CHAPTER VIII.
THE DANCE.
"Ain't it lovely, Ora?" and 'Tana danced past Ora Harrison, the doctor'spretty daughter, as if her feet had wings to them. And as Ora's brightface smiled an answer, it was clear that the only two young girls in thesettlement were enjoying Lyster's party to the full.
For it was a pronounced success. Every "boy" invited was there in as muchof festive outfit as circumstances would allow. All the "family" peoplewere there. And the presence of Doctor Harrison--the only "professional"man in the town--and his wife and daughter gave a stamp of select societyto the gathering in Mrs. Huzzard's rooms.
Mrs. Huzzard beamed with pleasure at the great success of it all. Shewould have liked to dance, too, and refused most unwillingly when Lystertried to persuade her. But a supercilious glance from the captain made herrefusal decided. The doubt as to whether ladies in "sussiety" ever diddance after forty years, and one hundred and sixty-three pounds weight,deterred her. Now, if the captain had asked her to dance, she would havebeen more assured.
But the captain did not; and, after a while, he was not to be seen. He hadvanished into the little back sitting room, and she was confident he wasengaged in his innocent pastime of a friendly game of cards with thedoctor.
"Go and dance with 'Tana, or that nice little girl of the doctor's,"she said to Lyster, when he was trying to inveigle her into aquadrille--"that's the sort of partner for you."
"But 'Tana has disappeared mysteriously; and as Miss Ora is 'bespoke,' Ican't dance with her unless I want a duel with her partner."
"'Tana disappeared! Well, now, I haven't seen her for two dances," saidMrs. Huzzard, looking around searchingly, "though I never missed her tillthis minute."
"Beg pardon, ma'am," said a voice at her elbow; "but is it the--the younglady with the white dress you are looking for?"
"Yes, it is," answered Mrs. Huzzard, and turned around to face thespeaker, who was an apologetic-looking stranger with drab-colored chinwhiskers, and a checkered shirt, and a slight impediment in his speech.
"Well, ma'am, I saw her go into that room there quite a spell ago," and henodded toward the back sitting room. "She hasn't passed out again, as I'veseen."
Then, as Mrs. Huzzard smiled on him in a friendly way, he venturedfurther:
"She's a very pretty girl, as any one can see. Might I ask her name?"
"Oh, yes! Her name is Rivers--Miss Tana Rivers," said Mrs. Huzzard. "Youmust be a stranger in the settlement?"
"Yes, ma'am, I am. My name is Harris--Jim Harris. I come down from thediggings with Mr. Overton this morning. He allowed it would be all rightfor me to step inside, if I wanted to see the dancing."
"To be sure it is," agreed Mrs. Huzzard, heartily. "His friends are ourfriends, and civil folks are always right welcome."
"Thank, you, ma'am; you're kind, I'm sure. But we ain't just friends,especial. Only I had business in his line, so we picked up acquaintanceand come into camp together; and when I saw the pretty girl in white, Idid think I'd like to come in a spell. She looks so uncommon like a boy Iknew up in the 'big bend' country. Looks enough like him to be a twin; buthe wasn't called Rivers. Has--has this young lady any brothers or cousinsup there?"
"Well, now, as for cousins, they are far out, and we hain't ever talkedabout them; but as for brothers or sisters, father or mother, that shehasn't got, for she told me so. Her pa and Mr. Dan Overton they waspartners once; and when the pa died he just left his child to thepartner's care; and he couldn't have left her to a squarer man."
"That's what report says of him," conceded the stranger, watching her withguarded attention. "Then Mr. Overton's partner hasn't been dead long?"
"Oh, no--not very long; not long enough for the child to get used totalking of it to strangers, I guess; so we don't ask her many questionsabout it. But it troubles her yet, I know."
"Of course--of course; such a pretty little girl, too."
Then the two fell into quite a pleasant chat, and it was not until hemoved away from beside her, to make room for the doctor's wife, that Mrs.Huzzard observed that one arm hung limply beside him, and that one legdragged a little as he walked. He was a man who bore paralysis with him.
She thought, while he was talking to her, that he looked like a man whohad seen trouble. A weary, drawn look was about his eyes. She had seendissipated men who looked like that; yet this stranger seemed in no ways aman of that sort. He was so quiet and polite; and when she saw the almostuseless limbs, she thought she knew then what that look in his facemeant.
But there were too many people about for her to study one veryparticularly, so she lost sight of the stranger, Harris, and did notobserve that he had moved near the door of the sitting room, or that thedoor was open.
But it was; and just inside of it Lyster stood watching, with a certainvexation, a game of cards played there. The doctor had withdrawn, and waslooking with amusement at the two players--'Tana and Captain Leek. Thecaptain was getting the worst of it. His scattered whiskers fairlybristled with perplexity and irritation. Several times he displayed badjudgment in drawing and discarding, because of his nervous annoyance,while she seemed surprisingly skillful or lucky, and was not at alldisturbed by her opponent's moods. She looked smilingly straight into hiseyes, and when she exhibited the last winning hand, and the captain dashedhis hand angrily into the pack, she waited for one civil second and thenswept the stakes toward her.
"What! Don't you want to play any more, captain?" she asked, maliciously."I would really like to have another dance, yet if you want revenge--"
"Go and dance by all means," he said, testily. "When I want another gameof poker, I'll let you know, but I must say I do not approve of suchpastime for young ladies."
"None of us would, if in your place, captain," laughed the doctor. "And,for my part, I am glad I did not play against her luck."
The captain mumbled something about a difference between luck and skill,while 'Tana swept the money off the table and laughed--not a pleasantlaugh, either.
"One--two--three--four!--twenty dollars--that is about a dollar a minute,isn't it?" she asked provokingly. "Well, captain, I guess we are square upto to-night, and if you want to open another account, I'm ready."
She spoke with the dash and recklessness of a boy. Lyster noticed itagain, and resented it silently. But when she turned, she read thedispleasure in his eyes.
"Oh, it's you, is it?" she inquired airily. "Is it time for our dance? Yousee, the captain wanted some amusement, and, as the doctor was nearlyasleep over the cards, I came in and helped them out."
"Beautifully," agreed the doctor.
But Lyster borrowed no cheeriness from their smiles.
"I think it is our dance," Lyster observed. "And if you will come--"
"Certain," she said, with a nod; but at the door she paused. "Won't youkeep this money for me?" she asked. "I've no pocket. And just put a fivein a locked pocket 'for keeps,' please; I owe it to you."
"To me? You won that five."
"No, I didn't; I cheated you," she whispered. "Keep it, please do."
She pushed the money into his hand. One piece of it fell and rolled to thefeet of the stranger, who leaned carelessly against the doorway, but insuch a position that he could easily see into the sitting room.
He stooped and picked up the money.
"Yours, miss?" he said, courteously, and she smilingly reached out herhand for it--the hand on which Overton's gift, the strange ring,glittered.
The paralytic stranger barely repressed an exclamation as he noticed it,and from it his eyes went swiftly, questioningly, to the girl's face.
"Yes, it's mine," she said, with a nod of thanks. Then she smiled a littleas she saw where his attention was given. "Are you wondering if the snakesyou see are the result of odd drinks? Well, they are not; they are ofmetal and won't hurt you."
"Beg pardon, miss. Guess I did look at your pretty ring sharp; and it isenough to make a man shake if he's been drinking. But a little drink willdo me a long time."
Then Lyster and the girl passed on, the girl smiling at the littleexchange of words with the stranger. But Lyster himself was anything butwell pleased at the entire affair. He resented the fact that he had foundher there gambling, that she had shown such skill, that she had turned tothe seedy-looking stranger and exchanged words, as men might do, but as agirl assuredly should not do. All these things disturbed him. Why, hecould scarcely have told. Only that morning she had been but a littlehalf-savage child, who amused him by her varying moods and sharp speech.But to-night, in her graceful white gown, she seemed to have grown tallerand more womanly and winsome. The glances and homage of the mostacceptable youths about revealed to him the fact that she was somewhatmore than the strong swimmer or clever canoeist. She was deemed charmingby others, in a very different fashion than he had thought of her, and sheappeared rather too conscious of the fact. He fancied that she evendelighted in letting him see that others showed deference to her, whenhe had only that day teased her as carelessly as he would have teased aboy into a rage.
Then to stop and jest like that with the insignificant stranger by thedoor! Mr. Lyster said a bad word in his mind, and decided that thepresuming masculinity of the settlement would be allowed few chances forfavors the remainder of the evening. He intended to guard her himself--aformidable guard for the purpose, as a man would need a good deal ofself-reliance to try for favor if so handsome a personality as Lyster'swas an opponent.
But the rather shabby stranger, standing by the inner door, scarcelynoticed the noticeable young fellow. All his attention was given to thegirl who had spoken to him so frankly. She passed on and did not observehis excessive interest. But his eyes lighted up when he heard her voicespeaking to him, and his face flushed with color as he stroked his beardwith his well hand and gazed after her.
"So this is where the trail begins, is it?" he whispered to the tremblinghand at his lips. "Well, I would have looked for it many another placebefore commencing with a partner of Mr. Dan Overton--law-and-order man. Hemust have gulled this whole territory beautifully to have them swear byhim as they do. And 'Monte' is his _protegee_! Well, Miss--or Mr.Monte--whichever it is--your girl's toggery is more becoming than theoutfit I saw you wear last; but though your hair is a little darker, I'dswear to you anywhere--yes, and to the ring, too. Well, I think I'll restmy weary body in this 'burgh' for a few weeks to come. If the devil hasn'thelped his own, and cheated me, this partner--Mr. 'Rivers'--is yet aliveand in the flesh. If so, there is one place he will drift sooner or later,and that is to this young gambler. And then--then death will be no shamfor him, for I will be here, too."
To 'Tana--jubilant with her victory over her instinctive antagonist, thecaptain--all the evening was made for her pleasure, and she floated in theparadise of sixteen years; and the world where people danced was the onlyworld worth knowing.
"I will be good now--I can be as good as an angel since I've got even withthe captain."
She whispered those words to Lyster, whose hand was clasping hers, whosearm was about her waist, as they, drifted around the rather small circle,to a waltz played on a concertina and a banjo.
She looked up at him, mutely asking him to believe her. Her desire forrevenge satisfied, she could be a very good girl now.
It was just then that Overton, who stood outside the window, glanced inand saw her lovely upturned face--saw the red lips move in some poutingprotest, to which Lyster smiled but looked doubtfully down at her. To theman watching them from without, the two seemed always so close--soconfidential. At times he even wondered if Lyster had not learned morethan himself of her life before that day at Akkomi's camp.
All that evening Dan had not once entered the room where they danced, oradded in any way to their merry-making. He had stood outside the door mostof the time, or sometimes rested a little way from it on a store box,where he smoked placidly, and inspected the people who gathered to thedance.
All the invited guests came early, and perfect harmony reigned within. Afew of the unsavory order of citizens had sauntered by, as though takingnote of the pleasures from which they were excluded. But it was notuntil almost twelve o'clock--just after Overton had turned away fromwatching the waltz--that a pistol shot rang out in the street, and severaldancers halted.
Some of the men silently moved to the door, but just then the door wasopened by Overton, who looked in.
"It was only my gun went off by accident," he said, carelessly. "So don'tlet me stampede the party. Go on with your music."
The stranger, Harris, was nearest the door, and essayed to pass out, butOverton touched him on the arm.
"Not just yet," he said hurriedly. "Don't come out or others will follow,and there'll be trouble. Keep them in some way."
Then the door closed. The concertina sobbed and shrieked out its notes,and drowned a murmur of voices on the outside. One man lay senseless closeto the doorstep, and four more men with two women stood a little apartfrom him.
"If another shot is fired, your houses will be torn down over your headsto-morrow," said Overton, threateningly; "and some of you will not beneeding an earthly habitation by that time, either."
"Fury! It is Overton!" muttered one of the men to another. "They told ushe wasn't in this thing."
"What for you care?" demanded the angry tones of a Dutch woman. "Whatdifference that make--eh? If so be as we want to dance--well, then, we goin and dance--you make no mistake."
But the men were not so aggressive. The most audacious was the senselessone, who had fired the revolver and whom Overton had promptly and quietlyknocked down.
"I don't think you men want any trouble of this sort," he remarked, andignored the women entirely. "If you've been told that I'm not in this,that's just where some one told you a lie; and if it's a woman, you shouldknow better than to follow her lead. If these women get through that door,it will be when I'm an angel. I'm doing you all a good turn by not lettingthe boys in there know about this. No religion could save you, if I turnedthem loose on you; so you had better get away quiet, and quick."
The men seemed to appreciate his words.
"That's so," mumbled one.
And as the other woman attempted a protest, one of the men put his handover her mouth, and, picking her up bodily, walked down the street withher, she all the time kicking and making remarks of a vigorous nature.
The humor of the situation appealed to the delicate senses of hercompanions, until they laughed right heartily, and the entire tone of thescene was changed from a threat of battle to an excuse for jollity. Theman on the ground reeled upward to his feet with the help of a shake fromOverton.
"Where's my gun?" he asked, sulkily.
Blood trickling from a cut brow compelled him to keep one eye shut.
"Overton has it," explained one of his friends. "Come on, and don't tryanother racket."
"I want my gun--it was him hit me," growled the wounded one, whose spiritshad not been enlivened by the spectacle the rest had witnessed.
"You are right--it was him," agreed the other, darkly; "and if it hadn'tbeen for breaking up the dance, I guess he'd a-killed you. Come on. Youleft a ball in his arm by the looks of things, and all he did was to knockyou still. He may want to do more to-morrow. But as you have no gun,you'd better wait till then."
The door had been opened, and the light streamed out. Men talked in afriendly, jovial fashion on and about the doorstep. They saw the formsmoving away in the shadows, but no sign of disturbance met them.
Overton stood looking in the window at the dancers. The waltz was not yetfinished, and 'Tana and Lyster drifted past within a few feet of him. Theserenity of their evening had not been disturbed. Her face held all ofjoyous content--so it seemed to the watcher. She laughed as she danced;and hearing the music of her high, girlish tones, he forgot for a time thestinging little pain in his arm, until his left hand, thrust into his coatpocket, slowly filled with blood. Then Dan turned to the man nearest him.
"If Doctor Harrison is still in there, would you d
o me the favor of askinghim to come outside for a few minutes?" he asked, and the man addressedstepped closer.
"There is a back way into the house. Hadn't you better just step in thatway, and have him fix you up? He's in the back room, alone, smoking."
Overton turned with an impatient exclamation, and a sharp, questioninglook. It was the half-paralyzed stranger--Harris.
"Oh, I ain't interfering!" he said, amiably. "But as I slipped out throughthe back door before your visitors left, I dropped to the fact that youhad some damage done to that left arm. Yes, I'll carry any message youlike to your doctor, for I like your nerve. But I must say it's thanklesswork to stand up as a silent target for cold lead, just so some one elsemay dance undisturbed. Take an old man's advice, sonny, do some of thedancing yourself."