CHAPTER XIII
Ma Briskow always had been known as a woman without guile, but of lateshe had developed rare powers of dissimulation. She was, in fact,leading a double life, and neither her husband nor her daughtersuspected the extent of her deception. To the patrons of the BurlingtonNotch Hotel she was merely a drab, indistinct, washed-out old woman,unmarked except by a choice of clashing colors in dress; to her familyshe remained what she always had been; nobody dreamed that she was inreality a bandit queen, the leader of a wild, unfettered band ofmountaineers. But that is what she was. And worse at times.
Yes, Ma had slipped the leash. She was a robber baroness; she dwelt ina rocky "fastness"--whatever that was--surrounded by a crew of outlawsas desperate as any that ever drew cutlass and dagger, and she ruledthem not only by native strength of character, but also by the aid ofother forces, for she was on friendly terms with the more prominentwood sprites, fairies, and the like, and they brought her wisdom.Moreover, she had learned the language of dumb animals and could talkto squirrels, beetles, porcupines, frogs.
All this, as may be surmised, had come about as the result of Ma'searly reading: a haphazard choice of story books, in which were talesof treasure trove, of pirates, of wronged maidens and gallantsquires--romantic stories peculiarly designed to stir a crampedimagination like hers. It was from them that she had gained her ideasof the world, her notions of manners, even her love of the mountains,and that unquenchable desire to see them that she had confided toCalvin Gray.
He it was, by the way, who had selected the Notch for these Texasnesters. It had proved a happy choice, for the hotel sat upon the topof the world, and beneath it lay outspread the whole green and purplevastness of the earth. The Briskows were entranced, of course, and,once they had established themselves here, they never thought ofmoving, nor did it occur to them that there might--be other mountainsthan these, other hotels as good as this. To them Burlington Notchbecame merely a colloquial name for Paradise, and life in the greathotel itself a beautiful dream.
The place was famous the country over as a health resort, and, indeed,it must have possessed miraculous curative properties, otherwise GusBriskow, strong and vigorous as he was, could never have survived theshock of receiving his first week's bill. It was with conflictingemotions that he had divided the sum at the foot of the statement intoseven parts and realized the daily ransom in which he and his familywere held; it had given him a feeling of tremendous importance andextreme insignificance. He spoke feelingly that night about the highcost of loafing, but Ma showed such dismay at the mere suggestion ofleaving that he had resigned himself, and thereafter the sight of hisweekly bill evoked nothing more than a shudder and a prayer--a prayerthat none of his wells would go dry overnight.
But lifelong habits of prudence are not easily broken. The Notch Hotelwas altogether too rich for Gus Briskow's blood, so he sought a morecongenial environment. He found it in the village, in a livery stable;there, amid familiar odors and surroundings both agreeable andeconomical, he spent most of his time, leaving Ma to amuse herself andAllie to pursue the routine of studies laid down by her tutoress.
Now Ma had not gone wild all at once; her atavism had been gradual--theresult of her persistent explorations. She had never seen a realwaterfall, for instance, and the first one proved so amazing that shewas impelled to seek more, after which she became interested in caves,and before long her ramblings had taken her up every watercourse andinto every ravine in the neighborhood. This sense of treading untroddenground roused in Ma a venturesome spirit of independence, anunsuspected capacity for adventure, and when the wealth of herdiscoveries failed to awaken interest in her family she ceasedreporting them and became more solitary than ever in her habits. Everymorning she slipped out of the hotel, meandered through the groundsapparently without purpose, but in reality pursuing a circuitous routeand taking sudden twistings and turnings to throw pursuers off thescent. Ever deeper into the wilderness she penetrated, but with the slycaution of an old fox returning to its lair, for she was always beingfollowed by wicked people, such, for instance, as minions of the law,members of the Black Hand, foreign spies, gen-darmys, and detectifs.Having baffled them all, she laughed scornfully, flung deceit to thewinds, then hurried straight to the "fastness," and there uttered thetribal call. At the sound her gypsy band came bounding forth to meether, and she gave them her royal hand to kiss, raising them graciouslywhen they knelt, giving a kind word here or a sharp reprimand there.
They were the fiercest gypsies in the world, and quarrelsome, too. Theywere forever fighting among themselves and crying: "Curse you, JackDalton! Take that!" and plunging swords into one another, but they hadgood hearts and they loved Ma and were devoted to her lost cause. Shecould handle them where others would have failed.
Having accepted their homage and heard the details of their latestraids against her enemy, the false Duke of Dallas--he whose treacheryhad made her what she was--she assumed her throne and held formal court.
The throne was a low, flat rock beside a stream, and usually Ma removedher shoes and stockings and paddled her feet in the water while shegave audience to visiting potentates. Those enlarged joints neverseemed to accommodate themselves wholly to the sort of shoes Allie madeher wear. Court "let out" when Ma's feet had become rested, after whichthere were less formal affairs of state to settle. These out of theway, it was time for the queen's recreations, which took the form ofsinging, dancing, conversations with animals, visits with the invisiblefairy folk who lived in flowers and gave them their pretty smells.
Ma never had any trouble putting in the whole day in some such manneras this; evening came all too soon, as a matter of fact. Then it wasthat she bade good-by to her faithful subjects and prepared once moreto fare forth and mingle, in the cunning guise of an old woman, withthe followers of the false and lying Duke of Dallas. But courage!Patience! The day of reckoning was at hand when she would come into herown and the world would recognize her as the wronged but rightfulPrincess Pensacola.
Thus would Ma Briskow spend one morning. Another perhaps she would bean altogether different character, but always she was young andbeautiful and full of grace, and only when it came time to go did sheassume the disguise of an aged, wrinkled, bent old woman. Sometimes sheran miles and miles at a stretch, darting, springing like a fawn,rushing through the soft, green leaves, leaping rock and rill, herlaughter echoing, her bare limbs flashing, her gold hair streaming, herscanty silken draperies whipped to shreds behind her by the veryswiftness of her going. Oh, the ecstasy of that! The excitement!
Of course Ma did not actually run. Neither did her bare limbsflash--being incased in flannels. And her hair was not gold. It wasgray, what little there was of it. No, she ambled a bit, perhaps, wherethe grass was short and the ground smooth, then she stood still, closedher eyes, and ran and leaped and swayed and darted--with her arms.Anybody can do it.
At other times she defied gravitation, a secret accomplishment all herown, which she manifested in this wise. She would begin to jump, higherand higher, and the higher she jumped the lighter she became, untilfinally she weighed no more than a thistledown, and the effort ofleaping became a pure joy and an exhilaration. Having attained thisperfect state of buoyancy, she would set out upon wonderful journeys,springing lightly as far as it pleased her to spring, soaringgracefully over obstacles, and deriving a delirious pleasure from thesensation. One cannot appreciate the enjoyment to be had from thismethod of locomotion without trying it.
And always when Ma came back to earth and opened her eyes there werethe great smiling mountains, the clear, clean waters foaming over therocks, and underfoot was the cool, green grass, not that hot, hard'dobe clay she had always known. Trees, too! Beautiful whisperingtrees, with smooth leaves instead of burrs and spines and stickers. Norwas there the faintest choking smell of dust; no sand blowing up hernose and smarting her eyes.
Ma Briskow had never dreamed that the world was so clean. She blessedGod for making oil to lie in the rocks of the earth
, and she prayedthat none of "them hotel people" would discover her retreat.
But, of course, somebody did discover it. Mr. Delamater, the dancinginstructor, for one, stumbled upon it while Ma Briskow was in the midstof one of her imaginary games, and he reported his discovery to the dayclerk.
"What ails that old dame, anyhow?" he inquired, after recounting Ma'speculiar behavior.
"Not a thing in the world except money," the clerk declared.
Doubtfully Mr. Delamater shook his handsome auburn head. "People withgood sense don't act like that. She was doing an Isadora Duncan when Isaw her. Dancing--if you care to call it that! Anyhow, her hair washanging, she was flapping her arms and jiggling up and down." Delamaterlaughed at the memory. "There's a big, awkward bird--sort of a crane orbuzzard of some kind--that dances. I never saw one, but she reminded meof it. And she _sang_! Gee! it was fierce!"
"Did she see you?"
"Scarcely. I don't mind being alone with Allie"--Delamater's teethshone in a smile, then, seeing his reflection in a convenient mirror,he studied it with complacent favor. He tried the smile again, and,getting it to his better satisfaction, concluded--"don't mind it a bit,but a bosky dell with a mad woman is my idea of no place to be."
"Allie?" The clerk lifted his brows. "So--'_Allie_'! Has it gone as faras that, Del?"
"Oh, you know how it is! A lesson every day, soft music, arm around thewaist, a kind word. The girl is human. I'm probably different toanything that ever came into her young life. Look at my wardrobe! She'snot so bad to take, either, and yet--" The immaculate speaker frowned."Father smells like a horse, and mother's a nut! Gee! It would takesome coin to square that."
"That's one thing they've got," asserted the clerk. "Nothing but!"
Mr. Delamater debated further. "Think of marrying The PowerfulKatrinka! I'll admit it has its points. If anything went wrong with thebank roll Allie could make a good living for both of us. Suppose, forinstance, the old Statue of Liberty slipped and fell. Allie could jumpover to Bedloe's Island and take a turn at holding the torch. Ifithey've got the coin you say they have, I think I'll have to see moreof her."
"You won't see any more than you do. She's hitting on all four."
"What is she up to all day?"
"I don't know. Working, studying, exercising. Rehearsing for themovies, I guess. She has worn that companion of hers down to a frazzle.She has her own masseuse in the bath department, she rides a horsethree days a week, and every morning she takes a long walk--"
"I've got it!" Mr. Delamater slapped his thigh. "Road work! She'sgetting ready to take on Dempsey." He laughed musically. "If shemarries me her days of labor will be over; it will mean for her thedawn of a new life--provided, of course, those oil wells are what yousay they are. Kidding aside, though, I don't dislike the girl and--I'vea notion to give her a chance."
What the clerk said was true. Allie Briskow was indeed in training,both physical and mental, and the application, the energy she displayedhad surprised not only her parents, who could but dimly understand thenecessity of self-culture, but also Mrs. Ring, the instructress. Mrs.Ring, a handsome, middle-aged woman whose specialty was the finishingof wealthy young "ladies," had been induced to accept this positionpartly by reason of the attractive salary mentioned in Calvin Gray'stelegram, and partly by reason of the fact that she needed a rest. Shehad met the Briskows in Dallas only a short time before their departurefor the north, and although that first interview had been a good dealof a shock to her--almost as much of a shock as if she had been askedto tutor the offspring of a pair of chimpanzees--nevertheless she hadnerved herself to the necessary sacrifice of dignity. After all,Allegheny was only an overgrown child in need of advanced kindergartentraining, and in the meantime there was the prospect of a season atBurlington Notch. The latter was, in itself, a prospect alluring to onesuffering from the wear and tear of a trying profession. After somehesitation, Mrs. Ring had accepted the position, feeling sure that itwould rest her nerves.
But never had the good woman suffered such a disillusionment. Allie,she soon discovered, was anything but a child, or rather she was anamazing and contradictory combination of child and adult. What Mrs.Ring had taken to be mental apathy, inherent dullness, was in realitycaution, diffidence, the shyness of some wild animal.
Nor was that the most bewildering of the teacher's surprises; Alliepossessed character and will power. For some time she had accepted Mrs.Ring's tutorship without comment or question--Calvin Gray hadrecommended it, therefore she obeyed blindly--but one day, after theyhad become settled in the mountains, she came out with a forcefuldeclaration.
She knew full well her own shortcomings, so she declared, and she wasnot content to learn a few things day by day. She demanded intensifiedtraining; education under forced draught.
"They took green country boys durin' the war--"
"During the war. Don't drop your g's, my dear."
"--during the war, and learned 'em--"
"Taught them!"
"--taught them to be soldiers in six months. Well, I'm strong as ahorse, and I've got a brain, and I'm quick at pickin'--I mean I pick upthings quick--"
"You pick them up quickly. Quickly is an adverb; quick is an--"
Allie's dark eyes grew darker. Imperiously she cried: "All right! Butlet me say this my own way. It won't be right or elegant, but you'llunderstand. And that's what we got to have first off--a goodunderstanding. After I've said it, you can rub it down and curry it. Ibeen watching you like a hawk, Miz' Ring, and you're just what he saidyou was. You got everything I want, but--I can't go so slow; I got toget it quick--quickly. You been teaching me to read and talk, and howto laugh, and how to set--sit--but we been _playing_. We got to _work_!Oh, I know I'm forgetting everything for a minute. Miz' Ring, I gottalearn how to act pretty and talk pretty and _look_ pretty. And I gottalearn how, _quick_."
"You are a fine-looking girl as it is, Allegheny."
"Oh, I guess I look _dressed up_, but I'm awkward. I'm stiff as a hiredhand, and I fall over my feet. Look at 'em. Biggest live things in theworld without lungs! I got to get slim and graceful--"
"I'll teach you a setting-up routine, if you wish, although it isscarcely in my line. Goodness knows you don't need physical culture."
"But I do," cried the girl.
"Very well. Riding is a smart accomplishment. Can you ride a horse?"
"Pshaw! I can carry a horse."
"You'd look well in a habit, and with baths, massage, dancing, and alittle diet I dare say you can reduce."
"I'll starve," Allie asserted, fiercely. "But that ain't half enough.You gotta give me more studyin'. I got callouses on my hands and I'mused to work. We'll get up at daylight-"
"Good heavens!" Mrs. Ring exclaimed, faintly.
"You learn me how to do the sitting-up things first off, then I'll do'em alone. Ride me hard, Miz' Ring. I'll remember. I'll work; you won'thave to tell me twice. But I gotta make speed. I 'ain't got the timeother girls have."
"My dear child, all this cannot be done in a day, a week, a month."
"How long you allow it will take?"
The elder woman shrugged. "Years, perhaps."
"Years?"
"Real culture, social accomplishments, are the results of generationsof careful training. I'm not a miracle worker. But why this impatience?"
"I got-"
"I have."
"I have a reason. I can't take a generation; I'd be too late."
"Too late for what?"
But Allie refused to answer. "We'll start in to-day and we'll workdouble tower till one of us plays out. What d'you say?"
At first Mrs. Ring took this energetic declaration with some reserve,but before long she realized with consternation that Allie Briskow wasin deep earnest and that this was not a soft berth. Instead ofobtaining a rest she was being worked as never before. Allie was athing of iron; she was indefatigable; and her thirst for knowledge wasinsatiate; it grew daily as she gained fuller understanding of herignorance. There was
a frantic eagerness to her efforts, almostpitiful. As time went on she began to hate herself for her stupidityand to blame her people for her condition. She was a harder taskmasterthan her teacher. Most things she apprehended readily enough, but whenshe failed to learn, when mental or physical awkwardness haltedprogress, then she flew into a fury. Her temper appalled Mrs. Ring.
At such times Allie was more than disagreeable. Hate flamed in hereyes, she beat herself with her fists, she kicked the furniture, andshe broke things. Once she even butted her head against the wall,uttering language meanwhile that all but caused her companion to swoon.
Mrs. Ring resigned after this final exhibition, but, lacking thecourage to face Allie in a mood like that, she went to Gus Briskow.
"It is simply impossible to remain," she told him. "Already I'm aphysical wreck, for I never get a moment's rest. The salary isattractive, but Allegheny is too much for me. She saps every ounce ofvitality I have; she keeps me going every hour. And her terrifictempers are actually--dangerous."
"She don't ever get mad at you, does she?"
"Oh no! And she repents quickly enough. As a matter of fact, I amafraid she is overdoing her studies, but there's no holding her back."
"You're kinda worked up, Miz' Ring. Mebbe I can make it pleasanter foryou."
"In what way, may I ask?"
"Well, by payin' you more."
"You are generous. The salary we agreed upon isn't low."
"Yes'm--No, ma'am!"
"I wouldn't feel right to accept more."
"Try it, ma'am, for a little while. Mebbe it won't bother you so muchafter you get used to it. Allie likes you."
"And I--I _am_ interested in her. She is progressing, too; in fact, Ihave never seen anyone learn more rapidly. But--she is so unusual.Still, perhaps I _am_ the one--perhaps it is my duty, under thecircumstances--"
With this disposition to compromise the father had little difficulty indealing, so the daily routine was continued. Allie applied herself tothe cultivation of the ordinary social niceties with the same zeal thatshe followed her studies and her physical exercises. Fortunately theseexercises afforded outlet for the impatience and the scorn that shefelt for herself. Otherwise there would have been no living with her.As it was she showed herself no mercy. Daylight found her stirring, herSwedish drill she took with a vigor that fairly shook the floor, and,having finished this, she donned sweater and boots and went for a swiftwalk over the hills. At this hour she had the roads to herself and wasglad of it, for she felt ridiculous. At breakfast, although she had aravenous appetite, she ate sparingly. The day was spent in readingaloud, in lessons in deportment, voice modulation, conversation, andthe like; in learning how to enter and how to leave a room, how tobehave at a tea or a reception, how to accept and how to make anintroduction, how to walk, how to sit, how to rise. Allie did sums inarithmetic, she studied grammar and geography and penmanship--in short,she took an intensified common-school course. Here was where hertutoress had trouble, for when the girl's brain became weary orconfused she relieved her baffled rage in her most natural way, thewhile Mrs. Ring stopped her ears and moaned. It was a regimen that noordinary woman could have endured; it would have taxed the strength ofan athlete.
Late in the afternoon Allie went riding, and here was oneaccomplishment in which she required no coaching. Frequently she ventedher spite upon her horse, and more than once she brought it home withits mouth bleeding and its flanks white with lather. She rode with amagnificent recklessness that finally caused comment among the otherguests.
Allie was sitting alone in her room one evening, fagged out from a hardday. Some people were talking on the veranda outside her window, andshe heard one say:
"The girl can look really stunning."
"Exactly. I don't understand where she gets her looks, for her parentsare--impossible. Wouldn't you _know_ what they were?"
Allie needed no clearer indication of who was under discussion.Instinctive resentment at the reference to her father and mother wasfollowed by amazement, delight, at the compliment to herself--the firstshe had ever received. She leaned forward, straining to hear more. Whatmattered it how these contemptuous outsiders referred to her parents?They agreed that she was "stunning," which was their way of saying thatshe was pretty, nay, more--beautiful, perhaps.
"She's a glorious rider," the first speaker was saying. "She passed methe other day, going like sin, with her face blazing and that big,lively chestnut running flat. The way she took that curve above theDevil's Slide brought my heart into my mouth."
The breathless eavesdropper felt a hot wave of delight pour over her,her very flesh seemed to ripple like the fur of a cat when it isstroked.
"Oh, she's a picture, mounted! Seems to have complete confidence inherself; and the strength of a giantess, too. But--my God! when she'son her feet! And have you heard her talk?" Evidently the other speakerhad, for there came the sound of low laughter, a sound that stabbedAllie Briskow like a bayonet and left her white and furious. She satmotionless for a long time, and something told her that as long as shelived she would never forget, never forgive, that laughter.
She was unusually silent and somber for the next three or four days;she went through her exercises without vim; at her studies she was bothstupid and sullen. When Mrs. Ring's patience was exhausted and herfrayed nerves finally gave out, Allie rounded upon her with a violenceunparalleled. Those previous exhibitions of temper were tame ascompared with this one; the girl spat scorn and bitterness and hatred;she became a volcano in active eruption.
In a panic Mrs. Ring sought out Gus Briskow and again resigned. By thistime, however, the novelty of her resignation had largely worn off, forseldom did more than two weeks elapse without a hysterical threat toquit. But this one required more than the usual amount of persuasion,and it was not without long and patient pleading, coupled with theperiodical raise, that the father induced her to change her mind. Gustold himself somberly that the price of Allegheny's education wasmounting so rapidly that it might be the part of economy to take Mrs.Ring in as a full partner in the Briskow oil wells. He decided, aftersome consideration, to wire Calvin Gray and offer to pay his travelingexpenses if he would come to Burlington Notch for a few days.