CHAPTER IV
CALUMET PLAYS BETTY'S GAME
The silence between Betty and Calumet continued so long that it grewoppressive. The night noises came to their ears through the closeddoor; a straggling moonbeam flittered through the branches of a tree inthe wood near the ranchhouse, penetrated the window and threw arapier-like shaft on Calumet's sneering face. Betty's eyes in theflickering glare of the candle light, were steady and unwavering as shevainly searched for any sign of emotion in the mask-like features ofthe man seated before her. She saw the mask break presently, and acold, mirthless smile wreathe his lips.
"You make me sick," he said slowly. "If you'd had any sense you'd havetold the old fool to go to hell! You're goin' to reform me? You'regoin' to be my judge? You--you--you! Why you poor little sufferin'innocent, what business have you got here at all? What right have yougot to be settin' there tellin' me that you're goin' to be my judge;that you're goin' to butt into my game at all? Where's the money?" hedemanded, his voice hard and menacing.
"The money is hidden," she returned quietly.
"Where?"
"That is my business," she returned defiantly. "Where it is hidden noone but me knows. And I am not going to tell until the time comes.You are not going to scare me, either," she added confidently. "If youdon't care to abide by your father's wishes you are at liberty togo--anywhere you please."
"Who'd get the money then?"
"You have a year in which to show that you forgive your father. If atthe end of that time you have not forgiven him, or if you leave theranch without agreeing to the provisions of the will, the entireproperty comes to me."
"I reckon you'd like to have me leave?" he sneered.
"That," she returned, unruffled, "is my business. But I don't mindtelling you that I have no interest in the matter one way or another.You may leave if you like, but if you stay you will yield to yourfather's wishes if you are to receive the money and the property."
There was finality in her voice; he felt it and his face darkened withpassion. A sneer replaced the mirthless grin on his lips, and when hegot up and moved slowly toward Betty she sat motionless, for there wasa repressed savagery in his movements that chilled her blood. He cameand stood in front of her, towering over her; she saw that his handswere clenched, the fingers working. Twice she tried to look up at him,but each time her gaze stopped at his hands--they fascinated her. Shetried to scream when she finally saw them come out toward her, butsucceeded in emitting only a breathless gasp, for a broad, rough palmsuddenly enclosed each of her cheeks and her head was forced slowly andresistlessly back until she found herself looking straight up at him.
"Why, you," he said, his voice vibrating with some strange passion,while he shook her head slowly from side to side as though he wereresisting an impulse to throttle her; "why, you--you--" he repeated,his voice a sudden, tense whisper; "for two bits I'd--"
He hesitated, for she had recovered from her momentary physical andmental paralysis, roused by the awful threat in his voice and manner,and was fighting to free herself, clawing at his hands, kicking,squirming, but ineffectively, for his hands were like bands of steel.Finding resistance useless she sat rigid again, her eyes flashingimpotent rage and scorn.
"Coward!" she said breathlessly.
For an instant longer he held her and then laughed and dropped hishands to his sides.
"Shucks," he said, his voice expressing disgust; "I reckon the old manknowed what he was doin' when he appointed you my guardian! A mancan't fight a woman--like that!"
He walked to the chair upon which he had been sitting, turned it aroundso that its back was toward Betty, and straddled it, leaning his armson its back and resting his chin on them.
"Well," he said, with a slow grin at her; "if it will do you any goodto know, I've decided to stay here and let you practice on me. What'sthe first move?"
But his action had aroused her; she stood up and confronted him, herface flushed with shame and indignation.
"Leave this house!" she commanded, taking a step toward him andspeaking rapidly and hoarsely, her voice quivering as though she hadbeen running; "leave it instantly!" She stamped a foot to emphasizethe order.
Calumet did not move. He watched her, a smile on his lips, his eyesnarrowed. When she stamped her foot the smile grew to a short, amusedlaugh.
"Sorta riled, eh?" he jeered. "Well, go as far as you like--you'resure amusin'. But I don't reckon that I'll be leavin' here in a hurry.Didn't the old man tell you I could stay here a year? What's the useof me goin' now, just when you're goin' to start to reform me? Why,"he finished, surveying her with interest; "I reckon the old man wouldbe plumb tickled to see the way you're carryin' on--obeyin' his lastwishes." He rested his head on his arms and laughed heartily.
He heard her step across the floor, and raised his head again, to lookinto the muzzle of the pistol he had laid on the desk. It was close tohim, steady in her hands, and behind it her eyes were blazing withwrath and determination.
"Go!" she ordered sharply; "go now--this minute, or I will shoot you!"
He laughed recklessly into the muzzle of the weapon and then withoutvisible excitement turned in his chair, reached out a swift hand,grasped the weapon by the barrel and depressed the menacing muzzle sothat it pointed straight downward. Holding it thus in spite of herfrantic efforts to wrench it free, he got to his feet and stood infront of her.
"Why, Betty," he jeered; "you're sure some excited." Seizing her otherhand, he turned her around so that she faced him fairly, holding herwith a grip so tight that she could not move.
"It's your game, ain't it?" he said mockingly. "Well, I'm playin' itwith you. Somethin' seems to tell me that we're goin' to have a daisytime makin' a go of it."
He suddenly released her hands and stepped back, leaving her inpossession of the pistol.
"Usin' it?" he questioned, drawling, nodding toward the weapon. Bettylooked down at it, shuddered, and then with an expression of dread andhorror reached out and laid it gingerly on the desk top.
The next instant Calumet stood alone, grinning widely at the doorthrough which Betty had vanished. Listening, he heard her retreatingsteps, heard a distant door slam. He walked to the desk and looked atthe pistol, then turned and surveyed the room with a speculative eye.
"She didn't even offer me a place to sleep," he said mockingly.
He stood for an instant longer, debating the situation. Then hecrossed the floor, closed the dining-room door, fastened it securelyand recrossing to the outside door stepped down from the porch andsought his pony. Ten minutes later he carried the saddle in, threw iton the floor, folded the saddle blanket and placed it on the sofa,closed the outside door, opened the window, snuffed out the candle,stretched himself out on the sofa and went to sleep.
The Boss of the Lazy Y Page 4