Desert Gold

  XIII

  CHANGES AT FORLORN RIVER

  THE first of March saw the federal occupation of the garrison atCasita. After a short, decisive engagement the rebels were dispersedinto small bands and driven eastward along the boundary line towardNogales.

  It was the destiny of Forlorn River, however, never to return to theslow, sleepy tenor of its former existence. Belding's predictions cametrue. That straggling line of home-seekers was but a forerunner of thereal invasion of Altar Valley. Refugees from Mexico and from Casitaspread the word that water and wood and grass and land were to be hadat Forlorn River; and as if by magic the white tents and red adobehouses sprang up to glisten in the sun.

  Belding was happier than he had been for a long time. He believed thatevil days for Forlorn River, along with the apathy and lack ofenterprise, were in the past. He hired a couple of trustworthyMexicans to ride the boundary line, and he settled down to think ofranching and irrigation and mining projects. Every morning he expectedto receive some word form Sonoyta or Yuma, telling him that Yaqui hadguided his party safely across the desert.

  Belding was simple-minded, a man more inclined to action thanreflection. When the complexities of life hemmed him in, he groped hisway out, never quite understanding. His wife had always been a mysteryto him. Nell was sunshine most of the time, but, like thesun-dominated desert, she was subject to strange changes, wilful,stormy, sudden. It was enough for Belding now to find his wife in alighter, happier mood, and to see Nell dreamily turning a ring roundand round the third finger of her left hand and watching the west.Every day both mother and daughter appeared farther removed from thepast darkly threatening days. Belding was hearty in his affections,but undemonstrative. If there was any sentiment in his make-up it hadan outlet in his memory of Blanco Diablo and a longing to see him.Often Belding stopped his work to gaze out over the desert toward thewest. When he thought of his rangers and Thorne and Mercedes hecertainly never forgot his horse. He wondered if Diablo was running,walking, resting; if Yaqui was finding water and grass.

  In March, with the short desert winter over, the days began to growwarm. The noon hours were hot, and seemed to give promise of the whitesummer blaze and blasting furnace wind soon to come. No word wasreceived from the rangers. But this caused Belding no concern, and itseemed to him that his women folk considered no news good news.

  Among the many changes coming to pass in Forlorn River were theinstalling of post-office service and the building of a mescaldrinking-house. Belding had worked hard for the post office, but hedid not like the idea of a saloon for Forlorn River. Still, that wasan inevitable evil. The Mexicans would have mescal. Belding had keptthe little border hamlet free of an establishment for distillation ofthe fiery cactus drink. A good many Americans drifted into ForlornRiver--miners, cowboys, prospectors, outlaws, and others of nondescriptcharacter; and these men, of course, made the saloon, which was also aninn, their headquarters. Belding, with Carter and other old residents,saw the need of a sheriff for Forlorn River.

  One morning early in this spring month, while Belding was on his wayfrom the house to the corrals, he saw Nell running Blanco Jose down theroad at a gait that amazed him. She did not take the turn of the roadto come in by the gate. She put Jose at a four-foot wire fence, andcame clattering into the yard.

  "Nell must have another tantrum," said Belding. "She's long past due."

  Blanco Jose, like the other white horses, was big of frame and heavy,and thunder rolled from under his great hoofs. Nell pulled him up, andas he pounded and slid to a halt in a cloud of dust she swung lightlydown.

  It did not take more than half an eye for Belding to see that she wasfurious.

  "Nell, what's come off now?" asked Belding.

  "I'm not going to tell you," she replied, and started away, leadingJose toward the corral.

  Belding leisurely followed. She went into the corral, removed Jose'sbridle, and led him to the watering-trough. Belding came up, andwithout saying anything began to unbuckle Jose's saddle girths. But heventured a look at Nell. The red had gone from her face, and he wassurprised to see her eyes brimming with tears. Most assuredly this wasnot one of Nell's tantrums. While taking off Jose's saddle and hangingit in the shed Belding pondered in his slow way. When he came back tothe corral Nell had her face against the bars, and she was crying. Heslipped a big arm around her and waited. Although it was not oftenexpressed, there was a strong attachment between them.

  "Dad, I don't want you to think me a--a baby any more," she said. "I'vebeen insulted."

  With a specific fact to make clear thought in Belding's mind he wasnever slow.

  "I knew something unusual had come off. I guess you'd better tell me."

  "Dad, I will, if you promise."

  "What?"

  "Not to mention it to mother, not to pack a gun down there, and never,never tell Dick."

  Belding was silent. Seldom did he make promises readily.

  "Nell, sure something must have come off, for you to ask all that."

  "If you don't promise I'll never tell, that's all," she declared,firmly.

  Belding deliberated a little longer. He knew the girl.

  "Well, I promise not to tell mother," he said, presently; "and seeingyou're here safe and well, I guess I won't go packing a gun down there,wherever that is. But I won't promise to keep anything from Dick thatperhaps he ought to know."

  "Dad, what would Dick do if--if he were here and I were to tell himI'd--I'd been horribly insulted?"

  "I guess that 'd depend. Mostly, you know, Dick does what you want.But you couldn't stop him--nobody could--if there was reason, a man'sreason, to get started. Remember what he did to Rojas!... Nell, tellme what's happened."

  Nell, regaining her composure, wiped her eyes and smoothed back herhair.

  "The other day, Wednesday," she began, "I was coming home, and in frontof that mescal drinking-place there was a crowd. It was a noisy crowd.I didn't want to walk out into the street or seem afraid. But I had todo both. There were several young men, and if they weren't drunk theycertainly were rude. I never saw them before, but I think they mustbelong to the mining company that was run out of Sonora by rebels.Mrs. Carter was telling me. Anyway, these young fellows wereAmericans. They stretched themselves across the walk and smiled at me.I had to go out in the road. One of them, the rudest, followed me. Hewas a big fellow, red-faced, with prominent eyes and a bold look. Hecame up beside me and spoke to me. I ran home. And as I ran I heardhis companions jeering.

  "Well, to-day, just now, when I was riding up the valley road I cameupon the same fellows. They had instruments and were surveying.Remembering Dick, and how he always wished for an instrument to helpwork out his plan for irrigation, I was certainly surprised to seethese strangers surveying--and surveying upon Laddy's plot of land. Itwas a sandy road there, and Jose happened to be walking. So I reined inand asked these engineers what they were doing. The leader, who wasthat same bold fellow who had followed me, seemed much pleased at beingaddressed. He was swaggering--too friendly; not my idea of a gentlemanat all. He said he was glad to tell me he was going to run water allover Altar Valley. Dad, you can bet that made me wild. That wasDick's plan, his discovery, and here were surveyors on Laddy's claim.

  "Then I told him that he was working on private land and he'd betterget off. He seemed to forget his flirty proclivities in amazement.Then he looked cunning. I read his mind. It was news to him that allthe land along the valley had been taken up.

  "He said something about not seeing any squatters on the land, and thenhe shut up tight on that score. But he began to be flirty again. Hegot hold of Jose's bridle, and before I could catch my breath he said Iwas a peach, and that he wanted to make a date with me, that his namewas Chase, that he owned a gold mine in Mexico. He said a lot more Ididn't gather, but when he called me 'Dearie' I--well, I lost my temper.

  "I jerked on the bridle and told him to let go. He held on and rolledhis eyes at
me. I dare say he imagined he was a gentlemen to beinfatuated with. He seemed sure of conquest. One thing certain, hedidn't know the least bit about horses. It scared me the way he got infront of Jose. I thanked my stars I wasn't up on Blanco Diablo. Well,Dad, I'm a little ashamed now, but I was mad. I slashed him across theface with my quirt. Jose jumped and knocked Mr. Chase into the sand.I didn't get the horse under control till I was out of sight of thosesurveyors, and then I let him run home."

  "Nell, I guess you punished the fellow enough. Maybe he's only aconceited softy. But I don't like that sort of thing. It isn'tWestern. I guess he won't be so smart next time. Any fellow wouldremember being hit by Blanco Jose. If you'd been up on Diablo we'dhave to bury Mr. Chase."

  "Thank goodness I wasn't! I'm sorry now, Dad. Perhaps the fellow washurt. But what could I do? Let's forget all about it, and I'll becareful where I ride in the future.... Dad, what does it mean, thissurveying around Forlorn River?"

  "I don't know, Nell," replied Belding, thoughtfully. "It worries me.It looks good for Forlorn River, but bad for Dick's plan to irrigatethe valley. Lord, I'd hate to have some one forestall Dick on that!"

  "No, no, we won't let anybody have Dick's rights," declared Nell.

  "Where have I been keeping myself not to know about these surveyors?"muttered Belding. "They must have just come."

  "Go see Mrs. Cater. She told me there were strangers in town,Americans, who had mining interests in Sonora, and were run out byOrozco. Find out what they're doing, Dad."

  Belding discovered that he was, indeed, the last man of consequence inForlorn River to learn of the arrival of Ben Chase and son, mineownersand operators in Sonora. They, with a force of miners, had beenbesieged by rebels and finally driven off their property. This propertywas not destroyed, but held for ransom. And the Chases, pendingdevelopments, had packed outfits and struck for the border. Casita hadbeen their objective point, but, for some reason which Belding did notlearn, they had arrived instead at Forlorn River. It had taken BenChase just one day to see the possibilities of Altar Valley, and inthree days he had men at work.

  Belding returned home without going to see the Chases and theiroperations. He wanted to think over the situation. Next morning hewent out to the valley to see for himself. Mexicans were hastilyerecting adobe houses upon Ladd's one hundred and sixty acres, uponDick Gale's, upon Jim Lash's and Thorne's. There were men staking thevalley floor and the river bed. That was sufficient for Belding. Heturned back toward town and headed for the camp of these intruders.

  In fact, the surroundings of Forlorn River, except on the river side,reminded Belding of the mushroom growth of a newly discovered miningcamp. Tents were everywhere; adobe shacks were in all stages ofconstruction; rough clapboard houses were going up. The latest of thiswork was new and surprising to Belding, all because he was a busy man,with no chance to hear village gossip. When he was directed to theheadquarters of the Chase Mining Company he went thither inslow-growing wrath.

  He came to a big tent with a huge canvas fly stretched in front, underwhich sat several men in their shirt sleeves. They were talking andsmoking.

  "My name's Belding. I want to see this Mr. Chase," said Belding,gruffly.

  Slow-witted as Belding was, and absorbed in his own feelings, he yetsaw plainly that his advent was disturbing to these men. They lookedalarmed, exchanged glances, and then quickly turned to him. One ofthem, a tall, rugged man with sharp face and shrewd eyes and whitehair, got up and offered his hand.

  "I'm Chase, senior," he said. "My son Radford Chase is here somewhere.You're Belding, the line inspector, I take it? I meant to call on you."

  He seemed a rough-and-ready, loud-spoken man, withal cordial enough.

  "Yes, I'm the inspector," replied Belding, ignoring the proffered hand,"and I'd like to know what in the hell you mean by taking up landclaims--staked ground that belongs to my rangers?"

  "Land claims?" slowly echoed Chase, studying his man. "We're taking uponly unclaimed land."

  "That's a lie. You couldn't miss the stakes."

  "Well, Mr. Belding, as to that, I think my men did run across somestaked ground. But we recognize only squatters. If your rangers thinkthey've got property just because they drove a few stakes in the groundthey're much mistaken. A squatter has to build a house and live on hisland so long, according to law, before he owns it."

  This argument was unanswerable, and Belding knew it.

  "According to law!" exclaimed Belding. "Then you own up; you've jumpedour claims."

  "Mr. Belding, I'm a plain business man. I come along. I see a goodopening. Nobody seems to have tenable grants. I stake out claims,locate squatters, start to build. It seems to me your rangers haveoverlooked certain precautions. That's unfortunate for them. I'mprepared to hold my claim and to back all the squatters who work forme. If you don't like it you can carry the matter to Tucson. The lawwill uphold me."

  "The law? Say, on this southwest border we haven't any law except aman's word and a gun."

  "Then you'll find United States law has come along with Ben Chase,"replied the other, snapping his fingers. He was still smooth,outspoken, but his mask had fallen.

  "You're not a Westerner?" queried Belding.

  "No, I'm from Illinois."

  "I thought the West hadn't bred you. I know your kind. You'd last along time on the Texas border; now, wouldn't you? You're one of theland and water hogs that has come to root in the West. You're like thetimber sharks--take it all and leave none for those who follow. Mr.Chase, the West would fare better and last longer if men like you weredriven out."

  "You can't drive me out."

  "I'm not so sure of that. Wait till my rangers come back. I wouldn'tbe in your boots. Don't mistake me. I don't suppose you could beaccused of stealing another man's ideas or plan, but sure you've stolenthese four claims. Maybe the law might uphold you. But the spirit,not the letter, counts with us bordermen."

  "See here, Belding, I think you're taking the wrong view of the matter.I'm going to develop this valley. You'd do better to get in with me.I've a proposition to make you about that strip of land of yours facingthe river."

  "You can't make any deals with me. I won't have anything to do withyou."

  Belding abruptly left the camp and went home. Nell met him, probablyintended to question him, but one look into his face confirmed herfears. She silently turned away. Belding realized he was powerless tostop Chase, and he was sick with disappointment for the ruin of Dick'shopes and his own.