The Sky Pilot: A Tale of the Foothills

  CHAPTER XVII

  HOW THE PINTO SOLD

  The glow of virtuous feeling following the performance of their generousact prepared the men for a keener enjoyment than usual of a night'ssport. They had just begun to dispose themselves in groups about thefire for poker and other games when Hi rode up into the light and withhim a stranger on Gwen's beautiful pinto pony.

  Hi was evidently half drunk and, as he swung himself of his bronco,he saluted the company with a wave of the hand and hoped he saw them"kickin'."

  Bill, looking curiously at Hi, went up to the pinto and, taking him bythe head, led him up into the light, saying:

  "See here, boys, there's that pinto of mine I was telling you about; noflies on him, eh?"

  "Hold on there! Excuse me!" said the stranger, "this here hoss belongsto me, if paid-down money means anything in this country."

  "The country's all right," said Bill in an ominously quiet voice, "butthis here pinto's another transaction, I reckon."

  "The hoss is mine, I say, and what's more, I'm goin' to hold him," saidthe stranger in a loud voice.

  The men began to crowd around with faces growing hard. It was dangerousin that country to play fast and loose with horses.

  "Look a-hyar, mates," said the stranger, with a Yankee drawl, "I ain'tno hoss thief, and if I hain't bought this hoss reg'lar and paid downgood money then it ain't mine--if I have it is. That's fair, ain't it?"

  At this Hi pulled himself together, and in a half-drunken tone declaredthat the stranger was all right, and that he had bought the horse fairand square, and "there's your dust," said Hi, handing a roll to Bill.But with a quick movement Bill caught the stranger by the leg, and,before a word could be said, he was lying flat on the ground.

  "You git off that pony," said Bill, "till this thing is settled."

  There was something so terrible in Bill's manner that the man contentedhimself with blustering and swearing, while Bill, turning to Hi, said:

  "Did you sell this pinto to him?"

  Hi was able to acknowledge that, being offered a good price, and knowingthat his partner was always ready for a deal, he had transferred thepinto to the stranger for forty dollars.

  Bill was in distress, deep and poignant. "'Taint the horse, but theleetle gel," he explained; but his partner's bargain was his, andwrathful as he was, he refused to attempt to break the bargain.

  At this moment the Hon. Fred, noting the unusual excitement about thefire, came up, followed at a little distance by his wife and The Duke.

  "Perhaps he'll sell," he suggested.

  "No," said Bill sullenly, "he's a mean cuss."

  "I know him," said the Hon. Fred, "let me try him." But the strangerdeclared the pinto suited him down to the ground and he wouldn't taketwice his money for him.

  "Why," he protested, "that there's what I call an unusual hoss, and downin Montana for a lady he'd fetch up to a hundred and fifty dollars." Invain they haggled and bargained; the man was immovable. Eighty dollarshe wouldn't look at, a hundred hardly made him hesitate. At this pointLady Charlotte came down into the light and stood by her husband,who explained the circumstances to her. She had already heard Bill'sdescription of Gwen's accident and of her part in the church-buildingschemes. There was silence for a few moments as she stood looking at thebeautiful pony.

  "What a shame the poor child should have to part with the dear littlecreature!" she said in a low tone to her husband. Then, turning to thestranger, she said in clear, sweet tones:

  "What do you ask for him?" He hesitated and then said, lifting his hatawkwardly in salute: "I was just remarking how that pinto would fetchone hundred and fifty dollars down into Montana. But seein' as a lady isenquirin', I'll put him down to one hundred and twenty-five."

  "Too much," she said promptly, "far too much, is it not, Bill?"

  "Well," drawled Bill, "if 'twere a fellar as was used to ladies he'doffer you the pinto, but he's too pizen mean even to come down to theeven hundred."

  The Yankee took him up quickly. "Wall, if I were so blanked--pardon,madam"--taking off his hat, "used to ladies as some folks would like tothink themselves, I'd buy that there pinto and make a present of it tothis here lady as stands before me." Bill twisted uneasily.

  "But I ain't goin' to be mean; I'll put that pinto in for the even moneyfor the lady if any man cares to put up the stuff."

  "Well, my dear," said the Hon. Fred with a bow, "we cannot well let thatgage lie." She turned and smiled at him and the pinto was transferredto the Ashley stables, to Bill's outspoken delight, who declared he"couldn't have faced the music if that there pinto had gone across theline." I confess, however, I was somewhat surprised at the ease withwhich Hi escaped his wrath, and my surprise was in no way lessened whenI saw, later in the evening, the two partners with the stranger takinga quiet drink out of the same bottle with evident mutual admiration anddelight.

  "You're an A1 corker, you are! I'll be blanked if you ain't a bird--asingin' bird--a reg'lar canary," I heard Hi say to Bill.

  But Bill's only reply was a long, slow wink which passed into a frownas he caught my eye. My suspicion was aroused that the sale of the pintomight bear investigation, and this suspicion was deepened when Gwen nextweek gave me a rapturous account of how splendidly Bill had disposedof the pinto, showing me bills for one hundred and fifty dollars! To mylook of amazement, Gwen replied:

  "You see, he must have got them bidding against each other, and besides,Bill says pintos are going up."

  Light began to dawn upon me, but I only answered that I knew they hadrisen very considerably in value within a month. The extra fifty wasBill's.

  I was not present to witness the finishing of Bill's bluff, but was toldthat when Bill made his way through the crowded aisle and laid his fivehundred and fifty dollars on the schoolhouse desk the look of disgust,surprise and finally of pleasure on Robbie's face, was worth a hundredmore. But Robbie was ready and put down his two hundred with the singleremark:

  "Ay! ye're no as daft as ye look," mid roars of laughter from all.

  Then The Pilot, with eyes and face shining, rose and thanked them all;but when he told of how the little girl in her lonely shack in the hillsthought so much of the church that she gave up for it her beloved pony,her one possession, the light from his eyes glowed in the eyes of all.

  But the men from the ranches who could understand the full meaningof her sacrifice and who also could realize the full measure of hercalamity, were stirred to their hearts' depths, so that when Billremarked in a very distinct undertone, "I cherish the opinion that thishere Gospel shop wouldn't be materializin' into its present shape butfor that leetle gel," there rose growls of approval in a variety oftones and expletives that left no doubt that his opinion was that ofall.

  But though The Pilot never could quite get at the true inwardness ofBill's measures and methods, and was doubtless all the more comfortablein mind for that, he had no doubt that while Gwen's influence was themoving spring of action, Bill's bluff had a good deal to do withthe "materializin'" of the first church in Swan Creek, and in thisconviction, I share.

  Whether the Hon. Fred ever understood the peculiar style of Bill'sfinancing, I do not quite know. But if he ever did come to know, he wasfar too much of a man to make a fuss. Besides, I fancy the smile on hislady's face was worth some large amount to him. At least, so the look ofproud and fond love in his eyes seemed to say as he turned away with herfrom the fire the night of the pinto's sale.