CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Limber and Powell were riding together in a deep canyon of the Galiuros.Neither had spoken for some time, for often they rode together withoutexchanging a word. Limber, who was slightly in advance of the doctor,stopped Peanut and leaned forward in his saddle. Then his quick glancebrought Powell closer.
From the thick undergrowth ahead of them a tiny spiral of smoke rosefaintly. Cautiously they urged their ponies; then through the brush,silently watched a man carrying a hot branding iron in his hand. A cowwas roped and lying on the ground. The iron burned into the hide, thesmell of singed hair, the bellows of pain told the story. The man's backhad been toward them, but both Powell and Limber had recognized thefigure and walk.
They waited. The man loosed the rope that bound the cow. It caught in asnarl, the cow struggled. With an oath, he jerked the rope, at the sametime giving the animal a vicious kick on the head.
It staggered to its feet and stood dazed for a second, then darted intothe brush; but not before Limber and Powell had seen the fresh brand.Limber leaned close to the doctor and whispered, "That's a PL cow andit's been changed to a BD."
The eyes of the two men met in understanding. Again they peered throughthe brush to see the other man rubbing the hot iron in the dirt to coolit. He turned to his horse, the iron in his hand.
An inspiration seized Powell.
"Quick! Let him know we saw him!"
Their ponies jumped forward under the spurs, but Glendon, busy tying theiron to his saddle, did not notice their presence until Peanut's hoofcrackled on a loose branch. Glendon leaped to his horse, whirled itaround and faced them with his hand resting on his pistol holster. Itrelaxed as he recognized them.
"Oh, hello!" he said affably, plainly speculating as to how long theyhad been watching him.
Limber looked at him curiously. "Been brandin'?" he spoke in a casualvoice.
"No:" answered Glendon. "I was just looking over the range. Glad wehappened to meet."
Without comment, the cowpuncher rode to the still smouldering embers,slipped from his saddle, then kicked at the bits of charred and glowingwood. Before Glendon realized it, Limber reached out suddenly andtouched the still hot iron fastened to Glendon's saddle.
Glendon glared at him as the cowboy said very quietly, "Looks as if yourGreaser friend has come back from Mexico, Glendon. I jest seen anotherof them BD bunch you bought from him. It's got a fresh brand on it, too.You must of just bought it today."
Glendon's pony twisted toward Limber, Glendon's hand moved almostimperceptibly, but dropped quickly as Limber called, "Don't tech yourgun, you idjit!"
The eyes of Glendon shifted cat-like from Limber to Powell, then hishands rested lightly on the horn of his saddle and he leaned forwardcarelessly, saying, "Don't you think you two have carried your jokeabout far enough?"
"Joke!" vociferated the angry cowpuncher with an oath, "It means the Penfor you--if you call that a joke."
Glendon's eyes narrowed as they rested on Powell, and an expression offury distorted his face.
"Oh, I see your little game now!" he snarled. "Going to try to railroadme to the Pen so Powell can make love to my wife. I'll see you bothdamned before you play your last card. I'll show both of you up--andKatherine, too!"
Two shots rang out together. The ponies reared as bullets pinged past,Powell, unarmed, looked at Limber, who stood with smoking pistol in histense grip. The remnant of Glendon's six-shooter was lying on the groundsome distance from his horse--knocked from his hand by the shot fromLimber's gun. That shot had saved Powell's life.
Not one of the men spoke, but Powell who was unarmed, leaped from hishorse. All the rage that had consumed him for months seethed over. Heclutched at Glendon, dragged him, despite his struggles, from his horse,and then face to face they met. All the knowledge of the miseryinflicted on Katherine by this man, lent additional strength to Powell'sblows, while Glendon's hatred responded in full. It was caveman againstcaveman, with bare hands for weapons.
The fight was short but sharp. Though Glendon was a much larger man thanPowell, and had once been able to hold his own with the gloves or atwrestling, years of dissipation told on him now. A crashing blow fromthe doctor stretched him on the ground motionless for several seconds;then his eyes opened and looked into the grim faces of the two men whostood watching him.
"Get up," ordered Powell.
Glendon dragged himself to his feet, swayed dizzily and passed his handover his dazed eyes; slowly he moved to a fallen tree and droppedheavily on it.
"What are you going to do?" he asked sullenly. "Send me up? You won'tget her that way. She'll stick to me."
Powell stepped to Glendon's side, his face white with fury, his handsclenched ominously. "Keep your wife's name off your dirty tongue," hecommanded tensely, "or, by God! I'll kill you."
Glendon knew it was no idle threat, and his eyes sought the grounduntil he was roused by Powell handing him a note book and fountain pen.
"What's this for?" he demanded with an oath.
"Write what I dictate," Powell answered.
Glendon's head jerked angrily, "I will write nothing," he retorted.
"You have ten minutes to do as I say;" Powell's voice was like flint,and so were the angry eyes that regarded the man at his feet. "Write.'This is to confess that John Burritt and Doctor Powell caught mechanging a PL cow to a BD and marking it with the Circle Cross."
Glendon laughed contemptously. "Do you think I'm such a fool as to signa paper that will send me to the penitentiary?"
"It's the only way that you can keep from going there," was Powell'sreply.
"Suppose I sign it?"
"Then, so long as you stop your crooked work and behave decently, no onewill know of this episode except myself and Limber. In case you try tocoerce your wife in any way, or take Donnie from her as you plan, thispaper will be used by us to help her keep her boy. A woman has no legalright to her child in Arizona, but neither has the father if he is aconvict. So it's up to you. I give you ten minutes."
The doctor seated himself on a boulder, holding his open watch in hishand, while Glendon sat staring at the ground in helpless fury.
"Time's up," announced Powell, snapping the cover of his watch andplacing it in his pocket, "Well, what is your answer?"
"I'll write what you say," muttered Glendon, reaching out for the penand notebook.
Powell repeated the words while Glendon with shaking hand signed hisname to the confession. His face was white with rage as he returned thebook to Powell.
"Sign as a witness, please, Limber;" and the cowpuncher signed hisname, "John C. Burritt," beneath which was written, "Cuthbert Powell,"and the date. Then the doctor pocketed the pen and book.
"You might as well know," commented Powell, "that this paper will beforwarded immediately to my attorneys in the East, with instructions howto act in event of any stray bullet or other mysterious accidenthappening to Limber or me. Our safety is your only protection. Now, Ithink we understand each other perfectly."
Glendon made no answer. The three men mounted their ponies, rode throughthe canyon, climbed the backbone of the mountain and worked down thenarrow trail that merged into the road leading to the Hot Springs. Noneof them spoke. Each was busy with his own thoughts.
As they approached the Hot Springs ranch, Powell looked critically atGlendon's bruised eye and swollen hands. It was a purely professionalsurvey, and Glendon recognized it as such when the doctor spoke.
"Come in," was the curt command. "You can't let your wife see you thatway, unless you want me to tell her the whole truth."
Glendon hesitated, then reined his pony at the gate and dismountedpainfully.
Though Powell's hands were deft and light, Glendon knew they were notministering lovingly, while they bandaged the bruises they hadinflicted. It goaded him to submit; but he had no alternative. Limbersat watching the two men. The room was silent save for the doctor'smovements.
"That will do," he said at last, and Glendon
rose from the chair, hishands bandaged and one eye covered with a patch. "Limber, you may ridedown with him, and tell Mrs. Glendon that her husband met with anaccident and we were lucky enough to be near; but there is nothing tocause her any anxiety so long as her husband is careful," he regardedGlendon steadily as he uttered these words.
Then without further addressing his patient, the doctor turned into hisbedroom, carrying the bandages with him, and Glendon, with thesuppressed fury of a volcano, followed the cowboy to the gate.
From a window, Powell watched them ride side by side down the roadtoward the Circle Cross. With grim satisfaction he recalled the fight inthe canyon. He knew that Limber would deliver his message to Glendon'swife, and that Glendon would not contradict it.
When Limber returned, he reported to the doctor that Mrs. Glendon wouldcare for the patient, and she sent her thanks to Doctor Powell. Limber'seyes had a lurking twinkle that was reflected in Powell's.
"It's plumb lucky you thought about fixin' things so's he can't takeDonnie away from her," the cowpuncher spoke in admiration. "I'd a neverthought of it."
For the first time the doctor told Limber of the desperation of themother, and the narrow averting of a terrible tragedy in the Box.Limber's face was white and his grey eyes glazed.
"Doc, do you mean ter tell me that she ain't got no right to Donnie? An'Glen kin take him away anytime he wants to?"
"That is the way the law stands now, Limber. I looked up the matterthrough a lawyer in Tucson after I came to live at the Springs and sawthe terrible struggle she was making. She does not believe in divorce,but even if she did, the law is on his side; so long as he keeps frombeing classed as a criminal. If she leaves Glendon, he can keep thechild."
"If I'd knowed that," Limber spoke very quietly, "I wouldn't have beenso careful aimin' at that pistol in his hand, when he pulled his gun onyou and you wasn't armed."
"Well, it worked out still better," responded Powell, "We've got himjust where we want him now, thank God!"
Limber stared at the cigarette rings above his head, and sat thinkingfor quite a while, before he said, "Some day somethin's goin' to bustthem laws. It takes a heap to wake people up, but when they get woke upthey'll be like the ol' white horse and the China pump at the Diamond H.
"You see, we uster work him at the big pond, and the water was pumpedfrom the well with an' ol' fashioned pump called a China pump. That wasbefore the Boss got gasoline engines. You may believe me, or not, Doc,but it was that ol' white horse that got the first engine on the ranch.For five years ol' Whitey was hitched up to the cross-bar and a blinderput across his eyes, then he was started, an' once he started, he jestkept on goin' round and round without nobody watching him and he neverknowed the difference.
"But one day he stopped short, and of course, thar warn't no waterpumpin', the troughs was dry and the cattle bawlin' their heads off. Meand the Boss rid near, and went over to see what was makin' the trouble.The cows was climbin' over each other's backs trying to get a drink.Well, we found ol' Whitey's blind had slid down so he could see outenone eye.
"I fixed it back and said, 'Gittap,' expectin' he would go long jest ashe always done, but Whitey never moved a step.
"I touched him with my quirt, and then that ol' horse that was oldenough to die three times over and had never done a mean thing in hislife, turned loose and kicked the stuffin' outen the woodwork of thatpump as far as he could reach."
Limber paused in retrospection, and Powell said, "What happened next?"
"Northin' happened. That was the trouble. They never could use him againon the pump; and every other horse we tried had to have a man stay withit, because Whitey was the only one that had worked without bein'watched, you see. So the Boss put in the gasoline engine down thar. WhenWhitey found he was bein' fooled into jest goin' around and around andnever gettin' nowhar, he up and busted things good and plenty. An'that's the way with people when the blind slips off. Someday, some one'sblind is goin' to slip down and then thar'll be Hell to pay with thatlaw in Arizona!"
"If the men who frame the laws could see each individual affectedunjustly by that law, standing before them and know how it could betwisted to injure a life, they would be more careful in enacting a law.Do you think for a minute, Limber, that any man, or body of men, whopassed the law giving a father sole right to his children, would endorsethat law today--if they knew what you and I know about Glendon and hiswife?"
"No! You bet thar isn't a decent man in Arizona that would stand forit," Limber answered emphatically, "But it's thar, and we can't help itnow. Only I wisht I knowed all this yesterday, that's all. Arizona's gotsome good laws. One of 'em is that the feller what draws on an unarmedman, ain't got no right to live hisself."