CHAPTER XIX--THE AMBUSH
The incident of the fight between Carrington, Danforth, JudgeLittlefield, and Taylor in front of the courthouse had eloquentlyrevealed a trait of Taylor's character which was quite generally knownto the people of Dawes, and which, in a great measure, accounted forTaylor's popularity.
Few of Dawes's citizens had ever seen Taylor angry. Neil Norton had seenhim in a rage once, and the memory of the man's face was still vivid. Afew of the town's citizens had watched him once--when he had thrashed agunman who had insulted him--and the story of that fight still taxed thevocabularies of those who had witnessed it. One enthusiastic watcher, atthe conclusion of the fight, had picturesquely termed Taylor a "regularhe-wolf in a scrap;" and thus there was written into the traditions ofthe town a page of his history which carried the lesson, repeated bymany tongues:
"Don't rile Taylor!"
Riding into Dawes about two hours after he had heard from Marion Harlanthe story of the attack on her by Carrington, Taylor's face was set andgrim. His ancient hatred of Carrington was intensified by anotherpassion that had burned its way into his heart, filling it with aprimitive lust to destroy--jealousy.
He dismounted in front of the Castle Hotel, and, entering, he asked theclerk where he could find Carrington. The clerk could give him noinformation, and Taylor went out, the clerk's puzzled gaze followinghim.
"Evidently he doesn't want to congratulate Carrington about anything,"the clerk confided to a bystander.
Mounting his horse, Taylor rode down the street to the building whichDanforth had selected as a place from which to administer the governmentof Dawes. A gilt sign over the front bore upon it the words:
CITY HALL.
Taylor went inside, and found Danforth seated at a desk. The latterlooked sourly at his visitor until he caught a glimpse of his eyes, thenhis face paled, and he sat silent until Taylor spoke:
"Where's Carrington?"
"I haven't seen Carrington this morning," lied Danforth, for he _had_seen Carrington some time before, riding out of town toward the Hugginshouse. He suspected Carrington's errand was in some way concerned withthe three men who had been sent there. But he divined from theexpression in Taylor's eyes that trouble between Taylor and Carringtonwas imminent, and he would not set Taylor on the other's trail withoutfirst warning Carrington.
He met Taylor's straight, cold look of disbelief with a vindictivesmirk, which grew venomous as Taylor wheeled and walked out. Taylor hadnot gone far when Danforth called a man to his side, whispered rapidlyto him, telling him to hurry. Later the man slipped out of the rear doorof the building, mounted a horse, and rode hurriedly down the rivertrail toward the Huggins house.
Taylor rode to the _Eagle_ office, but Norton was not there, and so,pursuing his quest, Taylor looked into saloons and stores, and variousother places. Men who knew him noted his taciturnity--for he spokelittle except to greet a friend here and there shortly--and commentedupon his abrupt manner.
"What's up with Taylor?" asked a man who knew him. "Looks sort ofriled."
Taylor found Carrington in none of the places in which he looked. Hereturned to the _Eagle_ office, and found Norton there. He greetedNorton with a short:
"Seen Carrington?"
"Why, yes." Norton peered closely at his friend. "What in blazes iswrong?" His thoughts went to another time, when he had seen Taylor as heappeared now, and he drew a deep breath.
Briefly Taylor told him, and when the tale was ended, Norton's eyes wereblazing with indignation.
"So, that's the kind of a whelp he is!" he said. "Well," he added, "Isaw him go out on the river trail a while ago; it's likely he's gone tothe Huggins house."
"His--now," said Taylor; "that's what makes it worse. Well," he added ashe stepped toward the door, "I'll be going."
"Be careful, Squint," warned Norton, placing a hand on his friend'sshoulder. "I know you can lick him--and I hope you give him all that'scoming to him. But watch him--he's tricky!" He paused. "If you need anyhelp--someone to go with you, to keep an eye----"
"It's a one-man job," grinned Taylor mirthlessly.
"You'll promise you won't be thinking of that ankle--this time?" saidNorton seriously.
Taylor permitted himself a faint smile. "That's all explained now," hesaid. "She's been a lot generous--and forgiving. No," he added, "I won'tbe thinking of that ankle--now!"
And then, his lips setting again, he crossed the sidewalk, mountedSpotted Tail, and rode through town to the river trail. Watching him,Norton saw him disappear in some timber that fringed the river.
* * * * *
Carrington had finished his talk with the three men he had set to guardthe Huggins house. The men were told to stay until they received ordersfrom Carrington to leave. And they were to report to him immediately ifanyone came.
Carrington had watched Parsons go down the big slope; and for a longtime after he had finished his talk with the three men he stood on thefront porch of the house watching the progress made by Parsons throughthe basin.
"Following Marion," Carrington assured himself, with a crooked smile."Well, I'll know where to get both of them when I want them."
Carrington felt not the slightest tremor of pity for Parsons. He laugheddeep in his throat with a venomous joy as he saw Parsons slowly makinghis way through the big basin; for he knew Parsons--he knew that thecraven nature of the man would prevent him from attempting any reprisalof a vigorous character.
Yet the exultation in the big man's heart was dulled with a slightregret for his ruthless attack on Marion Harlan. He should not have beenso eager, he told himself; he should have waited; he should haveinsinuated himself into her good graces, and then----
Scowling, he got on his horse and rode up the Dawes trail, shouting alast word of caution to the three men--one seated on the front porch,the other two lounging in the shade of a tree near by.
Half a mile from the house, riding through a timber grove, he met theman Danforth had sent to him. The latter gave Carrington the message hecarried, which was merely: "Taylor is looking for you."
"Coming here?" he asked the man sharply.
"I reckon he will be--if he can't find you in town," said the man."Danforth said Taylor was a heap fussed up, an' killin' mad!"
A grayish pallor stole over Carrington's face, and he drew a quickbreath, sending a rapid, dreading glance up the Dawes trail. Then,coincident with a crafty backward look--toward the Huggins house--thegrayish pallor receded and a rush of color suffused his face. He spokeshortly to the man:
"Sneak back--by a roundabout trail. Don't let Taylor see you!"
He watched while the man urged his horse deep into the fringing timber.Carrington could see him for a time as he rode, and then, when horse andrider had vanished, Carrington wheeled his horse and sent it clatteringback along the trail to the big house.
Arriving there, he called the three men to him and talked fast to them.The talk ended, the men ran for their horses, and a few minutes laterthey raced up the river trail toward Dawes, their faces grim, their eyesalert.
About a mile up the trail, where a wood of spruce and fir-balsam spreaddark shadows over the ground, and an almost impenetrable growth of brushfringed the narrow, winding path over which any rider going to the bighouse must pass, they separated, two plunging deep into the brush on oneside, and one man secreting himself on the other side.
They urged their horses far back, where they could not be seen. Andthen, concealing themselves behind convenient bushes, they waited, theireyes trained on the Dawes trail, their ears attuned to catch theslightest sound that might come from that direction.
Back at the big house--having arranged the ambuscade--Carrington drew adeep breath of relief and smiled evilly. He thought he knew why Taylorwas looking for him. Marion had gone to the Arrow, to tell Taylor whathad happened at the big house, and Taylor, in a jealous rage, intendedto punish him. Well, Taylor could come now.
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The Ranchman Page 19