CHAPTER XXVIII
BACK ON RED SAND
While Cass Grimshaw and Bill Harlow rounded up the horses, andtransferred the girl's saddle from the dead mare to one of the animalsbelonging to the outlaws, Endicott and Bat assisted Janet to bind up theTexan's wound.
When at last they were ready for the trail, Grimshaw called Endicottaside: "You an' the breed come along with me," he whispered, "you mustbe middlin' anxious to see yer wife, an' I'll take you to CinnabarJoe's. The girl, there, she knows the way, an' they can follow alongslower," he paused and winked, "he won't be wantin' to ride no waysfast--on account of that leg."
Endicott's eyes lighted with sudden understanding as he glanced at thetwo figures who stood side by side near the horses: "By George!" heexclaimed, "I wonder----"
"Wonder--hell! Give 'em a chance! Come on, we'll pull out. Bill, he'llh'ist him onto his horse, an' then he'll stay an' drop them corpses downsome mud crack."
As Endicott leaped from his horse in front of Cinnabar Joe's cabin, hiswife rushed from the door and threw herself into his arms.
"Oh, Win--Win--dear!" she sobbed, "oh--can you ever forgive me? But--itwas the only way--they'd have killed him!"
Endicott soothed her: "Forgive you! I have nothing to forgive, dearest.I know it's all right! At first I was a little--worried, but Old Batcame along--and after that, I knew it was all right--but come on, let'sgo inside and you can tell me all about it!"
Cinnabar Joe greeted Grimshaw and Bat at the horse corral: "Seen Tex?"he asked anxiously. Grimshaw nodded: "Yeh--we seen him."
"Did he--git Purdy?"
Grimshaw shook his head: "No--he didn't git him. He almost, but hedidn't quite."
Without a word, Cinnabar turned, entered the corral, and stepped out afew moments later leading a saddled horse.
"Where you goin'?" asked Grimshaw.
"To Wolf River."
"Wolf River! What's goin' on in Wolf River that you're so hell bent totake in?"
Cinnabar hesitated just an instant, then he spoke: "You might as wellknow it as the rest of 'em. I'm goin' to give myself up, an' I want tobeat Purdy to it. He's got somethin' on me--a hold-up that I was partlymixed up in, way back when I was a kid. I never got none of the money,an' I've be'n on the level since. I figgered I'd payed fer that longago. But, if Purdy got away, he'll tip me off. It's goin' to be hard ashell on her." He nodded toward his wife, who stood at some distancetalking earnestly with Old Bat.
Grimshaw leaned over and laid a hand on the man's shoulder: "Put up yerhorse, boy," he said; "you've got a nice little outfit started here--youan' her. Stay right with it--an' stay on the level. Forgit anything thatmight of happened a long time ago. It's the things you do now, an' whatyer goin' to do that counts. Tex didn't git Purdy--but they was fivemore of us there to back up his play. We was all of us more or lesshandy with our guns. An' between the whole of us--we managed to git him.Purdy's dead, Cinnabar--dead as Julius Caesar, an' all his pals isdead--an' whatever he had on you died with him."
"There comes Tex, now!" cried Cinnabar, pointing to two riders whoappeared outlined for a moment against the opposite valley rim, beforebeginning the descent of the slope. "He's ridin' McWhorter's blue roan.But who's that with him? Why--it's McWhorter's girl! But, what horse hasshe got? She busted out of here two or three hours ago ridin' her baymare!"
As the two riders approached across the narrow valley, Grimshaw fingeredhis stubby beard: "There's a pair to draw to," he muttered.
"Do you mean----?"
"Yes--that's just what I mean! But, they rode a damn sight faster thanwhat I would, at that."
"Hey, Bat! You old reprobate!" called the Texan, as his horse ascendedthe bank from the creek, "take Cinnabar's cayuse an' beat it for WolfRiver! An' you make him scratch gravel! Now's the chance to do me a goodturn on account of them four-bits I give you--way back in LasVegas--remember?"
The old half-breed grinned broadly: "_Oui_, A'm 'member dat fo'-bit."Reaching into his shirt he withdrew a half-dollar suspended from hisneck by a greasy thong of rawhide. "See, A'm ain' fergit. Dat fo'-bitshe giv' me chanc' to pay heem back 'bout seex-seven hondre tam'. W'atyou wan' in Wo'f Reevaire? Nodder pilgrim to hang, eh, _bien_?"
Joining in the laugh that followed the old half-breed's sally, the Texanrode to his side and handed him some yellow bills. "You hit the trailnow--an' hit it hard. An' you show up here tomorrow morning with apreacher an' a round yellow ring--savvy?"
"_Oui!_ De pries' an' de ring! _Voila!_" The old man looked straightinto the eyes of the girl who sat her horse close beside the Texan. "Yougon' mar' heem tomor'?"
Janet, blushing furiously, laughed an affirmative.
Bat nodded: "Dat good. You git de bes' dam' man on de worl'! Dat Texmebbe-so she git to be de gov'--de w'at you call, de _president_! But,som'tam' he lak de bad boy an' you got to knock hell out of heem to mak'heem good. Ol' Bat--he know. For er long tam' A'm know heem. You lov'heem lak hell. Een de eye A'm see it--an' een de eye A'm see you gon'to mak heem stay good----"
"Hey, you old leather image!" laughed the Texan, "what are you tryin' todo--scare me out?"
"Ba Goss! A'm lak A'm see you scare wan tam'! You bet A'm ride wanhondre mile to laff on you. You git de dam' fine 'oman. Now you got tomak' her, w'at you call, de happiness. Bye-m-bye, Ol' Bat, she git tool' to ride de range--to cook. Den A'm joos' stay 'roun' an' lookaftaire _les enfants_. A'm show um how to ride, an' shoot, an' t'row derope--joos' so good lak de _pere_ kin do, _ah voila_!"
Janet fled precipitously for the cabin, and as Bat mounted Cinnabar'shorse and headed out onto the trail, the Texan turned to Grimshaw: "Slipover to McWhorter's tomorrow, Cass," he invited--"I'd like to have youthere."
Grimshaw hesitated just a moment: "You're sure you want me? You ain'taskin' me just so I won't feel--left out? An' how about the others? Howabout yer--wife? She never has had no time for us horse-thieves."
The Texan smiled: "She's learnt a lot in the last couple of hours, Cass.If you ain't at the weddin' she'll be the most disappointed one of all."
"All right, boy--I'll come. I got to be goin' now." He ran his fingersover his stubby beard, "Sure is goin' to be hell to shave."
As the Texan swung from his horse, a feminine shriek of joy directed hisattention toward the cabin, where in the doorway Alice and Janet stoodlocked in each other's embrace--laughing, crying, talking all at once,while Endicott smilingly beckoned to Tex.
"Oh, you darling!" Alice was saying, "I'm so glad! I picked you for himthe moment I laid eyes on you--and then I nearly spoiled it all by myeulogy."
"But--" stammered Janet, "what about the other girl--the one from theEast--that you were going to invite out? You said she wasbeautiful--and--and adorable and--you were just going to _make_ hermarry him!"
"From the East!" Alice exclaimed, "I'm sure I didn't say anything aboutthe East. I said there was a girl friend of mine--and I did say she wasbeautiful and adorable--and she is--and I said I was going to invite herto come and make me a long visit--and I _did_ invite her--before sheleft the room in a huff--and went tearing off into the bad lands to findher lover----"
Janet smothered the rest of the sentence in kisses: "Well, anyway--youdidn't make her marry him," she said, "because she intended to marry himanyway--if she could get him to ask her!"
A couple of hours later while the three women were in the cabinpreparing supper, Tex, and Endicott, and Cinnabar sat outside and talkedand listened to the sounds of laughter that floated through the door.
"Look at old Whiskers comin'," said Tex, indicating a horseman whoappeared around the corner of the barn.
Cinnabar chuckled: "Whiskers! Why man, that's yer new dad! That's oldColin McWhorter--an' if you don't make a hit with him, believe me--he'llcut your head off!"
The huge Scotchman dismounted, nodded and addressed Cinnabar Joe: "Ha'ye seen my daughter?" Before Cinnabar could answer the girl herselfrushed from the door and threw herself into the big man's arms: "Theer,theer, wee lass, ha' they hurt ye? Ye're fa
ce is red like the fire-weed!I'll----"
"No! No! Dad! I'm--so happy! I'm--I'm going to be married tomorrow! Iwant you to meet my--Mr. Benton--Tex! And, oh Dad--you'll just love him!I knew it was all a mistake--about that horrid hand-bill--here are Mr.and Mrs. Endicott--they know him well--and Cinnabar and his wife haveknown him for years."
McWhorter stood glaring at Tex who returned him look for look. "Was itfor thot I looked after her a' her life--educated her--thot she sh'udmarry a common cowpuncher!"
The Texan stepped directly before him and reaching up a finger tappedthe irate man's breast: "Look here, old timer. I'm a common cowpuncher,just as you say--but, at that, I don't take off my hat to any sheep-man!You an' I are goin' to be big friends, once we get strung out. I likeyou already. I've got you sized up for one of the biggest hearted oldspecimens on the range. But, at that, you like to get your growl in--an'get it in first. Well--you've growled--an' you haven't fooled noone--nor scairt no one. If you want a little further dope on me heregoes. I'm from Texas--come from good enough folks down there so theyhaven't been able to beat the Old Man for Congress in twenty years. I'vebe'n somethin' of a black sheep--but the black's wearin' off in spots.I've got as good an education, I reckon, as anyone here--an' a damnsight better one than I need in my business. I walk on my hind legs an'eat with a fork. I've got a job--eighty bucks a month, an'found--foreman of the Y Bar outfit, over across the river. Some day Iexpect to own an outfit of my own!" He ceased suddenly, and reachingout, drew the girl from her father's arms and held her to his side, "An'last of all--an' as far as I can see, the only thing that reallymatters--I love this little girl----"
"Losh! Lad!" cried the old Scot, his eyes a-twinkle. "Ye fair talk meoff my feet! 'Tis na wonder she took ye--ye ne'er gi' her a chance tosay no!"
"Supper's ready!" called Jennie, from the interior of the cabin, and itwas a merry company indeed, that filed in and took their places at thetable--extended for the occasion by means of planks carried in fromCinnabar's unfinished stable.
"I've just bought an outfit, over on the other side," said Endicott,when the last vestige of Jennie's pies had disappeared from the plates,and the thick cups had been filled with black coffee. "And Cinnabar, doyou know where I could find a foreman?"
"On the other side!" exclaimed the Texan. "You! Didn't know there was anoutfit for sale over there! What is it, Win--sheep, or cattle?"
"Cattle."
Cinnabar shook his head.
Endicott continued, "He must be capable, sober, understand the cattlebusiness, and--married."
"Don't know no one that would quite fill the bill," grinned CinnabarJoe.
"Hey, Win," cut in Tex, "how would I do? I'm capable of somethings--sometimes. I've got Cinnabar, here, for a witness that uponcertain occasions I've be'n sober. I understand the cow business or oldDad Colston wouldn't of made me foreman--an' tomorrow, everyone here'sgoin' to be witnesses that I'm married! How about it--don't that fillthe bill?"
Endicott laughed: "I guess that fills the bill, Tex," he said. "You'rehired!"
"But--what outfit did you buy, Win?"
"The Y Bar," answered Endicott, "and Colston told me that if I couldn'tfind you for foreman, I'd sure be out of luck."
"The Y Bar!" Tex reached over and grasped Endicott's hand. "Boss--you'vegot the best outfit in Montana!"
"Not--boss--Tex. What you meant was 'Partner.' You see I forgot tomention that the man who accepted the position would have to accept ahalf-interest in the outfit--his time and his experience--against mymoney." A dead silence followed the words--a silence broken a momentlater by the sound of Janet, sobbing softly against her father'sshoulder--and by the big Scotchman's rumbling words: "Theer, theer, weelassie--theer, theer."
AN EPILOGUE
The ceremony that took place the following afternoon in the McWhortercabin was impressive in its extreme simplicity.
At the conclusion of the wedding feast, McWhorter arose, passed into hisown room, and returned a moment later with a bottle of wine, which heheld to the sunlight: "'Tis auld," he said, reverently, "an' of famousvintage. Its mate was drunk years ago at my ain' weddin' in Sco'lan'. Iha' saved this--for _hers_." Very carefully he broke the seal, andwithdrew the cork, and poured a little of the precious liquid into eachthick glass: "We will drink," he said, solemnly, "to the health an'prosperity of--my children!" They drank, and the old Scotchman dividedthe remaining wine as before. "An' now, Meester Endicott can ye notpropose us a toast?"
Endicott rose and allowed his eyes to travel slowly over the upturnedfaces about him. He began to speak: "Here we are--we and our women--acattleman, and a sheep-man; a minister of the gospel, and a horse-thief;an ex-bartender, a half-breed, and a Harvard man who until a year agowas of the strictest and most hide-hound sect of the NewEnglanders--and as Cass Grimshaw so aptly phrased it yesterday--'We areall friends together.' Let us drink--to the wonderful free-masonry ofthe cow-country!"
Prairie Flowers Page 29