Frank Merriwell's Backers; Or, The Pride of His Friends

by Burt L. Standish

  CHAPTER XX.

  MRS. ARLINGTON HAS A VISITOR.

  The black maid stood over the little table at which mother and daughtersat taking tea.

  "Sugar, Jackson," said the lady wearily.

  The maid lifted the sugar-bowl, but, finding no tongs, was compelled touse a spoon.

  "Why don't you use the tongs, Jackson?" asked the woman.

  "Dar am no tongs, ma'am," answered the maid.

  "No tongs? no tongs?" exclaimed Mrs. Arlington, in astonished surprise."And I directed that everything should be prepared here--that we shouldhave every convenience of a first-class hotel. Dear me! Why, I've foundnothing right! The hardship of spending some days in such a place willprostrate me. I know it will!"

  "But why have you come here, mother?" asked June Arlington, in a voicethat denoted culture and a refined nature. "I cannot understand it. Youtold me in the first place that you were going to Mexico. Then I heardyou urging father to come here. When he said it was not possible, youseemed to get angry, and you declared that you would come here yourself.But why should you come because he could not? That I wonder at."

  "He would not!" exclaimed Mrs. Arlington, sipping her tea. "It was hisduty. Never mind the particulars, June; you may know some time, but notnow."

  "And I did not wish to come here, mother. You knew that."

  "My daughter, I have decided that it is necessary to keep you with me. Idetermined on that after your surprising behavior the last time you wentto Fardale. You deceived me, June! I cannot forget that."

  The words were spoken with cold severity. June flushed a little.

  "It was for Chester's good, as I explained to you," she said somewhatwarmly. "He has never thanked me for it, yet it is I who have kept himin Fardale Academy. Had I not entreated Dick Merriwell to be easy withhim, Chester must have been compelled to leave or be expelled beforethis."

  "I cannot believe that, June. But, were it true, it is no excuse foryour action. I want no favors from either of the Merriwells. I willaccept nothing from them! Dick Merriwell is my boy's enemy, and he shallknow what it is to have an Arlington for a foe. I have determined onthat. I repeat that I'll accept nothing from him."

  "Once----" June stopped short. She had been on the verge of telling hermother that once that lady had accepted something from DickMerriwell--her life! For, as Mrs. Arlington slipped on the icy platformof the railway-station at Fardale and was falling beneath the wheels ofa moving train, Dick had grasped and held her till the cars passed andshe was safe.

  But June had seen her mother turn blue with anger at mention of thisaffair, so she checked herself now, not wishing to arouse the lady.

  Tea was finished in silence, mother and daughter being occupied withtheir thoughts.

  The maid moved softly about the table.

  They had just finished when there came a tap on the door.

  "See who it is, Jackson," directed Mrs. Arlington.

  The man with the blue beak was at the door.

  "I must speak with Mrs. Arlington," he said, and entered, hat in hand.

  "What is it, Mr. Dodge?" asked the lady, frowning coldly and plainlyannoyed.

  Eliot Dodge paused and looked at June significantly.

  "Oh, is it a private matter?" asked the lady.

  Flushing a bit, June arose at once and withdrew, from the room.

  "William Lamson has arrived in town, and demands to see you," saidDodge, when June had disappeared, the maid having likewise withdrawn.

  "That man?" said Mrs. Arlington, with a little start and a slightshiver. "I have brought you to do the business with him. You are aregular attorney of the C. M. A. of A., and you have my instructions."

  "So I told him."

  "Well?"

  "He refused pointblank to do any business whatever with me."

  "He did."

  "Yes. I talked to him pretty straight until--ahem!--until I could say nomore."

  "You could say no more?"

  "No, madam; it was impossible."

  "Why impossible?"

  "He had drawn and cocked a revolver and pointed it at me. He told me toshut up and take word from him to you at once or he would shoot me."

  "What a dreadful creature!"

  "He is, indeed, madam; he's a typical ruffian of the worst sort."

  "And, therefore, the very man to accomplish the work," said she, withgrowing interest. "But I dislike very much to have dealings with such afellow."

  "I thoroughly understand that, madam."

  "You might attend to the matter fully as well."

  "That is true, Mrs. Arlington."

  "You told him so?"

  "I did."

  "And still----"

  "And still he drew a gun on me. He is bound to see you. He says he will,and I am sure he is a man to make his word good. Really I don't know howyou are going to get out of it."

  "Then I shall not try," said the lady, composing herself.

  "You mean----"

  "I'll see him."

  "Here?"

  "Yes."

  "Now?"

  "Send him up at once. I may as well have it over."

  Eliot Dodge hesitated.

  "I shall be in my room," he said. "If you need me----"

  "I understand. Go bring this man to my door."

  Dodge departed, and Mrs. Arlington waited. When there came a knock onthe door she coldly said:

  "Come in!"

  Cimarron Bill entered the room!

  Mrs. Arlington had not called her servant to let this man in. Sheglanced toward the door of the room into which her daughter had retired,and the look on her face was one of apprehension. Cimarron Bill was awicked man, as his every aspect betokened, and this woman could notthink without shame that June should have any knowledge of her dealingswith such a creature.

  So she arose hastily, which was quite unlike her, and crossed the floorto close the door, a strange thing, considering that she seldom did athing that another could do for her.

  When June was thus shut out, the woman recrossed the floor to likewiseclose the door of the room into which the colored maid had retired.

  All the while Cimarron Bill, hat in hand, stood watching her closelywith his evil eyes. For him it must have been a most exceedinglystrange thing to come thus into the presence of a woman whose husbandwas known far and wide as a money king, a woman whose every wish thatwealth could serve was sure to be granted almost as quickly asexpressed.

  When she had closed the doors she turned about and faced him, surveyinghim from head to feet with her cold and penetrating eyes. He looked backat her with a sort of boldness, for this man was not one to be in theleast downcast in the presence of a human being of whatever degree.

  Mrs. Arlington motioned toward a chair.

  "Will you sit down, sir?" she invited.

  "Thank you, madam," said Bill, casting aside the rough manner of speechthat he sometimes assumed and now using very decent English. "I don'tcare if I do."

  Whereupon he placed his hat upon the table and sat upon a chair, with acertain pantherish undulation of his body, as if his muscles flowedbeneath his skin.

  "Mr. Dodge saw you," said the woman, remaining standing. "I directed himto inform you that he was my accredited agent and prepared to transactany business with you. I thought it better for him to attend to thisaffair."

  "And I, madam, if you will excuse me, thought it best that we shouldcome face to face and have our dealings thus. That is why I declined todo any business whatever with the gent with the blue nose."

  "I did not suppose it would be necessary for me to go so far into thismatter until I was informed of your failure to take possession of theproperty that rightfully belongs to the Consolidated Mining Associationof America. I must say, sir, that I am very much displeased over yourfailure."

  "And you can be no more so than am I myself," returned Bill, civillyenough, yet with a sort of boldness that did not please her, as she wasaccustomed to much deference and respect. "But you must know it isdiff
icult, even in this country, to find men who are eager to put onthemselves the brand of outlaws, and I acknowledge that my force was notsufficient. The young dog is a stiff fighter, and that I had not countedon, him being a tenderfoot to a certain degree--though," he added, as ifon second thought, "he's not so very tender, after all."

  "You were told to collect an army, if necessary. Mr. Dodge informs methat you were directed to get together a force sufficient to makefailure out of the question. Yet you were repulsed and beaten off whenyou went to seize the mine."

  "Twice," said Bill grimly. "And the second time a full half of my menwere dropped cold or hurt so bad that they were put out of the fight. Itwas not just my fault that I failed then, for the treachery of a Mexicangirl betrayed my plans to Merriwell, so he was ready with a trap when Iexpected to take him by surprise. That is how it came about, madam. Ihad his foreman bribed and should have walked into possession of themine with little or no trouble but for the girl I mention. It was a badpiece of business."

  "Bad!" she exclaimed, nodding a little. "It was very unfortunate!"

  "A word that scarce expresses it, madam. The rest of my men, the curs,with one or two exceptions, weakened and gave it up as a bad job. Andthen, on top of that, I was informed that the syndicate had growndisinclined to press the matter further in such a manner, fearing to getitself into serious trouble."

  "That's it!" said the woman sharply. "But I have taken hold of thismatter. The syndicate seems willing to obtain the mine by some other andslower method. I am not. I cannot brook delay! I have a reason why Iwish the taking of the mine with the smallest possible delay, and itmakes no difference to me how the work is accomplished. That is why I amhere on the scene of action. I shall remain here until I triumph! If youare able to accomplish the work, well and good. If you are not, thenanother man must be found for it."

  Cimarron Bill smiled in a most evil manner.

  "Madam," he said, "I think you will have trouble to find in all thiscountry another man so well prepared to accomplish the task."

  "Yet you confess that you have failed twice."

  He shrugged his shoulders.

  "For which reason," he averred, "I am all the more dangerous. There isan old saying that the third time never fails. I am ready for the thirdtrial."

  "I am glad to hear you speak this way. What will you do?"

  "Gather a stronger force and lay my plans so there can be no failure."

  "It is well."

  "But that will take much money, madam. You have it at your command. Itis almost certain that all of us, to the last man, will bear the brandof outlaws. We may be hunted. It may be necessary for me to hasten intoMexico and lose myself there for a time. I must have money in abundancefor myself. As for the men who take part with me, they will all demandhigh prices. When it is over and the mine is delivered into thepossession of the syndicate, I shall not trouble about any one savemyself. The men who are with me may look out for themselves."

  This was said in a most cold-blooded manner, speaking plainly the realcharacter of the wretch.

  "I care nothing about that," said the woman. "Fix that matter as youchoose. How much money will you require?"

  "Let me see," said Bill, as if meditating. "It will take, I am sure, atleast fifty men. They may be got at various prices, some more, someless; but there will be the bringing of them together and otherexpenses. I should say that they must cost at least two hundred dollarseach, which makes a pretty little sum of ten thousand dollars."

  "Then it will cost ten thousand dollars?" said Mrs. Arlington quickly."I'll draw the sum from my own private account."

  "Wait a bit, madam," said the chief of desperadoes. "I have reckoned forthe men, but that does not include myself. I have said that I must bewell paid. I value myself quite as much as fifty common men, and that isanother ten thousand, or twenty thousand dollars in all, for which sum Iam ready to undertake the job. I'll add, also, that I guarantee it shallnot fail this time."

  It seemed that such a sum must have staggered the woman. Indeed, herface went a trifle pale, but her lips were pressed together, and shecoldly said:

  "It is a bargain! You shall have the money, but not until you haveaccomplished the work. Understand that, not until the work is done!"