A few moments later, Houston stepped briskly into the office. Morgan
sat at his desk, sorting some mining reports, and looked up with a
sullen, defiant glance, but Houston ignored him, and going to his own
desk, began making preparations for his day's work.
Bull-dog, who, since washing the windows, had constituted himself
office boy, had built the fire and was now sweeping. Houston greeted
him pleasantly, but his keen eyes at once detected trouble between
Houston and Morgan, and he was immediately on the alert.
After the little fellow had finished his work, and Houston supposed he
had gone, he walked with a firm, decided step, over to where Morgan
stood lounging and looking out of the window. Morgan turned, and angry
as he was, he could not help a feeling of admiration for the splendid,
athletic form standing, firm as a rock, before him. Houston's keen,
dark eyes looked straight into his own, and for a moment, not a muscle
of his face moved, the finely cut features might have been chiseled in
stone; then he spoke, in even, measured tones, cold and cutting as
steel itself:
"Mr. Morgan, I have this much to say to you, and it will be well for
you to remember it; that if I ever hear another insinuation against
that young lady of whom you were speaking this morning, or an
improper word of any kind in the presence of either of those ladies at
the house, I will put you in such shape, that you will not be able to
come to the office for a week; and more than that, there will be no
office work here for you."
"What do you mean by that last threat?" asked Morgan defiantly.
"I mean just this; that I know enough about you, that if I should
repeat what I know to Mr. Blaisdell, you would not remain in this
office one day longer."
Morgan grew pale. "You seem to know a great deal for a man that's been
here no longer than you have. I suppose Lyle Maverick has been filling
you up with stuff about me."
"She has never mentioned your name to me, and you will do well not to
bring her name into this conversation."
"Seems to me you're wonderfully particular about old Jim Maverick's
girl," Morgan sneered, "I suppose you want her for yourself, though I
should think the other one--"
Morgan never finished his sentence; a blow that he afterwards said was
"worse than the kick of a mule," had closed one eye.
With an oath, he made a terrible lunge toward Houston, but he knew
nothing more until about fifteen minutes later, when he found himself
lying on the floor, under the long desk, on the opposite side of the
room, while Houston stood a few feet away, watching him.
"You dirty contemptible cur!" said Houston, "do you think because you
have no sense of honor, because you are so vile you can have no idea
of what purity means, that every one is like yourself? You deserve to
be kicked like a dog; come out from there and fight, why don't you?"
"I don't believe I'm very anxious to, if you'd just as soon excuse
me," said Morgan, who had gradually assumed a sitting posture, and was
passing his hand over his eye and jaw. Then, looking up with as much
of a grin as he could muster, with his rapidly swelling face, he
said, "Give it up, Houston; you're a better man than I am; I'll let
you boss this ranch."
"Do you mean," asked Houston sternly, "that from this time there will
be no more insinuations against ladies, and no innuendoes in their
presence?"
"Yes, I agree," said Morgan, "I'll never say anything myself, and I'll
smash any other fellow that does; I think," he added, reflectively,
"that you've showed me how pretty well, though I'd a little rather
you'd practiced on some other fellow, Haight, for instance."
"I'll attend to Haight," said Houston, helping Morgan to his feet, and
smiling grimly at the figure he made.
An hour later, Houston presented himself at the sorting rooms, where
Haight met him with many smiles, offering to show him through the
rooms.
"Another time will do, Mr. Haight," said Houston coldly, "I have
business with yourself this morning."
"Oh, yes," said Haight, as if the thought had just occurred to him,
"that unfortunate business at the table this morning; Mr. Houston, I
am more than sorry for what happened, and assure you, that, so far as
I am concerned, it shall never occur again."
"It will be much better for your interests that it should not,"
replied Houston; "I have not been in the habit of hearing such
insinuations against ladies, or such language in their presence; and
there is something more I have to say to you," he continued, as he saw
Haight was trying to speak; "you were bookkeeper for the company, for
a while, were you not?"
"Certainly," replied Haight in a tone of surprise, "I kept the books
for a few months last year."
"So I have been informed since coming here, and I wish to state that
the other day I had occasion to refer to some of the old books kept by
you, and I very soon found evidences of a few shady transactions on
your part that I think you would not care to have come to the
knowledge of the company."
"You must be mistaken, Mr. Houston," said Haight, trying to preserve a
calm exterior, but paling visibly; "it must have been some of Mr.
Johnson's work you found."
"No, Mr. Haight," said Houston firmly, "it was your own work, in your
own writing, and very bunglingly done at that; a man would not need to
be an expert accountant,--and that is what I am,--to detect the
fraud."
"Mr. Houston," interrupted Haight, in trembling tones, "everything
here shall be as you wish, and I will help you too,--I can be of
use to you,--if you will just say nothing. There were certain
circumstances that I cannot now explain, that justified the
transactions you allude to; and as I have told you, I regret what
occurred this morning, and it shall not be repeated. But really,
Mr. Houston," he continued, "I had no idea that my teasing Morgan
this morning would have such an effect; you see, what I was joking
about was really to Miss Maverick's credit; it seems that a few
weeks ago, he was rather smitten with her and attempted to be what she
thought was a little too familiar, and she gave him a black eye,
and--"
"He has another one now," said Houston, rising abruptly.
"Indeed!" exclaimed Haight.
"Yes, and there will be more black eyes if there are any more
insinuations of that character," and Houston returned to the office,
leaving behind him a bitter enemy, but one whose enmity would be
concealed by a cloak of friendship.
Meanwhile, while Houston was pursuing his chivalric course, Miss
Gladden, sitting by the fire in the deserted breakfast room, was
planning in what way and by what means she could best help her young
friend in whom she felt such an interest. The scene at the table had
given her a new insight into Lyle's surroundings; the rudeness and
insult to which the beautiful girl was likely to be subjected in such
a home, the possible dangers to which she might also be exposed, and
she was more than ever determined to win the confidence of the
reserved, proud-spirited girl.
In the midst of her reflections, Lyle entered the room, and Miss
Gladden saw there were still traces of trouble in her face.
Unconscious of the friends who were beginning to care for her welfare,
Lyle had felt that morning as though she could endure her life there
no longer. She had felt by a sort of instinct that she was in some way
connected with the talk at the table, and she knew that both Morgan
and Haight would not hesitate to injure her by their insinuations, in
retaliation for the manner in which she had met their advances.
Thirsting for human sympathy, her heart quickly responded to Miss
Gladden's words, as she told Lyle of her interest in her, her sympathy
for her, and her desire to help her, and in reply to one or two
questions, she spoke freely of the trials she had suffered, inevitably
connected with a life such as hers, and touched by the kindness of her
new-found friend, Lyle continued:
"The insults and insinuations of those men, and others like them,
are bad enough, but I expect nothing else from such as they, but
when one receives insult from the source where one would expect
protection,--that is hardest of all," and with flushed cheeks and
quivering lips, Lyle related the scene with her father, and his
words to her, while Miss Gladden looked inexpressibly shocked.
"I was almost desperate this morning," she said in conclusion, "I felt
as though I could not live such a life any longer; I must go
somewhere, anywhere, to get away from it. Mother says that nothing of
that kind shall ever happen again, that father is in her power in some
way, and she will not let him abuse me; but it is this whole wretched
life that I despise, if I could only be freed from that!"
"I hope, dear, your life will not always be like this," said Miss
Gladden, "it shall not be if it is in my power to prevent it; perhaps
I may be able to brighten it in some way."
"You have already," said Lyle gratefully, "I shall be happy now, as
long as you are here; after you are gone away,--" she shuddered
slightly, then added, "who knows what may happen before that time?"