see that Carson Haldane's younger daughter was his idol, which
slightly puzzled me. There were those who heaped abuse upon his head,
and it is possible his financial operations did not benefit everybody,
for when men grow rich by speculation somebody must lose. There are,
however, many sides to every nature, and I always found him an upright,
kindly gentleman, while only those who knew him best could guess that he
was faithful to a memory, and that the gracious influence of one he had
lost still swayed him.
"I am sorry if I acted indiscreetly, sir; but I could think of no other
course at the time," I said. "Do you know where the man is now?"
"It is sometimes unwise to ask questions, and I have not inquired too
closely," and Haldane laid his hand on my shoulder. "It must be our
secret, Ormesby, and I should prefer that Miss Haldane did not share it;
this--I suppose one must call it an escapade--might trouble her. I
presume you could rely on that lad's discretion. He was evidently not
brought up for a police trooper."
"I think you could depend on him, sir; and, as you know, a good many
others in this country follow vocations they were never intended for."
"Well, we will say no more on that subject," he answered. "The doctors
tell me I have been working under too great a strain, and as they
recommend quiet and relaxation, I decided to try six months' practical
ranching. My partner will no doubt arrange that other folks pay the
bill; but this is hardly a peaceful beginning."
Haldane laughed before he added, significantly: "In one respect I'm duly
grateful, Ormesby, and--in confidence--here is a proof of it. You are
staking high on the future of this region. Well, the railroad will be
built, which will naturally make a great difference in the value of
adjacent land. You will, however, remember that, in accordance with
medical advice, I am now ranching for my health."
I remembered it was said that Carson Haldane could anticipate long
before anybody else what the powers at Ottawa would sanction or veto,
and that a hint from him was valuable. "It is good news, and I presume
that Bonaventure will have extended its boundaries by the time you
recover, sir," I said.
That evening Sergeant Mackay returned to requisition provisions, and
departed again. He was alone, and very much disgusted, having no news of
the fugitive. He did not revisit Bonaventure during the next day I
remained there, and presumably the man he sought slipped away when the
coast was clear. Perhaps the fact that the whirling drifts would
obliterate his tracks had deceived the sergeant, and we supposed the
contrabandists who dealt in prohibited liquor had smuggled him across
the American frontier. The night before I took my leave Beatrice Haldane
looked across at her sister, who sat sewing near the stove, and then at
me.
"Since you recovered your horse I am not altogether sorry the hunted man
got away," she said. "There are, however, two things about the affair
which puzzle me--how the candlestick my sister carried when she made the
rounds reached the table in the hall where it is never left; and why I
should find the candle it contained under the sideboard in the room the
intruder entered! Can you suggest any solution, Mr. Ormesby?"
I felt uncomfortable, knowing that Beatrice Haldane was not only clever
herself, but the daughter of a very shrewd man, while her eyes were
fixed steadily on me. Lucille's head bent lower over her sewing, and,
though I would have given much to answer frankly, I felt that she
trusted me. So I said, as indifferently as I could: "There might be
several, and the correct one very simple. Somebody must have knocked the
candlestick over in his hurry and forgotten about it. Have you been
studying detective literature latterly?"
Beatrice Haldane said nothing further; but I realized that I had
incurred her displeasure, and was not greatly comforted by the grateful
glance her sister flashed at me.