CHAPTER XIV--THE GREAT DAY ARRIVES
Hunt caught up with Nell Blossom when she had passed through the gap inthe barrelstave picket-fence, and his length of stride easily kept himbeside the girl. Unless Nell broke into a run she could scarcely leavethe parson out of earshot.
"Miss Blossom," he began, "my interference in your affairs calls for noexcuse. I have no vulgar curiosity. You tell me to mind my own business.But when I see another in trouble it is my business to offer aid."
"I am not in trouble," she answered sharply. Then, with scorn: "And if Iwas, I wouldn't want a parson's help."
"No. But a friend's help? I assure you I am your friend."
She now looked at him rather curiously, but her expression did notsoften in the least. Doubt, scorn, a real dislike of the man who soughtto gain her confidence struggled to gain the mastery of her prettyfeatures.
"I don't know you, I've only seen you a few times. I don't make friendsso easy----"
"We don't make friends in this world, Miss Blossom. We win them whetherwe would or not. You have won my friendly feeling because I know thatyou are troubled. I know what your trouble is, and I believe I can helpyou."
His downrightness startled Nell, and she stopped and stared at him.
"You can't help me if I don't want your help," she cried in secretpanic.
"I cannot help you so much if you deny me your confidence," he admitted."But I stand ready to help you."
"You'd better sit down," she shot at him. "You'll have a long waitstanding for me to get confidential with you, Mr. Parson."
"Consider," said Hunt seriously, unshaken. "We cannot any of us affordto refuse an honest offer of sympathy and assistance."
"What are you trying to do?" she asked with suspicion. "Trying tosqueeze something out of me? You parsons!"
She muttered the phrase disdainfully. He put her rudeness aside withoutchange of countenance. His placidity, his assurance, began to shakeNell's confidence in herself more than any other thing.
"I have heard something. I have seen something. I know that if you willlisten to me--perhaps accept and follow some advice I may give you--youwill be benefited," he said.
"In what way, I should like to know?" she asked jeeringly.
"In your heart. In your mind and conscience."
"Well!" She was silent again for a moment, but her face did not changein its expression, "Well, you can talk, I reckon," and she moved onslowly again. "There ain't any law against talking in Canyon Pass--yet."
"From the few words I heard that man, Tolley, say to you on Sundayevening, I know that he threatened you," Hunt said directly.
"That beast!"
"He thinks he has knowledge that will make you trouble if spreadbroadcast in the town."
"Let him dare!"
Her face was suddenly that of a young and beautiful fury. Hunt shook hishead, saying softly:
"Killing him would not remove the cause of your trouble, Nell Blossom."
She turned on him again, her little fists clenched.
"How much do you know? Out with it!" she commanded.
"I will tell you what Tolley says."
"So you've been snooping and prying, have you?" she queried, her ragealmost suffocating her.
"I will tell you what Tolley says," repeated Hunt. And he did so calmly,dispassionately, as though he were relating a series of common facts."That man's horse was under the fall from the cliff. The man's body isnot there--if he fell with the horse." Nell did not even wince, stillstaring into his eyes, her own as hard as flint. "Those are all thefacts in my possession, Miss Blossom."
She remained silent. She had recovered both her regular breathing andher composed manner. He could only read in her features a determinationthat was adamant.
"Will you answer a few questions?" he ventured.
"Out with them!"
"What caused the horse to fall?"
"You gump! He fell because the bank gave way," she replied rudely.
"What became of his rider?"
"I don't know."
"Did you leave him at that spot?"
She waited a moment. Then, as harshly as before:
"Yes."
"You have not seen him since? Or communicated with him?"
"Dick Beckworth? I should say not!"
"Do you know what became of him?"
A bitter, sneering smile marred her lips. "I know what Tolley says--thathe's in Denver."
"Tolley proposes to deny that now," Hunt said softly.
"Let him. One lie is as good as another, and Boss Tolley's full ofthem."
"Will you help me discover if Beckworth is alive?"
"I tell you once for all, I don't want anything more to do with Dick theDevil. I don't want to even hear about him."
"Then you and he quarreled?"
The mistake was fatal, and the parson knew it the instant he had saidthe unwise words. But he could not recall them.
"See here, Parson Hunt! you're making a nuisance of yourself. I want totell you that no tenderfoot will get far in Canyon Pass if he begins asyou have. I've got nothing to tell you. I won't talk to you. I don'twant a thing to do with you. Now! Am I plain enough?"
She walked on stoutly, her head up, her cheeks aflame. For a few yardshe walked quietly beside her. Then he lifted his hat and turned aside.When Nell had disappeared, Hunt sadly shook his head.
"I fear," he told himself, "that I have made a bad beginning."
Circumstances that followed proved that his suspicion was correct. Inless than twenty-four hours he heard that without a doubt he had madeanother enemy.
"I don't know how it is, parson," said Bill Judson shaking a mournfulhead, "but that little devil, Nell Blossom, is on the warpath. And she'safter your scalp."
"It is stuck on pretty tightly, Mr. Judson," Hunt replied with a smile.
"'Tain't no laughing matter. Nell has a terrible drag with the boys. Ifshe don't have you run out of town, she may try to bust up your show.She says you're a mischief-maker, and all that. She's plumb down onparsons."
"We will have to convince her that the tribe is harmless."
"Not much chance," said Judson, who evidently shared Hurley's opinion ofNell's obstinacy.
"Time will cure all that," said the parson, with more apparentconfidence than he really felt.
While preparations were going forward for the first meeting withsatisfactory speed, Hunt heard on every hand of the gathering forces ofopposition.
Nell Blossom had resurrected the old song, "This Is No Place for aMinister's Son," and in a ridiculous clerical make-up sang it each nightin Colorado Brown's place. Passing along the street to his hotel Huntheard the chorus roared by the men who applauded the cabaret singer. Hewas met with more jeering laughter wherever he went than before; and herealized that ridicule would do the good cause more harm than any otherform of opposition.
Joe Hurley was very busy at the mine that week, and he had not much tosay to his friend from the East when they met. But he showed curiosityas to what had befallen Hunt when he talked with Nell Blossom.
"I fear I began wrong," admitted the parson.
"I reckon however you began you wouldn't get far with Nell," observedHurley. "I'll keep my eye on Tolley. He's just boiling inside. Butunless he has a gang behind him he hasn't any more spunk than a rabbit.Nell's too popular--just now, especially--for him to dare spring anythingagainst her. And she certainly is making herself well-beloved with theboys from the Eureka Washings and the other mines," and he grinnedruefully.
"I can keep most of my own roughnecks in line. I reckon they kind ofcotton to me, and they know I am set on this church business. But Nellcertainly holds the camp in the hollow of her hand."
"She is wrong; but she does not realize it, perhaps," considered Hunt."And yet, maybe she does know."
The Reverend Willett Ford Hunt might have considered, as his sisterbelieved at that moment, that the outlook for successful religious workin Canyon Pass was quite as foggy as it had been at any t
ime at DitsonCorners. Yet the opposition that had developed here was nothing morethan Hunt had expected. And it was open hostility. There was nothinghypocritical about it.
He had met Slickpenny Norris at the bank, Hunt had opened an accountthere, and had invited the old curmudgeon to take some interest in thechurch proposal. He had got one large grunt from the banker, and thatwas all. Norris could be as close-mouthed as a clam when it might be tohis disadvantage to speak his mind. But he offered no encouragement tothe parson by that grunt.
Saturday evening came and those who were most interested in the upliftof Canyon Pass gathered at the old Tolley place to view withsatisfaction and no little pride the improvements and changes broughtabout.
"Jib," remarked Judson to Collins, having deserted the Three StarGrocery and left it in the care of the gangling Smithy at a very busyhour to "take a squint" at the interior of the meeting room, "Jib, youand Cale Mack have certainly done yourselves proud on that pulpit."
"Don't praise me! Don't praise me!" exclaimed Collins. "I never couldstand flattery. It puffs me all up. But it's a pretty nifty bit of work,I do agree."
"Yeppy," pursued the storekeeper. "It has a slant to one side that maybeis more the fault of the floor than your spirit-level, Jib. And it lookssort o' wabbly. But barrin' them defects, it's what I'd call a sightlypulpit."
"It's strong enough," grunted Collins gruffly, now not so much pleased."I don't reckon the parson is going to take a maul to it, is he?"
Mother Tubbs just then entered the door. Behind her staggered Sam, hisreeling motion for once having no connection with an alcoholic cause.Sam Tubbs was dead sober--and quite as positively provoked.
"I snun to man!" he croaked. "Makin' a pack-hoss of a man thisaway! Ifthat danged parson wanted this yere Bible he ought've come and toted ithimself."
"It's very good of you to bring it, Mr. Tubbs," said Hunt, smiling andcoming forward to relieve the old man of his burden.
Hunt placed the big Bible on the pulpit. One of the interestedhousewives had sent a rather handsome linen table-scarf for a pulpitcloth, and although it was somewhat yellowed from disuse, it made theunpainted desk seem less bare.
They drifted in, one by one and in couples, during the evening, thesepeople deprived so long of the inspiration of worship in a public sense,some bringing hymn-books of various sorts and a few Bibles. But Hunt hadnot come to Canyon Pass unprepared on that score for church work. He hadbrought with him from the East fifty hymn-books of the more popular kindand a dozen Bibles for the use of the congregation in general. Whenthese had been distributed about the benches they made, Mother Tubbsdeclared, "a mighty tasty show."
Betty was present to be introduced to the women of the camp. Whateverher private feelings were, the parson's sister could be, and was on thisoccasion, a very helpful assistant to her brother. If the Passoniansfelt a little awkward, Betty put them quickly at their ease. She made amost fortunate impression on them all, and the general opinion was "thatthat Eastern gal was a perfect lady."
Joe Hurley appeared with some of the younger men. They were all scrubbedtill their faces shone, shaved to a nicety, and their hair "slicked" andanointed with everything Jose, the Mexican barber, had on his shelves.
"Umph!" murmured Mother Tubbs, wrinkling her nose appreciatively."Certainly smells proper good since them fellers come in yere. I neverdid see why bay rum smells so much better than drinkin' rum. And bayrum's the only kind of liquor I approve of. The other I only get atsecond-hand--on Sam's breath!"
It was late in the evening, and the town was getting lively, though itseemed not so noisy as on most pay-nights, when they scattered from thedoor of the meeting room.
Hunt and Betty were the last to go. He latched the door behind them, butthere was no thought in his mind of locking it. That anybody would enterthe place before morning did not cross his thought.
But later in the night, when this end of Main Street was deserted andthe frolicking in the various amusement places was continued only by afew irrepressibles, a figure stole out of the alley beside the oldTolley building and slipped into the room prepared for the first Sundayservice in Canyon Pass.
Without a light in the place the intruder had some difficulty inreaching the desk; once there, some few moments elapsed while theuninvited visitor climbed into the pulpit and opened carefully the bigBible. When the book was as carefully closed again, without the whitebook-marks the parson had placed in it having been disturbed, theobtrusive one departed.
Outside, there seemed an air of satisfaction about the very way thisunknown individual walked away. In addition, a very determined--almostviciously resolved-voice observed:
"There! If that impudent pulpit-pounder don't get his, I miss my guess!"
The Heart of Canyon Pass Page 14