Over the Border: A Novel

by Herman Whitaker

  XXI: THE WIDOW TO THE RESCUE

  Who shall interpret the feelings of a high-minded maid who is bent onwrecking her own and two other lives through a mistaken sense of honor?

  Broadly, one might hint at rebellions sternly repressed, at doubts andmisgivings, secret tears, agonizings of spirit that affected Lee's fleshduring the next week till her roses paled, eyes grew dark and heavy.

  Not that she was altogether unhappy. A woman's life is her feelings, andif they be sufficiently intense she obtains from their exercise acertain mournful satisfaction--akin, no doubt, if a little paler, to theecstasies of a martyr. But into these innermost recesses, innocentsprings of the woman soul whence flow endless capacities for devotionand self-sacrifice, into these it is not given to the eternallymasculine to enter. Accordingly, during the following week Gordonperceived only a surface resignation that manifested itself toward himin a quiet, sisterly manner.

  A blunt male, his psychology was much more simple, fluctuating betweendesperation, depression, determination, and despair, the composite ofwhich showed on the surface as a decided case of the sulks. Yes, it hasto be set down that he followed the customary and unheroic masculineprecedent, returning for Lee's sisterly solicitude more than the averagebrotherly brusqueness.

  Nature having neglected to insert a compensating balance in the feelingsof the eternally masculine, the poor fellow was utterly miserable.Despite the fact that, up to a week ago, he had regarded Lee withneutral friendliness, he now desired more desperately than ever to placeher in a certain Java forest adorned with the regalia of a honeymoon.What is more to the point, under his sulks he was determined to do it.

  Summing them, he sulked and she grieved up to the moment that a _mozo_rode in, one day, with a package from Ramon.

  Though it held only a single flower, she easily read the message, "May Icome?" and though she returned a single line, "I'm coming to see Isabelnext week," the flower had done its work.

  The concrete fact behind its bloom emerged from mists of procrastinationand stared her boldly in the face. Its reflection set such misery in hereyes that, without understanding, Gordon's sulks gave place to pity.Bull, who knew even less, was moved to send a _mozo_ with a note to thewidow.

  Straight to the point the epistle ran:

  Dear Ma'am,--The young man, he's a-moping like a moulting chicken an' Miss Lee's that peaked and pale and down-hearted you'd hardly know her. T'other day a _mozo_ brought her some sort of a package from Ramon, and ever since she's looked wild-eyed and scared as a canary in fear of a cat. There's something queer going on. It wouldn't take you more'n a minute to find it out, and you owe us about a dozen visits, anyway. Couldn't you take a day off and come?

  She came, of course, the good, kind soul, with Betty, under guard ofTerrubio and the bandit reputation which gained so much from his weirdeyes. The gods and goddesses willed it that they fell in with Gordonreturning to the _hacienda_ at the close of his day's work, and thewidow seized the opportunity like a skilful general. After permittingBetty and Terrubio to ride on beyond earshot over the slopes that weredyed a glowing apricot by the low sun, she opened on Gordon.

  "Now tell me all about it, young man."

  He looked at her, surprised, then laughed. "You mean all that I wouldhave said if I hadn't been ordered home that morning? All right. Ofcourse I don't have to tell you that I love you madly, and if it wasn'tfor the fact that Bull would wring my neck, I should propose at once.Really--"

  "Nice boy!" She laughed merrily. "To comfort your poor mother. It wassimply disgraceful the way you flirted with me, almost compromised mewith my own offspring. 'I was just ashamed of your dreadful behavior,mama,' Betty told me, afterward, 'trying to take poor Lee's beau fromher.' Nevertheless, I found it very encouraging."

  "My mother?" He achieved an excellent example of that species ofcachinnation known as the "horse laugh." Then, with sincerity of accentand feeling that caused her a little blush, he ran on: "My mother,madam, is more than twenty-eight. Yes, I said twenty-eight. Add to thateyes as clear and young as--"

  "Make it Lee's."

  "As Betty's. A fine, soft skin, pretty nose, figure--um! just right.Why--"

  "Yes! yes!" She held up her hand, laughing. "But we mustn't waste time.You know I'm on your side. Tell me--what happened?"

  "That's easy--she's engaged herself to Ramon."

  "What?" Her shriek of horror and surprise caused Betty and Terrubio tolook back. Her next question showed the keenness of her intuition. "Why,whatever did _you_ do to her?"

  He told--of his anger, jealousy, pique, attempt to soothe his ruffledvanity by flirting with Felicia. He told all with candor and humorousinsight into his own feelings that robbed the narrative of conceit. Hetold even of the kiss and that Lee had seen it. "Though I don't see howthat could have anything to do with her engagement, for she announced itthe next second."

  "She sent him off within the next hour--with only a kiss of herhand--hasn't seen him since--nor communicated with him till the otherday--has looked like a frightened bird ever since." She told off theitems with amused contempt. "How stupid men are! Why, it is plain asday. He asked her to marry him, yes, on the way. How could she escapeafter the way she had flirted? But she had either refused or held himoff. But when she saw you kiss--"

  "My God!" It burst on him. "What a fool I am! Why did I--"

  "Don't blame, yourself. She was more in fault. The question is--not whatis done, but what to do."

  "I had thought, at first, of quitting this to join Valles. It would belots of fun and I was so darned mad--"

  "And leave _her_ to _him_?" She looked a little scornful. "Why--"

  But he cut in. "You bet I won't! He'll never marry her--if I have tocarry her off."

  "And I'd help you do it," she warmly declared. "At present Ramon is allright, and if you could put up, like preserves, so he'd keep, itwouldn't be so bad. Yes, he's all right--but, so are the young of anykind, a lamb or kid, little frog, tiny snake, and there's nothing cuterin the whole world than a baby pig. But after it grows up--good Lorddeliver us!

  "And it's the same with Mexicans. They are the prettiest babies; niceyoung men. Ramon, with his fine color and wonderful eyes, is toohandsome to live just now. But after a while he'll grow stout and lazyfrom over-feeding and acquire pimples and blotches till his face lookslike a scorched hide. Right now he's so romantic he'd twang a guitar allnight under Lee's window. After a while she wouldn't be able to sleepfor his snores. Now he'd fly at her bidding. Later, she'd fly at his.She would live behind bars while she was young; go without love in hermiddle age, be tyrannized and bulldozed all the time."

  "But do you think she would _really_ do it?"

  "Indeed, yes! She's highly idealistic, and was trained by her father inthe old ideas. Now that she has given her word, it will take wild horsesto pull her from it--or wild men."

  After a sidelong glance that gave her the hard glint of his eyes abovethe firm mouth, set jaw, she went on, with a little satisfied nod: "Nowlisten! Ramon will be easier to handle. Being Mexican, he's sensitive asa tarantula, irritable as a scorpion, jealous as a cat. Now that she'spromised, he will look upon her as his, body and soul, and if her glanceso much as strays in any one else's direction, he'll be ready to kill.It ought to be quite easy to provoke him to the point where he willeither break the engagement or give her cause. In other words, you mustforce him to play your hand."

  She continued, with a little deprecatory laugh: "I know it's a low-downtrick, but it may stave off something worse. Before he would let Leemarry Ramon, I feel sure Mr. Perrin would kill him."

  A mischievous grin broke up Gordon's grimness. "So we are not altogetherdisinterested. We could never stand to see Bull get in bad."

  She laughed softly, happily, looking away, and lapsed into silence whichendured while they rode up and over the last slope that laid the_hacienda_ at their feet.

  Its walls and courts, _patio_, painted adobes, lay, a small city of goldmagnificently blazo
ned by the rich red brush of the setting sun. Theglossy crests of the shading cottonwoods flamed a deep apricot under asky that spread its glories of saffron, and cinnabar purple, and umber,down over the horizon. All about them the pastures laid an undulatingcarpet, violet in the hollows, crimson on the hills. From the stubbychimneys soft smoke pennons trailed away till lost in the smolderingdusk of the east. Up through the clear air came a soft cooing of womanvoices broken by laughter, low, sweet, infinitely wild.

  The widow lowered her voice in harmony with the peace of it all. "It isa great prize."

  He nodded. "It's beautiful, but--I'd love her as much in rags."

  Noting the honest eyes, the widow believed, yet could not refrain fromteasing. "Yet--a week ago you hardly gave her a thought."

  He looked at her in naive wonder. "Isn't it queer--how sudden it getsyou?"

  She nodded. "That's the beauty of it."