PEACE OR WAR?
"Here, here! What's this?" demanded Tom Gray, springing up. "Willy!"
"This is an outrage!" panted the man against whose back Willy Horse held
the rifle. The stranger's red hair fairly bristled as he cautiously
removed his hat and mopped the perspiration from face and forehead.
"I'll have the law on you, you low-down redskin!"
"Easy there, pardner. This Indian is not low-down," retorted Tom Gray in
a warning tone. "Willy is our friend. What is it you wish, sir?"
"Am I on the section recently purchased by Wingate & Gray?"
"You are, sir. I am Tom Gray. Mr. Wingate will be here shortly. Won't
you sit down?" urged Tom. "That is all right, Willy. Please ask
Lieutenant Wingate to come here," he added, nodding and smiling to the
Indian, who backed away into the shadows.
"I am Chet Ainsworth, timber agent," said the stranger. "This is my
guide, Tobe Skinner. I'm here to talk a little business with you. Tobe
thought he knew the way, but we got a thousand miles out of it. While we
were trying to decide whether this was a lumber camp or a state's prison
colony that Indian ruffian got the drop on us and drove us in. Tobe
would have shot him on the spot if the Indian hadn't beat him to it by
getting the drop on him. I'll see the Indian agent 'bout that when I go
back. I'll--"
"Hippy!" called Tom as he saw Lieutenant Wingate and others of the
Overland outfit strolling towards camp. "Meet Mr. Ainsworth, and his
guide, Mr. Skinner. They are here on a business matter, the nature of
which I do not know. We are ready to hear what you have to say, Mr.
Ainsworth."
Grace rose and said she would have Mrs. Shafto prepare food for the two
men.
"I'm ready to hear the story, Ainsworth," announced Hippy, nodding.
"Are you the party that bought Section Seventy-two, Mr. Wingate?" asked
Ainsworth.
Hippy nodded.
"Without wishin' to be personal, may I ask what you paid for it?"
"You have my permission to ask anything you wish. I reserve the right to
answer or not. The answer is _not_! in this instance," replied Hippy.
"No offense, no offense," answered the agent, assuming a jovial tone. "I
represent certain interests that have been negotiating for this very
property, parties that already have large holdings in this vicinity, and
who wish an uninterrupted stretch of timber and river to the lakes."
"Yes?" questioned Hippy.
"Of course they knew you bought on speculation, because you ain't
lumbermen, and they reckoned they'd buy it from you so as to give you a
fine profit on your investment. That's why I asked you what you paid for
the property."
"Yes?" repeated Hippy.
"No man can say that ain't a fair offer. Now we'll get right down to
business, Mister--Mister--"
"Wingate," assisted Tom.
"We'll get right down to business, Mr. Wingate. You will sell?"
"Sure thing. I'll sell anything I have except my wife and the bull pup."
"Good! I reckoned that was about the size of it," chuckled Ainsworth,
passing a hand across his face to hide his expression of satisfaction.
"What's your figger?"
"Half a million."
"Feet?"
"No. Dollars."
"Are you crazy?"
"Yes."
"Ha, ha! I see. You're one of those funny fellows," laughed the agent.
"That's all right, Pard. Have your little joke, and now let's get down
to business. What'll ye take cash down, balance ninety days, for the
section?"
"Half a million. What will you give?"
"Twenty-five thousand," answered the agent quickly.
"The deal is off," said Hippy, rising.
"Wait a minute! You're too confounded sudden. I want to argue the
question," urged the visitor.
"No. You have made your offer; I have made my offer. The subject is
closed. Come, have a snack. I see the girls have it ready for you, and
let's talk about the weather. I think it is going to snow."
Tom, though he had with difficulty repressed his laughter, offered their
guests every attention, and so did the Overland girls, but the subject
of the sale of the claim was not again referred to that evening, except
just before bedtime. None of the girls was favorably impressed with
either Mr. Ainsworth or his guide, and during the meal the forest woman
glared threateningly at the pair through her big spectacles. Near its
close, the visitors got a shock that nearly frightened Chet Ainsworth
out of his skin, and at the same time sent the Overland Riders into
unrestrained peals of laughter.
Henry, who had been out of sight ever since the arrival of the two men,
had ambled into camp observed only by Emma Dean who hugged herself
delightedly when she saw the bear's intention.
A yell from Chet Ainsworth when he felt the hot breath of the beast on
his neck, as Henry sniffed at it, brought every one, including Chet, to
their feet. Tobe Skinner whipped out his revolver and would have fired
at the animal had not Tom Gray gripped his wrist.
"He's tame. Don't be frightened," soothed Hippy. "All the animals in our
menagerie are halter-broken and milk-fed. Sit down. Go away, Henry! The
gentleman's nerves are a little upset after his sprint with Willy
Horse."
Mr. Ainsworth sat down, but the guide did not do so until Mrs. Shafto
had called off her animal and made him lie down.
"That was the voice of nature whispering to you, Mr. Ainsworth,"
suggested Emma demurely. "Henry had a message for you. You should have
listened. Did you ever have the birds of the air, or the beasts or the
trees, tell you their secrets, sir?" Emma's face wore a serious
expression.
Chet and Tobe gazed at her with sagging jaws, then glanced at Hippy.
Hippy Wingate tapped his own head with a finger and sighed.
"They do get that way sometimes. We have others in our outfit who are
similarly affected," he said sadly.
"So I have discovered," articulated Ainsworth. "I reckon we'll be
going."
"Certainly not," interjected Grace. "Don't mind Mr. Wingate. He too is
somewhat queer at times. You will stay here to-night, both of you. We
could not be so inhospitable as to permit you to start out at this hour
of the night. In the morning you will have breakfast and, if you wish,
an early start."
"Sure," agreed Tom. "We have a lean-to that is not occupied. You can
bunk in there."
"Thanks, but chain up that bear or I won't be responsible for what
happens. Think over my offer to-night," he urged, turning to Hippy.
"After you have slept over it you will see that it is to your best
interests to accept."
"Thanks," answered Hippy. "Good-night."
After the visitors and the Overland girls had turned in, and the
campfire was fixed for the night, Tom and Hippy had a confidential talk,
their visitor and his proposals being the subject of the discussion;
then they too sought their browse-beds.
Yells and a shot, punctuated by screeches from Joe Shafto, awakened all
hands in the gray of the early morning.
"Is it peace, or is it war again?" mumbled Anne, sitting up and rubbing
her eyes sleepily.
"It certainly does sound like war, but I think it is only the beginning
of it," answered Grace, hurriedly throwing on her clothes and running
out to see what the uproar was about. What she saw caused Grace and her
companions, who had followed her out, to utter gasps of amazement.