COMRADES IN SORROW
Wade Ruggles and Parson Brush sprang to their feet and confronted the
white-faced Captain Dawson, who stared at them and breathed fast. For
a full minute they gazed into one another's faces, dazed, motionless
and speechless. The partners stood, each with pipe in hand, the faint
smoke curling upward from the bowls, their slouched hats still on
their frowsy heads, the revolvers at their cartridge belts spanning
their waists, their trousers tucked in the tops of their boots, and
with their heavy flannel shirts serving for coats and vests.
Captain Dawson was similarly attired. He had dashed out of his own
cabin and into that of his friends, his long locks flying, and even
the strands of his heavy beard rigidly apart, as if from the
consternation that had taken possession of his very soul.
In those seconds of tomb-like stillness, an ember on the earthen
hearth fell apart and a twist of flame threw a yellow illumination
through the small room, grim and bare of everything suggesting
luxury.
It was the parson who first found voice, but when he spoke the tones,
even to himself, sounded like those of another person.
"Captain, it is possible that there is some mistake about this."
"Would to God there might be!"
"Let us hope there is."
"Mistake!" he repeated in a husky, rasping voice; "can there be any
mistake about _that_?"
He threw out his single arm as he spoke, as if he would drive his fist
through their chests. But he held a crumpled bit of paper in the face
of the parson, who silently took it from him, crinkled it apart and
turning his side so that the firelight fell on the sheet, began
reading the few words written in pencil and in the pretty delicate
hand which he knew so well.
"Read it out loud, parson," said Ruggles, speaking for the first
time.
Felix Brush did so in a voice of surprising evenness:
"MY DEAREST FATHER:--I have decided to go with Lieutenant Russell.
We love each other and I have promised to become his wife. Do not
think I love you any less for that can never be. I cannot remain
here. You will hear from us soon and then I pray that you will
come to your own
NELLIE."
"Have you been to his shanty?" asked Ruggles, who hardly comprehended
the meaning of his own words.
"Why would he go there?" angrily demanded the parson.
"Mebbe the villain changed his mind."
"But, if he had, _she_ would not be there."
"Yes; I went to his cabin," bitterly answered Captain Dawson; "he has
not been in the place for hours; all is dark and deserted; if I found
him, I would have killed him."
The three were laboring under fearful emotion, but with surprising
power forced themselves to seem comparatively calm.
"Captain, tell us about it," said the parson, carefully folding the
bit of paper upon itself and shoving it into his pocket, unobserved by
the others.
Despite his apparent calmness it took a few moments for the father to
gain sufficient self-control to speak clearly. Seated in the chair, he
looked into the embers of the fire on the hearth, compressed his lips
and breathed hard. His two friends had also seated themselves, for it
seemed to them it was easier to master their agitation thus than while
upon their feet.
"What have I to tell, but my everlasting woe and shame? The lieutenant
and I have been working for several days by ourselves on a new lead. I
had noticed nothing unusual in his manner nor indeed in that of my
child. At lunch time to-day he complained to me of not feeling like
work, and told me not to expect him back this afternoon. I would have
returned with him, had not the indications of the new lead been so
good. And actually he invited me to do no more work until to-morrow,
though why he should have done it, when it would have spoiled their
whole scheme, is more than I can explain.
"It was part of his plan to deceive you."
"I don't see how it could do that, for there was no need of his
inviting me,--but let it go. It came about that I worked later than
usual, so that it was dark when I got home. I was surprised to see no
light and to find no fire or Nellie. I thought nothing of that,
however, for who would have believed it possible that there could be
anything wrong? I supposed she was with some of the folks and being
tired I sat down in my chair and fell asleep.
"When I awoke, the room was cold, silent and as dark as a wolf's
mouth. I felt impatient and decided to give her a scolding for being
so neglectful. I groped around until I found a match, intending to
start a fire. I had just lit the lamp and set it down on the table,
when I caught sight of a folded piece of paper with my name in her
handwriting on the outside. It gave me a queer feeling and my hands
trembled when I unfolded and read it.
"I don't clearly remember the next few minutes. The room seemed to be
spinning around, and I think I had to sit down to keep from falling,
but what saved me from collapse was my anger. I have been consumed
with indignation once or twice in my life, but was never so furious,
so uncontrollable, so utterly savage as I was after reading that note.
If I could have found Russell, I would have throttled him. It may
sound strange, but I hardly once thought of Nellie; it was _he_, the
villain, whom I yearned to get my hands on."
"Of course," said Ruggles, "that's the way you oughter feel."
"I don't know what possessed me to do so, but I rushed out and made
straight for his cabin, as if I would find him there. Of course that
too was empty, and then I came here. Fool that I have been!" exclaimed
the parent, leaping to his feet and striding up and down the room;
"not to see all this, but," he added pathetically, "I believed that
Nellie loved me."
The flaming wrath of the two melted into pity for the stricken father.
Parson Brush laid his hand on his shoulder and compelled him to resume
his seat. Then he spoke with the tenderness of a woman:
"That child _does_ love you more than she loves her own life, but she
is blinded by her infatuation for that smooth-tongued scoundrel. It is
the nature of her sex to feel and act thus; but, as I said, it does
not mean that her love for you is less--"
"Don't talk of her love for me," fiercely interrupted the parent; "we
only judge of a person by his actions."
"But you and I have made mistakes--"
"Nothing like this; why did she not ask me? why did _he_ not tell me
that he wished to marry her?--that is if he does," added the father,
as if determined to make his own cup as bitter as possible.
"He did not ask you, because he knew you would refuse; for from the
first time he entered this community, he was determined to have her."
"How do you know that?"
"Because Ruggles and I read him; we did what no one else did,--we
measured the man. Am I right, Wade?"
The miner nodded his head.
"Every word is as true as gospel; we noticed his sly looks at her,
that first night you and him entered the Heavenly Bower and she was
there. We couldn't make any mistake about it."
"And you didn't warn me! You two are as bad as he, because you kept
the secret when you ought to have put me on my guard, so that I might
have strangled him at the first advance he made."
Sympathy for the man prevented his listeners taking offence at
the words which, from any one else, would have brought serious
consequences. The parson said soothingly:
"If you were not so wrought up, captain, you would not be so
unreasonable; suppose Wade and I had gone to you with the statement
that the man who, according to your own words, had saved your life but
a short time before in the mountains, was a villain, who contemplated
robbing you of your child; what would you have done?"
"Thanked you and been on my guard."
"You would have done nothing of the kind; you would have cursed us and
told us to mind our own business."
"No matter what I would have done, it was your duty to tell me,
regardless of the consequences to yourselves. I might have resented
it, but my eyes would have been opened and this blow saved me."
"Nothing could have opened your eyes, for you were blind," said the
parson, who felt that though the man was intensely agitated, he ought
to hear some plain truths; "even had you suspected there was ground
for our fears, you would have gone to Lieutenant Russell and demanded
an explanation. He would have denied it, and you would have believed
him with the result that he would have been put on his guard and would
have deceived you the more completely."
"Likewise, as aforesaid," added Ruggles, "the villain would have come
to us and made us give our grounds for our charges. What ridic'lous
fools we would have been, when all we could answer was that we
thought he looked as if he meant to run away with your darter."
"There may be some justice in what you say," replied the captain more
composedly; "It was I who was blind, but I can't understand it. Never
until I read that piece of paper, did I suspect the truth."
"Howsumever, the parson and me haven't been idle; we often talked it
over and fixed on a line that we thought would work better than going
to you. We showed the leftenant that we was onto his game; I give him
a scowl now and then, as it fell convenient, that said 'Beware!' We,
that is the parson and me, made up our minds to watch close, and, at
the first sign that was dead sure, we'd fall onto him like a couple of
mountains."
"And why didn't you?"
"He fooled us as he did you. We was talkin' over matters the very
minute you busted into the door and was satisfied that he had larned
he was playin' with fire and had concluded to drop it. We was as big
fools as you."