Judith of Blue Lake Ranch

by Jackson Gregory

  XVIII

  JUDITH TRIUMPHANT

  As Bud Lee came through the lilacs into the courtyard, he heard thetinkle of a distant piano and the tremolo of a violin, so faint ashardly to be distinguished above the plash and gurgle of the fountains.The court, bathed in soft light, seemed a corner of fairyland, themusic vanishing elfin strains of some mischievous troop putting sighsand love dreams into a sleeping maid's breast. The night was rich withstars, warm with summer, serene with the peace of the mountains. Hewas late. They were already dancing within.

  He stood a moment, looking in at the outer edge of the flood of lightwhich gushed through the wide doors. Behind him Japanese lanternshanging from a vine-covered trellis; before him flowers, brightchandeliers, girls' dresses like fluttering, many-colored, diaphanousbutterfly wings. He had been saying to himself: "I must hurry if Iwant to dance with Marcia." And something stirring restlessly withinhim shoved aside the thought of Marcia and put in its stead the oldwonder: "What sort of a Judith would he see to-night?"

  He found it difficult to form any picture of her here, among these gay,inconsequent merry-makers. Judith to him spelled a girl upon a horse,booted, spurred, with a scarf about her neck fluttering wildly behindher as she rode, the superb, splendid figure of a girl of theout-of-doors, alive with the hot pioneer blood which had been her richinheritance, a sort of wonderful boy-girl. Remove her flapping hat,her boots, and spurs and riding-suit, and what was left of Judith?

  Outside were half a dozen of the boys who had not mustered courage toset foot on the polished floors, Carson and Tommy Burkitt among them.Tommy stared at Bud Lee and his jaw dropped in amazement. Carson tookswift stock of such clothes as he had never suspected a good horseforeman owned, and gasped faintly:

  "The damn . . . lady-killer!"

  But Lee had neither eyes nor thoughts for them, nor remembrance of hisown change from working garb to that of polite society. The dance cameto a lingering end, the couples throughout the big rooms strolled upand down, clapping their hands softly or vehemently as their natures ordegree of enthusiasm dictated, and Lee forgot Marcia and sought eagerlyfor a glimpse of Judith.

  Refused a second encore, the couples stood about chatting, the hum oflively voices bespeaking eager enjoyment. There was no early chillupon the assembly, to be dissipated as the dance wore on; the day offestivity outdoors had thawed the thin crust of icy strangeness whichis so natural a part of such a function as this. Already it seemedthat everybody was on the most cheerful terms with everybody else.

  Suddenly Lee's eyes, still seeking Judith, found Marcia. Surrounded bya little knot of men, each of them plainly seeking to become her happypartner for the next dance, adorably helpless as usual, Miss Langworthywas allowing the men to fight it out among themselves. Lee moved alittle nearer to see her better. In a pale-blue gown, fluffy as asummer cloud, her cheeks delicately flushed, a white rose like asnowdrop in the gold of her hair, she was flutteringly happy, remindinghim of those little meadow blues that had flown palpitatingly about himthat day in the fields. And she was obviously as much at her easehere, in an atmosphere of music and flattery, as the tiny butterfliesin their own meadows.

  Bud Lee came in, his tall form conspicuous, and went straight toMarcia. She saw him immediately; forget herself to stare almost asCarson had done; smiled at him brightly; waved her fan to him.

  He took her hand and told her with his eyes how pretty she was. Thedelicate tint in Marcia's cheeks deepened and warmed, her eyes greweven brighter.

  "Flatterer!" she chided him. "Are we to talk of the moth and the staragain, Mr. Lee?"

  The knot of men about her melted away. Lee stood looking down into herupturned eyes, measuring her gentle beauty. He had thought of her as alittle blue butterfly--she was more like a wee white moth, fluttering,fluttering . . .

  The music, again from a hidden distance, set feet to tapping. Marciaplainly hesitated, flashed a quick look from Lee to the others aboutthem, then whispered hurriedly:

  "It's terrible of me, but----"

  And she slipped her hand into his arm, cast another searching glanceover her shoulder for a partner who had been too tardy in finding her,and yielded to the temptation to have this first dance with "the mostterribly fascinating man there"! Lee slipped his arm about her, felther sway with him, and lightly they caught the beat of the dance andlost themselves in it. And still, again and again turning away fromMarcia, he sought Judith.

  The dance over, their talk was interrupted by an excited and ratheroverdignified youth with a hurt look in his young worshipping eyes, whostiffly reminded Miss Langworthy that she had cut his dance. She wasso contrite and helpless about it that the youth's heart was touched;she blamed herself for her terribly stupid way of always getting thingstangled up, gave him the promise of the next dance, which she hadalready given to some one else, disposed of him with charming skill,and sighed as she turned again to Lee.

  "I haven't paid my respects to our hostess," he said quietly. "Whereis Miss Sanford?"

  "She sent her excuses," Marcia told him. "Aren't we in a draft, Mr.Lee?"

  He moved with her away from the soft current of air, a distinctdisappointment moving him to the verge of sudden anger. What businesshad Judith to stay away?

  "You mean she isn't coming at all?" he asked quickly.

  "Oh, no," she told him, busy with the rose in her hair, her eyes brighton his. "Just as the dance was beginning she had to go to thetelephone. Some ranch business, I don't know what. But she sent wordshe would be here immediately--I believe," and Marcia made her remarkteasingly, though she did want to know, "that a certain mysteriousgentleman who masquerades as a horse-breaker is very much interested inJudith."

  "What makes you say a thing like that?" he asked, startled a little.

  Marcia laughed.

  "A woman's intuition, Sir Mystery!" she informed him gayly.

  "What does the woman's intuition find to be the mysterious gentleman'sinterest in a certain Miss Langworthy?" he asked lightly.

  "It tells her that he likes her; that it would be fun for him to comeand play with her; that he would be kind and courteous; but that heconsiders her very much as he would a foolish little butterfly!"

  Again she startled him. He looked at her wonderingly. But before hecould frame a bantering reply, Marcia had involuntarily gripped at hisarm with a look upon her face that first was sheer bewilderedastonishment, and was crying for him to look yonder.

  Judith had come.

  Across the floor, now nearly deserted, Bud Lee and Marcia stared ather. She was coming toward them, her dainty little slippers seeming tokiss their own reflections in the gleaming floor. It was Judith andnot Judith. It was some strange, unknown Judith. A wonderfullygowned, transcendently lovely Judith. A Judith who had long hiddenherself, masquerading, and who now stepped forth smiling and bright andvividly beautiful; a Judith of bare white arms, round and soft and richin their tender curves; a Judith whose filmy gown floated about herlike a sun-shot mist; a Judith whose skin above the low-cut corsage waslike a baby's, whose tender mouth was a red flower, whose hair was ashimmering mass of bronze-brown, whose eyes were Aphrodite's own,glorious, dawn-gray; a Judith of rare maidenly charm; a glorious,palpitant, triumphant Judith.

  It might have been just because it was fitting that they should greettheir hostess so; it might have been because the men and women who sawthis new Judith were caught suddenly in a compelling current ofadmiration, that above the hum of voices rose from everywhere a quickclapping of hands as she came through the room. The color of hercheeks deepened, her eyes flashed a joyous acknowledgment of thegreeting, and bright and cool and self-possessed she came on to Marcia.

  "Marcia, dear," she said, taking Marcia's two hands--and Bud Lee foundthat even Judith's voice had taken on a new note, deeper, richer,gladder, fraught with the quality of low music--"forgive me for beinglate. I wanted to be here every little second to see you enjoyyourself." She put her lips closer to Marcia's ear, whisp
ering: "Youare the prettiest thing to-night I ever saw!"

  Marcia shook her head, her eyes filled with frank wonder.

  "Don't fib, Judith, dear," she answered. And, for Marcia, she was verygrave. "I know you have a glass in your room. You wonderful,wonderful Judith!"

  Their voices were indistinct to Bud Lee. Now at the moment when shewas so rich in the splendor of her own sweet femininity he filled hisheart with her. Judith had come in the only way Judith could come,surrendering herself utterly to the hour.

  She turned to him, no surprise at his own costume in her happy eyes,and gave him her cool hand. A swift tremor ran through him at thecontact, a tremor which was like that of the night in the cabin, whichhe could not conceal, which Judith must notice. She said something,but he let the words go, holding only the vibrant music of the voice.

  She had stirred him, and now he did not seek a theory for a buckler;the sight of her, the brushing of her fingers against his, made riotoustumult in his blood.

  The first strains of a waltz joined the lure of Judith's warmloveliness, whispering, counselling, commanding: "Take her." Marciagasped and stepped back, startled by the look she saw in the eyes ofthis man who, having spoken no word since Judith came, put out his armsand took her into them. Judith flashed at him a look of quick wonder.His face was almost stern; no hint of a smile had come into his eyes.He merely caught her to him as though she were his, and swung her outinto the whirl of dancers.

  "You are rather--abrupt, aren't you?" said Judith coolly.

  "Am I?" he asked gravely. "I don't know. It seems to me that I havebeen loitering, just loitering while----"

  He didn't attempt to finish. He held Judith in his arms while for himthe room was emptied of its gay throng, the music no longer pulsed; itsbeat was in the rhythm of their bodies, swaying as one.

  The dance over, she was lost to him in the crowd of men who cameeagerly to her. His eyes followed her wherever she went. A slow angerkindled in his heart that she should let other men talk with her, thatshe should suffer another man to take her in his arms.

  A number of country dances followed. He stood by the door waiting alittle before he went again to Judith. He saw Marcia across the roombeckoning to him with her fan. There was nothing to do but to go toher. He frowned but went, still watching for Judith. Marcia wantedhim to meet some of her friends. He shook hands with Hampton, wasintroduced to Rogers. Marcia explained that Mr. Lee was the gentlemanwho achieved perfect wonders in the education of his horses. Sheturned to introduce Farris, the artist. But Farris broke into Marcia'swords with a sudden exclamation.

  "Dave Lee!" he cried, as if he could not believe his eyes. "You!Here!"

  "Hello, Dick," Lee answered quietly. "Yes, I'm here. I didn't knowthat you were the artist fellow Hampton had brought up with him."

  Farris's hand went out swiftly to be gripped in Lee's. Marcia,mystified, looked from one to the other.

  "You two know each other? Why, isn't that----"

  She didn't know just what it was, so stopped, looking frankly as thoughshe'd like to have one of them finish her sentence for her.

  "But," muttered Farris, "I thought that you----"

  "Never mind, Dick," said Lee quickly. And to Marcia's mystifiedexpression: "You'll pardon us a moment, Miss Langworthy? I want totalk a little with Mr. Farris."

  His hand on the artist's elbow, Bud Lee forced him gently away. Thetwo disappeared into the little room off the library where Jose wasplacing a great bowl of punch on the table.

  "_Que hay_, Bud," grinned Jose. "Your ol' nose smell the booze damn'queek, no?"

  He set down his bowl and went out. Farris stared wonderingly at Lee.

  "Bud, is it?" he grunted. "Breaker of horses; hired man at a dollar aday----?"

  "Ninety dollars a month, Dick," Lee corrected g him, with a shortlaugh. "Give a fellow his true worth, old-timer."

  Farris frowned.

  "What devil's game is this!" he demanded sharply. "Isn't it enoughthat you should drop out of the world with never a word, but that youmust show up now breaking horses and letting such chaps as Mrs.Simpson's Black Spanish chum with you? Not a cursed word in fiveyears, and I've lain awake nights wondering. When you went tosmash----"

  "When a Lee goes to smash," said Bud briefly, "he goes to smash.That's all there is to it."

  "But there was no sense, no use in your dropping out of sight thatway----"

  "There was," said Lee curtly, "or I shouldn't have done it. It wasn'tjust that I went broke; that was a result of my own incompetence in abit of speculation and didn't worry me a great deal. But other thingsdid. There were a couple of the fellows that I thought were friends ofmine. I found out that they had knifed me; had helped pluck me tofeather their own nests. It hurt, Dick; hurt like hell. Losing thebig ranch in the South was a jolt, I'll admit; seeing those fellowstake it over and split it two ways between them, sort of knocked theprops out from under me. I believed in them, you see. After that Ijust wanted to get away and sort of think things over."

  "You went to Europe?"

  "I did not. I don't know how that report got out, but if people choseto think I had gone to take a hand in the fighting over there, I saw noneed to contradict a harmless rumor. I took a horse and beat it upinto the coast mountains. I tell you, Dick, I wanted to think! And Ifound out before I was through thinking that I was sick of the oldlife, that I was sick of people, the sort of people you and I knew,that there was nothing in the world but horses that I cared the snap ofmy finger about, that the only life worth living--for me--was a life inthe open. I drifted up this way. I've been living my own life in myown way for five years. I am happier at it than I used to be. That'sall of the flat little story, Dick."

  "You might have let me know, it seems to me," said Farris a bit stiffly.

  "So I might," answered Lee thoughtfully. "I was going to in the firstplace. But you'll remember that you were off somewhere travelling whenthe bubble broke. When Dick Farris travels," and his grave smile cameback to him, "let no mad letter think that it can track him down. ThenI hit my stride in this sort of life; I grew away from the old news;the years passed as years do after a man is twenty-five; and I justdidn't write. But I didn't forget, Dickie, old man," he said warmly,and his hand rested on Farris's shoulder. "You can put it in that oldblack pipe of yours and smoke it, that I didn't forget. Some day Iplanned to hit town again, heeled you know, and remind you of auld langsyne."

  "You are a fool, David Burrill Lee," said Farris with conviction."Look here: you can take a new start, pull yourself together, comeback--where you belong."

  But Lee shook his head.

  "That's like the old Dick Farris I used to know," he said gently. "Butthis is where I belong, Dick. I don't want to start over, I don't wantto come back to the sort of thing we knew. The only thing in the worldI do want is right here. And I don't see that it would do any good foryou to go stirring up any memories about the old Lee that was shot'somewhere in France.'"

  When Farris had to go and claim a dance, Lee watched him with eyes softwith affection. Then he, too, left the room and went back to the outerdoor, to his old spot, looking for Judith.

  "The only thing I want is right here," he repeated softly.

  He watched Farris join Marcia and Judith. He noted the eagerexcitement in Marcia's eyes, saw her turn impulsively to Farris. Theartist shook his head and left them, ostensibly going in search of hispartner. Marcia was speaking excitedly to Judith. Lee frowned.

  Once more that night he held Judith in his arms. He meant to makeamends for his brusque way with her before. But again the magic of herpresence was like a glorious mist, shutting them in together, shuttingall of the world out. They spoke little and the music had its willwith them. Judith did not know that she sighed as the dance ended.She seemed moving in a dream as Lee led her through the door. Theywere out in the courtyard, the stars shining softly down on them. Inthe subdued light here he stood still, looking down
into herpleasure-flushed face. Again the insistent tremor shot down his blood.

  Here in this tender light she looked to him the masterpiece of Godstriving for the perfect in a woman's form. Her gown, gently stirredby the warm breeze, seemed a part of her, elusive, alive, feminine.The milk-white of bare throat and shoulder and rounded arm, the riseand fall of her breast, the soft lure of her eyes, the tender smileupon her lips, drew him slowly closer, closer to her. She lifted herface a little, raising her eyes until they shone straight into his.

  "Judith," he said very quietly, very gravely, making her wonder at thetone and the words to follow: "You have had your way with me to-night.Do you understand all that means? And now--I am going to have my waywith you!"

  He caught her in his arms, crushed her to him, kissed her. Then he lether go and stood, stern-faced, watching her.

  For a moment he thought that the hand at her side was rising to strikehim full in the face. But he did not move.

  Had such been Judith's intention, suddenly it changed.

  "So," she cried softly, "this is the sort of fine gentleman into whicha dress-suit has made Bud Lee, horse foreman! For so great an honorsurely any woman would thank him!"

  She made him a slow, graceful courtesy, and laughed at him. And so sheleft him, her laughter floating back, taunting him.

  Lee watched her until she had gone from his sight. Then he turned andwent down the knoll, into the night.