THE DANCE AT THE GAYLOR RANCH
Six weeks had passed and business was running smoothly again at the
Bar X ranch. Mason had fully recovered from his wound and Tex was also
able to be about, although his complete recovery was still a matter of
time. No word had been heard from Trent Burton, the Marshal, since he
had taken his prisoners away. His services were in great demand by the
Government, and the opinion prevailed at the ranch that he was working
on a hard criminal case somewhere in the East. The Marshal had seemed
anxious to dispose of the Ricker case in a hurry, saying that he had
matters of great importance awaiting him at headquarters.
One fine morning, Mason feeling the need of exercise, found himself
longing for a spin in his racing car. He had not been out in it since
the time he drove to the station with Josephine to meet his mother and
sister. The idea getting a firm hold on him, he made his way to the
shed that did duty as a garage, with the intention of giving the car a
careful overhauling. He paused as he was about to open the door, and
looked down the trail leading to Trader’s Post.
It was a magnificent morning with a gentle breeze sweeping up the
valley. He smiled as he made out the figures of Waneda and Tex just
coming out of the bunk-house and headed his way. The Spanish girl
called regularly on Tex every morning, and insisted that he take a
walk in the warm sunshine. It was due to this fact that the cowboy was
recovering so rapidly. The lanky cowboy had taken a great liking to
his Spanish nurse with the large dreamy eyes, and it didn’t take very
hard coaxing on her part to get him to take a walk when the weather
was fine.
Mason was working industriously on his racer when the pair came up and
looked in on him.
“Good morning, Tex,” he called cheerfully, bowing to Waneda. “Want to
take a ride in my racer? I can take both of you to Trader’s Post and
back again before breakfast is ready.”
Tex was eyeing the machine distrustfully.
“Nope,” he answered laconically. “A hoss is plenty good enough for me.
What if the blamed thing got to frisking balky like? I reckon I ain’t
afraid of no hoss that walks, but if this here critter got to acting
up peevish like, why I know I sure would jump out. I ain’t got no
objections to the gal here a-going with you if she likes.”
Before Waneda could answer two riders rode past them on their way to
the ranch. Tex looked after them in surprise.
“Bruce and Lem Gaylor from the Gaylor ranch across the valley from
us,” he said in a puzzled tone. “Wonder what they want this early in
the morning?”
“Probably nothing serious,” Mason answered, briskly, turning his
attention to getting his car in running order.
“People can begin to enjoy life again in this part of the country, now
that the Ricker gang has been cleaned out,” he resumed. “Tex, doesn’t
it seem good to know you can ride this range without bumping into some
of Ricker’s cut-throats?”
Tex frowned darkly.
“Huh,” he snorted, “he’s got plenty of friends scattered around these
parts, and I have been tipped off that Nick Cover’s cousin is going to
get me on sight; his cousin works on a small ranch that joins Gaylor’s
boundary line, and they say he is dead sore because Nick was jailed on
my account.”
Tex was fingering his gun as he talked, and Mason could see the hot
blood mount into his cheeks and his voice grew hard and stern. The raw
deal he had received at the hands of one of Ricker’s men had left a
bitter hatred in his soul. As he slowly recovered from his wound he
vowed revenge for the cowardly shot that laid him low.
“I’m telling you, Jack,” the lanky cowboy continued impressively,
“that you ain’t seen the last of Ricker’s gang of cut-throats, and you
want to pack a gun when you’re riding this range. I’ve got it straight
that you are a marked man since the raid, and the friends of Ricker
will get you if they have to shoot from ambush.”
Mason was a bit startled at Tex’s vehement manner.
Waneda had kept silent up to this point, but Tex’s words had seemed to
cause her great agitation.
“Tex is right, Signor,” she said earnestly, her great eyes full of
entreaty, “you must be very careful, for while I was at Ricker’s he
had many people call on him. His place is a sort of rendezvous, and I
have seen all sorts of people gather there from all parts of the
country.”
Mason was about to answer her when Tex announced that the Gaylor
brothers were coming back from the ranch. He waited for them to pass
by, but to his surprise they dismounted and asked Tex where they could
find Jack Mason.
“Jack’s inside there working on his machine,” the lanky cowboy
answered, as he proceeded in his quaint way to introduce Waneda and
Mason to the Gaylor boys.
They were well set-up men and about Mason’s own age. He took to them
at once and liked their straightforward manner and jovial dispositions.
Bruce, the elder, did most of the talking, his brother being a little
more reticent.
“We rode over here this morning to invite the Bar X boys to a dance at
our ranch the last of this week,” Bruce explained to Mason, “and as
to-day is Wednesday you have until Saturday to make up your mind. I
know what your outfit has been through with in cleaning out some of
the Ricker gang, and my sister insisted on this party to liven up the
boys of the Bar X. It is all her own arrangement, and you know how
woman folks are when they get set on an idea. I think it is a good
plan to get the boys together once in a while.
“Miss Josephine seemed to be taken up with the idea, and told me to
get you to promise to visit us Saturday. I guess she is pretty near
the boss of this ranch, and as I have her on my side I have hopes that
she will be able to persuade you to come to our party, Jack.”
“I’ll be glad to come and you can depend on me for one,” Mason
answered, turning to look at Tex who was in earnest conversation with
Lem and Waneda. “I’ll go among the boys and get them all to turn out
for this occasion, and we will make the party such a success that your
sister won’t have any kick coming.”
“Another reason why we came over here this morning was to warn you to
watch out for the friends of Ricker,” Bruce continued, lowering his
voice. Tex had started on a slow walk to the ranch with Lem and
Waneda. “You know the town of Smoky Point below Trader’s Post at the
railroad junction?”
Mason nodded his head, becoming deeply interested.
“Well,” Bruce resumed, “Lem and I happened to have some business to
transact in that town yesterday, and we dropped into the Duke hotel:
it is a saloon and dance hall run by Duke Williams, a notorious
gambler. He got his nickname, Duke, from his highly polished manners
and cool indifference to danger. He is said to be a man who never gets
rattled or shows any signs of nervousness, no matter what the
provocation. We were seated at a table and had just ordered a round of
drinks when two cowboys came in and took seats near us. They were from
the ranch that joins our boundary line, and from their talk they had
been drinking heavily and were in an ugly mood. One of the men was
Nick Cover’s cousin and goes by the name of Spot Wells. They didn’t
appear to realize they were talking loud, and during their
conversation I caught Tex’s name mentioned, followed by an oath, and
then they began to plan how they could get Tex and then finish you
off. For some reason or other they seemed to think that you were
directly responsible for the Ricker raid. We took our leave shortly
after that, and I made it my business to let you know the kind of deal
you are up against. Lem will put Tex wise, and you can bank on me to
keep you posted if I hear anything else. What I am most concerned
about just now, is to make sure that you will come to our dance.”
Mason grasped his hand and shook it heartily.
“You can depend on me, Bruce, I wouldn’t miss it for the world, and I
want to thank you for going to all this trouble on my account,” he
said sincerely. “Why, you almost made me forget about your party while
I was listening to your description of these men.”
His eyes lighted up with a curious gleam and he looked hard at Bruce.
“Say, I’ve got an idea,” he burst out suddenly; “get your brother to
stay here and have breakfast with us, and then you and I will quietly
get this old machine out and take a spin down to Smoky Point. There is
a bare chance that we will find those cowboys there, and I want to get
a good look at them. We won’t say a word to anybody about going, and
you can patch it up with your brother afterwards. Are you game?”
“It’s a go,” Bruce answered readily, “I always did want to ride in one
of those blaze wagons, and now is my chance. I see Tex has vanished
with the girl and my brother and I suppose they are at the ranch by
this time. That makes me think, while I was telling the ranch owner
about that deal at Smoky Point, Josephine cut in on my conversation
and urged me to stay for breakfast. I refused her invitation, so when
she sees me again I will have to lay the blame on you.”
When they arrived at the ranch, breakfast was ready, and Josephine
took Mason to task for keeping her waiting.
He looked at Bruce and laughed.
“You see, Bruce,” he said gaily, “if there are any scoldings to be had
I get ’em.”
“What have you two been hatching up?” the girl questioned
suspiciously, smiling at Mason’s good humor. “Do you know, Mr. Gaylor,
since Sir Jack has gotten well from his wound, he is getting to be an
awful tease?”
After breakfast the owner of Bar X insisted on showing the Gaylor
brothers around the ranch, and had them look over some new stock he
had received a large shipment of. To the vexation of Mason and Bruce
it was a matter of over four hours before they managed to break away
from the enthusiastic ranch owner and got started down the trail
towards Smoky Point.
Bruce had to tell his brother he would be gone for nearly the rest of
the day, and just as Mason got his car in motion one of the men in the
corral yelled after him that Josephine and his sister had taken their
horses right after breakfast, and said they were going to do some
shopping at Trader’s Post. Mason wondered at this, for the girls
usually let him know when they intended taking a long trip.
“Maybe we will meet or pass them somewhere on the trail,” Bruce
suggested, noticing Mason’s anxiety.
Mason brightened up at the thought.
“That would be fine,” he agreed, and he let the car out until they
were doing a good fifty miles per hour.
“They are fine girls, but just a little too daring to suit me at these
times. How does this speed suit you, Bruce? Shall I let her out a
little more?”
Bruce had his hat jammed well down over his ears.
“No,” he managed to gasp, “I ain’t no hog for speed. This is plenty
fast enough for me.”
Mason laughed as he slowed the racer down to a more moderate road
speed. Then he began to try to figure out about how far ahead the
girls were.
As they had over four hours the start of him, he had to give it up in
disgust. Knowing Josephine’s daring, he reasoned that she might even
swing off after reaching Trader’s Post and head towards Devil’s Gap.
He had heard the girls repeatedly express a desire to be able to
travel when and where they pleased, but he had always cautioned them
that it was unsafe for them to be without an escort, as there was
always the danger of running into some of the lawless gunmen of the
valley. He wished most heartily that they had not started off alone,
and he was worried more than he cared to admit even to Bruce Gaylor.
The motor was running in perfect order this day, and later when the
buildings of Trader’s Post came in sight, Bruce opened his eyes in
surprise.
“This sure is a quick way of traveling, and beats a horse forty ways,”
he remarked in admiration.
“You’re a little different from Tex,” Mason answered, as he remembered
how the lanky cowboy had refused to ride. “Why, I couldn’t get him any
closer than four feet to the car.”
They had made good time from the ranch, and as they drove into the
town, Mason’s first move was to dash into the leading store and
inquire if the girls had done any trading there this day. They were
well known at Trader’s Post, as it was the nearest place to Bar X
ranch and the girls did quite a bit of shopping there. Mason was
astonished to receive the answer that the girls had not been seen to
enter the town, or at least they had done no trading in any of the
stores which he visited.
He was thoroughly aroused by this time, and something seemed to tell
him that the girls were in danger. He was inclined to follow his first
idea that the girls had swung off the trail before reaching Trader’s
Post and had headed for Devil’s Gap. He told Bruce of his thought and
waited impatiently for his opinion.
“It won’t make any difference to me if you want to go towards Devil’s
Gap,” Bruce said grimly; “if you think the girls are in danger we
ought to get busy right quick. This trip to Smoky Point can wait for
some other time.”
Mason did some hard thinking and kept looking anxiously down the trail
towards Smoky Point. Suddenly he jumped for the driver’s seat and
started the racer off at a furious speed.
“Hang on hard, Bruce,” he grated, “something tells me the girls took a
notion to visit Smoky Point, and it’s to Smoky Point we go.”
There was a whirl of dust as the car shot out of the town, and some of
the natives of Trader’s Post who happened to be in the street stared
after them in amazement. That Bruce was scared, Mason well knew, for
he could feel his body quiver. With set lips he drove the fast machine
ahead, and he confided to Bruce afterwards that he never had driven
faster on the race track. Soon they struck a bad part of the trail and
he had to slow the car down. Bruce seized the opportunity to ask a few
questions.
“What got the idea into your head that the girls might visit Smoky
Point?” he queried curiously.
“When you told the folks at the ranch about Spot Wells and Duke
Williams’ place at Smoky Point, the girls heard you, didn’t they?”
Mason questioned him.
“Why, yes, they were in the room,” Bruce admitted, wonderingly.
“Well,” Mason resumed, “it would be just like my sister to coax
Josephine to show her this town, and as you know, she is from the East
and nothing would suit her fancy better than a little adventure of
this kind, so she could tell the people back East what a real Western
town is like. It would appeal to her about the same as it does to some
of our society people in New York when they go on a slumming trip to
Chinatown. Now, do you get the drift of my reasoning?”
Bruce nodded understandingly.
“God grant that they haven’t fallen into evil hands,” Mason added, as
he pulled the plunging car out of a bad ditch.
A little later they were entering the outskirts of Smoky Point and he
slowed the car down in order not to attract any undue attention. As
they drove into the main street, he joyously discovered the girls’
horses hitched close to a large department store.
Mason stopped the car in front of the store, and turning to Bruce
said:
“You go into this store and make inquiries and if you don’t hear any
news of them there, visit the other stores. In the meantime I will
look over Duke Williams’ place and you can come there as soon as you
find out anything.”
“But you don’t know Duke Williams or the run of the place as well as I
do,” Bruce protested.
“That’s just the reason I want to go alone,” Mason replied hurriedly,
“this Williams don’t know me, and if there is any deviltry afoot they
won’t suspect me half as quick as they would you.”
This plan was agreed to, and Mason sauntered slowly over to the place
run by Duke Williams. He entered the bar-room and called for a cigar.
There was the usual bunch one would find in a place of this kind,
lined up against the bar talking with the barkeeper. After a sharp
glance at this man Mason decided he was not the proprietor. There was
a small booth, or reading-room, just outside the barroom. Mason,
taking a paper out of his pocket, entered this room and seating
himself comfortably made an attempt at reading. Seated directly
opposite him were two cowboys engaged in earnest conversation.
Mason assumed a drunken attitude, allowing his head to sink slowly
into his paper. Listening closely, he watched them over the top of
that paper. They were talking in subdued tones, but he caught the name
of Tex mentioned and he was instantly on the alert. If one of these
men should turn out to be Spot Wells, he could thank his lucky stars
that the cowboy did not know him by sight. He listened eagerly and a
minute later he was electrified to hear one of them say it was about
time to visit the girls!
They laughed hoarsely and rose to their feet. There was a flight of
stairs leading out of the room and as they started to ascend them,
Mason came under their direct gaze. His head had fallen on a level
with the table and he appeared to be fast asleep. He was watching them
out of the corner of his eye, however, and he saw one of the men
hesitate and regard him suspiciously.
This one appeared to be the leader and had a spot just under his right
eye.
Mason’s heart jumped as he realized that this cowboy might be Spot
Wells, the man Bruce had told him about. He determined to stick close
to these men until he found out what they meant when they spoke about
visiting the girls. His blood boiled as the thought struck him that
they might mean Josephine and Ethel.
The cowboy with the spot came over and shook him roughly, but Mason
made only a feeble attempt to raise his head.
“Seems to be dead drunk,” he said to his companion with an oath.
“You had better stay here and watch him while I visit our fair
prisoners,” he continued, “even the Duke don’t know we got the girls
from Bar X, and I know he won’t stand for this kind of play if he gets
wise, so it is up to us to get them out of here right quick. I’ll go
and look them over and fix it up with the old Mexican woman. You know
the danger signal; if anybody comes, one short blast on that whistle
of yours, and we will get them out of here in a hurry.”
This was enough for Mason, and he quickly made up his mind to attack
the two cowboys. He heard the man with the spot mounting the stairs
while the other took up a position at the foot.
Mason waited until he was sure the cowboy had reached the next floor,
then he carefully measured the distance to the foot of the stairs, and
with a bound was upon his guard. The fellow was so startled he forgot
to cry out, and Mason tried for a strangle hold. The man seemed
possessed with unusual strength, and breaking away from him darted up
the stairs. The next instant a shrill whistle sounded and Mason,
following his opponent closely, hurled himself upon him in time to
grasp the muzzle of a revolver he had drawn. Mason worked free from a
deadly hold his enemy had secured and getting his feet set firm, he
sent a crashing blow to his jaw, knocking him the length of the
stairs. A door back of him was flung open and he turned just in time
to avoid a vicious blow aimed at him with the revolver butt of the
cowboy with the spot under his eye.
A cry of rage escaped Mason’s lips and he saw red as he beheld the
terror-stricken faces of his sister and Josephine in the doorway.
Before the cowboy with the spot could recover his balance Mason swung
a powerful blow, knocking him sprawling on top of his comrade.
Sweeping Josephine up in his arms and calling sternly for his sister
to follow him, he went down the stairs with a rush kicking one of the
cowboys over as he vainly tried to draw his gun. In the street he sat
Josephine on her feet just as Bruce came running up to them.
“Don’t ask any questions, Bruce,” he said rapidly, “I found the girls
all right, and I want to ask a favor of you. I am going to take them
back to the ranch in my car and I would like you to take their horses
back with you. If you will do me this favor I will never forget it,
and you stay at the ranch to-night and I will tell you how I found the
girls, but don’t say anything to the folks at the ranch about this
stunt the cowboys tried to pull on us. I will take the matter up with
Bud as I don’t want the old folks at the ranch to get alarmed. Will
you do this for me?”
“Sure thing,” Bruce agreed readily; “I am glad to be of some help, but
it is just my luck to miss all the fun, and I can see that you have
been in a right smart mix-up.”
Mason hastily bundled the girls into the car and when the town was
left well in their rear he looked reproachfully at Josephine. Her lips
were quivering and his heart softened.
“I know what you are going to say,” she said demurely, “you are going
to scold Ethel and me for getting into this scrape.”
“No, I’m not,” he answered soberly, “but I want you to tell me all
that happened while you were in that hotel and how you came to be
prisoners of those men.”
“We didn’t come to any harm, thanks to your timely rescue,” she said
earnestly, “and I will tell you the whole story on just one
condition.”.
“And what is that?” he asked, painfully surprised.
“That you don’t tell our parents of our narrow escape.”
“I can promise you that right off the reel,” he said, greatly
relieved. “Now just fire away, truants.”
“And also, that you explain in some way to their satisfaction how we
come to return in your car instead of on our horses.”
“All right, all right, my fair Princess; I’m great at explaining
things.”
“Well, I will start from the beginning and then you will understand
the whole story, won’t he, Ethel?” Josephine began.
“Ethel and I wanted to take a nice long ride this morning, so we
finally decided just before we reached Trader’s Post to branch off the
trail and go on to Smoky Point. I knew of a short cut we could take,
so we didn’t go through Trader’s Post—”
“No wonder we couldn’t get any news of you there,” Mason cut in,
looking at her in surprise. “Bruce and I came through that town and
inquired for you there.”
“Well,” Josephine resumed, “when we arrived at Smoky Point we made a
few simple purchases at one of the stores, after which we walked about
the place as Ethel wished to see all there was to be seen of the town.
You know she had never been there before, but I went there once before
with Dad and knew all about the famous resort run by Duke Williams. In
a spirit of mischief I led Ethel to this place and we were standing
near one of the windows of the dance hall innocently listening to the
music when we were suddenly attacked by two men. They had thrown
blankets over our heads to stifle our cries. We both fainted from
fright and when we came to our senses we found we had been locked in a
room and were prisoners. We were guarded by an old Mexican woman. She
warned us not to make an outcry and held a glittering dagger before
our eyes. I tried to buy her off and was making some impression on her
with the promise of gold, when one of our captors unlocked the door
and strode into the room. He snarled some orders to the Mexican woman
as he covertly watched us frightened girls. Then a whistle sounded
somewhere in the building and the man’s face seemed to blanch white.
He ran to the door and flung it violently open; then came the sound of
blows, and we rushed out into the hall just in time to see you knock
him downstairs. Believe me, you looked good to us just then. I don’t
know what became of the old Mexican woman; anyway she disappeared
during the excitement.”
“I have a score to settle with that spotface cowboy,” Mason said
grimly. “What do you suppose his object was in making you girls
prisoners?”
“I heard the old Mexican woman say we were to be held as prisoners out
of revenge for Ricker’s arrest, and they were going to demand money
from Josephine’s father for our safe return to the ranch,” Ethel spoke
up; “the two cowboys had been drinking heavily and were in a
revengeful mood.”
The rest of the ride was made in silence, all three being busy with
their own thoughts.
“I would advise you girls to go to your room and rest up,” Mason said
as he drove the car in front of the house. “Just act as if nothing had
happened, and when Bruce arrives we will figure out some means of
rounding up this spotface cowboy and his pal. I’ll tell the folks that
I kidnapped you girls at Trader’s Post and brought you home in my car.
Remember, we have to get in shape for the dance at Bruce’s ranch, and
I am going to demand some extra dances from you girls by way of
punishment.”
“Do you dance so badly as all that, Sir Jack?” Josephine flung back
saucily at him as she took Ethel’s arm and disappeared into the house.
In the two remaining days before the dance, Bruce, Bud Anderson and
Mason scoured the country for the spotface cowboy and his pal, but
those worthies had disappeared. Inquiry at the ranch where they had
worked revealed the fact that they had quit their jobs and departed
for parts unknown.
Mason had almost forgotten the affair at Smoky Point, and the evening
of the dance found him waiting patiently at the ranch door with his
racer. He had planned to take the girls over to the Gaylor ranch in
his car, the cowboys having left long before on their horses. Soon,
two visions of beauty greeted his eyes, and with a satisfied smile he
tucked the girls comfortably in their seats for the ride.
“This is the night that Percy Vanderpool will shine,” he said with a
laugh. “I saw him leave this afternoon with the cowboys, and he was
dolled up like a Christmas tree.”
“I hope you will treat the poor fellow with a little more respect when
we get to the dance,” his sister said, with a severe look at him.
“Well, Percy is a lucky cuss at that,” he answered whimsically. “I
only wish I had two such fair champions as he has in you girls.”
Their cries of protest were drowned in the roar of the motor as he set
a fast pace for the Gaylor ranch.