"I'll call him, Mr. Tow--"
Before he could finish, an apparition came through an open door toward
the rear of the building. Tall, it was thin to the point of gauntness.
A fur hat sat on its head, and uncut gray and black hair straggled from
beneath the hat. It was dressed in an ornate fringed buckskin shirt and
buckskin trousers. Its feet were bare. Above a gray stubble that covered
its leathery cheeks were eyes so pale and blue that they seemed to have
no expression at all, but to be oddly like drifting blue smoke. Its
expression was a snarl, and its voice matched the expression.
"Want to see me, eh? Go ahead an' look."
"I'm looking for Jim Snedeker."
"Who you think I am? Pres'dent of the Unitey States?"
Joe controlled his rising anger and prepared to state his mission. But
before he could speak, Snedeker spoke again.
"You an Oregon emmy-grant?"
"That's right."
"Where's your booie knives?"
"What?"
"Your booie knives, man! Last emmy-grant I saw off the Trail had six of
'em an' a revolver stuck in his belt. Where's yours?"
"I haven't any."
"You're a heck of a emmy-grant." Snedeker addressed the youth, "Ain't he
a heck of a emmy-grant, Ellis?"
The youth winked at Joe. Snedeker saw him do it and glared.
"Don't you go doin' that behint my back! Wuthless pup! I see you do it!"
He turned to Joe. "This Ellis Garner, he sets around here all the time
'stead of movin' his rear a mite! Kids nowadays ain't wuth the powder to
blow 'em up! Ain't that so, Ellis?"
"Jim, this man--"
"Shut up!" Snedeker whirled on Joe. "What do you want of me?"
"Did you know a man named Seeley?"
"Yeh. I knew him. Shif'less old coot. What about him?"
"He said you'd give me a job."
"I might." Snedeker stroked his stubble. "I might at that. You drink?"
"No."
"Why the blazes don't you? Ever'body else does."
"None of your blasted business!" Joe exploded.
"Why you--!" Snedeker sputtered like a boiling tea kettle. "Ain't no man
talks thataway to me!" He strode to the rifle rack, seized a rifle, and
aimed it at Joe. "Take that back!"
"Put that popgun down before I take it away from you and spank you with
it!" Joe roared. "You crazy old goat! I wouldn't work for you if you
were the last man on this Trail!"
"You got just fifteen seconds," Snedeker warned.
"Why you--!"
Joe was angry as he had been only once or twice in his life. In
Missouri, the code was hospitality. Here, where there was so much space
and so few people, that code should have been much more powerful.
Snedeker did not have to give him a job, but by all the rules of
humanity he should have offered food and shelter.
"I won't tell you again!" Snedeker breathed.
Joe grasped the rifle's muzzle, twisted it aside, and brought his right
hand back to deliver a smashing blow to the other's chin. Suddenly he
found the rifle in his hands. Snedeker reeled away from him, roaring
with laughter. Joe stood dumfounded, not knowing what to think. When the
old mountain man straightened, his eyes were no longer the color of
smoke. They were friendly.
"Lordy, lordy!" he chortled. "You win!"
"Win what?"
"The job you asked for, man! Sort of knowed when you spoke of Shoshone
Seeley that you was all right; Shoshone wouldn't ask nobody to stop here
'thout they was. But they's a lot of half-witted Injuns 'round here, an'
some even more half-witted emmy-grants will be stoppin'. They'll bluff
you out of your eye teeth if you let 'em, an' I can't have nobody who
lets themselfs be bluffed. Will say, though, that you might show a mite
more sense. Thutty-five a month for you'n your team, quarters, and found
for yourself. All right?"
"It's all right with me."
"Good," Snedeker pronounced, "on account that's all you'd get anyhow.
Your folks with you?"
"They're in the wagon."
"Bring 'em in, man! Bring 'em in! Anybody with the sense of a jack
rabbit wouldn't leave his folks set in the wagon on a day like this!"
Joe brought his family in and introduced them to Snedeker and Ellis
Garner. The children went to the fireplace, and stood gratefully in its
warmth. Barbara smoothed her tumbled hair with her hand. Snedeker nudged
Joe and he looked at Ellis Garner. A smile of purest joy glowed on the
young man's face.
"He's a woman chaser," Snedeker said in a whisper that carried clear
across the room. "Chased one here all the way from Maryland. But, lordy,
lordy! She sure didn't have the shine of _that_ filly!"