The Watchers of the Plains: A Tale of the Western Prairies

by Ridgwell Cullum

  CHAPTER VI

  A NEWSPAPER

  Seth was bending over his work among the potatoes. It was a large order,for there were more than five acres of it. Every time he stood erect toease his back he scanned the distance in the direction of the White River.Each time he bent again over his hoe, it was with a dissatisfied look onhis sunburnt face. He made up his mind that Rosebud was playing truantagain. He cared nothing for the fact of the truancy, but the direction inwhich his eyes turned whenever he looked up displayed his real source ofdissatisfaction. Rosebud had been out since the midday dinner, and heguessed where she was. The mosquitoes worried him to-day, which meant thathis temper was ruffled.

  Suddenly he paused. But this time he didn't look round. He heard the soundof galloping hoofs racing across the prairie. Continuing his work, heroughly estimated the distance the rider was away.

  He gave no sign at all until Rosebud's voice called to him.

  "Seth, I've come to help you hoe," she said.

  The man saw that the horse was standing pawing the ground among thepotatoes.

  "I take it friendly of you," he said, eyeing the havoc the animal wascreating. "Guess that horse o' yours has intentions that aways too.They're laud'ble, but misplaced."

  The girl checked the creature, and turned him off the patch. Then shequietly slid to the ground and removed her saddle and bridle, and drovehim off out on the prairie for a roll.

  "I'm so sorry, Seth! I'm afraid he's made a mess of these plants."

  Rosebud stooped and tried to repair the damage her horse had done. She didnot look in Seth's direction, but her smiling face conveyed nothing of herregret. Presently she stood up and stepped gingerly along the furrowstoward the man.

  "Did you bring a hoe out for me?" she asked innocently.

  But her companion was used to the wiles of this tyrant.

  "Guess not," he said quietly. "Didn't reckon you'd get back that soon.Say, Rosebud, you'd best git out o' those fixin's if you're going to gitbusy with a hoe. Ma has her notions."

  "Ye-es. Do you think I'm getting any better with a hoe?"

  The eyes that looked up into Seth's face were candidly inquiring. Therewas not a shadow of a smile on the man's face when he answered.

  "I've a notion you have few equals with a hoe."

  "I was afraid----"

  "Ah, that's always the way of folks wi' real talent. Guess you're aneddication with a hoe."

  Seth went on with his work until Rosebud spoke again. She was looking awayout across the prairie, and her eyes were just a trifle troubled.

  "Then I'd best get my things changed and--bring out a hoe. How many rowsdo you think I could do before tea?"

  "That mostly depends on how many p'tater plants git in your way, Iguess."

  The girl's face suddenly wreathed itself in smiles.

  "There, you're laughing at me, and--well, I was going to help you, but nowI shan't. I've been down to see my Wanaha. Seth, you ought to have marriedher. She's the sweetest creature--except Ma--I know. I think it's a pityshe married Nevil Steyne. He's a queer fellow. I never know what to makeof him. He's kind to her, and he's kind to me--which I'm not sure Ilike--but I somehow don't like his eyes. They're blue, and I don't likeblue eyes. And I don't believe he ever washes. Do you?"

  Seth replied without pausing in his work. He even seemed to put more forceinto it, for the hoe cut into the earth with a vicious ring. But heavoided her direct challenge.

  "Guess I haven't a heap of regard for no Injuns nor squaws. I've no callto. But I allow Wanaha's a good woman."

  Just for a moment the girl's face became very serious.

  "I'm glad you say that, Seth. I knew you wouldn't say anything else;you're too generous. Wanaha is good. Do you know she goes to the Missionbecause she loves it? She helps us teach the little papooses because shebelieves in the 'God of the white folks,' she says. I know you don't likeme to see so much of her, but somehow I can't help it. Seth, do youbelieve in foreboding?"

  "Can't say I'd gamble a heap that aways."

  "Well, I don't know, but I believe it's a good thing that Wanaha lovesme--loves us all. She has such an influence over people."

  Seth looked up at last. The serious tone of the girl was unusual. But ashe said nothing, and simply went on with his work, Rosebud continued.

  "Sometimes I can't understand you, Seth. I know, generally speaking, youhave no cause to like Indians, while perhaps I have. You see, I havealways known them. But you seem to have taken exception only to LittleBlack Fox and Wanaha as far as I am concerned. You let me teach theMission children, you even teach them yourself, yet, while admittingWanaha's goodness, you get angry with me for seeing her. As for LittleBlack Fox, he is the chief. He's a great warrior, and acknowledged by eventhe agent and missionary to be the best chief the Rosebuds have ever had.Quite different from his father."

  "Guess that's so."

  "Then why--may I not talk to them? And, oh, Seth"--the girl's eyes dancedwith mischief--"he is such a romantic fellow. You should hear him talk inEnglish. He talks--well, he has much more poetry in him than you have."

  "Which is mostly a form of craziness," observed Seth, quite unruffled.

  "Well, I like craziness."

  "Ah!"

  Seth's occasional lapses into monosyllables annoyed Rosebud. She neverunderstood them. Now there came a gleam of anger into her eyes, and theircolor seemed to have changed to a hard gray.

  "Well, whether you like it or not, you needn't be so ill-tempered aboutit."

  Seth looked up in real astonishment at this unwarrantable charge, and hisdark eyes twinkled as he beheld Rosebud's own evident anger.

  He shook his head regretfully, and cut out a bunch of weeds with his hoe.

  "Guess I'm pretty mean," he said, implying that her assertion wascorrect.

  "Yes." Rosebud's anger was like all her moods, swift rising and as swiftto pass. Now it was approaching its zenith. "And to show you how goodWanaha is, look at this." She unfolded her parcel and threw the paperdown, disclosing the perfect moccasins the Indian had made for her."Aren't they lovely? She didn't forget it was my birthday,like--like----"

  "Ah, so it is." Seth spoke as though he had just realized the fact of herbirthday.

  "Aren't they lovely?" reiterated the girl. Her anger had passed. She wasall smiles again.

  "Indian," said Seth, with a curious click of the tongue, which Rosebud wasquick to interpret into an expression of scorn.

  "Yes," she exclaimed, firing up again, and her eyes sparkling. "And I likeIndian things, and I like Indian people, and I like Little Black Fox. He'snice, and isn't always sneering. And I shall see them all when I like.And--and you can do the hoeing yourself."

  She walked off toward the house without the least regard for the potatoes,which now suffered indiscriminately. Her golden head was held very high,but she had less dignity than she thought, for she stumbled in the furrowsas she went.

  She went straight into the house and up to her room; but she could notfling herself upon her bed and cry, as she probably intended to do. Threelarge parcels occupied its entire narrow limits. Each was addressed toher, wishing her all happiness on her birthday, and the biggest of thethree was from Seth. So, failing room anywhere else, she sat in herrocking-chair, and, instead of an angry outburst, she shed a few quiet,happy tears.

  Meanwhile Seth continued his work as though nothing had interrupted him.It was not until supper-time, and he was making his way to the house, thathe happened to observe the newspaper which Rosebud had left lying amongthe potatoes. He stepped across the intervening furrows and picked it up.Newspapers always interested him, he saw so few.

  This one, he saw at once, was an English paper. And from London at that.He glanced at the date, and saw that was nearly a month old, and, at thesame time, he saw that it was addressed to Nevil Steyne, and beside theaddress was a note in blue pencil, "Page 3."

  His curiosity was aroused, and he turned over to the page indicated. Therewas a long paragraph marked by fou
r blue crosses. It was headed--

  "The Estate of the Missing Colonel Raynor."

  Seth read the first few lines casually. Then, as he went on, a curiouslook crept into his dark eyes, his clean-shaven face took on an expressionof strained interest, and his lips closed until they were lost in astraight line which drew down at the corners of his mouth. He read on tothe end, and then quietly folded up the paper, and stuffed it into thebosom of his shirt. Once he turned and looked away in the direction inwhich Nevil Steyne's hut lay tucked away on the river bank. Then heshouldered his hoe and strolled leisurely homeward.