CHAPTER XX
"THE BIGGER THE HAT THE SMALLER THE HERD"
Combing Crooked Wash that afternoon Bob rode with a heavy and despondentheart. It was with him while he and Dud jogged back to the ranch in thedarkness. He had failed again. Another man had trodden down the fears towhich he had afterward lightly confessed and had carried off thesituation with a high hand. His admiration put Hollister on a pedestal.How had the blond puncher contrived to summon that reserve of audacitywhich had so captivated the Utes? Why was it that of two men one hadstamina to go through regardless of the strain while another went topieces and made a spectacle of himself?
Bob noticed that both in his report to Harshaw and later in the story hetold at the Slash Lazy D bunkhouse, Dud shielded him completely. He gavenot even a hint that Dillon had weakened under pressure. The boy wasgrateful beyond words, even while he was ashamed that he neededprotection.
At the bunkhouse Dud's story was a great success. He had a knack ofdrawling out his climaxes with humorous effect.
"An' when I laid that red-hot skillet on the nearest area ofRumpty-Tumpty's geography he ce'tainly went up into the roof like he'dbeen fired out of a rocket. When he lit--gentlemen, when he lit he wasthe most restless Ute in western Colorado. He milled around the corralconsiderable. I got a kinda notion he'd sorta soured on the funny-boybusiness. Anyhow, he didn't cotton to my style o' humor. Different withold Colorow an' the others. They liked to 'a' hollered their fool haidsoff at the gent I'd put the new Slash Lazy D brand on. Then they did oneo' them 'Wow-wow-wow' dances round Rumpty-Tumpty, who was still smokin'like he'd set fire to the cabin."
Cowpunchers are a paradox. They have the wisdom of the ages, yet they areonly grown-up children. Now they filled the night with mirth. Hawks laydown on his bunk and kicked his feet into the air joyfully. Reeves fellupon Dud and beat him with profane gayety. Big Bill waltzed him over thefloor, regardless of his good-humored protest.
"Tell us some more, Dud," demanded the cook. "Did yore friend Rumpty puthisse'f out by sittin' in a snowbank?"
"I don't rightly recollect. Me 'n' Bob here was elected to lead the grandmarch an' we had to leave Rumpty-Tumpty be his own fire department. But Idid notice how tender he lowered himself to the back of his hawse whenthey lit out in the mawnin'."
Bob saw that Hollister made the whole affair one huge joke. He did notmention that there had been any chance of a tragic termination to theadventure. Nor did the other punchers refer to that, though they knew thestrained relations between the whites and the Utes. Riding for a dogieoutfit was a hard life, but one could always get a laugh out of itsomehow. The philosophy of the range is to grin and bear it.
A few days later Bob rode into town with a pack-horse at heel. He was tobring back some supplies for the ranch. Harshaw had chosen him to gobecause he wanted to buy some things for himself. These would be chargedagainst the Slash Lazy D account at Platt & Fortner's store. Bob wouldsettle for them with the boss when his pay-check came due.
It was a warm sunny day with a touch of summer still in the air. The bluestem and the bunch grass were dry. Sage and greasewood had taken on thebare look of winter. But the pines were still green and the birdssinging.
It was an ordeal for Bob to face Bear Cat. June was better, he had heard.But it was not his fault she had not died of the experience endured. Hecould expect no friendliness in the town. The best he could hope for wasthat it would let him alone.
He went straight to the office of Blister Haines. The justice took hisfat legs down from the desk and waved him to a chair.
"How're cases?" he asked.
Bob told his story without sparing himself.
Blister listened and made no comment to the end.
"You're takin' that Ute business too s-serious," he said. "Gettin's-scalped 's no picnic. You're entitled to feel some weak at the knees.I've heard from Dud. He says you stood up fine."
"He told you--?"
"N-no particulars. T-trouble with you is you've got too much imagination.From yore story I judge you weakened when the danger was over. You gottalearn to keep up that red haid like I said. When you're scared or all in,stretch yore grin another inch. You don't need to w-worry. You're doin'all right."
Bob shook his head. Blister's view encouraged him, though he could notagree with it.
"Keep yore eye on that Dud Hollister hombre," the justice went on. "He'sone sure enough go-getter."
"Yes," agreed Bob. "He's there every jump of the road. An' he didn't tellon me either."
"You can tie to Dud," agreed Blister. "Here's the point, son. When youg-get that sinkin' feelin' in yore tummy it's notice for you to get up onyore hind laigs an' howl. Be a wolf for a change."
"But I can't. I seem to--to wilt all up."
"Son, you know the answer already. T-throw back yore haid an' rememberyou got dominion."
Dillon shifted the conversation, embarrassed eyes on the floor."How's--Miss Tolliver?"
"G-gettin' well fast. On the porch yesterday. Everybody in town stoppedto say how g-glad they was to see her out. Been havin' the time of herlife, June has. Mollie's always right good to sick folks, but shec-ce'tainly makes a pet of June."
"I'm glad. She's through with me, o' course, but I hope her friends lookout for that Jake Houck."
"You don't need to worry about him. He's learnt to keep hands off."
Bob was not quite satisfied to let the matter rest there. In spite of thefact that he had made an outcast of himself he wanted to reinstatehimself with June.
Hesitantly Bob approached the subject. "Maybe I'd better send her wordI'm glad she come through all right."
Blister's eyes were stony. "Maybe you'd better not. What claim you got tobe remembered by that li'l' girl? You're outa her life, boy."
Bob winced. The harsh truth wounded his sensitive nature. She had beenhis friend once. It hurt him to lose her wholly and completely.
He rose. "Well, I gotta go an' get some goods for the ranch, Mr. Haines,"he said.
"I reckon you'd like to s-slide back easy an' have folks forget," Blistersaid. "Natural enough. But it won't be thataway. You'll have to f-fightlike a bulldog to travel back along that trail to a good name. You ain'treally begun yet."
"See you again next time I get to town," Bob said.
He was sorry he had raised the point with Haines of a message to June.That the justice should reject the idea so promptly and vigorously hurthis pride and self-esteem.
At Platt & Fortner's he invested in a pair of spurs, a cheap saddle, anda bridle. The cowboy is vain of his equipment. He would spend in thosedays forty dollars for a saddle, ten for boots, twenty-five for a bridleand silver plated bit, fifteen for spurs, and ten or twelve for a hat. Heowned his own horse and blankets, sometimes also a pack-animal. Thesewere used to carry him from one job to another. He usually rode the ranchbroncos on the range.
But even if he had been able to afford it Bob would not have boughtexpensive articles. He did not make any claim about his ability to punchcattle, and he knew instinctively that real riders would resent anyattempt on his part to swagger as they did. A remark dropped by Blistercame to mind.
"The b-bigger the hat the smaller the herd, son. Do all yore b-braggin'with yore actions."
It is often a characteristic of weakness that it clings to strength. Bobwould have given much for the respect and friendship of these clear-eyed,weather-beaten men. To know that he had forfeited these cut deep into hissoul. The clerk that waited on him at the store joked gayly with twocowboys lounging on the counter, but he was very distantly polite toDillon. The citizens he met on the street looked at him with chill eyes.A group of schoolboys whispered and pointed toward him.
Bob had walked out from Haines's office in a huff, but as he rode back tothe ranch he recognized the justice of his fat friend's decision. He hadforfeited the right to take any interest in June Tolliver. His nature wasto look always for the easiest way. He never wanted trouble with anybody.Essentially he was peace-loving even to the point of b
eing spiritless. Totry to slip back into people's good will by means of the less robustvirtues would be just like him.
Probably Blister was right when he had told him to be a wolf. For him,anything was better than to be a sheep.
He clamped his teeth. He would show the Rio Blanco country whether he hada chicken heart. He would beat back somehow so that they would have torespect him whether they wanted to or not. If he made up his mind to ithe could be just as game as Dud Hollister.
He would go through or he would die trying.