CHAPTER VIII--MIN
"Well, let's go along and see Flapjack's daughter," Tom proposed. "Idon't want to make the acquaintance of any strange girl without somebodyto defend me," and he grinned at the girl of the Red Mill.
"Oh, yes. We know just how desperately timid you are, Tommy-boy," shetold him, smiling. "I will be your shield and buckler. Lead on."
The house had a yellow front, but was elsewhere left bare of paint. Itstood away from its neighbors and, as Ruth and Tom Cameron approachedit, it seemed deserted. From other houses they were frankly watched byslatternly women and several idle men.
Tom rapped gently at the front door. There was no reply and afterrepeating the summons several times Ruth suggested that they try a rearentrance.
"Huh!" complained the boy. "This Min they tell of must be deaf."
"Or bashful. Perhaps she is nothing but a child and is afraid of us."
Tom merely grunted in reply, and led the way into a weed-grown yard. Thefence was of wire and laths--the kind bought by the roll ready to set up;but it was very much dilapidated. The fence had never been finished atthe rear and up on a scrubby side hill behind the house a man waswielding an axe.
"Maybe he knows something about this Flapjack Peters person," grumbledTom.
"Knock on the back door," ordered Ruth Fielding briskly. "If that guidehas a daughter she must know where he's gone, and for how long. It's themost mysterious thing!"
"It gets me," admitted Tom, knocking again.
"Mr. Hammond said that he knew this guide and that he believed he was afairly trustworthy person. He is what they call an 'old-timer'--beenliving here or hereabout for years and years. Just the person to findFreezeout Camp."
"Well, there must be other men who know their way about the hills," andTom turned his back to the door to look straight away across the valleytoward the faint, blue eminences that marked the Hualapai Range.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" sighed Ruth, likewise looking at themountains. "How clear the air is! See that peak away to the north? Wesaw it from the car window. That is the tallest mountain in therange--Hualapai Peak. Oh, Tom!"
"Yes?" he asked.
"That man looks awfully funny to me. Do you see----?"
Tom wheeled to look at the person chopping wood a few rods away. Thewoodchopper wore an old felt hat; from underneath its brim flowedseveral straggly locks of black hair.
"Must be an Indian," muttered Tom.
"It must be a woman!" exclaimed Ruth. "It is a woman, Tom! I'm going toask her----"
"What?" demanded the youth; but he trailed along behind the self-reliantgirl of the Red Mill.
The woodchopper did not even raise her head as the two young folksapproached. She beat upon the log she was splitting with the old axe andshowed not the least interest in their presence.
Ruth led the way around in front of her and demanded:
"Do you know where Mr. Peters' daughter is? We had business with him,and they tell us he is away from home."
At that the woman in men's shabby habiliments raised her head and lookedat them.
"Jiminy!" exploded Tom, but under his breath. "It is a girl!"
Ruth was quite as curious as her companion; but she was wise enough toreveal nothing in her own countenance but polite interest.
The masquerader was both young and pretty; only the perspiration hadpoured down her face and left it grimy. Her hands were red andrough--calloused as a laboring man's and with blunted fingers and brokennails.
When she stood up straight, however, even the overalls and jumper shewore, and the broken old hat upon her head, could not hide the fact thatshe was of a graceful figure.
"I beg your pardon," said Ruth again. "Can you tell me where Miss Petersis?"
"I can tell you where _Min_ Peters is, if you want to know so bad,"drawled the girl, red suffusing her bronzed cheeks and a little flashcoming into her big gray eyes.
"That--that must be the person we wish to see."
"Then see her," snapped the other ungraciously. "An' I s'pose you fancyfolks think her a sight, sure 'nuff."
"You mean _you_ are Mr. Peters' daughter?" Ruth asked, doubtfully.
"I'm Flapjack's girl," the other said, biting her remarks off short.
"Oh!" cried Ruth. "Then you can tell us all about it."
"All about what?"
"How it happens that your father is not here at Yucca to meet us?"
"Huh! What would he want to meet you for?" asked the girl, shaking backher straggly hair.
"Why, it was arranged by Mr. Hammond that Mr. Peters should guide usinto the Range. We are going to Freezeout Camp."
"Wha-at?" drawled Min Peters in evident surprise. "You, too?"
Tom here put in a word. "I am the one who telegraphed to Mr. Peters whenwe were on the way here. It was understood through Mr. Hammond that Mr.Peters was to hold himself in readiness for our party."
"Then what about them other girls?" demanded the girl, with suddenvigor. "They done fooled pop, did they?"
"I don't understand what you mean by 'those other girls,'" Ruth hastenedto say.
"Why, pop's already started for the hills. I I dunno whether he's goin'to Freezeout or not. There ain't nobody at that old camp, nohow. Dunnowhat you want to go there for."
Ruth waived that matter to say, eagerly:
"How many girls are there in this party your father has gone off with?"
"Two. He 'spected more I reckon, for there's a bunch of ponies down inJeb's corral. But the girl that bossed the thing said you-all had backedout. It looked right funny to _me_--two girls goin' off there into thehills. And she was a tenderfoot all right."
"You mean the girl who 'bossed' the affair?" asked Tom, curiously.
"Yep. The other girl seemed jest driftin' along with her. _She_ knowedhow to ride, and she brought her own saddle and rope with her. But thatthere tenderfoot started off sidesaddle, like a missioner."
"A 'missioner?'" repeated Ruth, curiously.
"These here women that sometimes come here teachin' an' preachin'. Theymost all of 'em ride sidesaddle. Many of 'em on a burro at that. 'Causea burro don't never git out of a walk if he kin help it. But I've purtynear broke my neck teachin' four or five of the ponies to stand for asidesaddle--poor critters. I rid 'em with a blanket wrapped 'round me togit 'em used to a skirt flappin'," and she spoke in some amusement.
"Well," Ruth said, more briskly, "I don't exactly understand those girlsgoing without us. One of them I am sure is our friend. The girl whoevidently engaged your father is not a stranger to us; but she was notof our party."
"What in tarnation takes you 'way into them mountains to Freezeout?"demanded Min Peters. "There ain't a sign of color left there, so popsays; and he's prospected all through the range on that far side. Why,he remembers Freezeout when it was a real camp. And I kin tell you thereain't much left of it now."
"Oh!" cried Ruth. "Have you seen it?"
"Sure. I been all through the Range with pop. He didn't have nobody toleave me with when I was little. I ain't never had no chance like othergirls," said Min, in no very pleasant tone. "Why I ain't scurcely human,I reckon!"
At that Ruth laughed frankly at her. "What nonsense!" she cried. "Youare just as human and just as much of a girl as any of us. As I am. Yourclothes don't even hide the fact that you are a girl. But I suppose youwear them because you can work easier in men's garments?"
"And that's where you s'pose mighty wrong," snapped Min.
"No?"
"I wear these old duds 'cause I ain't got no others to wear. That'swhy."
She said it in an angry tone, and the red flowed into her cheeks againand her gray eyes flashed.
"I never _did_ have nothin' like other girls. Pop bought me overalls towear when I was jest a kid; and that's about all he ever did buy me. Hethinks they air good enough. I haf to work like a boy; so why not dresslike a boy? Huh?"
Tom had moved away. Somehow he felt a delicacy about listening to thisfrank avowal of the strange girl's tri
als. But Ruth was sympathetic andshe seized Min's unwilling hand.
"Oh, my dear!" she cried under her breath. "I am sorry. Can't you workand earn money to clothe yourself properly?"
"What'll I do? The cattlemen won't hire me, though I kin rope andhog-tie as well as any puncher they got. But they say a girl would maketrouble for 'em. Nobody around here ever has money enough to hire a girlto do anything. I don't know nothing about cookin' or housework--'cept tomake flapjacks. I kin do camp cookin' as good as pop; only I don't usetwo griddles at a time same's he does. But huntin' parties won't hireme. It sure is tough luck bein' a girl."
"Oh, my dear!" cried Ruth again. "I don't believe that. There must besome way of improving your condition."
"You show me how to earn some money, then," cried Min. "I'll dress asfancy as any of you. Oh! I was watchin' you girls troop up from thetrain. And that other girl that went off with pop this mornin'. _She_gimme a look, now I tell you. I'd like to beat her up, I would!"
Ruth passed over this remark in silence. She was thinking. "Wait amoment, Min," she begged, "I must speak to Mr. Cameron," and she led Tomaside.
"Now, Tommy, we've just got to get to Freezeout Camp some way. We don'twant to wait here a week or more for the movie company to arrive. Mr.Hammond expects me to have the first part of the scenario ready for thedirector when he gets on the ground. And I _must_ see the old camp justas it is."
"I'd like to know what that Edith Phelps has got to do with it--and whyAnn Hicks went off with her," growled Tom.
"Oh, dear! Don't you suppose I am just as curious as you are?" Ruthdemanded. "But _that_ doesn't get us anywhere."
"Well, what will get us to Freezeout?" he asked.
"Getting started, first of all," laughed Ruth. "And we can do it. Thisgirl can guide us just as well as her father could. We can get a man ora boy to look after the ponies and the packtrain. A 'wrangler' don'tthey call them on the ranch?"
"The girl looks capable enough," admitted Tom. "But what will your MissCullam say to her?"
Ruth giggled. "Poor Miss Cullam is doomed to get several shocks, I amafraid, before the trip is over."
"All right. You're the doctor," Tom said, grinning. "Looks to me likesome lark. This Min Peters is certainly a caution!"