CHAPTER XXII--RUTH HEARS SOMETHING
Ruth Fielding was particularly interested in the situation of "thehermit," Edith Phelps' brother. But she was not deeply enough interestedin him or in his desires to give up her own expectation from thegold-bearing ledge on the ridge.
She remembered very clearly what Helen Cameron had told her about thisyoung Royal Phelps. She had not known his name, of course, and the factthat Min Peters that day on the ridge had not explained fully whatRoyal's last name was, had caused the girl some further puzzlement.
The character the tale about Edith's brother had given that young mandid not seem to fit this "hermit" either. This fellow seemed sogentlemanly and so amusing, that she could scarcely believe him theworthless character he was pictured. Yet, his presence here in thewilds, and Edith's coming out to him so secretly, pointed to a mysterythat teased the girl of the Red Mill.
When they came to the cabin door, and Royal Phelps slid carefully out ofher saddle, Ruth said easily:
"I wish you'd tell me all about yourself, Mr. Phelps. I am curious--andfrank to say so."
"I don't blame you," he admitted, smiling suddenly again--and Ruththought that smile the most disarming she had ever seen. Royal Phelpsmight have been disgraced at college, but she believed it must have beenthrough his fun-loving disposition rather than because of anyviciousness.
"I don't blame you for feeling curiosity," the young man repeated,seating himself gingerly in the doorway. "If I had a chair I'd offer itto you, Miss Fielding."
"Thanks. I'll hop on my pony. I'll get yours for you before I go."
"Wait a bit," he urged. "I am going with you when you return to thattown. That wild beast of a horse may be rampaging around again."
"Ugh!" ejaculated Ruth with no feigned shudder. "He was awful!"
"Now you've said something! But you are a mighty cool girl, MissFielding. What Edie would have done----"
"She would have done quite as well as I, I have no doubt," Ruth hastenedto say. "And I have been in the West before, Mr. Phelps."
"Yes? You are really a movie actor?"
"Sometimes."
"And a college girl?"
"Always!" laughed his visitor.
"I believe you are puzzling me intentionally."
"I told you that I was puzzled about you."
"I suppose so," he laughed. "Well, tit for tat. You tell me and I'lltell you."
"I trust to your honor," she said, with mock seriousness. "I will tellyou my secret. Really, I am not a movie actress--save by brevet."
"I thought not!" he exclaimed with warmth.
"Why, they are very nice folk!" Ruth told him. "Much nicer than yousuppose. I am really writing the scenario Mr. Hammond is producing."
"Goodness!" he exclaimed. "A literary person?"
"Exactly."
"But why didn't Edie tell me something about you? She went over thereand took a peep at you."
"I fancied so. The girls thought her an Indian squaw. That would pleaseEdie--if I know her at all," said Ruth with sarcasm.
"I'll have to tell her," he grinned.
"Better not. She does not like us any too well. Us freshmen, I mean. Youknow," Ruth decided to explain, "there is an insurmountable wall betweenfreshmen and sophs."
"I ought to know," murmured Royal Phelps, and his face clouded.
Ruth, determined to get to the root of this mysterious matter, thrust ina deep probe: "I believe you have been to college, Mr. Phelps?"
He reddened to his ears. "Oh, yes," he answered shortly.
"And then did you come out here to go into the mining business?" shecontinued, with some cruelty, for he was writhing.
"After the pater put me out--yes," he said, looking directly at her now,even though his face flamed.
Ruth was doubly assured that Royal Phelps could not be as black as hewas painted. "Though I do not believe any painter could reflect theItalian sunset hue that now mantles his brow," she thought.
"I am sorry that you have had trouble with your father. Is itinsurmountable?" she asked him quietly, and with the air that alwaysgave even strangers confidence in Ruth Fielding.
"I hope not," he admitted. "I was mad enough when I came away. I justwanted to 'show him.' But now I'd like to _show him_. Do--do you get me?"
"There is no difference in the words, but a great deal in theinflection, Mr. Phelps," Ruth said quietly.
"Well. You're an understandable girl. After I had come a cropper atHarvard--silly thing, too, but made the whole faculty wild," and here hegrinned like a naughty small boy at the remembrance--"the pater said Iwasn't worth the powder to blow me to Halifax. And I guess he was right.But he'd not given me a chance.
"Said I'd never done a lick of work and probably wouldn't. Said I wascut out for a rich man's wastrel or a tramp. Said I shouldn't be thefirst with _his_ money. Told James to show me the outer portal with thebrass plate on it, and bring in the 'welcome' mat so that I wouldn'tstand there and think it meant _me_.
"So I came away from there," finished Royal Phelps with a wry face.
"Oh, that was terrible!" Ruth declared with clasped hands and all thesympathy that the most exacting prodigal could expect. "But, of course,he didn't mean it."
"Mean it? You don't know Costigan Phelps. He never says anything hedoesn't mean. Let me tell you it won't be a slippery day when I show upat the paternal mansion. The pater certainly will not run out and fallon either my neck or his own. There'll be nobody at the home plate tosee me coming and hail me: 'Kill the fatted prodigal; here comes thecalf!' Believe me!"
"Oh, Mr. Phelps!" begged Ruth. "Don't talk that way. I know just how youfeel. And you are trying to hide it----"
"With airy persiflage--yes," he admitted, turning serious. "Well, pater'smade a lot of money in mines. I said to Edie: 'I'll shoot for the Westand locate a few and so attract his attention to the Young Napoleon ofmines in his own field.' It looked easy."
"Of course," whispered Ruth.
"But it wasn't."
"Of course again," and the girl smiled.
"Grin away. It helps _you_ to bear it," scoffed Royal Phelps. "But itdoesn't help the 'down and outer' a bit to grin. I know. I've tried itever since last fall."
"Oh!"
"I finally got to rummaging out through these hills. I came with a partyof sheep herders. You know the Prodigal Son only herded hogs. _That's_an aristocratic game out here in the West beside sheep herding. Believeme!
"It puts a man in the last row when he fools with sheep. When I wentdown to Yucca nobody would have anything to do with me but old Braun.And he was owning sheep right then.
"If I went into a place the fellows would hold their noses and tiptoeout. You know, it's a joke out here: A couple of fellows made a bet asto which was the most odoriferous--a sheep or a Greaser. So they put upthe money and selected a judge.
"They brought the sheep into the judge's cabin and the judge fainted.Then they brought in the Greaser and the sheep fainted. So, you see,aside from Greasers, I didn't have many what you'd call close friends."
Ruth's lips formed the words "Poor boy!" but she would not have givenvoice to them for the world. Still, for some reason, Royal Phelps, whowas looking directly at her, nodded his head gratefully.
"Tough times, eh? Well, I'd seen something up here in these hills. I'dbeen studying about mineral deposits--especially gold signs. I savedenough money to get a small outfit and this pony I ride. I'd brought mygun on from the East. I started out prospecting with scarcely agrubstake. But nobody around here would have trusted a tenderfoot likeme. I was bound to do it on my lonely, if I did it at all."
"Weren't you afraid to start off alone?" asked Ruth. "Mr. Peters says itis dangerous for _one_ to go prospecting."
"Yes. But lots of the old-timers do. And this 'new-timer' did it.Nothing bit me," he added dryly.
"So I came back here and knocked up this cabin. Pretty good for 'mamma'sbaby boy,' isn't it?" and he laughed shortly. "That's what some of theLazy C punchers called me whe
n I first came into their neighborhood.
"Well, mamma's boy played a lone hand and found that ledge of gold ore.For it is gold I know. I had some specimens assayed."
"So did we," confessed Ruth, eagerly.
He scowled again. "You girls--movie actresses, college girls, or whoeveryou are--are likely to queer this whole business for me. Say!" he added,"that one in the overalls isn't an Ardmore freshman, is she?"
"Hardly," laughed Ruth. "But she needs a gold mine a good deal more thanthe rest of us do."