CHAPTER X
FIXING FIXERS
The widow and Carolyn June were alone at the house. Old Heck and Parkerwent immediately from the breakfast table to the garage to get the carout to go to Eagle Butte. The cowboys were at the barn preparing tobegin the day's work. Skinny had excused himself, ostensibly to attendto some ranch chores, but in reality to get away to the bunk-house and"fix up" for the day's courtship of Carolyn June. He planned, when thecowboys were gone, to put on the white shirt Parker brought, yesterday,from Eagle Butte.
"Ophelia," Carolyn June said mysteriously as they stepped out on thefront porch and filled their lungs with the clean air of the morning,"you made a 'discovery' yesterday, I believe?" pausing questioningly.
"Yes," the widow smiled, recalling their conversation relative toParker's abrupt proposal of marriage.
"To-day," Carolyn June continued impressively, "it is my turn--I havemade one!"
"And it is?"
"You and I have been 'framed!'" was the answer spoken solemnly yetscarcely louder than a whisper, while the brown eyes of Carolyn Junesparkled with a mixture of suppressed anger, merriment and indignation.
"Framed?" the widow repeated inquiringly, "just what does 'framed' mean,my dear?"
"Framed means," Carolyn June replied wisely, "'tricked,' 'jobbed,''jinxed,' 'fixed,' or whatever it is people do to people when theyscheme to do something to them without the ones to whom they are doingit knowing how it is done!"
"Exceedingly lucid, my love," the widow laughed, "but you are soagonizingly fond of suspense--"
"Come inside," Carolyn June said as she led the way into the house, "andin a dark corner--no, that would be too near to the walls and theirproverbial 'ears,' in the center of the room is better--I will exposethe whole diabolical plot!"
At the end of the reading table they stopped and faced each other.
"And now?" Ophelia said, expectantly.
"And now," Carolyn June repeated, her voice low and carefully guarded."Listen: Before Ophelia Cobb and Carolyn June Dixon ever arrived at thisQuarter Circle KT their 'lovers' were already picked out forthem--officially chosen, delegated, appointed, foreordained andeverything! The 'arrangements' had all been made--"
"I don't understand," the widow said, bewildered by the rapid flow oflegal-sounding words.
"Nor did I at first," Carolyn June went on, "but I have figured it allout! I have 'discovered' what all this mysterious hinting about'arrangements,' 'the agreement,' 'Old Heck's day,' 'Parker's time,''Skinny's job,' and so forth means! I have studied it out. Why is SkinnyRawlins thrown into my lap as my 'regular' lover? It's his 'job'--thatis why! And why the day-and-day-about courting of yourself by UncleJosiah and Parker? It is the 'agreement'--the one is to have you one dayand the other the next! Before we came some such arrangement was fixedup. I am sure of it--"
"Impossible," Ophelia protested, "preposterous!"
"Outrageous!" Carolyn June added vehemently, "but truth just the same!To start with they didn't want us to come. That telegram lying aboutthem all having the smallpox proved as much. We were, for some reason orother, considered 'afflictions,' Why, I don't know. I guess they thoughtwe were a pair of female vampires or something and had to be disposed ofin advance to prevent our stirring things up and causing a lot ofmurders or suicides or duels on the Quarter Circle KT!"
"I can't believe it," Ophelia muttered as if stunned. "Why, that wouldbe 'dealing' with us just as though we were cattle!"
"That's it!" Carolyn June exclaimed vindictively, her anger for themoment getting the better of her sense of the ridiculous, "they 'dealt'in us! More than likely they played poker to decide how to divide usup--to see who should love you and which should love me! As if the heartof a woman can be made to run in a groove cut to order by the hand ofany masculine--insect!" she finished, thoughtless of the incongruousmetaphor.
"Then Skinny and your Uncle Josiah," the widow murmured, "andParker--are--are--pretending?"
"No," Carolyn June answered, "they started out 'pretending,' but they'vestepped into their own trap! They are painfully serious now--they are'intending!'"
"What shall we do about it?" Ophelia asked helplessly.
"We ought to assassinate them!" Carolyn June snapped, then laughed asthe absurdity of the situation dawned upon her and her sense of humorovercame the moment of anger and indignation. "I have it--I've got it!We will Vamp' them in dead earnest! We'll fix the 'fixers,' we'll framethe 'framers'!"
"But how?" doubtfully.
"From now on," Carolyn June replied decisively, "I am going to flirt,individually and collectively--desperately and wickedly--with the wholemale population of this ranch! We'll show them what premeditatedlove-making really is! When it comes to Uncle Josiah and, well, possiblyParker, you will have to take care of that giddy pair yourself and,incidentally, you might work some on Charley Saunders," mentioning theoldest of the cowboys. "I'll just flicker an eyelid occasionally atParker, unless you object?"
"Not in the least," Ophelia answered, blushing a trifle.
"Well, then, we will make it a free-for-all," Carolyn June said, "and--"
"How about the Ramblin' Kid?" the widow interrupted, "do you think he isone of the conspirators--is in on the--the--'frame-up?' Is he also to bea 'Victim'?"
Carolyn June colored the least bit, paused a moment before she replied,then said rather stiffly:
"He--yes, he is probably having more fun watching us being 'officially'made love to than any other one of the entire bunch. The Ramblin' Kidwill have to take his medicine along with the rest! Every man-thing onthe Quarter Circle KT--eliminating Sing Pete from that classification--is my meat!"
"When does the slaughter begin?" Ophelia laughed.
"Right now!" Carolyn June answered. "War is declared--"
She stopped suddenly as a step sounded on the porch and a moment laterSkinny entered the room. He was painfully "dressed up." The instant OldHeck and Parker, in the Clagstone "Six," started for Eagle Butte and thecowboys disappeared down the lane in the direction of the big pasture,Skinny struggled into the white shirt. He planned to try its effect onCarolyn June while the others were away. If it did not produce resultshe would slip back to the bunk-house before they returned and changeagain to his normal dress.
When Skinny stepped into the room he was fully conscious of his unusualappearance. The morning was warm and he had not put on a coat. The shirtbillowed over his shoulders, arms and chest in a snowy cloud. It seemedimpossible to Skinny that anything in all the world could be so vividly,persistently white as the cloth that literally enveloped the upper halfof his body. It actually gleamed. The sleeves of the shirt were toolong. A pair of sky-blue, rosette-fastened, satin ribbon sleeve-holdersabove his elbows kept the cuffs from slipping over his hands. Parker hadbeen unable to get the purple necktie and had brought, instead, one thatwas a solid Shamrock green. Skinny swore when he saw the tie, butdecided to wear it anyhow. Parker had explained by saying he hadforgotten the errand until he was starting from town and then steppedinto Old Leon's--a cheap general store in Eagle Butte--and purchased theoutfit from the Jew. That accounted also for the surplus length ofsleeve--the shirt was a size and a half larger than Skinny had orderedand for which Parker declared positively he had asked. Eternal hatredfor all Hebrews was born in Skinny's heart the moment he saw the layout.But, well, it was there; he was anxious to see if a white shirt wouldhave any effect, and he would wear it anyway.
Skinny knew instantly that he made an impression on Carolyn June.
She looked at him once and was speechless!
"By gosh," he said to himself, "Chuck was right! It sure does beat hellhow clothes affect a woman!"
Carolyn June, unquestionably, was overcome. The surprise had been toomuch for her. He had knocked her cold! The shirt had done the work! Shebit nervously at the nail of her thumb, pressed desperately against herteeth. Her whole body trembled. Her face flamed scarlet. Skinny saw heragitation and resolved at that moment that he would never again bewithout
a white shirt!
Ophelia also was visibly affected. The widow gave one look at Skinny,glanced quickly at Carolyn June, then, with her hands clasped tightlyagainst her breast, she leaned weakly against the table and chewed ather underlip. She started to speak and stopped.
"Well, I--I--got back!" Skinny said, breaking the spell while he grinnedsomewhat sheepishly and yet with an air of complete satisfaction.
"I--I--see you--did!" Carolyn June choked hysterically.
"I was gone longer than I aimed to be," Skinny continued, rapidlygaining confidence as he saw the confusion of the women; "after I gotthe chores done I concluded to fix up a little. This is the first time Iever wore this shirt," he went on, feeling that a bit of explanation wasentirely proper and would probably help in restoring the composure ofCarolyn June and the widow. "Parker just brought it out yesterday and itwas a good deal of trouble to make the collar work right. It seemed likeit was pretty stiff or something. Generally speaking the whole outfit'sbigger than it really ought to be, but maybe it'll shrink up some whenit's washed," he finished in a casual matter-of-fact way.
"It--it--is wonderful!" Carolyn June stammered, "it is--I don't think Iever saw one that was--was--whiter--"
"It looked that way to me," Skinny interrupted as if glad some one elsehad noticed a peculiarity of the garment that already had troubled himsomewhat, "I thought it was uncommonly white!"
"Perhaps it just seems that way because we are not used to it," Opheliasuggested sympathetically.
"That's it!" Carolyn June exclaimed feverishly, "it is because we arenot used to it--it will be perfectly all right when we have looked at ita little more!"
Skinny decided he would risk the gauntlet of comment from Parker, OldHeck and the cowboys and wear the shirt the rest of the day.
Carolyn June was really sorry for Skinny, but--she needed air--she feltshe must have it.
"Please," she cried suddenly and with, an effort, "excuse me! I--I--havesomething I wish to do! You," speaking to Skinny, "and Ophelia stay hereand visit each other a while!"
Without waiting for an answer she stepped quickly into the kitchen,asked Sing Pete for a handful of sugar and hurried out to the circularcorral.
"Oh, Skinny, Skinny, you are so funny," she laughed aloud as she wentthrough the back-yard gate. "It breaks my heart to break your heart--butyou are one of the 'fixers' and you've got to be 'fixed.'"
The Gold Dust maverick at first was shy when Carolyn June opened thegate and entered the corral. After a few moments she recognized the girland was soon eating the sugar from the hand of Carolyn June. Before thesupply was exhausted the friendship and confidence of the two, begunyesterday, was firmly reestablished. The maverick allowed Carolyn Juneto swing her weight from the glossy withers, to clasp her arms tightlyabout the trim, clean-built neck, and when, after an hour, the girlstarted toward the house, the outlaw mare protested so eagerly againstbeing left alone that she turned back to the corral and leaning againstthe fence stroked the soft muzzle thrust between the bars.
Carolyn June was cooing endearing terms to the filly and playing withthe quivering underlip when she heard a horse galloping swiftly up thelane and past the barn. Instinctively she stepped back and turned justas the Ramblin' Kid, riding Captain Jack, wheeled around the end of theshed near the corral.
His sudden appearance surprised her. She had thought he was with thecowboys over at the upland pasture helping skin the steers killed by thelightning.
When they left the ranch the Ramblin' Kid had ridden away with Charleyand the others, but not with any intention of going to the big pasture.Where the road turned toward the lower ford he held Captain Jack to theleft.
"Ain't you going with us," Charley Saunders asked, "and help skin themsteers?"
"No," the Ramblin' Kid replied quietly. "I ain't. I've got somethingelse to do. Anyhow, I ain't a butcher--I work with live cattle, not deadones!" he concluded as Captain Jack continued in the direction of theupper crossing.
"He's the independentest darn' cuss I ever saw!" Charley remarked to hiscompanions as the Ramblin' Kid disappeared. "It's a wonder Old Heckdon't fire him."
"He can't," Bert laughed. "Th' Ramblin' Kid don't stay at the QuarterCircle KT by the grace of Old Heck, but by the choice of th' Ramblin'Kid! Anyhow, he's too good with horses--" His voice trailed away to alow mutter as they turned in among the willows and cottonwood treesalong the bank of the Cimarron.
At the upper crossing on almost the same spot where he had liftedCarolyn June from the quicksand to the solid ground of the meadow land,the Ramblin' Kid stopped Captain Jack. He looked out over the placid,unbroken surface of the sand-bar and saw the end of the broken ropecoiled loosely where Old Blue had been drawn under. A few yards away thewhite felt hat Carolyn June had tossed to one side, to be a mute andpathetic messenger of her fate, when she thought death was certain,still rested on the smooth surface of the sand. It was to get the hatthe Ramblin' Kid had come again to the scene of yesterday's tragedy. Hehad seen it lying there when Carolyn June and he rode away on CaptainJack and thought then of trying to get it, but the part of the brokenrope attached to his saddle was too short to reach it and it wasimpossible to secure it in any other way. Chuck had returned theRamblin' Kid's rope to him yesterday when they were after the runawaysteers and it was now on his saddle. He lightly tossed the noose so thatit fell circling the object he sought. Gently flicking the rope towardhim he tightened the loop about the crown of the hat and drew it to theedge of the quicksand. He picked up the hat, looked curiously at it,remounted Captain Jack, paused a moment and gazed at the treacheroussurface beneath which the body of Old Blue was hidden and with asavagely muttered something about "th' damned stuff!" whirled the littlestallion and rode rapidly in the direction from which he came.
As Captain Jack galloped along the lane the Ramblin' Kid looked at thehat curiously, turning it first one way and then the other. With alaugh he reached into his pocket and drew out the pink satin garter. Anexpression of tenderness, followed by a look of deep humility thatquickly changed into savage anger, came into his eyes as he looked firstat the hat, soiled and dirty, and then at the dainty bit of elastic heheld in his hand.
"A swell pair of souvenirs," he said bitterly, "for an 'ign'rant,savage, stupid brute' of a cow-puncher to be packin' around!"
Before reaching the barn the Ramblin' Kid dropped the garter again intohis pocket. Rounding the end of the shed he rode Captain Jack directlyup to Carolyn June. Dismounting, he left the little roan standing, nottroubling to drop the reins over the broncho's head, stepped toward thegirl and extended the hat, saying simply and without emotion.
"Here's your hat!"
There was no embarrassment now or humility in his eyes as he lookedsteadily at Carolyn June. His expression was as cold as if the one towhom he spoke was an utter stranger.
"I--" Carolyn June hesitated, "oh, I thank you! It was kind of you tothink about it and ride back--back--there," she involuntarilyshuddered when she thought of the upper crossing, "and get it!"
The simple, unexpected thoughtfulness of the deed touched her. It wasthe natural, instinctive act of a gentleman. She had forgotten the hat.He had not. As she looked at him she felt that, someway, she might haveknown such a thing was exactly what he would do.
"You're welcome," he said quietly, starting to turn away.
A spirit of mischief suddenly flared up in her heart. She thought of thepink elastic she had lost and which she believed he was carrying now inhis pocket.
"Is the hat all--didn't you--" she intended to say "find somethingelse?" but quickly stopped. The Ramblin' Kid paused and turned againtoward Carolyn June. She hesitated in confusion. It had flashed to hermind that if he had the garter he would not lie about it. He would sayas much and offer to return it to her. Someway, she did not wishthat--she wanted him to keep it, but she did not want him to know thatshe wanted her garter to be carried by him!
His black eyes looked keenly at her, as if they would force from herlips the thing she e
vidently dared not say.
"I--I was just getting acquainted with the Gold Dust maverick!" CarolynJune finished lamely with a nervous laugh.
"You want to be careful," the Ramblin' Kid said with the slightest curlof his lips at her obvious shifting of meanings, "she ain't exactly a'lady's animal' yet. She'll fight. Skinny started to go in th' corralthis morning an' had to back up. Th' maverick went at him to kill.She's goin' to be a 'one-man' horse th' same as Captain Jack."
"Perhaps it was because she was afraid of him," Carolyn June suggested.
"Maybe it was because Skinny was afraid of her," the Ramblin' Kidchuckled.
"Aren't you going to ride the filly in that race at Eagle Butte?" sheasked suddenly with a hint of coquetry in her eyes and voice.
"Why?" he shot back at her, observing the changed inflection and look.
"I--I--would like you to," Carolyn June murmured demurely as shefollowed up the feminine method of mastering a man, "it would be fun tosee her run!"
"Is that all?" the Ramblin' Kid asked gently and with a peculiaremphasis.
"Isn't that enough?" the girl countered in a tone bordering close to thetender.
The answer was slow in coming.
"Th' Gold Dust maverick will be in th' sweepstakes," the Ramblin' Kidfinally said, a note of contempt in his voice. "I'll ride her"--as hejerked the saddle from Captain Jack, turned the stallion into thecorral, then started toward the bunk-house, while Carolyn June movedaway in the direction of the back-yard gate--"I'll ride her," herepeated, emphasizing strongly the last ten words, "_to beat thatThunderbolt horse from over on th' Vermejo_".
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