_Chapter XIII_
To Gloria the sluggish moments were fraught with despondency orpulsating terror. All arrangements were made; she was powerless, in atrap; a justice was coming; she was going to marry Gratton. She lay onher bed with her door bolted and wept bitterly, moaning over and over:"Oh, I wish I were dead!" She heard Gratton stirring restlesslydownstairs. She herself grew restless; she sprang up, tiptoed to herdoor, and slipped out as silent as a shadow. She went into the littleroom where the telephone was and through it to the sun-porch. For a longtime she stood looking out across the mountains, her hand pressed tolips which trembled. She thought of her mother who, coming as fast asshe could, no doubt by automobile, since she would not have the patiencefor trains, would not arrive before to-morrow morning. A nighthere--alone, worse than alone----
But great as was the emotional tension, lusty and now wearied youth mustbe served. She had danced and ridden all through the night; she had nothad over an hour or so of broken sleep; she had been going all day. Shedropped to sleep on the swing-couch on the porch. It was so very silentall about her; the shadows were creeping, creeping among the pines.
She awoke with a start. It was quite dark; the first stars burned withsteadily growing brilliancy. Some one was standing above her, lookingdown at her. She could see only the vague outline----
"Gloria----"
A little cry of fear broke from her.
"Gloria," pleaded Gratton. "Don't you know I wouldn't----?"
"I'll be down in a minute," she told him, drawing as far away as shecould, speaking with nervous haste. "Go down, please. Wait for me."
"The justice is downstairs," he said, his own voice agitated despite hiseffort for mastery. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, yes! In a minute I'll be down. Go. Please go."
He hesitated; she could have screamed at him. But presently he beganwithdrawing. Slowly, hideously slowly----
"When you are ready. And--he has a long ride back, Gloria. We should notkeep him waiting."
She watched until he had gone. Then she crouched, staring with wide,unseeing eyes into the outside dark. The man would go right away; shewould not have even him to mitigate the horrible condition of alonenesswith Gratton.
"I won't marry him!" she cried out. "I won't. I hate him. He is a beast,and--I won't!"
There was, after all, nothing to force her. Nothing--save that she hadbeen away all this time with Gratton, that he had bought clothing forher, that he had registered himself and wife. _And the newspapers_! Sheheard a door slam and sprang up; if the justice went away now withoutmarrying them! She _would_ marry him; why, if he had been of a notion todemur she would have made him marry her!
"I can't think clearly. I wonder if I am insane?" She went with heavy,leaden steps back to her room. A pale, weary face looked at her from herglass. She began arranging her hair. Her fingers, with wills of theirown, refused to obey her own command laid upon them. She sought wildlyto delay, delay to the last fragment of the last second before yieldingto the inevitable; she wanted to loiter over her hair, and her fingersraced. She could hear voices downstairs. Gratton's voice, low andurgent; a thin, querulous voice; she shuddered. That would be thejustice. Another voice, a man's and strange to her. He said nothing,but twice she heard him laugh, a laugh that jarred upon her nerves. Sheguessed who he would be; the man Gratton had sent to bring the justice.
"Gloria!" Gratton was calling from the foot of the steps.
The voice that answered for her was clear and steady and, downstairs,must have sounded untroubled:
"I'm coming. Just a minute."
* * * * *
Two hours ago, while Gloria had been watching the shadows creeping amongthe pines, Mark King had arrived. He had come down the ridge from therear and thus to the outbuilding by the stable which housed thecaretaker, old Jim Spalding.
"Hello, Mark," Jim had said, a trifle startled by King's suddenappearance. "Here you come again, like a Injun out'n the woods."
Jim was smoking his pipe on his bench. King paused, saying:
"Hello, Jim. Has Ben showed up yet?"
"No, he ain't showed, Mark. Expectin' him?"
"Yes. Who's in the house, then?"
"Why, some of 'em come on ahead. Ben's girl, for one, and that city guy,Gratton, for another. She didn't say anything about Ben comin'; she didsay, though, the missis would be along pretty soon."
Gloria and Gratton here? King frowned. He had had ample time during thelong weeks since the twelfth of August to decide that he had nothing tosay to Gloria Gaynor. And now she was here--with Gratton. He turned intoJim's quarters. He had no desire--or at least so he told himself veryemphatically--to see either one of them.
"I've hit the trail hard to-day, Jim," he said as Jim followed him andKing closed the door. "And I'm dead tired and as hungry as a bear. Whatshape's the cupboard in?"
"Fine," returned Spalding hospitably. "You know me, Mark."
So it happened that while Gloria fought her losing battle all alone,Mark King sat at Spalding's table, not a hundred yards away, and made asilent meal of coffee and bread of Jim's crude baking, and a dubious,warmed-over stew. Thereafter King threw himself down on Jim's bunk andthe two smoked their pipes. With nothing in particular to be said,virtually nothing was said.
"Needn't tell anybody I'm here, Jim." King was knocking the ashes out ofhis pipe. "I haven't any business with the folks in there. But keep youreye peeled for Ben, will you? The minute he comes I want to see him."
"Maybe," suggested Spalding, "his girl brought word?"
"No. Ben is in Coloma. Gratton and Miss Gaynor and Mrs. Gaynor wouldhave come up from the city, you know. That means they would have comethrough Placerville or Truckee."
"Guess so," agreed Spalding. "That's right. I'll set outside where I canwatch for Ben. Goin' to take a snooze?"
"Yes."
And after lying ten minutes staring up at the ceiling above him Kingwent to sleep.
"Must of been goin' some to-day," meditated the man who was once more onhis bench outside the door. "King looks tuckered."
He sat through the thickening shadows watching the stars come troopinginto the darkening sky, hearkening to the night breeze among the trees,and the thin singing noises of insects. An hour or so later he heardhorses. "That would be Ben, now," was his first thought. His second wasthat it might be some one else, and that there was no sense waking atired man for nothing. So he went down toward the house. He saw two mendismount and tie their horses; he saw the door open and Gratton comeout. The horsemen went up to the porch. Neither was Ben Gaynor. One, ashe passed in through the light-filled doorway, was a little grey manwhom Jim had never seen before; the other man, it happened, he knew.Rather well by sight and reputation, a good-for-nothin' scalawag, asJim catalogued him, name of Steve Jarrold. The door closed after themand Jim went back to his bench.
* * * * *
In the house they were waiting for Gloria. The little grey man whom theycalled "judge," and who had a way of clearing his throat before andafter the most trifling remark, went up and down with his hands underhis coat-tails, peering near-sightedly at pictures and books andwall-paper.
"Quite a tidy little place Ben Gaynor's got here," he saidpatronizingly. "Quite a tidy little place."
Gratton paced back and forth, whirling always abreast of the stairs,looking up expectantly. Steve Jarrold, the man whom Gloria had heardlaugh, never budged from the spot where he had landed when entering theliving-room; his wide, spraddled legs seemed rooted through the big feetinto the floor. Big-framed and bony, with startlingly black restlesseyes and a three or four days' growth of wiry beard no less lustrouslyblack, he was ragged, unkempt, and unthinkably dirty. His eyes roved allabout the room; they came back to Gratton, sped up the steps, came backto Gratton with a leer in them, and all the while he turned and turnedhis black dusty hat like a man doing a job he was being paid for.
At last, since no delay holds back for ever the rol
ling of the greatwheels of time, Gloria came. Slowly she descended the stairs, one handat her breast, one gripping the banister. Her pallor was so great thather lips, though pale also, looked unnaturally red in contrast. Theywere just a little apart; she seemed to breathe with difficulty. Hereyes, glancing wildly about the room and at the men to be seen in thehallway, were the eyes of one in a trap, seeking frantically for escape,knowing that there was no escape. Her brain, like one's in a fever, wasquick to impressions, alive with broken fragments of thought like somany flashes of vari-coloured light. She noted trifles; she saw apainting over Gratton's head--a seascape her father had given her forher fourteenth birthday. She saw three pairs of eyes staring at her,men's eyes, to her the eyes of wild animals; she read as clearly as iftheir messages had been in large, printed letters what lay in the mindof each: in the little grey man's, the judge's, speculation; in SteveJarrold's, the jeers of a man of Jarrold's type at such a moment whenthey fall upon the bride; in Gratton's, quickened desire of her andtriumphant cunning.
"My dear," said Gratton, coming forward as though to meet her and thenpausing abruptly and holding back, "this is Judge--Judge Summerling. Hewill--perform the ceremony, you know. And this is Mr. Jarrold. Hebrought the judge and will be a witness."
Gloria from the last step regarded the three men as a prisoner mighthave looked upon jailers coming to drag her to execution. Her lips movedbut no sound issued. "Judge" Summerling bowed stiffly and cleared histhroat. Steve Jarrold's hat ceased revolving an instant, then fairlyspun as though to make up for lost time.
Suddenly Gloria began to laugh hysterically, uncontrollably. Grattonwhipped back and stared at her; Summerling and Jarrold were mystified.She looked so little like laughter! And, as both had cause to regard thesituation, there was so little call for laughter. But they could have noclue to Gloria's thoughts. Her wedding! With that insignificant littlegrey man in his cheap wrinkled clothes to officiate; with that unshaven,leering, dirty man to witness! Holy matrimony! Gloria Gaynor's wedding!She was near madness with the hideous, cruel travesty of such weddingsas are dear to the hearts of San Francisco "society" girls.
The "judge" was clearing his throat again. She looked at him curiously,with the odd sensation that while Gloria Gaynor was asleep, drugged intoa deep stupor, there was within her another Gloria who took a keeninterest in the smallest happenings.
"This affair ain't any more regular than it ought to be," he was saying."Now, just the matter of the licence----"
Gratton jerked about and glared at him. The "judge" broke off with avehement clearing of his throat. In a moment he spoke again.
"Seein' as both parties _want_ to get married," he said hastily, "and ascircumstances is what they is--keepin' in mind how circumstances doesalter cases--well then--are you ready?"
That "Are you ready?" seemed to explode like a pistol shot in Gloria'sears. Something within her shrieked: "No, no, no!" Gratton had said aquiet "Yes," and was looking at her. She heard herself saying faintly:"Yes."
Gratton put out his hand as though to help her down the last step. Shemade a little gesture, motioning him back. He bit at his lip and obeyed,though with a quick flash of the eyes. Gloria looked down at the step.About six inches high, and yet--and yet where she stood was as high asheaven, down there as deep as hell. She seemed powerless to achieve thatlast step. But Gratton was stirring restlessly; he would put out hishand again to help her. She shuddered and moved quickly. Now she stoodon the same level as Gratton and the others; the physical fact wassinister as though symbolical of the psychical.
The "judge" began to grow vastly businesslike. He must have the fullnames correctly, ages, birthplaces. Gratton answered for himself and forGloria, who stood now with her hand on the back of a chair just withinthe living-room door. Across the room was the fireplace; over it anornamental mirror. She wondered dully what she looked like; the "bride"!But from where she stood she could see only the reflection of the windowacross the room, the strip of curtain at the side stirring softly in theevening breeze. That breeze came down through the pines; it wanderedfree; why couldn't she, Gloria, be like that? She thought poignantly ofher few days among the pines with Mark King. Oh, the remembered glory ofit, the clean, sweet freedom of it.
"Now, folks, if you're ready. Stand side by side--"
"Oh!" cried Gloria.
"Eh? What's that?" demanded the "judge."
She tried to smile.
"I--I think----" She saw Steve Jarrold leering. "The witness," she saidwildly. "There is only one, and----"
"It's usual to have two, anyhow," admitted the "judge." "But, being asthings _is_ a bit irregular and everything, why we'll make one do."
"There's Jim," said Gloria. She did not look toward Gratton, but heunderstood that she addressed him. "Jim Spalding. I'd feel better ifsome one I knew--if you'd get Jim to come, please."
She knew that she did not care whether Jim Spalding came or did notcome; that she was fighting for delay and could not help snatching atany straw, though she knew that in the end she would go down,overwhelmed by circumstance. Circumstance and--Gratton. Gratton alsoknew and frowned.
"Gloria," he said smoothly, "that isn't necessary, is it?"
"Yes, it is!" she flared out at him hotly. "Go, get him."
"It will take only a minute," Gratton said over his shoulder as he went.He would see to it that it took no great amount of time. Spalding on hisbench saw Gratton running toward him.
"You're wanted in the house a minute, Spalding," he said curtly. "Steplively, will you?"
Spalding, not given to stepping lively at other men's commands, was slowin answering, and then spoke drawlingly:
"Wanted, am I? Well, that's interestin'. By who? I'm wonderin'."
"Miss Gloria. She wants you right away."
"That's different," said old Jim, getting to his feet.
Gratton turned and hastened back to the house, Jim quickening his ownpace as he sensed something out of the ordinary. The house door stoodopen as Gratton had left it, and the two entered hastily. Jim lookedfrom face to face with keen, shrewd eyes, ignored Jarrold, who said amirthful "Evenin', Jim," and turned to Gloria for explanation.
"Miss Gloria wanted----" began Gratton. But Jim Spalding lifted a bighand as though to ward off the words.
"I'm here, miss," he said when Gloria's white face only stared at him."You ain't sick, are you?"
"No, Jim, I--I am going to be married, and----"
"Married!" Jim looked incredulous and then puzzled as again his eyeswent swiftly from one to the other of the three men's faces.
"Yes, Jim. And I want you to be a witness."
Jim flushed up and shifted uneasily. He had never been at a wedding; hedid not know what a "witness" had to do. And to witness the wedding ofMiss Gloria, who had never appeared to come down to earth long enough toknow that there was such a man as Jim Spalding on the same sphere withher----He managed an uneasy "Yes'm," and backed off toward the door.
"Now, if you folks is ready," began the "judge" again.
"Right now?" muttered Jim. "You're gettin' married right now?"
"Yes," said Gloria wearily. And to Summerling: "I am ready."
"But I ain't!" cried Spalding. He got to the door and started down thehall. "Wait a minute, will you?"
Gratton hurried after him, his face hot with rage, while Steve Jarroldguffawed loudly and then, under Gloria's startled look, dropped hiseyes.
"Come back here, Spalding," commanded Gratton angrily. "Whatever you'vegot to do can wait a minute----"
"_You_ wait," growled Jim. "I'll be back quick enough."
* * * * *
Mark King was awakened by old Jim rushing into the room, lighting a lamphastily, and making a deal of clatter. He sat up, demanding:
"Has Ben come?"
Jim began chuckling. After all, a wedding was a wedding, and thereforea matter well worth a man's allowing himself to get a bit excited. Froma cupboard he began dragging forth his one and only service
able suit ofclothes, dingy black, shiny affairs, but Jim's "best." He kicked off hisbreeches, drew on the black trousers, and caught up the coat.
"No, Ben ain't back," he grinned at King. "Guess he'll be surprised whenhe does come. His girl's gettin' herself married. To that city guy,Gratton. Right now in the house!"
"What!" King had heard well enough, but that "What!" broke from himexplosively.
"An' me, I'm a witness," said old Jim. "Steve Jarrold's another. Theygot the preacher there an' everything." He paused a moment andreflected, with puckered brows. "What do you think of her marryin' thatswab, now? Think Ben's goin' to be pleased? Kind of surprising ain't it,Mark?"
King managed a laugh which escaped critical notice only because old Jimwas only half listening.
"Oh, it's been open and shut all along that she'd marry Gratton," hesaid, keeping his head down as he drew a match across the floor asthough to like a pipe whose bowl was empty. "If it suits his womenfolk,I guess Ben will stand for it."
By now Jim had drawn his coat on and was back at the door.
"Better come along, Mark," he invited. "You don't see a weddin' everyday. Comin'?"
"No, thanks," said King. He broke his match between nervous fingers. Heraised his head to watch Jim go.
"Lord, Mark," said Spalding, holding on his heel a moment. "You must ofmade one all-mighty day of it! You sure do look tuckered!"
King rose and went to the door and stood looking after the swiftlydeparting figure. He saw the house, the windows bright with lights,light streaming out through the door to the porch. There was Gloria.Just there. And he had slept, and Gloria was marrying. And here was theend of it--the end of everything, it dawned on him. He, who had neverlooked twice on a woman, had looked thrice on her and again. He, theone-woman man, had found the one woman--and had lost her. He looked outtoward the house and through its thick log walls saw Gloria; Gloria asshe had come down the stairs to him that first day, floating down like apink thistledown, putting her two hands into his, looking up into hiseyes with eyes which he would never forget; he saw her in the woods,riding with him; by the spring waiting eagerly for the littlewater-ouzel, she so like a bird herself; crossing a stream onboulders--she had slipped; he had caught her into his arms--close. Herhair had blown across his face. He stood with her on the highest crestof a ridge; the world lay below them, they were alone in the blueheavens. And he loved her. He groaned and ran his hand across his eyesas though to wipe the pictures out--pictures which would never passaway.
Gloria was marrying. Gratton. Now. He looked up into the sky bright withstars; its great message to him was "Emptiness." The world was empty,life was empty. There was nothing. Simply because Gloria had come, hadlaughed into his eyes, and had gone on. She was like the springtimewhich came dancing into the mountains which softened them and brightenedthem--and laughed and passed on and away. She would be laughingnow--into Gratton's eyes.
He would never see her again after to-night. Other men had loved andtheir loves had crumbled to ashes, blown away by the winds of time. Butto-night he _would_ see her. The last time. While still she was GloriaGaynor and not Gratton's wife----
He started and hurried toward the house. They were waiting for Jim andJim had hurried. He came to the porch and, with never a board to creakunder his careful tread, he made his way silently around to theliving-room side of the house. There was a window there; the shade wasnot drawn; the curtains were blowing back and forth. He drew close andstood, watching. He would look at Gloria one last time, turning awayjust before the preacher said the last words; it was like looking forthe last time on a beloved face before the sod fell----
He saw her. Her back was turned to him; her head was down. He watchedher fingers moving nervously at her sides and his brow contracted with asudden access of pain. Those fingers had touched his and he had thrilledto the soft, warm contact; he loved them better than he loved life. Andsoon they would find their way into Gratton's.
Not once did he move his eyes from her. She did not turn toward him, butas the "judge" began talking she lifted her head and King saw herthroat, her cheek. How pale she was----
Though her head was up, her slim body drooped. Like a little wildwoodflower wilting. So she remained for what seemed a very long time. Thensuddenly he saw her body stiffen; her hands flew to her breast. The"judge," hurrying along, had asked:
"And do you take this man to be your wedded husband?"
King did not want to hear the answer; he turned to go. But hear now hemust, for though until now responses had been low-voiced, hardly above amurmur, he heard Gloria crying:
"_No! No and no and no_!"
King stopped like a man paralysed. Had he gone mad? Then his pulsesleaped and hammered. Gloria had cried "_No_!" A tremor shook him; hecould no longer see her, but he stood where he was, his senses keyed tohear a falling pin within.
"He is a beast and I hate him!" cried Gloria wildly. "He tried to trickme and trap me. He tried to make me marry him But I won't! I won't! I'drather die."
Her voice died chokingly away, and for five seconds it was deathlystill. Still King did not move. He heard Gratton's exclamation,Gratton's hurried step. The man was excited, was expostulating. Othervoices; the other men had drawn aside, amazed, leaving Gratton a clearfield with his unwilling bride.
"Have you gone mad, Gloria?" King could hear the words now. "Think whatyou are saying----"
"I have thought. I hate you. Go away. Let me go."
Gratton's pale eyes must be ablaze with wrath now; his tone told that.
"There's no way out for you. You've got to marry me. I----"
"Take your hand off----"
Her voice broke into a scream.
"You're hurting me----"
And now Mark King moved at last. Before the last word had done vibratingthrough the still room he was through the window, taking the shortestway. Gratton's hand was on Gloria's shoulder; King threw it off, hurlingthe man backward across the room. Gloria turned to him----
"Mark!" she cried. "Oh, Mark King!"
He put his arms about her, thinking that she was going to fall. For aninstant he held her tight; he felt her heart beating as though it wouldburst through her bosom.
"You won't let him----?"
He moved with her to a chair, placed her in it, and turned towardGratton, a look like a naked knife in his eyes.
"By jings!" muttered old Jim under his breath. "By jings!"