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diff --git a/35078-0.txt b/35078-0.txt index ecf24cd..d2aa6cb 100644 --- a/35078-0.txt +++ b/35078-0.txt @@ -1,25 +1,4 @@ - The Mesa Trail - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Title: The Mesa Trail - -Author: H. Bedford-Jones - -Release Date: January 25, 2011 [EBook #35078] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MESA TRAIL *** - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 35078 *** Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. @@ -6302,375 +6281,4 @@ THE END THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS GARDEN CITY, N. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Title: The Mesa Trail - -Author: H. Bedford-Jones - -Release Date: January 25, 2011 [EBook #35078] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MESA TRAIL *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net. - - - [Illustration: "His blazing black eyes stared into the gaze of - Ross"] - - -THE MESA TRAIL - -BY -H. BEDFORD-JONES - -GARDEN CITY -- NEW YORK -DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY -1920 - -COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY -DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - -ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF -TRANSLATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, -INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN - -COPYRIGHT, 1919, -BY STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - - - - -CONTENTS - - - - CHAPTER I--THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN - - CHAPTER II--THADY SHEA ENCOUNTERS PURPOSE - - CHAPTER III--CORAVEL TIO ENJOYS A BUSY MORNING - - CHAPTER IV--MRS. CRUMP HEADS SOUTHWEST - - CHAPTER V--THE AMBITION OF MACKINTAVERS - - CHAPTER VI--THADY SHEA SMELLS WHISKEY - - CHAPTER VII--THADY SHEA HAS A VISITOR - - CHAPTER VIII--DORALES GOES TO TOWN - - CHAPTER IX--THE WICKER DEMIJOHN - - CHAPTER X--MRS. CRUMP SAYS SOMETHING - - CHAPTER XI--THADY SHEA DISCOVERS A PURPOSE - - CHAPTER XII--THE STONE GODS VANISH - - CHAPTER XIII--THADY SHEA STARTS HOME - - CHAPTER XIV--DORALES KILLS - - CHAPTER XV--MACKINTAVERS MAKES FRIENDS - - CHAPTER XVI--DORALES POSTS NOTICES - - CHAPTER XVII--DORALES RUNS AWAY - - - - -CHAPTER I--THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN - - -A ribbon of winding road leads northeast from the pueblo of Domingo and -the snaky Bajada hill where gray rocks lie thickly; it is a yellowish -ribbon of road, sweeping over the gigantic mesa toward Santa F and the -sweetly glowing Blood of Christ peaks--great peaks of green spearing -into the sky, white-crested, and tipped with blood at sunset. - -Along this ribbon of dusty yellow road was crawling a flivver. It was -crawling slowly, in a jerky series of advances and pauses; as it crept -along its intermittent course, the woman who sat behind the wheel was -cursing her iron steed in a thorough and heartfelt manner. - -Both in flivver and woman was that which fired curious interest. The -rear of the car was piled high with boxes and luggage; certain of the -boxes were marked "Explosives--Handle With Care!" Prominent among this -freight was a burlap sack tied about the neck and firmly roped to one of -the top supports of the car. - -The woman was garbed in ragged but neat khaki. From beneath the edges of -an old-fashioned bonnet, tied beneath the chin, protruded wisps of -grayish hair, like an aureole of silver. The woman herself was of -strikingly large frame and great in girth; her arms, bare to the elbows, -were huge in size. Yet this giantess was not unhealthily fat. Hardened -by toil, her hands were gripped carefully upon the steering wheel as -though she were in some fear of wrenching it asunder in an unguarded -moment. - -Her features were large, sun-darkened, creased and seamed with -crow's-feet that betokened long exposure to wind and weather. Ever and -anon she drew, with manifest enjoyment, at an old brown corncob pipe. -Above her firm lips and beak-like nose a pair of blue eyes struck out -gaily and keenly at the world; eyes of a piercing, intense blue, whose -brilliancy, as of living jewels, gave the lie to their surrounding -tokens of toil and age. - -"Drat it!" she burst forth, after a new bucking endeavour on the part of -the car. "If I was to shoot this damned thing through the innards, maybe -she'd quit sunfishin' on me! I'm goin' to sell her to Santy F sure's -shooting; I'll get me a pair o' mules and a wagon, then I'll know what -I'm doing. Dunno how come I ever was roped into buying this here -contraption----" - -She suddenly halted her observations. Laying aside her pipe and peering -out from the side of the dusty windshield, her keen eyes narrowed upon -the road ahead. - -Against that yellowish ribbon, with its bordering emptiness of mesquite, -greasewood, and sage, there was nothing moving; but squarely in the -centre of the road showed up a dark, motionless blotch. It was the -figure of a man lying as though asleep. No man would or could lie asleep -in the middle of this road, however, under the withering blaze of the -downpouring New Mexico sun. - -Suddenly the fitful flivver coughed under more gas; it roared, bucked, -darted ahead, bucked again, and a dozen yards from the prostrate man it -went leaping forward as though impelled by vindictive spite to run over -the motionless figure. The woman swore savagely. She seemed -inexperienced as a chauffeuse; only by a hair's breadth did she manage -to avoid the man, and then she stopped the car. - -Her great size became more apparent as she alighted. Standing, she gazed -down at the man, then leaned forward and turned the unfortunate vagrant -upon his back. The body was listless to her hand, the head lolled idly. - -"Hm!" said the woman, reflectively. "Ain't drunk. Ain't hurt. Hm!" - -She reached into the car and produced a whiskey flask, then sat down in -the dust and took upon her ample lap the head of the senseless man. A -sudden deftness became manifest in her motions, an unguessed tenderness -relieved the harshness of her features. - -"This here is breakin' the law," she ruminated, pouring liquor between -the lips of the vagrant, "but it ain't the first time Mehitabel Crump -has broke laws to help some poor devil! Hm! Looks to me like he ain't et -for quite a spell." - -With increasing interest she surveyed the slowly reviving stranger. - -He was fully as lank as she was stout, and must have stood a good six -foot two in height. His clothes were tattered remnants of once sober -black. Long locks of iron-gray hair hung about his ears. His features -were careworn and haggard, yet in them lingered some indefinable -suggestion of fine lines and deeply carven strength. Had Mehitabel Crump -ever viewed Sir Henry Irving--which she had not--she might have guessed -a few things about her "find." - -Suddenly the eyes, the intensely black eyes, of the man opened. So did -his lips. - -"Angels and ministers of grace!" His voice, although faint, was touched -with a deep intonation, a roundness of the vowels, a clarity of accent. -"As I do live and breathe, it is the kiss of lordly Bacchus which doth -welcome me!" - -"Take it calm," advised Mehitabel Crump, pityingly. "You'll have your -right sense pretty soon. Many's the time I've seen Crump keeled over, -and come to with his mind awandering. Jest take it calm, pilgrim. I'll -have a bite o' cornbread----" - -She lowered his head to the dust, rose, and went to the flivver. -Presently she returned with a slab of cold cornbread divided by bacon, -and a desert water bottle. - -"Heaps o' lunch in the car." She aided the gaunt one to sit up, and he -clutched at the food feverishly. "My land! Ain't et real frequent -lately, have ye?" - -The man, his mouth full, shook his head dumbly. About his eyes was a -brilliancy which told of sheer starvation. To the full as worldly wise -as any person in broad New Mexico, the woman asked no questions as yet; -she procured from the car a basket which contained the remainder of her -luncheon, and set forth the contents. - -"Figgered I might get held up 'fore reaching Santy F. If it warn't that -dratted car, it sure would be something else, which same it is. Damned -good luck it ain't worse, as Crump used to say when Providence went -agin' him." - -She observed that the stranger ate ravenously, but drank sparingly. Not -thirst had downed him, but starvation. - -He seemed startled at her disconcertingly frank manner of speech. She -put him down as something better than an ordinary hobo; an out-of-luck -Easterner, possibly a lunger. He was fifty or so; with decent clothes, a -shave, and a haircut, he might be a striking-looking fellow, she -decided. Although he had a hard mouth, what Mehitabel Crump had learned -to know as a whiskey mouth, it was steady lipped. - -"You sure played in tough luck comin' this road," she said, musingly. -"So did I. Ain't nothing between here and Santy F 'cept Injuns, -greasers, and rattlers, any one of which is worse'n the other two. These -rocks is playin' hell with my tires and the old Henry is coughin' fit to -bust her innards. If I find the feller who sold her to me, I'd sure lay -him one over the ear!" - -Her simple meal finished, she began to stuff her corncob pipe. The man, -still eating wolfishly, watched her with fascinated eyes. She gazed out -at the snowy, sun-flooded Sangre de Cristo peaks and continued her -soliloquy. When it suited her, Mehitabel Crump could be very garrulous; -and when it suited her, she could be as taciturn as the mountains -themselves. - -"I ain't surprised at nothing no more, not these days. No, sir! When I -first come to this country you knowed just what ye had to reckon agin'. -They was Injuns to fight, greasers to work devilment, claim jumpers to -rob ye, and such. But now the Injuns is all towerist peddlers, the -greasers is called 'natives' and runs the courts an' legislature, and -gun toting ain't popular. A lone woman gets skinned plumb legal, when in -the old days it would ha' been suicide to rob a female. Yes pilgrim, set -right in at what's left, and don't bother to talk yet a spell." - -She touched a match to her pipe, broke the match, tossed it away. - -"If Crump hadn't blowed up with a dry fuse in a shaft we was sinking -over in the Mogollons, where we was prospecting at the time, he'd be -plumb astonished at the changes. Yes, and I bet he'd swear to see me -driving one of them contraptions yonder! Poor Crump, I never had the -heart to dig him up, though it was a right smart prospect we was -workin'. But somehow I couldn't never work that claim, with him still in -it that-a-way. I won't need the money, neither, if I've got hold of----" - -She paused. Her gaze went to the devouring stranger. Abruptly she -changed the subject. - -"You don't look like you was much more'n a poor, innercent pilgrim -without any brains to mention. Yet, stranger, I'd gamble that we'd stack -up high in morals agin' such old-timers as Abel Dorales, him what's half -greaser and half Mormon, or old Sandy Mackintavers, what come straight -from Scotland to Arizony and made a forchin in thirty years of thieving! -Yes, I reckon ye've got a streak of real pay dirt in ye, stranger. And -if I can't tell what breed o' cattle a man is by jest looking at him, -it's a queer thing! I've knowed 'em all." - -The complimented pilgrim bolted the last scrap of food in sight, raised -the canvas bag to his lips, and drank. Sighing, he wiped his lips with -the frayed cuff of his sleeve. Then he disentangled his long legs and -rose. One hand upon his heart, the other flourished magnificently, he -made a bow that was the piteous ghost of a perished grandeur. - -"Madam!" His voice rang out firmly now, a deep and sonorous bass. -"Madam, I thank you! In me you behold one who has received the plaudits -of thousands, one who has bowed to the thunderous acclaim of----" - -"What d'ye say your name was?" snapped Mehitabel Crump. Her voice was -suddenly acid, her blue eyes ice. The other was manifestly disconcerted -by her change of front. - -"Madam, I am familiarly known as Thaddeus Roscius Shea. Under the more -imposing title of Montalembert I have made known to thousands the -aspiring genius of the immortal Avonian bard. I avow it, madam--I am a -Thespian! I suit the action to the word, the word to the action----" - -"Huh!" cut in his audience with a ruthless lack of awe. "Huh! Never -heard of them Thespians, but likely it's a new Mormon sect. I knowed a -man of your name down to Silver City twelve year back; this Thady Shea -was a good fightin' man, with one eye and a harelip. Glad to meet ye, -pilgrim! I'm Mehitabel Crump, with Mrs. for a handle." - -Something in her manner seemed mightily to embarrass Mr. Shea, but he -took a fresh start and set forth to conquer the difficulty. - -"Madam, a Thespian is of no religious persuasion, but one who treads the -boards and who wears the buskin of Thespis. You behold in me the first -tragedian of the age. My _Hamlet_, madam, has been praised by discerning -critics from Medicine Hat to Jersey City. The accursed moving pictures -have ruined my art." - -"Oh! It's usually whiskey or woman," said Mrs. Crump, her eyes ominous. -"So you're a stage actor, eh? Then that explains it." - -"Explains, madam? Explains what?" faltered Shea, sensing a gathering -storm. - -"Your damn foolishness. Shake it off, ye poor hobo! I no sooner hands ye -a bit o' kindness than it swells ye up like a balloon. Now, don't you -get gay with _me_, savvy? Don't come none o' that high-falutin' talk -with me, or by hell I'll paralyze ye! I did think for a minute that ye -had the makin's of a man, but I apologize." - -The blue eyes turned away. Had Shea been able to see them, he might have -read in them a look that did not correspond to Mrs. Crump's spoken word. -But he did not see them. - -He turned away from the woman. The carven lines of his face deepened, -aged, as from him was rent the veil of his posturing. A weary and -hopeless sadness welled in his eyes; the sadness of one who beholds -around him the wreckage of all his little world, brought down to ruin by -his own faults. When he spoke, it was with the same sonorous voice, yet -lacking the fine rolling accent. - -"You are right, Mrs. Crump, you are right. God help me! I, who was once -a man, am now less than the very dust. Your harshness is justified. At -this time yesterday, madam, I was a wretched drunken fool, spouting -lines of rhetoric in Albuquerque." - -"I'm surprised at that," said Mrs. Crump. "How'd ye get the liquor, -since this here state an' nation ain't particularly wet no more? And how -ye got here from Albuquerque I don't figger." - -"It is simply told." From the miserable Shea was stripped the last -vestige of his punctured pose. "Twenty years ago my young wife died, and -I started upon the whiskey trail; it has led me--here. Yesterday I came -into Albuquerque, starving. At the railroad station, amid -some--er--confusion, I encountered a company of those motion picture men -who dare to call themselves actors. So far was my pride broken that I -begged of them help in the name and memory of The Profession." - -Shea emphatically capitalized these last two words. - -"They took me aboard their train," he pursued, "and I was given drink. -Some controversy arose, I know not how; I found myself ignominiously -ejected from the train. I walked, not knowing nor caring whither. Nor is -that all, madam. I am a fugitive from justice!" - -"Broke jail?" queried Mrs. Crump, betraying signs of interest. - -"No, madam. In Albuquerque I was starving and desperate. I--I stole -fruit and--sandwiches--from a railroad stand." - -His voice failed. He turned away, staring at the snowy peaks as though -awaiting a verdict. - -"Pretty low-down and worthless, ain't ye?" Mrs. Crump checked herself -suddenly, glancing at the yellow ribbon of road over which she had so -recently come. A flying cloud of dust gave notice of the approach of a -large automobile. - -Suddenly rising, Mrs. Crump knocked out her pipe, then caught Shea by -the shoulder. Her hand swung him about as though he were a child. His -eyes widened in surprise upon meeting the warm regard in her face, the -steady and sympathetic smile upon her lips. - -"Thady," she said, bluntly, "how old are ye?" - -"Fifty-eight," he mumbled in astonishment. - -"Huh! Two year older'n me. Made a mess of your life, ain't ye? Don't -know as I blame ye none, Thady. When Crump passed out, I come near -throwin' up the sponge; but I got to fightin' and I been fightin' ever -since, and here I am! Now, Thady, you got strength and you got guts; I -can see it in your eye. All ye need is backbone. Why don't ye buck up?" - -"I've tried," he faltered, controlled by her personality. "It's no -use----" - -"You go get in that car." Mrs. Crump glanced again at the approaching -automobile, then half flung the gaunt Shea toward her dust-white -flivver. "Get in and don't say a word, savvy? One thing about you, ye -can be trusted--which is more'n can be said for some skunks in this here -country! Get in, now, and leave me palaver with Sheriff Tracy." - -Shea, shivering at mention of the sheriff, jack-knifed his length upon -the car's front seat. - -From some mysterious recess of her ample person Mrs. Crump produced an -immense old-fashioned revolver, which she began to burnish with seeming -absorption. The big automobile slowed up. It halted a few feet behind -the flivver, and a hearty hail came forth. - -"By jingoes, if it ain't Mis' Crump! Hello, old-timer--ain't seen you in -ages!" - -From the car sprang a hale and vigorous man who advanced with hand -extended. - -"I kind o' thought it was you, Sam Tracy," said Mrs. Crump. "Thought I -recognized that there car o' yours. How's the folks?" - -"All fine. And you? But I needn't ask--why, you grow younger every -month----" - -"See here! What ye doin' over in this county, Sam? Why don't ye get back -to Bernalillo where ye belong?" - -The sheriff waved his hand. - -"Going to Santy F. I'm looking up a fellow who came this way from -Albuquerque--a hobo and sneak thief name o' Shea. Where ye been keepin' -yourself, ma'am? It don't seem like the same old state not to see ye -from time to time." - -"Sam Tracy," observed Mrs. Crump with a look of severity, "I've knowed -you more years than I care to reckon up. And you know me, I guess! Now, -Sam, I sure hate to do it--but I got to. Stick up your hands, Sam, and -do it damn sudden!" - -The muzzle of her revolver poked the astounded sheriff in the stomach. -For a moment he gazed into her shrewd blue eyes, then slowly elevated -his hands. - -"Are you crazy, ma'am?" he demanded. - -She removed his holstered weapon, then lowered her own and shook her -head. - -"Nope. I'm heap sane right here and now. Set down and smoke whilst I -explain." - - - - -CHAPTER II--THADY SHEA ENCOUNTERS PURPOSE - - -"Your man Shea is settin' in my car yonder," said Mrs. Crump. - -Heedless of the glaring sun, she picked up her pipe and disposed her -giant frame for converse. From narrowed lids the sheriff eyed the lanky, -up-drawn figure of Shea, which he now noticed for the first time. Then -he produced the "makings" and proceeded to roll a cigarette. - -"Glad you picked him up," said he. "I'll take him back with me." - -"No, ye won't," retorted Mrs. Crump, calmly. "You'll not touch him, Sam -Tracy." - -"He's a thief and a drunkard and a hobo," said the sheriff. - -"If they wasn't no drinks to be had in heaven, I reckon hell would be -majority choice," quoth the lady. "When it comes to that, I've seen you -and Crump so paralyzed you couldn't talk. There was that night down to -Magdalena when the railroad spur was finished and they held a -celebration----" - -The sheriff grinned. "No need to argue further along them lines, ma'am. -You win!" - -"I reckon I do, Sam. Besides, you ain't got no authority over in this -county. You can run a bluff on ignorant hoboes an' greasers, but not on -Mehitabel Crump! Your authority quit quite a ways back. Thady Shea only -stole because he was starving, which I'd do the same in his place. I -picked him up here and I'm goin' to keep him." - -"You always was soft-hearted," reflected Tracy. "Now you got him, what's -your programme?" - -Mrs. Crump refilled and lighted her corncob with deliberation, then made -response: - -"Sam, I'm sure in a thunderin' bad pinch. Damned good luck it ain't -worse, as Crump used to say at times. You know I ain't no legal shark, -huh? Well, three weeks ago I had a blamed good hole in the hills, until -Abel Dorales come along and located just below me. Then in rides old -Sandy Mackintavers and offers a thousand even for my hole, saying that -Abel had located the thrown apex of my claim----" - -"The apex law don't obtain here," put in Tracy. - -"I know it; but who's goin' to argue with Mackintavers? If it wasn't -that, it'd be somethin' worse. Anyhow, he offered to compromise and so -on." - -The sheriff nodded. "I see how you come to have the flivver," he -observed, drily. - -"Yas, ye do!" Mrs. Crump's response was raw-edged. "If you was the kind -o' man you used to be, ye'd up and give them jumpers a hemp necktie! But -now ye play politics, Sam Tracy, and ye lick the boots o' Sandy -Mackintavers----" - -"That's enough, Mis' Crump!" broke in the sheriff, icily. "I don't blame -ye for feelin' sore, but the likes of us can't fight Mackintavers in the -courts. We ain't slick enough! And Dorales is a Mormon-bred greaser, -than which the devil ain't never fathered a worse combination. Now, Mis' -Crump, you show me the least excuse for doin' it legally, and I'll pump -them two men full o' lead any day! I'm only surprised that you didn't do -it." - -"I did." A smile of grim satisfaction wreathed the lady's firm lips. -"First I took Sandy's money, then I lets fly. They was several hired -greasers with Dorales, and I reckon I got two-three; ain't right sure. I -only got Abel glancingly, and when I threw down on Sandy his arms was -both elevated for safety. All I could decently do was to nick his ear -so's he'd remember me." - -"You didn't kill Dorales?" - -"Afraid not." Mrs. Crump sadly shook her head. "I didn't wait to inquire -none, but it looked like I'd only blooded his shoulder and he was layin' -low to plug me in the back, so I belted him over the head with the butt, -and slid for home." - -The sheriff, astounded, emitted a long whistle. "Whew-w!" he said, -slowly. "Say, whereabouts did all this happen?" - -"Down the Mogollons. Over Arizony way." - -"Why didn't ye go west into Arizony, then? After that doin's this state -will be too hot to hold ye----" - -"Oh, Sandy won't go to law over the shootin'. It'd make him look too -ridic'lous." - -The sheriff threw back his head and laughed with all the uproarious -abandon of a man who laughs seldom but well. - -"Best look out for yourself," he cautioned. "That there Dorales will be -on your trail till hell freezes over, ma'am! I sure would admire to see -you in action on that crowd!" - -"You'll see me in action when that there car gets movin' again," she -retorted. "She bucks like a range hoss and kicks to beat hell--why, I -couldn't hardly keep the saddle!" - -The sheriff arose and went to the dust-white flivver. He adjusted the -spark, cranked, and for a moment listened to the engine before killing -it. Then he threw back the hood, and, under the sombre eyes of Thady -Shea, worked in silence. At length he finished his task, started the -engine again, and with a nod of satisfaction shut it off. - -"Thought mebbe so," he stated, rejoining the lady. "Your spark plugs was -fouled. Well, ma'am, what can I be doin' for you?" - -"Ye might send me a wire in care of Coravel Tio whenever ye get a line -on Dorales or Mackintavers. I'm fixing to meet them again." - -"How come?" demanded the sheriff in surprise. - -Mrs. Crump gestured with her pipe toward the flivver. - -"I got a sack of ore in there that I found in the lava beds or -thereabouts. I suspicions it's one o' these new-fangled things nobody -give a whoop for in the old days, but that draws down the money now. If -it is, then you can lay that Sandy will hear I've found it, and he'll be -after me to jump the claim." - -"He sure does keep a line on prospectors," reflected the sheriff. "And -skins 'em, too, mostly. But he does it legal." - -"Yep. If this here stuff is any good, Sam, they's going to be some smoke -'fore he gets his paws on it! Where you goin' from here? Back to -Albuquerque?" - -"Nope. I got some business up at the capital." - -"Will ye tote that ore sack and a letter up to Coravel Tio for me--and -do it strictly under your hat?" - -"You bet I will, ma'am!" - -Mrs. Crump unstrapped the burlap sack. With the sheriff's pencil and -paper she settled down to write a letter. The process was obviously -painful and laborious, but at length it was finished. The sheriff shook -hands, picked up the sack, and turned to his car. Mrs Crump had already -restored him his revolver. - -"Take good care of yourself, ma'am--and your hobo! Adios." - -Mrs. Crump watched the trail of dust disappear in the direction of Santa -F, then she turned to the flivver and looked up at Thady Shea. - -"They's a new corncob laying in back somewheres. You can have it, Thady. -Get out here and settle down for a spell o' talk. If ye act real good -I'll give ye a drink." - -"I don't want any," came Shea's muffled voice as he leaned back in -search of the pipe. - -"That's a lie. You're fair shaking for liquor and a drop will brace ye -up." - -Shea procured the pipe, filled and lighted, and promptly assumed, as a -garment, his usual histrionic pose. The gulp of liquor which Mrs. Crump -carefully measured out sent a thin thread of colour into his gaunt, -unshaven cheeks. - -"Madam, I owe you all," he announced sonorously. "I have not missed the -heart of things set forth in this your discourse to the sheriff's ear, -and I have gathered that your need is great for the strong arms of -friends, the counsel wise----" - -"You got it," cut in Mrs. Crump, curtly. "The p'int is, Thady, where do -you come in? Listen here, now! I got a good eye for men; ye ain't much -account as ye stand, but ye got the makin's. Now cut out the booze and -I'll take ye for partner, savvy? What's more, I'll spend a couple o' -weeks attending to it that ye _do_ cut out the booze! I sure need a -partner who ain't liable to sell me out to them heathen. Can ye down the -booze, or not?" - -Something in her tone cut through the man's posturing like a knife. As a -matter of fact, he was miserable in spirit; his soul quivered nakedly -before him, and he was ashamed. For a space he did not answer, but -stared at the far mountains. The strong tragedy of his face was -accentuated and deepened into utter bitterness. - -What Mrs. Crump had only vaguely and darkly seen Thady Shea observed -clearly and with wonder; yet, just as she missed the more mystical side -of it, he missed the more practical side. More diverse creatures wearing -human semblance could scarce have been found than these twain, here met -upon a desert upland of New Mexico--the woman, a self-reliant -mountaineer and prospector who knew only her own little world, the man a -drunkard, a broken-down "hamfatter," who knew all the outside world -which had rejected him. They had come together from different spheres. - -As he sat there staring, he mentally and for the last time reviewed the -life that lay behind him; before him uprose all the contemptuous years, -the sad wreckage of high hopes and tinsel glories, the hard and wretched -fact of liquor. He would shut it out of his mind forever, after to-day, -he thought. He would live in the present only, from day to day. He would -try a new life--and let the dead bury their dead! - -He turned to Mrs. Crump, his sad and earnest eyes looking oddly cynical. - -"I do not think it humanly possible that I can resist liquor," he said, -gravely. "I am frank with you. It were easy to swear that I would pluck -out drowned honour by the roots--but, madam, I think that this morning I -am weary of swearing. I have tried to abstain, and I cannot. Always it -is the first week or two of torture that downs me---- - -"You're showin' sense, now," said the lady. "Want to try it or not?" - -He rose in the car and attempted a bow in his showy and pitiful manner. -In this bow, however, was an element of grace, the more pronounced by -its sharp contrast to his gaunt, sombre aspect. - -"Madam, I am deeply sensible of the compliment you pay me. Yet, in -picking from the gutter a drunken failure, are you wise? I am entirely -ignorant of prospecting and----" - -"Don't worry none. Ye'll learn that quick enough." - -Again Thaddeus bowed. "But, madam, I understand that prospectors go off -into the desert places and live. In justice to yourself, do you not -think that your enemies might seize viciously upon the least excuse for -misinterpretation of character----" - -For the first time Shea saw Mehitabel Crump gripped in anger. He paused, -aghast. - -Her gigantic form quivered with rage then stiffened into towering wrath. -Her tanned, age-touched features suddenly hardened into sentient bronze -from which her blue eyes blazed forth terribly, jewelled indices of an -indomitable and quick-flaming spirit within. - -"Thady Shea, it's well for you them words come from an honest heart," -said she, with a slow and grim emphasis. "They ain't no one goin' to say -a word agin' me, except them for what I don't give a tinker's dam; and -if one o' them dasts to say it in my hearin', chain lightnin' is goin' -to strike quick and sudden! This here territory--state, I mean--knows -Mehitabel Crump and has knowed her for some years back. Paste that in -your hat, Thady Shea!" - -As some dread lioness hears in dreams the horns and shouts of hunters, -and starting erect with bristling front mutters her low and terrible -growl of challenge, so Mehitabel Crump defiantly faced Thaddeus. - -He, poor soul, inwardly cursed his too-nimble tongue, and shrank visibly -from the spectacle of wrath. Before the hurt and amazed eyes of him Mrs. -Crump suddenly abandoned her righteous attitude. Having palpably -overawed him, she now felt ashamed of herself. - -"There, buck up," she brusquely ordered. - -"Tell me, now! If I answer for it that ye stay sober a couple o' weeks -or so, will ye make the fight?" - -"Yes." Hope fought against despair in Shea's voice; he knew his own -weakness well. - -"All right. Let's go, then!" - -"We're going to Santa F?" - -Mrs. Crump advanced to the front of the flivver, and seized the crank. -Then she paused, her blue eyes striking up over the radiator at Shea. - -"No, I ain't goin' to Santy F; neither are you! We're goin' to the most -man-forsaken spot they is in all the world, I reckon. We got grub, and -everything else can wait a couple o' weeks or so. Accordin' to the Good -Book, Providence was mighty rushed about creation, but I ain't in no -special hurry about makin' a man of you----" - -Her words were drowned in the engine's roar. Thaddeus Roscius Shea made -himself as small as possible; Mrs. Crump crowded in under the wheel, the -car swaying to her weight, and they leaped forward. - -In silence she drove, pushing the flivver with a speed and abandon which -left Shea clinging desperately to his seat. Twenty minutes later an -intersecting road made its appearance; Mrs. Crump left the highway and -followed this road due north for a couple of miles. There, coming to an -east-and-west road which was decidedly rough, she headed west. - -"This here's the trail to Cochiti pueblo," she announced, enigmatically. - -Four miles of this, and she struck an even worse road that headed -northwest. Shea's eyes opened as they progressed. Never in all his life -had he encountered such grotesque country as this which now lay on every -hand as though evoked by magic--utter desolation of huge rock masses, -blistered and calcined by ancient fires, eroded into strange spires and -pinnacles of weird formation. To the north towered Dome Rock with its -adjacent crater. No sign of life was anywhere in evidence. - -Shea was helplessly gripped by the personality of the woman beside him. -Mentally he was overborne and awed; physically he was sick--not ill, but -downright sick, possibly due to the sparse gulps of liquor which he had -downed, possibly to the glaring sun. He cared not whether he lived or -died. He felt that this day had brought him to the end of his rope, and -that nothing more could matter. - -"Getting into the lava beds," observed Mrs. Crump, cheerfully. Shea -understood her words only dimly. "This here Henry sure does go pokin' -where you'd think nothin' short of a mule could live! The trail peters -out a bit farther, then we got to hoof it over to the Rio Grande and -make camp." - -Poor Shea shivered. The frightful desolation of the scene horrified him. -He had never been an outdoor man. His had ever been the weakness, the -dependency of the sheltered and civilized being. Contact with this -strangely primitive woman frightened him. He felt like babbling in his -terror, begging to be taken back and allowed to resume his place among -the swine. Here was something new, awful, incredible! But he held his -peace. - -Had he been able to look a few miles ahead; had he foreseen what lay -before him in that camp in White Rock Caon, a place which in grandeur -and inaccessibility rivalled the great caon of the Colorado; had he -known that he was about to tread a trail which few white men had ever -followed--in short, had he understood what Mehitabel Crump's plan held -in store for him, he would at that moment have yielded up the ghost, -cheerfully! - -At last, reaching a sheer incline where boulders larger than the car -itself filled all the trail and rendered further progress impossible, -Mrs. Crump killed her engine and set her brakes hard. - -"I guess Henry can lay here all his life and never be stole," she said, -with a sigh of relaxation. "Well, Thady, here we are! D'you know what? -It ain't lack of ambition that makes folks mis'able and unsatisfied; -it's lack o' purpose. Now, I aim to teach ye some purpose, Thady. Look -at me! I been prospectin' all my life, and still goin' strong, just -because I got a definite object ahead--to strike it rich somewheres! - -"Well, climb down. We got to rig up some grub into packs, hoof it to the -nearest canoncito, and reach the Rio Grande. It's less'n two mile in a -straight line to water, but twenty 'fore we gets there, if we gets there -a-tall. Come on, limber up!" - -Thaddeus Roscius Shea groaned inaudibly--but limbered up. - - - - -CHAPTER III--CORAVEL TIO ENJOYS A BUSY MORNING - - -Coravel Tio sold curios in the old town of Santa F. He also sold -antiques, real and fraudulent; he had a wholesale business in Indian -wares that extended over the whole land. - -Coravel Tio was one of the few Americans who could trace their ancestry -in an unbroken line for three hundred years. It was almost exactly three -hundred years since the ancestor of Coravel Tio had come to Santa F as -a conquistador. Coravel Tio was wont to boast of this, an easily proven -fact; and, boasting, he had sold the conquistador's battered old armour -at least fifty times. - -When the boasts of Coravel Tio were questioned, he would admit with a -chuckle that he was a philosopher; and do not all philosophers live by -lying, seor? There was great truth in him when he was not selling his -ancestor's armour to tourists--and even then, if he happened to like the -looks of the tourist, he would gently insinuate that as a business man -he sold fraudulent wares and lied nobly about them, but that in private -he was a philosopher. And the tourists, liking this quaintly nave -speech, bought the more. - -It was a big, dark, quiet shop, full of Indian goods and weapons, -antique furniture that would have made Chippendale's eyes water, -ivories, old paintings, manuscripts from ancient missions. A good half -of Coravel Tio's shop was not for sale at any price. Neither, said men, -was Coravel Tio. - -He was a soft-spoken little man, quiet, of strange smiles and strange -silences. His was the art of making silence into a reproof, an assent, a -curse. The world of Santa F moved about Uncle Coravel and heeded him -not, shouldered him aside; and Coravel Tio, knowing his fathers to have -been conquistadores, smiled gently at the world. His name was usually -dismissed with a shrug--in effect, a huge tribute to him. Talleyrand -would have given his soul to have been accorded such treatment from the -diplomats of Europe; it would have rendered him invincible. - -One of those rare men was Coravel Tio whose faculties, masked by -childish gentleness, grow more terribly keen with every passing year. -His brain was like a seething volcano--a volcano which seems to be -extinct and cold and impotent, yet which holds unguessed fires somewhere -deep within itself. - -Upon a day, some time following the meeting of Mehitabel Crump with -Thady Shea, this Coravel Tio was standing in talk with one Cota, a -native member of the legislature then in session. - -"But, seor!" was volubly protesting the legislator, with excitement. -"They say the majority is assured, that the bill already drawn, that the -capital is to be moved to Albuquerque at this very session!" - -"I know," said Coravel, passively, his dark eyes gently mournful. - -"You know? But what--what is to be done? Shall those down-state people -take away our capital? We must prevent it! We must do something! It's -this man Mackintavers who is at the bottom of it, I suppose----" - -Coravel Tio fingered a blanket which topped a pile beside him--a gaudy -red blanket. He regarded it with curious eyes. - -"I fear this is not genuine--it does not have the old Spanish uniform -red," he murmured, as though inwardly he were thinking only of his -wares. Then suddenly his eyes lifted to the other man, and he smiled. In -his smile was a piercing hint of mockery like a half-sheathed sword; -before that smile Cota stammered and fell silent. - -"Oh, seor, this matter of the capital!" answered Coravel Tio, softly. -"Why, for many, many years men have said that the capital is to be moved -to Albuquerque; yet it has not been moved! Nor will it be moved. And, -Seor Cota, let me whisper something to you! I hear that you have bought -a new automobile. That is very nice, very nice! But, seor, if by any -chance you are misled into voting for that bill, it would be a very sad -event in your life; a most unhappy event, I assure you! Seor, customers -await me. _Adios._" - -As the legislator left the shop, he furtively crossed himself, wonder -and fear struggling in his pallid features. - -The merchant now turned to his waiting customers. Of these, one was a -Pueblo, a Cochiti man as the fashion of his high white moccasins and -barbaric apparel testified to a knowing eye. The others were two white -men who together approached the curio dealer. Coravel Tio stepped to a -show case filled with onyx and other old carvings, and across this faced -the two men with an uplift of his brows, a silent questioning. - -"You're Mr. Coravel--Coravel Tio?" queried one of the two. The dealer -merely smiled and nodded, in his birdlike fashion. "Can we see you in -private?" - -"I have no privacy," said Coravel Tio. "This is my shop. You may speak -freely." - -"Huh!" grunted the other, surveying him in obvious hesitation. "Well, I -dunno. Me and my partner here have been workin' down to Magdalena, and -we had a scrap with some fellers and laid 'em out. Right after that, a -native by the name of Baca tipped us off that they was Mackintavers' -men, and we'd better light out in a hurry. He give us a loan and said to -tell you about it, so we lit out here." - -Coravel Tio seemed greatly puzzled by this tale. - -"My dear sir," he returned, slowly, "I am a curio dealer. I do not know -why you were sent to me. Do you?" - -"Hell, no!" The miner stared at him disgustedly. "Must ha' been some -mistake." - -"Undoubtedly. I am most sorry. However, if you are looking for work, I -might be able to help you--it seems to me that someone wrote me for a -couple of men. Excuse me one moment while I look up the letter. What are -your names, my friends?" - -"Me? I'm Joe Gilbert. My partner here is Alf Lewis." - -Coravel Tio left them, and crossed to a glassed-in box of an office. He -opened a locked safe, swiftly inspected a telegraph form, and nodded to -himself in a satisfied manner. He returned to the two men, tapped for a -moment upon the glass counter, meditatively, then addressed them. - -"Seors, I regret the mistake exceedingly. Still, if you want work, I -suggest that you drive over to Domingo this afternoon with my cousin, -who lives there. You may stay a day or two with him, then this friend of -mine will pick you up and take you to work." - -The second man, Lewis, spoke up hesitantly. - -"Minin' is our work, mister. We ain't no ranchers." - -"Certainly." Coravel Tio smiled, gazing at him. "You will not work for a -native, my friends. Ah, no! Be here at two this afternoon, please." - -The two men left the shop. Outside, in the Street, they paused and -looked at each other. The second man, Lewis, swore under his breath. - -"Joe, how in hell did he know we was worried over workin' for a greaser -boss?" - -Gilbert merely shrugged his shoulders and strode away. - -Within the shop, Coravel Tio turned to the waiting Indian and -spoke--this time neither in Spanish nor English, but in the Indian -tongue itself. As he spoke, however, he saw the stolid redskin make a -slight gesture. Catlike, Coravel Tio turned about and went to meet a man -who had just entered the shop; catlike, too, he purred suave greeting. - -A large man, this new arrival--square of head and jaw and shoulder, with -small gray eyes closely set, a moustache bristling over a square mouth, -ruthless hardness stamped in every line of figure, face, and manner. He -was dressed carelessly but well. - -"Morning," he said, curtly. His eyes bit sharply about the place, then -rested with intent scrutiny upon the proprietor. "Morning, Coravel Tio. -I been looking for someone who can talk Injun. I've got a proposition -that won't handle well in Spanish; it's got to be put to 'em in their -own tongue. I hear that you can find me someone." - -Regretfully, Coravel Tio shook his head. - -"No--o," he said, in reflective accents. "I am sorry, Mr. Mackintavers. -My clerk, Juan Estrada, spoke their language, but he joined the army and -is still in service. Myself, I know of it only a word or two. But wait! -Here is a Cochiti man who sells me turquoise; he might serve you as -interpreter, if he is willing." - -He called the loitering Indian, and in the bastard Spanish patois of the -country put the query. Mackintavers, who also spoke the tongue well, -intervened and tried to employ the Indian as interpreter. To both -interrogators the Pueblo shook his head in stolid negation. He would not -serve in the desired capacity, and knew of no one else who would. - -"It is a great pity he is so stubborn!" Coravel Tio gestured in despair -as he turned to his visitor. "I owe you thanks, Mr. Mackintavers, for -getting my wholesale department that order from the St. Louis dealer. I -am in your debt, and I shall be grateful if I can repay the obligation. -In this case, alas, I am powerless!" - -"Well, let it go." Mackintavers waved a large, square hand. He produced -cigars, set one between his square white teeth, and handed the other to -Coravel Tio. "You can repay me here and now. A man at Albuquerque sent a -telegram to that Crump woman in your care. Where is she?" - -"What is all this?" Coravel Tio was obviously astonished. "Seor, I am a -curio dealer, no more! You surely do not refer to the kind-hearted Mrs. -Crump?" - -Mackintavers eyed him, chewing on his cigar. Then he nodded grimly. - -"I do! Is she a particular friend of yours?" - -"Certainly! Have I not known her these twenty years? I buy much from -her--bits of turquoise, queer Indian things, odd relics. Her mail often -comes here, remaining until she calls for it. I am a curio dealer, -seor, and in other matters I take no interest." - -"Hm!" grunted Mackintavers. "Has she been here lately?" - -"No, seor, not for three months--no, more than that! Mail comes, also -telegrams." - -"D'you know where she is?" demanded the other, savagely. - -Dreamily reflective, Coravel Tio fastened his eyes upon the right ear of -Mackintavers. That ear bore a half-healed scar, like a bullet-nick. -Beneath that silent scrutiny the other man reddened uneasily. - -"Let me see! My wife's second cousin, Estevan Baca, wrote me last week -that he had met her in Las Vegas. Everyone knows her, seor. If I can -send any message for you----" - -"No. Much obliged, all the same," grunted the other. "I'll probably be -at the Aztec House for a few days. Let me know in case she comes to -town, will you? I want to see her." - -With exactly the proper degree of bland eagerness, Coravel Tio assented -to this, and Mackintavers departed heavily. The merchant accompanied him -to the door and watched him stride up the narrow street, cursing the -burros laden with mountain wood that blocked his way. Then, smiling a -trifle oddly, the descendant of conquistadores returned to the waiting -man from Cochiti pueblo. - -"Do you know why that man wanted an interpreter?" he asked the Indian, -in the latter's native tongue. The redskin grinned wisely and shook the -black hair from his eyes. - -"Yes. But it is not a matter to discuss with Christians, my father." - -Coravel Tio nodded carelessly. The question was closed. The Pueblo folk -are, of course, very devoted converts to the Christian faith; yet those -who know them intimately can testify that they sometimes have affairs, -perhaps touching upon the queer stone idols of their fathers, which do -not bear discussion with other Christians. They do not pray to the old -gods--perhaps--but they hold them in tremendous respect. - -"You came to tell me something," prompted the curio dealer, gently. - -The Indian assented with a nod. He leaned against one of the wooden -pillars that supported the roof, and began to roll a cigarette while he -talked. - -"Yesterday, my father, I was near the painted caves of the Colorado, and -I stood above White Rock Caon looking down at the river. There on the -other side of the water I saw the strangest thing in the world. I went -home and told the governor of the pueblo what I had seen, and it was his -command that I come here and tell you also, for this is some queer -affair of the white people." - -Coravel Tio said nothing at all. The Pueblo lighted his cigarette and -continued: - -"Upon the east side of the river and caon, not so well hidden that I -could not see it, was a camp, and in that camp were a white man and a -white woman. I have never before seen white folk able to reach that -place, unless it were the Trail Runner who takes pictures of us and -sells them to tourists. These were strangers to me. One was a very large -woman. The man was tall, but he acted very strangely. He acted as though -God had touched his brain. So did they both." - -"In what way?" asked Coravel Tio, sharply. - -"In every way, my father. The man wore no shoes, and the hot rocks hurt -his feet so that he limped. I saw him spring on the woman, and they -fought. She beat him off and pointed a gun at him. Then he seemed to be -weeping like a woman, and he grovelled before her. She threw something -far off on the stones, and I think it was glass that broke--a bottle, -perhaps." - -"Oh!" said Coravel Tio. "Oh! Perhaps it was." - -"There were other strange actions," pursued the stolid red man. "I could -not understand them----" - -"No matter." Coravel Tio made a gesture as though dismissing the -subject. "Could you get to that camp from your pueblo?" - -"Of course, by crossing the river, by swimming the water there. But that -may be a hard thing to do, my father." - -"Undoubtedly, but you will do it, and I will pay you well. There is a -package to give that woman. Wait." - -Coravel Tio went to his little box of an office, seated himself at the -desk, and began to write in a fair, round hand. The epistle required -neither superscription nor signature: - - The burlap sack proved to contain some interesting contents. The - two small sacks in the centre were even more interesting. The - samples have been assayed with the following results: - - Numbers one to five, quartzitic with bare traces of brittle - silver ore; no good. Numbers six to fifteen, barytes, perhaps - five dollars a ton; no good. Number sixteen is strontianite. - This is converted into certain nitrates used in manufacture of - fireworks and in beet sugar refining. Tremendously valuable and - rare. This, seora, is enough. - - I think that M. has scented those assays. He is asking for you, - but I have made him look toward Las Vegas. To-morrow you will - find two men at Domingo who wish work--they will be there until - you arrive: Joe Gilbert and Alf Lewis. Meet me there also, - please. I will take one-third interest in Number Sixteen as you - suggest, and will furnish whatever money you desire on account. - I enclose an advance sum. - - I shall have articles of partnership ready. Suppose you meet me - day after to-morrow, at Domingo. You must give me location, - etc., in order to arrange details of filing, land and mineral - right lease, etc. Be careful about the new explosives law, - unless you already have a permit. - -"Being a woman," reflected Coravel Tio, "she should know that the most -important thing in this letter is the very end of it." - -He sealed the letter, placed it upon a thick sheaf of bank notes, -wrapped the parcel in oiled silk and again in a small waterproof Navaho -saddle blanket. This package he gave to the waiting redskin. - -"It must go into the hands of that large woman, and no other," he said, -gravely. "If you fail, there is trouble for all of us--and perhaps for -the gods of the San Marcos also!" - -At these last words a flash of keen surprise sprang athwart the Indian's -face; then he took the package and turned to the doorway without -response. Coravel Tio looked after him, and smiled gently. - - - - -CHAPTER IV--MRS. CRUMP HEADS SOUTHWEST - - -There was in Domingo a man named Baca. Domingo is a tiny village of -adobes nestling along the curve of Santa F creek under the gray -sharpness of Bajada hill; there is also an Indian pueblo of the same -name. - -In every ancient native settlement there is at least one man named Baca, -which signifies "cow" and may be spelled, in the old fashion, either -Baca or Vaca. If these folk came all of one stock, they have increased -and multiplied exceedingly. - -Under the big cottonwood tree that grew in front of the Baca home sat -smoking Joe Gilbert and his partner Lewis. Up to them, and halting -abruptly before the house, crept a dust-white flivver in which sat two -people: one a woman, great of girth and frame, the other a man, gaunt -and haggard, whose black eyes blazed like twin stars of desolation. - -The woman alighted and faced the two smokers. They rose and doffed their -hats. - -"Gents, know where I can find Alf Lewis and Joe Gilbert?" she inquired, -bluntly. - -"That's us, ma'am." - -"Thought so. My name's Mehitabel Crump, with Mrs. for a handle. I'm -goin' to open up an ore outcrop. This here is Thady Shea, my partner. -Want work, or not?" - -"I've heard of you, ma'am," said Gilbert. - -"So've I!" exclaimed Lewis. "You bet we want work! Only, ma'am, we'd -ought to tell ye square that they's apt to be warrants out for us." - -"Warrants never made me lose sleep," said Mrs. Crump, eying them with a -nod of satisfaction. "Howsomever, I'll return the favour by saying that -if ye take up with me it ain't goin' to be no pleasure trip, gents. -'Cause why, I've got something good, something that'll bring -Mackintavers on the trail soon's he smells it--him or his friends. I -don't aim to be bluffed out, I don't aim to be bought out, and I don't -aim to be lawed out; I got something big, and I aim to hang on to it -spite of hell and high water until I sell out big. Them's my openers." - -"They're plenty, ma'am," said Gilbert. "We sure would admire to work for -you!" - -A brief discussion followed as to wages. Thaddeus Roscius Shea sat -jack-knifed in the car's front seat, saying not a word. His face was -sun-blistered and graven with gnawing desire, his black eyes were -feverish, he looked anything but a mining man. Yet the two miners, who -must have felt more than a slight curiosity touching him, evinced none. -At length Mrs. Crump turned to the car. - -"Well, pile in here! Make room in the back, but handle them boxes -gentle. Three or four holds blasting powder and dynamite. I had quite a -stock left over, and brung it along." - -"Do we travel far?" asked Lewis, nervously. - -"You bet we do! But don't worry none. I ain't much farther from them -boxes than you boys are, and I'm pickin' the soft spots in the road. -Besides, I've driv' several hundred mile a'ready with this here outfit, -and she ain't gone up on me yet. Barring bad luck, we'd ought to get -where we're goin' by the night of day after to-morrow." - -"I've heard tell that you had cold iron for nerves," commented Gilbert. -"But you ain't backing me down, none whatever, ma'am!" - -He sprang in, began to shift the load, and Lewis promptly joined him. -Mrs. Crump turned and strode away through the dust. Thady Shea watched -her out of sight, then twisted about, and for the first time broke the -silence that had enveloped him. - -"Gentlemen! May I inquire whether either of you delvers in the deeps of -earth are possessed of spirits?" - -At the sonorously booming voice Gilbert's jaw dropped in amazement. - -"Good gosh! Is that Scripture talk? What d'ye mean--spirits?" - -Shea made an impatient gesture. "The fiery fluids that do mingle soul -with vaster inspiration! I pray you, give me to drink as you do value -drink!" - -"Oh, he means a drink!" ejaculated Lewis, staring. "We ain't got a drop, -Shea." - -The lanky figure jack-knifed together again in disconsolate despair. The -two men in the rear of the car glanced at each other. Gilbert tapped his -head; Lewis grimaced. - -Meantime, Mrs. Crump had passed along the winding row of adobes and -finally turned into a corral of high boards. There, concealed from -exterior view, she found an automobile at rest; she went on to the -adjoining rear door of the adobe house. The door was opened to her by -Coravel Tio, who greeted her with a quick smile and a bow. - -"My land, it's hot!" said Mrs. Crump. "Howdy!" - -"This place is hot indeed," responded the merchant. "Let us take the -front room and we may talk in private. I have the papers all made out." - -They understood each other very well, these two. Presently, however, -Coravel Tio discovered that a third interest in Number Sixteen was to be -assigned to Thaddeus Shea, in whose name, also, the entire mining -property was to stand. He leaned back and surveyed Mrs. Crump with -interest. - -"I do not know this man Shea, seora. Why do you make him wealthy?" - -There was no hint of offence in his tone. He spoke as one having the -right to ask, and Mrs. Crump promptly acquiesced. - -"He's an old stage actor, Coravel. I picks him up on the road and takes -him along. I'm breakin' him of drink, and I got a hunch that he's goin' -to turn out a real man. As for makin' him wealthy, none of us ain't -going to thrive on Number Sixteen for quite a spell yet! I'm gambling -that Thady Shea will earn all he gets. He's absolutely honest, and -good-hearted. He won't know the mine's in his name, and won't care; -bein' that way, it'll throw Mackintavers off the track. Besides, I feel -downright sorry for Thady; he's had a heap o' misery in his life, looks -to me." - -The other smiled gently and waved his hand. - -"Seora, you are the one woman whose great heart has no equal! It is in -my mind that this man will be the cause of misfortune; but what matter? -If not from one cause, then from another. Misfortunes are sent by the -gods to make us great! - -"I shall attend to everything in his name; a good idea, since he will be -unknown to Mackintavers or Dorales. You will uncover the vein, and send -me more samples immediately. These other two men must become small -shareholders, so that adjacent claims and mining rights may be secured -for the company. Once we are secure, we may talk of eastern capital." - -"Once we're secure," said Mrs. Crump grimly, "look out for Mackintavers, -then and before; likewise, after!" - -"Exactly." Coravel Tio bowed and finished his writing. - -A little later Mrs. Crump shook hands with him and departed. Coravel Tio -watched her off, and heard the roar of her car's engine. The roar became -a thrum that lessened and died into the distance like a droning fly. -Only then, it seemed, a sudden thought shook the man. - -"_Dios_--I forgot!" he ejaculated. "I forgot to ask her about the permit -for the explosives! Well, I warned her in the note. What matter? These -incidents of destiny are intended to work out their own effects, and -good somehow comes from everything. I am a philosopher!" - -Blissfully unconscious whether philosophy might be of aid in running a -flivver, Mrs. Crump headed southward over the river road to Albuquerque. - -A rough road is that, and well travelled. Mrs. Crump was in some haste -to get over this section unobserved, and it was entirely evident that -her haste was greater than her caution regarding the jiggling boxes in -the rear of the car. - -More than once the two men in the tonneau stared quickly at each other's -white faces; more than once the boxes and bundles crashed and banged -fearsomely, in view of their partial contents; but Mrs. Crump only threw -in more gas and plunged ahead. As for Thaddeus Roscius Shea, he stared -out upon the passing scenery with glazed and lack-lustre eyes, and held -his peace. - -When at last they arrived in the outskirts of Albuquerque, Mrs. Crump -paused at a wayside station to fill up with oil and gasoline, also to -refill several emptied water bags which formed part of the equipment. - -"We ain't goin' into town," she vouchsafed, curtly, to her charges. "And -when we gets reaching out over the mesa, you two boys act tender with -them boxes! They's two-three places we got to ford cattle runs, and we -got to do it sudden to keep out of the quicksands. But don't worry no -more, there ain't no special danger." - -The advice was entirely superfluous. Gilbert and Lewis could by no means -have worried more. They had reached the limit. - -Barely skimming the outlying streets of Albuquerque, Mrs. Crump avoided -the better-known highway beside the railroad and took the shorter but -deserted road that leads south over the mesa to Becker. Most of this was -covered before darkness descended upon them. - -Then a brief and barren camp was made; it was also a fireless camp, and -the "grub" was cold. Stiff and weary though the three passengers were, -it was clearly impossible that they should prove less tough than a mere -woman. So, when after an hour's halt Mrs. Crump grimly cranked up, they -piled into the car without protest. - -On they went through the darkness. It was well after midnight when the -iron nature of Mehitabel Crump acknowledged signs of approaching -dissolution in the hand that rocked the steering wheel. Admitting her -weakness with a sigh, she turned out of the interminable road and -halted. Blanket rolls were unlashed, and sleep descended swiftly upon -three members of that quartet. - -It must be told that this camp was a milepost in the life of Thaddeus -Roscius Shea. He could not sleep. A hundred yards away from the camp he -strode up and down under the cold stars, his gaunt body shivering with -the chill of the night, his haggard features contorted with the -desperate anguish of shattered nerves. All the old impertinences of his -soul were risen strong within him; he wanted to run away and end this -intolerable situation. He wanted to run away, here and now! - -Yet, when at length he clumsily wrapped himself in his blanket and fell -asleep, tears beaded his hollow cheeks and reflected the pale starlight -above; and like the stars, those tears were cleansing, and serenely sad. -The first tears he had shed in years--the tears of a man, wrung from -deep within him; tears of brief conquest over himself. He would stick! - -Sunrise found the dust-white flivver once more far afield. - -The remaining details of that odyssey have no place here. The dust-white -flivver came safely to its destination, and work duly began upon Number -Sixteen. Days of hard, back-breaking labour ensued--days in which living -quarters had to be erected before the claim could be touched. In those -days Thaddeus Roscius Shea became, for good and all, Thady Shea. - -Number Sixteen lay among the most desolate of desolate hills, just over -the ridge of a long hogback. In the caon below there was a trickle of -water from the mountains; beside this _rito_ were erected two rough -shacks, and here the dust-white flivver rested peacefully. To the north -towered the higher forested ranges whence came the caon--the -continental divide, rugged crests leaping at the sky. Below, a few miles -distant, stretched the bad lands and the lava beds; a scoriated, -blasphemous strip such as is often found in the southwest. Behind this -lay scattered ranches and the road into Zacaton City. - -Up on that hogback, leaning upon his pick, stood Thady Shea. Gone was -the threadbare black raiment, gone and replaced by overalls, high boots, -flannel shirt. Shea was less conscious of his changed exterior than were -those about him. Lewis and Gilbert, preparing a blasting charge a -hundred feet distant, glanced at the great, gaunt figure. - -"Bloomed out most amazing, ain't he?" said Lewis. "No tinhorn, neither. -Dead game." - -Gilbert, cutting the fuse with deft fingers, wagged his head. "Sure -looks that-a-way, partner. Reckon Mis' Crump knew her business, after -all, when she tied up with him. Gosh! Ain't she one a-gile critter, -though?" - -Shea stood rocklike, watching the blast. Even in this short space of -time the swing of axe and pick had hardened him amazingly; his towering -figure seemed to move with a more lissome flow of muscles; for the first -time in his life, most wonderful of all, his deeply lined features had -become centred about one fixed and determined purpose--to keep himself -clean of liquor. He had conquered, and with the victory had come a new -serenity. - -The muffled report of the blast echoed dully. From nowhere appeared Mrs. -Crump, hastily coming to the scene. Shea dropped his pick and joined the -others. Mrs. Crump, examining the results of the blast, flung out an -exultant cry. - -"Got it!" - -"Ain't much of a vein," observed Gilbert, skeptically. "Veins, -rather--looks like a lot of 'em, and they go deep. This here limestone -runs clear to Chiny, I reckon." - -Mrs. Crump chuckled in a satisfied manner. - -"These here veins don't never come big, Gilbert. Who'd think this here -greenish-white stuff was better'n a gold seam? But she is. Well, never -mind any more work a while, boys. I got a letter already writ, and when -I fill in the size o' these here openings, she's ready to mail--and -she's got to be sent sudden. These samples likewise. - -"Let's see; I ain't goin' to town myself. Mackintavers' men are sure to -be watchin' everywhere, and this here location has got to be kept secret -if possible. I s'pose the devils will get it from the land office, -though. Joe, can you and Al show up in Zacaton City without occasioning -no rumpus?" - -Gilbert shook his head doubtfully. - -"I reckon not, ma'am. We're pretty well known there, and we ain't right -sure how things is fixed for us. Still, it won't bother us none; if you -say so, we'll go----" - -"Nope; can't take no chances with the letter and samples, boys. It's up -to Thady. He's learned how to run the car, anyhow. Thady, you got to -send them samples and a letter. No one's goin' to suspect you of bein' -partners with me, and be sure to send the samples in your own name, -savvy? - -"They's enough gas to take you into Zacaton, and ye can bring a fresh -supply when ye come back. Then we need more flour an' grub, for which -same I got a list made out already. A new axe helve, too. Don't forget -that there axe helve, whatever ye do! It ain't on the list--I guess ye -can remember it all right. Sure, now! Don't come without it. How soon -can ye get going?" - -"Now," said Shea, a slight smile curving his wide lips. - - - - -CHAPTER V--THE AMBITION OF MACKINTAVERS - - -It is an established but peculiar trait of human nature, by which most -of us desire to be that which we are not, or to do that for which we -have no talent. I, who write, may aspire to be a great engineer; you, -who read, may aspire to the study of the stars. We reach out toward that -which we may never grasp. - -Sandy Mackintavers was a wealthy and a powerful man; his hands were -gripped hard in both the politics and the mining properties of the -state. Self-made and self-educated, he had accomplished a good job of -it. He had, of necessity, seen a good deal of those men who were ever -radiating out from Santa F; those men who, on behalf of many -universities and great museums, were ever delving amid the thousands of -pre-historic ruins which lay in and between the valleys of the Pecos and -the Rio Grande. - -Slowly, Sandy had discovered that these men were digging in the earth -for science, and that science and the world of letters honoured them. He -had learned something of their "patter" and of the things they were -seeking; he had studied their work and methods and ideals, and he had -found within himself the makings of a scientist. In short, he had formed -the stupendous ambition of becoming, at one fell stroke, a renowned -ethnologist! - -Do not smile. In the course of thirty years a man can pick up a great -many divers things, and it was the way of Mackintavers to pick up -everything in sight. Sandy knew a great deal more than he appeared to -know. He had mining properties all over, and he was a silent partner in -a chain of Mormon trading stores that ran north from the Mexican border -through three states. His sources of information were varied. - -Being unmarried and loving his ease when he was in the city, -Mackintavers maintained a suite at the Aztec House. He had entertained -many men in that place, some to their eternal sorrow. Never had he -entertained a more distinguished visitor, however, than the Smithsonian -professor with whom he was speaking on this Sunday morning--a scientist -known around the world, and a man of supreme authority in ethnologic -circles. - -"Now, professor," said Mackintavers, bluntly, "I ain't a -college-educated man, but I've knocked around this country for thirty -year, and I know a few things. When I die, I aim to be remembered as -something more than a mining man, see?" - -The other, in puzzled suspense, nodded tacit understanding. - -"Now," pursued Sandy, chewing hard on a cigar, "if I had something to -give the Smithsonian or some other museum, something that would be a -tenstrike for science, something that 'ud make every scientific shark in -the country water at the eyes for envy, what 'ud the Smithsonian do for -_me_?" - -The professor cleared his throat and registered hesitation. - -"I--ah--I do not exactly apprehend your meaning, Mr. Mackintavers. You -do not speak in a financial sense, I presume?" - -"Of course not. I tell you, I want to be known as a scientist! Man, I've -got the biggest thing up my sleeve that you ever struck! Can your -museum, or any other, make me famous as a scientist? That is, if I turn -over a regular tenstrike?" - -"Ah--that is exceedingly difficult to answer. A scientific reputation, -Mr. Mackintavers, is founded upon solid bases, upon research or -discoveries. If your--ah--contribution were a thing of such merit as you -say, it would undoubtedly be published far and wide. Your name, -naturally, would be attached to it, according as your work justified." - -"In other words," amended Sandy, "if I turn over a complete job, I'd get -full credit and publicity?" - -"Yes." - -"That's what I want. I'm interested in this ethnology stuff, and I can -do you sharks a whopping good turn. I want to get the credit, that's -all. Folks call me a hard-fisted old mining crab, and I want to show 'em -that I'm something more." - -"A highly laudable ambition, sir. You understand, however, that what to -a lay mind might appear to be a most interesting ethnological fact, to a -scientist might prove well known or insufficiently supported----" - -Mackintavers waved his square hand. - -"This thing is all assayed and fire tested, professor, and I'm no fool. -May I give you an outline of it?" - -"If you care to, by all means do so!" - -"You know where the San Marcos pueblo is--away down south of Bonanza?" -Mackintavers struck into his subject without further parley. "It was -abandoned about 1680 because of attacks from the Comanches, who -destroyed several pueblos down in that country. There's a tradition that -the Injuns migrated west of the Rio Grande and settled the Cochiti and -Domingo pueblos. Has that tradition ever been proved up?" - -The professor evinced an awakening interest. - -"No, sir. We know that the survivors of the Pecos pueblo went to Jimez, -but the older migrations are hidden in the mists of time, unfortunately. -Where the present Pueblos came from we do not know. The migrations----" - -"They won't be hid very long," said Mackintavers, complacently. -"Aiblins, now, we'll clear 'em up a bit, eh?" - -The only Scottish evidences which remained from Sandy's youth were an -uncanny acquisitiveness and a habit of interjecting the word "aiblins" -into the conversation at random. When Sandy used that word, it betrayed -mental effort. - -"Some time ago," he resumed, "a man found seven stone idols in a bit of -the adobe ruins at San Marcos. They had been walled up and buried alive, -ye might say. The heavy rains last year, which took out some pieces of -the adobe walls, washed 'em out. I've got 'em now, down to my ranch near -Magdalena." - -At this announcement the professor displayed mild disappointment. He had -been more than interested in Sandy's preamble, but this supposed climax -caused him to shake his gray head regretfully. - -"My dear sir, these idols are of course very rare things, but not -exceptionally so. I fail to see how they would give any proof of -migration----" - -"Hold on; I ain't done yet! A drunken Injun from Cochiti seen those -idols and spilled a good deal of information, calling them by name and -so on. That is not evidence which would stand on a scientific basis, I -reckon. But if a Cochiti man could be made to talk, and if he was to -recognize those idols first crack as his ancestral gods----" - -"And not be drunk at the time," interjected the other, smiling. - -"Sure. If he was to name 'em like old friends, and they corresponded -with the same idols from Cochiti which are in various museums--then -wouldn't all this go to show mighty plain that the migration theory was -true?" - -Mackintavers leaned back, breathless and triumphant. The scientist -nodded quickly. - -"Sir, this is an unusual and surprising proposal, but I cannot deny your -premises. I do believe that such evidence would go a long way, could it -be secured. That, of course, is the doubtful point, for these red men -can very seldom be made to talk. However, you have an astounding -perception of ethnologic values in merely conceiving the scheme!" - -"Taken by and large, that's nothing but human nature. Well?" - -"If this proof could really be adduced, it would be epochal! The -possibilities, sir, would be tremendous in their application!" - -"It ain't proved up yet," returned Sandy, drily, "but it will be. It may -take a bit of time gettin' things in shape--a week or so, maybe. Ye -know, professor, these Injuns are touchy about questions o' deity, and -they have to be handled wi' gloves. But I'll do it! A bag of silver -dollars will loom mighty big to them. If ye care to be on hand when the -time comes, I'd be glad to have ye as a guest at my ranch----" - -In many ways the professor had an extended knowledge of New Mexico. It -is quite possible that he knew all about the playful habits of Sandy -Mackintavers in regard to testimony along mining and mineral lines. So, -while he did not restrain his enthusiasm over the ambition of his host, -he made it plain that he certainly did wish to be on hand when the -testimony in this case was obtained. - -Mackintavers agreed readily, for in this instance he was more or less -resolved to play fair; and the interview ended. - -Scarcely had the scientist departed, than the door opened to admit an -individual of striking appearance. This gentleman was the satellite, the -adherent, and field marshal, the _me damne_, of Mackintavers. - -Mormon progenitors had given him a stocky, massive front and splendid -build, a steely eye and projecting lower jaw. A touch of Mexican blood -had given him coarse black hair, a swart complexion, and sinister mental -attributes. He had much the appearance of a west-coast Irishman, with -his black hair and gray eyes, but there the resemblance ended. Such was -Abel Dorales, a man of reputation and education. - -"Well?" greeted Mackintavers, abruptly. "What's up now?" - -"Trouble," was the response. "Rodrigo Cota wants to see you. Also, I got -a telegram from Ben Aimes, at Zacaton City, but haven't decoded it yet. -I think it's about the Crump woman." - -"Then hurry it along," snapped Mackintavers. "Send Cota in here pronto." - -A moment later entered the room a nervous native, the same legislator -who had briefly interviewed Coravel Tio regarding the moving of the -capital. Mr. Cota stood mopping his brow and glancing around. - -"Well, Cota?" exploded Sandy, transfixing him with frowning gaze. -"What's the matter now? Need more money to swing it?" - -"Seor," blurted the legislator in desperation, "it cannot be swung!" - -"Oh! And why not, Mr. Cota?" - -"I do not know. Three weeks ago we had a clear majority. The measure was -to be presented to-morrow--but our men have gone to pieces!" - -"Do they want more money?" snapped Sandy, savagely. - -The native shrugged. "I have done my best! It is a question of the -people. In some way, I know not how, word has been spread abroad that -the capital is to be changed. Our people are furious. Our natives, sir, -have sentiment about this----" - -"Sentiment, hell!" snarled Mackintavers, as his fist crashed down. "I -tell ye, it's goin' to be done! Ain't there plenty in it for all, ye -fool? Ain't new state buildings got to be built at Albuquerque? -Ain't----" - -"Seor, it is no question of money; it cannot be done! I myself dare not -propose this bill without voting for it; and I cannot vote for it." - -"Why not?" The face of Mackintavers was purpled, seething with furious -passions. Livid, the native glared back at him. - -"Because I am afraid for my life." - -Mackintavers leaped to his feet in a whirlwind of rage at what he -considered a palpable lie. The native shrank back, but doggedly, as -though a greater fear were beside him than any fear of this political -master of his. - -At this instant the door opened and Abel Dorales appeared. He made a -slight gesture, a gesture of command, of authority. The empurpled -countenance of Mackintavers composed itself by a mighty effort. - -"Very well, Mr. Cota," he said, thickly. "Let the bill pass over for -this time, since I got more important business on hand than chasing down -you native senators. But let me tell you this: When it comes up again, -there'll be no more talk like you've just handed out--or I'll know the -reason why. Get out!" - -Cota took his hat and left, thankfully. Dorales closed the door, while a -flood of oaths burst from the lips of Mackintavers. With extended hand, -Dorales checked the flood. - -"Never mind that, Sandy," he said, calmly. "We'll probably find later -that the railroad is double-crossing us. There's no rush--we can get to -the bottom of it in time. The more important affair is this of the Crump -woman, so far as money goes. There's a bigger fortune in this mine than -in any political game!" - -Uncouth bear that he was, Mackintavers could be swayed by this more -polished tongue; he knew this tongue was devoted absolutely to his own -interests, and he forced himself to accept the dictum of Dorales at the -moment. - -"Well?" he growled. "Ye don't mean to say she's down at Zacaton?" - -"The wire was from your store manager there, Aimes. He said merely that -he had smashed the Crump outfit flat, and that I had better get there in -a hurry to take charge of things." - -"Aiblins, yes!" The thin lips of Sandy curled back. "We hadn't looked -for such quick action, Abel. That Aimes is a good man! I s'pose this -news don't grieve ye none, after what the lady done to you. How's your -head?" - -A fleeting contraction passed across the face of Dorales. His eyes -narrowed to thin slits. His nose quivered like the nose of a dog -sniffing game. - -"Thank you, it's quite well," his voice was low and cruel. "If you think -best, I shall go down there immediately." - -Mackintavers crammed a cigar between his teeth and chewed at it for a -moment. - -"Aiblins, yes," he mused aloud. "Somebody has blocked us on this -moving-the-capital bill. I won't get hold of the skunk right away, -neither; we might's well call it off until the next session. - -"Tell ye what, Abel! I'm fixing to spend a while at my ranch, so I'll go -south with ye. I'll need ye mighty bad to get that business of the Injun -gods moving along, because I got my heart set on doin' that up brown. -But as ye say, this mine means millions--the biggest strike in the state -in a long time. The assayer was positive it was strontianite and not -merely barytes?" - -"Dead certain," assented Dorales. - -"Well, it won't be such a long job; I'll be at the ranch where ye can -reach me quick. We'll have to find out what Aimes has done, then make -plans and go ahead. If there's one thing that the Lord gave me ability -to do, it was to handle mining deals!" - -"With a cold deck," added Dorales. "Very well. If we go by auto, we can -save a good deal of time." - -Mackintavers grimaced. "I ain't built for long trips, but go ahead. Get -the big car, Abel. Want to run her yourself? All right. Land me at the -ranch, then go on to Zacaton City with the ranch flivver, unless ye want -the big car." - -"The flivver is the thing down there." - -"Aiblins, yes. And mind! What we got to do is to get that Crump female -clear off'n her location; that's all. Aimes has evidently found some -means of gettin' her arrested. We can take that for granted. By the time -you get there, she'll be in the calaboose. - -"You telephone me at the ranch with a full account of what's happened, -and I'll have a scheme ready for ye. The main thing is to get possession -of the property; maybe we can frame a deal on this fellow Shea--it's all -held in his name, ain't it? That was a foxy move, but not foxy enough to -fool us long! Get possession, Abel, and the law will do the rest for -us." - -"It ought to!" Dorales showed white and even teeth as he smiled. - -Mackintavers met those steely eyes beneath their strangely black brows, -and his square mouth unfolded in a grin. - -"Get possession, that's all!" he uttered. - -"Consider it done, Sandy. If you'll be ready in an hour, I'll be around -with the car." - - - - -CHAPTER VI--THADY SHEA SMELLS WHISKEY - - -The little town of Zacaton City, within easy trucking distance of the -railroad, formed the nucleus of a goodly mining centre. Its residential -section was extensive, and consisted of adobes occupied by "native" -miners or workmen. Its business section was made up chiefly of a bank, -the Central Mercantile Store, hardware, drug, and harness shops, and a -soda-water parlour that adjoined the Central Mercantile. This last was a -blind pig, maintained with circumspection and profit by Ben Aimes, -manager of the store. Aimes also ran the combination hotel-garage across -the street. - -Thady Shea came into town about sunset. He had broken bread on the way, -and disdained to seek further dinner. Having been much cautioned, he was -wary of danger. Leaving the dust-white flivver at the garage, he went to -the express office and sent off his ore samples and letter, then he -sought the emporium of Ben Aimes. - -The two native clerks being busy, Aimes, a brisk fellow of thirty, -espied the tall figure of Shea, and in person took charge of the -customer. - -"Well, partner, what can I do for you?" he inquired, cheerfully. "Can't -say as I've seen you before. Stranger in town?" - -Shea fumbled in his pocket for the list of supplies, and transfixed the -merchant with his cavernous black eyes. He had been particularly warned -against Aimes. - -"Friend," he trumpeted, "you say sooth. Truth sits upon thy lips, marry -it does!" - -Aimes blinked rapidly. "Stranger, I don't get you! You're a prospector?" - -"That, sir, is somewhat of my present business," boomed Shea. "Yet have -I seen the day when every room hath blazed with lights and brayed with -minstrelsy, when thick-eyed musing and cursed melancholy fled from -before me like twin evil spirits! Make ready, friend, thy pencil for its -task." - -Those sonorous tones drew grinning attention from others. Aimes, quite -overcome by the rounded periods and the imposing gestures, asked no more -questions, but devoted himself to making ready packages as Shea read off -from his list the supplies required. - -Two or three loafers sauntered along and listened to Shea's enunciation -with awed delight. When the end of the list was reached, the amounts -totalled, and the money handed over, Thady Shea carelessly crumpled up -the list and tossed it behind the counter. - -His arms filled with the bundles, he left the store and crossed the -street to his car. He had laid up the flivver for the night, and now -attended to having it filled with gas and oil. He stated to the mechanic -that he might be here for several days; at this juncture, it occurred to -him that he had forgotten that axe helve which Mrs. Crump had demanded -especially. - -Meantime, Ben Aimes had retrieved the list of supplies, and had stared -at the uncrumpled paper with amazed recognition. He swiftly summoned one -of the idling loafers. - -"If this ain't the writing of Mrs. Crump, I'm a liar! You chase over to -the garage and get the number o' that feller's car--hump, now!" - -Thady Shea rentered the store, in blissful ignorance that he was done -for, and demanded his axe helve. Ben Aimes, in blissful ignorance of -what that axe helve was destined to mean to him and to others, filled -the order. Then, handling Shea his change, Aimes gave him a meaning -wink. - -"Step into the sody parlour a minute, stranger! Have a cigar on the -store." - -The offer was entirely innocuous. Shea greatly desired to avoid any -argument or trouble, so he followed Aimes into the adjoining room, which -at this hour was deserted. Aimes procured cigars, then went to the soda -fountain. - -"Want you to try somethin' new we got here," he said, and paused. "What -did you say your name was?" - -"My cognomen, sir, is Shea. Thaddeus Shea." - -"Well, Shea, just hold this under your nose and see if it smells like -sody." - -Unsuspicious as any innocent, Shea took the proffered glass and held it -to his nose. A tremor ran through him--an uncontrollable shiver that -sent fever into his eyes. He lowered the glass slightly and forced a -ghastly smile. Already defeat had engulfed him. - -"Friend, I am sorry thus to disappoint you, but I have sworn that -never----" - -"Shucks!" Aimes grinned and held up his own glass. To meet it, that of -Shea again came within sniffing distance. "Just one between business -acquaintances, Mr. Shea. It's the finest licker ever got to this city! -Absolutely twenty year old, partner. One little snifter now--don't it -smell good? The real thing, the real thing!" - -Thady Shea's entire system was impregnated by that whiff. His big -fingers closed upon the little glass with a convulsive contraction. - -"One, sir, and one only!" he declaimed. "To the dead god Bacchus, all -hail!" - -He tossed down the drink and smacked his lips. - -It was upon a Saturday evening that these things happened. That smell -had done the business for Thady Shea; that raw odour of whiskey, which -in a flash had permeated to the very deeps of his being with its awful -lure. No guile, no argument could have forced him to drink, but that -sniff had ruined him utterly. - -Twenty minutes later, in maudlin confidence, he was relating to Ben -Aimes how two miners of his acquaintance had driven several hundred -miles in deadly fear of being hoisted by dynamite at every jolt. - -Shea mentioned no names. Drunk or not, he knew subconsciously that he -must mention no names. Also subconsciously, he knew that he must hang on -to his axe helve or Mrs. Crump would be much disappointed in him. So he -was still hanging on to it when, after a parting drink, he was thrust -forth into the cold night air. That parting drink had been soggy with -opiates. - -Ben Aimes went to the telephone and called up the sheriff at Silver -City. - -"This is Aimes at Zacaton, Bill," he said. "A queer guy just blew in -here to-night with a grand souse and is sleeping it off now. You know -old lady Crump, don't you? Heard of her at any rate. Well, he says that -she's out in the hills a piece with two other fellers. These two were -run out o' Magdalena last month for talking agin' the gov'ment and -they're said to be dangerous characters. The place is north o' the bad -lands, over in Socorro County. - -"The p'int is, Bill, this here guy says they've got heap o' dynamite and -such stuff out there. Them two anarchists ought to be prevented usin' -it; according to this guy, they got no licenses and never heard o' the -new license law. This here is plumb illegal and you'd ought to stop it. -Both these fellers are I. W. W. organizers, he says, and prob'ly are -German spies; this guy talked with a queer kind of accent. - -"No, I wouldn't think it o' Mrs. Crump, neither, but you never can tell -these days. What's that? Well, I got the location pretty straight from -this guy. Yep, a car can make it; he come into town that way. Get up on -the night train and you can take my car out there. Sure, I'll meet the -train. You're welcome." - -This pleasant duty finished, Aimes dispatched a lengthy telegram to Abel -Dorales at Santa F. He then summoned the constable in search of Thady -Shea. But Shea had vanished from human ken, although the dust-white -flivver remained in the garage. - -Bright and early next morning Aimes departed in his automobile, went to -the railroad and met the sheriff, and brought that official back to -town. The hardware merchant was pressed into service as a deputy, and -the sheriff took over Aimes' car. - -"I'd like to go along myself," said Aimes, regretfully, "but I got to -'tend the garridge myself to-day account of my mechanic hurting himself -last night and being laid up. Tell ye what, Bill! Why not take the whole -crowd right down to Silver City? It'll save ye comin' back here, and -your new deppity yonder can fetch the car back here. Sure, you're dead -welcome! I ain't got no use for the car anyhow." - -To this arrangement the sheriff consented gladly, and Aimes watched them -depart with a twinkle in his eye. Before Mrs. Crump could possibly -return from Silver City, to say nothing of her two men, Abel Dorales -would be on the spot to take charge of things. Aimes considered that he -had managed things very neatly indeed, and he mentally patted himself on -the back that morning. - -Ben Aimes, however, did not take local politics into account. It is such -little unconsidered trifles which very often go to make up the warp of -affairs of larger moment. - -Only a few months previously an ancient and honourable gentleman by the -name of Ferris had been ousted from the job of justice of the peace, -mainly on account of certain hostility to Ben Aimes and the Mackintavers -forces. It is quite possible that old man Ferris was no good as a -justice, yet he had an inconspicuous but important part to play in the -tangled affairs of Thady Shea and Sandy Mackintavers, to say nothing of -the seven stone gods. - -In broad daylight, therefore, Thady Shea came to his senses. While slow -remembrance dawned upon him, he found himself reposing in the back yard -of an adobe house; how he got there was never explained. A furred tongue -and an aching head gradually brought home some errant sense of shame. -This feeling was intensified by a goat-like visage above him. - -"Well, pilgrim!" sounded a raucous voice. "Slep' it off, have ye?" - -Shea groaned and sat up. "Where--where am I?" - -"Town of Zacaton City, county o' Grant, State o' New Mexico." The other -chuckled. He was a disreputable old fellow, distinguished by shiftless -garb and dirty gray hair. "I reckon Ben Aimes must have give ye quite a -jag, eh? If I was you, I'd spill out o' town right smart. He's got the -constable lookin' for ye." - -Shea clasped his head and groaned again, not understanding the words -clearly. - -"I've fallen!" he moaned. - -"With a thud," agreed the other. "But worse'n that, pilgrim. Ye've gone -and got ol' Mis' Crump in real bad. If ye wasn't so mis'able I'd boot ye -out o' here for it." - -Thady Shea stared up dully. "What--what's that you say?" - -Old man Ferris surveyed him in pitying contempt, and carefully sank his -remaining fangs into a plug of tobacco. - -"D'ye mean as ye don't know what ye been an' done? Well, I can't say as -I can see why Mis' Crump ever's taken up with the likes of you, but it's -plumb certain that ye've gone an' done for her this trip, ye no-account -swine!" - -Shea's brow broke into cold perspiration. His quickening faculties began -to grasp the sense of these words. - -"Expound!" he said. "What have I done?" - -"A plenty. The sheriff come over this mornin'. Him and a deppity has -gone to arrest Mis' Crump--and all along o' you, ye mis'able coyote!" - -"Arrest her? Why?" Shea stared, his heart sinking. So piteous was his -gaze that old man Ferris turned aside, spat, and resumed his discourse -in kindlier tones. - -"Don't ye know that they's a new law about explosives? Well, they is. -Everybody what handles powder or dynamite has got to have a license. -From what I gather, Mis' Crump ain't wise to it and ain't got none. - -"Last night you done blabbed out your soul to Aimes. Danged fool! Why -did Aimes git the sheriff after Mis' Crump? Ain't but one answer to -that--so's that devil Mackintavers could profit! And sheriff's goin' to -take 'em to Silver City, too. If Mis' Crump has located an ore prop'ty, -as looks likely, Mackintavers is after it. - -"Once she gits out'n the way and they ain't nobody to hold down the -location, some o' Mackintavers' crowd is going to jump it sure's -shooting! Huh! Git out'n my back yard 'fore I come back, ye swine!" - -Snorting angrily, old man Ferris turned and stamped away, and so out of -the story. He had fulfilled his share in destiny, with greater measure -than he knew. - -Thady Shea sat staring, his eyes terrible with comprehension. With every -moment that final exposition sank more deeply into his brain. The -ghastly consequences of his own weakness left him stunned and paralyzed. - -He could dimly remember what had happened, up to that final drink. He -was certain that he had not mentioned the name of Mehitabel Crump. Yet -he could remember telling about those explosives; as he connected -things, he groaned again. Aimes had been pumping him, of course; had -somehow suspected something. - -The pitiless deduction of old man Ferris struck upon Shea's brain like a -trip-hammer. The mine was left unprotected, or soon would be, and -Mackintavers' men would grab it. Of course! - -Frightful remorse crumpled Thady Shea, mentally and bodily. He owed all -that he was, all that he might be, to Mrs. Crump; yet his action had -literally ruined her. That cursed sniff of whiskey had done it! Shea -wasted no recrimination upon himself for his lapse from rectitude. He -had gone through all that before. It was the consequence of this lapse -that horrified him, that lashed down upon his soul. - -"What have I done!" he mumbled, groping for coherency. "What have I -done!" - -All the old memories of Mrs. Crump flooded into his mind. He recalled -all her actions and words, he pictured mentally all the deep waters of -human kindness that lay hidden below her mask of harshness, he visioned -anew how she had picked him out of the very gutter and had set him upon -his feet, a man. How had he repaid her? - -In this hour Thady Shea was cast absolutely upon himself. There was none -to whom he might go for advice or aid. He was alone with his -consciousness of guilt, alone with the remorse that ate into his heart -like acid. A month previously he would have mouthed a curse at the world -and have gone shambling away in search of the nearest saloon, where he -would have recited "The Face on the Barroom Floor" as the sure and -certain price of liquor. - -This thought recurred to him. He pictured himself as he was a month ago. -From his lips was wrenched an inarticulate cry, the voice of a soul in -anguish. Heedless of the burning ache in his head, he brought his long -body erect and looked up at the sky. - -"Oh, God!" he said, a dry sob in his throat. "Oh, God! I have scoffed -and blasphemed because You let me stumble down into hell. It was my own -fault, God. Now, for the sake of that woman who helped me to find -myself, it's up to You to give me a hand! I don't know what to do. But -I've got to make up for this thing that I've done, and there is no one -to help me except You--and it's for her sake----" - -The words failed, for as he spoke out his heart the deepness of feeling -that had laid hold upon him ebbed; just as the bitterness of grief ebbs -with tears. A tremor shook him, and for a moment he stood motionless. - -Close at hand was an _acequia_, an open ditch with running water. He -went to it, kneeled, and plunged his head into the water; it cooled his -brain and steadied him. He rose and saw his axe helve lying where he had -lain that night. He picked it up and stood there, indecision eating into -him. - -What was to be done? He must do something. The constable was seeking -him--why? No matter. The name of Ben Aimes explained everything. The -morning was wearing along, and by this time all hope of warning Mrs. -Crump was gone. Of course, there was the dust-white flivver. He could -take that and sneak back to the mine. It would be deserted. - -Deserted? But that was what Mackintavers wanted, according to this -disreputable ancient! That was why Mrs. Crump was under arrest! That was -the aim and purpose of the whole affair--to have the mine left deserted, -so that the man Dorales could step in and seize upon it. - -The gaunt, grim face of Shea tightened and hardened. "One thing I can -do--go there," he reflected. "What the hell have I to worry about--can -they do any worse to me than I have done to myself? No. They'll try to -arrest me, they'll try to keep me here. They can't do it! I'm going." - -As he left the place and sought the road, there was a sublime -unconsciousness of self in him. He was in no condition of mind to do the -usual, the conventional thing, the thing that any sane man would have -done, the thing that any one would be expected to do. - -No! From that hour, Shea was a different man. He had entered upon this -new and primitive existence, and now it took hold upon him. His course -of life had been abruptly shifted, and he was climbing new paths; as he -climbed, the exhilaration of the heights sang in his blood. He had flung -away the lessons of his old dreary years. Now his actions were to be the -simple, terrible, and impulsive actions of a child who fears no -consequences. - -Finding that he was only a couple of blocks from the main street of the -town, Shea walked toward it, the axe helve still in his hand. He meant -to take out his flivver and go. - -There was no church in Zacaton City, and it was not yet time for the -Mormon chapel to open. The garage doors were wide. In front, standing in -the warm sunlight, Ben Aimes was chatting with the constable about the -mysterious disappearance of the man Shea. Half-a-dozen idlers were lined -up to one side, smoking and discussing the coming and going of the -sheriff. Around the corner of the store, across the street, swung the -gaunt figure of Shea. - -"By gosh!" exclaimed Aimes, staring. He clutched the arm of the -constable. "There's the cuss now! Lay him up until Dorales gets here -to-morrow, anyhow. Whew! I'm glad he's showed up at last. Must ha' been -laying in a ditch." - -The loafers galvanized into sudden interest. The constable started -across the street and met Shea midway. He held out one hand, with the -other showing his badge of office. - -"Get out of my way," said Shea, lifelessly, looking through him. - -"None o' that, now," snorted the constable. "You come along with me." - -With a smack that was heard for half a block, the axe helve swung a -vicious half-circle and landed over the officer's ear. The constable -threw out his hands and fell on his face, lying motionless. Shea strode -forward. - -"Lay on to him, boys, he's locoed!" cried Aimes, turning to the men -behind. He whirled again to face Shea, and his right hand crept to his -hip. "Hello, Shea! lay down that----" - -"You gave me a drink last night, didn't you?" said Shea, halting before -him. - -Aimes laughed, thinking that he perceived what was in the other's mind. - -"Oh, want another, do ye?" he returned. "Well, lay down that----" - -"You're the man that gave me a drink," said Shea. His deep bass voice -boomed upon the morning air like a bell. "If any man dares to give me a -drink again, he'll get worse than this." - -Aimes suddenly perceived danger, and whipped out his weapon. Swifter -than his hand was the axe helve. It struck his wrist and knocked the -revolver away. As he staggered to the blow, the axe helve swung again -and smote him over the head. Aimes made a queer noise in his throat and -limply sank down. - -There was something frightful in the deliberate way those two men had -been felled. For a moment Shea stood gazing at the loafers, who shrank -back before his blazing eyes. Then: - -"I'll do worse than this to any man who dares give me a drink again," he -said. - -Without further heed, he passed into the garage. Up and down the street -men were calling, running. The group outside the place looked at each -other, their faces blanched. - -"My Lord!" gasped someone. "He's done killed 'em both! In after him, -boys." - -Thady Shea laid down his bludgeon in front of the dust-white flivver, -and began to crank. For almost the first time in his life he had struck -a man in cold anger; more terrible than this thought, however, was the -acid-like bitterness in his soul. - -Just as the engine caught and roared, Shea, rising, saw over his -shoulder the string of men pouring in upon him. He had no time to get -into his car. With a quick motion he caught up the axe helve; swiftly -the foremost men flung themselves upon him, and found him facing them. - -There in the obscurity of the little garage ensued a scene that is still -told of from Silver City to Magdalena. All noise was drowned in the roar -of the engine that throbbed behind Shea. Outside, other men paused to -ask what was going on, to group about the figures of Aimes and the -constable. Inside, Shea fought for more than his life. - -There were six men against him; yet, in the felling of those two -outside, the battle had been half won, for the cold terror of Shea's -blows had made itself felt. The first man at him shrieked out and fell, -crawling away with a broken arm. The others came in before Shea could -recover from the blow, and fastened upon him like dogs upon a mountain -lion. - -Silent, deadly, Shea swung up his weapon and waited. He took their blows -without return. He braced himself against the throbbing car behind him, -and awaited his time. Then he began to strike. There was nothing blind -and frantic in his blows; rather there was something fearful and -inhuman, for inside him was that which rendered him insensible to the -smiting fists, and when he brought down his weapon it was with simple -and deadly intent. - -Three times he struck, each time lifting on his toes, and twice lifting -one man who had fastened about his waist. To his three blows, a man -reeled away into the darkness; a second plunged forward beneath an -adjacent car; a third ran screaming into the open air, across his face a -bloody blotch. A fourth man, unhurt, turned and ran. - -Shea looked down, curiously, at the last assailant, who was still -gripping him around the waist, trying to bend him backward. Then he -deliberately heaved up his axe helve and brought down the rounded oval -of the halt against the man's head twice. At the second crunching blow -the man's grip relaxed. Shea threw him, staggering and clutching, clear -across the garage floor, then turned and leaped into his car. - -With a grinding roar and a honk of the horn, the dust-white flivver went -out of the wide-open doorway into the street. - -Men jumped aside, yelled, pursued. Somebody fired a revolver, and the -bullet smashed the windshield in front of Shea's face. Other shots -sounded, but flew wild. The car went around the nearest corner on two -wheels, and shot away toward the west at thirty miles an hour. - -Thady Shea had come and gone. - - - - -CHAPTER VII--THADY SHEA HAS A VISITOR - - -Thady Shea was on his way to Number Sixteen. The sheriff was on his way -to Silver City with Mrs. Crump, Gilbert, and Lewis. In the ordinary -course of events, Thady Shea would have encountered them in the caon -north of No Agua. The ordinary course of events did not obtain, however, -because of Ben Aimes. - -Having sustained nothing worse than a broken wrist and a sore head, Ben -Aimes upon being revived at once telephoned the store and post office at -No Agua to stop Thady Shea. No Agua was the jumping-off place at the -edge of the bad lands, and it was nothing but a long frame building from -which radiated all the caon trails to north and west. - -When Shea arrived, he found a reception committee awaiting him in the -shape of a dozen men, most of whom were mounted upon horses or mules as -if they had convened for a Sunday holiday. Shea needed no information -upon the subject of his reception. He had previously observed the -telephone wires and had drawn his own conclusions. As he drew near to No -Agua he was the recipient of a bullet that finished off the windshield -and sent a sliver of glass slithering across his forehead. - -What next happened was wild and incoherent in all subsequent reports. -Shea cared absolutely nothing for results, so long as he got through. -When he found his path barred by mounted men, he opened up the throttle -wide, shut his eyes, and gripped hard to the wheel. General opinion was -that the first bullet had killed him and that the car was running wild; -for blood was trickling over his face from his slashed brow, and he was -a fearsome sight. - -The dust-white flivver smashed head-on into the mass of men and horses. -It paused as though for breath, then went ahead. The radiator was -boiling over; and when that red-hot projectile began to bore its way, -things happened. The steam seared into a big mule, and the mule -instantly began to plunge and kick. Two horses went down and the flivver -climbed over them and their riders. A vaquero was pitched across the -hood and with screams of anguish managed to leap away to earth. A horse -sat on the right-hand fender and toppled over upon his rider as the car -went ahead. - -After a moment Thady Shea opened his eyes and looked back upon a scene -of wonderful confusion. Men and horses strewed the ground or were -plunging in all directions. With a sigh of relief Thady Shea found that -he was still going forward; so, in order to avoid the bullets that came -swarming and buzzing after him, he aimed for the nearest caon, which -was not his proper road at all, and followed the trail blindly. - -An hour later this trail petered out at an abandoned mine in the bad -lands. With a vague general idea of his directions, Shea went plunging -off through the sand, winding his way past huge, eroded masses and amid -weird pinnacles of wind-blown rock. Somewhere past noon he was in the -lava beds, and was apprised of the fact by his tires blowing out one by -one. - -Lack of pneumatic cushions did not trouble Shea in the least. He -punished the poor flivver unmercifully, and by the eternal miracle of -flivvers the car kept going. Shea climbed rocky masses, shoved through -sand, rolled over jutty fields of volcanic rock, and when the afternoon -was half gone, came upon automobile tracks. He had found his road at -last. From the tracks, he could tell that the sheriff's automobile had -lately gone that way--but in the direction of Silver City. - -When, late in the afternoon, Shea came to Number Sixteen, it was -deserted. Upon the door of the shack which Mrs. Crump had occupied was -pinned a brief note. It read: - - Thady: Set rite here till I get back. We are pinched but not for - long. My gun is over my bunk. Set tite. Yours, - - ---- M. CRUMP. - -Methodically, Shea went to the other shack and began to wash the dried -blood from his face, plastering the cut on his brow. - -In front of him he propped the note and studied it, tried to read -between the lines. It had been written, he thought grimly, as a forlorn -hope, a desperate chance that Thady Shea might yet save the day. Mrs. -Crump had not been aware of his culpability; or, if she had been aware -of it, she had mercifully indulged in no recriminations. - -"Well, I'm here," said Shea, then glanced quickly around. The sound of -his voice in that solitude was startling. - -He felt in no mood for theatricalisms, and that morning he had given -vent to none; but now, when he tried to express himself otherwise, -homely words failed him. So long had he mantled himself in the -braggadocio rhetoric and rounded phrases of The Profession, that he -could not rid himself of the bluff which had bolstered up his years of -miserable failure. Therefore, he held his peace and tried to face facts -squarely. The lesson of primitive silence was another thing that he -learned in this strange land. - -Now, for the first time, he became aware that he had not come off -undamaged that morning. His body was bruised, his face and head were -much cut about by hard knuckles. Also, he had not eaten since the -previous night, and hunger was beginning to ride him. So he took -temporary possession of Mrs. Crump's shack and began to prepare a meal. - -The single room of the shack was fairly large, since it had to serve not -only as living quarters for Mrs. Crump, but as a dining room for all -hands. The walls were rough and bare; like the bunk in the corner, they -were formed from hewn timbers, unchinked. Gilbert had knocked together a -big mess table; the seats were puncheon stools; in the lean-to adjoining -was the kitchen, consisting of a small sheet-iron stove, frying pan, and -a kettle. And yet, about this primitive bareness Mrs. Crump had -contrived to throw a fragrance of femininity--a rag of curtain to the -unglazed window, a faded photograph of the late departed Crump, a -battered clock decorated by a scarlet cactus flower, an ancient, white, -mended lace counterpane that covered her bunk. And upon the table, a red -cloth that was always spick and span. Only a Mrs. Crump would have -bothered to bring such tag ends of womanly presence into this bare and -rugged spot in the wilderness. - -Contemplating these things, Thady Shea sighed; he sighed at thought of -Mehitabel Crump, doomed to live in such a place, destitute of all things -her woman's heart must have craved. He ceased his sighing, suddenly -aware that his bacon was burned. - -Thady Shea knew more about prospecting for tungsten than he did about -cooking. His coffee was miserable and wretched in spirit. His bacon was -brown and hard as wood. Trying to get the beans warmed throughout, he -forgot to stir them until unpleasantly reminded of his remissness. -However, by the time he had to light the oil lamp in order to see his -food, he had managed to make a fair meal, in quantity if not in quality. - -Afterward, he filled his pipe and sat in the doorway, staring upon the -empurpled masses of the mountains that were piled into the evening sky, -and trying to conclude what he must do next. - -Mrs. Crump's scribbled mention of her revolver drew a whimsical smile to -his lips. He could not remember having fired a revolver in all his life, -except with stage blanks; and he had not the slightest intention of -learning the art at this time. - -He was slightly surprised at his own lack of feeling in regard to the -men whom he had hurt. His one uneasiness was lest he be arrested--or, -rather, lest someone try to arrest him. He did not intend to leave -Number Sixteen until it was safe to do so; until he was certain the -place was secure. Therefore, if any officers appeared, a fight must -ensue. Consequences did not matter. Thady Shea was quite willing to face -any ultimate dispensation of justice so long as he kept Number Sixteen -intact for Mrs. Crump. - -"I must make up for what I've done," he reflected. "Then I can go. I am -a failure, a sodden wreck upon the shoals of self. Once let my -reparation be established, and I shall go forth into the world again to -seek the dregs of fortune with the bent diviner's rod of Thespian -mimicry." - -He broke short off, smiling at his own language. - -Shea knew inwardly that the old life was gone from him forever. He -looked up at the looming mountains and felt a sudden savage joy in -himself; a joy that frightened him, so primitive and sweeping was it. He -had fought with men--had conquered them! In a measure he was done with -all self-recrimination for his weakness and failure. Those were things -of the past. He would not be weak again! Remorse fell away from him, and -peace came. - -The more he thought about arrest, however, the less probable it seemed. -Ben Aimes had given him liquor, which was in defiance of law. Shea -already knew that Mackintavers et. al. were not desirous of getting into -court unless they had an ironclad hold upon the other fellow; this was -proven by Mrs. Crump's having "shot up" Dorales with impunity. If the -proceedings of the past twenty-four hours were given a public airing, -sundry matters might require explanations which would be uncomfortable -for Mackintavers. - -No, upon that count he was perhaps safe enough; but there would be other -counts. They would try to get him--how? No matter. Here was another -reason why he must leave Number Sixteen. He must lose himself from those -enemies, and he must not involve Mrs. Crump in the mix-up. - -Thus deciding, it must be admitted rather vaguely, Thady Shea knocked -out his pipe and sought his bunk. He was not so ill pleased with -himself, after all; he would yet save Number Sixteen for Mrs. Crump! - -The following morning, for the first time in the weeks since Mrs. Crump -had picked him up, Thady Shea relaxed in blissful indolence. He had no -idea of how the vein or veins of strontianite should be worked. There -was little to do about the cabin. So he climbed the long hogback and -settled down to smoke and watch the road that wound down from the caon -toward the lava beds, the road that led into the world. - -The day passed idly and uneventful. With its passing, Shea felt more -assured that his theory was correct; that he was not to be arrested. So -convinced of this was he, that when, toward sunset, he discerned a dusty -streak betokening the approach of an automobile, he made certain that -Mrs. Crump was returning. - -Thady Shea sat where he was, resolved to tell her frankly the whole -story of his disgrace, then to pause for no argument, but to go. He did -not so misjudge her as to think that she would kick him out; still, he -felt that he had been false to her trust, and as a part of his penance -he must go away, until he might be able to come back a man renewed. A -most indistinct idea, this, but strongly persistent. Besides, he would -now be a marked man and he must not involve her in his possible danger. - -Somewhat to his surprise and uneasiness, as the approaching flivver drew -up the caon Shea could not recognize the gigantic figure of Mehitabel -Crump aboard. He saw only three men in the car, and he knew none of -them. Two in the rear seat were evidently natives; from the dirty and -heavily laden appearance of the car, Shea deduced that these men had -come upon no errand of the law. They seemed, rather, to be prospectors -or campers. - -Near the dust-white flivver the car came to a halt. The driver alighted, -and having previously made out the motionless figure of Thady Shea on -the hillside above, waved a hand and started upward. The two natives -climbed out and began to unstrap bundles. - -As the visitor came near to him, Shea saw that the man was powerfully -built, roughly dressed, and possessed striking gray eyes beneath black -brows and hair. - -"Howdy, old-timer!" greeted the new arrival, pausing with outstretched -hand and a frank smile. "My name's Logan, Tom Logan. We got lost over in -the lava beds and struck your auto tracks. We're prospecting. You don't -mind if we camp out here for the night?" - -Shea rose and gravely shook hands. - -"Not a bit, my friends," he said, then pointed a hundred yards beyond -the halted car. "You see that big rock down the valley? Instruct your -comrades to make camp at that point or below it." - -Logan gave him a puzzled look. That word "valley" was strange in these -parts. - -"Eh, partner? You're not joking?" - -"Sir, the habiliments of jest do not become me," returned Shea, his -cavernous eyes piercingly steady. - -"But this is all free country, isn't it?" - -"It is not. No person may intrude upon this property, sir. You are -welcome to water and food if your needs be such, and I am fain of your -company. Kindly instruct your knaves to move as I have said." - -For a moment Logan met the gravely firm gaze of Shea, then turned and -lifted his hands to his mouth. He shouted something in the patois, to -which the two natives waved assent. They turned their car and took it to -the rock that marked the limit of Mrs. Crump's location in the caon. -Logan began to roll a cigarette with deft fingers. - -"Prospecting hereabouts, I presume?" he inquired. "I didn't get your -name." - -Shea found himself warming to the cultivated accents. - -"My name, sir, is Shea." - -"W-whew!" A long whistle broke from Logan, whose thin lips parted in a -smile. "So you're the man! I heard about you at Zacaton City last night. -They say you cleaned up Aimes and his crowd for giving you a drink, and -that you threatened to do worse to any man who offered you one again! -Good thing I didn't do it, eh? Glad to meet you, Shea. I'm set against -liquor myself. You've sure become famous in this part of the country!" - -Thady Shea did not altogether like the swarthy features and the odd -contrast between steely eyes and coarse black hair, but he did like -applause. He took the stranger down to the shacks and when Logan set -about cooking an excellent dinner, Shea was delighted. - -Over their meal the two men conversed at length, chiefly on the subject -of mining. Tom Logan asked no questions about Number Sixteen, but he -formed the private opinion that Thady Shea was earnest, upright, and a -simpleton. Two thirds of this diagnosis was correct. The other third was -destined to make trouble for Tom Logan. - -At last, over their third pipe, Logan yawned. - -"This here is a queer country," he observed. "You're prospecting for -gold hereabouts, of course. But d'you know, Shea, the old prospecting -business is changed? Yes, it is. Nowadays two thirds of the prospectors -turn up their noses at gold. There are new things in the field, things -that pay better than gold. - -"Platinum, for instance; or tungsten or manganese. Take my own case--I'm -one of a dozen men sent out by a big New York chemical house. I'm after -strontium. It comes in two forms, celestite and strontianite. Celestite -brings about twenty dollars a ton at seaboard; but strontianite, when -converted into nitrates, brings five hundred. The average old-time -prospector hasn't the chemical knowledge to find such things as those." - -"Maybe," said Shea, reflectively. "But yonder hillock, black against the -stars, holds in its deep heart veins of mineral; and in those veins, my -friend, there runs an ichor bearing the self-same name as that you -seek." - -Logan stared over this for a moment. Then: - -"By jasper! D'you mean that you've got strontianite here?" - -"So they do tell me," averred Shea, modestly. He added with frankness, -that while he held a third interest in the claim, he knew little of -minerals. - -Logan displayed a cordial and friendly interest, and asked to see -samples. Shea found one or two and set them forth, telling what he knew -of the veins. The interest of the visitor grew and waxed enthusiastic. -Logan examined the samples closely, and then his gray eyes suddenly -struck up at Shea. - -"Look here!" he exclaimed, eagerly. "Would you, provided the veins and -so forth run as you describe them, accept ten thousand dollars cash for -your interest in this location?" - -To Thady Shea this offer came like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. - -"You see," pursued Logan, "a deposit like this would answer my company's -purposes admirably. We might never find another like it. Ten thousand is -not a large offer, but it would be a year or more before you'd begin to -pull money out of the property. Say yes, and I'll examine the location -to-morrow; if it's what you say, I'll buy your right and interest in the -property, sign the papers, and before to-morrow night you'll cash my -check." - -Shea rose to his feet. He wanted to get away from the influence of this -man's personality. He wanted to ask counsel from the friendly stars. - -"I'll think it over," he said, unsteadily. "By myself----" - -"Sure," Logan agreed, heartily. "I'll make out the papers, eh? We're not -the kind of men to haggle and fight each other for price." - -Thady Shea stalked forth into the darkness, his soul a riot of emotions. -"Ten thousand dollars!" he murmured, staring up at the blazing stars. -What a sum to turn over to Mrs. Crump upon leaving! With that sum, Mrs. -Crump could at once begin development work, independently of Logan's -company. With that sum, she could set trucks at work hauling ore to the -railroad. With that sum, she could do--anything! - -It never occurred to him that he might keep the money for himself; it -never occurred to him that he was actually one third owner of the mine, -and could sell out any time. Never had he thought about money in -connection with Number Sixteen; he had not mentally placed his -partnership with Mrs. Crump upon any financial basis. It was because of -this very simplicity of thought that Mrs. Crump had felt drawn to him. -It was because of this, too, that she had instructed Coravel Tio to -record the entire property in the name of Thady Shea, in order to -camouflage her ownership from the many eyes of Sandy Mackintavers. But -this Shea did not know. - -Thady Shea came to the big gray bowlder that marked the limit of the -caon location. He stood against it, gazing upward at the stars, lost in -his dream. The rocky mass shut off from him the flickering fire, built -by Logan's native companions. Behind, the light in the shack was as -another star. He was alone. He was alone, and in the valley of decision. - -Ten thousand dollars--for Mrs. Crump! Never had Thady Shea visioned so -much money all in one lump. Nor did he now vision it as his own. - -Shea did not know that he was technically and legally the owner of -Number Sixteen. But the fact was on record, and Tom Logan knew it -perfectly well. Back in the shack, under the oil lamp, Logan was already -chuckling over the cleverly drawn papers which would make him the sole -owner of Number Sixteen--for the comparatively unimportant sum of ten -thousand dollars! He had persuaded Sandy Mackintavers to gamble that -sum, to play it as a table stake. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII--DORALES GOES TO TOWN - - -Standing by that big bowlder, Shea suddenly awakened from his dream. Out -of the night on the other side of the bowlder, where the dim fire of the -two natives had flickered into red embers, floated a slow, musical laugh -and a few words. The patois was totally unknown to Shea. One of those -words, however, drifted across the darkness and smote upon his brain -with jarring force. The laugh, too, was not honest; it was a silky -laugh, a laugh pregnant with sly meanings and furtive humours. The word -was "Dorales." - -Shea trembled. Dorales! Why did these natives speak of Dorales in this -way? - -Now it came into his mind how Tom Logan had known all about him; how -Logan had been in Zacaton City the previous night; how Logan had gotten -lost in the lava beds--even to Shea's innocence a very improbable thing. -Prospectors for limestone formations do not enter the lava beds. - -Latent suspicion crystallized within Shea's brain. Tom Logan was no -other than Abel Dorales; he was certain of it, he knew it absolutely. -His eyes were opened, and he sought for no proof. - -Dorales had intended to come here, thinking the place deserted. In -Zacaton City he had learned that Thady Shea was probably at Number -Sixteen. He had come with cunning intent, he had come with cunning words -and a false tongue. The offer of ten thousand dollars might or might not -be genuine; no matter! - -To the terribly childlike Shea it seemed that Providence had sent that -low word and laugh through the night to his ears, to save him from -temptation. At thought of how, a few minutes ago, he had been on the -point of swallowing the gilded lure of Dorales, he shivered and wiped -sweat from his brow. - -He turned about and started toward the shacks. - -Beside the table where the oil lamp burned, Dorales was sitting and -writing. He filled out a previously prepared paper which would transfer -to the Empire State Chemical Company, for the sum of ten thousand -dollars, all the rights, holdings, and so forth, of Thaddeus Shea in the -property underfoot. The company in question consisted of Sandy -Mackintavers. - -This paper ready for signatures and witnessing, Dorales produced a blank -check which bore the almost illegible but widely known signature of A. -Mackintavers. This Dorales filled out in the name of Thaddeus Shea, and -in the amount of ten thousand dollars. At this instant he heard a hoarse -voice whisper his name--"Dorales!" - -"Well?" He glanced up sharply, taken by surprise. - -Into the lighted doorway stepped Thady Shea, his cavernous eyes blazing. -For an instant Dorales was too completely astounded to move--astounded -by the realization of how he had just betrayed himself, astounded by the -fact that this gaunt fellow was no simpleton after all! - -That instant of indecision was fatal. Dorales pushed back his chair and -came to his feet, one hand sliding to his coat pocket. Too late! The big -fingers of Thady Shea gripped down on his wrist, and Shea's right hand -took him by the left shoulder, and he was staring into the blazing black -eyes of the man he had thought to cheat. - -"I am glad to meet you, friend Dorales!" A grim smile sat on Shea's wide -lips. "The airy tongues that syllable men's names have borne to me your -rightful cognomen." - -Dorales writhed under that iron grip. His left hand drove up to Shea's -face, landed hard. From his lips broke a shout for aid. - -Under the blow, Shea staggered; he knew nothing of fighting. He did -know, however, that the shout of Dorales would bring the two Mexicans, -and the knowledge fired him. He merely threw himself bodily and blindly -at Dorales and carried the latter to the floor. - -Luck was kind. Dorales, trying not to fall underneath, writhed aside; -the impetus of Shea's rush, or rather fall, threw Abel Dorales headlong -against the wall and knocked him senseless. - -After a moment Shea realized that Dorales was knocked out, relaxed his -iron grip, and rose. His first thought was to turn out the lamp. Then, -taking from the corner the axe helve, Shea passed outside the shack. He -discerned two figures running toward him in the starlight, and he strode -at them. - -The two natives were not at all sure of what had been going on. They -called to Shea, who made no answer but came steadily at them. Hesitant, -they awaited his approach, again addressing him in English. For -response, Shea heaved up the axe helve and struck the nearer man -senseless. - -Here was answer enough. The second man whipped up a ready revolver and -fired hastily; too hastily, for the bullet only whipped Shea's lean -cheek and passed over the hogback. An instant later the axe helve broke -the man's arm. - -"Be quiet!" commanded Shea; then considered that the groaning wretch -could not well obey such an order with a smashed arm. "Go down and climb -into your automobile. Wait there." - -"Si, seor." The native turned and went into the night, groaning. - -Stooping, Shea picked up the body of the second man, the one whom he had -stricken senseless. He heaved it up over his shoulder, and returned to -the shack. There he lighted a match, got the lamp burning again, and -clumsily tied Abel Dorales hand and foot. He rightly considered that the -fight was taken out of the two natives. - -Dorales evinced no symptoms of recovery. Shea threw some water over the -face of his native prisoner, and presently the man sat up and stared -around. At sight of Shea's figure, he shrank back and crossed himself. - -"I'll not hurt you," said Shea. "Where's Mackintavers?" - -"At the ranch, seor," whimpered the wide-eyed native. - -"Is he coming here?" - -"No, seor, not until Seor Dorales sends for him." - -"That will not be for some time." And Shea smiled. "Do you know where -Mrs. Crump is?" - -"I heard Seor Dorales say that she would not get there until to-morrow -night, seor." - -This explained to Shea why Dorales had planned on cleaning up the sale -so hastily. It also set his mind at rest about Mackintavers, whose -arrival he had feared. - -There was no doubt whatever that Dorales had figured things closely and -accurately. Therefore, Mrs. Crump would return upon the following -afternoon or evening, and in the meantime no other attempt would be made -upon the property. - -With this thought in mind, Thady Shea set about making his departure, -for he intended to be gone when Mrs. Crump arrived home. If Dorales were -safely out of the way for a day or two, there would be no danger in -leaving the mine deserted; and Shea was already possessed of a scheme -for putting Dorales in cold storage. - -Prompt to act upon the swift impulse in his mind, Shea turned over the -cleverly drawn paper which Dorales had been studying, and upon its back -wrote a note to Mrs. Crump. The check caught his eye, and he pulled it -toward him; smiling sardonically, he read and reread that magic slip of -paper which stood for ten thousand dollars. - -He picked up the check and held it for a moment over the oil lamp--then -he quickly jerked it back. - -"No, I'll leave it," he muttered. "She'll know I'm honest, perchance! It -will be a tongue most eloquent." - -That sardonic smile still curving his wide lips, he turned over the -check and carefully indorsed it; across the back of the paper he wrote -the same name which he had signed to the note. The whimsical thought -came to him that, if he presented this paper at a bank, he would get ten -thousand dollars for Mrs. Crump; he had no intention of so presenting -it, however--had he not refused the proffered negotiations? He indorsed -that check merely as a mute message to Mrs. Crump. It quite escaped him -that, by so indorsing it, he had made it good. - -He picked up the epistle which he had written, and read it over, -frowning: - - MADAM: If you do not already know of my unhappy share in your - misfortunes, you may be easily apprised of it from other lips. - Farewell! I take my leave to seek an errant soul upon the roads, - and I shall not return until some testing has surfeited my most - uneasy spirit. - - ---- Thaddeus R. Shea. - -He folded up the note, and nodded to himself. - -"'Tis not so clear as crystal, yet 'twill serve," he murmured. - -Whether Mrs. Crump would fully understand the reasons for his departure -was immaterial, since Shea himself did not fully understand them; at -least, he had not figured them into concrete bases. His idea of doing -penance, of seeking either ultimate strength or ultimate failure again -in the world, was vague. His secondary motive, that of not drawing his -benefactress into his own danger from the Mackintavers forces, was -equally vague, since Mrs. Crump was far more imperilled and far better -equipped to face such peril than he. - -However, it is these vague impulses which often lead men upon the trail -of fate, and thus it proved with Thady Shea. - -He left the note upon the table, and with it the indorsed check and -legally phrased paper, knowing that these would in some measure make -matters clear to Mrs. Crump. Then he procured that lady's whiskey and -poured a generous portion into a tin cup. This time, he deliberately -smelled of it, and smiled grimly. Mrs. Crump kept on hand a vial of -laudanum for the sake of recurrent toothache, and from this vial he -dropped a little of the drug into the whiskey. - -"Friend Dorales will sleep to-night, methinks," he said to the staring -native captive. "Lift up his head!" - -The native picked up the head and shoulders of the still senseless -Dorales. Forcing open the thin, strong lips, Shea poured his mixture -into the man's mouth. Dorales choked, but swallowed it and began to -revive. - -Shea packed his few belongings, regretfully left the historic axe helve -for Mrs. Crump, then motioned his prisoner to help him lift Dorales. The -latter was now swearing luridly but feebly. Together they carried him -out into the darkness. - -Ten minutes later Dorales was snoring in the tonneau of Mackintavers' -flivver, beside the injured native. By the light of the lamps, the -uninjured captive was working under the directions of Shea, who had -realized that upon reaching home Mrs. Crump would be unable to use her -own car without tires. - -So Shea stripped the enemy car, left the tires beside the dust-white -flivver, and then climbed into his captured vehicle. Having disarmed his -conquered foemen, he had nothing to fear from them, and headed his bumpy -equipage toward No Agua. When the caon road warned him that he was -close to that lone hovel of desolation, he stopped the car and took from -his pocket Mrs. Crump's flask into which he had emptied the laudanum -vial. He turned to the two natives, one of whom was groaning and -shivering, the other merely shivering. - -"Friends," he said, sonorously, "drink--or take the consequences." - -Knowing from the example of Abel Dorales that the flask contained -nothing worse than sleep, mingled with liquor, the two natives drank the -contents with avidity. Shea tossed away the empty flask, envy in his -eye; he wanted a drink very badly--but he did not want one badly enough -to take it. - -Passing the No Agua store with a rattle and clatter, Shea considered -swiftly. If he went south to Silver City he might meet Mrs. Crump, and -he had no desire to meet her at present. If he went west, he would get -into Arizona. All he knew about Arizona was founded upon the drama of -that name; the prospect of being scalped by Apaches or otherwise -mutilated did not invite his soul particularly. - -So he turned east to Zacaton City, confident that he could pass through -that nest of enemies before dawn, and with a vague scheme already in his -mind. All he wanted was to get clear away, and he mentally blessed that -vial of laudanum. - -It was shortly before dawn when the snoring mechanic in Aimes' garage -was awakened by a tall, gaunt stranger. - -"Friend," said Shea to the yawning mechanic, "in this my vehicle behold -three villains, scoundrels of the deepest dye! But yesternight they -tried to jump my claim, wherefore I laid them by the heels, and charge -you, upon your honest visage, guard them well until the sheriff shall -appear to claim them." - -After some repetition the astonished mechanic gathered that this gaunt -stranger had brought in three claim jumpers to be held until the sheriff -arrived. Not having participated in the events of Sunday morning, the -mechanic was blissfully ignorant of Shea's identity, and Thady had no -intention of disclosing it. Despite protest, Shea left the crippled -flivver in the garage, the three snoring occupants being obviously safe -for another twenty-four hours. Having been carefully dirtied and -disguised by Dorales himself, the flivver was not recognized immediately -as that of Sandy Mackintavers. - -These things successfully accomplished, Thady Shea faded into the gray -dawn. For lack of better direction, he took the rough and rugged road -that led off to Datil and the transcontinental highway into Magdalena. -He had no illusions about arrest not being probable in _this_ case, and -he desired to avoid arrest. - -Zacaton City was ere long in a roar of half-wrathful enjoyment. The -three "claim jumpers," who slept like the dead and refused to be -awakened, were soon known as Abel Dorales, tied hand and foot, and two -natives from the Mackintavers ranch, one having a broken arm. The garage -mechanic's description of Thady Shea was accurate and recognizable. -Details were lacking and could not be obtained until the drugged men -awakened--but details were largely unnecessary. - -Ben Aimes did not telephone to Mackintavers at the ranch; at the time, -this seemed a rather superfluous detail. The news bearer would have a -thankless and possibly dangerous job, so Ben Aimes left Mackintavers -alone, and left Dorales to tell the sorry tale in person. However, Aimes -swore out warrants charging battery and other things, and sent -automobiles forth to bring in Thady Shea. - -Him they did not find; but they went as far as Magdalena, spreading the -story as they progressed. Within three days, this immediate section of -the state was in a roar of laughter; Dorales had a reputation as "the -worst man to monkey with" in existence. Added to the joke was the story -of Thady Shea and the axe helve, which travelled fast and far. Neither -story reached the Mackintavers ranch fast enough, however. - -On the afternoon following Thady Shea's desertion of Number Sixteen, -Mrs. Crump arrived there in a hired car from Silver City. She came -alone; Gilbert and Lewis were in jail awaiting bail, and she came only -to make sure that Number Sixteen had escaped the ravishers. - -By this time Mrs. Crump knew all about what had happened to Thady Shea -in Zacaton City, and how the disaster had come upon her, but she had -made no comments. At the shack, she found the papers which Thady Shea -had left. She read his note, and muttered something about "damned fool." -Then she took the check which he had indorsed, returned to her hired -car, and before midnight was back in Silver City. - -At nine the next morning the Silver City bank telephoned Sandy -Mackintavers over long distance regarding a check for ten thousand -dollars issued to one Thady Shea, and properly indorsed, which had been -presented for payment by Mrs. Crump. Promptly and delightedly -Mackintavers gave it his O. K. Quite naturally, he considered that Abel -Dorales had carried his mission to success, and that Number Sixteen now -belonged to the Empire State Chemical Company. - -But that evening, when Dorales arrived with new tires on the flivver, -Mackintavers learned what had really taken place. Then he telephoned to -Silver City in all haste, only to find that he was out ten thousand big -round dollars. He had gambled, and he had lost his stake. - -Dorales spent a most unpleasant evening. Despite everything, even the -monetary loss, which rankled to the very bottom of his soul, -Mackintavers had a deep grain of humour. This was the first time he had -ever known Abel Dorales to be put absolutely down and out; he gave his -humour full vent until Dorales, who had no humour whatever, writhed -under the lash. - -"It's your loss most of all," growled Dorales, white lipped and -venomous. - -"Aiblins, yes." Mackintavers fell grave. "We'll leave Mrs. Crump alone -for the present; never fear, I'll get that money back, with interest! -I've a scheme in the back of my head that will work on her a bit later. -Are ye going to hide out till the laughing's done with?" - -"Hide--hell!" snarled Dorales, viciously. "The first man that laughs to -my face, except you, gets something to remember. And," he added, slowly, -"I'm not so sure about excepting you, Sandy." - -"There, there, cannot ye take a joke?" returned Mackintavers, hastily. -"I've suffered the most, but leave Mrs. Crump be for the present. I want -to get the matter o' those stone idols settled, and under cover o' the -noise it will make when I become a scientist, then we'll take over this -strontianite mine. - -"I want ye to go up to Santa F, and get a big sack o' silver dollars. -I've me eye on two or three o' them Cochiti redskins and I think ye can -bribe 'em. If----" - -"What about this man Shea?" snapped Dorales. "I'm going to get him if it -takes me ten years! I'm going to write my name in his hide with a -knife!" - -"Ye shall; he'll be here when ye get back from Santa F," soothed -Mackintavers. "He can't hide out long, Abel. I'll have him held for ye." - -"You'd better," said the other, sourly. "I don't like wasting time on -these idols, anyway. I never knew any good to come of bothering the -Indian gods, Sandy." - -Mackintavers only laughed, although not without a frown to follow the -laugh. He was wondering if the presence of those gods in his house had -brought him the loss of ten thousand dollars. He was the last man on -earth to let superstition alter his plans; yet he was Scottish, and he -could not help wondering--just a little. - - - - -CHAPTER IX--THE WICKER DEMIJOHN - - -As has been related, Thady Shea somewhat vaguely set out upon the way to -Magdalena, after disposing of his shoeless flivver and its snoring load. - -The dawn came up and found him plodding onward. An hour later he was -hailed from the roadside by a venerable ancient having one very blue eye -and a long white beard. This worthy proved to be a tramp printer, who -intended to get work at Magdalena when his money gave out. - -For the present, however, the ancient had no intention of working; so he -proposed a road partnership, stating that he liked Shea's looks. Thady -Shea wanted to sleep, which "Dad" Griffith, as the ancient was named, -deemed a highly laudable ambition. - -Accordingly, a little while afterward, Shea found himself snugly -ensconced in a camp well back from the road and well hidden in a clump -of trees. Before sleeping, he explored his pockets and found some money, -left from the sum given him by Mrs. Crump for his Zacaton City -purchases. - -"Take it, friend," he said, drowsily, thrusting the money upon the -ancient. "Take it, and add it to thy scanty store, that so we may have -wherewithal to live." - -"You bet I will, partner," and Dad Griffith seized it. "It'll keep us -quite a spell, with what I got. No sense workin', I says, when they's no -need. I figger on gettin' a job to Magdalena when I got to work. I had a -job there two year ago. These here goshly-gorful linotypes is puttin' -honest printers out o' business. Why, I seen th' day----" - -In the midst of a dissertation upon the elegancies of hand-set type and -the blasted frightfulness of an existence surrounded by linotype -machines, Shea stretched out and fell asleep. The ancient droned along, -regardless. When Shea wakened toward sunset, old Griffith was still -discoursing upon the same topic. - -Over a tiny smokeless fire Griffith conjured biscuits, coffee, and -beans, and the two men ate. Thady Shea probed his companion's mind for -future plans, and found only a vague emptiness; the ancient liked to -spend each night in a different spot, that was all. Thady Shea proposed, -with pursuit in mind, that it might be better to camp during the day and -to tramp at night. - -At this suggestion the ancient winked his one intensely blue eye. He -winked with the uncanny gusto of an old man, with the horrible -craftiness of an old man. His one eye winked, and the ancient was -transformed. He became an emblem of doddering truancy, a living symbol -of the soul which desires ever to flee responsibilities and to shirk the -onus of labour inherited from Father Adam. - -"Suits me, pardner. I used to do that over in Missouri, one time, 'count -of a hawg bein' missed from a pen. Anyhow, these nights is too cold to -sleep 'thout blankets, which mine ain't extra good. - -"Still, a spry young feller like you, Thady, ought to have more get up -an' get to him than to be gettin' in a mess o' trouble. Take a -goshly-gorful old ranger like me, and it's all right; I'm a sinful man, -an' proud of it. But you, now--you'd ought to be aimin' for something. I -know, I do! That's the trouble with folks; ain't got no aim ahead. But -no use talkin'. You got your reasons, I reckon." - -Thady Shea sat and stared into the fire. He did not take the hint to -retail his story. He was suddenly thinking. - -Memory worked within him. "It ain't lack of ambition that makes folks -mis'able and unsatisfied; it's lack o' purpose!" Mrs. Crump had said -those words, and they had been burned into Shea's brain. Purpose, -indeed! What purpose now lay ahead, except the vague desire to -rehabilitate himself? To become a vagrant with this tramp printer--why, -this would be to shake off all the shackles of purpose! Yet, what else -was there to do? What could be done, except to evade the law which by -this time must be seeking him? - -His head drooped. Was some higher Power extending its hand against him, -closing every avenue of escape from his old drifting existence, forcing -him back into vagrancy? His eyes widened under the thought. The thought -staggered him. Then, slowly, his mouth tightened, his wide lips drew -firmly clenched. A flush of fever darkened his high cheekbones. - -Very well; he would go on fighting! For once the superstitious nature of -the man was borne down by his inward anger, was borne down by the -impotent feeling that he was a pawn in Destiny's game; he rebelled -against it. He rebelled against everything. - -"By heaven, I'll _make_ a purpose!" he mentally vowed. "I'll look for -one--find one--fight for one!" - -Even as the words rose in him, he choked down a vague feeling that they -were false and erroneous, a feeling that this purpose could not be -sought, but must seek him out, must come to him of itself. Yet he choked -down the feeling, repulsed it. He reiterated his mental vow, fiercely -insistent upon it. - -All this while the ancient had been droning something about the beauties -of the old flat-bed presses, and the goshly-gorfulness of machine -printing. Now Shea became aware of a more personal note in the droning. - -"If I was you," and the ancient chuckled in his dirty white beard, -transfixing Thady Shea with his one bright-blue eye, "if I was you, I'd -grow whiskers! - -"They's places and places I can't never go no more without these here -whiskers. Yes, they is! I'm a sinful man an' proud of it; mebbe ye think -I'm old, but I can show you young fellers a thing or two, he, he! Grow -whiskers, Thady. You can take 'em with ye to go a-sinning, and then go -back over the same trail without 'em, and nobody the wiser!" - -Shea's gorge rose. He suddenly saw Dad Griffith as the latter really -was--a foul old man, a worthless wastrel of humanity, seemingly dead to -all higher things. He grew afraid for himself; he was vaguely alarmed, -as though he had touched some slimy, crawling thing in the darkness. He -came to his feet with an impellent desire to crush this unholy man like -a toad, to flee into the night, to lie under the stars and seek -clearance for his troubles. However, he did none of these things. Shea -reached for his pipe, filled it, lighted it with an ember from the fire. -Here he got a new sensation--the tang and sweetness of an ember-lighted -pipe! - -"Let's be moving," said Thady Shea, crisply. "It's a fine night." - -An hour later they were plodding along, sharing the load of provisions. -Thady Shea was quite aware that something was wrong with him in the -body, but he felt no definite pain. It was an errant "something" which -he could not place, and which he was too uplifted in spirit to heed. - -The night wore on. With every step, Thady Shea was learning from the -lore of Dad Griffith. He was learning the worldly wise lore of the -roads--to walk with straight feet, to carry his body uphill on bended -knees, to take the high side of a wet trail. The ancient talked -continually, eternally. The ancient seemed to like Thady Shea immensely. - -Some time after midnight they left the road by a faint and unknown -trail, followed it until they were weary, and then camped. Griffith had -a pair of tattered blankets. Thady Shea refused to share them; he slept -in his clothes. When he wakened at sunrise his head was heavy with -fever. A mile distant the ancient descried a creek, and they moved over -to it for the day. Thady Shea felt peculiar, and detailed his symptoms, -whereupon the ancient produced a tattered little case of leather. He -opened the case and disclosed three vials. - -"All the med'cine a man needs, I claim," he declared. "Middle one's -quinine; right's physic; left's physic again, only more so. Take your -choice, one or all!" - -"Give me the more so," said Thady, who felt miserable in the extreme. - -The ancient began to look alarmed. His one intensely blue eye shone with -an uneasy light. His continual talk became querulous. After a time he -forced Thady Shea to continue their progress; the trail, said he, must -lead them to a ranch. Groaning, Shea protested; but presently he yielded -to the urgings of Griffith. The two men followed the trail. - -There was a man named Fred Ross, who had homesteaded a caon in the -hills beyond the Datils. Thus far unmarried, although he had his hopes, -he lived alone; a hard, rough man, kindly at heart, redly wrinkled of -face, and keenly alert of eye, he shot beaver and turkey when the forest -rangers were not around, and fared well. Indeed, he was wont to say that -he was the last man in the United States to know the taste of that -succulent morsel, a beaver's tail. - -Fred Ross was plowing on the flat behind his shack when he observed the -approach of a tattered old man who moved in trembling haste. Having no -liking for tramps, Ross set his hands on his hips and met the visitor -with a vigilant eye. - -"Well?" he snapped. "Who in time are _you_?" - -"Don't matter 'bout me, mister," said the other, agitatedly pawing a -long and dirty white beard. "A friend o' mine is down the caon a ways, -plumb petered out. He was took sick last night--I reckon he's got a -touch o' fever. D'you s'pose you could let him lay somewheres--mebbe in -that cowshed yonder?" - -"You be damned, you old fool," said Ross, harshly. "I ain't got no room -for sick men in my shed--which ain't no cowshed, neither. Where is he?" - -"He--he give out by them trees," faltered Dad Griffith, backing away. "I -got a little money, mister----" - -"You be blistered, you an' your money!" roared Ross. "I don't want no -tramps around here, savvy? I got trouble of my own. Let's have a look at -this friend o' yours--if you-all are tryin' any skin game on _me_, look -out!" - -He strode forward, and Dad Griffith fluttered away. After him strode -Ross. Ten minutes later they came to the gaunt figure of Thady Shea -lying beneath some scrub oaks and muttering faintly. Ross leaned over -him then straightened up and faced the ancient. - -"You--on your way!" he said, roughly, "I'll take care o' this feller, -but I don't aim to keep two of ye." - -"Devil take ye, I don't want none of ye!" quavered Griffith in querulous -anger. "I'm goin' to Magdalena to get me a job; you tell him so when he -can travel, ye goshly-gorful old ranch hand!" - -Disdaining a response, Ross stooped; after some effort, he got Thady -Shea in the "fireman's grip" and staggered erect, the delirious man -still muttering. He turned and walked toward his shack, striding heavily -under the burden. Dad Griffith hesitated, then wagged his beard--he did -not deem it wise to follow. - -"Hey!" he lifted his voice after the departing rancher. "You be good to -him, hear me? Mind my words, if ye ain't good to him I'll--I'll come -back and burn ye out some night!" - -Ross paid no heed but strode on out of sight. Dad Griffith shook his -fist in senile rage, then slowly, and with a sigh, turned about and -started in the opposite direction. - -The shack which Ross had built, anticipating matrimony, was a two-room -affair with a lean-to kitchen. Grunting beneath his load, Ross stooped -into the house and deposited Thady Shea upon an iron bed. - -Ross came erect, panting, and stared down at Shea's fever-flushed -features. He scratched his head, as though in perplexity, and his eyes -were suddenly very kindly. - -"Poor devil!" he said, being a man who talked much to himself. "Poor -devil! Got a real good face, too. What in time can I do? The car's broke -down and there's no doctor closer'n Magdalena anyhow. Well, I never -knowed whiskey to fail curin' any trouble, and I guess a bit o' quinine -will help out. Thank the Lord I got whiskey to burn!" - -He went to a cupboard in the corner and drew forth a wicker demijohn, a -new demijohn, a demijohn that hung heavy in his hand. Upon the chair -beside the bed he put a big crockery cup, thick and heavy. He poured -whiskey into it; he filled it nearly to the brim with raw red liquor; a -ray of sunlight fell upon the cup and made it seem filled with rich thin -blood. - -"Just for a starter," murmured Ross. "Now the quinine." - -The hours passed, and darkness fell. Ross went out to stable and bed -down his team. He came back, ate, resumed his vigil. - -Ross was starkly amazed by his muttering patient. Cup upon cup of -whiskey and quinine he poured down the gaunt man's throat; the man drank -it like water, avidly, without visible effect. He seemed to soak up the -raw red liquid as a sponge soaks up water. It seeped down his throat and -was gone. - -"My Lord!" exclaimed Ross at last, awed despite himself. "The man ain't -human!" - -Thady Shea was human; although invisible, the effect was there. Through -the hours of darkness his sonorous voice rose and filled the shack. He -spoke of things past the understanding of the watching Ross. He used -strange names--names like Ophelia or Rosalind or Desdemona; at times -passion shook his voice, a fury of resonant passion; at times his words -trembled with grief, his rolling words quavered and surged with a -vehemently agonized utterance, until the listening Ross felt a vague -ache wrenched into his own throat. - -About midnight, Thady Shea fell asleep. It was a deep, full slumber, a -slumber of stertorous breathing, a sound and absolute slumber, a drunken -slumber. Thady Shea lay motionless except for his deeply heaving chest. -His hands, face, and body were glistening wet, were wet with -perspiration that streamed from him, were wet with salty sweat oozing -from his fever-baked flesh. Fred Ross turned out the lamp and climbed -into a bunk in the corner. - -"That ends it," he said, drowsily. "He'll sweat out the fever and sleep -off the whiskey, and wake up cured. Can't beat whiskey! Cures -everything!" - -Upon the following morning Ross returned from his chores to find Thady -Shea still lustily snoring, the fever gone. He got breakfast and -departed to his work, leaving the coffee ready to hand. From time to -time he came in from the nearer end of the flat to inspect his patient. -He was a big man, a rough-tongued man, a deep-hearted man. - -Thady Shea wakened to an uncomfortable sensation. He dimly and vaguely -recognized the sensation; he was bewildered and frightened by it. He had -felt that uncomfortable sensation many times in his life, always on the -morning after a night spent with the jorum. - -He tried to sit up, and succeeded, only to close his eyes before a -blinding wave of pain. A headache? It went with the other symptoms, of -course. He had no remembrance of drinking. Indeed, he had a fierce -remembrance of having meant never to drink again. Where was he and how -had he come here? His last memory was of trees, and the ancient helping -him as he sank down. He looked around; the strange room bewildered him. - -He was maddeningly conscious that his body, his soul, his whole being, -was a soaked and impregnated thing, soaked and impregnated with whiskey. -His body cried out for more whiskey, his soul writhed within him for -more whiskey. His haggard gaze fell upon a cup, on a chair at his -bedside. He reached out and picked up the cup. It was half full of -bitter whiskey, and a bottle of powdered quinine explained the -bitterness. - -Even then, Shea hesitated. He hesitated, but he could not resist. No -living man could have resisted the fearful outcry of body and soul upon -such an awakening. It was no mere craving. It was a tumultuous, riotous, -lawless eagerness--a fierceness for whiskey, an awful tormenting passion -for whiskey such as he had never before known. That was because of the -flood that had seeped and soaked through his whole being. The raw red -liquor like thin blood had permeated all his body tissues and nerves, as -water permeates the sun-dried earth, leaving it not the hard white earth -but the brown soft mud. The earth dries again and cracks open, calling -avidly for more water. So with Thady Shea's body and soul. - -He drank gulpingly, until the cup was empty. He sat down the cup; it was -a heavy cup of thick crockery. His nostrils quivered to the smell of -coffee. He began to take in his surroundings, to realize them, to -appraise them. He began to understand that he must have been drunk. -Drunk! Who was responsible? - -A shadow darkened the morning sunlight in the doorway. There on the -threshold, a black blotch against the brightness outside, stood Fred -Ross, staring at the man who sat on the edge of the bed and stared back -at him. Shea saw only a man--the man responsible. - -"Did you----" He paused, licked his lips, and continued thickly. "Did -you give me whiskey? Did you?" - -Ross stepped into the room. - -"Yes, I did," he began, roughly. He did not finish. - -Something shot from the bedside, something large and thick, something -white and heavy, that left the hand of Thady Shea like a bullet. It was -the thick, heavy crockery cup. Shea flung it blindly. It struck Ross -over the ear with a "_whick!_" - -Fred Ross looked vaguely surprised. His knees appeared to give way -beneath him. He caught at the table and seemed to swing himself forward, -half around. He fell, and lay without moving. The heavy white crockery -cup, unhurt by the impact, rolled in the doorway. - -Relaxing on the edge of the bed, Thady Shea gave no more attention to -Fred Ross, but lowered his face in his two hands. They were big, strong -hands; they clutched into his hair and skin until their knuckles stood -out white. Shea sat motionless, thus, as though he were trying to -produce some exterior which would quell the anguish within him. - -His voice rang with a sonorous bitterness as he spoke aloud. The -recumbent Ross moved, then sat up with a lithe, agile motion; but Thady -Shea did not stir. He was lost in the words that seemed wrung from his -very soul. - -"I've tried, I've tried! How have I been weak, how have I failed? Yet I -have failed. I've been drunk. I always fail." - -His speech was heavy, slow, words coming tenuously to his numbed brain. -He did not hear the slight sound made by Ross in rising erect, in -stepping to the wall. He did not see Ross at all, nor the hand of Ross -that plucked a revolver from a holster suspended on the wall. He spoke -again, the words coming with more coherence. - -"Always an unseen hand blocks me. Is it your doing, oh, God? Before, it -was my own fault, for I was weak. This time it was not my fault; I knew -nothing about it. God, are You trying to turn me back into the old -shiftless life, into the old vagabond, aimless existence? God, are You -trying to make me a drunkard again? Are You trying to rob me of all -purpose?" - -He paused. The breath came from his lungs; it was a deep and uneven -breath, a sobbing breath, the breath of one who is fast in the grip of -terrible emotion. At him stood and stared Ross. Inch by inch the -revolver lowered. The keen, alert, battling eyes of the rancher were -filled with perplexity, with comprehension, with a strange gentleness. -Again Shea spoke, his face still in his hands: - -"I've done my best, God knows! I've put whiskey out of my life, stifled -the craving for it, forgotten about it. And now--now! Why is it that -even this one purpose is denied me? Is there no help--is there no help? -Is there no help for----" - -His fingers clenched upon his iron-gray hair, swept through it. His head -came up. His blazing black eyes stared into the gaze of Ross. For half a -moment the two men looked at each other, motionless. - -Then, abruptly, Ross pushed home the revolver into its holster. - -"Pardner," he said, casually, "let's have a cup o' coffee." - -He went to the stove in the kitchen, raked up charred black brands, -opened the draft, and put the coffeepot over the kindling embers. He set -two thick crockery cups upon the boards of the table. He got out spoons -and sugar and "canned cow." Then he turned to the other room and with a -jerk of the head invited his guest. - -Thady Shea rose, very unsteadily, and came. - - - - -CHAPTER X--MRS. CRUMP SAYS SOMETHING - - -Over the rough table Fred Ross delivered himself. - -"Something about you I like, Thady Shea," he said, level-eyed. "The old -man who fetched you here told me your name. Don't know anything more -about you. Didn't know whiskey was bad for you; anyway, it cured the -fever. First I knew about you was in yonder, when you talked. Damn good -thing for you, pardner! Savvy? Yes. - -"Tell you somethin'. I used to be range rider--a puncher, savvy? Forty a -month. No future. Never mind the details, but it come to me that if I -didn't get somethin' to work for, I might's well quit livin'. So I took -up this here quarter section and started in. It cost me dear, I'm -tellin' you! - -"I sweat blood over every inch o' this here land. Folks said it was no -good. I put up this shack, put it up right. I set in to raise crops. I -put my body into it. I put my heart into it. I put my livin' eternal -soul into it--and by the Lord I'm goin' to win! I had somethin' to work -for, that's all." - -Ross leaned back. The flame died from his eyes. He surveyed Thady Shea -critically, appraisingly, generously. - -"When I heard what you said, in yonder," he pursued, "I seen all of a -sudden that you were a man like me. Savvy? Yes. I don't blame you, now, -for lamming me over the ear like you done. My Lord! Ain't I talked to -God like you done in there? Ain't things come up to rip the very guts -out o' my soul? Well, it's like that with all folks, I guess, only it -comes different. Savvy? Yes. I gave you whiskey, and I was a damn fool. -That's all." - -Ross rose and began to clatter dishes into the dishpan. Thady Shea rose -and went to the doorway. He stood there, looking up the east-running -caon toward the morning sun. He did not see the half-plowed flat, he -did not see the horses and plow; he did not see the pion trees and the -trickle of water. Tears were in his eyes. For one blazing moment he had -seen into the soul of Fred Ross, the iron soul, the gentle soul, the -brave soul of Fred Ross. - -Suddenly he turned about, feeling upon his shoulder the hand of the -other man. - -"Shea, you asked a while ago if there wasn't no help. Well, maybe there -is--if you want it. Do you?" - -"Yes," said Thady Shea, huskily. - -Upon the following morning he started in to work; he was a bit weak, but -he insisted upon working. He dared not do without working. He began to -clear another flat farther up the caon, ridding it of brush and scrub -oak and pions. - -As he worked, Thady Shea thought much of that wicker demijohn, back in -the cupboard of the shack. Once, when he came in to luncheon ahead of -Ross, he opened the cupboard. He looked at the clean wicker demijohn, -the new demijohn, the demijohn which hung so heavily and lovingly to the -hand; as he looked, a sunbeam struck the glass behind the woven wicker -and made it seem filled with rich thin blood. Thady Shea shivered--and -shut the door. But he could not shut that demijohn from his thoughts. - -He prayed, every hour he worked, that Ross would hide away that -demijohn. He said nothing to Ross about it; he felt vaguely ashamed to -let Ross know of his struggles with himself. He shrank from revealing -how he was tempted. - -Days passed. Twice, now, Thady Shea had come in from work merely to open -that door and look at the demijohn. The first time, he had forced -himself to be content with the look. The second time he hefted it; then -he reached for the cork, trembling--but just then the step of Ross -approached, and Shea replaced the demijohn. He knew that he had been -saturated with liquor, that in his involuntary carouse his body had -seeped up the whiskey as the thirsty earth seeps up water. The craving -was there, the wicked craving of the cracked earth for water. - -Terrible were the first few nights. Despite weariness, sleep would not -come. On tiptoe Thady Shea would sneak out of the shack, out into the -bitter cold night, out under the white, cold stars. He would stride up -and down the cold earth until the chill ate into his bones; then, -shivering, he would tiptoe back and roll up in his blankets, thinking -how a drink would warm him. - -As the days passed, he worked harder. He slaved until, at darkness, he -would nod over his pipe. He did not shave, remembering the words of the -ancient, and his gaunt face became filled and strengthened by an -iron-gray beard. - -All the while he cursed his aimlessness, his lack of purpose. He was -looking out, beyond the present; he was looking over the horizon. He was -thinking of Mrs. Crump. He prayed under a sweat-soaked brow that some -great flaming purpose would come into his life. The word "purpose" had -become to him a creed, a mania. - -He did not realize, except very dimly, that for him life had already -centred upon one immediate and tremendous purpose: to avoid, to shrink -from, that clean wicker demijohn in the corner cupboard! Unawares, the -purpose had come to him. - -And then, upon a day, Fred Ross patched the broken flivver and went to -Datil for grub. Thady Shea was left alone, alone with the ranch, alone -with the pion trees and the horses, alone with the shack, alone with -the corner cupboard and the clean wicker demijohn. Fred Ross did not -seem to perceive any danger in leaving Shea thus alone. - -Fred Ross reached the store at Datil about noon, after a long pull. -Datil lay on the highway, where lordly Packards and lowly Fords wended -east and west, between California and St Louis. Datil was nothing more -than a frame store-hotel-post office. In the rear of the long building -were sheds, relics of the days when the far ranchers came in on -horseback, of the days when burros and bearded prospectors and -unrestricted Indians roused talk of great and blood-stirring events. - -A mixed company lunched that day in the long dining room. Ross was too -late for the first table, and he stood waiting in the adjoining room, -smoking by the huge cobbled fireplace, talking with other men who had -drifted along too late for the first serving. - -The talk struck upon Thady Shea and the huge joke of which Abel Dorales -had been the victim. Ross listened and said nothing, as was his wont. He -heard that Thady Shea had skipped the country; had, at any rate, not -been found--must have gone over the Arizona line. - -"Too bad," commented a sturdy rancher from Quemado way. "He must ha' -been a right strapping guy, eh? And what he done down to Zacaton, when -Ben Aimes give him a drink--say, ain't ye heard 'bout that? It's sure -rich!" - -The speaker recounted, with many added elaborations and details, the -story of Thady Shea and his axe helve. Fred Ross listened in silence. -Fred Ross thought of that heavy white crockery cup; reflectively, he -rubbed his head above his ear, and grinned to himself. He was not the -only one who had suffered for giving Thady Shea a drink, then! - -When the talk turned upon reprisals, Fred Ross listened with more -attention. Charges had been sworn out against Shea, it appeared; they -had been sworn out by that fool Aimes, but had later been withdrawn. -Abel Dorales had seen to it that they had been withdrawn. Abel Dorales -had come to Magdalena; there he had half killed three drunken miners who -had ventured to taunt him, and for the same reason he had taken a -blacksnake to a sheepman. Abel Dorales had given out that he, and he -alone, intended to deal with Thady Shea whenever the latter was found. -It was a personal matter, outside the law. This attitude met with -general approval. - -"Not so bad!" reflected Fred Ross, as he passed in to his meal. "Not so -bad! The law ain't after him, anyhow. Now, if he's let that demijohn -alone to-day, I reckon he's all right. Pretty tough on him, maybe, to -leave him alone, but----" - -The ins and outs of the business transaction attempted by Dorales, the -transaction concerning Number Sixteen, had, of course, not been made -public. But the general gist of the matter was an open secret. The joke -on Dorales was huge, and was immensely appreciated. - -The meal over, Ross went out to his car in order to get his tobacco. He -idly observed that alongside his own flivver had been run another, a -dust-white flivver with new tires. He paid no attention to it until he -was drawn by the sound of a voice which he instantly recognized. He -stood quiet, listening, looking toward the two figures on the far side -of the dust-white flivver; they did not see him at all. - -"No'm," said the voice which Ross had recognized. "No'm, I couldn't get -no work to Magdalena. Things is in a goshly-gorful state in the printing -business! I done walked here, aiming to make for Saint Johns, over the -Arizony line. Seein's you're headed that way, ma'am, if ye could give me -a lift----" - -"Walked here, did ye?" cut in a voice strange to Ross. "Had any -vittles?" - -"Not to speak of, ma'am. I'm busted." - -"Well, you trot right in alongside o' me. Hurry up, now--ain't got much -time to waste. My land, of all the fool men--and at your age! Hurry up." - -The two figures departed toward the stirrup-high open flooring that -formed a porch the length of the frame building. One was the figure of -Dad Griffith. The other was the figure of a very large woman, harsh of -features; she was clad in ragged but neat khaki, and beneath her chin -were tied the strings of an old black bonnet. Against her wrinkled -features glowed two bright-blue eyes with the brilliancy of living -jewels, giving the lie to their surrounding tokens of age. She was -unknown to Fred Ross. - -Filling his pipe, the homesteader sought out the store, and, with -inevitable delays, set to work making his purchases. This was an -occupation demanding ceremony. Other men were here on the same errand, -and there was gossip of crops, land, and war to be swapped. This was the -forum of the countryside, the agora of the scattered ranches. - -Thus it happened that by the time Ross went to his car with an armload -of supplies old Dad Griffith had finished his meal and was lounging on -the steps of the stirrup-high porch. He started up at sight of Ross, who -paid no attention to him, and followed the rancher out to the car. - -"Hey!" he exclaimed, eagerly. "Where's that there partner of mine?" - -Ross dumped his purchases into the car and turned. He desired only to be -rid of this parasite, to be rid of him for good and all--and to rid -Thady Shea of him. - -"He's where you left him, old-timer--and where you're not wanted." - -"Is--is he all right?" - -"Sure. I fed him whiskey until he got well. He's there now with a -demijohn. I never seen a man able to swallow more red licker than that -partner of yours! But you needn't go showing your nose around there, -savvy? He's workin' for me and you're not wanted." - -"You go to hell!" spluttered the wrathful ancient. "You goshly-gorful -old ranch hand! That's what you are!" - -Ross laughed, swung about to his flivver, and cranked up. He turned the -car and vanished amid a trail of dust, leaving the ancient to sputter -senile threats and curses. He accounted himself well rid of that old -vagabond, in which he was quite right. - -It was late in the afternoon when Ross got home; the trail to his caon -from the county road was wretchedly rough. As he drove, he began to -blame himself for having left Thady Shea all alone, throughout the day -from sunrise to sunset, with that wicker demijohn. He began to think -that he had stacked the cards too heavily. He began to think that his -desire to test Thady Shea had been a mite too strong. - -He drove up to the shed, seeing no sign of his guest. The house, too, -was deserted. Ross went straight to the corner cupboard and jerked open -the door. The clean wicker demijohn was gone. It was not in the house. - -"Hell's bells!" quoth Ross, savagely. - -He strode outside and scanned the vicinity. Nothing was in sight. The -team was gone. He walked up the caon, seeing that the lower flat was -empty of life. At the turn he came in sight of the upper flat, and -paused. - -The team was there; Thady Shea had been plowing. Thady Shea was there, -too, but he was not plowing. He was standing at one corner of the flat -beside a pile of brush. He was lifting something in his hand. It was the -wicker demijohn. He set it on his arm and laid the mouth to his lips. -Ross could see him drink, gulpingly. He drank long, avidly, until Ross -swore in blank amazement that a man could drink thus; he drank as the -sun-cracked earth drinks water. - -Ross strode forward. Thady Shea turned to meet him. - -"Hello, Ross! I was just knocking off work for the day. Drink?" - -Ross took the demijohn. He looked at Thady Shea with hard, bitter cold -eyes. His eyes softened as he remembered his misgivings. After all, was -it not his own fault? He lifted the demijohn on his arm and laid the -mouth to his lips. - -"Hell!" He spluttered in stark surprise. He stared at the demijohn, -stared at the smiling Thady Shea. "Hell! I thought----" - -Thady Shea laughed. It was a deep, sonorous laugh. - -"I couldn't stand it, Ross," he said. "That cursed jug was too much for -me. So I emptied out the whiskey and filled it with water, and went to -work. I'm sorry about the whiskey--I'll pay you back." - -"Damn the whiskey!" roared Fred Ross, delightedly, and wiped his lips. -"Come on back to the shack and let's eat!" - -For the first time in long days, the two men talked over their meal. -They talked of the world outside, talked of ranch gossip, talked of the -war and the government and the high price of wool. Ross meant to run -some sheep up at the head of the caon, and discoursed on the project at -length. Not until their pipes were going, and the red afterglow was -shrouding the fading day, did he mention what he had learned at Datil. - -"Heard something over to the hotel," he mentioned, casually. "They were -talking about you. It appears that Abel Dorales has called off the -sheriff and withdrawn all charges agin' you. He's lookin' for you his -own self, I hear. Makin' it a personal matter." - -Thady Shea drew a deep breath. Nothing to fear from the law, then! The -more personal menace of Abel Dorales he did not consider at all. - -"I'll tell you what happened--if you don't mind," he said, diffidently. -It was the first time, since that day when he had felled Ross with the -cup, that personalities had been touched upon between them. - -He told his story. Ross made no comment whatever; in that story he -perceived that Thady Shea was a queer, impulsive child, a man whose fear -and reason were overruled by his impulses, a man whose primitive soul -arose in a lonely grandeur of sincerity, of absolute and wonderful -sincerity. Ross felt awed, as a man feels awed when confronted by the -mystery of a child's soul. - -The name of Mehitabel Crump meant nothing to the rancher; he had perhaps -heard of her in past years, but had forgotten her name. When Thady Shea -fell silent, Ross knocked the dottle from his pipe and filled it anew. - -"You watch out for Dorales," he said. "I know him. He's bad med'cine." - -"So everyone says," returned Shea, gravely serious. "I hadn't found it -so." - -Ross seemed to discern humour in this, and chuckled. "Think ye'll stay -here, Shea? Glad to have ye." - -"Unless something turns up--yes. I--well, I haven't found that purpose -we spoke about once. I'm trying hard. I'm trying to find it, to make it -come, to figure out what I must do. Yet I seem all helpless, -bewildered----" - -"I never heard of any one puttin' a rush label on Providence, not with -any success to mention," said Ross, dryly. "You're lookin' so hard for -something that you can't find it. You're too damn serious. About sixty, -ain't ye? Well, at sixty you're goin' through what ye should ha' gone -through at thirty or less. Limber up your joints an' take it easier, -pardner. Wait for what turns up, an' remember God ain't dealing from a -cold deck." - -Here was wisdom, and Thady Shea tried to accept it. - -Upon the following afternoon Thady Shea was laboriously plowing the -upper flat. Down at the shack, Fred Ross was cleaning house. He was -cleaning house in his own simple and thorough fashion. He took -everything outside in the sun. Then he set to work with a bucket of suds -and a broom, and scrubbed the walls, floor, and ceiling; he was figuring -on papering the walls a little later. The result of this cleaning was -damp but satisfactory. - -Having returned most of his belongings to their proper places, Ross was -engaged in fitting together the iron bed. He heard the grinding roar of -a car coming up the caon trail in low gear, and went to the doorway. A -dust-white flivver was approaching. As he watched, it came up to the -shed and halted. There was but one person in the car. - -From the dust-white flivver alighted a tall, large woman clad in old but -neat khaki, upon her head a black bonnet. With surprise, Ross recognized -her; it was the woman whom he had seen at Datil the previous day. It was -the woman who had bought Dad Griffith a meal, and who, presumably, had -given the ancient a lift toward the Arizona line. - -She approached the doorway and transfixed Ross with keen, glittering -blue eyes. Her look was one of unmistakable truculence, of hostility. - -"Your name Ross?" she demanded. - -"It is, ma'am," he meekly answered. "Will----" - -"My name's Mehitabel Crump, with a Mrs. for a handle," she stated. "You -got a man by the name o' Shea workin' here?" - -"Yes'm," said Ross, staring. So this was the Mrs. Crump of whom Shea had -spoken! "Yes'm. Will ye come in? I'll go right up the caon and fetch -him----" - -"You shut up," she snapped, harshly. "I aim to do my own fetchin', and I -aim to have a word with you here and now, stranger. I hear you been -keepin' Thady Shea filled up with booze." - -Ross was staggered, not only by the amazing appearance of this woman -here, but by her direct attack. She meant business, savage business, and -showed it. - -Those last words, however, suggested an explanation to Ross. On the -previous day he had given the ancient an "earful" about Thady Shea and -the whiskey. This woman, who now turned out to be Shea's friend Mrs. -Crump, had given the ancient a ride westward. The connection was too -obvious to miss. - -"You got all that dope from old Griffith, eh?" he said. "I was at Datil -yesterday and seen you there. If I ever see that old fool Griffith -again, I'll poke a bullet through him!" - -"Then you ain't real liable to do it," said Mrs. Crump, grimly. "If that -old vagabone told me the truth, I aim to put you where you won't give -whiskey to no more men. Now, hombre, speak up real soft and sudden! Did -you give Thady Shea whiskey--or not?" - -In the blue eyes of Mrs. Crump was a look which Ross had not seen since -the days of his boyhood. Even then he had seen it only once or twice, -before the "killers" of the old days were put under sod. Knowing what -caused that look, Ross laughed--but he laughed to himself. - -"Well," he responded, gravely, "in a way it is true, ma'am. I sure did -fill Shea with red licker, filled him plumb to the brim. And when I went -to Datil yesterday, there was a jug two thirds full o' licker in that -cupboard. When I come home las' night, ma'am, there wasn't a single drop -o' whiskey left. For a fact." - -Try as he might, he could not keep the twinkle from his eye. That -twinkle was something Mrs. Crump could not understand; it bade her go -slow, be cautious. She knew her type of man animal, and that twinkle -gave her covert warning not to make a fool of herself. - -"I'm goin' to see him," she declared, after compressing her lips and -eying Fred Ross suspiciously. "If you've made a soak out o' him, pilgrim -Ross, I'm coming right back here and perforate you without no further -warning. That goes as it lays--so ile up your gun." - -She turned about and strode away, up the caon. Once she glanced back, -to see Ross standing where she had left him, and upon his face was a -wide grin. - - - - -CHAPTER XI--THADY SHEA DISCOVERS A PURPOSE - - -"What in hell made you run off?" demanded Mrs. Crump in an aggrieved -tone. - -"Well," hesitated Thady Shea, "I figured I might get you into trouble -with Mackintavers and his crowd; Dorales would be after me, you know. -And then I wanted to make up for what I'd done. I wanted to go away and -prove to myself that I could do something--without any one else helping -me. It's a little vague, but----" - -"Oh, I savvy," finished Mrs. Crump for him. "My land, Thady! I been -hunting you all over creation, but I never aimed to see you lookin' like -this--never!" Hands on her hips, she surveyed him with appraising, -delighted eyes. - -As he stood there awkwardly beside the plow, Thady Shea did look unlike -her last view of him. Also, he sounded different. They had talked at -length, but in all their talk, in all his tale to date, he had not once -broken into the rolling, rounded phrases which formerly he had so loved. - -He showed the lack of self-consciousness that was upon him. It was not -the bristly beard which had wrought the change, although this disguised -him startlingly. Perhaps it was the gruelling work which he had been -doing of late, with its effects. - -In this man of fifty-eight there showed a strange boyishness. He was no -longer gaunt and haggard. True, there was a haunting gentleness, a -sadness, in his eyes, but it was the sadness of time past, not of the -present. His look, his manner, had taken on a definite personality. No -longer was he Thaddeus Roscius, the actor who fitted himself into the -characters of other men; Montalembert was dead and here stood Thady -Shea, man of his hands; one whose eyes met the world honestly and -earnestly, with wide questioning, with a balanced poise and surety in -self. - -"My land!" pursued Mrs. Crump, meditatively. "When I think of the -knock-kneed, blear-eyed critter I found layin' up above the Bajada -grade, I can't hardly recognize ye, Thady! Ye look's if ye'd got used to -leaning on yourself. Want to come back to Number Sixteen with me?" - -Shea frowned in perplexity. His eyes were serious. He had set forth all -that had happened to him, all that he had done; Mrs. Crump had given him -no blame, but in her eyes had shone pride and praise. - -"I--I don't know," he said, slowly. "I'm looking for a purpose in life. -I'm trying to find something definite. It's so long since I've had -anything definite! These twenty years, and more, there has seemed to be -a knot gripped about my soul, somewhere--stifling me. I don't seem -to----" - -"No need for all that," said Mrs. Crump, impatiently. "You're rich now." - -Shea's eyes widened. "You mean--the mine?" - -"No, I don't. That mine is a humdinger, or will be once it gets started -to paying. I got Lewis an' Gilbert workin' there now, they bein' out o' -jail and shut o' that old charge. No, Thady; I mean the ten thousand we -screwed out o' that skunk Mackintavers." - -Shea looked blank. "Ten thousand? I don't understand." - -Mrs. Crump sighed in resignation, and set herself to explain. - -"It was a right smart trick to indorse that check Dorales had made ready -for ye--'bout the smartest thing I ever knowed ye to do, Thady. I takes -that check and lights out and cashes it 'fore old Mackintavers heard -what had happened to Dorales. The money's in your name, down to the -First National at Silver City; I ain't touched it." - -She fumbled in her bosom and produced a folded check book. - -"Here's the check book they give me, all proper. Sign your checks the -same way ye indorsed that one, savvy? I turned in the note ye left me at -the shack, with your signature on it, to the bank." - -She broke off. She came to a faltering but decided halt. - -For, as she had spoken, a queer look had stolen across the beard-blurred -features of Thady Shea, and had settled there. It was such a look as she -had never previously seen upon his face. It was a look of incredulous -wonder, of grief, of dismay. - -The personal equation in that look silenced and startled Mrs. Crump. It -conveyed to her that she must have said some terrible thing, something -which had shocked Thady Shea beyond words, something which had struck -and hurt him like a blow. She rapidly thought back--no, she had not even -sworn! - -"What the devil ails ye?" she demanded. - -"Why--why--that check!" blurted Shea. He drew back from the check book -which she was extending to him. His eyes were wide, fixed. "I never -meant it--that way! I never dreamed you'd do anything with it. I left it -there with the other paper to show you what Dorales had been up to." - -Mrs. Crump laughed suddenly. - -"Oh, then I gave ye too much credit? Never mind, Thady----" - -"You don't understand!" In his voice was a harsh note, a note of pain. -"Don't you realize what you've done? That money--why, it's stolen! It'll -have to go back to Mackintavers! It isn't ours." - -For the first time in many years Mehitabel Crump was shocked into -immobile silence. She was absolutely petrified. She could not believe -the words she heard. - -"You didn't look at it that way, of course," added Shea hastily. -Earnestness grew upon him, and deep conviction. "But it's true. If it -were ten cents or ten dollars, it might not matter. But--ten thousand -dollars! It must go back." - -The blue eyes of Mrs. Crump hardened like agates. Her mouth clenched -grimly. Her wrinkled features tightened into fighting lines. She was -dumbly amazed that the magnitude of the sum did not appeal to Thady -Shea's cupidity; but she was vigorously and fiercely determined that the -money was to be his. It was not for herself that she wanted it. - -When she made answer, it was with a virile insistence that drove home -every word like a blow. - -"You got no call to insult me, Thady Shea, by callin' me a thief; mind -that! Are you crazy or just plain fool? Mackintavers an' Dorales comes -along thinking to trim us right and proper, like they done by other poor -folks, thinking to rob a lone widder woman, thinking to fool you into -robbing me. That there check for ten thousand was the jackpot. -Mackintavers signed it as such, knowin' it to be such, stakin' it agin' -Number Sixteen to win or lose. You didn't know that the prop'ty was -recorded in your name--but he knew! - -"He lost, and you can bet he ain't said nothing about losing them table -stakes! What call you got to beef about winning that bet? It's plumb -legal, cashed at a bank, sanctified by Sandy hisself over the phone. -You'd be a fool not to take money after you'd won it in a game like -that! If ye want----" - -For the second time Mrs. Crump came to a decided and bewildered halt. - -She was entirely convinced that to take the money was legitimate; she -was convinced that it had been lawfully won, that Thady Shea was -actually entitled to it. She had chuckled over the coup a hundred times. -She had chuckled a hundred times over the grimly delightful irony of -cashing that check, of giving Mackintavers a counter-thrust that he -would remember. Yet, although she was presenting her argument with -entire conviction, she was conscious that it was like presenting her -argument in the face of a stone wall. - -Somehow Thady Shea was ignoring her argument. Its point seemed quite -lost upon him. He stood before her, flinty, untouched, unheeding. The -slight glint of scorn in his eye, real or fancied, flicked Mrs. Crump on -the raw; it lashed her into real and unassumed anger. - -"All that is quite true," he said. In his manner was a gentleness, a -frightful gentleness, a gentleness so entire and calm that it was -hideous. One would have said that he was speaking to a little child. - -"All that is true, Mrs. Crump. Of course your intentions were -whole-souled and generous, and from your viewpoint the action was -justified. I didn't mean to call you a thief, heaven knows! I didn't -mean any such thing. - -"But--the money was to be given in exchange for something. The exchange -did not take place. Therefore, to keep the money would be theft. That is -the way I look at it. That is all I can see to it--all! The money must -go back." - -There was a terrible simplicity in the man's face, in the words he used, -in the argument he used. It was a simplicity which nothing could change. -It was a simplicity above all argument or question. It was a simplicity -that stood up like a gray naked rock. Against this implacable front Mrs. -Crump was impotent and knew it. - -Thady Shea reached out and took the check book from her hand. He opened -it. He stripped one check from the book and placed this check in his -pocket. Then he took the check book, tore it across, and flung the -pieces away. He did it casually, impatiently, carelessly. - -Now, to tear a check book across is not an easy thing. To do it -carelessly, casually, is a most unusual and significant thing. It jerked -at Mrs. Crump's attention. She wondered just how strong Thady Shea was. -Yet, the thought that the one check in Shea's pocket was destined for -Mackintavers fired the anger within her, and fanned the flame. She could -deal gently, pityingly, with a weak man. With a strong man, strong as -Thady Shea was strong, she had but one argument. - -"I'll write out that check----" began Shea. - -"You're a coward!" said Mrs. Crump, savagely. She knew the words were -fearfully unjust, but they rose within her and she said them. The -thought that Mackintavers would deem her weak and silly enough to return -that money maddened her. "You're a coward!" - -She leaned forward and struck him in the mouth. She struck a man's blow, -a full, hard-fisted, strong blow, a blow that might have felled another -man than Thady Shea. Under it he reeled. Then he came upright and stood -motionless, looking at her. He did not speak. Slowly he lifted his hand -to his mouth, and his eyes shifted to the red smear upon his hand. Then -his gaze went again to her face. - -Under his look, Mrs. Crump shivered a little. The anger went out of her -suddenly and utterly. Before his calm, hurt strength she recoiled. Her -brittle, false hardness was broken and shattered. He did not speak, and -his silence frightened her. She went to pieces. - -"Thady!" The words came from her in a breath, a groan. Her burning blue -eyes were gone dull and lifeless, dumb with misery, as she realized what -she had just done. "Oh, Thady! I--Heaven forgive me, Thady, I didn't -mean to do it. I wanted you to have that money." - -"I wonder if you really think I'm a coward?" said Shea, curiously calm. -"I am one, of course, but I don't see how a desire for justice can be -cowardly." - -"I don't!" she burst forth impetuously, passionately. "Thady, I'm -sorry--I never meant it; it didn't come from the heart, Thady! I'm an -old fool of a woman, that's what I am. An old fool of a woman! Don't -look at me that way; I tell ye I can't stand it--it's awful! I'm sorry -for it, bitter sorry." - -"I'm sorry, too," said Shea, simply. "Listen to me, now. You've given me -something real; a purpose. Maybe Ross was right. Maybe I had to wait -till it came to me. Now I'm going to find Mackintavers and give him his -money, make things right. I may be a coward in physical things, but----" - -"Don't talk that way!" she broke in, harshly. "Thady, I'm sorry. Come -back to the mine with me; forget this foolishness. I'm a fool of an old -woman, that's all. I need ye at the mine, Thady." - -He smiled a little. "Do you really mean it, Mrs. Crump? May I come -back--after I have seen Mackintavers?" - -"Come now! Don't go chasing off like a dratted mule. Come back with me -now!" - -"No." Shea looked away from her. He motioned toward the horses, their -tails switching in the arrogant sunlight. He motioned toward the -half-plowed field. "I'll finish this job first. Then, in a few days, -I'll go and see Mackintavers. You see? I have to do it. The purpose has -come to me; maybe it'll lead into something else. I don't know. After -that, I'll come back to Number Sixteen and go to work, if you still want -me." - -"Yes," she said, humbly. "I'll need ye, Thady. I'm sorry ye won't come -now." - -She turned from him and walked down the caon. Around the bend, out of -Shea's sight, she leaned against a bowlder. She was a woman, and God has -given tears to women. Great sobs shook her for the first time in years. -Passionate sobs were they, holding the pent-up emotion of a deep spirit -that had broken through its mask of cynic harshness. - -Presently Mrs. Crump recalled that, although she was beyond the sight of -Thady Shea, she was in full view of the distant shack. Muttering that -she was a dratted old fool, she wiped her eyes. She tucked in loosened -wisps of hair about the edge of her bonnet. She pulled her bonnet -straight and started for the dust-white flivver, beyond the shack. - -Mrs. Crump found Fred Ross cheerfully whistling "Silver Threads Among -the Gold" and finishing his house-cleaning. - -"That there Thady Shea," she stated, harshly, "is the most amazing human -critter I've ever run up against!" - -Ross grinned amiably. "Meaning, ma'am?" - -"Meaning you can figger it out for yourself. Adios!" - -"Hold on, ma'am. Ain't you goin' to set a while?" - -"I am not. I got work to do. So long, and good luck to ye!" - -Ross insisted upon cranking the dust-white flivver, and she departed -with no more words. - -An hour later Thady Shea brought in the horses, and put them up for the -night. He came into the house and helped Ross get supper. He commented -on the house-cleaning with admiration. He discussed, from an amateur's -standpoint, fencing the upper end of the caon against the proposed -flock of sheep. He seemed to enjoy his supper hugely. - -The meal over, both men lounged outside, smoking and watching the -crimsoned peaks that overhung them. - -"Mrs. Crump," observed Shea at last, "is the most generous, whole-souled -woman I ever knew. She's a wonder, Ross!" - -"She is," assented the rancher, dryly. "I suppose you're goin' to leave -me?" - -"Yes," said Shea, gravely. "After that upper flat is plowed." - -"Tell you what. Wait till Sunday. I'm goin' to Magdalena then, to see a -lady friend. Take ye in the car if you're goin' that way. Then I'll pay -you--got to give you something for the work, Shea. So go to Magdalena -with me Sunday." - -"Mackintavers' ranch lies over there, doesn't it?" - -"North. Yes." - -"All right. That'll suit me." - - - - -CHAPTER XII--THE STONE GODS VANISH - - -The loss of ten thousand dollars was not a negligible matter, even to -Sandy Mackintavers, who was accustomed to gambling on a large scale. -Like a good gamester, he swallowed the bitter pill and said nothing. -However, the loss left a scar which, contrary to the custom of scars, -grew more red and angry with each passing week. - -The realization that he had been outwitted and outgamed by the despised -Mehitabel Crump was bad enough; the actual monetary loss made itself -more gradually felt. However, Mackintavers knew that he would recoup -tenfold once his hands gripped Number Sixteen. So, by means of various -reports from Eastern sources, he discovered that Coravel Tio, the curio -dealer of Santa F, was negotiating for the sale of the property, and -held an interest in the mine. Over this, Mackintavers laughed long and -loud--and perfected his plans for taking over Number Sixteen. - -In the meantime, he gave his attention to the seven stone gods and his -scientific reputation. - -His ranch house was a roomy, comfortable place; one half was inhabited -by Old Man Durfee, who ran the ranch, and the other half was inhabited -by Sandy and his frequent guests. At the present moment he had three -guests besides Abel Dorales. Two were withered, wrinkled old bucks from -the Cochiti pueblo, and these were quartered in the bunk house a half -mile distant, by the corrals. The third was the eminent archologist -previously mentioned, who had arrived to witness the establishment of -Sandy as a scientist. - -"To-morrow is the big day, eh?" Sandy Mackintavers spread his square -bulk to the blaze in the big library fireplace, and surveyed his -scientific guest with complacent expectation. "Dorales is goin' to bring -them bucks up here. We'll have the little gods all ready, then we'll see -what happens." - -He glanced at the wide mantel whereon sat seven worn stone images, -grinning widely over the room. - -"You've not coached them, of course?" demanded the wary scientist. "If -they had an inkling of what you wanted, they'd say anything to please -you." - -"Huh!" snorted Mackintavers with honest indignation. "I should say not! -Surprise is the thing, professor. Aiblins, now, I'll explain to ye the -system we've invented to make these Cochiti bucks talk--but first, take -a look at this. I'm coming fast, eh? Aiblins, in another year or two -I'll be having a world-wide reputation, eh? Just look at this, now." - -He handed the scientist a letter. Now, Mackintavers himself could not -read that letter; but it had been translated for him, and he was -inordinately proud of it. - -The scientist glanced at the letter-head above, a large and flaunting -letter-head of the _Socit Acadmique_, and below, in very small -letters, the remainder of the legend: _d'ethnologie Amerique_. In other -words, not particularly good French, denoting the Academic Society of -American Ethnology, of Paris. - -The eminent scientist repressed the smile that rose to his lips. It was -obvious that Sandy, keenly canny in most things, was highly susceptible -to this sort of flattery. - -"I'm sending for their gold medal," went on the speaker. "Costs about -fifteen bucks, but I guess it'll be worth it when the papers write me -up, eh? They sent along an engraved parchment to show I'm a member. Some -day I'll go to Paris and visit 'em." - -The eminent scientist, who knew all the ins and outs of that game, did -not spoil poor Sandy's dream by any intrusion of cold and hard facts. -Instead, he reflected to himself upon the odd twists and quirks of -character, which would bring such a man as Sandy Mackintavers into the -toils of a vain ambition, and into the nets of smooth sharpers who knew -well how to flatter the American ignoramus into parting with his -dollars. - -Cordial and warm was Sandy Mackintavers that evening, expanding under -the genial thought of what was to happen on the morrow, and making -himself a wondrous fine host. He told how Abel Dorales had secured an -interpreter, had approached two withered, wrinkled old Cochiti bucks who -loved round silver dollars, and had brought them here upon specious -pretexts. He told how, on the following morning, those two withered, -wrinkled Cochiti bucks were to be left for an hour in this same room, -alone with the seven stone gods on the mantel and a whiskey bottle on -the table; and he told how a dictagraph, already concealed and in -readiness, would be waiting for them. - -Being presumably alone, being mellowed by one or two stolen drinks, -being in the amazing presence of those seven stone gods, the two -withered, wrinkled old Cochiti bucks would most unquestionably talk to -each other in their own language. Later, the dictagraph record could be -translated. - -It never occurred to Sandy that the entire Cochiti pueblo might have -been aware that he was in possession of these seven stone gods almost -from the very day he obtained them. Sandy had picked up some knowledge -about the relics of dead redskins; but he had a good deal to learn about -Indians in the flesh. - -So the morning came--the morning that was to bring about the -satisfaction of ambition. Abel Dorales left the breakfast table in order -to bring the two withered, wrinkled old Cochiti bucks. Mackintavers drew -the eminent scientist into the library for a last look at the -preparations--ah! - -"It might be an excellent idea," said the professor, dryly, "to set your -stone gods in place, Mr. Mackintavers." - -"Aiblins, yes!" And Mackintavers stared blankly at the mantel. "Where -the devil have they gone? They were here last night!" - -That the seven stone gods had sat, grinning, upon the mantel only the -evening previous, was true; but they were not on the mantel now. They -were not in the room. They were not in the ranch house at all! - -Curious to incoherence, suspecting everyone around him, Sandy -Mackintavers sought an explanation. He obtained none. The two wrinkled, -withered old bucks had been in the bunk house all night. Every man about -the place established a convincing alibi. - -Every building upon the place was searched from ground to rafters, -without avail. Noon came, and Mackintavers had relapsed into a dour, -grim rage. At this juncture, the old Chinaman who served as cook related -that, while emptying the slops the previous evening, he had seen a -strange horseman down near the creek. He could give no description. - -"Stolen!" howled Sandy, beside himself with fury. "Out and after him!" - -Now ensued confusion great and dire. Every man on the ranch, except the -cook and Abel Dorales and the eminent scientist, shared the general -exodus. Dorales openly expressed profound disgust for gods, for -Mackintavers, and for the whole accursed business; having assumed -responsibility for the safe return of the two wrinkled, withered old -Cochiti bucks, he loaded them into the ranch flivver and set out for -Socorro and the main line of the railroad. Sandy and Old Man Durfee were -gone with the big car. - -The professor, left alone, secured a volume of scientific reports and -settled himself in comfort on the wide, screened veranda. The noon meal -had not been pleasant. The afternoon was hot and dusty. Presently the -scientific gentleman slept. - -Just when his slumbers had deepened into snoring somnolence, the -archologist was aroused by a sonorous bass voice that boomed like a -bell. Startled, he sat up. He first visualized a buckboard close at -hand, within a dozen feet of the veranda--a strange thing, for he well -knew that natives of the country would have driven their teams to the -corrals. Upon the seat of the buckboard was a suitcase. - -It was a small wicker suitcase, a battered little yellow suitcase with -loose ends of wicker torn and protruding from its faded surface; it was -a suitcase manifestly third or fourth-hand, cheap in the first place, -and now absolutely contemptible. It looked more like a lunch basket than -a suitcase. - -Then the professor was aware of a tall man, a large, shaggy-bearded man, -who stood at the screen door of the veranda and spoke in sonorous -accents. - -"Sir, it grieves me thus to break your slumber, but I am searching with -such power as lies within my soul for one named Mackintavers. I charge -you, if you be fair Scotia's son and him whom I do seek, declare -yourself!" - -"Bless my soul!" exclaimed the scientist. "Do I gather that you are -looking for Mr. Mackintavers?" - -"Such indeed are my intent and purpose," declaimed Thady Shea. - -"He's gone. Everyone's gone." The professor inspected this specimen of -humanity with swiftly growing interest. "They'll be back presently; -things are a bit upset. Won't you come in? Better take your team over to -the corrals." - -The scientist rose and introduced himself. Thady Shea solemnly gave his -abbreviated cognomen and stated that, since he had hired the team at -Magdalena and expected to return almost at once, the horses could stay -where they were. He then entered the screen veranda, shook hands, and -with a sigh sat himself down. - -Mackintavers gone! It upset all his calculations. However, he soon found -himself engaged in sprightly discourse. - -Lemonade and cigars made an incongruous accompaniment. This entire -situation, in fact, was the most incongruous the professor had ever -experienced. He could not make out whether Thady Shea were here as a -guest or as an enemy, as a chance caller, or as a business acquaintance. -Thady Shea kept a tight mouth on some things. - -"You'd better take those horses into the shade," reiterated the -professor at length. "And that suitcase of yours--why, the sun will -broil it!" - -Thady Shea smiled slightly. - -"I perceive dust upon the horizon," he said, gesturing toward the road, -"which doth to my mind betoken the speedy return of our host, and the -conclusion of my business. As for the suitcase, sir, therein lie food -for musing!" - -"What's in it then?" The professor chuckled. "A set of Shakespeare?" - -"Nay, sir, of its contents I am ignorant." - -Thady Shea eyed the approaching dust cloud, which might give birth -either to Mackintavers or to Abel Dorales. In his own fashion, he -proceeded to tell his companion how he had acquired that suitcase, two -hours previously, and while on his way here. - -He had encountered a horse, saddled and bridled and still alive, lying -in the road with a broken leg. Of the rider, there had been no sign. A -little distance farther on Shea had come upon this battered little -suitcase lying in the dust. Whether the suitcase appertained to the -vanished horseman could not be told. There had been some sort of -accident, yet there was no human being in evidence. All this upon the -main highway. - -"Did you notice the brand on the animal, or anything which might -identify it?" queried the professor, who was well versed in the ways of -the country. - -Thady Shea had learned enough, also, to notice a few such things. The -brand was a queer mark, a queer zig-zag which to him meant nothing. The -animal's saddle blanket had been an Indian rug, woven for such use. The -bridle had also been woven. Upon the suitcase, however, there was no -mark of ownership. - -"H'm! Sounds like a Navaho brand," commented the professor, sagely. - -At this point, Thady Shea rose and abruptly closed the discussion. The -approaching automobile had drawn up. - -From the car alighted Sandy Mackintavers, who stood for a moment staring -at the buckboard; Old Man Durfee went on with the car to the garage, in -the rear of the ranch house. Thady Shea did not need the professor's -vouchsafed admonition to know who this square-hewn man was, this man -with the square jaw and mouth and figure, this man who turned from the -buckboard and came dourly up to the veranda. - -"Who's here?" Mackintavers stood in the screen doorway. - -"You're Mr. Mackintavers?" Theatricalisms fell away from Thady Shea. He -fumbled in his pocket. He produced the check which he had previously -filled out. He extended it. "This belongs to you, I think. There was -some mistake in the matter. Your check was cashed through a -misapprehension." - -Mackintavers swept Thady Shea with keen, puzzled eyes; then he glanced -at the check. - -His square mouth contracted slightly at the corners. Otherwise, not a -muscle moved in his face. After an instant he folded the check and -glanced up at the professor. - -"No luck with the thief," he said, curtly. "That is, unless some of the -boys bring in news. There was an accident on the Magdalena trail this -morning--a fool Navaho buck was hit by the flivver from Doniphan's -ranch. Knocked him and his cayuse to glory. I thought for a time he was -our man, but telephoned into town from Doniphan's and found otherwise. -Took a look at the horse to make sure. Nothing doing." - -His eyes went back to Thady Shea. He held open the door and gestured. - -"You're Shea, eh? Come on into the office, will you? Excuse me, -professor." - -Shea followed his enemy host into the house, and into a small room which -served Mackintavers as office and study. Sandy dropped into a chair, -motioned Shea to another, and set out a box of cigars. - -This greeting left Thady Shea entirely at sea. Mackintavers did not seem -to be infuriated; he seemed to understand perfectly all about the check. -He seemed alert, precise, cold-blooded, as though this were some -ordinary business deal. - -"So you're Shea!" he repeated. "Aiblins, now--ye look it. Friend o' Mrs. -Crump, eh?" - -"I am." Thady Shea began to feel sorry that he had come inside. - -"How come you're turning back that money? The old lady feelin' her -conscience?" - -"I told you, sir, that there had been an error. When the mistake was -brought to my attention, I posted straightway hither, seeking you; the -money was not mine to store away; reparation was incumbent on me." - -"What the hell!" muttered Sandy, with a touch of wonder. - -Mackintavers knew men. He could read men at a glance, but Thady Shea was -slightly beyond his visual acuity. None the less, he came fairly close -to the mark in that he adjudged Shea to be of a simple and wonderful -honesty, a man of fundamental virtue. Sandy took for granted that Thady -Shea was mentally unbalanced; a theory which would explain this amazing -refund, and also the wild stories which were current about the man. - -"I hear you own that claim Mrs. Crump is workin', Shea." - -"No. It belongs to her." Thady Shea rose to his feet. "We need not -prolong this----" - -"Oh, don't be in a rush!" soothed Mackintavers, cordially. "Now, I'll -have your team attended to, and you'd better stay overnight with us, eh? -We'll have a talk, and we'll get squared up on the trouble between you -and Dorales----" - -Thady Shea looked down at him. Under those eyes Mackintavers fell -silent. - -"Sir, you are an infernal villain," said Thady Shea calmly. "I want none -of your hospitality. There is no trouble whatever, save in your own -greed and covetous rapacity. You are an arrant rogue, a caitiff vile; -there can be naught between us. Sir, farewell!" - -Thady Shea strode from the room and slammed the door after him. - -Sandy Mackintavers sat motionless, completely astounded by this -outburst. He looked down at the check in his hand, then looked out the -window; he could see Thady Shea climbing into the buckboard and driving -off. - -"Aiblins, yes; the man's mad!" he reflected. A slow chuckle came to his -lips. "And to think I never so much as said thank'ee! If the check's -good, now--h'm! Better find out about it. A fool, that's what the fellow -is. A loose-brained fool." - -He sought the telephone and spoke with the Silver City bank. The check -was good. - -Later in the afternoon came the first word of the actual thief who had -made off with the seven stone gods. One of the men brought in a report -that he had found signs of a camp on the creek a mile distant. -Mackintavers and Old Man Durfee went out to investigate. They were good -at reading signs; they discovered that a man had spent the previous -night in this spot, and that he had presumably been an Indian. The -tracks of his unshod horse showed a cracked off hind hoof. A few tiny -shreds of gray wool showed where his saddle blanket had been laid. - -Over the supper table that evening Sandy Mackintavers recounted these -results to the archologist. Abel Dorales had not yet returned from -Socorro. - -"The gods are gone, professor," he stated, disconsolately. "Clean gone! -Aye. D'ye see, the thief, that fellow camped by the creek, was the same -Indian who got wiped out by Doniphan's flivver this morning! The same, -aye. That saddle blanket was gray, and that horse had the off hind foot -cracked. Aye. The Navaho dog was the thief. And now the gods are clean -gone! There was no sign of 'em about the horse, and the man himself had -nothing. But he took 'em, right enough." - -The professor glanced up, roused from his abstraction. - -"That's queer!" he ejaculated. Excitement rapidly grew upon him. "Look -here, Mackintavers! The man who was here this afternoon, the man -Shea--did you notice that queer little grip on his buckboard? He told me -he had picked up that grip near the crippled horse, and he did not know -what was in it!" - -Just then Abel Dorales returned, to find that Thady Shea had come and -gone. - -Thirty minutes later Mackintavers and Dorales were on their way to -Magdalena in the big car; Mackintavers was after the seven stone gods, -and Dorales was after Thady Shea. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII--THADY SHEA STARTS HOME - - -In the early evening Thady Shea reached Magdalena. He turned in his team -and buckboard to the livery stable, paid for its use from the money -given him by Fred Ross, and with the little suitcase in his hand left -the stable office. The first person he encountered was Fred Ross. - -"Hello!" said Ross, grinning. "Thought maybe you'd show up this evenin', -so I hung around. How's tricks?" - -"Fine," answered Shea, delightedly. "I'm hungry." - -"So'm I. Let's eat. I got a friend waitin' to meet ye--he's leavin' -to-night." - -Shea gladly followed to the Hotel Aragon. He was to-night blissfully -happy. For the first time in years he felt like a boy. It was as though -the reparation made to Mackintavers, and the brief but emphatic -expression of his own mind to Mackintavers, had wiped away all past -things. Atonement was over and done with. He was free to go where he -would. - -From one of the rocking-chairs in the long, narrow lobby of the hotel -arose a man of girth and twinkling of eye, who came to meet them. Him -Ross briefly introduced as Bill Murray, and urged haste in reaching the -dining room. Thady Shea left the battered little yellow suitcase on the -hat rack beside the dining-room doors, which were just about to close, -and the three men hastily entered the nearly empty room. - -Fred Ross had known nothing definite about Thady Shea's business with -Mackintavers, but possibly he had conjectured a good deal. He was -plainly much relieved to see his friend safely back. - -"Bill's running a newspaper over to St. Johns," he confided, when the -meal was under way. "He'd heard about you, Shea, and was kind o' set on -meeting you. Wants to get the straight o' that yarn about you and -Dorales. He got laid up here with a busted steering gear, and aimed to -go home to-day, but waited over. Now he's goin' back to-night, so he -says. It sure beats all how a fellow gets in a hell of a hurry just when -other folks want him to loaf around a spell!" - -Murray tipped Thady Shea a jovial wink. - -"Fred ain't lonesome, much," he said, wheezily. "Got a girl here. Fred -reckons that the more he talks about stayin', the more I'll be set on -goin'--which is the same true. Human nature is ornery as the devil, -ain't it now? Well, I s'pose you ain't picked up any news to-day, Shea?" - -"I have, sir," intoned Thady, "an item of importance. A striped Indian, -of name unknown, was overcome by dire fatality this morn. Upon the road -Death ambushed him, and maimed his faithful steed, and laid him low. An -automobile--mark the irony!--became the instrument of darkling fate, and -brought to this poor aborigine the end of all things, and the close of -life." - -Bill Murray stared open-mouthed, as did most people who heard Thady's -sonorously rolling accents for the first time. Then he emitted a wheezy -chuckle. - -"Oh! You mean the Injun buck that got straddled by Doniphan's flivver! -Heard all about him to-day. He's layin' over to the funeral parlours -now. Some of his tribe's in town, and they made Doniphan give him a real -burial. Joke on Doniphan, ain't it?" - -"And," pursued Thady, "at Mackintavers' ranch this afternoon I gathered -there had been a robbery. What worldly pelf was taken, I know not, but -dread confusion reigned upon the place." - -"Gosh!" Bill Murray started up from his chair. "Say--that's red-hot -news, Shea! Don't tell any one else around here. I'll run out and phone -the ranch. Got to run off my paper to-morrow night; I'll pull some o' -that plate off the front page and run this in a box. Whee! Back in a -minute!" - -Bill Murray departed like a genial cyclone. - -Now Thady Shea told about that battered little suitcase. He was not sure -what should be done with the thing, and asked the advice of Fred Ross. -He had not opened the suitcase; ever since finding it, he had been on -the go. Besides, the suitcase was locked, and Thady hesitated to smash -it open. - -"Likely it was bounced off some ranch car or buckboard," deduced Ross. -"Belong to that dead Injun? No chance. None whatever! You never seen an -Injun with one o' them things, and anyhow, no Injun riding hossback -would tote a suitcase along. No, none whatever! And that grip wasn't -made to tie on a saddle, neither. Reckon you'd better look inside, and -if there ain't any indication of the owner, then read the papers for an -ad. Well, what ye going to do? Will ye come back to the ranch with me?" - -Thady Shea did not know what he wanted to do. He wondered if he had -fulfilled his extremely vague ideas of wandering and making good in the -world. In a sense, he had done so. He realized it now, just as he -realized that it is very difficult to view one's own immediate self and -environment with any degree of cool detachment. - -As to Mackintavers, as to any peril which he himself might bring upon -Mrs. Crump, Thady Shea had long since abandoned that nebulous idea. He -had met Mackintavers, and feared him no longer. Of Dorales he did not -think particularly. - -He had no great desire to return to the Ross ranch. Try as he would, he -could see no purpose ahead of him save in the one place--Number Sixteen. -All that held him back was that strange feeling in his soul, a feeling -that had been there twenty years and more; a feeling as though something -were knotted somewhere about his soul, stifling him. What use to return -to Mrs. Crump? Still, there was the only purpose he could see. - -He had conquered the old enemy; of this he felt certain. Temptations -would come, of course. Temptations were bound to come; they came at odd -intervals; they came here in this hotel dining room, where he could -catch some vagrant odour of whiskey from an indefinable source. Yet they -would not overcome him anew, he was confident. - -"I think," he said, slowly, staring at the tablecloth, "I think I'd -better head for Mrs. Crump's mine, Ross." - -There was that in his voice which admitted of no argument. Ross shoved -back his chair. - -"Well, wait a minute, will you? I want to speak to Bill Murray. Order me -some o' that pie and another cup o' coffee, Shea." - -Fred Ross opened the dining-room doors, which had been closed, and -departed to the lobby of the hotel. He found genial Bill Murray just -turning from the telephone, and wearing a look of puzzled excitement. - -"Get the ranch?" asked Ross. The other nodded and glanced around -cautiously. - -"Yes. Talked to Old Man Durfee--he's manager for Sandy. He said that -Sandy and Abel Dorales had just left for Magdalena; he admitted there -had been a robbery but would say nothing except that it didn't amount to -much. Injun relics, he said." - -"Huh!" Fred Ross gazed at his friend, narrow-eyed. "I bet if it was -Injun relics, it was some partic'lar kind, then. That sounds damn' -fishy, Bill." - -"Sure does, but she'll make a grand little story, played up. This here -Shea just came from there, didn't he? And everybody knows about him and -Dorales and the bad blood." - -The two men looked at each other, surmise in their eyes. Ross -thoughtfully rubbed his chin, remembering about that battered little -suitcase on the hat rack. He did not entirely believe the tale told by -Thady Shea, the tale about finding it in the road. That was too -improbable, unless the dead Indian had been carrying the suitcase--which -seemed, likewise, very improbable. - -"I shouldn't wonder, now," said Ross, musingly. "Shea, he's the calm, -hell-nervy sort, he sure is. Likely Dorales or old Sandy tried to run a -blazer on him, and he played merry hell with them. Likely they had -something he thought belonged to someone else, and he just up and took -it. H'm! But the robbery had happened before he got there, he _said_. -Well, if he don't want to tell all he knows, that's his business. Eh?" - -"I coincide," assented Murray, curtly. Fred Ross briefly told him about -the suitcase, in so far as he knew about it. - -"Now," pursued Ross, "you and I ain't blamin' him or any other man for -gettin' old Mackintavers up on his ear. But Shea, in spite o' the -stories goin' around about him, ain't no fighter, Bill. He's a downright -honest man, and he's terrible when he gets roused, but I don't guess he -could fight for little apples. _And_, he don't know Sandy and Dorales -are comin' to town." - -"I see," said Murray, thoughtfully. "But he ain't the kind to run away, -Fred." - -"C'rect. But why should he know anything about Sandy coming? We'd ought -to see that he avoids 'em, so to speak. You're goin' west to-night. You -got room, ain't you?" - -"Oh!" Murray chuckled, admiringly. "So that's the game! Sure, I got -room. Where is he goin', though?" - -"Near as I got the location o' the mine he's aiming for, it's in the -hills above them lava beds, down beyond Zacaton City and No Agua. You're -goin' west by the highway, which is north o' there--a long sight north. -But if you were to run a few mile out of your way, you could hit down -the Old Fort Tularosa trail, which is an auto road now; you could drop -Shea by the Beaver Caon trail, down within thirty mile o' home, more or -less. I'll send Sandy and Dorales on to St. Johns after you, savvy?" - -For a moment the two men conferred eagerly. - -Unobserved by them, meantime, a man had entered the hotel and was -standing at the cigar case, at one side of the desk. He was buying -cigars. He was roughly dressed, but spoke perfect English. When he -turned to the cigar lighter, disclosing his face to view, one could see -that he was very swarthy, very dark of colour--an Indian, perhaps. - -This man straightened up, puffing at his cigar. His eyes flitted to the -little battered suitcase, which reposed on the hat rack, and dwelt -there; thus dwelling, his eyes narrowed slightly. He turned and left the -hotel. - -"Who? Him?" said the hotel proprietor in response to a question from a -man near by. "Why, he's Thomas Twofork; yep, an Injun, from Cochiti -pueblo, I hear. Been in town two-three days now. Got money, they say, -heaps of it." - -Ignorant of what had transpired in the lobby, Thady Shea was glad when -his companions rejoined him and sat down to their interrupted repast. -Fred Ross broached the subject of departure; he broached it with -elaborate carelessness. - -"Bill is headin' for home right away," he said, "and he goes within -thirty mile, more or less, of where your mine's located, Shea. If you -figger on walking, that would be a good lift. If you go back with me -to-morrow, you won't get near so nigh home." - -"Oh!" Thady Shea saw no guile; he looked gratefully surprised, and felt -it. He had anticipated a long trip via Zacaton City. That route would be -attended with dangers from Dorales or the latter's men, besides having -the expense of a car to take him to Number Sixteen. - -"Oh! I'd be glad indeed--but do you have to leave to-night?" - -"You bet," said Murray, emphatically. "The minute I get this here pie -down. I got the ol' car all ready to hike, and I'm goin' to hike some. I -aim to get home about sun-up, sleep two-three hours, then get to work on -the paper. She's got to be run off to-morrow night, see? And I'd sure be -glad o' your company, Shea. It's a lonesome trip at night from here over -through Datil Caon and all." - -Surely, thought Shea, here was fate aiding him! Barely had he resolved -to seek Mrs. Crump and the mine, than this opportunity offered. A walk -of a few miles did not worry him in the least. - -"Thank you, Murray," he rejoined. "I'll go, with pleasure." - -Ten minutes later, the three men left the hotel, walked up to the -corner, and turned in to the garage behind the trading store. Bill -Murray paid his debts to the proprietor and sought his own car. - -"Well, Ross, I'll say good-bye for a while, at least." Shea turned and -shook hands with his friend. "I'll see you again, that's sure. Oh--by -the way, hadn't we better open that suitcase? I forgot about it. Let's -get it broken open here, and----" - -Ross interposed a hasty negation. He wanted only to get Shea safely out -of town before Mackintavers and Dorales should arrive. - -"No, don't get Murray nervous, hangin' around here, Shea. He's dead -anxious to be off, and we better not give him any delay. I'm sure -curious about what's in that case, just the same. S'pose you drop me a -line when you find out, and give my regards to Mis' Crump! Maybe I'll -drift over your way some time; if not, you know where to find me." - -"You bet," assented Thady Shea, warmly. - -Murray motioned Thady Shea into the front seat, and took the battered -little suitcase to shove it into the rear of the car. An ejaculation -almost escaped his lips as he felt its weight. It was heavy, -tremendously heavy! - -"Ore, likely," he muttered. "I bet he don't walk thirty mile with -_that_!" - -Thady Shea and Fred Ross parted with a last handshake. Each of them had -probed deep into the other man; each of them had found the other -strangely dissimilar, yet strangely attuned in spirit to himself; each -of them had found the other to be a man. Their handshake was firm and -quick and strong. - -Ross cranked the car. Bill Murray backed her from the garage, roared a -last farewell, and headed out into the west and the night. - -Fred Ross went back to the hotel after calling upon certain friends of -his; for Ross had a fairly good idea of what was coming next. His -theories were not altogether correct, but they attained pretty correct -results. - -So, after a short time, Fred Ross returned to the hotel and sat down in -the lobby, just under the big map of New Mexico that hung upon the south -wall. Immediately around him the comfortable oak rocking-chairs were -vacant; but to right and left, three chairs away, sat red-faced men who -read newspapers--two on either hand. These four men displayed an -ostentatious lack of interest in each other and in Fred Ross. Over that -section of the lobby hung an ill-defined air of crisis, of expectation, -of foreboding. - -Over opposite, in a corner of the big front window, sat a man, a -stranger to Fred Ross. This man had come into town on the late afternoon -train. He was palpably a city man, palpably not of this part of the -country; he had registered at the desk as James Z. Premble of New York. -Speculating idly as he waited, Fred Ross set him down as a high-class -drummer. - -Thus waited the six men, as though they were awaiting some event about -to happen: Ross, seated under the big wall map; the four red-faced men -who read newspapers with marked absorption; and, in the corner of the -window, James Z. Premble of New York. - -Suddenly and abruptly it happened. It happened just as Fred Ross had -anticipated. The hotel door opened and into the lobby walked Sandy -Mackintavers with Abel Dorales at his elbow. They had been to the livery -stable, they had been to one place and another, and they had soon -learned that Thady Shea, easily noted and remembered by all who saw him, -had been in the company of Ross and Murray. Both Ross and Murray were -known to Mackintavers and his field marshal. - -Upon entering, Abel Dorales passed straight on to the cigar stand, where -he stood idly gossiping with the proprietor. Mackintavers, with a wave -of his hand and a grunt, halted in front of Fred Ross, and dropped into -a chair beside the latter. - -"Hello, Ross. Just the man I was looking for. Know a man name o' Shea, -Thady Shea?" - -"Evening," returned Ross, easily. "Sure I know him. Seen him a while -ago." - -"Know where he is now?" asked Mackintavers without too great show of -interest. - -"Uh-huh. He went off with Bill Murray to St. Johns a couple of hours -ago. Murray was in some hurry, believe me! He'd been laid up here with a -busted car, and had to get out his paper to-morrow sure pop, so he aimed -to travel some to-night. You interested in Shea?" - -"Some." Mackintavers bit into a cigar. Over the cigar, his eyes fell -upon James Z. Premble of New York, who was also looking at him. After an -instant Premble rose and left the hotel. - -Ross had not hesitated to impart the information about Thady Shea, for -the excellent reason that if Mackintavers followed Shea to St. Johns, he -would miss Thady Shea entirely. Therein Fred Ross made a mistake. It did -not occur to him that Dorales, in a high-powered car, might follow the -tracks of Murray's flivver where it struck from the highroad upon the -Old Fort Tularosa trail. - -"'Bliged to ye, Ross." With this curt speech, Mackintavers heaved -himself out of his chair and went to the door. He passed out into the -night. - -Abel Dorales left the cigar stand, and also started for the door. But he -stopped before Fred Ross, exchanged a word of greeting, and his white -teeth showed in a smile. It was not a pleasant smile. - -"I hear you're going to run sheep on your ranch, Ross," he said clearly. -"Bad manners for an old cowman, isn't it?" - -The four red-faced men laid aside their newspapers. They seemed to take -sudden interest in Abel Dorales. Fred Ross looked up, unsmiling, his -eyes hard and cold. - -"Handsome is as handsome does, Abel. Reckon I'd sooner run sheep than -get chloroformed and hogtied tryin' to jump a claim." - -A fleeting contraction passed across the face of Abel Dorales. His eyes -narrowed to thin slits. His nostrils quivered like the nose of a dog -sniffing game. He became white-lipped, cruel, venomous. - -The four red-faced men stirred. One of them rose, yawning, and stretched -himself as does a weary man who thinks well of bed for the night. Abel -Dorales took sudden warning. He looked to the right and to the left; -then, without a word more, he turned on his heel and walked away, -following Mackintavers out into the night. - -"Trust a Mex to smell trouble!" said one of the men to the left of Fred -Ross. "He reckoned we was planted to do him up." - -"Well, wasn't we?" queried someone. All laughed in unison. Ross smiled -grimly and left his chair. - -"Much obliged to ye, boys. I didn't know they would come alone, or I -wouldn't ha' bothered ye." - -Outside the hotel, meantime, Mackintavers had joined James Z. Premble, -who appeared to have been awaiting him. A moment later Abel Dorales, -mouthing low and vitriolic curses, joined them. In silence the three men -turned to the left and walked down to the railroad track. There, beyond -the warehouse, they stood with open and empty space around them, and -none to overhear. - -"Didn't look for ye quite so soon, Premble," said Mackintavers, -chuckling a little as he used the name. - -"Got a good chance at my man," returned the other. "Came in this -afternoon, Sandy, but couldn't catch you at the ranch. Ready for me to -work?" - -"Aiblins, yes; reckon we'd better get busy, you and I." He turned to -Dorales. "Abel, our man has gone to St. Johns with Murray. You have -plenty o' friends in that Mormon town, so take the big car and mosey -along. Do whatever you want with Shea, but bring me back that bunch o' -stone gods if ye value your life! I'll be at Mrs. Crump's location." - -"All right," snapped Dorales. "Is he much ahead of me?" - -"Two hours, in a flivver. You can't fail to land him this time. Good -luck, boy!" - -Dorales snarled farewell, and swung off in the darkness. Mackintavers -turned to his friend, James Z. Premble. - -"I'm gettin' old," he complained. "Been out chasin' a thief all day and -I'm no good for an all-night ride now. I'll take a room at the hotel. -Drop in after a spell and we'll arrange the details. You got the stuff?" - -"Every blessed paper and letter. Everything O.K.," asserted Premble. - -The two men melted into the night. - -Five minutes later Dorales was filling his gasoline tank at the garage. -He made brief inquiries about Murray's flivver and the brand of tires -thereon. Off to one side, a swarthy man was hastily working upon the fan -belt of a big car, which had twice broken as his engine started; this -swarthy man took keen and unobserved interest in the questions of -Dorales. The name of this swarthy man was Thomas Twofork, and he was an -Indian of the Cochiti pueblo. Twenty minutes after Dorales had departed -Thomas Twofork had finished his repairs and headed his car out upon the -westward road to St. Johns. - -An hour afterward, well into the night, an automobile came into -Magdalena from the opposite direction. It came in by the eastern road, -the road that comes up from Socorro through Blue Caon, the road that -comes south to Socorro from Albuquerque and Santa F. This automobile -did not turn into a garage; instead, it passed on through the business -section of the town and did not slacken speed until it reached the -Mexican or western quarter. - -There it came to a halt and its horn squawked four times. Its -searchlight revealed a small adobe house with blue-painted doors. One of -these doors opened to show a man clad in dishevelled night attire. The -automobile drove on into the yard; its lights flickered out. - -"Is that you, Juan Baca?" queried a soft, gentle voice. "Ah, yes; it is -I, Coravel Tio. Will you give me lodging for the night?" - -"Seor, my house and all it contains belong to you!" - -Coravel Tio passed into the little adobe house. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV--DORALES KILLS - - -In the chill darkness that precedes the early dawn Thady Shea alighted -from Bill Murray's car. Before him, a few miles distant, were Old Fort -Tularosa and Aragon; many miles behind was the highway. Down to the -southeast--somewhere--was his destination. - -"Mind, now," cautioned Murray, "you take this here trail and it'll lead -up through them hills into Beaver Caon. Follow Beaver Crick all the -rest o' the way. Near as I can judge, your place is somewhere down -beyond Eagle Peak. If you get clear lost, send up a smoke and a ranger -will be dead sure to trail you down. G'bye and good luck!" - -"Good-bye, and many thanks for the lift!" responded Shea, his sonorous -voice pierced with the chill of the early morning. Murray went buzzing -away on the back trail. - -Carrying his battered little suitcase, Thady Shea started off, gradually -accustoming his eyes to picking out the rough trail. It mattered nothing -to him that he might be days upon this road; it mattered nothing that he -was about to negotiate the continental divide afoot. Time and space did -not concern him, nor bodily discomfort. His was the supremely ignorant -confidence of a child as he headed into the mountains to find a mine -whose entire location, going at it from this direction, was a matter of -guesswork. - -To be more accurate and practical, Thady Shea, having slept lightly -while riding, was weary. He was also cold and confused. Now that he had -reached a decision and was really on his way to Number Sixteen, he felt -unaccountably homesick. Not that Number Sixteen meant home, but Mrs. -Crump would be there. As usual, Thady Shea was a bit vague in analyzing -his feelings; but he had a solid and definite purpose in view, at least. -He was going to rejoin Mrs. Crump. He was going to learn mining work. - -He went on, trudging bravely under his burden, until the cold had -pierced and chilled and numbed him. At last he could endure the cold no -longer. Ignorant of forest rangers or forest law, he had quite missed -the point of Miller's parting joke about sending up a smoke. He -contrived to build himself a fire; a fine roaring fire, a ruddy, leaping -fire that warmed him. It was a fire that blazed forth patent defiance of -all law. Its darting glow was caught by a forest ranger in a lookout on -Indian Peaks fifteen miles away. - -With the first gleam of the rising sun Thady Shea abandoned his blazing -fire and took up his journey again, following the winding trail without -trouble. A little later he halted and made a cold breakfast from some of -the food that filled his pockets. Then he decided to open the suitcase -and see if it were worth carrying farther, or if it held tokens of -ownership. By this time, he was sorry that he had dragged the thing -along. - -He smashed open the suitcase. Within it he found wads of crumpled -newspapers, and among the newspapers seven stones. At first he thought -they were nothing but stones. Gradually he realized that they were -carven images of some sort. Except for these, there was nothing in the -suitcase. There was nothing to denote its ownership--not a mark, not a -line, not a card nor a word. - -Thady Shea set out the seven stone gods on the ground, and regarded -them. The more he looked at them, the more he saw in them. Each one was -somewhat different in shape, but all were of a size. They were smooth -and rounded, as if from much handling, or as if worn sleek by many -centuries. They were crude, uncouth little figures, those gods; they -were fashioned rudely in the semblance of man, with every angle and -sharp line worn down, obliterated, rounded. - -"They look as if some kid had been making mud dolls, and the mud had -hardened," observed Shea in some wonder. The description was accurate -and perfect. - -Thady Shea knew nothing about Indians or their gods. He had not the -slightest idea what these things really were; but he was a member of The -Profession, an actor of the old school. All his life he had been -surrounded by the superstitions of the old school. As everyone knows, -there are no stronger, firmer, and more absolute superstitions than -those of The Profession. - -As Thady Shea gazed upon those seven stone gods which sat in the dust -and grinned stonily back at him, various things suggested themselves to -his fertile brain. Seven of them--and seven was beyond question a lucky -number! Then, fate had undoubtedly placed them in his hand and had -removed any clew to their former owners. Luck had come to him, and if he -threw the luck away because of a little bother involved in carrying -it--well, that would be an ill thing to do! - -Out of his subconscious self evolved a curious idea, a remembrance. What -did these things represent? He dimly remembered something about the -seven heavenly virtues and the seven deadly sins. The vague thought -stirred him. These images were ugly enough to represent the seven -sins--or the seven virtues. He must keep them at all costs; in the -manner of their coming was something fated, something that appealed to -all the latent superstition within him. He dared not refuse these -talismen! - -So he replaced them in the suitcase and took up his road anew. - -It was a rough road that called to him. It was a long and lonely road, a -road that took him out of human ken and into the heart of the high -hills. - -He swung along at a good four-mile clip, his long legs fast covering the -ground. He had never before this day been actually among the mountains, -and he liked their friendly, forested faces. The rough trail denoted -very little usage, yet this absence of all humanity did not oppress -Thady Shea. He felt gloriously independent, free! - -About noon he was following Beaver Creek through a rough and rugged -caon. Here he lunched, with a silver-black pool of water foaming and -bubbling fifty feet below him; a pool that foamed green and silver with -sunlight and bubbled with black shadows. Over on the opposite wall of -the caon was a broken line of masonry, half hiding a niche in the rock -where once had lived and died the cliff dwellers. It was a spot to -remember. It was a place that stirred the deep things in a man's soul, -that caused him to think upon the mysteries, the flashing glimpses of -occult things. About that place there lingered a sense of the futility -of man, a sense of the gorgeously foaming and bubbling eternity of the -Creator. Thady Shea was glad that he had seen that place. - -Afterward, he halted for a smoke, this time beside the stream itself, -farther along the caon. Thady Shea had never been a boy--until to-day. -At ten years he had been an accomplished actor, a child marvel, drunken -and drugged with the unhealthy atmosphere of the stage. But now--now! -The altitude was high, and he was drunk as with fine wine. He waded in -the stony creek, he even thought of fishing with a bent pin on a string; -but he had neither pin nor string. He enjoyed a truant hour. Then he -went on his way anew, vowing inwardly that some day he would return to -this little bubbling creek and the winding caon amid the mountains. - -Despite the altitude, weariness had left him, and he carried the seven -stone gods without feeling their weight. Deeper and lonelier grew his -trail, the mountains folding him in upon every side. He began to feel -the infinity of distance. He was a mere tiny atom here among these great -solitudes. His insignificance was borne home upon him, mellowing all his -spirit. - -In this chastened mood he came, suddenly and without warning, upon the -tragic shack of the sheep-herder. - -It was a shack of logs and hewn timbers, a rough little shack, a tragic -little shack. Upon one wall was fastened a faded paper, a permit issued -by the forest ranger to cut these same timbers. In the sun by the -doorway sat a little brown, half-naked baby, perhaps a year of age, -whimpering and chewing upon a strip of raw white bacon. There was no one -else visible. Over the place, tainting the clear high air, hung a -fearful odour of mortality; an odour of tragic suggestion, an odour of -blood and liquor. - -Seeing no one about except the baby, who stopped whimpering at sight of -him, Thady Shea advanced to the doorway. He glanced inside. As he did -so, cold and awful horror stiffened upon him. Even to his tyro's eye the -story was plain to read. - -Upon the bare earthen floor, just inside the door, sat the sheep-herder. -The effluvia of his garments told eloquently his profession. Between his -outstretched feet lay a cheap revolver. His swarthy, brutal face, the -face of a Mexican, the face of a barbarian drawn from mingled Indian and -bastard Spanish blood, was sunken upon his chest. He was breathing -stertorously, horribly. He was drunk, stupefied with liquor. Upon the -floor beneath his hand had fallen an empty bottle which stank of the -vilest mescal. - -Only a few feet distant, sprawled under one wall of the room, was the -body of a woman, a brown native woman. She had been upon her knees -beneath a little crucifix. She had fallen partly forward, partly -sideways; a cotton garment had been torn from her left shoulder and -breast, as though in some last agony. Beneath the left breast, black -with flies, a pool of black blood was coagulating. She had not been dead -a long time; an hour or two, no more. - -Thady Shea took a step backward. He put one hand to his eyes, as if to -shut from his vision that sordid and horrible scene. For a moment he -stood thus, his brain in riotous turmoil; then he started violently as a -hand touched his arm. - -"Hello, stranger! I been looking for you!" - -Shea stared at the man who had just dismounted from a pony; a white man, -grave and steady of eye. Something in the horror-smitten face of Shea -drew an exclamation from this other man. - -"Here--what's the matter?" - -"In there. Look!" Thady Shea motioned to the doorway. - -The other man, the forest ranger who had come from the lookout station -on Indian Peaks, quickly strode forward. His figure filled the doorway -for a long moment. He stood there silently, gazing in upon that tragic -shack, reading every detail with skilled eyes. At last he turned and -rejoined Thady Shea, who was staring down at the baby. - -"You built a fire early this morning on the old trail up from the -Tularosa Road?" The ranger gave his name and office. "H'm-m. Know -anything about the fire laws?" - -"Fire laws? No," Shea was disturbed and wondering. "Why? Shouldn't I -have built any fire?" - -"Not that kind--not a big hell-roarer. No harm done, I reckon; I stamped -out your fire. But see to it that you don't do it again. Here's a copy -of the laws." - -He extended a card. Shea pocketed it with a helpless gesture, and looked -again at the doorway of the shack. The ranger caught his look, and -nodded. - -"I guess you'd just found 'em, eh? It's a hell of a note. This fellow -Garcia, with his wife and kid, came up from Mexico; refugees. He's been -herding some sheep; some that the Y Ranch got a permit to run in a big -box caon last winter--and he's not a bad sort when he's sober. But -now--well, there's no doubt about him now. He'll be a good greaser in -two-three weeks, when the drop's sprung. Suppose I got to take him in; -hell of a note! You ain't been inside?" - -Thady Shea shuddered. "No," he answered. He looked down at the baby. The -baby looked up at him, removed the strip of white bacon from her mouth, -and smiled. - -"It's a girl!" said Thady Shea in surprise and awe. - -The ranger gave him a curious look, then took out his notebook and -pencil. - -"Name and where from, if you please," he said. "We'll likely have to -come and take down your testimony later on." - -Thady Shea gave his name, and gave as well as he was able the location -of Mrs. Crump's mine. The ranger once more eyed him, but this time with -a new air. - -"Hell! I've heard o' you, Shea. Partners with Mrs. Crump, eh? That's a -pretty good recommend. Where you goin' from here?" - -"To the mine. I believe that by following this creek I'll get into the -right territory sooner or later. I know how to reach the mine from -Zacaton City, but from this direction I'm not so sure." - -Thady Shea was badly off. He was thoroughly shaken by the fearful scene -within the tragic shack. It had unnerved him, and he wanted a drink with -avid and terrible longing. The ranger observed it. - -"I ain't offering you any drinks, Shea," he said, drily. "Heard a few -things about what happens to folks that offer you drinks. Still, I -always do carry a drop for emergencies, and I have a notion that you -need a sip mighty bad." - -Thady Shea forced a grim smile. "Thanks. But--the need will have to be -greater than it is now, my friend. You think I can reach the mine -to-night?" - -"No. Some time to-morrow, most likely. Now listen close and I'll give -you directions where to leave this caon, or else you'll come out clear -down on the Gila!" - -Having gleaned a fairly precise knowledge of the location of Number -Sixteen, the ranger proceeded to give Thady Shea an accurate mental map -of the trails, backed up by a rough drawing. Then he entered the shack, -carried out the murderer, and bound the man on his pony like a sack of -flour. - -"What the devil will become o' the kid?" he queried. "Come on, Shea, -let's get the poor woman buried. That baby, now--d'you suppose you could -wait here until I send back for her? I can't handle the greaser and the -baby, too." - -Thady Shea did not respond at once. He seemed oblivious of the question; -but as a matter of fact, he was deep in thought. - -The two men together dug a grave and decently interred the poor murdered -woman. Over the mound Thady Shea intoned a fragmentary burial service. -What he lacked in words he made up in rolling phrases culled from other -sources than the prayer book, and in a deeply sincere manner which sat -upon him with stately dignity. - -They returned to the front of the shack, where the ranger rolled a -cigarette with studied care, and returned to his perplexity. - -"What about this here kid, now? These folks haven't any kin this side -the border, and these greasers don't give a whoop for babies anyhow; too -common. This Garcia is the one that deserves my close and personal -attention until he gets shoved into the kind o' hell he's bound -for--which won't be very long. Of course, the kid can go to some -orphanage or the State will take care of her. She's a smilin' little -cuss!" - -Thady Shea fingered his shaggy, gray-black beard. - -"If there's a razor around the place, I think I'll shave," he uttered, -thoughtfully. His words drew a look of frowning surprise from the -ranger, so utterly at variance with the subject did they seem. "Yes, I -think I'll shave." - -"Why, friend, I've been thinking about that infant," pursued Shea. "You -know Mrs. Crump, I gather? I think she would care for the little one. -I'll take care of the child on the journey there; I imagine we can get -along. I--er--I don't mind saying that--er--there is a whimsey born of -infancy's fond smiles which warms the kindlier soul within a man." - -He broke off, quite at a loss for further words. But the ranger -understood, and smiled to himself. - -"That suits me, Shea. You'll be at the mine, eh? May call on you later -in regard to the evidence here. Yes, that's a good plan. Let's see if we -can chase up a razor, now." - -The ranger disappeared inside the tragic shack. - -Upward of two hours later a new Thady Shea was continuing his journey; -the tragic shack was far lost to view in the wilderness behind him. - -His upper lip, his long under jaw, were shaven and in white contrast -with the bronzed skin of cheeks and brow. His wide, mobile mouth and -chin differed from those of the wastrel Thaddeus Roscius who had lain in -the road above the Bajada hill. They were firmer, more virile of set, -stronger of muscle. - -In one hand he carried the battered little yellow suitcase. Upon the -other arm was perched the half-naked brown baby, for whose benefit Shea -also carried a blanket tied to his shoulders. This was not the ideal -trim for a walking tour across the Continental Divide, but Thady Shea -had no complaints to make. - -Never before had Thady Shea communed alone with a baby, particularly -with a baby quite dependent upon him. This baby could not talk but she -could coo, and she did coo. She could laugh, and she did laugh. She -seemed to find a kinship within the deep, sadly earnest eyes of Thady -Shea. She made it evident that she liked his eyes, and whenever they -were turned upon her, she giggled with self-conscious and adorable -delight. - -The day wore on. When darkness descended, Thady Shea camped at the brink -of the caon, at the edge of a deep and stony gully which ran down into -the caon below. He built a fire, this time in accord with the laws of -the land, and produced his scant store of food. Fortunately, the baby -was used to living by rough ways and pastures sere. - -In this one day Thady Shea lived long years. He realized it himself. He -realized the change within him; he perceived it at once, without any -vagueness or obscurity. He was filled with wonder and awe. He felt -clearly that the manifest friendship and love of this brown baby had -loosened something far inside of him. Within a few hours she had -loosened something which had been hard and clenched and bitter inside of -him these twenty years--something like a knot gripped about a part of -his soul, stifling it. But now, at last, the knot was loosened, was -gone. - -Once again he fell asleep under the stars with glinting tears bedewing -his brown cheeks; they were tears of joy and thankfulness. He knew that -he was no longer to drift upon the earth. From depending upon the -applause of others for happiness, others were now depending upon him. He -had someone for whom to live. Vanity was gone from him, and the worth of -life was come in unto him. He now had a purpose, a real purpose, to -drive him. - -That this purpose was very definite and earnest, he had realized with -the unloosing of that knot about his soul. He knew whither he was going, -and why--why he wanted to find Mrs. Crump. He fell asleep with tears -upon his cheeks and in his heart a dumbly vibrant song. - -Some time during the night he was awakened; the baby was whimpering, was -cold. The fire was dying down. He had been awakened by a queer noise, a -noise like the clank of a shod hoof against a stone. He rose and kicked -the ember ends into the fire. He removed his coat and laid it over the -baby, then he stood looking down at the bundle. The fire flickered up -until its glowing flare lighted his tall figure redly and distinctly. - -From somewhere in the darkness came a slight sound. Thady Shea lifted up -his head and peered about, the vague thought of wild animals disturbing -him. From the darkness echoed a faint laugh--a thin, ironic laugh, a -laugh that thrilled Thady Shea with evil memories and swift -apprehension. He seemed to recognize it as the laugh of Abel Dorales. - -Before he could do more than lift his head and peer into the darkness, -that darkness was suddenly split and rended by a red flash. The crack of -a weapon lifted and lessened among the hills; as it died away, the baby -cried out, whimpering. Across the face of Thady Shea flickered a look of -dismay, of surprise, of utmost horror. Thady Shea took a step backward, -as though something had lifted him off his balance, as though something -unseen had impacted against him with terrific force. He staggered and -lifted both hands to his head. Then his knees seemed to loosen, and he -pitched downward, at the very brink of the gully. - -From the stony ravine below came a heavy sound, as of a body pitching -and dragging downward. It ceased, and there was abrupt silence. In that -silence, the baby cried out, whimpering thinly. - -Into the circle of light cast by the tiny fire came a man leading a -pony. The man was Abel Dorales and he was smiling. - - - - -CHAPTER XV--MACKINTAVERS MAKES FRIENDS - - -Mrs. Crump was grimly jubilant. She had just killed, not far from the -shack which she inhabited, a rattler. It was a peculiarly deadly -rattler, a big diamond-back, and its black-and-yellow body looked very -beautiful lying out in the morning sunlight. - -Mrs. Crump had killed that rattler most expertly; she had killed it with -one snapping crack of a blacksnake whip. That one whip snap had coiled -about the rattler's head and had neatly decapitated the reptile. -Somewhere among the rocks that head lay naked and ugly, jaws wide agape, -white fangs gleaming like needles. - -Now, up on the long hogback, Mrs. Crump directed the work of getting out -ore, Lewis and Gilbert working steadily under her orders. There was -already a goodly heap of ore ready for hauling. Mrs. Crump was awaiting -the arrival of Coravel Tio, whom she expected hourly; she had written -Coravel Tio very explicitly, and was looking forward to making some -money in the near future. - -When Coravel Tio arrived, they would arrange about getting a light truck -to haul the ore to railroad, and they would arrange about selling the -ore. Coravel Tio would handle all such details. Actual production was -well under way, and inside of another month Mrs. Crump hoped to have a -good force of men working. Provided, of course, that the mine was not -sold outright. - -"Looks like he's a-coming." Gilbert swung out his hand toward the trail -from No Agua. Shading her eyes, Mrs. Crump perceived a smudge of white -dust. An automobile was approaching. - -It was not Coravel Tio who came, however. It was Sandy Mackintavers, -driven in a hired car from Magdalena. - -Mehitabel Crump was stiff-necked and uncompromising. She stood in the -door of her shack, storm in her eyes, and waited grimly. Outside, -sprawled on a bench that ran the length of the shack, Lewis and Gilbert -smoked and also waited, ready to act if called upon. - -Sandy Mackintavers left his automobile and approached the shack, quick -to note the arrangements for his reception. He came up to the doorway -where Mrs. Crump awaited him. He removed his hat as he came, and mopped -his brow; the sun was pitiless, streaming down with direct and scorching -glare, absolute and insufferable. In another hour or two it would be -much worse. Sandy Mackintavers held his hat in his left hand; he -extended his right hand, square-fingered and strong, to Mrs. Crump. - -"Madam, I have come here as a friend. Will you shake hands with me?" - -"Not by a damn' sight!" - -Mrs. Crump's eyes were snapping dangerously. Her retort did not seem to -affect Mackintavers, however. His square-hewn features assumed an oddly -hypocritical expression of patient resignation. His hand remained -extended. - -"I must explain. Your friend Shea has repaid the money--you understand?" - -"Reckon I do. What about it?" - -"We had quite a conversation, Mrs. Crump. That man is a wonder! Yes'm. -Most remarkable! I never did see things so clear as he made me see 'em, -aiblins yes. If I may say so, I feel ashamed of myself. I've done some -unhandsome things; aiblins, now, I'll turn around. I'm right sorry for -some things, Mrs. Crump. Will ye take my hand?" - -Now, if there was anything which could shake the uncompromising -hostility of Mrs. Crump, it was to hear her bitterest enemy praise Thady -Shea. Aside from this, to hear Sandy Mackintavers express penitence for -past sins, even to hear him admit that he had sinned, was an astounding -thing. The incredibility of it was tremendous. - -That mention of Thady Shea softened Mrs. Crump. She realized that Thady -had made a great impression, had made so great an impression that here -was Sandy Mackintavers, in the flesh, making apologies for past deeds! - -"Well, Sandy," she returned, bluntly, "I will say that I think ye to be -more or less of a skunk. Howsomever, I'll meet any man halfway--even -you--when he talks that-a-way. I don't guess we'd ever be bosom friends, -but I don't aim to be mean or ornery when a man's tryin' to be as white -as his nature allows him. Here y'are." - -She seized his hand and shook it vigorously. Mackintavers looked rather -red about the face, as though her frank opinion of his character had -bitten into him. - -"Now, if you have time to be talkin' over a little matter o' -business----" - -"About this here location?" Mrs. Crump's eyes began to snap again. - -"Yes." - -"Gilbert! Lewis! Come on in here. Meet Sandy Mackintavers. They're -members o' the company, Sandy. They got claims along the caon, which -same they turned in for stock. Stock ain't issued yet, but that's all -right. Come on inside an' talk." - -The lady was truculent and openly suspicious; the two men were -narrow-eyed, hostile. Mackintavers seemed quite oblivious, and entered -the shack. All four seated themselves. Mackintavers produced cigars. -Mrs. Crump lighted her pipe and uttered a single emphatic word. - -"Shoot!" - -"You have a valuable mine here," said Mackintavers, without preamble. "I -want to control it. I'm talking frank and laying my cards on the table, -ma'am. First, let me give you folks an idea of the railroad situation." - -He briefly described the prevalent car shortage, with the reasons -therefore. - -"You'll get no ore cars until the war's over, and maybe not then," he -pursued. "But I have a standing contract that can't be broken, for so -many cars a month--and I'm getting them. Ye see? Aiblins, now, that -contract's worth something; set your own figure on it. For the rest, -I'll buy stock at your own price, a controlling interest." - -"Sandy, who'd ever trust you once ye got your nose into this thing?" -Mrs. Crump laughed scornfully. "Not me!" - -"Then don't trust me," returned Sandy, meekly, although the veins in his -temples swelled into blue cords. "Don't trust me. Hire your own lawyers -to draw up the matter, protect your interests fully. Give me charge of -the actual mine, and then sit back an' draw down the coin from your -interest; savvy? If I'm not able to make millions out o' this here mine, -I'll quit! Ain't that frank talk? Ain't I human? I tell ye, when that -man Shea came along and turned back that money, I learned something!" - -"Where's Thady Shea now?" demanded Mrs. Crump. - -"Went to St. Johns night before last, with Fred Ross and Bill Murray. -Said he'd be here later, maybe. I like that man! Something about him -kind o' draws you. Aiblins, he'd be grand in the legislature, now! Eh? -Well, well, about this mine matter; as I say, use any means ye like. I -don't blame you for not trusting me. But it's a good thing and I'll buy -into it, savvy? Protect yourself, certainly. But why not let me buy into -it? I have a bit of influence; aiblins, now, I'd be able to help -production here an' there, and to furnish no end of money for the work." - -The snap had gone out of Mrs. Crump's blue eyes. They were suddenly -warm, kindly, unguarded. Thady Shea in the legislature! Why not? And -Sandy was dead right. Everyone seemed to be drawn to Thady Shea. - -There was some subsequent discussion to which Mackintavers himself put -an end. - -"Let it hang fire for a day or so, Mis' Crump. If ye don't mind, I'll -hang around and look over the place and vicinity for my own self. Mebbe -Shea will get back; the place is in his name, ain't it? Understood so." - -"Yes," assented Mrs. Crump, unthinking. "And each of us owns a third -interest, or at least, so it'll be arranged." - -"And the other third?" Mackintavers looked swiftly at her. "I heard -somethin' about a greaser up to Santy F making inquiries with Eastern -firms about strontianite--that old curio dealer--Coravel Tio! He ain't -the man, aiblins, now?" - -"Yes. He'll be here to-day, I hope. All right, Sandy, let her hang over -a day or so. I don't know but what we might consider it." - -Mrs. Crump felt suddenly cold at that mention of Coravel Tio. How much -had he discovered? He must have learned through Eastern connections that -Coravel Tio had been making inquiries. Was this pose of honesty a blind, -or not? What lay behind this visit? Had anything happened to Thady Shea? - -She cursed herself furiously for having been beguiled even into -listening to Sandy Mackintavers. Yet--why not? His proposal offered no -loophole for trickery. Mrs. Crump would have preferred to sell the place -entirely; but to retire in security and draw down fat dividends would be -a very comfortable thing. - -Late in the afternoon arrived Coravel Tio. He was mildly surprised to -see Mackintavers. He was urbane, shy, suave, and professed great -ignorance of everything. He readily listened to the plan of -Mackintavers, and discussed it; but he reserved any opinion on the -matter. - -Mackintavers had sent his hired car back to Magdalena, and would bunk -with Gilbert and Lewis for the night. Coravel Tio had driven his own -car, which was fitted with a camping outfit. He made his own little camp -down the caon. - -Late that evening, after all hands had retired to rest, Mrs. Crump -picked her way down the rocky slope and joined Coravel Tio, who sat -smoking beside his car. - -"This here location is gettin' right crowded," she began, irritably, -settling down and filling her corncob. "No chance even to speak a word -no more! Well, what d'ye think o' this scheme? Don't it look to you like -Sandy was tryin' to catch us off balance and topple us over?" - -Coravel Tio showed his white teeth in a slow smile. - -"Seora, let us go slowly. Let us go slowly. I really do not think that -Mackintavers intends that we should consider his offer seriously. I -think he is tricky about it. Well, he is about to come to a very high -precipice, and is about to fall over that precipice; you see, I know -something. I have information of which he is not aware. I have -information which will prove very dangerous to him. - -"About the mine. I have corresponded with the Williams Manufacturing -Company of New Jersey, who are large manufacturers of chemical products. -They will buy this location outright, should it prove up to the samples -we sent. They are of the very highest standing and reputation; I have -dealt with them for years. One of their men is due here any day; in -fact, he is overdue. His name is James Z. Premble. He will be empowered -to make full negotiations with us. Until he arrives, let us not worry -about Mackintavers." - -"Mebbe that's how come Sandy learned about your stake in the game; he -knew you'd been correspondin' with somebody," and Mrs. Crump frowned. -"My land! He's in with a heap o' them mining sharps, Coravel. They know -all about each other." - -Coravel Tio smiled gently. "Very likely, seora. However, this firm is -entirely above suspicion. Now, we must find your friend Shea at once; -that is imperative. The property is recorded in his name, you remember." - -"Sandy knows that, too," said Mrs. Crump, her eyes troubled. "He knows -too damned much, if you ask _me_!" - -"Fear not, seora. He has been meddling with forbidden things, things -which bring their own punishment. He has been meddling with things that -I would not meddle with! By the way, I met a very interesting man the -other day; one Thomas Twofork, an Indian from the Cochiti pueblo, -recently returned from an Eastern college. You would enjoy meeting him. -A very fine young man." - -Mrs. Crump grunted. "I'd admire to know just what's laying back in your -mind, Coravel Tio! Now, why the devil would I want to know any Injun -buck like him? What's he to me?" - -Coravel Tio laughed softly and puffed at his cigarette. - -"Ah! I cannot say, seora. I am a curio dealer, no more. I know nothing -at all about such things as these. But I know that Thomas Twofork is a -very interesting man." - -With the following morning Mrs. Crump took Mackintavers over the ground -and the adjacent claims. Coravel Tio complained of the heat, and did not -accompany them. Instead, he stood out in the sun, heedless of the heat, -and watched Lewis and Gilbert at work. He talked with them at some -length, and they seemed much interested in his discourse. By this time -they knew a little more about Coravel Tio than they had known at their -first meeting with him. - -"What do you figger is goin' to happen, then?" demanded Lewis, when he -had finished. - -"I do not know." Coravel Tio shrugged his shoulders. "But it is well to -know what might have to be done, eh? Ah, yes." - -The morning wore on. Mrs. Crump retired to her own shack to cook -luncheon, with much grumbling about the way the country was getting -crowded up, and if many more folks came in she'd have to seek other -quarters, and so on. Secretly, she was much pleased to exhibit her -culinary skill, which was considerable. - -At length she energetically hammered a pie pan, and the four men -assembled. Gilbert was the last to come in from the mine over the flank -of the hogback. - -"Looks like some puncher is headed this way," he announced, eagerly. -"Feller comin' on hossback, looks like he's headin' down from that big -caon north of here." - -"My land!" ejaculated Mrs. Crump in dismay. "Wait till I get another -plate set." - -"No hurry," returned Gilbert. "I seen him top a rise four mile north. -Ain't no rush, ma'am. He'll be quite a spell gettin' here. Lots o' bad -land in between and no trail." - -They sat down to the meal. - -Outside, the sun was beating down in waves of heat. It was a pitiless, -insufferable sun. Few things could stand that beating, merciless sun and -still enjoy it. Out among the stones, what was left of the big -diamond-back was withered and scorched. Some distance away, the head of -the rattler lay among the rocks, dead jaws wide agape, white fangs -gleaming like needles in the beating sunlight. - -Inside the shack, the heat was intense; it filled the caon as heat -fills an oven, and here was no cool adobe walls to break its force. The -heat had odd and curious effects upon the five people gathered there. It -did not seem to touch Coravel Tio or the two miners in the least. -Mackintavers it coarsened and reddened and thickened with pitiless -breath. Mrs. Crump it softened; flushed and perspiring from cooking, she -seemed to have become less harsh, more feminine, altogether transformed. - -Suddenly, while they were eating, Coravel Tio looked up sharply and -appeared to be listening. Then, one after another, the others glanced -up, surprise in their eyes. The sharp and staccato pulse of an -approaching automobile was to be heard. Another car! - -Mrs. Crump led the exodus. Beside her own car and that of Coravel Tio, a -third car was standing; a hired car from Magdalena, the same which had -brought Mackintavers on the previous day. From this car alighted a man -who carried a suitcase and bag, upon each of which were printed the -letters J. Z. P. He was a man of citified aspect, and he approached the -party clumped around the shack doorway with a stiff gaze and a -businesslike air. - -"I am looking for a lady by the name of Crump, Mrs. Crump," said he, -setting down his suitcase and doffing his hat to the lady in question. -"I presume that you are the lady named; if so you may be expecting me. -My name is James Z. Premble." - -Mrs. Crump recovered from her surprise and stepped forward. - -"I'm her," she announced. "Glad to meet ye, Premble. Here, let me heft -them grips inside the shack." - -Gilbert, however, was ahead of her in the task. But James Z. Premble -disregarded them both. He had come to a staring pause. Across his -city-pale features swept an expression of amazement and gusty anger. His -eyes were fastened upon Sandy Mackintavers, and back at him was staring -Mackintavers, wearing a look of consternation. Mr. Premble lifted one -arm and shook a milk-white fist in air. - -"You low-down hound!" he snapped at Sandy. "Didn't I warn you to keep -away from me? What are you trying to----" - -"Shut your fool mouth!" roared Mackintavers. "No need of airing things -here." - -"I'll say what I dashed please!" affirmed Premble, glaring. "I suppose -you own this place, eh? I suppose you told some lying tale and these -people swallowed it! Well, you can't shut me up. You can't gag _me_! -You're about the worst swindler that ever kept out of State's prison, -get that? You may be running this place, but you'll not run me." - -"Hush up, pilgrim!" Mrs. Crump stepped in front of Premble and assumed -charge of the situation. "Hush up! Sandy don't own this place, and he -ain't runnin' nothin'. You a friend of his?" - -"Friend? _Friend?_" Mr. Premble hoarsely gasped the word. "I wouldn't be -his friend if he would give me a million dollars! I wouldn't be his -friend if I was the last man and he was the last woman on earth! Why, -that rogue played the worst low-down trick on me over in El Paso -that----" - -"Well, repress the sentiments," urged Mrs. Crump, calmly. "I guess we -coincide with your feelin's, more or less, but at the present moment -Sandy is a guest on this here prop'ty, which same prop'ty belongs to me, -more or less. You're a guest likewise and I don't aim to have no ruction -start between two o' my guests. I don't know you, Mr. Premble, and I -don't know as I want to know ye, having a mean and rollin' eye like you -have; but you're here on business and that goes as it lays. No war talk! -Savvy?" - -With a mighty effort Mr. Premble composed his features. - -"Very well, madam, very well," he returned, stiffly. "You may depend -upon it, there will be no more trouble--unless I meet this man the other -side of your property line." - -"You won't," said Mrs. Crump, grimly. "Come on in and set to dinner. -Gilbert, you done? Then call that there driver to come up and have a -bite, will ye? No words out'n you, neither, Sandy Mackintavers. Gents, -come inside an' smoke up and entertain Mr. Premble. I'll get them -'tatoes het up in a mite." - -First to enter the shack was James Z. Premble. He passed Mackintavers, -standing at the door, and glared at him. Then, as he passed on into the -shack, the features of Mr. Premble relaxed into the fleetest and most -momentary shadow of a grin. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI--DORALES POSTS NOTICES - - -The excitement caused by the arrival of James Z. Premble caused everyone -to forget the horseman who had been seen approaching from the north. And -Mr. Premble, somewhat against his inmost desire, continued for a time to -fill the centre of the picture. - -The assemblage quite filled the shack--crowded it, in fact. Premble, the -New Yorker, barely paused for introductions before diving into the food -that Mrs. Crump set before him. Lewis sat and smoked in the lean-to, by -the stove; Gilbert lounged beside the door. Mackintavers sat in the -corner, chewing a cigar. Coravel Tio was rolling a cigarette with great -care, and sighed a little as he licked it; leaning forward, he scratched -a match upon the floor, and took advantage of a pause in the -conversation to address James Z. Premble. - -"An odd name, seor," he said, softly. "A very odd name! I have never -met any one whose initial was that of Z. May I ask what name it stands -for, seor?" - -Mr. Premble looked at his questioner, and in his shrewd eyes there -showed a swift and sudden hesitation; but Coravel Tio was lighting his -cigarette with much absorption. - -"Zacariah," responded the New Yorker. "I don't like the name, myself. -Never use it." - -"Ah, yes! Now that I remember, I have met others--there is a name -Zebulon, I think, eh? Yes, Zebulon. So you are the gentleman of whom -your firm wrote me, eh? I am glad to meet you, seor, very glad. You -have letters and so forth? You see, I am part owner of this property, -seor, and while I do not doubt you in the least, I desire to make quite -sure of things before talking business." - -Laying down his knife and fork, Premble once again inspected Coravel -Tio, who was now looking directly at him. Something in those gentle, -mournful black eyes seemed to cause the city man uneasiness and -disquiet. He reached into his pocket, nodding. - -"Eh? Sure, I have plenty of papers that will establish my identity and -prove my authority to deal with you. A little bit hasty, aren't you? No -trouble, though. Glad to have you assure yourself----" - -He produced a sheaf of papers and passed them intact, as though entirely -certain of their contents, to Mrs. Crump. That lady, her keen blue eyes -suddenly perplexed and watchful, handed on the papers to Coravel Tio. -The latter, in silence, began to unfold and look at them, one after -another. Premble continued his meal, and fell to talking with the -others. - -Presently Coravel Tio came to the end of his cigarette. He rose and -tossed the butt through the open doorway, where Gilbert was lounging. -His eyes snapped a message to those of Gilbert; in turn, Gilbert made a -slight motion. Lewis rose and shoved aside the curtain from the window, -as though desiring more air, and then stood watching. - -Coravel Tio returned to his stool. At another pause in the conversation, -he tapped the refolded documents on his knee. - -"These are all correct, Mr. Premble," he said, gently. "Do you know--ah, -there is something that puzzles me! Now, when I had the pleasure of -meeting you in Las Vegas last month, your name was different; it was -Zebulon and not Zacariah. And you looked different, seor. Then, if I -remember rightly, you wore a moustache, and your eyes were another -colour, and you had a stronger chin than you have at present." - -A sudden tense silence had come upon the room. James Z. Premble looked -very red, then his features paled again. Imperceptibly, his right hand -fluttered toward his left armpit. - -"Don't do it!" said Lewis, from the window, and Mr. Premble gazed into -the muzzle of a revolver. And: "Go slow!" said Gilbert, from the -doorway, carelessly fondling another revolver. Mr. James Z. Premble set -both hands upon the table in front of him. - -The chauffeur, seeing the general trend of events, quietly slid from his -stool and vanished beneath the table. Mrs. Crump sat motionless, looking -from one person to another. Sandy Mackintavers swallowed hard and made -as if to rise, but Lewis shifted eyes and weapon slightly, and Sandy -changed his mind about moving. - -"I was afraid of something like this." The voice of Coravel Tio was -gently apologetic. "You see, the real James Zebulon Premble always keeps -his engagements to the minute--unless something has happened to him. He -is now two days overdue here. Of course, it would be possible for -another man to waylay him and to obtain his papers; it would be quite -possible for that other man to come here under the name of Premble, and -to carry out a slight business transaction." - -"Smooth guy, aren't you?" sneered Premble. "You'll have a hell of a time -proving anything on me!" - -"My dear seor, _I_ don't want to prove anything on you!" said Coravel -Tio in pained surprise. "No, no, far from it! But I suspect that a -certain firm by the name of the Williams Manufacturing Company, a firm -that is very jealous of its reputation, might like to know that you are -in its employ. _Si!_ Of course, you'll not reveal to us for whom you are -working?" - -"I've nothing to say," sullenly returned Premble. He looked much -perturbed. - -"Very well. Gilbert, take the gun from the seor's left armpit and lead -him to his automobile. Tie him in his automobile and allow him to repose -in peaceful meditation. That is all. Young man, kindly come from beneath -the table and resume your meal!" - -The chauffeur, looking sheepish, crawled into view again. Gilbert -fulfilled the orders that had been given him, and departed with Mr. -Premble. - -Sandy Mackintavers, although trying to appear impassive and unconcerned, -signally failed in his endeavour. He was completely astounded, swept off -his feet, by the falling of Coravel Tio's mask. He was suddenly aware of -the fact that in Coravel Tio he had a damnably clever antagonist. - -Now, too late, Sandy began to suspect a thousand things that did not -appear on the surface. Conjectures flitted through his brain. Suspicion -that the hand of Coravel Tio was a very powerful hand, and that this -hand was set against him, deepened into hard certainty. Yet--not even -Coravel Tio could know the truth! No one could know that Mackintavers -and the false Premble were friends, were working in concert! There was -yet hope. - -"Aiblins, now, there's no tellin' about these mining sharks!" observed -Sandy in righteous accents. "I've had experiences of my own in that -line, aye! But if you're willing to talk over the proposition we -discussed last night----" - -Coravel Tio looked at him. Coravel Tio laughed gently, softly, very -acridly. - -"My dear seor!" he said. "You knew about the real Premble and his -business here. Your friend met the real Premble and did his work very -well. You planned things nicely. You came and made us your proposition, -knowing that we would refuse it, knowing that we would be assured that -you and Premble were at enmity; knowing that we would sell out to Seor -Premble--eh? And Premble would buy the mine for you. Ah, yes! - -"It was very cleverly planned, and very well executed. But now, seor, -you had better go and sit beside your friend, and be driven back to town -with him. There I think that you will receive some interesting -information. I would like to tell you about it myself, but----" - -At this point Mrs. Crump came to her feet. She understood the whole -trick at last, she understood the deep cunning of Mackintavers, and she -was white with fury. - -"Coravel Tio, this skunk sure makes me blush to see him! Now, I aim to -give him a right good hidin', which same he deserves plenty. Get -outside, ye coyote--hustle!" - -From the wall Mrs. Crump seized her trusty blacksnake. Thoroughly -alarmed, Mackintavers attempted no protests but backed through the -doorway. Before the lady, however, uprose Coravel Tio, and his hand -restrained her from pursuit. - -"No," he said, softly, looking into her eyes. "I have reasons, seora; -good reasons." - -Mrs. Crump flushed, then paled again. Restraint came hard to her. - -"I aim to punish him," she rasped. - -"That is already arranged." Coravel Tio smiled at her. "That has been -arranged--by the gods of the San Marcos. You will, please, leave -everything in my hands, seora. Everything! I wish to handle everything -here to-day. Everything!" - -Mrs. Crump stared at him, puzzled. Then she tossed away the whip. - -"All right," she assented, sullenly, angrily. "I won't say another -damned word." - -By this time, Mackintavers was somewhere outside. Lewis still stood by -the window. Gilbert was presumably down at the automobiles with his -prisoner. - -But now the voice of Gilbert came to them. It was lifted in a shout of -surprise, a shout of aggrieved anger and amazement. - -"Hey! Hey, you feller! What the hell you doin' there? Hey, Mis' Crump! -Hustle out here!" - -Those in the shack hastened outside--all except the chauffeur. Scenting -further trouble, that gentleman grabbed his plate and again retired -beneath the table, to finish his meal in security. - -As Mrs. Crump, standing out in the sunlight, surveyed the situation, she -became aware that the previously discerned horseback rider had arrived. -He had evidently ridden right over the long flank of the hogback, past -the mine workings, into the caon. Fifty yards up the caon, fifty yards -above the two shacks, lay a horse that was weary unto death, a horse -that had been ridden hard and furiously, without mercy. - -Not far from the horse was something white. This was a piece of new, -white paper that had been fastened to Mrs. Crump's original location -notice. - -Down below the shacks, between them and the automobiles, was another -scrap of white; another piece of white paper fastened over another -location notice. Standing only a few yards from the shack, and hurriedly -talking to Mackintavers, stood the rider who had just arrived. The man -was Abel Dorales. He had just put up those two notices, and he paid no -attention whatever to the threatening approach of Gilbert. - -"Dorales!" gasped Mrs. Crump, and whirled. "Lewis! Here! Gi'me that -gun!" - -"Stop!" Coravel Tio grasped her arm. "Stop, seora! Force does nothing. -Leave things in my hands, _si servase!_ Lewis, go and tell Gilbert to be -quiet--_pronto!_" - -The potently gentle voice of Coravel Tio held firm command. He was -obeyed. Gilbert stood motionless, scowling; Mrs. Crump stayed her hand. - -Mackintavers walked quickly toward Mrs. Crump and Coravel Tio; eagerness -shone in his eyes, and exultation. Behind him strode Abel Dorales, -fixedly regarding Mrs. Crump. The half-breed's features were thinly -cruel; his nostrils quivered slightly; a shadowy smile curved his lips -into sneering lines. - -Gilbert turned and walked toward the new notice posted by Dorales. - -"Just got some news," said Mackintavers, jerkily. "Abel is goin' to stay -and tell ye bout it. I don't s'pose ye got any objection if I light out -for Magdalena, aiblins, now?" - -Coravel Tio was rolling a cigarette, quite unconcernedly. He flashed -Sandy a smile. - -"Object? Why should we object, seor? By all means, go! And take your -friend with you, your friend whose name is Zacariah and not Zebulon. -_Vaya con Dios, seor!_" - -Mackintavers was plainly in haste to be off. He called to the chauffeur, -who came from the shack and joined him. Together the two walked rapidly -toward the car wherein was reposing the bogus James Z. Premble. - -"Y'ain't goin' to let them varmints go?" Mrs. Crump surveyed Coravel Tio -with pleading indignation. "After them tryin'----" - -Gracefully, Coravel Tio waved his cigarette. "Si, _seora_! Let them go. -Let them both go. There are larger things, much larger things, awaiting -us." - -"But that feller Premble!" - -"Let them both go, seora. We have larger things ahead." - -Mrs. Crump sniffed in uncomprehending disgust; but she gave tacit -assent. - -The engine of the car began to whir; the whir became a roaring hum, then -a deep vibrant thrumming that lifted through the caon. The car, with -its three men, moved away and leaped into speed. - -"Hey!" The voice of Gilbert, who had been reading the new location -notice, drifted up to them. "Hey! This guy is jumpin' our claim! He's -posted notices in the name o' Mackintavers. What the hell!" - -"Come up here, Gilbert," said Coravel Tio, "and keep quiet. We are to -hear some news. Ah, Seor Dorales, have you lunched? We are glad to -welcome you." - -Dorales did not reply. He did not move, but upon his lips lingered that -thin, shadowy smile that was like the stamp of a cruel jeer. Gilbert -heavily came up and rejoined the others. - -They stood there at the doorway of the shack--Mrs. Crump, Coravel Tio, -Gilbert, and Lewis. Facing them stood Abel Dorales; he seemed to be -waiting until the automobile should have gotten away beyond pursuit. -Already it was a dot, lessening amid a trail of dust. In the bearing of -Abel Dorales was a commanding air, a deep significance, a sneering sense -of power. He was in no hurry to explain. - -The sun beat down in vertical, sickening waves; the heat was -suffocating, insufferable. It filled the caon like an oven. To the left -lay the spent horse, panting, loose-tongued, exhausted, unable even to -reach the trickle of water below. No other thing moved within sight. -Behind and above rose the long hogback that formed the north wall of the -caon. It shut out from view all that lay beyond, all that lay over -toward the mountains and the larger caon that drew out from the -mountains to the north. - -The ground seemed to radiate heat in shimmering waves. To one side lay -the dry and withered body of the rattler Mrs. Crump had killed--what was -left by the preying tiny things of the earth. Somewhere among the rocks -lay that reptilian head, what was left of it. Inconspicuous it was, -unseen, dead jaws agape and long fangs glimmering like needles in the -hot, sickening sunlight. - -"Yes," said Abel Dorales at last. "Yes. I have some news for you." - -He ignored that offer of luncheon. He ignored the lowering, menacing -looks of Lewis and Gilbert. He ignored the suave Coravel Tio. He fixedly -regarded Mrs. Crump, hatred flaming in his dark eyes and quivering at -his nostrils. He had hated her from the depths of his soul ever since -that day he had jumped her claim over in the Mogollons, that day when -she had shot him down like a dog. - -There was nothing melodramatic in his bearing. He was grimed with dust -and dirt. He was perspiring profusely; his lined and evil face was -streaming with sweat against its sleek bronze. He had ridden hard, and -he was tired. - -Suddenly he shifted his gaze and looked around, to right and left, at -the shimmering and empty caon. He looked at the farther hill on the -other side. He looked up at the long hogback which closed in those five -persons, shutting out all the rest of the world like a vast door of -rock. He looked up toward the mountain peaks that showed above the head -of the caon. Some inward sense seemed to whisper to him a warning -against eavesdroppers; but all the visible world was glowing with -insufferable heat, and was deserted. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. - -"What for ye postin' notices on my lands?" demanded Mrs. Crump. "Huh? -How come ye sent Mackintavers off to file the claims at the recordin' -office, huh? What ye expect to gain by all that fool play, huh? Speak -up, ye mangy dog!" - -Abel Dorales looked at her, and smiled thinly. "One moment," he said. - -Turning, Abel Dorales strode up the caon to where lay his exhausted -horse. The poor brute made a painful struggle as if to rise; forefeet, -neck, and shoulders heaved convulsively, then collapsed again. Abel -Dorales kicked the horse with contempt. From the saddle he took a -battered little yellow suitcase which had been tied there and he started -back. - -At a word from Coravel Tio, the others moved into the slender shadow -cast by the north side of the shack, the side that faced uphill to the -hogback. There Abel Dorales rejoined them. There he set the battered -little suitcase on the ground. - -"I should have given this to Sandy," he said, "but I forgot it. Now, -Mrs. Crump, your friend Shea stole this from the ranch of Mackintavers. -Here is what he stole." - -With a swift movement he opened the suitcase and dumped out the seven -stone gods. They strewed the ground in grotesque attitudes. One fell -upright, grinning stonily as if delighted by the feat. Dorales tossed -the little suitcase away. - -"Ah, yes!" It was Coravel Tio who spoke, unexpectedly. He spoke as -though in recognition. "The gods of the San Marcos! But you are wrong, -seor. Our friend Shea did not steal these things. They were stolen by a -Navaho, a buck who was hired to steal them because he knew the ranch -house of Mackintavers very well. He was hired by Thomas Twofork, who -comes from the Cochiti pueblo. These gods were the gods of the San -Marcos, you understand, and they were the gods of Thomas Twofork's -fathers. That Navaho buck was killed in an accident. How Seor Shea -obtained these gods, I do not know." - -Dorales laughed. - -"It doesn't matter particularly now. Anyway, we'll concede that Shea -didn't steal them, eh? All right. Sandy wanted these gods back, so I -fetched them along. In my hurry to get this property located, I forgot -to give them----" - -"Where's Thady Shea?" cried out Mrs. Crump, suddenly. "Where is he?" - -Abel Dorales looked at her, his lips curving in cruel enjoyment. - -"Dead. This location was in his name. I believe that he is without -heirs; since he is dead, I believe that his location reverts to the -government. Whoever is first to file upon it, gets it. You see? The -notices have been posted. Sandy has gone to file the location--now do -you understand?" - -"Liar!" Mrs. Crump flung the word at him in blind, gasping incredulity. -"He ain't dead! Thady Shea ain't dead!" - -"Oh, you need not blame me!" said Dorales, and laughed again. "I -followed him, yes; but I came too late. I found him in a caon over on -the divide--Beaver Caon." - -"There was a Mexican refugee camped there with his family; a -sheep-herder. Shea had come and had drunk mescal. He had become drunk, -beastly drunk. I am not certain of what took place, because -unfortunately I arrived too late--but the woman was dead, and Shea had -fallen over the edge of a gully, breaking his neck. He had been shot, -also. I think the woman must have shot him--first." - -Under the lash of these slow words, delivered with a frightful -appearance of truth, Mrs. Crump had gone quite livid. A hoarse, -inarticulate growl came from her throat. The mortal pallor of a fury -beyond all control came upon her; she trembled with sheer passion. - -Then she started forward--but the hand of Coravel Tio gripped into her -wrist. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII--DORALES RUNS AWAY - - -"Look!" said the soft voice of Coravel Tio. "Look up at the skyline!" -Mrs. Crump tore herself free from that restraining hand--but she looked. -She looked up, beyond Abel Dorales, above Abel Dorales, at the line of -the hogback that cleaved across the hot blue sky. She stood thus, -looking, wonder upon her. - -There, clear-cut and sharp against the quivering blue sky, appeared -three figures. They were the figures of a horse and two men; one of the -men carried a bundle in his arms. This last figure sank again from sight -almost instantly, as did that of the horse. The figure of the other man -came down the steep slope, came down swiftly and eagerly. - -Abel Dorales saw Mrs. Crump look upward. He saw the others follow her -gaze, saw the startled and wondering surmise that filled their eyes. He -turned, catlike, and looked. He stared at that tall figure, whose -clothes were torn and dishevelled, whose forehead was streaked by the -raw, red brand of a hot bullet. He stared at that figure, which was -coming down the hillside rapidly toward him. - -"_Dios!_" he whispered, throatily. "_Jesus Maria!_" - -He crossed himself; the gesture was made in terrible, spasmodic haste. -His arms flung out wide, palms backward as though in search of some -support. He took a retreating step, and another, as that tall figure -strode down at him; he backed against a bowlder and stood thus, staring. -His brown face became ghastly pale, his mouth opened in slavering -horror. - -In his madness there was reason. He had come here quickly, very quickly, -after shooting Thady Shea and seeing him topple into that gully; he knew -that no other man could walk here and arrive so soon after he had -arrived himself. He knew that this tall figure with the raw, red brand -across the brow could be no living man. - -"_Que quiere?_" he cried, huskily, with a great effort forcing his vocal -chords to do their work. "_Que quiere?_ What do you want, hell dweller?" - -Mrs. Crump, who did not believe in ghosts, and who was not easily shaken -off her balance, satisfied herself that it was really Thady Shea who -approached. Then she slipped to the doorway of the shack and picked up -the blacksnake whip which she had tossed away. She stood at the corner -of the shack, waiting, watching Abel Dorales, her lips grimly clenched -into a thin line. She was quite content to let Thady Shea settle his own -score with the man. - -Thady came forward, wordless, his gaze fastened upon Dorales, deep anger -gleaming in those intensely black eyes. Abel Dorales, ashen white, edged -around the side of the bowlder. His hand drifted to his pocket; it -flashed up again with a revolver. - -But as Abel Dorales swung down that revolver, as he drew down on Thady -Shea for a desperate ghost-quelling shot, something snaked out through -the air--something that seemed to leap from the expert arm of Mehitabel -Crump. It curled about the wrist of Abel Dorales, it curled and clung -with vicious snap about his hand and fingers; as the head of a -rattlesnake is snapped and tugged from his body with one whipcrack, so -the revolver was torn from the hand of Dorales and sent flying out upon -the stones. - -Thady Shea flung himself upon Dorales. - -As has been previously seen, Thady Shea knew nothing about the science -and art of fighting. His was a blind, primitive, untutored lust for -vengeance. He had heard that resonant voice telling the story of his -death; he had heard, lifting to him above the crest of the hogback, that -false tale designed to blacken his memory, and now he plunged headlong -at Abel Dorales, angered as he had never been angered in his life. - -Stricken and all unstrung by what he had taken to be an apparition, Abel -Dorales tried to stumble away, cowering. But in a moment the furious, -clumsy blows of Thady Shea proved that here was real flesh and blood; -Shea landed one smash that all but stove in the ribs of his enemy. In -his arms was terrific strength, had he but known how to use it. Perhaps -it was as well that the knowledge was lacking, else Dorales had died -very brutally and quickly. - -Still retreating, Dorales gathered himself together and faced the storm. -He saw that this was no ghost, but a man of flesh and blood--a man very -weary, very terrible, a man whose consuming anger swept away all sense -of bodily hurt and weariness. Dorales blocked the furious blows, then, -most incautiously, allowed Thady Shea to clinch. - -That was near to being the death of Dorales, for now the terrific -strength of Thady Shea poured forth like a flood. The two men locked, -reeled back and forth, went plunging down to the stones. They rolled -down the hillside; they fought with utter madness--yet ever the steel -arms were tightening about the body of Dorales, ever the ribs of Dorales -were cracking and giving inward. - -In that primitive and sickening struggle, neither man saw or gave heed -to anything else than the face of his foe. Neither man observed that, as -they upheaved and rolled again, they had come upon something that -gleamed like needles in the sunlight; something wide and gaping that lay -there unseen and inconspicuous among the stones. - -Desperate, feeling the very life wrenching out of him, Abel Dorales -flung loose one arm and attempted to clutch a stone, wherewith to batter -at the deadly face above him. The two men writhed again, heaved upward, -fell heavily in a twisted mass. Something thin and piercing, something -that gleamed like white needles in the sunlight, ripped the skin of -Dorales' outflung arm. Upon that arm fell all the plunging weight of -Thady Shea, grinding it down upon the stones, grinding with it the -gaping jaws of that rattler's head, grinding arm and jaws until the -skin, from wrist to elbow, was burst and ripped asunder as cloth is -ripped before a knife. - -The pain of this unseen, blind hurt fired Dorales into frantic efforts. -He flung Shea backward; he hammered in one blow and another, rocking -back Shea's head and blinding him. Dorales gained his feet once more, -writhing free, panting. He was freed of Shea's grip. His arm was -dripping blood. Dorales looked down at Thady Shea, who was weakly rising -to throw himself forward anew--then Abel Dorales turned. He turned and -ran, bounding and sliding to the caon floor in great leaps, running -wildly and blindly past the two automobiles, running from the vengeance -of the man whom he had tried to murder, the man who now seemed to be -more than man. But Thady Shea did not pursue, for now weakness and -dizziness had come upon him, and after two steps Shea fell forward. - -From the doorway of the shack came a sharp report; a fleck of dust -lifted, slightly to one side of the running figure of Dorales. There -came a second report, and a fleck of dust lifted from between the -running feet of Dorales. Mrs. Crump was throwing down for the third and -final shot when Coravel Tio wrenched her arm aside. - -"For the love of Heaven, stop!" cried Coravel Tio. "No murder, seora! -Go and look after Shea--quick!" - -He tore the revolver away from her; then he watched Abel Dorales until -the half-breed turned a bend in the caon and was lost to sight. - -Gilbert and Lewis had run to lift Thady Shea, and Mrs. Crump joined -them. Tears shone upon her cheeks as Thady Shea came to his feet and -faintly smiled at her. His lips moved, and a panting whisper reached her -ears. - -"The baby--look after--her! I--knew--you wouldn't mind----" - -"Carry him into the shack, ye galoots!" snapped Mrs. Crump, crisply, one -hand dabbing the tears from her eyes. "Can't you see his mind's -wanderin'? Hurry up, now!" - -Despite Shea's protest, they obeyed her mandate. She followed them as -far as the shack doorway, then paused. Another man had come down from -the hogback, had suddenly appeared from nowhere, and was talking with -Coravel Tio; another man, tall and swarthy of face, behind whom followed -a saddled pony. The pony was very weary. - -It was not the man at whom Mrs. Crump looked, however. It was the bundle -in his arms which drew her startled attention--that bundle was -unmistakably a baby! She realized that Thady Shea had not been wandering -in his mind after all. It was a baby, a little brown baby who was cooing -and laughing in the face of Coravel Tio. - -Hastily, Mrs. Crump stepped forward, Coravel Tio turned to meet her. - -"Seora, this is my friend Thomas Twofork, of whom I told you. He has -been following those gods of the San Marcos, and now he has found them." - -Coravel Tio gestured toward the earth, where lay the seven stone gods -sprawled in grotesque attitudes, one alone being upright, grinning -stonily. But Mrs. Crump paid no heed to him or to the smiling Thomas -Twofork. From the latter's infolding arms she seized the baby with a -sudden and fierce gesture. - -"Where'd ye get it? Where'd Thady Shea get it?" she demanded, sharply. - -Thomas Twofork, standing there in the sunlight, told his story, while -Mrs. Crump fondled the baby with admiration and kindliness growing in -her keen blue eyes. - -Thomas Twofork had located that battered yellow suitcase at the Hotel -Aragon, had seen Thady Shea depart with it--and had found the fan belt -on his own car broken. While repairing it, he had become aware that -Dorales was also on the trail of Shea. Dorales had started westward, and -after him, Twofork. - -Dorales had not gone on to St. Johns, but had followed the tracks of -Murray's car when it turned off on the trail to Old Fort Tularosa and -Aragon. He had met Murray's car returning without Thady Shea, and had -hastened on into Aragon; by the time he discovered that Shea had not -been here, and had exchanged his car for a horse, much time was lost. - -Dorales had gone back along the trail, had picked up Shea's track at -daybreak, and had followed; after Dorales had gone Thomas Twofork, -patiently unhurrying. Both men had met the ranger returning to town with -the murderer, Garcia, and had learned Shea's route. - -When Dorales had fired that shot in the night, Twofork had been waiting, -had seen the act too late to prevent it. Dorales had at once taken the -yellow suitcase, pushing forward without delay. Thomas Twofork had found -Thady Shea in the gully, creased by the bullet, but unwounded, battered -by the fall but sound of wind and limb. With Shea in the saddle, holding -the baby, Thomas Twofork had followed the trail of Dorales quickly and -unerringly. - -The remainder was briefly told. Knowing that the hogback hid all the -country beyond the view of those in the caon, Thady Shea had waited -until Dorales had ridden down into the caon, then had come on with -Thomas Twofork. Unseen, the two men had arrived, had waited; at the -right moment, Thady Shea had made his appearance. As Thomas Twofork told -it, the whole story was very simple, all very prosaic. But to those who -had waited by the shack in the caon, it had not been simple or prosaic. -It had been very tragic and very terrible. - -"So work the gods!" Coravel Tio tossed away his cigarette. "Thomas -Twofork, here are the gods of your fathers; they are yours to take back -to Cochiti. They have brought disaster upon Mackintavers and Dorales; -they have brought us good blessings. And presently will come the real -Premble, seora, to buy this mine of ours." - -"What was that ye threatened Sandy about?" demanded Mrs. Crump, looking -up from the baby for the first time. "That information ye mentioned?" - -"Oh, that!" Coravel Tio laughed gently. "The grand jury is sitting at -Santa F. I arranged a few things; a few affidavits, chief among them -that of Seor Cota, one of our native legislators. I am confident that -by this time Sandy Mackintavers has been indicted for bribery and other -things. When he reaches Magdalena, he will find officers waiting for -him. That is all. He paid too much attention to the gods of the San -Marcos, and not enough attention to business. Ah, yes! Now, I am very -curious to find what made so much blood upon the arm of Abel Dorales. I -wonder, now!" - -He beckoned to Thomas Twofork. The two men walked away, their eyes -intent upon the stony ground of the hillside. - -Mrs. Crump went into the cabin, bearing the baby. Somewhat to her -surprise, she found Thady Shea sitting at the table, enjoying a hearty -meal by the aid of Gilbert and Lewis. - -"My land, Thady. I thought ye was plumb laid out. So ye've come back at -last, huh? Well, set steady a while till I get some water on the -stove--got to fix this here baby up a bit. Pore little critter! Don't -know when I've seen a baby chortle like this here one." - -Presently she had disposed the baby upon her own bunk, and found that -the two men had gone. She was alone in the shack with Thady Shea and the -baby. She went to the table and extended her hand. - -"Thady," she said, her blue eyes moist, "have--have ye forgiven me that -blow?" - -He stood awkwardly, gripping her hand, a glow spreading over his face as -he read the message in her eyes. Seldom had he seen her eyes look so -tender, so womanly. - -"What blow? I don't--oh! Why, I had really forgotten it." - -"I ain't. It's sore mem'ry," said Mrs. Crump, bluntly. "Thady, when that -varmint told that yarn about you bein' dead and so on, I was fixin' to -kill him--yes, I was! In another minute I'd ha' done it, too. And now," -suddenly her voice became crisp and harsh, defiantly harsh, "what ye -mean bringin' that baby around here? D'you reckon I got time and room to -take care o' babies?" - -A look of pained astonishment came to the man's eye. - -"Why--why, I intended to take care of that baby myself! She seemed to -like me----" - -"Who wouldn't, ye blunderin' big heart of a man!" she returned, softly. -"Yes, I reckon that baby is goin' to stay right here, Thady Shea. I just -wanted to see the idea in your mind, and now I reckon I know. Yes, sir! -I reckon I know." - -"You don't know--at least not all of it." Thady Shea was smiling now, -smiling down into her eyes. "That baby is dependent on me; I'm going to -make her happy! And she isn't all, either. I'm an old man and pretty -useless, but--but I found a big purpose that has drawn me back -here--and--and I want to tell you----" - -Out upon the stony hillside, out in the blinding white sunlight, Coravel -Tio and Thomas Twofork were standing together. In his hand the Indian -held something--something fragmentary and crushed, something that -glittered like broken needles in the sunlight. - -"It was the head of a rattlesnake," said Thomas Twofork, meditatively, -"and not long dead. You see? The fangs caught in his arm. The two men -fell and ground into the stones the arm and fang together; the fangs -were ripped along his arm----" - -"Ah, yes! It is very wonderful." Coravel Tio began to roll a cigarette. -He gazed down the caon where the running figure of Abel Dorales had -disappeared, and speculation filled his dreamy dark eyes. - -"Was there any poison in the fangs? Very likely, Thomas Twofork. Perhaps -it had been there in the moment of death; beyond doubt, it had been -there. Was it dried up, too dried up to take effect? Well, we do not -know. Soon, in a day or two, we shall know. One thing I do know, -however--I know that _I_ would never meddle with the gods of the San -Marcos. Eh?" - -Thomas Twofork was a college graduate, but he was first an Indian. To -this last word of his companion he nodded solemn affirmation. The two -men turned and started toward the shack; but a few yards from the -doorway, they halted and glanced at each other. From the building had -come a sudden low sound of a woman softly sobbing. Into the eyes of -Thomas Twofork leaped a mute question. Coravel Tio answered with a -gesture, and the two men changed their course and came to a halt near -the automobiles. - -"Well?" asked the Indian a moment later. "Why does she cry, Coravel Tio? -Has that man Shea harmed her?" - -Coravel Tio struck a match, lighted his cigarette, broke the match in -two, and gracefully tossed away the fragments. - -"No, he has not harmed her," he said, gently. "Yet she is sobbing; so, -perhaps, is he. You do not understand these things, Thomas Twofork, but -I am a philosopher. I understand everything! I have expected to hear the -seora sob, thus, for some time past. Now it has happened. All is well." - -"Eh?" The Indian scrutinized him in perplexity. "But what does it mean?" - -"It means," and Coravel Tio smiled, "that the seora is very happy! She -has found both a husband and a child. _Adios!_" - -THE END - -THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS -GARDEN CITY, N. 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-
-.. meta::
- :PG.Id: 35078
- :PG.Title: The Mesa Trail
- :PG.Released: 2011-01-25
- :PG.Rights: Public Domain
- :PG.Producer: Roger Frank
- :PG.Producer: the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
- :DC.Creator: H. Bedford-Jones
- :DC.Title: The Mesa Trail
- :DC.Language: en
- :DC.Created: 1920
-
-==============
-The Mesa Trail
-==============
-
-.. _pg-header:
-
-.. container::
-
- .. style:: paragraph
- :class: noindent
-
- This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
- almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
- re-use it under the terms of the `Project Gutenberg License`_
- included with this eBook or online at
- http://www.gutenberg.org/license.
-
-
-
- .. vspace:: 1
-
- .. _pg-machine-header:
-
- .. container::
-
- Title: The Mesa Trail
-
- Author: H. Bedford-Jones
-
- Release Date: January 25, 2011 [EBook #35078]
-
- Language: English
-
- Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
- .. vspace:: 1
-
- .. _pg-start-line:
-
- \*\*\* START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MESA TRAIL \*\*\*
-
- .. vspace:: 4
-
- .. _pg-produced-by:
-
- .. container::
-
- Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.
-
- .. vspace:: 1
-
-
-
-
-.. figure:: images/illus-fpc.jpg
- :align: center
-
- “His blazing black eyes stared into the gaze of Ross”
-
-.. class:: align-center x-large
-
-THE MESA TRAIL
-
-.. class:: align-center
-
- | BY
- | H. BEDFORD-JONES
-
-.. image:: images/illus-emb.jpg
- :align: center
-
-.. class:: align-center
-
- | GARDEN CITY — NEW YORK
- | DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
- | 1920
-
-.. class:: align-center
-
- | COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY
- | DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
-
-.. class:: align-center smaller
-
- | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF
- | TRANSLATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES,
- | INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN
-
-.. class:: align-center
-
- | COPYRIGHT, 1919,
- | BY STREET & SMITH CORPORATION
-
-.. contents:: CONTENTS
-
-CHAPTER I—THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN
-==============================
-
-A ribbon of winding road leads northeast
-from the pueblo of Domingo and the
-snaky Bajada hill where gray rocks lie
-thickly; it is a yellowish ribbon of road, sweeping
-over the gigantic mesa toward Santa Fé and the
-sweetly glowing Blood of Christ peaks—great
-peaks of green spearing into the sky, white-crested,
-and tipped with blood at sunset.
-
-Along this ribbon of dusty yellow road was
-crawling a flivver. It was crawling slowly, in a
-jerky series of advances and pauses; as it crept
-along its intermittent course, the woman who sat
-behind the wheel was cursing her iron steed in a
-thorough and heartfelt manner.
-
-Both in flivver and woman was that which fired
-curious interest. The rear of the car was piled
-high with boxes and luggage; certain of the boxes
-were marked “Explosives—Handle With Care!”
-Prominent among this freight was a burlap sack
-tied about the neck and firmly roped to one of the
-top supports of the car.
-
-The woman was garbed in ragged but neat
-khaki. From beneath the edges of an old-fashioned
-bonnet, tied beneath the chin, protruded
-wisps of grayish hair, like an aureole of silver.
-The woman herself was of strikingly large frame
-and great in girth; her arms, bare to the elbows,
-were huge in size. Yet this giantess was not unhealthily
-fat. Hardened by toil, her hands were
-gripped carefully upon the steering wheel as though
-she were in some fear of wrenching it asunder in an
-unguarded moment.
-
-Her features were large, sun-darkened, creased
-and seamed with crow’s-feet that betokened long
-exposure to wind and weather. Ever and anon
-she drew, with manifest enjoyment, at an old
-brown corncob pipe. Above her firm lips and
-beak-like nose a pair of blue eyes struck out gaily
-and keenly at the world; eyes of a piercing, intense
-blue, whose brilliancy, as of living jewels, gave
-the lie to their surrounding tokens of toil and age.
-
-“Drat it!” she burst forth, after a new bucking
-endeavour on the part of the car. “If I was to
-shoot this damned thing through the innards,
-maybe she’d quit sunfishin’ on me! I’m goin’ to
-sell her to Santy Fé sure’s shooting; I’ll get me a
-pair o’ mules and a wagon, then I’ll know what I’m
-doing. Dunno how come I ever was roped into
-buying this here contraption——”
-
-She suddenly halted her observations. Laying
-aside her pipe and peering out from the side of the
-dusty windshield, her keen eyes narrowed upon the
-road ahead.
-
-Against that yellowish ribbon, with its bordering
-emptiness of mesquite, greasewood, and sage,
-there was nothing moving; but squarely in the
-centre of the road showed up a dark, motionless
-blotch. It was the figure of a man lying as
-though asleep. No man would or could lie asleep
-in the middle of this road, however, under the
-withering blaze of the downpouring New Mexico
-sun.
-
-Suddenly the fitful flivver coughed under more
-gas; it roared, bucked, darted ahead, bucked again,
-and a dozen yards from the prostrate man it went
-leaping forward as though impelled by vindictive
-spite to run over the motionless figure. The woman
-swore savagely. She seemed inexperienced as a
-chauffeuse; only by a hair’s breadth did she manage
-to avoid the man, and then she stopped the
-car.
-
-Her great size became more apparent as she
-alighted. Standing, she gazed down at the man,
-then leaned forward and turned the unfortunate
-vagrant upon his back. The body was listless to
-her hand, the head lolled idly.
-
-“Hm!” said the woman, reflectively. “Ain’t
-drunk. Ain’t hurt. Hm!”
-
-She reached into the car and produced a whiskey
-flask, then sat down in the dust and took upon her
-ample lap the head of the senseless man. A
-sudden deftness became manifest in her motions,
-an unguessed tenderness relieved the harshness of
-her features.
-
-“This here is breakin’ the law,” she ruminated,
-pouring liquor between the lips of the vagrant,
-“but it ain’t the first time Mehitabel Crump has
-broke laws to help some poor devil! Hm! Looks
-to me like he ain’t et for quite a spell.”
-
-With increasing interest she surveyed the
-slowly reviving stranger.
-
-He was fully as lank as she was stout, and must
-have stood a good six foot two in height. His
-clothes were tattered remnants of once sober
-black. Long locks of iron-gray hair hung about
-his ears. His features were careworn and haggard,
-yet in them lingered some indefinable suggestion of
-fine lines and deeply carven strength. Had
-Mehitabel Crump ever viewed Sir Henry Irving—which
-she had not—she might have guessed a few
-things about her “find.”
-
-Suddenly the eyes, the intensely black eyes, of
-the man opened. So did his lips.
-
-“Angels and ministers of grace!” His voice,
-although faint, was touched with a deep intonation,
-a roundness of the vowels, a clarity of accent.
-“As I do live and breathe, it is the kiss of lordly
-Bacchus which doth welcome me!”
-
-“Take it calm,” advised Mehitabel Crump,
-pityingly. “You’ll have your right sense pretty
-soon. Many’s the time I’ve seen Crump keeled
-over, and come to with his mind awandering.
-Jest take it calm, pilgrim. I’ll have a bite o’
-cornbread——”
-
-She lowered his head to the dust, rose, and went
-to the flivver. Presently she returned with a slab
-of cold cornbread divided by bacon, and a desert
-water bottle.
-
-“Heaps o’ lunch in the car.” She aided the
-gaunt one to sit up, and he clutched at the food
-feverishly. “My land! Ain’t et real frequent
-lately, have ye?”
-
-The man, his mouth full, shook his head dumbly.
-About his eyes was a brilliancy which told of sheer
-starvation. To the full as worldly wise as any
-person in broad New Mexico, the woman asked no
-questions as yet; she procured from the car a
-basket which contained the remainder of her
-luncheon, and set forth the contents.
-
-“Figgered I might get held up ’fore reaching
-Santy Fé. If it warn’t that dratted car, it sure
-would be something else, which same it is.
-Damned good luck it ain’t worse, as Crump used
-to say when Providence went agin’ him.”
-
-She observed that the stranger ate ravenously,
-but drank sparingly. Not thirst had downed him,
-but starvation.
-
-He seemed startled at her disconcertingly frank
-manner of speech. She put him down as something better
-than an ordinary hobo; an out-of-luck
-Easterner, possibly a lunger. He was fifty or so;
-with decent clothes, a shave, and a haircut, he
-might be a striking-looking fellow, she decided.
-Although he had a hard mouth, what Mehitabel
-Crump had learned to know as a whiskey mouth,
-it was steady lipped.
-
-“You sure played in tough luck comin’ this
-road,” she said, musingly. “So did I. Ain’t
-nothing between here and Santy Fé ’cept Injuns,
-greasers, and rattlers, any one of which is worse’n
-the other two. These rocks is playin’ hell with my
-tires and the old Henry is coughin’ fit to bust her
-innards. If I find the feller who sold her to me,
-I’d sure lay him one over the ear!”
-
-Her simple meal finished, she began to stuff her
-corncob pipe. The man, still eating wolfishly,
-watched her with fascinated eyes. She gazed out
-at the snowy, sun-flooded Sangre de Cristo peaks
-and continued her soliloquy. When it suited her,
-Mehitabel Crump could be very garrulous; and
-when it suited her, she could be as taciturn as the
-mountains themselves.
-
-“I ain’t surprised at nothing no more, not these
-days. No, sir! When I first come to this country
-you knowed just what ye had to reckon agin’.
-They was Injuns to fight, greasers to work devilment,
-claim jumpers to rob ye, and such. But
-now the Injuns is all towerist peddlers, the greasers
-is called ‘natives’ and runs the courts an’ legislature,
-and gun toting ain’t popular. A lone
-woman gets skinned plumb legal, when in the old
-days it would ha’ been suicide to rob a female.
-Yes pilgrim, set right in at what’s left, and don’t
-bother to talk yet a spell.”
-
-She touched a match to her pipe, broke the
-match, tossed it away.
-
-“If Crump hadn’t blowed up with a dry fuse in
-a shaft we was sinking over in the Mogollons,
-where we was prospecting at the time, he’d be
-plumb astonished at the changes. Yes, and I bet
-he’d swear to see me driving one of them contraptions
-yonder! Poor Crump, I never had the heart
-to dig him up, though it was a right smart prospect
-we was workin’. But somehow I couldn’t never
-work that claim, with him still in it that-a-way.
-I won’t need the money, neither, if I’ve got hold
-of——”
-
-She paused. Her gaze went to the devouring
-stranger. Abruptly she changed the subject.
-
-“You don’t look like you was much more’n a
-poor, innercent pilgrim without any brains to
-mention. Yet, stranger, I’d gamble that we’d
-stack up high in morals agin’ such old-timers as
-Abel Dorales, him what’s half greaser and half
-Mormon, or old Sandy Mackintavers, what come
-straight from Scotland to Arizony and made a
-forchin in thirty years of thieving! Yes, I reckon
-ye’ve got a streak of real pay dirt in ye, stranger.
-And if I can’t tell what breed o’ cattle a man is by
-jest looking at him, it’s a queer thing! I’ve
-knowed ’em all.”
-
-The complimented pilgrim bolted the last scrap
-of food in sight, raised the canvas bag to his lips,
-and drank. Sighing, he wiped his lips with the
-frayed cuff of his sleeve. Then he disentangled
-his long legs and rose. One hand upon his heart,
-the other flourished magnificently, he made a
-bow that was the piteous ghost of a perished
-grandeur.
-
-“Madam!” His voice rang out firmly now, a
-deep and sonorous bass. “Madam, I thank you!
-In me you behold one who has received the plaudits
-of thousands, one who has bowed to the thunderous
-acclaim of——”
-
-“What d’ye say your name was?” snapped
-Mehitabel Crump. Her voice was suddenly acid,
-her blue eyes ice. The other was manifestly
-disconcerted by her change of front.
-
-“Madam, I am familiarly known as Thaddeus
-Roscius Shea. Under the more imposing title of
-Montalembert I have made known to thousands
-the aspiring genius of the immortal Avonian bard.
-I avow it, madam—I am a Thespian! I suit the
-action to the word, the word to the action——”
-
-“Huh!” cut in his audience with a ruthless lack
-of awe. “Huh! Never heard of them Thespians,
-but likely it’s a new Mormon sect. I knowed a
-man of your name down to Silver City twelve
-year back; this Thady Shea was a good fightin’
-man, with one eye and a harelip. Glad to meet ye,
-pilgrim! I’m Mehitabel Crump, with Mrs. for a
-handle.”
-
-Something in her manner seemed mightily to
-embarrass Mr. Shea, but he took a fresh start and
-set forth to conquer the difficulty.
-
-“Madam, a Thespian is of no religious persuasion,
-but one who treads the boards and who
-wears the buskin of Thespis. You behold in me
-the first tragedian of the age. My *Hamlet*,
-madam, has been praised by discerning critics from
-Medicine Hat to Jersey City. The accursed
-moving pictures have ruined my art.”
-
-“Oh! It’s usually whiskey or woman,” said
-Mrs. Crump, her eyes ominous. “So you’re a
-stage actor, eh? Then that explains it.”
-
-“Explains, madam? Explains what?” faltered
-Shea, sensing a gathering storm.
-
-“Your damn foolishness. Shake it off, ye poor
-hobo! I no sooner hands ye a bit o’ kindness than
-it swells ye up like a balloon. Now, don’t you get
-gay with *me*, savvy? Don’t come none o’ that
-high-falutin’ talk with me, or by hell I’ll paralyze
-ye! I did think for a minute that ye had the
-makin’s of a man, but I apologize.”
-
-The blue eyes turned away. Had Shea been
-able to see them, he might have read in them a
-look that did not correspond to Mrs. Crump’s
-spoken word. But he did not see them.
-
-He turned away from the woman. The carven
-lines of his face deepened, aged, as from him was
-rent the veil of his posturing. A weary and hopeless
-sadness welled in his eyes; the sadness of one
-who beholds around him the wreckage of all his
-little world, brought down to ruin by his own
-faults. When he spoke, it was with the same
-sonorous voice, yet lacking the fine rolling accent.
-
-“You are right, Mrs. Crump, you are right.
-God help me! I, who was once a man, am now
-less than the very dust. Your harshness is
-justified. At this time yesterday, madam, I was
-a wretched drunken fool, spouting lines of rhetoric
-in Albuquerque.”
-
-“I’m surprised at that,” said Mrs. Crump.
-“How’d ye get the liquor, since this here state an’
-nation ain’t particularly wet no more? And how
-ye got here from Albuquerque I don’t figger.”
-
-“It is simply told.” From the miserable Shea
-was stripped the last vestige of his punctured
-pose. “Twenty years ago my young wife died,
-and I started upon the whiskey trail; it has led
-me—here. Yesterday I came into Albuquerque,
-starving. At the railroad station, amid some—er—confusion,
-I encountered a company of those
-motion picture men who dare to call themselves
-actors. So far was my pride broken that I begged
-of them help in the name and memory of The
-Profession.”
-
-Shea emphatically capitalized these last two
-words.
-
-“They took me aboard their train,” he pursued,
-“and I was given drink. Some controversy arose,
-I know not how; I found myself ignominiously
-ejected from the train. I walked, not knowing
-nor caring whither. Nor is that all, madam. I
-am a fugitive from justice!”
-
-“Broke jail?” queried Mrs. Crump, betraying
-signs of interest.
-
-“No, madam. In Albuquerque I was starving
-and desperate. I—I stole fruit and—sandwiches—from
-a railroad stand.”
-
-His voice failed. He turned away, staring at
-the snowy peaks as though awaiting a verdict.
-
-“Pretty low-down and worthless, ain’t ye?”
-Mrs. Crump checked herself suddenly, glancing
-at the yellow ribbon of road over which she had so
-recently come. A flying cloud of dust gave notice
-of the approach of a large automobile.
-
-Suddenly rising, Mrs. Crump knocked out her
-pipe, then caught Shea by the shoulder. Her hand
-swung him about as though he were a child. His
-eyes widened in surprise upon meeting the warm
-regard in her face, the steady and sympathetic
-smile upon her lips.
-
-“Thady,” she said, bluntly, “how old are ye?”
-
-“Fifty-eight,” he mumbled in astonishment.
-
-“Huh! Two year older’n me. Made a mess
-of your life, ain’t ye? Don’t know as I blame ye
-none, Thady. When Crump passed out, I come
-near throwin’ up the sponge; but I got to fightin’
-and I been fightin’ ever since, and here I am!
-Now, Thady, you got strength and you got guts;
-I can see it in your eye. All ye need is backbone.
-Why don’t ye buck up?”
-
-“I’ve tried,” he faltered, controlled by her
-personality. “It’s no use——”
-
-“You go get in that car.” Mrs. Crump glanced
-again at the approaching automobile, then half
-flung the gaunt Shea toward her dust-white flivver.
-“Get in and don’t say a word, savvy? One thing
-about you, ye can be trusted—which is more’n can
-be said for some skunks in this here country! Get
-in, now, and leave me palaver with Sheriff Tracy.”
-
-Shea, shivering at mention of the sheriff,
-jack-knifed his length upon the car’s front seat.
-
-From some mysterious recess of her ample
-person Mrs. Crump produced an immense old-fashioned
-revolver, which she began to burnish
-with seeming absorption. The big automobile
-slowed up. It halted a few feet behind the flivver,
-and a hearty hail came forth.
-
-“By jingoes, if it ain’t Mis’ Crump! Hello, old-timer—ain’t
-seen you in ages!”
-
-From the car sprang a hale and vigorous man
-who advanced with hand extended.
-
-“I kind o’ thought it was you, Sam Tracy,” said
-Mrs. Crump. “Thought I recognized that there
-car o’ yours. How’s the folks?”
-
-“All fine. And you? But I needn’t ask—why,
-you grow younger every month——”
-
-“See here! What ye doin’ over in this county,
-Sam? Why don’t ye get back to Bernalillo where
-ye belong?”
-
-The sheriff waved his hand.
-
-“Going to Santy Fé. I’m looking up a fellow
-who came this way from Albuquerque—a hobo and
-sneak thief name o’ Shea. Where ye been keepin’
-yourself, ma’am? It don’t seem like the same old
-state not to see ye from time to time.”
-
-“Sam Tracy,” observed Mrs. Crump with a look
-of severity, “I’ve knowed you more years than I
-care to reckon up. And you know me, I guess!
-Now, Sam, I sure hate to do it—but I got to.
-Stick up your hands, Sam, and do it damn
-sudden!”
-
-The muzzle of her revolver poked the astounded
-sheriff in the stomach. For a moment he gazed
-into her shrewd blue eyes, then slowly elevated his
-hands.
-
-“Are you crazy, ma’am?” he demanded.
-
-She removed his holstered weapon, then lowered
-her own and shook her head.
-
-“Nope. I’m heap sane right here and now.
-Set down and smoke whilst I explain.”
-
-CHAPTER II—THADY SHEA ENCOUNTERS PURPOSE
-========================================
-
-“Your man Shea is settin’ in my car yonder,”
-said Mrs. Crump.
-
-Heedless of the glaring sun, she picked up
-her pipe and disposed her giant frame for converse.
-From narrowed lids the sheriff eyed the lanky, up-drawn
-figure of Shea, which he now noticed for the
-first time. Then he produced the “makings” and
-proceeded to roll a cigarette.
-
-“Glad you picked him up,” said he. “I’ll take
-him back with me.”
-
-“No, ye won’t,” retorted Mrs. Crump, calmly.
-“You’ll not touch him, Sam Tracy.”
-
-“He’s a thief and a drunkard and a hobo,” said
-the sheriff.
-
-“If they wasn’t no drinks to be had in heaven, I
-reckon hell would be majority choice,” quoth the
-lady. “When it comes to that, I’ve seen you
-and Crump so paralyzed you couldn’t talk. There
-was that night down to Magdalena when the
-railroad spur was finished and they held a celebration——”
-
-The sheriff grinned. “No need to argue
-further along them lines, ma’am. You win!”
-
-“I reckon I do, Sam. Besides, you ain’t got no
-authority over in this county. You can run a
-bluff on ignorant hoboes an’ greasers, but not on
-Mehitabel Crump! Your authority quit quite a
-ways back. Thady Shea only stole because he
-was starving, which I’d do the same in his place.
-I picked him up here and I’m goin’ to keep him.”
-
-“You always was soft-hearted,” reflected Tracy.
-“Now you got him, what’s your programme?”
-
-Mrs. Crump refilled and lighted her corncob
-with deliberation, then made response:
-
-“Sam, I’m sure in a thunderin’ bad pinch.
-Damned good luck it ain’t worse, as Crump used
-to say at times. You know I ain’t no legal shark,
-huh? Well, three weeks ago I had a blamed good
-hole in the hills, until Abel Dorales come along and
-located just below me. Then in rides old Sandy
-Mackintavers and offers a thousand even for my
-hole, saying that Abel had located the thrown apex
-of my claim——”
-
-“The apex law don’t obtain here,” put in
-Tracy.
-
-“I know it; but who’s goin’ to argue with
-Mackintavers? If it wasn’t that, it’d be somethin’
-worse. Anyhow, he offered to compromise
-and so on.”
-
-The sheriff nodded. “I see how you come to
-have the flivver,” he observed, drily.
-
-“Yas, ye do!” Mrs. Crump’s response was raw-edged.
-“If you was the kind o’ man you used
-to be, ye’d up and give them jumpers a hemp
-necktie! But now ye play politics, Sam Tracy, and
-ye lick the boots o’ Sandy Mackintavers——”
-
-“That’s enough, Mis’ Crump!” broke in the
-sheriff, icily. “I don’t blame ye for feelin’ sore,
-but the likes of us can’t fight Mackintavers in the
-courts. We ain’t slick enough! And Dorales is
-a Mormon-bred greaser, than which the devil ain’t
-never fathered a worse combination. Now, Mis’
-Crump, you show me the least excuse for doin’ it
-legally, and I’ll pump them two men full o’ lead
-any day! I’m only surprised that you didn’t do it.”
-
-“I did.” A smile of grim satisfaction wreathed
-the lady’s firm lips. “First I took Sandy’s
-money, then I lets fly. They was several hired
-greasers with Dorales, and I reckon I got two-three;
-ain’t right sure. I only got Abel glancingly,
-and when I threw down on Sandy his arms was
-both elevated for safety. All I could decently do
-was to nick his ear so’s he’d remember me.”
-
-“You didn’t kill Dorales?”
-
-“Afraid not.” Mrs. Crump sadly shook her
-head. “I didn’t wait to inquire none, but it
-looked like I’d only blooded his shoulder and he
-was layin’ low to plug me in the back, so I belted
-him over the head with the butt, and slid for
-home.”
-
-The sheriff, astounded, emitted a long whistle.
-“Whew-w!” he said, slowly. “Say, whereabouts
-did all this happen?”
-
-“Down the Mogollons. Over Arizony way.”
-
-“Why didn’t ye go west into Arizony, then?
-After that doin’s this state will be too hot to hold
-ye——”
-
-“Oh, Sandy won’t go to law over the shootin’.
-It’d make him look too ridic’lous.”
-
-The sheriff threw back his head and laughed
-with all the uproarious abandon of a man who
-laughs seldom but well.
-
-“Best look out for yourself,” he cautioned.
-“That there Dorales will be on your trail till hell
-freezes over, ma’am! I sure would admire to see
-you in action on that crowd!”
-
-“You’ll see me in action when that there car
-gets movin’ again,” she retorted. “She bucks like
-a range hoss and kicks to beat hell—why, I
-couldn’t hardly keep the saddle!”
-
-The sheriff arose and went to the dust-white
-flivver. He adjusted the spark, cranked, and for
-a moment listened to the engine before killing it.
-Then he threw back the hood, and, under the
-sombre eyes of Thady Shea, worked in silence.
-At length he finished his task, started the engine
-again, and with a nod of satisfaction shut it off.
-
-“Thought mebbe so,” he stated, rejoining the
-lady. “Your spark plugs was fouled. Well, ma’am,
-what can I be doin’ for you?”
-
-“Ye might send me a wire in care of Coravel
-Tio whenever ye get a line on Dorales or Mackintavers.
-I’m fixing to meet them again.”
-
-“How come?” demanded the sheriff in surprise.
-
-Mrs. Crump gestured with her pipe toward the
-flivver.
-
-“I got a sack of ore in there that I found in the
-lava beds or thereabouts. I suspicions it’s one o’
-these new-fangled things nobody give a whoop for
-in the old days, but that draws down the money
-now. If it is, then you can lay that Sandy will
-hear I’ve found it, and he’ll be after me to jump
-the claim.”
-
-“He sure does keep a line on prospectors,”
-reflected the sheriff. “And skins ’em, too, mostly.
-But he does it legal.”
-
-“Yep. If this here stuff is any good, Sam,
-they’s going to be some smoke ’fore he gets his
-paws on it! Where you goin’ from here? Back
-to Albuquerque?”
-
-“Nope. I got some business up at the capital.”
-
-“Will ye tote that ore sack and a letter up to
-Coravel Tio for me—and do it strictly under your
-hat?”
-
-“You bet I will, ma’am!”
-
-Mrs. Crump unstrapped the burlap sack.
-With the sheriff’s pencil and paper she settled
-down to write a letter. The process was obviously
-painful and laborious, but at length it was finished.
-The sheriff shook hands, picked up the sack, and
-turned to his car. Mrs Crump had already restored
-him his revolver.
-
-“Take good care of yourself, ma’am—and your
-hobo! Adios.”
-
-Mrs. Crump watched the trail of dust disappear
-in the direction of Santa Fé, then she turned to the
-flivver and looked up at Thady Shea.
-
-“They’s a new corncob laying in back somewheres.
-You can have it, Thady. Get out here
-and settle down for a spell o’ talk. If ye act real
-good I’ll give ye a drink.”
-
-“I don’t want any,” came Shea’s muffled voice
-as he leaned back in search of the pipe.
-
-“That’s a lie. You’re fair shaking for liquor
-and a drop will brace ye up.”
-
-Shea procured the pipe, filled and lighted, and
-promptly assumed, as a garment, his usual histrionic
-pose. The gulp of liquor which Mrs.
-Crump carefully measured out sent a thin thread
-of colour into his gaunt, unshaven cheeks.
-
-“Madam, I owe you all,” he announced sonorously.
-“I have not missed the heart of things
-set forth in this your discourse to the sheriff’s
-ear, and I have gathered that your need is
-great for the strong arms of friends, the counsel
-wise——”
-
-“You got it,” cut in Mrs. Crump, curtly. “The
-p’int is, Thady, where do you come in? Listen
-here, now! I got a good eye for men; ye ain’t
-much account as ye stand, but ye got the makin’s.
-Now cut out the booze and I’ll take ye for partner,
-savvy? What’s more, I’ll spend a couple o’
-weeks attending to it that ye *do* cut out the
-booze! I sure need a partner who ain’t liable to
-sell me out to them heathen. Can ye down the
-booze, or not?”
-
-Something in her tone cut through the man’s
-posturing like a knife. As a matter of fact, he
-was miserable in spirit; his soul quivered nakedly
-before him, and he was ashamed. For a space he
-did not answer, but stared at the far mountains.
-The strong tragedy of his face was accentuated and
-deepened into utter bitterness.
-
-What Mrs. Crump had only vaguely and darkly
-seen Thady Shea observed clearly and with
-wonder; yet, just as she missed the more mystical
-side of it, he missed the more practical side. More
-diverse creatures wearing human semblance could
-scarce have been found than these twain, here met
-upon a desert upland of New Mexico—the woman,
-a self-reliant mountaineer and prospector who
-knew only her own little world, the man a drunkard,
-a broken-down “hamfatter,” who knew all the
-outside world which had rejected him. They had
-come together from different spheres.
-
-As he sat there staring, he mentally and for the
-last time reviewed the life that lay behind him;
-before him uprose all the contemptuous years,
-the sad wreckage of high hopes and tinsel glories,
-the hard and wretched fact of liquor. He would
-shut it out of his mind forever, after to-day, he
-thought. He would live in the present only, from
-day to day. He would try a new life—and let
-the dead bury their dead!
-
-He turned to Mrs. Crump, his sad and earnest
-eyes looking oddly cynical.
-
-“I do not think it humanly possible that I can
-resist liquor,” he said, gravely. “I am frank with
-you. It were easy to swear that I would pluck
-out drowned honour by the roots—but, madam, I
-think that this morning I am weary of swearing.
-I have tried to abstain, and I cannot. Always it
-is the first week or two of torture that downs
-me——
-
-“You’re showin’ sense, now,” said the lady.
-“Want to try it or not?”
-
-He rose in the car and attempted a bow in his
-showy and pitiful manner. In this bow, however,
-was an element of grace, the more pronounced by
-its sharp contrast to his gaunt, sombre aspect.
-
-“Madam, I am deeply sensible of the compliment
-you pay me. Yet, in picking from the
-gutter a drunken failure, are you wise? I am
-entirely ignorant of prospecting and——”
-
-“Don’t worry none. Ye’ll learn that quick
-enough.”
-
-Again Thaddeus bowed. “But, madam, I
-understand that prospectors go off into the desert
-places and live. In justice to yourself, do you not
-think that your enemies might seize viciously upon
-the least excuse for misinterpretation of character——”
-
-For the first time Shea saw Mehitabel Crump
-gripped in anger. He paused, aghast.
-
-Her gigantic form quivered with rage then
-stiffened into towering wrath. Her tanned, age-touched
-features suddenly hardened into sentient
-bronze from which her blue eyes blazed forth
-terribly, jewelled indices of an indomitable and
-quick-flaming spirit within.
-
-“Thady Shea, it’s well for you them words
-come from an honest heart,” said she, with a
-slow and grim emphasis. “They ain’t no one
-goin’ to say a word agin’ me, except them for what
-I don’t give a tinker’s dam; and if one o’ them
-dasts to say it in my hearin’, chain lightnin’ is
-goin’ to strike quick and sudden! This here territory—state,
-I mean—knows Mehitabel Crump
-and has knowed her for some years back. Paste
-that in your hat, Thady Shea!”
-
-As some dread lioness hears in dreams the horns
-and shouts of hunters, and starting erect with
-bristling front mutters her low and terrible growl
-of challenge, so Mehitabel Crump defiantly faced
-Thaddeus.
-
-He, poor soul, inwardly cursed his too-nimble
-tongue, and shrank visibly from the spectacle
-of wrath. Before the hurt and amazed eyes of
-him Mrs. Crump suddenly abandoned her righteous
-attitude. Having palpably overawed him,
-she now felt ashamed of herself.
-
-“There, buck up,” she brusquely ordered.
-
-“Tell me, now! If I answer for it that ye stay
-sober a couple o’ weeks or so, will ye make the
-fight?”
-
-“Yes.” Hope fought against despair in Shea’s
-voice; he knew his own weakness well.
-
-“All right. Let’s go, then!”
-
-“We’re going to Santa Fé?”
-
-Mrs. Crump advanced to the front of the
-flivver, and seized the crank. Then she paused,
-her blue eyes striking up over the radiator at Shea.
-
-“No, I ain’t goin’ to Santy Fé; neither are you!
-We’re goin’ to the most man-forsaken spot they
-is in all the world, I reckon. We got grub, and
-everything else can wait a couple o’ weeks or so.
-Accordin’ to the Good Book, Providence was
-mighty rushed about creation, but I ain’t in no
-special hurry about makin’ a man of you——”
-
-Her words were drowned in the engine’s roar.
-Thaddeus Roscius Shea made himself as small
-as possible; Mrs. Crump crowded in under the
-wheel, the car swaying to her weight, and they
-leaped forward.
-
-In silence she drove, pushing the flivver with
-a speed and abandon which left Shea clinging
-desperately to his seat. Twenty minutes later
-an intersecting road made its appearance; Mrs.
-Crump left the highway and followed this road
-due north for a couple of miles. There, coming
-to an east-and-west road which was decidedly
-rough, she headed west.
-
-“This here’s the trail to Cochiti pueblo,” she
-announced, enigmatically.
-
-Four miles of this, and she struck an even
-worse road that headed northwest. Shea’s eyes
-opened as they progressed. Never in all his life
-had he encountered such grotesque country as
-this which now lay on every hand as though
-evoked by magic—utter desolation of huge rock
-masses, blistered and calcined by ancient fires,
-eroded into strange spires and pinnacles of weird
-formation. To the north towered Dome Rock
-with its adjacent crater. No sign of life was
-anywhere in evidence.
-
-Shea was helplessly gripped by the personality
-of the woman beside him. Mentally he was
-overborne and awed; physically he was sick—not
-ill, but downright sick, possibly due to the
-sparse gulps of liquor which he had downed,
-possibly to the glaring sun. He cared not whether
-he lived or died. He felt that this day had brought
-him to the end of his rope, and that nothing more
-could matter.
-
-“Getting into the lava beds,” observed Mrs.
-Crump, cheerfully. Shea understood her words
-only dimly. “This here Henry sure does go
-pokin’ where you’d think nothin’ short of a mule
-could live! The trail peters out a bit farther,
-then we got to hoof it over to the Rio Grande and
-make camp.”
-
-Poor Shea shivered. The frightful desolation
-of the scene horrified him. He had never been
-an outdoor man. His had ever been the weakness,
-the dependency of the sheltered and civilized
-being. Contact with this strangely primitive
-woman frightened him. He felt like babbling in
-his terror, begging to be taken back and allowed
-to resume his place among the swine. Here was
-something new, awful, incredible! But he held
-his peace.
-
-Had he been able to look a few miles ahead;
-had he foreseen what lay before him in that camp
-in White Rock Cañon, a place which in grandeur
-and inaccessibility rivalled the great cañon of the
-Colorado; had he known that he was about to
-tread a trail which few white men had ever
-followed—in short, had he understood what
-Mehitabel Crump’s plan held in store for him,
-he would at that moment have yielded up the
-ghost, cheerfully!
-
-At last, reaching a sheer incline where boulders
-larger than the car itself filled all the trail and
-rendered further progress impossible, Mrs. Crump
-killed her engine and set her brakes hard.
-
-“I guess Henry can lay here all his life and
-never be stole,” she said, with a sigh of relaxation.
-“Well, Thady, here we are! D’you know what?
-It ain’t lack of ambition that makes folks mis’able
-and unsatisfied; it’s lack o’ purpose. Now, I
-aim to teach ye some purpose, Thady. Look
-at me! I been prospectin’ all my life, and still
-goin’ strong, just because I got a definite object
-ahead—to strike it rich somewheres!
-
-“Well, climb down. We got to rig up some
-grub into packs, hoof it to the nearest canoncito,
-and reach the Rio Grande. It’s less’n two mile
-in a straight line to water, but twenty ’fore we
-gets there, if we gets there a-tall. Come on,
-limber up!”
-
-Thaddeus Roscius Shea groaned inaudibly—but
-limbered up.
-
-CHAPTER III—CORAVEL TIO ENJOYS A BUSY MORNING
-=============================================
-
-Coravel Tio sold curios in the old town
-of Santa Fé. He also sold antiques, real
-and fraudulent; he had a wholesale business
-in Indian wares that extended over the
-whole land.
-
-Coravel Tio was one of the few Americans
-who could trace their ancestry in an unbroken
-line for three hundred years. It was almost
-exactly three hundred years since the ancestor
-of Coravel Tio had come to Santa Fé as a conquistador.
-Coravel Tio was wont to boast of
-this, an easily proven fact; and, boasting, he had
-sold the conquistador’s battered old armour at
-least fifty times.
-
-When the boasts of Coravel Tio were questioned,
-he would admit with a chuckle that he
-was a philosopher; and do not all philosophers live
-by lying, señor? There was great truth in him
-when he was not selling his ancestor’s armour to
-tourists—and even then, if he happened to like
-the looks of the tourist, he would gently insinuate
-that as a business man he sold fraudulent wares
-and lied nobly about them, but that in private
-he was a philosopher. And the tourists, liking
-this quaintly naïve speech, bought the more.
-
-It was a big, dark, quiet shop, full of Indian
-goods and weapons, antique furniture that would
-have made Chippendale’s eyes water, ivories, old
-paintings, manuscripts from ancient missions. A
-good half of Coravel Tio’s shop was not for sale
-at any price. Neither, said men, was Coravel
-Tio.
-
-He was a soft-spoken little man, quiet, of
-strange smiles and strange silences. His was the
-art of making silence into a reproof, an assent,
-a curse. The world of Santa Fé moved about
-Uncle Coravel and heeded him not, shouldered
-him aside; and Coravel Tio, knowing his fathers
-to have been conquistadores, smiled gently at the
-world. His name was usually dismissed with a
-shrug—in effect, a huge tribute to him. Talleyrand
-would have given his soul to have been
-accorded such treatment from the diplomats of
-Europe; it would have rendered him invincible.
-
-One of those rare men was Coravel Tio whose
-faculties, masked by childish gentleness, grow
-more terribly keen with every passing year. His
-brain was like a seething volcano—a volcano
-which seems to be extinct and cold and impotent,
-yet which holds unguessed fires somewhere deep
-within itself.
-
-Upon a day, some time following the meeting of
-Mehitabel Crump with Thady Shea, this Coravel
-Tio was standing in talk with one Cota, a native
-member of the legislature then in session.
-
-“But, señor!” was volubly protesting the legislator,
-with excitement. “They say the majority
-is assured, that the bill already drawn, that the
-capital is to be moved to Albuquerque at this very
-session!”
-
-“I know,” said Coravel, passively, his dark
-eyes gently mournful.
-
-“You know? But what—what is to be done?
-Shall those down-state people take away our
-capital? We must prevent it! We must do
-something! It’s this man Mackintavers who is
-at the bottom of it, I suppose——”
-
-Coravel Tio fingered a blanket which topped
-a pile beside him—a gaudy red blanket. He regarded
-it with curious eyes.
-
-“I fear this is not genuine—it does not have
-the old Spanish uniform red,” he murmured, as
-though inwardly he were thinking only of his
-wares. Then suddenly his eyes lifted to the
-other man, and he smiled. In his smile was a
-piercing hint of mockery like a half-sheathed
-sword; before that smile Cota stammered and
-fell silent.
-
-“Oh, señor, this matter of the capital!” answered
-Coravel Tio, softly. “Why, for many,
-many years men have said that the capital is to
-be moved to Albuquerque; yet it has not been
-moved! Nor will it be moved. And, Señor
-Cota, let me whisper something to you! I hear
-that you have bought a new automobile. That
-is very nice, very nice! But, señor, if by any
-chance you are misled into voting for that bill,
-it would be a very sad event in your life; a most
-unhappy event, I assure you! Señor, customers
-await me. *Adios.*”
-
-As the legislator left the shop, he furtively
-crossed himself, wonder and fear struggling in
-his pallid features.
-
-The merchant now turned to his waiting customers.
-Of these, one was a Pueblo, a Cochiti
-man as the fashion of his high white moccasins
-and barbaric apparel testified to a knowing eye.
-The others were two white men who together approached
-the curio dealer. Coravel Tio stepped
-to a show case filled with onyx and other old
-carvings, and across this faced the two men with
-an uplift of his brows, a silent questioning.
-
-“You’re Mr. Coravel—Coravel Tio?” queried
-one of the two. The dealer merely smiled and
-nodded, in his birdlike fashion. “Can we see
-you in private?”
-
-“I have no privacy,” said Coravel Tio. “This
-is my shop. You may speak freely.”
-
-“Huh!” grunted the other, surveying him in
-obvious hesitation. “Well, I dunno. Me and
-my partner here have been workin’ down to
-Magdalena, and we had a scrap with some fellers
-and laid ’em out. Right after that, a native by
-the name of Baca tipped us off that they was
-Mackintavers’ men, and we’d better light out
-in a hurry. He give us a loan and said to tell
-you about it, so we lit out here.”
-
-Coravel Tio seemed greatly puzzled by this tale.
-
-“My dear sir,” he returned, slowly, “I am a
-curio dealer. I do not know why you were sent
-to me. Do you?”
-
-“Hell, no!” The miner stared at him disgustedly.
-“Must ha’ been some mistake.”
-
-“Undoubtedly. I am most sorry. However,
-if you are looking for work, I might be able to
-help you—it seems to me that someone wrote
-me for a couple of men. Excuse me one moment
-while I look up the letter. What are your names,
-my friends?”
-
-“Me? I’m Joe Gilbert. My partner here is
-Alf Lewis.”
-
-Coravel Tio left them, and crossed to a glassed-in
-box of an office. He opened a locked safe, swiftly
-inspected a telegraph form, and nodded to himself
-in a satisfied manner. He returned to the two
-men, tapped for a moment upon the glass counter,
-meditatively, then addressed them.
-
-“Señors, I regret the mistake exceedingly. Still,
-if you want work, I suggest that you drive over
-to Domingo this afternoon with my cousin, who
-lives there. You may stay a day or two with
-him, then this friend of mine will pick you up
-and take you to work.”
-
-The second man, Lewis, spoke up hesitantly.
-
-“Minin’ is our work, mister. We ain’t no
-ranchers.”
-
-“Certainly.” Coravel Tio smiled, gazing at
-him. “You will not work for a native, my friends.
-Ah, no! Be here at two this afternoon, please.”
-
-The two men left the shop. Outside, in the
-Street, they paused and looked at each other.
-The second man, Lewis, swore under his breath.
-
-“Joe, how in hell did he know we was worried
-over workin’ for a greaser boss?”
-
-Gilbert merely shrugged his shoulders and
-strode away.
-
-Within the shop, Coravel Tio turned to the
-waiting Indian and spoke—this time neither in
-Spanish nor English, but in the Indian tongue
-itself. As he spoke, however, he saw the stolid
-redskin make a slight gesture. Catlike, Coravel
-Tio turned about and went to meet a man who
-had just entered the shop; catlike, too, he purred
-suave greeting.
-
-A large man, this new arrival—square of head
-and jaw and shoulder, with small gray eyes closely
-set, a moustache bristling over a square mouth,
-ruthless hardness stamped in every line of figure,
-face, and manner. He was dressed carelessly but
-well.
-
-“Morning,” he said, curtly. His eyes bit
-sharply about the place, then rested with intent
-scrutiny upon the proprietor. “Morning, Coravel
-Tio. I been looking for someone who can talk
-Injun. I’ve got a proposition that won’t handle
-well in Spanish; it’s got to be put to ’em in their
-own tongue. I hear that you can find me someone.”
-
-Regretfully, Coravel Tio shook his head.
-
-“No—o,” he said, in reflective accents. “I am
-sorry, Mr. Mackintavers. My clerk, Juan
-Estrada, spoke their language, but he joined the
-army and is still in service. Myself, I know of
-it only a word or two. But wait! Here is a
-Cochiti man who sells me turquoise; he might
-serve you as interpreter, if he is willing.”
-
-He called the loitering Indian, and in the bastard
-Spanish patois of the country put the query.
-Mackintavers, who also spoke the tongue well,
-intervened and tried to employ the Indian as
-interpreter. To both interrogators the Pueblo
-shook his head in stolid negation. He would not
-serve in the desired capacity, and knew of no
-one else who would.
-
-“It is a great pity he is so stubborn!” Coravel
-Tio gestured in despair as he turned to his visitor.
-“I owe you thanks, Mr. Mackintavers, for getting
-my wholesale department that order from the
-St. Louis dealer. I am in your debt, and I shall
-be grateful if I can repay the obligation. In this
-case, alas, I am powerless!”
-
-“Well, let it go.” Mackintavers waved a large,
-square hand. He produced cigars, set one between
-his square white teeth, and handed the other to
-Coravel Tio. “You can repay me here and now.
-A man at Albuquerque sent a telegram to that
-Crump woman in your care. Where is she?”
-
-“What is all this?” Coravel Tio was obviously
-astonished. “Señor, I am a curio dealer, no more!
-You surely do not refer to the kind-hearted Mrs.
-Crump?”
-
-Mackintavers eyed him, chewing on his cigar.
-Then he nodded grimly.
-
-“I do! Is she a particular friend of yours?”
-
-“Certainly! Have I not known her these
-twenty years? I buy much from her—bits of
-turquoise, queer Indian things, odd relics. Her
-mail often comes here, remaining until she calls
-for it. I am a curio dealer, señor, and in other
-matters I take no interest.”
-
-“Hm!” grunted Mackintavers. “Has she been
-here lately?”
-
-“No, señor, not for three months—no, more
-than that! Mail comes, also telegrams.”
-
-“D’you know where she is?” demanded the
-other, savagely.
-
-Dreamily reflective, Coravel Tio fastened his
-eyes upon the right ear of Mackintavers. That
-ear bore a half-healed scar, like a bullet-nick.
-Beneath that silent scrutiny the other man
-reddened uneasily.
-
-“Let me see! My wife’s second cousin, Estevan
-Baca, wrote me last week that he had met her in
-Las Vegas. Everyone knows her, señor. If I
-can send any message for you——”
-
-“No. Much obliged, all the same,” grunted
-the other. “I’ll probably be at the Aztec House
-for a few days. Let me know in case she comes
-to town, will you? I want to see her.”
-
-With exactly the proper degree of bland eagerness,
-Coravel Tio assented to this, and Mackintavers
-departed heavily. The merchant accompanied
-him to the door and watched him stride up
-the narrow street, cursing the burros laden with
-mountain wood that blocked his way. Then,
-smiling a trifle oddly, the descendant of conquistadores
-returned to the waiting man from Cochiti
-pueblo.
-
-“Do you know why that man wanted an interpreter?”
-he asked the Indian, in the latter’s
-native tongue. The redskin grinned wisely and
-shook the black hair from his eyes.
-
-“Yes. But it is not a matter to discuss with
-Christians, my father.”
-
-Coravel Tio nodded carelessly. The question
-was closed. The Pueblo folk are, of course, very
-devoted converts to the Christian faith; yet those
-who know them intimately can testify that they
-sometimes have affairs, perhaps touching upon
-the queer stone idols of their fathers, which do
-not bear discussion with other Christians. They
-do not pray to the old gods—perhaps—but they
-hold them in tremendous respect.
-
-“You came to tell me something,” prompted
-the curio dealer, gently.
-
-The Indian assented with a nod. He leaned
-against one of the wooden pillars that supported
-the roof, and began to roll a cigarette while he
-talked.
-
-“Yesterday, my father, I was near the painted
-caves of the Colorado, and I stood above White
-Rock Cañon looking down at the river. There on
-the other side of the water I saw the strangest
-thing in the world. I went home and told the
-governor of the pueblo what I had seen, and it
-was his command that I come here and tell you
-also, for this is some queer affair of the white
-people.”
-
-Coravel Tio said nothing at all. The Pueblo
-lighted his cigarette and continued:
-
-“Upon the east side of the river and cañon, not
-so well hidden that I could not see it, was a camp,
-and in that camp were a white man and a white
-woman. I have never before seen white folk
-able to reach that place, unless it were the Trail
-Runner who takes pictures of us and sells them
-to tourists. These were strangers to me. One
-was a very large woman. The man was tall, but
-he acted very strangely. He acted as though
-God had touched his brain. So did they both.”
-
-“In what way?” asked Coravel Tio, sharply.
-
-“In every way, my father. The man wore no
-shoes, and the hot rocks hurt his feet so that he
-limped. I saw him spring on the woman, and
-they fought. She beat him off and pointed a gun
-at him. Then he seemed to be weeping like a
-woman, and he grovelled before her. She threw
-something far off on the stones, and I think it was
-glass that broke—a bottle, perhaps.”
-
-“Oh!” said Coravel Tio. “Oh! Perhaps it
-was.”
-
-“There were other strange actions,” pursued the
-stolid red man. “I could not understand them——”
-
-“No matter.” Coravel Tio made a gesture
-as though dismissing the subject. “Could you
-get to that camp from your pueblo?”
-
-“Of course, by crossing the river, by swimming
-the water there. But that may be a hard thing
-to do, my father.”
-
-“Undoubtedly, but you will do it, and I will
-pay you well. There is a package to give that
-woman. Wait.”
-
-Coravel Tio went to his little box of an office,
-seated himself at the desk, and began to write
-in a fair, round hand. The epistle required
-neither superscription nor signature:
-
- The burlap sack proved to contain some interesting
- contents. The two small sacks in the centre were even
- more interesting. The samples have been assayed with
- the following results:
-
- Numbers one to five, quartzitic with bare traces of
- brittle silver ore; no good. Numbers six to fifteen,
- barytes, perhaps five dollars a ton; no good. Number
- sixteen is strontianite. This is converted into certain
- nitrates used in manufacture of fireworks and in beet
- sugar refining. Tremendously valuable and rare.
- This, señora, is enough.
-
- I think that M. has scented those assays. He is
- asking for you, but I have made him look toward Las
- Vegas. To-morrow you will find two men at Domingo
- who wish work—they will be there until you arrive:
- Joe Gilbert and Alf Lewis. Meet me there also, please.
- I will take one-third interest in Number Sixteen as
- you suggest, and will furnish whatever money you
- desire on account. I enclose an advance sum.
-
- I shall have articles of partnership ready. Suppose
- you meet me day after to-morrow, at Domingo. You
- must give me location, etc., in order to arrange details
- of filing, land and mineral right lease, etc. Be careful
- about the new explosives law, unless you already have a
- permit.
-
-“Being a woman,” reflected Coravel Tio, “she
-should know that the most important thing in
-this letter is the very end of it.”
-
-He sealed the letter, placed it upon a thick
-sheaf of bank notes, wrapped the parcel in oiled
-silk and again in a small waterproof Navaho saddle
-blanket. This package he gave to the waiting
-redskin.
-
-“It must go into the hands of that large woman,
-and no other,” he said, gravely. “If you fail,
-there is trouble for all of us—and perhaps for the
-gods of the San Marcos also!”
-
-At these last words a flash of keen surprise
-sprang athwart the Indian’s face; then he took
-the package and turned to the doorway without
-response. Coravel Tio looked after him, and
-smiled gently.
-
-CHAPTER IV—MRS. CRUMP HEADS SOUTHWEST
-=====================================
-
-There was in Domingo a man named Baca.
-Domingo is a tiny village of adobes nestling
-along the curve of Santa Fé creek under
-the gray sharpness of Bajada hill; there is also
-an Indian pueblo of the same name.
-
-In every ancient native settlement there is at
-least one man named Baca, which signifies
-“cow” and may be spelled, in the old fashion,
-either Baca or Vaca. If these folk came all of one
-stock, they have increased and multiplied exceedingly.
-
-Under the big cottonwood tree that grew in
-front of the Baca home sat smoking Joe Gilbert
-and his partner Lewis. Up to them, and halting
-abruptly before the house, crept a dust-white
-flivver in which sat two people: one a woman,
-great of girth and frame, the other a man, gaunt
-and haggard, whose black eyes blazed like twin
-stars of desolation.
-
-The woman alighted and faced the two smokers.
-They rose and doffed their hats.
-
-“Gents, know where I can find Alf Lewis and
-Joe Gilbert?” she inquired, bluntly.
-
-“That’s us, ma’am.”
-
-“Thought so. My name’s Mehitabel Crump,
-with Mrs. for a handle. I’m goin’ to open up
-an ore outcrop. This here is Thady Shea, my
-partner. Want work, or not?”
-
-“I’ve heard of you, ma’am,” said Gilbert.
-
-“So’ve I!” exclaimed Lewis. “You bet we
-want work! Only, ma’am, we’d ought to tell ye
-square that they’s apt to be warrants out for
-us.”
-
-“Warrants never made me lose sleep,” said
-Mrs. Crump, eying them with a nod of satisfaction.
-“Howsomever, I’ll return the favour by
-saying that if ye take up with me it ain’t goin’
-to be no pleasure trip, gents. ’Cause why, I’ve
-got something good, something that’ll bring
-Mackintavers on the trail soon’s he smells it—him
-or his friends. I don’t aim to be bluffed
-out, I don’t aim to be bought out, and I don’t
-aim to be lawed out; I got something big, and I
-aim to hang on to it spite of hell and high water
-until I sell out big. Them’s my openers.”
-
-“They’re plenty, ma’am,” said Gilbert. “We
-sure would admire to work for you!”
-
-A brief discussion followed as to wages. Thaddeus
-Roscius Shea sat jack-knifed in the car’s front
-seat, saying not a word. His face was sun-blistered
-and graven with gnawing desire, his
-black eyes were feverish, he looked anything but
-a mining man. Yet the two miners, who must
-have felt more than a slight curiosity touching
-him, evinced none. At length Mrs. Crump
-turned to the car.
-
-“Well, pile in here! Make room in the back,
-but handle them boxes gentle. Three or four
-holds blasting powder and dynamite. I had
-quite a stock left over, and brung it along.”
-
-“Do we travel far?” asked Lewis, nervously.
-
-“You bet we do! But don’t worry none. I
-ain’t much farther from them boxes than you
-boys are, and I’m pickin’ the soft spots in the
-road. Besides, I’ve driv’ several hundred mile
-a’ready with this here outfit, and she ain’t gone
-up on me yet. Barring bad luck, we’d ought to
-get where we’re goin’ by the night of day after
-to-morrow.”
-
-“I’ve heard tell that you had cold iron for
-nerves,” commented Gilbert. “But you ain’t
-backing me down, none whatever, ma’am!”
-
-He sprang in, began to shift the load, and
-Lewis promptly joined him. Mrs. Crump turned
-and strode away through the dust. Thady Shea
-watched her out of sight, then twisted about,
-and for the first time broke the silence that had
-enveloped him.
-
-“Gentlemen! May I inquire whether either
-of you delvers in the deeps of earth are possessed
-of spirits?”
-
-At the sonorously booming voice Gilbert’s jaw
-dropped in amazement.
-
-“Good gosh! Is that Scripture talk? What
-d’ye mean—spirits?”
-
-Shea made an impatient gesture. “The fiery
-fluids that do mingle soul with vaster inspiration!
-I pray you, give me to drink as you do value
-drink!”
-
-“Oh, he means a drink!” ejaculated Lewis,
-staring. “We ain’t got a drop, Shea.”
-
-The lanky figure jack-knifed together again in
-disconsolate despair. The two men in the rear
-of the car glanced at each other. Gilbert tapped
-his head; Lewis grimaced.
-
-Meantime, Mrs. Crump had passed along the
-winding row of adobes and finally turned into a
-corral of high boards. There, concealed from
-exterior view, she found an automobile at rest; she
-went on to the adjoining rear door of the adobe
-house. The door was opened to her by Coravel
-Tio, who greeted her with a quick smile and a bow.
-
-“My land, it’s hot!” said Mrs. Crump.
-“Howdy!”
-
-“This place is hot indeed,” responded the
-merchant. “Let us take the front room and we
-may talk in private. I have the papers all made
-out.”
-
-They understood each other very well, these
-two. Presently, however, Coravel Tio discovered
-that a third interest in Number Sixteen was to
-be assigned to Thaddeus Shea, in whose name,
-also, the entire mining property was to stand.
-He leaned back and surveyed Mrs. Crump with
-interest.
-
-“I do not know this man Shea, señora. Why
-do you make him wealthy?”
-
-There was no hint of offence in his tone. He
-spoke as one having the right to ask, and Mrs.
-Crump promptly acquiesced.
-
-“He’s an old stage actor, Coravel. I picks
-him up on the road and takes him along. I’m
-breakin’ him of drink, and I got a hunch that he’s
-goin’ to turn out a real man. As for makin’ him
-wealthy, none of us ain’t going to thrive on
-Number Sixteen for quite a spell yet! I’m gambling
-that Thady Shea will earn all he gets. He’s
-absolutely honest, and good-hearted. He won’t
-know the mine’s in his name, and won’t care;
-bein’ that way, it’ll throw Mackintavers off the
-track. Besides, I feel downright sorry for Thady;
-he’s had a heap o’ misery in his life, looks to me.”
-
-The other smiled gently and waved his hand.
-
-“Señora, you are the one woman whose great
-heart has no equal! It is in my mind that this man
-will be the cause of misfortune; but what matter?
-If not from one cause, then from another. Misfortunes
-are sent by the gods to make us great!
-
-“I shall attend to everything in his name; a
-good idea, since he will be unknown to Mackintavers
-or Dorales. You will uncover the vein,
-and send me more samples immediately. These
-other two men must become small shareholders, so
-that adjacent claims and mining rights may be
-secured for the company. Once we are secure,
-we may talk of eastern capital.”
-
-“Once we’re secure,” said Mrs. Crump grimly,
-“look out for Mackintavers, then and before;
-likewise, after!”
-
-“Exactly.” Coravel Tio bowed and finished
-his writing.
-
-A little later Mrs. Crump shook hands with
-him and departed. Coravel Tio watched her
-off, and heard the roar of her car’s engine. The
-roar became a thrum that lessened and died into
-the distance like a droning fly. Only then, it
-seemed, a sudden thought shook the man.
-
-“*Dios*—I forgot!” he ejaculated. “I forgot to
-ask her about the permit for the explosives! Well,
-I warned her in the note. What matter? These
-incidents of destiny are intended to work out
-their own effects, and good somehow comes from
-everything. I am a philosopher!”
-
-Blissfully unconscious whether philosophy might
-be of aid in running a flivver, Mrs. Crump headed
-southward over the river road to Albuquerque.
-
-A rough road is that, and well travelled. Mrs.
-Crump was in some haste to get over this section
-unobserved, and it was entirely evident that her
-haste was greater than her caution regarding the
-jiggling boxes in the rear of the car.
-
-More than once the two men in the tonneau
-stared quickly at each other’s white faces; more
-than once the boxes and bundles crashed and
-banged fearsomely, in view of their partial contents;
-but Mrs. Crump only threw in more gas
-and plunged ahead. As for Thaddeus Roscius
-Shea, he stared out upon the passing scenery with
-glazed and lack-lustre eyes, and held his peace.
-
-When at last they arrived in the outskirts of
-Albuquerque, Mrs. Crump paused at a wayside
-station to fill up with oil and gasoline, also to
-refill several emptied water bags which formed
-part of the equipment.
-
-“We ain’t goin’ into town,” she vouchsafed,
-curtly, to her charges. “And when we gets reaching
-out over the mesa, you two boys act tender
-with them boxes! They’s two-three places we
-got to ford cattle runs, and we got to do it sudden
-to keep out of the quicksands. But don’t worry
-no more, there ain’t no special danger.”
-
-The advice was entirely superfluous. Gilbert
-and Lewis could by no means have worried more.
-They had reached the limit.
-
-Barely skimming the outlying streets of Albuquerque,
-Mrs. Crump avoided the better-known
-highway beside the railroad and took the shorter
-but deserted road that leads south over the mesa
-to Becker. Most of this was covered before
-darkness descended upon them.
-
-Then a brief and barren camp was made; it
-was also a fireless camp, and the “grub” was cold.
-Stiff and weary though the three passengers were,
-it was clearly impossible that they should prove
-less tough than a mere woman. So, when after
-an hour’s halt Mrs. Crump grimly cranked up,
-they piled into the car without protest.
-
-On they went through the darkness. It was
-well after midnight when the iron nature of
-Mehitabel Crump acknowledged signs of approaching
-dissolution in the hand that rocked the steering
-wheel. Admitting her weakness with a sigh,
-she turned out of the interminable road and
-halted. Blanket rolls were unlashed, and sleep
-descended swiftly upon three members of that
-quartet.
-
-It must be told that this camp was a milepost
-in the life of Thaddeus Roscius Shea. He could
-not sleep. A hundred yards away from the camp
-he strode up and down under the cold stars, his
-gaunt body shivering with the chill of the night,
-his haggard features contorted with the desperate
-anguish of shattered nerves. All the old impertinences
-of his soul were risen strong within
-him; he wanted to run away and end this intolerable
-situation. He wanted to run away, here
-and now!
-
-Yet, when at length he clumsily wrapped himself
-in his blanket and fell asleep, tears beaded
-his hollow cheeks and reflected the pale starlight
-above; and like the stars, those tears were cleansing,
-and serenely sad. The first tears he had
-shed in years—the tears of a man, wrung from
-deep within him; tears of brief conquest over
-himself. He would stick!
-
-Sunrise found the dust-white flivver once more
-far afield.
-
-The remaining details of that odyssey have no
-place here. The dust-white flivver came safely
-to its destination, and work duly began upon
-Number Sixteen. Days of hard, back-breaking
-labour ensued—days in which living quarters had
-to be erected before the claim could be touched.
-In those days Thaddeus Roscius Shea became,
-for good and all, Thady Shea.
-
-Number Sixteen lay among the most desolate
-of desolate hills, just over the ridge of a long
-hogback. In the cañon below there was a trickle
-of water from the mountains; beside this *rito* were
-erected two rough shacks, and here the dust-white
-flivver rested peacefully. To the north towered
-the higher forested ranges whence came the cañon—the
-continental divide, rugged crests leaping
-at the sky. Below, a few miles distant, stretched
-the bad lands and the lava beds; a scoriated,
-blasphemous strip such as is often found in the
-southwest. Behind this lay scattered ranches
-and the road into Zacaton City.
-
-Up on that hogback, leaning upon his pick,
-stood Thady Shea. Gone was the threadbare
-black raiment, gone and replaced by overalls,
-high boots, flannel shirt. Shea was less conscious
-of his changed exterior than were those
-about him. Lewis and Gilbert, preparing a blasting
-charge a hundred feet distant, glanced at the
-great, gaunt figure.
-
-“Bloomed out most amazing, ain’t he?” said
-Lewis. “No tinhorn, neither. Dead game.”
-
-Gilbert, cutting the fuse with deft fingers,
-wagged his head. “Sure looks that-a-way,
-partner. Reckon Mis’ Crump knew her business,
-after all, when she tied up with him. Gosh! Ain’t
-she one a-gile critter, though?”
-
-Shea stood rocklike, watching the blast. Even
-in this short space of time the swing of axe and
-pick had hardened him amazingly; his towering
-figure seemed to move with a more lissome flow of
-muscles; for the first time in his life, most wonderful
-of all, his deeply lined features had become
-centred about one fixed and determined purpose—to
-keep himself clean of liquor. He had conquered,
-and with the victory had come a new
-serenity.
-
-The muffled report of the blast echoed dully.
-From nowhere appeared Mrs. Crump, hastily
-coming to the scene. Shea dropped his pick and
-joined the others. Mrs. Crump, examining the
-results of the blast, flung out an exultant cry.
-
-“Got it!”
-
-“Ain’t much of a vein,” observed Gilbert,
-skeptically. “Veins, rather—looks like a lot of
-’em, and they go deep. This here limestone runs
-clear to Chiny, I reckon.”
-
-Mrs. Crump chuckled in a satisfied manner.
-
-“These here veins don’t never come big, Gilbert.
-Who’d think this here greenish-white stuff was
-better’n a gold seam? But she is. Well, never
-mind any more work a while, boys. I got a
-letter already writ, and when I fill in the size o’
-these here openings, she’s ready to mail—and
-she’s got to be sent sudden. These samples
-likewise.
-
-“Let’s see; I ain’t goin’ to town myself. Mackintavers’
-men are sure to be watchin’ everywhere,
-and this here location has got to be kept secret
-if possible. I s’pose the devils will get it from
-the land office, though. Joe, can you and Al
-show up in Zacaton City without occasioning no
-rumpus?”
-
-Gilbert shook his head doubtfully.
-
-“I reckon not, ma’am. We’re pretty well
-known there, and we ain’t right sure how things
-is fixed for us. Still, it won’t bother us none;
-if you say so, we’ll go——”
-
-“Nope; can’t take no chances with the letter
-and samples, boys. It’s up to Thady. He’s
-learned how to run the car, anyhow. Thady, you
-got to send them samples and a letter. No one’s
-goin’ to suspect you of bein’ partners with me,
-and be sure to send the samples in your own name,
-savvy?
-
-“They’s enough gas to take you into Zacaton,
-and ye can bring a fresh supply when ye come back.
-Then we need more flour an’ grub, for which same
-I got a list made out already. A new axe helve,
-too. Don’t forget that there axe helve, whatever
-ye do! It ain’t on the list—I guess ye can
-remember it all right. Sure, now! Don’t come
-without it. How soon can ye get going?”
-
-“Now,” said Shea, a slight smile curving his
-wide lips.
-
-CHAPTER V—THE AMBITION OF MACKINTAVERS
-======================================
-
-It is an established but peculiar trait of human
-nature, by which most of us desire to be that
-which we are not, or to do that for which
-we have no talent. I, who write, may aspire to
-be a great engineer; you, who read, may aspire to
-the study of the stars. We reach out toward
-that which we may never grasp.
-
-Sandy Mackintavers was a wealthy and a
-powerful man; his hands were gripped hard in
-both the politics and the mining properties of
-the state. Self-made and self-educated, he had
-accomplished a good job of it. He had, of necessity,
-seen a good deal of those men who were ever
-radiating out from Santa Fé; those men who, on
-behalf of many universities and great museums,
-were ever delving amid the thousands of pre-historic
-ruins which lay in and between the valleys
-of the Pecos and the Rio Grande.
-
-Slowly, Sandy had discovered that these men
-were digging in the earth for science, and that
-science and the world of letters honoured them.
-He had learned something of their “patter” and
-of the things they were seeking; he had studied
-their work and methods and ideals, and he had
-found within himself the makings of a scientist.
-In short, he had formed the stupendous ambition
-of becoming, at one fell stroke, a renowned
-ethnologist!
-
-Do not smile. In the course of thirty years a
-man can pick up a great many divers things, and
-it was the way of Mackintavers to pick up everything
-in sight. Sandy knew a great deal more
-than he appeared to know. He had mining
-properties all over, and he was a silent partner
-in a chain of Mormon trading stores that ran
-north from the Mexican border through three
-states. His sources of information were varied.
-
-Being unmarried and loving his ease when he
-was in the city, Mackintavers maintained a suite
-at the Aztec House. He had entertained many
-men in that place, some to their eternal sorrow.
-Never had he entertained a more distinguished
-visitor, however, than the Smithsonian professor
-with whom he was speaking on this Sunday
-morning—a scientist known around the world,
-and a man of supreme authority in ethnologic
-circles.
-
-“Now, professor,” said Mackintavers, bluntly,
-“I ain’t a college-educated man, but I’ve knocked
-around this country for thirty year, and I know
-a few things. When I die, I aim to be remembered
-as something more than a mining man,
-see?”
-
-The other, in puzzled suspense, nodded tacit
-understanding.
-
-“Now,” pursued Sandy, chewing hard on a
-cigar, “if I had something to give the Smithsonian
-or some other museum, something that
-would be a tenstrike for science, something that
-’ud make every scientific shark in the country
-water at the eyes for envy, what ’ud the Smithsonian
-do for *me*?”
-
-The professor cleared his throat and registered
-hesitation.
-
-“I—ah—I do not exactly apprehend your
-meaning, Mr. Mackintavers. You do not speak
-in a financial sense, I presume?”
-
-“Of course not. I tell you, I want to be known
-as a scientist! Man, I’ve got the biggest thing up
-my sleeve that you ever struck! Can your museum,
-or any other, make me famous as a scientist?
-That is, if I turn over a regular tenstrike?”
-
-“Ah—that is exceedingly difficult to answer.
-A scientific reputation, Mr. Mackintavers, is
-founded upon solid bases, upon research or discoveries.
-If your—ah—contribution were a thing
-of such merit as you say, it would undoubtedly be
-published far and wide. Your name, naturally,
-would be attached to it, according as your work
-justified.”
-
-“In other words,” amended Sandy, “if I turn
-over a complete job, I’d get full credit and publicity?”
-
-“Yes.”
-
-“That’s what I want. I’m interested in this
-ethnology stuff, and I can do you sharks a whopping
-good turn. I want to get the credit, that’s
-all. Folks call me a hard-fisted old mining crab,
-and I want to show ’em that I’m something more.”
-
-“A highly laudable ambition, sir. You understand,
-however, that what to a lay mind might
-appear to be a most interesting ethnological fact,
-to a scientist might prove well known or insufficiently
-supported——”
-
-Mackintavers waved his square hand.
-
-“This thing is all assayed and fire tested,
-professor, and I’m no fool. May I give you an
-outline of it?”
-
-“If you care to, by all means do so!”
-
-“You know where the San Marcos pueblo is—away
-down south of Bonanza?” Mackintavers
-struck into his subject without further parley.
-“It was abandoned about 1680 because of attacks
-from the Comanches, who destroyed several
-pueblos down in that country. There’s a tradition
-that the Injuns migrated west of the Rio
-Grande and settled the Cochiti and Domingo
-pueblos. Has that tradition ever been proved
-up?”
-
-The professor evinced an awakening interest.
-
-“No, sir. We know that the survivors of the
-Pecos pueblo went to Jimez, but the older migrations
-are hidden in the mists of time, unfortunately. Where
-the present Pueblos came
-from we do not know. The migrations——”
-
-“They won’t be hid very long,” said Mackintavers,
-complacently. “Aiblins, now, we’ll clear
-’em up a bit, eh?”
-
-The only Scottish evidences which remained
-from Sandy’s youth were an uncanny acquisitiveness
-and a habit of interjecting the word “aiblins”
-into the conversation at random. When Sandy
-used that word, it betrayed mental effort.
-
-“Some time ago,” he resumed, “a man found
-seven stone idols in a bit of the adobe ruins at San
-Marcos. They had been walled up and buried
-alive, ye might say. The heavy rains last year,
-which took out some pieces of the adobe walls,
-washed ’em out. I’ve got ’em now, down to my
-ranch near Magdalena.”
-
-At this announcement the professor displayed
-mild disappointment. He had been more than
-interested in Sandy’s preamble, but this supposed
-climax caused him to shake his gray head regretfully.
-
-“My dear sir, these idols are of course very rare
-things, but not exceptionally so. I fail to see how
-they would give any proof of migration——”
-
-“Hold on; I ain’t done yet! A drunken Injun
-from Cochiti seen those idols and spilled a good
-deal of information, calling them by name and so
-on. That is not evidence which would stand on a
-scientific basis, I reckon. But if a Cochiti man
-could be made to talk, and if he was to recognize
-those idols first crack as his ancestral gods——”
-
-“And not be drunk at the time,” interjected the
-other, smiling.
-
-“Sure. If he was to name ’em like old friends,
-and they corresponded with the same idols from
-Cochiti which are in various museums—then
-wouldn’t all this go to show mighty plain that the
-migration theory was true?”
-
-Mackintavers leaned back, breathless and triumphant.
-The scientist nodded quickly.
-
-“Sir, this is an unusual and surprising proposal,
-but I cannot deny your premises. I do believe
-that such evidence would go a long way, could it be
-secured. That, of course, is the doubtful point,
-for these red men can very seldom be made to
-talk. However, you have an astounding perception
-of ethnologic values in merely conceiving the
-scheme!”
-
-“Taken by and large, that’s nothing but human
-nature. Well?”
-
-“If this proof could really be adduced, it would
-be epochal! The possibilities, sir, would be tremendous
-in their application!”
-
-“It ain’t proved up yet,” returned Sandy, drily,
-“but it will be. It may take a bit of time gettin’
-things in shape—a week or so, maybe. Ye know,
-professor, these Injuns are touchy about questions
-o’ deity, and they have to be handled wi’ gloves.
-But I’ll do it! A bag of silver dollars will loom
-mighty big to them. If ye care to be on hand
-when the time comes, I’d be glad to have ye as a
-guest at my ranch——”
-
-In many ways the professor had an extended
-knowledge of New Mexico. It is quite possible
-that he knew all about the playful habits of Sandy
-Mackintavers in regard to testimony along mining
-and mineral lines. So, while he did not restrain
-his enthusiasm over the ambition of his host, he
-made it plain that he certainly did wish to be on
-hand when the testimony in this case was obtained.
-
-Mackintavers agreed readily, for in this instance
-he was more or less resolved to play fair;
-and the interview ended.
-
-Scarcely had the scientist departed, than the
-door opened to admit an individual of striking
-appearance. This gentleman was the satellite, the
-adherent, and field marshal, the *âme damnée*, of
-Mackintavers.
-
-Mormon progenitors had given him a stocky,
-massive front and splendid build, a steely eye and
-projecting lower jaw. A touch of Mexican blood
-had given him coarse black hair, a swart complexion,
-and sinister mental attributes. He had
-much the appearance of a west-coast Irishman,
-with his black hair and gray eyes, but there the
-resemblance ended. Such was Abel Dorales, a
-man of reputation and education.
-
-“Well?” greeted Mackintavers, abruptly.
-“What’s up now?”
-
-“Trouble,” was the response. “Rodrigo Cota
-wants to see you. Also, I got a telegram from
-Ben Aimes, at Zacaton City, but haven’t decoded
-it yet. I think it’s about the Crump
-woman.”
-
-“Then hurry it along,” snapped Mackintavers.
-“Send Cota in here pronto.”
-
-A moment later entered the room a nervous
-native, the same legislator who had briefly interviewed
-Coravel Tio regarding the moving of the
-capital. Mr. Cota stood mopping his brow and
-glancing around.
-
-“Well, Cota?” exploded Sandy, transfixing him
-with frowning gaze. “What’s the matter now?
-Need more money to swing it?”
-
-“Señor,” blurted the legislator in desperation,
-“it cannot be swung!”
-
-“Oh! And why not, Mr. Cota?”
-
-“I do not know. Three weeks ago we had a
-clear majority. The measure was to be presented
-to-morrow—but our men have gone to pieces!”
-
-“Do they want more money?” snapped Sandy,
-savagely.
-
-The native shrugged. “I have done my best!
-It is a question of the people. In some way, I
-know not how, word has been spread abroad that
-the capital is to be changed. Our people are
-furious. Our natives, sir, have sentiment about
-this——”
-
-“Sentiment, hell!” snarled Mackintavers, as his
-fist crashed down. “I tell ye, it’s goin’ to be
-done! Ain’t there plenty in it for all, ye fool?
-Ain’t new state buildings got to be built at
-Albuquerque? Ain’t——”
-
-“Señor, it is no question of money; it cannot be
-done! I myself dare not propose this bill without
-voting for it; and I cannot vote for it.”
-
-“Why not?” The face of Mackintavers was
-purpled, seething with furious passions. Livid,
-the native glared back at him.
-
-“Because I am afraid for my life.”
-
-Mackintavers leaped to his feet in a whirlwind
-of rage at what he considered a palpable lie. The
-native shrank back, but doggedly, as though a
-greater fear were beside him than any fear of this
-political master of his.
-
-At this instant the door opened and Abel
-Dorales appeared. He made a slight gesture, a
-gesture of command, of authority. The empurpled
-countenance of Mackintavers composed
-itself by a mighty effort.
-
-“Very well, Mr. Cota,” he said, thickly. “Let
-the bill pass over for this time, since I got more
-important business on hand than chasing down you
-native senators. But let me tell you this: When
-it comes up again, there’ll be no more talk like
-you’ve just handed out—or I’ll know the reason
-why. Get out!”
-
-Cota took his hat and left, thankfully. Dorales
-closed the door, while a flood of oaths burst from
-the lips of Mackintavers. With extended hand,
-Dorales checked the flood.
-
-“Never mind that, Sandy,” he said, calmly.
-“We’ll probably find later that the railroad is
-double-crossing us. There’s no rush—we can get
-to the bottom of it in time. The more important
-affair is this of the Crump woman, so far as money
-goes. There’s a bigger fortune in this mine than
-in any political game!”
-
-Uncouth bear that he was, Mackintavers could
-be swayed by this more polished tongue; he knew
-this tongue was devoted absolutely to his own
-interests, and he forced himself to accept the
-dictum of Dorales at the moment.
-
-“Well?” he growled. “Ye don’t mean to say
-she’s down at Zacaton?”
-
-“The wire was from your store manager there,
-Aimes. He said merely that he had smashed the
-Crump outfit flat, and that I had better get there
-in a hurry to take charge of things.”
-
-“Aiblins, yes!” The thin lips of Sandy curled
-back. “We hadn’t looked for such quick action,
-Abel. That Aimes is a good man! I s’pose this
-news don’t grieve ye none, after what the lady
-done to you. How’s your head?”
-
-A fleeting contraction passed across the face of
-Dorales. His eyes narrowed to thin slits. His
-nose quivered like the nose of a dog sniffing
-game.
-
-“Thank you, it’s quite well,” his voice was low
-and cruel. “If you think best, I shall go down
-there immediately.”
-
-Mackintavers crammed a cigar between his
-teeth and chewed at it for a moment.
-
-“Aiblins, yes,” he mused aloud. “Somebody
-has blocked us on this moving-the-capital bill. I
-won’t get hold of the skunk right away, neither; we
-might’s well call it off until the next session.
-
-“Tell ye what, Abel! I’m fixing to spend a
-while at my ranch, so I’ll go south with ye. I’ll
-need ye mighty bad to get that business of the
-Injun gods moving along, because I got my heart
-set on doin’ that up brown. But as ye say, this
-mine means millions—the biggest strike in the state
-in a long time. The assayer was positive it was
-strontianite and not merely barytes?”
-
-“Dead certain,” assented Dorales.
-
-“Well, it won’t be such a long job; I’ll be at the
-ranch where ye can reach me quick. We’ll have to
-find out what Aimes has done, then make plans and
-go ahead. If there’s one thing that the Lord gave
-me ability to do, it was to handle mining deals!”
-
-“With a cold deck,” added Dorales. “Very
-well. If we go by auto, we can save a good deal of
-time.”
-
-Mackintavers grimaced. “I ain’t built for long
-trips, but go ahead. Get the big car, Abel. Want
-to run her yourself? All right. Land me at the
-ranch, then go on to Zacaton City with the ranch
-flivver, unless ye want the big car.”
-
-“The flivver is the thing down there.”
-
-“Aiblins, yes. And mind! What we got to do
-is to get that Crump female clear off’n her location;
-that’s all. Aimes has evidently found some
-means of gettin’ her arrested. We can take that
-for granted. By the time you get there, she’ll be
-in the calaboose.
-
-“You telephone me at the ranch with a full
-account of what’s happened, and I’ll have a
-scheme ready for ye. The main thing is to get
-possession of the property; maybe we can frame a
-deal on this fellow Shea—it’s all held in his name,
-ain’t it? That was a foxy move, but not foxy
-enough to fool us long! Get possession, Abel, and
-the law will do the rest for us.”
-
-“It ought to!” Dorales showed white and even
-teeth as he smiled.
-
-Mackintavers met those steely eyes beneath
-their strangely black brows, and his square mouth
-unfolded in a grin.
-
-“Get possession, that’s all!” he uttered.
-
-“Consider it done, Sandy. If you’ll be ready in
-an hour, I’ll be around with the car.”
-
-CHAPTER VI—THADY SHEA SMELLS WHISKEY
-====================================
-
-The little town of Zacaton City, within
-easy trucking distance of the railroad,
-formed the nucleus of a goodly mining
-centre. Its residential section was extensive, and
-consisted of adobes occupied by “native” miners
-or workmen. Its business section was made up
-chiefly of a bank, the Central Mercantile Store,
-hardware, drug, and harness shops, and a soda-water
-parlour that adjoined the Central Mercantile.
-This last was a blind pig, maintained with circumspection
-and profit by Ben Aimes, manager of
-the store. Aimes also ran the combination hotel-garage
-across the street.
-
-Thady Shea came into town about sunset. He
-had broken bread on the way, and disdained to
-seek further dinner. Having been much cautioned,
-he was wary of danger. Leaving the
-dust-white flivver at the garage, he went to the
-express office and sent off his ore samples and
-letter, then he sought the emporium of Ben
-Aimes.
-
-The two native clerks being busy, Aimes, a
-brisk fellow of thirty, espied the tall figure of
-Shea, and in person took charge of the customer.
-
-“Well, partner, what can I do for you?” he
-inquired, cheerfully. “Can’t say as I’ve seen you
-before. Stranger in town?”
-
-Shea fumbled in his pocket for the list of supplies,
-and transfixed the merchant with his cavernous
-black eyes. He had been particularly warned
-against Aimes.
-
-“Friend,” he trumpeted, “you say sooth.
-Truth sits upon thy lips, marry it does!”
-
-Aimes blinked rapidly. “Stranger, I don’t get
-you! You’re a prospector?”
-
-“That, sir, is somewhat of my present business,”
-boomed Shea. “Yet have I seen the day when
-every room hath blazed with lights and brayed
-with minstrelsy, when thick-eyed musing and
-cursed melancholy fled from before me like twin
-evil spirits! Make ready, friend, thy pencil for
-its task.”
-
-Those sonorous tones drew grinning attention
-from others. Aimes, quite overcome by the
-rounded periods and the imposing gestures, asked
-no more questions, but devoted himself to making
-ready packages as Shea read off from his list the
-supplies required.
-
-Two or three loafers sauntered along and
-listened to Shea’s enunciation with awed delight.
-When the end of the list was reached, the amounts
-totalled, and the money handed over, Thady
-Shea carelessly crumpled up the list and tossed it
-behind the counter.
-
-His arms filled with the bundles, he left the
-store and crossed the street to his car. He had
-laid up the flivver for the night, and now attended
-to having it filled with gas and oil. He stated to
-the mechanic that he might be here for several
-days; at this juncture, it occurred to him that he
-had forgotten that axe helve which Mrs. Crump
-had demanded especially.
-
-Meantime, Ben Aimes had retrieved the list of
-supplies, and had stared at the uncrumpled paper
-with amazed recognition. He swiftly summoned
-one of the idling loafers.
-
-“If this ain’t the writing of Mrs. Crump, I’m a
-liar! You chase over to the garage and get the
-number o’ that feller’s car—hump, now!”
-
-Thady Shea reëntered the store, in blissful
-ignorance that he was done for, and demanded his
-axe helve. Ben Aimes, in blissful ignorance of
-what that axe helve was destined to mean to him
-and to others, filled the order. Then, handling
-Shea his change, Aimes gave him a meaning wink.
-
-“Step into the sody parlour a minute, stranger!
-Have a cigar on the store.”
-
-The offer was entirely innocuous. Shea greatly
-desired to avoid any argument or trouble, so he
-followed Aimes into the adjoining room, which at
-this hour was deserted. Aimes procured cigars,
-then went to the soda fountain.
-
-“Want you to try somethin’ new we got here,”
-he said, and paused. “What did you say your
-name was?”
-
-“My cognomen, sir, is Shea. Thaddeus Shea.”
-
-“Well, Shea, just hold this under your nose and
-see if it smells like sody.”
-
-Unsuspicious as any innocent, Shea took the
-proffered glass and held it to his nose. A tremor
-ran through him—an uncontrollable shiver that
-sent fever into his eyes. He lowered the glass
-slightly and forced a ghastly smile. Already
-defeat had engulfed him.
-
-“Friend, I am sorry thus to disappoint you, but
-I have sworn that never——”
-
-“Shucks!” Aimes grinned and held up his
-own glass. To meet it, that of Shea again came
-within sniffing distance. “Just one between
-business acquaintances, Mr. Shea. It’s the finest
-licker ever got to this city! Absolutely twenty
-year old, partner. One little snifter now—don’t it
-smell good? The real thing, the real thing!”
-
-Thady Shea’s entire system was impregnated by
-that whiff. His big fingers closed upon the little
-glass with a convulsive contraction.
-
-“One, sir, and one only!” he declaimed. “To
-the dead god Bacchus, all hail!”
-
-He tossed down the drink and smacked his lips.
-
-It was upon a Saturday evening that these
-things happened. That smell had done the business
-for Thady Shea; that raw odour of whiskey,
-which in a flash had permeated to the very deeps
-of his being with its awful lure. No guile, no
-argument could have forced him to drink, but that
-sniff had ruined him utterly.
-
-Twenty minutes later, in maudlin confidence, he
-was relating to Ben Aimes how two miners of his
-acquaintance had driven several hundred miles in
-deadly fear of being hoisted by dynamite at every
-jolt.
-
-Shea mentioned no names. Drunk or not, he
-knew subconsciously that he must mention no
-names. Also subconsciously, he knew that he
-must hang on to his axe helve or Mrs. Crump
-would be much disappointed in him. So he was
-still hanging on to it when, after a parting drink,
-he was thrust forth into the cold night air.
-That parting drink had been soggy with opiates.
-
-Ben Aimes went to the telephone and called up
-the sheriff at Silver City.
-
-“This is Aimes at Zacaton, Bill,” he said. “A
-queer guy just blew in here to-night with a grand
-souse and is sleeping it off now. You know old
-lady Crump, don’t you? Heard of her at any rate.
-Well, he says that she’s out in the hills a piece with
-two other fellers. These two were run out o’
-Magdalena last month for talking agin’ the gov’ment
-and they’re said to be dangerous characters.
-The place is north o’ the bad lands, over in Socorro
-County.
-
-“The p’int is, Bill, this here guy says they’ve got
-heap o’ dynamite and such stuff out there. Them
-two anarchists ought to be prevented usin’ it;
-according to this guy, they got no licenses and
-never heard o’ the new license law. This here
-is plumb illegal and you’d ought to stop it. Both
-these fellers are I. W. W. organizers, he says, and
-prob’ly are German spies; this guy talked with a
-queer kind of accent.
-
-“No, I wouldn’t think it o’ Mrs. Crump, neither,
-but you never can tell these days. What’s that?
-Well, I got the location pretty straight from this
-guy. Yep, a car can make it; he come into town
-that way. Get up on the night train and you can
-take my car out there. Sure, I’ll meet the train.
-You’re welcome.”
-
-This pleasant duty finished, Aimes dispatched a
-lengthy telegram to Abel Dorales at Santa Fé. He
-then summoned the constable in search of Thady
-Shea. But Shea had vanished from human ken,
-although the dust-white flivver remained in the
-garage.
-
-Bright and early next morning Aimes departed
-in his automobile, went to the railroad and met the
-sheriff, and brought that official back to town.
-The hardware merchant was pressed into service
-as a deputy, and the sheriff took over Aimes’ car.
-
-“I’d like to go along myself,” said Aimes,
-regretfully, “but I got to ’tend the garridge myself
-to-day account of my mechanic hurting himself
-last night and being laid up. Tell ye what, Bill!
-Why not take the whole crowd right down to Silver
-City? It’ll save ye comin’ back here, and your
-new deppity yonder can fetch the car back here.
-Sure, you’re dead welcome! I ain’t got no use for
-the car anyhow.”
-
-To this arrangement the sheriff consented
-gladly, and Aimes watched them depart with a
-twinkle in his eye. Before Mrs. Crump could
-possibly return from Silver City, to say nothing of
-her two men, Abel Dorales would be on the spot
-to take charge of things. Aimes considered that
-he had managed things very neatly indeed, and he
-mentally patted himself on the back that morning.
-
-Ben Aimes, however, did not take local politics
-into account. It is such little unconsidered
-trifles which very often go to make up the warp of
-affairs of larger moment.
-
-Only a few months previously an ancient and
-honourable gentleman by the name of Ferris had
-been ousted from the job of justice of the peace,
-mainly on account of certain hostility to Ben
-Aimes and the Mackintavers forces. It is quite
-possible that old man Ferris was no good as a
-justice, yet he had an inconspicuous but important
-part to play in the tangled affairs of Thady Shea
-and Sandy Mackintavers, to say nothing of the
-seven stone gods.
-
-In broad daylight, therefore, Thady Shea came
-to his senses. While slow remembrance dawned
-upon him, he found himself reposing in the back
-yard of an adobe house; how he got there was
-never explained. A furred tongue and an aching
-head gradually brought home some errant sense of
-shame. This feeling was intensified by a goat-like
-visage above him.
-
-“Well, pilgrim!” sounded a raucous voice.
-“Slep’ it off, have ye?”
-
-Shea groaned and sat up. “Where—where am
-I?”
-
-“Town of Zacaton City, county o’ Grant, State
-o’ New Mexico.” The other chuckled. He was a
-disreputable old fellow, distinguished by shiftless
-garb and dirty gray hair. “I reckon Ben Aimes
-must have give ye quite a jag, eh? If I was you,
-I’d spill out o’ town right smart. He’s got the
-constable lookin’ for ye.”
-
-Shea clasped his head and groaned again, not
-understanding the words clearly.
-
-“I’ve fallen!” he moaned.
-
-“With a thud,” agreed the other. “But
-worse’n that, pilgrim. Ye’ve gone and got ol’
-Mis’ Crump in real bad. If ye wasn’t so mis’able
-I’d boot ye out o’ here for it.”
-
-Thady Shea stared up dully. “What—what’s
-that you say?”
-
-Old man Ferris surveyed him in pitying contempt,
-and carefully sank his remaining fangs
-into a plug of tobacco.
-
-“D’ye mean as ye don’t know what ye been an’
-done? Well, I can’t say as I can see why Mis’
-Crump ever’s taken up with the likes of you, but
-it’s plumb certain that ye’ve gone an’ done for
-her this trip, ye no-account swine!”
-
-Shea’s brow broke into cold perspiration. His
-quickening faculties began to grasp the sense of
-these words.
-
-“Expound!” he said. “What have I done?”
-
-“A plenty. The sheriff come over this mornin’.
-Him and a deppity has gone to arrest Mis’ Crump—and
-all along o’ you, ye mis’able coyote!”
-
-“Arrest her? Why?” Shea stared, his heart
-sinking. So piteous was his gaze that old man
-Ferris turned aside, spat, and resumed his discourse
-in kindlier tones.
-
-“Don’t ye know that they’s a new law about
-explosives? Well, they is. Everybody what
-handles powder or dynamite has got to have
-a license. From what I gather, Mis’ Crump
-ain’t wise to it and ain’t got none.
-
-“Last night you done blabbed out your soul
-to Aimes. Danged fool! Why did Aimes git
-the sheriff after Mis’ Crump? Ain’t but one
-answer to that—so’s that devil Mackintavers
-could profit! And sheriff’s goin’ to take ’em to
-Silver City, too. If Mis’ Crump has located
-an ore prop’ty, as looks likely, Mackintavers is
-after it.
-
-“Once she gits out’n the way and they ain’t
-nobody to hold down the location, some o’ Mackintavers’
-crowd is going to jump it sure’s shooting!
-Huh! Git out’n my back yard ’fore I come back,
-ye swine!”
-
-Snorting angrily, old man Ferris turned and
-stamped away, and so out of the story. He had
-fulfilled his share in destiny, with greater measure
-than he knew.
-
-Thady Shea sat staring, his eyes terrible with
-comprehension. With every moment that final
-exposition sank more deeply into his brain. The
-ghastly consequences of his own weakness left
-him stunned and paralyzed.
-
-He could dimly remember what had happened,
-up to that final drink. He was certain that he
-had not mentioned the name of Mehitabel Crump.
-Yet he could remember telling about those explosives;
-as he connected things, he groaned again.
-Aimes had been pumping him, of course; had
-somehow suspected something.
-
-The pitiless deduction of old man Ferris struck
-upon Shea’s brain like a trip-hammer. The
-mine was left unprotected, or soon would be,
-and Mackintavers’ men would grab it. Of
-course!
-
-Frightful remorse crumpled Thady Shea, mentally
-and bodily. He owed all that he was, all
-that he might be, to Mrs. Crump; yet his action
-had literally ruined her. That cursed sniff of
-whiskey had done it! Shea wasted no recrimination
-upon himself for his lapse from rectitude.
-He had gone through all that before. It was the
-consequence of this lapse that horrified him, that
-lashed down upon his soul.
-
-“What have I done!” he mumbled, groping
-for coherency. “What have I done!”
-
-All the old memories of Mrs. Crump flooded
-into his mind. He recalled all her actions and
-words, he pictured mentally all the deep waters
-of human kindness that lay hidden below her
-mask of harshness, he visioned anew how she had
-picked him out of the very gutter and had set him
-upon his feet, a man. How had he repaid her?
-
-In this hour Thady Shea was cast absolutely
-upon himself. There was none to whom he might
-go for advice or aid. He was alone with his consciousness
-of guilt, alone with the remorse that
-ate into his heart like acid. A month previously
-he would have mouthed a curse at the world and
-have gone shambling away in search of the nearest
-saloon, where he would have recited “The Face
-on the Barroom Floor” as the sure and certain
-price of liquor.
-
-This thought recurred to him. He pictured
-himself as he was a month ago. From his lips was
-wrenched an inarticulate cry, the voice of a soul
-in anguish. Heedless of the burning ache in his
-head, he brought his long body erect and looked
-up at the sky.
-
-“Oh, God!” he said, a dry sob in his throat.
-“Oh, God! I have scoffed and blasphemed because
-You let me stumble down into hell. It
-was my own fault, God. Now, for the sake of
-that woman who helped me to find myself, it’s up
-to You to give me a hand! I don’t know what
-to do. But I’ve got to make up for this thing
-that I’ve done, and there is no one to help me
-except You—and it’s for her sake——”
-
-The words failed, for as he spoke out his heart
-the deepness of feeling that had laid hold upon
-him ebbed; just as the bitterness of grief ebbs
-with tears. A tremor shook him, and for a
-moment he stood motionless.
-
-Close at hand was an *acequia*, an open ditch
-with running water. He went to it, kneeled, and
-plunged his head into the water; it cooled his
-brain and steadied him. He rose and saw his
-axe helve lying where he had lain that night. He
-picked it up and stood there, indecision eating into
-him.
-
-What was to be done? He must do something.
-The constable was seeking him—why? No matter.
-The name of Ben Aimes explained everything.
-The morning was wearing along, and
-by this time all hope of warning Mrs. Crump
-was gone. Of course, there was the dust-white
-flivver. He could take that and sneak back to
-the mine. It would be deserted.
-
-Deserted? But that was what Mackintavers
-wanted, according to this disreputable ancient!
-That was why Mrs. Crump was under arrest!
-That was the aim and purpose of the whole affair—to
-have the mine left deserted, so that the man
-Dorales could step in and seize upon it.
-
-The gaunt, grim face of Shea tightened and
-hardened. “One thing I can do—go there,” he
-reflected. “What the hell have I to worry about—can
-they do any worse to me than I have done
-to myself? No. They’ll try to arrest me, they’ll
-try to keep me here. They can’t do it! I’m
-going.”
-
-As he left the place and sought the road, there
-was a sublime unconsciousness of self in him. He
-was in no condition of mind to do the usual, the
-conventional thing, the thing that any sane man
-would have done, the thing that any one would
-be expected to do.
-
-No! From that hour, Shea was a different
-man. He had entered upon this new and primitive
-existence, and now it took hold upon him.
-His course of life had been abruptly shifted, and
-he was climbing new paths; as he climbed, the
-exhilaration of the heights sang in his blood. He
-had flung away the lessons of his old dreary years.
-Now his actions were to be the simple, terrible, and
-impulsive actions of a child who fears no consequences.
-
-Finding that he was only a couple of blocks
-from the main street of the town, Shea walked
-toward it, the axe helve still in his hand. He
-meant to take out his flivver and go.
-
-There was no church in Zacaton City, and it
-was not yet time for the Mormon chapel to open.
-The garage doors were wide. In front, standing
-in the warm sunlight, Ben Aimes was chatting with
-the constable about the mysterious disappearance
-of the man Shea. Half-a-dozen idlers were lined
-up to one side, smoking and discussing the coming
-and going of the sheriff. Around the corner of the
-store, across the street, swung the gaunt figure of
-Shea.
-
-“By gosh!” exclaimed Aimes, staring. He
-clutched the arm of the constable. “There’s the
-cuss now! Lay him up until Dorales gets here
-to-morrow, anyhow. Whew! I’m glad he’s
-showed up at last. Must ha’ been laying in a
-ditch.”
-
-The loafers galvanized into sudden interest.
-The constable started across the street and met
-Shea midway. He held out one hand, with the
-other showing his badge of office.
-
-“Get out of my way,” said Shea, lifelessly,
-looking through him.
-
-“None o’ that, now,” snorted the constable.
-“You come along with me.”
-
-With a smack that was heard for half a block,
-the axe helve swung a vicious half-circle and landed
-over the officer’s ear. The constable threw out
-his hands and fell on his face, lying motionless.
-Shea strode forward.
-
-“Lay on to him, boys, he’s locoed!” cried Aimes,
-turning to the men behind. He whirled again
-to face Shea, and his right hand crept to his hip.
-“Hello, Shea! lay down that——”
-
-“You gave me a drink last night, didn’t you?”
-said Shea, halting before him.
-
-Aimes laughed, thinking that he perceived what
-was in the other’s mind.
-
-“Oh, want another, do ye?” he returned.
-“Well, lay down that——”
-
-“You’re the man that gave me a drink,” said
-Shea. His deep bass voice boomed upon the
-morning air like a bell. “If any man dares to
-give me a drink again, he’ll get worse than
-this.”
-
-Aimes suddenly perceived danger, and whipped
-out his weapon. Swifter than his hand was the
-axe helve. It struck his wrist and knocked the
-revolver away. As he staggered to the blow,
-the axe helve swung again and smote him over the
-head. Aimes made a queer noise in his throat and
-limply sank down.
-
-There was something frightful in the deliberate
-way those two men had been felled. For a
-moment Shea stood gazing at the loafers, who
-shrank back before his blazing eyes. Then:
-
-“I’ll do worse than this to any man who dares
-give me a drink again,” he said.
-
-Without further heed, he passed into the
-garage. Up and down the street men were calling,
-running. The group outside the place looked at
-each other, their faces blanched.
-
-“My Lord!” gasped someone. “He’s done
-killed ’em both! In after him, boys.”
-
-Thady Shea laid down his bludgeon in front
-of the dust-white flivver, and began to crank.
-For almost the first time in his life he had struck
-a man in cold anger; more terrible than this
-thought, however, was the acid-like bitterness in
-his soul.
-
-Just as the engine caught and roared, Shea,
-rising, saw over his shoulder the string of men
-pouring in upon him. He had no time to get into
-his car. With a quick motion he caught up the
-axe helve; swiftly the foremost men flung themselves
-upon him, and found him facing them.
-
-There in the obscurity of the little garage ensued
-a scene that is still told of from Silver City to
-Magdalena. All noise was drowned in the roar
-of the engine that throbbed behind Shea. Outside,
-other men paused to ask what was going on,
-to group about the figures of Aimes and the constable.
-Inside, Shea fought for more than his life.
-
-There were six men against him; yet, in the
-felling of those two outside, the battle had been
-half won, for the cold terror of Shea’s blows had
-made itself felt. The first man at him shrieked
-out and fell, crawling away with a broken arm.
-The others came in before Shea could recover
-from the blow, and fastened upon him like dogs
-upon a mountain lion.
-
-Silent, deadly, Shea swung up his weapon and
-waited. He took their blows without return.
-He braced himself against the throbbing car
-behind him, and awaited his time. Then he
-began to strike. There was nothing blind and
-frantic in his blows; rather there was something
-fearful and inhuman, for inside him was that which
-rendered him insensible to the smiting fists, and
-when he brought down his weapon it was with
-simple and deadly intent.
-
-Three times he struck, each time lifting on his
-toes, and twice lifting one man who had fastened
-about his waist. To his three blows, a man
-reeled away into the darkness; a second plunged
-forward beneath an adjacent car; a third ran
-screaming into the open air, across his face a
-bloody blotch. A fourth man, unhurt, turned
-and ran.
-
-Shea looked down, curiously, at the last assailant,
-who was still gripping him around the waist,
-trying to bend him backward. Then he deliberately
-heaved up his axe helve and brought down the
-rounded oval of the halt against the man’s head
-twice. At the second crunching blow the man’s
-grip relaxed. Shea threw him, staggering and
-clutching, clear across the garage floor, then turned
-and leaped into his car.
-
-With a grinding roar and a honk of the horn,
-the dust-white flivver went out of the wide-open
-doorway into the street.
-
-Men jumped aside, yelled, pursued. Somebody
-fired a revolver, and the bullet smashed the
-windshield in front of Shea’s face. Other shots
-sounded, but flew wild. The car went around
-the nearest corner on two wheels, and shot away
-toward the west at thirty miles an hour.
-
-Thady Shea had come and gone.
-
-CHAPTER VII—THADY SHEA HAS A VISITOR
-====================================
-
-Thady Shea was on his way to Number
-Sixteen. The sheriff was on his way to
-Silver City with Mrs. Crump, Gilbert, and
-Lewis. In the ordinary course of events, Thady
-Shea would have encountered them in the cañon
-north of No Agua. The ordinary course of events
-did not obtain, however, because of Ben Aimes.
-
-Having sustained nothing worse than a broken
-wrist and a sore head, Ben Aimes upon being revived
-at once telephoned the store and post office at
-No Agua to stop Thady Shea. No Agua was the
-jumping-off place at the edge of the bad lands,
-and it was nothing but a long frame building from
-which radiated all the cañon trails to north and west.
-
-When Shea arrived, he found a reception committee
-awaiting him in the shape of a dozen
-men, most of whom were mounted upon horses
-or mules as if they had convened for a Sunday
-holiday. Shea needed no information upon the
-subject of his reception. He had previously observed
-the telephone wires and had drawn his
-own conclusions. As he drew near to No Agua he
-was the recipient of a bullet that finished off the
-windshield and sent a sliver of glass slithering
-across his forehead.
-
-What next happened was wild and incoherent
-in all subsequent reports. Shea cared absolutely
-nothing for results, so long as he got through.
-When he found his path barred by mounted men,
-he opened up the throttle wide, shut his eyes, and
-gripped hard to the wheel. General opinion was
-that the first bullet had killed him and that the
-car was running wild; for blood was trickling
-over his face from his slashed brow, and he was
-a fearsome sight.
-
-The dust-white flivver smashed head-on into
-the mass of men and horses. It paused as though
-for breath, then went ahead. The radiator was
-boiling over; and when that red-hot projectile
-began to bore its way, things happened. The
-steam seared into a big mule, and the mule instantly
-began to plunge and kick. Two horses
-went down and the flivver climbed over them and
-their riders. A vaquero was pitched across the
-hood and with screams of anguish managed
-to leap away to earth. A horse sat on the right-hand
-fender and toppled over upon his rider as
-the car went ahead.
-
-After a moment Thady Shea opened his eyes
-and looked back upon a scene of wonderful confusion.
-Men and horses strewed the ground or
-were plunging in all directions. With a sigh of
-relief Thady Shea found that he was still going
-forward; so, in order to avoid the bullets that
-came swarming and buzzing after him, he aimed
-for the nearest cañon, which was not his proper
-road at all, and followed the trail blindly.
-
-An hour later this trail petered out at an abandoned
-mine in the bad lands. With a vague general
-idea of his directions, Shea went plunging
-off through the sand, winding his way past huge,
-eroded masses and amid weird pinnacles of wind-blown
-rock. Somewhere past noon he was in the
-lava beds, and was apprised of the fact by his
-tires blowing out one by one.
-
-Lack of pneumatic cushions did not trouble
-Shea in the least. He punished the poor flivver
-unmercifully, and by the eternal miracle of flivvers
-the car kept going. Shea climbed rocky masses,
-shoved through sand, rolled over jutty fields of
-volcanic rock, and when the afternoon was half
-gone, came upon automobile tracks. He had
-found his road at last. From the tracks, he could
-tell that the sheriff’s automobile had lately gone
-that way—but in the direction of Silver City.
-
-When, late in the afternoon, Shea came to
-Number Sixteen, it was deserted. Upon the door
-of the shack which Mrs. Crump had occupied
-was pinned a brief note. It read:
-
- Thady: Set rite here till I get back. We are
- pinched but not for long. My gun is over my bunk.
- Set tite. Yours,
-
- —M. CRUMP.
-
-Methodically, Shea went to the other shack and
-began to wash the dried blood from his face,
-plastering the cut on his brow.
-
-In front of him he propped the note and studied
-it, tried to read between the lines. It had been
-written, he thought grimly, as a forlorn hope, a
-desperate chance that Thady Shea might yet save
-the day. Mrs. Crump had not been aware of his
-culpability; or, if she had been aware of it, she had
-mercifully indulged in no recriminations.
-
-“Well, I’m here,” said Shea, then glanced
-quickly around. The sound of his voice in that
-solitude was startling.
-
-He felt in no mood for theatricalisms, and that
-morning he had given vent to none; but now,
-when he tried to express himself otherwise, homely
-words failed him. So long had he mantled himself
-in the braggadocio rhetoric and rounded phrases
-of The Profession, that he could not rid himself
-of the bluff which had bolstered up his years of
-miserable failure. Therefore, he held his peace
-and tried to face facts squarely. The lesson of
-primitive silence was another thing that he learned
-in this strange land.
-
-Now, for the first time, he became aware that
-he had not come off undamaged that morning.
-His body was bruised, his face and head were
-much cut about by hard knuckles. Also, he had
-not eaten since the previous night, and hunger was
-beginning to ride him. So he took temporary
-possession of Mrs. Crump’s shack and began to
-prepare a meal.
-
-The single room of the shack was fairly large,
-since it had to serve not only as living quarters
-for Mrs. Crump, but as a dining room for all hands.
-The walls were rough and bare; like the bunk in
-the corner, they were formed from hewn timbers,
-unchinked. Gilbert had knocked together a big
-mess table; the seats were puncheon stools; in the
-lean-to adjoining was the kitchen, consisting of a
-small sheet-iron stove, frying pan, and a kettle.
-And yet, about this primitive bareness Mrs.
-Crump had contrived to throw a fragrance of
-femininity—a rag of curtain to the unglazed
-window, a faded photograph of the late departed
-Crump, a battered clock decorated by a scarlet
-cactus flower, an ancient, white, mended lace
-counterpane that covered her bunk. And upon
-the table, a red cloth that was always spick and
-span. Only a Mrs. Crump would have bothered to
-bring such tag ends of womanly presence into this
-bare and rugged spot in the wilderness.
-
-Contemplating these things, Thady Shea sighed;
-he sighed at thought of Mehitabel Crump, doomed
-to live in such a place, destitute of all things her
-woman’s heart must have craved. He ceased
-his sighing, suddenly aware that his bacon was
-burned.
-
-Thady Shea knew more about prospecting for
-tungsten than he did about cooking. His coffee
-was miserable and wretched in spirit. His bacon
-was brown and hard as wood. Trying to get
-the beans warmed throughout, he forgot to stir
-them until unpleasantly reminded of his remissness.
-However, by the time he had to light the
-oil lamp in order to see his food, he had managed to
-make a fair meal, in quantity if not in quality.
-
-Afterward, he filled his pipe and sat in the
-doorway, staring upon the empurpled masses of
-the mountains that were piled into the evening
-sky, and trying to conclude what he must do
-next.
-
-Mrs. Crump’s scribbled mention of her revolver
-drew a whimsical smile to his lips. He could not
-remember having fired a revolver in all his life,
-except with stage blanks; and he had not the
-slightest intention of learning the art at this time.
-
-He was slightly surprised at his own lack of
-feeling in regard to the men whom he had hurt.
-His one uneasiness was lest he be arrested—or,
-rather, lest someone try to arrest him. He did
-not intend to leave Number Sixteen until it was
-safe to do so; until he was certain the place was
-secure. Therefore, if any officers appeared, a
-fight must ensue. Consequences did not matter.
-Thady Shea was quite willing to face any ultimate
-dispensation of justice so long as he kept Number
-Sixteen intact for Mrs. Crump.
-
-“I must make up for what I’ve done,” he reflected.
-“Then I can go. I am a failure, a
-sodden wreck upon the shoals of self. Once let
-my reparation be established, and I shall go forth
-into the world again to seek the dregs of fortune
-with the bent diviner’s rod of Thespian
-mimicry.”
-
-He broke short off, smiling at his own language.
-
-Shea knew inwardly that the old life was
-gone from him forever. He looked up at the
-looming mountains and felt a sudden savage joy
-in himself; a joy that frightened him, so primitive
-and sweeping was it. He had fought with men—had
-conquered them! In a measure he was done
-with all self-recrimination for his weakness and
-failure. Those were things of the past. He would
-not be weak again! Remorse fell away from him,
-and peace came.
-
-The more he thought about arrest, however, the
-less probable it seemed. Ben Aimes had given
-him liquor, which was in defiance of law. Shea
-already knew that Mackintavers et. al. were not
-desirous of getting into court unless they had
-an ironclad hold upon the other fellow; this was
-proven by Mrs. Crump’s having “shot up”
-Dorales with impunity. If the proceedings of
-the past twenty-four hours were given a public
-airing, sundry matters might require explanations
-which would be uncomfortable for Mackintavers.
-
-No, upon that count he was perhaps safe
-enough; but there would be other counts. They
-would try to get him—how? No matter. Here
-was another reason why he must leave Number
-Sixteen. He must lose himself from those enemies,
-and he must not involve Mrs. Crump in the
-mix-up.
-
-Thus deciding, it must be admitted rather
-vaguely, Thady Shea knocked out his pipe and
-sought his bunk. He was not so ill pleased with
-himself, after all; he would yet save Number
-Sixteen for Mrs. Crump!
-
-The following morning, for the first time in
-the weeks since Mrs. Crump had picked him up,
-Thady Shea relaxed in blissful indolence. He
-had no idea of how the vein or veins of strontianite
-should be worked. There was little to do about
-the cabin. So he climbed the long hogback and
-settled down to smoke and watch the road that
-wound down from the cañon toward the lava beds,
-the road that led into the world.
-
-The day passed idly and uneventful. With its
-passing, Shea felt more assured that his theory
-was correct; that he was not to be arrested. So
-convinced of this was he, that when, toward
-sunset, he discerned a dusty streak betokening the
-approach of an automobile, he made certain that
-Mrs. Crump was returning.
-
-Thady Shea sat where he was, resolved to tell
-her frankly the whole story of his disgrace, then
-to pause for no argument, but to go. He did not
-so misjudge her as to think that she would kick
-him out; still, he felt that he had been false to her
-trust, and as a part of his penance he must go
-away, until he might be able to come back a
-man renewed. A most indistinct idea, this, but
-strongly persistent. Besides, he would now be a
-marked man and he must not involve her in his
-possible danger.
-
-Somewhat to his surprise and uneasiness, as the
-approaching flivver drew up the cañon Shea could
-not recognize the gigantic figure of Mehitabel
-Crump aboard. He saw only three men in the
-car, and he knew none of them. Two in the rear
-seat were evidently natives; from the dirty and
-heavily laden appearance of the car, Shea deduced
-that these men had come upon no errand of the
-law. They seemed, rather, to be prospectors or
-campers.
-
-Near the dust-white flivver the car came to a halt.
-The driver alighted, and having previously made
-out the motionless figure of Thady Shea on the
-hillside above, waved a hand and started upward.
-The two natives climbed out and began to unstrap
-bundles.
-
-As the visitor came near to him, Shea saw that
-the man was powerfully built, roughly dressed, and
-possessed striking gray eyes beneath black brows
-and hair.
-
-“Howdy, old-timer!” greeted the new arrival,
-pausing with outstretched hand and a frank smile.
-“My name’s Logan, Tom Logan. We got lost
-over in the lava beds and struck your auto tracks.
-We’re prospecting. You don’t mind if we camp
-out here for the night?”
-
-Shea rose and gravely shook hands.
-
-“Not a bit, my friends,” he said, then pointed a
-hundred yards beyond the halted car. “You see
-that big rock down the valley? Instruct your
-comrades to make camp at that point or below it.”
-
-Logan gave him a puzzled look. That word
-“valley” was strange in these parts.
-
-“Eh, partner? You’re not joking?”
-
-“Sir, the habiliments of jest do not become me,”
-returned Shea, his cavernous eyes piercingly steady.
-
-“But this is all free country, isn’t it?”
-
-“It is not. No person may intrude upon this
-property, sir. You are welcome to water and food
-if your needs be such, and I am fain of your company.
-Kindly instruct your knaves to move as
-I have said.”
-
-For a moment Logan met the gravely firm gaze
-of Shea, then turned and lifted his hands to his
-mouth. He shouted something in the patois, to
-which the two natives waved assent. They turned
-their car and took it to the rock that marked the
-limit of Mrs. Crump’s location in the cañon. Logan
-began to roll a cigarette with deft fingers.
-
-“Prospecting hereabouts, I presume?” he inquired.
-“I didn’t get your name.”
-
-Shea found himself warming to the cultivated
-accents.
-
-“My name, sir, is Shea.”
-
-“W-whew!” A long whistle broke from Logan,
-whose thin lips parted in a smile. “So you’re the
-man! I heard about you at Zacaton City last
-night. They say you cleaned up Aimes and his
-crowd for giving you a drink, and that you threatened
-to do worse to any man who offered you one
-again! Good thing I didn’t do it, eh? Glad to
-meet you, Shea. I’m set against liquor myself.
-You’ve sure become famous in this part of the
-country!”
-
-Thady Shea did not altogether like the swarthy
-features and the odd contrast between steely eyes
-and coarse black hair, but he did like applause.
-He took the stranger down to the shacks and when
-Logan set about cooking an excellent dinner, Shea
-was delighted.
-
-Over their meal the two men conversed at
-length, chiefly on the subject of mining. Tom
-Logan asked no questions about Number Sixteen,
-but he formed the private opinion that Thady
-Shea was earnest, upright, and a simpleton. Two
-thirds of this diagnosis was correct. The other
-third was destined to make trouble for Tom
-Logan.
-
-At last, over their third pipe, Logan yawned.
-
-“This here is a queer country,” he observed.
-“You’re prospecting for gold hereabouts, of
-course. But d’you know, Shea, the old prospecting
-business is changed? Yes, it is. Nowadays
-two thirds of the prospectors turn up their
-noses at gold. There are new things in the field,
-things that pay better than gold.
-
-“Platinum, for instance; or tungsten or manganese.
-Take my own case—I’m one of a dozen
-men sent out by a big New York chemical house.
-I’m after strontium. It comes in two forms,
-celestite and strontianite. Celestite brings about
-twenty dollars a ton at seaboard; but strontianite,
-when converted into nitrates, brings five hundred.
-The average old-time prospector hasn’t the chemical
-knowledge to find such things as those.”
-
-“Maybe,” said Shea, reflectively. “But yonder
-hillock, black against the stars, holds in its deep
-heart veins of mineral; and in those veins, my
-friend, there runs an ichor bearing the self-same
-name as that you seek.”
-
-Logan stared over this for a moment. Then:
-
-“By jasper! D’you mean that you’ve got
-strontianite here?”
-
-“So they do tell me,” averred Shea, modestly.
-He added with frankness, that while he held a
-third interest in the claim, he knew little of
-minerals.
-
-Logan displayed a cordial and friendly interest,
-and asked to see samples. Shea found one or two
-and set them forth, telling what he knew of the
-veins. The interest of the visitor grew and
-waxed enthusiastic. Logan examined the samples
-closely, and then his gray eyes suddenly struck up
-at Shea.
-
-“Look here!” he exclaimed, eagerly. “Would
-you, provided the veins and so forth run as you
-describe them, accept ten thousand dollars cash for
-your interest in this location?”
-
-To Thady Shea this offer came like a thunderbolt
-from a clear sky.
-
-“You see,” pursued Logan, “a deposit like this
-would answer my company’s purposes admirably.
-We might never find another like it. Ten thousand
-is not a large offer, but it would be a year or
-more before you’d begin to pull money out of the
-property. Say yes, and I’ll examine the location
-to-morrow; if it’s what you say, I’ll buy your right
-and interest in the property, sign the papers, and
-before to-morrow night you’ll cash my check.”
-
-Shea rose to his feet. He wanted to get away
-from the influence of this man’s personality. He
-wanted to ask counsel from the friendly stars.
-
-“I’ll think it over,” he said, unsteadily. “By
-myself——”
-
-“Sure,” Logan agreed, heartily. “I’ll make out
-the papers, eh? We’re not the kind of men to
-haggle and fight each other for price.”
-
-Thady Shea stalked forth into the darkness, his
-soul a riot of emotions. “Ten thousand dollars!”
-he murmured, staring up at the blazing stars.
-What a sum to turn over to Mrs. Crump upon
-leaving! With that sum, Mrs. Crump could at
-once begin development work, independently of
-Logan’s company. With that sum, she could set
-trucks at work hauling ore to the railroad. With
-that sum, she could do—anything!
-
-It never occurred to him that he might keep the
-money for himself; it never occurred to him that
-he was actually one third owner of the mine, and
-could sell out any time. Never had he thought
-about money in connection with Number Sixteen;
-he had not mentally placed his partnership with
-Mrs. Crump upon any financial basis. It was
-because of this very simplicity of thought that Mrs.
-Crump had felt drawn to him. It was because of
-this, too, that she had instructed Coravel Tio to
-record the entire property in the name of Thady
-Shea, in order to camouflage her ownership from
-the many eyes of Sandy Mackintavers. But this
-Shea did not know.
-
-Thady Shea came to the big gray bowlder that
-marked the limit of the cañon location. He stood
-against it, gazing upward at the stars, lost in his
-dream. The rocky mass shut off from him the
-flickering fire, built by Logan’s native companions.
-Behind, the light in the shack was as another star.
-He was alone. He was alone, and in the valley of
-decision.
-
-Ten thousand dollars—for Mrs. Crump! Never
-had Thady Shea visioned so much money all in one
-lump. Nor did he now vision it as his own.
-
-Shea did not know that he was technically and
-legally the owner of Number Sixteen. But the
-fact was on record, and Tom Logan knew it
-perfectly well. Back in the shack, under the oil
-lamp, Logan was already chuckling over the
-cleverly drawn papers which would make him the
-sole owner of Number Sixteen—for the comparatively
-unimportant sum of ten thousand
-dollars! He had persuaded Sandy Mackintavers
-to gamble that sum, to play it as a table stake.
-
-CHAPTER VIII—DORALES GOES TO TOWN
-=================================
-
-Standing by that big bowlder, Shea
-suddenly awakened from his dream. Out
-of the night on the other side of the
-bowlder, where the dim fire of the two natives had
-flickered into red embers, floated a slow, musical
-laugh and a few words. The patois was totally
-unknown to Shea. One of those words, however,
-drifted across the darkness and smote upon his
-brain with jarring force. The laugh, too, was not
-honest; it was a silky laugh, a laugh pregnant with
-sly meanings and furtive humours. The word was
-“Dorales.”
-
-Shea trembled. Dorales! Why did these natives
-speak of Dorales in this way?
-
-Now it came into his mind how Tom Logan had
-known all about him; how Logan had been in
-Zacaton City the previous night; how Logan had
-gotten lost in the lava beds—even to Shea’s
-innocence a very improbable thing. Prospectors
-for limestone formations do not enter the lava
-beds.
-
-Latent suspicion crystallized within Shea’s
-brain. Tom Logan was no other than Abel
-Dorales; he was certain of it, he knew it absolutely.
-His eyes were opened, and he sought
-for no proof.
-
-Dorales had intended to come here, thinking the
-place deserted. In Zacaton City he had learned
-that Thady Shea was probably at Number Sixteen.
-He had come with cunning intent, he had come
-with cunning words and a false tongue. The offer
-of ten thousand dollars might or might not be
-genuine; no matter!
-
-To the terribly childlike Shea it seemed that
-Providence had sent that low word and laugh
-through the night to his ears, to save him from
-temptation. At thought of how, a few minutes
-ago, he had been on the point of swallowing the
-gilded lure of Dorales, he shivered and wiped
-sweat from his brow.
-
-He turned about and started toward the shacks.
-
-Beside the table where the oil lamp burned,
-Dorales was sitting and writing. He filled out a
-previously prepared paper which would transfer
-to the Empire State Chemical Company, for the
-sum of ten thousand dollars, all the rights, holdings,
-and so forth, of Thaddeus Shea in the property
-underfoot. The company in question consisted
-of Sandy Mackintavers.
-
-This paper ready for signatures and witnessing,
-Dorales produced a blank check which bore the
-almost illegible but widely known signature of A.
-Mackintavers. This Dorales filled out in the
-name of Thaddeus Shea, and in the amount of ten
-thousand dollars. At this instant he heard a
-hoarse voice whisper his name—“Dorales!”
-
-“Well?” He glanced up sharply, taken by
-surprise.
-
-Into the lighted doorway stepped Thady Shea,
-his cavernous eyes blazing. For an instant
-Dorales was too completely astounded to move—astounded
-by the realization of how he had just
-betrayed himself, astounded by the fact that this
-gaunt fellow was no simpleton after all!
-
-That instant of indecision was fatal. Dorales
-pushed back his chair and came to his feet, one
-hand sliding to his coat pocket. Too late! The
-big fingers of Thady Shea gripped down on his
-wrist, and Shea’s right hand took him by the
-left shoulder, and he was staring into the blazing
-black eyes of the man he had thought to
-cheat.
-
-“I am glad to meet you, friend Dorales!” A
-grim smile sat on Shea’s wide lips. “The airy
-tongues that syllable men’s names have borne to
-me your rightful cognomen.”
-
-Dorales writhed under that iron grip. His left
-hand drove up to Shea’s face, landed hard. From
-his lips broke a shout for aid.
-
-Under the blow, Shea staggered; he knew
-nothing of fighting. He did know, however, that
-the shout of Dorales would bring the two Mexicans,
-and the knowledge fired him. He merely threw
-himself bodily and blindly at Dorales and carried
-the latter to the floor.
-
-Luck was kind. Dorales, trying not to fall
-underneath, writhed aside; the impetus of Shea’s
-rush, or rather fall, threw Abel Dorales headlong
-against the wall and knocked him senseless.
-
-After a moment Shea realized that Dorales was
-knocked out, relaxed his iron grip, and rose. His
-first thought was to turn out the lamp. Then,
-taking from the corner the axe helve, Shea passed
-outside the shack. He discerned two figures running
-toward him in the starlight, and he strode at
-them.
-
-The two natives were not at all sure of what had
-been going on. They called to Shea, who made no
-answer but came steadily at them. Hesitant,
-they awaited his approach, again addressing him in
-English. For response, Shea heaved up the axe
-helve and struck the nearer man senseless.
-
-Here was answer enough. The second man
-whipped up a ready revolver and fired hastily; too
-hastily, for the bullet only whipped Shea’s lean
-cheek and passed over the hogback. An instant
-later the axe helve broke the man’s arm.
-
-“Be quiet!” commanded Shea; then considered
-that the groaning wretch could not well obey such
-an order with a smashed arm. “Go down and
-climb into your automobile. Wait there.”
-
-“Si, señor.” The native turned and went into
-the night, groaning.
-
-Stooping, Shea picked up the body of the
-second man, the one whom he had stricken senseless.
-He heaved it up over his shoulder, and
-returned to the shack. There he lighted a
-match, got the lamp burning again, and clumsily
-tied Abel Dorales hand and foot. He rightly considered
-that the fight was taken out of the two
-natives.
-
-Dorales evinced no symptoms of recovery.
-Shea threw some water over the face of his native
-prisoner, and presently the man sat up and stared
-around. At sight of Shea’s figure, he shrank back
-and crossed himself.
-
-“I’ll not hurt you,” said Shea. “Where’s
-Mackintavers?”
-
-“At the ranch, señor,” whimpered the wide-eyed
-native.
-
-“Is he coming here?”
-
-“No, señor, not until Señor Dorales sends for
-him.”
-
-“That will not be for some time.” And Shea
-smiled. “Do you know where Mrs. Crump is?”
-
-“I heard Señor Dorales say that she would not
-get there until to-morrow night, señor.”
-
-This explained to Shea why Dorales had planned
-on cleaning up the sale so hastily. It also set his
-mind at rest about Mackintavers, whose arrival he
-had feared.
-
-There was no doubt whatever that Dorales had
-figured things closely and accurately. Therefore,
-Mrs. Crump would return upon the following afternoon
-or evening, and in the meantime no other
-attempt would be made upon the property.
-
-With this thought in mind, Thady Shea set
-about making his departure, for he intended to be
-gone when Mrs. Crump arrived home. If Dorales
-were safely out of the way for a day or two, there
-would be no danger in leaving the mine deserted;
-and Shea was already possessed of a scheme for
-putting Dorales in cold storage.
-
-Prompt to act upon the swift impulse in his
-mind, Shea turned over the cleverly drawn paper
-which Dorales had been studying, and upon its
-back wrote a note to Mrs. Crump. The check
-caught his eye, and he pulled it toward him; smiling
-sardonically, he read and reread that magic
-slip of paper which stood for ten thousand dollars.
-
-He picked up the check and held it for a moment
-over the oil lamp—then he quickly jerked it
-back.
-
-“No, I’ll leave it,” he muttered. “She’ll know
-I’m honest, perchance! It will be a tongue most
-eloquent.”
-
-That sardonic smile still curving his wide lips,
-he turned over the check and carefully indorsed
-it; across the back of the paper he wrote the same
-name which he had signed to the note. The
-whimsical thought came to him that, if he
-presented this paper at a bank, he would get ten
-thousand dollars for Mrs. Crump; he had no
-intention of so presenting it, however—had he not
-refused the proffered negotiations? He indorsed
-that check merely as a mute message to Mrs.
-Crump. It quite escaped him that, by so indorsing
-it, he had made it good.
-
-He picked up the epistle which he had written,
-and read it over, frowning:
-
- MADAM: If you do not already know of my unhappy
- share in your misfortunes, you may be easily apprised
- of it from other lips. Farewell! I take my leave to
- seek an errant soul upon the roads, and I shall not return
- until some testing has surfeited my most uneasy
- spirit.
-
- —Thaddeus R. Shea.
-
-He folded up the note, and nodded to himself.
-
-“’Tis not so clear as crystal, yet ’twill serve,” he
-murmured.
-
-Whether Mrs. Crump would fully understand
-the reasons for his departure was immaterial, since
-Shea himself did not fully understand them; at
-least, he had not figured them into concrete bases.
-His idea of doing penance, of seeking either ultimate
-strength or ultimate failure again in the
-world, was vague. His secondary motive, that of
-not drawing his benefactress into his own danger
-from the Mackintavers forces, was equally vague,
-since Mrs. Crump was far more imperilled and far
-better equipped to face such peril than he.
-
-However, it is these vague impulses which
-often lead men upon the trail of fate, and thus it
-proved with Thady Shea.
-
-He left the note upon the table, and with it the
-indorsed check and legally phrased paper, knowing
-that these would in some measure make matters
-clear to Mrs. Crump. Then he procured that
-lady’s whiskey and poured a generous portion into
-a tin cup. This time, he deliberately smelled of
-it, and smiled grimly. Mrs. Crump kept on hand
-a vial of laudanum for the sake of recurrent toothache,
-and from this vial he dropped a little of the
-drug into the whiskey.
-
-“Friend Dorales will sleep to-night, methinks,”
-he said to the staring native captive. “Lift up his
-head!”
-
-The native picked up the head and shoulders of
-the still senseless Dorales. Forcing open the
-thin, strong lips, Shea poured his mixture into the
-man’s mouth. Dorales choked, but swallowed it
-and began to revive.
-
-Shea packed his few belongings, regretfully left
-the historic axe helve for Mrs. Crump, then motioned
-his prisoner to help him lift Dorales. The
-latter was now swearing luridly but feebly. Together
-they carried him out into the darkness.
-
-Ten minutes later Dorales was snoring in the
-tonneau of Mackintavers’ flivver, beside the
-injured native. By the light of the lamps, the
-uninjured captive was working under the directions
-of Shea, who had realized that upon reaching
-home Mrs. Crump would be unable to use her own
-car without tires.
-
-So Shea stripped the enemy car, left the tires
-beside the dust-white flivver, and then climbed
-into his captured vehicle. Having disarmed his
-conquered foemen, he had nothing to fear from
-them, and headed his bumpy equipage toward No
-Agua. When the cañon road warned him that he
-was close to that lone hovel of desolation, he
-stopped the car and took from his pocket Mrs.
-Crump’s flask into which he had emptied the
-laudanum vial. He turned to the two natives, one
-of whom was groaning and shivering, the other
-merely shivering.
-
-“Friends,” he said, sonorously, “drink—or take
-the consequences.”
-
-Knowing from the example of Abel Dorales that
-the flask contained nothing worse than sleep,
-mingled with liquor, the two natives drank the
-contents with avidity. Shea tossed away the
-empty flask, envy in his eye; he wanted a drink
-very badly—but he did not want one badly
-enough to take it.
-
-Passing the No Agua store with a rattle and
-clatter, Shea considered swiftly. If he went south
-to Silver City he might meet Mrs. Crump, and he
-had no desire to meet her at present. If he went
-west, he would get into Arizona. All he knew
-about Arizona was founded upon the drama of that
-name; the prospect of being scalped by Apaches or
-otherwise mutilated did not invite his soul particularly.
-
-So he turned east to Zacaton City, confident that
-he could pass through that nest of enemies before
-dawn, and with a vague scheme already in his
-mind. All he wanted was to get clear away, and
-he mentally blessed that vial of laudanum.
-
-It was shortly before dawn when the snoring
-mechanic in Aimes’ garage was awakened by a tall,
-gaunt stranger.
-
-“Friend,” said Shea to the yawning mechanic,
-“in this my vehicle behold three villains, scoundrels
-of the deepest dye! But yesternight they
-tried to jump my claim, wherefore I laid them by
-the heels, and charge you, upon your honest
-visage, guard them well until the sheriff shall
-appear to claim them.”
-
-After some repetition the astonished mechanic
-gathered that this gaunt stranger had brought in
-three claim jumpers to be held until the sheriff arrived.
-Not having participated in the events of
-Sunday morning, the mechanic was blissfully
-ignorant of Shea’s identity, and Thady had no
-intention of disclosing it. Despite protest, Shea
-left the crippled flivver in the garage, the
-three snoring occupants being obviously safe for
-another twenty-four hours. Having been carefully
-dirtied and disguised by Dorales himself, the
-flivver was not recognized immediately as that of
-Sandy Mackintavers.
-
-These things successfully accomplished, Thady
-Shea faded into the gray dawn. For lack of better
-direction, he took the rough and rugged road that
-led off to Datil and the transcontinental highway
-into Magdalena. He had no illusions about
-arrest not being probable in *this* case, and he
-desired to avoid arrest.
-
-Zacaton City was ere long in a roar of half-wrathful
-enjoyment. The three “claim jumpers,”
-who slept like the dead and refused to be awakened,
-were soon known as Abel Dorales, tied hand and
-foot, and two natives from the Mackintavers
-ranch, one having a broken arm. The garage
-mechanic’s description of Thady Shea was accurate
-and recognizable. Details were lacking and could
-not be obtained until the drugged men awakened—but
-details were largely unnecessary.
-
-Ben Aimes did not telephone to Mackintavers
-at the ranch; at the time, this seemed a rather
-superfluous detail. The news bearer would have
-a thankless and possibly dangerous job, so Ben
-Aimes left Mackintavers alone, and left Dorales to
-tell the sorry tale in person. However, Aimes
-swore out warrants charging battery and other
-things, and sent automobiles forth to bring in
-Thady Shea.
-
-Him they did not find; but they went as far as
-Magdalena, spreading the story as they progressed.
-Within three days, this immediate section of the
-state was in a roar of laughter; Dorales had a
-reputation as “the worst man to monkey with” in
-existence. Added to the joke was the story of
-Thady Shea and the axe helve, which travelled fast
-and far. Neither story reached the Mackintavers
-ranch fast enough, however.
-
-On the afternoon following Thady Shea’s desertion
-of Number Sixteen, Mrs. Crump arrived
-there in a hired car from Silver City. She came
-alone; Gilbert and Lewis were in jail awaiting
-bail, and she came only to make sure that Number
-Sixteen had escaped the ravishers.
-
-By this time Mrs. Crump knew all about what
-had happened to Thady Shea in Zacaton City, and
-how the disaster had come upon her, but she had
-made no comments. At the shack, she found the
-papers which Thady Shea had left. She read his
-note, and muttered something about “damned
-fool.” Then she took the check which he had
-indorsed, returned to her hired car, and before
-midnight was back in Silver City.
-
-At nine the next morning the Silver City bank
-telephoned Sandy Mackintavers over long distance
-regarding a check for ten thousand dollars
-issued to one Thady Shea, and properly indorsed,
-which had been presented for payment by Mrs.
-Crump. Promptly and delightedly Mackintavers
-gave it his O. K. Quite naturally, he considered
-that Abel Dorales had carried his mission to
-success, and that Number Sixteen now belonged to
-the Empire State Chemical Company.
-
-But that evening, when Dorales arrived with
-new tires on the flivver, Mackintavers learned
-what had really taken place. Then he telephoned
-to Silver City in all haste, only to find that he was
-out ten thousand big round dollars. He had
-gambled, and he had lost his stake.
-
-Dorales spent a most unpleasant evening.
-Despite everything, even the monetary loss, which
-rankled to the very bottom of his soul, Mackintavers
-had a deep grain of humour. This was the
-first time he had ever known Abel Dorales to be
-put absolutely down and out; he gave his humour
-full vent until Dorales, who had no humour whatever,
-writhed under the lash.
-
-“It’s your loss most of all,” growled Dorales,
-white lipped and venomous.
-
-“Aiblins, yes.” Mackintavers fell grave.
-“We’ll leave Mrs. Crump alone for the present;
-never fear, I’ll get that money back, with interest!
-I’ve a scheme in the back of my head that will work
-on her a bit later. Are ye going to hide out till the
-laughing’s done with?”
-
-“Hide—hell!” snarled Dorales, viciously. “The
-first man that laughs to my face, except you, gets
-something to remember. And,” he added, slowly,
-“I’m not so sure about excepting you, Sandy.”
-
-“There, there, cannot ye take a joke?” returned
-Mackintavers, hastily. “I’ve suffered the most,
-but leave Mrs. Crump be for the present. I want
-to get the matter o’ those stone idols settled, and
-under cover o’ the noise it will make when I become
-a scientist, then we’ll take over this strontianite
-mine.
-
-“I want ye to go up to Santa Fé, and get a big
-sack o’ silver dollars. I’ve me eye on two or
-three o’ them Cochiti redskins and I think ye can
-bribe ’em. If——”
-
-“What about this man Shea?” snapped Dorales.
-“I’m going to get him if it takes me ten years!
-I’m going to write my name in his hide with a
-knife!”
-
-“Ye shall; he’ll be here when ye get back from
-Santa Fé,” soothed Mackintavers. “He can’t
-hide out long, Abel. I’ll have him held for ye.”
-
-“You’d better,” said the other, sourly. “I
-don’t like wasting time on these idols, anyway. I
-never knew any good to come of bothering the
-Indian gods, Sandy.”
-
-Mackintavers only laughed, although not without
-a frown to follow the laugh. He was wondering
-if the presence of those gods in his house had
-brought him the loss of ten thousand dollars. He
-was the last man on earth to let superstition alter
-his plans; yet he was Scottish, and he could not
-help wondering—just a little.
-
-CHAPTER IX—THE WICKER DEMIJOHN
-==============================
-
-As has been related, Thady Shea somewhat
-vaguely set out upon the way to
-Magdalena, after disposing of his shoeless
-flivver and its snoring load.
-
-The dawn came up and found him plodding onward.
-An hour later he was hailed from the roadside
-by a venerable ancient having one very blue
-eye and a long white beard. This worthy proved
-to be a tramp printer, who intended to get work at
-Magdalena when his money gave out.
-
-For the present, however, the ancient had no
-intention of working; so he proposed a road
-partnership, stating that he liked Shea’s looks.
-Thady Shea wanted to sleep, which “Dad”
-Griffith, as the ancient was named, deemed a
-highly laudable ambition.
-
-Accordingly, a little while afterward, Shea
-found himself snugly ensconced in a camp well
-back from the road and well hidden in a clump of
-trees. Before sleeping, he explored his pockets and
-found some money, left from the sum given him
-by Mrs. Crump for his Zacaton City purchases.
-
-“Take it, friend,” he said, drowsily, thrusting the
-money upon the ancient. “Take it, and add it to
-thy scanty store, that so we may have wherewithal
-to live.”
-
-“You bet I will, partner,” and Dad Griffith
-seized it. “It’ll keep us quite a spell, with what
-I got. No sense workin’, I says, when they’s no
-need. I figger on gettin’ a job to Magdalena when
-I got to work. I had a job there two year ago.
-These here goshly-gorful linotypes is puttin’
-honest printers out o’ business. Why, I seen th’
-day——”
-
-In the midst of a dissertation upon the elegancies
-of hand-set type and the blasted frightfulness of
-an existence surrounded by linotype machines,
-Shea stretched out and fell asleep. The ancient
-droned along, regardless. When Shea wakened
-toward sunset, old Griffith was still discoursing
-upon the same topic.
-
-Over a tiny smokeless fire Griffith conjured
-biscuits, coffee, and beans, and the two men ate.
-Thady Shea probed his companion’s mind for
-future plans, and found only a vague emptiness;
-the ancient liked to spend each night in a different
-spot, that was all. Thady Shea proposed, with
-pursuit in mind, that it might be better to camp
-during the day and to tramp at night.
-
-At this suggestion the ancient winked his one
-intensely blue eye. He winked with the uncanny
-gusto of an old man, with the horrible craftiness
-of an old man. His one eye winked, and the
-ancient was transformed. He became an emblem
-of doddering truancy, a living symbol of the
-soul which desires ever to flee responsibilities and
-to shirk the onus of labour inherited from Father
-Adam.
-
-“Suits me, pardner. I used to do that over in
-Missouri, one time, ’count of a hawg bein’ missed
-from a pen. Anyhow, these nights is too cold
-to sleep ’thout blankets, which mine ain’t extra
-good.
-
-“Still, a spry young feller like you, Thady,
-ought to have more get up an’ get to him than to be
-gettin’ in a mess o’ trouble. Take a goshly-gorful
-old ranger like me, and it’s all right; I’m a sinful
-man, an’ proud of it. But you, now—you’d ought
-to be aimin’ for something. I know, I do! That’s
-the trouble with folks; ain’t got no aim ahead.
-But no use talkin’. You got your reasons, I
-reckon.”
-
-Thady Shea sat and stared into the fire. He
-did not take the hint to retail his story. He was
-suddenly thinking.
-
-Memory worked within him. “It ain’t lack of
-ambition that makes folks mis’able and unsatisfied;
-it’s lack o’ purpose!” Mrs. Crump had said those
-words, and they had been burned into Shea’s
-brain. Purpose, indeed! What purpose now lay
-ahead, except the vague desire to rehabilitate
-himself? To become a vagrant with this tramp
-printer—why, this would be to shake off all the
-shackles of purpose! Yet, what else was there to
-do? What could be done, except to evade the
-law which by this time must be seeking him?
-
-His head drooped. Was some higher Power
-extending its hand against him, closing every
-avenue of escape from his old drifting existence,
-forcing him back into vagrancy? His eyes
-widened under the thought. The thought staggered
-him. Then, slowly, his mouth tightened,
-his wide lips drew firmly clenched. A flush of
-fever darkened his high cheekbones.
-
-Very well; he would go on fighting! For once
-the superstitious nature of the man was borne
-down by his inward anger, was borne down by the
-impotent feeling that he was a pawn in Destiny’s
-game; he rebelled against it. He rebelled against
-everything.
-
-“By heaven, I’ll *make* a purpose!” he mentally
-vowed. “I’ll look for one—find one—fight for
-one!”
-
-Even as the words rose in him, he choked down
-a vague feeling that they were false and erroneous,
-a feeling that this purpose could not be sought, but
-must seek him out, must come to him of itself.
-Yet he choked down the feeling, repulsed it.
-He reiterated his mental vow, fiercely insistent
-upon it.
-
-All this while the ancient had been droning
-something about the beauties of the old flat-bed
-presses, and the goshly-gorfulness of machine
-printing. Now Shea became aware of a more
-personal note in the droning.
-
-“If I was you,” and the ancient chuckled in his
-dirty white beard, transfixing Thady Shea with his
-one bright-blue eye, “if I was you, I’d grow
-whiskers!
-
-“They’s places and places I can’t never go no
-more without these here whiskers. Yes, they is!
-I’m a sinful man an’ proud of it; mebbe ye think
-I’m old, but I can show you young fellers a thing
-or two, he, he! Grow whiskers, Thady. You can
-take ’em with ye to go a-sinning, and then go
-back over the same trail without ’em, and nobody
-the wiser!”
-
-Shea’s gorge rose. He suddenly saw Dad
-Griffith as the latter really was—a foul old man, a
-worthless wastrel of humanity, seemingly dead to
-all higher things. He grew afraid for himself; he
-was vaguely alarmed, as though he had touched
-some slimy, crawling thing in the darkness. He
-came to his feet with an impellent desire to crush
-this unholy man like a toad, to flee into the night,
-to lie under the stars and seek clearance for his
-troubles. However, he did none of these things.
-Shea reached for his pipe, filled it, lighted it with
-an ember from the fire. Here he got a new
-sensation—the tang and sweetness of an ember-lighted
-pipe!
-
-“Let’s be moving,” said Thady Shea, crisply.
-“It’s a fine night.”
-
-An hour later they were plodding along, sharing
-the load of provisions. Thady Shea was quite
-aware that something was wrong with him in the
-body, but he felt no definite pain. It was an
-errant “something” which he could not place,
-and which he was too uplifted in spirit to heed.
-
-The night wore on. With every step, Thady
-Shea was learning from the lore of Dad Griffith.
-He was learning the worldly wise lore of the roads—to
-walk with straight feet, to carry his body uphill
-on bended knees, to take the high side of a
-wet trail. The ancient talked continually, eternally.
-The ancient seemed to like Thady Shea
-immensely.
-
-Some time after midnight they left the road
-by a faint and unknown trail, followed it until
-they were weary, and then camped. Griffith had
-a pair of tattered blankets. Thady Shea refused
-to share them; he slept in his clothes. When he
-wakened at sunrise his head was heavy with fever.
-A mile distant the ancient descried a creek, and
-they moved over to it for the day. Thady Shea
-felt peculiar, and detailed his symptoms, whereupon
-the ancient produced a tattered little case of
-leather. He opened the case and disclosed three
-vials.
-
-“All the med’cine a man needs, I claim,” he
-declared. “Middle one’s quinine; right’s physic;
-left’s physic again, only more so. Take your
-choice, one or all!”
-
-“Give me the more so,” said Thady, who felt
-miserable in the extreme.
-
-The ancient began to look alarmed. His one
-intensely blue eye shone with an uneasy light.
-His continual talk became querulous. After a
-time he forced Thady Shea to continue their
-progress; the trail, said he, must lead them to a
-ranch. Groaning, Shea protested; but presently
-he yielded to the urgings of Griffith. The two
-men followed the trail.
-
-There was a man named Fred Ross, who had
-homesteaded a cañon in the hills beyond the
-Datils. Thus far unmarried, although he had
-his hopes, he lived alone; a hard, rough man,
-kindly at heart, redly wrinkled of face, and keenly
-alert of eye, he shot beaver and turkey when the
-forest rangers were not around, and fared well.
-Indeed, he was wont to say that he was the last
-man in the United States to know the taste of
-that succulent morsel, a beaver’s tail.
-
-Fred Ross was plowing on the flat behind his
-shack when he observed the approach of a tattered
-old man who moved in trembling haste. Having
-no liking for tramps, Ross set his hands on his
-hips and met the visitor with a vigilant eye.
-
-“Well?” he snapped. “Who in time are *you*?”
-
-“Don’t matter ’bout me, mister,” said the
-other, agitatedly pawing a long and dirty white
-beard. “A friend o’ mine is down the cañon a
-ways, plumb petered out. He was took sick last
-night—I reckon he’s got a touch o’ fever. D’you
-s’pose you could let him lay somewheres—mebbe
-in that cowshed yonder?”
-
-“You be damned, you old fool,” said Ross,
-harshly. “I ain’t got no room for sick men in my
-shed—which ain’t no cowshed, neither. Where
-is he?”
-
-“He—he give out by them trees,” faltered Dad
-Griffith, backing away. “I got a little money,
-mister——”
-
-“You be blistered, you an’ your money!”
-roared Ross. “I don’t want no tramps around
-here, savvy? I got trouble of my own. Let’s
-have a look at this friend o’ yours—if you-all are
-tryin’ any skin game on *me*, look out!”
-
-He strode forward, and Dad Griffith fluttered
-away. After him strode Ross. Ten minutes
-later they came to the gaunt figure of Thady Shea
-lying beneath some scrub oaks and muttering
-faintly. Ross leaned over him then straightened
-up and faced the ancient.
-
-“You—on your way!” he said, roughly, “I’ll
-take care o’ this feller, but I don’t aim to keep
-two of ye.”
-
-“Devil take ye, I don’t want none of ye!”
-quavered Griffith in querulous anger. “I’m goin’
-to Magdalena to get me a job; you tell him so when
-he can travel, ye goshly-gorful old ranch hand!”
-
-Disdaining a response, Ross stooped; after some
-effort, he got Thady Shea in the “fireman’s grip”
-and staggered erect, the delirious man still muttering.
-He turned and walked toward his shack,
-striding heavily under the burden. Dad Griffith
-hesitated, then wagged his beard—he did not
-deem it wise to follow.
-
-“Hey!” he lifted his voice after the departing
-rancher. “You be good to him, hear me? Mind
-my words, if ye ain’t good to him I’ll—I’ll come
-back and burn ye out some night!”
-
-Ross paid no heed but strode on out of sight.
-Dad Griffith shook his fist in senile rage, then
-slowly, and with a sigh, turned about and started
-in the opposite direction.
-
-The shack which Ross had built, anticipating
-matrimony, was a two-room affair with a lean-to
-kitchen. Grunting beneath his load, Ross stooped
-into the house and deposited Thady Shea upon
-an iron bed.
-
-Ross came erect, panting, and stared down at
-Shea’s fever-flushed features. He scratched his
-head, as though in perplexity, and his eyes were
-suddenly very kindly.
-
-“Poor devil!” he said, being a man who talked
-much to himself. “Poor devil! Got a real good
-face, too. What in time can I do? The car’s
-broke down and there’s no doctor closer’n Magdalena
-anyhow. Well, I never knowed whiskey to
-fail curin’ any trouble, and I guess a bit o’ quinine
-will help out. Thank the Lord I got whiskey to
-burn!”
-
-He went to a cupboard in the corner and drew
-forth a wicker demijohn, a new demijohn, a demijohn
-that hung heavy in his hand. Upon the
-chair beside the bed he put a big crockery cup,
-thick and heavy. He poured whiskey into it; he
-filled it nearly to the brim with raw red liquor; a
-ray of sunlight fell upon the cup and made it seem
-filled with rich thin blood.
-
-“Just for a starter,” murmured Ross. “Now
-the quinine.”
-
-The hours passed, and darkness fell. Ross
-went out to stable and bed down his team. He
-came back, ate, resumed his vigil.
-
-Ross was starkly amazed by his muttering
-patient. Cup upon cup of whiskey and quinine he
-poured down the gaunt man’s throat; the man
-drank it like water, avidly, without visible effect.
-He seemed to soak up the raw red liquid as a
-sponge soaks up water. It seeped down his
-throat and was gone.
-
-“My Lord!” exclaimed Ross at last, awed
-despite himself. “The man ain’t human!”
-
-Thady Shea was human; although invisible, the
-effect was there. Through the hours of darkness
-his sonorous voice rose and filled the shack. He
-spoke of things past the understanding of the
-watching Ross. He used strange names—names
-like Ophelia or Rosalind or Desdemona; at times
-passion shook his voice, a fury of resonant passion;
-at times his words trembled with grief, his rolling
-words quavered and surged with a vehemently
-agonized utterance, until the listening Ross felt
-a vague ache wrenched into his own throat.
-
-About midnight, Thady Shea fell asleep. It
-was a deep, full slumber, a slumber of stertorous
-breathing, a sound and absolute slumber, a
-drunken slumber. Thady Shea lay motionless
-except for his deeply heaving chest. His hands,
-face, and body were glistening wet, were wet with
-perspiration that streamed from him, were wet
-with salty sweat oozing from his fever-baked flesh.
-Fred Ross turned out the lamp and climbed into a
-bunk in the corner.
-
-“That ends it,” he said, drowsily. “He’ll sweat
-out the fever and sleep off the whiskey, and wake
-up cured. Can’t beat whiskey! Cures everything!”
-
-Upon the following morning Ross returned from
-his chores to find Thady Shea still lustily snoring,
-the fever gone. He got breakfast and departed
-to his work, leaving the coffee ready to hand.
-From time to time he came in from the nearer end
-of the flat to inspect his patient. He was a big
-man, a rough-tongued man, a deep-hearted man.
-
-Thady Shea wakened to an uncomfortable
-sensation. He dimly and vaguely recognized the
-sensation; he was bewildered and frightened by it.
-He had felt that uncomfortable sensation many
-times in his life, always on the morning after a
-night spent with the jorum.
-
-He tried to sit up, and succeeded, only to close
-his eyes before a blinding wave of pain. A headache?
-It went with the other symptoms, of course.
-He had no remembrance of drinking. Indeed, he
-had a fierce remembrance of having meant never
-to drink again. Where was he and how had he
-come here? His last memory was of trees, and
-the ancient helping him as he sank down. He
-looked around; the strange room bewildered him.
-
-He was maddeningly conscious that his body,
-his soul, his whole being, was a soaked and impregnated
-thing, soaked and impregnated with
-whiskey. His body cried out for more whiskey, his
-soul writhed within him for more whiskey. His
-haggard gaze fell upon a cup, on a chair at his
-bedside. He reached out and picked up the cup.
-It was half full of bitter whiskey, and a bottle of
-powdered quinine explained the bitterness.
-
-Even then, Shea hesitated. He hesitated, but
-he could not resist. No living man could have
-resisted the fearful outcry of body and soul upon
-such an awakening. It was no mere craving. It
-was a tumultuous, riotous, lawless eagerness—a
-fierceness for whiskey, an awful tormenting passion
-for whiskey such as he had never before known.
-That was because of the flood that had seeped
-and soaked through his whole being. The raw
-red liquor like thin blood had permeated all his
-body tissues and nerves, as water permeates the
-sun-dried earth, leaving it not the hard white
-earth but the brown soft mud. The earth dries
-again and cracks open, calling avidly for more
-water. So with Thady Shea’s body and soul.
-
-He drank gulpingly, until the cup was empty.
-He sat down the cup; it was a heavy cup of thick
-crockery. His nostrils quivered to the smell of
-coffee. He began to take in his surroundings, to
-realize them, to appraise them. He began to
-understand that he must have been drunk. Drunk!
-Who was responsible?
-
-A shadow darkened the morning sunlight in the
-doorway. There on the threshold, a black blotch
-against the brightness outside, stood Fred Ross,
-staring at the man who sat on the edge of the bed
-and stared back at him. Shea saw only a man—the
-man responsible.
-
-“Did you——” He paused, licked his lips, and
-continued thickly. “Did you give me whiskey?
-Did you?”
-
-Ross stepped into the room.
-
-“Yes, I did,” he began, roughly. He did not
-finish.
-
-Something shot from the bedside, something
-large and thick, something white and heavy, that
-left the hand of Thady Shea like a bullet. It was
-the thick, heavy crockery cup. Shea flung it
-blindly. It struck Ross over the ear with a
-“*whick!*”
-
-Fred Ross looked vaguely surprised. His knees
-appeared to give way beneath him. He caught at
-the table and seemed to swing himself forward, half
-around. He fell, and lay without moving. The
-heavy white crockery cup, unhurt by the impact,
-rolled in the doorway.
-
-Relaxing on the edge of the bed, Thady Shea
-gave no more attention to Fred Ross, but lowered
-his face in his two hands. They were big, strong
-hands; they clutched into his hair and skin until
-their knuckles stood out white. Shea sat motionless,
-thus, as though he were trying to produce
-some exterior which would quell the anguish within
-him.
-
-His voice rang with a sonorous bitterness as he
-spoke aloud. The recumbent Ross moved, then
-sat up with a lithe, agile motion; but Thady Shea
-did not stir. He was lost in the words that seemed
-wrung from his very soul.
-
-“I’ve tried, I’ve tried! How have I been weak,
-how have I failed? Yet I have failed. I’ve been
-drunk. I always fail.”
-
-His speech was heavy, slow, words coming
-tenuously to his numbed brain. He did not hear
-the slight sound made by Ross in rising erect, in
-stepping to the wall. He did not see Ross at all,
-nor the hand of Ross that plucked a revolver
-from a holster suspended on the wall. He spoke
-again, the words coming with more coherence.
-
-“Always an unseen hand blocks me. Is it your
-doing, oh, God? Before, it was my own fault,
-for I was weak. This time it was not my fault;
-I knew nothing about it. God, are You trying to
-turn me back into the old shiftless life, into the
-old vagabond, aimless existence? God, are You
-trying to make me a drunkard again? Are You
-trying to rob me of all purpose?”
-
-He paused. The breath came from his lungs;
-it was a deep and uneven breath, a sobbing breath,
-the breath of one who is fast in the grip of terrible
-emotion. At him stood and stared Ross. Inch
-by inch the revolver lowered. The keen, alert,
-battling eyes of the rancher were filled with perplexity,
-with comprehension, with a strange gentleness.
-Again Shea spoke, his face still in his hands:
-
-“I’ve done my best, God knows! I’ve put
-whiskey out of my life, stifled the craving for it,
-forgotten about it. And now—now! Why is it
-that even this one purpose is denied me? Is there
-no help—is there no help? Is there no help for——”
-
-His fingers clenched upon his iron-gray hair,
-swept through it. His head came up. His blazing
-black eyes stared into the gaze of Ross. For
-half a moment the two men looked at each other,
-motionless.
-
-Then, abruptly, Ross pushed home the revolver
-into its holster.
-
-“Pardner,” he said, casually, “let’s have a cup
-o’ coffee.”
-
-He went to the stove in the kitchen, raked up
-charred black brands, opened the draft, and put
-the coffeepot over the kindling embers. He set
-two thick crockery cups upon the boards of the
-table. He got out spoons and sugar and “canned
-cow.” Then he turned to the other room and
-with a jerk of the head invited his guest.
-
-Thady Shea rose, very unsteadily, and came.
-
-CHAPTER X—MRS. CRUMP SAYS SOMETHING
-===================================
-
-Over the rough table Fred Ross delivered
-himself.
-
-“Something about you I like, Thady
-Shea,” he said, level-eyed. “The old man who
-fetched you here told me your name. Don’t know
-anything more about you. Didn’t know whiskey
-was bad for you; anyway, it cured the fever. First
-I knew about you was in yonder, when you talked.
-Damn good thing for you, pardner! Savvy? Yes.
-
-“Tell you somethin’. I used to be range rider—a
-puncher, savvy? Forty a month. No future.
-Never mind the details, but it come to me that
-if I didn’t get somethin’ to work for, I might’s
-well quit livin’. So I took up this here quarter
-section and started in. It cost me dear, I’m
-tellin’ you!
-
-“I sweat blood over every inch o’ this here land.
-Folks said it was no good. I put up this shack,
-put it up right. I set in to raise crops. I put my
-body into it. I put my heart into it. I put my
-livin’ eternal soul into it—and by the Lord I’m
-goin’ to win! I had somethin’ to work for, that’s
-all.”
-
-Ross leaned back. The flame died from his
-eyes. He surveyed Thady Shea critically, appraisingly,
-generously.
-
-“When I heard what you said, in yonder,” he
-pursued, “I seen all of a sudden that you were a
-man like me. Savvy? Yes. I don’t blame you,
-now, for lamming me over the ear like you done.
-My Lord! Ain’t I talked to God like you done in
-there? Ain’t things come up to rip the very guts
-out o’ my soul? Well, it’s like that with all folks,
-I guess, only it comes different. Savvy? Yes. I
-gave you whiskey, and I was a damn fool. That’s
-all.”
-
-Ross rose and began to clatter dishes into the
-dishpan. Thady Shea rose and went to the doorway.
-He stood there, looking up the east-running
-cañon toward the morning sun. He did not see
-the half-plowed flat, he did not see the horses and
-plow; he did not see the piñon trees and the trickle
-of water. Tears were in his eyes. For one blazing
-moment he had seen into the soul of Fred Ross,
-the iron soul, the gentle soul, the brave soul of
-Fred Ross.
-
-Suddenly he turned about, feeling upon his
-shoulder the hand of the other man.
-
-“Shea, you asked a while ago if there wasn’t no
-help. Well, maybe there is—if you want it. Do
-you?”
-
-“Yes,” said Thady Shea, huskily.
-
-Upon the following morning he started in to
-work; he was a bit weak, but he insisted upon
-working. He dared not do without working.
-He began to clear another flat farther up the
-cañon, ridding it of brush and scrub oak and
-piñons.
-
-As he worked, Thady Shea thought much of
-that wicker demijohn, back in the cupboard of
-the shack. Once, when he came in to luncheon
-ahead of Ross, he opened the cupboard. He
-looked at the clean wicker demijohn, the new
-demijohn, the demijohn which hung so heavily
-and lovingly to the hand; as he looked, a sunbeam
-struck the glass behind the woven wicker and made
-it seem filled with rich thin blood. Thady Shea
-shivered—and shut the door. But he could not
-shut that demijohn from his thoughts.
-
-He prayed, every hour he worked, that Ross
-would hide away that demijohn. He said nothing
-to Ross about it; he felt vaguely ashamed to let
-Ross know of his struggles with himself. He
-shrank from revealing how he was tempted.
-
-Days passed. Twice, now, Thady Shea had
-come in from work merely to open that door and
-look at the demijohn. The first time, he had forced
-himself to be content with the look. The second
-time he hefted it; then he reached for the cork,
-trembling—but just then the step of Ross approached,
-and Shea replaced the demijohn. He
-knew that he had been saturated with liquor, that
-in his involuntary carouse his body had seeped
-up the whiskey as the thirsty earth seeps up water.
-The craving was there, the wicked craving of the
-cracked earth for water.
-
-Terrible were the first few nights. Despite
-weariness, sleep would not come. On tiptoe
-Thady Shea would sneak out of the shack, out
-into the bitter cold night, out under the white,
-cold stars. He would stride up and down the cold
-earth until the chill ate into his bones; then,
-shivering, he would tiptoe back and roll up in his
-blankets, thinking how a drink would warm him.
-
-As the days passed, he worked harder. He
-slaved until, at darkness, he would nod over his
-pipe. He did not shave, remembering the words
-of the ancient, and his gaunt face became filled
-and strengthened by an iron-gray beard.
-
-All the while he cursed his aimlessness, his lack
-of purpose. He was looking out, beyond the
-present; he was looking over the horizon. He was
-thinking of Mrs. Crump. He prayed under a
-sweat-soaked brow that some great flaming purpose
-would come into his life. The word “purpose”
-had become to him a creed, a mania.
-
-He did not realize, except very dimly, that for
-him life had already centred upon one immediate
-and tremendous purpose: to avoid, to shrink from,
-that clean wicker demijohn in the corner cupboard!
-Unawares, the purpose had come to him.
-
-And then, upon a day, Fred Ross patched the
-broken flivver and went to Datil for grub. Thady
-Shea was left alone, alone with the ranch, alone
-with the piñon trees and the horses, alone with
-the shack, alone with the corner cupboard and
-the clean wicker demijohn. Fred Ross did not
-seem to perceive any danger in leaving Shea thus
-alone.
-
-Fred Ross reached the store at Datil about noon,
-after a long pull. Datil lay on the highway, where
-lordly Packards and lowly Fords wended east and
-west, between California and St Louis. Datil was
-nothing more than a frame store-hotel-post office.
-In the rear of the long building were sheds, relics
-of the days when the far ranchers came in on
-horseback, of the days when burros and bearded
-prospectors and unrestricted Indians roused talk
-of great and blood-stirring events.
-
-A mixed company lunched that day in the long
-dining room. Ross was too late for the first table,
-and he stood waiting in the adjoining room, smoking
-by the huge cobbled fireplace, talking with
-other men who had drifted along too late for the
-first serving.
-
-The talk struck upon Thady Shea and the huge
-joke of which Abel Dorales had been the victim.
-Ross listened and said nothing, as was his wont.
-He heard that Thady Shea had skipped the
-country; had, at any rate, not been found—must
-have gone over the Arizona line.
-
-“Too bad,” commented a sturdy rancher from
-Quemado way. “He must ha’ been a right strapping guy,
-eh? And what he done down to Zacaton,
-when Ben Aimes give him a drink—say, ain’t ye
-heard ’bout that? It’s sure rich!”
-
-The speaker recounted, with many added elaborations
-and details, the story of Thady Shea and
-his axe helve. Fred Ross listened in silence. Fred
-Ross thought of that heavy white crockery cup;
-reflectively, he rubbed his head above his ear, and
-grinned to himself. He was not the only one who
-had suffered for giving Thady Shea a drink, then!
-
-When the talk turned upon reprisals, Fred Ross
-listened with more attention. Charges had been
-sworn out against Shea, it appeared; they had
-been sworn out by that fool Aimes, but had later
-been withdrawn. Abel Dorales had seen to it
-that they had been withdrawn. Abel Dorales
-had come to Magdalena; there he had half killed
-three drunken miners who had ventured to taunt
-him, and for the same reason he had taken a blacksnake
-to a sheepman. Abel Dorales had given
-out that he, and he alone, intended to deal with
-Thady Shea whenever the latter was found. It
-was a personal matter, outside the law. This
-attitude met with general approval.
-
-“Not so bad!” reflected Fred Ross, as he
-passed in to his meal. “Not so bad! The law
-ain’t after him, anyhow. Now, if he’s let that
-demijohn alone to-day, I reckon he’s all right.
-Pretty tough on him, maybe, to leave him alone,
-but——”
-
-The ins and outs of the business transaction
-attempted by Dorales, the transaction concerning
-Number Sixteen, had, of course, not been made
-public. But the general gist of the matter was an
-open secret. The joke on Dorales was huge, and
-was immensely appreciated.
-
-The meal over, Ross went out to his car in order
-to get his tobacco. He idly observed that alongside
-his own flivver had been run another, a dust-white
-flivver with new tires. He paid no attention
-to it until he was drawn by the sound of a voice
-which he instantly recognized. He stood quiet,
-listening, looking toward the two figures on the
-far side of the dust-white flivver; they did not see
-him at all.
-
-“No’m,” said the voice which Ross had recognized.
-“No’m, I couldn’t get no work to Magdalena.
-Things is in a goshly-gorful state in the
-printing business! I done walked here, aiming to
-make for Saint Johns, over the Arizony line.
-Seein’s you’re headed that way, ma’am, if ye could
-give me a lift——”
-
-“Walked here, did ye?” cut in a voice strange
-to Ross. “Had any vittles?”
-
-“Not to speak of, ma’am. I’m busted.”
-
-“Well, you trot right in alongside o’ me. Hurry
-up, now—ain’t got much time to waste. My
-land, of all the fool men—and at your age! Hurry
-up.”
-
-The two figures departed toward the stirrup-high
-open flooring that formed a porch the length
-of the frame building. One was the figure of Dad
-Griffith. The other was the figure of a very large
-woman, harsh of features; she was clad in ragged
-but neat khaki, and beneath her chin were tied
-the strings of an old black bonnet. Against her
-wrinkled features glowed two bright-blue eyes
-with the brilliancy of living jewels, giving the lie
-to their surrounding tokens of age. She was
-unknown to Fred Ross.
-
-Filling his pipe, the homesteader sought out the
-store, and, with inevitable delays, set to work
-making his purchases. This was an occupation
-demanding ceremony. Other men were here on
-the same errand, and there was gossip of crops,
-land, and war to be swapped. This was the
-forum of the countryside, the agora of the scattered
-ranches.
-
-Thus it happened that by the time Ross went
-to his car with an armload of supplies old Dad
-Griffith had finished his meal and was lounging on
-the steps of the stirrup-high porch. He started
-up at sight of Ross, who paid no attention to him,
-and followed the rancher out to the car.
-
-“Hey!” he exclaimed, eagerly. “Where’s that
-there partner of mine?”
-
-Ross dumped his purchases into the car and
-turned. He desired only to be rid of this parasite,
-to be rid of him for good and all—and to rid
-Thady Shea of him.
-
-“He’s where you left him, old-timer—and where
-you’re not wanted.”
-
-“Is—is he all right?”
-
-“Sure. I fed him whiskey until he got well.
-He’s there now with a demijohn. I never seen a
-man able to swallow more red licker than that
-partner of yours! But you needn’t go showing
-your nose around there, savvy? He’s workin’ for
-me and you’re not wanted.”
-
-“You go to hell!” spluttered the wrathful
-ancient. “You goshly-gorful old ranch hand!
-That’s what you are!”
-
-Ross laughed, swung about to his flivver, and
-cranked up. He turned the car and vanished
-amid a trail of dust, leaving the ancient to sputter
-senile threats and curses. He accounted himself
-well rid of that old vagabond, in which he was
-quite right.
-
-It was late in the afternoon when Ross got
-home; the trail to his cañon from the county road
-was wretchedly rough. As he drove, he began
-to blame himself for having left Thady Shea all
-alone, throughout the day from sunrise to sunset,
-with that wicker demijohn. He began to think
-that he had stacked the cards too heavily. He
-began to think that his desire to test Thady Shea
-had been a mite too strong.
-
-He drove up to the shed, seeing no sign of his
-guest. The house, too, was deserted. Ross went
-straight to the corner cupboard and jerked open
-the door. The clean wicker demijohn was gone.
-It was not in the house.
-
-“Hell’s bells!” quoth Ross, savagely.
-
-He strode outside and scanned the vicinity.
-Nothing was in sight. The team was gone. He
-walked up the cañon, seeing that the lower flat was
-empty of life. At the turn he came in sight of
-the upper flat, and paused.
-
-The team was there; Thady Shea had been
-plowing. Thady Shea was there, too, but he was
-not plowing. He was standing at one corner of
-the flat beside a pile of brush. He was lifting
-something in his hand. It was the wicker demijohn.
-He set it on his arm and laid the mouth to
-his lips. Ross could see him drink, gulpingly.
-He drank long, avidly, until Ross swore in blank
-amazement that a man could drink thus; he drank
-as the sun-cracked earth drinks water.
-
-Ross strode forward. Thady Shea turned to
-meet him.
-
-“Hello, Ross! I was just knocking off work for
-the day. Drink?”
-
-Ross took the demijohn. He looked at Thady
-Shea with hard, bitter cold eyes. His eyes softened
-as he remembered his misgivings. After all,
-was it not his own fault? He lifted the demijohn
-on his arm and laid the mouth to his lips.
-
-“Hell!” He spluttered in stark surprise. He
-stared at the demijohn, stared at the smiling
-Thady Shea. “Hell! I thought——”
-
-Thady Shea laughed. It was a deep, sonorous
-laugh.
-
-“I couldn’t stand it, Ross,” he said. “That
-cursed jug was too much for me. So I emptied
-out the whiskey and filled it with water, and went
-to work. I’m sorry about the whiskey—I’ll pay
-you back.”
-
-“Damn the whiskey!” roared Fred Ross, delightedly,
-and wiped his lips. “Come on back
-to the shack and let’s eat!”
-
-For the first time in long days, the two men talked
-over their meal. They talked of the world outside,
-talked of ranch gossip, talked of the war and
-the government and the high price of wool.
-Ross meant to run some sheep up at the head of
-the cañon, and discoursed on the project at length.
-Not until their pipes were going, and the red afterglow
-was shrouding the fading day, did he mention
-what he had learned at Datil.
-
-“Heard something over to the hotel,” he mentioned,
-casually. “They were talking about you.
-It appears that Abel Dorales has called off the
-sheriff and withdrawn all charges agin’ you. He’s
-lookin’ for you his own self, I hear. Makin’ it a
-personal matter.”
-
-Thady Shea drew a deep breath. Nothing to
-fear from the law, then! The more personal
-menace of Abel Dorales he did not consider at all.
-
-“I’ll tell you what happened—if you don’t
-mind,” he said, diffidently. It was the first time,
-since that day when he had felled Ross with the
-cup, that personalities had been touched upon
-between them.
-
-He told his story. Ross made no comment
-whatever; in that story he perceived that Thady
-Shea was a queer, impulsive child, a man whose
-fear and reason were overruled by his impulses,
-a man whose primitive soul arose in a lonely
-grandeur of sincerity, of absolute and wonderful
-sincerity. Ross felt awed, as a man feels awed
-when confronted by the mystery of a child’s soul.
-
-The name of Mehitabel Crump meant nothing
-to the rancher; he had perhaps heard of her in past
-years, but had forgotten her name. When Thady
-Shea fell silent, Ross knocked the dottle from his
-pipe and filled it anew.
-
-“You watch out for Dorales,” he said. “I
-know him. He’s bad med’cine.”
-
-“So everyone says,” returned Shea, gravely
-serious. “I hadn’t found it so.”
-
-Ross seemed to discern humour in this, and
-chuckled. “Think ye’ll stay here, Shea? Glad
-to have ye.”
-
-“Unless something turns up—yes. I—well, I
-haven’t found that purpose we spoke about once.
-I’m trying hard. I’m trying to find it, to make
-it come, to figure out what I must do. Yet I seem
-all helpless, bewildered——”
-
-“I never heard of any one puttin’ a rush label
-on Providence, not with any success to mention,”
-said Ross, dryly. “You’re lookin’ so hard for
-something that you can’t find it. You’re too
-damn serious. About sixty, ain’t ye? Well, at
-sixty you’re goin’ through what ye should ha’ gone
-through at thirty or less. Limber up your joints
-an’ take it easier, pardner. Wait for what turns
-up, an’ remember God ain’t dealing from a cold
-deck.”
-
-Here was wisdom, and Thady Shea tried to
-accept it.
-
-Upon the following afternoon Thady Shea was
-laboriously plowing the upper flat. Down at the
-shack, Fred Ross was cleaning house. He was
-cleaning house in his own simple and thorough
-fashion. He took everything outside in the sun.
-Then he set to work with a bucket of suds and a
-broom, and scrubbed the walls, floor, and ceiling;
-he was figuring on papering the walls a little
-later. The result of this cleaning was damp but
-satisfactory.
-
-Having returned most of his belongings to their
-proper places, Ross was engaged in fitting together
-the iron bed. He heard the grinding roar of a car
-coming up the cañon trail in low gear, and went to
-the doorway. A dust-white flivver was approaching.
-As he watched, it came up to the shed and
-halted. There was but one person in the car.
-
-From the dust-white flivver alighted a tall,
-large woman clad in old but neat khaki, upon her
-head a black bonnet. With surprise, Ross recognized
-her; it was the woman whom he had seen at
-Datil the previous day. It was the woman who
-had bought Dad Griffith a meal, and who, presumably,
-had given the ancient a lift toward the
-Arizona line.
-
-She approached the doorway and transfixed
-Ross with keen, glittering blue eyes. Her look
-was one of unmistakable truculence, of hostility.
-
-“Your name Ross?” she demanded.
-
-“It is, ma’am,” he meekly answered. “Will——”
-
-“My name’s Mehitabel Crump, with a Mrs.
-for a handle,” she stated. “You got a man by
-the name o’ Shea workin’ here?”
-
-“Yes’m,” said Ross, staring. So this was the
-Mrs. Crump of whom Shea had spoken! “Yes’m.
-Will ye come in? I’ll go right up the cañon and
-fetch him——”
-
-“You shut up,” she snapped, harshly. “I aim
-to do my own fetchin’, and I aim to have a word
-with you here and now, stranger. I hear you been
-keepin’ Thady Shea filled up with booze.”
-
-Ross was staggered, not only by the amazing
-appearance of this woman here, but by her direct
-attack. She meant business, savage business, and
-showed it.
-
-Those last words, however, suggested an explanation
-to Ross. On the previous day he had
-given the ancient an “earful” about Thady Shea
-and the whiskey. This woman, who now turned
-out to be Shea’s friend Mrs. Crump, had given the
-ancient a ride westward. The connection was too
-obvious to miss.
-
-“You got all that dope from old Griffith, eh?”
-he said. “I was at Datil yesterday and seen you
-there. If I ever see that old fool Griffith again,
-I’ll poke a bullet through him!”
-
-“Then you ain’t real liable to do it,” said Mrs.
-Crump, grimly. “If that old vagabone told me
-the truth, I aim to put you where you won’t give
-whiskey to no more men. Now, hombre, speak up
-real soft and sudden! Did you give Thady Shea
-whiskey—or not?”
-
-In the blue eyes of Mrs. Crump was a look
-which Ross had not seen since the days of his boyhood.
-Even then he had seen it only once
-or twice, before the “killers” of the old
-days were put under sod. Knowing what caused
-that look, Ross laughed—but he laughed to
-himself.
-
-“Well,” he responded, gravely, “in a way it is
-true, ma’am. I sure did fill Shea with red licker,
-filled him plumb to the brim. And when I went to
-Datil yesterday, there was a jug two thirds full o’
-licker in that cupboard. When I come home las’
-night, ma’am, there wasn’t a single drop o’
-whiskey left. For a fact.”
-
-Try as he might, he could not keep the twinkle
-from his eye. That twinkle was something Mrs.
-Crump could not understand; it bade her go slow,
-be cautious. She knew her type of man animal,
-and that twinkle gave her covert warning not to
-make a fool of herself.
-
-“I’m goin’ to see him,” she declared, after
-compressing her lips and eying Fred Ross suspiciously.
-“If you’ve made a soak out o’ him,
-pilgrim Ross, I’m coming right back here and
-perforate you without no further warning. That
-goes as it lays—so ile up your gun.”
-
-She turned about and strode away, up the
-cañon. Once she glanced back, to see Ross
-standing where she had left him, and upon his face
-was a wide grin.
-
-CHAPTER XI—THADY SHEA DISCOVERS A PURPOSE
-=========================================
-
-“What in hell made you run off?” demanded
-Mrs. Crump in an aggrieved tone.
-
-“Well,” hesitated Thady Shea, “I
-figured I might get you into trouble with Mackintavers
-and his crowd; Dorales would be after me,
-you know. And then I wanted to make up for
-what I’d done. I wanted to go away and prove
-to myself that I could do something—without
-any one else helping me. It’s a little vague,
-but——”
-
-“Oh, I savvy,” finished Mrs. Crump for him.
-“My land, Thady! I been hunting you all over
-creation, but I never aimed to see you lookin’ like
-this—never!” Hands on her hips, she surveyed
-him with appraising, delighted eyes.
-
-As he stood there awkwardly beside the plow,
-Thady Shea did look unlike her last view of him.
-Also, he sounded different. They had talked at
-length, but in all their talk, in all his tale to date,
-he had not once broken into the rolling, rounded
-phrases which formerly he had so loved.
-
-He showed the lack of self-consciousness that
-was upon him. It was not the bristly beard
-which had wrought the change, although this
-disguised him startlingly. Perhaps it was the
-gruelling work which he had been doing of late,
-with its effects.
-
-In this man of fifty-eight there showed a strange
-boyishness. He was no longer gaunt and haggard.
-True, there was a haunting gentleness, a sadness,
-in his eyes, but it was the sadness of time past, not
-of the present. His look, his manner, had taken
-on a definite personality. No longer was he
-Thaddeus Roscius, the actor who fitted himself
-into the characters of other men; Montalembert
-was dead and here stood Thady Shea, man of his
-hands; one whose eyes met the world honestly and
-earnestly, with wide questioning, with a balanced
-poise and surety in self.
-
-“My land!” pursued Mrs. Crump, meditatively.
-“When I think of the knock-kneed, blear-eyed
-critter I found layin’ up above the Bajada grade,
-I can’t hardly recognize ye, Thady! Ye look’s if
-ye’d got used to leaning on yourself. Want to
-come back to Number Sixteen with me?”
-
-Shea frowned in perplexity. His eyes were
-serious. He had set forth all that had happened
-to him, all that he had done; Mrs. Crump had
-given him no blame, but in her eyes had shone
-pride and praise.
-
-“I—I don’t know,” he said, slowly. “I’m
-looking for a purpose in life. I’m trying to find
-something definite. It’s so long since I’ve had
-anything definite! These twenty years, and more,
-there has seemed to be a knot gripped about my
-soul, somewhere—stifling me. I don’t seem
-to——”
-
-“No need for all that,” said Mrs. Crump,
-impatiently. “You’re rich now.”
-
-Shea’s eyes widened. “You mean—the mine?”
-
-“No, I don’t. That mine is a humdinger, or
-will be once it gets started to paying. I got
-Lewis an’ Gilbert workin’ there now, they bein’ out
-o’ jail and shut o’ that old charge. No, Thady; I
-mean the ten thousand we screwed out o’ that
-skunk Mackintavers.”
-
-Shea looked blank. “Ten thousand? I don’t
-understand.”
-
-Mrs. Crump sighed in resignation, and set herself
-to explain.
-
-“It was a right smart trick to indorse that
-check Dorales had made ready for ye—’bout the
-smartest thing I ever knowed ye to do, Thady. I
-takes that check and lights out and cashes it ’fore
-old Mackintavers heard what had happened to
-Dorales. The money’s in your name, down to the
-First National at Silver City; I ain’t touched it.”
-
-She fumbled in her bosom and produced a
-folded check book.
-
-“Here’s the check book they give me, all proper.
-Sign your checks the same way ye indorsed that
-one, savvy? I turned in the note ye left me at the
-shack, with your signature on it, to the bank.”
-
-She broke off. She came to a faltering but decided
-halt.
-
-For, as she had spoken, a queer look had stolen
-across the beard-blurred features of Thady Shea,
-and had settled there. It was such a look as
-she had never previously seen upon his face. It
-was a look of incredulous wonder, of grief, of
-dismay.
-
-The personal equation in that look silenced and
-startled Mrs. Crump. It conveyed to her that she
-must have said some terrible thing, something
-which had shocked Thady Shea beyond words,
-something which had struck and hurt him like a
-blow. She rapidly thought back—no, she had not
-even sworn!
-
-“What the devil ails ye?” she demanded.
-
-“Why—why—that check!” blurted Shea. He
-drew back from the check book which she was
-extending to him. His eyes were wide, fixed. “I
-never meant it—that way! I never dreamed you’d
-do anything with it. I left it there with the other
-paper to show you what Dorales had been up to.”
-
-Mrs. Crump laughed suddenly.
-
-“Oh, then I gave ye too much credit? Never
-mind, Thady——”
-
-“You don’t understand!” In his voice was a
-harsh note, a note of pain. “Don’t you realize
-what you’ve done? That money—why, it’s
-stolen! It’ll have to go back to Mackintavers!
-It isn’t ours.”
-
-For the first time in many years Mehitabel
-Crump was shocked into immobile silence. She
-was absolutely petrified. She could not believe
-the words she heard.
-
-“You didn’t look at it that way, of course,”
-added Shea hastily. Earnestness grew upon
-him, and deep conviction. “But it’s true. If it
-were ten cents or ten dollars, it might not matter.
-But—ten thousand dollars! It must go
-back.”
-
-The blue eyes of Mrs. Crump hardened like
-agates. Her mouth clenched grimly. Her wrinkled
-features tightened into fighting lines. She
-was dumbly amazed that the magnitude of the
-sum did not appeal to Thady Shea’s cupidity; but
-she was vigorously and fiercely determined that
-the money was to be his. It was not for herself
-that she wanted it.
-
-When she made answer, it was with a virile
-insistence that drove home every word like a
-blow.
-
-“You got no call to insult me, Thady Shea, by
-callin’ me a thief; mind that! Are you crazy or
-just plain fool? Mackintavers an’ Dorales comes
-along thinking to trim us right and proper, like
-they done by other poor folks, thinking to rob a
-lone widder woman, thinking to fool you into
-robbing me. That there check for ten thousand
-was the jackpot. Mackintavers signed it as such,
-knowin’ it to be such, stakin’ it agin’ Number
-Sixteen to win or lose. You didn’t know that the
-prop’ty was recorded in your name—but he
-knew!
-
-“He lost, and you can bet he ain’t said nothing
-about losing them table stakes! What call you
-got to beef about winning that bet? It’s plumb
-legal, cashed at a bank, sanctified by Sandy hisself
-over the phone. You’d be a fool not to take
-money after you’d won it in a game like that! If
-ye want——”
-
-For the second time Mrs. Crump came to a
-decided and bewildered halt.
-
-She was entirely convinced that to take the
-money was legitimate; she was convinced that it
-had been lawfully won, that Thady Shea was
-actually entitled to it. She had chuckled over the
-coup a hundred times. She had chuckled a
-hundred times over the grimly delightful irony of
-cashing that check, of giving Mackintavers a
-counter-thrust that he would remember. Yet,
-although she was presenting her argument with
-entire conviction, she was conscious that it was
-like presenting her argument in the face of a stone
-wall.
-
-Somehow Thady Shea was ignoring her argument.
-Its point seemed quite lost upon him. He
-stood before her, flinty, untouched, unheeding.
-The slight glint of scorn in his eye, real or fancied,
-flicked Mrs. Crump on the raw; it lashed her into
-real and unassumed anger.
-
-“All that is quite true,” he said. In his manner
-was a gentleness, a frightful gentleness, a gentleness
-so entire and calm that it was hideous. One
-would have said that he was speaking to a little
-child.
-
-“All that is true, Mrs. Crump. Of course
-your intentions were whole-souled and generous,
-and from your viewpoint the action was justified.
-I didn’t mean to call you a thief, heaven knows! I
-didn’t mean any such thing.
-
-“But—the money was to be given in exchange
-for something. The exchange did not take place.
-Therefore, to keep the money would be theft.
-That is the way I look at it. That is all I can see
-to it—all! The money must go back.”
-
-There was a terrible simplicity in the man’s
-face, in the words he used, in the argument he
-used. It was a simplicity which nothing could
-change. It was a simplicity above all argument
-or question. It was a simplicity that stood up
-like a gray naked rock. Against this implacable
-front Mrs. Crump was impotent and knew
-it.
-
-Thady Shea reached out and took the check
-book from her hand. He opened it. He stripped
-one check from the book and placed this check in
-his pocket. Then he took the check book, tore it
-across, and flung the pieces away. He did it
-casually, impatiently, carelessly.
-
-Now, to tear a check book across is not an easy
-thing. To do it carelessly, casually, is a most
-unusual and significant thing. It jerked at
-Mrs. Crump’s attention. She wondered just how
-strong Thady Shea was. Yet, the thought that
-the one check in Shea’s pocket was destined for
-Mackintavers fired the anger within her, and
-fanned the flame. She could deal gently, pityingly,
-with a weak man. With a strong man,
-strong as Thady Shea was strong, she had but one
-argument.
-
-“I’ll write out that check——” began Shea.
-
-“You’re a coward!” said Mrs. Crump, savagely.
-She knew the words were fearfully unjust, but they
-rose within her and she said them. The thought
-that Mackintavers would deem her weak and silly
-enough to return that money maddened her.
-“You’re a coward!”
-
-She leaned forward and struck him in the
-mouth. She struck a man’s blow, a full, hard-fisted,
-strong blow, a blow that might have felled
-another man than Thady Shea. Under it he
-reeled. Then he came upright and stood motionless,
-looking at her. He did not speak. Slowly
-he lifted his hand to his mouth, and his eyes
-shifted to the red smear upon his hand. Then his
-gaze went again to her face.
-
-Under his look, Mrs. Crump shivered a little.
-The anger went out of her suddenly and utterly.
-Before his calm, hurt strength she recoiled. Her
-brittle, false hardness was broken and shattered.
-He did not speak, and his silence frightened her.
-She went to pieces.
-
-“Thady!” The words came from her in a
-breath, a groan. Her burning blue eyes were gone
-dull and lifeless, dumb with misery, as she realized
-what she had just done. “Oh, Thady! I—Heaven
-forgive me, Thady, I didn’t mean to do
-it. I wanted you to have that money.”
-
-“I wonder if you really think I’m a coward?”
-said Shea, curiously calm. “I am one, of course,
-but I don’t see how a desire for justice can be
-cowardly.”
-
-“I don’t!” she burst forth impetuously, passionately.
-“Thady, I’m sorry—I never meant it; it
-didn’t come from the heart, Thady! I’m an old
-fool of a woman, that’s what I am. An old fool
-of a woman! Don’t look at me that way; I tell ye
-I can’t stand it—it’s awful! I’m sorry for it,
-bitter sorry.”
-
-“I’m sorry, too,” said Shea, simply. “Listen to
-me, now. You’ve given me something real; a
-purpose. Maybe Ross was right. Maybe I had
-to wait till it came to me. Now I’m going to find
-Mackintavers and give him his money, make
-things right. I may be a coward in physical
-things, but——”
-
-“Don’t talk that way!” she broke in, harshly.
-“Thady, I’m sorry. Come back to the mine with
-me; forget this foolishness. I’m a fool of an old
-woman, that’s all. I need ye at the mine, Thady.”
-
-He smiled a little. “Do you really mean it,
-Mrs. Crump? May I come back—after I have
-seen Mackintavers?”
-
-“Come now! Don’t go chasing off like a
-dratted mule. Come back with me now!”
-
-“No.” Shea looked away from her. He motioned
-toward the horses, their tails switching in
-the arrogant sunlight. He motioned toward the
-half-plowed field. “I’ll finish this job first.
-Then, in a few days, I’ll go and see Mackintavers.
-You see? I have to do it. The purpose has come
-to me; maybe it’ll lead into something else. I
-don’t know. After that, I’ll come back to Number
-Sixteen and go to work, if you still want
-me.”
-
-“Yes,” she said, humbly. “I’ll need ye, Thady.
-I’m sorry ye won’t come now.”
-
-She turned from him and walked down the
-cañon. Around the bend, out of Shea’s sight, she
-leaned against a bowlder. She was a woman, and
-God has given tears to women. Great sobs shook
-her for the first time in years. Passionate sobs
-were they, holding the pent-up emotion of a deep
-spirit that had broken through its mask of cynic
-harshness.
-
-Presently Mrs. Crump recalled that, although
-she was beyond the sight of Thady Shea, she was
-in full view of the distant shack. Muttering that
-she was a dratted old fool, she wiped her eyes.
-She tucked in loosened wisps of hair about the
-edge of her bonnet. She pulled her bonnet
-straight and started for the dust-white flivver,
-beyond the shack.
-
-Mrs. Crump found Fred Ross cheerfully
-whistling “Silver Threads Among the Gold” and
-finishing his house-cleaning.
-
-“That there Thady Shea,” she stated, harshly,
-“is the most amazing human critter I’ve ever run
-up against!”
-
-Ross grinned amiably. “Meaning, ma’am?”
-
-“Meaning you can figger it out for yourself.
-Adios!”
-
-“Hold on, ma’am. Ain’t you goin’ to set a
-while?”
-
-“I am not. I got work to do. So long, and
-good luck to ye!”
-
-Ross insisted upon cranking the dust-white
-flivver, and she departed with no more words.
-
-An hour later Thady Shea brought in the
-horses, and put them up for the night. He came
-into the house and helped Ross get supper. He
-commented on the house-cleaning with admiration.
-He discussed, from an amateur’s standpoint,
-fencing the upper end of the cañon against the
-proposed flock of sheep. He seemed to enjoy his
-supper hugely.
-
-The meal over, both men lounged outside,
-smoking and watching the crimsoned peaks that
-overhung them.
-
-“Mrs. Crump,” observed Shea at last, “is the
-most generous, whole-souled woman I ever knew.
-She’s a wonder, Ross!”
-
-“She is,” assented the rancher, dryly. “I
-suppose you’re goin’ to leave me?”
-
-“Yes,” said Shea, gravely. “After that upper
-flat is plowed.”
-
-“Tell you what. Wait till Sunday. I’m goin’
-to Magdalena then, to see a lady friend. Take
-ye in the car if you’re goin’ that way. Then I’ll
-pay you—got to give you something for the work,
-Shea. So go to Magdalena with me Sunday.”
-
-“Mackintavers’ ranch lies over there, doesn’t
-it?”
-
-“North. Yes.”
-
-“All right. That’ll suit me.”
-
-CHAPTER XII—THE STONE GODS VANISH
-=================================
-
-The loss of ten thousand dollars was not a
-negligible matter, even to Sandy Mackintavers,
-who was accustomed to gambling on
-a large scale. Like a good gamester, he swallowed
-the bitter pill and said nothing. However, the loss
-left a scar which, contrary to the custom of scars,
-grew more red and angry with each passing week.
-
-The realization that he had been outwitted and
-outgamed by the despised Mehitabel Crump was
-bad enough; the actual monetary loss made itself
-more gradually felt. However, Mackintavers
-knew that he would recoup tenfold once his hands
-gripped Number Sixteen. So, by means of
-various reports from Eastern sources, he discovered
-that Coravel Tio, the curio dealer of
-Santa Fé, was negotiating for the sale of the property,
-and held an interest in the mine. Over this,
-Mackintavers laughed long and loud—and perfected
-his plans for taking over Number Sixteen.
-
-In the meantime, he gave his attention to the
-seven stone gods and his scientific reputation.
-
-His ranch house was a roomy, comfortable
-place; one half was inhabited by Old Man Durfee,
-who ran the ranch, and the other half was inhabited
-by Sandy and his frequent guests. At the
-present moment he had three guests besides Abel
-Dorales. Two were withered, wrinkled old bucks
-from the Cochiti pueblo, and these were quartered
-in the bunk house a half mile distant, by the
-corrals. The third was the eminent archæologist
-previously mentioned, who had arrived to witness
-the establishment of Sandy as a scientist.
-
-“To-morrow is the big day, eh?” Sandy Mackintavers
-spread his square bulk to the blaze in the
-big library fireplace, and surveyed his scientific
-guest with complacent expectation. “Dorales is
-goin’ to bring them bucks up here. We’ll have the
-little gods all ready, then we’ll see what happens.”
-
-He glanced at the wide mantel whereon sat seven
-worn stone images, grinning widely over the room.
-
-“You’ve not coached them, of course?” demanded
-the wary scientist. “If they had an
-inkling of what you wanted, they’d say anything
-to please you.”
-
-“Huh!” snorted Mackintavers with honest
-indignation. “I should say not! Surprise is the
-thing, professor. Aiblins, now, I’ll explain to ye
-the system we’ve invented to make these Cochiti
-bucks talk—but first, take a look at this. I’m
-coming fast, eh? Aiblins, in another year or two
-I’ll be having a world-wide reputation, eh? Just
-look at this, now.”
-
-He handed the scientist a letter. Now, Mackintavers
-himself could not read that letter; but it had
-been translated for him, and he was inordinately
-proud of it.
-
-The scientist glanced at the letter-head above, a
-large and flaunting letter-head of the *Société
-Académique*, and below, in very small letters, the
-remainder of the legend: *d’ethnologie Amerique*.
-In other words, not particularly good French,
-denoting the Academic Society of American
-Ethnology, of Paris.
-
-The eminent scientist repressed the smile that
-rose to his lips. It was obvious that Sandy,
-keenly canny in most things, was highly susceptible
-to this sort of flattery.
-
-“I’m sending for their gold medal,” went on the
-speaker. “Costs about fifteen bucks, but I guess
-it’ll be worth it when the papers write me up, eh?
-They sent along an engraved parchment to show
-I’m a member. Some day I’ll go to Paris and
-visit ’em.”
-
-The eminent scientist, who knew all the ins and
-outs of that game, did not spoil poor Sandy’s
-dream by any intrusion of cold and hard facts.
-Instead, he reflected to himself upon the odd
-twists and quirks of character, which would bring
-such a man as Sandy Mackintavers into the toils
-of a vain ambition, and into the nets of smooth
-sharpers who knew well how to flatter the American
-ignoramus into parting with his dollars.
-
-Cordial and warm was Sandy Mackintavers that
-evening, expanding under the genial thought of
-what was to happen on the morrow, and making
-himself a wondrous fine host. He told how Abel
-Dorales had secured an interpreter, had approached
-two withered, wrinkled old Cochiti bucks who
-loved round silver dollars, and had brought them
-here upon specious pretexts. He told how, on the
-following morning, those two withered, wrinkled
-Cochiti bucks were to be left for an hour in this
-same room, alone with the seven stone gods on the
-mantel and a whiskey bottle on the table; and he
-told how a dictagraph, already concealed and in
-readiness, would be waiting for them.
-
-Being presumably alone, being mellowed by one
-or two stolen drinks, being in the amazing presence
-of those seven stone gods, the two withered,
-wrinkled old Cochiti bucks would most unquestionably
-talk to each other in their own language.
-Later, the dictagraph record could be translated.
-
-It never occurred to Sandy that the entire
-Cochiti pueblo might have been aware that he
-was in possession of these seven stone gods almost
-from the very day he obtained them. Sandy had
-picked up some knowledge about the relics of
-dead redskins; but he had a good deal to learn
-about Indians in the flesh.
-
-So the morning came—the morning that was to
-bring about the satisfaction of ambition. Abel
-Dorales left the breakfast table in order to bring
-the two withered, wrinkled old Cochiti bucks.
-Mackintavers drew the eminent scientist into the
-library for a last look at the preparations—ah!
-
-“It might be an excellent idea,” said the
-professor, dryly, “to set your stone gods in place,
-Mr. Mackintavers.”
-
-“Aiblins, yes!” And Mackintavers stared
-blankly at the mantel. “Where the devil have
-they gone? They were here last night!”
-
-That the seven stone gods had sat, grinning,
-upon the mantel only the evening previous, was
-true; but they were not on the mantel now. They
-were not in the room. They were not in the ranch
-house at all!
-
-Curious to incoherence, suspecting everyone
-around him, Sandy Mackintavers sought an
-explanation. He obtained none. The two
-wrinkled, withered old bucks had been in the bunk
-house all night. Every man about the place
-established a convincing alibi.
-
-Every building upon the place was searched from
-ground to rafters, without avail. Noon came, and
-Mackintavers had relapsed into a dour, grim rage.
-At this juncture, the old Chinaman who served as
-cook related that, while emptying the slops the
-previous evening, he had seen a strange horseman
-down near the creek. He could give no description.
-
-“Stolen!” howled Sandy, beside himself with
-fury. “Out and after him!”
-
-Now ensued confusion great and dire. Every
-man on the ranch, except the cook and Abel
-Dorales and the eminent scientist, shared the
-general exodus. Dorales openly expressed profound
-disgust for gods, for Mackintavers, and for
-the whole accursed business; having assumed
-responsibility for the safe return of the two
-wrinkled, withered old Cochiti bucks, he loaded
-them into the ranch flivver and set out for Socorro
-and the main line of the railroad. Sandy and Old
-Man Durfee were gone with the big car.
-
-The professor, left alone, secured a volume of
-scientific reports and settled himself in comfort on
-the wide, screened veranda. The noon meal had
-not been pleasant. The afternoon was hot and
-dusty. Presently the scientific gentleman slept.
-
-Just when his slumbers had deepened into
-snoring somnolence, the archæologist was aroused
-by a sonorous bass voice that boomed like a bell.
-Startled, he sat up. He first visualized a buckboard
-close at hand, within a dozen feet of the
-veranda—a strange thing, for he well knew that
-natives of the country would have driven their
-teams to the corrals. Upon the seat of the buckboard
-was a suitcase.
-
-It was a small wicker suitcase, a battered little
-yellow suitcase with loose ends of wicker torn and
-protruding from its faded surface; it was a suitcase
-manifestly third or fourth-hand, cheap in the
-first place, and now absolutely contemptible. It
-looked more like a lunch basket than a suitcase.
-
-Then the professor was aware of a tall man, a
-large, shaggy-bearded man, who stood at the
-screen door of the veranda and spoke in sonorous
-accents.
-
-“Sir, it grieves me thus to break your slumber,
-but I am searching with such power as lies within
-my soul for one named Mackintavers. I charge
-you, if you be fair Scotia’s son and him whom I do
-seek, declare yourself!”
-
-“Bless my soul!” exclaimed the scientist.
-“Do I gather that you are looking for Mr. Mackintavers?”
-
-“Such indeed are my intent and purpose,”
-declaimed Thady Shea.
-
-“He’s gone. Everyone’s gone.” The professor
-inspected this specimen of humanity with
-swiftly growing interest. “They’ll be back presently;
-things are a bit upset. Won’t you come in?
-Better take your team over to the corrals.”
-
-The scientist rose and introduced himself.
-Thady Shea solemnly gave his abbreviated cognomen
-and stated that, since he had hired the team
-at Magdalena and expected to return almost at
-once, the horses could stay where they were. He
-then entered the screen veranda, shook hands, and
-with a sigh sat himself down.
-
-Mackintavers gone! It upset all his calculations.
-However, he soon found himself engaged in
-sprightly discourse.
-
-Lemonade and cigars made an incongruous
-accompaniment. This entire situation, in fact,
-was the most incongruous the professor had ever
-experienced. He could not make out whether
-Thady Shea were here as a guest or as an
-enemy, as a chance caller, or as a business acquaintance.
-Thady Shea kept a tight mouth on
-some things.
-
-“You’d better take those horses into the shade,”
-reiterated the professor at length. “And that
-suitcase of yours—why, the sun will broil it!”
-
-Thady Shea smiled slightly.
-
-“I perceive dust upon the horizon,” he said,
-gesturing toward the road, “which doth to my
-mind betoken the speedy return of our host, and
-the conclusion of my business. As for the suitcase,
-sir, therein lie food for musing!”
-
-“What’s in it then?” The professor chuckled.
-“A set of Shakespeare?”
-
-“Nay, sir, of its contents I am ignorant.”
-
-Thady Shea eyed the approaching dust cloud,
-which might give birth either to Mackintavers or
-to Abel Dorales. In his own fashion, he proceeded
-to tell his companion how he had acquired that
-suitcase, two hours previously, and while on his
-way here.
-
-He had encountered a horse, saddled and bridled
-and still alive, lying in the road with a broken
-leg. Of the rider, there had been no sign. A
-little distance farther on Shea had come upon
-this battered little suitcase lying in the dust.
-Whether the suitcase appertained to the vanished
-horseman could not be told. There had been
-some sort of accident, yet there was no human
-being in evidence. All this upon the main highway.
-
-“Did you notice the brand on the animal, or
-anything which might identify it?” queried the
-professor, who was well versed in the ways of the
-country.
-
-Thady Shea had learned enough, also, to notice
-a few such things. The brand was a queer mark,
-a queer zig-zag which to him meant nothing.
-The animal’s saddle blanket had been an Indian
-rug, woven for such use. The bridle had also been
-woven. Upon the suitcase, however, there was
-no mark of ownership.
-
-“H’m! Sounds like a Navaho brand,” commented
-the professor, sagely.
-
-At this point, Thady Shea rose and abruptly
-closed the discussion. The approaching automobile
-had drawn up.
-
-From the car alighted Sandy Mackintavers,
-who stood for a moment staring at the buckboard;
-Old Man Durfee went on with the car to the
-garage, in the rear of the ranch house. Thady
-Shea did not need the professor’s vouchsafed
-admonition to know who this square-hewn man
-was, this man with the square jaw and mouth and
-figure, this man who turned from the buckboard
-and came dourly up to the veranda.
-
-“Who’s here?” Mackintavers stood in the
-screen doorway.
-
-“You’re Mr. Mackintavers?” Theatricalisms
-fell away from Thady Shea. He fumbled in his
-pocket. He produced the check which he had
-previously filled out. He extended it. “This
-belongs to you, I think. There was some mistake
-in the matter. Your check was cashed through a
-misapprehension.”
-
-Mackintavers swept Thady Shea with keen,
-puzzled eyes; then he glanced at the check.
-
-His square mouth contracted slightly at the
-corners. Otherwise, not a muscle moved in his
-face. After an instant he folded the check and
-glanced up at the professor.
-
-“No luck with the thief,” he said, curtly.
-“That is, unless some of the boys bring in news.
-There was an accident on the Magdalena trail this
-morning—a fool Navaho buck was hit by the
-flivver from Doniphan’s ranch. Knocked him
-and his cayuse to glory. I thought for a time he
-was our man, but telephoned into town from
-Doniphan’s and found otherwise. Took a look
-at the horse to make sure. Nothing doing.”
-
-His eyes went back to Thady Shea. He held
-open the door and gestured.
-
-“You’re Shea, eh? Come on into the office,
-will you? Excuse me, professor.”
-
-Shea followed his enemy host into the house, and
-into a small room which served Mackintavers as
-office and study. Sandy dropped into a chair,
-motioned Shea to another, and set out a box of
-cigars.
-
-This greeting left Thady Shea entirely at sea.
-Mackintavers did not seem to be infuriated; he
-seemed to understand perfectly all about the
-check. He seemed alert, precise, cold-blooded, as
-though this were some ordinary business deal.
-
-“So you’re Shea!” he repeated. “Aiblins,
-now—ye look it. Friend o’ Mrs. Crump, eh?”
-
-“I am.” Thady Shea began to feel sorry that
-he had come inside.
-
-“How come you’re turning back that money?
-The old lady feelin’ her conscience?”
-
-“I told you, sir, that there had been an error.
-When the mistake was brought to my attention, I
-posted straightway hither, seeking you; the money
-was not mine to store away; reparation was
-incumbent on me.”
-
-“What the hell!” muttered Sandy, with a touch
-of wonder.
-
-Mackintavers knew men. He could read men
-at a glance, but Thady Shea was slightly beyond
-his visual acuity. None the less, he came fairly
-close to the mark in that he adjudged Shea to be
-of a simple and wonderful honesty, a man of
-fundamental virtue. Sandy took for granted that
-Thady Shea was mentally unbalanced; a theory
-which would explain this amazing refund, and also
-the wild stories which were current about the man.
-
-“I hear you own that claim Mrs. Crump is
-workin’, Shea.”
-
-“No. It belongs to her.” Thady Shea rose
-to his feet. “We need not prolong this——”
-
-“Oh, don’t be in a rush!” soothed Mackintavers,
-cordially. “Now, I’ll have your team
-attended to, and you’d better stay overnight with
-us, eh? We’ll have a talk, and we’ll get squared
-up on the trouble between you and Dorales——”
-
-Thady Shea looked down at him. Under those
-eyes Mackintavers fell silent.
-
-“Sir, you are an infernal villain,” said Thady
-Shea calmly. “I want none of your hospitality.
-There is no trouble whatever, save in your own
-greed and covetous rapacity. You are an arrant
-rogue, a caitiff vile; there can be naught between
-us. Sir, farewell!”
-
-Thady Shea strode from the room and slammed
-the door after him.
-
-Sandy Mackintavers sat motionless, completely
-astounded by this outburst. He looked down at
-the check in his hand, then looked out the window;
-he could see Thady Shea climbing into the buckboard
-and driving off.
-
-“Aiblins, yes; the man’s mad!” he reflected.
-A slow chuckle came to his lips. “And to think
-I never so much as said thank’ee! If the check’s
-good, now—h’m! Better find out about it. A
-fool, that’s what the fellow is. A loose-brained
-fool.”
-
-He sought the telephone and spoke with the
-Silver City bank. The check was good.
-
-Later in the afternoon came the first word of the
-actual thief who had made off with the seven
-stone gods. One of the men brought in a report
-that he had found signs of a camp on the creek
-a mile distant. Mackintavers and Old Man
-Durfee went out to investigate. They were good
-at reading signs; they discovered that a man had
-spent the previous night in this spot, and that he
-had presumably been an Indian. The tracks of
-his unshod horse showed a cracked off hind hoof.
-A few tiny shreds of gray wool showed where his
-saddle blanket had been laid.
-
-Over the supper table that evening Sandy Mackintavers
-recounted these results to the archæologist.
-Abel Dorales had not yet returned from Socorro.
-
-“The gods are gone, professor,” he stated,
-disconsolately. “Clean gone! Aye. D’ye see,
-the thief, that fellow camped by the creek, was the
-same Indian who got wiped out by Doniphan’s
-flivver this morning! The same, aye. That
-saddle blanket was gray, and that horse had the
-off hind foot cracked. Aye. The Navaho dog
-was the thief. And now the gods are clean gone!
-There was no sign of ’em about the horse, and the
-man himself had nothing. But he took ’em,
-right enough.”
-
-The professor glanced up, roused from his
-abstraction.
-
-“That’s queer!” he ejaculated. Excitement
-rapidly grew upon him. “Look here, Mackintavers!
-The man who was here this afternoon, the
-man Shea—did you notice that queer little grip on
-his buckboard? He told me he had picked up that
-grip near the crippled horse, and he did not know
-what was in it!”
-
-Just then Abel Dorales returned, to find that
-Thady Shea had come and gone.
-
-Thirty minutes later Mackintavers and Dorales
-were on their way to Magdalena in the big car;
-Mackintavers was after the seven stone gods, and
-Dorales was after Thady Shea.
-
-CHAPTER XIII—THADY SHEA STARTS HOME
-===================================
-
-In the early evening Thady Shea reached
-Magdalena. He turned in his team and
-buckboard to the livery stable, paid for its use
-from the money given him by Fred Ross, and with
-the little suitcase in his hand left the stable office.
-The first person he encountered was Fred Ross.
-
-“Hello!” said Ross, grinning. “Thought maybe
-you’d show up this evenin’, so I hung around.
-How’s tricks?”
-
-“Fine,” answered Shea, delightedly. “I’m
-hungry.”
-
-“So’m I. Let’s eat. I got a friend waitin’ to
-meet ye—he’s leavin’ to-night.”
-
-Shea gladly followed to the Hotel Aragon. He
-was to-night blissfully happy. For the first time
-in years he felt like a boy. It was as though the
-reparation made to Mackintavers, and the brief
-but emphatic expression of his own mind to
-Mackintavers, had wiped away all past things.
-Atonement was over and done with. He was free
-to go where he would.
-
-From one of the rocking-chairs in the long,
-narrow lobby of the hotel arose a man of girth and
-twinkling of eye, who came to meet them. Him
-Ross briefly introduced as Bill Murray, and urged
-haste in reaching the dining room. Thady Shea
-left the battered little yellow suitcase on the hat
-rack beside the dining-room doors, which were
-just about to close, and the three men hastily
-entered the nearly empty room.
-
-Fred Ross had known nothing definite about
-Thady Shea’s business with Mackintavers, but
-possibly he had conjectured a good deal. He was
-plainly much relieved to see his friend safely back.
-
-“Bill’s running a newspaper over to St. Johns,”
-he confided, when the meal was under way.
-“He’d heard about you, Shea, and was kind o’ set
-on meeting you. Wants to get the straight o’
-that yarn about you and Dorales. He got laid up
-here with a busted steering gear, and aimed to go
-home to-day, but waited over. Now he’s goin’
-back to-night, so he says. It sure beats all how a
-fellow gets in a hell of a hurry just when other
-folks want him to loaf around a spell!”
-
-Murray tipped Thady Shea a jovial wink.
-
-“Fred ain’t lonesome, much,” he said, wheezily.
-“Got a girl here. Fred reckons that the more he
-talks about stayin’, the more I’ll be set on goin’—which
-is the same true. Human nature is ornery
-as the devil, ain’t it now? Well, I s’pose you
-ain’t picked up any news to-day, Shea?”
-
-“I have, sir,” intoned Thady, “an item of
-importance. A striped Indian, of name unknown, was
-overcome by dire fatality this morn.
-Upon the road Death ambushed him, and maimed
-his faithful steed, and laid him low. An automobile—mark
-the irony!—became the instrument
-of darkling fate, and brought to this poor aborigine
-the end of all things, and the close of life.”
-
-Bill Murray stared open-mouthed, as did most
-people who heard Thady’s sonorously rolling accents
-for the first time. Then he emitted a
-wheezy chuckle.
-
-“Oh! You mean the Injun buck that got
-straddled by Doniphan’s flivver! Heard all about
-him to-day. He’s layin’ over to the funeral
-parlours now. Some of his tribe’s in town, and
-they made Doniphan give him a real burial. Joke
-on Doniphan, ain’t it?”
-
-“And,” pursued Thady, “at Mackintavers’
-ranch this afternoon I gathered there had been a
-robbery. What worldly pelf was taken, I know
-not, but dread confusion reigned upon the place.”
-
-“Gosh!” Bill Murray started up from his
-chair. “Say—that’s red-hot news, Shea! Don’t
-tell any one else around here. I’ll run out and
-phone the ranch. Got to run off my paper to-morrow
-night; I’ll pull some o’ that plate off the
-front page and run this in a box. Whee! Back in
-a minute!”
-
-Bill Murray departed like a genial cyclone.
-
-Now Thady Shea told about that battered little
-suitcase. He was not sure what should be done
-with the thing, and asked the advice of Fred Ross.
-He had not opened the suitcase; ever since finding
-it, he had been on the go. Besides, the suitcase
-was locked, and Thady hesitated to smash it
-open.
-
-“Likely it was bounced off some ranch car or
-buckboard,” deduced Ross. “Belong to that
-dead Injun? No chance. None whatever! You
-never seen an Injun with one o’ them things, and
-anyhow, no Injun riding hossback would tote a
-suitcase along. No, none whatever! And that
-grip wasn’t made to tie on a saddle, neither.
-Reckon you’d better look inside, and if there ain’t
-any indication of the owner, then read the papers
-for an ad. Well, what ye going to do? Will ye
-come back to the ranch with me?”
-
-Thady Shea did not know what he wanted to do.
-He wondered if he had fulfilled his extremely vague
-ideas of wandering and making good in the world.
-In a sense, he had done so. He realized it now,
-just as he realized that it is very difficult to view
-one’s own immediate self and environment with
-any degree of cool detachment.
-
-As to Mackintavers, as to any peril which he
-himself might bring upon Mrs. Crump, Thady
-Shea had long since abandoned that nebulous idea.
-He had met Mackintavers, and feared him no
-longer. Of Dorales he did not think particularly.
-
-He had no great desire to return to the Ross
-ranch. Try as he would, he could see no purpose
-ahead of him save in the one place—Number
-Sixteen. All that held him back was that strange
-feeling in his soul, a feeling that had been there
-twenty years and more; a feeling as though something
-were knotted somewhere about his soul,
-stifling him. What use to return to Mrs. Crump?
-Still, there was the only purpose he could see.
-
-He had conquered the old enemy; of this he felt
-certain. Temptations would come, of course.
-Temptations were bound to come; they came at
-odd intervals; they came here in this hotel dining
-room, where he could catch some vagrant odour
-of whiskey from an indefinable source. Yet they
-would not overcome him anew, he was confident.
-
-“I think,” he said, slowly, staring at the tablecloth,
-“I think I’d better head for Mrs. Crump’s
-mine, Ross.”
-
-There was that in his voice which admitted of no
-argument. Ross shoved back his chair.
-
-“Well, wait a minute, will you? I want to
-speak to Bill Murray. Order me some o’ that pie
-and another cup o’ coffee, Shea.”
-
-Fred Ross opened the dining-room doors, which
-had been closed, and departed to the lobby of the
-hotel. He found genial Bill Murray just turning
-from the telephone, and wearing a look of puzzled
-excitement.
-
-“Get the ranch?” asked Ross. The other
-nodded and glanced around cautiously.
-
-“Yes. Talked to Old Man Durfee—he’s manager for Sandy.
-He said that Sandy and Abel
-Dorales had just left for Magdalena; he admitted
-there had been a robbery but would say
-nothing except that it didn’t amount to much.
-Injun relics, he said.”
-
-“Huh!” Fred Ross gazed at his friend, narrow-eyed.
-“I bet if it was Injun relics, it was some partic’lar
-kind, then. That sounds damn’ fishy, Bill.”
-
-“Sure does, but she’ll make a grand little story,
-played up. This here Shea just came from there,
-didn’t he? And everybody knows about him and
-Dorales and the bad blood.”
-
-The two men looked at each other, surmise in
-their eyes. Ross thoughtfully rubbed his chin,
-remembering about that battered little suitcase
-on the hat rack. He did not entirely believe the
-tale told by Thady Shea, the tale about finding it
-in the road. That was too improbable, unless the
-dead Indian had been carrying the suitcase—which
-seemed, likewise, very improbable.
-
-“I shouldn’t wonder, now,” said Ross, musingly.
-“Shea, he’s the calm, hell-nervy sort, he sure is.
-Likely Dorales or old Sandy tried to run a blazer
-on him, and he played merry hell with them.
-Likely they had something he thought belonged to
-someone else, and he just up and took it. H’m!
-But the robbery had happened before he got
-there, he *said*. Well, if he don’t want to tell all he
-knows, that’s his business. Eh?”
-
-“I coincide,” assented Murray, curtly. Fred
-Ross briefly told him about the suitcase, in so far
-as he knew about it.
-
-“Now,” pursued Ross, “you and I ain’t blamin’
-him or any other man for gettin’ old Mackintavers
-up on his ear. But Shea, in spite o’ the stories
-goin’ around about him, ain’t no fighter, Bill.
-He’s a downright honest man, and he’s terrible
-when he gets roused, but I don’t guess he could
-fight for little apples. *And*, he don’t know Sandy
-and Dorales are comin’ to town.”
-
-“I see,” said Murray, thoughtfully. “But he
-ain’t the kind to run away, Fred.”
-
-“C’rect. But why should he know anything
-about Sandy coming? We’d ought to see that he
-avoids ’em, so to speak. You’re goin’ west to-night.
-You got room, ain’t you?”
-
-“Oh!” Murray chuckled, admiringly. “So
-that’s the game! Sure, I got room. Where is he
-goin’, though?”
-
-“Near as I got the location o’ the mine he’s
-aiming for, it’s in the hills above them lava beds,
-down beyond Zacaton City and No Agua. You’re
-goin’ west by the highway, which is north o’ there—a
-long sight north. But if you were to run a
-few mile out of your way, you could hit down the
-Old Fort Tularosa trail, which is an auto road now;
-you could drop Shea by the Beaver Cañon trail,
-down within thirty mile o’ home, more or less.
-I’ll send Sandy and Dorales on to St. Johns after
-you, savvy?”
-
-For a moment the two men conferred eagerly.
-
-Unobserved by them, meantime, a man had
-entered the hotel and was standing at the cigar
-case, at one side of the desk. He was buying
-cigars. He was roughly dressed, but spoke perfect
-English. When he turned to the cigar
-lighter, disclosing his face to view, one could see
-that he was very swarthy, very dark of colour—an
-Indian, perhaps.
-
-This man straightened up, puffing at his cigar.
-His eyes flitted to the little battered suitcase,
-which reposed on the hat rack, and dwelt there;
-thus dwelling, his eyes narrowed slightly. He
-turned and left the hotel.
-
-“Who? Him?” said the hotel proprietor in
-response to a question from a man near by.
-“Why, he’s Thomas Twofork; yep, an Injun, from
-Cochiti pueblo, I hear. Been in town two-three
-days now. Got money, they say, heaps of it.”
-
-Ignorant of what had transpired in the lobby,
-Thady Shea was glad when his companions rejoined
-him and sat down to their interrupted
-repast. Fred Ross broached the subject of departure;
-he broached it with elaborate carelessness.
-
-“Bill is headin’ for home right away,” he said,
-“and he goes within thirty mile, more or less, of
-where your mine’s located, Shea. If you figger
-on walking, that would be a good lift. If you go
-back with me to-morrow, you won’t get near so
-nigh home.”
-
-“Oh!” Thady Shea saw no guile; he looked
-gratefully surprised, and felt it. He had anticipated
-a long trip via Zacaton City. That
-route would be attended with dangers from
-Dorales or the latter’s men, besides having the
-expense of a car to take him to Number Sixteen.
-
-“Oh! I’d be glad indeed—but do you have to
-leave to-night?”
-
-“You bet,” said Murray, emphatically. “The
-minute I get this here pie down. I got the ol’
-car all ready to hike, and I’m goin’ to hike some.
-I aim to get home about sun-up, sleep two-three
-hours, then get to work on the paper. She’s got
-to be run off to-morrow night, see? And I’d sure
-be glad o’ your company, Shea. It’s a lonesome
-trip at night from here over through Datil Cañon
-and all.”
-
-Surely, thought Shea, here was fate aiding him!
-Barely had he resolved to seek Mrs. Crump and
-the mine, than this opportunity offered. A walk
-of a few miles did not worry him in the least.
-
-“Thank you, Murray,” he rejoined. “I’ll go,
-with pleasure.”
-
-Ten minutes later, the three men left the hotel,
-walked up to the corner, and turned in to the
-garage behind the trading store. Bill Murray paid
-his debts to the proprietor and sought his own car.
-
-“Well, Ross, I’ll say good-bye for a while, at
-least.” Shea turned and shook hands with his
-friend. “I’ll see you again, that’s sure. Oh—by
-the way, hadn’t we better open that suitcase? I
-forgot about it. Let’s get it broken open here,
-and——”
-
-Ross interposed a hasty negation. He wanted
-only to get Shea safely out of town before Mackintavers
-and Dorales should arrive.
-
-“No, don’t get Murray nervous, hangin’ around
-here, Shea. He’s dead anxious to be off, and we
-better not give him any delay. I’m sure curious
-about what’s in that case, just the same. S’pose
-you drop me a line when you find out, and give
-my regards to Mis’ Crump! Maybe I’ll drift over
-your way some time; if not, you know where to
-find me.”
-
-“You bet,” assented Thady Shea, warmly.
-
-Murray motioned Thady Shea into the front
-seat, and took the battered little suitcase to shove
-it into the rear of the car. An ejaculation almost
-escaped his lips as he felt its weight. It was heavy,
-tremendously heavy!
-
-“Ore, likely,” he muttered. “I bet he don’t
-walk thirty mile with *that*!”
-
-Thady Shea and Fred Ross parted with a last
-handshake. Each of them had probed deep into
-the other man; each of them had found the other
-strangely dissimilar, yet strangely attuned in
-spirit to himself; each of them had found the other
-to be a man. Their handshake was firm and
-quick and strong.
-
-Ross cranked the car. Bill Murray backed her
-from the garage, roared a last farewell, and headed
-out into the west and the night.
-
-Fred Ross went back to the hotel after calling
-upon certain friends of his; for Ross had a fairly
-good idea of what was coming next. His theories
-were not altogether correct, but they attained
-pretty correct results.
-
-So, after a short time, Fred Ross returned to
-the hotel and sat down in the lobby, just under
-the big map of New Mexico that hung upon the
-south wall. Immediately around him the comfortable
-oak rocking-chairs were vacant; but to
-right and left, three chairs away, sat red-faced men
-who read newspapers—two on either hand. These
-four men displayed an ostentatious lack of interest
-in each other and in Fred Ross. Over that
-section of the lobby hung an ill-defined air of
-crisis, of expectation, of foreboding.
-
-Over opposite, in a corner of the big front
-window, sat a man, a stranger to Fred Ross. This
-man had come into town on the late afternoon
-train. He was palpably a city man, palpably not
-of this part of the country; he had registered at
-the desk as James Z. Premble of New York. Speculating
-idly as he waited, Fred Ross set him down
-as a high-class drummer.
-
-Thus waited the six men, as though they were
-awaiting some event about to happen: Ross,
-seated under the big wall map; the four red-faced
-men who read newspapers with marked absorption; and,
-in the corner of the window, James Z.
-Premble of New York.
-
-Suddenly and abruptly it happened. It happened
-just as Fred Ross had anticipated. The
-hotel door opened and into the lobby walked
-Sandy Mackintavers with Abel Dorales at his
-elbow. They had been to the livery stable, they
-had been to one place and another, and they had
-soon learned that Thady Shea, easily noted and remembered
-by all who saw him, had been in the company
-of Ross and Murray. Both Ross and Murray
-were known to Mackintavers and his field marshal.
-
-Upon entering, Abel Dorales passed straight on
-to the cigar stand, where he stood idly gossiping
-with the proprietor. Mackintavers, with a wave
-of his hand and a grunt, halted in front of Fred
-Ross, and dropped into a chair beside the latter.
-
-“Hello, Ross. Just the man I was looking for.
-Know a man name o’ Shea, Thady Shea?”
-
-“Evening,” returned Ross, easily. “Sure I
-know him. Seen him a while ago.”
-
-“Know where he is now?” asked Mackintavers
-without too great show of interest.
-
-“Uh-huh. He went off with Bill Murray to St.
-Johns a couple of hours ago. Murray was in
-some hurry, believe me! He’d been laid up here
-with a busted car, and had to get out his paper
-to-morrow sure pop, so he aimed to travel some
-to-night. You interested in Shea?”
-
-“Some.” Mackintavers bit into a cigar. Over
-the cigar, his eyes fell upon James Z. Premble of
-New York, who was also looking at him. After
-an instant Premble rose and left the hotel.
-
-Ross had not hesitated to impart the information
-about Thady Shea, for the excellent reason that
-if Mackintavers followed Shea to St. Johns, he
-would miss Thady Shea entirely. Therein Fred
-Ross made a mistake. It did not occur to him
-that Dorales, in a high-powered car, might follow
-the tracks of Murray’s flivver where it struck from
-the highroad upon the Old Fort Tularosa trail.
-
-“’Bliged to ye, Ross.” With this curt speech,
-Mackintavers heaved himself out of his chair and
-went to the door. He passed out into the night.
-
-Abel Dorales left the cigar stand, and also started
-for the door. But he stopped before Fred Ross,
-exchanged a word of greeting, and his white teeth
-showed in a smile. It was not a pleasant smile.
-
-“I hear you’re going to run sheep on your ranch,
-Ross,” he said clearly. “Bad manners for an old
-cowman, isn’t it?”
-
-The four red-faced men laid aside their newspapers.
-They seemed to take sudden interest in
-Abel Dorales. Fred Ross looked up, unsmiling,
-his eyes hard and cold.
-
-“Handsome is as handsome does, Abel. Reckon
-I’d sooner run sheep than get chloroformed and
-hogtied tryin’ to jump a claim.”
-
-A fleeting contraction passed across the face of
-Abel Dorales. His eyes narrowed to thin slits.
-His nostrils quivered like the nose of a dog sniffing
-game. He became white-lipped, cruel, venomous.
-
-The four red-faced men stirred. One of them
-rose, yawning, and stretched himself as does a
-weary man who thinks well of bed for the night.
-Abel Dorales took sudden warning. He looked
-to the right and to the left; then, without a word
-more, he turned on his heel and walked away,
-following Mackintavers out into the night.
-
-“Trust a Mex to smell trouble!” said one of the
-men to the left of Fred Ross. “He reckoned we
-was planted to do him up.”
-
-“Well, wasn’t we?” queried someone. All
-laughed in unison. Ross smiled grimly and left
-his chair.
-
-“Much obliged to ye, boys. I didn’t know they
-would come alone, or I wouldn’t ha’ bothered ye.”
-
-Outside the hotel, meantime, Mackintavers had
-joined James Z. Premble, who appeared to have
-been awaiting him. A moment later Abel Dorales,
-mouthing low and vitriolic curses, joined them. In
-silence the three men turned to the left and walked
-down to the railroad track. There, beyond the
-warehouse, they stood with open and empty space
-around them, and none to overhear.
-
-“Didn’t look for ye quite so soon, Premble,”
-said Mackintavers, chuckling a little as he used
-the name.
-
-“Got a good chance at my man,” returned the
-other. “Came in this afternoon, Sandy, but
-couldn’t catch you at the ranch. Ready for me to
-work?”
-
-“Aiblins, yes; reckon we’d better get busy, you
-and I.” He turned to Dorales. “Abel, our man
-has gone to St. Johns with Murray. You have
-plenty o’ friends in that Mormon town, so take
-the big car and mosey along. Do whatever you
-want with Shea, but bring me back that bunch
-o’ stone gods if ye value your life! I’ll be at Mrs.
-Crump’s location.”
-
-“All right,” snapped Dorales. “Is he much
-ahead of me?”
-
-“Two hours, in a flivver. You can’t fail to
-land him this time. Good luck, boy!”
-
-Dorales snarled farewell, and swung off in the
-darkness. Mackintavers turned to his friend,
-James Z. Premble.
-
-“I’m gettin’ old,” he complained. “Been out
-chasin’ a thief all day and I’m no good for an all-night
-ride now. I’ll take a room at the hotel.
-Drop in after a spell and we’ll arrange the details.
-You got the stuff?”
-
-“Every blessed paper and letter. Everything
-O.K.,” asserted Premble.
-
-The two men melted into the night.
-
-Five minutes later Dorales was filling his gasoline
-tank at the garage. He made brief inquiries
-about Murray’s flivver and the brand of tires
-thereon. Off to one side, a swarthy man was
-hastily working upon the fan belt of a big car,
-which had twice broken as his engine started;
-this swarthy man took keen and unobserved interest
-in the questions of Dorales. The name of
-this swarthy man was Thomas Twofork, and he
-was an Indian of the Cochiti pueblo. Twenty
-minutes after Dorales had departed Thomas
-Twofork had finished his repairs and headed his
-car out upon the westward road to St. Johns.
-
-An hour afterward, well into the night, an
-automobile came into Magdalena from the opposite
-direction. It came in by the eastern road,
-the road that comes up from Socorro through
-Blue Cañon, the road that comes south to Socorro
-from Albuquerque and Santa Fé. This automobile
-did not turn into a garage; instead, it
-passed on through the business section of the
-town and did not slacken speed until it reached
-the Mexican or western quarter.
-
-There it came to a halt and its horn squawked
-four times. Its searchlight revealed a small adobe
-house with blue-painted doors. One of these
-doors opened to show a man clad in dishevelled
-night attire. The automobile drove on into the
-yard; its lights flickered out.
-
-“Is that you, Juan Baca?” queried a soft, gentle
-voice. “Ah, yes; it is I, Coravel Tio. Will you
-give me lodging for the night?”
-
-“Señor, my house and all it contains belong
-to you!”
-
-Coravel Tio passed into the little adobe house.
-
-CHAPTER XIV—DORALES KILLS
-=========================
-
-In the chill darkness that precedes the early
-dawn Thady Shea alighted from Bill Murray’s
-car. Before him, a few miles distant,
-were Old Fort Tularosa and Aragon; many miles
-behind was the highway. Down to the southeast—somewhere—was
-his destination.
-
-“Mind, now,” cautioned Murray, “you take
-this here trail and it’ll lead up through them hills
-into Beaver Cañon. Follow Beaver Crick all
-the rest o’ the way. Near as I can judge, your
-place is somewhere down beyond Eagle Peak.
-If you get clear lost, send up a smoke and a
-ranger will be dead sure to trail you down. G’bye
-and good luck!”
-
-“Good-bye, and many thanks for the lift!” responded
-Shea, his sonorous voice pierced with the
-chill of the early morning. Murray went buzzing
-away on the back trail.
-
-Carrying his battered little suitcase, Thady
-Shea started off, gradually accustoming his eyes
-to picking out the rough trail. It mattered
-nothing to him that he might be days upon this
-road; it mattered nothing that he was about to
-negotiate the continental divide afoot. Time and
-space did not concern him, nor bodily discomfort.
-His was the supremely ignorant confidence of a
-child as he headed into the mountains to find a
-mine whose entire location, going at it from this
-direction, was a matter of guesswork.
-
-To be more accurate and practical, Thady
-Shea, having slept lightly while riding, was weary.
-He was also cold and confused. Now that he had
-reached a decision and was really on his way to
-Number Sixteen, he felt unaccountably homesick.
-Not that Number Sixteen meant home, but Mrs.
-Crump would be there. As usual, Thady Shea
-was a bit vague in analyzing his feelings; but he
-had a solid and definite purpose in view, at least.
-He was going to rejoin Mrs. Crump. He was
-going to learn mining work.
-
-He went on, trudging bravely under his burden,
-until the cold had pierced and chilled and
-numbed him. At last he could endure the cold no
-longer. Ignorant of forest rangers or forest law,
-he had quite missed the point of Miller’s parting
-joke about sending up a smoke. He contrived
-to build himself a fire; a fine roaring fire, a ruddy,
-leaping fire that warmed him. It was a fire that
-blazed forth patent defiance of all law. Its darting
-glow was caught by a forest ranger in a lookout
-on Indian Peaks fifteen miles away.
-
-With the first gleam of the rising sun Thady
-Shea abandoned his blazing fire and took up his
-journey again, following the winding trail without
-trouble. A little later he halted and made a cold
-breakfast from some of the food that filled his
-pockets. Then he decided to open the suitcase
-and see if it were worth carrying farther, or if it
-held tokens of ownership. By this time, he was
-sorry that he had dragged the thing along.
-
-He smashed open the suitcase. Within it he
-found wads of crumpled newspapers, and among
-the newspapers seven stones. At first he thought
-they were nothing but stones. Gradually he
-realized that they were carven images of some sort.
-Except for these, there was nothing in the suitcase.
-There was nothing to denote its ownership—not
-a mark, not a line, not a card nor a word.
-
-Thady Shea set out the seven stone gods on the
-ground, and regarded them. The more he looked
-at them, the more he saw in them. Each one was
-somewhat different in shape, but all were of a size.
-They were smooth and rounded, as if from much
-handling, or as if worn sleek by many centuries.
-They were crude, uncouth little figures, those
-gods; they were fashioned rudely in the semblance
-of man, with every angle and sharp line worn
-down, obliterated, rounded.
-
-“They look as if some kid had been making
-mud dolls, and the mud had hardened,” observed
-Shea in some wonder. The description was
-accurate and perfect.
-
-Thady Shea knew nothing about Indians or
-their gods. He had not the slightest idea what
-these things really were; but he was a member of
-The Profession, an actor of the old school. All
-his life he had been surrounded by the superstitions
-of the old school. As everyone knows,
-there are no stronger, firmer, and more absolute
-superstitions than those of The Profession.
-
-As Thady Shea gazed upon those seven stone
-gods which sat in the dust and grinned stonily
-back at him, various things suggested themselves
-to his fertile brain. Seven of them—and seven
-was beyond question a lucky number! Then,
-fate had undoubtedly placed them in his hand and
-had removed any clew to their former owners.
-Luck had come to him, and if he threw the luck
-away because of a little bother involved in carrying
-it—well, that would be an ill thing to do!
-
-Out of his subconscious self evolved a curious
-idea, a remembrance. What did these things
-represent? He dimly remembered something
-about the seven heavenly virtues and the seven
-deadly sins. The vague thought stirred him.
-These images were ugly enough to represent the
-seven sins—or the seven virtues. He must keep
-them at all costs; in the manner of their coming
-was something fated, something that appealed
-to all the latent superstition within him. He
-dared not refuse these talismen!
-
-So he replaced them in the suitcase and took
-up his road anew.
-
-It was a rough road that called to him. It was
-a long and lonely road, a road that took him out
-of human ken and into the heart of the high hills.
-
-He swung along at a good four-mile clip, his
-long legs fast covering the ground. He had never
-before this day been actually among the mountains,
-and he liked their friendly, forested faces.
-The rough trail denoted very little usage, yet this
-absence of all humanity did not oppress Thady
-Shea. He felt gloriously independent, free!
-
-About noon he was following Beaver Creek
-through a rough and rugged cañon. Here he
-lunched, with a silver-black pool of water foaming
-and bubbling fifty feet below him; a pool that
-foamed green and silver with sunlight and bubbled
-with black shadows. Over on the opposite wall
-of the cañon was a broken line of masonry, half
-hiding a niche in the rock where once had lived and
-died the cliff dwellers. It was a spot to remember.
-It was a place that stirred the deep things in a
-man’s soul, that caused him to think upon the
-mysteries, the flashing glimpses of occult things.
-About that place there lingered a sense of the
-futility of man, a sense of the gorgeously foaming
-and bubbling eternity of the Creator. Thady
-Shea was glad that he had seen that place.
-
-Afterward, he halted for a smoke, this time
-beside the stream itself, farther along the cañon.
-Thady Shea had never been a boy—until to-day.
-At ten years he had been an accomplished actor,
-a child marvel, drunken and drugged with the
-unhealthy atmosphere of the stage. But now—now!
-The altitude was high, and he was drunk
-as with fine wine. He waded in the stony creek,
-he even thought of fishing with a bent pin on a
-string; but he had neither pin nor string. He
-enjoyed a truant hour. Then he went on his way
-anew, vowing inwardly that some day he would
-return to this little bubbling creek and the winding
-cañon amid the mountains.
-
-Despite the altitude, weariness had left him,
-and he carried the seven stone gods without feeling
-their weight. Deeper and lonelier grew his
-trail, the mountains folding him in upon every
-side. He began to feel the infinity of distance.
-He was a mere tiny atom here among these great
-solitudes. His insignificance was borne home
-upon him, mellowing all his spirit.
-
-In this chastened mood he came, suddenly and
-without warning, upon the tragic shack of the
-sheep-herder.
-
-It was a shack of logs and hewn timbers, a rough
-little shack, a tragic little shack. Upon one wall
-was fastened a faded paper, a permit issued by
-the forest ranger to cut these same timbers. In
-the sun by the doorway sat a little brown, half-naked
-baby, perhaps a year of age, whimpering
-and chewing upon a strip of raw white bacon.
-There was no one else visible. Over the place,
-tainting the clear high air, hung a fearful odour of
-mortality; an odour of tragic suggestion, an odour
-of blood and liquor.
-
-Seeing no one about except the baby, who
-stopped whimpering at sight of him, Thady Shea
-advanced to the doorway. He glanced inside. As
-he did so, cold and awful horror stiffened upon him.
-Even to his tyro’s eye the story was plain to read.
-
-Upon the bare earthen floor, just inside the door,
-sat the sheep-herder. The effluvia of his garments
-told eloquently his profession. Between his outstretched
-feet lay a cheap revolver. His swarthy,
-brutal face, the face of a Mexican, the face of a
-barbarian drawn from mingled Indian and bastard
-Spanish blood, was sunken upon his chest.
-He was breathing stertorously, horribly. He was
-drunk, stupefied with liquor. Upon the floor
-beneath his hand had fallen an empty bottle
-which stank of the vilest mescal.
-
-Only a few feet distant, sprawled under one
-wall of the room, was the body of a woman, a
-brown native woman. She had been upon her
-knees beneath a little crucifix. She had fallen
-partly forward, partly sideways; a cotton garment
-had been torn from her left shoulder and
-breast, as though in some last agony. Beneath
-the left breast, black with flies, a pool of black
-blood was coagulating. She had not been dead
-a long time; an hour or two, no more.
-
-Thady Shea took a step backward. He put
-one hand to his eyes, as if to shut from his vision
-that sordid and horrible scene. For a moment
-he stood thus, his brain in riotous turmoil; then
-he started violently as a hand touched his arm.
-
-“Hello, stranger! I been looking for you!”
-
-Shea stared at the man who had just dismounted
-from a pony; a white man, grave and
-steady of eye. Something in the horror-smitten face
-of Shea drew an exclamation from this other man.
-
-“Here—what’s the matter?”
-
-“In there. Look!” Thady Shea motioned to
-the doorway.
-
-The other man, the forest ranger who had come
-from the lookout station on Indian Peaks,
-quickly strode forward. His figure filled the doorway
-for a long moment. He stood there silently,
-gazing in upon that tragic shack, reading every
-detail with skilled eyes. At last he turned and
-rejoined Thady Shea, who was staring down at the
-baby.
-
-“You built a fire early this morning on the old
-trail up from the Tularosa Road?” The ranger
-gave his name and office. “H’m-m. Know
-anything about the fire laws?”
-
-“Fire laws? No,” Shea was disturbed and
-wondering. “Why? Shouldn’t I have built any
-fire?”
-
-“Not that kind—not a big hell-roarer. No
-harm done, I reckon; I stamped out your fire.
-But see to it that you don’t do it again. Here’s
-a copy of the laws.”
-
-He extended a card. Shea pocketed it with a
-helpless gesture, and looked again at the doorway
-of the shack. The ranger caught his look, and
-nodded.
-
-“I guess you’d just found ’em, eh? It’s a hell
-of a note. This fellow Garcia, with his wife and
-kid, came up from Mexico; refugees. He’s been
-herding some sheep; some that the Y Ranch
-got a permit to run in a big box cañon last winter—and
-he’s not a bad sort when he’s sober. But now—well,
-there’s no doubt about him now. He’ll
-be a good greaser in two-three weeks, when the
-drop’s sprung. Suppose I got to take him in;
-hell of a note! You ain’t been inside?”
-
-Thady Shea shuddered. “No,” he answered.
-He looked down at the baby. The baby looked
-up at him, removed the strip of white bacon from
-her mouth, and smiled.
-
-“It’s a girl!” said Thady Shea in surprise and
-awe.
-
-The ranger gave him a curious look, then took
-out his notebook and pencil.
-
-“Name and where from, if you please,” he
-said. “We’ll likely have to come and take down
-your testimony later on.”
-
-Thady Shea gave his name, and gave as well
-as he was able the location of Mrs. Crump’s mine.
-The ranger once more eyed him, but this time
-with a new air.
-
-“Hell! I’ve heard o’ you, Shea. Partners with
-Mrs. Crump, eh? That’s a pretty good recommend.
-Where you goin’ from here?”
-
-“To the mine. I believe that by following this
-creek I’ll get into the right territory sooner or
-later. I know how to reach the mine from
-Zacaton City, but from this direction I’m not so
-sure.”
-
-Thady Shea was badly off. He was thoroughly
-shaken by the fearful scene within the tragic
-shack. It had unnerved him, and he wanted a
-drink with avid and terrible longing. The ranger
-observed it.
-
-“I ain’t offering you any drinks, Shea,” he said,
-drily. “Heard a few things about what happens
-to folks that offer you drinks. Still, I always do
-carry a drop for emergencies, and I have a notion
-that you need a sip mighty bad.”
-
-Thady Shea forced a grim smile. “Thanks. But—the
-need will have to be greater than it is now, my
-friend. You think I can reach the mine to-night?”
-
-“No. Some time to-morrow, most likely. Now
-listen close and I’ll give you directions where to
-leave this cañon, or else you’ll come out clear
-down on the Gila!”
-
-Having gleaned a fairly precise knowledge of the
-location of Number Sixteen, the ranger proceeded
-to give Thady Shea an accurate mental map
-of the trails, backed up by a rough drawing. Then
-he entered the shack, carried out the murderer,
-and bound the man on his pony like a sack of flour.
-
-“What the devil will become o’ the kid?” he
-queried. “Come on, Shea, let’s get the poor
-woman buried. That baby, now—d’you suppose
-you could wait here until I send back for her? I
-can’t handle the greaser and the baby, too.”
-
-Thady Shea did not respond at once. He
-seemed oblivious of the question; but as a matter
-of fact, he was deep in thought.
-
-The two men together dug a grave and decently
-interred the poor murdered woman. Over
-the mound Thady Shea intoned a fragmentary
-burial service. What he lacked in words he made
-up in rolling phrases culled from other sources
-than the prayer book, and in a deeply sincere
-manner which sat upon him with stately dignity.
-
-They returned to the front of the shack, where
-the ranger rolled a cigarette with studied care,
-and returned to his perplexity.
-
-“What about this here kid, now? These folks
-haven’t any kin this side the border, and these
-greasers don’t give a whoop for babies anyhow;
-too common. This Garcia is the one that deserves
-my close and personal attention until he
-gets shoved into the kind o’ hell he’s bound for—which
-won’t be very long. Of course, the kid can
-go to some orphanage or the State will take care
-of her. She’s a smilin’ little cuss!”
-
-Thady Shea fingered his shaggy, gray-black
-beard.
-
-“If there’s a razor around the place, I think
-I’ll shave,” he uttered, thoughtfully. His words
-drew a look of frowning surprise from the ranger,
-so utterly at variance with the subject did they
-seem. “Yes, I think I’ll shave.”
-
-“Why, friend, I’ve been thinking about that
-infant,” pursued Shea. “You know Mrs. Crump,
-I gather? I think she would care for the little
-one. I’ll take care of the child on the journey
-there; I imagine we can get along. I—er—I don’t
-mind saying that—er—there is a whimsey born of
-infancy’s fond smiles which warms the kindlier
-soul within a man.”
-
-He broke off, quite at a loss for further words.
-But the ranger understood, and smiled to himself.
-
-“That suits me, Shea. You’ll be at the mine,
-eh? May call on you later in regard to the evidence
-here. Yes, that’s a good plan. Let’s see
-if we can chase up a razor, now.”
-
-The ranger disappeared inside the tragic shack.
-
-Upward of two hours later a new Thady Shea
-was continuing his journey; the tragic shack was
-far lost to view in the wilderness behind him.
-
-His upper lip, his long under jaw, were shaven
-and in white contrast with the bronzed skin of
-cheeks and brow. His wide, mobile mouth and
-chin differed from those of the wastrel Thaddeus
-Roscius who had lain in the road above the Bajada
-hill. They were firmer, more virile of set, stronger
-of muscle.
-
-In one hand he carried the battered little yellow
-suitcase. Upon the other arm was perched the
-half-naked brown baby, for whose benefit Shea
-also carried a blanket tied to his shoulders. This
-was not the ideal trim for a walking tour across
-the Continental Divide, but Thady Shea had no
-complaints to make.
-
-Never before had Thady Shea communed alone
-with a baby, particularly with a baby quite dependent
-upon him. This baby could not talk
-but she could coo, and she did coo. She could
-laugh, and she did laugh. She seemed to find a
-kinship within the deep, sadly earnest eyes of
-Thady Shea. She made it evident that she liked
-his eyes, and whenever they were turned upon her,
-she giggled with self-conscious and adorable delight.
-
-The day wore on. When darkness descended,
-Thady Shea camped at the brink of the cañon,
-at the edge of a deep and stony gully which ran
-down into the cañon below. He built a fire, this
-time in accord with the laws of the land, and produced
-his scant store of food. Fortunately, the
-baby was used to living by rough ways and pastures
-sere.
-
-In this one day Thady Shea lived long years.
-He realized it himself. He realized the change
-within him; he perceived it at once, without any
-vagueness or obscurity. He was filled with
-wonder and awe. He felt clearly that the manifest
-friendship and love of this brown baby had
-loosened something far inside of him. Within a
-few hours she had loosened something which had
-been hard and clenched and bitter inside of him
-these twenty years—something like a knot gripped
-about a part of his soul, stifling it. But now,
-at last, the knot was loosened, was gone.
-
-Once again he fell asleep under the stars with
-glinting tears bedewing his brown cheeks; they
-were tears of joy and thankfulness. He knew
-that he was no longer to drift upon the earth.
-From depending upon the applause of others for
-happiness, others were now depending upon him.
-He had someone for whom to live. Vanity was
-gone from him, and the worth of life was come
-in unto him. He now had a purpose, a real
-purpose, to drive him.
-
-That this purpose was very definite and earnest,
-he had realized with the unloosing of that knot
-about his soul. He knew whither he was going,
-and why—why he wanted to find Mrs. Crump.
-He fell asleep with tears upon his cheeks and in
-his heart a dumbly vibrant song.
-
-Some time during the night he was awakened;
-the baby was whimpering, was cold. The fire
-was dying down. He had been awakened by a
-queer noise, a noise like the clank of a shod hoof
-against a stone. He rose and kicked the ember
-ends into the fire. He removed his coat and laid
-it over the baby, then he stood looking down at the
-bundle. The fire flickered up until its glowing
-flare lighted his tall figure redly and distinctly.
-
-From somewhere in the darkness came a slight
-sound. Thady Shea lifted up his head and peered
-about, the vague thought of wild animals disturbing
-him. From the darkness echoed a faint
-laugh—a thin, ironic laugh, a laugh that thrilled
-Thady Shea with evil memories and swift apprehension.
-He seemed to recognize it as the laugh
-of Abel Dorales.
-
-Before he could do more than lift his head and
-peer into the darkness, that darkness was suddenly
-split and rended by a red flash. The crack
-of a weapon lifted and lessened among the hills;
-as it died away, the baby cried out, whimpering.
-Across the face of Thady Shea flickered a look of
-dismay, of surprise, of utmost horror. Thady Shea
-took a step backward, as though something had
-lifted him off his balance, as though something unseen
-had impacted against him with terrific force.
-He staggered and lifted both hands to his head.
-Then his knees seemed to loosen, and he pitched
-downward, at the very brink of the gully.
-
-From the stony ravine below came a heavy
-sound, as of a body pitching and dragging downward.
-It ceased, and there was abrupt silence.
-In that silence, the baby cried out, whimpering
-thinly.
-
-Into the circle of light cast by the tiny fire came
-a man leading a pony. The man was Abel Dorales
-and he was smiling.
-
-CHAPTER XV—MACKINTAVERS MAKES FRIENDS
-=====================================
-
-Mrs. Crump was grimly jubilant. She
-had just killed, not far from the shack
-which she inhabited, a rattler. It was a
-peculiarly deadly rattler, a big diamond-back, and
-its black-and-yellow body looked very beautiful
-lying out in the morning sunlight.
-
-Mrs. Crump had killed that rattler most
-expertly; she had killed it with one snapping
-crack of a blacksnake whip. That one whip snap
-had coiled about the rattler’s head and had neatly
-decapitated the reptile. Somewhere among the
-rocks that head lay naked and ugly, jaws wide
-agape, white fangs gleaming like needles.
-
-Now, up on the long hogback, Mrs. Crump
-directed the work of getting out ore, Lewis and
-Gilbert working steadily under her orders. There
-was already a goodly heap of ore ready for hauling.
-Mrs. Crump was awaiting the arrival of Coravel
-Tio, whom she expected hourly; she had written
-Coravel Tio very explicitly, and was looking forward
-to making some money in the near future.
-
-When Coravel Tio arrived, they would arrange
-about getting a light truck to haul the ore to railroad,
-and they would arrange about selling the ore.
-Coravel Tio would handle all such details. Actual
-production was well under way, and inside of another
-month Mrs. Crump hoped to have a good
-force of men working. Provided, of course, that
-the mine was not sold outright.
-
-“Looks like he’s a-coming.” Gilbert swung out
-his hand toward the trail from No Agua. Shading
-her eyes, Mrs. Crump perceived a smudge of
-white dust. An automobile was approaching.
-
-It was not Coravel Tio who came, however.
-It was Sandy Mackintavers, driven in a hired car
-from Magdalena.
-
-Mehitabel Crump was stiff-necked and uncompromising.
-She stood in the door of her
-shack, storm in her eyes, and waited grimly. Outside,
-sprawled on a bench that ran the length of
-the shack, Lewis and Gilbert smoked and also
-waited, ready to act if called upon.
-
-Sandy Mackintavers left his automobile and
-approached the shack, quick to note the arrangements
-for his reception. He came up to the doorway
-where Mrs. Crump awaited him. He removed
-his hat as he came, and mopped his brow;
-the sun was pitiless, streaming down with direct
-and scorching glare, absolute and insufferable. In
-another hour or two it would be much worse.
-Sandy Mackintavers held his hat in his left hand;
-he extended his right hand, square-fingered and
-strong, to Mrs. Crump.
-
-“Madam, I have come here as a friend. Will
-you shake hands with me?”
-
-“Not by a damn’ sight!”
-
-Mrs. Crump’s eyes were snapping dangerously.
-Her retort did not seem to affect Mackintavers,
-however. His square-hewn features assumed an
-oddly hypocritical expression of patient resignation.
-His hand remained extended.
-
-“I must explain. Your friend Shea has repaid
-the money—you understand?”
-
-“Reckon I do. What about it?”
-
-“We had quite a conversation, Mrs. Crump.
-That man is a wonder! Yes’m. Most remarkable!
-I never did see things so clear as he made
-me see ’em, aiblins yes. If I may say so, I feel
-ashamed of myself. I’ve done some unhandsome
-things; aiblins, now, I’ll turn around. I’m right
-sorry for some things, Mrs. Crump. Will ye take
-my hand?”
-
-Now, if there was anything which could shake
-the uncompromising hostility of Mrs. Crump, it
-was to hear her bitterest enemy praise Thady Shea.
-Aside from this, to hear Sandy Mackintavers
-express penitence for past sins, even to hear
-him admit that he had sinned, was an astounding
-thing. The incredibility of it was tremendous.
-
-That mention of Thady Shea softened Mrs.
-Crump. She realized that Thady had made a great
-impression, had made so great an impression that
-here was Sandy Mackintavers, in the flesh, making
-apologies for past deeds!
-
-“Well, Sandy,” she returned, bluntly, “I will
-say that I think ye to be more or less of a skunk.
-Howsomever, I’ll meet any man halfway—even
-you—when he talks that-a-way. I don’t guess
-we’d ever be bosom friends, but I don’t aim to be
-mean or ornery when a man’s tryin’ to be as
-white as his nature allows him. Here y’are.”
-
-She seized his hand and shook it vigorously.
-Mackintavers looked rather red about the face, as
-though her frank opinion of his character had
-bitten into him.
-
-“Now, if you have time to be talkin’ over a little
-matter o’ business——”
-
-“About this here location?” Mrs. Crump’s eyes
-began to snap again.
-
-“Yes.”
-
-“Gilbert! Lewis! Come on in here. Meet
-Sandy Mackintavers. They’re members o’ the
-company, Sandy. They got claims along the
-cañon, which same they turned in for stock.
-Stock ain’t issued yet, but that’s all right. Come
-on inside an’ talk.”
-
-The lady was truculent and openly suspicious;
-the two men were narrow-eyed, hostile. Mackintavers
-seemed quite oblivious, and entered the
-shack. All four seated themselves. Mackintavers
-produced cigars. Mrs. Crump lighted her
-pipe and uttered a single emphatic word.
-
-“Shoot!”
-
-“You have a valuable mine here,” said Mackintavers,
-without preamble. “I want to control it.
-I’m talking frank and laying my cards on the table,
-ma’am. First, let me give you folks an idea of
-the railroad situation.”
-
-He briefly described the prevalent car shortage,
-with the reasons therefore.
-
-“You’ll get no ore cars until the war’s over,
-and maybe not then,” he pursued. “But I have
-a standing contract that can’t be broken, for so
-many cars a month—and I’m getting them. Ye
-see? Aiblins, now, that contract’s worth something;
-set your own figure on it. For the rest,
-I’ll buy stock at your own price, a controlling
-interest.”
-
-“Sandy, who’d ever trust you once ye got your
-nose into this thing?” Mrs. Crump laughed scornfully.
-“Not me!”
-
-“Then don’t trust me,” returned Sandy, meekly,
-although the veins in his temples swelled into
-blue cords. “Don’t trust me. Hire your own
-lawyers to draw up the matter, protect your
-interests fully. Give me charge of the actual
-mine, and then sit back an’ draw down the coin
-from your interest; savvy? If I’m not able to
-make millions out o’ this here mine, I’ll quit!
-Ain’t that frank talk? Ain’t I human? I tell
-ye, when that man Shea came along and turned
-back that money, I learned something!”
-
-“Where’s Thady Shea now?” demanded Mrs.
-Crump.
-
-“Went to St. Johns night before last, with Fred
-Ross and Bill Murray. Said he’d be here later,
-maybe. I like that man! Something about him
-kind o’ draws you. Aiblins, he’d be grand in the
-legislature, now! Eh? Well, well, about this
-mine matter; as I say, use any means ye like. I
-don’t blame you for not trusting me. But it’s a
-good thing and I’ll buy into it, savvy? Protect
-yourself, certainly. But why not let me buy into
-it? I have a bit of influence; aiblins, now, I’d be
-able to help production here an’ there, and to
-furnish no end of money for the work.”
-
-The snap had gone out of Mrs. Crump’s
-blue eyes. They were suddenly warm, kindly, unguarded.
-Thady Shea in the legislature! Why
-not? And Sandy was dead right. Everyone
-seemed to be drawn to Thady Shea.
-
-There was some subsequent discussion to which
-Mackintavers himself put an end.
-
-“Let it hang fire for a day or so, Mis’ Crump.
-If ye don’t mind, I’ll hang around and look over
-the place and vicinity for my own self. Mebbe
-Shea will get back; the place is in his name, ain’t
-it? Understood so.”
-
-“Yes,” assented Mrs. Crump, unthinking.
-“And each of us owns a third interest, or at least,
-so it’ll be arranged.”
-
-“And the other third?” Mackintavers looked
-swiftly at her. “I heard somethin’ about a
-greaser up to Santy Fé making inquiries with
-Eastern firms about strontianite—that old curio
-dealer—Coravel Tio! He ain’t the man, aiblins,
-now?”
-
-“Yes. He’ll be here to-day, I hope. All
-right, Sandy, let her hang over a day or so. I
-don’t know but what we might consider it.”
-
-Mrs. Crump felt suddenly cold at that mention
-of Coravel Tio. How much had he discovered?
-He must have learned through Eastern connections
-that Coravel Tio had been making inquiries.
-Was this pose of honesty a blind, or not? What
-lay behind this visit? Had anything happened
-to Thady Shea?
-
-She cursed herself furiously for having been
-beguiled even into listening to Sandy Mackintavers.
-Yet—why not? His proposal offered no
-loophole for trickery. Mrs. Crump would have
-preferred to sell the place entirely; but to retire in
-security and draw down fat dividends would be a
-very comfortable thing.
-
-Late in the afternoon arrived Coravel Tio. He
-was mildly surprised to see Mackintavers. He
-was urbane, shy, suave, and professed great ignorance
-of everything. He readily listened to the
-plan of Mackintavers, and discussed it; but he
-reserved any opinion on the matter.
-
-Mackintavers had sent his hired car back to
-Magdalena, and would bunk with Gilbert and
-Lewis for the night. Coravel Tio had driven his
-own car, which was fitted with a camping outfit.
-He made his own little camp down the cañon.
-
-Late that evening, after all hands had retired to
-rest, Mrs. Crump picked her way down the
-rocky slope and joined Coravel Tio, who sat
-smoking beside his car.
-
-“This here location is gettin’ right crowded,”
-she began, irritably, settling down and filling her
-corncob. “No chance even to speak a word no
-more! Well, what d’ye think o’ this scheme?
-Don’t it look to you like Sandy was tryin’ to catch
-us off balance and topple us over?”
-
-Coravel Tio showed his white teeth in a slow
-smile.
-
-“Señora, let us go slowly. Let us go slowly. I
-really do not think that Mackintavers intends that
-we should consider his offer seriously. I think he
-is tricky about it. Well, he is about to come to a
-very high precipice, and is about to fall over that
-precipice; you see, I know something. I have
-information of which he is not aware. I have
-information which will prove very dangerous to
-him.
-
-“About the mine. I have corresponded with the
-Williams Manufacturing Company of New Jersey,
-who are large manufacturers of chemical products.
-They will buy this location outright, should it
-prove up to the samples we sent. They are of the
-very highest standing and reputation; I have
-dealt with them for years. One of their men is
-due here any day; in fact, he is overdue. His name
-is James Z. Premble. He will be empowered to
-make full negotiations with us. Until he arrives,
-let us not worry about Mackintavers.”
-
-“Mebbe that’s how come Sandy learned about
-your stake in the game; he knew you’d been
-correspondin’ with somebody,” and Mrs. Crump
-frowned. “My land! He’s in with a heap o’
-them mining sharps, Coravel. They know all
-about each other.”
-
-Coravel Tio smiled gently. “Very likely,
-señora. However, this firm is entirely above
-suspicion. Now, we must find your friend Shea
-at once; that is imperative. The property is
-recorded in his name, you remember.”
-
-“Sandy knows that, too,” said Mrs. Crump, her
-eyes troubled. “He knows too damned much, if
-you ask *me*!”
-
-“Fear not, señora. He has been meddling with
-forbidden things, things which bring their own
-punishment. He has been meddling with things
-that I would not meddle with! By the way, I
-met a very interesting man the other day; one
-Thomas Twofork, an Indian from the Cochiti
-pueblo, recently returned from an Eastern college.
-You would enjoy meeting him. A very fine
-young man.”
-
-Mrs. Crump grunted. “I’d admire to know
-just what’s laying back in your mind, Coravel
-Tio! Now, why the devil would I want to know
-any Injun buck like him? What’s he to me?”
-
-Coravel Tio laughed softly and puffed at his
-cigarette.
-
-“Ah! I cannot say, señora. I am a curio
-dealer, no more. I know nothing at all about
-such things as these. But I know that Thomas
-Twofork is a very interesting man.”
-
-With the following morning Mrs. Crump took
-Mackintavers over the ground and the adjacent
-claims. Coravel Tio complained of the heat, and
-did not accompany them. Instead, he stood out
-in the sun, heedless of the heat, and watched
-Lewis and Gilbert at work. He talked with
-them at some length, and they seemed much
-interested in his discourse. By this time they
-knew a little more about Coravel Tio than they
-had known at their first meeting with him.
-
-“What do you figger is goin’ to happen, then?”
-demanded Lewis, when he had finished.
-
-“I do not know.” Coravel Tio shrugged his
-shoulders. “But it is well to know what might
-have to be done, eh? Ah, yes.”
-
-The morning wore on. Mrs. Crump retired to
-her own shack to cook luncheon, with much
-grumbling about the way the country was getting
-crowded up, and if many more folks came in she’d
-have to seek other quarters, and so on. Secretly,
-she was much pleased to exhibit her culinary
-skill, which was considerable.
-
-At length she energetically hammered a pie
-pan, and the four men assembled. Gilbert was
-the last to come in from the mine over the flank of
-the hogback.
-
-“Looks like some puncher is headed this way,”
-he announced, eagerly. “Feller comin’ on hossback,
-looks like he’s headin’ down from that big
-cañon north of here.”
-
-“My land!” ejaculated Mrs. Crump in dismay.
-“Wait till I get another plate set.”
-
-“No hurry,” returned Gilbert. “I seen him
-top a rise four mile north. Ain’t no rush, ma’am.
-He’ll be quite a spell gettin’ here. Lots o’ bad land
-in between and no trail.”
-
-They sat down to the meal.
-
-Outside, the sun was beating down in waves of
-heat. It was a pitiless, insufferable sun. Few
-things could stand that beating, merciless sun and
-still enjoy it. Out among the stones, what was
-left of the big diamond-back was withered and
-scorched. Some distance away, the head of the
-rattler lay among the rocks, dead jaws wide agape,
-white fangs gleaming like needles in the beating
-sunlight.
-
-Inside the shack, the heat was intense; it
-filled the cañon as heat fills an oven, and here was
-no cool adobe walls to break its force. The heat
-had odd and curious effects upon the five people
-gathered there. It did not seem to touch Coravel
-Tio or the two miners in the least. Mackintavers
-it coarsened and reddened and thickened with
-pitiless breath. Mrs. Crump it softened; flushed
-and perspiring from cooking, she seemed to have
-become less harsh, more feminine, altogether
-transformed.
-
-Suddenly, while they were eating, Coravel
-Tio looked up sharply and appeared to be listening.
-Then, one after another, the others glanced up,
-surprise in their eyes. The sharp and staccato
-pulse of an approaching automobile was to be
-heard. Another car!
-
-Mrs. Crump led the exodus. Beside her own
-car and that of Coravel Tio, a third car was
-standing; a hired car from Magdalena, the same
-which had brought Mackintavers on the previous
-day. From this car alighted a man who carried a
-suitcase and bag, upon each of which were printed
-the letters J. Z. P. He was a man of citified
-aspect, and he approached the party clumped
-around the shack doorway with a stiff gaze and a
-businesslike air.
-
-“I am looking for a lady by the name of Crump,
-Mrs. Crump,” said he, setting down his suitcase
-and doffing his hat to the lady in question. “I
-presume that you are the lady named; if so you
-may be expecting me. My name is James Z.
-Premble.”
-
-Mrs. Crump recovered from her surprise and
-stepped forward.
-
-“I’m her,” she announced. “Glad to meet ye,
-Premble. Here, let me heft them grips inside the
-shack.”
-
-Gilbert, however, was ahead of her in the task.
-But James Z. Premble disregarded them both.
-He had come to a staring pause. Across his city-pale
-features swept an expression of amazement
-and gusty anger. His eyes were fastened upon
-Sandy Mackintavers, and back at him was staring
-Mackintavers, wearing a look of consternation.
-Mr. Premble lifted one arm and shook a milk-white
-fist in air.
-
-“You low-down hound!” he snapped at Sandy.
-“Didn’t I warn you to keep away from me?
-What are you trying to——”
-
-“Shut your fool mouth!” roared Mackintavers.
-“No need of airing things here.”
-
-“I’ll say what I dashed please!” affirmed
-Premble, glaring. “I suppose you own this
-place, eh? I suppose you told some lying tale and
-these people swallowed it! Well, you can’t shut
-me up. You can’t gag *me*! You’re about the
-worst swindler that ever kept out of State’s
-prison, get that? You may be running this
-place, but you’ll not run me.”
-
-“Hush up, pilgrim!” Mrs. Crump stepped in
-front of Premble and assumed charge of the
-situation. “Hush up! Sandy don’t own this
-place, and he ain’t runnin’ nothin’. You a friend
-of his?”
-
-“Friend? *Friend?*” Mr. Premble hoarsely
-gasped the word. “I wouldn’t be his friend if he
-would give me a million dollars! I wouldn’t be
-his friend if I was the last man and he was the last
-woman on earth! Why, that rogue played the
-worst low-down trick on me over in El Paso
-that——”
-
-“Well, repress the sentiments,” urged Mrs.
-Crump, calmly. “I guess we coincide with your
-feelin’s, more or less, but at the present moment
-Sandy is a guest on this here prop’ty, which same
-prop’ty belongs to me, more or less. You’re a
-guest likewise and I don’t aim to have no ruction
-start between two o’ my guests. I don’t know
-you, Mr. Premble, and I don’t know as I want to
-know ye, having a mean and rollin’ eye like you
-have; but you’re here on business and that goes as
-it lays. No war talk! Savvy?”
-
-With a mighty effort Mr. Premble composed his
-features.
-
-“Very well, madam, very well,” he returned,
-stiffly. “You may depend upon it, there will be
-no more trouble—unless I meet this man the other
-side of your property line.”
-
-“You won’t,” said Mrs. Crump, grimly. “Come
-on in and set to dinner. Gilbert, you done?
-Then call that there driver to come up and have
-a bite, will ye? No words out’n you, neither,
-Sandy Mackintavers. Gents, come inside an’
-smoke up and entertain Mr. Premble. I’ll get
-them ’tatoes het up in a mite.”
-
-First to enter the shack was James Z. Premble.
-He passed Mackintavers, standing at the door, and
-glared at him. Then, as he passed on into the
-shack, the features of Mr. Premble relaxed into
-the fleetest and most momentary shadow of a
-grin.
-
-CHAPTER XVI—DORALES POSTS NOTICES
-=================================
-
-The excitement caused by the arrival of
-James Z. Premble caused everyone to forget
-the horseman who had been seen approaching
-from the north. And Mr. Premble,
-somewhat against his inmost desire, continued for
-a time to fill the centre of the picture.
-
-The assemblage quite filled the shack—crowded
-it, in fact. Premble, the New Yorker, barely
-paused for introductions before diving into the
-food that Mrs. Crump set before him. Lewis sat
-and smoked in the lean-to, by the stove; Gilbert
-lounged beside the door. Mackintavers sat in
-the corner, chewing a cigar. Coravel Tio was
-rolling a cigarette with great care, and sighed a
-little as he licked it; leaning forward, he scratched
-a match upon the floor, and took advantage of a
-pause in the conversation to address James Z.
-Premble.
-
-“An odd name, señor,” he said, softly. “A very
-odd name! I have never met any one whose
-initial was that of Z. May I ask what name it
-stands for, señor?”
-
-Mr. Premble looked at his questioner, and in
-his shrewd eyes there showed a swift and sudden
-hesitation; but Coravel Tio was lighting his cigarette
-with much absorption.
-
-“Zacariah,” responded the New Yorker. “I
-don’t like the name, myself. Never use it.”
-
-“Ah, yes! Now that I remember, I have met
-others—there is a name Zebulon, I think, eh?
-Yes, Zebulon. So you are the gentleman of whom
-your firm wrote me, eh? I am glad to meet you,
-señor, very glad. You have letters and so forth?
-You see, I am part owner of this property, señor,
-and while I do not doubt you in the least, I desire
-to make quite sure of things before talking
-business.”
-
-Laying down his knife and fork, Premble once
-again inspected Coravel Tio, who was now looking
-directly at him. Something in those gentle, mournful
-black eyes seemed to cause the city man uneasiness
-and disquiet. He reached into his
-pocket, nodding.
-
-“Eh? Sure, I have plenty of papers that will
-establish my identity and prove my authority to
-deal with you. A little bit hasty, aren’t you?
-No trouble, though. Glad to have you assure
-yourself——”
-
-He produced a sheaf of papers and passed them
-intact, as though entirely certain of their contents,
-to Mrs. Crump. That lady, her keen blue eyes
-suddenly perplexed and watchful, handed on the
-papers to Coravel Tio. The latter, in silence,
-began to unfold and look at them, one after another.
-Premble continued his meal, and fell to
-talking with the others.
-
-Presently Coravel Tio came to the end of his
-cigarette. He rose and tossed the butt through
-the open doorway, where Gilbert was lounging.
-His eyes snapped a message to those of Gilbert;
-in turn, Gilbert made a slight motion. Lewis rose
-and shoved aside the curtain from the window, as
-though desiring more air, and then stood watching.
-
-Coravel Tio returned to his stool. At another
-pause in the conversation, he tapped the refolded
-documents on his knee.
-
-“These are all correct, Mr. Premble,” he said,
-gently. “Do you know—ah, there is something
-that puzzles me! Now, when I had the pleasure
-of meeting you in Las Vegas last month, your
-name was different; it was Zebulon and not
-Zacariah. And you looked different, señor. Then,
-if I remember rightly, you wore a moustache, and
-your eyes were another colour, and you had a
-stronger chin than you have at present.”
-
-A sudden tense silence had come upon the room.
-James Z. Premble looked very red, then his
-features paled again. Imperceptibly, his right
-hand fluttered toward his left armpit.
-
-“Don’t do it!” said Lewis, from the window, and
-Mr. Premble gazed into the muzzle of a revolver.
-And: “Go slow!” said Gilbert, from the doorway,
-carelessly fondling another revolver. Mr.
-James Z. Premble set both hands upon the table in
-front of him.
-
-The chauffeur, seeing the general trend of
-events, quietly slid from his stool and vanished
-beneath the table. Mrs. Crump sat motionless,
-looking from one person to another. Sandy
-Mackintavers swallowed hard and made as if to
-rise, but Lewis shifted eyes and weapon slightly,
-and Sandy changed his mind about moving.
-
-“I was afraid of something like this.” The
-voice of Coravel Tio was gently apologetic. “You
-see, the real James Zebulon Premble always keeps
-his engagements to the minute—unless something
-has happened to him. He is now two days overdue
-here. Of course, it would be possible for another
-man to waylay him and to obtain his papers;
-it would be quite possible for that other man to
-come here under the name of Premble, and to
-carry out a slight business transaction.”
-
-“Smooth guy, aren’t you?” sneered Premble.
-“You’ll have a hell of a time proving anything on
-me!”
-
-“My dear señor, *I* don’t want to prove anything
-on you!” said Coravel Tio in pained surprise.
-“No, no, far from it! But I suspect that
-a certain firm by the name of the Williams Manufacturing
-Company, a firm that is very jealous
-of its reputation, might like to know that you are
-in its employ. *Si!* Of course, you’ll not reveal
-to us for whom you are working?”
-
-“I’ve nothing to say,” sullenly returned
-Premble. He looked much perturbed.
-
-“Very well. Gilbert, take the gun from the
-señor’s left armpit and lead him to his automobile.
-Tie him in his automobile and allow him to repose
-in peaceful meditation. That is all. Young man,
-kindly come from beneath the table and resume
-your meal!”
-
-The chauffeur, looking sheepish, crawled into
-view again. Gilbert fulfilled the orders that had
-been given him, and departed with Mr. Premble.
-
-Sandy Mackintavers, although trying to appear
-impassive and unconcerned, signally failed in his
-endeavour. He was completely astounded, swept
-off his feet, by the falling of Coravel Tio’s mask.
-He was suddenly aware of the fact that in Coravel
-Tio he had a damnably clever antagonist.
-
-Now, too late, Sandy began to suspect a thousand
-things that did not appear on the surface.
-Conjectures flitted through his brain. Suspicion
-that the hand of Coravel Tio was a very powerful
-hand, and that this hand was set against him,
-deepened into hard certainty. Yet—not even
-Coravel Tio could know the truth! No one
-could know that Mackintavers and the false
-Premble were friends, were working in concert!
-There was yet hope.
-
-“Aiblins, now, there’s no tellin’ about these
-mining sharks!” observed Sandy in righteous
-accents. “I’ve had experiences of my own in that
-line, aye! But if you’re willing to talk over the
-proposition we discussed last night——”
-
-Coravel Tio looked at him. Coravel Tio
-laughed gently, softly, very acridly.
-
-“My dear señor!” he said. “You knew about
-the real Premble and his business here. Your
-friend met the real Premble and did his work very
-well. You planned things nicely. You came
-and made us your proposition, knowing that we
-would refuse it, knowing that we would be assured
-that you and Premble were at enmity; knowing
-that we would sell out to Señor Premble—eh?
-And Premble would buy the mine for you. Ah,
-yes!
-
-“It was very cleverly planned, and very well
-executed. But now, señor, you had better go and
-sit beside your friend, and be driven back to town
-with him. There I think that you will receive
-some interesting information. I would like to tell
-you about it myself, but——”
-
-At this point Mrs. Crump came to her feet.
-She understood the whole trick at last, she understood
-the deep cunning of Mackintavers, and she
-was white with fury.
-
-“Coravel Tio, this skunk sure makes me blush
-to see him! Now, I aim to give him a right good
-hidin’, which same he deserves plenty. Get outside,
-ye coyote—hustle!”
-
-From the wall Mrs. Crump seized her trusty
-blacksnake. Thoroughly alarmed, Mackintavers
-attempted no protests but backed through the
-doorway. Before the lady, however, uprose Coravel
-Tio, and his hand restrained her from pursuit.
-
-“No,” he said, softly, looking into her eyes. “I
-have reasons, señora; good reasons.”
-
-Mrs. Crump flushed, then paled again. Restraint
-came hard to her.
-
-“I aim to punish him,” she rasped.
-
-“That is already arranged.” Coravel Tio
-smiled at her. “That has been arranged—by the
-gods of the San Marcos. You will, please, leave
-everything in my hands, señora. Everything! I
-wish to handle everything here to-day. Everything!”
-
-Mrs. Crump stared at him, puzzled. Then she
-tossed away the whip.
-
-“All right,” she assented, sullenly, angrily. “I
-won’t say another damned word.”
-
-By this time, Mackintavers was somewhere
-outside. Lewis still stood by the window. Gilbert
-was presumably down at the automobiles
-with his prisoner.
-
-But now the voice of Gilbert came to them. It
-was lifted in a shout of surprise, a shout of aggrieved
-anger and amazement.
-
-“Hey! Hey, you feller! What the hell you
-doin’ there? Hey, Mis’ Crump! Hustle out
-here!”
-
-Those in the shack hastened outside—all
-except the chauffeur. Scenting further trouble,
-that gentleman grabbed his plate and again
-retired beneath the table, to finish his meal in
-security.
-
-As Mrs. Crump, standing out in the sunlight,
-surveyed the situation, she became aware that the
-previously discerned horseback rider had arrived.
-He had evidently ridden right over the long flank
-of the hogback, past the mine workings, into the
-cañon. Fifty yards up the cañon, fifty yards
-above the two shacks, lay a horse that was weary
-unto death, a horse that had been ridden hard and
-furiously, without mercy.
-
-Not far from the horse was something white.
-This was a piece of new, white paper that had been
-fastened to Mrs. Crump’s original location notice.
-
-Down below the shacks, between them and the
-automobiles, was another scrap of white; another
-piece of white paper fastened over another location
-notice. Standing only a few yards from the
-shack, and hurriedly talking to Mackintavers,
-stood the rider who had just arrived. The man
-was Abel Dorales. He had just put up those two
-notices, and he paid no attention whatever to the
-threatening approach of Gilbert.
-
-“Dorales!” gasped Mrs. Crump, and whirled.
-“Lewis! Here! Gi’me that gun!”
-
-“Stop!” Coravel Tio grasped her arm. “Stop,
-señora! Force does nothing. Leave things in my
-hands, *si servase!* Lewis, go and tell Gilbert to be
-quiet—*pronto!*”
-
-The potently gentle voice of Coravel Tio held
-firm command. He was obeyed. Gilbert stood
-motionless, scowling; Mrs. Crump stayed her hand.
-
-Mackintavers walked quickly toward Mrs.
-Crump and Coravel Tio; eagerness shone in his
-eyes, and exultation. Behind him strode Abel
-Dorales, fixedly regarding Mrs. Crump. The
-half-breed’s features were thinly cruel; his nostrils
-quivered slightly; a shadowy smile curved his
-lips into sneering lines.
-
-Gilbert turned and walked toward the new
-notice posted by Dorales.
-
-“Just got some news,” said Mackintavers,
-jerkily. “Abel is goin’ to stay and tell ye bout it.
-I don’t s’pose ye got any objection if I light out for
-Magdalena, aiblins, now?”
-
-Coravel Tio was rolling a cigarette, quite
-unconcernedly. He flashed Sandy a smile.
-
-“Object? Why should we object, señor? By
-all means, go! And take your friend with you,
-your friend whose name is Zacariah and not
-Zebulon. *Vaya con Dios, señor!*”
-
-Mackintavers was plainly in haste to be off.
-He called to the chauffeur, who came from the
-shack and joined him. Together the two walked
-rapidly toward the car wherein was reposing the
-bogus James Z. Premble.
-
-“Y’ain’t goin’ to let them varmints go?” Mrs.
-Crump surveyed Coravel Tio with pleading
-indignation. “After them tryin’——”
-
-Gracefully, Coravel Tio waved his cigarette.
-“Si, *señora*! Let them go. Let them both go.
-There are larger things, much larger things,
-awaiting us.”
-
-“But that feller Premble!”
-
-“Let them both go, señora. We have larger
-things ahead.”
-
-Mrs. Crump sniffed in uncomprehending disgust;
-but she gave tacit assent.
-
-The engine of the car began to whir; the whir
-became a roaring hum, then a deep vibrant
-thrumming that lifted through the cañon. The
-car, with its three men, moved away and leaped
-into speed.
-
-“Hey!” The voice of Gilbert, who had been
-reading the new location notice, drifted up to
-them. “Hey! This guy is jumpin’ our claim!
-He’s posted notices in the name o’ Mackintavers.
-What the hell!”
-
-“Come up here, Gilbert,” said Coravel Tio,
-“and keep quiet. We are to hear some news.
-Ah, Señor Dorales, have you lunched? We are
-glad to welcome you.”
-
-Dorales did not reply. He did not move, but
-upon his lips lingered that thin, shadowy smile
-that was like the stamp of a cruel jeer. Gilbert
-heavily came up and rejoined the others.
-
-They stood there at the doorway of the shack—Mrs.
-Crump, Coravel Tio, Gilbert, and Lewis.
-Facing them stood Abel Dorales; he seemed to be
-waiting until the automobile should have gotten
-away beyond pursuit. Already it was a dot,
-lessening amid a trail of dust. In the bearing of
-Abel Dorales was a commanding air, a deep
-significance, a sneering sense of power. He was in
-no hurry to explain.
-
-The sun beat down in vertical, sickening waves;
-the heat was suffocating, insufferable. It filled
-the cañon like an oven. To the left lay the spent
-horse, panting, loose-tongued, exhausted, unable
-even to reach the trickle of water below. No
-other thing moved within sight. Behind and
-above rose the long hogback that formed the
-north wall of the cañon. It shut out from view all
-that lay beyond, all that lay over toward the
-mountains and the larger cañon that drew out
-from the mountains to the north.
-
-The ground seemed to radiate heat in shimmering
-waves. To one side lay the dry and withered
-body of the rattler Mrs. Crump had killed—what
-was left by the preying tiny things of the earth.
-Somewhere among the rocks lay that reptilian
-head, what was left of it. Inconspicuous it was,
-unseen, dead jaws agape and long fangs glimmering
-like needles in the hot, sickening sunlight.
-
-“Yes,” said Abel Dorales at last. “Yes. I
-have some news for you.”
-
-He ignored that offer of luncheon. He ignored
-the lowering, menacing looks of Lewis and Gilbert.
-He ignored the suave Coravel Tio. He fixedly
-regarded Mrs. Crump, hatred flaming in his dark
-eyes and quivering at his nostrils. He had hated
-her from the depths of his soul ever since that day
-he had jumped her claim over in the Mogollons,
-that day when she had shot him down like a dog.
-
-There was nothing melodramatic in his bearing.
-He was grimed with dust and dirt. He was
-perspiring profusely; his lined and evil face was
-streaming with sweat against its sleek bronze. He
-had ridden hard, and he was tired.
-
-Suddenly he shifted his gaze and looked around,
-to right and left, at the shimmering and empty
-cañon. He looked at the farther hill on the other
-side. He looked up at the long hogback which
-closed in those five persons, shutting out all the
-rest of the world like a vast door of rock. He
-looked up toward the mountain peaks that showed
-above the head of the cañon. Some inward sense
-seemed to whisper to him a warning against
-eavesdroppers; but all the visible world was
-glowing with insufferable heat, and was deserted.
-His eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
-
-“What for ye postin’ notices on my lands?”
-demanded Mrs. Crump. “Huh? How come ye
-sent Mackintavers off to file the claims at the
-recordin’ office, huh? What ye expect to gain by
-all that fool play, huh? Speak up, ye mangy
-dog!”
-
-Abel Dorales looked at her, and smiled thinly.
-“One moment,” he said.
-
-Turning, Abel Dorales strode up the cañon to
-where lay his exhausted horse. The poor brute
-made a painful struggle as if to rise; forefeet, neck,
-and shoulders heaved convulsively, then collapsed
-again. Abel Dorales kicked the horse with
-contempt. From the saddle he took a battered
-little yellow suitcase which had been tied there
-and he started back.
-
-At a word from Coravel Tio, the others moved
-into the slender shadow cast by the north side of
-the shack, the side that faced uphill to the hogback.
-There Abel Dorales rejoined them. There
-he set the battered little suitcase on the ground.
-
-“I should have given this to Sandy,” he said,
-“but I forgot it. Now, Mrs. Crump, your friend
-Shea stole this from the ranch of Mackintavers.
-Here is what he stole.”
-
-With a swift movement he opened the suitcase
-and dumped out the seven stone gods. They
-strewed the ground in grotesque attitudes. One
-fell upright, grinning stonily as if delighted by the
-feat. Dorales tossed the little suitcase away.
-
-“Ah, yes!” It was Coravel Tio who spoke,
-unexpectedly. He spoke as though in recognition.
-“The gods of the San Marcos! But you are
-wrong, señor. Our friend Shea did not steal these
-things. They were stolen by a Navaho, a buck
-who was hired to steal them because he knew the
-ranch house of Mackintavers very well. He was
-hired by Thomas Twofork, who comes from the
-Cochiti pueblo. These gods were the gods of the
-San Marcos, you understand, and they were the
-gods of Thomas Twofork’s fathers. That Navaho
-buck was killed in an accident. How Señor Shea
-obtained these gods, I do not know.”
-
-Dorales laughed.
-
-“It doesn’t matter particularly now. Anyway,
-we’ll concede that Shea didn’t steal them, eh?
-All right. Sandy wanted these gods back, so I
-fetched them along. In my hurry to get this
-property located, I forgot to give them——”
-
-“Where’s Thady Shea?” cried out Mrs. Crump,
-suddenly. “Where is he?”
-
-Abel Dorales looked at her, his lips curving in
-cruel enjoyment.
-
-“Dead. This location was in his name. I
-believe that he is without heirs; since he is dead, I
-believe that his location reverts to the government.
-Whoever is first to file upon it, gets it.
-You see? The notices have been posted. Sandy
-has gone to file the location—now do you understand?”
-
-“Liar!” Mrs. Crump flung the word at him
-in blind, gasping incredulity. “He ain’t dead!
-Thady Shea ain’t dead!”
-
-“Oh, you need not blame me!” said Dorales,
-and laughed again. “I followed him, yes; but I
-came too late. I found him in a cañon over on the
-divide—Beaver Cañon.”
-
-“There was a Mexican refugee camped there
-with his family; a sheep-herder. Shea had come
-and had drunk mescal. He had become drunk,
-beastly drunk. I am not certain of what took
-place, because unfortunately I arrived too late—but
-the woman was dead, and Shea had fallen
-over the edge of a gully, breaking his neck. He
-had been shot, also. I think the woman must
-have shot him—first.”
-
-Under the lash of these slow words, delivered
-with a frightful appearance of truth, Mrs. Crump
-had gone quite livid. A hoarse, inarticulate growl
-came from her throat. The mortal pallor of a
-fury beyond all control came upon her; she
-trembled with sheer passion.
-
-Then she started forward—but the hand of
-Coravel Tio gripped into her wrist.
-
-CHAPTER XVII—DORALES RUNS AWAY
-==============================
-
-“Look!” said the soft voice of Coravel Tio.
-“Look up at the skyline!” Mrs. Crump
-tore herself free from that restraining hand—but
-she looked. She looked up, beyond Abel
-Dorales, above Abel Dorales, at the line of the
-hogback that cleaved across the hot blue sky.
-She stood thus, looking, wonder upon her.
-
-There, clear-cut and sharp against the quivering
-blue sky, appeared three figures. They were the
-figures of a horse and two men; one of the men
-carried a bundle in his arms. This last figure sank
-again from sight almost instantly, as did that of the
-horse. The figure of the other man came down
-the steep slope, came down swiftly and eagerly.
-
-Abel Dorales saw Mrs. Crump look upward.
-He saw the others follow her gaze, saw the startled
-and wondering surmise that filled their eyes. He
-turned, catlike, and looked. He stared at that
-tall figure, whose clothes were torn and dishevelled,
-whose forehead was streaked by the raw, red
-brand of a hot bullet. He stared at that figure,
-which was coming down the hillside rapidly toward
-him.
-
-“*Dios!*” he whispered, throatily. “*Jesus
-Maria!*”
-
-He crossed himself; the gesture was made in
-terrible, spasmodic haste. His arms flung out
-wide, palms backward as though in search of some
-support. He took a retreating step, and another,
-as that tall figure strode down at him; he backed
-against a bowlder and stood thus, staring. His
-brown face became ghastly pale, his mouth opened
-in slavering horror.
-
-In his madness there was reason. He had come
-here quickly, very quickly, after shooting Thady
-Shea and seeing him topple into that gully; he
-knew that no other man could walk here and
-arrive so soon after he had arrived himself. He
-knew that this tall figure with the raw, red brand
-across the brow could be no living man.
-
-“*Que quiere?*” he cried, huskily, with a great
-effort forcing his vocal chords to do their work.
-“*Que quiere?* What do you want, hell dweller?”
-
-Mrs. Crump, who did not believe in ghosts, and
-who was not easily shaken off her balance, satisfied
-herself that it was really Thady Shea who approached.
-Then she slipped to the doorway of
-the shack and picked up the blacksnake whip
-which she had tossed away. She stood at the
-corner of the shack, waiting, watching Abel
-Dorales, her lips grimly clenched into a thin line.
-She was quite content to let Thady Shea settle his
-own score with the man.
-
-Thady came forward, wordless, his gaze fastened
-upon Dorales, deep anger gleaming in those intensely
-black eyes. Abel Dorales, ashen white,
-edged around the side of the bowlder. His hand
-drifted to his pocket; it flashed up again with a
-revolver.
-
-But as Abel Dorales swung down that revolver,
-as he drew down on Thady Shea for a desperate
-ghost-quelling shot, something snaked out through
-the air—something that seemed to leap from the
-expert arm of Mehitabel Crump. It curled about
-the wrist of Abel Dorales, it curled and clung with
-vicious snap about his hand and fingers; as the
-head of a rattlesnake is snapped and tugged from
-his body with one whipcrack, so the revolver was
-torn from the hand of Dorales and sent flying out
-upon the stones.
-
-Thady Shea flung himself upon Dorales.
-
-As has been previously seen, Thady Shea knew
-nothing about the science and art of fighting. His
-was a blind, primitive, untutored lust for vengeance.
-He had heard that resonant voice telling
-the story of his death; he had heard, lifting to him
-above the crest of the hogback, that false tale
-designed to blacken his memory, and now he
-plunged headlong at Abel Dorales, angered as he
-had never been angered in his life.
-
-Stricken and all unstrung by what he had taken
-to be an apparition, Abel Dorales tried to stumble
-away, cowering. But in a moment the furious,
-clumsy blows of Thady Shea proved that here was
-real flesh and blood; Shea landed one smash that
-all but stove in the ribs of his enemy. In his arms
-was terrific strength, had he but known how to use it.
-Perhaps it was as well that the knowledge was lacking,
-else Dorales had died very brutally and quickly.
-
-Still retreating, Dorales gathered himself together
-and faced the storm. He saw that this
-was no ghost, but a man of flesh and blood—a
-man very weary, very terrible, a man whose consuming
-anger swept away all sense of bodily
-hurt and weariness. Dorales blocked the furious
-blows, then, most incautiously, allowed Thady
-Shea to clinch.
-
-That was near to being the death of Dorales,
-for now the terrific strength of Thady Shea poured
-forth like a flood. The two men locked, reeled
-back and forth, went plunging down to the stones.
-They rolled down the hillside; they fought with
-utter madness—yet ever the steel arms were
-tightening about the body of Dorales, ever the
-ribs of Dorales were cracking and giving inward.
-
-In that primitive and sickening struggle, neither
-man saw or gave heed to anything else than the
-face of his foe. Neither man observed that, as
-they upheaved and rolled again, they had come
-upon something that gleamed like needles in the
-sunlight; something wide and gaping that lay
-there unseen and inconspicuous among the stones.
-
-Desperate, feeling the very life wrenching out
-of him, Abel Dorales flung loose one arm and
-attempted to clutch a stone, wherewith to batter
-at the deadly face above him. The two men
-writhed again, heaved upward, fell heavily in a
-twisted mass. Something thin and piercing, something
-that gleamed like white needles in the sunlight,
-ripped the skin of Dorales’ outflung arm.
-Upon that arm fell all the plunging weight of
-Thady Shea, grinding it down upon the stones,
-grinding with it the gaping jaws of that rattler’s
-head, grinding arm and jaws until the skin, from
-wrist to elbow, was burst and ripped asunder as
-cloth is ripped before a knife.
-
-The pain of this unseen, blind hurt fired Dorales
-into frantic efforts. He flung Shea backward;
-he hammered in one blow and another, rocking
-back Shea’s head and blinding him. Dorales
-gained his feet once more, writhing free, panting.
-He was freed of Shea’s grip. His arm was dripping
-blood. Dorales looked down at Thady Shea,
-who was weakly rising to throw himself forward
-anew—then Abel Dorales turned. He turned and
-ran, bounding and sliding to the cañon floor in
-great leaps, running wildly and blindly past the
-two automobiles, running from the vengeance of the
-man whom he had tried to murder, the man who
-now seemed to be more than man. But Thady
-Shea did not pursue, for now weakness and dizziness
-had come upon him, and after two steps Shea
-fell forward.
-
-From the doorway of the shack came a sharp
-report; a fleck of dust lifted, slightly to one side of
-the running figure of Dorales. There came a
-second report, and a fleck of dust lifted from between
-the running feet of Dorales. Mrs. Crump
-was throwing down for the third and final shot
-when Coravel Tio wrenched her arm aside.
-
-“For the love of Heaven, stop!” cried Coravel
-Tio. “No murder, señora! Go and look after
-Shea—quick!”
-
-He tore the revolver away from her; then he
-watched Abel Dorales until the half-breed turned
-a bend in the cañon and was lost to sight.
-
-Gilbert and Lewis had run to lift Thady Shea,
-and Mrs. Crump joined them. Tears shone upon
-her cheeks as Thady Shea came to his feet and
-faintly smiled at her. His lips moved, and a panting
-whisper reached her ears.
-
-“The baby—look after—her! I—knew—you
-wouldn’t mind——”
-
-“Carry him into the shack, ye galoots!” snapped
-Mrs. Crump, crisply, one hand dabbing the tears
-from her eyes. “Can’t you see his mind’s wanderin’?
-Hurry up, now!”
-
-Despite Shea’s protest, they obeyed her mandate.
-She followed them as far as the shack
-doorway, then paused. Another man had come
-down from the hogback, had suddenly appeared
-from nowhere, and was talking with Coravel Tio;
-another man, tall and swarthy of face, behind
-whom followed a saddled pony. The pony was
-very weary.
-
-It was not the man at whom Mrs. Crump looked,
-however. It was the bundle in his arms which
-drew her startled attention—that bundle was
-unmistakably a baby! She realized that Thady
-Shea had not been wandering in his mind after all.
-It was a baby, a little brown baby who was cooing
-and laughing in the face of Coravel Tio.
-
-Hastily, Mrs. Crump stepped forward, Coravel
-Tio turned to meet her.
-
-“Señora, this is my friend Thomas Twofork,
-of whom I told you. He has been following those
-gods of the San Marcos, and now he has found
-them.”
-
-Coravel Tio gestured toward the earth, where
-lay the seven stone gods sprawled in grotesque
-attitudes, one alone being upright, grinning
-stonily. But Mrs. Crump paid no heed to him
-or to the smiling Thomas Twofork. From the
-latter’s infolding arms she seized the baby with
-a sudden and fierce gesture.
-
-“Where’d ye get it? Where’d Thady Shea
-get it?” she demanded, sharply.
-
-Thomas Twofork, standing there in the sunlight,
-told his story, while Mrs. Crump fondled
-the baby with admiration and kindliness growing
-in her keen blue eyes.
-
-Thomas Twofork had located that battered
-yellow suitcase at the Hotel Aragon, had seen
-Thady Shea depart with it—and had found the
-fan belt on his own car broken. While repairing
-it, he had become aware that Dorales was also
-on the trail of Shea. Dorales had started westward,
-and after him, Twofork.
-
-Dorales had not gone on to St. Johns, but had
-followed the tracks of Murray’s car when it
-turned off on the trail to Old Fort Tularosa and
-Aragon. He had met Murray’s car returning
-without Thady Shea, and had hastened on into
-Aragon; by the time he discovered that Shea had
-not been here, and had exchanged his car for a
-horse, much time was lost.
-
-Dorales had gone back along the trail, had
-picked up Shea’s track at daybreak, and had followed;
-after Dorales had gone Thomas Twofork,
-patiently unhurrying. Both men had met the
-ranger returning to town with the murderer,
-Garcia, and had learned Shea’s route.
-
-When Dorales had fired that shot in the night,
-Twofork had been waiting, had seen the act too
-late to prevent it. Dorales had at once taken
-the yellow suitcase, pushing forward without
-delay. Thomas Twofork had found Thady Shea
-in the gully, creased by the bullet, but unwounded,
-battered by the fall but sound of wind and limb.
-With Shea in the saddle, holding the baby, Thomas
-Twofork had followed the trail of Dorales quickly
-and unerringly.
-
-The remainder was briefly told. Knowing that
-the hogback hid all the country beyond the view
-of those in the cañon, Thady Shea had waited
-until Dorales had ridden down into the cañon,
-then had come on with Thomas Twofork. Unseen,
-the two men had arrived, had waited; at
-the right moment, Thady Shea had made his appearance.
-As Thomas Twofork told it, the whole
-story was very simple, all very prosaic. But to
-those who had waited by the shack in the cañon,
-it had not been simple or prosaic. It had been
-very tragic and very terrible.
-
-“So work the gods!” Coravel Tio tossed
-away his cigarette. “Thomas Twofork, here are
-the gods of your fathers; they are yours to take
-back to Cochiti. They have brought disaster
-upon Mackintavers and Dorales; they have
-brought us good blessings. And presently will
-come the real Premble, señora, to buy this mine of
-ours.”
-
-“What was that ye threatened Sandy about?”
-demanded Mrs. Crump, looking up from the baby
-for the first time. “That information ye mentioned?”
-
-“Oh, that!” Coravel Tio laughed gently. “The
-grand jury is sitting at Santa Fé. I arranged a
-few things; a few affidavits, chief among them
-that of Señor Cota, one of our native legislators.
-I am confident that by this time Sandy Mackintavers
-has been indicted for bribery and other
-things. When he reaches Magdalena, he will
-find officers waiting for him. That is all. He
-paid too much attention to the gods of the San
-Marcos, and not enough attention to business.
-Ah, yes! Now, I am very curious to find what
-made so much blood upon the arm of Abel Dorales.
-I wonder, now!”
-
-He beckoned to Thomas Twofork. The two
-men walked away, their eyes intent upon the
-stony ground of the hillside.
-
-Mrs. Crump went into the cabin, bearing the
-baby. Somewhat to her surprise, she found
-Thady Shea sitting at the table, enjoying a
-hearty meal by the aid of Gilbert and Lewis.
-
-“My land, Thady. I thought ye was plumb
-laid out. So ye’ve come back at last, huh? Well,
-set steady a while till I get some water on the
-stove—got to fix this here baby up a bit. Pore
-little critter! Don’t know when I’ve seen a baby
-chortle like this here one.”
-
-Presently she had disposed the baby upon her
-own bunk, and found that the two men had gone.
-She was alone in the shack with Thady Shea and
-the baby. She went to the table and extended
-her hand.
-
-“Thady,” she said, her blue eyes moist, “have—have
-ye forgiven me that blow?”
-
-He stood awkwardly, gripping her hand, a glow
-spreading over his face as he read the message in
-her eyes. Seldom had he seen her eyes look so
-tender, so womanly.
-
-“What blow? I don’t—oh! Why, I had really
-forgotten it.”
-
-“I ain’t. It’s sore mem’ry,” said Mrs. Crump,
-bluntly. “Thady, when that varmint told that
-yarn about you bein’ dead and so on, I was fixin’
-to kill him—yes, I was! In another minute I’d
-ha’ done it, too. And now,” suddenly her voice
-became crisp and harsh, defiantly harsh, “what
-ye mean bringin’ that baby around here? D’you
-reckon I got time and room to take care o’ babies?”
-
-A look of pained astonishment came to the
-man’s eye.
-
-“Why—why, I intended to take care of that baby
-myself! She seemed to like me——”
-
-“Who wouldn’t, ye blunderin’ big heart of a
-man!” she returned, softly. “Yes, I reckon that
-baby is goin’ to stay right here, Thady Shea. I
-just wanted to see the idea in your mind, and now
-I reckon I know. Yes, sir! I reckon I know.”
-
-“You don’t know—at least not all of it.” Thady
-Shea was smiling now, smiling down into her eyes.
-“That baby is dependent on me; I’m going to
-make her happy! And she isn’t all, either. I’m
-an old man and pretty useless, but—but I found
-a big purpose that has drawn me back here—and—and
-I want to tell you——”
-
-Out upon the stony hillside, out in the blinding
-white sunlight, Coravel Tio and Thomas Twofork
-were standing together. In his hand the Indian
-held something—something fragmentary and
-crushed, something that glittered like broken
-needles in the sunlight.
-
-“It was the head of a rattlesnake,” said Thomas
-Twofork, meditatively, “and not long dead. You
-see? The fangs caught in his arm. The two
-men fell and ground into the stones the arm and
-fang together; the fangs were ripped along his
-arm——”
-
-“Ah, yes! It is very wonderful.” Coravel Tio
-began to roll a cigarette. He gazed down the
-cañon where the running figure of Abel Dorales
-had disappeared, and speculation filled his dreamy
-dark eyes.
-
-“Was there any poison in the fangs? Very
-likely, Thomas Twofork. Perhaps it had been
-there in the moment of death; beyond doubt, it
-had been there. Was it dried up, too dried up to
-take effect? Well, we do not know. Soon, in a
-day or two, we shall know. One thing I do know,
-however—I know that *I* would never meddle
-with the gods of the San Marcos. Eh?”
-
-Thomas Twofork was a college graduate, but
-he was first an Indian. To this last word of his
-companion he nodded solemn affirmation. The
-two men turned and started toward the shack;
-but a few yards from the doorway, they halted
-and glanced at each other. From the building
-had come a sudden low sound of a woman softly
-sobbing. Into the eyes of Thomas Twofork
-leaped a mute question. Coravel Tio answered
-with a gesture, and the two men changed their
-course and came to a halt near the automobiles.
-
-“Well?” asked the Indian a moment later.
-“Why does she cry, Coravel Tio? Has that man
-Shea harmed her?”
-
-Coravel Tio struck a match, lighted his cigarette,
-broke the match in two, and gracefully tossed
-away the fragments.
-
-“No, he has not harmed her,” he said, gently.
-“Yet she is sobbing; so, perhaps, is he. You do
-not understand these things, Thomas Twofork,
-but I am a philosopher. I understand everything!
-I have expected to hear the señora sob, thus, for
-some time past. Now it has happened. All is
-well.”
-
-“Eh?” The Indian scrutinized him in perplexity.
-“But what does it mean?”
-
-“It means,” and Coravel Tio smiled, “that
-the señora is very happy! She has found both a
-husband and a child. *Adios!*”
-
-.. class:: align-center
-
-THE END
-
-.. class:: smaller align-center
-
-| THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS
-| GARDEN CITY, N. Y.
-
-.. vspace:: 5
-
-.. _pg_end_line:
-
-\*\*\* END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MESA TRAIL \*\*\*
-
-.. backmatter::
-
-.. toc-entry::
- :depth: 0
-
-.. _pg-footer:
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diff --git a/35078-rst/images/illus-emb.jpg b/35078-rst/images/illus-emb.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 653ba65..0000000 --- a/35078-rst/images/illus-emb.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/35078-rst/images/illus-fpc.jpg b/35078-rst/images/illus-fpc.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a520dc6..0000000 --- a/35078-rst/images/illus-fpc.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/35078.txt b/35078.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dd3e658..0000000 --- a/35078.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6690 +0,0 @@ - The Mesa Trail - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Title: The Mesa Trail - -Author: H. Bedford-Jones - -Release Date: January 25, 2011 [EBook #35078] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MESA TRAIL *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net. - - - [Illustration: "His blazing black eyes stared into the gaze of - Ross"] - - -THE MESA TRAIL - -BY -H. BEDFORD-JONES - -GARDEN CITY -- NEW YORK -DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY -1920 - -COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY -DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY - -ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF -TRANSLATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, -INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN - -COPYRIGHT, 1919, -BY STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - - - - -CONTENTS - - - - CHAPTER I--THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN - - CHAPTER II--THADY SHEA ENCOUNTERS PURPOSE - - CHAPTER III--CORAVEL TIO ENJOYS A BUSY MORNING - - CHAPTER IV--MRS. CRUMP HEADS SOUTHWEST - - CHAPTER V--THE AMBITION OF MACKINTAVERS - - CHAPTER VI--THADY SHEA SMELLS WHISKEY - - CHAPTER VII--THADY SHEA HAS A VISITOR - - CHAPTER VIII--DORALES GOES TO TOWN - - CHAPTER IX--THE WICKER DEMIJOHN - - CHAPTER X--MRS. CRUMP SAYS SOMETHING - - CHAPTER XI--THADY SHEA DISCOVERS A PURPOSE - - CHAPTER XII--THE STONE GODS VANISH - - CHAPTER XIII--THADY SHEA STARTS HOME - - CHAPTER XIV--DORALES KILLS - - CHAPTER XV--MACKINTAVERS MAKES FRIENDS - - CHAPTER XVI--DORALES POSTS NOTICES - - CHAPTER XVII--DORALES RUNS AWAY - - - - -CHAPTER I--THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN - - -A ribbon of winding road leads northeast from the pueblo of Domingo and -the snaky Bajada hill where gray rocks lie thickly; it is a yellowish -ribbon of road, sweeping over the gigantic mesa toward Santa Fe and the -sweetly glowing Blood of Christ peaks--great peaks of green spearing -into the sky, white-crested, and tipped with blood at sunset. - -Along this ribbon of dusty yellow road was crawling a flivver. It was -crawling slowly, in a jerky series of advances and pauses; as it crept -along its intermittent course, the woman who sat behind the wheel was -cursing her iron steed in a thorough and heartfelt manner. - -Both in flivver and woman was that which fired curious interest. The -rear of the car was piled high with boxes and luggage; certain of the -boxes were marked "Explosives--Handle With Care!" Prominent among this -freight was a burlap sack tied about the neck and firmly roped to one of -the top supports of the car. - -The woman was garbed in ragged but neat khaki. From beneath the edges of -an old-fashioned bonnet, tied beneath the chin, protruded wisps of -grayish hair, like an aureole of silver. The woman herself was of -strikingly large frame and great in girth; her arms, bare to the elbows, -were huge in size. Yet this giantess was not unhealthily fat. Hardened -by toil, her hands were gripped carefully upon the steering wheel as -though she were in some fear of wrenching it asunder in an unguarded -moment. - -Her features were large, sun-darkened, creased and seamed with -crow's-feet that betokened long exposure to wind and weather. Ever and -anon she drew, with manifest enjoyment, at an old brown corncob pipe. -Above her firm lips and beak-like nose a pair of blue eyes struck out -gaily and keenly at the world; eyes of a piercing, intense blue, whose -brilliancy, as of living jewels, gave the lie to their surrounding -tokens of toil and age. - -"Drat it!" she burst forth, after a new bucking endeavour on the part of -the car. "If I was to shoot this damned thing through the innards, maybe -she'd quit sunfishin' on me! I'm goin' to sell her to Santy Fe sure's -shooting; I'll get me a pair o' mules and a wagon, then I'll know what -I'm doing. Dunno how come I ever was roped into buying this here -contraption----" - -She suddenly halted her observations. Laying aside her pipe and peering -out from the side of the dusty windshield, her keen eyes narrowed upon -the road ahead. - -Against that yellowish ribbon, with its bordering emptiness of mesquite, -greasewood, and sage, there was nothing moving; but squarely in the -centre of the road showed up a dark, motionless blotch. It was the -figure of a man lying as though asleep. No man would or could lie asleep -in the middle of this road, however, under the withering blaze of the -downpouring New Mexico sun. - -Suddenly the fitful flivver coughed under more gas; it roared, bucked, -darted ahead, bucked again, and a dozen yards from the prostrate man it -went leaping forward as though impelled by vindictive spite to run over -the motionless figure. The woman swore savagely. She seemed -inexperienced as a chauffeuse; only by a hair's breadth did she manage -to avoid the man, and then she stopped the car. - -Her great size became more apparent as she alighted. Standing, she gazed -down at the man, then leaned forward and turned the unfortunate vagrant -upon his back. The body was listless to her hand, the head lolled idly. - -"Hm!" said the woman, reflectively. "Ain't drunk. Ain't hurt. Hm!" - -She reached into the car and produced a whiskey flask, then sat down in -the dust and took upon her ample lap the head of the senseless man. A -sudden deftness became manifest in her motions, an unguessed tenderness -relieved the harshness of her features. - -"This here is breakin' the law," she ruminated, pouring liquor between -the lips of the vagrant, "but it ain't the first time Mehitabel Crump -has broke laws to help some poor devil! Hm! Looks to me like he ain't et -for quite a spell." - -With increasing interest she surveyed the slowly reviving stranger. - -He was fully as lank as she was stout, and must have stood a good six -foot two in height. His clothes were tattered remnants of once sober -black. Long locks of iron-gray hair hung about his ears. His features -were careworn and haggard, yet in them lingered some indefinable -suggestion of fine lines and deeply carven strength. Had Mehitabel Crump -ever viewed Sir Henry Irving--which she had not--she might have guessed -a few things about her "find." - -Suddenly the eyes, the intensely black eyes, of the man opened. So did -his lips. - -"Angels and ministers of grace!" His voice, although faint, was touched -with a deep intonation, a roundness of the vowels, a clarity of accent. -"As I do live and breathe, it is the kiss of lordly Bacchus which doth -welcome me!" - -"Take it calm," advised Mehitabel Crump, pityingly. "You'll have your -right sense pretty soon. Many's the time I've seen Crump keeled over, -and come to with his mind awandering. Jest take it calm, pilgrim. I'll -have a bite o' cornbread----" - -She lowered his head to the dust, rose, and went to the flivver. -Presently she returned with a slab of cold cornbread divided by bacon, -and a desert water bottle. - -"Heaps o' lunch in the car." She aided the gaunt one to sit up, and he -clutched at the food feverishly. "My land! Ain't et real frequent -lately, have ye?" - -The man, his mouth full, shook his head dumbly. About his eyes was a -brilliancy which told of sheer starvation. To the full as worldly wise -as any person in broad New Mexico, the woman asked no questions as yet; -she procured from the car a basket which contained the remainder of her -luncheon, and set forth the contents. - -"Figgered I might get held up 'fore reaching Santy Fe. If it warn't that -dratted car, it sure would be something else, which same it is. Damned -good luck it ain't worse, as Crump used to say when Providence went -agin' him." - -She observed that the stranger ate ravenously, but drank sparingly. Not -thirst had downed him, but starvation. - -He seemed startled at her disconcertingly frank manner of speech. She -put him down as something better than an ordinary hobo; an out-of-luck -Easterner, possibly a lunger. He was fifty or so; with decent clothes, a -shave, and a haircut, he might be a striking-looking fellow, she -decided. Although he had a hard mouth, what Mehitabel Crump had learned -to know as a whiskey mouth, it was steady lipped. - -"You sure played in tough luck comin' this road," she said, musingly. -"So did I. Ain't nothing between here and Santy Fe 'cept Injuns, -greasers, and rattlers, any one of which is worse'n the other two. These -rocks is playin' hell with my tires and the old Henry is coughin' fit to -bust her innards. If I find the feller who sold her to me, I'd sure lay -him one over the ear!" - -Her simple meal finished, she began to stuff her corncob pipe. The man, -still eating wolfishly, watched her with fascinated eyes. She gazed out -at the snowy, sun-flooded Sangre de Cristo peaks and continued her -soliloquy. When it suited her, Mehitabel Crump could be very garrulous; -and when it suited her, she could be as taciturn as the mountains -themselves. - -"I ain't surprised at nothing no more, not these days. No, sir! When I -first come to this country you knowed just what ye had to reckon agin'. -They was Injuns to fight, greasers to work devilment, claim jumpers to -rob ye, and such. But now the Injuns is all towerist peddlers, the -greasers is called 'natives' and runs the courts an' legislature, and -gun toting ain't popular. A lone woman gets skinned plumb legal, when in -the old days it would ha' been suicide to rob a female. Yes pilgrim, set -right in at what's left, and don't bother to talk yet a spell." - -She touched a match to her pipe, broke the match, tossed it away. - -"If Crump hadn't blowed up with a dry fuse in a shaft we was sinking -over in the Mogollons, where we was prospecting at the time, he'd be -plumb astonished at the changes. Yes, and I bet he'd swear to see me -driving one of them contraptions yonder! Poor Crump, I never had the -heart to dig him up, though it was a right smart prospect we was -workin'. But somehow I couldn't never work that claim, with him still in -it that-a-way. I won't need the money, neither, if I've got hold of----" - -She paused. Her gaze went to the devouring stranger. Abruptly she -changed the subject. - -"You don't look like you was much more'n a poor, innercent pilgrim -without any brains to mention. Yet, stranger, I'd gamble that we'd stack -up high in morals agin' such old-timers as Abel Dorales, him what's half -greaser and half Mormon, or old Sandy Mackintavers, what come straight -from Scotland to Arizony and made a forchin in thirty years of thieving! -Yes, I reckon ye've got a streak of real pay dirt in ye, stranger. And -if I can't tell what breed o' cattle a man is by jest looking at him, -it's a queer thing! I've knowed 'em all." - -The complimented pilgrim bolted the last scrap of food in sight, raised -the canvas bag to his lips, and drank. Sighing, he wiped his lips with -the frayed cuff of his sleeve. Then he disentangled his long legs and -rose. One hand upon his heart, the other flourished magnificently, he -made a bow that was the piteous ghost of a perished grandeur. - -"Madam!" His voice rang out firmly now, a deep and sonorous bass. -"Madam, I thank you! In me you behold one who has received the plaudits -of thousands, one who has bowed to the thunderous acclaim of----" - -"What d'ye say your name was?" snapped Mehitabel Crump. Her voice was -suddenly acid, her blue eyes ice. The other was manifestly disconcerted -by her change of front. - -"Madam, I am familiarly known as Thaddeus Roscius Shea. Under the more -imposing title of Montalembert I have made known to thousands the -aspiring genius of the immortal Avonian bard. I avow it, madam--I am a -Thespian! I suit the action to the word, the word to the action----" - -"Huh!" cut in his audience with a ruthless lack of awe. "Huh! Never -heard of them Thespians, but likely it's a new Mormon sect. I knowed a -man of your name down to Silver City twelve year back; this Thady Shea -was a good fightin' man, with one eye and a harelip. Glad to meet ye, -pilgrim! I'm Mehitabel Crump, with Mrs. for a handle." - -Something in her manner seemed mightily to embarrass Mr. Shea, but he -took a fresh start and set forth to conquer the difficulty. - -"Madam, a Thespian is of no religious persuasion, but one who treads the -boards and who wears the buskin of Thespis. You behold in me the first -tragedian of the age. My _Hamlet_, madam, has been praised by discerning -critics from Medicine Hat to Jersey City. The accursed moving pictures -have ruined my art." - -"Oh! It's usually whiskey or woman," said Mrs. Crump, her eyes ominous. -"So you're a stage actor, eh? Then that explains it." - -"Explains, madam? Explains what?" faltered Shea, sensing a gathering -storm. - -"Your damn foolishness. Shake it off, ye poor hobo! I no sooner hands ye -a bit o' kindness than it swells ye up like a balloon. Now, don't you -get gay with _me_, savvy? Don't come none o' that high-falutin' talk -with me, or by hell I'll paralyze ye! I did think for a minute that ye -had the makin's of a man, but I apologize." - -The blue eyes turned away. Had Shea been able to see them, he might have -read in them a look that did not correspond to Mrs. Crump's spoken word. -But he did not see them. - -He turned away from the woman. The carven lines of his face deepened, -aged, as from him was rent the veil of his posturing. A weary and -hopeless sadness welled in his eyes; the sadness of one who beholds -around him the wreckage of all his little world, brought down to ruin by -his own faults. When he spoke, it was with the same sonorous voice, yet -lacking the fine rolling accent. - -"You are right, Mrs. Crump, you are right. God help me! I, who was once -a man, am now less than the very dust. Your harshness is justified. At -this time yesterday, madam, I was a wretched drunken fool, spouting -lines of rhetoric in Albuquerque." - -"I'm surprised at that," said Mrs. Crump. "How'd ye get the liquor, -since this here state an' nation ain't particularly wet no more? And how -ye got here from Albuquerque I don't figger." - -"It is simply told." From the miserable Shea was stripped the last -vestige of his punctured pose. "Twenty years ago my young wife died, and -I started upon the whiskey trail; it has led me--here. Yesterday I came -into Albuquerque, starving. At the railroad station, amid -some--er--confusion, I encountered a company of those motion picture men -who dare to call themselves actors. So far was my pride broken that I -begged of them help in the name and memory of The Profession." - -Shea emphatically capitalized these last two words. - -"They took me aboard their train," he pursued, "and I was given drink. -Some controversy arose, I know not how; I found myself ignominiously -ejected from the train. I walked, not knowing nor caring whither. Nor is -that all, madam. I am a fugitive from justice!" - -"Broke jail?" queried Mrs. Crump, betraying signs of interest. - -"No, madam. In Albuquerque I was starving and desperate. I--I stole -fruit and--sandwiches--from a railroad stand." - -His voice failed. He turned away, staring at the snowy peaks as though -awaiting a verdict. - -"Pretty low-down and worthless, ain't ye?" Mrs. Crump checked herself -suddenly, glancing at the yellow ribbon of road over which she had so -recently come. A flying cloud of dust gave notice of the approach of a -large automobile. - -Suddenly rising, Mrs. Crump knocked out her pipe, then caught Shea by -the shoulder. Her hand swung him about as though he were a child. His -eyes widened in surprise upon meeting the warm regard in her face, the -steady and sympathetic smile upon her lips. - -"Thady," she said, bluntly, "how old are ye?" - -"Fifty-eight," he mumbled in astonishment. - -"Huh! Two year older'n me. Made a mess of your life, ain't ye? Don't -know as I blame ye none, Thady. When Crump passed out, I come near -throwin' up the sponge; but I got to fightin' and I been fightin' ever -since, and here I am! Now, Thady, you got strength and you got guts; I -can see it in your eye. All ye need is backbone. Why don't ye buck up?" - -"I've tried," he faltered, controlled by her personality. "It's no -use----" - -"You go get in that car." Mrs. Crump glanced again at the approaching -automobile, then half flung the gaunt Shea toward her dust-white -flivver. "Get in and don't say a word, savvy? One thing about you, ye -can be trusted--which is more'n can be said for some skunks in this here -country! Get in, now, and leave me palaver with Sheriff Tracy." - -Shea, shivering at mention of the sheriff, jack-knifed his length upon -the car's front seat. - -From some mysterious recess of her ample person Mrs. Crump produced an -immense old-fashioned revolver, which she began to burnish with seeming -absorption. The big automobile slowed up. It halted a few feet behind -the flivver, and a hearty hail came forth. - -"By jingoes, if it ain't Mis' Crump! Hello, old-timer--ain't seen you in -ages!" - -From the car sprang a hale and vigorous man who advanced with hand -extended. - -"I kind o' thought it was you, Sam Tracy," said Mrs. Crump. "Thought I -recognized that there car o' yours. How's the folks?" - -"All fine. And you? But I needn't ask--why, you grow younger every -month----" - -"See here! What ye doin' over in this county, Sam? Why don't ye get back -to Bernalillo where ye belong?" - -The sheriff waved his hand. - -"Going to Santy Fe. I'm looking up a fellow who came this way from -Albuquerque--a hobo and sneak thief name o' Shea. Where ye been keepin' -yourself, ma'am? It don't seem like the same old state not to see ye -from time to time." - -"Sam Tracy," observed Mrs. Crump with a look of severity, "I've knowed -you more years than I care to reckon up. And you know me, I guess! Now, -Sam, I sure hate to do it--but I got to. Stick up your hands, Sam, and -do it damn sudden!" - -The muzzle of her revolver poked the astounded sheriff in the stomach. -For a moment he gazed into her shrewd blue eyes, then slowly elevated -his hands. - -"Are you crazy, ma'am?" he demanded. - -She removed his holstered weapon, then lowered her own and shook her -head. - -"Nope. I'm heap sane right here and now. Set down and smoke whilst I -explain." - - - - -CHAPTER II--THADY SHEA ENCOUNTERS PURPOSE - - -"Your man Shea is settin' in my car yonder," said Mrs. Crump. - -Heedless of the glaring sun, she picked up her pipe and disposed her -giant frame for converse. From narrowed lids the sheriff eyed the lanky, -up-drawn figure of Shea, which he now noticed for the first time. Then -he produced the "makings" and proceeded to roll a cigarette. - -"Glad you picked him up," said he. "I'll take him back with me." - -"No, ye won't," retorted Mrs. Crump, calmly. "You'll not touch him, Sam -Tracy." - -"He's a thief and a drunkard and a hobo," said the sheriff. - -"If they wasn't no drinks to be had in heaven, I reckon hell would be -majority choice," quoth the lady. "When it comes to that, I've seen you -and Crump so paralyzed you couldn't talk. There was that night down to -Magdalena when the railroad spur was finished and they held a -celebration----" - -The sheriff grinned. "No need to argue further along them lines, ma'am. -You win!" - -"I reckon I do, Sam. Besides, you ain't got no authority over in this -county. You can run a bluff on ignorant hoboes an' greasers, but not on -Mehitabel Crump! Your authority quit quite a ways back. Thady Shea only -stole because he was starving, which I'd do the same in his place. I -picked him up here and I'm goin' to keep him." - -"You always was soft-hearted," reflected Tracy. "Now you got him, what's -your programme?" - -Mrs. Crump refilled and lighted her corncob with deliberation, then made -response: - -"Sam, I'm sure in a thunderin' bad pinch. Damned good luck it ain't -worse, as Crump used to say at times. You know I ain't no legal shark, -huh? Well, three weeks ago I had a blamed good hole in the hills, until -Abel Dorales come along and located just below me. Then in rides old -Sandy Mackintavers and offers a thousand even for my hole, saying that -Abel had located the thrown apex of my claim----" - -"The apex law don't obtain here," put in Tracy. - -"I know it; but who's goin' to argue with Mackintavers? If it wasn't -that, it'd be somethin' worse. Anyhow, he offered to compromise and so -on." - -The sheriff nodded. "I see how you come to have the flivver," he -observed, drily. - -"Yas, ye do!" Mrs. Crump's response was raw-edged. "If you was the kind -o' man you used to be, ye'd up and give them jumpers a hemp necktie! But -now ye play politics, Sam Tracy, and ye lick the boots o' Sandy -Mackintavers----" - -"That's enough, Mis' Crump!" broke in the sheriff, icily. "I don't blame -ye for feelin' sore, but the likes of us can't fight Mackintavers in the -courts. We ain't slick enough! And Dorales is a Mormon-bred greaser, -than which the devil ain't never fathered a worse combination. Now, Mis' -Crump, you show me the least excuse for doin' it legally, and I'll pump -them two men full o' lead any day! I'm only surprised that you didn't do -it." - -"I did." A smile of grim satisfaction wreathed the lady's firm lips. -"First I took Sandy's money, then I lets fly. They was several hired -greasers with Dorales, and I reckon I got two-three; ain't right sure. I -only got Abel glancingly, and when I threw down on Sandy his arms was -both elevated for safety. All I could decently do was to nick his ear -so's he'd remember me." - -"You didn't kill Dorales?" - -"Afraid not." Mrs. Crump sadly shook her head. "I didn't wait to inquire -none, but it looked like I'd only blooded his shoulder and he was layin' -low to plug me in the back, so I belted him over the head with the butt, -and slid for home." - -The sheriff, astounded, emitted a long whistle. "Whew-w!" he said, -slowly. "Say, whereabouts did all this happen?" - -"Down the Mogollons. Over Arizony way." - -"Why didn't ye go west into Arizony, then? After that doin's this state -will be too hot to hold ye----" - -"Oh, Sandy won't go to law over the shootin'. It'd make him look too -ridic'lous." - -The sheriff threw back his head and laughed with all the uproarious -abandon of a man who laughs seldom but well. - -"Best look out for yourself," he cautioned. "That there Dorales will be -on your trail till hell freezes over, ma'am! I sure would admire to see -you in action on that crowd!" - -"You'll see me in action when that there car gets movin' again," she -retorted. "She bucks like a range hoss and kicks to beat hell--why, I -couldn't hardly keep the saddle!" - -The sheriff arose and went to the dust-white flivver. He adjusted the -spark, cranked, and for a moment listened to the engine before killing -it. Then he threw back the hood, and, under the sombre eyes of Thady -Shea, worked in silence. At length he finished his task, started the -engine again, and with a nod of satisfaction shut it off. - -"Thought mebbe so," he stated, rejoining the lady. "Your spark plugs was -fouled. Well, ma'am, what can I be doin' for you?" - -"Ye might send me a wire in care of Coravel Tio whenever ye get a line -on Dorales or Mackintavers. I'm fixing to meet them again." - -"How come?" demanded the sheriff in surprise. - -Mrs. Crump gestured with her pipe toward the flivver. - -"I got a sack of ore in there that I found in the lava beds or -thereabouts. I suspicions it's one o' these new-fangled things nobody -give a whoop for in the old days, but that draws down the money now. If -it is, then you can lay that Sandy will hear I've found it, and he'll be -after me to jump the claim." - -"He sure does keep a line on prospectors," reflected the sheriff. "And -skins 'em, too, mostly. But he does it legal." - -"Yep. If this here stuff is any good, Sam, they's going to be some smoke -'fore he gets his paws on it! Where you goin' from here? Back to -Albuquerque?" - -"Nope. I got some business up at the capital." - -"Will ye tote that ore sack and a letter up to Coravel Tio for me--and -do it strictly under your hat?" - -"You bet I will, ma'am!" - -Mrs. Crump unstrapped the burlap sack. With the sheriff's pencil and -paper she settled down to write a letter. The process was obviously -painful and laborious, but at length it was finished. The sheriff shook -hands, picked up the sack, and turned to his car. Mrs Crump had already -restored him his revolver. - -"Take good care of yourself, ma'am--and your hobo! Adios." - -Mrs. Crump watched the trail of dust disappear in the direction of Santa -Fe, then she turned to the flivver and looked up at Thady Shea. - -"They's a new corncob laying in back somewheres. You can have it, Thady. -Get out here and settle down for a spell o' talk. If ye act real good -I'll give ye a drink." - -"I don't want any," came Shea's muffled voice as he leaned back in -search of the pipe. - -"That's a lie. You're fair shaking for liquor and a drop will brace ye -up." - -Shea procured the pipe, filled and lighted, and promptly assumed, as a -garment, his usual histrionic pose. The gulp of liquor which Mrs. Crump -carefully measured out sent a thin thread of colour into his gaunt, -unshaven cheeks. - -"Madam, I owe you all," he announced sonorously. "I have not missed the -heart of things set forth in this your discourse to the sheriff's ear, -and I have gathered that your need is great for the strong arms of -friends, the counsel wise----" - -"You got it," cut in Mrs. Crump, curtly. "The p'int is, Thady, where do -you come in? Listen here, now! I got a good eye for men; ye ain't much -account as ye stand, but ye got the makin's. Now cut out the booze and -I'll take ye for partner, savvy? What's more, I'll spend a couple o' -weeks attending to it that ye _do_ cut out the booze! I sure need a -partner who ain't liable to sell me out to them heathen. Can ye down the -booze, or not?" - -Something in her tone cut through the man's posturing like a knife. As a -matter of fact, he was miserable in spirit; his soul quivered nakedly -before him, and he was ashamed. For a space he did not answer, but -stared at the far mountains. The strong tragedy of his face was -accentuated and deepened into utter bitterness. - -What Mrs. Crump had only vaguely and darkly seen Thady Shea observed -clearly and with wonder; yet, just as she missed the more mystical side -of it, he missed the more practical side. More diverse creatures wearing -human semblance could scarce have been found than these twain, here met -upon a desert upland of New Mexico--the woman, a self-reliant -mountaineer and prospector who knew only her own little world, the man a -drunkard, a broken-down "hamfatter," who knew all the outside world -which had rejected him. They had come together from different spheres. - -As he sat there staring, he mentally and for the last time reviewed the -life that lay behind him; before him uprose all the contemptuous years, -the sad wreckage of high hopes and tinsel glories, the hard and wretched -fact of liquor. He would shut it out of his mind forever, after to-day, -he thought. He would live in the present only, from day to day. He would -try a new life--and let the dead bury their dead! - -He turned to Mrs. Crump, his sad and earnest eyes looking oddly cynical. - -"I do not think it humanly possible that I can resist liquor," he said, -gravely. "I am frank with you. It were easy to swear that I would pluck -out drowned honour by the roots--but, madam, I think that this morning I -am weary of swearing. I have tried to abstain, and I cannot. Always it -is the first week or two of torture that downs me---- - -"You're showin' sense, now," said the lady. "Want to try it or not?" - -He rose in the car and attempted a bow in his showy and pitiful manner. -In this bow, however, was an element of grace, the more pronounced by -its sharp contrast to his gaunt, sombre aspect. - -"Madam, I am deeply sensible of the compliment you pay me. Yet, in -picking from the gutter a drunken failure, are you wise? I am entirely -ignorant of prospecting and----" - -"Don't worry none. Ye'll learn that quick enough." - -Again Thaddeus bowed. "But, madam, I understand that prospectors go off -into the desert places and live. In justice to yourself, do you not -think that your enemies might seize viciously upon the least excuse for -misinterpretation of character----" - -For the first time Shea saw Mehitabel Crump gripped in anger. He paused, -aghast. - -Her gigantic form quivered with rage then stiffened into towering wrath. -Her tanned, age-touched features suddenly hardened into sentient bronze -from which her blue eyes blazed forth terribly, jewelled indices of an -indomitable and quick-flaming spirit within. - -"Thady Shea, it's well for you them words come from an honest heart," -said she, with a slow and grim emphasis. "They ain't no one goin' to say -a word agin' me, except them for what I don't give a tinker's dam; and -if one o' them dasts to say it in my hearin', chain lightnin' is goin' -to strike quick and sudden! This here territory--state, I mean--knows -Mehitabel Crump and has knowed her for some years back. Paste that in -your hat, Thady Shea!" - -As some dread lioness hears in dreams the horns and shouts of hunters, -and starting erect with bristling front mutters her low and terrible -growl of challenge, so Mehitabel Crump defiantly faced Thaddeus. - -He, poor soul, inwardly cursed his too-nimble tongue, and shrank visibly -from the spectacle of wrath. Before the hurt and amazed eyes of him Mrs. -Crump suddenly abandoned her righteous attitude. Having palpably -overawed him, she now felt ashamed of herself. - -"There, buck up," she brusquely ordered. - -"Tell me, now! If I answer for it that ye stay sober a couple o' weeks -or so, will ye make the fight?" - -"Yes." Hope fought against despair in Shea's voice; he knew his own -weakness well. - -"All right. Let's go, then!" - -"We're going to Santa Fe?" - -Mrs. Crump advanced to the front of the flivver, and seized the crank. -Then she paused, her blue eyes striking up over the radiator at Shea. - -"No, I ain't goin' to Santy Fe; neither are you! We're goin' to the most -man-forsaken spot they is in all the world, I reckon. We got grub, and -everything else can wait a couple o' weeks or so. Accordin' to the Good -Book, Providence was mighty rushed about creation, but I ain't in no -special hurry about makin' a man of you----" - -Her words were drowned in the engine's roar. Thaddeus Roscius Shea made -himself as small as possible; Mrs. Crump crowded in under the wheel, the -car swaying to her weight, and they leaped forward. - -In silence she drove, pushing the flivver with a speed and abandon which -left Shea clinging desperately to his seat. Twenty minutes later an -intersecting road made its appearance; Mrs. Crump left the highway and -followed this road due north for a couple of miles. There, coming to an -east-and-west road which was decidedly rough, she headed west. - -"This here's the trail to Cochiti pueblo," she announced, enigmatically. - -Four miles of this, and she struck an even worse road that headed -northwest. Shea's eyes opened as they progressed. Never in all his life -had he encountered such grotesque country as this which now lay on every -hand as though evoked by magic--utter desolation of huge rock masses, -blistered and calcined by ancient fires, eroded into strange spires and -pinnacles of weird formation. To the north towered Dome Rock with its -adjacent crater. No sign of life was anywhere in evidence. - -Shea was helplessly gripped by the personality of the woman beside him. -Mentally he was overborne and awed; physically he was sick--not ill, but -downright sick, possibly due to the sparse gulps of liquor which he had -downed, possibly to the glaring sun. He cared not whether he lived or -died. He felt that this day had brought him to the end of his rope, and -that nothing more could matter. - -"Getting into the lava beds," observed Mrs. Crump, cheerfully. Shea -understood her words only dimly. "This here Henry sure does go pokin' -where you'd think nothin' short of a mule could live! The trail peters -out a bit farther, then we got to hoof it over to the Rio Grande and -make camp." - -Poor Shea shivered. The frightful desolation of the scene horrified him. -He had never been an outdoor man. His had ever been the weakness, the -dependency of the sheltered and civilized being. Contact with this -strangely primitive woman frightened him. He felt like babbling in his -terror, begging to be taken back and allowed to resume his place among -the swine. Here was something new, awful, incredible! But he held his -peace. - -Had he been able to look a few miles ahead; had he foreseen what lay -before him in that camp in White Rock Canon, a place which in grandeur -and inaccessibility rivalled the great canon of the Colorado; had he -known that he was about to tread a trail which few white men had ever -followed--in short, had he understood what Mehitabel Crump's plan held -in store for him, he would at that moment have yielded up the ghost, -cheerfully! - -At last, reaching a sheer incline where boulders larger than the car -itself filled all the trail and rendered further progress impossible, -Mrs. Crump killed her engine and set her brakes hard. - -"I guess Henry can lay here all his life and never be stole," she said, -with a sigh of relaxation. "Well, Thady, here we are! D'you know what? -It ain't lack of ambition that makes folks mis'able and unsatisfied; -it's lack o' purpose. Now, I aim to teach ye some purpose, Thady. Look -at me! I been prospectin' all my life, and still goin' strong, just -because I got a definite object ahead--to strike it rich somewheres! - -"Well, climb down. We got to rig up some grub into packs, hoof it to the -nearest canoncito, and reach the Rio Grande. It's less'n two mile in a -straight line to water, but twenty 'fore we gets there, if we gets there -a-tall. Come on, limber up!" - -Thaddeus Roscius Shea groaned inaudibly--but limbered up. - - - - -CHAPTER III--CORAVEL TIO ENJOYS A BUSY MORNING - - -Coravel Tio sold curios in the old town of Santa Fe. He also sold -antiques, real and fraudulent; he had a wholesale business in Indian -wares that extended over the whole land. - -Coravel Tio was one of the few Americans who could trace their ancestry -in an unbroken line for three hundred years. It was almost exactly three -hundred years since the ancestor of Coravel Tio had come to Santa Fe as -a conquistador. Coravel Tio was wont to boast of this, an easily proven -fact; and, boasting, he had sold the conquistador's battered old armour -at least fifty times. - -When the boasts of Coravel Tio were questioned, he would admit with a -chuckle that he was a philosopher; and do not all philosophers live by -lying, senor? There was great truth in him when he was not selling his -ancestor's armour to tourists--and even then, if he happened to like the -looks of the tourist, he would gently insinuate that as a business man -he sold fraudulent wares and lied nobly about them, but that in private -he was a philosopher. And the tourists, liking this quaintly naive -speech, bought the more. - -It was a big, dark, quiet shop, full of Indian goods and weapons, -antique furniture that would have made Chippendale's eyes water, -ivories, old paintings, manuscripts from ancient missions. A good half -of Coravel Tio's shop was not for sale at any price. Neither, said men, -was Coravel Tio. - -He was a soft-spoken little man, quiet, of strange smiles and strange -silences. His was the art of making silence into a reproof, an assent, a -curse. The world of Santa Fe moved about Uncle Coravel and heeded him -not, shouldered him aside; and Coravel Tio, knowing his fathers to have -been conquistadores, smiled gently at the world. His name was usually -dismissed with a shrug--in effect, a huge tribute to him. Talleyrand -would have given his soul to have been accorded such treatment from the -diplomats of Europe; it would have rendered him invincible. - -One of those rare men was Coravel Tio whose faculties, masked by -childish gentleness, grow more terribly keen with every passing year. -His brain was like a seething volcano--a volcano which seems to be -extinct and cold and impotent, yet which holds unguessed fires somewhere -deep within itself. - -Upon a day, some time following the meeting of Mehitabel Crump with -Thady Shea, this Coravel Tio was standing in talk with one Cota, a -native member of the legislature then in session. - -"But, senor!" was volubly protesting the legislator, with excitement. -"They say the majority is assured, that the bill already drawn, that the -capital is to be moved to Albuquerque at this very session!" - -"I know," said Coravel, passively, his dark eyes gently mournful. - -"You know? But what--what is to be done? Shall those down-state people -take away our capital? We must prevent it! We must do something! It's -this man Mackintavers who is at the bottom of it, I suppose----" - -Coravel Tio fingered a blanket which topped a pile beside him--a gaudy -red blanket. He regarded it with curious eyes. - -"I fear this is not genuine--it does not have the old Spanish uniform -red," he murmured, as though inwardly he were thinking only of his -wares. Then suddenly his eyes lifted to the other man, and he smiled. In -his smile was a piercing hint of mockery like a half-sheathed sword; -before that smile Cota stammered and fell silent. - -"Oh, senor, this matter of the capital!" answered Coravel Tio, softly. -"Why, for many, many years men have said that the capital is to be moved -to Albuquerque; yet it has not been moved! Nor will it be moved. And, -Senor Cota, let me whisper something to you! I hear that you have bought -a new automobile. That is very nice, very nice! But, senor, if by any -chance you are misled into voting for that bill, it would be a very sad -event in your life; a most unhappy event, I assure you! Senor, customers -await me. _Adios._" - -As the legislator left the shop, he furtively crossed himself, wonder -and fear struggling in his pallid features. - -The merchant now turned to his waiting customers. Of these, one was a -Pueblo, a Cochiti man as the fashion of his high white moccasins and -barbaric apparel testified to a knowing eye. The others were two white -men who together approached the curio dealer. Coravel Tio stepped to a -show case filled with onyx and other old carvings, and across this faced -the two men with an uplift of his brows, a silent questioning. - -"You're Mr. Coravel--Coravel Tio?" queried one of the two. The dealer -merely smiled and nodded, in his birdlike fashion. "Can we see you in -private?" - -"I have no privacy," said Coravel Tio. "This is my shop. You may speak -freely." - -"Huh!" grunted the other, surveying him in obvious hesitation. "Well, I -dunno. Me and my partner here have been workin' down to Magdalena, and -we had a scrap with some fellers and laid 'em out. Right after that, a -native by the name of Baca tipped us off that they was Mackintavers' -men, and we'd better light out in a hurry. He give us a loan and said to -tell you about it, so we lit out here." - -Coravel Tio seemed greatly puzzled by this tale. - -"My dear sir," he returned, slowly, "I am a curio dealer. I do not know -why you were sent to me. Do you?" - -"Hell, no!" The miner stared at him disgustedly. "Must ha' been some -mistake." - -"Undoubtedly. I am most sorry. However, if you are looking for work, I -might be able to help you--it seems to me that someone wrote me for a -couple of men. Excuse me one moment while I look up the letter. What are -your names, my friends?" - -"Me? I'm Joe Gilbert. My partner here is Alf Lewis." - -Coravel Tio left them, and crossed to a glassed-in box of an office. He -opened a locked safe, swiftly inspected a telegraph form, and nodded to -himself in a satisfied manner. He returned to the two men, tapped for a -moment upon the glass counter, meditatively, then addressed them. - -"Senors, I regret the mistake exceedingly. Still, if you want work, I -suggest that you drive over to Domingo this afternoon with my cousin, -who lives there. You may stay a day or two with him, then this friend of -mine will pick you up and take you to work." - -The second man, Lewis, spoke up hesitantly. - -"Minin' is our work, mister. We ain't no ranchers." - -"Certainly." Coravel Tio smiled, gazing at him. "You will not work for a -native, my friends. Ah, no! Be here at two this afternoon, please." - -The two men left the shop. Outside, in the Street, they paused and -looked at each other. The second man, Lewis, swore under his breath. - -"Joe, how in hell did he know we was worried over workin' for a greaser -boss?" - -Gilbert merely shrugged his shoulders and strode away. - -Within the shop, Coravel Tio turned to the waiting Indian and -spoke--this time neither in Spanish nor English, but in the Indian -tongue itself. As he spoke, however, he saw the stolid redskin make a -slight gesture. Catlike, Coravel Tio turned about and went to meet a man -who had just entered the shop; catlike, too, he purred suave greeting. - -A large man, this new arrival--square of head and jaw and shoulder, with -small gray eyes closely set, a moustache bristling over a square mouth, -ruthless hardness stamped in every line of figure, face, and manner. He -was dressed carelessly but well. - -"Morning," he said, curtly. His eyes bit sharply about the place, then -rested with intent scrutiny upon the proprietor. "Morning, Coravel Tio. -I been looking for someone who can talk Injun. I've got a proposition -that won't handle well in Spanish; it's got to be put to 'em in their -own tongue. I hear that you can find me someone." - -Regretfully, Coravel Tio shook his head. - -"No--o," he said, in reflective accents. "I am sorry, Mr. Mackintavers. -My clerk, Juan Estrada, spoke their language, but he joined the army and -is still in service. Myself, I know of it only a word or two. But wait! -Here is a Cochiti man who sells me turquoise; he might serve you as -interpreter, if he is willing." - -He called the loitering Indian, and in the bastard Spanish patois of the -country put the query. Mackintavers, who also spoke the tongue well, -intervened and tried to employ the Indian as interpreter. To both -interrogators the Pueblo shook his head in stolid negation. He would not -serve in the desired capacity, and knew of no one else who would. - -"It is a great pity he is so stubborn!" Coravel Tio gestured in despair -as he turned to his visitor. "I owe you thanks, Mr. Mackintavers, for -getting my wholesale department that order from the St. Louis dealer. I -am in your debt, and I shall be grateful if I can repay the obligation. -In this case, alas, I am powerless!" - -"Well, let it go." Mackintavers waved a large, square hand. He produced -cigars, set one between his square white teeth, and handed the other to -Coravel Tio. "You can repay me here and now. A man at Albuquerque sent a -telegram to that Crump woman in your care. Where is she?" - -"What is all this?" Coravel Tio was obviously astonished. "Senor, I am a -curio dealer, no more! You surely do not refer to the kind-hearted Mrs. -Crump?" - -Mackintavers eyed him, chewing on his cigar. Then he nodded grimly. - -"I do! Is she a particular friend of yours?" - -"Certainly! Have I not known her these twenty years? I buy much from -her--bits of turquoise, queer Indian things, odd relics. Her mail often -comes here, remaining until she calls for it. I am a curio dealer, -senor, and in other matters I take no interest." - -"Hm!" grunted Mackintavers. "Has she been here lately?" - -"No, senor, not for three months--no, more than that! Mail comes, also -telegrams." - -"D'you know where she is?" demanded the other, savagely. - -Dreamily reflective, Coravel Tio fastened his eyes upon the right ear of -Mackintavers. That ear bore a half-healed scar, like a bullet-nick. -Beneath that silent scrutiny the other man reddened uneasily. - -"Let me see! My wife's second cousin, Estevan Baca, wrote me last week -that he had met her in Las Vegas. Everyone knows her, senor. If I can -send any message for you----" - -"No. Much obliged, all the same," grunted the other. "I'll probably be -at the Aztec House for a few days. Let me know in case she comes to -town, will you? I want to see her." - -With exactly the proper degree of bland eagerness, Coravel Tio assented -to this, and Mackintavers departed heavily. The merchant accompanied him -to the door and watched him stride up the narrow street, cursing the -burros laden with mountain wood that blocked his way. Then, smiling a -trifle oddly, the descendant of conquistadores returned to the waiting -man from Cochiti pueblo. - -"Do you know why that man wanted an interpreter?" he asked the Indian, -in the latter's native tongue. The redskin grinned wisely and shook the -black hair from his eyes. - -"Yes. But it is not a matter to discuss with Christians, my father." - -Coravel Tio nodded carelessly. The question was closed. The Pueblo folk -are, of course, very devoted converts to the Christian faith; yet those -who know them intimately can testify that they sometimes have affairs, -perhaps touching upon the queer stone idols of their fathers, which do -not bear discussion with other Christians. They do not pray to the old -gods--perhaps--but they hold them in tremendous respect. - -"You came to tell me something," prompted the curio dealer, gently. - -The Indian assented with a nod. He leaned against one of the wooden -pillars that supported the roof, and began to roll a cigarette while he -talked. - -"Yesterday, my father, I was near the painted caves of the Colorado, and -I stood above White Rock Canon looking down at the river. There on the -other side of the water I saw the strangest thing in the world. I went -home and told the governor of the pueblo what I had seen, and it was his -command that I come here and tell you also, for this is some queer -affair of the white people." - -Coravel Tio said nothing at all. The Pueblo lighted his cigarette and -continued: - -"Upon the east side of the river and canon, not so well hidden that I -could not see it, was a camp, and in that camp were a white man and a -white woman. I have never before seen white folk able to reach that -place, unless it were the Trail Runner who takes pictures of us and -sells them to tourists. These were strangers to me. One was a very large -woman. The man was tall, but he acted very strangely. He acted as though -God had touched his brain. So did they both." - -"In what way?" asked Coravel Tio, sharply. - -"In every way, my father. The man wore no shoes, and the hot rocks hurt -his feet so that he limped. I saw him spring on the woman, and they -fought. She beat him off and pointed a gun at him. Then he seemed to be -weeping like a woman, and he grovelled before her. She threw something -far off on the stones, and I think it was glass that broke--a bottle, -perhaps." - -"Oh!" said Coravel Tio. "Oh! Perhaps it was." - -"There were other strange actions," pursued the stolid red man. "I could -not understand them----" - -"No matter." Coravel Tio made a gesture as though dismissing the -subject. "Could you get to that camp from your pueblo?" - -"Of course, by crossing the river, by swimming the water there. But that -may be a hard thing to do, my father." - -"Undoubtedly, but you will do it, and I will pay you well. There is a -package to give that woman. Wait." - -Coravel Tio went to his little box of an office, seated himself at the -desk, and began to write in a fair, round hand. The epistle required -neither superscription nor signature: - - The burlap sack proved to contain some interesting contents. The - two small sacks in the centre were even more interesting. The - samples have been assayed with the following results: - - Numbers one to five, quartzitic with bare traces of brittle - silver ore; no good. Numbers six to fifteen, barytes, perhaps - five dollars a ton; no good. Number sixteen is strontianite. - This is converted into certain nitrates used in manufacture of - fireworks and in beet sugar refining. Tremendously valuable and - rare. This, senora, is enough. - - I think that M. has scented those assays. He is asking for you, - but I have made him look toward Las Vegas. To-morrow you will - find two men at Domingo who wish work--they will be there until - you arrive: Joe Gilbert and Alf Lewis. Meet me there also, - please. I will take one-third interest in Number Sixteen as you - suggest, and will furnish whatever money you desire on account. - I enclose an advance sum. - - I shall have articles of partnership ready. Suppose you meet me - day after to-morrow, at Domingo. You must give me location, - etc., in order to arrange details of filing, land and mineral - right lease, etc. Be careful about the new explosives law, - unless you already have a permit. - -"Being a woman," reflected Coravel Tio, "she should know that the most -important thing in this letter is the very end of it." - -He sealed the letter, placed it upon a thick sheaf of bank notes, -wrapped the parcel in oiled silk and again in a small waterproof Navaho -saddle blanket. This package he gave to the waiting redskin. - -"It must go into the hands of that large woman, and no other," he said, -gravely. "If you fail, there is trouble for all of us--and perhaps for -the gods of the San Marcos also!" - -At these last words a flash of keen surprise sprang athwart the Indian's -face; then he took the package and turned to the doorway without -response. Coravel Tio looked after him, and smiled gently. - - - - -CHAPTER IV--MRS. CRUMP HEADS SOUTHWEST - - -There was in Domingo a man named Baca. Domingo is a tiny village of -adobes nestling along the curve of Santa Fe creek under the gray -sharpness of Bajada hill; there is also an Indian pueblo of the same -name. - -In every ancient native settlement there is at least one man named Baca, -which signifies "cow" and may be spelled, in the old fashion, either -Baca or Vaca. If these folk came all of one stock, they have increased -and multiplied exceedingly. - -Under the big cottonwood tree that grew in front of the Baca home sat -smoking Joe Gilbert and his partner Lewis. Up to them, and halting -abruptly before the house, crept a dust-white flivver in which sat two -people: one a woman, great of girth and frame, the other a man, gaunt -and haggard, whose black eyes blazed like twin stars of desolation. - -The woman alighted and faced the two smokers. They rose and doffed their -hats. - -"Gents, know where I can find Alf Lewis and Joe Gilbert?" she inquired, -bluntly. - -"That's us, ma'am." - -"Thought so. My name's Mehitabel Crump, with Mrs. for a handle. I'm -goin' to open up an ore outcrop. This here is Thady Shea, my partner. -Want work, or not?" - -"I've heard of you, ma'am," said Gilbert. - -"So've I!" exclaimed Lewis. "You bet we want work! Only, ma'am, we'd -ought to tell ye square that they's apt to be warrants out for us." - -"Warrants never made me lose sleep," said Mrs. Crump, eying them with a -nod of satisfaction. "Howsomever, I'll return the favour by saying that -if ye take up with me it ain't goin' to be no pleasure trip, gents. -'Cause why, I've got something good, something that'll bring -Mackintavers on the trail soon's he smells it--him or his friends. I -don't aim to be bluffed out, I don't aim to be bought out, and I don't -aim to be lawed out; I got something big, and I aim to hang on to it -spite of hell and high water until I sell out big. Them's my openers." - -"They're plenty, ma'am," said Gilbert. "We sure would admire to work for -you!" - -A brief discussion followed as to wages. Thaddeus Roscius Shea sat -jack-knifed in the car's front seat, saying not a word. His face was -sun-blistered and graven with gnawing desire, his black eyes were -feverish, he looked anything but a mining man. Yet the two miners, who -must have felt more than a slight curiosity touching him, evinced none. -At length Mrs. Crump turned to the car. - -"Well, pile in here! Make room in the back, but handle them boxes -gentle. Three or four holds blasting powder and dynamite. I had quite a -stock left over, and brung it along." - -"Do we travel far?" asked Lewis, nervously. - -"You bet we do! But don't worry none. I ain't much farther from them -boxes than you boys are, and I'm pickin' the soft spots in the road. -Besides, I've driv' several hundred mile a'ready with this here outfit, -and she ain't gone up on me yet. Barring bad luck, we'd ought to get -where we're goin' by the night of day after to-morrow." - -"I've heard tell that you had cold iron for nerves," commented Gilbert. -"But you ain't backing me down, none whatever, ma'am!" - -He sprang in, began to shift the load, and Lewis promptly joined him. -Mrs. Crump turned and strode away through the dust. Thady Shea watched -her out of sight, then twisted about, and for the first time broke the -silence that had enveloped him. - -"Gentlemen! May I inquire whether either of you delvers in the deeps of -earth are possessed of spirits?" - -At the sonorously booming voice Gilbert's jaw dropped in amazement. - -"Good gosh! Is that Scripture talk? What d'ye mean--spirits?" - -Shea made an impatient gesture. "The fiery fluids that do mingle soul -with vaster inspiration! I pray you, give me to drink as you do value -drink!" - -"Oh, he means a drink!" ejaculated Lewis, staring. "We ain't got a drop, -Shea." - -The lanky figure jack-knifed together again in disconsolate despair. The -two men in the rear of the car glanced at each other. Gilbert tapped his -head; Lewis grimaced. - -Meantime, Mrs. Crump had passed along the winding row of adobes and -finally turned into a corral of high boards. There, concealed from -exterior view, she found an automobile at rest; she went on to the -adjoining rear door of the adobe house. The door was opened to her by -Coravel Tio, who greeted her with a quick smile and a bow. - -"My land, it's hot!" said Mrs. Crump. "Howdy!" - -"This place is hot indeed," responded the merchant. "Let us take the -front room and we may talk in private. I have the papers all made out." - -They understood each other very well, these two. Presently, however, -Coravel Tio discovered that a third interest in Number Sixteen was to be -assigned to Thaddeus Shea, in whose name, also, the entire mining -property was to stand. He leaned back and surveyed Mrs. Crump with -interest. - -"I do not know this man Shea, senora. Why do you make him wealthy?" - -There was no hint of offence in his tone. He spoke as one having the -right to ask, and Mrs. Crump promptly acquiesced. - -"He's an old stage actor, Coravel. I picks him up on the road and takes -him along. I'm breakin' him of drink, and I got a hunch that he's goin' -to turn out a real man. As for makin' him wealthy, none of us ain't -going to thrive on Number Sixteen for quite a spell yet! I'm gambling -that Thady Shea will earn all he gets. He's absolutely honest, and -good-hearted. He won't know the mine's in his name, and won't care; -bein' that way, it'll throw Mackintavers off the track. Besides, I feel -downright sorry for Thady; he's had a heap o' misery in his life, looks -to me." - -The other smiled gently and waved his hand. - -"Senora, you are the one woman whose great heart has no equal! It is in -my mind that this man will be the cause of misfortune; but what matter? -If not from one cause, then from another. Misfortunes are sent by the -gods to make us great! - -"I shall attend to everything in his name; a good idea, since he will be -unknown to Mackintavers or Dorales. You will uncover the vein, and send -me more samples immediately. These other two men must become small -shareholders, so that adjacent claims and mining rights may be secured -for the company. Once we are secure, we may talk of eastern capital." - -"Once we're secure," said Mrs. Crump grimly, "look out for Mackintavers, -then and before; likewise, after!" - -"Exactly." Coravel Tio bowed and finished his writing. - -A little later Mrs. Crump shook hands with him and departed. Coravel Tio -watched her off, and heard the roar of her car's engine. The roar became -a thrum that lessened and died into the distance like a droning fly. -Only then, it seemed, a sudden thought shook the man. - -"_Dios_--I forgot!" he ejaculated. "I forgot to ask her about the permit -for the explosives! Well, I warned her in the note. What matter? These -incidents of destiny are intended to work out their own effects, and -good somehow comes from everything. I am a philosopher!" - -Blissfully unconscious whether philosophy might be of aid in running a -flivver, Mrs. Crump headed southward over the river road to Albuquerque. - -A rough road is that, and well travelled. Mrs. Crump was in some haste -to get over this section unobserved, and it was entirely evident that -her haste was greater than her caution regarding the jiggling boxes in -the rear of the car. - -More than once the two men in the tonneau stared quickly at each other's -white faces; more than once the boxes and bundles crashed and banged -fearsomely, in view of their partial contents; but Mrs. Crump only threw -in more gas and plunged ahead. As for Thaddeus Roscius Shea, he stared -out upon the passing scenery with glazed and lack-lustre eyes, and held -his peace. - -When at last they arrived in the outskirts of Albuquerque, Mrs. Crump -paused at a wayside station to fill up with oil and gasoline, also to -refill several emptied water bags which formed part of the equipment. - -"We ain't goin' into town," she vouchsafed, curtly, to her charges. "And -when we gets reaching out over the mesa, you two boys act tender with -them boxes! They's two-three places we got to ford cattle runs, and we -got to do it sudden to keep out of the quicksands. But don't worry no -more, there ain't no special danger." - -The advice was entirely superfluous. Gilbert and Lewis could by no means -have worried more. They had reached the limit. - -Barely skimming the outlying streets of Albuquerque, Mrs. Crump avoided -the better-known highway beside the railroad and took the shorter but -deserted road that leads south over the mesa to Becker. Most of this was -covered before darkness descended upon them. - -Then a brief and barren camp was made; it was also a fireless camp, and -the "grub" was cold. Stiff and weary though the three passengers were, -it was clearly impossible that they should prove less tough than a mere -woman. So, when after an hour's halt Mrs. Crump grimly cranked up, they -piled into the car without protest. - -On they went through the darkness. It was well after midnight when the -iron nature of Mehitabel Crump acknowledged signs of approaching -dissolution in the hand that rocked the steering wheel. Admitting her -weakness with a sigh, she turned out of the interminable road and -halted. Blanket rolls were unlashed, and sleep descended swiftly upon -three members of that quartet. - -It must be told that this camp was a milepost in the life of Thaddeus -Roscius Shea. He could not sleep. A hundred yards away from the camp he -strode up and down under the cold stars, his gaunt body shivering with -the chill of the night, his haggard features contorted with the -desperate anguish of shattered nerves. All the old impertinences of his -soul were risen strong within him; he wanted to run away and end this -intolerable situation. He wanted to run away, here and now! - -Yet, when at length he clumsily wrapped himself in his blanket and fell -asleep, tears beaded his hollow cheeks and reflected the pale starlight -above; and like the stars, those tears were cleansing, and serenely sad. -The first tears he had shed in years--the tears of a man, wrung from -deep within him; tears of brief conquest over himself. He would stick! - -Sunrise found the dust-white flivver once more far afield. - -The remaining details of that odyssey have no place here. The dust-white -flivver came safely to its destination, and work duly began upon Number -Sixteen. Days of hard, back-breaking labour ensued--days in which living -quarters had to be erected before the claim could be touched. In those -days Thaddeus Roscius Shea became, for good and all, Thady Shea. - -Number Sixteen lay among the most desolate of desolate hills, just over -the ridge of a long hogback. In the canon below there was a trickle of -water from the mountains; beside this _rito_ were erected two rough -shacks, and here the dust-white flivver rested peacefully. To the north -towered the higher forested ranges whence came the canon--the -continental divide, rugged crests leaping at the sky. Below, a few miles -distant, stretched the bad lands and the lava beds; a scoriated, -blasphemous strip such as is often found in the southwest. Behind this -lay scattered ranches and the road into Zacaton City. - -Up on that hogback, leaning upon his pick, stood Thady Shea. Gone was -the threadbare black raiment, gone and replaced by overalls, high boots, -flannel shirt. Shea was less conscious of his changed exterior than were -those about him. Lewis and Gilbert, preparing a blasting charge a -hundred feet distant, glanced at the great, gaunt figure. - -"Bloomed out most amazing, ain't he?" said Lewis. "No tinhorn, neither. -Dead game." - -Gilbert, cutting the fuse with deft fingers, wagged his head. "Sure -looks that-a-way, partner. Reckon Mis' Crump knew her business, after -all, when she tied up with him. Gosh! Ain't she one a-gile critter, -though?" - -Shea stood rocklike, watching the blast. Even in this short space of -time the swing of axe and pick had hardened him amazingly; his towering -figure seemed to move with a more lissome flow of muscles; for the first -time in his life, most wonderful of all, his deeply lined features had -become centred about one fixed and determined purpose--to keep himself -clean of liquor. He had conquered, and with the victory had come a new -serenity. - -The muffled report of the blast echoed dully. From nowhere appeared Mrs. -Crump, hastily coming to the scene. Shea dropped his pick and joined the -others. Mrs. Crump, examining the results of the blast, flung out an -exultant cry. - -"Got it!" - -"Ain't much of a vein," observed Gilbert, skeptically. "Veins, -rather--looks like a lot of 'em, and they go deep. This here limestone -runs clear to Chiny, I reckon." - -Mrs. Crump chuckled in a satisfied manner. - -"These here veins don't never come big, Gilbert. Who'd think this here -greenish-white stuff was better'n a gold seam? But she is. Well, never -mind any more work a while, boys. I got a letter already writ, and when -I fill in the size o' these here openings, she's ready to mail--and -she's got to be sent sudden. These samples likewise. - -"Let's see; I ain't goin' to town myself. Mackintavers' men are sure to -be watchin' everywhere, and this here location has got to be kept secret -if possible. I s'pose the devils will get it from the land office, -though. Joe, can you and Al show up in Zacaton City without occasioning -no rumpus?" - -Gilbert shook his head doubtfully. - -"I reckon not, ma'am. We're pretty well known there, and we ain't right -sure how things is fixed for us. Still, it won't bother us none; if you -say so, we'll go----" - -"Nope; can't take no chances with the letter and samples, boys. It's up -to Thady. He's learned how to run the car, anyhow. Thady, you got to -send them samples and a letter. No one's goin' to suspect you of bein' -partners with me, and be sure to send the samples in your own name, -savvy? - -"They's enough gas to take you into Zacaton, and ye can bring a fresh -supply when ye come back. Then we need more flour an' grub, for which -same I got a list made out already. A new axe helve, too. Don't forget -that there axe helve, whatever ye do! It ain't on the list--I guess ye -can remember it all right. Sure, now! Don't come without it. How soon -can ye get going?" - -"Now," said Shea, a slight smile curving his wide lips. - - - - -CHAPTER V--THE AMBITION OF MACKINTAVERS - - -It is an established but peculiar trait of human nature, by which most -of us desire to be that which we are not, or to do that for which we -have no talent. I, who write, may aspire to be a great engineer; you, -who read, may aspire to the study of the stars. We reach out toward that -which we may never grasp. - -Sandy Mackintavers was a wealthy and a powerful man; his hands were -gripped hard in both the politics and the mining properties of the -state. Self-made and self-educated, he had accomplished a good job of -it. He had, of necessity, seen a good deal of those men who were ever -radiating out from Santa Fe; those men who, on behalf of many -universities and great museums, were ever delving amid the thousands of -pre-historic ruins which lay in and between the valleys of the Pecos and -the Rio Grande. - -Slowly, Sandy had discovered that these men were digging in the earth -for science, and that science and the world of letters honoured them. He -had learned something of their "patter" and of the things they were -seeking; he had studied their work and methods and ideals, and he had -found within himself the makings of a scientist. In short, he had formed -the stupendous ambition of becoming, at one fell stroke, a renowned -ethnologist! - -Do not smile. In the course of thirty years a man can pick up a great -many divers things, and it was the way of Mackintavers to pick up -everything in sight. Sandy knew a great deal more than he appeared to -know. He had mining properties all over, and he was a silent partner in -a chain of Mormon trading stores that ran north from the Mexican border -through three states. His sources of information were varied. - -Being unmarried and loving his ease when he was in the city, -Mackintavers maintained a suite at the Aztec House. He had entertained -many men in that place, some to their eternal sorrow. Never had he -entertained a more distinguished visitor, however, than the Smithsonian -professor with whom he was speaking on this Sunday morning--a scientist -known around the world, and a man of supreme authority in ethnologic -circles. - -"Now, professor," said Mackintavers, bluntly, "I ain't a -college-educated man, but I've knocked around this country for thirty -year, and I know a few things. When I die, I aim to be remembered as -something more than a mining man, see?" - -The other, in puzzled suspense, nodded tacit understanding. - -"Now," pursued Sandy, chewing hard on a cigar, "if I had something to -give the Smithsonian or some other museum, something that would be a -tenstrike for science, something that 'ud make every scientific shark in -the country water at the eyes for envy, what 'ud the Smithsonian do for -_me_?" - -The professor cleared his throat and registered hesitation. - -"I--ah--I do not exactly apprehend your meaning, Mr. Mackintavers. You -do not speak in a financial sense, I presume?" - -"Of course not. I tell you, I want to be known as a scientist! Man, I've -got the biggest thing up my sleeve that you ever struck! Can your -museum, or any other, make me famous as a scientist? That is, if I turn -over a regular tenstrike?" - -"Ah--that is exceedingly difficult to answer. A scientific reputation, -Mr. Mackintavers, is founded upon solid bases, upon research or -discoveries. If your--ah--contribution were a thing of such merit as you -say, it would undoubtedly be published far and wide. Your name, -naturally, would be attached to it, according as your work justified." - -"In other words," amended Sandy, "if I turn over a complete job, I'd get -full credit and publicity?" - -"Yes." - -"That's what I want. I'm interested in this ethnology stuff, and I can -do you sharks a whopping good turn. I want to get the credit, that's -all. Folks call me a hard-fisted old mining crab, and I want to show 'em -that I'm something more." - -"A highly laudable ambition, sir. You understand, however, that what to -a lay mind might appear to be a most interesting ethnological fact, to a -scientist might prove well known or insufficiently supported----" - -Mackintavers waved his square hand. - -"This thing is all assayed and fire tested, professor, and I'm no fool. -May I give you an outline of it?" - -"If you care to, by all means do so!" - -"You know where the San Marcos pueblo is--away down south of Bonanza?" -Mackintavers struck into his subject without further parley. "It was -abandoned about 1680 because of attacks from the Comanches, who -destroyed several pueblos down in that country. There's a tradition that -the Injuns migrated west of the Rio Grande and settled the Cochiti and -Domingo pueblos. Has that tradition ever been proved up?" - -The professor evinced an awakening interest. - -"No, sir. We know that the survivors of the Pecos pueblo went to Jimez, -but the older migrations are hidden in the mists of time, unfortunately. -Where the present Pueblos came from we do not know. The migrations----" - -"They won't be hid very long," said Mackintavers, complacently. -"Aiblins, now, we'll clear 'em up a bit, eh?" - -The only Scottish evidences which remained from Sandy's youth were an -uncanny acquisitiveness and a habit of interjecting the word "aiblins" -into the conversation at random. When Sandy used that word, it betrayed -mental effort. - -"Some time ago," he resumed, "a man found seven stone idols in a bit of -the adobe ruins at San Marcos. They had been walled up and buried alive, -ye might say. The heavy rains last year, which took out some pieces of -the adobe walls, washed 'em out. I've got 'em now, down to my ranch near -Magdalena." - -At this announcement the professor displayed mild disappointment. He had -been more than interested in Sandy's preamble, but this supposed climax -caused him to shake his gray head regretfully. - -"My dear sir, these idols are of course very rare things, but not -exceptionally so. I fail to see how they would give any proof of -migration----" - -"Hold on; I ain't done yet! A drunken Injun from Cochiti seen those -idols and spilled a good deal of information, calling them by name and -so on. That is not evidence which would stand on a scientific basis, I -reckon. But if a Cochiti man could be made to talk, and if he was to -recognize those idols first crack as his ancestral gods----" - -"And not be drunk at the time," interjected the other, smiling. - -"Sure. If he was to name 'em like old friends, and they corresponded -with the same idols from Cochiti which are in various museums--then -wouldn't all this go to show mighty plain that the migration theory was -true?" - -Mackintavers leaned back, breathless and triumphant. The scientist -nodded quickly. - -"Sir, this is an unusual and surprising proposal, but I cannot deny your -premises. I do believe that such evidence would go a long way, could it -be secured. That, of course, is the doubtful point, for these red men -can very seldom be made to talk. However, you have an astounding -perception of ethnologic values in merely conceiving the scheme!" - -"Taken by and large, that's nothing but human nature. Well?" - -"If this proof could really be adduced, it would be epochal! The -possibilities, sir, would be tremendous in their application!" - -"It ain't proved up yet," returned Sandy, drily, "but it will be. It may -take a bit of time gettin' things in shape--a week or so, maybe. Ye -know, professor, these Injuns are touchy about questions o' deity, and -they have to be handled wi' gloves. But I'll do it! A bag of silver -dollars will loom mighty big to them. If ye care to be on hand when the -time comes, I'd be glad to have ye as a guest at my ranch----" - -In many ways the professor had an extended knowledge of New Mexico. It -is quite possible that he knew all about the playful habits of Sandy -Mackintavers in regard to testimony along mining and mineral lines. So, -while he did not restrain his enthusiasm over the ambition of his host, -he made it plain that he certainly did wish to be on hand when the -testimony in this case was obtained. - -Mackintavers agreed readily, for in this instance he was more or less -resolved to play fair; and the interview ended. - -Scarcely had the scientist departed, than the door opened to admit an -individual of striking appearance. This gentleman was the satellite, the -adherent, and field marshal, the _ame damnee_, of Mackintavers. - -Mormon progenitors had given him a stocky, massive front and splendid -build, a steely eye and projecting lower jaw. A touch of Mexican blood -had given him coarse black hair, a swart complexion, and sinister mental -attributes. He had much the appearance of a west-coast Irishman, with -his black hair and gray eyes, but there the resemblance ended. Such was -Abel Dorales, a man of reputation and education. - -"Well?" greeted Mackintavers, abruptly. "What's up now?" - -"Trouble," was the response. "Rodrigo Cota wants to see you. Also, I got -a telegram from Ben Aimes, at Zacaton City, but haven't decoded it yet. -I think it's about the Crump woman." - -"Then hurry it along," snapped Mackintavers. "Send Cota in here pronto." - -A moment later entered the room a nervous native, the same legislator -who had briefly interviewed Coravel Tio regarding the moving of the -capital. Mr. Cota stood mopping his brow and glancing around. - -"Well, Cota?" exploded Sandy, transfixing him with frowning gaze. -"What's the matter now? Need more money to swing it?" - -"Senor," blurted the legislator in desperation, "it cannot be swung!" - -"Oh! And why not, Mr. Cota?" - -"I do not know. Three weeks ago we had a clear majority. The measure was -to be presented to-morrow--but our men have gone to pieces!" - -"Do they want more money?" snapped Sandy, savagely. - -The native shrugged. "I have done my best! It is a question of the -people. In some way, I know not how, word has been spread abroad that -the capital is to be changed. Our people are furious. Our natives, sir, -have sentiment about this----" - -"Sentiment, hell!" snarled Mackintavers, as his fist crashed down. "I -tell ye, it's goin' to be done! Ain't there plenty in it for all, ye -fool? Ain't new state buildings got to be built at Albuquerque? -Ain't----" - -"Senor, it is no question of money; it cannot be done! I myself dare not -propose this bill without voting for it; and I cannot vote for it." - -"Why not?" The face of Mackintavers was purpled, seething with furious -passions. Livid, the native glared back at him. - -"Because I am afraid for my life." - -Mackintavers leaped to his feet in a whirlwind of rage at what he -considered a palpable lie. The native shrank back, but doggedly, as -though a greater fear were beside him than any fear of this political -master of his. - -At this instant the door opened and Abel Dorales appeared. He made a -slight gesture, a gesture of command, of authority. The empurpled -countenance of Mackintavers composed itself by a mighty effort. - -"Very well, Mr. Cota," he said, thickly. "Let the bill pass over for -this time, since I got more important business on hand than chasing down -you native senators. But let me tell you this: When it comes up again, -there'll be no more talk like you've just handed out--or I'll know the -reason why. Get out!" - -Cota took his hat and left, thankfully. Dorales closed the door, while a -flood of oaths burst from the lips of Mackintavers. With extended hand, -Dorales checked the flood. - -"Never mind that, Sandy," he said, calmly. "We'll probably find later -that the railroad is double-crossing us. There's no rush--we can get to -the bottom of it in time. The more important affair is this of the Crump -woman, so far as money goes. There's a bigger fortune in this mine than -in any political game!" - -Uncouth bear that he was, Mackintavers could be swayed by this more -polished tongue; he knew this tongue was devoted absolutely to his own -interests, and he forced himself to accept the dictum of Dorales at the -moment. - -"Well?" he growled. "Ye don't mean to say she's down at Zacaton?" - -"The wire was from your store manager there, Aimes. He said merely that -he had smashed the Crump outfit flat, and that I had better get there in -a hurry to take charge of things." - -"Aiblins, yes!" The thin lips of Sandy curled back. "We hadn't looked -for such quick action, Abel. That Aimes is a good man! I s'pose this -news don't grieve ye none, after what the lady done to you. How's your -head?" - -A fleeting contraction passed across the face of Dorales. His eyes -narrowed to thin slits. His nose quivered like the nose of a dog -sniffing game. - -"Thank you, it's quite well," his voice was low and cruel. "If you think -best, I shall go down there immediately." - -Mackintavers crammed a cigar between his teeth and chewed at it for a -moment. - -"Aiblins, yes," he mused aloud. "Somebody has blocked us on this -moving-the-capital bill. I won't get hold of the skunk right away, -neither; we might's well call it off until the next session. - -"Tell ye what, Abel! I'm fixing to spend a while at my ranch, so I'll go -south with ye. I'll need ye mighty bad to get that business of the Injun -gods moving along, because I got my heart set on doin' that up brown. -But as ye say, this mine means millions--the biggest strike in the state -in a long time. The assayer was positive it was strontianite and not -merely barytes?" - -"Dead certain," assented Dorales. - -"Well, it won't be such a long job; I'll be at the ranch where ye can -reach me quick. We'll have to find out what Aimes has done, then make -plans and go ahead. If there's one thing that the Lord gave me ability -to do, it was to handle mining deals!" - -"With a cold deck," added Dorales. "Very well. If we go by auto, we can -save a good deal of time." - -Mackintavers grimaced. "I ain't built for long trips, but go ahead. Get -the big car, Abel. Want to run her yourself? All right. Land me at the -ranch, then go on to Zacaton City with the ranch flivver, unless ye want -the big car." - -"The flivver is the thing down there." - -"Aiblins, yes. And mind! What we got to do is to get that Crump female -clear off'n her location; that's all. Aimes has evidently found some -means of gettin' her arrested. We can take that for granted. By the time -you get there, she'll be in the calaboose. - -"You telephone me at the ranch with a full account of what's happened, -and I'll have a scheme ready for ye. The main thing is to get possession -of the property; maybe we can frame a deal on this fellow Shea--it's all -held in his name, ain't it? That was a foxy move, but not foxy enough to -fool us long! Get possession, Abel, and the law will do the rest for -us." - -"It ought to!" Dorales showed white and even teeth as he smiled. - -Mackintavers met those steely eyes beneath their strangely black brows, -and his square mouth unfolded in a grin. - -"Get possession, that's all!" he uttered. - -"Consider it done, Sandy. If you'll be ready in an hour, I'll be around -with the car." - - - - -CHAPTER VI--THADY SHEA SMELLS WHISKEY - - -The little town of Zacaton City, within easy trucking distance of the -railroad, formed the nucleus of a goodly mining centre. Its residential -section was extensive, and consisted of adobes occupied by "native" -miners or workmen. Its business section was made up chiefly of a bank, -the Central Mercantile Store, hardware, drug, and harness shops, and a -soda-water parlour that adjoined the Central Mercantile. This last was a -blind pig, maintained with circumspection and profit by Ben Aimes, -manager of the store. Aimes also ran the combination hotel-garage across -the street. - -Thady Shea came into town about sunset. He had broken bread on the way, -and disdained to seek further dinner. Having been much cautioned, he was -wary of danger. Leaving the dust-white flivver at the garage, he went to -the express office and sent off his ore samples and letter, then he -sought the emporium of Ben Aimes. - -The two native clerks being busy, Aimes, a brisk fellow of thirty, -espied the tall figure of Shea, and in person took charge of the -customer. - -"Well, partner, what can I do for you?" he inquired, cheerfully. "Can't -say as I've seen you before. Stranger in town?" - -Shea fumbled in his pocket for the list of supplies, and transfixed the -merchant with his cavernous black eyes. He had been particularly warned -against Aimes. - -"Friend," he trumpeted, "you say sooth. Truth sits upon thy lips, marry -it does!" - -Aimes blinked rapidly. "Stranger, I don't get you! You're a prospector?" - -"That, sir, is somewhat of my present business," boomed Shea. "Yet have -I seen the day when every room hath blazed with lights and brayed with -minstrelsy, when thick-eyed musing and cursed melancholy fled from -before me like twin evil spirits! Make ready, friend, thy pencil for its -task." - -Those sonorous tones drew grinning attention from others. Aimes, quite -overcome by the rounded periods and the imposing gestures, asked no more -questions, but devoted himself to making ready packages as Shea read off -from his list the supplies required. - -Two or three loafers sauntered along and listened to Shea's enunciation -with awed delight. When the end of the list was reached, the amounts -totalled, and the money handed over, Thady Shea carelessly crumpled up -the list and tossed it behind the counter. - -His arms filled with the bundles, he left the store and crossed the -street to his car. He had laid up the flivver for the night, and now -attended to having it filled with gas and oil. He stated to the mechanic -that he might be here for several days; at this juncture, it occurred to -him that he had forgotten that axe helve which Mrs. Crump had demanded -especially. - -Meantime, Ben Aimes had retrieved the list of supplies, and had stared -at the uncrumpled paper with amazed recognition. He swiftly summoned one -of the idling loafers. - -"If this ain't the writing of Mrs. Crump, I'm a liar! You chase over to -the garage and get the number o' that feller's car--hump, now!" - -Thady Shea reentered the store, in blissful ignorance that he was done -for, and demanded his axe helve. Ben Aimes, in blissful ignorance of -what that axe helve was destined to mean to him and to others, filled -the order. Then, handling Shea his change, Aimes gave him a meaning -wink. - -"Step into the sody parlour a minute, stranger! Have a cigar on the -store." - -The offer was entirely innocuous. Shea greatly desired to avoid any -argument or trouble, so he followed Aimes into the adjoining room, which -at this hour was deserted. Aimes procured cigars, then went to the soda -fountain. - -"Want you to try somethin' new we got here," he said, and paused. "What -did you say your name was?" - -"My cognomen, sir, is Shea. Thaddeus Shea." - -"Well, Shea, just hold this under your nose and see if it smells like -sody." - -Unsuspicious as any innocent, Shea took the proffered glass and held it -to his nose. A tremor ran through him--an uncontrollable shiver that -sent fever into his eyes. He lowered the glass slightly and forced a -ghastly smile. Already defeat had engulfed him. - -"Friend, I am sorry thus to disappoint you, but I have sworn that -never----" - -"Shucks!" Aimes grinned and held up his own glass. To meet it, that of -Shea again came within sniffing distance. "Just one between business -acquaintances, Mr. Shea. It's the finest licker ever got to this city! -Absolutely twenty year old, partner. One little snifter now--don't it -smell good? The real thing, the real thing!" - -Thady Shea's entire system was impregnated by that whiff. His big -fingers closed upon the little glass with a convulsive contraction. - -"One, sir, and one only!" he declaimed. "To the dead god Bacchus, all -hail!" - -He tossed down the drink and smacked his lips. - -It was upon a Saturday evening that these things happened. That smell -had done the business for Thady Shea; that raw odour of whiskey, which -in a flash had permeated to the very deeps of his being with its awful -lure. No guile, no argument could have forced him to drink, but that -sniff had ruined him utterly. - -Twenty minutes later, in maudlin confidence, he was relating to Ben -Aimes how two miners of his acquaintance had driven several hundred -miles in deadly fear of being hoisted by dynamite at every jolt. - -Shea mentioned no names. Drunk or not, he knew subconsciously that he -must mention no names. Also subconsciously, he knew that he must hang on -to his axe helve or Mrs. Crump would be much disappointed in him. So he -was still hanging on to it when, after a parting drink, he was thrust -forth into the cold night air. That parting drink had been soggy with -opiates. - -Ben Aimes went to the telephone and called up the sheriff at Silver -City. - -"This is Aimes at Zacaton, Bill," he said. "A queer guy just blew in -here to-night with a grand souse and is sleeping it off now. You know -old lady Crump, don't you? Heard of her at any rate. Well, he says that -she's out in the hills a piece with two other fellers. These two were -run out o' Magdalena last month for talking agin' the gov'ment and -they're said to be dangerous characters. The place is north o' the bad -lands, over in Socorro County. - -"The p'int is, Bill, this here guy says they've got heap o' dynamite and -such stuff out there. Them two anarchists ought to be prevented usin' -it; according to this guy, they got no licenses and never heard o' the -new license law. This here is plumb illegal and you'd ought to stop it. -Both these fellers are I. W. W. organizers, he says, and prob'ly are -German spies; this guy talked with a queer kind of accent. - -"No, I wouldn't think it o' Mrs. Crump, neither, but you never can tell -these days. What's that? Well, I got the location pretty straight from -this guy. Yep, a car can make it; he come into town that way. Get up on -the night train and you can take my car out there. Sure, I'll meet the -train. You're welcome." - -This pleasant duty finished, Aimes dispatched a lengthy telegram to Abel -Dorales at Santa Fe. He then summoned the constable in search of Thady -Shea. But Shea had vanished from human ken, although the dust-white -flivver remained in the garage. - -Bright and early next morning Aimes departed in his automobile, went to -the railroad and met the sheriff, and brought that official back to -town. The hardware merchant was pressed into service as a deputy, and -the sheriff took over Aimes' car. - -"I'd like to go along myself," said Aimes, regretfully, "but I got to -'tend the garridge myself to-day account of my mechanic hurting himself -last night and being laid up. Tell ye what, Bill! Why not take the whole -crowd right down to Silver City? It'll save ye comin' back here, and -your new deppity yonder can fetch the car back here. Sure, you're dead -welcome! I ain't got no use for the car anyhow." - -To this arrangement the sheriff consented gladly, and Aimes watched them -depart with a twinkle in his eye. Before Mrs. Crump could possibly -return from Silver City, to say nothing of her two men, Abel Dorales -would be on the spot to take charge of things. Aimes considered that he -had managed things very neatly indeed, and he mentally patted himself on -the back that morning. - -Ben Aimes, however, did not take local politics into account. It is such -little unconsidered trifles which very often go to make up the warp of -affairs of larger moment. - -Only a few months previously an ancient and honourable gentleman by the -name of Ferris had been ousted from the job of justice of the peace, -mainly on account of certain hostility to Ben Aimes and the Mackintavers -forces. It is quite possible that old man Ferris was no good as a -justice, yet he had an inconspicuous but important part to play in the -tangled affairs of Thady Shea and Sandy Mackintavers, to say nothing of -the seven stone gods. - -In broad daylight, therefore, Thady Shea came to his senses. While slow -remembrance dawned upon him, he found himself reposing in the back yard -of an adobe house; how he got there was never explained. A furred tongue -and an aching head gradually brought home some errant sense of shame. -This feeling was intensified by a goat-like visage above him. - -"Well, pilgrim!" sounded a raucous voice. "Slep' it off, have ye?" - -Shea groaned and sat up. "Where--where am I?" - -"Town of Zacaton City, county o' Grant, State o' New Mexico." The other -chuckled. He was a disreputable old fellow, distinguished by shiftless -garb and dirty gray hair. "I reckon Ben Aimes must have give ye quite a -jag, eh? If I was you, I'd spill out o' town right smart. He's got the -constable lookin' for ye." - -Shea clasped his head and groaned again, not understanding the words -clearly. - -"I've fallen!" he moaned. - -"With a thud," agreed the other. "But worse'n that, pilgrim. Ye've gone -and got ol' Mis' Crump in real bad. If ye wasn't so mis'able I'd boot ye -out o' here for it." - -Thady Shea stared up dully. "What--what's that you say?" - -Old man Ferris surveyed him in pitying contempt, and carefully sank his -remaining fangs into a plug of tobacco. - -"D'ye mean as ye don't know what ye been an' done? Well, I can't say as -I can see why Mis' Crump ever's taken up with the likes of you, but it's -plumb certain that ye've gone an' done for her this trip, ye no-account -swine!" - -Shea's brow broke into cold perspiration. His quickening faculties began -to grasp the sense of these words. - -"Expound!" he said. "What have I done?" - -"A plenty. The sheriff come over this mornin'. Him and a deppity has -gone to arrest Mis' Crump--and all along o' you, ye mis'able coyote!" - -"Arrest her? Why?" Shea stared, his heart sinking. So piteous was his -gaze that old man Ferris turned aside, spat, and resumed his discourse -in kindlier tones. - -"Don't ye know that they's a new law about explosives? Well, they is. -Everybody what handles powder or dynamite has got to have a license. -From what I gather, Mis' Crump ain't wise to it and ain't got none. - -"Last night you done blabbed out your soul to Aimes. Danged fool! Why -did Aimes git the sheriff after Mis' Crump? Ain't but one answer to -that--so's that devil Mackintavers could profit! And sheriff's goin' to -take 'em to Silver City, too. If Mis' Crump has located an ore prop'ty, -as looks likely, Mackintavers is after it. - -"Once she gits out'n the way and they ain't nobody to hold down the -location, some o' Mackintavers' crowd is going to jump it sure's -shooting! Huh! Git out'n my back yard 'fore I come back, ye swine!" - -Snorting angrily, old man Ferris turned and stamped away, and so out of -the story. He had fulfilled his share in destiny, with greater measure -than he knew. - -Thady Shea sat staring, his eyes terrible with comprehension. With every -moment that final exposition sank more deeply into his brain. The -ghastly consequences of his own weakness left him stunned and paralyzed. - -He could dimly remember what had happened, up to that final drink. He -was certain that he had not mentioned the name of Mehitabel Crump. Yet -he could remember telling about those explosives; as he connected -things, he groaned again. Aimes had been pumping him, of course; had -somehow suspected something. - -The pitiless deduction of old man Ferris struck upon Shea's brain like a -trip-hammer. The mine was left unprotected, or soon would be, and -Mackintavers' men would grab it. Of course! - -Frightful remorse crumpled Thady Shea, mentally and bodily. He owed all -that he was, all that he might be, to Mrs. Crump; yet his action had -literally ruined her. That cursed sniff of whiskey had done it! Shea -wasted no recrimination upon himself for his lapse from rectitude. He -had gone through all that before. It was the consequence of this lapse -that horrified him, that lashed down upon his soul. - -"What have I done!" he mumbled, groping for coherency. "What have I -done!" - -All the old memories of Mrs. Crump flooded into his mind. He recalled -all her actions and words, he pictured mentally all the deep waters of -human kindness that lay hidden below her mask of harshness, he visioned -anew how she had picked him out of the very gutter and had set him upon -his feet, a man. How had he repaid her? - -In this hour Thady Shea was cast absolutely upon himself. There was none -to whom he might go for advice or aid. He was alone with his -consciousness of guilt, alone with the remorse that ate into his heart -like acid. A month previously he would have mouthed a curse at the world -and have gone shambling away in search of the nearest saloon, where he -would have recited "The Face on the Barroom Floor" as the sure and -certain price of liquor. - -This thought recurred to him. He pictured himself as he was a month ago. -From his lips was wrenched an inarticulate cry, the voice of a soul in -anguish. Heedless of the burning ache in his head, he brought his long -body erect and looked up at the sky. - -"Oh, God!" he said, a dry sob in his throat. "Oh, God! I have scoffed -and blasphemed because You let me stumble down into hell. It was my own -fault, God. Now, for the sake of that woman who helped me to find -myself, it's up to You to give me a hand! I don't know what to do. But -I've got to make up for this thing that I've done, and there is no one -to help me except You--and it's for her sake----" - -The words failed, for as he spoke out his heart the deepness of feeling -that had laid hold upon him ebbed; just as the bitterness of grief ebbs -with tears. A tremor shook him, and for a moment he stood motionless. - -Close at hand was an _acequia_, an open ditch with running water. He -went to it, kneeled, and plunged his head into the water; it cooled his -brain and steadied him. He rose and saw his axe helve lying where he had -lain that night. He picked it up and stood there, indecision eating into -him. - -What was to be done? He must do something. The constable was seeking -him--why? No matter. The name of Ben Aimes explained everything. The -morning was wearing along, and by this time all hope of warning Mrs. -Crump was gone. Of course, there was the dust-white flivver. He could -take that and sneak back to the mine. It would be deserted. - -Deserted? But that was what Mackintavers wanted, according to this -disreputable ancient! That was why Mrs. Crump was under arrest! That was -the aim and purpose of the whole affair--to have the mine left deserted, -so that the man Dorales could step in and seize upon it. - -The gaunt, grim face of Shea tightened and hardened. "One thing I can -do--go there," he reflected. "What the hell have I to worry about--can -they do any worse to me than I have done to myself? No. They'll try to -arrest me, they'll try to keep me here. They can't do it! I'm going." - -As he left the place and sought the road, there was a sublime -unconsciousness of self in him. He was in no condition of mind to do the -usual, the conventional thing, the thing that any sane man would have -done, the thing that any one would be expected to do. - -No! From that hour, Shea was a different man. He had entered upon this -new and primitive existence, and now it took hold upon him. His course -of life had been abruptly shifted, and he was climbing new paths; as he -climbed, the exhilaration of the heights sang in his blood. He had flung -away the lessons of his old dreary years. Now his actions were to be the -simple, terrible, and impulsive actions of a child who fears no -consequences. - -Finding that he was only a couple of blocks from the main street of the -town, Shea walked toward it, the axe helve still in his hand. He meant -to take out his flivver and go. - -There was no church in Zacaton City, and it was not yet time for the -Mormon chapel to open. The garage doors were wide. In front, standing in -the warm sunlight, Ben Aimes was chatting with the constable about the -mysterious disappearance of the man Shea. Half-a-dozen idlers were lined -up to one side, smoking and discussing the coming and going of the -sheriff. Around the corner of the store, across the street, swung the -gaunt figure of Shea. - -"By gosh!" exclaimed Aimes, staring. He clutched the arm of the -constable. "There's the cuss now! Lay him up until Dorales gets here -to-morrow, anyhow. Whew! I'm glad he's showed up at last. Must ha' been -laying in a ditch." - -The loafers galvanized into sudden interest. The constable started -across the street and met Shea midway. He held out one hand, with the -other showing his badge of office. - -"Get out of my way," said Shea, lifelessly, looking through him. - -"None o' that, now," snorted the constable. "You come along with me." - -With a smack that was heard for half a block, the axe helve swung a -vicious half-circle and landed over the officer's ear. The constable -threw out his hands and fell on his face, lying motionless. Shea strode -forward. - -"Lay on to him, boys, he's locoed!" cried Aimes, turning to the men -behind. He whirled again to face Shea, and his right hand crept to his -hip. "Hello, Shea! lay down that----" - -"You gave me a drink last night, didn't you?" said Shea, halting before -him. - -Aimes laughed, thinking that he perceived what was in the other's mind. - -"Oh, want another, do ye?" he returned. "Well, lay down that----" - -"You're the man that gave me a drink," said Shea. His deep bass voice -boomed upon the morning air like a bell. "If any man dares to give me a -drink again, he'll get worse than this." - -Aimes suddenly perceived danger, and whipped out his weapon. Swifter -than his hand was the axe helve. It struck his wrist and knocked the -revolver away. As he staggered to the blow, the axe helve swung again -and smote him over the head. Aimes made a queer noise in his throat and -limply sank down. - -There was something frightful in the deliberate way those two men had -been felled. For a moment Shea stood gazing at the loafers, who shrank -back before his blazing eyes. Then: - -"I'll do worse than this to any man who dares give me a drink again," he -said. - -Without further heed, he passed into the garage. Up and down the street -men were calling, running. The group outside the place looked at each -other, their faces blanched. - -"My Lord!" gasped someone. "He's done killed 'em both! In after him, -boys." - -Thady Shea laid down his bludgeon in front of the dust-white flivver, -and began to crank. For almost the first time in his life he had struck -a man in cold anger; more terrible than this thought, however, was the -acid-like bitterness in his soul. - -Just as the engine caught and roared, Shea, rising, saw over his -shoulder the string of men pouring in upon him. He had no time to get -into his car. With a quick motion he caught up the axe helve; swiftly -the foremost men flung themselves upon him, and found him facing them. - -There in the obscurity of the little garage ensued a scene that is still -told of from Silver City to Magdalena. All noise was drowned in the roar -of the engine that throbbed behind Shea. Outside, other men paused to -ask what was going on, to group about the figures of Aimes and the -constable. Inside, Shea fought for more than his life. - -There were six men against him; yet, in the felling of those two -outside, the battle had been half won, for the cold terror of Shea's -blows had made itself felt. The first man at him shrieked out and fell, -crawling away with a broken arm. The others came in before Shea could -recover from the blow, and fastened upon him like dogs upon a mountain -lion. - -Silent, deadly, Shea swung up his weapon and waited. He took their blows -without return. He braced himself against the throbbing car behind him, -and awaited his time. Then he began to strike. There was nothing blind -and frantic in his blows; rather there was something fearful and -inhuman, for inside him was that which rendered him insensible to the -smiting fists, and when he brought down his weapon it was with simple -and deadly intent. - -Three times he struck, each time lifting on his toes, and twice lifting -one man who had fastened about his waist. To his three blows, a man -reeled away into the darkness; a second plunged forward beneath an -adjacent car; a third ran screaming into the open air, across his face a -bloody blotch. A fourth man, unhurt, turned and ran. - -Shea looked down, curiously, at the last assailant, who was still -gripping him around the waist, trying to bend him backward. Then he -deliberately heaved up his axe helve and brought down the rounded oval -of the halt against the man's head twice. At the second crunching blow -the man's grip relaxed. Shea threw him, staggering and clutching, clear -across the garage floor, then turned and leaped into his car. - -With a grinding roar and a honk of the horn, the dust-white flivver went -out of the wide-open doorway into the street. - -Men jumped aside, yelled, pursued. Somebody fired a revolver, and the -bullet smashed the windshield in front of Shea's face. Other shots -sounded, but flew wild. The car went around the nearest corner on two -wheels, and shot away toward the west at thirty miles an hour. - -Thady Shea had come and gone. - - - - -CHAPTER VII--THADY SHEA HAS A VISITOR - - -Thady Shea was on his way to Number Sixteen. The sheriff was on his way -to Silver City with Mrs. Crump, Gilbert, and Lewis. In the ordinary -course of events, Thady Shea would have encountered them in the canon -north of No Agua. The ordinary course of events did not obtain, however, -because of Ben Aimes. - -Having sustained nothing worse than a broken wrist and a sore head, Ben -Aimes upon being revived at once telephoned the store and post office at -No Agua to stop Thady Shea. No Agua was the jumping-off place at the -edge of the bad lands, and it was nothing but a long frame building from -which radiated all the canon trails to north and west. - -When Shea arrived, he found a reception committee awaiting him in the -shape of a dozen men, most of whom were mounted upon horses or mules as -if they had convened for a Sunday holiday. Shea needed no information -upon the subject of his reception. He had previously observed the -telephone wires and had drawn his own conclusions. As he drew near to No -Agua he was the recipient of a bullet that finished off the windshield -and sent a sliver of glass slithering across his forehead. - -What next happened was wild and incoherent in all subsequent reports. -Shea cared absolutely nothing for results, so long as he got through. -When he found his path barred by mounted men, he opened up the throttle -wide, shut his eyes, and gripped hard to the wheel. General opinion was -that the first bullet had killed him and that the car was running wild; -for blood was trickling over his face from his slashed brow, and he was -a fearsome sight. - -The dust-white flivver smashed head-on into the mass of men and horses. -It paused as though for breath, then went ahead. The radiator was -boiling over; and when that red-hot projectile began to bore its way, -things happened. The steam seared into a big mule, and the mule -instantly began to plunge and kick. Two horses went down and the flivver -climbed over them and their riders. A vaquero was pitched across the -hood and with screams of anguish managed to leap away to earth. A horse -sat on the right-hand fender and toppled over upon his rider as the car -went ahead. - -After a moment Thady Shea opened his eyes and looked back upon a scene -of wonderful confusion. Men and horses strewed the ground or were -plunging in all directions. With a sigh of relief Thady Shea found that -he was still going forward; so, in order to avoid the bullets that came -swarming and buzzing after him, he aimed for the nearest canon, which -was not his proper road at all, and followed the trail blindly. - -An hour later this trail petered out at an abandoned mine in the bad -lands. With a vague general idea of his directions, Shea went plunging -off through the sand, winding his way past huge, eroded masses and amid -weird pinnacles of wind-blown rock. Somewhere past noon he was in the -lava beds, and was apprised of the fact by his tires blowing out one by -one. - -Lack of pneumatic cushions did not trouble Shea in the least. He -punished the poor flivver unmercifully, and by the eternal miracle of -flivvers the car kept going. Shea climbed rocky masses, shoved through -sand, rolled over jutty fields of volcanic rock, and when the afternoon -was half gone, came upon automobile tracks. He had found his road at -last. From the tracks, he could tell that the sheriff's automobile had -lately gone that way--but in the direction of Silver City. - -When, late in the afternoon, Shea came to Number Sixteen, it was -deserted. Upon the door of the shack which Mrs. Crump had occupied was -pinned a brief note. It read: - - Thady: Set rite here till I get back. We are pinched but not for - long. My gun is over my bunk. Set tite. Yours, - - ---- M. CRUMP. - -Methodically, Shea went to the other shack and began to wash the dried -blood from his face, plastering the cut on his brow. - -In front of him he propped the note and studied it, tried to read -between the lines. It had been written, he thought grimly, as a forlorn -hope, a desperate chance that Thady Shea might yet save the day. Mrs. -Crump had not been aware of his culpability; or, if she had been aware -of it, she had mercifully indulged in no recriminations. - -"Well, I'm here," said Shea, then glanced quickly around. The sound of -his voice in that solitude was startling. - -He felt in no mood for theatricalisms, and that morning he had given -vent to none; but now, when he tried to express himself otherwise, -homely words failed him. So long had he mantled himself in the -braggadocio rhetoric and rounded phrases of The Profession, that he -could not rid himself of the bluff which had bolstered up his years of -miserable failure. Therefore, he held his peace and tried to face facts -squarely. The lesson of primitive silence was another thing that he -learned in this strange land. - -Now, for the first time, he became aware that he had not come off -undamaged that morning. His body was bruised, his face and head were -much cut about by hard knuckles. Also, he had not eaten since the -previous night, and hunger was beginning to ride him. So he took -temporary possession of Mrs. Crump's shack and began to prepare a meal. - -The single room of the shack was fairly large, since it had to serve not -only as living quarters for Mrs. Crump, but as a dining room for all -hands. The walls were rough and bare; like the bunk in the corner, they -were formed from hewn timbers, unchinked. Gilbert had knocked together a -big mess table; the seats were puncheon stools; in the lean-to adjoining -was the kitchen, consisting of a small sheet-iron stove, frying pan, and -a kettle. And yet, about this primitive bareness Mrs. Crump had -contrived to throw a fragrance of femininity--a rag of curtain to the -unglazed window, a faded photograph of the late departed Crump, a -battered clock decorated by a scarlet cactus flower, an ancient, white, -mended lace counterpane that covered her bunk. And upon the table, a red -cloth that was always spick and span. Only a Mrs. Crump would have -bothered to bring such tag ends of womanly presence into this bare and -rugged spot in the wilderness. - -Contemplating these things, Thady Shea sighed; he sighed at thought of -Mehitabel Crump, doomed to live in such a place, destitute of all things -her woman's heart must have craved. He ceased his sighing, suddenly -aware that his bacon was burned. - -Thady Shea knew more about prospecting for tungsten than he did about -cooking. His coffee was miserable and wretched in spirit. His bacon was -brown and hard as wood. Trying to get the beans warmed throughout, he -forgot to stir them until unpleasantly reminded of his remissness. -However, by the time he had to light the oil lamp in order to see his -food, he had managed to make a fair meal, in quantity if not in quality. - -Afterward, he filled his pipe and sat in the doorway, staring upon the -empurpled masses of the mountains that were piled into the evening sky, -and trying to conclude what he must do next. - -Mrs. Crump's scribbled mention of her revolver drew a whimsical smile to -his lips. He could not remember having fired a revolver in all his life, -except with stage blanks; and he had not the slightest intention of -learning the art at this time. - -He was slightly surprised at his own lack of feeling in regard to the -men whom he had hurt. His one uneasiness was lest he be arrested--or, -rather, lest someone try to arrest him. He did not intend to leave -Number Sixteen until it was safe to do so; until he was certain the -place was secure. Therefore, if any officers appeared, a fight must -ensue. Consequences did not matter. Thady Shea was quite willing to face -any ultimate dispensation of justice so long as he kept Number Sixteen -intact for Mrs. Crump. - -"I must make up for what I've done," he reflected. "Then I can go. I am -a failure, a sodden wreck upon the shoals of self. Once let my -reparation be established, and I shall go forth into the world again to -seek the dregs of fortune with the bent diviner's rod of Thespian -mimicry." - -He broke short off, smiling at his own language. - -Shea knew inwardly that the old life was gone from him forever. He -looked up at the looming mountains and felt a sudden savage joy in -himself; a joy that frightened him, so primitive and sweeping was it. He -had fought with men--had conquered them! In a measure he was done with -all self-recrimination for his weakness and failure. Those were things -of the past. He would not be weak again! Remorse fell away from him, and -peace came. - -The more he thought about arrest, however, the less probable it seemed. -Ben Aimes had given him liquor, which was in defiance of law. Shea -already knew that Mackintavers et. al. were not desirous of getting into -court unless they had an ironclad hold upon the other fellow; this was -proven by Mrs. Crump's having "shot up" Dorales with impunity. If the -proceedings of the past twenty-four hours were given a public airing, -sundry matters might require explanations which would be uncomfortable -for Mackintavers. - -No, upon that count he was perhaps safe enough; but there would be other -counts. They would try to get him--how? No matter. Here was another -reason why he must leave Number Sixteen. He must lose himself from those -enemies, and he must not involve Mrs. Crump in the mix-up. - -Thus deciding, it must be admitted rather vaguely, Thady Shea knocked -out his pipe and sought his bunk. He was not so ill pleased with -himself, after all; he would yet save Number Sixteen for Mrs. Crump! - -The following morning, for the first time in the weeks since Mrs. Crump -had picked him up, Thady Shea relaxed in blissful indolence. He had no -idea of how the vein or veins of strontianite should be worked. There -was little to do about the cabin. So he climbed the long hogback and -settled down to smoke and watch the road that wound down from the canon -toward the lava beds, the road that led into the world. - -The day passed idly and uneventful. With its passing, Shea felt more -assured that his theory was correct; that he was not to be arrested. So -convinced of this was he, that when, toward sunset, he discerned a dusty -streak betokening the approach of an automobile, he made certain that -Mrs. Crump was returning. - -Thady Shea sat where he was, resolved to tell her frankly the whole -story of his disgrace, then to pause for no argument, but to go. He did -not so misjudge her as to think that she would kick him out; still, he -felt that he had been false to her trust, and as a part of his penance -he must go away, until he might be able to come back a man renewed. A -most indistinct idea, this, but strongly persistent. Besides, he would -now be a marked man and he must not involve her in his possible danger. - -Somewhat to his surprise and uneasiness, as the approaching flivver drew -up the canon Shea could not recognize the gigantic figure of Mehitabel -Crump aboard. He saw only three men in the car, and he knew none of -them. Two in the rear seat were evidently natives; from the dirty and -heavily laden appearance of the car, Shea deduced that these men had -come upon no errand of the law. They seemed, rather, to be prospectors -or campers. - -Near the dust-white flivver the car came to a halt. The driver alighted, -and having previously made out the motionless figure of Thady Shea on -the hillside above, waved a hand and started upward. The two natives -climbed out and began to unstrap bundles. - -As the visitor came near to him, Shea saw that the man was powerfully -built, roughly dressed, and possessed striking gray eyes beneath black -brows and hair. - -"Howdy, old-timer!" greeted the new arrival, pausing with outstretched -hand and a frank smile. "My name's Logan, Tom Logan. We got lost over in -the lava beds and struck your auto tracks. We're prospecting. You don't -mind if we camp out here for the night?" - -Shea rose and gravely shook hands. - -"Not a bit, my friends," he said, then pointed a hundred yards beyond -the halted car. "You see that big rock down the valley? Instruct your -comrades to make camp at that point or below it." - -Logan gave him a puzzled look. That word "valley" was strange in these -parts. - -"Eh, partner? You're not joking?" - -"Sir, the habiliments of jest do not become me," returned Shea, his -cavernous eyes piercingly steady. - -"But this is all free country, isn't it?" - -"It is not. No person may intrude upon this property, sir. You are -welcome to water and food if your needs be such, and I am fain of your -company. Kindly instruct your knaves to move as I have said." - -For a moment Logan met the gravely firm gaze of Shea, then turned and -lifted his hands to his mouth. He shouted something in the patois, to -which the two natives waved assent. They turned their car and took it to -the rock that marked the limit of Mrs. Crump's location in the canon. -Logan began to roll a cigarette with deft fingers. - -"Prospecting hereabouts, I presume?" he inquired. "I didn't get your -name." - -Shea found himself warming to the cultivated accents. - -"My name, sir, is Shea." - -"W-whew!" A long whistle broke from Logan, whose thin lips parted in a -smile. "So you're the man! I heard about you at Zacaton City last night. -They say you cleaned up Aimes and his crowd for giving you a drink, and -that you threatened to do worse to any man who offered you one again! -Good thing I didn't do it, eh? Glad to meet you, Shea. I'm set against -liquor myself. You've sure become famous in this part of the country!" - -Thady Shea did not altogether like the swarthy features and the odd -contrast between steely eyes and coarse black hair, but he did like -applause. He took the stranger down to the shacks and when Logan set -about cooking an excellent dinner, Shea was delighted. - -Over their meal the two men conversed at length, chiefly on the subject -of mining. Tom Logan asked no questions about Number Sixteen, but he -formed the private opinion that Thady Shea was earnest, upright, and a -simpleton. Two thirds of this diagnosis was correct. The other third was -destined to make trouble for Tom Logan. - -At last, over their third pipe, Logan yawned. - -"This here is a queer country," he observed. "You're prospecting for -gold hereabouts, of course. But d'you know, Shea, the old prospecting -business is changed? Yes, it is. Nowadays two thirds of the prospectors -turn up their noses at gold. There are new things in the field, things -that pay better than gold. - -"Platinum, for instance; or tungsten or manganese. Take my own case--I'm -one of a dozen men sent out by a big New York chemical house. I'm after -strontium. It comes in two forms, celestite and strontianite. Celestite -brings about twenty dollars a ton at seaboard; but strontianite, when -converted into nitrates, brings five hundred. The average old-time -prospector hasn't the chemical knowledge to find such things as those." - -"Maybe," said Shea, reflectively. "But yonder hillock, black against the -stars, holds in its deep heart veins of mineral; and in those veins, my -friend, there runs an ichor bearing the self-same name as that you -seek." - -Logan stared over this for a moment. Then: - -"By jasper! D'you mean that you've got strontianite here?" - -"So they do tell me," averred Shea, modestly. He added with frankness, -that while he held a third interest in the claim, he knew little of -minerals. - -Logan displayed a cordial and friendly interest, and asked to see -samples. Shea found one or two and set them forth, telling what he knew -of the veins. The interest of the visitor grew and waxed enthusiastic. -Logan examined the samples closely, and then his gray eyes suddenly -struck up at Shea. - -"Look here!" he exclaimed, eagerly. "Would you, provided the veins and -so forth run as you describe them, accept ten thousand dollars cash for -your interest in this location?" - -To Thady Shea this offer came like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. - -"You see," pursued Logan, "a deposit like this would answer my company's -purposes admirably. We might never find another like it. Ten thousand is -not a large offer, but it would be a year or more before you'd begin to -pull money out of the property. Say yes, and I'll examine the location -to-morrow; if it's what you say, I'll buy your right and interest in the -property, sign the papers, and before to-morrow night you'll cash my -check." - -Shea rose to his feet. He wanted to get away from the influence of this -man's personality. He wanted to ask counsel from the friendly stars. - -"I'll think it over," he said, unsteadily. "By myself----" - -"Sure," Logan agreed, heartily. "I'll make out the papers, eh? We're not -the kind of men to haggle and fight each other for price." - -Thady Shea stalked forth into the darkness, his soul a riot of emotions. -"Ten thousand dollars!" he murmured, staring up at the blazing stars. -What a sum to turn over to Mrs. Crump upon leaving! With that sum, Mrs. -Crump could at once begin development work, independently of Logan's -company. With that sum, she could set trucks at work hauling ore to the -railroad. With that sum, she could do--anything! - -It never occurred to him that he might keep the money for himself; it -never occurred to him that he was actually one third owner of the mine, -and could sell out any time. Never had he thought about money in -connection with Number Sixteen; he had not mentally placed his -partnership with Mrs. Crump upon any financial basis. It was because of -this very simplicity of thought that Mrs. Crump had felt drawn to him. -It was because of this, too, that she had instructed Coravel Tio to -record the entire property in the name of Thady Shea, in order to -camouflage her ownership from the many eyes of Sandy Mackintavers. But -this Shea did not know. - -Thady Shea came to the big gray bowlder that marked the limit of the -canon location. He stood against it, gazing upward at the stars, lost in -his dream. The rocky mass shut off from him the flickering fire, built -by Logan's native companions. Behind, the light in the shack was as -another star. He was alone. He was alone, and in the valley of decision. - -Ten thousand dollars--for Mrs. Crump! Never had Thady Shea visioned so -much money all in one lump. Nor did he now vision it as his own. - -Shea did not know that he was technically and legally the owner of -Number Sixteen. But the fact was on record, and Tom Logan knew it -perfectly well. Back in the shack, under the oil lamp, Logan was already -chuckling over the cleverly drawn papers which would make him the sole -owner of Number Sixteen--for the comparatively unimportant sum of ten -thousand dollars! He had persuaded Sandy Mackintavers to gamble that -sum, to play it as a table stake. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII--DORALES GOES TO TOWN - - -Standing by that big bowlder, Shea suddenly awakened from his dream. Out -of the night on the other side of the bowlder, where the dim fire of the -two natives had flickered into red embers, floated a slow, musical laugh -and a few words. The patois was totally unknown to Shea. One of those -words, however, drifted across the darkness and smote upon his brain -with jarring force. The laugh, too, was not honest; it was a silky -laugh, a laugh pregnant with sly meanings and furtive humours. The word -was "Dorales." - -Shea trembled. Dorales! Why did these natives speak of Dorales in this -way? - -Now it came into his mind how Tom Logan had known all about him; how -Logan had been in Zacaton City the previous night; how Logan had gotten -lost in the lava beds--even to Shea's innocence a very improbable thing. -Prospectors for limestone formations do not enter the lava beds. - -Latent suspicion crystallized within Shea's brain. Tom Logan was no -other than Abel Dorales; he was certain of it, he knew it absolutely. -His eyes were opened, and he sought for no proof. - -Dorales had intended to come here, thinking the place deserted. In -Zacaton City he had learned that Thady Shea was probably at Number -Sixteen. He had come with cunning intent, he had come with cunning words -and a false tongue. The offer of ten thousand dollars might or might not -be genuine; no matter! - -To the terribly childlike Shea it seemed that Providence had sent that -low word and laugh through the night to his ears, to save him from -temptation. At thought of how, a few minutes ago, he had been on the -point of swallowing the gilded lure of Dorales, he shivered and wiped -sweat from his brow. - -He turned about and started toward the shacks. - -Beside the table where the oil lamp burned, Dorales was sitting and -writing. He filled out a previously prepared paper which would transfer -to the Empire State Chemical Company, for the sum of ten thousand -dollars, all the rights, holdings, and so forth, of Thaddeus Shea in the -property underfoot. The company in question consisted of Sandy -Mackintavers. - -This paper ready for signatures and witnessing, Dorales produced a blank -check which bore the almost illegible but widely known signature of A. -Mackintavers. This Dorales filled out in the name of Thaddeus Shea, and -in the amount of ten thousand dollars. At this instant he heard a hoarse -voice whisper his name--"Dorales!" - -"Well?" He glanced up sharply, taken by surprise. - -Into the lighted doorway stepped Thady Shea, his cavernous eyes blazing. -For an instant Dorales was too completely astounded to move--astounded -by the realization of how he had just betrayed himself, astounded by the -fact that this gaunt fellow was no simpleton after all! - -That instant of indecision was fatal. Dorales pushed back his chair and -came to his feet, one hand sliding to his coat pocket. Too late! The big -fingers of Thady Shea gripped down on his wrist, and Shea's right hand -took him by the left shoulder, and he was staring into the blazing black -eyes of the man he had thought to cheat. - -"I am glad to meet you, friend Dorales!" A grim smile sat on Shea's wide -lips. "The airy tongues that syllable men's names have borne to me your -rightful cognomen." - -Dorales writhed under that iron grip. His left hand drove up to Shea's -face, landed hard. From his lips broke a shout for aid. - -Under the blow, Shea staggered; he knew nothing of fighting. He did -know, however, that the shout of Dorales would bring the two Mexicans, -and the knowledge fired him. He merely threw himself bodily and blindly -at Dorales and carried the latter to the floor. - -Luck was kind. Dorales, trying not to fall underneath, writhed aside; -the impetus of Shea's rush, or rather fall, threw Abel Dorales headlong -against the wall and knocked him senseless. - -After a moment Shea realized that Dorales was knocked out, relaxed his -iron grip, and rose. His first thought was to turn out the lamp. Then, -taking from the corner the axe helve, Shea passed outside the shack. He -discerned two figures running toward him in the starlight, and he strode -at them. - -The two natives were not at all sure of what had been going on. They -called to Shea, who made no answer but came steadily at them. Hesitant, -they awaited his approach, again addressing him in English. For -response, Shea heaved up the axe helve and struck the nearer man -senseless. - -Here was answer enough. The second man whipped up a ready revolver and -fired hastily; too hastily, for the bullet only whipped Shea's lean -cheek and passed over the hogback. An instant later the axe helve broke -the man's arm. - -"Be quiet!" commanded Shea; then considered that the groaning wretch -could not well obey such an order with a smashed arm. "Go down and climb -into your automobile. Wait there." - -"Si, senor." The native turned and went into the night, groaning. - -Stooping, Shea picked up the body of the second man, the one whom he had -stricken senseless. He heaved it up over his shoulder, and returned to -the shack. There he lighted a match, got the lamp burning again, and -clumsily tied Abel Dorales hand and foot. He rightly considered that the -fight was taken out of the two natives. - -Dorales evinced no symptoms of recovery. Shea threw some water over the -face of his native prisoner, and presently the man sat up and stared -around. At sight of Shea's figure, he shrank back and crossed himself. - -"I'll not hurt you," said Shea. "Where's Mackintavers?" - -"At the ranch, senor," whimpered the wide-eyed native. - -"Is he coming here?" - -"No, senor, not until Senor Dorales sends for him." - -"That will not be for some time." And Shea smiled. "Do you know where -Mrs. Crump is?" - -"I heard Senor Dorales say that she would not get there until to-morrow -night, senor." - -This explained to Shea why Dorales had planned on cleaning up the sale -so hastily. It also set his mind at rest about Mackintavers, whose -arrival he had feared. - -There was no doubt whatever that Dorales had figured things closely and -accurately. Therefore, Mrs. Crump would return upon the following -afternoon or evening, and in the meantime no other attempt would be made -upon the property. - -With this thought in mind, Thady Shea set about making his departure, -for he intended to be gone when Mrs. Crump arrived home. If Dorales were -safely out of the way for a day or two, there would be no danger in -leaving the mine deserted; and Shea was already possessed of a scheme -for putting Dorales in cold storage. - -Prompt to act upon the swift impulse in his mind, Shea turned over the -cleverly drawn paper which Dorales had been studying, and upon its back -wrote a note to Mrs. Crump. The check caught his eye, and he pulled it -toward him; smiling sardonically, he read and reread that magic slip of -paper which stood for ten thousand dollars. - -He picked up the check and held it for a moment over the oil lamp--then -he quickly jerked it back. - -"No, I'll leave it," he muttered. "She'll know I'm honest, perchance! It -will be a tongue most eloquent." - -That sardonic smile still curving his wide lips, he turned over the -check and carefully indorsed it; across the back of the paper he wrote -the same name which he had signed to the note. The whimsical thought -came to him that, if he presented this paper at a bank, he would get ten -thousand dollars for Mrs. Crump; he had no intention of so presenting -it, however--had he not refused the proffered negotiations? He indorsed -that check merely as a mute message to Mrs. Crump. It quite escaped him -that, by so indorsing it, he had made it good. - -He picked up the epistle which he had written, and read it over, -frowning: - - MADAM: If you do not already know of my unhappy share in your - misfortunes, you may be easily apprised of it from other lips. - Farewell! I take my leave to seek an errant soul upon the roads, - and I shall not return until some testing has surfeited my most - uneasy spirit. - - ---- Thaddeus R. Shea. - -He folded up the note, and nodded to himself. - -"'Tis not so clear as crystal, yet 'twill serve," he murmured. - -Whether Mrs. Crump would fully understand the reasons for his departure -was immaterial, since Shea himself did not fully understand them; at -least, he had not figured them into concrete bases. His idea of doing -penance, of seeking either ultimate strength or ultimate failure again -in the world, was vague. His secondary motive, that of not drawing his -benefactress into his own danger from the Mackintavers forces, was -equally vague, since Mrs. Crump was far more imperilled and far better -equipped to face such peril than he. - -However, it is these vague impulses which often lead men upon the trail -of fate, and thus it proved with Thady Shea. - -He left the note upon the table, and with it the indorsed check and -legally phrased paper, knowing that these would in some measure make -matters clear to Mrs. Crump. Then he procured that lady's whiskey and -poured a generous portion into a tin cup. This time, he deliberately -smelled of it, and smiled grimly. Mrs. Crump kept on hand a vial of -laudanum for the sake of recurrent toothache, and from this vial he -dropped a little of the drug into the whiskey. - -"Friend Dorales will sleep to-night, methinks," he said to the staring -native captive. "Lift up his head!" - -The native picked up the head and shoulders of the still senseless -Dorales. Forcing open the thin, strong lips, Shea poured his mixture -into the man's mouth. Dorales choked, but swallowed it and began to -revive. - -Shea packed his few belongings, regretfully left the historic axe helve -for Mrs. Crump, then motioned his prisoner to help him lift Dorales. The -latter was now swearing luridly but feebly. Together they carried him -out into the darkness. - -Ten minutes later Dorales was snoring in the tonneau of Mackintavers' -flivver, beside the injured native. By the light of the lamps, the -uninjured captive was working under the directions of Shea, who had -realized that upon reaching home Mrs. Crump would be unable to use her -own car without tires. - -So Shea stripped the enemy car, left the tires beside the dust-white -flivver, and then climbed into his captured vehicle. Having disarmed his -conquered foemen, he had nothing to fear from them, and headed his bumpy -equipage toward No Agua. When the canon road warned him that he was -close to that lone hovel of desolation, he stopped the car and took from -his pocket Mrs. Crump's flask into which he had emptied the laudanum -vial. He turned to the two natives, one of whom was groaning and -shivering, the other merely shivering. - -"Friends," he said, sonorously, "drink--or take the consequences." - -Knowing from the example of Abel Dorales that the flask contained -nothing worse than sleep, mingled with liquor, the two natives drank the -contents with avidity. Shea tossed away the empty flask, envy in his -eye; he wanted a drink very badly--but he did not want one badly enough -to take it. - -Passing the No Agua store with a rattle and clatter, Shea considered -swiftly. If he went south to Silver City he might meet Mrs. Crump, and -he had no desire to meet her at present. If he went west, he would get -into Arizona. All he knew about Arizona was founded upon the drama of -that name; the prospect of being scalped by Apaches or otherwise -mutilated did not invite his soul particularly. - -So he turned east to Zacaton City, confident that he could pass through -that nest of enemies before dawn, and with a vague scheme already in his -mind. All he wanted was to get clear away, and he mentally blessed that -vial of laudanum. - -It was shortly before dawn when the snoring mechanic in Aimes' garage -was awakened by a tall, gaunt stranger. - -"Friend," said Shea to the yawning mechanic, "in this my vehicle behold -three villains, scoundrels of the deepest dye! But yesternight they -tried to jump my claim, wherefore I laid them by the heels, and charge -you, upon your honest visage, guard them well until the sheriff shall -appear to claim them." - -After some repetition the astonished mechanic gathered that this gaunt -stranger had brought in three claim jumpers to be held until the sheriff -arrived. Not having participated in the events of Sunday morning, the -mechanic was blissfully ignorant of Shea's identity, and Thady had no -intention of disclosing it. Despite protest, Shea left the crippled -flivver in the garage, the three snoring occupants being obviously safe -for another twenty-four hours. Having been carefully dirtied and -disguised by Dorales himself, the flivver was not recognized immediately -as that of Sandy Mackintavers. - -These things successfully accomplished, Thady Shea faded into the gray -dawn. For lack of better direction, he took the rough and rugged road -that led off to Datil and the transcontinental highway into Magdalena. -He had no illusions about arrest not being probable in _this_ case, and -he desired to avoid arrest. - -Zacaton City was ere long in a roar of half-wrathful enjoyment. The -three "claim jumpers," who slept like the dead and refused to be -awakened, were soon known as Abel Dorales, tied hand and foot, and two -natives from the Mackintavers ranch, one having a broken arm. The garage -mechanic's description of Thady Shea was accurate and recognizable. -Details were lacking and could not be obtained until the drugged men -awakened--but details were largely unnecessary. - -Ben Aimes did not telephone to Mackintavers at the ranch; at the time, -this seemed a rather superfluous detail. The news bearer would have a -thankless and possibly dangerous job, so Ben Aimes left Mackintavers -alone, and left Dorales to tell the sorry tale in person. However, Aimes -swore out warrants charging battery and other things, and sent -automobiles forth to bring in Thady Shea. - -Him they did not find; but they went as far as Magdalena, spreading the -story as they progressed. Within three days, this immediate section of -the state was in a roar of laughter; Dorales had a reputation as "the -worst man to monkey with" in existence. Added to the joke was the story -of Thady Shea and the axe helve, which travelled fast and far. Neither -story reached the Mackintavers ranch fast enough, however. - -On the afternoon following Thady Shea's desertion of Number Sixteen, -Mrs. Crump arrived there in a hired car from Silver City. She came -alone; Gilbert and Lewis were in jail awaiting bail, and she came only -to make sure that Number Sixteen had escaped the ravishers. - -By this time Mrs. Crump knew all about what had happened to Thady Shea -in Zacaton City, and how the disaster had come upon her, but she had -made no comments. At the shack, she found the papers which Thady Shea -had left. She read his note, and muttered something about "damned fool." -Then she took the check which he had indorsed, returned to her hired -car, and before midnight was back in Silver City. - -At nine the next morning the Silver City bank telephoned Sandy -Mackintavers over long distance regarding a check for ten thousand -dollars issued to one Thady Shea, and properly indorsed, which had been -presented for payment by Mrs. Crump. Promptly and delightedly -Mackintavers gave it his O. K. Quite naturally, he considered that Abel -Dorales had carried his mission to success, and that Number Sixteen now -belonged to the Empire State Chemical Company. - -But that evening, when Dorales arrived with new tires on the flivver, -Mackintavers learned what had really taken place. Then he telephoned to -Silver City in all haste, only to find that he was out ten thousand big -round dollars. He had gambled, and he had lost his stake. - -Dorales spent a most unpleasant evening. Despite everything, even the -monetary loss, which rankled to the very bottom of his soul, -Mackintavers had a deep grain of humour. This was the first time he had -ever known Abel Dorales to be put absolutely down and out; he gave his -humour full vent until Dorales, who had no humour whatever, writhed -under the lash. - -"It's your loss most of all," growled Dorales, white lipped and -venomous. - -"Aiblins, yes." Mackintavers fell grave. "We'll leave Mrs. Crump alone -for the present; never fear, I'll get that money back, with interest! -I've a scheme in the back of my head that will work on her a bit later. -Are ye going to hide out till the laughing's done with?" - -"Hide--hell!" snarled Dorales, viciously. "The first man that laughs to -my face, except you, gets something to remember. And," he added, slowly, -"I'm not so sure about excepting you, Sandy." - -"There, there, cannot ye take a joke?" returned Mackintavers, hastily. -"I've suffered the most, but leave Mrs. Crump be for the present. I want -to get the matter o' those stone idols settled, and under cover o' the -noise it will make when I become a scientist, then we'll take over this -strontianite mine. - -"I want ye to go up to Santa Fe, and get a big sack o' silver dollars. -I've me eye on two or three o' them Cochiti redskins and I think ye can -bribe 'em. If----" - -"What about this man Shea?" snapped Dorales. "I'm going to get him if it -takes me ten years! I'm going to write my name in his hide with a -knife!" - -"Ye shall; he'll be here when ye get back from Santa Fe," soothed -Mackintavers. "He can't hide out long, Abel. I'll have him held for ye." - -"You'd better," said the other, sourly. "I don't like wasting time on -these idols, anyway. I never knew any good to come of bothering the -Indian gods, Sandy." - -Mackintavers only laughed, although not without a frown to follow the -laugh. He was wondering if the presence of those gods in his house had -brought him the loss of ten thousand dollars. He was the last man on -earth to let superstition alter his plans; yet he was Scottish, and he -could not help wondering--just a little. - - - - -CHAPTER IX--THE WICKER DEMIJOHN - - -As has been related, Thady Shea somewhat vaguely set out upon the way to -Magdalena, after disposing of his shoeless flivver and its snoring load. - -The dawn came up and found him plodding onward. An hour later he was -hailed from the roadside by a venerable ancient having one very blue eye -and a long white beard. This worthy proved to be a tramp printer, who -intended to get work at Magdalena when his money gave out. - -For the present, however, the ancient had no intention of working; so he -proposed a road partnership, stating that he liked Shea's looks. Thady -Shea wanted to sleep, which "Dad" Griffith, as the ancient was named, -deemed a highly laudable ambition. - -Accordingly, a little while afterward, Shea found himself snugly -ensconced in a camp well back from the road and well hidden in a clump -of trees. Before sleeping, he explored his pockets and found some money, -left from the sum given him by Mrs. Crump for his Zacaton City -purchases. - -"Take it, friend," he said, drowsily, thrusting the money upon the -ancient. "Take it, and add it to thy scanty store, that so we may have -wherewithal to live." - -"You bet I will, partner," and Dad Griffith seized it. "It'll keep us -quite a spell, with what I got. No sense workin', I says, when they's no -need. I figger on gettin' a job to Magdalena when I got to work. I had a -job there two year ago. These here goshly-gorful linotypes is puttin' -honest printers out o' business. Why, I seen th' day----" - -In the midst of a dissertation upon the elegancies of hand-set type and -the blasted frightfulness of an existence surrounded by linotype -machines, Shea stretched out and fell asleep. The ancient droned along, -regardless. When Shea wakened toward sunset, old Griffith was still -discoursing upon the same topic. - -Over a tiny smokeless fire Griffith conjured biscuits, coffee, and -beans, and the two men ate. Thady Shea probed his companion's mind for -future plans, and found only a vague emptiness; the ancient liked to -spend each night in a different spot, that was all. Thady Shea proposed, -with pursuit in mind, that it might be better to camp during the day and -to tramp at night. - -At this suggestion the ancient winked his one intensely blue eye. He -winked with the uncanny gusto of an old man, with the horrible -craftiness of an old man. His one eye winked, and the ancient was -transformed. He became an emblem of doddering truancy, a living symbol -of the soul which desires ever to flee responsibilities and to shirk the -onus of labour inherited from Father Adam. - -"Suits me, pardner. I used to do that over in Missouri, one time, 'count -of a hawg bein' missed from a pen. Anyhow, these nights is too cold to -sleep 'thout blankets, which mine ain't extra good. - -"Still, a spry young feller like you, Thady, ought to have more get up -an' get to him than to be gettin' in a mess o' trouble. Take a -goshly-gorful old ranger like me, and it's all right; I'm a sinful man, -an' proud of it. But you, now--you'd ought to be aimin' for something. I -know, I do! That's the trouble with folks; ain't got no aim ahead. But -no use talkin'. You got your reasons, I reckon." - -Thady Shea sat and stared into the fire. He did not take the hint to -retail his story. He was suddenly thinking. - -Memory worked within him. "It ain't lack of ambition that makes folks -mis'able and unsatisfied; it's lack o' purpose!" Mrs. Crump had said -those words, and they had been burned into Shea's brain. Purpose, -indeed! What purpose now lay ahead, except the vague desire to -rehabilitate himself? To become a vagrant with this tramp printer--why, -this would be to shake off all the shackles of purpose! Yet, what else -was there to do? What could be done, except to evade the law which by -this time must be seeking him? - -His head drooped. Was some higher Power extending its hand against him, -closing every avenue of escape from his old drifting existence, forcing -him back into vagrancy? His eyes widened under the thought. The thought -staggered him. Then, slowly, his mouth tightened, his wide lips drew -firmly clenched. A flush of fever darkened his high cheekbones. - -Very well; he would go on fighting! For once the superstitious nature of -the man was borne down by his inward anger, was borne down by the -impotent feeling that he was a pawn in Destiny's game; he rebelled -against it. He rebelled against everything. - -"By heaven, I'll _make_ a purpose!" he mentally vowed. "I'll look for -one--find one--fight for one!" - -Even as the words rose in him, he choked down a vague feeling that they -were false and erroneous, a feeling that this purpose could not be -sought, but must seek him out, must come to him of itself. Yet he choked -down the feeling, repulsed it. He reiterated his mental vow, fiercely -insistent upon it. - -All this while the ancient had been droning something about the beauties -of the old flat-bed presses, and the goshly-gorfulness of machine -printing. Now Shea became aware of a more personal note in the droning. - -"If I was you," and the ancient chuckled in his dirty white beard, -transfixing Thady Shea with his one bright-blue eye, "if I was you, I'd -grow whiskers! - -"They's places and places I can't never go no more without these here -whiskers. Yes, they is! I'm a sinful man an' proud of it; mebbe ye think -I'm old, but I can show you young fellers a thing or two, he, he! Grow -whiskers, Thady. You can take 'em with ye to go a-sinning, and then go -back over the same trail without 'em, and nobody the wiser!" - -Shea's gorge rose. He suddenly saw Dad Griffith as the latter really -was--a foul old man, a worthless wastrel of humanity, seemingly dead to -all higher things. He grew afraid for himself; he was vaguely alarmed, -as though he had touched some slimy, crawling thing in the darkness. He -came to his feet with an impellent desire to crush this unholy man like -a toad, to flee into the night, to lie under the stars and seek -clearance for his troubles. However, he did none of these things. Shea -reached for his pipe, filled it, lighted it with an ember from the fire. -Here he got a new sensation--the tang and sweetness of an ember-lighted -pipe! - -"Let's be moving," said Thady Shea, crisply. "It's a fine night." - -An hour later they were plodding along, sharing the load of provisions. -Thady Shea was quite aware that something was wrong with him in the -body, but he felt no definite pain. It was an errant "something" which -he could not place, and which he was too uplifted in spirit to heed. - -The night wore on. With every step, Thady Shea was learning from the -lore of Dad Griffith. He was learning the worldly wise lore of the -roads--to walk with straight feet, to carry his body uphill on bended -knees, to take the high side of a wet trail. The ancient talked -continually, eternally. The ancient seemed to like Thady Shea immensely. - -Some time after midnight they left the road by a faint and unknown -trail, followed it until they were weary, and then camped. Griffith had -a pair of tattered blankets. Thady Shea refused to share them; he slept -in his clothes. When he wakened at sunrise his head was heavy with -fever. A mile distant the ancient descried a creek, and they moved over -to it for the day. Thady Shea felt peculiar, and detailed his symptoms, -whereupon the ancient produced a tattered little case of leather. He -opened the case and disclosed three vials. - -"All the med'cine a man needs, I claim," he declared. "Middle one's -quinine; right's physic; left's physic again, only more so. Take your -choice, one or all!" - -"Give me the more so," said Thady, who felt miserable in the extreme. - -The ancient began to look alarmed. His one intensely blue eye shone with -an uneasy light. His continual talk became querulous. After a time he -forced Thady Shea to continue their progress; the trail, said he, must -lead them to a ranch. Groaning, Shea protested; but presently he yielded -to the urgings of Griffith. The two men followed the trail. - -There was a man named Fred Ross, who had homesteaded a canon in the -hills beyond the Datils. Thus far unmarried, although he had his hopes, -he lived alone; a hard, rough man, kindly at heart, redly wrinkled of -face, and keenly alert of eye, he shot beaver and turkey when the forest -rangers were not around, and fared well. Indeed, he was wont to say that -he was the last man in the United States to know the taste of that -succulent morsel, a beaver's tail. - -Fred Ross was plowing on the flat behind his shack when he observed the -approach of a tattered old man who moved in trembling haste. Having no -liking for tramps, Ross set his hands on his hips and met the visitor -with a vigilant eye. - -"Well?" he snapped. "Who in time are _you_?" - -"Don't matter 'bout me, mister," said the other, agitatedly pawing a -long and dirty white beard. "A friend o' mine is down the canon a ways, -plumb petered out. He was took sick last night--I reckon he's got a -touch o' fever. D'you s'pose you could let him lay somewheres--mebbe in -that cowshed yonder?" - -"You be damned, you old fool," said Ross, harshly. "I ain't got no room -for sick men in my shed--which ain't no cowshed, neither. Where is he?" - -"He--he give out by them trees," faltered Dad Griffith, backing away. "I -got a little money, mister----" - -"You be blistered, you an' your money!" roared Ross. "I don't want no -tramps around here, savvy? I got trouble of my own. Let's have a look at -this friend o' yours--if you-all are tryin' any skin game on _me_, look -out!" - -He strode forward, and Dad Griffith fluttered away. After him strode -Ross. Ten minutes later they came to the gaunt figure of Thady Shea -lying beneath some scrub oaks and muttering faintly. Ross leaned over -him then straightened up and faced the ancient. - -"You--on your way!" he said, roughly, "I'll take care o' this feller, -but I don't aim to keep two of ye." - -"Devil take ye, I don't want none of ye!" quavered Griffith in querulous -anger. "I'm goin' to Magdalena to get me a job; you tell him so when he -can travel, ye goshly-gorful old ranch hand!" - -Disdaining a response, Ross stooped; after some effort, he got Thady -Shea in the "fireman's grip" and staggered erect, the delirious man -still muttering. He turned and walked toward his shack, striding heavily -under the burden. Dad Griffith hesitated, then wagged his beard--he did -not deem it wise to follow. - -"Hey!" he lifted his voice after the departing rancher. "You be good to -him, hear me? Mind my words, if ye ain't good to him I'll--I'll come -back and burn ye out some night!" - -Ross paid no heed but strode on out of sight. Dad Griffith shook his -fist in senile rage, then slowly, and with a sigh, turned about and -started in the opposite direction. - -The shack which Ross had built, anticipating matrimony, was a two-room -affair with a lean-to kitchen. Grunting beneath his load, Ross stooped -into the house and deposited Thady Shea upon an iron bed. - -Ross came erect, panting, and stared down at Shea's fever-flushed -features. He scratched his head, as though in perplexity, and his eyes -were suddenly very kindly. - -"Poor devil!" he said, being a man who talked much to himself. "Poor -devil! Got a real good face, too. What in time can I do? The car's broke -down and there's no doctor closer'n Magdalena anyhow. Well, I never -knowed whiskey to fail curin' any trouble, and I guess a bit o' quinine -will help out. Thank the Lord I got whiskey to burn!" - -He went to a cupboard in the corner and drew forth a wicker demijohn, a -new demijohn, a demijohn that hung heavy in his hand. Upon the chair -beside the bed he put a big crockery cup, thick and heavy. He poured -whiskey into it; he filled it nearly to the brim with raw red liquor; a -ray of sunlight fell upon the cup and made it seem filled with rich thin -blood. - -"Just for a starter," murmured Ross. "Now the quinine." - -The hours passed, and darkness fell. Ross went out to stable and bed -down his team. He came back, ate, resumed his vigil. - -Ross was starkly amazed by his muttering patient. Cup upon cup of -whiskey and quinine he poured down the gaunt man's throat; the man drank -it like water, avidly, without visible effect. He seemed to soak up the -raw red liquid as a sponge soaks up water. It seeped down his throat and -was gone. - -"My Lord!" exclaimed Ross at last, awed despite himself. "The man ain't -human!" - -Thady Shea was human; although invisible, the effect was there. Through -the hours of darkness his sonorous voice rose and filled the shack. He -spoke of things past the understanding of the watching Ross. He used -strange names--names like Ophelia or Rosalind or Desdemona; at times -passion shook his voice, a fury of resonant passion; at times his words -trembled with grief, his rolling words quavered and surged with a -vehemently agonized utterance, until the listening Ross felt a vague -ache wrenched into his own throat. - -About midnight, Thady Shea fell asleep. It was a deep, full slumber, a -slumber of stertorous breathing, a sound and absolute slumber, a drunken -slumber. Thady Shea lay motionless except for his deeply heaving chest. -His hands, face, and body were glistening wet, were wet with -perspiration that streamed from him, were wet with salty sweat oozing -from his fever-baked flesh. Fred Ross turned out the lamp and climbed -into a bunk in the corner. - -"That ends it," he said, drowsily. "He'll sweat out the fever and sleep -off the whiskey, and wake up cured. Can't beat whiskey! Cures -everything!" - -Upon the following morning Ross returned from his chores to find Thady -Shea still lustily snoring, the fever gone. He got breakfast and -departed to his work, leaving the coffee ready to hand. From time to -time he came in from the nearer end of the flat to inspect his patient. -He was a big man, a rough-tongued man, a deep-hearted man. - -Thady Shea wakened to an uncomfortable sensation. He dimly and vaguely -recognized the sensation; he was bewildered and frightened by it. He had -felt that uncomfortable sensation many times in his life, always on the -morning after a night spent with the jorum. - -He tried to sit up, and succeeded, only to close his eyes before a -blinding wave of pain. A headache? It went with the other symptoms, of -course. He had no remembrance of drinking. Indeed, he had a fierce -remembrance of having meant never to drink again. Where was he and how -had he come here? His last memory was of trees, and the ancient helping -him as he sank down. He looked around; the strange room bewildered him. - -He was maddeningly conscious that his body, his soul, his whole being, -was a soaked and impregnated thing, soaked and impregnated with whiskey. -His body cried out for more whiskey, his soul writhed within him for -more whiskey. His haggard gaze fell upon a cup, on a chair at his -bedside. He reached out and picked up the cup. It was half full of -bitter whiskey, and a bottle of powdered quinine explained the -bitterness. - -Even then, Shea hesitated. He hesitated, but he could not resist. No -living man could have resisted the fearful outcry of body and soul upon -such an awakening. It was no mere craving. It was a tumultuous, riotous, -lawless eagerness--a fierceness for whiskey, an awful tormenting passion -for whiskey such as he had never before known. That was because of the -flood that had seeped and soaked through his whole being. The raw red -liquor like thin blood had permeated all his body tissues and nerves, as -water permeates the sun-dried earth, leaving it not the hard white earth -but the brown soft mud. The earth dries again and cracks open, calling -avidly for more water. So with Thady Shea's body and soul. - -He drank gulpingly, until the cup was empty. He sat down the cup; it was -a heavy cup of thick crockery. His nostrils quivered to the smell of -coffee. He began to take in his surroundings, to realize them, to -appraise them. He began to understand that he must have been drunk. -Drunk! Who was responsible? - -A shadow darkened the morning sunlight in the doorway. There on the -threshold, a black blotch against the brightness outside, stood Fred -Ross, staring at the man who sat on the edge of the bed and stared back -at him. Shea saw only a man--the man responsible. - -"Did you----" He paused, licked his lips, and continued thickly. "Did -you give me whiskey? Did you?" - -Ross stepped into the room. - -"Yes, I did," he began, roughly. He did not finish. - -Something shot from the bedside, something large and thick, something -white and heavy, that left the hand of Thady Shea like a bullet. It was -the thick, heavy crockery cup. Shea flung it blindly. It struck Ross -over the ear with a "_whick!_" - -Fred Ross looked vaguely surprised. His knees appeared to give way -beneath him. He caught at the table and seemed to swing himself forward, -half around. He fell, and lay without moving. The heavy white crockery -cup, unhurt by the impact, rolled in the doorway. - -Relaxing on the edge of the bed, Thady Shea gave no more attention to -Fred Ross, but lowered his face in his two hands. They were big, strong -hands; they clutched into his hair and skin until their knuckles stood -out white. Shea sat motionless, thus, as though he were trying to -produce some exterior which would quell the anguish within him. - -His voice rang with a sonorous bitterness as he spoke aloud. The -recumbent Ross moved, then sat up with a lithe, agile motion; but Thady -Shea did not stir. He was lost in the words that seemed wrung from his -very soul. - -"I've tried, I've tried! How have I been weak, how have I failed? Yet I -have failed. I've been drunk. I always fail." - -His speech was heavy, slow, words coming tenuously to his numbed brain. -He did not hear the slight sound made by Ross in rising erect, in -stepping to the wall. He did not see Ross at all, nor the hand of Ross -that plucked a revolver from a holster suspended on the wall. He spoke -again, the words coming with more coherence. - -"Always an unseen hand blocks me. Is it your doing, oh, God? Before, it -was my own fault, for I was weak. This time it was not my fault; I knew -nothing about it. God, are You trying to turn me back into the old -shiftless life, into the old vagabond, aimless existence? God, are You -trying to make me a drunkard again? Are You trying to rob me of all -purpose?" - -He paused. The breath came from his lungs; it was a deep and uneven -breath, a sobbing breath, the breath of one who is fast in the grip of -terrible emotion. At him stood and stared Ross. Inch by inch the -revolver lowered. The keen, alert, battling eyes of the rancher were -filled with perplexity, with comprehension, with a strange gentleness. -Again Shea spoke, his face still in his hands: - -"I've done my best, God knows! I've put whiskey out of my life, stifled -the craving for it, forgotten about it. And now--now! Why is it that -even this one purpose is denied me? Is there no help--is there no help? -Is there no help for----" - -His fingers clenched upon his iron-gray hair, swept through it. His head -came up. His blazing black eyes stared into the gaze of Ross. For half a -moment the two men looked at each other, motionless. - -Then, abruptly, Ross pushed home the revolver into its holster. - -"Pardner," he said, casually, "let's have a cup o' coffee." - -He went to the stove in the kitchen, raked up charred black brands, -opened the draft, and put the coffeepot over the kindling embers. He set -two thick crockery cups upon the boards of the table. He got out spoons -and sugar and "canned cow." Then he turned to the other room and with a -jerk of the head invited his guest. - -Thady Shea rose, very unsteadily, and came. - - - - -CHAPTER X--MRS. CRUMP SAYS SOMETHING - - -Over the rough table Fred Ross delivered himself. - -"Something about you I like, Thady Shea," he said, level-eyed. "The old -man who fetched you here told me your name. Don't know anything more -about you. Didn't know whiskey was bad for you; anyway, it cured the -fever. First I knew about you was in yonder, when you talked. Damn good -thing for you, pardner! Savvy? Yes. - -"Tell you somethin'. I used to be range rider--a puncher, savvy? Forty a -month. No future. Never mind the details, but it come to me that if I -didn't get somethin' to work for, I might's well quit livin'. So I took -up this here quarter section and started in. It cost me dear, I'm -tellin' you! - -"I sweat blood over every inch o' this here land. Folks said it was no -good. I put up this shack, put it up right. I set in to raise crops. I -put my body into it. I put my heart into it. I put my livin' eternal -soul into it--and by the Lord I'm goin' to win! I had somethin' to work -for, that's all." - -Ross leaned back. The flame died from his eyes. He surveyed Thady Shea -critically, appraisingly, generously. - -"When I heard what you said, in yonder," he pursued, "I seen all of a -sudden that you were a man like me. Savvy? Yes. I don't blame you, now, -for lamming me over the ear like you done. My Lord! Ain't I talked to -God like you done in there? Ain't things come up to rip the very guts -out o' my soul? Well, it's like that with all folks, I guess, only it -comes different. Savvy? Yes. I gave you whiskey, and I was a damn fool. -That's all." - -Ross rose and began to clatter dishes into the dishpan. Thady Shea rose -and went to the doorway. He stood there, looking up the east-running -canon toward the morning sun. He did not see the half-plowed flat, he -did not see the horses and plow; he did not see the pinon trees and the -trickle of water. Tears were in his eyes. For one blazing moment he had -seen into the soul of Fred Ross, the iron soul, the gentle soul, the -brave soul of Fred Ross. - -Suddenly he turned about, feeling upon his shoulder the hand of the -other man. - -"Shea, you asked a while ago if there wasn't no help. Well, maybe there -is--if you want it. Do you?" - -"Yes," said Thady Shea, huskily. - -Upon the following morning he started in to work; he was a bit weak, but -he insisted upon working. He dared not do without working. He began to -clear another flat farther up the canon, ridding it of brush and scrub -oak and pinons. - -As he worked, Thady Shea thought much of that wicker demijohn, back in -the cupboard of the shack. Once, when he came in to luncheon ahead of -Ross, he opened the cupboard. He looked at the clean wicker demijohn, -the new demijohn, the demijohn which hung so heavily and lovingly to the -hand; as he looked, a sunbeam struck the glass behind the woven wicker -and made it seem filled with rich thin blood. Thady Shea shivered--and -shut the door. But he could not shut that demijohn from his thoughts. - -He prayed, every hour he worked, that Ross would hide away that -demijohn. He said nothing to Ross about it; he felt vaguely ashamed to -let Ross know of his struggles with himself. He shrank from revealing -how he was tempted. - -Days passed. Twice, now, Thady Shea had come in from work merely to open -that door and look at the demijohn. The first time, he had forced -himself to be content with the look. The second time he hefted it; then -he reached for the cork, trembling--but just then the step of Ross -approached, and Shea replaced the demijohn. He knew that he had been -saturated with liquor, that in his involuntary carouse his body had -seeped up the whiskey as the thirsty earth seeps up water. The craving -was there, the wicked craving of the cracked earth for water. - -Terrible were the first few nights. Despite weariness, sleep would not -come. On tiptoe Thady Shea would sneak out of the shack, out into the -bitter cold night, out under the white, cold stars. He would stride up -and down the cold earth until the chill ate into his bones; then, -shivering, he would tiptoe back and roll up in his blankets, thinking -how a drink would warm him. - -As the days passed, he worked harder. He slaved until, at darkness, he -would nod over his pipe. He did not shave, remembering the words of the -ancient, and his gaunt face became filled and strengthened by an -iron-gray beard. - -All the while he cursed his aimlessness, his lack of purpose. He was -looking out, beyond the present; he was looking over the horizon. He was -thinking of Mrs. Crump. He prayed under a sweat-soaked brow that some -great flaming purpose would come into his life. The word "purpose" had -become to him a creed, a mania. - -He did not realize, except very dimly, that for him life had already -centred upon one immediate and tremendous purpose: to avoid, to shrink -from, that clean wicker demijohn in the corner cupboard! Unawares, the -purpose had come to him. - -And then, upon a day, Fred Ross patched the broken flivver and went to -Datil for grub. Thady Shea was left alone, alone with the ranch, alone -with the pinon trees and the horses, alone with the shack, alone with -the corner cupboard and the clean wicker demijohn. Fred Ross did not -seem to perceive any danger in leaving Shea thus alone. - -Fred Ross reached the store at Datil about noon, after a long pull. -Datil lay on the highway, where lordly Packards and lowly Fords wended -east and west, between California and St Louis. Datil was nothing more -than a frame store-hotel-post office. In the rear of the long building -were sheds, relics of the days when the far ranchers came in on -horseback, of the days when burros and bearded prospectors and -unrestricted Indians roused talk of great and blood-stirring events. - -A mixed company lunched that day in the long dining room. Ross was too -late for the first table, and he stood waiting in the adjoining room, -smoking by the huge cobbled fireplace, talking with other men who had -drifted along too late for the first serving. - -The talk struck upon Thady Shea and the huge joke of which Abel Dorales -had been the victim. Ross listened and said nothing, as was his wont. He -heard that Thady Shea had skipped the country; had, at any rate, not -been found--must have gone over the Arizona line. - -"Too bad," commented a sturdy rancher from Quemado way. "He must ha' -been a right strapping guy, eh? And what he done down to Zacaton, when -Ben Aimes give him a drink--say, ain't ye heard 'bout that? It's sure -rich!" - -The speaker recounted, with many added elaborations and details, the -story of Thady Shea and his axe helve. Fred Ross listened in silence. -Fred Ross thought of that heavy white crockery cup; reflectively, he -rubbed his head above his ear, and grinned to himself. He was not the -only one who had suffered for giving Thady Shea a drink, then! - -When the talk turned upon reprisals, Fred Ross listened with more -attention. Charges had been sworn out against Shea, it appeared; they -had been sworn out by that fool Aimes, but had later been withdrawn. -Abel Dorales had seen to it that they had been withdrawn. Abel Dorales -had come to Magdalena; there he had half killed three drunken miners who -had ventured to taunt him, and for the same reason he had taken a -blacksnake to a sheepman. Abel Dorales had given out that he, and he -alone, intended to deal with Thady Shea whenever the latter was found. -It was a personal matter, outside the law. This attitude met with -general approval. - -"Not so bad!" reflected Fred Ross, as he passed in to his meal. "Not so -bad! The law ain't after him, anyhow. Now, if he's let that demijohn -alone to-day, I reckon he's all right. Pretty tough on him, maybe, to -leave him alone, but----" - -The ins and outs of the business transaction attempted by Dorales, the -transaction concerning Number Sixteen, had, of course, not been made -public. But the general gist of the matter was an open secret. The joke -on Dorales was huge, and was immensely appreciated. - -The meal over, Ross went out to his car in order to get his tobacco. He -idly observed that alongside his own flivver had been run another, a -dust-white flivver with new tires. He paid no attention to it until he -was drawn by the sound of a voice which he instantly recognized. He -stood quiet, listening, looking toward the two figures on the far side -of the dust-white flivver; they did not see him at all. - -"No'm," said the voice which Ross had recognized. "No'm, I couldn't get -no work to Magdalena. Things is in a goshly-gorful state in the printing -business! I done walked here, aiming to make for Saint Johns, over the -Arizony line. Seein's you're headed that way, ma'am, if ye could give me -a lift----" - -"Walked here, did ye?" cut in a voice strange to Ross. "Had any -vittles?" - -"Not to speak of, ma'am. I'm busted." - -"Well, you trot right in alongside o' me. Hurry up, now--ain't got much -time to waste. My land, of all the fool men--and at your age! Hurry up." - -The two figures departed toward the stirrup-high open flooring that -formed a porch the length of the frame building. One was the figure of -Dad Griffith. The other was the figure of a very large woman, harsh of -features; she was clad in ragged but neat khaki, and beneath her chin -were tied the strings of an old black bonnet. Against her wrinkled -features glowed two bright-blue eyes with the brilliancy of living -jewels, giving the lie to their surrounding tokens of age. She was -unknown to Fred Ross. - -Filling his pipe, the homesteader sought out the store, and, with -inevitable delays, set to work making his purchases. This was an -occupation demanding ceremony. Other men were here on the same errand, -and there was gossip of crops, land, and war to be swapped. This was the -forum of the countryside, the agora of the scattered ranches. - -Thus it happened that by the time Ross went to his car with an armload -of supplies old Dad Griffith had finished his meal and was lounging on -the steps of the stirrup-high porch. He started up at sight of Ross, who -paid no attention to him, and followed the rancher out to the car. - -"Hey!" he exclaimed, eagerly. "Where's that there partner of mine?" - -Ross dumped his purchases into the car and turned. He desired only to be -rid of this parasite, to be rid of him for good and all--and to rid -Thady Shea of him. - -"He's where you left him, old-timer--and where you're not wanted." - -"Is--is he all right?" - -"Sure. I fed him whiskey until he got well. He's there now with a -demijohn. I never seen a man able to swallow more red licker than that -partner of yours! But you needn't go showing your nose around there, -savvy? He's workin' for me and you're not wanted." - -"You go to hell!" spluttered the wrathful ancient. "You goshly-gorful -old ranch hand! That's what you are!" - -Ross laughed, swung about to his flivver, and cranked up. He turned the -car and vanished amid a trail of dust, leaving the ancient to sputter -senile threats and curses. He accounted himself well rid of that old -vagabond, in which he was quite right. - -It was late in the afternoon when Ross got home; the trail to his canon -from the county road was wretchedly rough. As he drove, he began to -blame himself for having left Thady Shea all alone, throughout the day -from sunrise to sunset, with that wicker demijohn. He began to think -that he had stacked the cards too heavily. He began to think that his -desire to test Thady Shea had been a mite too strong. - -He drove up to the shed, seeing no sign of his guest. The house, too, -was deserted. Ross went straight to the corner cupboard and jerked open -the door. The clean wicker demijohn was gone. It was not in the house. - -"Hell's bells!" quoth Ross, savagely. - -He strode outside and scanned the vicinity. Nothing was in sight. The -team was gone. He walked up the canon, seeing that the lower flat was -empty of life. At the turn he came in sight of the upper flat, and -paused. - -The team was there; Thady Shea had been plowing. Thady Shea was there, -too, but he was not plowing. He was standing at one corner of the flat -beside a pile of brush. He was lifting something in his hand. It was the -wicker demijohn. He set it on his arm and laid the mouth to his lips. -Ross could see him drink, gulpingly. He drank long, avidly, until Ross -swore in blank amazement that a man could drink thus; he drank as the -sun-cracked earth drinks water. - -Ross strode forward. Thady Shea turned to meet him. - -"Hello, Ross! I was just knocking off work for the day. Drink?" - -Ross took the demijohn. He looked at Thady Shea with hard, bitter cold -eyes. His eyes softened as he remembered his misgivings. After all, was -it not his own fault? He lifted the demijohn on his arm and laid the -mouth to his lips. - -"Hell!" He spluttered in stark surprise. He stared at the demijohn, -stared at the smiling Thady Shea. "Hell! I thought----" - -Thady Shea laughed. It was a deep, sonorous laugh. - -"I couldn't stand it, Ross," he said. "That cursed jug was too much for -me. So I emptied out the whiskey and filled it with water, and went to -work. I'm sorry about the whiskey--I'll pay you back." - -"Damn the whiskey!" roared Fred Ross, delightedly, and wiped his lips. -"Come on back to the shack and let's eat!" - -For the first time in long days, the two men talked over their meal. -They talked of the world outside, talked of ranch gossip, talked of the -war and the government and the high price of wool. Ross meant to run -some sheep up at the head of the canon, and discoursed on the project at -length. Not until their pipes were going, and the red afterglow was -shrouding the fading day, did he mention what he had learned at Datil. - -"Heard something over to the hotel," he mentioned, casually. "They were -talking about you. It appears that Abel Dorales has called off the -sheriff and withdrawn all charges agin' you. He's lookin' for you his -own self, I hear. Makin' it a personal matter." - -Thady Shea drew a deep breath. Nothing to fear from the law, then! The -more personal menace of Abel Dorales he did not consider at all. - -"I'll tell you what happened--if you don't mind," he said, diffidently. -It was the first time, since that day when he had felled Ross with the -cup, that personalities had been touched upon between them. - -He told his story. Ross made no comment whatever; in that story he -perceived that Thady Shea was a queer, impulsive child, a man whose fear -and reason were overruled by his impulses, a man whose primitive soul -arose in a lonely grandeur of sincerity, of absolute and wonderful -sincerity. Ross felt awed, as a man feels awed when confronted by the -mystery of a child's soul. - -The name of Mehitabel Crump meant nothing to the rancher; he had perhaps -heard of her in past years, but had forgotten her name. When Thady Shea -fell silent, Ross knocked the dottle from his pipe and filled it anew. - -"You watch out for Dorales," he said. "I know him. He's bad med'cine." - -"So everyone says," returned Shea, gravely serious. "I hadn't found it -so." - -Ross seemed to discern humour in this, and chuckled. "Think ye'll stay -here, Shea? Glad to have ye." - -"Unless something turns up--yes. I--well, I haven't found that purpose -we spoke about once. I'm trying hard. I'm trying to find it, to make it -come, to figure out what I must do. Yet I seem all helpless, -bewildered----" - -"I never heard of any one puttin' a rush label on Providence, not with -any success to mention," said Ross, dryly. "You're lookin' so hard for -something that you can't find it. You're too damn serious. About sixty, -ain't ye? Well, at sixty you're goin' through what ye should ha' gone -through at thirty or less. Limber up your joints an' take it easier, -pardner. Wait for what turns up, an' remember God ain't dealing from a -cold deck." - -Here was wisdom, and Thady Shea tried to accept it. - -Upon the following afternoon Thady Shea was laboriously plowing the -upper flat. Down at the shack, Fred Ross was cleaning house. He was -cleaning house in his own simple and thorough fashion. He took -everything outside in the sun. Then he set to work with a bucket of suds -and a broom, and scrubbed the walls, floor, and ceiling; he was figuring -on papering the walls a little later. The result of this cleaning was -damp but satisfactory. - -Having returned most of his belongings to their proper places, Ross was -engaged in fitting together the iron bed. He heard the grinding roar of -a car coming up the canon trail in low gear, and went to the doorway. A -dust-white flivver was approaching. As he watched, it came up to the -shed and halted. There was but one person in the car. - -From the dust-white flivver alighted a tall, large woman clad in old but -neat khaki, upon her head a black bonnet. With surprise, Ross recognized -her; it was the woman whom he had seen at Datil the previous day. It was -the woman who had bought Dad Griffith a meal, and who, presumably, had -given the ancient a lift toward the Arizona line. - -She approached the doorway and transfixed Ross with keen, glittering -blue eyes. Her look was one of unmistakable truculence, of hostility. - -"Your name Ross?" she demanded. - -"It is, ma'am," he meekly answered. "Will----" - -"My name's Mehitabel Crump, with a Mrs. for a handle," she stated. "You -got a man by the name o' Shea workin' here?" - -"Yes'm," said Ross, staring. So this was the Mrs. Crump of whom Shea had -spoken! "Yes'm. Will ye come in? I'll go right up the canon and fetch -him----" - -"You shut up," she snapped, harshly. "I aim to do my own fetchin', and I -aim to have a word with you here and now, stranger. I hear you been -keepin' Thady Shea filled up with booze." - -Ross was staggered, not only by the amazing appearance of this woman -here, but by her direct attack. She meant business, savage business, and -showed it. - -Those last words, however, suggested an explanation to Ross. On the -previous day he had given the ancient an "earful" about Thady Shea and -the whiskey. This woman, who now turned out to be Shea's friend Mrs. -Crump, had given the ancient a ride westward. The connection was too -obvious to miss. - -"You got all that dope from old Griffith, eh?" he said. "I was at Datil -yesterday and seen you there. If I ever see that old fool Griffith -again, I'll poke a bullet through him!" - -"Then you ain't real liable to do it," said Mrs. Crump, grimly. "If that -old vagabone told me the truth, I aim to put you where you won't give -whiskey to no more men. Now, hombre, speak up real soft and sudden! Did -you give Thady Shea whiskey--or not?" - -In the blue eyes of Mrs. Crump was a look which Ross had not seen since -the days of his boyhood. Even then he had seen it only once or twice, -before the "killers" of the old days were put under sod. Knowing what -caused that look, Ross laughed--but he laughed to himself. - -"Well," he responded, gravely, "in a way it is true, ma'am. I sure did -fill Shea with red licker, filled him plumb to the brim. And when I went -to Datil yesterday, there was a jug two thirds full o' licker in that -cupboard. When I come home las' night, ma'am, there wasn't a single drop -o' whiskey left. For a fact." - -Try as he might, he could not keep the twinkle from his eye. That -twinkle was something Mrs. Crump could not understand; it bade her go -slow, be cautious. She knew her type of man animal, and that twinkle -gave her covert warning not to make a fool of herself. - -"I'm goin' to see him," she declared, after compressing her lips and -eying Fred Ross suspiciously. "If you've made a soak out o' him, pilgrim -Ross, I'm coming right back here and perforate you without no further -warning. That goes as it lays--so ile up your gun." - -She turned about and strode away, up the canon. Once she glanced back, -to see Ross standing where she had left him, and upon his face was a -wide grin. - - - - -CHAPTER XI--THADY SHEA DISCOVERS A PURPOSE - - -"What in hell made you run off?" demanded Mrs. Crump in an aggrieved -tone. - -"Well," hesitated Thady Shea, "I figured I might get you into trouble -with Mackintavers and his crowd; Dorales would be after me, you know. -And then I wanted to make up for what I'd done. I wanted to go away and -prove to myself that I could do something--without any one else helping -me. It's a little vague, but----" - -"Oh, I savvy," finished Mrs. Crump for him. "My land, Thady! I been -hunting you all over creation, but I never aimed to see you lookin' like -this--never!" Hands on her hips, she surveyed him with appraising, -delighted eyes. - -As he stood there awkwardly beside the plow, Thady Shea did look unlike -her last view of him. Also, he sounded different. They had talked at -length, but in all their talk, in all his tale to date, he had not once -broken into the rolling, rounded phrases which formerly he had so loved. - -He showed the lack of self-consciousness that was upon him. It was not -the bristly beard which had wrought the change, although this disguised -him startlingly. Perhaps it was the gruelling work which he had been -doing of late, with its effects. - -In this man of fifty-eight there showed a strange boyishness. He was no -longer gaunt and haggard. True, there was a haunting gentleness, a -sadness, in his eyes, but it was the sadness of time past, not of the -present. His look, his manner, had taken on a definite personality. No -longer was he Thaddeus Roscius, the actor who fitted himself into the -characters of other men; Montalembert was dead and here stood Thady -Shea, man of his hands; one whose eyes met the world honestly and -earnestly, with wide questioning, with a balanced poise and surety in -self. - -"My land!" pursued Mrs. Crump, meditatively. "When I think of the -knock-kneed, blear-eyed critter I found layin' up above the Bajada -grade, I can't hardly recognize ye, Thady! Ye look's if ye'd got used to -leaning on yourself. Want to come back to Number Sixteen with me?" - -Shea frowned in perplexity. His eyes were serious. He had set forth all -that had happened to him, all that he had done; Mrs. Crump had given him -no blame, but in her eyes had shone pride and praise. - -"I--I don't know," he said, slowly. "I'm looking for a purpose in life. -I'm trying to find something definite. It's so long since I've had -anything definite! These twenty years, and more, there has seemed to be -a knot gripped about my soul, somewhere--stifling me. I don't seem -to----" - -"No need for all that," said Mrs. Crump, impatiently. "You're rich now." - -Shea's eyes widened. "You mean--the mine?" - -"No, I don't. That mine is a humdinger, or will be once it gets started -to paying. I got Lewis an' Gilbert workin' there now, they bein' out o' -jail and shut o' that old charge. No, Thady; I mean the ten thousand we -screwed out o' that skunk Mackintavers." - -Shea looked blank. "Ten thousand? I don't understand." - -Mrs. Crump sighed in resignation, and set herself to explain. - -"It was a right smart trick to indorse that check Dorales had made ready -for ye--'bout the smartest thing I ever knowed ye to do, Thady. I takes -that check and lights out and cashes it 'fore old Mackintavers heard -what had happened to Dorales. The money's in your name, down to the -First National at Silver City; I ain't touched it." - -She fumbled in her bosom and produced a folded check book. - -"Here's the check book they give me, all proper. Sign your checks the -same way ye indorsed that one, savvy? I turned in the note ye left me at -the shack, with your signature on it, to the bank." - -She broke off. She came to a faltering but decided halt. - -For, as she had spoken, a queer look had stolen across the beard-blurred -features of Thady Shea, and had settled there. It was such a look as she -had never previously seen upon his face. It was a look of incredulous -wonder, of grief, of dismay. - -The personal equation in that look silenced and startled Mrs. Crump. It -conveyed to her that she must have said some terrible thing, something -which had shocked Thady Shea beyond words, something which had struck -and hurt him like a blow. She rapidly thought back--no, she had not even -sworn! - -"What the devil ails ye?" she demanded. - -"Why--why--that check!" blurted Shea. He drew back from the check book -which she was extending to him. His eyes were wide, fixed. "I never -meant it--that way! I never dreamed you'd do anything with it. I left it -there with the other paper to show you what Dorales had been up to." - -Mrs. Crump laughed suddenly. - -"Oh, then I gave ye too much credit? Never mind, Thady----" - -"You don't understand!" In his voice was a harsh note, a note of pain. -"Don't you realize what you've done? That money--why, it's stolen! It'll -have to go back to Mackintavers! It isn't ours." - -For the first time in many years Mehitabel Crump was shocked into -immobile silence. She was absolutely petrified. She could not believe -the words she heard. - -"You didn't look at it that way, of course," added Shea hastily. -Earnestness grew upon him, and deep conviction. "But it's true. If it -were ten cents or ten dollars, it might not matter. But--ten thousand -dollars! It must go back." - -The blue eyes of Mrs. Crump hardened like agates. Her mouth clenched -grimly. Her wrinkled features tightened into fighting lines. She was -dumbly amazed that the magnitude of the sum did not appeal to Thady -Shea's cupidity; but she was vigorously and fiercely determined that the -money was to be his. It was not for herself that she wanted it. - -When she made answer, it was with a virile insistence that drove home -every word like a blow. - -"You got no call to insult me, Thady Shea, by callin' me a thief; mind -that! Are you crazy or just plain fool? Mackintavers an' Dorales comes -along thinking to trim us right and proper, like they done by other poor -folks, thinking to rob a lone widder woman, thinking to fool you into -robbing me. That there check for ten thousand was the jackpot. -Mackintavers signed it as such, knowin' it to be such, stakin' it agin' -Number Sixteen to win or lose. You didn't know that the prop'ty was -recorded in your name--but he knew! - -"He lost, and you can bet he ain't said nothing about losing them table -stakes! What call you got to beef about winning that bet? It's plumb -legal, cashed at a bank, sanctified by Sandy hisself over the phone. -You'd be a fool not to take money after you'd won it in a game like -that! If ye want----" - -For the second time Mrs. Crump came to a decided and bewildered halt. - -She was entirely convinced that to take the money was legitimate; she -was convinced that it had been lawfully won, that Thady Shea was -actually entitled to it. She had chuckled over the coup a hundred times. -She had chuckled a hundred times over the grimly delightful irony of -cashing that check, of giving Mackintavers a counter-thrust that he -would remember. Yet, although she was presenting her argument with -entire conviction, she was conscious that it was like presenting her -argument in the face of a stone wall. - -Somehow Thady Shea was ignoring her argument. Its point seemed quite -lost upon him. He stood before her, flinty, untouched, unheeding. The -slight glint of scorn in his eye, real or fancied, flicked Mrs. Crump on -the raw; it lashed her into real and unassumed anger. - -"All that is quite true," he said. In his manner was a gentleness, a -frightful gentleness, a gentleness so entire and calm that it was -hideous. One would have said that he was speaking to a little child. - -"All that is true, Mrs. Crump. Of course your intentions were -whole-souled and generous, and from your viewpoint the action was -justified. I didn't mean to call you a thief, heaven knows! I didn't -mean any such thing. - -"But--the money was to be given in exchange for something. The exchange -did not take place. Therefore, to keep the money would be theft. That is -the way I look at it. That is all I can see to it--all! The money must -go back." - -There was a terrible simplicity in the man's face, in the words he used, -in the argument he used. It was a simplicity which nothing could change. -It was a simplicity above all argument or question. It was a simplicity -that stood up like a gray naked rock. Against this implacable front Mrs. -Crump was impotent and knew it. - -Thady Shea reached out and took the check book from her hand. He opened -it. He stripped one check from the book and placed this check in his -pocket. Then he took the check book, tore it across, and flung the -pieces away. He did it casually, impatiently, carelessly. - -Now, to tear a check book across is not an easy thing. To do it -carelessly, casually, is a most unusual and significant thing. It jerked -at Mrs. Crump's attention. She wondered just how strong Thady Shea was. -Yet, the thought that the one check in Shea's pocket was destined for -Mackintavers fired the anger within her, and fanned the flame. She could -deal gently, pityingly, with a weak man. With a strong man, strong as -Thady Shea was strong, she had but one argument. - -"I'll write out that check----" began Shea. - -"You're a coward!" said Mrs. Crump, savagely. She knew the words were -fearfully unjust, but they rose within her and she said them. The -thought that Mackintavers would deem her weak and silly enough to return -that money maddened her. "You're a coward!" - -She leaned forward and struck him in the mouth. She struck a man's blow, -a full, hard-fisted, strong blow, a blow that might have felled another -man than Thady Shea. Under it he reeled. Then he came upright and stood -motionless, looking at her. He did not speak. Slowly he lifted his hand -to his mouth, and his eyes shifted to the red smear upon his hand. Then -his gaze went again to her face. - -Under his look, Mrs. Crump shivered a little. The anger went out of her -suddenly and utterly. Before his calm, hurt strength she recoiled. Her -brittle, false hardness was broken and shattered. He did not speak, and -his silence frightened her. She went to pieces. - -"Thady!" The words came from her in a breath, a groan. Her burning blue -eyes were gone dull and lifeless, dumb with misery, as she realized what -she had just done. "Oh, Thady! I--Heaven forgive me, Thady, I didn't -mean to do it. I wanted you to have that money." - -"I wonder if you really think I'm a coward?" said Shea, curiously calm. -"I am one, of course, but I don't see how a desire for justice can be -cowardly." - -"I don't!" she burst forth impetuously, passionately. "Thady, I'm -sorry--I never meant it; it didn't come from the heart, Thady! I'm an -old fool of a woman, that's what I am. An old fool of a woman! Don't -look at me that way; I tell ye I can't stand it--it's awful! I'm sorry -for it, bitter sorry." - -"I'm sorry, too," said Shea, simply. "Listen to me, now. You've given me -something real; a purpose. Maybe Ross was right. Maybe I had to wait -till it came to me. Now I'm going to find Mackintavers and give him his -money, make things right. I may be a coward in physical things, but----" - -"Don't talk that way!" she broke in, harshly. "Thady, I'm sorry. Come -back to the mine with me; forget this foolishness. I'm a fool of an old -woman, that's all. I need ye at the mine, Thady." - -He smiled a little. "Do you really mean it, Mrs. Crump? May I come -back--after I have seen Mackintavers?" - -"Come now! Don't go chasing off like a dratted mule. Come back with me -now!" - -"No." Shea looked away from her. He motioned toward the horses, their -tails switching in the arrogant sunlight. He motioned toward the -half-plowed field. "I'll finish this job first. Then, in a few days, -I'll go and see Mackintavers. You see? I have to do it. The purpose has -come to me; maybe it'll lead into something else. I don't know. After -that, I'll come back to Number Sixteen and go to work, if you still want -me." - -"Yes," she said, humbly. "I'll need ye, Thady. I'm sorry ye won't come -now." - -She turned from him and walked down the canon. Around the bend, out of -Shea's sight, she leaned against a bowlder. She was a woman, and God has -given tears to women. Great sobs shook her for the first time in years. -Passionate sobs were they, holding the pent-up emotion of a deep spirit -that had broken through its mask of cynic harshness. - -Presently Mrs. Crump recalled that, although she was beyond the sight of -Thady Shea, she was in full view of the distant shack. Muttering that -she was a dratted old fool, she wiped her eyes. She tucked in loosened -wisps of hair about the edge of her bonnet. She pulled her bonnet -straight and started for the dust-white flivver, beyond the shack. - -Mrs. Crump found Fred Ross cheerfully whistling "Silver Threads Among -the Gold" and finishing his house-cleaning. - -"That there Thady Shea," she stated, harshly, "is the most amazing human -critter I've ever run up against!" - -Ross grinned amiably. "Meaning, ma'am?" - -"Meaning you can figger it out for yourself. Adios!" - -"Hold on, ma'am. Ain't you goin' to set a while?" - -"I am not. I got work to do. So long, and good luck to ye!" - -Ross insisted upon cranking the dust-white flivver, and she departed -with no more words. - -An hour later Thady Shea brought in the horses, and put them up for the -night. He came into the house and helped Ross get supper. He commented -on the house-cleaning with admiration. He discussed, from an amateur's -standpoint, fencing the upper end of the canon against the proposed -flock of sheep. He seemed to enjoy his supper hugely. - -The meal over, both men lounged outside, smoking and watching the -crimsoned peaks that overhung them. - -"Mrs. Crump," observed Shea at last, "is the most generous, whole-souled -woman I ever knew. She's a wonder, Ross!" - -"She is," assented the rancher, dryly. "I suppose you're goin' to leave -me?" - -"Yes," said Shea, gravely. "After that upper flat is plowed." - -"Tell you what. Wait till Sunday. I'm goin' to Magdalena then, to see a -lady friend. Take ye in the car if you're goin' that way. Then I'll pay -you--got to give you something for the work, Shea. So go to Magdalena -with me Sunday." - -"Mackintavers' ranch lies over there, doesn't it?" - -"North. Yes." - -"All right. That'll suit me." - - - - -CHAPTER XII--THE STONE GODS VANISH - - -The loss of ten thousand dollars was not a negligible matter, even to -Sandy Mackintavers, who was accustomed to gambling on a large scale. -Like a good gamester, he swallowed the bitter pill and said nothing. -However, the loss left a scar which, contrary to the custom of scars, -grew more red and angry with each passing week. - -The realization that he had been outwitted and outgamed by the despised -Mehitabel Crump was bad enough; the actual monetary loss made itself -more gradually felt. However, Mackintavers knew that he would recoup -tenfold once his hands gripped Number Sixteen. So, by means of various -reports from Eastern sources, he discovered that Coravel Tio, the curio -dealer of Santa Fe, was negotiating for the sale of the property, and -held an interest in the mine. Over this, Mackintavers laughed long and -loud--and perfected his plans for taking over Number Sixteen. - -In the meantime, he gave his attention to the seven stone gods and his -scientific reputation. - -His ranch house was a roomy, comfortable place; one half was inhabited -by Old Man Durfee, who ran the ranch, and the other half was inhabited -by Sandy and his frequent guests. At the present moment he had three -guests besides Abel Dorales. Two were withered, wrinkled old bucks from -the Cochiti pueblo, and these were quartered in the bunk house a half -mile distant, by the corrals. The third was the eminent archaeologist -previously mentioned, who had arrived to witness the establishment of -Sandy as a scientist. - -"To-morrow is the big day, eh?" Sandy Mackintavers spread his square -bulk to the blaze in the big library fireplace, and surveyed his -scientific guest with complacent expectation. "Dorales is goin' to bring -them bucks up here. We'll have the little gods all ready, then we'll see -what happens." - -He glanced at the wide mantel whereon sat seven worn stone images, -grinning widely over the room. - -"You've not coached them, of course?" demanded the wary scientist. "If -they had an inkling of what you wanted, they'd say anything to please -you." - -"Huh!" snorted Mackintavers with honest indignation. "I should say not! -Surprise is the thing, professor. Aiblins, now, I'll explain to ye the -system we've invented to make these Cochiti bucks talk--but first, take -a look at this. I'm coming fast, eh? Aiblins, in another year or two -I'll be having a world-wide reputation, eh? Just look at this, now." - -He handed the scientist a letter. Now, Mackintavers himself could not -read that letter; but it had been translated for him, and he was -inordinately proud of it. - -The scientist glanced at the letter-head above, a large and flaunting -letter-head of the _Societe Academique_, and below, in very small -letters, the remainder of the legend: _d'ethnologie Amerique_. In other -words, not particularly good French, denoting the Academic Society of -American Ethnology, of Paris. - -The eminent scientist repressed the smile that rose to his lips. It was -obvious that Sandy, keenly canny in most things, was highly susceptible -to this sort of flattery. - -"I'm sending for their gold medal," went on the speaker. "Costs about -fifteen bucks, but I guess it'll be worth it when the papers write me -up, eh? They sent along an engraved parchment to show I'm a member. Some -day I'll go to Paris and visit 'em." - -The eminent scientist, who knew all the ins and outs of that game, did -not spoil poor Sandy's dream by any intrusion of cold and hard facts. -Instead, he reflected to himself upon the odd twists and quirks of -character, which would bring such a man as Sandy Mackintavers into the -toils of a vain ambition, and into the nets of smooth sharpers who knew -well how to flatter the American ignoramus into parting with his -dollars. - -Cordial and warm was Sandy Mackintavers that evening, expanding under -the genial thought of what was to happen on the morrow, and making -himself a wondrous fine host. He told how Abel Dorales had secured an -interpreter, had approached two withered, wrinkled old Cochiti bucks who -loved round silver dollars, and had brought them here upon specious -pretexts. He told how, on the following morning, those two withered, -wrinkled Cochiti bucks were to be left for an hour in this same room, -alone with the seven stone gods on the mantel and a whiskey bottle on -the table; and he told how a dictagraph, already concealed and in -readiness, would be waiting for them. - -Being presumably alone, being mellowed by one or two stolen drinks, -being in the amazing presence of those seven stone gods, the two -withered, wrinkled old Cochiti bucks would most unquestionably talk to -each other in their own language. Later, the dictagraph record could be -translated. - -It never occurred to Sandy that the entire Cochiti pueblo might have -been aware that he was in possession of these seven stone gods almost -from the very day he obtained them. Sandy had picked up some knowledge -about the relics of dead redskins; but he had a good deal to learn about -Indians in the flesh. - -So the morning came--the morning that was to bring about the -satisfaction of ambition. Abel Dorales left the breakfast table in order -to bring the two withered, wrinkled old Cochiti bucks. Mackintavers drew -the eminent scientist into the library for a last look at the -preparations--ah! - -"It might be an excellent idea," said the professor, dryly, "to set your -stone gods in place, Mr. Mackintavers." - -"Aiblins, yes!" And Mackintavers stared blankly at the mantel. "Where -the devil have they gone? They were here last night!" - -That the seven stone gods had sat, grinning, upon the mantel only the -evening previous, was true; but they were not on the mantel now. They -were not in the room. They were not in the ranch house at all! - -Curious to incoherence, suspecting everyone around him, Sandy -Mackintavers sought an explanation. He obtained none. The two wrinkled, -withered old bucks had been in the bunk house all night. Every man about -the place established a convincing alibi. - -Every building upon the place was searched from ground to rafters, -without avail. Noon came, and Mackintavers had relapsed into a dour, -grim rage. At this juncture, the old Chinaman who served as cook related -that, while emptying the slops the previous evening, he had seen a -strange horseman down near the creek. He could give no description. - -"Stolen!" howled Sandy, beside himself with fury. "Out and after him!" - -Now ensued confusion great and dire. Every man on the ranch, except the -cook and Abel Dorales and the eminent scientist, shared the general -exodus. Dorales openly expressed profound disgust for gods, for -Mackintavers, and for the whole accursed business; having assumed -responsibility for the safe return of the two wrinkled, withered old -Cochiti bucks, he loaded them into the ranch flivver and set out for -Socorro and the main line of the railroad. Sandy and Old Man Durfee were -gone with the big car. - -The professor, left alone, secured a volume of scientific reports and -settled himself in comfort on the wide, screened veranda. The noon meal -had not been pleasant. The afternoon was hot and dusty. Presently the -scientific gentleman slept. - -Just when his slumbers had deepened into snoring somnolence, the -archaeologist was aroused by a sonorous bass voice that boomed like a -bell. Startled, he sat up. He first visualized a buckboard close at -hand, within a dozen feet of the veranda--a strange thing, for he well -knew that natives of the country would have driven their teams to the -corrals. Upon the seat of the buckboard was a suitcase. - -It was a small wicker suitcase, a battered little yellow suitcase with -loose ends of wicker torn and protruding from its faded surface; it was -a suitcase manifestly third or fourth-hand, cheap in the first place, -and now absolutely contemptible. It looked more like a lunch basket than -a suitcase. - -Then the professor was aware of a tall man, a large, shaggy-bearded man, -who stood at the screen door of the veranda and spoke in sonorous -accents. - -"Sir, it grieves me thus to break your slumber, but I am searching with -such power as lies within my soul for one named Mackintavers. I charge -you, if you be fair Scotia's son and him whom I do seek, declare -yourself!" - -"Bless my soul!" exclaimed the scientist. "Do I gather that you are -looking for Mr. Mackintavers?" - -"Such indeed are my intent and purpose," declaimed Thady Shea. - -"He's gone. Everyone's gone." The professor inspected this specimen of -humanity with swiftly growing interest. "They'll be back presently; -things are a bit upset. Won't you come in? Better take your team over to -the corrals." - -The scientist rose and introduced himself. Thady Shea solemnly gave his -abbreviated cognomen and stated that, since he had hired the team at -Magdalena and expected to return almost at once, the horses could stay -where they were. He then entered the screen veranda, shook hands, and -with a sigh sat himself down. - -Mackintavers gone! It upset all his calculations. However, he soon found -himself engaged in sprightly discourse. - -Lemonade and cigars made an incongruous accompaniment. This entire -situation, in fact, was the most incongruous the professor had ever -experienced. He could not make out whether Thady Shea were here as a -guest or as an enemy, as a chance caller, or as a business acquaintance. -Thady Shea kept a tight mouth on some things. - -"You'd better take those horses into the shade," reiterated the -professor at length. "And that suitcase of yours--why, the sun will -broil it!" - -Thady Shea smiled slightly. - -"I perceive dust upon the horizon," he said, gesturing toward the road, -"which doth to my mind betoken the speedy return of our host, and the -conclusion of my business. As for the suitcase, sir, therein lie food -for musing!" - -"What's in it then?" The professor chuckled. "A set of Shakespeare?" - -"Nay, sir, of its contents I am ignorant." - -Thady Shea eyed the approaching dust cloud, which might give birth -either to Mackintavers or to Abel Dorales. In his own fashion, he -proceeded to tell his companion how he had acquired that suitcase, two -hours previously, and while on his way here. - -He had encountered a horse, saddled and bridled and still alive, lying -in the road with a broken leg. Of the rider, there had been no sign. A -little distance farther on Shea had come upon this battered little -suitcase lying in the dust. Whether the suitcase appertained to the -vanished horseman could not be told. There had been some sort of -accident, yet there was no human being in evidence. All this upon the -main highway. - -"Did you notice the brand on the animal, or anything which might -identify it?" queried the professor, who was well versed in the ways of -the country. - -Thady Shea had learned enough, also, to notice a few such things. The -brand was a queer mark, a queer zig-zag which to him meant nothing. The -animal's saddle blanket had been an Indian rug, woven for such use. The -bridle had also been woven. Upon the suitcase, however, there was no -mark of ownership. - -"H'm! Sounds like a Navaho brand," commented the professor, sagely. - -At this point, Thady Shea rose and abruptly closed the discussion. The -approaching automobile had drawn up. - -From the car alighted Sandy Mackintavers, who stood for a moment staring -at the buckboard; Old Man Durfee went on with the car to the garage, in -the rear of the ranch house. Thady Shea did not need the professor's -vouchsafed admonition to know who this square-hewn man was, this man -with the square jaw and mouth and figure, this man who turned from the -buckboard and came dourly up to the veranda. - -"Who's here?" Mackintavers stood in the screen doorway. - -"You're Mr. Mackintavers?" Theatricalisms fell away from Thady Shea. He -fumbled in his pocket. He produced the check which he had previously -filled out. He extended it. "This belongs to you, I think. There was -some mistake in the matter. Your check was cashed through a -misapprehension." - -Mackintavers swept Thady Shea with keen, puzzled eyes; then he glanced -at the check. - -His square mouth contracted slightly at the corners. Otherwise, not a -muscle moved in his face. After an instant he folded the check and -glanced up at the professor. - -"No luck with the thief," he said, curtly. "That is, unless some of the -boys bring in news. There was an accident on the Magdalena trail this -morning--a fool Navaho buck was hit by the flivver from Doniphan's -ranch. Knocked him and his cayuse to glory. I thought for a time he was -our man, but telephoned into town from Doniphan's and found otherwise. -Took a look at the horse to make sure. Nothing doing." - -His eyes went back to Thady Shea. He held open the door and gestured. - -"You're Shea, eh? Come on into the office, will you? Excuse me, -professor." - -Shea followed his enemy host into the house, and into a small room which -served Mackintavers as office and study. Sandy dropped into a chair, -motioned Shea to another, and set out a box of cigars. - -This greeting left Thady Shea entirely at sea. Mackintavers did not seem -to be infuriated; he seemed to understand perfectly all about the check. -He seemed alert, precise, cold-blooded, as though this were some -ordinary business deal. - -"So you're Shea!" he repeated. "Aiblins, now--ye look it. Friend o' Mrs. -Crump, eh?" - -"I am." Thady Shea began to feel sorry that he had come inside. - -"How come you're turning back that money? The old lady feelin' her -conscience?" - -"I told you, sir, that there had been an error. When the mistake was -brought to my attention, I posted straightway hither, seeking you; the -money was not mine to store away; reparation was incumbent on me." - -"What the hell!" muttered Sandy, with a touch of wonder. - -Mackintavers knew men. He could read men at a glance, but Thady Shea was -slightly beyond his visual acuity. None the less, he came fairly close -to the mark in that he adjudged Shea to be of a simple and wonderful -honesty, a man of fundamental virtue. Sandy took for granted that Thady -Shea was mentally unbalanced; a theory which would explain this amazing -refund, and also the wild stories which were current about the man. - -"I hear you own that claim Mrs. Crump is workin', Shea." - -"No. It belongs to her." Thady Shea rose to his feet. "We need not -prolong this----" - -"Oh, don't be in a rush!" soothed Mackintavers, cordially. "Now, I'll -have your team attended to, and you'd better stay overnight with us, eh? -We'll have a talk, and we'll get squared up on the trouble between you -and Dorales----" - -Thady Shea looked down at him. Under those eyes Mackintavers fell -silent. - -"Sir, you are an infernal villain," said Thady Shea calmly. "I want none -of your hospitality. There is no trouble whatever, save in your own -greed and covetous rapacity. You are an arrant rogue, a caitiff vile; -there can be naught between us. Sir, farewell!" - -Thady Shea strode from the room and slammed the door after him. - -Sandy Mackintavers sat motionless, completely astounded by this -outburst. He looked down at the check in his hand, then looked out the -window; he could see Thady Shea climbing into the buckboard and driving -off. - -"Aiblins, yes; the man's mad!" he reflected. A slow chuckle came to his -lips. "And to think I never so much as said thank'ee! If the check's -good, now--h'm! Better find out about it. A fool, that's what the fellow -is. A loose-brained fool." - -He sought the telephone and spoke with the Silver City bank. The check -was good. - -Later in the afternoon came the first word of the actual thief who had -made off with the seven stone gods. One of the men brought in a report -that he had found signs of a camp on the creek a mile distant. -Mackintavers and Old Man Durfee went out to investigate. They were good -at reading signs; they discovered that a man had spent the previous -night in this spot, and that he had presumably been an Indian. The -tracks of his unshod horse showed a cracked off hind hoof. A few tiny -shreds of gray wool showed where his saddle blanket had been laid. - -Over the supper table that evening Sandy Mackintavers recounted these -results to the archaeologist. Abel Dorales had not yet returned from -Socorro. - -"The gods are gone, professor," he stated, disconsolately. "Clean gone! -Aye. D'ye see, the thief, that fellow camped by the creek, was the same -Indian who got wiped out by Doniphan's flivver this morning! The same, -aye. That saddle blanket was gray, and that horse had the off hind foot -cracked. Aye. The Navaho dog was the thief. And now the gods are clean -gone! There was no sign of 'em about the horse, and the man himself had -nothing. But he took 'em, right enough." - -The professor glanced up, roused from his abstraction. - -"That's queer!" he ejaculated. Excitement rapidly grew upon him. "Look -here, Mackintavers! The man who was here this afternoon, the man -Shea--did you notice that queer little grip on his buckboard? He told me -he had picked up that grip near the crippled horse, and he did not know -what was in it!" - -Just then Abel Dorales returned, to find that Thady Shea had come and -gone. - -Thirty minutes later Mackintavers and Dorales were on their way to -Magdalena in the big car; Mackintavers was after the seven stone gods, -and Dorales was after Thady Shea. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII--THADY SHEA STARTS HOME - - -In the early evening Thady Shea reached Magdalena. He turned in his team -and buckboard to the livery stable, paid for its use from the money -given him by Fred Ross, and with the little suitcase in his hand left -the stable office. The first person he encountered was Fred Ross. - -"Hello!" said Ross, grinning. "Thought maybe you'd show up this evenin', -so I hung around. How's tricks?" - -"Fine," answered Shea, delightedly. "I'm hungry." - -"So'm I. Let's eat. I got a friend waitin' to meet ye--he's leavin' -to-night." - -Shea gladly followed to the Hotel Aragon. He was to-night blissfully -happy. For the first time in years he felt like a boy. It was as though -the reparation made to Mackintavers, and the brief but emphatic -expression of his own mind to Mackintavers, had wiped away all past -things. Atonement was over and done with. He was free to go where he -would. - -From one of the rocking-chairs in the long, narrow lobby of the hotel -arose a man of girth and twinkling of eye, who came to meet them. Him -Ross briefly introduced as Bill Murray, and urged haste in reaching the -dining room. Thady Shea left the battered little yellow suitcase on the -hat rack beside the dining-room doors, which were just about to close, -and the three men hastily entered the nearly empty room. - -Fred Ross had known nothing definite about Thady Shea's business with -Mackintavers, but possibly he had conjectured a good deal. He was -plainly much relieved to see his friend safely back. - -"Bill's running a newspaper over to St. Johns," he confided, when the -meal was under way. "He'd heard about you, Shea, and was kind o' set on -meeting you. Wants to get the straight o' that yarn about you and -Dorales. He got laid up here with a busted steering gear, and aimed to -go home to-day, but waited over. Now he's goin' back to-night, so he -says. It sure beats all how a fellow gets in a hell of a hurry just when -other folks want him to loaf around a spell!" - -Murray tipped Thady Shea a jovial wink. - -"Fred ain't lonesome, much," he said, wheezily. "Got a girl here. Fred -reckons that the more he talks about stayin', the more I'll be set on -goin'--which is the same true. Human nature is ornery as the devil, -ain't it now? Well, I s'pose you ain't picked up any news to-day, Shea?" - -"I have, sir," intoned Thady, "an item of importance. A striped Indian, -of name unknown, was overcome by dire fatality this morn. Upon the road -Death ambushed him, and maimed his faithful steed, and laid him low. An -automobile--mark the irony!--became the instrument of darkling fate, and -brought to this poor aborigine the end of all things, and the close of -life." - -Bill Murray stared open-mouthed, as did most people who heard Thady's -sonorously rolling accents for the first time. Then he emitted a wheezy -chuckle. - -"Oh! You mean the Injun buck that got straddled by Doniphan's flivver! -Heard all about him to-day. He's layin' over to the funeral parlours -now. Some of his tribe's in town, and they made Doniphan give him a real -burial. Joke on Doniphan, ain't it?" - -"And," pursued Thady, "at Mackintavers' ranch this afternoon I gathered -there had been a robbery. What worldly pelf was taken, I know not, but -dread confusion reigned upon the place." - -"Gosh!" Bill Murray started up from his chair. "Say--that's red-hot -news, Shea! Don't tell any one else around here. I'll run out and phone -the ranch. Got to run off my paper to-morrow night; I'll pull some o' -that plate off the front page and run this in a box. Whee! Back in a -minute!" - -Bill Murray departed like a genial cyclone. - -Now Thady Shea told about that battered little suitcase. He was not sure -what should be done with the thing, and asked the advice of Fred Ross. -He had not opened the suitcase; ever since finding it, he had been on -the go. Besides, the suitcase was locked, and Thady hesitated to smash -it open. - -"Likely it was bounced off some ranch car or buckboard," deduced Ross. -"Belong to that dead Injun? No chance. None whatever! You never seen an -Injun with one o' them things, and anyhow, no Injun riding hossback -would tote a suitcase along. No, none whatever! And that grip wasn't -made to tie on a saddle, neither. Reckon you'd better look inside, and -if there ain't any indication of the owner, then read the papers for an -ad. Well, what ye going to do? Will ye come back to the ranch with me?" - -Thady Shea did not know what he wanted to do. He wondered if he had -fulfilled his extremely vague ideas of wandering and making good in the -world. In a sense, he had done so. He realized it now, just as he -realized that it is very difficult to view one's own immediate self and -environment with any degree of cool detachment. - -As to Mackintavers, as to any peril which he himself might bring upon -Mrs. Crump, Thady Shea had long since abandoned that nebulous idea. He -had met Mackintavers, and feared him no longer. Of Dorales he did not -think particularly. - -He had no great desire to return to the Ross ranch. Try as he would, he -could see no purpose ahead of him save in the one place--Number Sixteen. -All that held him back was that strange feeling in his soul, a feeling -that had been there twenty years and more; a feeling as though something -were knotted somewhere about his soul, stifling him. What use to return -to Mrs. Crump? Still, there was the only purpose he could see. - -He had conquered the old enemy; of this he felt certain. Temptations -would come, of course. Temptations were bound to come; they came at odd -intervals; they came here in this hotel dining room, where he could -catch some vagrant odour of whiskey from an indefinable source. Yet they -would not overcome him anew, he was confident. - -"I think," he said, slowly, staring at the tablecloth, "I think I'd -better head for Mrs. Crump's mine, Ross." - -There was that in his voice which admitted of no argument. Ross shoved -back his chair. - -"Well, wait a minute, will you? I want to speak to Bill Murray. Order me -some o' that pie and another cup o' coffee, Shea." - -Fred Ross opened the dining-room doors, which had been closed, and -departed to the lobby of the hotel. He found genial Bill Murray just -turning from the telephone, and wearing a look of puzzled excitement. - -"Get the ranch?" asked Ross. The other nodded and glanced around -cautiously. - -"Yes. Talked to Old Man Durfee--he's manager for Sandy. He said that -Sandy and Abel Dorales had just left for Magdalena; he admitted there -had been a robbery but would say nothing except that it didn't amount to -much. Injun relics, he said." - -"Huh!" Fred Ross gazed at his friend, narrow-eyed. "I bet if it was -Injun relics, it was some partic'lar kind, then. That sounds damn' -fishy, Bill." - -"Sure does, but she'll make a grand little story, played up. This here -Shea just came from there, didn't he? And everybody knows about him and -Dorales and the bad blood." - -The two men looked at each other, surmise in their eyes. Ross -thoughtfully rubbed his chin, remembering about that battered little -suitcase on the hat rack. He did not entirely believe the tale told by -Thady Shea, the tale about finding it in the road. That was too -improbable, unless the dead Indian had been carrying the suitcase--which -seemed, likewise, very improbable. - -"I shouldn't wonder, now," said Ross, musingly. "Shea, he's the calm, -hell-nervy sort, he sure is. Likely Dorales or old Sandy tried to run a -blazer on him, and he played merry hell with them. Likely they had -something he thought belonged to someone else, and he just up and took -it. H'm! But the robbery had happened before he got there, he _said_. -Well, if he don't want to tell all he knows, that's his business. Eh?" - -"I coincide," assented Murray, curtly. Fred Ross briefly told him about -the suitcase, in so far as he knew about it. - -"Now," pursued Ross, "you and I ain't blamin' him or any other man for -gettin' old Mackintavers up on his ear. But Shea, in spite o' the -stories goin' around about him, ain't no fighter, Bill. He's a downright -honest man, and he's terrible when he gets roused, but I don't guess he -could fight for little apples. _And_, he don't know Sandy and Dorales -are comin' to town." - -"I see," said Murray, thoughtfully. "But he ain't the kind to run away, -Fred." - -"C'rect. But why should he know anything about Sandy coming? We'd ought -to see that he avoids 'em, so to speak. You're goin' west to-night. You -got room, ain't you?" - -"Oh!" Murray chuckled, admiringly. "So that's the game! Sure, I got -room. Where is he goin', though?" - -"Near as I got the location o' the mine he's aiming for, it's in the -hills above them lava beds, down beyond Zacaton City and No Agua. You're -goin' west by the highway, which is north o' there--a long sight north. -But if you were to run a few mile out of your way, you could hit down -the Old Fort Tularosa trail, which is an auto road now; you could drop -Shea by the Beaver Canon trail, down within thirty mile o' home, more or -less. I'll send Sandy and Dorales on to St. Johns after you, savvy?" - -For a moment the two men conferred eagerly. - -Unobserved by them, meantime, a man had entered the hotel and was -standing at the cigar case, at one side of the desk. He was buying -cigars. He was roughly dressed, but spoke perfect English. When he -turned to the cigar lighter, disclosing his face to view, one could see -that he was very swarthy, very dark of colour--an Indian, perhaps. - -This man straightened up, puffing at his cigar. His eyes flitted to the -little battered suitcase, which reposed on the hat rack, and dwelt -there; thus dwelling, his eyes narrowed slightly. He turned and left the -hotel. - -"Who? Him?" said the hotel proprietor in response to a question from a -man near by. "Why, he's Thomas Twofork; yep, an Injun, from Cochiti -pueblo, I hear. Been in town two-three days now. Got money, they say, -heaps of it." - -Ignorant of what had transpired in the lobby, Thady Shea was glad when -his companions rejoined him and sat down to their interrupted repast. -Fred Ross broached the subject of departure; he broached it with -elaborate carelessness. - -"Bill is headin' for home right away," he said, "and he goes within -thirty mile, more or less, of where your mine's located, Shea. If you -figger on walking, that would be a good lift. If you go back with me -to-morrow, you won't get near so nigh home." - -"Oh!" Thady Shea saw no guile; he looked gratefully surprised, and felt -it. He had anticipated a long trip via Zacaton City. That route would be -attended with dangers from Dorales or the latter's men, besides having -the expense of a car to take him to Number Sixteen. - -"Oh! I'd be glad indeed--but do you have to leave to-night?" - -"You bet," said Murray, emphatically. "The minute I get this here pie -down. I got the ol' car all ready to hike, and I'm goin' to hike some. I -aim to get home about sun-up, sleep two-three hours, then get to work on -the paper. She's got to be run off to-morrow night, see? And I'd sure be -glad o' your company, Shea. It's a lonesome trip at night from here over -through Datil Canon and all." - -Surely, thought Shea, here was fate aiding him! Barely had he resolved -to seek Mrs. Crump and the mine, than this opportunity offered. A walk -of a few miles did not worry him in the least. - -"Thank you, Murray," he rejoined. "I'll go, with pleasure." - -Ten minutes later, the three men left the hotel, walked up to the -corner, and turned in to the garage behind the trading store. Bill -Murray paid his debts to the proprietor and sought his own car. - -"Well, Ross, I'll say good-bye for a while, at least." Shea turned and -shook hands with his friend. "I'll see you again, that's sure. Oh--by -the way, hadn't we better open that suitcase? I forgot about it. Let's -get it broken open here, and----" - -Ross interposed a hasty negation. He wanted only to get Shea safely out -of town before Mackintavers and Dorales should arrive. - -"No, don't get Murray nervous, hangin' around here, Shea. He's dead -anxious to be off, and we better not give him any delay. I'm sure -curious about what's in that case, just the same. S'pose you drop me a -line when you find out, and give my regards to Mis' Crump! Maybe I'll -drift over your way some time; if not, you know where to find me." - -"You bet," assented Thady Shea, warmly. - -Murray motioned Thady Shea into the front seat, and took the battered -little suitcase to shove it into the rear of the car. An ejaculation -almost escaped his lips as he felt its weight. It was heavy, -tremendously heavy! - -"Ore, likely," he muttered. "I bet he don't walk thirty mile with -_that_!" - -Thady Shea and Fred Ross parted with a last handshake. Each of them had -probed deep into the other man; each of them had found the other -strangely dissimilar, yet strangely attuned in spirit to himself; each -of them had found the other to be a man. Their handshake was firm and -quick and strong. - -Ross cranked the car. Bill Murray backed her from the garage, roared a -last farewell, and headed out into the west and the night. - -Fred Ross went back to the hotel after calling upon certain friends of -his; for Ross had a fairly good idea of what was coming next. His -theories were not altogether correct, but they attained pretty correct -results. - -So, after a short time, Fred Ross returned to the hotel and sat down in -the lobby, just under the big map of New Mexico that hung upon the south -wall. Immediately around him the comfortable oak rocking-chairs were -vacant; but to right and left, three chairs away, sat red-faced men who -read newspapers--two on either hand. These four men displayed an -ostentatious lack of interest in each other and in Fred Ross. Over that -section of the lobby hung an ill-defined air of crisis, of expectation, -of foreboding. - -Over opposite, in a corner of the big front window, sat a man, a -stranger to Fred Ross. This man had come into town on the late afternoon -train. He was palpably a city man, palpably not of this part of the -country; he had registered at the desk as James Z. Premble of New York. -Speculating idly as he waited, Fred Ross set him down as a high-class -drummer. - -Thus waited the six men, as though they were awaiting some event about -to happen: Ross, seated under the big wall map; the four red-faced men -who read newspapers with marked absorption; and, in the corner of the -window, James Z. Premble of New York. - -Suddenly and abruptly it happened. It happened just as Fred Ross had -anticipated. The hotel door opened and into the lobby walked Sandy -Mackintavers with Abel Dorales at his elbow. They had been to the livery -stable, they had been to one place and another, and they had soon -learned that Thady Shea, easily noted and remembered by all who saw him, -had been in the company of Ross and Murray. Both Ross and Murray were -known to Mackintavers and his field marshal. - -Upon entering, Abel Dorales passed straight on to the cigar stand, where -he stood idly gossiping with the proprietor. Mackintavers, with a wave -of his hand and a grunt, halted in front of Fred Ross, and dropped into -a chair beside the latter. - -"Hello, Ross. Just the man I was looking for. Know a man name o' Shea, -Thady Shea?" - -"Evening," returned Ross, easily. "Sure I know him. Seen him a while -ago." - -"Know where he is now?" asked Mackintavers without too great show of -interest. - -"Uh-huh. He went off with Bill Murray to St. Johns a couple of hours -ago. Murray was in some hurry, believe me! He'd been laid up here with a -busted car, and had to get out his paper to-morrow sure pop, so he aimed -to travel some to-night. You interested in Shea?" - -"Some." Mackintavers bit into a cigar. Over the cigar, his eyes fell -upon James Z. Premble of New York, who was also looking at him. After an -instant Premble rose and left the hotel. - -Ross had not hesitated to impart the information about Thady Shea, for -the excellent reason that if Mackintavers followed Shea to St. Johns, he -would miss Thady Shea entirely. Therein Fred Ross made a mistake. It did -not occur to him that Dorales, in a high-powered car, might follow the -tracks of Murray's flivver where it struck from the highroad upon the -Old Fort Tularosa trail. - -"'Bliged to ye, Ross." With this curt speech, Mackintavers heaved -himself out of his chair and went to the door. He passed out into the -night. - -Abel Dorales left the cigar stand, and also started for the door. But he -stopped before Fred Ross, exchanged a word of greeting, and his white -teeth showed in a smile. It was not a pleasant smile. - -"I hear you're going to run sheep on your ranch, Ross," he said clearly. -"Bad manners for an old cowman, isn't it?" - -The four red-faced men laid aside their newspapers. They seemed to take -sudden interest in Abel Dorales. Fred Ross looked up, unsmiling, his -eyes hard and cold. - -"Handsome is as handsome does, Abel. Reckon I'd sooner run sheep than -get chloroformed and hogtied tryin' to jump a claim." - -A fleeting contraction passed across the face of Abel Dorales. His eyes -narrowed to thin slits. His nostrils quivered like the nose of a dog -sniffing game. He became white-lipped, cruel, venomous. - -The four red-faced men stirred. One of them rose, yawning, and stretched -himself as does a weary man who thinks well of bed for the night. Abel -Dorales took sudden warning. He looked to the right and to the left; -then, without a word more, he turned on his heel and walked away, -following Mackintavers out into the night. - -"Trust a Mex to smell trouble!" said one of the men to the left of Fred -Ross. "He reckoned we was planted to do him up." - -"Well, wasn't we?" queried someone. All laughed in unison. Ross smiled -grimly and left his chair. - -"Much obliged to ye, boys. I didn't know they would come alone, or I -wouldn't ha' bothered ye." - -Outside the hotel, meantime, Mackintavers had joined James Z. Premble, -who appeared to have been awaiting him. A moment later Abel Dorales, -mouthing low and vitriolic curses, joined them. In silence the three men -turned to the left and walked down to the railroad track. There, beyond -the warehouse, they stood with open and empty space around them, and -none to overhear. - -"Didn't look for ye quite so soon, Premble," said Mackintavers, -chuckling a little as he used the name. - -"Got a good chance at my man," returned the other. "Came in this -afternoon, Sandy, but couldn't catch you at the ranch. Ready for me to -work?" - -"Aiblins, yes; reckon we'd better get busy, you and I." He turned to -Dorales. "Abel, our man has gone to St. Johns with Murray. You have -plenty o' friends in that Mormon town, so take the big car and mosey -along. Do whatever you want with Shea, but bring me back that bunch o' -stone gods if ye value your life! I'll be at Mrs. Crump's location." - -"All right," snapped Dorales. "Is he much ahead of me?" - -"Two hours, in a flivver. You can't fail to land him this time. Good -luck, boy!" - -Dorales snarled farewell, and swung off in the darkness. Mackintavers -turned to his friend, James Z. Premble. - -"I'm gettin' old," he complained. "Been out chasin' a thief all day and -I'm no good for an all-night ride now. I'll take a room at the hotel. -Drop in after a spell and we'll arrange the details. You got the stuff?" - -"Every blessed paper and letter. Everything O.K.," asserted Premble. - -The two men melted into the night. - -Five minutes later Dorales was filling his gasoline tank at the garage. -He made brief inquiries about Murray's flivver and the brand of tires -thereon. Off to one side, a swarthy man was hastily working upon the fan -belt of a big car, which had twice broken as his engine started; this -swarthy man took keen and unobserved interest in the questions of -Dorales. The name of this swarthy man was Thomas Twofork, and he was an -Indian of the Cochiti pueblo. Twenty minutes after Dorales had departed -Thomas Twofork had finished his repairs and headed his car out upon the -westward road to St. Johns. - -An hour afterward, well into the night, an automobile came into -Magdalena from the opposite direction. It came in by the eastern road, -the road that comes up from Socorro through Blue Canon, the road that -comes south to Socorro from Albuquerque and Santa Fe. This automobile -did not turn into a garage; instead, it passed on through the business -section of the town and did not slacken speed until it reached the -Mexican or western quarter. - -There it came to a halt and its horn squawked four times. Its -searchlight revealed a small adobe house with blue-painted doors. One of -these doors opened to show a man clad in dishevelled night attire. The -automobile drove on into the yard; its lights flickered out. - -"Is that you, Juan Baca?" queried a soft, gentle voice. "Ah, yes; it is -I, Coravel Tio. Will you give me lodging for the night?" - -"Senor, my house and all it contains belong to you!" - -Coravel Tio passed into the little adobe house. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV--DORALES KILLS - - -In the chill darkness that precedes the early dawn Thady Shea alighted -from Bill Murray's car. Before him, a few miles distant, were Old Fort -Tularosa and Aragon; many miles behind was the highway. Down to the -southeast--somewhere--was his destination. - -"Mind, now," cautioned Murray, "you take this here trail and it'll lead -up through them hills into Beaver Canon. Follow Beaver Crick all the -rest o' the way. Near as I can judge, your place is somewhere down -beyond Eagle Peak. If you get clear lost, send up a smoke and a ranger -will be dead sure to trail you down. G'bye and good luck!" - -"Good-bye, and many thanks for the lift!" responded Shea, his sonorous -voice pierced with the chill of the early morning. Murray went buzzing -away on the back trail. - -Carrying his battered little suitcase, Thady Shea started off, gradually -accustoming his eyes to picking out the rough trail. It mattered nothing -to him that he might be days upon this road; it mattered nothing that he -was about to negotiate the continental divide afoot. Time and space did -not concern him, nor bodily discomfort. His was the supremely ignorant -confidence of a child as he headed into the mountains to find a mine -whose entire location, going at it from this direction, was a matter of -guesswork. - -To be more accurate and practical, Thady Shea, having slept lightly -while riding, was weary. He was also cold and confused. Now that he had -reached a decision and was really on his way to Number Sixteen, he felt -unaccountably homesick. Not that Number Sixteen meant home, but Mrs. -Crump would be there. As usual, Thady Shea was a bit vague in analyzing -his feelings; but he had a solid and definite purpose in view, at least. -He was going to rejoin Mrs. Crump. He was going to learn mining work. - -He went on, trudging bravely under his burden, until the cold had -pierced and chilled and numbed him. At last he could endure the cold no -longer. Ignorant of forest rangers or forest law, he had quite missed -the point of Miller's parting joke about sending up a smoke. He -contrived to build himself a fire; a fine roaring fire, a ruddy, leaping -fire that warmed him. It was a fire that blazed forth patent defiance of -all law. Its darting glow was caught by a forest ranger in a lookout on -Indian Peaks fifteen miles away. - -With the first gleam of the rising sun Thady Shea abandoned his blazing -fire and took up his journey again, following the winding trail without -trouble. A little later he halted and made a cold breakfast from some of -the food that filled his pockets. Then he decided to open the suitcase -and see if it were worth carrying farther, or if it held tokens of -ownership. By this time, he was sorry that he had dragged the thing -along. - -He smashed open the suitcase. Within it he found wads of crumpled -newspapers, and among the newspapers seven stones. At first he thought -they were nothing but stones. Gradually he realized that they were -carven images of some sort. Except for these, there was nothing in the -suitcase. There was nothing to denote its ownership--not a mark, not a -line, not a card nor a word. - -Thady Shea set out the seven stone gods on the ground, and regarded -them. The more he looked at them, the more he saw in them. Each one was -somewhat different in shape, but all were of a size. They were smooth -and rounded, as if from much handling, or as if worn sleek by many -centuries. They were crude, uncouth little figures, those gods; they -were fashioned rudely in the semblance of man, with every angle and -sharp line worn down, obliterated, rounded. - -"They look as if some kid had been making mud dolls, and the mud had -hardened," observed Shea in some wonder. The description was accurate -and perfect. - -Thady Shea knew nothing about Indians or their gods. He had not the -slightest idea what these things really were; but he was a member of The -Profession, an actor of the old school. All his life he had been -surrounded by the superstitions of the old school. As everyone knows, -there are no stronger, firmer, and more absolute superstitions than -those of The Profession. - -As Thady Shea gazed upon those seven stone gods which sat in the dust -and grinned stonily back at him, various things suggested themselves to -his fertile brain. Seven of them--and seven was beyond question a lucky -number! Then, fate had undoubtedly placed them in his hand and had -removed any clew to their former owners. Luck had come to him, and if he -threw the luck away because of a little bother involved in carrying -it--well, that would be an ill thing to do! - -Out of his subconscious self evolved a curious idea, a remembrance. What -did these things represent? He dimly remembered something about the -seven heavenly virtues and the seven deadly sins. The vague thought -stirred him. These images were ugly enough to represent the seven -sins--or the seven virtues. He must keep them at all costs; in the -manner of their coming was something fated, something that appealed to -all the latent superstition within him. He dared not refuse these -talismen! - -So he replaced them in the suitcase and took up his road anew. - -It was a rough road that called to him. It was a long and lonely road, a -road that took him out of human ken and into the heart of the high -hills. - -He swung along at a good four-mile clip, his long legs fast covering the -ground. He had never before this day been actually among the mountains, -and he liked their friendly, forested faces. The rough trail denoted -very little usage, yet this absence of all humanity did not oppress -Thady Shea. He felt gloriously independent, free! - -About noon he was following Beaver Creek through a rough and rugged -canon. Here he lunched, with a silver-black pool of water foaming and -bubbling fifty feet below him; a pool that foamed green and silver with -sunlight and bubbled with black shadows. Over on the opposite wall of -the canon was a broken line of masonry, half hiding a niche in the rock -where once had lived and died the cliff dwellers. It was a spot to -remember. It was a place that stirred the deep things in a man's soul, -that caused him to think upon the mysteries, the flashing glimpses of -occult things. About that place there lingered a sense of the futility -of man, a sense of the gorgeously foaming and bubbling eternity of the -Creator. Thady Shea was glad that he had seen that place. - -Afterward, he halted for a smoke, this time beside the stream itself, -farther along the canon. Thady Shea had never been a boy--until to-day. -At ten years he had been an accomplished actor, a child marvel, drunken -and drugged with the unhealthy atmosphere of the stage. But now--now! -The altitude was high, and he was drunk as with fine wine. He waded in -the stony creek, he even thought of fishing with a bent pin on a string; -but he had neither pin nor string. He enjoyed a truant hour. Then he -went on his way anew, vowing inwardly that some day he would return to -this little bubbling creek and the winding canon amid the mountains. - -Despite the altitude, weariness had left him, and he carried the seven -stone gods without feeling their weight. Deeper and lonelier grew his -trail, the mountains folding him in upon every side. He began to feel -the infinity of distance. He was a mere tiny atom here among these great -solitudes. His insignificance was borne home upon him, mellowing all his -spirit. - -In this chastened mood he came, suddenly and without warning, upon the -tragic shack of the sheep-herder. - -It was a shack of logs and hewn timbers, a rough little shack, a tragic -little shack. Upon one wall was fastened a faded paper, a permit issued -by the forest ranger to cut these same timbers. In the sun by the -doorway sat a little brown, half-naked baby, perhaps a year of age, -whimpering and chewing upon a strip of raw white bacon. There was no one -else visible. Over the place, tainting the clear high air, hung a -fearful odour of mortality; an odour of tragic suggestion, an odour of -blood and liquor. - -Seeing no one about except the baby, who stopped whimpering at sight of -him, Thady Shea advanced to the doorway. He glanced inside. As he did -so, cold and awful horror stiffened upon him. Even to his tyro's eye the -story was plain to read. - -Upon the bare earthen floor, just inside the door, sat the sheep-herder. -The effluvia of his garments told eloquently his profession. Between his -outstretched feet lay a cheap revolver. His swarthy, brutal face, the -face of a Mexican, the face of a barbarian drawn from mingled Indian and -bastard Spanish blood, was sunken upon his chest. He was breathing -stertorously, horribly. He was drunk, stupefied with liquor. Upon the -floor beneath his hand had fallen an empty bottle which stank of the -vilest mescal. - -Only a few feet distant, sprawled under one wall of the room, was the -body of a woman, a brown native woman. She had been upon her knees -beneath a little crucifix. She had fallen partly forward, partly -sideways; a cotton garment had been torn from her left shoulder and -breast, as though in some last agony. Beneath the left breast, black -with flies, a pool of black blood was coagulating. She had not been dead -a long time; an hour or two, no more. - -Thady Shea took a step backward. He put one hand to his eyes, as if to -shut from his vision that sordid and horrible scene. For a moment he -stood thus, his brain in riotous turmoil; then he started violently as a -hand touched his arm. - -"Hello, stranger! I been looking for you!" - -Shea stared at the man who had just dismounted from a pony; a white man, -grave and steady of eye. Something in the horror-smitten face of Shea -drew an exclamation from this other man. - -"Here--what's the matter?" - -"In there. Look!" Thady Shea motioned to the doorway. - -The other man, the forest ranger who had come from the lookout station -on Indian Peaks, quickly strode forward. His figure filled the doorway -for a long moment. He stood there silently, gazing in upon that tragic -shack, reading every detail with skilled eyes. At last he turned and -rejoined Thady Shea, who was staring down at the baby. - -"You built a fire early this morning on the old trail up from the -Tularosa Road?" The ranger gave his name and office. "H'm-m. Know -anything about the fire laws?" - -"Fire laws? No," Shea was disturbed and wondering. "Why? Shouldn't I -have built any fire?" - -"Not that kind--not a big hell-roarer. No harm done, I reckon; I stamped -out your fire. But see to it that you don't do it again. Here's a copy -of the laws." - -He extended a card. Shea pocketed it with a helpless gesture, and looked -again at the doorway of the shack. The ranger caught his look, and -nodded. - -"I guess you'd just found 'em, eh? It's a hell of a note. This fellow -Garcia, with his wife and kid, came up from Mexico; refugees. He's been -herding some sheep; some that the Y Ranch got a permit to run in a big -box canon last winter--and he's not a bad sort when he's sober. But -now--well, there's no doubt about him now. He'll be a good greaser in -two-three weeks, when the drop's sprung. Suppose I got to take him in; -hell of a note! You ain't been inside?" - -Thady Shea shuddered. "No," he answered. He looked down at the baby. The -baby looked up at him, removed the strip of white bacon from her mouth, -and smiled. - -"It's a girl!" said Thady Shea in surprise and awe. - -The ranger gave him a curious look, then took out his notebook and -pencil. - -"Name and where from, if you please," he said. "We'll likely have to -come and take down your testimony later on." - -Thady Shea gave his name, and gave as well as he was able the location -of Mrs. Crump's mine. The ranger once more eyed him, but this time with -a new air. - -"Hell! I've heard o' you, Shea. Partners with Mrs. Crump, eh? That's a -pretty good recommend. Where you goin' from here?" - -"To the mine. I believe that by following this creek I'll get into the -right territory sooner or later. I know how to reach the mine from -Zacaton City, but from this direction I'm not so sure." - -Thady Shea was badly off. He was thoroughly shaken by the fearful scene -within the tragic shack. It had unnerved him, and he wanted a drink with -avid and terrible longing. The ranger observed it. - -"I ain't offering you any drinks, Shea," he said, drily. "Heard a few -things about what happens to folks that offer you drinks. Still, I -always do carry a drop for emergencies, and I have a notion that you -need a sip mighty bad." - -Thady Shea forced a grim smile. "Thanks. But--the need will have to be -greater than it is now, my friend. You think I can reach the mine -to-night?" - -"No. Some time to-morrow, most likely. Now listen close and I'll give -you directions where to leave this canon, or else you'll come out clear -down on the Gila!" - -Having gleaned a fairly precise knowledge of the location of Number -Sixteen, the ranger proceeded to give Thady Shea an accurate mental map -of the trails, backed up by a rough drawing. Then he entered the shack, -carried out the murderer, and bound the man on his pony like a sack of -flour. - -"What the devil will become o' the kid?" he queried. "Come on, Shea, -let's get the poor woman buried. That baby, now--d'you suppose you could -wait here until I send back for her? I can't handle the greaser and the -baby, too." - -Thady Shea did not respond at once. He seemed oblivious of the question; -but as a matter of fact, he was deep in thought. - -The two men together dug a grave and decently interred the poor murdered -woman. Over the mound Thady Shea intoned a fragmentary burial service. -What he lacked in words he made up in rolling phrases culled from other -sources than the prayer book, and in a deeply sincere manner which sat -upon him with stately dignity. - -They returned to the front of the shack, where the ranger rolled a -cigarette with studied care, and returned to his perplexity. - -"What about this here kid, now? These folks haven't any kin this side -the border, and these greasers don't give a whoop for babies anyhow; too -common. This Garcia is the one that deserves my close and personal -attention until he gets shoved into the kind o' hell he's bound -for--which won't be very long. Of course, the kid can go to some -orphanage or the State will take care of her. She's a smilin' little -cuss!" - -Thady Shea fingered his shaggy, gray-black beard. - -"If there's a razor around the place, I think I'll shave," he uttered, -thoughtfully. His words drew a look of frowning surprise from the -ranger, so utterly at variance with the subject did they seem. "Yes, I -think I'll shave." - -"Why, friend, I've been thinking about that infant," pursued Shea. "You -know Mrs. Crump, I gather? I think she would care for the little one. -I'll take care of the child on the journey there; I imagine we can get -along. I--er--I don't mind saying that--er--there is a whimsey born of -infancy's fond smiles which warms the kindlier soul within a man." - -He broke off, quite at a loss for further words. But the ranger -understood, and smiled to himself. - -"That suits me, Shea. You'll be at the mine, eh? May call on you later -in regard to the evidence here. Yes, that's a good plan. Let's see if we -can chase up a razor, now." - -The ranger disappeared inside the tragic shack. - -Upward of two hours later a new Thady Shea was continuing his journey; -the tragic shack was far lost to view in the wilderness behind him. - -His upper lip, his long under jaw, were shaven and in white contrast -with the bronzed skin of cheeks and brow. His wide, mobile mouth and -chin differed from those of the wastrel Thaddeus Roscius who had lain in -the road above the Bajada hill. They were firmer, more virile of set, -stronger of muscle. - -In one hand he carried the battered little yellow suitcase. Upon the -other arm was perched the half-naked brown baby, for whose benefit Shea -also carried a blanket tied to his shoulders. This was not the ideal -trim for a walking tour across the Continental Divide, but Thady Shea -had no complaints to make. - -Never before had Thady Shea communed alone with a baby, particularly -with a baby quite dependent upon him. This baby could not talk but she -could coo, and she did coo. She could laugh, and she did laugh. She -seemed to find a kinship within the deep, sadly earnest eyes of Thady -Shea. She made it evident that she liked his eyes, and whenever they -were turned upon her, she giggled with self-conscious and adorable -delight. - -The day wore on. When darkness descended, Thady Shea camped at the brink -of the canon, at the edge of a deep and stony gully which ran down into -the canon below. He built a fire, this time in accord with the laws of -the land, and produced his scant store of food. Fortunately, the baby -was used to living by rough ways and pastures sere. - -In this one day Thady Shea lived long years. He realized it himself. He -realized the change within him; he perceived it at once, without any -vagueness or obscurity. He was filled with wonder and awe. He felt -clearly that the manifest friendship and love of this brown baby had -loosened something far inside of him. Within a few hours she had -loosened something which had been hard and clenched and bitter inside of -him these twenty years--something like a knot gripped about a part of -his soul, stifling it. But now, at last, the knot was loosened, was -gone. - -Once again he fell asleep under the stars with glinting tears bedewing -his brown cheeks; they were tears of joy and thankfulness. He knew that -he was no longer to drift upon the earth. From depending upon the -applause of others for happiness, others were now depending upon him. He -had someone for whom to live. Vanity was gone from him, and the worth of -life was come in unto him. He now had a purpose, a real purpose, to -drive him. - -That this purpose was very definite and earnest, he had realized with -the unloosing of that knot about his soul. He knew whither he was going, -and why--why he wanted to find Mrs. Crump. He fell asleep with tears -upon his cheeks and in his heart a dumbly vibrant song. - -Some time during the night he was awakened; the baby was whimpering, was -cold. The fire was dying down. He had been awakened by a queer noise, a -noise like the clank of a shod hoof against a stone. He rose and kicked -the ember ends into the fire. He removed his coat and laid it over the -baby, then he stood looking down at the bundle. The fire flickered up -until its glowing flare lighted his tall figure redly and distinctly. - -From somewhere in the darkness came a slight sound. Thady Shea lifted up -his head and peered about, the vague thought of wild animals disturbing -him. From the darkness echoed a faint laugh--a thin, ironic laugh, a -laugh that thrilled Thady Shea with evil memories and swift -apprehension. He seemed to recognize it as the laugh of Abel Dorales. - -Before he could do more than lift his head and peer into the darkness, -that darkness was suddenly split and rended by a red flash. The crack of -a weapon lifted and lessened among the hills; as it died away, the baby -cried out, whimpering. Across the face of Thady Shea flickered a look of -dismay, of surprise, of utmost horror. Thady Shea took a step backward, -as though something had lifted him off his balance, as though something -unseen had impacted against him with terrific force. He staggered and -lifted both hands to his head. Then his knees seemed to loosen, and he -pitched downward, at the very brink of the gully. - -From the stony ravine below came a heavy sound, as of a body pitching -and dragging downward. It ceased, and there was abrupt silence. In that -silence, the baby cried out, whimpering thinly. - -Into the circle of light cast by the tiny fire came a man leading a -pony. The man was Abel Dorales and he was smiling. - - - - -CHAPTER XV--MACKINTAVERS MAKES FRIENDS - - -Mrs. Crump was grimly jubilant. She had just killed, not far from the -shack which she inhabited, a rattler. It was a peculiarly deadly -rattler, a big diamond-back, and its black-and-yellow body looked very -beautiful lying out in the morning sunlight. - -Mrs. Crump had killed that rattler most expertly; she had killed it with -one snapping crack of a blacksnake whip. That one whip snap had coiled -about the rattler's head and had neatly decapitated the reptile. -Somewhere among the rocks that head lay naked and ugly, jaws wide agape, -white fangs gleaming like needles. - -Now, up on the long hogback, Mrs. Crump directed the work of getting out -ore, Lewis and Gilbert working steadily under her orders. There was -already a goodly heap of ore ready for hauling. Mrs. Crump was awaiting -the arrival of Coravel Tio, whom she expected hourly; she had written -Coravel Tio very explicitly, and was looking forward to making some -money in the near future. - -When Coravel Tio arrived, they would arrange about getting a light truck -to haul the ore to railroad, and they would arrange about selling the -ore. Coravel Tio would handle all such details. Actual production was -well under way, and inside of another month Mrs. Crump hoped to have a -good force of men working. Provided, of course, that the mine was not -sold outright. - -"Looks like he's a-coming." Gilbert swung out his hand toward the trail -from No Agua. Shading her eyes, Mrs. Crump perceived a smudge of white -dust. An automobile was approaching. - -It was not Coravel Tio who came, however. It was Sandy Mackintavers, -driven in a hired car from Magdalena. - -Mehitabel Crump was stiff-necked and uncompromising. She stood in the -door of her shack, storm in her eyes, and waited grimly. Outside, -sprawled on a bench that ran the length of the shack, Lewis and Gilbert -smoked and also waited, ready to act if called upon. - -Sandy Mackintavers left his automobile and approached the shack, quick -to note the arrangements for his reception. He came up to the doorway -where Mrs. Crump awaited him. He removed his hat as he came, and mopped -his brow; the sun was pitiless, streaming down with direct and scorching -glare, absolute and insufferable. In another hour or two it would be -much worse. Sandy Mackintavers held his hat in his left hand; he -extended his right hand, square-fingered and strong, to Mrs. Crump. - -"Madam, I have come here as a friend. Will you shake hands with me?" - -"Not by a damn' sight!" - -Mrs. Crump's eyes were snapping dangerously. Her retort did not seem to -affect Mackintavers, however. His square-hewn features assumed an oddly -hypocritical expression of patient resignation. His hand remained -extended. - -"I must explain. Your friend Shea has repaid the money--you understand?" - -"Reckon I do. What about it?" - -"We had quite a conversation, Mrs. Crump. That man is a wonder! Yes'm. -Most remarkable! I never did see things so clear as he made me see 'em, -aiblins yes. If I may say so, I feel ashamed of myself. I've done some -unhandsome things; aiblins, now, I'll turn around. I'm right sorry for -some things, Mrs. Crump. Will ye take my hand?" - -Now, if there was anything which could shake the uncompromising -hostility of Mrs. Crump, it was to hear her bitterest enemy praise Thady -Shea. Aside from this, to hear Sandy Mackintavers express penitence for -past sins, even to hear him admit that he had sinned, was an astounding -thing. The incredibility of it was tremendous. - -That mention of Thady Shea softened Mrs. Crump. She realized that Thady -had made a great impression, had made so great an impression that here -was Sandy Mackintavers, in the flesh, making apologies for past deeds! - -"Well, Sandy," she returned, bluntly, "I will say that I think ye to be -more or less of a skunk. Howsomever, I'll meet any man halfway--even -you--when he talks that-a-way. I don't guess we'd ever be bosom friends, -but I don't aim to be mean or ornery when a man's tryin' to be as white -as his nature allows him. Here y'are." - -She seized his hand and shook it vigorously. Mackintavers looked rather -red about the face, as though her frank opinion of his character had -bitten into him. - -"Now, if you have time to be talkin' over a little matter o' -business----" - -"About this here location?" Mrs. Crump's eyes began to snap again. - -"Yes." - -"Gilbert! Lewis! Come on in here. Meet Sandy Mackintavers. They're -members o' the company, Sandy. They got claims along the canon, which -same they turned in for stock. Stock ain't issued yet, but that's all -right. Come on inside an' talk." - -The lady was truculent and openly suspicious; the two men were -narrow-eyed, hostile. Mackintavers seemed quite oblivious, and entered -the shack. All four seated themselves. Mackintavers produced cigars. -Mrs. Crump lighted her pipe and uttered a single emphatic word. - -"Shoot!" - -"You have a valuable mine here," said Mackintavers, without preamble. "I -want to control it. I'm talking frank and laying my cards on the table, -ma'am. First, let me give you folks an idea of the railroad situation." - -He briefly described the prevalent car shortage, with the reasons -therefore. - -"You'll get no ore cars until the war's over, and maybe not then," he -pursued. "But I have a standing contract that can't be broken, for so -many cars a month--and I'm getting them. Ye see? Aiblins, now, that -contract's worth something; set your own figure on it. For the rest, -I'll buy stock at your own price, a controlling interest." - -"Sandy, who'd ever trust you once ye got your nose into this thing?" -Mrs. Crump laughed scornfully. "Not me!" - -"Then don't trust me," returned Sandy, meekly, although the veins in his -temples swelled into blue cords. "Don't trust me. Hire your own lawyers -to draw up the matter, protect your interests fully. Give me charge of -the actual mine, and then sit back an' draw down the coin from your -interest; savvy? If I'm not able to make millions out o' this here mine, -I'll quit! Ain't that frank talk? Ain't I human? I tell ye, when that -man Shea came along and turned back that money, I learned something!" - -"Where's Thady Shea now?" demanded Mrs. Crump. - -"Went to St. Johns night before last, with Fred Ross and Bill Murray. -Said he'd be here later, maybe. I like that man! Something about him -kind o' draws you. Aiblins, he'd be grand in the legislature, now! Eh? -Well, well, about this mine matter; as I say, use any means ye like. I -don't blame you for not trusting me. But it's a good thing and I'll buy -into it, savvy? Protect yourself, certainly. But why not let me buy into -it? I have a bit of influence; aiblins, now, I'd be able to help -production here an' there, and to furnish no end of money for the work." - -The snap had gone out of Mrs. Crump's blue eyes. They were suddenly -warm, kindly, unguarded. Thady Shea in the legislature! Why not? And -Sandy was dead right. Everyone seemed to be drawn to Thady Shea. - -There was some subsequent discussion to which Mackintavers himself put -an end. - -"Let it hang fire for a day or so, Mis' Crump. If ye don't mind, I'll -hang around and look over the place and vicinity for my own self. Mebbe -Shea will get back; the place is in his name, ain't it? Understood so." - -"Yes," assented Mrs. Crump, unthinking. "And each of us owns a third -interest, or at least, so it'll be arranged." - -"And the other third?" Mackintavers looked swiftly at her. "I heard -somethin' about a greaser up to Santy Fe making inquiries with Eastern -firms about strontianite--that old curio dealer--Coravel Tio! He ain't -the man, aiblins, now?" - -"Yes. He'll be here to-day, I hope. All right, Sandy, let her hang over -a day or so. I don't know but what we might consider it." - -Mrs. Crump felt suddenly cold at that mention of Coravel Tio. How much -had he discovered? He must have learned through Eastern connections that -Coravel Tio had been making inquiries. Was this pose of honesty a blind, -or not? What lay behind this visit? Had anything happened to Thady Shea? - -She cursed herself furiously for having been beguiled even into -listening to Sandy Mackintavers. Yet--why not? His proposal offered no -loophole for trickery. Mrs. Crump would have preferred to sell the place -entirely; but to retire in security and draw down fat dividends would be -a very comfortable thing. - -Late in the afternoon arrived Coravel Tio. He was mildly surprised to -see Mackintavers. He was urbane, shy, suave, and professed great -ignorance of everything. He readily listened to the plan of -Mackintavers, and discussed it; but he reserved any opinion on the -matter. - -Mackintavers had sent his hired car back to Magdalena, and would bunk -with Gilbert and Lewis for the night. Coravel Tio had driven his own -car, which was fitted with a camping outfit. He made his own little camp -down the canon. - -Late that evening, after all hands had retired to rest, Mrs. Crump -picked her way down the rocky slope and joined Coravel Tio, who sat -smoking beside his car. - -"This here location is gettin' right crowded," she began, irritably, -settling down and filling her corncob. "No chance even to speak a word -no more! Well, what d'ye think o' this scheme? Don't it look to you like -Sandy was tryin' to catch us off balance and topple us over?" - -Coravel Tio showed his white teeth in a slow smile. - -"Senora, let us go slowly. Let us go slowly. I really do not think that -Mackintavers intends that we should consider his offer seriously. I -think he is tricky about it. Well, he is about to come to a very high -precipice, and is about to fall over that precipice; you see, I know -something. I have information of which he is not aware. I have -information which will prove very dangerous to him. - -"About the mine. I have corresponded with the Williams Manufacturing -Company of New Jersey, who are large manufacturers of chemical products. -They will buy this location outright, should it prove up to the samples -we sent. They are of the very highest standing and reputation; I have -dealt with them for years. One of their men is due here any day; in -fact, he is overdue. His name is James Z. Premble. He will be empowered -to make full negotiations with us. Until he arrives, let us not worry -about Mackintavers." - -"Mebbe that's how come Sandy learned about your stake in the game; he -knew you'd been correspondin' with somebody," and Mrs. Crump frowned. -"My land! He's in with a heap o' them mining sharps, Coravel. They know -all about each other." - -Coravel Tio smiled gently. "Very likely, senora. However, this firm is -entirely above suspicion. Now, we must find your friend Shea at once; -that is imperative. The property is recorded in his name, you remember." - -"Sandy knows that, too," said Mrs. Crump, her eyes troubled. "He knows -too damned much, if you ask _me_!" - -"Fear not, senora. He has been meddling with forbidden things, things -which bring their own punishment. He has been meddling with things that -I would not meddle with! By the way, I met a very interesting man the -other day; one Thomas Twofork, an Indian from the Cochiti pueblo, -recently returned from an Eastern college. You would enjoy meeting him. -A very fine young man." - -Mrs. Crump grunted. "I'd admire to know just what's laying back in your -mind, Coravel Tio! Now, why the devil would I want to know any Injun -buck like him? What's he to me?" - -Coravel Tio laughed softly and puffed at his cigarette. - -"Ah! I cannot say, senora. I am a curio dealer, no more. I know nothing -at all about such things as these. But I know that Thomas Twofork is a -very interesting man." - -With the following morning Mrs. Crump took Mackintavers over the ground -and the adjacent claims. Coravel Tio complained of the heat, and did not -accompany them. Instead, he stood out in the sun, heedless of the heat, -and watched Lewis and Gilbert at work. He talked with them at some -length, and they seemed much interested in his discourse. By this time -they knew a little more about Coravel Tio than they had known at their -first meeting with him. - -"What do you figger is goin' to happen, then?" demanded Lewis, when he -had finished. - -"I do not know." Coravel Tio shrugged his shoulders. "But it is well to -know what might have to be done, eh? Ah, yes." - -The morning wore on. Mrs. Crump retired to her own shack to cook -luncheon, with much grumbling about the way the country was getting -crowded up, and if many more folks came in she'd have to seek other -quarters, and so on. Secretly, she was much pleased to exhibit her -culinary skill, which was considerable. - -At length she energetically hammered a pie pan, and the four men -assembled. Gilbert was the last to come in from the mine over the flank -of the hogback. - -"Looks like some puncher is headed this way," he announced, eagerly. -"Feller comin' on hossback, looks like he's headin' down from that big -canon north of here." - -"My land!" ejaculated Mrs. Crump in dismay. "Wait till I get another -plate set." - -"No hurry," returned Gilbert. "I seen him top a rise four mile north. -Ain't no rush, ma'am. He'll be quite a spell gettin' here. Lots o' bad -land in between and no trail." - -They sat down to the meal. - -Outside, the sun was beating down in waves of heat. It was a pitiless, -insufferable sun. Few things could stand that beating, merciless sun and -still enjoy it. Out among the stones, what was left of the big -diamond-back was withered and scorched. Some distance away, the head of -the rattler lay among the rocks, dead jaws wide agape, white fangs -gleaming like needles in the beating sunlight. - -Inside the shack, the heat was intense; it filled the canon as heat -fills an oven, and here was no cool adobe walls to break its force. The -heat had odd and curious effects upon the five people gathered there. It -did not seem to touch Coravel Tio or the two miners in the least. -Mackintavers it coarsened and reddened and thickened with pitiless -breath. Mrs. Crump it softened; flushed and perspiring from cooking, she -seemed to have become less harsh, more feminine, altogether transformed. - -Suddenly, while they were eating, Coravel Tio looked up sharply and -appeared to be listening. Then, one after another, the others glanced -up, surprise in their eyes. The sharp and staccato pulse of an -approaching automobile was to be heard. Another car! - -Mrs. Crump led the exodus. Beside her own car and that of Coravel Tio, a -third car was standing; a hired car from Magdalena, the same which had -brought Mackintavers on the previous day. From this car alighted a man -who carried a suitcase and bag, upon each of which were printed the -letters J. Z. P. He was a man of citified aspect, and he approached the -party clumped around the shack doorway with a stiff gaze and a -businesslike air. - -"I am looking for a lady by the name of Crump, Mrs. Crump," said he, -setting down his suitcase and doffing his hat to the lady in question. -"I presume that you are the lady named; if so you may be expecting me. -My name is James Z. Premble." - -Mrs. Crump recovered from her surprise and stepped forward. - -"I'm her," she announced. "Glad to meet ye, Premble. Here, let me heft -them grips inside the shack." - -Gilbert, however, was ahead of her in the task. But James Z. Premble -disregarded them both. He had come to a staring pause. Across his -city-pale features swept an expression of amazement and gusty anger. His -eyes were fastened upon Sandy Mackintavers, and back at him was staring -Mackintavers, wearing a look of consternation. Mr. Premble lifted one -arm and shook a milk-white fist in air. - -"You low-down hound!" he snapped at Sandy. "Didn't I warn you to keep -away from me? What are you trying to----" - -"Shut your fool mouth!" roared Mackintavers. "No need of airing things -here." - -"I'll say what I dashed please!" affirmed Premble, glaring. "I suppose -you own this place, eh? I suppose you told some lying tale and these -people swallowed it! Well, you can't shut me up. You can't gag _me_! -You're about the worst swindler that ever kept out of State's prison, -get that? You may be running this place, but you'll not run me." - -"Hush up, pilgrim!" Mrs. Crump stepped in front of Premble and assumed -charge of the situation. "Hush up! Sandy don't own this place, and he -ain't runnin' nothin'. You a friend of his?" - -"Friend? _Friend?_" Mr. Premble hoarsely gasped the word. "I wouldn't be -his friend if he would give me a million dollars! I wouldn't be his -friend if I was the last man and he was the last woman on earth! Why, -that rogue played the worst low-down trick on me over in El Paso -that----" - -"Well, repress the sentiments," urged Mrs. Crump, calmly. "I guess we -coincide with your feelin's, more or less, but at the present moment -Sandy is a guest on this here prop'ty, which same prop'ty belongs to me, -more or less. You're a guest likewise and I don't aim to have no ruction -start between two o' my guests. I don't know you, Mr. Premble, and I -don't know as I want to know ye, having a mean and rollin' eye like you -have; but you're here on business and that goes as it lays. No war talk! -Savvy?" - -With a mighty effort Mr. Premble composed his features. - -"Very well, madam, very well," he returned, stiffly. "You may depend -upon it, there will be no more trouble--unless I meet this man the other -side of your property line." - -"You won't," said Mrs. Crump, grimly. "Come on in and set to dinner. -Gilbert, you done? Then call that there driver to come up and have a -bite, will ye? No words out'n you, neither, Sandy Mackintavers. Gents, -come inside an' smoke up and entertain Mr. Premble. I'll get them -'tatoes het up in a mite." - -First to enter the shack was James Z. Premble. He passed Mackintavers, -standing at the door, and glared at him. Then, as he passed on into the -shack, the features of Mr. Premble relaxed into the fleetest and most -momentary shadow of a grin. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI--DORALES POSTS NOTICES - - -The excitement caused by the arrival of James Z. Premble caused everyone -to forget the horseman who had been seen approaching from the north. And -Mr. Premble, somewhat against his inmost desire, continued for a time to -fill the centre of the picture. - -The assemblage quite filled the shack--crowded it, in fact. Premble, the -New Yorker, barely paused for introductions before diving into the food -that Mrs. Crump set before him. Lewis sat and smoked in the lean-to, by -the stove; Gilbert lounged beside the door. Mackintavers sat in the -corner, chewing a cigar. Coravel Tio was rolling a cigarette with great -care, and sighed a little as he licked it; leaning forward, he scratched -a match upon the floor, and took advantage of a pause in the -conversation to address James Z. Premble. - -"An odd name, senor," he said, softly. "A very odd name! I have never -met any one whose initial was that of Z. May I ask what name it stands -for, senor?" - -Mr. Premble looked at his questioner, and in his shrewd eyes there -showed a swift and sudden hesitation; but Coravel Tio was lighting his -cigarette with much absorption. - -"Zacariah," responded the New Yorker. "I don't like the name, myself. -Never use it." - -"Ah, yes! Now that I remember, I have met others--there is a name -Zebulon, I think, eh? Yes, Zebulon. So you are the gentleman of whom -your firm wrote me, eh? I am glad to meet you, senor, very glad. You -have letters and so forth? You see, I am part owner of this property, -senor, and while I do not doubt you in the least, I desire to make quite -sure of things before talking business." - -Laying down his knife and fork, Premble once again inspected Coravel -Tio, who was now looking directly at him. Something in those gentle, -mournful black eyes seemed to cause the city man uneasiness and -disquiet. He reached into his pocket, nodding. - -"Eh? Sure, I have plenty of papers that will establish my identity and -prove my authority to deal with you. A little bit hasty, aren't you? No -trouble, though. Glad to have you assure yourself----" - -He produced a sheaf of papers and passed them intact, as though entirely -certain of their contents, to Mrs. Crump. That lady, her keen blue eyes -suddenly perplexed and watchful, handed on the papers to Coravel Tio. -The latter, in silence, began to unfold and look at them, one after -another. Premble continued his meal, and fell to talking with the -others. - -Presently Coravel Tio came to the end of his cigarette. He rose and -tossed the butt through the open doorway, where Gilbert was lounging. -His eyes snapped a message to those of Gilbert; in turn, Gilbert made a -slight motion. Lewis rose and shoved aside the curtain from the window, -as though desiring more air, and then stood watching. - -Coravel Tio returned to his stool. At another pause in the conversation, -he tapped the refolded documents on his knee. - -"These are all correct, Mr. Premble," he said, gently. "Do you know--ah, -there is something that puzzles me! Now, when I had the pleasure of -meeting you in Las Vegas last month, your name was different; it was -Zebulon and not Zacariah. And you looked different, senor. Then, if I -remember rightly, you wore a moustache, and your eyes were another -colour, and you had a stronger chin than you have at present." - -A sudden tense silence had come upon the room. James Z. Premble looked -very red, then his features paled again. Imperceptibly, his right hand -fluttered toward his left armpit. - -"Don't do it!" said Lewis, from the window, and Mr. Premble gazed into -the muzzle of a revolver. And: "Go slow!" said Gilbert, from the -doorway, carelessly fondling another revolver. Mr. James Z. Premble set -both hands upon the table in front of him. - -The chauffeur, seeing the general trend of events, quietly slid from his -stool and vanished beneath the table. Mrs. Crump sat motionless, looking -from one person to another. Sandy Mackintavers swallowed hard and made -as if to rise, but Lewis shifted eyes and weapon slightly, and Sandy -changed his mind about moving. - -"I was afraid of something like this." The voice of Coravel Tio was -gently apologetic. "You see, the real James Zebulon Premble always keeps -his engagements to the minute--unless something has happened to him. He -is now two days overdue here. Of course, it would be possible for -another man to waylay him and to obtain his papers; it would be quite -possible for that other man to come here under the name of Premble, and -to carry out a slight business transaction." - -"Smooth guy, aren't you?" sneered Premble. "You'll have a hell of a time -proving anything on me!" - -"My dear senor, _I_ don't want to prove anything on you!" said Coravel -Tio in pained surprise. "No, no, far from it! But I suspect that a -certain firm by the name of the Williams Manufacturing Company, a firm -that is very jealous of its reputation, might like to know that you are -in its employ. _Si!_ Of course, you'll not reveal to us for whom you are -working?" - -"I've nothing to say," sullenly returned Premble. He looked much -perturbed. - -"Very well. Gilbert, take the gun from the senor's left armpit and lead -him to his automobile. Tie him in his automobile and allow him to repose -in peaceful meditation. That is all. Young man, kindly come from beneath -the table and resume your meal!" - -The chauffeur, looking sheepish, crawled into view again. Gilbert -fulfilled the orders that had been given him, and departed with Mr. -Premble. - -Sandy Mackintavers, although trying to appear impassive and unconcerned, -signally failed in his endeavour. He was completely astounded, swept off -his feet, by the falling of Coravel Tio's mask. He was suddenly aware of -the fact that in Coravel Tio he had a damnably clever antagonist. - -Now, too late, Sandy began to suspect a thousand things that did not -appear on the surface. Conjectures flitted through his brain. Suspicion -that the hand of Coravel Tio was a very powerful hand, and that this -hand was set against him, deepened into hard certainty. Yet--not even -Coravel Tio could know the truth! No one could know that Mackintavers -and the false Premble were friends, were working in concert! There was -yet hope. - -"Aiblins, now, there's no tellin' about these mining sharks!" observed -Sandy in righteous accents. "I've had experiences of my own in that -line, aye! But if you're willing to talk over the proposition we -discussed last night----" - -Coravel Tio looked at him. Coravel Tio laughed gently, softly, very -acridly. - -"My dear senor!" he said. "You knew about the real Premble and his -business here. Your friend met the real Premble and did his work very -well. You planned things nicely. You came and made us your proposition, -knowing that we would refuse it, knowing that we would be assured that -you and Premble were at enmity; knowing that we would sell out to Senor -Premble--eh? And Premble would buy the mine for you. Ah, yes! - -"It was very cleverly planned, and very well executed. But now, senor, -you had better go and sit beside your friend, and be driven back to town -with him. There I think that you will receive some interesting -information. I would like to tell you about it myself, but----" - -At this point Mrs. Crump came to her feet. She understood the whole -trick at last, she understood the deep cunning of Mackintavers, and she -was white with fury. - -"Coravel Tio, this skunk sure makes me blush to see him! Now, I aim to -give him a right good hidin', which same he deserves plenty. Get -outside, ye coyote--hustle!" - -From the wall Mrs. Crump seized her trusty blacksnake. Thoroughly -alarmed, Mackintavers attempted no protests but backed through the -doorway. Before the lady, however, uprose Coravel Tio, and his hand -restrained her from pursuit. - -"No," he said, softly, looking into her eyes. "I have reasons, senora; -good reasons." - -Mrs. Crump flushed, then paled again. Restraint came hard to her. - -"I aim to punish him," she rasped. - -"That is already arranged." Coravel Tio smiled at her. "That has been -arranged--by the gods of the San Marcos. You will, please, leave -everything in my hands, senora. Everything! I wish to handle everything -here to-day. Everything!" - -Mrs. Crump stared at him, puzzled. Then she tossed away the whip. - -"All right," she assented, sullenly, angrily. "I won't say another -damned word." - -By this time, Mackintavers was somewhere outside. Lewis still stood by -the window. Gilbert was presumably down at the automobiles with his -prisoner. - -But now the voice of Gilbert came to them. It was lifted in a shout of -surprise, a shout of aggrieved anger and amazement. - -"Hey! Hey, you feller! What the hell you doin' there? Hey, Mis' Crump! -Hustle out here!" - -Those in the shack hastened outside--all except the chauffeur. Scenting -further trouble, that gentleman grabbed his plate and again retired -beneath the table, to finish his meal in security. - -As Mrs. Crump, standing out in the sunlight, surveyed the situation, she -became aware that the previously discerned horseback rider had arrived. -He had evidently ridden right over the long flank of the hogback, past -the mine workings, into the canon. Fifty yards up the canon, fifty yards -above the two shacks, lay a horse that was weary unto death, a horse -that had been ridden hard and furiously, without mercy. - -Not far from the horse was something white. This was a piece of new, -white paper that had been fastened to Mrs. Crump's original location -notice. - -Down below the shacks, between them and the automobiles, was another -scrap of white; another piece of white paper fastened over another -location notice. Standing only a few yards from the shack, and hurriedly -talking to Mackintavers, stood the rider who had just arrived. The man -was Abel Dorales. He had just put up those two notices, and he paid no -attention whatever to the threatening approach of Gilbert. - -"Dorales!" gasped Mrs. Crump, and whirled. "Lewis! Here! Gi'me that -gun!" - -"Stop!" Coravel Tio grasped her arm. "Stop, senora! Force does nothing. -Leave things in my hands, _si servase!_ Lewis, go and tell Gilbert to be -quiet--_pronto!_" - -The potently gentle voice of Coravel Tio held firm command. He was -obeyed. Gilbert stood motionless, scowling; Mrs. Crump stayed her hand. - -Mackintavers walked quickly toward Mrs. Crump and Coravel Tio; eagerness -shone in his eyes, and exultation. Behind him strode Abel Dorales, -fixedly regarding Mrs. Crump. The half-breed's features were thinly -cruel; his nostrils quivered slightly; a shadowy smile curved his lips -into sneering lines. - -Gilbert turned and walked toward the new notice posted by Dorales. - -"Just got some news," said Mackintavers, jerkily. "Abel is goin' to stay -and tell ye bout it. I don't s'pose ye got any objection if I light out -for Magdalena, aiblins, now?" - -Coravel Tio was rolling a cigarette, quite unconcernedly. He flashed -Sandy a smile. - -"Object? Why should we object, senor? By all means, go! And take your -friend with you, your friend whose name is Zacariah and not Zebulon. -_Vaya con Dios, senor!_" - -Mackintavers was plainly in haste to be off. He called to the chauffeur, -who came from the shack and joined him. Together the two walked rapidly -toward the car wherein was reposing the bogus James Z. Premble. - -"Y'ain't goin' to let them varmints go?" Mrs. Crump surveyed Coravel Tio -with pleading indignation. "After them tryin'----" - -Gracefully, Coravel Tio waved his cigarette. "Si, _senora_! Let them go. -Let them both go. There are larger things, much larger things, awaiting -us." - -"But that feller Premble!" - -"Let them both go, senora. We have larger things ahead." - -Mrs. Crump sniffed in uncomprehending disgust; but she gave tacit -assent. - -The engine of the car began to whir; the whir became a roaring hum, then -a deep vibrant thrumming that lifted through the canon. The car, with -its three men, moved away and leaped into speed. - -"Hey!" The voice of Gilbert, who had been reading the new location -notice, drifted up to them. "Hey! This guy is jumpin' our claim! He's -posted notices in the name o' Mackintavers. What the hell!" - -"Come up here, Gilbert," said Coravel Tio, "and keep quiet. We are to -hear some news. Ah, Senor Dorales, have you lunched? We are glad to -welcome you." - -Dorales did not reply. He did not move, but upon his lips lingered that -thin, shadowy smile that was like the stamp of a cruel jeer. Gilbert -heavily came up and rejoined the others. - -They stood there at the doorway of the shack--Mrs. Crump, Coravel Tio, -Gilbert, and Lewis. Facing them stood Abel Dorales; he seemed to be -waiting until the automobile should have gotten away beyond pursuit. -Already it was a dot, lessening amid a trail of dust. In the bearing of -Abel Dorales was a commanding air, a deep significance, a sneering sense -of power. He was in no hurry to explain. - -The sun beat down in vertical, sickening waves; the heat was -suffocating, insufferable. It filled the canon like an oven. To the left -lay the spent horse, panting, loose-tongued, exhausted, unable even to -reach the trickle of water below. No other thing moved within sight. -Behind and above rose the long hogback that formed the north wall of the -canon. It shut out from view all that lay beyond, all that lay over -toward the mountains and the larger canon that drew out from the -mountains to the north. - -The ground seemed to radiate heat in shimmering waves. To one side lay -the dry and withered body of the rattler Mrs. Crump had killed--what was -left by the preying tiny things of the earth. Somewhere among the rocks -lay that reptilian head, what was left of it. Inconspicuous it was, -unseen, dead jaws agape and long fangs glimmering like needles in the -hot, sickening sunlight. - -"Yes," said Abel Dorales at last. "Yes. I have some news for you." - -He ignored that offer of luncheon. He ignored the lowering, menacing -looks of Lewis and Gilbert. He ignored the suave Coravel Tio. He fixedly -regarded Mrs. Crump, hatred flaming in his dark eyes and quivering at -his nostrils. He had hated her from the depths of his soul ever since -that day he had jumped her claim over in the Mogollons, that day when -she had shot him down like a dog. - -There was nothing melodramatic in his bearing. He was grimed with dust -and dirt. He was perspiring profusely; his lined and evil face was -streaming with sweat against its sleek bronze. He had ridden hard, and -he was tired. - -Suddenly he shifted his gaze and looked around, to right and left, at -the shimmering and empty canon. He looked at the farther hill on the -other side. He looked up at the long hogback which closed in those five -persons, shutting out all the rest of the world like a vast door of -rock. He looked up toward the mountain peaks that showed above the head -of the canon. Some inward sense seemed to whisper to him a warning -against eavesdroppers; but all the visible world was glowing with -insufferable heat, and was deserted. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. - -"What for ye postin' notices on my lands?" demanded Mrs. Crump. "Huh? -How come ye sent Mackintavers off to file the claims at the recordin' -office, huh? What ye expect to gain by all that fool play, huh? Speak -up, ye mangy dog!" - -Abel Dorales looked at her, and smiled thinly. "One moment," he said. - -Turning, Abel Dorales strode up the canon to where lay his exhausted -horse. The poor brute made a painful struggle as if to rise; forefeet, -neck, and shoulders heaved convulsively, then collapsed again. Abel -Dorales kicked the horse with contempt. From the saddle he took a -battered little yellow suitcase which had been tied there and he started -back. - -At a word from Coravel Tio, the others moved into the slender shadow -cast by the north side of the shack, the side that faced uphill to the -hogback. There Abel Dorales rejoined them. There he set the battered -little suitcase on the ground. - -"I should have given this to Sandy," he said, "but I forgot it. Now, -Mrs. Crump, your friend Shea stole this from the ranch of Mackintavers. -Here is what he stole." - -With a swift movement he opened the suitcase and dumped out the seven -stone gods. They strewed the ground in grotesque attitudes. One fell -upright, grinning stonily as if delighted by the feat. Dorales tossed -the little suitcase away. - -"Ah, yes!" It was Coravel Tio who spoke, unexpectedly. He spoke as -though in recognition. "The gods of the San Marcos! But you are wrong, -senor. Our friend Shea did not steal these things. They were stolen by a -Navaho, a buck who was hired to steal them because he knew the ranch -house of Mackintavers very well. He was hired by Thomas Twofork, who -comes from the Cochiti pueblo. These gods were the gods of the San -Marcos, you understand, and they were the gods of Thomas Twofork's -fathers. That Navaho buck was killed in an accident. How Senor Shea -obtained these gods, I do not know." - -Dorales laughed. - -"It doesn't matter particularly now. Anyway, we'll concede that Shea -didn't steal them, eh? All right. Sandy wanted these gods back, so I -fetched them along. In my hurry to get this property located, I forgot -to give them----" - -"Where's Thady Shea?" cried out Mrs. Crump, suddenly. "Where is he?" - -Abel Dorales looked at her, his lips curving in cruel enjoyment. - -"Dead. This location was in his name. I believe that he is without -heirs; since he is dead, I believe that his location reverts to the -government. Whoever is first to file upon it, gets it. You see? The -notices have been posted. Sandy has gone to file the location--now do -you understand?" - -"Liar!" Mrs. Crump flung the word at him in blind, gasping incredulity. -"He ain't dead! Thady Shea ain't dead!" - -"Oh, you need not blame me!" said Dorales, and laughed again. "I -followed him, yes; but I came too late. I found him in a canon over on -the divide--Beaver Canon." - -"There was a Mexican refugee camped there with his family; a -sheep-herder. Shea had come and had drunk mescal. He had become drunk, -beastly drunk. I am not certain of what took place, because -unfortunately I arrived too late--but the woman was dead, and Shea had -fallen over the edge of a gully, breaking his neck. He had been shot, -also. I think the woman must have shot him--first." - -Under the lash of these slow words, delivered with a frightful -appearance of truth, Mrs. Crump had gone quite livid. A hoarse, -inarticulate growl came from her throat. The mortal pallor of a fury -beyond all control came upon her; she trembled with sheer passion. - -Then she started forward--but the hand of Coravel Tio gripped into her -wrist. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII--DORALES RUNS AWAY - - -"Look!" said the soft voice of Coravel Tio. "Look up at the skyline!" -Mrs. Crump tore herself free from that restraining hand--but she looked. -She looked up, beyond Abel Dorales, above Abel Dorales, at the line of -the hogback that cleaved across the hot blue sky. She stood thus, -looking, wonder upon her. - -There, clear-cut and sharp against the quivering blue sky, appeared -three figures. They were the figures of a horse and two men; one of the -men carried a bundle in his arms. This last figure sank again from sight -almost instantly, as did that of the horse. The figure of the other man -came down the steep slope, came down swiftly and eagerly. - -Abel Dorales saw Mrs. Crump look upward. He saw the others follow her -gaze, saw the startled and wondering surmise that filled their eyes. He -turned, catlike, and looked. He stared at that tall figure, whose -clothes were torn and dishevelled, whose forehead was streaked by the -raw, red brand of a hot bullet. He stared at that figure, which was -coming down the hillside rapidly toward him. - -"_Dios!_" he whispered, throatily. "_Jesus Maria!_" - -He crossed himself; the gesture was made in terrible, spasmodic haste. -His arms flung out wide, palms backward as though in search of some -support. He took a retreating step, and another, as that tall figure -strode down at him; he backed against a bowlder and stood thus, staring. -His brown face became ghastly pale, his mouth opened in slavering -horror. - -In his madness there was reason. He had come here quickly, very quickly, -after shooting Thady Shea and seeing him topple into that gully; he knew -that no other man could walk here and arrive so soon after he had -arrived himself. He knew that this tall figure with the raw, red brand -across the brow could be no living man. - -"_Que quiere?_" he cried, huskily, with a great effort forcing his vocal -chords to do their work. "_Que quiere?_ What do you want, hell dweller?" - -Mrs. Crump, who did not believe in ghosts, and who was not easily shaken -off her balance, satisfied herself that it was really Thady Shea who -approached. Then she slipped to the doorway of the shack and picked up -the blacksnake whip which she had tossed away. She stood at the corner -of the shack, waiting, watching Abel Dorales, her lips grimly clenched -into a thin line. She was quite content to let Thady Shea settle his own -score with the man. - -Thady came forward, wordless, his gaze fastened upon Dorales, deep anger -gleaming in those intensely black eyes. Abel Dorales, ashen white, edged -around the side of the bowlder. His hand drifted to his pocket; it -flashed up again with a revolver. - -But as Abel Dorales swung down that revolver, as he drew down on Thady -Shea for a desperate ghost-quelling shot, something snaked out through -the air--something that seemed to leap from the expert arm of Mehitabel -Crump. It curled about the wrist of Abel Dorales, it curled and clung -with vicious snap about his hand and fingers; as the head of a -rattlesnake is snapped and tugged from his body with one whipcrack, so -the revolver was torn from the hand of Dorales and sent flying out upon -the stones. - -Thady Shea flung himself upon Dorales. - -As has been previously seen, Thady Shea knew nothing about the science -and art of fighting. His was a blind, primitive, untutored lust for -vengeance. He had heard that resonant voice telling the story of his -death; he had heard, lifting to him above the crest of the hogback, that -false tale designed to blacken his memory, and now he plunged headlong -at Abel Dorales, angered as he had never been angered in his life. - -Stricken and all unstrung by what he had taken to be an apparition, Abel -Dorales tried to stumble away, cowering. But in a moment the furious, -clumsy blows of Thady Shea proved that here was real flesh and blood; -Shea landed one smash that all but stove in the ribs of his enemy. In -his arms was terrific strength, had he but known how to use it. Perhaps -it was as well that the knowledge was lacking, else Dorales had died -very brutally and quickly. - -Still retreating, Dorales gathered himself together and faced the storm. -He saw that this was no ghost, but a man of flesh and blood--a man very -weary, very terrible, a man whose consuming anger swept away all sense -of bodily hurt and weariness. Dorales blocked the furious blows, then, -most incautiously, allowed Thady Shea to clinch. - -That was near to being the death of Dorales, for now the terrific -strength of Thady Shea poured forth like a flood. The two men locked, -reeled back and forth, went plunging down to the stones. They rolled -down the hillside; they fought with utter madness--yet ever the steel -arms were tightening about the body of Dorales, ever the ribs of Dorales -were cracking and giving inward. - -In that primitive and sickening struggle, neither man saw or gave heed -to anything else than the face of his foe. Neither man observed that, as -they upheaved and rolled again, they had come upon something that -gleamed like needles in the sunlight; something wide and gaping that lay -there unseen and inconspicuous among the stones. - -Desperate, feeling the very life wrenching out of him, Abel Dorales -flung loose one arm and attempted to clutch a stone, wherewith to batter -at the deadly face above him. The two men writhed again, heaved upward, -fell heavily in a twisted mass. Something thin and piercing, something -that gleamed like white needles in the sunlight, ripped the skin of -Dorales' outflung arm. Upon that arm fell all the plunging weight of -Thady Shea, grinding it down upon the stones, grinding with it the -gaping jaws of that rattler's head, grinding arm and jaws until the -skin, from wrist to elbow, was burst and ripped asunder as cloth is -ripped before a knife. - -The pain of this unseen, blind hurt fired Dorales into frantic efforts. -He flung Shea backward; he hammered in one blow and another, rocking -back Shea's head and blinding him. Dorales gained his feet once more, -writhing free, panting. He was freed of Shea's grip. His arm was -dripping blood. Dorales looked down at Thady Shea, who was weakly rising -to throw himself forward anew--then Abel Dorales turned. He turned and -ran, bounding and sliding to the canon floor in great leaps, running -wildly and blindly past the two automobiles, running from the vengeance -of the man whom he had tried to murder, the man who now seemed to be -more than man. But Thady Shea did not pursue, for now weakness and -dizziness had come upon him, and after two steps Shea fell forward. - -From the doorway of the shack came a sharp report; a fleck of dust -lifted, slightly to one side of the running figure of Dorales. There -came a second report, and a fleck of dust lifted from between the -running feet of Dorales. Mrs. Crump was throwing down for the third and -final shot when Coravel Tio wrenched her arm aside. - -"For the love of Heaven, stop!" cried Coravel Tio. "No murder, senora! -Go and look after Shea--quick!" - -He tore the revolver away from her; then he watched Abel Dorales until -the half-breed turned a bend in the canon and was lost to sight. - -Gilbert and Lewis had run to lift Thady Shea, and Mrs. Crump joined -them. Tears shone upon her cheeks as Thady Shea came to his feet and -faintly smiled at her. His lips moved, and a panting whisper reached her -ears. - -"The baby--look after--her! I--knew--you wouldn't mind----" - -"Carry him into the shack, ye galoots!" snapped Mrs. Crump, crisply, one -hand dabbing the tears from her eyes. "Can't you see his mind's -wanderin'? Hurry up, now!" - -Despite Shea's protest, they obeyed her mandate. She followed them as -far as the shack doorway, then paused. Another man had come down from -the hogback, had suddenly appeared from nowhere, and was talking with -Coravel Tio; another man, tall and swarthy of face, behind whom followed -a saddled pony. The pony was very weary. - -It was not the man at whom Mrs. Crump looked, however. It was the bundle -in his arms which drew her startled attention--that bundle was -unmistakably a baby! She realized that Thady Shea had not been wandering -in his mind after all. It was a baby, a little brown baby who was cooing -and laughing in the face of Coravel Tio. - -Hastily, Mrs. Crump stepped forward, Coravel Tio turned to meet her. - -"Senora, this is my friend Thomas Twofork, of whom I told you. He has -been following those gods of the San Marcos, and now he has found them." - -Coravel Tio gestured toward the earth, where lay the seven stone gods -sprawled in grotesque attitudes, one alone being upright, grinning -stonily. But Mrs. Crump paid no heed to him or to the smiling Thomas -Twofork. From the latter's infolding arms she seized the baby with a -sudden and fierce gesture. - -"Where'd ye get it? Where'd Thady Shea get it?" she demanded, sharply. - -Thomas Twofork, standing there in the sunlight, told his story, while -Mrs. Crump fondled the baby with admiration and kindliness growing in -her keen blue eyes. - -Thomas Twofork had located that battered yellow suitcase at the Hotel -Aragon, had seen Thady Shea depart with it--and had found the fan belt -on his own car broken. While repairing it, he had become aware that -Dorales was also on the trail of Shea. Dorales had started westward, and -after him, Twofork. - -Dorales had not gone on to St. Johns, but had followed the tracks of -Murray's car when it turned off on the trail to Old Fort Tularosa and -Aragon. He had met Murray's car returning without Thady Shea, and had -hastened on into Aragon; by the time he discovered that Shea had not -been here, and had exchanged his car for a horse, much time was lost. - -Dorales had gone back along the trail, had picked up Shea's track at -daybreak, and had followed; after Dorales had gone Thomas Twofork, -patiently unhurrying. Both men had met the ranger returning to town with -the murderer, Garcia, and had learned Shea's route. - -When Dorales had fired that shot in the night, Twofork had been waiting, -had seen the act too late to prevent it. Dorales had at once taken the -yellow suitcase, pushing forward without delay. Thomas Twofork had found -Thady Shea in the gully, creased by the bullet, but unwounded, battered -by the fall but sound of wind and limb. With Shea in the saddle, holding -the baby, Thomas Twofork had followed the trail of Dorales quickly and -unerringly. - -The remainder was briefly told. Knowing that the hogback hid all the -country beyond the view of those in the canon, Thady Shea had waited -until Dorales had ridden down into the canon, then had come on with -Thomas Twofork. Unseen, the two men had arrived, had waited; at the -right moment, Thady Shea had made his appearance. As Thomas Twofork told -it, the whole story was very simple, all very prosaic. But to those who -had waited by the shack in the canon, it had not been simple or prosaic. -It had been very tragic and very terrible. - -"So work the gods!" Coravel Tio tossed away his cigarette. "Thomas -Twofork, here are the gods of your fathers; they are yours to take back -to Cochiti. They have brought disaster upon Mackintavers and Dorales; -they have brought us good blessings. And presently will come the real -Premble, senora, to buy this mine of ours." - -"What was that ye threatened Sandy about?" demanded Mrs. Crump, looking -up from the baby for the first time. "That information ye mentioned?" - -"Oh, that!" Coravel Tio laughed gently. "The grand jury is sitting at -Santa Fe. I arranged a few things; a few affidavits, chief among them -that of Senor Cota, one of our native legislators. I am confident that -by this time Sandy Mackintavers has been indicted for bribery and other -things. When he reaches Magdalena, he will find officers waiting for -him. That is all. He paid too much attention to the gods of the San -Marcos, and not enough attention to business. Ah, yes! Now, I am very -curious to find what made so much blood upon the arm of Abel Dorales. I -wonder, now!" - -He beckoned to Thomas Twofork. The two men walked away, their eyes -intent upon the stony ground of the hillside. - -Mrs. Crump went into the cabin, bearing the baby. Somewhat to her -surprise, she found Thady Shea sitting at the table, enjoying a hearty -meal by the aid of Gilbert and Lewis. - -"My land, Thady. I thought ye was plumb laid out. So ye've come back at -last, huh? Well, set steady a while till I get some water on the -stove--got to fix this here baby up a bit. Pore little critter! Don't -know when I've seen a baby chortle like this here one." - -Presently she had disposed the baby upon her own bunk, and found that -the two men had gone. She was alone in the shack with Thady Shea and the -baby. She went to the table and extended her hand. - -"Thady," she said, her blue eyes moist, "have--have ye forgiven me that -blow?" - -He stood awkwardly, gripping her hand, a glow spreading over his face as -he read the message in her eyes. Seldom had he seen her eyes look so -tender, so womanly. - -"What blow? I don't--oh! Why, I had really forgotten it." - -"I ain't. It's sore mem'ry," said Mrs. Crump, bluntly. "Thady, when that -varmint told that yarn about you bein' dead and so on, I was fixin' to -kill him--yes, I was! In another minute I'd ha' done it, too. And now," -suddenly her voice became crisp and harsh, defiantly harsh, "what ye -mean bringin' that baby around here? D'you reckon I got time and room to -take care o' babies?" - -A look of pained astonishment came to the man's eye. - -"Why--why, I intended to take care of that baby myself! She seemed to -like me----" - -"Who wouldn't, ye blunderin' big heart of a man!" she returned, softly. -"Yes, I reckon that baby is goin' to stay right here, Thady Shea. I just -wanted to see the idea in your mind, and now I reckon I know. Yes, sir! -I reckon I know." - -"You don't know--at least not all of it." Thady Shea was smiling now, -smiling down into her eyes. "That baby is dependent on me; I'm going to -make her happy! And she isn't all, either. I'm an old man and pretty -useless, but--but I found a big purpose that has drawn me back -here--and--and I want to tell you----" - -Out upon the stony hillside, out in the blinding white sunlight, Coravel -Tio and Thomas Twofork were standing together. In his hand the Indian -held something--something fragmentary and crushed, something that -glittered like broken needles in the sunlight. - -"It was the head of a rattlesnake," said Thomas Twofork, meditatively, -"and not long dead. You see? The fangs caught in his arm. The two men -fell and ground into the stones the arm and fang together; the fangs -were ripped along his arm----" - -"Ah, yes! It is very wonderful." Coravel Tio began to roll a cigarette. -He gazed down the canon where the running figure of Abel Dorales had -disappeared, and speculation filled his dreamy dark eyes. - -"Was there any poison in the fangs? Very likely, Thomas Twofork. Perhaps -it had been there in the moment of death; beyond doubt, it had been -there. Was it dried up, too dried up to take effect? Well, we do not -know. Soon, in a day or two, we shall know. One thing I do know, -however--I know that _I_ would never meddle with the gods of the San -Marcos. Eh?" - -Thomas Twofork was a college graduate, but he was first an Indian. To -this last word of his companion he nodded solemn affirmation. The two -men turned and started toward the shack; but a few yards from the -doorway, they halted and glanced at each other. From the building had -come a sudden low sound of a woman softly sobbing. Into the eyes of -Thomas Twofork leaped a mute question. Coravel Tio answered with a -gesture, and the two men changed their course and came to a halt near -the automobiles. - -"Well?" asked the Indian a moment later. "Why does she cry, Coravel Tio? -Has that man Shea harmed her?" - -Coravel Tio struck a match, lighted his cigarette, broke the match in -two, and gracefully tossed away the fragments. - -"No, he has not harmed her," he said, gently. "Yet she is sobbing; so, -perhaps, is he. You do not understand these things, Thomas Twofork, but -I am a philosopher. I understand everything! I have expected to hear the -senora sob, thus, for some time past. Now it has happened. All is well." - -"Eh?" The Indian scrutinized him in perplexity. "But what does it mean?" - -"It means," and Coravel Tio smiled, "that the senora is very happy! She -has found both a husband and a child. _Adios!_" - -THE END - -THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS -GARDEN CITY, N. 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