Rim o' the World
CHAPTER SIX
BELLE MEETS AN EMERGENCY IN HER OWN WAY
A Meadow Lark, his conscience comfortable after a generous breakfastof big and little worms carried to his mate hidden away under a thickclump of rabbit weed down by the creek, spread rigid wings andvolplaned to the crooked post beside the corral gate, folded hisfeathers snug and tilted his head aslant. _"Cler, cler, cler, cler-ee,cler-ee!"_ he sang, and perked a wary eye toward the low-roofedstable.
"Oh, I hear you, you sassy little sinner! I wouldn't think you'd havethe nerve, after what you've done to my radishes. I'm sure going tomix with you, if you--Rosa! Lift a heel at me and you die! Standover--don't you try squeezing me against the wall, or I'll take myquirt to you! Get over there, before I brain you! Hay-ah-h, you--"
From the sounds one would imagine that a bear, two lions and a mulehad come to handgrips in the stable, and that a woman of the Amazonswas battling with them all. The meadow lark knew better. This was hissecond season on the Devil's Tooth ranch, and he knew that BelleLorrigan was merely harnessing her pinto team in the stable, and thatnothing out of the ordinary was taking place. Being a wise bird aswell as an inquisitive one, he fluttered up to the ridge-pole of theroof and from that sanctuary listened beady-eyed to the customarytumult.
Certain staccato epithets meant merely that Subrosa was objecting tothe crupper. A sudden stamping testified that Belle had approachedRosa with the bridle. A high-keyed, musical voice chanting man-sizewords of an intimidating nature followed which proved that theharnessing was progressing as well as could be expected. Then came alull, and the meadow lark tilted forward expectantly, his head turnedsidewise to see what came next.
First came Belle Lorrigan, walking backward, a shot-loaded quirtraised admonishingly to the chin of Subrosa who walked stiff-leggedand reluctant, his white-lashed, blue eyes rolling fearsomely, hisnostrils belling in loud snorts of protest. A complexity ofemotions stirred Subrosa. Afraid to lunge forward, hating to walkcircumspectly, eager for the race yet dreading the discipline of reinand whip, Subrosa yielded perforce to the inevitable. As his heelsflicked over the low doorsill he swung round and landed one finalkick against the log wall, threw up his head in anticipation of thequirt, stepped on a dragging trace chain and jumped as though itwas a rattler.
"None of that, you cantankerous brute! One of these days I'm going tojust naturally brain you, Sub. I'm getting good and tired of thiscircus business. You settle down, now, and act human, or--"
Subrosa kicked at the trace and flipped it up so that it struck himsmartly on the rump. He jumped straight forward at Belle, who dodgedand landed the quirt none too gently on his nose. Subrosa sat downviolently, and Belle straightway kicked him in the paunch by way ofhinting that she preferred him standing. Then they had it out,rampaging all over the round-pole corral until Belle, breathing a bitfast but sparkly-eyed and victorious, led Subrosa through the gate andup to the post where she snubbed him fast. She was turning to go afterRosa when a young voice called to her anxiously.
"Oh, Mrs. Lorrigan! Quick, I'm in a hurry. I mustn't stay, becausethey'll be here in a little while. But they're coming by the road andI came down the trail, and that gave me time. I can't take any moremusic lessons, Mrs. Lorrigan. Father is that angry wi' yourhusband--and oh, Mrs. Lorrigan! If you have any hide that isna yourown, ye should hide it away at once! Because the shuriff--"
Belle laid her palms on her hips and stared blankly up at Mary Hope,who sat nervously on old Rab at the gate.
"Heavens, child! My hide is my own--and at that it's pretty wellhidden. What about the sheriff? What's he got to say about it?"
"It's the stealing, Mrs. Lorrigan. Father has the shuriff wi' him, andthey are going to search the ranch for the hides--"
"Good Lord! _What_ hides?"
"The hides of my father's cattle. And if you have any, put them awayquick, where the shuriff canna find them, Mrs. Lorrigan! It's ill Ishould go against my father, but you have been so good to me with themusic lessons, and--"
"Don't let the music lessons bother you, Hope. And I guess we'reentitled to all the cowhides we've got on the place, if that's whatyou mean. What do you think we are--thieves, Hope Douglas?"
"I dinna say it. I only came to warn ye, so that you may have time taeput your hides way oot o' their sicht when they come. I dinna wantthat your husband should go to prison, Mrs. Lorrigan. But father isthat angry--"
"Well, say! Let me tell you something, Hope. If there's any talk ofstealing and prison for the Lorrigans, your dad had better keep outamy Tom's sight. And outa mine," she added grimly. "There'll be nosearching for anything on this ranch when my Tom's not here to seewhat goes on. You better go back and tell your dad I said it. If youdon't and he brings the sheriff on here, don't blame me if somebodygets hurt."
"Oh, but it's the law they're bringing on ye! Ye canna go contrary tothe law!" Mary Hope's voice quavered with fear.
"Oh, can't I!" Belle gave her head a tilt. "You beat it, while thegoing's good. I hear voices up on the road. If you don't want your dadto come and catch you here--"
That settled it. Terror drove Mary Hope into the Devil's Tooth trailat Rab's best pace, which was a stiff-legged lope. Her last glancebackward showed her Belle Lorrigan taking her six-shooter belt off thebuckboard seat and buckling it around her waist so that the gun hungwell forward. Mary Hope shuddered and struck Rab with the quirt.
Belle had led Rosa from the stable and was cautiously fastening theneck yoke in place when the sheriff and Aleck Douglas rode around thecorner of the stable. Rosa shied and snorted and reared, and Belleused the rein-ends for a whiplash until Rosa decided that she wouldbetter submit to authority and keep her hide whole. She stood fairlyquiet after that, with little nipping dance-steps in one spot, whileBelle fastened buckles and snaps and trace chains. Subrosa, having hadhis tantrum, contented himself with sundry head-shakings and snorts.When the team was "hooked up" to Belle's satisfaction, she tied themboth firmly to the corral with short ropes, and finally turned herattention to her visitors.
"Howdy, Mr. Douglas? Fine day we're having," she greeted the dourScotchman amiably.
The sheriff coughed behind his hand, looked sidelong at his companion,rode a step or two nearer to Belle, swung a leg over the cantle of hissaddle. Perhaps he expected Aleck Douglas to introduce him, but he didnot wait for the formality.
"Mrs. Lorrigan, I'm sheriff of the county," he began ingratiatingly,when his two feet were on the ground.
"You are?" Belle flashed a row of very white teeth. "You sure don'tlook it. I'd have taken you for a regular human being."
"Mr. Douglas, here, would like to take a look at some hides Mr.Lorrigan has got curing. He thinks possibly--"
"'Tis useless to cover the truth wi' saft words, shuriff," Douglasinterrupted glumly. "'Tis stolen cattle we are tracing, and 'tis herewe wad look for the hides of them. I hae guid reason--"
"You'll find my husband at the round-up. Before you do any searching,you had better go and have a talk with him. When he's gone strangersdon't go prowling around this ranch."
"We'll have our talk with him after we've taken a look around,"the sheriff amended, grinning a little. "It's just a matter ofform--nothing you need to object to, one way or the other. I don'tsuppose we'll find anything--"
"No, I don't suppose you will. Not unless you find it on the roadback. I hate to seem unfriendly, but I'll just have to ask you tocrawl on your horse and go see Tom about it."
"Now, we don't want any unpleasantness at all, Mrs. Lorrigan. But thisman has swore out a warrant--"
"Shucks! What he does never did interest me one way or the other, anddoes not now. I'm telling you there'll be no snooping around herewhile Tom's away."
"Oh, well, now!" The sheriff rather prided himself on his ability to"handle folks peaceable," as he expressed it. He injected a littlemore of the oil of persuasiveness into his voice. It was his standardrecipe for avoiding trouble with a woman. "You don't think for aminute I'd take advantage of his absence, Mrs.
Lorrigan? Nothing likethat at all. We just want to see if a certain cowhide is here. If itisn't, then we won't need to bother Tom at all, maybe. Get down, Mr.Douglas, and we'll just have a look around. Mrs. Lorrigan ain't goingto make no objections to that."
Belle smiled. "Oh, yes, she is. She's going to do quite a lot ofobjecting. You better stay right where you are, Scotty. You're a heapsafer."
The sheriff began to lose patience. "Now, look here, Mrs. Lorrigan!You're dealing with the law, you know. We can't have any nonsense."
"We won't have," Belle assured him placidly. "That's what I've beentrying to beat into your head. Why, good Lord! Can't you take the hintand see I'm trying not to have any trouble with yuh? I don't want tohave to _run_ you off the ranch--but as you say, there's not going tobe any nonsense. I said, _go_. I'm waiting to see if you've got senseenough to do it."
"Sa-ay! Just look here now! Do you know it's a State's prison offenseto resist an officer!" The sheriff's face was growing red.
Belle laughed. "Sure. But I'm not. You--you're irresistible! And Idon't know you're an officer."
This went over the sheriff's head and was wasted, though Aleck Douglaspulled down his mouth at the corners as though he was afraid he mightsmile if he were not careful.
The sheriff took up his bridle reins, preparing to lead his horse overto a post and tie him. He glanced at Belle and saw that she had asix-shooter in her hand and a glitter in her eyes. Quite naturally hehesitated. Then, at a perfectly plain signal from the gun, he turnedhis palms toward her at a level with his shoulders.
"You needn't tie up. Crawl into the saddle and drift."
"I've got a search warrant--"
"You can keep it and show it to Tom. And get off this ranch just asquick as that horse can take you. I'll have you both arrested fortrespassing. I'm not taking your word for anything, you see. _I_ don'tknow anything about your warrant--hey, Riley!" This to the cook, whocame, taking steps as long as his legs would let him, and swinging adamp dishcloth in one moist red hand.
"Riley, here's a man claims he's the sheriff and that he's got awarrant to search the ranch. I don't believe a word of it, and I'veordered him off the place. I wouldn't for the world resist an officerof the law--put your hands up a little higher, Mr. Man!--but when Tomain't home no stranger is going to come snooping around here if I canstop him. Ain't that right, Riley?"
"That's right, Belle," Riley acquiesced, working his oversized Adam'sapple convulsively. (Riley, by the way, would just as readily haveapproved of murder if Belle had asked for his approval.)
"Well, you're a witness that I'm from Missouri. I've told this man togo tell his troubles to Tom. If he's honest he'll do it. If he don'tgo in about ten seconds, I'm going to throw a bullet through his hat._Then_ if he hangs around, I shall shoot him in his left leg justabout six inches above the knee. I can do it, can't I, Riley?"
"Well, now, you shore can, Belle!" Riley nodded his head emphatically."If you say six, I'd shore gamble a year's wages it won't be five,or seven. Six inches above his knee goes, if you say six."
"All right. I'm just defending the ranch when Tom's gone. You hear me,Mr. Man. Now, you git!"
The sheriff turned and opened his mouth to protest, and Belle shot thepromised bullet through his hat crown. The sheriff ducked and made awild scramble for the stirrup.
"Open your mouth again and I'll be awfully tempted to shoot thatcrooked tooth out of it," Belle observed. "And in ten seconds,remember, you're going to get--"
The sheriff still had two of the ten seconds to spare when he left,Aleck Douglas following him glumly.
"It's him, all right. It's the sheriff, Belle," Riley informed her,while they watched the two clatter up the road to where the real gradebegan. "What's eatin' on 'em? Likely he did have a search warrant."
"He can use it, after I'm through. Old Scotty is trailing some rustledstock, they claim. They came here looking for hides. You keep an eyeout, Riley, and see if they keep going. I guess they will--they'll goafter Tom. I'm going to have a look at those cowhides in the oldshed."
"Better let me," Riley offered. "It ain't any job for a woman nohow.You watch the trail and I'll look."
Belle would not even consider the proposition. The Lorrigan reputationnever had troubled her much,--but it sent her now to the shed wherehides were kept stored until the hide buyer made his next annual visitthrough the country. She did not believe that she would find any brandsave the various combinations of the NL monogram, but she meant tomake sure before any stranger was given access to the place.
The _job_ was neither easy nor pleasant, but she did it thoroughly.Riley, roosting meditatively on the top rail of the corral where hecould watch the road down the bluff, craned his long neck inquiringlytoward her when she returned.
"Nothing but NL stuff, just as I thought," said Belle, holding herhands as far away from her face as possible. "I knew Tom wouldn't haveany stolen hides on the place--but it was best to make sure."
"No ma'am, he wouldn't. I'm shore surprised they'd come and try tofind any. Looks bad to me, Belle. Looks to me like somebody is shoretryin' to start somethin'. There's plenty in the Black Rim would liketo see Tom railroaded to the pen--plenty. Looks to me like they'reaimin' to pin something on him. No, sir, I don't like it. Uh course,"he went on, letting himself loose-jointedly to the ground, "theycouldn't get nothing on Tom--not unless they framed something. But Iwouldn't put it a-past 'em to do it. No, ma'am, I wouldn't."
"Your bread's burning, Riley. I can smell it. Don't you never thinkthey'll frame on Tom. They may try it--but that's as far as they'llget. They don't want to start anything with the Lorrigans!"
"Well, I left the oven door open. She ain't burning to hurt. Yuh see,Scotty Douglas, he's religious and he don't never pack a gun. Themkind's bad to tangle up with; awful bad. There ain't nothing much aman can do with them religious birds. Them not being armed, you can'tshoot--it's murder. And that kinda ties a man's hands, as yuh mightsay. They always take advantage of it, invariable. No, ma'am, it looksbad."
"It'll look worse--for them that tries any funny business with thisoutfit," Belle assured him. "Go along and 'tend to your baking. Youknow I hate burnt bread. I'm going to drive over and see what they'reup to."
She untied Rosa and Subrosa, and because she was in a hurry shepermitted Riley to hold them by the bits while she climbed in, got thelines firmly in one hand and her blacksnake in the other. Not oftendid she deign to accept assistance, and Riley was all aquiver withgratified vanity at this mark of her favor.
"Turn 'em loose--and get to that bread!" she cried, and circled thepintos into the road. "You, Sub! Cut that out, now--settle down! Rosa!Stead-dy, I ain't any Ben Hur pulling off a chariot race, remember!"
At a gallop they took the first sandy slope of the climb, and Bellelet them go. They were tough--many's the time they had hit the levelon top of the ridge without slowing to a walk on the way up. They hadno great load to pull, and if it pleased them to lope instead of trot,Belle would never object.
As she sat jouncing on the seat of a buckboard with rattly spokes inall of the four wheels and a splintered dashboard where Subrosa landedhis heels one day when he had backed before he kicked, one felt thatshe would have made a magnificent charioteer. Before she had gone halfa mile her hair was down and whipping behind her like a goldenpennant. Her big range hat would have gone sailing had it not beentied under her chin with buckskin strings. Usually she sang as shehurtled through space, but to-day the pintos missed her voice.
Five miles out on the range she overtook the sheriff and Aleck Douglasriding to the round-up. Aleck Douglas seldom rode faster than ajogging trot, and the sheriff was not particularly eager for hisencounter with Tom Lorrigan. For that matter, no sheriff had ever beeneager to encounter a Lorrigan. The Lorrigan family had always beencounted a hazard in the office of the sheriff, though of a truth thepresent generation had remained quiescent so far and the law had notheretofore reached its arm toward them.
The two men looked back, saw
Belle coming and parted to let her pass.Belle yelled to her team and went by with never a glance towardeither, and the two stared after her without a word until she hadjounced down into a shallow draw and up the other side, the pintosnever slowing their lope.
"Well, I'm darned!" ejaculated the sheriff. His name, by the way, wasPerry. "I've heard tell of Belle Lorrigan drivin' hell-whoopin' overthe country with a team of bronks, but I kinda thought they wasstretching the truth. I guess not, though, if that's a sample."
"The woman hersel' is no so bad. 'Tis the men folk that are black wi'sin. Drinkin', swearin', gamblin' thieves they be, and 'tis well theyshould be taught a lesson." The Douglas head wagged self-righteously.
"Maybe it would be a good idea to go back and search the ranch now,while she's gone." The sheriff pulled up, considering. "I didn't wantany trouble with her; I never do quarrel with a woman if I can getaround it any way. She's a holy terror. I guess I'll just ride backand take a look at them hides."
Aleck Douglas eyed him sardonically, thinking perhaps of theblack-edged bullet hole that showed plainly in the sheriff'shat-crown.
"'Tis a deal safer wi' the woman oot of the way," he agreed drily.
The sheriff nodded and turned back.