CHAPTER X
DISAPPEARANCE OF THE ORPHAN
During the night Ferguson had dreamed dreams. A girl with fluffy brownhair and mocking eyes had been the center of many mental pictures thathad haunted him. He had seen her seated before him, rapidly plying apencil. Once he imagined he had peered over her shoulder. He had seena sketch of a puncher, upon which she appeared to be working,representing a man who looked very like himself. He could rememberthat he had been much surprised. Did writers draw the pictures thatappeared in their books?
This puncher was sitting in a chair; one foot was bandaged. As hewatched over the girl's shoulder he saw the deft pencil forming theoutlines of another figure--a girl. As this sketch developed he sawthat it was to represent Miss Radford herself. It was a clever pencilthat the girl wielded, for the scene was strikingly real. He evencaught subtle glances from her eyes. But as he looked the scenechanged and the girl stood at the edge of the porch, her eyes mockinghim. And then to his surprise she spoke. "I am going to put you intoa book," she said.
Then he knew why she had tolerated him. He had grown hot andembarrassed. "You ain't goin' to put me in any book, ma'am," he hadsaid. "You ain't givin' me a square deal. I wouldn't love no girlthat would put me into a book."
He had seen a sudden scorn in her eyes. "Love!" she said, her lipscurling. "Do you really believe that I would allow a puncher to makelove to me?"
And then the scene had changed again, and he was shooting the head offa rattler. "I don't want you to love me!" he had declared to it. Andthen while the snake writhed he saw another head growing upon it, and aface. It was the face of Leviatt; and there was mockery in this facealso. While he looked it spoke.
"You'll nurse him so's he won't die?" it had said.
When he awakened his blood was surging with a riotous anger. The dreamwas bothering him now, as he rode away from the ranchhouse toward thegully where he had found the dead Two Diamond cow. He had not reportedthe finding of the dead cow, intending to return the next morning tolook the ground over and to fetch the "dogie" back to the home ranch.It would be time enough then to make a report of the occurrence toStafford.
It was mid-morning when he finally reached the gully and rode down intoit. He found the dead cow still there. He dismounted to drive awaysome crows that had gathered around the body. Then he noticed that thecalf had disappeared. It had strayed, perhaps. A calf could not bedepended upon to remain very long beside its dead mother, though he hadknown cases where they had. But if it had strayed it could not be veryfar away. He remounted his pony and loped down the gully, reaching theridge presently and riding along this, searching the surroundingcountry with keen glances. He could see no signs of the calf. He cameto a shelf-rock presently, beside which grew a tangled gnarl ofscrub-oak brush. Something lay in the soft sand and he dismountedquickly and picked up a leather tobacco pouch. He examined thiscarefully. There were no marks on it to tell who might be the owner.
"A man who loses his tobacco in this country is mighty careless," heobserved, smiling; "or in pretty much of a hurry."
He went close to the thicket, looking down at it, searching the sandwith interest. Presently he made out the impression of a foot in asoft spot and, looking further, saw two furrows that might have beenmade by a man kneeling. He knelt in the furrows himself and with onehand parted the brush. He smiled grimly as, peering into the gully, hesaw the dead Two Diamond cow on the opposite side.
He stepped abruptly away from the thicket and looked about him. A fewyards back there was a deep depression in the ridge, fringed with agrowth of nondescript weed. He approached this and peered into it.Quite recently a horse had been there. He could plainly see thehoof-prints--where the animal had pawed impatiently. He returned tothe thicket, convinced.
"Some one was here yesterday when I was down there lookin' at thatcow," he decided. "They was watchin' me. That man I seen ridin' thatother ridge was with the one who was here. Now why didn't this manslope too?"
He stood erect, looking about him. Then he smiled.
"Why, it's awful plain," he said. "The man who was on this ridge waswatchin'. He heard my gun go off, when I shot that snake. I reckon hefiggered that if he tried to ride away on this ridge whoever'd done theshootin' would see him. An' so he didn't go. He stayed right here an'watched me when I rode up." He smiled. "There ain't no use lookin'for that dogie. The man that stayed here has run him off."
There was nothing left for Ferguson to do. He mounted and rode slowlyalong the ridge, examining the tobacco pouch. And then suddenly hediscovered something that brought an interested light to his eyes.Beneath the greasy dirt on the leather he could make out the faintoutlines of two letters. Time had almost obliterated these, but bymoistening his fingers and rubbing the dirt from the leather he wasable to trace them. They had been burned in, probably branded with aminiature iron.
"D. L," he spelled.
He rode on again, his lips straightening into serious lines.
He mentally catalogued the names he had heard since coming to the TwoDiamond. None answered for the initials "D. L." It was evident thatthe pouch could belong to no one but Dave Leviatt. In that case whathad Leviatt been doing on the ridge? Why, he had been watching therustler, of course. In that case the man must be known to him. Butwhat had become of the dogie? What would have been Leviatt's duty,after the departure of the rustlers? Obviously to drive the calf tothe herd and report the occurrence to the manager.
Leviatt may have driven the calf to the herd, but assuredly he had notreported the occurrence to the manager, for he had not been in to theranchhouse. Why not?
Ferguson pondered long over this, while his pony traveled the rivertrail toward the ranchhouse. Finally he smiled. Of course, if the manon the ridge had been Leviatt, he must have been there still whenFerguson came up, or he would not have been there to drive the TwoDiamond calf to the herd after Ferguson had departed. In that case hemust have seen Ferguson, and must be waiting for the latter to make thereport to the manager. But what motive would he have in this?
Here was more mystery. Ferguson might have gone on indefinitelyarranging motives, but none of them would have brought him near thetruth.
He could, however, be sure of three things. Leviatt had seen therustler and must know him; he had seen Ferguson, and knew that he knewthat a rustler had been in the gully before him; and for somemysterious reason he had not reported to the manager. But Ferguson hadone advantage that pleased him, even drew a grim smile to his lips ashe rode on his way. Leviatt may have seen him near the dead TwoDiamond cow, but he certainly was not aware that Ferguson knew hehimself had been there during the time that the rustler had been atwork.
Practically, of course, this knowledge would avail Ferguson little.Yet it was a good thing to know, for Leviatt must have some reason forsecrecy, and if anything developed later Ferguson would know exactlywhere the range boss stood in the matter.
Determined to investigate as far as possible, he rode down the riverfor a few miles, finally reaching a broad plain where the cattle werefeeding. Some cowboys were scattered over this plain, and beforeriding very far Ferguson came upon Rope. The latter spurred close tohim, grinning.
"I'm right glad to see you," said the puncher. "You've been keepin'yourself pretty scarce. Scared of another run-in with Leviatt?"
"Plum scared," returned Ferguson. "I reckon that man'll make menervous--give him time."
"Yu' don't say?" grinned Rope. "I wasn't noticin' that you wasworryin' about him."
"I'm right flustered," returned Ferguson. "Where's he now?"
"Gone down the crick--with Tucson."
Ferguson smoothed Mustard's mane. "Leviatt been with you right along?"
"He went up the crick yesterday," returned Rope, looking quickly at thestray-man.
"Went alone, I reckon?"
"With Tucson." Rope was trying to conceal his interest in thesequestions.
But apparently F
erguson's interest was only casual. He turned aquizzical eye upon Rope. "You an' Tucson gettin' along?" he questioned.
"Me an' him's of the same mind about one thing," returned Rope.
"Well, now." Ferguson's drawl was pregnant with humor. "You surpriseme. An' so you an' him have agreed. I reckon you ain't willin' totell me what you've agreed about?"
"I'm sure tellin'," grinned Rope. "Me an' him's each dead certain thatthe other's a low down horse thief."
The eyes of the two men met fairly. Both smiled.
"Then I reckon you an' Tucson are lovin' one another about as well asme an' Leviatt," observed Ferguson.
"There ain't a turruble lot of difference," agreed Rope.
"An' so Tucson's likin' you a heap," drawled Ferguson absently. Hegravely contemplated the puncher. "I expect you was a long ways offyesterday when Leviatt an' Tucson come in from up the crick?" he asked.
"Not a turruble ways off," returned Rope. "I happened to have this endan' they passed right close to me. They clean forgot to speak."
"Well, now," said Ferguson. "That was sure careless of them. But Ireckon they was busy at somethin' when they passed. In that case theywouldn't have time to speak. I've heard tell that some folks can't domore'n one thing at a time."
Rope laughed. "They was puttin' in a heap of their time tryin' to makeme believe they didn't see me," he returned. "Otherwise they wasn'tdoin' anything."
"Shucks!" declared Ferguson heavily. "I reckon them men wouldn't goout of their way to drive a poor little dogie in off the range.They're that hard hearted."
"Correct," agreed Rope. "You ain't missin' them none there."
Ferguson smiled, urging his pony about. "I'm figgerin' on gettin' backto the Two Diamond," he said. He rode a few feet and then halted,looking back over his shoulder. "You ain't givin' Tucson no chancst tosay you drawed first?" he warned.
Rope laughed grimly. "If there's any shootin' goin' on," he replied,"Tucson ain't goin' to say nothin' after it's over."
"Well, so-long," said Ferguson, urging his pony forward. He heardRope's answer, and then rode on, deeply concerned over his discovery.
Leviatt and Tucson had ridden up the river the day before. They hadreturned empty handed. And so another link had been added to the chainof mystery. Where was the dogie?