CHAPTER XIX
After supper Duane stole out for his usual evening's spying. The nightwas dark, without starlight, and a stiff wind rustled the leaves. Duanebent his steps toward the Longstreth's ranchhouse. He had so much tothink about that he never knew where the time went. This night when hereached the edge of the shrubbery he heard Lawson's well-known footstepsand saw Longstreth's door open, flashing a broad bar of light in thedarkness. Lawson crossed the threshold, the door closed, and all wasdark again outside. Not a ray of light escaped from the window.
Little doubt there was that his talk with Longstreth would beinteresting to Duane. He tiptoed to the door and listened, but couldhear only a murmur of voices. Besides, that position was too risky. Hewent round the corner of the house.
This side of the big adobe house was of much older construction thanthe back and larger part. There was a narrow passage between the houses,leading from the outside through to the patio.
This passage now afforded Duane an opportunity, and he decided toavail himself of it in spite of the very great danger. Crawling on verystealthily, he got under the shrubbery to the entrance of the passage.In the blackness a faint streak of light showed the location of a crackin the wall. He had to slip in sidewise. It was a tight squeeze, but heentered without the slightest noise. As he progressed the passage grewa very little wider in that direction, and that fact gave rise to thethought that in case of a necessary and hurried exit he would do best byworking toward the patio. It seemed a good deal of time was consumed inreaching a vantage-point. When he did get there the crack he had markedwas a foot over his head. There was nothing to do but find toe-holes inthe crumbling walls, and by bracing knees on one side, back against theother, hold himself up Once with his eye there he did not care what riskhe ran. Longstreth appeared disturbed; he sat stroking his mustache; hisbrow was clouded. Lawson's face seemed darker, more sullen, yet lightedby some indomitable resolve.
"We'll settle both deals to-night," Lawson was saying. "That's what Icame for."
"But suppose I don't choose to talk here?" protested Longstreth,impatiently. "I never before made my house a place to--"
"We've waited long enough. This place's as good as any. You've lost yournerve since that ranger hit the town. First now, will you give Ray tome?"
"Floyd; you talk like a spoiled boy. Give Ray to you! Why, she's awoman, and I'm finding out that she's got a mind of her own. I told youI was willing for her to marry you. I tried to persuade her. But Rayhasn't any use for you now. She liked you at first. But now she doesn't.So what can I do?"
"You can make her marry me," replied Lawson.
"Make that girl do what she doesn't want to? It couldn't be done even ifI tried. And I don't believe I'll try. I haven't the highest opinionof you as a prospective son-in-law, Floyd. But if Ray loved you I wouldconsent. We'd all go away together before this damned miserable businessis out. Then she'd never know. And maybe you might be more like you usedto be before the West ruined you. But as matters stand, you fight yourown game with her. And I'll tell you now you'll lose."
"What'd you want to let her come out here for?" demanded Lawson, hotly."It was a dead mistake. I've lost my head over her. I'll have her ordie. Don't you think if she was my wife I'd soon pull myself together?Since she came we've none of us been right. And the gang has put up aholler. No, Longstreth, we've got to settle things to-night."
"Well, we can settle what Ray's concerned in, right now," repliedLongstreth, rising. "Come on; we'll ask her. See where you stand."
They went out, leaving the door open. Duane dropped down to rest himselfand to wait. He would have liked to hear Miss Longstreth's answer. Buthe could guess what it would be. Lawson appeared to be all Duane hadthought him, and he believed he was going to find out presently that hewas worse.
The men seemed to be absent a good while, though that feeling might havebeen occasioned by Duane's thrilling interest and anxiety. Finallyhe heard heavy steps. Lawson came in alone. He was leaden-faced,humiliated. Then something abject in him gave place to rage. He strodethe room; he cursed. Then Longstreth returned, now appreciably calmer.Duane could not but decide that he felt relief at the evident rejectionof Lawson's proposal.
"Don't fuss about it, Floyd," he said. "You see I can't help it. We'repretty wild out here, but I can't rope my daughter and give her to youas I would an unruly steer."
"Longstreth, I can MAKE her marry me," declared Lawson, thickly.
"How?"
"You know the hold I got on you--the deal that made you boss of thisrustler gang?"
"It isn't likely I'd forget," replied Longstreth, grimly.
"I can go to Ray, tell her that, make her believe I'd tell itbroadcast--tell this ranger--unless she'd marry me."
Lawson spoke breathlessly, with haggard face and shadowed eyes. He hadno shame. He was simply in the grip of passion. Longstreth gazed withdark, controlled fury at this relative. In that look Duane saw a strong,unscrupulous man fallen into evil ways, but still a man. It betrayedLawson to be the wild and passionate weakling. Duane seemed to see alsohow during all the years of association this strong man had upheldthe weak one. But that time had gone for ever, both in intent onLongstreth's part and in possibility. Lawson, like the great majorityof evil and unrestrained men on the border, had reached a point whereinfluence was futile. Reason had degenerated. He saw only himself.
"But, Floyd, Ray's the one person on earth who must never know I'm arustler, a thief, a red-handed ruler of the worst gang on the border,"replied Longstreth, impressively.
Floyd bowed his head at that, as if the significance had just occurredto him. But he was not long at a loss.
"She's going to find it out sooner or later. I tell you she knows nowthere's something wrong out here. She's got eyes. Mark what I say."
"Ray has changed, I know. But she hasn't any idea yet that her daddy'sa boss rustler. Ray's concerned about what she calls my duty as mayor.Also I think she's not satisfied with my explanations in regard tocertain property."
Lawson halted in his restless walk and leaned against the stonemantelpiece. He had his hands in his pockets. He squared himself as ifthis was his last stand. He looked desperate, but on the moment showedan absence of his usual nervous excitement.
"Longstreth, that may well be true," he said. "No doubt all you say istrue. But it doesn't help me. I want the girl. If I don't get her--Ireckon we'll all go to hell!"
He might have meant anything, probably meant the worst. He certainlyhad something more in mind. Longstreth gave a slight start, barelyperceptible, like the switch of an awakening tiger. He sat there, headdown, stroking his mustache. Almost Duane saw his thought. He had longexperience in reading men under stress of such emotion. He had no meansto vindicate his judgment, but his conviction was that Longstreth rightthen and there decided that the thing to do was to kill Lawson.For Duane's part he wondered that Longstreth had not come to such aconclusion before. Not improbably the advent of his daughter had putLongstreth in conflict with himself.
Suddenly he threw off a somber cast of countenance, and he began totalk. He talked swiftly, persuasively, yet Duane imagined he was talkingto smooth Lawson's passion for the moment. Lawson no more caught thefateful significance of a line crossed, a limit reached, a decreedecided than if he had not been present. He was obsessed with himself.How, Duane wondered, had a man of his mind ever lived so long and goneso far among the exacting conditions of the Southwest? The answer was,perhaps, that Longstreth had guided him, upheld him, protected him. Thecoming of Ray Longstreth had been the entering-wedge of dissension.
"You're too impatient," concluded Longstreth. "You'll ruin any chanceof happiness if you rush Ray. She might be won. If you told her who I amshe'd hate you for ever. She might marry you to save me, but she'd hateyou. That isn't the way. Wait. Play for time. Be different with her.Cut out your drinking. She despises that. Let's plan to sell outhere--stock, ranch, property--and leave the country. Then you'd have ashow with her."
"I told you
we've got to stick," growled Lawson. "The gang won'tstand for our going. It can't be done unless you want to sacrificeeverything."
"You mean double-cross the men? Go without their knowing? Leave themhere to face whatever comes?"
"I mean just that."
"I'm bad enough, but not that bad," returned Longstreth. "If I can'tget the gang to let me off, I'll stay and face the music. All the same,Lawson, did it ever strike you that most of the deals the last few yearshave been YOURS?"
"Yes. If I hadn't rung them in there wouldn't have been any. You've hadcold feet, and especially since this ranger has been here."
"Well, call it cold feet if you like. But I call it sense. We reachedour limit long ago. We began by rustling a few cattle--at a time whenrustling was laughed at. But as our greed grew so did our boldness. Thencame the gang, the regular trips, the one thing and another till, beforewe knew it--before I knew it--we had shady deals, holdups, and MURDERSon our record. Then we HAD to go on. Too late to turn back!"
"I reckon we've all said that. None of the gang wants to quit. They allthink, and I think, we can't be touched. We may be blamed, but nothingcan be proved. We're too strong."
"There's where you're dead wrong," rejoined Longstreth, emphatically."I imagined that once, not long ago. I was bullheaded. Who would everconnect Granger Longstreth with a rustler gang? I've changed my mind.I've begun to think. I've reasoned out things. We're crooked, and wecan't last. It's the nature of life, even here, for conditions to growbetter. The wise deal for us would be to divide equally and leave thecountry, all of us."
"But you and I have all the stock--all the gain," protested Lawson.
"I'll split mine."
"I won't--that settles that," added Lawson, instantly.
Longstreth spread wide his hands as if it was useless to try to convincethis man. Talking had not increased his calmness, and he now showed morethan impatience. A dull glint gleamed deep in his eyes.
"Your stock and property will last a long time--do you lots of good whenthis ranger--"
"Bah!" hoarsely croaked Lawson. The ranger's name was a match applied topowder. "Haven't I told you he'd be dead soon--any time--same as Laramieis?"
"Yes, you mentioned the--the supposition," replied Longstreth,sarcastically. "I inquired, too, just how that very desired event was tobe brought about."
"The gang will lay him out."
"Bah!" retorted Longstreth, in turn. He laughed contemptuously.
"Floyd, don't be a fool. You've been on the border for ten years. You'vepacked a gun and you've used it. You've been with rustlers when theykilled their men. You've been present at many fights. But you never inall that time saw a man like this ranger. You haven't got sense enoughto see him right if you had a chance. Neither have any of you. The onlyway to get rid of him is for the gang to draw on him, all at once. Thenhe's going to drop some of them."
"Longstreth, you say that like a man who wouldn't care much if he diddrop some of them," declared Lawson; and now he was sarcastic.
"To tell you the truth, I wouldn't," returned the other, bluntly. "I'mpretty sick of this mess."
Lawson cursed in amazement. His emotions were all out of proportion tohis intelligence. He was not at all quick-witted. Duane had never seen avainer or more arrogant man.
"Longstreth, I don't like your talk," he said.
"If you don't like the way I talk you know what you can do," repliedLongstreth, quickly. He stood up then, cool and quiet, with flash ofeyes and set of lips that told Duane he was dangerous.
"Well, after all, that's neither here nor there," went on Lawson,unconsciously cowed by the other. "The thing is, do I get the girl?"
"Not by any means except her consent."
"You'll not make her marry me?"
"No. No," replied Longstreth, his voice still cold, low-pitched.
"All right. Then I'll make her."
Evidently Longstreth understood the man before him so well that hewasted no more words. Duane knew what Lawson never dreamed of, and thatwas that Longstreth had a gun somewhere within reach and meant to useit. Then heavy footsteps sounded outside tramping upon the porch. Duanemight have been mistaken, but he believed those footsteps saved Lawson'slife.
"There they are," said Lawson, and he opened the door.
Five masked men entered. They all wore coats hiding any weapons. A bigman with burly shoulders shook hands with Longstreth, and the othersstood back.
The atmosphere of that room had changed. Lawson might have been anonentity for all he counted. Longstreth was another man--a stranger toDuane. If he had entertained a hope of freeing himself from this band,of getting away to a safer country, he abandoned it at the very sight ofthese men. There was power here, and he was bound.
The big man spoke in low, hoarse whispers, and at this all the othersgathered around him close to the table. There were evidently some signsof membership not plain to Duane. Then all the heads were bent over thetable. Low voices spoke, queried, answered, argued. By straining hisears Duane caught a word here and there. They were planning, and theywere brief. Duane gathered they were to have a rendezvous at or nearOrd.
Then the big man, who evidently was the leader of the presentconvention, got up to depart. He went as swiftly as he had come, and wasfollowed by his comrades. Longstreth prepared for a quiet smoke. Lawsonseemed uncommunicative and unsociable. He smoked fiercely and drankcontinually. All at once he straightened up as if listening.
"What's that?" he called, suddenly.
Duane's strained ears were pervaded by a slight rustling sound.
"Must be a rat," replied Longstreth.
The rustle became a rattle.
"Sounds like a rattlesnake to me," said Lawson.
Longstreth got up from the table and peered round the room.
Just at that instant Duane felt an almost inappreciable movement of theadobe wall which supported him. He could scarcely credit his senses. Butthe rattle inside Longstreth's room was mingling with little dull thudsof falling dirt. The adobe wall, merely dried mud, was crumbling. Duanedistinctly felt a tremor pass through it. Then the blood gushed back tohis heart.
"What in the hell!" exclaimed Longstreth.
"I smell dust," said Lawson, sharply.
That was the signal for Duane to drop down from his perch, yet despitehis care he made a noise.
"Did you hear a step?" queried Longstreth.
No one answered. But a heavy piece of the adobe wall fell with a thud.Duane heard it crack, felt it shake.
"There's somebody between the walls!" thundered Longstreth.
Then a section of the wall fell inward with a crash. Duane began tosqueeze his body through the narrow passage toward the patio.
"Hear him!" yelled Lawson. "This side!"
"No, he's going that way," yelled Longstreth.
The tramp of heavy boots lent Duane the strength of desperation. Hewas not shirking a fight, but to be cornered like a trapped coyote wasanother matter. He almost tore his clothes off in that passage. The dustnearly stifled him. When he burst into the patio it was not a singleinstant too soon. But one deep gasp of breath revived him and he was up,gun in hand, running for the outlet into the court. Thumping footstepsturned him back. While there was a chance to get away he did not want tofight. He thought he heard someone running into the patio from the otherend. He stole along, and coming to a door, without any idea of where itmight lead, he softly pushed it open a little way and slipped in.