CHAPTER XVIII
THE TENTH DAY
Dusk had fallen by the time Greasy had been brought to the bunkhouse,and Mrs. Norton had lighted the kerosene lamps when Norton and Hollis,assured of the safety of the prisoner, left the bunkhouse and went intothe house for supper. Potter had washed the dust of travel from him andwhen Norton and Hollis arrived he was seated on the porch, awaitingthem. Mrs. Norton greeted them with a smile. Her eyes expressedgratitude as they met Hollis's.
"I am so glad you were in time," she said. "I told Neil not to do it,but he was determined and wouldn't listen to me."
"You might have tried 'bossing' him," suggested Hollis, remembering hisrange boss's words on the occasion of his first meeting with Norton'swife. He looked straight at Norton, his eyes narrowing quizzically. "Youknow you told me once that----"
"Mebbe I was stretchin' things a little when I told you that,"interrupted Norton, grinning shamelessly. "If a man told the truth allthe time he'd have a hard time keepin' ahead of a woman."
"'Woman--she don't need no tooter,'" quoted Hollis. "It has taken you along time to discover what Ace has apparently known for years. And Aceis only a bachelor."
Norton's eyes lighted. "You're gettin' back at me for what I said to youthe day before yesterday--when you stopped off at Hazelton's," hedeclared. "All the same you'll know more about women when you've hadmore experience with them. When I told you that I'd been 'bossed,' Ididn't mean that I'd been bossed regular. No woman that knows just howmuch she can run a man ever lets him know that she's bossin' him. Mebbeshe'll act like she's lettin' him have his own way. But she's bossin'him just the same. He sort of likes it, I reckon. At least it's onlywhen a man gets real mad that he does a little bossin' on his ownaccount. And then, like as not, he'll find that he's made a big mistake.Like I did to-day about hangin' Greasy, for instance."
Hollis bowed gravely to Mrs. Norton. "I think he ought to be forgiven,Mrs. Norton," he said. "Day before yesterday he presumed to lecture meon the superiority of the married male over the unmarried one. And nowhe humbly admits to being bossed. What then becomes of his much talkedof superiority? Shall I--free and unbossed--admit inferiority?"
Mrs. Norton smiled wisely as she moved around the table, arranging thedishes. "I couldn't decide that," she said, "until it is explained to mewhy so many men are apparently so eager to engage a boss."
"I reckon that settles that argument!" gloated Norton.
Had this conversation taken place two months before Hollis might haveanswered, Why, indeed, were men so eager to engage a boss? Two monthsbefore he might have answered cynically, remembering the unhappiness ofhis parents. That he did not answer now showed that he was no longercynical; that he had experienced a change of heart.
Of course Mrs. Norton knew this--Norton must have told her. He couldappreciate the subtle mockery that had suggested the question, but hedid not purpose to allow Norton to sit there and enjoy the confusionthat was sure to overtake him did he attempt to continue the argumentwith Mrs. Norton. He was quite certain that Norton anticipated such anoutcome.
"Perhaps Norton can answer that?" he suggested mildly.
"I ain't no good at guessin' riddles," jeered Norton. "But I reckon youknow--if you wanted to tell."
But Hollis did not tell, and the conversation shifted to other subjects.After supper they went out upon the porch. A slight breeze had sprung upwith the dusk, though the sky was still cloudless. At ten o'clock, whenthey retired, the breeze had increased in velocity, sighing mournfullythrough the trees in the vicinity of the ranchhouse, though there was noperceptible change in the atmosphere--it seemed that the wind was merelyshifting the heat waves from one point to another.
"A good, decent rain would save lots of trouble to-morrow," said Nortonas he and Hollis stood on the porch, taking a last look at the skybefore going to bed.
"Do you really think Dunlavey will carry out his threat?" questionedHollis. "Somehow I can't help but think that he was bluffing when hesaid it."
"He don't do much bluffin'," declared Norton. "At least he ain't donemuch up to now."
"But there is plenty of water in the Rabbit-Ear," returned Hollis;"plenty for all the cattle that are here now."
Norton flashed a swift glance at him. "That's because you don't knowthis country," he said. "Four years ago we had a dry spell. Not so badas this, but bad enough. The Rabbit-Ear held up good enough for twomonths. Then she went dry sudden. There wasn't water enough in her tofill a thimble. I reckon you ain't been watchin' her for the last day orso?"
Hollis admitted that he had not seen the river within that time. Nortonlaughed shortly.
"She's dry in spots now," he informed Hollis. "There ain't any water atall in the shallows. It's tricklin' through in some places, but mostlythere's nothin' but water holes an' dried, baked mud. In two days more,if it don't rain, there won't be water enough for our own stock. Thenwhat?"
"There will be water for every steer on the range as long as it lasts,"declared Hollis grimly. "After that we'll all take our medicinetogether."
"Good!" declared Norton. "That's what I expected of you. But I don'tthink it's goin' to work out that way. Weary was ridin' the Razor Backthis mornin' and he says he saw Dunlavey an' Yuma and some more CircleCross guys nosin' around behind some brush on the other side of thecreek. They all had rifles."
Hollis's face paled slightly. "Where are the other men--Train and therest?" he inquired.
"Down on Razor Back," Norton informed him; "they sneaked down thereafter Weary told me about seein' Dunlavey on the other side. Likelythey're scattered by now--keepin' an eye out for trouble."
"Well," decided Hollis, "there isn't any use of looking for it. It findsall of us soon enough. To-morrow is the tenth day and I am sure that ifDunlavey carries out his threat he won't start anything until to-morrow.Therefore I am going to bed." He laughed. "Call me if you hear anyshooting. I may want to take a hand in it."
They parted--Hollis going to his room and Norton stepping down off theporch to take a turn down around the pasture to look after the horses.
Hollis was tired after his experiences of the day and soon dropped offto sleep. It seemed that he had been asleep only a few minutes, however,when he felt a hand shaking him, and a voice--Norton's voice.
"Hollis!" said the range boss. "Hollis! Wake up!"
Hollis sat erect, startled into perfect wakefulness. He could not seeNorton's face in the dark, but he swung around and sat on the edge ofthe bed.
"What's up?" he demanded. "Have they started?"
He heard Norton laugh, and there was satisfaction in the laugh."Started?" he repeated. "Well, I reckon something's started. Listen!"
Hollis listened. A soft patter on the roof, a gentle sighing of thewind, and a distant, low rumble reached his ears. He started up. "Why,it's raining!" he said.
Norton chuckled. "Rainin'!" he chirped joyously. "Well, I reckon itmight be called that by someone who didn't know what rain is. But I'mtellin' you that it ain't rainin'--it's pourin'! It's a cloud-burst,that's what it is!"
Hollis did not answer. He ran to the window and stuck his head out. Therain came against his head and shoulders in stinging, vicious slants.There was little lightning, and what there was seemed distant, as thoughthe storm covered a vast area. He could dimly see the pasture--thehorses huddled in a corner under the shelter that had been erected forthem; he could see the tops of the trees in the cottonwoodgrove--bending, twisting, leaning from the wind; the bunkhouse door wasopen, a stream of light illuminating a space in which stood several ofthe cowboys. Some were attired as usual, others but scantily, but allwere outside in the rain, singing, shouting, and pounding one another inan excess of joy. For half an hour Hollis stood at the window, watchingthem, looking out at the storm. There was no break anywhere in the skyfrom horizon to horizon. Plainly there was to be plenty of rain.Convinced of this he drew a deep breath of satisfaction, humor movinghim.
"I do hope Dunlavey and his men don't get wet." he said. He went to hi
strousers and drew forth his watch. He could not see the face of it andso he carried it to the window. The hands pointed to fifteen minutesafter one. "It's the tenth day," he smiled. "Dunlavey might have savedhimself considerable trouble in the future if he had placed a littletrust in Providence--and not antagonized the small owners. I don't thinkProvidence has been looking out for my interests, but I wonder who willstand the better in the estimation of the people of thiscounty--Dunlavey or me?"
He smiled again, sighed with satisfaction, and rolled into bed. For along time he lay, listening to the patter of the rain on the roof, andthen dropped off to sleep.