The One-Way Trail: A story of the cattle country

by Ridgwell Cullum

  CHAPTER XXVII

  ANNIE

  Doc Crombie and his men had returned to Barnriff after a long andfruitless hunt. Two days and two nights they had spent on the trail.They had found the haunt of the rustlers; they had seen the men--atleast, they had had an excellent view of their backs; they hadpursued--and they had lost them all four. But this was not all. One ofthe boys had been shot down in his tracks by the man they believed tobe the leader of the gang. So it was easy enough to guess theirtemper.

  The doctor said little, because that was his way when things wentwrong. But the iron possessed his soul to a degree that suggested allsorts of possibilities. And Barnriff was a raging cauldron of fury anddisappointment. So was the entire district, for the news was abroad,travelling with that rapidity which is ever the case with the news ofdisaster. Every rancher was, to use a local phrase, "up in the air,and tearing his sky-piece" (his hair), which surely meant that beforelong there would be trouble for some one, the nature of which would bequite easy to guess.

  The "hanging committee," as the vigilantes were locally called,returned at sundown, and the evening was spent in spreading the news.Thus it was that Annie Gay learned the public feeling, and the generaldrift of Barnriff's thought. Her husband dutifully gave her his ownopinions first, that there might be no doubt in her own mind; then heproceeded to show her how Barnriff saw these things.

  "Of course," he said. "What ken you expect wi' folk like Smallbonesan' sech on a committee like this! Doc's to blame, sure. Ef he'd sedto me, 'Gay, you fix this yer racket. I leave it to you,' I'd sure 'a'got _men_ in the gang, an' we'd 'a' cleared the country of all sechgophers as rustlers. But ther', guess I don't need to tell you 'boutDoc."

  Annie's loyalty to him stood the test, and she waited for the rest. Itcame with his recounting of the details of their exploits. He told herof their journey, of the race. Then he passed on to the story of theLittle Bluff River, as he had been told it by Smallbones. He assuredher that now everybody, urged on by Smallbones, wanted to hangsomebody, and, as far as he could make out, unless they quickly laidhands on the real culprit, Jim Thorpe was likely violently toterminate his checkered career over the one-way trail.

  He was convinced that the venom of Smallbones, added to the tongues ofthe women, which were beginning to wag loudly at what they believedwas Jim's clandestine intimacy with Eve during her husband's absence,would finally overcome the scruples of Doc Crombie and force him toyield to the popular cry.

  He gave her much detail, all of which she added to her own knowledge.And, with her husband's approval, decided to go to Eve, and, in herown phraseology, "do what she could." Her husband really sent her, forhe liked Jim Thorpe.

  So, on the third morning, Annie set out on her errand of kindlywarning. The position was difficult. But she realized that this wasno time to let her feelings hinder her. She loved Eve, and, like herhusband, she had a great friendliness for Jim.

  Then she was convinced that there was nothing between these two yet,other than had always existed, a liking on the woman's part and adeep, wholesome, self-sacrificing love on the man's. She saw thedanger for Eve well enough, since her husband had turned out so badly;but her sympathetic heart went out to her, and she would never haveopened her mouth to say one word to her detriment, even if she knewthe women's accusations to be true. In fact, in a wave of sentimentalemotion, she rather hoped they were true. Eve deserved a littlehappiness, and, if it lay in her power to help her to any, she wouldcertainly not hesitate to offer her services.

  To Eve, fighting her lonely battle in the solitude of her small home,amidst the cloth and trimmings of her trade, the sight of Annie'scheerful, friendly face always had a rousing effect. She lived fromday to day in a world of grinding fear. Her mind was never clear of itnow. And she clung to her work as being the only possible thing. Shedared not go out more than she was actually obliged for fear ofhearing the news she dreaded. There was nothing to be done but waitfor the sword to fall.

  But these last three days her fears had been divided, and she foundherself torn in two different directions by them. Where before it hadalways been her husband, now, ever since the night of Jim Thorpe'sgoing, he was rarely out of her thoughts. Now, even more than at thetime when she first understood the sacrifice he was about to make forher. And the nobleness of it appealed to her simple woman's mind assomething sublime. He was a branded man before, but now, so long as heremained in Barnriff, or wherever he met a man who had lived inBarnriff at this time, so long as Will escaped capture, the pointingfinger would be able to mark honest Jim Thorpe as a--cattle-thief. Hewas powerless to do more than deny it. The horror of it was dreadful.

  He had done it for her. And her woman's heart told her why. Herthoughts flew back to those days, such a little way back, yet, to her,so far, far away, when his kind serious eyes used to look into hers intheir gentle caressing fashion, when his unready tongue used to haltover speaking those nice things a woman, in her simple vanity, lovesto hear from a man she likes. She thought of the little presents heused to make her so awkwardly, all prompted by his great, golden,loving heart.

  And she had passed him by for that other. The man with the ready,specious tongue, with the buoyant, self-satisfied air, with thebright, merry eyes of one who knows his power with women, who rarelyfails to win, and, having won easily, no longer cares for hisplaything. But she had loved Will then, and had Jim been an angel sentstraight from heaven he could not then have taken her from him.

  But now? Ah, well, now everything was different. She was older. Shewas, perhaps, sadly wiser. She was also married, and Jim was, couldbe, nothing to her. His nobleness to her was the nobleness which wasnot the result of a selfish love that looks and hopes for its reward,she told herself. It was part of the man. He would have acted that waywhatever his feelings for her. He was a great, loyal friend, she toldherself again and again, and her feeling for him was friendliness, afriendliness she thanked God for, and nothing more. She told herselfall this, as many a woman has told herself before, and she fancied, asmany another good and virtuous woman has fancied, that she believedit.

  When Annie entered her workroom she looked up with a wistful smile ofwelcome, but the sight of the clouds obscuring the sunshine of thegirl's face stopped her sewing-machine at once, and ready sympathyfound prompt expression in her gentle voice.

  "What is it, dear?" she inquired. "You look--you look as if you, too,were in trouble."

  Annie tried to smile back in response. But it was a poor attempt. Shehad been thinking so hard on her way to Eve. She had been calculatingand figuring so keenly in her woman's way. And curiously enough shehad managed to make the addition of two and two into four. She feltthat she must not hesitate now, or the courage to display the accuracyof her calculation, and at the same time help her friend, wouldevaporate.

  "Trouble?" she echoed absently. "Trouble enough for sure, but not forme, Eve," she stepped round to the girl's side and laid a protectingarm about her shoulders. "You can quit those fears you once told meof. I--think he's safe away."

  Had Annie needed confirmation of her deductive logic she had it. Thelook of absolute horror which suddenly leaped into Eve's drawn facewas overwhelming. Annie's arm tightened round her shoulders, for shethought the distraught woman was about to faint.

  "Don't say a word, Eve, dear. Don't you--now don't you," she cried."I'm going to do the talking. But first I'll just shut the door." Shecrossed to the door, speaking as she went. "You've just got to sit an'listen, while I tell you all about it. An' when we've finished, dear,"she said, coming back to her place beside her, "ther's just one thing,an' only one person we've got to think an' speak about. It's JimThorpe."

  Annie's intuition must have been something approaching the abnormal,for she gave Eve no chance whatever to reply. She promptly sat down atthe table, and, gazing straight into the stricken woman's face, toldher all that her husband had told her, and all that she had gleanedfor herself, elsewhere. She linked everything together in such amanner as to carry absolute convi
ction, showing the jeopardy in whichJim stood.

  Never once did she refer to Will, or hint again that she haddiscovered Eve's secret, the secret which Doc Crombie and the whole ofBarnriff would have given worlds to possess, but she told her storyfrom the point of view of Jim's peril as a suspected cattle-thief, andhis apparent interest in her, Eve, which the whole of the villagewomen were beginning so virtuously to resent.

  "An' if all that wasn't sufficient to set a wretched lot o' scallywagshanging him, along comes this business of the Little Bluff River," shefinished up.

  Eve's face was a study in emotion during the girl's recital. Fromterror it passed to indignation, from horror to the shrinking ofoutraged wifehood. Now she stammered her request for Annie to go on.

  "I--I don't understand," she declared, "what has that----?"

  "What's it got to do with it?" cried Annie, with hot anger at thethought. "Why, just this. It's that mean Smallbones for sure. It's himat the bottom of it. They're saying that Jim did see the rustler, an'helped him get clear away while he pretended to be chasin' him. That'swhat the mildest of 'em sez. But ther's others swear, an' Smallbonesis one of 'em, that Jim himself was the rustler, an' they rec'nizedhim from the start. But someways he jest managed to fool Doc, 'causehis horse was cool, and didn't show no signs of the chase."

  The girl's pretty eyes were wide with anger at these accusers. But heranger was nothing to compare with the fury which now stirred Eve.

  "Oh, they're wicked, cruel monsters! They hate him, and they only wantto hang him because they hate him. It's--it's nothing to do with thecattle stealing. Smallbones has always hated Jim, because--becauseJim's better educated and comes from good people. Jim a cattle-thief?Jim wouldn't steal a--a--blade of grass. He's too noble, and good,and--and honest. Oh, I hate these people! I hate them all--all!"

  Annie sat aghast at the storm she had roused. But her woman's wit atonce told her the nature of the real feeling underlying the girl'swords. She had suspected before, but now she understood what, perhaps,Eve herself had no definite understanding of. With the wrecking of herlove for her husband it had been salved and safely anchored elsewhere.And Jim was the man who had--anchored it.

  However, she wisely refrained from revealing her discovery. She wasdelighted, sentimentally, foolishly delighted, but unhesitatinglycontinued with the purpose of her coming.

  "Yes, dear," she agreed, nodding her pretty head sagely. "And so do I.But we've sure got to think of Jim Thorpe. And--and that's why I camealong. Gay knows why I came, too. You know how queer Gay is 'bout somethings. He said to me, 'You best get along. Y'see, I got Jim down ferburyin' proper when his time comes, an' I don't figger to get fooledby any low-down hanging.' That's what Gay said, an' I didn't think itquite elegant of him at the time. But there," with a sigh, "men arecurious folk 'bout things. Still," she bustled on alertly, "we got togive him warning. We got to make him keep away for a while anyway. Hehasn't been seen in the village since, and there's folks say we ain'tlikely to see him again. I--I almost hope they're right, for his sake.It won't never do for him to come along--true--true it won't."

  The girl's earnestness and alarm were reflected in Eve's face. She sawthe necessity, the emergency. But how--how to get word to him? Thatwas the difficulty. How? Neither of them knew where he was, andcertainly none of the villagers did.

  Eve shook her head desperately.

  "I--I don't seem to be able to think," she said piteously. "I've doneso much thinking, and--and scheming, that my head feels silly, andI--I--don't know what to suggest."

  But Annie was paying only slight attention. Now her round eyessuddenly brightened.

  "I've got it," she cried. "There's--there's Peter Blunt. He's sure toknow where Jim is, or be able to find him. Yes, and there's yourElia--if Peter fails."

  But Eve shook her head at the latter suggestion.

  "Peter, yes. He'll help us, surely. But we must not think of Elia.He's--he's too--delicate."

  "Then it's Peter," cried Annie, impulsively. "Now I'll tell you whatwe'll do. I'll find Peter some time to-day, and--and tell him to comealong and see you to-night, after dark. You see," she added naively,"he best not be seen visitin' you in daylight. Then you can tell himall I've told you, and he'll sure know the best to do. He likes Jim."

  "Yes, yes," agreed Eve, brightening visibly and catching something ofAnnie's confidence in her scheme. "Peter will help me, I know. Oh,Annie, you are a dear, good thing! I don't know how I'd get throughall this without you. But--but--you'll be secret, won't you, dear? Yousee, I'm quite helpless, and--and you know so much."

  "You can trust me, Eve, you can trust me like you can trust--JimThorpe. Good-bye, dear, an' keep bright. I'll come along after you'veseen Peter. Yes, we've got to help Jim out--that's how my man said,too. Good-bye."

  She hurriedly kissed her friend and bustled out of the house. All thisscheming had got hold of her busy brain, and she was eager to get towork on it.