Meg of Mystery Mountain

  CHAPTER X. A CATTLE-MAN FRIEND

  The next day Dan seemed to be much better as the crisp morning air thatswept into their drawing-room was very invigorating. By noon he declaredthat he was quite strong enough to go to the diner for lunch, and, whilethere, the excited children pointed out to him their friend Mr. Packard.

  That kindly man bowed and smiled, noting as he did so that the older girlin their party drew herself up haughtily. The observer, who was aninterested student of character, did not find it hard, having seen Jane,to understand the lack of enthusiasm which the children had shown whenspeaking of her.

  Not wishing to thrust his acquaintance upon the girl, who so evidentlydid not desire it, the man passed their table on his way from the dinerwithout pausing.

  It is true that Julie had made a slight move as though to call to him,but this Mr. Packard had not seen, as a cold, rebuking glance from Jane'sdark eyes had caused the small girl to sit back in her chair, inwardlyrebellious.

  Dan, noting this, said: "I like your friend's appearance. I think I shallgo with you for a while to the observation platform. I cannot breathe toomuch of this wonderful air."

  Jane reluctantly consented to accompany them there. "Gee-golly, how Ihope Mr. Packard is there," Gerald whispered as he led the way.

  The Westerner rose when the young people appeared and Jane quicklyrealized that he was not as uncouth as she had supposed all rancherswere.

  Dan was made as comfortable as possible and he at once said: "Mr.Packard, Gerald tells me that you are our neighbor. That is indeed goodnews."

  "You have only one nearer neighbor," the man replied, "and that is thefamily of a trapper named Heger. They have a cabin high on yourmountain."

  Then, turning toward Jane, he said: "Their daughter, whom they call Meg,is just about your age, I judge. She is considered the most beautifulgirl in the Redfords district. Indeed, for that matter, she is the mostbeautiful girl whom I have ever seen, and I have traveled a good deal.How pleased Meg will be to have you all for near neighbors."

  Jane's thoughts were indignant, and her lips curled scornfully, but asMr. Packard's attention had been drawn to Gerald, he did not know thathis remarks had been received almost wrathfully.

  "Ranchers must have strange ideas of beauty!" she was assuring herself."How this crude man could say that a trapper's daughter is the mostbeautiful girl he has ever met when he was looking directly at _me_, issimply incomprehensible. Mr. Packard is evidently a man without taste orknowledge of social distinctions."

  Jane soon excused herself, and going to their drawing-room, she attemptedto read, but her hurt vanity kept recurring to her and she most heartilywished she was back East, where her type of beauty was properlyappreciated. It was not strange, perhaps, that Jane thought herselfwithout a peer, for had she not been voted the most beautiful girl atHighacres Seminary, and many of the others had been the attractivedaughters of New York's most exclusive families.

  Dan returned to their drawing-room an hour later, apparently muchstronger, and filled with a new enthusiasm. "It's going to be great,these three months in the West. I'm so glad that we have made theacquaintance of this most interesting neighbor. He is a well educatedman, Jane." Then glancing at his sister anxiously, "You didn't like him,did you? I wish you had for my sake and the children's."

  Jane shrugged her slender shoulders. "Oh, don't mind about me. I canendure him, I suppose."

  Dan sighed and stretched out to rest until the dinner hour arrived.

  Julie and Gerald joined them, jubilantly declaring that they were toreach their destination the next morning before sun-up.

  "Then we must all retire early," Dan said. This plan was carried out, butfor hours Jane sobbed softly into her pillow. It was almost more than shecould bear. She had started this journey just on an impulse, and she_did_ want to help Dan, who had broken down trying to work his waythrough college that there might be money enough to keep her atHighacres. It was their father who had been inconsiderate of them. If hehad let the poor people lose the money they had invested rather than giveup all he had himself, she, Jane, could have remained at the fashionableseminary and Dan would have been well and strong.

  Indeed everything would have been far better.

  But the small voice in the girl's soul which now and then succeeded inmaking itself heard caused Jane to acknowledge: "Of course Dad is soconscientious, he would never have been happy if he believed that hismoney really belonged to the poor people who had trusted him."

  It was midnight before Jane fell asleep, and it seemed almost no time atall before she heard a tapping on her door. She sat up and looked out ofthe window. Although the sky was lightening, the stars were still shiningwith a wonderful brilliancy in the bit of sky that she could see. Then avoice, which she recognized as that of Mr. Packard, spoke.

  "Time to get up, young friends. We'll be at Redfords in half an hour."

  Gerald leaped to his feet when he heard the summons. Then, when hegrasped the fact that they were nearly at their destination, he gave awhoop of joy.

  "Hurry up, Julie," he shook his still sleeping young sister. "We are'most to Mystery Mountain, and, Oh, boy, what jolly fun we're going tohave."

  Half an hour later, Mr. Packard and the young Abbotts stood on a platformwatching the departing train. Then they turned to gaze about them. Itsurely was a desolate scene. The low log depot was the only building insight, and, closing in about them on every side were silent, dark,fir-clad mountains that looked bold and stern in the chill gray light ofearly dawn. Jane shuddered. How tragically far away from civilization,from the gay life she so enjoyed--all this seemed.

  The station master, a native grown too old for more active duty, shuffledtoward them, chewing tobacco in a manner that made his long gray beardmove sideways. His near-sighted eyes peered through his brass-rimmedspectacles, but, when he recognized one of the new arrivals, he grinnedbroadly. In a high, cracked voice he exclaimed: "Wall, if 'tain't SilasPackard home again from the East. Glad to git back to God's country,ain't you now, Si? Brought a parcel of young folks along this trip? Wall,I don't wonder at it. Your big place is sort o' lonesome wi' no wimminfolks into it. What? You don' mean to tell me these here are Dan Abbott'skids! Wall, wall. How-de-do? Did I know yer pa? Did I know Danny Abbott?I reckon I was the furst man in these here parts that did know him. Hecome to my camp, nigh to the top of Redfords' Peak, the week he landedhere from college." The old man took off his bearskin cap and scratchedhis head. "Nigh onto twenty-five year, I make it. Yep, that's jest what'twas. That's the year we struck the payin' streak over t'other side ofthe mountain, and folks flocked in here thicker'n buzzards arter a deadsheep. Yep, that's the year the Crazy Creek Camp sprung up, and that'show yer pa come to buy where he did."

  Then, encouraged by the interest exhibited by at least three of the youngpeople, the old man continued:

  "The payin' streak, where the camp was built, headed straight that way,and I sez to him, sez I--'Dan Abbott,' sez I, 'If I was you I'd use themoney I'd fetched to get aholt of that 160 acres afore it's nabbed bythese rich folks that's tryin' to grab all the mines,' sez I. 'That'swhat I'd do.' And so Dan tuk it, but as luck would have it, that veinpetered out to nothin' an' I allays felt mighty mean, havin' Dan stuckthat way wi' so much land an' no gold on it, but he sez to me, 'Gabby,'that's my name; 'Gabby,' sez he, 'don' go to feelin' bad about it, notone mite. That place is jest what I've allays wanted. When a fellow'stired out, there's nothin' so soothin',' sez he, 'as a retreat,' that'swhat he called it, 'a retreat in the mountains.' But he didn't need 160acres to retreat on, so he let go all but ten. He'd built a log cabin onit that had some style, not jest a shack like the rest of us miners runup, then Dan went away for a spell--but by and by he come back." The oldman's leathery face wrinkled into a broad smile. "An' he didn't come backalone! I reckon you young Abbotts know who 'twas he fetched back withhim. It was the purtiest gal 'ceptin' one that I ever laid eyes on.You're the splitti
n' image of the bride Danny brought." The small blueeyes that were almost hidden under shaggy gray brows turned toward Jane."Yep, you look powerful like your ma."

  But Jane had heard only one thing, which was that even this garrulous oldman knew one other person whom he considered more beautiful. How shewanted to ask the question, but there was no time, for "Gabby" neverhesitated except to change the location of his tobacco quid or to do somelong distance expectorating.

  Turning to Mr. Packard, he began again: "Meg Heger's took to comin' downto Redfords school ag'in. She's packin' a gun now. That ol' sneakin' Uteis still trailin' her. I can't figger out what he wants wi' her. Theslinkin' coyote! She ain't got nothin' but beauty, and Indians ain't sopowerful set on that. Thar sure sartin is a mystery somewhere."

  The old man stopped talking to peer through near-sighted eyes at thecanon road.

  "I reckon here's the stage coach," he told them, "late, like it allaysis. If 'tain't the ho'ses as falls asleep on the way, then it's Sourfacehis self. Si, do yo' mind the time when the stage was a-goin' down theToboggan Grade----"

  It was quite evident that Gabby was launched on another long yarn, butMr. Packard laughingly interrupted, placing a kindly hand on the oldman's shoulder.

  "Tell us about that at another time, Gab," he said. "We're eager to getto the town and have some breakfast."

  He picked up Jane's satchel and Dan's also, and led the way to the edgeof the platform, where an old-fashioned stage was waiting. Four whitehorses stood with drooping heads and on the high seat another old man washuddled in a heap as though he felt the need of seizing a few moments'rest before making the return trip to Redfords.

  "They have just come up the steep Toboggan Grade," Mr. Packard said byway of explanation. "That's why the horses look tired."

  Then in his cheerful way he shouted: "Hello, there, Wallace. How goesit?"

  The man on the seat sat up and looked down at the passengers with anexpression so surly on his leathery countenance that it was not hard forthe young people to know why he had been given his nickname, but he saidnothing, nor was there in his eyes a light of recognition. With a grunt,which might have been intended as a greeting, he motioned them to getinto the lower part of the stage, which they did.

  Then he jerked at the reins and the horses came to life and started backthe way they had so recently come. Gabby had followed them to the edge ofthe platform, and as far as the Abbotts could make out, he was stilltelling them the story which Mr. Packard had interrupted.

  "How cold it is!" Julie shivered as she spoke and cuddled close to Dan.He smiled down at her and then said:

  "Mr. Packard, this is wonderful air, so crisp and invigorating. I feelbetter already. Honestly, I'll confess now, the last two days on thetrain I feared you would have to carry me off when we got here, butnow"--the lad paused and took a long breath of the mountain air--"I feelas though I had been given a new lease on life."

  The older man laid a bronzed hand on the boy's sleeve.

  "Dan," he said, "you have. When you leave here in three months you'll beas well as I am, and that's saying a good deal."

  Then the lad surprised Jane by exclaiming: "Perhaps I won't want toleave. There's a fascination to me about all this."

  He waved his free arm out toward the mountains. "And your nativecharacters, Mr. Packard, interest me exceedingly. You see," Dan smilinglyconfessed, "my ambition is to become a writer. I would like to put'Gabby' into a story."

  Mr. Packard's eyes brightened. "Do it, Dan! Do it!" he said with realenthusiasm. "Personally I can't write a line, not easily, but I have realadmiration for men who can, and I am a great reader. Come over soon andsee my library."

  Then he cautioned: "I told you to write, but don't begin yet. Not untilyou are stronger. Stay outdoors for a time, boy. Climb to the rim rock,take notes, and then later, when you are strong, you will find them ofvalue."

  While they had been talking, the stage had started down a steep, narrowcanon. The mountain walls on both sides were almost perpendicular, andfor a time nothing else was to be seen. It was more than a mile inlength, and they could soon see the valley opening below them.

  "Redfords proper," Mr. Packard smilingly told them as he nodded in thatdirection. "It is not much of a metropolis."

  The young Abbotts looked curiously ahead, wondering what the town wouldbe like.