Chapter XIII
Beulah Interferes
They felt their way up in the darkness. The path was rough and atfirst pitch-black. After a time they emerged from the aspens into moreopen travel. Here were occasional gleams of light, as if the moonstood tip-toe and peered down between the sheer walls of Chicito to theobscure depths below.
Beulah led. Mountain-born and bred, she was active as a bighorn. Herslenderness was deceptive. It concealed the pack of her long ripplingmuscles, the deep-breasted strength of her torso. One might havemarched a long day's journey without finding a young woman moreperfectly modeled for grace and for endurance.
"What are you going to try to do?" Beaudry asked of her timidly.
She turned on him with a burst of feminine ferocity. "Is that any ofyour business? I didn't ask you to come with me, did I? Go down tothe horse ranch and ask dad to help you out of the park. Then, whenyou're safe with your friends, you can set the officers on him. Tellthem he is a criminal--just as you told me."
Her biting tongue made him wince. "If I told you that I'm sorry. Ihad no right. You've saved my life. Do you think it likely I wouldbetray your people after that?"
"How do I know what a spy would do? Thank God, I can't put myself inthe place of such people," she answered disdainfully.
He smiled ruefully. She was unjust, of course. But that did notmatter. Roy knew that she was wrought up by what he had told her.Pride and shame and hatred and distrust spoke in her sharp words. Wasit not natural that a high-spirited girl should resent such a chargeagainst her people and should flame out against the man who had woundedher? Even though she disapproved of what they had done, she would flyto their defense when attacked.
From the dark gash of the ravine they came at last to the opening whereMeldrum lived.
The young woman turned to Beaudry. "Give me your revolver belt."
He hesitated. "What are you going to do?"
Plainly she would have liked to rebuff him, but just now he had thewhip hand. Her sullen answer came slowly.
"I'm going to tell my brother that father needs him. When he has gone,I'll see what I can do."
"And what am I to do while you are inside?"
"Whatever you like." She held out her hand for his belt.
Not at all willingly he unbuckled it. "You'll be careful," he urged."Meldrum is a bad man. Don't try any tricks with him."
"He knows better than to touch a hair of my head," she assured him withproud carelessness. Then, "Hide in those trees," she ordered.
Ned Rutherford answered her knock on the door of the _jacal_. At sightof her he exclaimed:--
"What are you doing here, Boots? At this time of night? Anythingwrong?"
"Dad needs you, Ned. It seems there is trouble about that young manStreet. Jess Tighe has sworn to kill him and dad won't have it.There's trouble in the air. You're to come straight home."
"Why didn't he send Jeff?"
"He needed him. You're to keep on down through the canon to the mouth.Jess has the mouth of the arroyo guarded to head off Street."
"But--what's broke? Why should Tighe be so keen on bumping off thispink-ear when dad says no?"
"They've found out who he is. It seems Street is an _alias_. He isreally Royal Beaudry, the son of the man who used to be sheriff of thecounty, the one who crippled Jess the day he was killed."
The slim youth in the high-heeled boots whistled. He understood nowwhy Tighe dared to defy his father.
"All right, Boots. With you in a minute, soon as I get my hat and letDan know."
"No. I'm to stay here till dad sends for me. He doesn't want me nearthe trouble."
"You mean you're to stay at Rothgerber's."
"No, here. Tighe may attack Rothgerber's any time to get this youngBeaudry. I heard shooting as I came up."
"But--you can't stay here. What's dad thinking about?" he frowned.
"If you mean because of Mr. Dingwell, I know all about that."
"Who told you?" he demanded.
"Dad can't keep secrets from me. There's no use his trying."
"Hm! I notice he loaded us with a heap of instructions not to let youknow anything. He'd better learn to padlock his own tongue."
"Isn't there a room where I can sleep here?" Beulah asked.
"There's a cot in the back room," he admitted sulkily. "But youcan't--"
"That's another thing," she broke in. "Dad doesn't want Dan left alonewith Mr. Dingwell."
"Who's that out there, Ned?" growled a heavy voice from inside.
Beulah followed her brother into the hut. Two men stared at her inamazement. One sat on the bed with a leg tied to the post. The otherwas at the table playing solitaire, a revolver lying beside the cards.The card-player was Meldrum. He jumped up with an oath.
"Goddlemighty! What's she doing here?" he demanded in his hoarseraucous bass.
"That's her business and mine," Rutherford answered haughtily.
"It's mine too, by God! My neck's in the noose, ain't it?" screamedthe former convict. "Has everybody in the park got to know we'rehiding Dingwell here? Better put it in the paper. Better--"
"Enough of that, Dan. Dad is running this show. Obey orders, and thatlets you out," retorted the young man curtly. "You've met my sister,haven't you, Dave?"
The cattleman smiled at the girl. "Sure. We had a little ridetogether not long since. I owe you a new raincoat. Don't I, MissBeulah?"
She blushed a little. "No, you don't, Mr. Dingwell. The mud came offafter it dried."
"That's good." Dave turned to Rutherford. The little devils ofmischief were in his eyes. "Chet Fox was with us, but he didn'tstay--had an engagement, he said. He was in some hurry to keep it,too."
But though he chatted with them gayly, the ranchman's mind wassubconsciously busy with the new factor that had entered into theproblem of his captivity. Why had Rutherford allowed her to come? Hecould not understand that. Every added one who knew that he was hereincreased the danger to his abductors. He knew how fond the owner ofthe horse ranch was of this girl. It was odd that he had let herbecome incriminated in his lawless plans. Somehow that did not seemlike Hal Rutherford. One point that stood out like the Map of Texasbrand was the effect of her coming upon his chances. To secure theirsafety neither Tighe nor Meldrum would stick at murder. Ten minutesago the prudent way out of the difficulty would have been for them toarrange his death by accident. Now this was no longer feasible. Whenthe Rutherford girl had stepped into the conspiracy, it became one offinesse and not bloodshed. Was this the reason that her father hadsent her--to stay the hands of his associates already reaching towardthe prisoner? There was no question that Meldrum's finger had beenitching on the trigger of his revolver for a week. One of the youngRutherfords had been beside him day and night to restrain the man.
Dave was due for another surprise when Ned presently departed after awhispered conference with Meldrum and left his sister in the hut.Evidently something important was taking place in another part of thepark. Had it to do with young Beaudry?
From his reflections the cattleman came to an alert attention. MissRutherford was giving Meldrum instructions to arrange her bed in theback room.
The convict hesitated. "I can't leave him here alone with you," heremonstrated surlily.
"Why can't you?" demanded Beulah incisively. "He's tied to the bedpostand I have my gun. I can shoot as straight as you can. What harm canhe do me in five minutes? Don't be an idiot, Dan."
Meldrum, grumbling, passed into the back room.
In an instant Beulah was at the table, had drawn out a drawer, and hadseized a carving knife. She turned on Dingwell, eyes flashing.
"If I help you to escape, will you swear to say nothing that will hurtmy father or anybody else in the park?" she demanded in a low voice.
"Yes--if young Beaudry has not been hurt."
"You swear it."
"Yes."
She tossed him the
knife, and moved swiftly back to the place where shehad been standing. "Whatever my father wants you to do you'd betterdo," she said out loud for the benefit of Meldrum.
Dingwell cut the ropes that bound his leg. "I'm liable to be Dan'sguest quite awhile yet. Rutherford and I don't quite agree on theterms," he drawled aloud.
Beulah tossed him her revolver. "I'll call Dan, but you're not to hurthim," she whispered.
When Meldrum came in answer to her summons, he met the shock of hislife. In Dingwell's competent hand was a revolver aimed at his heart.
The man turned savagely to Beulah. "So I'm the goat," he said with acurse. "Rutherford is going to frame me, is he? I'm to go to the penin place of the whole bunch. Is that it?"
"No, you've guessed wrong. Yore hide is safe this time, Meldrum," thecattleman explained. "Reach for the roof. No, don't do that. . . .Now, turn yore face to the wall."
Dave stepped forward and gathered in the forty-four of the enemy. Healso relieved him of his "skinning" knife. With the deft hands of anold roper he tied the man up and flung him on the bed.
This done, Dingwell made straight for the larder. Though he wasravenous, the cattleman ate with discretion. Into his pockets hepacked all the sandwiches they would hold.
"Is it true that you--that they didn't give you anything to eat?" askedBeulah.
He looked at her--and lied cheerfully.
"Sho, I got cranky and wouldn't eat. Yore folks treated me fine. Igot my neck bowed. Can't blame them for that, can I?"
"We must be going," she told him. "If you don't get over the passbefore morning, Tighe might catch you."
He nodded agreement. "You're right, but I've got to look out for youngBeaudry. Do you know where he is?"
"He is waiting outside," the girl said stiffly. "Take him away withyou. I'll not be responsible for him if he comes back. We don't likespies here."
They found Roy lying against the wall of the hut, his white faceshining in the moonlight.
"What's the matter with you?" demanded Miss Rutherford sharply.
"I'm all right." Roy managed to rise and lean against the _jacal_. "Isee you made it. Mr. Dingwell, my name is Beaudry."
"Glad to know you." The cattleman's strong hand gripped his limp one."Yore father was the gamest man I ever knew and one of my best friends."
The keen eyes of Beulah had been fastened on Roy. She recalled whatshe had heard the man say in the orchard. In her direct fashion sheflung a question at the young man.
"Are you wounded? Did that man hit you when he fired?"
"It's in my shoulder--just a flesh wound. The bleeding has stoppedexcept when I move."
"Why didn't you say something about it?" she asked impatiently. "Doyou think we're clairvoyants? We'd better get him into the house andlook at it, Mr. Dingwell."
They did as she suggested. A bullet had ploughed a furrow across theshoulder. Except for the loss of blood, the wound was not serious.With the help of Miss Rutherford, which was given as a matter of courseand quite without embarrassment, Dave dressed and bandaged the hurtlike an expert. In his adventurous life he had looked after many menwho had been shot, and had given first aid to a dozen with broken bones.
Roy winced a little at the pain, but he made no outcry. He was not ababy about suffering. That he could stand as well as another. Whatshook his nerve was the fear of anticipation, the dread of an impendingdisaster which his imagination magnified.
"You'd better hurry," he urged two or three times. "Some one mightcome any minute."
Dave looked at him, a little surprised. "What's the urge, son? We'vegot two six-guns with us if anybody gets too neighborly."
But Beulah was as keen for the start as Beaudry. She did not want themen escaping from the park to meet with her people. To avoid this,rapid travel was necessary.
As soon as Roy was patched up they started.