by Zane Grey
9
Slingerland appeared younger to Neale. The burden of loneliness did notweigh upon him, and the habit of silence had been broken. Neale guessedwhy, and was actually jealous.
"Wal, it's beyond my calculatin'," the trapper said, out by the spring,where Neale followed him. "She jest changed thet's all. Not so much atfirst, though she sparked up after I give her your ring. I reckonit come little by little. An' one day, why, the cabin was full ofsunshine!... Since then I've seen how she's growed an' brightened.Workin', runnin' after me--an' always watchin' fer you. Allie's changedto what she is now. Onct, fur back, I recollect she said she had you tolive fer. Mebbe thet's the secret. Anyhow, she loves you as I never seenany man loved.... An', son, I reckon you oughter be somewhars near thekingdom of heaven!"
Neale stole oil by himself and walked in the twilight. The air was warmand sultry, full of fragrance and the low chirp of crickets. Within hisbreast was a full uneasy sensation of imminent catastrophe. Somethingwas rising in him--great--terrible--precious. It bewildered him to tryto think of himself, of his strange emotions, when his mind seemed tohold only Allie.
What then had happened? After a long absence up in the mountains he hadreturned to Slingerland's valley home, and to the little girl he hadrescued and left there. He had left her frail, sick-minded, silent,somber, a pale victim to a horrible memory. He had found her an amazingcontrast to what she had been in the past. She had grown strong, active,swift. She was as lovely as a wild rose. No dream of his idle fancy, buta fact! Then last--stirring him even as he tried to clarify and arrangethis magic, this mystery--had come the unbelievable, the momentous anddazzling assurance that she loved him. It was so plain that it seemedunreal. While near her he saw it, yet could not believe his eyes;he felt it, but doubted his sensibilities. But now, away from thedistraction of her presence and with Slingerland's eloquent wordsringing in his ears, he realized the truth. Love of him had saved thegirl's mind and had made her beautiful and wonderful. He had heardof the infinite transforming power of love; here in Allie Lee was itsmanifestation. Whether or not he deserved such a blessing was not thequestion. It was his, and he felt unutterably grateful and swore hewould be worthy of this great gift.
Darkness had set in when Neale returned to the cabin, the interior ofwhich was lighted by blazing sticks in a huge stone fireplace.
Slingerland was in the shadow, busy as usual, but laughing at some sallyof Larry's. The cowboy and Allie, however, were in plain sight. Nealeneeded only one look at Larry to divine what had come over that youngman. Allie appeared perplexed.
"He objects to my calling him Mr. King and even Larry," she said.
Larry suddenly looked sheepish.
"Allie, this cowboy is a bad fellow with guns, ropes, horses--and Isuspect with girls," replied Neale, severely.
"Neale, he doesn't look bad," she rejoined. "You're fooling me.... Hewants me to call him Reddy."
"Ahuh!" grunted Neale. He laughed grimly at himself, for again he hadfelt a pang of jealousy. He knew what to expect from Larry or any otheryoung man who ever had the wonderful good luck to get near Allie Lee."All right, call him Reddy," he went on. "I guess I can allow my futurewife so much familiarity with my pard."
This confused Allie out of her sweet gravity, and she blushed.
"Shore you're mighty kind," drawled Larry, recovering. "More 'n Ireckoned on from a fellar who's shore lost his haid."
"I've lost more 'n that," retorted Neale, "and I'm afraid a certain wildyoung cowboy I know has lost as much."
"Wal, I reckon somethin' abbot this heah place of Slingerland's draws ona fellar," admitted Larry, resignedly.
Allie did not long stay embarrassed by their sallies.
"Neale, tell me--"
"See heah, Allie, if you call me Reddy an' him only Neale--why he'sa-goin' to pitch into me," interrupted Larry, with twinkling eyes. "An'he's shore a bad customer when he's r'iled."
"Only Neale? What does he mean?" inquired Allie.
"Beyond human conjecture," replied Neale, laughing.
"Wal, don't you know his front name?" asked Larry.
"Neale. I call him that," she replied.
"Haw! Haw! But it ain't thet."
"Allie, my name is Warren," said Neale. "You've forgotten."
"Oh!... Well, it's always been Neale--and always will be."
Larry rose and stretched his long arms for the pipe on the rude stonechimney.
"Slingerland," he drawled, "these heah young people need to find out whothey are. An' I reckon we'd do wal to go out an' smoke an' talk."
The trapper came forth from the shadows, and as he filled his pipe hiskeen, bright gaze shifted from the task to his friends.
"It's good to see you an' hyar you," he said. "I was a youngster once Imissed--but thet's no matter.... Live while you may!... Larry, come withme. I've got a trap to set yit."
Allie flashed a glance at them.
"It's not so. You never set traps after dark."
"Wal, child, any excuse is better 'n none. Neale wouldn't never git tohyar you say all thet sweet talk as is comin' to him--if two old foolshung round."
"Slingerland, I've throwed a gun for less 'n thet," drawled Larry."Aboot the fool part I ain't shore, but I was twenty-five yesterday--an'I'm sixteen to-day."
They lit their pipes with red embers scraped from the fire, and withwise nods at Neale and Allie passed out into the dark.
Allie's eyes were upon Neale, with shy, eloquent intent, and directlythe others had departed she changed her seat to one close to Neale; shenestled against his shoulder, her face to the fire.
"They thought we wanted to make love, didn't they?" she said, dreamily.
"I guess they did," replied Neale.
He was intensely fascinated. Did she want him to make love to her? Alook at her face was enough to rebuke him for the thought. The shadowsfrom the flickering fire played over her.
"Tell me all about yourself," she said. "Then about your work."
Neale told all that he thought would interest her about his youth in theEast with a widowed mother, the home that was broken up after she died,and his working his way through a course of civil engineering.
"I was twenty when I first read about this U. P. railroad project,"he went on. "That was more than three years ago. It decided me on mycareer. I determined to be an engineer and be in the building of theroad. No one had any faith in the railroad. I used to be laughed at.But I stuck. And--well, I had to steal some rides to get as far west asOmaha.
"That was more than a year ago. I stayed there--waiting. Nothingwas sure, except that the town grew like a mushroom. It filled withsoldiers--and the worst crowd I ever saw. You can bet I was shaky whenI finally got an audience with General Lodge and his staff. They hadan office in a big storehouse. The place was full of men--soldiers andtramps. It struck me right off what a grim and discouraged bunch thoseengineers looked. I didn't understand them, but I do now.... Well,I asked for a job. Nobody appeared to hear me. It was hard to makeyourself heard. I tried again--louder. An old engineer, whom I knownow--Henney--waved me aside. Just as if a job was unheard of!"
Neale quickened and warmed as he progressed, aware now of a little handtight in his, of an interest that would have made any story-telling apleasure.
"Well, I felt sick. Then mad. When I get mad I do things. I yelled atthat bunch: 'Here, you men! I've walked and stole rides to get here. I'ma surveyor. You're going to build a railroad. I want a job and I'm goingto get it.'
"My voice quieted the hubbub. The old engineer, Henney, looked queerlyat me.
"'Young man, there's not going to be any railroad.'
"Then I blurted out that there WAS going to be a railroad. Some onespoke up: 'Who said that? Fetch him here.' Pretty soon I was looking atMajor-General Lodge. He was just from the war and he looked it. Sternand dark, with hard lines and keen eyes. He glanced me over.
"'There is going to be a railroad?' he questioned sharply.
"'Of course there is,' I repl
ied. I felt foolish, disappointed.
"'You're right,' he said, 'and I'll never forget his eyes.'
"'I can use a few more young fellows like you.' And that's how I got onthe staff.
"Well, we ran a quick survey west to the Bad Lands--for it was out herethat we must find success or failure. And Allie, it's all been likethe biggest kind of an adventure. The troops and horses and camps andtrails--the Indian country with its threats from out of the air--thewild places with their deer, buffalo, panthers, trappers likeSlingerland, scouts, and desperadoes. It began to get such a hold on methat I was wild. That might have been bad for me but for my work. Idid well. Allie, I ran lines for the U. P. that no other engineer couldrun."
Neale paused, as much from the squeeze Allie suddenly gave him as for aninstant's rest to catch his breath.
"I mean I had the nerve to tackle cliffs and dangerous slopes," hewent on. Then he told how Larry Red King had saved his life, and thatrecollection brought back his service to the cowboy; then naturallyfollowed the two dominating incidents of the summer.
Allie lifted a blanched face and darkening eyes. "Neale! You were indanger."
"Oh, not much, I guess. But Red thought so."
"He saved you again!... I--I'll never forget that."
"Anyway, we're square, for he'd have got shot sure the day the Indiansneaked up on him." Allie shuddered and shrank back to Neale, while hehastily resumed his story. "We're great pards now, Red and I. He doesn'tsay much, but his acts tell. He will not let me alone. He followsme everywhere. It's a joke among the men.... Well Allie, it seemsunbelievable that we have crossed the mountains and the desert--gradeninety feet to the mile! The railroad can and will be built. I wish Icould tell you how tremendously all this has worked upon me--upon allthe engineers. But somehow I can't. It chokes me. The idea is big. Butthe work--what shall I call that?... Allie, if you can, imaginesome spirit seizing hold of you and making you see difficulties asjoys--impossible tasks as only things to strike fire from genius,perils of death as merely incidents of daring adventure to treasure inmemory--well that's something like it. The idea of the U. P. has got me.I believe in it. I shall see it accomplished.... I'll live it all."
Allie moved her head on his shoulder, and, looking up at him with eyesthat made him ashamed of his egotism, she said, "Then, when it's doneyou'll be chief of engineers or superintendent of maintenance of way?"
She had remembered his very words.
"Allie, I hope so," he replied, thrilling at her faith. "I'll work--I'llget some big position."