Sometime during that night the trouble shooters for the telegraph
company had repaired the break and this enabled the despatchers to
straighten out the trains. The cattle-train headed out of Pinnacle City
the following morning, minus two cowboys.
The depot agent knew about this, and told Len Kelsey that there were two
lost cowpunchers somewhere on the east side of the river. The agent knew
from what he had heard the crew of the cattle-train say that these men
had left the train, intending to walk down to the wagon-bridge. But he
also knew they had taken their war-bags with them and had buckled on
their belts and guns before leaving the train.
“Kinda looks as though they intended missin’ the train,” said Kelsey.
“Might be worth investigating, Sheriff. The passenger was close behind
the cattle-train for a long time out there by the bridge. And that
express messenger had been hit so hard on the head that he wasn’t sure
of anything.”
“Sure--I’ll look into it,” agreed Len. “I won’t leave any stone
unturned.”
He had read this in a book, and it sounded like the proper thing for a
sheriff to say.
* * * * *
Hashknife and Sleepy did not mention to Peggy that Honey Bee had told
them about her troubles. She was in good spirits that morning, and even
Wong Lee sang at his work. Laura told Honey that Peggy had talked quite
a while about the tall cowboy and his wonderful grin--and Honey told
Hashknife about it.
“Didn’t either of ’em mention me?” asked Sleepy. “No? That’s tough. But
how could I grin, with my jaw all swelled? But that’s jist my luck!”
Honey offered to take them to Pinnacle City in the buggy. They were
hitching up the horses when Len Kelsey and Jack Ralston rode in.
“Now, what do them whip-poor-wills want?” growled Honey. “That’s the
sheriff and deputy.”
“What had we ought to do--put up our hands?” asked Sleepy.
The two officers dismounted and spoke to Honey.
“Howdy,” growled Honey.
Hashknife could plainly see that Honey Bee did not care for these two
officers of the law.
Len Kelsey studied Hashknife and Sleepy for a moment.
“I reckon you boys are the two missin’ members of the cattle-train
outfit, eh?”
“If there’s two missin’--we’re both of ’em,” said Hashknife gravely.
“Has the train left Pinnacle City?”
“Before daylight.”
“Stranded again,” groaned Sleepy. “I’ll never see the East, that’s a
cinch.”
Hashknife hitched up his belt and leaned against the buggy.
“Yuh wasn’t exactly lookin’ for us, was yuh?” he asked.
“I don’t hardly think so,” replied Kelsey. “The safe on the express car
of the passenger train that stopped back of yuh at the bridge last night
was dynamited somewhere between Kelo and Pinnacle City.”
Hashknife and Sleepy exchanged a quick glance. That might explain why a
shot had been fired at them in the dark. They had blundered into the
bandit, who was making his getaway.
“For gosh sake!” snorted Honey. “Did they get much, Len?”
“Dunno how much. One man pulled the job, Honey--a man who wore black
leather cuffs with silver stars, and a bone-handled six-shooter.”
“Leather cuffs with silver stars and bone----” Honey stopped and came in
closer to the sheriff.
“Are yuh sure of that, Len?”
“That’s the messenger’s description.”
“Well, for gosh sake!”
Honey looked toward the house, shaking his head sadly.
“You recognise the description?” asked Hashknife.
“Joe Rich,” said Honey. “He made the stars and put ’em on a pair of
black cuffs and he made the bone handles for his gun. Yuh say yuh don’t
know how much he got, Len?”
“No, I don’t, Honey. But it was enough, I reckon.”
“Uh-huh. Excuse me, I forgot to introduce you gents.”
After the introduction they all sat down on the steps of the bunk-house
and rolled smokes. Hashknife did not tell the sheriff about the shot
that was fired at them in the dark.
“I dunno just where to start,” admitted Kelsey. “I’ve been huntin’ Joe
Rich all over these hills, and now he comes back and robs a train right
under my nose.”
Kelsey, who was still wearing his arm in a sling, noticed Hashknife
looking at it.
“A little souvenir of makin’ a fool move,” he said.
“Yeah, I heard about it,” nodded Hashknife. “Joe Rich must be pretty
fast with a gun, eh?”
“Fast enough,” growled Kelsey. “Funny, ain’t it? Here I was his deputy
all this time, and now I’m huntin’ him. Don’t seem right.”
“Are yuh dead sure it is?” asked Hashknife seriously.
Kelsey looked quickly at him.
“Dead sure?” Kelsey laughed shortly. “Well about as sure as anythin’
could be, Hartley. I dunno what got into Joe. He was sure strong on
enforcin’ the law, and now he seems just as strong on breakin’ it.”
“Them’s the kind that go wrong--when they do go,” said Ralston.
“Yeah, you know a lot about it!” snorted Honey.
“Well, it allus works out that way.”
“It does, eh? I suppose yuh knowed two months ago that Joe Rich would
turn out bad. What do yuh use--palmistry or one of them glass balls?”
“Aw, yuh don’t need to get sore, Honey.”
“Thasso? Every time I think about Joe, I get sore. I wish I knowed where
he was hidin’ out.”
“Me, too,” grinned Kelsey. “I’d be a thousand better off.”
“Yea-a-a-ah? Well, when you find out where he is, yuh better take plenty
of help along to get him, Len; two of yuh ain’t enough.”
Kelsey could see that the argument might wax rather hot; so he got to
his feet, stretched wearily and told Ralston they better be going.
Nobody asked them to stay. Honey looked after them morosely.
“Don’t like ’em, eh?” queried Hashknife.
“No! You boys go ahead and hitch up the team. I’ve got to tell the girls
about that robbery. I sure hate to tell Peggy that they think Joe pulled
that job, but I’d rather tell her than to have her get it from somebody
else.”
The team was hitched when Honey came back, and he drove out to the main
road.
“How did she take it?” asked Hashknife.
Honey looked at Hashknife, a pained expression on his face.
“A-a-a-aw heck!” he said explosively.
“Does she believe it?”
“Huh! I dunno what she believes. Yuh can’t tell nothin’ about a woman,
Hartley. She didn’t say anythin’. I was wonderin’ if she heard what I
told her, but I reckon she did. Anyway she didn’t say anythin’--jist
walked away.”
They jolted along over the rough road. Honey turned to Hashknife, a grin
on his lips.
“I ain’t no gentleman,” he said.
“Ain’t yuh?” asked Hashknife.
“Nossir,” Honey shook his head violently. “Can’t lie good enough. Laura
said I ought to be crowned with an axe-handle for comin’ in and tellin’
Peggy that Joe Rich robbed the train. She said I should have lied about
it.”
“Mebbe yuh should.”
“Cinch! Giddap! I always think of a lie too late. Some day I’m goin’ to
be hung for tellin’ the truth.”
“You’ll be the first puncher that ever had that honour,” said Sleepy.
“There’s that bridge we was huntin’ for, Hashknife. If we’d ’a’ found it
last night, we’d be on our way East right now.”
“Glad yuh didn’t,” grinned Honey, as they rattled over the loose
floor-planks of the bridge. “It’s only a little ways out here to where
Jim Wheeler was killed. I’ll show yuh the place.”
He drove off the bridge and around to the spot where Joe had found Jim
Wheeler. Honey knew the exact spot and drew just off the road. Hashknife
walked up and down the road while Honey explained things to him. The
rain of the night before had laid the dust, and the road was almost as
smooth as asphalt.
After looking the place over they rode on to Pinnacle City, where they
met Uncle Hozie Wheeler and Aunt Emma. Honey introduced them to
Hashknife and Sleepy, and told how they happened to be in the Tumbling
River country.
They had heard about the train robbery. It seemed to be the general
opinion that Joe Rich had done it.
“I knowed him a long time,” said Uncle Hozie. “He never struck me as
bein’ a bad boy in any way. I don’t _sabe_ him. Why, he jist went all to
bits in a week!”
“Does Peggy know about it?” asked Aunt Emma.
“Yeah,” Honey nodded solemnly. “Yeah, she knows. But I’ve told her the
last bad news I’ll ever tell.”
“Took it hard, did she, Honey?”
“I dunno. She never said anythin’. Laura gave me hell. Sometimes I think
that girl don’t care for the truth. Oh, if she wants lies, I reckon I
can supply her.”
Uncle Hozie and Aunt Emma were going to ride out to the HJ to see the
girls. Curt Bellew and Ed Merrick were at the Pinnacle. They shook hands
with Honey, who introduced Hashknife and Sleepy.
“What do yuh think of Joe Rich now?” asked Curt, after he had invited
them to share his hospitality.
“Jist the same as I always did,” declared Honey. “Somethin’ has gone
wrong with the boy. How’s the Circle M, Merrick?”
“All right, Honey. I’ll bet yore old ranch-house leaked last night.”
“Did it? My gosh, I’ll betcha it did. Ask Hartley and Stevens; they
showed up in the rain. Yuh see, they was on that stalled cow-train, and
Stevens had a toothache; so they tried to find their way to the
wagon-bridge in order to get to town. But I reckon they got kinda lost,
and ended up at the HJ.”
Merrick laughed.
“I don’t believe I could have found my way either--as well as I know the
country. Whew! It sure was dark and wet. My place didn’t leak, but it
got damp. Are you boys goin’ to be with us a while?”
“I dunno,” Hashknife leaned an elbow on the bar and began rolling a
cigarette. “It looks as though Fate kinda dropped us off here for some
reason or other.”
“Too bad it’s the slack season. I’m short two men of my regular crew,
but there ain’t enough work for me and Ben Collins and ‘Dutch’ Seibert.
Later on I might use yuh.”
“I loaned Honey to the HJ,” laughed Bellew. “I’ve still got Eph Harper
and Slim Coleman on my hands. Ma says that’s two men too many. She allus
says I’m tryin’ to make a mountain out of a mole-hill--meanin’ that I
can’t ever hire enough men to make the Lazy B a big cow outfit.”
While they were drinking a man came in whom the bartender seemed to
know. It was the telegraph operator at the depot. He bought a drink and
a cigar.
“I suppose the sheriff is hunting bandits,” he said.
“We seen him out at the HJ this mornin’,” offered Honey.
The man nodded.
“I was just over to his office, but there was anybody home. Had a
telegram from him for Ransome. They found a little gold pen-knife in the
express car. It didn’t belong to the messenger, he said. The wire said
there were the initials J.R. on the handle.”
“J.R.?” said Honey. “Little gold knife! My gosh, that’s the knife Peggy
gave Joe for his birthday!”
“I dunno,” said the man vacantly. “All I know is what the wire said. I
reckon it will keep until the sheriff gets back.”
He went out, and Merrick laughed softly.
“He guesses it will keep. Ha, ha, ha, ha!”
Honey leaned on the bar and looked dismally at himself in the mirror.
“I’ll not tell Peggy,” he declared, but amended it with, “I might come
right out and tell her that if anybody says they found Joe Rich’s gold
knife on that car--they lie.”
“Why even mention it?” asked Hashknife.
“Mebbe that’s the best thing to do. Oh, they’ve got Joe cinched!”
“But he overlooked one bet,” said Hashknife thoughtfully.
“What was that?” asked Merrick.
“He forgot to carve his name on the safe.”
“Is that meant to be serious?” asked Merrick.
“No-o-o-o,” drawled Hashknife. “I suppose I’m jokin’.”
“Aw, he wouldn’t write his name on the safe,” said Honey.
“Might as well,” grinned Hashknife. “It sure shows that Joe is a
beginner at the game. A regular hold-up man don’t tag his work
thataway.”
Merrick looked seriously at Hashknife. “You talk as though you were
familiar with hold-up men, Hartley.”
“No; I just use common sense, Merrick.”
“Uh-huh. Well, it’s a good thing to use. A lot of us don’t do it.”
“No, that’s true,” admitted Hashknife seriously.
Merrick scratched his chin and turned back to the bar. He wasn’t exactly
sure whether this tall, level-eyed cowboy was making fun of him or not.
He had the feeling that he was, but there was nothing to justify this
feeling. Both of the strange cowboys were very serious of face, and
Sleepy’s blue eyes looked entirely innocent. But Merrick did not know
that Sleepy’s innocent blue eyes were his greatest asset.
“I wonder if the sheriff’s office had anythin’ to go on this mornin’,”
said Merrick.
“Couple of horses,” replied Sleepy. “Now let me buy a drink, will yuh?”
“I’ve got to go kinda easy,” said Curt Bellew. “I git down here and lap
up liquor, and have to eat cloves all the way back to the ranch.”
“And then prove why yuh ate cloves,” grinned Honey.
“Sure. Honey, if yo’re a wise boy, you’ll stay sober and single.”
“A-a-aw, I don’t drink much, Curt.”
“Yuh don’t get married much either, do yuh?”
“Well,” laughed Honey, “I won’t get drunk and forget to get married.”
Bellew and Merrick left the saloon and a few minutes later Honey,
Hashknife and Sleepy stocked up on tobacco and rode back to the HJ.
“I feel foolish goin’ back there,” said Hashknife. “Kinda looks as
though we were imposin’ on yuh.”
“Yuh throw that in a can,” said Honey. “Yo’re welcome to stay as long as
yuh can. I can’t quite _sabe_ you two boys.”
“Jist in what way?”
“Well, I never seen yuh before until last night. Yuh come in and I
forget that I don’t know yuh. I tell yuh all about the trouble,
and--well, yuh know what I mean, don’tcha? It jist seemed the natural
thing to do. And Wong Lee took to yuh. Wong’s kinda funny thataway.
“Why, sometimes the boys from the Circle M stop here. Yuh see they go
past here to their ranch from town. Wong ain’t never spoken to one of
’em. Other fellers show up here at mealtime, and Wong says nothin’. But
he shore talked to yuh, and promised yuh more meals. Do dogs ever foller
yuh?”
“Sometimes,” laughed Hashknife.
“I’ll betcha. Never bite yuh, do they?”
“Haven’t yet.”
“Never will. Huh!” Honey jerked up on the lines. “I know what the word
is. I read somethin’ about it in a magazine. It’s called personality.
Know what it means, Hartley?”
“Yeah, I think I do.”
“Well, that’s what you’ve got. Giddap, broncs! Joe Rich had it. His must
’a’ back-fired on him.”
Hashknife laughed. Honey Bee was so sincere in his statements.
“Was Rich a good sheriff?” asked Hashknife.
“Y’betcha. Joe was a man that wouldn’t stop at anythin’ to enforce the
law. Some men kinda play fav’rites, yuh know. But Joe wasn’t that kind.
At least I don’t reckon he was, and I knew him awful well.”
“How did it happen that you wasn’t his deputy?”
“Politics,” explained Honey. “Merrick controls a lot of votes in this
county, and he told Joe he’d support him if he’d appoint Len Kelsey
deputy. Joe agreed, and it was the Merrick vote that won for Joe.”
“Who was the other candidate?”
“John Leeds, of Ransome. He’s a hard old customer, Hartley. He was
sheriff before Joe was elected, and he made a lot of enemies. Pretty
smart, too. I’ll betcha, if old John was sheriff he’d ’a’ been on the
trail of that robber before daylight. He was a sticker, old John was,
and nobody ever told him what to do. Mebbe that’s why he got beat.”
They drove along to where Jim Wheeler had been killed, and Hashknife
leaned out of the buggy. But he did not say anything. They drove across
the bridge and to the HJ, where they saw the Flying H buggy team tied to
the front porch.
“Uncle Hozie and Aunt Emma,” said Honey. “They’re salt of the earth,
gents. Always tryin’ to do somethin’ for yuh. Aunt Emma hops all over
yuh for doin’ somethin’, but all the time she’s laughin’ inside at yuh.
They don’t make ’em any better. Hozie and Jim was pretty thick, and it
hurt Hozie to see old Jim pass out. He didn’t say much--but that’s his
way. Tears don’t show much--except moisture.”
Hashknife and Sleepy went to the bunk-house, and did not see Uncle Hozie
and his wife until they were ready to drive away. Honey had told them
about the gold-handled knife, but did not tell Peggy. A little later Ed
Merrick stopped on his way out to the Circle M and talked with the three
cowboys about the robbery of the night before. He was expecting a horse
buyer from Kelo, so did not linger long.
“How are prices in this range?” asked Hashknife.
“Depends on the buyer,” replied Merrick. “Some of ’em play square with
yuh. The horse market ain’t very strong, and we have to almost take
what’s offered. This buyer wants quite a lot of horses, so he says.”
“For Eastern market?”
“Yeah, I think so. Anyway, the buyer is from the East.”
Merrick rode away and a few minutes later Wong Lee rang the dinner bell.
Peggy and Laura did not eat with the boys, but a little later Hashknife
wandered around the rear of the house and found Peggy sitting on an old
bench in the shade of the cotton woods, a picture of abject
lonesomeness.
Hashknife squatted down on his heels against the tree and rolled a
cigarette. Neither of them had spoken. Peggy sighed and leaned against
the bole of the tree, watching Hashknife’s long lean fingers fashion a
cigarette.
“My, it’s shore peaceful out here!” said Hashknife.
Peggy nodded slowly.
“Yes, it is peaceful.”
“It kinda looks as though we were imposin’ on yuh.”
“You are not,” declared Peggy quickly. “I’m glad you came. And I don’t
know why I’m glad. Queer, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s queer. Life’s a queer thing. Yesterday we were on our way
East in that caboose, when the bridge caught fire and changed
everythin’. Yuh never know what will come tomorrow.”
“I realise that, Mr. Hartley. I suppose Honey has told you of the things
that have happened lately.”
“Well, yeah, I reckon we’ve heard quite a lot about it, ma’am. It shore
was tough luck. Are yuh goin’ away with Miss Hatton?”
“No; I can’t.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter,” she said wearily. “You see, I’ve got to stay
and see that things are straightened up. Dad owed the bank seven
thousand. Oh, I wish he had let things go as they were! I didn’t need
that trip. He was so thoughtful of me, and he thought I’d like to get
away for a while. Now he’s gone, and the ranch--we’ll have to sell
everything in order to pay the debts.”
“That’s shore tough. Miss Wheeler, I’d like to know more about Joe Rich.
I don’t like to be personal, but I’d like to get yore opinion of him.”
“My opinion?” Peggy laughed bitterly. “I don’t think it is worth much,
Mr. Hartley.”
“Yore honest opinion, I mean.”
“My honest opinion?”
“Yeah. Yuh see we all have two opinions on things like that--the one we
express and the one we hide.”
“I--I think I know what you mean, Mr. Hartley.”
“Fine. I wish you’d leave the mister off my name. All my friends call me
Hashknife. When anybody says ‘Mr. Hartley’ I look around to see who
they’re speakin’ to. Now, yuh jist go ahead and tell me about Joe Rich.”
Peggy looked earnestly at Hashknife.
“Why should I? Why do you wish to know about Joe Rich--my opinion of
him? Who are you, anyway?”
Hashknife studied his boot-toes for several moments, but finally looked
up at her with a grin in his eyes.
“It’s kinda queer,” he admitted, “but I’m one of them funny folks who
always asks questions. All my life I’ve asked a lot of questions, Miss
Wheeler. Sometimes I find out things. I’m like the feller who said he
made up his mind to kiss every pretty woman he met. Somebody said--
“‘I’ll bet you got whipped a lot of times,’ and he said--
“‘Well, yeah, I did, but I shore got a lot of kisses.’
“And that’s the way with me--except that I was after answers instead of
kisses.”
Peggy laughed with him.
“But I don’t see yet,” she said, “what good will my opinion do you? What
do you want to know about Joe Rich?”
“Well, it’s like this, Miss Wheeler: Yore opinion of him will go quite a
ways with me. If I was to come right out and ask yuh if yuh loved Joe
Rich in spite of everythin’ he’s done to yuh--what would yuh say?”
Peggy turned her head away and rested her chin on her hand. After a
space of time she shook her head.
“That isn’t a fair question,” she said softly.
“No, but yuh gave me a fair answer,” said Hashknife. “I’d like to shake
hands with yuh, Miss Wheeler.”
Wonderingly she shook hands with him, and he smiled down at her, his
gray eyes twinkling.
“But I--I didn’t answer you,” she said, choking slightly.
“Oh, yes yuh did, Peggy. I’m goin’ to call yuh Peggy. If yuh can love
him in spite of everythin’ he’s done, by golly, he’s worth savin’ for
yuh.”
“Worth saving?” Peggy got to her feet. “I don’t quite understand. How
can you save him?”
“I dunno exactly,” Hashknife scratched his head, tilting his sombrero
over one eye. “But there ain’t nothin’ that can’t be done.”
“But what could save him? Why, they’re hunting for him now--offering a
big reward.”
The tears came into her eyes and she turned away. Hashknife patted her
on the shoulder.
“Keep smilin’,” he said softly. “Remember how it was here last night?
All wind and rain, wasn’t it? And today the sun is shinin’ and the sky
is blue. Life’s like that, Peggy. The old sky gets pretty black and all
clouded up, but the old sun is always on the job, and it breaks through
eventually.”
“It is wonderful to look at things in that way, Hashknife.”
“I think so, Peggy. My old man was that way. He preached the gospel in
bunk-houses and out on the range. But he didn’t wear a long face and say
long prayers. He said he wasn’t trying to make folks fit to die--he was
makin’ ’em fit to live. And after all, that’s the gospel. If yo’re fit
to live, yuh’ll be fit to die. And when yo’re fit to live yuh’ll always
see the sun behind the clouds.”
Peggy smiled at him through her tears. “I’m glad you came here,” she
said simply, and went back to the house.
Hashknife sat down on the bench and rolled a fresh cigarette. Sleepy had
been sitting on the bunk-house steps, but now he came up to Hashknife
and sat down beside him.
“Well, what do yuh know, cowboy?” queried Sleepy.
“What do I know?” Hashknife grinned wistfully at his smoke. “I know I’ve
bit off a darned big chew for one man to masticate.”
“Yeah,” nodded Sleepy, “yuh mostly always do, Hashknife.”
“Uh-huh. Where’s Honey?”
“Settin’ on the front porch with Laura. By golly, if this keeps up I’m
goin’ to get me a squaw. You at one end of the place and Honey at the
other. While Mister Stevens sets on the bunk-house steps all alone. And
he’s the best-lookin’ man on the ranch, too.”
“Who is--Honey?”
“Na-a-aw--Stevens! Honey’s second.”
“And I’m third,” grinned Hashknife.
“Sure,” said Sleepy. “Wong Lee don’t count because he’s a Chinaman.”
“I’m glad one entry is scratched. There goes the sheriff and his hired
hand.”
Len Kelsey and Jack Ralston rode past, heading for the old bridge.
“Reckon they didn’t have very good luck,” observed Sleepy. “That must
’a’ been Joe Rich we almost ran into in the rain. He was just making his
getaway, eh?”
“Looks thataway, Sleepy. Mebbe we should ’a’ told the sheriff about it.”
“That wouldn’t help him any; yuh can’t foller horse tracks.”
“No, yuh can’t,” agreed Hashknife, getting up. “I reckon we better go
down and see how many ridin’ rigs there are on this place, and pick out
a horse.”
“Yuh mean to stay here a while, Hashknife?”
“It ain’t an unpleasant place, is it?”
“No-o-o, but----”
“Yuh didn’t hope to catch that train, didja?”
“The cattle-train? Certainly not.”
“Have yuh got any other place you’d like to go to?”
“No-o-o-o, I reckon not, Hashknife.”
“Fine! Then yuh don’t mind stayin’ a day or so, eh?”
They looked seriously at each other for a moment and both grinned widely
as they headed for the stable.