A Guest at the Ludlow, and Other Stories

  EARNING A REWARD

  XVI

  Those were troublous times indeed. All-wool justice in the courts wasimpossible. The vigilance committee, or Salvation army, as it calleditself, didn't make much fuss about its work, but we all knew that thebest citizens belonged to it, and were in good standing.

  It was in those days that young Stewart was short-handed for asheep-herder, and had to take up with a sullen, hairy vagrant called bythe other boys, "Esau." Esau hadn't been on the ranch a week before hemade trouble with the proprietor and got from Stewart the red-hotblessing he deserved.

  Then Esau got madder and skulked away down the valley among the littlesage brush hummocks and white alkali wasteland, to nurse his wrath.When Stewart drove into the corral that night, Esau rose up from behindan old sheep dip-tank, and without a word except what may have growledaround in his black heart, he leveled a Spencer rifle and shot his youngemployer dead.

  That was the tragedy of that week only. Others had occurred before andothers would probably occur again. Tragedy was getting too prevalent forcomfort. So as soon as a quick cayuse and a boy could get down intotown, the news spread and the authorities began in the routine manner toset the old legal mill to running. Some one had to go down to "TheTivoli" and find the prosecuting attorney, then a messenger had to go to"The Alhambra" for the justice of the peace. The prosecuting attorneywas "full," and the judge had just drawn one card to complete a straightflush, and had succeeded.

  So it took time to get square-toed justice ready and arm the sheriffwith the proper documents.

  In the meantime the Salvation army was fully half way to Clugston'sranch. They had started out, as they said, "to see that Esau didn't getaway." They were also going to see that Esau was brought into town.

  What happened after they got out there I only know from hearsay, for Iwas not a member of the Salvation army at that time. But I learned fromone of those present, that they found Esau down in the sage brush on thebottoms that lie between the abrupt corner of Sheep mountain and theLittle Laramie river. They captured him but he died soon after, as itwas told me, from the effects of opium taken with suicidal intent. Iremember seeing Esau the next morning, and I thought I noticed signs ofropium, as there was a purple streak around the neck of the deceased,together with other external phenomena not peculiar to opium.

  But the grand difficulty with the Salvation army was that it didn't wantto bring Esau into town. A long, cold night ride with a person in Esau'scondition was disagreeable. Twenty miles of lonely road with adeceased murderer in the bottom of the wagon is depressing. Those ofmy readers who have tried it will agree with me that it is notcalculated to promote hilarity.

  _Mr. Whatley hadn't gone more than half a mile when heheard the wild and disappointed yells of the Salvation army_(Page 159)]

  So the Salvation army stopped at Whatley's ranch to get warm, hopingthat some one would steal the remains and elope with them. They stayedsome time and managed to "give away" the fact that there was a reward of$5,000 out for Esau, dead or alive. The Salvation army even went so faras to betray a good deal of hilarity over the easy way it had nailed thereward or would as soon as said remains were delivered up andidentified.

  Mr. Whatley thought that the Salvation army was having a kind of walkaway, so he slipped out at the back door of the ranch, put Esau into hisown wagon and drove off to town. Remember, this is the way it was toldto me.

  Mr. Whatley hadn't gone more than half a mile when he heard the wild anddisappointed yells of the Salvation army. He put the buckskin on theback of his horse without mercy, urged on by the enraged shouts andyells of his infuriated pursuers. He reached town about midnight, andhis pursuers disappeared. But what was he to do with Esau?

  He drove around all over town trying to find the official who signed forthe deceased. He went from house to house like a vegetable vender,seeking sadly for the party who would give him a $5,000 check for Esau.Nothing could be more depressing than to wake up one man after anotherout of a sound sleep, and invite him to come out to the buggy andidentify the remains. One man went out and looked at him. He said hedidn't know how others felt about it, but he allowed that anybody whowould pay $5,000 for such a remains as Esau's could not have very goodtaste.

  Gradually it crept through Mr. Whatley's wool that the Salvation armyhad been working him, so he left Esau at the engine house and went home.On his ranch he nailed up a large board, on which had been painted inantique characters, with a paddle and tar, the following:

  [finger right] Vigilance Committees, Salvation Armies, Morgues, or young physicians who may have deceased people on their hands, are requested to refrain from conferring them on to the undersigned.

  [finger right] People who contemplate shuffling off their own or other people's mortal coils will please not do so on these grounds.

  [finger right] The Salvation Army of the Rocky Mountains is especially hereby warned to keep off the Grass! JAMES WHATLEY.