The Sagebrusher: A Story of the West

  CHAPTER XVII

  SAGEBRUSHERS

  Nels Jensen reached his home late in the afternoon, his face grave andhis tongue more than usually tight. His wife, Karen, looked at him forsome time before she spoke.

  "Find anything, up in?"

  He nodded quietly.

  "Doctor get to that sick man?"

  "He wasn't sick," rejoined Nels. "Tree fell on him."

  "What you do with him?"

  "Died before we come out. Whole woods was afire up in there."

  "I see the smoke a while back," said she unemotionally, nodding andgazing out of the window toward the distant landscape. "Died, did he?Did you bring him down?"

  "The wind has changed," said Nels sententiously. "Before night, won'tbe nothing to bring down. We left him in his tent."

  "Who set that fire, Nels?" she demanded of her husband after a time.

  "The same people that burned out Sim Gage and Wid Gardner. All of 'emhad cleared out but that one."

  "How about that woman, Nels?"

  "We brung her down with us. She'd spent the night in the woods alone.Doctor's got her in bed over at Sim's place now." He turned his heavyface upon her frowningly, apparently passing upon some question theyearlier had discussed. "I say it's all right, Karen, about her."

  "Well, are they going to be married?" she demanded of him. "That's thequestion. Because if they ain't----"

  "If they are or they ain't," said Nels Jensen, "she's not no commonfolks like us."

  "A lady--huh!"

  "Yes, if I can tell one. Such being so, best thing you can do, Karen,is to get some eggs together, and like enough a loaf of bread, and goover there right soon."

  "If they wasn't _going_ to be married," began Karen, "people in herewouldn't let that run along."

  "Karen," said her husband succinctly, "sometimes you women folks makeme tired. Go on and get the eggs."

  "Oh, all right," said his wife; and already she was reaching for hersunbonnet. When she and her sturdy spouse had made their way by ashort cut across the fields to Sim Gage's house, Karen Jensen hadmelted, and was no longer righteous judge, but simply neighbor.

  "Where is she?" she demanded imperiously of Wid Gardner, whom she foundstanding outside the door.

  Wid nodded toward the interior of the half-ruined cabin. As she passedin she saw Doctor Barnes, sitting on a box, quietly watching the paleface of a woman, young, dark-haired, flushed, her eyes heavy, her handsspread out piteously upon the blanket covering of the rude bunk bed.Karen's first quick glance assured her that this young woman was allthat Nels Jensen had called her--a lady. She looked so helpless nowthat the big ranchwoman's heart went out to her in spite of all.

  "You'd better get right out, Doctor," said she; and that gentlemanfollowed her orders, exceeding glad to welcome a woman in thiswomanless wreck of a home.

  Doctor Barnes stood outside, hands in pocket, for a time looking acrossthe meadows lined with their banks of willows, silvering as usual inthe evening breeze. "Come here," said he at length to the three men.They all followed him to one side.

  "Now, Gage," said he, "I want you to tell me the truth about how thiswoman came out here."

  Wid Gardner, taking pity on his friend, told him instead, going intoall the details of the conspiracy that had now proved so disastrous.Doctor Barnes frowned in resentment when he heard.

  "She's got to go back East," said he, "as soon as she's able to travel."

  "That's what I think," said Sim Gage slowly. "It's what I told her.But she always said she didn't have no place to go back to. She couldstay here as long as she liked, but now I ain't got much."

  "But it can't run on this way, Gage," said Doctor Barnes. "That girl'sclean as wheat. Something's got to be done about this."

  "Well, good God A'mighty!" said Sim Gage, "ain't that what I know? Ifonly you'll tell me what's right to do, I sure will do it. In one wayit ain't just only my fault she come out here, nor it ain't my fault ifshe don't go back."

  Doctor Barnes engaged for some time in breaking up bits of bark andcasting them from his thumb nail. "Have you ever had any talk with herabout this?" said he.

  "Some," said Sim honestly; "yes, some."

  "What was it?"

  "She told me, when she answered that ad, she was getting plumbdesperate, account of her eyes. She was out of work, and she wasbroke, and she didn't have no folks on earth, and she'd lost all hermoney--her folks used to be rich, I reckon, like enough. That's theonly reason she answered that fool ad about me being in the market, soto speak, fer a wife. That's how she come out. She must of beenlocoed. You cain't blame _her_. She was all alone in the whole world,but just one girl that knowed her. We got a letter from that girl--Igot it here in my pocket. We opened it and read it, Wid and me did,yesterday. Her name's Annie Squires. But she's broke too, I reckon.Now what are we a-goin' to do?"

  "Have you ever talked the whole business over--you two--since she cameout?"

  "Doc," said Sim Gage, "I told you, I tried my damnedest, and I justcouldn't. I says to myself, lady like she was, it wouldn't be rightfer a man like me to marry her noways on earth."

  "And what did she say?"

  Sim Gage began to stammer painfully. "I don't know what she wouldsay," said he. "I ain't never asked her none yet."

  "Well, I reckon you'll have to," said Doctor Barnes slowly, after along time in thought; "if she lives."

  "Lives? Doc, you don't mean to tell me she's that sick?"

  "She isn't trying to fight very hard. When your patient would ratherdie than live, you've got hard lines, as a doctor. It's hard lineshere more ways than one."

  "Die--her!--What would _I_ do then, Doc?" asked Sim Gage, so simplythat Doctor Barnes looked at him keenly, gravely.

  "It's not a question about you, you damn sagebrusher," said he at last,gently. "Question is, what's best for her. If I didn't feel such awoman was too good to be wasted I'd say, let her go; ethics be damnedout here. If she gets well she'll have to decide some time what's todo about this whole business. That brings you into the question again.It was a bad bet, but deceived as she was, she's put herself under yourprotection. And mine!"

  "You see," he added, "that's something that really doesn't come undermy profession, but it's something that's up to every decent man."

  Mrs. Jensen came to the door, broom in hand. "You, Sim," said she,"come in here!" She accosted him in hoarse whispers when he had obeyed.

  "Look-a-here at this place!" said she. "Is this where a hog or a humanhas been living? I've got things straightened around now, and don'tyou dare muss 'em up. When that pore girl is able to get around againI'm a-going to take her and show her where everything is--she'll keepthis house better blind than you did with your both eyes open. I'vegot a aunt been blind twenty year, and she cooks and sweeps and sewsand knits as good as anybody. She'll do the same way. She's a goodknitter, I know. The pore child."

  Sim reached out a hand gently to the work which he found lying, needlesstill in place, on the table where Mary Warren had left it the daybefore.

  "She'll learn soon," said Karen Jensen. "Ain't she pretty enough tomake you cry, laying there the way she is." The keen gray eyes ofKaren Jensen softened. "She's asleep," she whispered. "Doctor dopedher."

  "If only now," said Sim Gage, frowning as usual in thought, "if only Icould get some sort of woman to come here and stay a while, until shegets well. It ain't right she should be in a place like this allalone."

  "You pore fool," said Karen Jensen, "did you think for a minute I'd goaway and leave that girl alone with you? Go out and get some wood!I'm a-going to get supper here. Tell Nels he can go back home aftersupper, and him and Minna and Theodore 'll have to keep house until Iget back. The pore thing--you said she was right blind?" she concluded.

  "Plumb blind," said Sim Gage. "What's more, she can't see none a-tall.It ain't no wonder she's scared sick."

  "I'm mighty glad you're a-goin' to get supper here to-night,"
hecontinued. "I'm that rattled, like, I couldn't make bread worth adamn."

  He edged out of the cabin and communicated his news. "Mrs. Jensen saysshe'll take care of her till she gets better," he said.

  "That's the best thing I've heard," commented Doctor Barnes. "That'llhelp. I'll stay here to-night myself. Gardner, can you run my cardown to the dam?"

  "I might," said Wid. "I never did drive a car much, but I think Icould. Mormons does; and I've had a lot to do with mowing machines,like them."

  "Well, get down to the dam and tell the people I can't be back untilto-morrow afternoon. Here's where I belong just now. Where do Isleep, Gage?"

  "Out here in the tent, I reckon," replied Sim, "though most all myblankets is in there on the bed. Maybe I kin find a slickersomewheres. Wid, he ain't got nothing left over to his place, neither."

  "Don't bother about things," said Nels Jensen. "I'll go over and bringsome blankets from my place. The woman'll take care of that girl untilshe gets in better shape."

  Doctor Barnes looked at them all for a time, frowning in his own way."You damn worthless people," said he with sudden sheer affection. "Godhas been good to you, hasn't he?"

  "Now, ain't that the truth?" said Sim Gage, perhaps not quite fullyunderstanding.