Buck Peters, Ranchman

  CHAPTER XIX

  THE WEAK LINK

  The little buckskin pony stood with wide-planted feet and hanging head;his splendid bellows of lungs and powerful abdominal muscles sent thewind in and out of the distended nostrils in the effort to overcome theeffect of that last mad burst of speed demanded of him; in his eyesalone, battling against the haze, shone his unconquerable spirit.Bearing saddle and bridle Dave strode away from him to the cabin.

  Straight in from Wayback, without a stop, the game little buckskin hadcarried Dave. Jealousy consumed him. Rumors of Smiler's defection werefloating about the town and, though no one but those intimatelyconcerned, knew the actual agreement made, the presence of theprincipals and their several places of call had been noted and fullycommented upon. From such premises the town's deductions came near thetruth.

  The facts as known were enough for Dave. Whatever Schatz might beplanning, Dave was satisfied that he had no part in it. That Schatzintended to treat him fairly was beyond the angle of his narrow mind. Hewas very calm over it, his face smooth of wrinkles, his movements slowand assured. He had passed through all the stages from irritation torage--and beyond: Calm is always beyond.

  "Mein gracious, Dave, you vas in a hurry?" asked Schatz, as Daveentered.

  He hung saddle and bridle on a peg in the kitchen and strode throughinto the other room before replying. "No," he drawled, dropping into achair and stretching his legs full length.

  "No? Schust try to kill a horse, _vas_?"

  "Yes. Played a trick on me this mornin' an' I 'm showin' him who 'sboss."

  "_Dummer Esel_! Und vor a trick you kill him! Den no more tricks,_vas_?"

  "Oh, to h--l with th' cayuse! What's all this I hear o' you an' Petersin a lovin' match?"

  "_Ach_! '_Nun kommt die Wahrheit_'! If you not come to-day, I send foryou. Vy you stay avay like dot?"

  "I 'm busy tryin' to make Peters good an' sick o' th' range, tryin' todrive him back to Texas, where he come from. What are you doin': payin'his passage or backin' him to win?"

  "Paying his passage, Dave; vere, I am not sure. Look: here iss HerrPeters," stabbing a finger into the palm of his extended right hand,"und here iss McAllister," duplicating with his left; "und ven I do so,"closing both hands tightly, "nobody iss left but Schatz."

  "Easy as that, eh?" said Dave, sceptically.

  "Schust so easy like dot. Look! I make me a pardner by der Double Y."

  "Fine," drawled Dave, with hidden sarcasm.

  "Vine as gold. Peters, he get all der money vat he can. McAllister, hesend der same as Peters. Me, I got dot money, already. Der money vasin der bank. Der range iss my property schust so much as Peters undMcAllister."

  "Fine," repeated Dave.

  "Peters, he dink he spend der money. Soon he go to buy cows. Now issde point: to-morrow I go by der bank, I dake oud all der money. Fourmen iss guard. I say I go over by der Bitter Root vere der Deuce Arrowherd for sale iss; und I take all der money. Because dot bank in Vaybacktoo small. I leave der bank und stop by der Miner's Pick saloon. Vedrink. A man vot vears a mask comes in. He cover us mit a gun. He takeder money, ride away to Coon River by der Red Bluff. Dere iss man undboat. Der man mit der boat take horse und ride to first relay undpretty soon he iss in Rankin. A relay every ten miles. Der man mit dermoney go down river in der boat five mile und dere iss man mit twohorses; he ride to Vayback und den here mit der money. Vat you tink?"

  "Fine," said Dave, for the third time. "An' who 's goin' to do all thatground an' lofty tumblin' with th' money?"

  "Dave Owens," replied Schatz, with an air of conferring a great favor.

  "Me!" exclaimed Dave. He laughed cynically. "Why, Karl, if I hadsomebody to do all th' hard work, I can make plans like that, myself.Talk sense."

  "Hard vork! It iss easy, like a squirrel up a tree. Everybody iss byder station ven der train comes. You take all der guns und ve not makenoise, _aber_ some thief know you got all der money und catch you firstund rob you. Ve got no horses ven ve go by train, und must run, gethorses to run after you. So you get avay. You come here mit der moneyund who know it?"

  "Who's makin' th' blind trail?"

  "Denver Gus."

  "I don't envy Gus none."

  "Vy? I pay him goot. He vas go to Texas, anyvay, pretty quick."

  "How you goin' to get out of it?"

  "I don't get out of it. Peters, he gets sick und I say: 'Vell, somemoney I got yet, I buy you out'; _aber_ he tink it iss a trick und getmad. Four men I got, gun-men, all. Dey shoot him so soon he get mad."

  "An' then McAllister jumps on you with both feet for takin' that moneyout o' th' bank in th' first place."

  "_Ach_! Vat you dink? Am I a fool? Ain'd I a pardner already?'

  "What's that got to do with it?"

  "I have schust so much right to take der money as Peters. I don't stealder money--it iss steal avay from me. Can I help it?"

  "Is that th' law?"

  "Der law iss my part. For der law, brains you must haf. Brains I got.To ride, you know. Vat you dink?"

  "I go you," declared Dave. "But you shore take a big chance with th'money. I _might_ get plugged an' have to drop it."

  "_Mein lieber Gott!_" moaned Schatz, in despair. "Brains! Brains!" heroared. "_Ach_! Vat use? Alvays it iss der same. Von day Canada issder United States; so England iss _gebunden_; South America issDeutchland; soon all der continent iss Deutchland. Vat fools! No_Verstand--blos_ for money. Und to make money iss der little part. Vatfools!"

  "Wake up! Who 's th' fool if I drop that bundle an' somebody on a goodhorse gets away with it? Because you can bet yore whole pile I ain'taimin' to stop an' stand off th' beginnin' of a Judge Lynch party, notany."

  "Dave, if a veek you sit und a veek you tink, und schust about von ting,you know somethings about it, _vas_?"

  "Shore would."

  "Und mit _your_ head you must tink. Many days mit _my_ head I tink undtink, everythings, possible und not possible. Den ven der plans issmade, _you_ mit _your_ head mistakes find. Der money vat you steal, itiss no matter, _aber_ don't lose it--besser you burn it, as lose it."

  "_Burn_ it?"

  "Yah! Paper it iss, schust paper."

  "Paper!" Dave stared in doubt. "Paper," he repeated, struggling tograsp the idea. He gave it up and quite humbly asked for light. "Whatth' blazes am I a-goin' to run away with paper for?"

  "Maybe somebody smarter as I tink. Two men, already, much questionsask. Maybe Peters take all der money before me. So I go by der bankund get der money first. Dey can't help it. It iss my bank anyvay undder check iss dere."

  "You 've _got_ th' money!"

  "Yah, here in der house I got it. Everythings iss _vollkommen_. Allder mistakes vat come I know, possible und not possible. Noding canslip, noding can break."

  "Yo 're a wonder!" congratulated Dave, "th' one an' only original,sure-fire, bull's-eye wonder." He leaned forward suddenly, head bent inlistening. "Somebody outside," he warned, softly. Gun in hand, hesprang to the door and passed out. The gloom of the coming night lay inwait in the valleys but it was light enough to detect any skulker. Davemade a systematic search, satisfying himself that no one was within amile of the cabin, before returning. "It's all right," he assured, ashe entered the room again. A deafening roar followed his words. Schatzgave a convulsive start and slid slowly from his chair to the floor; onhis face was an overwhelming surprise.

  "Huh--Huh! Huh!--" the grunting laugh spoke immeasureable contempt."Brains!"

  * * * * *

  The half-open drawer of the sideboard revealed in the lamplight a numberof packages, the wrappings of several being torn open. Dave satthoughtfully contemplating them. He had removed them from their hidingplace and put them in the drawer before lighting the lamp, both acts dueto precaution: spying upon Karl had discovered to Dave the hiding place;he was distinctly opposed
to finding himself in the same predicamentregarding his suddenly acquired wealth. The still figure, resting undertwo feet of earth, close to the river bank, gave him no concernwhatever. His mind was busy with the best way to pack the money; smallbills were difficult to trace but bulky to carry. He shoved the drawerto with his foot and re-lit his pipe. His plans were already made. Hehad reasoned them out swiftly while hunting the supposed skulker. Thedisappearance of Karl would be associated with the disappearance of themoney. The bank would maintain that the money had been drawn on the daythe check was dated, which necessarily must be to-morrow. The four menwho were to act as guards would conclude some difficulty had arisen andawait further orders; it would be the same with all the others involved.The way was clear for him. There remained only Rose. He knocked theashes from his pipe and went to bed.