The Long Dim Trail
Page 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
When Nell heard the news of Paddy's death she felt she had lost asincere friend. As her eyes rested on the door she seemed to see thewrinkled face with a strangely softened look, and hear his voice saying,"Good noight, Misthress Thraynor. Git a good noight's rist and don'tworrit any more." Poor old Paddy! How little they dreamed of the longrest he would find the next night.
She was glad that she had obeyed his injunction not to let her husbandknow anything of the promised loan until Paddy himself should speak ofit. Her silence had saved Allan from indulging in plans that could notnow be carried out. Everything seemed more hopeless than ever.
Doctor Powell had been trying to secure a loan through friends in theeast, in order to assist Traynor to ship some of his stock; but hisefforts had been fruitless, so far, and a letter told them that he wasgoing to Los Angeles to see if anything could be done there.
The stage-driver who delivered Powell's letter, brought the littlecollar that Paddy had commissioned Limber to buy for the fawn. Thecowboy had scribbled a few words explaining that the gift came fromPaddy. Jamie was delighted. They did not tell him that his old friendwas dead.
A week after Paddy's death, Nell stood picking a few withered leavesfrom the geranium in the window, and her tears fell on the brilliant redflowers. She stared out the window, wondering why those who tried to doright, found life the hardest.
A gaunt calf stumbled weakly and fell near the fence, making no effortto rise, as though understanding the futility of struggling any longer.
"Oh, it is horrible!" she cried, turning away that she might not see thedying convulsions of the animal.
She felt the drouth was a living, relentless thing, wrapping its coilsabout them all, men and brutes alike, choking and crushing the veryheart of the universe. Unnerved by constant anxiety over the sick child,the worry of the drouth, and the shock of Paddy's death, she fellsobbing to her knees beside the couch where the boy lay asleep,breathing heavily, his cheeks burning with fever.
In the distance a strange haze had formed. It moved slowly andmajestically nearer, gradually growing thicker--first a misty grey, thenchanging to a black velvety curtain, dropping straight down from sky toearth. Creeping stealthily, it turned to a brilliant red hue that lookedas if it were dripping with fresh blood, a colour that stung theeyeballs until one put up a hand to shut out the grewsome sight. Its hotbreath crawled into the lungs and stifled one; licked the face andfanned the hair. Then with diabolic menace the colour changed to an inkyblackness, while high above rose the edge of the pall. Tipped with greyand white it bellied out like the crest of an enormous black wave thatseemed to poise a second before hurling itself to the earth. Cattlebellowed and tramped frantically beside the fences, trying to escape thedry scorching air, as with a great swirl and deep suction, like a mightysob, the dust storm enveloped the ranch.
Although it was three o'clock in the afternoon the rooms were darkenough to need lights. The rays from the jets filtering through themisty, moving clouds of dust, looked weird and uncanny. Every window wastightly closed; the air was stifling. Jamie moaned and moved his headrestlessly as Nell sat fanning him. Slowly the dust sifted through thewindows and under the doors, settling on every thing, until the pillowunder the child's head became grey and finally brown. For two terriblehours the storm lasted in all its fury, then a faint gleam of lightslowly turned from grey to liquid gold, and Nell ran to raise thewindows and let in the fresh air.
The window sash was warped and stubborn; the woman excited, and in heranxiety something caught on the flower-box. With an impatientexclamation she hauled the heavy box nearer the edge of the widewindow-sill, and then leaning forward, she forced up the sash.
A wave of fresh, pure air, tinged with a peculiar odour, filled theroom. As Nell, panting from her exertion, leaned against the ledge,there was a sudden crash, and the box of geraniums lay wrecked at herfeet. Something else lay there. Shining gold in twenty dollarpieces--Paddy's legacy to Jamie.
She stared stupidly a moment, then clutched at the gold pieces. Theyshowered from her hands as she lifted and kissed the coins passionately.This would mean life and happiness for Allan and Jamie.
A strange rumble startled her. Then came the sound of a frightful crash,the rush of hurrying feet, and the door was flung open as Traynorclashed in.
"Look--look, Nell! Rain! Rain! Rain! Thank God! We are saved!"
The deafening roar of the storm almost drowned his voice as the rainbeat on the corrugated iron roof and flooded the court.
Then he saw the box and the scattered gold. While the storm shrieked andflooded the country, making great running streams of the dry prairie,Nell told her husband of the secret she had held with Paddy.
She slipped down on the floor, lifting the coins into her lap, andcounted them slowly. "Twenty-five thousand dollars!" she exclaimed, andthe last gold piece fell with a tinkle like laughter, as though oldPaddy, standing by, invisible, were chuckling at his joke.
"Poor old Paddy!" said Traynor, "We none of us understood the old chapexcept you and Jamie. You've been a plucky little woman, and now therains, and this legacy of Paddy's, everything is coming out right!" Nellpicked up the broken geranium and held it against her lips. "God blessyou, Paddy!" she said.
She rose to her feet and her husband slipped an arm around her waist asthey stood together at the long, French window, looking out at theglorious rain, while Paddy's gold lay shining at their feet.
All night the rain fell in torrents, and then for the following weeks,each day brought its storm, filling the ditches and watering places inthe flats and mountains, while the cattle scattered over the rangesinstead of crowding in the few spots where there was water.
The worst drouth in the history of Arizona was over.