The Boss of the Lazy Y

by Charles Alden Seltzer

  CHAPTER XIV

  JEALOUSY

  Dade was asleep when Calumet got into bed, and he was still asleep whenCalumet awoke the next morning. Calumet descended to the kitchen. Whenhe opened the kitchen door Bob's dog ran between his legs and received akick that sent him, whining with pain and surprise, off the porch.

  Dominating everything in Calumet's mind this morning was the bitterconviction that Betty had deceived him. There had been ground forTaggart's talk in the Red Dog--he saw that now. Taggart and Betty wereleagued against him. When he had brought Taggart face to face with Bettythat morning more than a month ago the Arrow man had pretended insolencetoward Betty in order to allay any suspicion that Calumet might haveconcerning the real relations between them. It had been done cleverly,too, so cleverly that it had convinced him. When he remembered the cold,disdainful treatment that Betty had accorded Taggart that afternoon, healmost smiled--though the smile was not good to see. He had championedher--he knew now that it had been a serious championship--and by doing sohe had exposed himself to ridicule; to Betty's and Taggart's secret humor.

  He discovered an explanation for Betty's conduct while he fed and wateredBlackleg. It was all perfectly plain to him. Neither Betty nor Taggarthad expected him to return to the Lazy Y. Betty's actions on the nightof his arrival proved that. She had exhibited emotion entirely out ofreason. Undoubtedly she and Taggart had expected to wait the yearspecified in the will, certain that he would not appear to claim themoney or the idol, or they might have planned to leave before he couldreturn. But since he had surprised them by returning unexpectedly, itfollowed that they must reconstruct their plans; they would have to makeit impossible for him to comply with his father's wishes. They couldeasily do that, or thought they could, by making life at the ranchunbearable for him. That, he was convinced, was the reason that Bettyhad adopted her cold, severe, and contemptuous attitude toward him. Sheexpected he would find her nagging and bossing intolerable, that he wouldleave in a rage and allow her and Taggart to come into possession of theproperty. Neither she nor Taggart would dare make off with the money andthe idol as long as he was at the ranch, for they would fear hisvengeance.

  He thought his manner had already forced Betty to give him his father'sletters and admit the existence of the idol--she had been afraid to lieto him about them. And so Betty was "stringing" him along, as Taggarthad suggested, until he completed the repairs on the buildings, until hehad the ranch in such shape that it might be worked, and then at the endof the year Betty would tell him that his reformation had not beenaccomplished, and she and Taggart would take legal possession.

  But if that was their plan they were mistaken in their man. Until he hadworked out this solution of the situation he had determined to leave.Betty's deceit had disgusted him. But now, though there were faults inthe structure of the solution he had worked out, he was certain that theyintended working along those lines, and he was now equally determined tostay and see the thing out.

  Of course, Taggart was trying to make a fool of Betty--that was all tooevident. A man who has serious intentions--honorable intentions--towarda girl does not talk about her to his friends as Taggart had talked.Taggart did not care for her; he was merely planning to gain herconfidence that he might gain possession of the money and the idol. Thevery fact that he was meeting Betty secretly proved that she had notgiven him the treasure. Perhaps she had doubts of him and was delaying.Yes, that was the explanation. Well, he would see that Taggart wouldnever get the treasure.

  He went in to breakfast and watched Betty covertly during the meal. Shewas trying to appear unconcerned, but it was plain to see that herunconcern was too deep to be genuine, and it moved Calumet to malevolentsarcasm.

  "Nothin' is botherin' you this mornin', I reckon?" he said to her oncewhen he caught her looking at him. "Clear conscience, eh?" he added asshe flushed.

  "What should bother me?" she asked, looking straight at him.

  "I was thinkin' that mebbe the racket I was makin' tryin' to kill thatsnake might have bothered--"

  To his surprise, she pressed her lips tightly together, and he could seemirth in her eyes--mocking mirth.

  "You are talking in riddles," she said quietly.

  So then she was going to deny it? Wrath rose in him.

  "Riddles, eh?" he said. "Well, riddles--"

  "That reptile was sure botherin' you a heap," cut in Dade; and Calumetshot a quick glance at him, wondering whether he, also, was a party tothe plot to "string" him.

  He thought he detected gratitude in Betty's eyes as she smiled at Dade,but he was not certain. He said no more on the subject--then. Butshortly after the conclusion of the meal he contrived to come upon Bettyoutside the house. She was hanging a dish towel from a line thatstretched from a corner of the porch to the stable.

  Looking at her as he approached, he was conscious that there wassomething more than rage in his heart against her for her duplicity;there was a gnawing disappointment and regret. It was as though he waslosing something he valued. But he put this emotion away from him as hefaced her.

  "You're damn slick," he said; "slicker than I thought you was. But Iain't lettin' you think that you're stringin' me like you thought youwas." He put vicious and significant emphasis on the word, and when hesaw her start he knew she divined that he had overheard the conversationbetween her and Taggart.

  Her face flushed. "You were listening, then," she said with coldcontempt.

  "I ain't ashamed of it, either," he shot back. "When a man's dealin'with crooks like--" He hesitated, and then gave a venomous accent to thewords--"like you an' Taggart, he can't be over-scrupulous. I was surelistenin'. I heard Taggart ask you if you was still stringin' me. If ithadn't been for that new pup which I just brought Bob I'd have done whatI was goin'--"

  He stopped talking and looked sharply at her, for a change had come overher. In her eyes was that expression of conscious advantage which he hadnoticed many times before. She seemed to be making a great effort tosuppress some emotion, and was succeeding, too, for when she spoke hervoice was low and well controlled.

  "So you heard Taggart talking to me?" she mocked, mirth in her eyes."And you shot at him? Is that it? Well, what of it? I do not have toaccount to you for my actions!"

  He laughed. "Nothin' of it, I reckon. But if you're stuck on him, whydon't you come out in the open, instead of sneakin' around? You made itpretty strong the day I smashed his face for talkin' about you. I reckonhe had some grounds."

  He was talking now to hurt her; there was a savage desire in his heart togoad her to anger.

  But he did not succeed. Her face paled a little at his brutal words, atthe insult they implied, and she became a little rigid, her lipsstiffening. But suddenly she smiled, mockingly, with irritatingunconcern.

  "If I didn't know that you hate me as you do I should be inclined tothink that you are jealous. Are you?"

  He straightened in astonishment. Her manner was not that of the womanwho is caught doing something dishonorable; it was the calm poise ofsturdy honesty at bay. But while he was mystified, he was not convinced.She had hit the mark, he knew, but he laughed harshly.

  "Jealous!" he said; "jealous of you? I reckon you've got a good opinionof yourself! You make me sick. I just want to put you wise a few. Youdon't need to try to pull off any of that sweet innocence stuff on me anymore. You're deep an' slick, but I've sized you up. You made a monkeyof the old man; you made him think like you're tryin' to make me think,that you're sacrificin' yourself.

  "You soft-soaped him into smearin' a heap of mush into his letters to me.It's likely you wrote them yourself. An' you hoodwinked him into givin'you the money an' the idol so's you an' Taggart could divvy up after youput me out of the runnin'. Goin' to reform me! I reckon if I was anangel I'd have to have a recommendation from the Lord before you'd agreethat I'd reformed. You couldn't be pried loose from that coin with acrow-bar!"

  He turned from her, baffled, for
it was apparent from the expression ofmirth deep in her eyes that his attack had made no impression on her.

  Calumet went to the stable and threw a bridle on Blackleg. While he wasplacing the saddle on the animal he hesitated and stood regarding it withindecision. He had intended to refuse to accept Betty's orders in thefuture; had decided that he would do no more work on the buildings. Buthe was not the Calumet of old, who did things to suit himself, indefiance to the opinions and wishes of other people. Betty had thrown aspell over him; he discovered that in spite of his discovery he felt likeaccommodating his movements to her desires. It was a mystery thatmaddened him; he seemed to be losing his grip on himself, and, though hefought against it, he found that he dreaded her disapproval, her sarcasm,and her taunts.

  It seemed to him puerile, ridiculous, to think of refusing to continuewith the work he had started. As long as he was going to stay at theLazy Y he might as well keep on. Betty would surely laugh at him if herefused to go on. He fought it out and took a long time to it, but hefinally pulled the saddle from Blackleg and hitched the two horses to thewagon. When he drove out of the ranchhouse yard he saw Betty watchinghim from one of the kitchen windows. He felt like cursing her, but didnot.

  "I reckon," he said as he curled the lash of the whip viciously over theshoulders of the horses, "that she's got me locoed. Well," he cogitated,"any woman's liable to stampede a man, an' I ain't the first guy that'shad his doubts whether he's a coyote or a lion after he's been herd-rodeby a petticoat. I'm waitin' her out. But Taggart--" The frown on hisface indicated that his intentions toward the latter were perfectly clear.