A TOUCH OF LOCAL COLOR
A few months before her first meeting with Ferguson, Mary Radford had
come West with the avowed purpose of "absorbing enough local color for
a Western novel." Friends in the East had encouraged her; an uncle
(her only remaining relative, beside her brother) had assisted her. So
she had come.
The uncle (under whose care she had been since the death of her mother,
ten years before) had sent her to a medical college, determined to make
her a finished physician. But Destiny had stepped in. Quite by
accident Miss Radford had discovered that she could write, and the
uncle's hope that she might one day grace the medical profession had
gone glimmering--completely buried under a mass of experimental
manuscript.
He professed to have still a ray of hope until after several of the
magazines had accepted Mary's work. Then hope died and was succeeded
by silent acquiescence and patient resignation. Having a knowledge of
human nature far beyond that possessed by the average person, the uncle
had realized that if Mary's inclination led to literature it was worse
than useless to attempt to interest her in any other profession.
Therefore, when she had announced her intention of going West he had
interposed no objection; on the contrary had urged her to the venture.
What might have been his attitude had not Ben Radford been already in
the West is problematical. Very seldom do we decide a thing until it
confronts us.
Mary Radford had been surprised at the West. From Ben's cabin in the
flat she had made her first communion with this new world that she had
worshipped at first sight. It was as though she had stepped out of an
old world into one that was just experiencing the dawn of creation's
first morning. At least so it had seemed to her on the morning she had
first stepped outside her brother's cabin to view her first sunrise.
She had breathed the sweet, moisture-laden breezes that had seemed to
almost steal over the flat where she had stood watching the shadows
yield to the coming sun. The somber hills had become slowly outlined;
the snow caps of the distant mountain peaks glinted with the brilliant
shafts that struck them and reflected into the dark recesses below.
Nature was king here and showed its power in a mysterious, though
convincing manner.
In the evening there would come a change. Through rifts in the
mountains descended the sun, spreading an effulgent expanse of yellow
light--like burnished gold. In the shadows were reflected numerous
colors, all quietly blended, making contrasts of perfect harmony.
There were the sinuous buttes that bordered the opposite shore of the
river--solemn sentinels guarding the beauty and purity of this virgin
land. Near her were sloping hills, dotted with thorny cactus and other
prickly plants, and now rose a bald rock spire with its suggestion of
grim lonesomeness. In the southern and eastern distances were the
plains, silent, vast, unending. It seemed she had come to dwell in a
land deserted by some cyclopean race. Its magnificent, unchanging
beauty had enthralled her.
She had not lacked company. She found that the Two Diamond punchers
were eager to gain her friendship. Marvelous excuses were invented for
their appearance at the cabin in the flat. She thought that Ben's
friendship was valued above that of all other persons in the
surrounding country.
But she found the punchers gentlemen. Though their conversation was
unique and their idioms picturesque, they compared favorably with the
men she had known in the East. Did they lack the subtleties, they made
up for this by their unfailing deference. And they were never rude;
their very bashfulness prevented that.
Through them she came to know much of many things. They contrived to
acquaint her with the secretive peculiarities of the prairie dog,
and--when she would listen with more than ordinary attention--they
would loose their wonderful imaginations in the hope of continuing the
conversation. Then it was that the subject under discussion would
receive exhaustive, and altogether unnecessary, elucidation. The
habits of the prairie-dog were not alone betrayed to the ears of the
young lady. The sage-fowl's inherent weaknesses were paraded before
her; the hoot of the owl was imitated with ludicrous solemnity; other
fowl were described with wonderful attention to detail; and the
inevitable rattlesnake was pointed out to her as a serpent whose chief
occupation in life was that of posing in the shadow of the sage-brush
as a target for the revolver of the cowpuncher.
The quaintness of the cowboy speech, his incomparable bashfulness,
amused her, while she was strangely affected by his earnestness. She
attended to the chickens and immediately her visitors became interested
in them and fell to discussing them as though they had done nothing all
their days but build hen-houses and runways. But she had them on
botany. The flower beds were deep, unfathomable mysteries to them, and
they stood afar while she cultivated the more difficult plants and
encouraged the hardier to increased beauty.
But she had not been content to view this land of mystery from her
brother's cabin. The dignity of nature had cast its thrall upon her.
She was impressed with the sublimity of the climate, the wonderful
sunshine, the crystal light of the days and the quiet peace and beauty
of the nights. The lure of the plains had taken her upon long rides,
and the cottonwood, filling a goodly portion of the flat, was the scene
of many of her explorations.
The pony with which her brother had provided her was--Ben Radford
declared--a shining example of sterling horse-honesty. She did not
know that Ben knew horses quite as well as he knew men or she would not
have allowed him to see the skeptical glance she had thrown over the
drowsy-eyed beast that he saddled for her. But she was overjoyed at
finding the pony all that her brother had said of it. The little
animal was tireless, and often, after a trip over the plains, or to Dry
Bottom to mail a letter, she would return by a roundabout trail.
Meanwhile the novel still remained unwritten. Perhaps she had not yet
"absorbed" the "local color"; perhaps inspiration was tardy. At all
events she had not written a word. But she was beginning to realize
the possibilities; deep in her soul something was moving that would
presently flow from her pen.
It would not be commonplace--that she knew. Real people would move
among the pages of her book; real deeds would be done. And as the days
passed she decided. She would write herself into her book; there would
be the first real character. The story would revolve about her and
another character--a male one--upon whom she had not decided--until the
appearance of Ferguson. After he had come she was no longer
undecided--she would make him the hero of her story.
The villain she had already met--in Leviatt. Something about this man
was repellant. She already had a description of him in the note book
that she always carried. Had Leviatt read the things she had written
of him he would have discontinued his visits to the cabin.
Several of the Two Diamond punchers, also, were noted as being possible
secondary characters. She had found them very amusing. But the hero
would be the one character to whom she would devote the concentrated
effort of her mind. She would make him live in the pages; a real,
forceful magnetic human being that the reader would instantly admire.
She would bare his soul to the reader; she would reveal his mental
processes--not involved, but leading straight and true to----
But would she? Had she not so far discovered a certain craftiness in
the character of the Two Diamond stray-man that would indicate subtlety
of thought?
This knowledge had been growing gradually upon her since their second
meeting, and it had become an obstacle that promised difficulties. Of
course she could make Ferguson talk and act as she pleased--in the
book. But if she wanted a real character she would have to portray him
as he was. To do this would require study. Serious study of any
character would inspire faithful delineation.
She gave much thought to him now, keeping this purpose in view. She
questioned Ben concerning him, but was unable to gain satisfying
information. He had been hired by Stafford, her brother told her,
holding the position of stray-man.
"I've seen him once, down the other side of the cottonwood," the young
man had said. "He ain't saying much to anyone. Seems to be a quiet
sort--and deep. Pretty good sort though."
She was pleased over Ben's brief estimate of the stray-man. It
vindicated her judgment. Besides, it showed that her brother was not
averse to friendship with him.
Leviatt she saw with her brother often, and occasionally he came to the
cabin. His attitude toward her was one of frank admiration, but he had
received no encouragement. How could he know that he was going to be
the villain in her book--soon to be written?
Shall we take a peep into that mysterious note book? Yes, for later we
shall see much of it.
"Dave Leviatt," she had written in one place. "Age thirty-five. Tall,
slender; walks with a slight stoop. One rather gets the impression
that the stoop is a reflection of the man's nature, which seems
vindictive and suggests a low cunning. His eyes are small, deep set,
and glitter when he talks. But they are steady, and cold--almost
merciless. One's thoughts go instantly to the tiger. I shall try to
create that impression in the reader's mind."
In another place she had jotted this down: "I shouldn't want anyone
killed in my book, but if I find this to be necessary Leviatt must do
the murder. But I think it would be better to have him employ some
other person to do it for him; that would give him just the character
that would fit him best. I want to make him seem too cowardly--no, not
cowardly, because I don't think he is a coward: but too cunning--to
take chances of being caught."
Evidently she had been questioning Ben, for in another place she had
written:
"Ferguson. I must remember this--all cowboys do not carry two guns.
Ben does, because he says he is ambidextrous, shooting equally well
with either hand. But he does not tie the bottoms of his holsters
down, like Ferguson; he says some men do this, but usually they are men
who are exceptionally rapid in getting their revolvers out and that
tying down the bottoms of the holsters facilitates removing the
weapons. They are accounted to be dangerous men.
"Ben says when a man is quick to shoot out here he is called a gun-man,
and that if he carries two revolvers he is a two-gun man. Ben laughs
at me when I speak of a 'revolver'; they are known merely as 'guns' out
here. I must remember this. Ben says that though he likes Ferguson
quite well, he is rather suspicious of him. He seems to be unable to
understand why Stafford should employ a two-gun man to look up stray
cows."
Below this appeared a brief reference to Ferguson.
"He is not a bit conceited--rather bashful, I should say. But
embarrassment in him is attractive. No hero should be conceited.
There is a wide difference between impertinence and frankness.
Ferguson seems to speak frankly, but with a subtle shade. I think this
is a very agreeable trait for a hero in a novel."
There followed more interesting scraps concerning Leviatt, which would
have caused the range boss many bad moments. And there were
interesting bits of description--jotted down when she became impressed
with a particularly odd view of the country. But there were no more
references to Ferguson. He--being the hero of her novel--must be
studied thoroughly.