Three Finger all at once seemed to freeze in his chair. Terror showed in his face. His hands opened and shut convulsively.
Plummer raved on. "Wait till Pokerface meets you. It ain't me half as bad as it's you he's after. Wait, I say, and you'll have a chance to see how good you are! He's got a real reason for killing you!"
"Shut up!" Three Finger yelled, springing to his feet. "If yuh ever mention that tuh me again, I'll cut yore throat, so help me God!"
They stood staring at one another. Plummer wavered. He was resourceful. He knew that it would mean disaster to fight it out just now, for they were both rowing in the same leaking boat.
"No use for us to take on like this, Three Finger. You know with all my worries and responsibilities I flare up and don't mean half I say. We've got to fight this battle together."
"It's yore own damn fault!" Three Finger answered. "I ain't lookin' fer no fight with yuh, an' I ain't tryin' tuh dodge, neither. The only thing I says is, they ain't no use scourin' the Placerville country fer Pokerface an' the gal. Better scour Bannock City, or better still the outskirts an' Fort Boise. Give me a dozen good men an' let me hunt as I please, an I'll bring in Pokerface Bob's scalp."
"I'll have them ready in half an hour, and fresh horses, Three Finger. I'll take another bunch and cover the country toward the Fort."
* * * *
In spite of the heavy fall of snow Bob succeeded in wallowing through it to his cabin on Jackass Flat. There he found the snow much lighter, and the mules were in good condition. It had taken him only half a day to finish the roof and clean out the shallow snow from the dirt floor. A good fire in the rock fireplace soon dried this out.
For the first time in his life Bob Bainbridge felt like a fugitive. With a price on his head he knew that all the citizens of the Basin had declared war on him. He did not want to kill innocent deluded men, and for that reason he had taken refuge here. He had refused the help of Shorty and the Vigilantes for the same reason. This had been a personal fight with him all the way through and he couldn't risk the lives of his friends to insure his personal success and safety.
The last few days had wrought a great change in him. He was convinced that the gulf between him and the one girl in all the world could never be bridged. Without her the significance of the building of the empire dwindled almost to nothingness. Only his desire for revenge made him want to meet Three Finger Smith and Plummer. Then his work would be finished. What happened after that made little difference.
He meant to ride into town when the excitement subsided, hunt out Three Finger Smith and Plummer, and shoot it out with them. He was sure that if he killed them he would be tried for murder and be hanged. He had given those men, Buck and Dante, a better chance than he would have himself.
He had some sense of relief in the thought that through his actions he would likely make it safe for those he loved most. He knew that Shorty would protect Dixie to the last; that his fine little bow-legged partner and his wife would live to enjoy the glory of the new empire. That was more than he could ask.
* * * *
Shorty and Daisy were arguing with Dixie. She was sitting beside the stove wiping her wet cheeks with the corner of her apron.
"I can't let poor Bob go off alone like this!" she cried. "I must go to him, Shorty! He needs me! Oh, why did I send him away? Why on earth didn't I listen?" Her shoulders shook with her sobbing.
Shorty blew his nose. "Hell o' a cold I got all o' a sudden, but then these winter colds comes on thataway. Daisy what in heck yuh snuffin' about? Dammit, be a sweet gal an' dry up!"
Daisy gave him one look, then turned her back to him. "It wouldn't be safe, dearie," she said to Dixie. "We've got to hide you with some of the Vigilantes for awhile. Come spring, we can get over the mountain to Bob, and then everything can be patched up. He made us promise to take care of you and protect you with our lives. Please do as we say."
"I don't care if the drifts are fifty feet deep, I'll crawl to him if you'll tell me where he is"; Dixie pleaded.
"Tell yuh what, Dixie," Shorty interrupted. "I'll find a nice place fer yuh with one o' the miners I kin trust. Yuh kin stay thar a few days, an' then I'll see if I kin git through tuh Bob. Then, whatever he says goes."
"Please tell him he must take me back! I'll do anything! He must not be out there alone when--"
A knock sounded on the door, and the voices hushed as they stared at each other. Shorty drew his gun and opened the door an inch.
"It's me, Shorty! Pat Davis, the Vigilante!" The man's voice trembled with excitement.
Shorty opened the door, and Daisy sighed with relief.
"What's the matter?" Shorty asked anxiously.
"Every miner in camp except the Vigilantes are carryin' guns for Bob Bainbridge! I was at the meetin' today. Tried to come in an' tell you, but the place is bein' watched, an' I couldn't steal through till tonight'"
"Plummer done this?"
"Shore! He's offered two thousand dollars to the man who brings him in!"
"So they've raised the ante?" Shorty asked solemnly. "There, Dixie, hang it all, don't carry on like this!"
"But, Shorty," she sobbed, "they'll shoot him down like a dog, without a chance!"
"I overheerd Plummer an' Three Finger talkin'," Davis continued. "They're after the gal too. I thought maybe you'd let her come home with me. My missus'll take care of her. We lives back up the gulch three mile. Tain't likely they'd look there."
"Much obliged to yuh, Pat. Kin yuh take her right now? Bob'll fix it with yuh some time."
"'You're darn tootin', Shorty. But we got to hurry. I'll take her up, an' then I'm notifyin' the Vigilantes. You see, the Plummer Gang thinks I belong to them--a full-fledged member. I'll try an' keep you posted. We got to do something for Bainbridge."
Dixie was now willing to do whatever her friends said.
"And be careful to keep this shawl up around your neck good so's you won't catch cold," cautioned Daisy, with a sob in her voice, but trying vainly to keep from crying. "Stop that blubberin' now! Can't you see how brave I am?"
"Sure, Daisy, I'm not crying," Dixie answered with the tears running down her cheeks.
Shorty helped her up behind Pat on his sweating horse and they were off.
The log room seemed to be holding its breath, it was so silent when Shorty and Daisy closed the door behind them. They both sensed it as they stood staring at each other with a question on their faces. After a long silence, Daisy spoke.
"Shorty Windless, you lazy good-for-nothing lummox, take that bucket and haul in some water! I got to heat some so's you can scrub your feet before you can sleep with me tonight. Lord knows, that gal was as clean as a pin."
Shorty grinned and picked up the bucket. As he started out the back door he turned long enough to say, "Yuh danged little Strawberry Roan!"
26
MORNING BROKE CLEAR AND COLD. THE HORSES made crunching noises in the crusted snow, as Three Finger and his men rode out of the livery stable toward Placerville. Plummer and his picked men had gone toward Fort Boise the night before and wouldn't be back until evening.
Three Finger figured on stealing a march on his chief, and capture Bob and Dixie while the sheriff was away and couldn't interfere with his plans. They would fall in on the cabins of Shorty Windless, Jim, and Ranger, where they were sure they would find them. He knew from the way the woman acted when he called, that Dixie, at least, was there. She couldn't have gone out of the valley toward the summit on account of the heavy snow.
It was ten o'clock when Shorty, feeding his saddle horse his grain, saw twenty men coming straight for the house. He eased his guns in their holsters and walked slowly to meet them.
Three Finger stopped at the head of his gang in the yard. Shorty took his place at the door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the muzzle of a rifle pointing through the window. Daisy had also seen them coming.
"Wal, what's eatin' yuh?" Shorty demanded coldly.
"We wants Bob Bainbri
dge an' Dixie Lee!" Three Finger spoke authoritatively. "Will yuh deliver 'cm up, er will we take 'em?"
"They ain't here, Three Finger! An' if they was I wouldn't turn 'em over to yuh!"
Three Finger eyed him dangerously. "Yore resistin' the law, yuh understand? What's tuh hinder us from searchin' this place an' runnin' yuh in fer resistin' the officers in performin' their duty?"
"That don't worry me none, Three Finger. But I ain't got no reason fer not lettin' yuh search the house if yuh wants tuh."
"Search 'er, men!" 'Three Finger commanded, "while I watches this man!"
The search was quickly made and the men returned to report no signs of the fugitives. Daisy followed them to the door with the rifle in her hands.
"Sure, if Shorty hadn't been such a fool to let you come in I'd a peppered your no-count hides from the window," she said indignantly.
A look of angry disappointment spread over Three Finger's face. Shorty was watching his every expression.
"Where's Pokerface?" Three Finger demanded sharply. "He was here when I come yesterday, an' the place's been watched since!"
"I don't know what yore talkie' about, Three Finger. I'm only a poor miner. Got a claim down the valley there."
"Yuh stand thar an' tell me yuh ain't one o' his gang?"
"I didn't know he had any gang," Shorty fenced. "I guess if they was sech a person an' he had a gang, I'd be one o' 'em, 'cause I don't like yuh nohow."
"Don't go for a gun, Three Finger!" shrilled Daisy, "or I'll blow you to kingdom come!"
The men had been so intent on the quarrel between Three Finger and Shorty they hadn't noticed her bring the big rifle to her shoulder and cover their leader.
Three Finger gaped at the big muzzle for a moment without speaking. Then he called to the men. "Come on, men, they ain't nothin' here but a hell-cat!" And the party rode away.
The same procedure was carried out at the other cabin. Three Finger left four men in the neighborhood to watch the cabins, spot anyone coming in or going out, and report what took place. He would capture Pokerface Bob and the gal if he had to sacrifice every one of his men to do it. He was certain Pokerface was hidden away in the neighborhood someplace. He'd blockade the place and bottle them up.
Two cold days dragged by. The guards were relieved at intervals, but there was nothing to report. Three Finger, penned in, was growing impatient. Plummer had returned to Bannock without success, and was more nettled than usual.
"We'll start in now and fine-comb this whole Basin," he told Three Finger. "Pokerface and that gal are here some place and I mean to find them. I want Pokerface for the murder of John Lee. We'll try him and hang him on Main Street in front of the saloon."
He had picked up Dante and Buck in Fort Boise and brought them back hot and ready to follow Pokerface to hell to get even with him. Plummer turned them over to Three Finger, who put them out on guard duty in Placerville.
Late that evening Dante saw a horseman ride up to Shorty's cabin. About twenty minutes later Shorty and the man came out and rode away. Dante notified Buck, and they fell in behind them as they headed for the pass toward Jackass Flat. A quarter of a mile up the gulch the two riders separated.
"Buck," Dante whispered, "I'm follerin' up the gulch tuh see where this feller's headed. You foller that one. When you find out where he's goin', hightail it tuh Bannock. I'll do the same."
Dante started up the gully, and Buck turned almost at left angles to follow his man.
It was past midnight when Shorty pounded on Bob's door in Jackass Flat. "Open up, podner! It's Shorty!"
Bob leaped from his blankets and unbolted the door.
"What is it, Shorty?"
"It's Dixie. She's sick. I sent her tuh Pat Davis up the gulch. Plummer's been tryin' tuh find her. She wanted tuh come to yuh, but we done told her she couldn't git through. Them clanged pesky rats has got us sewed up. I had a time breakin' through without bein' seen."
"Oh, God! Is she bad sick, Shorty?" He was scrambling into his clothes.
"Davis says she keeps babblin' fer yuh every time she dozes. Jest pinin' fer yuh. Will yuh go tuh her now?"
"Will I? Just let anyone try to stop me, that's all! Three Finger and all his hellions couldn't stop me! Good Lord, if anything should happen to her, partner--oh, hell, come on! Saddle up one of my horses. Yours is petered out. We're riding, partner!"
Dante stood on the brink of the hill overlooking Bob's cabin, watching until he saw them saddle their horses, then he headed back along the trail as fast as he could push his tired horse.
At last he had discovered the hang-out of his bitter enemy. He was tempted to try for the reward single-handed, but knowing that his boss wanted the girl he thought it best to let them go for the night and watch where they went. He had a feeling that where they were going he would find the girl. The rest would be easy. He would get his share of the reward and perhaps have a hand in bringing down his deadly enemy. He would start him on a forty-mile hike in a snowstorm, would he?
Then, because he feared they might overtake him on their fresh horses he forced his mount into the black underbrush, where he floundered in the deep crusted snow. He was surprised to find himself trembling from head to foot. He wasn't cold, but his teeth chattered nervously.
As morning neared it became colder. He was numb before the bitter cold forced him to take the trail again. His quarry had passed and he fell in behind. The movement of the horse began to bring back the circulation again. Pokerface Bob would pay for this he swore.
He began urging his horse with the spurs. He wanted to get in sight of them for fear they might desert the trail, and he didn't want to have to track them in the darkness. He wouldn't take any chance on losing them now. His mount was blowing hard, but still he urged him on. At last he came in sight of them, dark against the white snow far ahead. He kept the pace even though it was taxing his horse to the limit.
Crossing the ridge they dropped down into the gulch leading to the Basin. Dante followed them at a safe distance. Then, abruptly they turned to the left in the direction the other rider had taken. That was enough for Dante. He headed at an easy pace now toward Bannock City.
* * * *
It was four o'clock in the morning when Shorty and Bob reached the little cabin in the gulch. The light was burning and Mrs. Davis opened the door for them. She was a sweet-faced little woman with hair prematurely gray. She smiled a welcome.
"I'm so glad you've come," she said softly, holding the door open for them.
Bob quickly crossed to the door leading to the bedroom where Dixie was lying. Her white face was half buried in the pillow. Her eyes were closed. Bob tiptoed to the bed. The others stood back anxiously looking on. Quietly he kneeled down beside her.
"Dixie," he crooned softly, "it's Bob."
At the sound of his voice she opened her eyes. For a moment she stared at him incredibly, then suddenly her arms reached out to him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She softly stroked his beard, then patted him tenderly on his shoulders.
Mrs. Davis, pulling her apron to her eyes, turned from the doorway. Shorty followed. Pat Davis arose from his chair in the corner and tiptoed from the room.
"Oh, Bob, my own! I thought I had lost you, and I love you so!" she sobbed.
He slipped his arms about her, kissing her again and again. "Darling," he murmured, "can you ever forgive me?"
"Forgive you?" she smiled through her tears, as she gazed hungrily at him. "We'll forget the past now. It's a closed book to me. I have you now, haven't I? Oh, darling, I need you so! These people are so good to me, but I am so alone without you. We'll be married now, won't we? We'll never be separated again. Oh, I'm so happy!"
"Dixie, darling, you know I love you better than anything on earth. But, you know, dear, there is a price on my head. I'm an outlaw in the eyes of these people in the Basin. I promise you that as soon as I can clear myself, or prove that Sheriff Plummer and Three Finger Smith are the real outlaws in this territory, I'll
marry you."
"Then you don't want me now?" Her eyes showed the fear that lurked in her heart. "I need you, Bob! I'm afraid of Three Finger! Plummer is evil, but Three Finger is a demon!" She clung to him frantically.
"You have nothing to fear, my dear," he soothed. "They would never look for you here. We hope it will only be a little while, and then we can be happy together. This is going to be a great empire, but lawlessness must be stamped out if we are to live in peace. Then we'll have a nice little home and flowers, and maybe--"
"Children," she prompted as a slight flush came into her pale cheeks. "Oh, Bob, I'd wait forever if I weren't so afraid, but every time I hear a sound I'm afraid it's Plummer or Three Finger after me I'd rather die than have them take me!" she said vehemently. "But then," she added with a sigh, "perhaps you know best."
"Dixie, dear, you must get well now, for my sake. I'll never be far away from you. Can't you see I can't offer you my name with the taint of outlaw on it?"
"Of course, Bob. Don't worry about me any more. I'll get well and wait for you."
Some time later Shorty touched Rob on the arm. "It's gettin' almost daylight, Bob. The country's bein' watched. It ain't safe tuh stay here any longer. I'll soon bring him back, Dixie, if I has tuh break somebody's clanged neck tuh do it!"
It was hard for Bob to tear himself away, but he knew it would be foolish for him to stay here and risk capture.
For some distance the two partners rode in silence. Bob was thoroughly engrossed in his own thoughts. Finally, with a happy smile he turned to Shorty. "She's the most wonderful gal in the world, isn't she, Shorty?"
"Yeah, after my Strawberry Roan, I thinks maybe she is."
Bob laughed as he leaned sideways in the saddle and slapped Shorty on the shoulder. Had he known what was taking place in the Bannock Saloon at that very moment even his great love for Dixie would not have cheered him.
27
THREE FINGER SMITH SPENT A RESTLESS NIGHT. The dragging days of vigilance, scouring the country for Pokerface Bob and Dixie Lee without success, was fast bringing his impatience to the ragged edge of frenzy. Then things were not congenial between himself and his chief, whom he was thrusting into the background. Plummer still bore the name of sheriff, but Three Finger was fast becoming the power behind the throne. Plummer had brains, but was a natural coward at heart. Three Finger, while lacking Plummer's lightning mind, made up for it in dogged tenacity in putting through his evil plans.
The Bitterroot Trail Page 20