CHAPTER XIII
AFTER ONE YEAR
Scandal was rampant in Barnriff. But it was not of an open nature.That is to say, it was scandal that passed surreptitiously from lip tolip, and was rarely spoken where more than two people foregathered.For small as Barnriff was, ignorant as were the majority of itspeople, scandal was generally tabooed, and it was only in bad caseswhere it was allowed to riot.
The reason of this restraint was simple enough. It was not that thepeople of the village were any different to those of other smallplaces. They loved gossip as dearly as anybody else--when to gossipwas safe. But years ago Barnriff had learned that gossip was notalways safe in its midst.
The fact was that the peace laws of the place were largely enforced bya process which might be called the "survival of the strong." Therewere no duly authorized peace officers, and the process had evolvedout of this condition of things. Quarrels and bloodshed were by nomeans frequent in the village, rather the reverse, and this was due tothe regulations governing peace.
If two men quarreled it was on the full understanding of the possibleand probable consequences; namely, a brief and effective life anddeath struggle, followed by a sudden and immediate departure from thefold of the survivor. Hence, scandal was held in close check, andtraveled slowly, with the slow twistings and windings of a venemoussnake. But for this very reason it was the more deadly, and was themore surely based upon undeniable fact. The place was just nowa-simmer with suppressed scandal.
And its object. It was only a year since Eve and Will Henderson'smarriage. A sufficiently right and proper affair, said public opinion.There were of course protestors. Many of the women had expected Eve tomarry Jim Thorpe. But then they were of the more mature section of thepopulation, those whose own marriages had taught them worldly wisdom,and blotted out the early romance of their youths. It had been a lovematch, a match where youth runs riot, and the madness of it sweeps itsvictims along upon its hot tide. Now the tide was cooling, some saidit was already cold.
After their brief honeymoon the young people had returned to thevillage. The understanding was that Eve should again take up herbusiness, while Will continued his season up in the hills, huntingwith his traps and gun. He was to visit Barnriff at intervals duringthe season, and finally return and stay with Eve during the monthswhen the furs he might take would be unfit for the market. This wasthe understanding, and in theory it was good, and might well have beencarried out satisfactorily. All went passably well until the close ofthe fur season.
Eve returned to the village a bright and happy woman. She took up herbusiness again, and, perhaps, the novelty of her married state was thereason that at first her trade increased. Then came Will's visits. Atfirst they were infrequent, with the arranged-for laps of time betweenthem. But gradually they became more frequent and their durationlonger. The women wagged their heads. "He is so deeply in love, hecan't stay away," they said. And they smiled approval, for they werewomen, and women can never look on unmoved at the sight of a happylove match. But against this the men shrugged their shoulders. "He'swastin' a heap o' time," they said; "pelts needs chasin' some, an' y'can't chase pelts an' make love to your own wife or any one else's,for that matter." And this was their way of expressing a kindlyinterest.
The men were right and the women were wrong. Will did more than wastetime. He literally pitched it away. He prolonged his stays in thevillage beyond all reason, and as Eve, dutifully engaged upon herbusiness, could not give him any of her working hours, he was forcedto seek his pleasures elsewhere. That elsewhere, in a man prone todrink, of necessity became the saloon. And the saloon meant gambling,gambling meant money. Sometimes he won a little, but more often helost.
Being a reckless player, fired by the false stimulation of Rocket'sbad whiskey, he began to plunge to recoup himself, and, as everhappens in such circumstances, he got deeper into the mire. At firstthese heavy losses had a salutary effect upon him, and he would "hitthe trail" for the hills, and once more ply his trade with a feverishzest.
This sort of thing went on until the close of his fur season. Then hemade up his bales of pelts, and, to his horror, discovered that hisyear's "catch" was reduced by over fifty per cent., while, in place ofa wad of good United States currency in his hip pocket, he had floateda perfect fleet of I. O. U.'s, each in itself for a comparativelysmall amount, but collectively a total of no inconsiderable magnitude.And each I. O. U. was dated for payment immediately after he hadmarketed his pelts.
This stress, and the life he had been living in Barnriff, caused hismercurial temper to suffer. And as his nature soured, so all that wasworst in him began to rise to the surface. He did not blame himself.Did ever one hear of a man blaming himself when things went wrong? No.He blamed the fur season. The hills were getting played out. The furswere traveling north, and, in consequence were scarce. Besides, howcould he be in Barnriff and the hills at the same time? The positionwas absurd. Eve must join him and give up her business, and they mustmake their home up in the hills where she could learn to trap. Or theymust live in Barnriff and he must find fresh employment.
Yes, he would certainly find out how Eve's business was prospering. Ifshe had shown a better turnover than he, perhaps it would be as wellfor him to go into Barnriff for good. The idea rather pleased him. Norcould he see any drawback to it except those confounded I. O. U.'s.
The next news that Barnriff had was that Will and Eve were settled forgood in the village, and that he had no intention of returning to thehills. Barnriff's comment was mixed. The women said, "Poor dears, theycan't live apart." Again the men disagreed. Their charity was lesskind, especially amongst those who had yet to collect the payment oftheir I. O. U.'s. They said with sarcastic smile, "Wants to live onhis woman, and play 'draw.'" And time soon showed them to besomewhere near the mark.
Will sold his furs, paid his debts, sighed his relief, and settleddown to a life in Barnriff. A month later he found to his profoundchagrin that the small margin of dollars left over after paying offhis I. O. U.'s had vanished, and a fresh crop of paper was beginningto circulate. Whiskey and "draw" had got into his blood, and allunconsciously he found himself pledged to it.
It was during this time that scandal definitely laid its clutch uponthe village. But it was not until later that its forked tongue grewvicious. It was at the time that word got round the village that therewas trouble in Eve's little home that the caldron began to seethe. Noone knew how it got round; yet it surely did. Scandal said that Eveand Will quarreled, that they quarreled violently, that Will hadstruck her, that money was the bottom of the trouble, that Will hadnone to meet his gambling debts, and that Eve, who had been steadilysupplying him out of her slender purse, had at last refused to do soany more.
It went on to say that Will was a drunken sot, that his methods atcards were not above suspicion, and that altogether he was rapidlybecoming an undesirable.
Peter Blunt heard the scandal; he had watched things himself veryclosely. Jim Thorpe heard, but, curiously enough, rumor about thesetwo did not seem to reach the "AZ" ranch easily.
However, what did reach Jim infuriated him almost beyond words. It wasthis last rumor that sent him riding furiously into the village lateone night, and drew him up at Peter Blunt's hut.
He found the gold seeker reading a well-known history of the PeruvianAztecs, but without hesitation broke in upon his studies.
"What's this I hear, Peter?" he demanded, without any preamble. "Imean about the--the Hendersons."
His dark eyes were fierce. His clean-cut features were set and angry.But these signs didn't seem to hurry Peter's answer. He laid his bookaside and folded his hands behind his head, while he searched theother's face with his calm blue eyes.
"We've just got it out on the ranch," Jim went on. "He's--he'sknocking her about--they say."
"And so you've come in. What for?"
The big man's words had a calming effect.
"Peter, can't you tell me?" Jim went on, with a sudden change ofmanner that becam
e almost pleading. "It's awful. I can't bear to thinkof Eve suffering. Is it, as they say, money? Has he--gone to the dogswith drink and gambling? Peter," he said, with sudden sternness, hisfeelings once more getting the better of him, "I feel like killing himif----"
But the other's face was cold, and he shook his head.
"I'm not going to talk this scandal," he said. "You've no right tofeel like that--yet." And his words were an admission of his ownfeelings on the subject.
Peter's eyes wandered thoughtfully from his friend to the bookshelves; and after a moment the other stirred impatiently. Then hiseyes came back to Jim's face. He watched the passionate straining inthem, that told of the spirit working within. Nor could he helpthinking what a difference there might have been had Eve only marriedthis man.
"You better go back to the ranch," he said presently.
But the light that suddenly leaped to Jim's eyes gave him answerwithout the words which followed swiftly.
"I can't," he cried. "I can't without seeing her, and learning thetruth from her own lips."
"That you'll never do, boy, if I know Eve."
But Jim became obstinate.
"I'll try," he declared, with an ugly threat in his passionate eyes."And if it's Will--if he's----"
"You're talking foolish." The sharpness of Peter's voice silenced him.But it was only for a moment, and later he broke out afresh.
"It's no use, Peter, I can't and won't listen to reason on thismatter. Eve is before all things in my life. I can't help loving her,even if she is another's wife, and I wouldn't if I could. See here,"he went on, letting himself go as his feelings took fresh hold of him,"if Eve's unhappy there must be some way of helping her. If he'sruining her life he must be dealt with. If he's brutal to her, if he'shurting her, I mean knocking her about, Peter, I'll--I'll--smash him,if I swing for it! She's all the world to me, and by Heavens I'll ridher of him!"
Peter suddenly drew out his watch; he seemed wholly indifferent to theother's storming.
"We'll go and see her now," he said. "Will 'll be down at the saloonplaying 'draw.' He don't generally get home till Rocket closes down.Come on."
And the two passed out into the night.
The One-Way Trail: A story of the cattle country Page 15