The Coyote

by James Roberts

  CHAPTER XXVIII

  A NIGHT SUMMONS

  In two hours Rathburn came to a fence about a small ranch. Cattle weregrazing on the sparse feed within the inclosure, and he saw a clump oftrees marking the site of a house.

  He rode around the fence until he came to a gate. There was a lightshining from two of the windows of the house. He passed through thegate, and, as he approached the house from the side, he saw twofigures on the porch. He halted in the shelter of the trees, and, asone of the figures crossed the beam of light which shone out the door,he saw that it was a man. He obtained a fleeting look at the man'sface. He was comparatively young, not bad looking, with blue eyes anda small, close-cropped, sandy mustache.

  Rathburn scratched his head in an effort to place the man. He seemedvaguely familiar. Rathburn was sure he had seen him somewhere. But hegave up the futile effort to identify him when he saw that the otherfigure on the porch was that of a girl.

  Dismounting, he led his horse around to the rear and put him in acorral near the barn. He surmised that it was about ten o'clock. As hewalked toward the front of the house, again he heard the sputtering ofa small motor car; then he saw the path of light from its headlightsgo streaking across the desert in the direction of the town tosouthward. The front door closed, and all was still.

  Rathburn hesitated for several moments, then he stamped up the porchsteps and knocked at the door. It was opened by a girl. She held alighted lamp in her hand. When she saw Rathburn standing, hat inhand, before her, her dark eyes widened, and she nearly dropped thelamp. He stepped forward quickly and took it from her.

  "Roger!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "You--here?"

  "I'm here, Laura," he said quietly. "I'm home on a--a visit."

  "I heard you were back," she faltered. "Mr. Doane--that is--agentleman from town told me he had heard you were back. But----"

  She scanned his face closely and peered beyond him into the shadowswith visible concern.

  "Roger, come in quickly," she invited, stepping back from the door.

  With a faint smile he entered and closed the door after him. He putthe lamp down on the table in what was evidently the sitting room ofthe small house. He looked about him with the air of one who seesfamiliar surroundings, but is embarrassed by them.

  "Some one been tellin' you the details of my arrival?" he asked withan effort to appear casual.

  "I heard you were in some trouble, Roger." The girl continued to stareat him with a queer expression in her fine eyes--part sorrow, partconcern, part gladness.

  "I'm not a stranger to trouble these days, Laura," he said soberly.

  There was a sob in the girl's throat, but she recovered herself atonce.

  "Have you eaten?" she asked quickly.

  "Up at Joe Price's place," he replied. "All fed and chipper."

  There was not much confidence in his tone or manner. As the girllowered her gaze, he looked at her hungrily; his eyes feasted on thecoils of dark hair, her long, black lashes, the curve of her cheekand her delicate color, the full, ruby lips, and the small, quiveringchin. She was in the throes of a strong emotion.

  "I'm sorry, Laura, if--you didn't want me to come," he saidunsteadily.

  "Oh, Roger! Of course we want you to come. It's been so long since wesaw you. And you've--you've gone through so much."

  She raised her eyes, and the expression which he saw in their depthscaused him to look away and to bite his lips.

  "There's a lot of it I wish I could undo, Laura; an' there's a lotmore of it I couldn't help, an' maybe some I--I--wasn't----" Hepaused. He couldn't bring himself to say anything in extenuation ofhimself and his acts in the presence of this girl. It might sound asif he were playing for her sympathy, he thought to himself.

  "Roger, I know you haven't done all the things I've heard about," shesaid bravely. "And there's always a chance. You're a man. You can finda way out. If the trails seem all twisted and tangled, you can use acompass--your own conscience, Roger. You still have that."

  "How did you happen to mention the trails bein' all mixed up likethat?" he asked curiously.

  "Why--I don't know. Isn't that the way it seems?"

  Rathburn looked away with a frown. "You come near hittin' the nail onthe head, Laura."

  "Oh, then you _are_ beginning to think!" she said eagerly.

  "I've done nothing but think for months," Rathburn confessed.

  She looked at him searchingly. Then her eyes dropped to the blackbutt of the gun in the holster strapped to his right thigh. Sheshuddered slightly.

  "You came from the west, Roger?" she asked.

  "Yes," he replied shortly. "From where there's water an' timber an'flowers an' grass--but they had my number there, just the same asthey've got it here. I'm a marked man, Laura Mallory."

  She leaned upon the table with one hand; the other she held upon herbreast.

  "Are--are they--after you, Roger?" she asked in a low, anxious tone.

  "As usual," he answered with a vague laugh. "Laura, I didn't come hereto bother you with my troubles; I come here just to see _you_."

  The girl colored. "I know, Roger. We've known each other a longtime--since we were children. You wouldn't like it for me not to showany concern over your troubles, would you?"

  "I wish we could talk about something else," said Rathburn. "I can'tstay long."

  Laura Mallory looked worried. "May I ask where you plan to go,Roger?"

  "I'm not sure. I only know I wanted to come back, an' I came. I hadn'tany fixed plans, an' I wasn't expecting the reception I got." His faceclouded. Then he looked straight into the girl's eyes. "I hit thiscountry this morning," he said steadily. "The first folks I saw wassome men ridin' in my direction up between the lava hills and therange. Then things began to happen."

  She nodded brightly. "I believe you," she said simply.

  Rathburn smiled. "You aways did that, Laura, an' I ain't never beenmuch of a hand at lying."

  "Roger," she said quickly, "if they all knew you as well as I think Iknow you----"

  "They wouldn't believe," he interrupted. "They call me The Coyote,an' they'll have me live up to the name whether I want to or not," headded bitterly.

  "But, Roger, you're forgetting what I said about the trails and thecompass."

  "No, Laura, I'm not, but there's another force besides the biglodestone that's affectin' that compass."

  "Roger, you're thinking of an enemy!"

  He did not answer her. His face appeared grim, almost haggard, in theyellow rays of the lamplight.

  "Roger, you once promised me anything I might ask," she said softly.

  "An' all you have to do is ask," he answered, taking a step towardher.

  "I'm going to ask you for something, Roger," she said without lookingat him. "Maybe you'll think it's--it's too much that I ask." Sheglanced up at him doubtfully.

  "What is it, Laura?" he insisted.

  "I want your gun, Roger," she whispered.

  He straightened and stared at her in startled wonder. "But, Laura--aman in my position--why--why--where would I be at?"

  "Maybe if you gave it to me it would help you find a way out, Roger,"she pleaded earnestly.

  Rathburn looked into her eyes and thrilled. Then without a word heunbuckled his cartridge belt which held his holstered gun, untied thestrap about his thigh and laid the belt with the weapon upon thetable.

  "Roger!" said the girl. The sob again was in her voice. She reachedout and placed a hand upon his arm.

  An elderly man appeared in the doorway from the kitchen.

  "Father, this is Roger," said the girl hurriedly. "He's back."

  "What's that? Roger, eh? You mean Rathburn is here?"

  The old man peered at the visitor from the doorway, his lean facetwitching. He stroked his gray beard in indecision. His blue eyeslooked long at Rathburn, then at the girl, and lastly at the gun andbelt on the table.

  "Well, hello, Rathburn," he said finally, advancing into the room. Heheld out a hand which Rathburn gr
asped.

  "Did you eat yet?" asked Mallory.

  "In the hills with Joe Price," replied Rathburn. "But I'm just as muchobliged."

  "Yes, of course," Mallory muttered. "With Joe, eh? He ain't been downin months. How is he?"

  "Looks good as a gold mine an' thinks he's found one," said Rathburn,looking at the girl's father curiously.

  "That's what keeps him up," Mallory asserted loudly. "He'll never getold as long as he thinks he's got a mine corralled. He ought to trystock raisin' for a while. You look older, Rathburn--more filled out.Are you still cutting 'em high, wide, an' handsome?"

  Rathburn's face clouded.

  "Roger's starting new, dad," the girl interposed.

  Mallory stared keenly at the younger man. He started to speak, but wasinterrupted by the sound of horses outside the house.

  Rathburn whirled toward the door, took a step, and stopped in histracks. The girl's hands flew to the sides of her face, and her eyeswidened with apprehension.

  "I'll go see who it is," said Mallory with a quick look at Rathburn.

  He hastened out into the kitchen, and a moment later they heard thekitchen door open. There was a murmur of voices. The girl stared atRathburn breathlessly, while he tapped with his slim fingers upon thetop of the table.

  Then Mallory came in. "Somebody to see you," he said to Rathburn.

  Rathburn looked once at the white-faced girl and followed her fatherout into the kitchen. She heard them speak in an undertone, and thenRathburn came back into the room.

  "I ain't much elated over my visitor," he said slowly. "I wish youhadn't asked me what you did until--well, until this caller had comean' gone."

  She looked straight into his eyes in an agony of dread.

  "Who is it, Roger?" she asked, wetting her lips.

  "Mike Eagen is out there," he answered calmly.

  She drew a quick breath, while he waited. Then he turned on his heeland started for the kitchen door.

  "Roger!" she called.

  He swung about and eyed her questioningly. She pointed at the heavybelt and gun on the table.

  "Take it," she whispered.

  He buckled on the belt and tied down the end of the holster so itcould not slip if he should draw the weapon within it. Then he madehis way into the kitchen and out of the rear door. Laura Mallory sankinto a chair, sobbing.