Prairie Flowers

by James B. Hendryx

  CHAPTER XXVII

  SOME SHOOTING

  When the Texan left Cass Grimshaw he headed due north. He rodeleisurely--light-heartedly. The knowledge that Alice was safe atCinnabar Joe's left his mind free to follow its own bent, and its bentcarried it back to the little cabin on Red Sand, and the girl with theblue-black eyes. Most men would have concentrated upon the grim work inhand--but not so the Texan. He was going to kill Purdy because Purdyneeded killing. By his repeated acts Purdy had forfeited his right tolive among men. He was a menace--a power for harm whose libertyendangered the lives and happiness of others. His course in hunting downand killing this enemy of society needed no elaboration norjustification. It was a thing to be done in the course of the day'swork. The fact that Purdy knew the ground, and he did not, and that thenumerical odds were four to one against him, bothered him not at all. Ifothers of the same ilk had seen fit to throw in with Purdy they mustabide the consequences.

  So his thoughts were of the girl, and his lips broke into a smile--notthe twisted smile that had become almost habitual with him, but aboyish smile that caused a fanlike arrangement of little wrinkles toradiate from the corners of his eyes, and the eyes themselves to twinklewith mirth. As men of the open are prone to do, he voiced his thoughtsas they came: "She sure give me to onderstand last night that runnin'off with other men's wives is an amusement that wouldn't never meet herpopular approval. It's, what do the French call it--a _faux pas_ that'snot only frowned on, but actually scowled at, an' made the excuse fornumerous an' sundry barbed shafts of sarcasm an' caustic observations ofa more or less personal application, all of which is supposed to make aman feel like he'd not only et the canary, but a whole damn buzzard--an'wish he hadn't lived to survive doin' it." The man glanced up at thesun. "Time I was gettin' outside of this lunch she packed up forme--chances are I won't want to stop an' eat it after awhile."Dismounting, he seated himself with his back against a rock and unrolledthe sandwiches. "She made 'em," he observed to Blue, "regular lightbread, an' good thick ham between." He devoured the sandwich slowly, andreached for another. "Cass said to _make_ her have me," he smiled; "hellof a lot he knows about women, but--the dope's right, at that. Boy,those eyes! An' that hair, an'--an', oh, the whole _woman_ of her! If aman had a girl like that to go home to--an' she loved him--an' he knewshe was thinkin' about him--an' pullin' for him to--to make good! Therewouldn't be nothin' to it--he'd just naturally have to make good. JanetMcWhorter--Janet Benton--Mrs. Tex Benton--Mrs. Horatio Benton--hell! Ihope she don't go in for the Horatio part. It's almost as bad asWinthrop Adams Endicott! Tex is better--if she ever thinks to inquireabout my other name I'll tell her it's Mike, or else I'll go plumb tothe other extreme an' call it Percy or Reginald. I ain't got heryet--but believe me! She's goin' to have a war on her hands till I doget her!

  "I'll just admit that she'll marry me--what then? It's time I was kindof takin' inventory. Here's what she gets: One cow-hand an'outfit--includin' one extra saddle horse, a bed-roll, an' a war-bag fullof odds an' ends of raiment; some dirty, an' some clean; some tore, an'some in a fair state of preservation. Eight hundred an' forty dollars incash--minus what it'll take to square me in Timber City.An'--an'--that's all! She ain't goin' to derive no hell of a materialadvantage from the union, that's sure. But, if I've still got my job itain't so bad to start off with. Other assets, what we used to callincorporeal hereditaments back in law school--fair workin' knowledge ofthe cattle an' horse business. Health--good. Disposition--um-m-m, kind,to murderous. Habits--bad, to worse. Let's see: smokin'--that's allright: chewin'--prob'ly be allowable if indulged in out doors only.Swearin'--prob'ly won't be an issue till the kids get old enough tolisten. Gamblin'--prob'ly be limited to poker--friendly games an'pifflin' limit. Drinkin'--let's see, the only year since I can rememberI don't drink nothin' I quit better than eight hundred dollars to thegood--first time I ever had eight hundred dollars all at once in mylife. What happens? Get to drinkin' for a half a day, an' Bing! Offcomes a hundred, maybe two hundred to pay up for the hell I raised! Doesit pay? Not for a married man! Not for me! An' besides, what was it shesaid when I turned down the drink she offered me? She said, 'I'm glad--Ihate the stuff.'" He paused, smiling reminiscently, "drinkin's lots offun--but, a man's got to pay for his fun--more ways than one, he's gotto pay. If it'll make her happy to not drink, an' onhappy to drink--theway I look at it, it's a damned mean man that would pay for his ownbelly-wash with his wife's happiness! That about concludes the takin'stock, then: Drinkin'--once! Drinkin'--twice! Drinkin'--three times--an'_out_! I'm a non-drinker, a teetotaller, a pop-lapper, an' a grape-juiceswizzler! At that, if I'd known that last drink I had back there inTimber City was goin' to be the very last doggone drink I was ever goin'to get, I'd kind of strung it along a little--sort of sipped it slow an'solemn as become an obsequy. Instead of which, I tossed it offlight-hearted, casual, even what you might call flippant--an' it's thelast drink I was ever goin' to have!"

  He rose, brushed a stray crumb or two from his shirt, and mounted: "Comeon, Blue, let's get this stuff over with, an' wash our hands, an' hitfor Red Sand. Cass says Cinnabar Joe's place ain't only about four milesabove McWhorter's."

  Thirty minutes later the Texan slowed his horse to a walk.Rock-fragments appeared, dotting the surface of ridges and coulees.Small at first, these fragments increased in size and number as the manpushed northward. He knew from Cass Grimshaw's description that he wasapproaching the rendezvous of Purdy and his gang. Far ahead he could seethe upstanding walls of rock that marked the entrance to the gorge orcrater which marked the spot where some titanic explosion of nature hadshattered a mountain--shattered it, and scattered its fragments over thesurrounding plain. But the Texan was not thinking of the shatteredmountain, nor of the girl on Red Sand. He hitched his belt, glanced atthe revolver in its holster, and slipping his hand beneath his shirt,made sure that Long Bill's six-gun lay ready to his hand. He proceededslowly, pausing at frequent intervals to scan the rock-dotted plain. Themouth of the gorge showed distinctly, now. He pulled up his horse andstudied the ground. He decided to dismount and proceed on foot--to workhis way from rock-fragment to rock-fragment. A slight sound caused himto glance swiftly to the left. Not fifty feet away the malevolent faceof Purdy stared at him above the barrels of two six-guns. Directlybefore him he saw another man, and to the right two more. And every manhad him covered. His eyes returned to Purdy, and his lips twisted intotheir cynical grin. "Well--why in hell don't you shoot?"

  "Want to git it over with in a hurry, do you?" sneered the outlaw. "WellI don't! I'm goin' to git you all right, but I'm goin' to take my timeto it. When you skipped out a year back fer fear of what I'd do to you,you'd ought to stayed away."

  The Texan laughed: "Just as big a damned fool as ever, Purdy. Just asbig a four-flusher, too. You better shoot while you've got the chance.'Cause if you don't I'll kill you, sure as hell."

  Purdy sneered: "Gittin' in yer bluff right up to the last, eh? Thoughtyou could sneak up an' git me when I wasn't lookin', eh? Thought--" Thesentence was never finished. The Texan's expression suddenly changed.His eyes fixed wildly upon a point directly behind Purdy and he criedout in sudden alarm:

  "Don't kill him, Cass! He's mine!"

  Like a flash, Purdy whirled, and like a flash the Texan was out of hissaddle and behind a rock. And as Jennie had predicted, he hit the grounda-shootin'. His own horse had shielded him from the others whoseattention had been momentarily diverted to their leader. Instantly Purdydiscovered the ruse--but too late. As he whirled again to face theTexan, the latter's gun roared, and one of Purdy's guns crashed againsta rock-fragment, as its owner, his wrist shattered, dived behind hisrock with a scream of mingled rage and pain. Three times more the Texanshot, beneath the belly of his horse, and the two outlaws to the rightpitched forward in crumpled heaps and lay motionless. Frenzied by thenoise, the big blue roan plunged blindly forward. The man in front madea frantic effort to get out of his way, failed, and the next moment,crashed backward against a rock-fragment from
which he ricocheted fromsight while the great blue roan galloped on, reins flying, and stirrupswildly lashing his sides.

  "That leaves just the two of us, Purdy," drawled the Texan from theshelter of his rock, as he reloaded his gun.

  A vicious snarl from the hiding place of the outlaw was the only answer.

  "I told you you was a fool not to shoot while you had the chance. I'mgoin' to get you, now. But, seein' that you wasn't in no hurry about it,I won't be neither. There's quite a few things I want you tohear--things you ought to know for the good of your soul."

  "You don't dast to git me!" came exultingly, from behind Purdy's rock,"if you do, what'll become of _her_--the pilgrim's woman? She's rightnow layin' tied an' gagged in a mud crack where you nor no one elsewon't never find her. What'll become of her, if you git me?"

  The Texan grinned to himself, and after a moment of silence, calledhesitatingly: "Say, Purdy, you wouldn't do that! Wouldn't let a womandie like that without tellin' where she is."

  "The hell I won't!"

  "Come on, Purdy, tell me where she is? You might as well. If I get you,what's the use of leavin' her there to die? An', if you get me, whyyou'll have her anyway."

  A sneering laugh answered him: "You don't dast to git me--an' leave herwhere she's at!"

  The Texan's voice hardened: "Oh, yes I do, Purdy. 'Cause I know, an' youknow, that she's safe an' sound at Cinnabar Joe's--an' she'll stay theretill Cinnabar can get word to her husband."

  A volley of oaths greeted the statement: "Cinnabar don't dast to openhis yap! He'll go up fer the rest of his life if he does. I'll fix him!"

  "You won't fix no one, Purdy. You're goin' to hell from here. An'whatever you've got on Cinnabar you'll take with you. When I told you totell me where the girl was I was just givin' you a chance to do onedecent thing before you cashed in--but you couldn't do it, Purdy. Thereain't a decent thing in you to do. Why, even Long Bill Kearney was a manfer about a second before he died."

  "What do you mean--Long Bill--died?"

  "Ask him," answered the Texan grimly, "you an' him will be closeneighbours--wherever you're goin'." Inadvertently the Texan leaned alittle to one side, as he shifted his position. There was a quickreport, and a bullet tore through a loose fold of his shirt sleeve."Pretty fair shootin', Purdy," he drawled, "little bit wide--you'd havenicked me if you'd held in against the rock."

  So intently did each man watch the other that neither noted the four menwho approached stealthily from rock to rock and finally crouched behindan irregular buttress of rock only a short pistol shot away. Theirvantage point did not permit any view of the man who had been knockeddown by the galloping horse nor of the contestants themselves, but theexchange of shots could be followed with ease and accuracy.

  Cass Grimshaw nudged Endicott and pointed to the bodies of the outlaws:"He got two," he whispered, with grim approval. "An' he got 'em rightout in the open. They must have seen him comin' an' laid for him beforehe got to their hang-out."

  "Hey, Tex," called Purdy after a long interval, "we ain't goin' to gitone another peckin' away like this behind these rocks."

  "No--_we_ ain't goin' to git _one another_--but _I'm_ goin' to get_you_--like that!" He fired as he spoke and his bullet chipped the rockand tore through Purdy's hat brim. "Missed, By Grab! But, that pays upfor puttin' a hole in my shirt. You was a fool for fallin' for that oldgag I put over on you!"

  "An' I wouldn't of fell fer it neither, if it hadn't of be'n ferluck--you outlucked me--if you'd of said anyone else except Cass, Iwouldn't of fell fer it."

  "That wasn't luck, Purdy--that was brains. If I figured on murderin' aman tonight--an' he knew it--do you suppose I wouldn't jump quick if Ithought he was sneakin' up behind me with a gun? You bet I would!"

  "Murderin'!" Purdy's voice sounded shrill with a quavering note of fear."What--what do you mean--murderin'?"

  "Why, I run across Cass awhile back. I told him I was huntin' you an' hesaid I'd find you an' three more over here. Said you an' them hadplanned to bump him an' Bill Harlow off tonight, an' you was busyarrangin' the details. He wanted to come along--him an' Bill--but I toldhim they wasn't no use--if they was only you an' three more like you, Icould handle you myself. Him an' Bill are goin' to ride over afterawhile an' see if I need any help--but I don't do I, Purdy?"

  The Texan's words were drowned in a perfect tirade of curses. Purdy'svoice was shrill with fear. "I've be'n double-crossed! It's a lie!Everyone's agin me! I ain't never had no show!" The voice trailed off ina whine. A few moments of silence followed, and then above the edge ofPurdy's rock appeared a white handkerchief tied to the end of agun-barrel. Taking careful aim, the Texan fired. The white flagdisappeared and the gun struck the rocks with a ring of steel.

  "You shot at a white flag!" screamed Purdy.

  "You're damn right I did! An' I'll shoot at the low-lived pup that triedto hide behind it too. My God, Purdy! No head--no guts! The only thingsabout you that's a man is your pants, an' shirt, an' hat--an' I spoiltthe hat!"

  "Listen, Tex, listen!" the man's voice was frantic with appeal. "Let'smake medicine. You c'n have the pilgrim's woman--I don't want her--Ionly wanted the reward. I was only kiddin' about bumpin' you off! HonestI was! Listen! Let me go, Tex! Let me git away! Cass has got meframed-up! I aimed to quit him an' turn straight! Listen--they's a girl,Tex. Over on Red Sand--I give her my word I'd quit the horse game an'start an outfit. Listen--I----"

  "Who is she?" the voice of the Texan cut in like chilled steel.

  "McWhorter's girl----"

  "You're a damned liar!"

  "D'you know her?" the words came haltingly.

  "Some," answered the Texan, drily, "she an' I are goin' to be marriedtomorrow." The words had been uttered with the deliberate intent oftaunting Purdy, but even the Texan was not prepared for themanifestation of insane rage that followed.

  "You lie! Damn you! Damn you! You've always beat me! Yer beatin' me now!You son of a--, take that!" With the words he leaped from behind hisrock and emptied his gun, the bullets thudding harmlessly against theTexan's barrier, and instantly he was behind his rock again.

  Cass Grimshaw grinned at the others. "He's baitin' him--prob'ly be'nbaitin' him fer an hour till Purdy's gone plumb mad."

  "De Injun she would stake um out an' build de leetle fire on hees belly.But A'm t'ink dat hurt worse lak Tex do it."

  Endicott gazed in white-lipped fascination upon the scene. "Let's makehim surrender and turn him over to the authorities," he whispered.

  Grimshaw shook his head: "No--not him. If you knew him like I do, youwouldn't say that. By God, I turned one man over to the authorities--an'they give him a year! An' when he got out I give him what he had comin'.Think, man what he'd of done to your wife----"

  The sentence was cut short by the sound of galloping hoofs. All fourcraned their necks for sight of the rider. Grimshaw and Bill Harlow drewtheir guns, expecting to see the fourth man of Purdy's gang come rushingto the aid of his leader. But not until the rider was within a hundredfeet of the two combatants did they catch sight of her. At the sameinstant they saw the Texan, hat in hand, frantically wave her back.Janet McWhorter saw him, too, and pulled the bay mare to her haunches atthe same instant a shot rang out and Purdy's bullet ripped the Texan'shat from his hand. Almost before her horse came to a stop, the girl'sgun was in her hand and she sat--tense--expectant.

  With glittering eyes fixed upon the girl, Purdy laughed a wild shrilllaugh, that echoed among the rocks like a sound from hell. The words ofthe Texan burned like words of living fire. "_Goin' to be marriedtomorrow!_" Deliberately he raised his gun and fired--just at theinstant the bay mare threw up her head with a nervous jerk to rid hermouth of the feel of the cruel spade bit. The next second she rearedhigh and crashed to the ground carrying her rider with her. With a loudcry the Texan sprang to his feet and started for the girl, and at thesame moment the horse-thief that the big blue roan had knocked senselessamong the rocks rose to his feet and levelling his gun at the runningman, fired. At t
he sound of the report the Texan staggered, turnedhalf-way round and fell sprawling among the rocks. Purdy leaped to hisfeet and, gun in hand, started for the prostrate Texan. The rock-ribbedvalley became a roar of noise. Janet, one leg pinned in the stirrup,fired across the body of her horse. Fired swiftly and accurately. Therunning Purdy staggered this way and that, drew himself stiffly erect,threw his hands high above his head and spun around like a top, and asthe sound of the girl's last shot died, pitched forward and lay verystill.

  From the rock buttress to the left, Janet saw men running toward her.She could not tell whether they were friends or foes--it matterednot--her gun was empty. At thought of her gun, she gave vent to apitiful little cry and covered her face with her hands. Then the menwere at her side pulling at the body of her horse. Her leg was freed andsomeone stood her upon her feet. She lowered her hands and stared intothe bearded face of Cass Grimshaw!

  "Good shootin', sis!" he patted her shoulder gently, "why, what's thematter? D'ye think you missed him--look!" he pointed to the body ofPurdy.

  "Oh--oh!" moaned the girl and covered her eyes again. "I've--I've_killed_ a man!"

  Grimshaw looked puzzled: "No, sis--you ain't killed no _man_! Not by nostretch of imagination he ain't no man!"

  "But--he's a human being--and--I killed him!"

  As the horse-thief stood looking down upon her heaving shoulders thepuzzled look in his eyes gave place to a decided twinkle, which aninstant later changed to a look of mild reproach: "Say, sis, who do youthink you be? Claimin' _you_ killed Purdy! Why, there ain't no morechance you killed him, than there is that I didn't." He extended hishand in which an automatic pistol of large calibre lay flat in the palm."This here gun shoots jest twict as swift as yours. Agin your eighthundred feet of muzzle v'losity, I've got almost two thousan'--an' I'dgot in two shots before you begun! Then, too, if you'll take a lookaround, you'll see that some other folks has got pretty fair claim onhim. Take Bill here, his 30-40 rifle shoots half-agin as swift as myautomatic--an' he begun shootin' when I did. An' look at the breed,yonder, stickin' fresh shells in his gun. I bet that bird nevermissed--an' he shot jest a hair before I did. An' the pilgrim he shot,too--but I wouldn't bet on him--he might of missed--but the rest of usdidn't. An' I ain't sayin' you _missed_, mind you. 'Cause I think yougot him every crack out of the box. But he was dead 'fore you startedshootin'. Yup--what you done was to pump about a quart of lead into adead man, 'fore he could hit the ground--an', believe me--that's_shootin'_! But the killin' part--that goes to the fastest guns."

  The girl's eyes lighted: "Oh, I--I'm glad I haven't got that on myconscience. I'd hate to think that I had killed--even him." The nextinstant she was gone, and they watched her as she bent low over theTexan, who had struggled to his elbow.

  "Janet--darling," he whispered, "do you know--about--_her_?"

  The girl blushed furiously at the words, and the blue-black eyes shonelike twin stars. "Yes," she breathed, "I know. She's at CinnabarJoe's--and she told me all about it. And, Tex, I think she's fine!"

  The Texan nodded: "She is, an'," he indicated Endicott with a nod of hishead, "there's her husband over there shaking hands with Cass, an' he'sjust as fine as she is--they're real folks, girl--but, never mind them.What I want to know is--will you marry me tomorrow, dear?"

  "Tomorrow!"

  "Might's well be tomorrow as next week--or next month! Come on--please!You can't get away from me, so you might as well. An' besides here I am,shot in the leg an' if you don't give me my own way I'm likely to run afever, an' have to get it cut off--so it's up to you, sweetheart--aone-legged man a month from now, or a two-legged one tomorrow. Which?"

  The girl bent very close: "I--I think I'd rather have a two-leggedone--darling." And the next instant the man's arms were about her andher lips were crushed to his.

  "Say, Cass," whispered Bill Harlow, with an eye on the girl who wasbending over the wounded man. "I never shot at Purdy--I got that damnedskunk down there in the rocks that shot Tex."

  "Me, too," chimed in Old Bat.

  "I shot at him, too," said Endicott.

  "Hell!" answered Grimshaw, with a wink, "so did I--but, don't never lether know."

  There was a moment of silence which was broken by Endicott, who steppedforward and grasped the speaker's hand. "I am proud to be admitted tothe friendship of Cass Grimshaw, horse-thief, and--gentleman," he said,and turned away to see the Texan looking at him with a twinkle in hiseye.