Plain Mary Smith: A Romance of Red Saunders

by Henry Wallace Phillips

  XII

  BILL MEETS A RELATIVE

  Perez had a fine house, a revelation to me; big halls, big rooms, thewalls covered with pictures, Injun relics, armor, swords, guns, and whatnot; many servants to fetch and carry, and an ease and comfort over itfor which delicious is the only word.

  We had a bully little dinner out in the cool garden, which I got throughall right by playing second to Perez. The finger-bowls had me off thetrail a little, but I waited and discovered their purpose. You can findout everything if you wait long enough.

  Then with coffee and cigars we began to talk.

  "Now for the plan of Senor Saunders," says Perez, opening the bottom ofhis well-supported vest. He looked so respectable and ordinary sittingthere, that my plan lost its light. I forgot the other side of him.

  "Well," I begun, lamely, "Saxton wants to marry Mary."

  Perez politely acknowledged that such was the fact.

  "Then," says I, "why don't he just do it?"

  Perez looked his disappointment.

  "That would be well, surely," says he in the tone one uses to a harmlessfool.

  "Here," says I. "First, I want to break into Mr. Belknap. You say he'sgot some kind of political game on?"

  Perez renewed his interest. "_Si_," says he. "This is what he makes. Heis now going to and fro, putting those that have come to his churchagainst those of the old religion. Against the Catholic Church he laysthe blame of everything wrong. It will be a revolution, he says, toannihilate that enemy of man, the old church, and in its place put thatwonder of virtue, the church of Mr. Belknap. What _will_ happen is thatmany poor men shall be killed, and the wolf-rascals get fat, as usual.With Belknap are the few in earnest, who think; the many who neithercare nor think, but are led; those that fight for love of it; those whoare hypocrites, and those who look for profit. On our side, the same.There is no advantage to either by comparison in that. In here comes thedifference. Such men as Orinez and myself know that this unhappy landmust have peace, before any notion of right can grow. When it is allfight, fight, fight, one cannot think evenly--has your brother beenkilled? Your wife and sisters murdered? And then you will think calmlyof the issue? Time is needed to heal these old wounds, that more canwork together. So Orinez and I fight for time--I with my money and mycounsel, he with the terror of his name. Once I did Orinez a favor; henever forgets. So when I called to help me in this, the tiger sheathedhis claws; the man of blood turned shepherd; the robber, honest;but,"--and here Perez's voice took a bitterness worse than curses,--"butMr. Belknap, that respected man of God, will have it that the need ofthe State is the drawing of blood--once more, fire, slaughter, rape,till the land stinks with corpses, lays black in the sunlight and ringswith the cries of injured women--a great work...."

  Perez stood up, gripping the table. "I am a little, peaceful man," hesaid, "but there are times when I could drive a knife through that manand shout with joy for every blow." He sat down quickly and smiled afaint smile. "_My_ obsession," said he, wiping his forehead; "I, too,preach peace through the letting of blood. Belknap may be as much inearnest as myself--Bah! This foolish pretense of candor! He is _not_; heis a scoundrel--whether he knows it or not, a scoundrel."

  "Well, that's good news," said I. "It won't be hard for me to pick aquarrel with him, which is precisely what I intend to do. I'll meet hisschemes with some of my own, Mary likes me, and it will be at least astand-off in her mind if Brother Belknap and I fall out. Then the nextthing is for Arthur to get a party of men, capture Mary, take her offand marry her."

  Perez threw up his hands in horror. "Senor Saunders!" he cried; "for youto say this! I am astonished! Abstract the lady without her wish? SurelyI have not heard you rightly--_chanzas aparte_, you play with me--youwish to see me look?"

  "Not I," says I, stout; "I mean every word of it. As Sax said thisafternoon, there's times when it's wicked to twiddle with courtesy. Thatgirl will ruin her whole life if Belknap has the making of it. Herfriends oughtn't to stand by and see it done--damn it, man! Suppose shedropped her handkerchief as she was falling over a cliff--what would youdo first: save her life or pick up the handkerchief?"

  Perez puffed and thought a moment. "_Tiene V. razon_," he says, "thereis more here than a ball-room. I knew her as a girl, I know her now.Belknap I know too. My life I stake on it that for Belknap to win her,means her life wrecked, and yet I stop--from habit. I stake my life--Imean it--on my judgment, yet dare not stake an action to make thatjudgment good."

  He waited again, while the minutes slipped by; drumming on the table;shifting things in his mind. The whole air of long, long use to thehandsome, nice things I saw about me struck me strong in the man. He wasborn to it, and his forebears centuries before him. Yet instead ofbreeding out the man in him, it had only taken off the scum.

  At last he spoke. "Give me more time, _campanero_. I shall consider thisfurther. To meddle with other lives is always a dangerous business, justas not to meddle may be a shameful one. As it stands, if he gets not thelady for a wife, Saxton is a lost man--I know him. On his word, on yourword and on my word, she is not indifferent to him. We know Belknap is arascal, and for her unfit. And so, action--yet I am a man of peace."

  He smiled at me. "Did you ever see a man of peace in more unpeacefulplace? Well, Senor Saunders, your plan has that daring which often cowssuccess. It remains to be seen whether Arthur can by any means bebrought to think of it: his pride will be afire at the thought--yes,that is it. Listen. If you can gain his acceptance--and you have no planwithout it--I am with you, heart and soul."

  "Good!" says I. "Shake hands on it. I sha'n't strike Arthur at once. Imean to work up the disagreement with Brother Belknap first. 'T will dono harm in any case if his head is punched."

  Perez laughed. "You are warrior, pure and not so simple," says he."Heaven send strength to your arm when you meet."

  "I ask no odds of top, bottom, nor middle," says I. "Give me a fairfield."

  "There spoke a better spirit than Achilles of old times," says Perez."So should I be, if I had an arm like that."

  "I'll bet there'd be some danger in you, my friend!" says I.

  The light went out of his face. "Mention it not," he said sternly. "Onceit was my misfortune to kill a man--you are not offended at my speech?"

  "Not on your family portraits!--but, of course, I couldn't know--youain't put out, for your part?"

  "Only what is right I should be--what is it your great poet says--'bearsyet a precious jewel in its head'? So with me. To walk with a ghost hasdone me no harm. In pity for myself, I pity others. But this is amelancholy talk--come, I shall show you my pictures. Some are wonderful,all are good."

  So we went into the fine old house again and saw the paintings. Theywere beyond my calculations. Outside of the things Sax never finishedand bar a chromo or two, I'd never seen a picture--I don't count thegrandfathers' portraits at home--decent people enough, them and theirwives, but not what you'd call beautiful except Great-Grandmother De LaTour--she was a corker.

  Seeing that I enjoyed 'em, Perez explained the pictures to me, what werethe good points. When I've told people the names on the pictures inPerez's gallery, I've simply been told I lied.

  Next Perez said, "You like music, Senor Saunders?"

  "You bet!" says I. So he led the way into a room off the gallery. It wasa long, high room rounded at one end, with an arched ceiling. The leastwhisper in there rang clear. At the round end was an organ. Perezcalled; a little Injun boy came to pump the organ.

  Perez seated himself on the bench. "Now," said he, "if only we hadArthur--foolish fellow! Here is this great house with only one small manin it! I beg him to live here, but he will not--he says he must live ina place rough, as you saw."

  "I'm inclined to think Sax knows his pasture, Mr. Perez," I answered.

  He nodded. "I only spoke as I often do," he said, "of what I wish,instead of what must be--so little a change would make this so muchbetter a world." He thought for a second. "An easier world," hecorrected;
"really it is better as it is--well, I am more musician thanphilosopher,--what will you, _amigo mio_? Something grand? military? ofsentiment, or peace?"

  "I tell you, Mr. Perez," says I, "I don't know anything about music.Can't you play pieces not too high for me, yet good to listen to, so Ifeel it, and learn at the same time?"

  He laughed as if I tickled him. "There speaks that so practical Northernhead," says he, "that will have the heart lifted and also a dollar inthe pocket."

  "Am I foolish?" I asked. I never yet played being big before a man whoknew something. When he _knows_ he sees your little play and despisesyou for it.

  "Not foolish, _chico_," says Perez. "Only wise with a wisdom strange tome." He wheeled and looked at me. "A most strange young man you are; thestrength of a giant, roaring health and no fool, and yet you will listento an older man--you _wish_ to listen. Receive the thanks of an olderman. The hope of such service is the one poor vanity remaining to him.May time so deal with you that you shall never know the compliment youpay--listen!"

  The old organ burst into a pride of sound. Big and splendid--steel andfair ladies--roses and sudden death. Made my heart get big and want todo something. Perhaps talking with Perez, his air of decent sadness, andhis old-time way of speaking, kind of lofty for this date, yet neverslopping over; and perhaps the beautiful old house with its hangings,pictures, and armor helped the music, but anyhow, as I listened, I hadvisions. I felt like a lost calf that's got back to the herd and a sightof mama. I was still in my dream when I realized the music had stoppedand that Perez was looking at me.

  "May I take a liberty?" said he. "A resemblance has perplexed me since Imet you."

  "Sure," says I, waking up.

  He walked to the corner where there stood an old suit of armor. It wasmade for a sizable man. Together we put the corselet on me, and then Ifixed the helmet and followed Perez's lead.

  He held a lamp before us, as we went down a passage into a small sideroom. There I thought I saw my image in a glass. Perez laughed at myface, when I found it was a picture. It seemed magic to me.

  "What in the world!" says I.

  "Behold the Marquis De La Tour!" says he.

  "The devil it is!" says I. "Still respected, though forty greatsremoved! Perez, old man, that's my grandpa!"

  "The face proves it," he answered. "He is also mine. Cousin, I felt thepull of blood this day. Your hand, and we shall have a bottle of wine."

  "It ain't often that a man meets his forty-ply great-grandpa and so nicea Spanish cousin," says I. "I reckon I can square it with Mary later.Lead on, McDuff, and dammed be he who cannot hold enough."

  A very tidy little tidal wave of joy broke over the Perez mansion.Everybody rejoiced; we had the man-servant and the maid-servant and therest of the menagerie in drinking healths to the new-met relatives. Tothis day I ain't exactly sure how close connected Perez and I are.Grandpa De La Tour was a little nearer than Adam, to be sure, but notnear enough, so there wouldn't have been some fussing about his will, ifit should suddenly be discovered.

  One of his daughters married a Spaniard that started the Perezline,--and My! but that line was spread out thin! There'd been prettyhusky families on my side, too; however, I was durned proud to claim kinwith a man like Perez, and I wouldn't have spoiled the lonesome littleman's joy in finding a relative, anyhow. All his tribe but him had beenwiped out completely. I was the only relative he had--that is, that heknew about. The United States was full of 'em, if he'd only known it.Europe, too, I reckon. Still, his talk about the pull of blood wasn'tnonsense, neither. I felt drawn to him from the first, and who can saythat in feeling and ways of acting we really weren't closer connectedthan some brothers are? And Grandpa De La Tour was all right for anexcuse. I sure did look like him--not so much now, that I wear hair onmy face, but then I wouldn't have known which was him and which was meif we met on the street.

  Before we turned in for the night I spoke to Perez again about Sax andMary. He listened eager enough now. What I suggested was allright--little peculiarities of a gentleman. As Perez put it, "Thegreater courtesy of the heart, that stops not at the puny fences of thefixed way." How different the same thing looks in different lights! Hewas dead right about the fences. I never saw a fence yet without wantingto tear a hole in it, but you've only to string a thread across, if I'veno business there, to keep me out.

  It appeared to me then, and it appears to me still, that I had a rightto interfere in Mary's affair. At times, of course, you're a plainmeddlesome Pete, if you cut in, and you deserve all you probably willget,--as many kicks as the parties can land on you before you escape; onthe other hand, Perez was right when he said it sometimes was shamefulnot to interfere. And while marriage is the most private of all things,it's the most binding, too: you can lose money, get experience, and makemore; fall out with your friends and make it up again, but a lifetimetied to one person is the stiffest proposition a human being is calledupon to face. Here's Mary, a girl without much experience, puttingherself in the way of being hooked for life to a man I knew to be afraud--let her suffer for her folly? No, by the Lord! Let me suffer formy folly, if necessary, but in it I go. We're all kids and sometimeswe've got to be made to do the right thing--and--here's the rub--ifstrict but kind papa is sure he's right (which he can't be) its easy; ifnot, I suppose it's up to us as per general orders, do the best you canand prepare to go down with the wreck. I envy the man who's sure he'sright, but the Lord have mercy on his friends. Well, that's what Perezand I arrived at; that we were stacked against a blooming mystery andwe'd shoot at the one glimmer of light we had. Mary _did_ care for Sax.Good. Belknap was a fraud. Good. To the devil with the rest of theargument.

  However, I didn't reveal my full plan regarding Belknap to my kinsman. Ihad a hunch that even my likeness to Grandpa De La Tour wouldn'tconvince him. You see, like most kids, savages, and people not grown upin general, I believed in playing the game as it was played on me. Iwouldn't let a rogue escape for want of a helpful lie in season, actedor spoken. I couldn't see why you shouldn't get him his way, so long asyou got him. It took me some years to understand Saxton's saying, thatit was better for a rascal to escape, than for an honest man to turnrascal in catching him. Plain enough when you think of it. If you worklow down on the other feller, to trip him, there's two rascals, that'sall. It comes medium hard to see it in that light, though, when beforeyour eyes the rascal is having it all his own way. And, while Idisapprove of my own methods, the results was great. No use talking, thewicked sometimes prosper and your Uncle William played in a full-jeweledstreak of luck. The next day I opened my campaign.