WITH HAY HOOKS
It is no more than right that the first kiss should be forgiven,
especially if no one is to blame, and Wilhelmina forgave him very
sweetly; but there was a wild, hunted look in Wunpost's bold eyes and he
wondered what would happen next. Something had come over him very
suddenly and made him forget the restraint which all ladies, even in
overalls, laid upon him; and when their hands had touched some great
force had drawn them together and he had kissed her before she knew it.
But instead of resisting she had yielded for a moment, and then pushed
him away very slowly; and he still remembered, like part of a dream, her
heart beating against his breast. But it was all over now, and she was
toying with the field-glasses which he had brought from the city as a
present.
"Isn't it wonderful," she said, "how we first came together? And the
first place I looked for when you gave me these glasses was that wash
where you made your two fires."
"If you'd had them then," ventured Wunpost at last, "you'd've been able
to see me plain."
"Yes," she sighed, "but I found you anyhow. Doesn't it seem a long time
ago? And it was only the end of last May."
"Something doing every minute," burst out Wunpost gaily, "say, I've
found two mines this summer! What did old Eells think of the Stinging
Lizard? I hooked him right on that--he'll be careful what he grabs next
time. And when he jumps the next claim of mine I reckon he'll sink a few
feet before he builds any more ten thousand dollar roads!"
He chuckled and ran his hand through his tumbled hair, which always
stood straight on end, but Billy was looking at him curiously.
"Mr. Eells was up to see us," she said at last, "and he claims you
salted that mine. And he even told Father that you located it up our
canyon just on purpose so we could use his road!"
"And what did you say?" inquired Wunpost teasingly. "Didn't I tell you,
right here, I was going to do it?"
"Oh, but you were just fooling!" she protested laughing, "and I told him
you did nothing of the kind. And then Father stepped in, when he heard
what we were talking about, and he told Mr. Eells what he thought of
him."
"No, but I did salt the mine!" spoke up Wunpost quickly, "there wasn't
any fooling there. And, being as I had to locate it somewhere--well, the
chances are Eells was correct."
"Oh, that's just the way you talk!" she burst out incredulously; "did
you honestly do it on purpose?"
"Well, I guess I did!" boasted Wunpost. "I just stopped over in
Blackwater and told Mr. Eells all about it. So don't be worried on
_my_ account--and he built you a mighty good road."
"Yes, but do you think it was quite right," began Billy indignantly, "to
make Father seem a party to a fraud? It's what some people would call a
very shady transaction; but I suppose, of course, you're proud of it!"
"Why, sure I am!" returned Wunpost warmly, "and you don't need to be so
high and mighty. I guess I'm just as good as your old man or anybody,
and I notice he's using the road!"
"He won't though," answered Billy, "if I tell him what's happened! My
father is honest, he works for what he gets, and that road is just the
same as stolen!"
"Well, go ahead and tell him!" challenged Wunpost angrily. "We'll come
to a show-down, right now. And anybody that's too good to use my road is
too good to associate with _me_!" He brought down his big fist into
the palm of his hand and Wilhelmina jumped at the smack. "Didn't I tell
you," he demanded rising and pointing at her accusingly, "didn't I say I
was going to build that road? Well, why didn't you kick about it
_then_? You were game to follow me up and jump my mine so your
father could build him a road; but the minute I trim old Eells, who has
robbed you of a million, by grab, all of a sudden you get _good_!
You can't bear to use a road that that old skinflint built, thinking
he'd robbed me of another rich mine! No, that wouldn't be right, that's
a shady transaction! All right then, don't use the doggoned road!"
He smashed his fist into his hand in a final sweeping gesture of disdain
and Wilhelmina gazed at him fixedly.
"I thought you were just talking," she said at last, "but don't you ever
tell Father what's happened. If you do he'll never use the road--or if
he does, he'll pay Mr. Eells for it. He tries to be honest in
everything."
"Yes, and look what it gets him!" cried Wunpost passionately, "he's
spent half his life in this hell-hole of a canyon and you're chasing
around here in overalls! And then when some _crook_ like me comes
along and gives him a ten thousand dollar road this is all the thanks he
gets! I'm through--you can rustle for yourself!"
"Very well!" returned Billy with a wild gleam in her eye, "and if you
don't like my overalls----"
"I do!" he broke in, "I like 'em fine--like 'em better than those flimsy
danged skirts! But if you're too good to use my road----"
"It isn't that," interrupted Billy, "I'm glad you built the road, but
Father looks at it differently. He told Mr. Eells he wouldn't be a party
to any such scheme to defraud. But--now it's all built--don't tell him
how you did it; because I want him to have a little happiness. He's been
working so long and this came, as he said, just like an act of
Providence; so let's not tell him, and when he's taken out his ore he
can pay Mr. Eells, if he wishes to."
"If he's crazy!" corrected Wunpost. "What, pay that crook? Say, do you
see those two men on the trail? They're hired by Eells to tag along
behind me and trail me to my mine. Now what right has he got to claim
that mine? Did he ever give me a dollar to spend, while I was up there
in the high country looking for it? He did not, and he stole every
dollar I had before I ever went out to prospect. Didn't he rob us both
of the Willie Meena--take it all without giving us a cent? Well, what's
the sense of trying to treat him white, when you know he's out to do
you? His name is Eells and he skins 'em alive! But you wait--I'm out to
skin _him_!"
"You're awfully convincing," conceded Billy smiling tremulously, "but
somehow it doesn't seem right. Just because he robs you----"
"Aw, forget it; forget it!" exclaimed Wunpost impatiently, "didn't I
tell you this is no Sunday school picnic? What're you going to do, let
him go on robbing everybody until he has all the money in the world? No,
you've got to play the game--go after him with the hay hooks and get his
back hair if you can! I've trimmed him of twenty thousand and a ten
thousand dollar road, but where did he get all that coin? He took it out
of our mine, the old Willie Meena, and a whole lot more besides. Well,
whose money was it, anyway--didn't I own the mine first? All right,
then, I reckon it was _mine_!"
He patted his pocket, where his roll of bills lay, and smiled roguishly
as he grabbed up the dog.
"Fine pup, eh?" he began, "well, he picked me out himself--followed
along when I was going down the street. Tried to lose him and couldn't
do it, he followed me everywhere, so I kept him and called him Good
Luck. Get the idea? Luck is my pup, he lays down and rolls over whenever
I say the word. Going to make a fine watch-dog if he lives through this
hot weather--how'd you like to keep him a while?"
"Oh, I'd like to!" beamed Billy, "only I'm afraid you might be
jealous----"
"Not of no pup, kid," returned Wunpost with his lordliest swagger, "and
if you steal him, by grab you can have him!"
"Well, I'll bet I can do it!" answered Billy defiantly. "And are you
still going to give me that mine?"
"If you can find it!" nodded Wunpost. "Or I'll give it to Mr. Lynch, if
he'll promise to follow the leader. I see that's an Injun that he's got
riding along behind him but I'm going to lose 'em both. These
Shooshonnies ain't so much--I can out-trail 'em, any time--and I tell
you what I'm going to do. I'm going to lead Mr. Lynch and his rat-eating
guide just as long as they're game to follow, and if they follow me two
weeks I'll take 'em to my mine and tell 'em to help themselves. Now
that's sporting, ain't it? Because the Sockdolager ain't staked and
she's the richest hole I've struck."
"Yes, it's sporting," she admitted, "but why don't you stake it? Are you
afraid they'll take it away from you?"
"Don't you think it!" he exclaimed, "if it was staked I'd have half of
it! No, I'm doing this out of pride. I'm leaving that claim open and if
Mr. Eells can find it he's welcome to it _all_! But I'm telling
you, it'll never be found!"
He nodded impressively, with a wise, mysterious, smile, and Billy rose
up impatiently.
"I believe you _like_ to fight," she stated accusingly and Wunpost
did not deny it.