by B. M. Bower
CHAPTER III. TO THE VICTORS THE SPOILS
"Hey, boys!" Luck Lindsay shouted to Applehead and one or two ofthe Happy Family who were down at the chuck--wagon engaged in uneasydiscussion as to what Luck would say when he found out about theirintention to leave. "Come on up here--this is going to be a wiping outof old scores and I want to get it over with!"
"Well, now, I calc'late the fur's about to fly," Applehead made dismalprophecy, as they started to obey the summons. "All 't su'prises me is't he's held off this long. Two hours is a dang long time fer Luck togit in action, now I'm tellin' yuh!" He took off his hat and polishedhis shiny pate, as was his habit when perturbed. "I'm shore glad wehad t' wait and set them wagon-tires," he added. "We'd bin started thismornin' only fer that."
"Aw, we ain't done nothing," Happy Jack protested in premature selfdefense. "We ain't left the ranch yet. I guess a feller's got a right toTHINK!"
"He has, if he's got anything to do it with," Pink could not forbear toremark pointedly.
"Well, if a feller didn't have, he'd have a fat chance borrying fromYOU," Happy Jack retorted.
"Well, by cripes, I ain't perpared to bet very high that there's ateacupful uh brains in this hull outfit," Big Medicine asserted. "Wemight a knowed Luck'd come back loaded fer bear; we WOULD a knowed it ifwe had any brains in our heads. I'm plumb sore at myself. By cripes, Ineed kickin'!"
"You'll get it, chances are," Pink assured him grimly.
Luck was in the living room, sitting at a table on which were scatteredmany papers Scribbled with figures. He had a cigarette in his lips, hishat on the back of his head and a twinkle in his eyes. He looked up andgrinned as they came reluctantly into the room.
"Time's money from now on, so this is going to be cut short aspossible," he began with his usual dynamic energy showing in his toneand in the movements of his hands as he gathered up the papers andevened their edges on the table top. "You fellows know how much you putinto the game when we started out to come here and produce The PhantomHerd, don't you? If you don't, I've got the figures here. I guessthe returns are all in on that picture--and so far She's brought ustwenty-three thousand and four hundred dollars. She went big, believeme! I sold thirty states. Well, cost of production is-what we put in thepool, plus the cost of making the prints I got in Los. We pull out theprofits according to what we put in--sabe? I guess that suits everybody,doesn't it?"
"Sure," one astonished voice gulped faintly. The others were dumb.
"Well, I've figured it out that way--and to make sure I had it right Igot Billy Wilders, a pal of mine that works in a bank there, to figureit himself and check up after me. We all put in our services--one man'swork against every other man's work, mine same as any of you. BillHolmes, here, didn't have any money up, and he was an apprentice--butI'm giving him twenty a week besides his board. That suit you, Bill?"
"I guess it's all right," Bill answered in his colorless tone.
Luck, being extremely sensitive to tones, cocked an eye up at Billbefore he deliberately peeled, from the roll he drew from his pocket,enough twenty dollar notes to equal the number of weeks Bill had workedfor him. "And that's paying you darned good money for apprentice work,"he informed him drily, a little hurt by Bill's lack of appreciation. Forwhen you take a man from the streets because he is broke and hungry andhomeless, and feed him and give him work and clothes and three meals aday and a warm bed to sleep in, if you are a normal human being you aregoing to expect a little gratitude from that man; Luck had a flash ofdisappointment when he saw how indifferently Bill Holmes took thosetwenties and counted them before shoving them into his pocket. His ownvoice was more crisply businesslike when he spoke again.
"Annie-Many-Ponies back yet? She's not in on the split either. I'mpaying her ten a week besides her board. That's good money for a squaw."He counted out the amount in ten dollar bills and snapped a rubber bandaround them.
"Now here is the profit, boys, on your winter's work. Applehead comesin with the use of his ranch and stock and wagons and so on. Here,pard--how does this look to you?" His own pleasure in what he was doingwarmed from Luck's voice all the chill that Bill Holmes had sent intoit. He smiled his contagious smile and peeled off fifty dollar banknotesuntil Applehead's eyes popped.
"Oh, don't give me so dang much!" he gulped nervously when Luck hadcounted out for him the amount he had jotted down opposite his name."That there's moren the hul dang ranch is worth if I was t' deed it overto yuh, Luck! I ain't goin' to take--"
"You shut up," Luck commanded him affectionately. "That's yours--now,close your face and let me get this thing wound up. Now--WILL you quityour arguing, or shall I throw you out the window?"
"Well, now, I calc'late you'd have a right busy time throwin' ME outthe window," Applehead boasted, and backed into a corner to digest thisastonishing turn of events.
One by one, as their names stood upon his list, Luck called the boysforward and with exaggerated deliberation peeled off fifty-dollar notesand one-hundred-dollar notes to take their breath and speech from them.
With Billy Wilders, his friend in the bank, to help him, he had boyishlybuilt that roll for just this heart-warming little ceremony. He mighthave written checks to square the account of each, but he wanted to maketheir eyes stand out, just as he was doing. He had looked forward tothis half hour more eagerly than any of them guessed; he had, with hiseyes closed, visualized this scene over more than one cigarette, hismemory picturing vividly another scene wherein these same young menhad cheerfully emptied their pockets and planned many small personalsacrifices that he, Luck Lindsay, might have money enough to come hereto New Mexico and make his one Big Picture. Luck felt that nothing lessthan a display of the profits in real money could ever quite balancethat other scene when all the Happy Family had in the world went in thepot and they mourned because it was so little.
"Aw, I betche Luck robbed a bank er something!" Happy Jack stutteredwith an awkward attempt to conceal his delight when his name wascalled, his investment was read and the little sheaf of currency thatrepresented his profit was laid in his outstretched palm.
"It's me for the movies if this is the way they pan out," Weary declaredgleefully. "Mamma! I didn't know there was so much money in the world!"
"I'll bet he milked Los Angeles dry of paper money," Andy Green assertedfacetiously, thumbing his small fortune gloatingly. "Holding outanything for yourself, Luck? We don't want to be hogs."
"I'm taking care of my interests--don't you worry about that a minute,"Luck stated complacently. "I held mine out first. That wipes theslate--and cleans up the bank-roll. I maintain The Phantom Herdwas so-o-ome picture, boys. They'll be getting it here in 'Querquesoon--we'll all go in and see it."
"Now we're all set for a fresh start. And while you're all here I'lljust put you up to date on what kind of a deal I made with Dewitt. Wecome in under the wing of Excelsior, and our brand name will be FlyingU Feature Film--how does that hit you? You boys are all on a straightboard-and-salary basis--thirty dollars a week, and it's up to me tomake you earn it!" He grinned and beckoned to Jean Douglas Avery and hercompanions in the next room.
"Mrs. Avery, here, is our leading woman--keeping the name of JeanDouglas, since she made it valuable in that Lazy A serial she did ayear or so ago. Lite is on the same footing as the rest of you boys.Her father will be my assistant in choosing locations and so on. TommyJohnson, as I said, is another assistant in another capacity, that ofscenic artist and stage carpenter. Pete Lowry, here, is camera man andBill Holmes will be his assistant. The rest of you work wherever I needyou--a good deal the way we did last winter. Annie-Many-Ponies stayswith us as character lead and is in general stock. Rosemary--" hestopped and smiled at her understandingly--"Rosemary draws fifteen aweek--oh, don't get scared! I won't give you any foreground stuff!just atmosphere when I need it, and general comforter and mascot of thecompany!"
Luck may have stretched a point there, but if he did it was merely atechnical one. Rosemary Green was hopelessly camera-shy, but he could
use her in background atmosphere, and when it came to looking after thephysical and mental welfare of the bunch she was worth her weight in anyprecious metal you may choose to name.
"You better put me down as camp cook and dishwasher, Luck Lindsay,"Rosemary protested, blushing.
"No--thank the Lord you won't have to cook for this hungry bunch anylonger. I've got a Mexican hired and headed this way. There'll be nomore of that kind of thing for you, lady--not while you're with us.
"Now, boys, let's get organized for action. Weather's perfect--Lowry'sbeen raving over the light, all the way out from town. I've got a rangepicture all blocked out--did it while I was waiting in Los for Jean toshow up. Done anything about roundup yet, Applehead?"--
Poor old Applehead, with his guilty conscience and his soft-heartedaffection for Luck so deeply stirred by the money laid in hisbig-knuckled hand, shuffled his feet and cleared his throat and did notget one intelligible word past his dry tongue.
"If you haven't," Luck hurried on, spurred by his inpatient energy,"I want to organize and get out right away with a regular roundupoutfitchuck-wagon, remuda and all--see what I mean I While I'm gettingthe picture of the stuff I want, we can gather and brand your calves.That way, all my range scenes will be of the real thing. I may want tothrow the Chavez outfit in with ours, too, so as to get bigger stuff.I'll try and locate Ramon Chavez and see what I can do. But anyway,I want the roundup outfit ready to start just as soon aspossible--tomorrow, if we could get it together in time. How about thatcracked tongue on the chuck-wagon? Anybody fixed that?"
"We-ell, I wired it up so'st it's as solid as the rest uh the runnin'gear," Applehead confessed shamefacedly, rolling his eyes apprehensivelyat the flushed faces of his fellow traitors.
"Yuh did? Good! Tires need setting, if I recollect--"
"Er--I had the boys set the tires, 'n'--"
"Fine! I might have known you fellows would put things in shape whileI was gone! How about the horses? I thought I saw a bunch in the bigcorral--"
"I rustled enough saddle horses to give us all two apiece," Appleheadadmitted, perspiring coldly. "'Tain't much of a string, but--"
"You did? Sounds like you've been reading my mind, Applehead. Now we'llgrubstake the outfit--"
"Er--well, I took the chuck-wagon in yest'day and loaded 'er up withgrub fer two weeks," blurted Applehead heroically. "I was figurin'--"
"Good! Couldn't ask better. Applehead, you sure are there when it comesto backing a man's play. If I haven't said much about how I stand towardyou fellows it isn't because I don't appreciate every durned one ofyou."
The Happy Family squirmed guiltily and made way for Applehead, who wassidling toward the open door, his face showing alarming symptoms ofapoplexy. Their confusion Luck set down to a becoming modesty. He wenton planning and perfecting details. Standing as he did on the thresholdof a career to which his one big success had opened the door, he waswholly absorbed in making good.
There was nothing now to balk his progress, he told himself. He had hiscompany, he had the location for his big range stuff, he had all thefinancial backing any reasonable man could want. He had a salary thatin itself gauged the prestige he had gained among producers, and as anadded incentive to do the biggest work of his life he had a contractgiving him a royalty on all prints of his pictures in excess of a fixednumber. Better than all this, he had big ideals and an enthusiasm forthe work that knew no limitations.
Perhaps he was inclined to dream too big; per-haps he assumed too greatan enthusiasm on the part of those who worked with him--I don't knowjust where he did place the boundary line. I do know that he never oncesuspected the Happy Family of any meditated truancy from the ranch andhis parting instructions to "sit tight." I also know that the HappyFamily was not at all likely to volunteer information of their lapse.And as for Applehead, the money burned his soul deep with remorse; sodeep that he went around with an abject eagerness to serve Luck thattouched that young man as a rare example of a bone-deep loyalty thatknows no deceit. Which proves once more how fortunate it is that wecannot always see too deeply into the thoughts and motives of ourfriends.