CHAPTER XIII
DIANE AND GORDON DIFFER
During the absence of Macdonald the field agent saw less of Sheba thanhe had expected, and when he did see her she had an abstracted manner hedid not quite understand. She kept to her own room a good deal, exceptwhen she took long walks into the hills back of the town. Diane had ashrewd idea that the Alaskan had put his fortune to the test, and shenot only let her cousin alone herself, but fended Gordon from heradroitly.
The third day after the dinner Elliot dropped around to the Pagets withintent to get Sheba into a set of tennis. Diane sat on the porch darningsocks.
"Sheba is out walking with Mr. Macdonald," she explained in answer toa question as to the whereabouts of her guest.
"Oh, he's back, is he?" remarked Gordon moodily.
Mrs. Paget was quite cheerful on that subject. "He came back thismorning. Sheba has gone up with him to see the Lucky Strike."
"You're going to marry her to that man if you can, aren't you?" hecharged.
"If I can, Gordon." She slipped a darning-ball into one of littlePeter's stockings and placidly trimmed the edges of the hole.
"It's what I call a conspiracy."
"Is it?" Diane smiled.
Gordon understood her smile to mean that he was jealous.
"Maybe I am. That's not the point," he answered, just as if she had madeher accusation in words.
"Suppose you tell me what the point is," she suggested, both amused andannoyed.
"He isn't good enough for her. You know that perfectly well."
"Good enough!" She shrugged her shoulders. "What man _is_ goodenough for a nice girl if you come to that? There are other thingsbeside sugary goodness. Any man who is strong can make himself goodenough for the woman he loves."
"Generally speaking, yes. But Colby Macdonald is different."
"Thank Heaven he is," she retorted impatiently. Then added after amoment: "He isn't a Sunday-School superintendent if that's what youmean."
"That isn't what I mean at all. But there's such a thing as a differencebetween right and wrong, isn't there?"
"Oh, yes. For instance, Mr. Macdonald is right about the need ofdeveloping Alaska and the way to do it, and you are wrong."
He could not help smiling a little at the adroit way she tried tosidetrack him, even though he was angry at her. But he had no intentionof letting her go without freeing his mind.
"I'm talking about essential right and wrong. Miss O'Neill is idealizingMacdonald. I don't suppose you've told her, for instance, that he madehis first money in the North running a dance hall."
"No, I haven't told her any such thing, because it isn't true," shereplied scornfully. "He owned an opera house and brought in a company ofplayers. I dare say they danced. That's very different, as you'd know ifyou didn't have astigmatism of the mind."
"Not the way the story was told me. But let that pass. Does she knowthat Macdonald beat her father out of one of the best claims on Bonanzaand was indirectly responsible for his death?"
"What's the use of talking nonsense, Gordon. You know you can't provethat," his friend told him sharply.
"I think I can--if it is necessary."
Diane looked across at him with an impudent little tilt of the chin."I don't think I like you as well as I used to."
"Sorry, because I'd like you just as well, Diane, if you would stoptrying to manage your cousin into a marriage that will spoil her life,"he answered gravely.
"How dare you say that! How dare you, Gordon Elliot!" she flung back,furious at him. "I won't have you here talking that way to me. It's aninsult."
The fearless, level eyes of her friend looked straight at her. "I say itbecause the happiness of Miss O'Neill is of very great importance to me."
"Do you mean--?" Wide-eyed, she looked her question straight at him.
"That's just what I mean, Diane."
She darned for a minute in silence. It had occurred to Diane before thatperhaps Gordon might be in love with Sheba, but she had put the thoughtfrom her because she did not want to believe it.
"That's different, Gordon. It explains--and in a way excuses--yourcoming here and trying to bully me." She stopped her work to flash aquestion at him. "Don't you think that maybe it's only a fancy of yours?I remember you used--"
He shook his head. "No chance, Diane. I'm hard hit. She's the only girlI ever met that suited me. Everything she does is right. Every move shemakes is wonderful."
The eyes with which she looked at him were softer, as those of women arewont to be for the true romance.
"You poor boy," she murmured, and let her hand for a moment rest on his.
"Meaning that I lose?" he asked quickly.
"I think you do. I'm not sure."
Elliot leaned forward impulsively. "Be a good sport, Diane. Let me havemy chance too. Why do you make it easy for Macdonald and hard for me?Isn't it because the glamour of his millions blinds you?"
"He's a big, splendid man, but I don't like him any the less because hehas the power to make life easy and comfortable for Sheba," she defendedsturdily.
"Yet you turned down Arthur West, the best catch in your set, to marryPeter, who was the worst," he reminded her. "Have you ever been sorryfor it?"
"That's different. Peter and I fit. It was one case out of a million."She gave him her old, friendly smile. "But I don't want to be hard onyou, Gord. I'll be neutral. Come and see Sheba as often as she'll letyou."
Gordon beamed as he shook hands with her. "That sounds like the Di PagetI used to know."
She recurred to the previous question. "Sheba knows more about Mr.Macdonald than you think. And about how he got her father's claim, forinstance,--she has heard all that."
"You told her?"
"No. Colby Macdonald told her. He said he practically robbed her father,and he gave her a check for nearly two hundred thousand to cover theclean-up from the claim and interest."
"Bully for him." On the heel of this he flung a question at her. "DidMacdonald ask her to marry him the night of the dinner?"
A flash of whimsical amusement lit her dainty face. "You'd better askhim that. Here he comes now."
They were coming down the walk together, Macdonald and Sheba. The youngwoman was absorbed in his talk, and she did not know that her cousin andElliot were on the porch until she was close upon them. But at sight ofthe young man her eyes became warm and kind.
"I'm sorry I was out yesterday when you called," she told him.
"And you were out again to-day. My luck isn't very good, is it?"
He laughed pleasantly, but his heart was bitter. He believed Macdonaldhad won. Some hint of proprietorship in his manner, together with herslight confusion when she saw them on the porch, had weighted his heartwith lead.
"We've had such a good walk." Sheba went on quickly. "I wish you couldhave heard Mr. Macdonald telling me how he once had a chance to save asmall Esquimaux tribe during a hard winter. He carried food five hundredmiles to them. It was a thrilling experience."
"Mr. Macdonald has had a lot of very interesting experiences. You mustget him to tell you about all of them," answered Gordon quietly.
The eyes of the two men met. The steel-gray ones of the older mananswered the challenge of his rival with a long, steady look. There wasin it something of triumph, something of scornful insolence. If thisyoung fellow wanted war, he did not need to wait long for it.
"Time enough for that, man. Miss O'Neill and I have the whole Arcticwinter before us for stories."
The muscles in the lean jaws of Gordon Elliot stood out like steelropes. He turned to Sheba. "Am I to congratulate Mr. Macdonald?"
The color in her cheeks grew warmer, but her shy glance met his fairly."I think it is I that am to be congratulated, Mr. Elliot."
Diane took her cousin in her arms. "My dear, I wish you all thehappiness in the world," she said softly.
The Irish girl fled into the house as soon as she could, but not beforemaking an announcement.
"We're to be ma
rried soon, very quietly. If you are still at Kusiak wewant you to be one of the few friends present, Mr. Elliot."
Macdonald backed her invitation with a cool, cynical smile. "MissO'Neill speaks for us both, of course, Elliot."
The defeated man bowed. "Thanks very much. The chances are that I'll bethrough my business here before then."
As soon as his fiancee had gone into the house, the Scotchman left.Gordon sat down in a porch chair and stared straight in front of him.The suddenness of the news had brought his world tumbling about hisears. He felt that such a marriage would be an outrage against Sheba'sinnocence. But he was not yet far enough away from the blow to askhimself how much the personal hurt influenced his opinion.
Though she was sorry for him, Diane did not think it best to say so yet.
Presently he spoke thickly. "I suppose you have heard that he was asquawman."
His friend joined battle promptly with him. "That's ridiculous. Don't beabsurd, Gordon."
"It's the truth. I've seen the woman. She was pointed out to me."
"By old Gideon Holt, likely," she flashed.
"One could get evidence and show it to Miss O'Neill," he said aloud, tohimself rather than to her.
Diane put her point of view before him with heated candor. "_You_couldn't. Nobody but a cad would rake up old scandals about the man whohas beaten him fairly for a woman's love."
"You beg the question. _Has_ he won fairly?"
"Of course he has. Be a good sport, Gordon. Don't kick on the umpire'sdecision. Play the game."
"That's all very well. But what about her? Am I to sit quiet while sheis sacrificed to a code of honor that seems to me rooted in dishonor?"
"She is not being sacrificed. I'm her cousin. I'm very fond of her. AndI'd trust her with Colby Macdonald."
"Play fair, Diane. Tell her the truth about this Indian woman and letyour cousin decide for herself. You can't do less, can you?"
Mrs. Paget was distinctly annoyed. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself,Gordon Elliot. You take all the gossip of a crack-brained old idiotfor gospel truth just because you want to believe the worst about Mr.Macdonald. Don't you know that people will say anything about a man whosucceeds? Colby Macdonald is too big and too aggressive not to have madehundreds of enemies. His life has been threatened dozens of times. Buthe pays no attention to it--goes right on building-up this country.Yet you'd think he had a cloven hoof to hear some people talk. I've nopatience with them."
"The woman's name is Meteetse," Gordon said in an even voice, just asif he were answering a question. "She is young and good-looking for anIndian. Her boy is four or five years old. Colmac, they call him, andhe looks just like Macdonald."
"People are always tracing resemblances. There's nothing to that. Butsuppose his life _was_ irregular--years ago. This isn't Boston. Itused to be the fringe of civilization. Men did as they pleased in theearly days. We don't ask a man up here what he has been, but what he is.You ought to know that by this time."
"This wasn't in the early days. It was five years ago, when Macdonaldwas examining the Kamatlah coal-field. I'm told he sends a check downthe river once a month for the woman."
"All the more credit to him if he does." Diane rose and looked stormilydown at her friend. "You're about as broad as a clam, Gordon. Can't yousee that even if it's true, all that is done with? It is a part of hispast--and it's finished--trodden under foot. It hasn't a thing to dowith Sheba."
"I don't agree with you. A man can't cut loose entirely from his past.It is a part of him--and Macdonald's past isn't good enough for ShebaO'Neill."
Diane tapped her little foot impatiently on the floor. "Do you know manymen whose pasts are good enough for their wives? Are you a plaster-castsaint yourself? You know perfectly well that men trample down theirpasts and begin again when they are married. Colby Macdonald is goodenough for any woman alive if he loves her enough."
"You don't know him."
"I know him far better than you do. He is the biggest man I know, andnow that he is in love with a good woman he'll rise to his chance."
"She ought to be told the truth about Meteetse and her boy," he insisteddoggedly.
"I'm not going to disturb her with a lot of old maids' gossip. That'sflat."
"But if I prove to you that it isn't gossip."
Mrs. Paget lost her temper completely. "Does the Government pay you tomind other people's business, Gordon?" she snapped.
"I wouldn't be working for the Government then, but for Sheba O'Neill."
"And for Gordon Elliot. You'd be doing underhand work for him too. Don'tforget that. You can't do it. You're not that kind of a man. It isn't inyou to go muckraking in the past of the man Sheba is going to marry."
Elliot rose and looked across at the blue-ribbed mountains. His squarejaw was set when he turned it back toward Diane.
"She isn't going to marry him if I can help it," he said quietly.
He walked out of the gate and down the walk toward his hotel.
A message was waiting for him there from his chief in Seattle. It calledhim down the river on business.
The Yukon Trail: A Tale of the North Page 14