Whispering Smith

  CHAPTER XIV

  THE QUARREL

  Spring found the construction of the valley line well advanced, andthe grades nearing the lands of the Dunning ranch. Right-of-way menhad been working for months with Lance Dunning, over the line, andMcCloud had been called frequently into consultation to adjust thesurveys to objections raised by Dicksie's cousin to the crossing ofthe ranch lands. Even when the proceedings had been closed, a strongcurrent of discontent set from the managing head of the Stone Ranch.Rumors of Lance Dunning's dissatisfaction often reached the railroadpeople. Vague talk of an extensive irrigation scheme planned bySinclair for the Crawling Stone Valley crept into the newspapers, andit was generally understood that Lance Dunning had expressed himselffavorably to the enterprise.

  Dicksie gave slight heed to matters as weighty as these. She spentmuch of her time on horseback, with Jim under the saddle; and inMedicine Bend, where she rode with frequency, Marion's shop becameher favorite abiding-place. Dicksie ordered hats until Marion'sconscience rose and she practically refused to supply any more. Butthe spirited controversy on this point, as on many others--Dicksie'shaughtiness and Marion's restraint, quite unmoved by any show ofdispleasure--ended always in drawing the two closer to each other.

  At home Dicksie's fancies at that time ran to chickens, and crateafter crate of thoroughbreds and clutch after clutch of eggs werebrought over the pass from far-away countries. But the coyotes stolethe chickens and kept the hens in such a state of excitement thatthey could not be got to sit effectively. Nest after nest Dicksiehad the mortification of seeing deserted at critical moments and leftto furred prowlers of the foothills and canyons. Once she had managedto shoot a particularly bold coyote, only to be overcome withremorse at seeing its death-struggle. She gained reputation withher cousin and the men, but was ever afterward assailed with thereflection that the poor fellow might have been providing for ahungry family. Housekeeping cares rested lightly on Dicksie. Pusshad charge of the house, and her mistress concerned herself morewith the setting of Jim's shoes than with the dust on the elkheads over the fireplace in the dining-room. Her Medicine Bendhorseshoer stood in much greater awe of her than Puss did, becauseif he ever left a mistake on Jim's heels Dicksie could, and would,point it coldly out.

  One March afternoon, coming home from Medicine Bend, she saw at somedistance before her a party of men on horseback. She was riding atrail leading from the pass road that followed the hills, and theparty was coming up the bridge road from the lower ranch. Dicksie hadgood eyes, and something unusual in the riding of the men was soonapparent to her. Losing and regaining sight of them at different turnsin the trail, she made out, as she rode among the trees, that theywere cowboys of her own ranch, and riding, under evident excitement,about a strange horseman. She recognized in the escort Stormy Gorman,the ferocious foreman of the ranch, and Denison and Jim Baugh, two ofthe most reckless of the men. These three carried rifles slung acrosstheir pommels, and in front of them rode the stranger.

  Fragments of the breakfast-table talk of the morning came back toDicksie's mind. The railroad graders were in the valley below theranch, and she had heard her cousin say a good deal on a point shecared little about, as to where the railroad should cross the StoneRanch. Approaching the fork of the two roads toward which she and thecowboys were riding, she checked her horse in the shade of acottonwood tree, and as the party rode up the draw she saw thehorseman under surveillance. It was George McCloud.

  Unluckily, as she caught a glimpse of him she was conscious that hewas looking at her. She bent forward to hide a momentary confusion,spoke briskly to her horse, and rode out of sight. At Marion's she hadcarefully avoided him. Her precipitancy at their last meeting hadseemed, on reflection, unfortunate. She felt that she must haveappeared to him shockingly rude, and there was in her recalling of thescene an unconfessed impression that she had been to blame. Often whenMarion spoke of him, which she did without the slightest reserve andwith no reference as to whether Dicksie liked it or not, it had beenin Dicksie's mind to bring up the subject of the disagreeable scene,hoping that Marion would suggest a way for making some kind ofunembarrassing amends. But such opportunities had slipped awayunimproved, and here was the new railroad superintendent, whom theirbluff neighbor Sinclair never referred to other than as the collegeguy, being brought apparently as a prisoner to the Stone Ranch.

  Busied with her thoughts, Dicksie rode slowly along the upper trailsuntil a long _detour_ brought her around the corrals and in at theback of the house. Throwing her lines to the ground, she alighted andthrough the back porch door made her way unobserved to her room. Fromthe office across the big hall she heard men's voices in dispute, andshe slipped into the dining-room, where she could hear and might seewithout being seen. The office was filled with cowboys. Lance Dunning,standing with a cigar in his hand and one leg thrown over a corner ofthe table, was facing McCloud, who stood before him with his hand on achair. Lance was speaking as Dicksie looked into the room, and in curttones: "My men were acting under my orders."

  "You have no right to give such orders," McCloud said distinctly, "norto detain me, nor to obstruct our free passage along the right of wayyou have agreed to convey to us under our survey."

  "Damn your survey! I never had a plat of any such survey. I don'trecognize any such survey. And if your right-of-way men had ever saida word about crossing the creek above the flume I never would havegiven you a right of way at all."

  "There were never but two lines run below the creek; after you raisedobjection I ran them both, and both were above the flume."

  "Well, you can't put a grade there. I and some of my neighbors aregoing to dam up that basin, and the irrigation laws will protect ourrights."

  "I certainly can't put a grade in below the flume, and you refuse totalk about our crossing above it."

  "I certainly do."

  "Why not let us cross where we are, and run a new level for your ditchthat will put the flume higher up?"

  "You will have to cross below the flume where it stands, or you won'tcross the ranch at all."

  McCloud was silent for a moment. "I am using a supported grade therefor eight miles to get over the hill within a three-tenths limit. Ican't drop back there. We might as well not build at all if we can'thold our grade, whereas it would be very simple to run a new line foryour ditch, and my engineers will do it for you without a dollar ofexpense to you, Mr. Dunning."

  Lance Dunning waved his hand as an ultimatum. "Cross where I tell youto cross, or keep off the Stone Ranch. Is that English?"

  "It certainly is. But in matter of fact we must cross on the surveyagreed on in the contract for a right-of-way deed."

  "I don't recognize any contract obtained under false representations."

  "Do you accuse me of false representations?"

  Lance Dunning flipped the ash from his cigar. "Who are you?"

  "I am just a plain, every-day civil engineer, but you must not talkfalse representations in any contract drawn under my hand."

  "I am talking facts. Whispering Smith may have rigged the joker--Idon't know. Whoever rigged it, it has been rigged all right."

  "Any charge against Whispering Smith is a charge against me. He is nothere to defend himself, but he needs no defence. You have charged mealready with misleading surveys. I was telephoned for this morning tocome over to see why you had held up our work, and your men cover mewith rifles while I am riding on a public road."

  "You have been warned, or your men have, to keep off this ranch. Yourman Stevens cut our wires this morning----"

  "As he had a perfect right to do on our right of way."

  "If you think so, stranger, go ahead again!"

  "Oh, no! We won't have civil war--not right away, at least. And if youand your men have threatened and browbeaten me enough for to-day, Iwill go."

  "Don't set foot on the Stone Ranch again, and don't send any men hereto trespass, mark you!"

  "I mark you perfectly. I did not set foot willingly on your ranchto-day. I wa
s dragged on it. Where the men are grading now, they willfinish their work."

  "No, they won't."

  "What, would you drive us off land you have already deeded?"

  "The first man that cuts our wires or orders them cut where they werestrung yesterday will get into trouble."

  "Then don't string any wires on land that belongs to us, for they willcertainly come down if you do."

  Lance Dunning turned in a passion. "I'll put a bullet through you ifyou touch a barb of Stone Ranch wire!"

  Stormy Gorman jumped forward with his hand covering the grip of hissix-shooter. "Yes, damn you, and I'll put another!"

  "Cousin Lance!" Dicksie Dunning advanced swiftly into the room. "Youare under our own roof, and you are wrong to talk in that way."

  Her cousin stared at her. "Dicksie, this is no place for you!"

  "It is when my cousin is in danger of forgetting he is a gentleman."

  "You are interfering with what you know nothing about!" exclaimedLance angrily.

  "I know what is due to every one under this roof."

  "Will you be good enough to leave this room?"

  "Not if there is to be any shooting or threats of shooting thatinvolve my cousin."

  "Dicksie, leave the room!"

  There was a hush. The cowboys dropped back. Dicksie stood motionless.She gave no sign in her manner that she heard the words, but shelooked very steadily at her cousin. "You forget yourself!" was all shesaid.

  "I am master here!"

  "Also my cousin," murmured Dicksie evenly.

  "You don't understand this matter at all!" declared Lance Dunningvehemently.

  "Nothing could justify your language."

  "Do you think I am going to allow this railroad company to ruin thisranch while I am responsible here? You have no business interfering, Isay!"

  "I think I have."

  "These matters are not of your affair!"

  "Not of my affair?" The listeners stood riveted. McCloud felt himselfswallowing, and took a step backward with an effort as Dicksieadvanced. Her hair, loosened by her ride, spread low upon her head.She stood in her saddle habit, with her quirt still in hand. "Anyaffair that may lead my cousin into shooting is my affair. I make itmine. This is my father's roof. I neither know nor care anything aboutwhat led to this quarrel, but the quarrel is mine now. I will notallow my cousin to plunge into anything that may cost him his life orruin it." She turned suddenly, and her eyes fell on McCloud. "I am notwilling to leave either myself or my cousin in a false position. Iregret especially that Mr. McCloud should be brought into sounpleasant a scene, because he has already suffered rudeness at my ownhands----"

  McCloud flushed. He raised his hand slightly.

  "And I am very sorry for it," added Dicksie, before he could speak.Then, turning, she withdrew from the room.

  "I am sure," said McCloud slowly, as he spoke again to her cousin,"there need be no serious controversy over the right-of-way matter,Mr. Dunning. I certainly shall not precipitate any. Suppose you giveme a chance to ride over the ground with you again and let us seewhether we can't arrive at some conclusion?"

  But Lance was angry, and nursed his wrath a long time.