XI
LARRY'S ACQUITTAL
A warm wind from the Pacific, which had swept down through the Rockies'passes, had mitigated the Arctic cold, and the snow lay no more thanthinly sprinkled upon the prairie. Hetty Torrance and Miss Schuyler wereriding up through the birch bluff from the bridge of the Cedar. It was dimamong the trees, for dusk was closing in, the trail was rough and steep,and Hetty drew bridle at a turn of it.
"I quite fancied we would have been home before it was dark, and my fatherwould be just savage if he knew we were out alone," she said. "Of course,he wouldn't have let us go if he had been at Cedar."
Flora Schuyler looked about her with a shiver. The wind that shook thebirches had grown perceptibly colder: the gloom beneath them deepenedrapidly, and there was a doleful wailing amidst the swinging boughs.Beyond the bluff the white wilderness, sinking into dimness now, ran back,waste and empty, to the horizon. Miss Schuyler was from the cities, andthe loneliness of the prairie is most impressive when night is closingdown.
"Then one could have wished he had been at home," she said.
Perhaps Hetty did not hear her plainly, for the branches thrashed abovethem just then. "Oh, that's quite right. Folks are not apt to worry muchover the things they don't know about," she said.
"It was not your father I was sorry for," Flora Schuyler said sharply."The sod is too hard for fast riding, and it will be 'most an hour yetbefore we get home. I wish we were not alone, Hetty."
Hetty sighed. "It was so convenient once!" she said. "Whenever I wanted toride out I had only to send for Larry. It's quite different now."
"I have no doubt Mr. Clavering would have come," said Miss Schuyler.
"Oh, yes," Hetty agreed. "Still, I'm beginning to fancy you were rightabout that man. Like a good many more of them, he's quite nice at adistance; but there are men who should never let anyone get too close tothem."
"You have had quite a few opportunities of observing him at a shortdistance lately."
Hetty laughed, but there was a trace of uneasiness in her voice. "I couldwish my father didn't seem quite so fond of him. Oh--there's somebodycoming!"
Instinctively she wheeled her horse into the deeper shadow of the birchesand Miss Schuyler followed. There was no habitation within a league ofthem, and though the frost, which put a period to the homesteaders'activities, lessened the necessity for the cattle-barons' watchfulness,unpleasant results had once or twice attended a chance encounter betweentheir partisans. It was also certain that somebody was coming, and Hettyfelt her heart beat as she made out the tramp of three horses. Thevultures the struggle had attracted had, she knew, much less considerationfor women than the homesteaders or cattle-boys.
"Hadn't we better ride on?" asked Miss Schuyler.
"No," said Hetty; "they would most certainly see us out on the prairie.Back your horse quite close to mine. If we keep quiet they might pass ushere."
Her voice betrayed what she was feeling, and Flora Schuyler feltunpleasantly apprehensive as she urged her horse farther into the gloom.The trampling came nearer, and by and by a man's voice reached her.
"Hadn't you better pull up and get down?" it said. "I'm not much use attracking, but somebody has been along here a little while ago. You see,there are only three of us!"
"They're homesteaders, and they've found our trail," exclaimed Hetty, witha little gasp of dismay.
There was scarcely an opening one could ride through between the birchesbehind them, and it was evident that the horsemen could scarcely fail tosee them the moment they left their shelter. One of them had alreadydismounted, and was apparently stooping beside the prints the horse-hoofshad left where a little snow had sifted down upon the trail. Hetty heardhis laugh, and it brought her a great relief.
"I don't think you need worry, Breckenridge. There were only two ofthem."
Hetty wheeled her horse. "It's Larry," she said.
A minute later he saw them, and, pulling up, took off his hat; but FloraSchuyler noticed that he ventured on no more than this.
"It is late for you to be out alone. You are riding home?" he said.
"Of course!" said Hetty with, Miss Schuyler fancied, a chilliness whichcontrasted curiously with the relief she had shown a minute or twoearlier.
"Well," said Grant quietly, "I'm afraid you will have to put up with ourcompany. There are one or two men I have no great opinion of somewhereabout this prairie. This is Mr. Breckenridge, and as the trail is roughand narrow, he will follow with Miss Schuyler. I presume you don't mindriding with him, although, like the rest of us, he is under thedispleasure of your friends the cattle-barons?"
Miss Schuyler looked at him steadily. "I don't know enough of this troubleto make sure who is right," she said. "But I should never be prejudicedagainst any American who was trying to do what he felt was the work meantfor him."
"Well," said Grant, with a little laugh, "Breckenridge will feel sorrythat he's an Englishman."
Miss Schuyler turned to the young man graciously, and the dim light showedthere was a twinkle in her eyes.
"That," she said, "is the next best thing. Since you are with Mr. Grantyou no doubt came out to this country because you thought we neededreforming, Mr. Breckenridge?"
The lad laughed as they rode on up the trail with Grant and Hetty in frontof them, and Muller following.
"No," he said. "To be frank, I came out because my friends in the old oneseemed to fancy the same thing of me. When they have no great use for ayoung man yonder, they generally send him to America. In fact, they sendsome of them quite a nice cheque quarterly so long as they stay there. Yousee, we are like the hedgehogs, or your porcupines, if you grow them here,Miss Schuyler."
Flora Schuyler smiled. "You are young, or you wouldn't empty the magazineall at once in answer to a single shot."
"Well," said Breckenridge, "so are you. It is getting dark, but I have anotion that you are something else too. The fact I mentioned explains theliberty."
Flora shook her head. "The dusk is kind. Any way, I know I am years olderthan you. There are no little girls in this country like the ones you havebeen accustomed to."
"Now," said Breckenridge, "my sisters and cousins are, I firmly believe, agood deal nicer than those belonging to most other men; but, you see, Ihave quite a lot of them, and any one so favoured loses a good manyillusions."
In the meantime Hetty, who, when she fancied he would not observe it,glanced at him now and then, rode silently beside Grant until he turned toher.
"I have a good deal to thank you for, Hetty, and--for you know I was neverclever at saying the right thing--I don't quite know how to begin. Still,in the old times we understood just what each other meant so well thattalking wasn't necessary. You know I'm grateful for my liberty and wouldsooner take it from you than anybody else, don't you?"
Hetty laid a restraint upon herself, for there was a thrill in the man'svoice, which awakened a response within her. "Wouldn't it be better toforget those days?" she said. "It is very different now."
"It isn't easy," said Grant, checking a sigh. "I 'most fancied they hadcome back the night you told me how to get away."
Hetty's horse plunged as she tightened its bridle in a fashion there wasno apparent necessity for. "That," she said chillingly, "was quite foolishof you, and it isn't kind to remind folks of the things they had betternot have done. Now, you told us the prairie wasn't safe because of some ofyour friends."
"No," said Grant drily, "I don't think I did. I told you there were somemen around I would sooner you didn't fall in with."
"Then they must be your partisans. There isn't a cattle-boy in thiscountry who would be uncivil to a woman."
"I wish I was quite sure. Still, there are men coming in who don't carewho is right, and only want to stand in with the men who will give themthe most dollars or let them take what they can. We have none to giveaway."
"Larry," the girl said hotly, "do you mean that we would be glad to paythem?"
"No. But they will most of the
m quite naturally go over to you, which willmake it harder for us to get rid of them. We have no use for men of thatkind in this country."
"No?" said the girl scornfully. "Well, I fancied they would have come inquite handy--there was a thing you did."
"You heard of that?"
"Yes," very coldly. "It was a horrible thing."
Grant's voice changed to a curious low tone. "Did you ever see me hurtanything when I could help it in the old days, Hetty?"
"No. One has to be honest; I remember how you once hurt your hand taking ajack-rabbit out of a trap."
"And how you bound it up?"
"Well," said Hetty, "I don't know, after the work you have done with it,that I should care to do that now."
"There are affairs you should never hear of and I don't care to talk aboutwith you," Grant said, very quietly, "but since you have mentioned thisone you must listen to me. Just as it is one's duty to give no needlesspain to anything, so there is an obligation on him to stop any other manwho would do it. Is it wrong to kill a grizzly or a rattlesnake, ormerciful to leave them with their meanness to destroy whatever they want?Now, if you had known a quiet American who did a tolerably dangerous thingbecause he fancied it was right, and found him shot in the back, and thetrail of the man who crept up behind him and killed him for a few dollars,would you have let that man go?"
Hetty ignored the question. "The man was your friend."
"Well," said Grant slowly, "he had done a good deal for me, but that wouldnot have counted for very much with any one when we made our decision."
"No?" And Hetty glanced at him with a little astonishment.
Grant shook his head. "No," he said. "We had to do the square thing--thatand nothing more; but if we had let that man go, he would, when the chancewas given him, have done what he did again. Well, it was--horrible; butthere was no law that would do the work for us in this country then."
Hetty shivered, but had there been light enough Grant would have seen therelief in her face, and as it was his pulse responded to the little quiverin her voice. Why it was she did not know, but the belief in him which shehad once cherished suddenly returned to her. In the old days the man shehad never thought of as a lover could, at least, do no wrong.
"I understand." Her voice was very gentle. "There must be a good deal ofmeanness in me, or I should have known you only did it because you are awhite man, and felt you had to. Oh, of course, I know--only it's so mucheasier to go round another way so you can't see what you don't want to.Larry, I'm sorry."
Grant's voice quivered. "The only thing you ever do wrong, Hetty, is toforget to think now and then; and by and by you will find somebody who isgood enough to think for you."
The girl smiled. "He would have to be very patient, and the trouble isthat if he was clever enough to do the thinking he wouldn't have the leastbelief in me. You are the only man, Larry, who could see people'smeannesses and still have faith in them."
"I am a blunderer who has taken up a contract that's too big for him,"Grant said gravely. "I have never told anyone else, Hetty, but there aretimes now and then when, knowing the kind of man I am, I get 'most sickwith fear. All the poor men in this district are looking to me, and,though I lie awake at night, I can't see how I'm going to help them whenone trace of passion would let loose anarchy. It's only right they'rewanting, that is, most of the Dutchmen and the Americans--but there's themad red rabble behind them, and the bitter rage of hard men who have beentrampled on, to hold in. It's a crushing weight we who hold the reins havegot to carry. Still, we were made only plain farmer men, and I guess we'renot going to be saddled with more than we can bear."
He had spoken solemnly from the depths of his nature, and all that wasgood in the girl responded.
"Larry," she said softly, "while you feel just that I think you can't gowrong. It is what is right we are both wanting, and--though I don't knowhow--I feel we will get it by and by, and then it will be the best thingfor homestead-boys and cattle-barons. When that time comes we will be gladthere were white men who took up their load and worried through, and whenthis trouble's worked out and over there will be nothing to stop us beinggood friends again."
"Is that quite out of the question now?"
"Yes," said Hetty simply. "I am sorry, but, Larry, can't you understand?You are leading the homestead-boys, and my father the cattle-barons. Firstof all I've got to be a dutiful daughter."
"Of course," he agreed. "Well, it can't last for ever, and we can only dothe best we can. Other folks had the same trouble when the boys in Sumterfired the starting gun--North and South at each other's throats, and bothAmericans!"
Hetty decided that she had gone sufficiently far, and turned in hersaddle. "What is the Englishman telling you, Flo?" she asked.
Miss Schuyler laughed. "He was almost admitting that the girls in thiscountry are as pretty as those they raise in the one he came from."
"Well," said Breckenridge, "if it was daylight I'd be sure."
Grant fancied that it was not without a purpose his companion checked herhorse to let the others come up, and, though it cost him an effort,acquiesced. His laugh was almost as ready as that of the rest as they rodeon four abreast, until at last the lights of Cedar Range blinked besidethe bluff. Then, they grew suddenly silent again as Muller, who it seemedremembered that he had been taught by the franc tireurs, rode past themwith his rifle across his saddle. They pulled up when his figure cutblackly against the sky on the crest of a rise, and Hetty's laugh wasscarcely light-hearted.
"You have been very good, and I am sorry I can't ask you to come in," shesaid. "Still, I don't know that it's all our fault; we are under martiallaw just now."
Grant took off his hat and wheeled his horse, and when the girls rodeforward sat rigid and motionless, watching them until he saw the ray fromthe open door of Cedar Range. Then, Muller trotted up, and with a littlesigh he turned homewards across the prairie.
About the same time Richard Clavering lay smoking, in a big chair in theroom where he kept his business books and papers. He wore, among othersomewhat unusual things, a velvet jacket, very fine linen, and on one ofhis long, slim fingers a ring of curious Eastern workmanship. Claveringwas a man of somewhat expensive tastes, and his occasional visits to thecities had cost him a good deal, which was partly why an accountant,famous for his knowledge of ranching property, now sat busy at a table. Hewas a shrewd, direct American, and had already spent several daysendeavouring to ascertain the state of Clavering's finances.
"Nearly through?" the rancher asked, with a languidness which theaccountant fancied was assumed.
"I can give you a notion of how you stand, right now," he answered. "Youwant me to be quite candid?"
"Oh, yes," said Clavering, with a smile of indifference. "I'm in a tightplace, Hopkins?"
"I guess you are--any way, if you go on as you're doing. You see what Iconsider it prudent to write off the value of your property?"
Clavering examined the paper handed him with visible astonishment. "Whyhave you whittled so much off the face value?"
"Just because you're going to have that much taken away from you by andby."
Clavering's laugh was quietly scornful. "By the homestead-boys?"
"By the legislature of this State. The law is against you holding whatyou're doing now."
"We make what law there is out here."
"Well," said Hopkins, coolly, "I guess you're not going to do it long. Youknow the maxim about fooling the people. It can't be done."
"Aren't you talking like one of those German socialists?"
"On the contrary. I quite fancy I'm talking like a business man. Now, youwant to realize on those cattle before the winter takes the flesh offthem, and extinguish the bank loan with what you get for them."
Clavering's face darkened. "That would strip the place, and I'd have toborrow to stock again."
"You'd have to run a light stock for a year or two."
"It wouldn't suit me to do anything that would proclaim my poverty
justnow," said Clavering.
"Then you'll have to do it by and by. The interest on the bond iscrippling you."
"Well." Clavering lighted another cigar. "I told you to be straight. Goright on. Tell me just what you would do if the place was in your hands."
"Sell out those cattle and take the big loan up. Clear off the importedhorses and pedigree brood mares. You have been losing more dollars thanmany a small rancher makes over them the last few years."
"I like good horses round the place," Clavering said languidly.
"The trouble," said Hopkins, "is that you can't afford to have them. Then,I would cut down my personal expenses by at least two-thirds. The ranchcan't stand them. Do you know what you have been spending in the cities?"
"No. I gave you a bundle of bills so you could find it out."
Hopkins' smile was almost contemptuous. "I guess you had better burn themwhen I am through. I'll mention one or two items. One hundred dollars forflowers; one thousand in several bills from Chicago jewellers! Thearticles would count as an asset. Have you got them?"
"I haven't," said Clavering. "They were for a lady."
"Well," said Hopkins, "you know best; but one would have fancied there wasmore than one of them from the bills. Here's another somewhat curiousitem: hats--I guess they came from Paris--and millinery, two hundreddollars' worth of them!"
A little angry light crept into Clavering's eyes. "If I hadn't been soabominably careless you wouldn't have seen those bills. I meant to putthem down as miscellaneous and destroy the papers. Well, I've done withthat extravagance, any way, and it's to hear the truth I'm paying youquite a big fee. If I go on just as I'm doing, how long would you giveme?"
"Two years. Then the bank will put the screw on you. The legislature maypull you up earlier, but I can tell you more when I've squared upto-morrow."
There was a curious look in Clavering's dark eyes, but he laughed again.
"I guess that's about enough. But I'll leave you to it now," he said."It's quite likely I'll have got out of the difficulty before one of thoseyears is over."
He went out, and a few minutes later stopped as he passed the one bigmirror in the ranch, and surveyed himself critically for a moment with adispassionate interest that was removed from vanity. Then he nodded as ifcontented.
"With Torrance to back me it might be done," he said. "Liberty is sweet,but I don't know that it's worth at least fifty thousand dollars!"
The Cattle-Baron's Daughter Page 11