CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
A STRANGE ALLIANCE
After this we tied Badger-face in bed an' kept watch of him. He kepton gettin' stronger all the time, an' a good percent of his meannesscame back with his strength. Sometimes he'd spend hours tauntin'Horace an' the Friar; but they didn't mind it any more 'n if Badgerhad been a caged beast. Then one night he concluded to try cussin'. Hestarted in to devise somethin' extra fancy in the way o' high-coloredprofanity; but he hadn't gone very far on this path, before Olaf camein as black as a thunder cloud.
"Do you want to be whipped with a whip?" he demanded.
"Naw, I don't want to be whipped with a whip," sez Badger-face.
"Then you stop swearin'," sez Olaf. "We been to enough trouble aboutyou, and I don't intend to have my wife listen to any more o' yourswearin'. If you don't stop it, I whip all your skin off. You say youwant to die--I whip you to death before your very eyes."
Badger heaved at his ropes a time or two, an' then he realized hisweakness, sank back on the bed, an' the tears rolled down his cheeks.He fair sobbed. "You're a set o' cowards," he yelled, "the whole packo' you! You wouldn't let me die, and now you threaten to whip me todeath. I dare any one of ya to shoot me--you yellow-hearted cowards!"
"I care not for what you say I am," said Olaf. "You know if I am acoward, and you know if I keep my word. I say to you, slow an'careful, that if you yell swear words again in my house, I whip yourhide off."
Well, this had a quietin' influence on Badger's conversation; but hefretted himself a good deal as to what we intended to do with him.Finally one day when he began to look a little more like a live manthan a skeleton, Horace sez to him: "Badger, you said you didn't haveany friends, an' it must be true, 'cause not one of your own outfithas ever been to see you, not even Ty Jones."
"Ty Jones don't stay out here through the winter," sez Badger-face."If he'd been here, he'd have squared things up for this, one way oranother."
"Where does he go?" asked Horace.
"I don't know," sez Badger-face.
Horace asked Olaf about it, and Olaf said 'at Ty Jones allus pulledout in December, an' didn't come back until March.
Then Horace came in and sat by Badger again. "I've got a propositionto make to you," sez he, "and you think it over before you answer. Ihave plenty o' money; but I've wasted most o' my life, sittin' down.If you are sick of livin' like a wolf, I'll pay your expenses and halfagain as much as Ty Jones is payin' you, and all you'll have to agreeto is to go along as a sort of handy-man for me. I think we can get tobe purty good friends, but that can wait. I intend to ramble aroundwherever my notions take me. If you'll give your word to be as decentas you can, I'll give my word to stand by you as far as I'm able. Yourlife is forfeit to me, an' if you'll do your part, I intend to makethe balance of it worth while to ya. Now, don't answer me; but thinkit over an' ask all the questions you want to. I'll answer true what Ido answer; but I won't answer any 'at I don't want to."
If Horace had crept in an' cut off his two ears, Badger wouldn't havebeen any more surprised. Well, none of us would, as far as that goes;though why we should let anything 'at Horace chose to do surprise usby this time is more 'n I know.
He an' Badger talked it over complete for several days, Horaceagreein' that he wouldn't ask Badger to go anywhere the army or thelaw was likely to get him an' not to make him do any stunts 'at wouldmake him look foolish. He told Horace 'at he had served one enlistmentan' got a top-notch discharge, an' had then took on again; but adrunken officer had him tied on a spare artillery wheel because Badgerhad laughed when the officer had fallen off his horse into a mudpuddle. He said they had laid the wheel on the ground and him acrossit, the small of his back restin' on the hub o' the wheel, an' hisarms an' legs spread an' tied to the rim, an' had kept him there tenhours. He said that he had deserted the first chance he got; but herefused to tell what had happened to the officer afterward.
Finally Badger said he would take up Horace's proposition; an' Horacecalled Olaf in to see if Badger was speakin' true. This was the firstBadger had ever heard about Olaf's eyes seein' soul-flames; but hesaid 'at this explained a lot to him he hadn't understood before. Olaflooked at him careful; an' Badger held up his right hand an' said thatas long as Horace treated him square, he would be square with Horace,even to the point of givin' up his life for him.
"He is speakin' true," sez Olaf; and from that very minute,Badger-face became a different man, an' Horace took off the ropes.
"You do look some like a badger with that bum beard on," sez Horace;"but I don't like this name, and I want you to pick out a new one.Pick out some Christian name, your own or any other; but now that youare startin' on a new life, it will help to have a new name."
Badger-face studied over this a long time, but he couldn't root up anyname to suit him so he told Horace to pick out a name, and he'd agreeto wear it.
"Well," sez Horace, after he'd give it a good thinkin' over, "I thinkI'll call you Promotheus."
Badger looked at him purty skeptical. "I don't intend to take noGreaser name," sez he. "Is that Mexican?"
"No," sez Horace. "That's Greek; an' the original Promotheus was anall around top-notcher. He was a giant, so you couldn't complain noneon your size; he rebelled again' the powers, so you couldn't call hima dog-robber; but the thing 'at you two are closest together in, isyour infernal stubbornness. They tried to break Promotheus down bychainin' him to a rock while the vultures fed on his liver, but theycouldn't make him give in. 'Pity the slaves who take the yoke,' sezhe; 'but don't pity me who still have my own self-respect.'"
Badger-face was so blame weak that his eyes filled up with tears atthis; an' the only way he could straighten himself up was to put a fewflorid curses on his own thumby left-handedness; but Olaf had goneafter some wood, so it didn't start anything. "I'll take that name,"sez he, "an' I'll learn how to spell an' pronounce it as soon as Ican; but you've diluted down my blood so confounded thin with yourdoggone, sloppy milk diet that I'm a long way from havin' thatfeller's grit, right at this minute."
Horace stood over Badger-face, an' pointed his finger at him, fierce."Listen to me," sez he. "The next time you heave out an insult tomilksops or milk diets, I'll sing you my entire song--to the very lastword."
We set up a howl; but Badger-face didn't realize all he was up againstwhen he took on with Horace, so he only smiled in a sickly way, an'looked puzzled.
"I'll tell ya what I'm willin' to do, Dinky," said he, as soon as westopped our noise; "now that I've took a new name, I don't need towear this sort of a beard any more, an', if ya want me to, I'll trimit up the same fool way 'at you wear yours; an' I'll wear glasses,too, if you say the word."
"We'll wait first to see how you look in a biled shirt," sez Horace;"but in honor of your new name, I'm goin' to let you have somedeer-meat soup for your dinner, an' a bone to gnaw on."
We had a regular feast that day, and called Badger-face Promotheusevery time we could think up an excuse; so as to have practice on thename. The Friar did his best to take part; but I knew every line inhis face, and it hurt me to see him fightin' at himself.
After dinner we took a walk together; but we didn't talk none until wehad climbed the rim, fought the wind for a couple of hours, an'started back again. It was his plan to think of some big, common chunkof life when he was in trouble, so as to take his mind as much aspossible off himself; and he started to talk about Horace an'Promotheus. He even laughed a little at the combination whichPromotheus Flannigan an' Horace Walpole Bradford would make when theysettled down on the East again.
"The more I think it over," said the Friar, "the plainer I can seethat most of our sorrow an' pain and savageness comes from our customof punishin' the crops instead of the farmers. Look at thepossibilities the' was in Promotheus when he started out. He has astrong nature, and in spite of his life, he still has a lot o' decenthumanity in him. Who can tell what he might have been, if his goodqualities had been cultivated instead o' smothered?"
"That's
true enough," sez I; "and look at Horace, too. They simply lethim wither up for forty years, and yet all this time he had in himfull as much devilment as Promotheus himself."
"Oh, we waste, we waste, we waste!" exclaimed the Friar. "Instead o'usin' the strength and vigor of our manhood in a noble way, we letsome of it rust and decay, and some of it we use for our owndestruction. The outlaw would have been the hero with the sameopportunity, and who can tell what powers lie hidden behind the maskof idleness!"
"Well, that's just it," sez I. "A human bein' is like a keg o' blackstuff. For years it may sit around perfectly harmless; and only whenthe right spark pops into it can we tell whether it's black sand orblastin' powder. Even Horace, himself, thought he was black sand; buthe turned out to be a mighty high grade o' powder."
We walked on a while without talkin'; but the Friar was wrastlin' withhis own thoughts, an' finally he stopped an' asked me as solemn asthough I was the boss o' that whole country: "If you had started a loto' work, and part of it promised to yield a rich harvest with theright care, and part of it looked as though it might sink back toworse than it had been in the beginnin'--is there anything in theworld which could make you give it up?"
The Friar knew my life as well as I did; so I didn't have to do anypertendin' with him. "Yes," I sez, "the right woman would."
The Friar didn't do any pertendin' with me either. He stood, shakin'his head slowly from side to side. "I wish I knew, I wish I knew," hesaid.
We walked on again, an' when we came in sight o' the cabin, I sez tohim, in order to give him a chance to free his mind if he saw fit:"Horace told me what he knew about it."
"Yes, I know," sez the Friar; "but no one knew very much. She was asplendid brave girl, Happy. I had known her when she was a little girland I a farmer boy. I was much older than she was, but I was allusinterested in her. There wasn't one thing they could say againsther--and yet they drove her out o' my life. I thought she was dead, Iheard that she was dead; so I buried her in my heart, and came outhere where life was strong and young, because I could not work backthere. I tried to work in the slums of the cities; but I could notconquer my own bitterness, with the rich wastin' and the poor starvin'all about me. I have found joy in my life out here; but she has cometo life again with that picture, and once more I am at war withmyself."
"Well, I'll bet my eyes, Friar," sez I, "that you find the rightanswer; but I haven't got nerve enough to advise ya--though I will saythat if it was me, I'd pike out an' look for the girl."
"I wish I knew, I wish I knew," was all the Friar said.
Promotheus didn't have any set-backs after this. We talked overwhether it would be better to have him go up to Ty's an' tell the boyssome big tale about Dinky Bradford, or to just pull out an' leave 'emguessin'; and we finally came to the conclusion 'at the last would bethe best.
He was still purty weak by the first o' February; but he was beginnin'to fret at bein' housed up any longer, so we began to get ready to hitthe back-trail. By takin' wide circles we could get through all right,at this season; but with Promotheus still purty wobbly, it wasn'tlikely to be a pleasant trip, an' we didn't hurry none with ourpreparations. Horace insisted on payin' Olaf two hundred dollars forhis share o' the bother, an' I'm purty certain he slipped Kit anotherhundred. He wasn't no wise scrimpy with money.
We started on the tenth of February, Promotheus ridin' a quiet oldhoss, an' still lookin' purty much like a bitter recollection. Theywere consid'able surprised when we arrived at the Diamond Dot; but weonly told 'em as much of our huntin' as we felt was necessary.
Horace intended to start for the East at once; but next day when heput on his dude clothes again, Promotheus purty nigh bucked on him.Most of Horace's raiment was summer stuff, nachely; but he had a longchecked coat 'at he wore with a double ended cap, which certainly didlook comical. He had cut some fat off his middle, an' had pushed outhis chest an' shoulders consid'able; so that his stuff wrinkled onhim; and it took a full hour to harden Promotheus to the change.
"Do I have to look like that?" sez he.
"You conceited ape you!" sez Horace. "You couldn't look like this ifyou went to a beauty doctor for the rest o' time; but as soon as weget where they sell clothes for humans, I'm goin' to provide you withsomethin' in the nature of a disguise."
Disguise sounded mighty soothin' to Promotheus, so he gritted histeeth, an' said he wouldn't go back on his word. The fact was, that itdid give ya an awful shock to see Horace as he formerly was. We hadgot so used to seein' him gettin' about, able an' free, that it almostseemed like a funeral to have him drop down to those clothes again.
The Friar went over to the station with us, and he an' Horace had aconfidential talk; and then Horace and Promotheus got on the train andscampered off East.
"I'm goin' to stick right here, Happy," sez the Friar. "I have let mywork get way behind, in tendin' to Promotheus; but from now on I'mgoin' to tie into it again. I'd like to do something to put the cattlemen and the sheep men on better terms; but this seems like a hardproblem."
"Yes," sez I, "that ain't no job for a preacher, and I'd advise you tolet it alone. The cattle men will put up the same sort of an argumentfor their range 'at the Injuns did; but between you and me, I doubt ifthey stand much more show in the long run."
"I can't see why there isn't room for both," sez the Friar. "It seemsto me that the cattle men are too harsh."
"Nope," sez I, "there ain't room for 'em both, an' the's somethin'irritatin' about sheep that makes ya want to be harsh with all whohave dealin's with 'em. Hosses can starve out cattle an' sheep canstarve out hosses; but after a sheep has grazed over a place, nothin'bigger 'n an ant can find any forage left. Cattle are wild an'tempestus, an' they bellow an' tear around an' fight, and the men whotend 'em are a good bit like 'em; while sheep just meekly takewhatever you've a mind to give 'em; but they hang on, just the same,an' multiply a heap faster 'n cattle do. A sheep man is meek--like aJew. If a Jew gets what he wants he's satisfied, an' he's willin' topertend 'at he's had the worst o' the deal; but a cattle man is neversatisfied unless he has grabbed what he wanted away from some oneelse, an' then shot him up a little for kickin' about it. It'llprobably be fifty or a hundred years yet, before the sheep men arestrong enough to worry the cattle men; but they'll sure do it someday." That's what I told the Friar that time at the station, an' Iguessed the outcome close enough, though I didn't make much of a hitas to the time it was goin' to take.
Well, the Friar, he rode away east to Laramie, and I went north to theDiamond Dot, and got things ready for the summer work.
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