The coming of spring was marked by a few heavy rains, followed by thefaint greening of the cottonwood trees and of the alfalfa fields. The greywaste of the _mesa_ showed a greenish tinge, too, heralding its briefspringtime splendor when it would be rich with the purple of wild-peas,pricked out in the morning with white blossoms of the prairie primrose.Now and then a great flock of geese went over the town, following the RioGrande northward half a mile high, their faint wild call seeming the veryvoice of this season of lust and wandering.
Ramon felt restless and lost interest in all his usual occupations. Hebegan to make plans and preparations for going to the mountains. He boughta tent and a new rifle and overhauled all his camping gear. He thought hewas getting ready for a season of hard work, but in reality his strongestmotive was the springtime longing for the road and the out-of-doors. Hewas sick of whisky and women and hot rooms full of tobacco smoke.
Withal it was necessary that he should go to Arriba County, follow up hiscampaign of the preceding fall, arrange a timber sale if possible so thathe might buy land, and above all see that his sheep herds were properlytended. This was the crucial season in the sheep business. Like the othersheep owners, he ranged his herds chiefly over the public domain, and hegambled on the weather. If the rain continued into the early summer sothat the waterholes were filled and the grass was abundant, he would havea good lamb crop. The sale of part of this and of the wool he would shearwould make up the bulk of his income for the year. And he had alreadyspent that income and a little more. He could not afford a bad year. If itwas a dry spring, so that lambs and ewes died, he would be seriouslyembarrassed. In any case, he was determined to be on the range in personand not to trust the herders. If it came to the worst and the spring wasdry he would rent mountain range from the Forest Service and rush hisherds to the upland pastures as early as possible. He was not at alldistressed or worried; he knew what he was about and had an appetite forthe work.
One morning when he was in the midst of his preparations, he went to hisoffice and found on the desk a small square letter addressed in a round,upright, hand. This letter affected him as though it had been some blossomthat filled the room with a fragrant narcotic exhalation. It quickened thebeat of his heart like a drug. It drove thought of everything else out ofhis mind. He opened it and the faint perfume of it flowed over him andpossessed his senses and his imagination.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~}
It was a long, gossipy letter and told him of nearly everything that Juliahad done in the six months since they had parted "forever". The salientfact was that she had been married. A young man in a New York brokerageoffice who had long been a suitor for her hand, and to whom she had oncebefore been engaged for part of a summer, had followed the Roths to Europeand he and Julia had been married immediately after their return.
"I give you my word, I don't know why I did it," she wrote. "Mother wantedme to, and I just sort of drifted into it. First thing I knew I wasengaged and the next thing mother was sending the invitations out, andthen I was in for it. It was a good deal of fun being engaged, but when itcame to being married I was scared to death and couldn't lift my voiceabove a whisper. Since then it has been rather a bore. Now my husband hasbeen called to London. I am living alone here in this hotel. That is, moreor less alone. A frightful lot of people come around and bore me, and Ihave to go out a good deal. I'm supposed to be looking for an apartment,too; but I haven't really started yet. Ralph won't be back for another twoor three weeks, so I have plenty of time.
"I don't know why in the world I'm writing you this long frightfullyintimate letter. I don't seem to know why I do anything these days. I knowits most improper for a respectable married lady, and I certainly have noreason to suppose you want to be bothered by me any more after the way Idid. But somehow you stick in the back of my head. You might write me aline, just out of compassion, if you're not too busy with all your sheepand mountains and things." She signed herself "as ever", which, hereflected bitterly, might mean anything.
At first the fact that she was married wholly engaged his attention. Shewas then finally and forever beyond his reach. This was the end sureenough. He was not going to start any long aimless correspondence with herto keep alive the memory of his disappointment. He planned various briefand chilly notes of congratulation.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} Then another thought took precedenceover that one. She was alone there in that hotel. Her husband was inLondon. She had written to him and given him her address.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} His bloodpounded and his breath came quick. He made his decision instantly, onimpulse. He would go to New York.
He wired the hotel where she was stopping for a reservation, but sent noword at all to her. He gave the bewildered and troubled Cortez brieforders by telephone to go to Arriba County in his place, arranged a noteat the bank for two thousand dollars, and caught the limited the samenight at seven-thirty-five.