Chapter XVIII
Rutherford Answers Questions
Beulah Rutherford took back with her to Huerfano Park an almostintolerable resentment against the conditions of her life. She had thefamily capacity for sullen silence, and for weeks a kind of despairingrage simmered in her heart. She was essentially of a very direct,simple nature, clear as Big Creek where it tumbled down from the top ofthe world toward the foothills. An elemental honesty stirred in her.It was necessary to her happiness that she keep her own self-respectand be able to approve those she loved.
Just now she could do neither. The atmosphere of the ranch seemed tostifle her. When she rode out into a brave, clean world of sunshine,the girl carried her shame along. Ever since she could remember,outlaws and miscreants had slipped furtively about the suburbs of herlife. The Rutherfords themselves were a hard and savage breed. Totheir door had come more than one night rider flying for his life, andBeulah had accepted the family tradition of hospitality to those atodds with society.
A fierce, untamed girl of primitive instincts, she was the heritor ofthe family temperament. But like threads of gold there ran through thewarp of her being a fineness that was her salvation. She hatedpassionately cruelty and falsehood and deceit. All her life she hadwalked near pitch and had never been defiled.
Hal Rutherford was too close to her not to feel the estrangement of herspirit. He watched her anxiously, and at last one morning he spoke.She was standing on the porch waiting for Jeff to bring Blacky whenRutherford came out and put his arm around her shoulder.
"What is it, honey?" he asked timidly.
"It's--everything," she answered, her gaze still on the distant hills.
"You haven't quarreled with Brad?"
"No--and I'm not likely to if he'll let me alone."
Her father did not press the point. If Brad and she had fallen out,the young man would have to make his own _amende_.
"None of the boys been deviling you?"
"No."
"Aren't you going to tell dad about it, Boots?"
Presently her dark eyes swept round to his.
"Why did you say that you didn't know anything about the WesternExpress robbery?"
He looked steadily at her. "I didn't say that, Beulah. What I saidwas that I didn't know where the stolen gold was hidden--and I didn't."
"That was just an evasion. You meant me to think that we had hadnothing to do with the--the robbery."
"That's right. I did."
"And all the time--" She broke off, a sob choking her throat.
"I knew who did it. That's correct. But I wasn't a party to therobbery. I knew nothing about it till afterward."
"I've always believed everything you've told me, dad. And now--"
He felt doubt in her shaken voice. She did not know what to think now.Rutherford set himself to clear away her suspicions. He chose to do itby telling the exact truth.
"Now you may still believe me, honey. The robbery was planned byTighe. I'll not mention the names of those in it. The day after itwas pulled off, I heard of it for the first time. Dave Dingwell knewtoo much. To protect my friends I had to bring him up here. LegallyI'm guilty of abduction and of the train robbery, too, because I buttedin after the hold-up and protected the guilty ones. I even tried tosave for them the gold they had taken."
"Were--any of the boys in it, dad?" she quavered.
"One of them. I won't tell you which."
"And Brad?"
"We're not giving names, Boots."
"Oh, well! I know he was one of them." She slipped her arm within herfather's and gave his hand a little pressure. "I'm glad you told me,just the same, dad. I'd been thinking--worse things about you."
"That's all right, honey. Now you won't worry any more, will you?"
"I don't know. . . . That's not all that troubles me. I feel bad whenthe boys drink and brawl. That attack on Mr. Beaudry at Battle Buttewas disgraceful," she flamed. "I don't care if he did come up herespying. Why can't they let him alone?"
He passed a hand in a troubled fashion through his grizzled hair. "Youcan bet our boys won't touch him again, Boots. I've laid the law down.But I can't answer for Tighe. He'll do him a meanness if he can, andhe'll do it quicker since I've broken off with him because you helpedDingwell and Beaudry to escape. I don't know about Brad."
"I told Brad if he touched him again, I would never speak to him."
"Maybe that will hold him hitched, then. Anyhow, I'm not going to makethe young fellow trouble. I'd rather let sleeping dogs lie."
Beulah pressed her arm against his. "I haven't been fair to you, dad.I might have known you would do right."
"I aim to stay friends with my little girl no matter what happens.Yore mother gave you into my hands when she was dying and I promised tobe mother and father to you. Yore own father was my brother Anse. Hedied before you were born. I've been the only dad you ever had, and Ireckon you know you've been more to me than any of my own boys."
"You shouldn't say that," she corrected quickly. "I'm a girl, and, ofcourse, you spoil me more. That's all."
She gave him a ferocious little hug and went quickly into the house.Happiness had swept through her veins like the exquisite flush of dawn.Her lustrous eyes were wells of glad tears.
The owner of the horse ranch stood on the porch and watched a ridercoming out of the gulch toward him. The man descended heavily from hishorse and moved down the path. Rutherford eyed him grimly.
"Well, I'm back," the dismounted horseman said surlily.
"I see you are."
"Got out of the hospital Thursday."
"Hope you've made up yore mind to behave, Dan."
"It doesn't hurt a man to take a drink onc't in a while."
"Depends on the man. It put you in the hospital."
Meldrum ripped out a sudden oath. "Wait. Just wait till I get thatpink-ear. I'll drill him full of holes right."
"By God, you'll not!" Rutherford's voice was like the snap of a whip."Try it. Try it. I'll hunt you down like a wolf and riddle yorecarcass."
In amazement the ex-convict stared at him. "What's ailin' you,Rutherford?"
"I'm through with you and Tighe. You'll stop making trouble or you'llget out of here. I'm going to clean up the park--going to make it aplace where decent folks can live. You've got yore warning now, Dan.Walk a straight chalk-line or hit the trail."
"You can't talk that way to me, Rutherford. I know too much,"threatened Meldrum, baring his teeth.
"Don't think it for a minute, Dan. Who is going to take yore wordagainst mine? I've got the goods on you. I can put you through forrustling any time I have a mind to move. And if you don't let youngBeaudry alone, I'll do it."
"Am I the only man that ever rustled? Ain't there others in the park?I reckon you've done some night-riding yore own self."
"Some," drawled Rutherford, with a grim little smile. "By and large,I've raised a considerable crop of hell. But I'm reforming in my oldage. New Mexico has had a change of heart. Guns are going out,Meldrum, and little red schoolhouses are coming in. We've got to keepup with the fashions."
"Hmp! Schoolhouses! I know what's ailin' you. Since AnseRutherford's girl--"
"You're off the reservation, Dan," warned the rancher, and again hislow voice had the sting of cactus thorns in it.
Meldrum dropped that subject promptly. "Is Buck going to join thisSunday-School of yours?" he jeered. "And all the boys?"
"That's the programme. Won't you come in, too?"
"And Jess Tighe. He'll likely be one of the teachers."
"You'd better ask him. He hasn't notified me."
"Hell! You and yore kin have given the name to deviltry in thiscountry. Mothers scare their kids by telling them the Rutherfords willgit them."
"Fact. But that's played out. My boys are grown up and are at theturn of the trail. It hit me plumb in the face when you fools pulledoff that express robbery. It's a piece
of big luck you're not allheaded for the penitentiary. I know when I've had enough. So now Iquit."
"All right. Quit. But we haven't all got to go to the mourner's benchwith you, have we? You can travel yore trail and we can go ours, can'twe?"
"Not when we're on the same range, Dan. What I say goes." The eyes ofRutherford bored into the cruel little shifty ones of the bad man."Take yore choice, Dan. It's quit yore deviltry or leave this part ofthe country."
"Who elected you czar of Huerfano Park?" demanded Meldrum, furious withanger.
He glared at the ranchman impotently, turned away with a mumbled oath,and went back with jingling spurs to his horse.