CHAPTER IX
A NEW DEAL
The rush of burro-men to Hungry Bill's ranch followed close in DustyRhodes' wake, and some there were who came on foot; but they soon camestringing back, for it was a fine, large country and Hungry Bill wasabout as communicative as a rattlesnake. All he knew, or cared to know,was the price of corn and fruit, which he sold at Blackwater prices; andthe search for Wunpost had only served to show to what lengths a manwill go for revenge. In some mysterious way Wunpost had acquired a horseand mule, both sharp-shod for climbing over rocks, and he had dallied atHungry Bill's until the first of the stampeders had come in sight on thePanamint trail. Then he had set out up the ridge, riding the horse andpacking the mule, and even an Indian trailer had given out and quitwithout ever bringing them in sight of him again. He had led them such achase that the hardiest came back satisfied, and they agreed that hecould keep his old mine.
The excitement died away or was diverted to other channels, forBlackwater was having a boom; and, just as Wilhelmina had given up hopeof seeing him, John C. Calhoun came riding down the ridge. Not down thecanyon, where the trail made riding easy, but down the steep ridgetrail, where a band of mountain sheep was accustomed to come for water.Wilhelmina was in her tunnel, looking down with envious eyes at thetraffic in the valley below; and he came upon her suddenly, so suddenlyit made her jump, for no one ever rode up there.
"Hello!" he hailed, spurring his horse up to the portal and letting outhis rope as he entered. "Kinder hot, out there in the sun. Well, how'stricks?" he inquired, sitting down in the shade and wiping the streamingsweat from his eyes. "Hungry Bill says you s-spurned my gold!"
"What did you tell that old Indian?" burst out Wilhelmina wrathfully,and Wunpost looked up in surprise.
"Why, nothing," he said, "only to get me some grub and give you thatpiece of polished rock. How was that for the real old high grade? Frommy new mine, up in the high country. What's the matter--did Hungry getgay?"
"Well--not that," hesitated Wilhelmina, "but he looked at me so funnythat I told him to give it to Mother. What was it you told him aboutme?"
"Not a thing," protested Wunpost, "just to give you the rock. Oh, Iknow!" He laughed and slapped his leg. "He's scared some prospector willsteal one of them gals, and I told him not to worry about me. Guess thatgave him a tip, because he looked wise as a prairie dog when I told himto give that specimen to you." He paused and knocked the dust out of hisbattered old hat, then glanced up from under his eyebrows.
"Ain't mad, are you?" he asked, "because if you are I'm on my way----"
"Oh, no!" she answered quickly. "Where have you been all the time? DustyRhodes came through here, looking for you."
"Yes, they all came," he grinned, "but I showed 'em some sheep-trailsbefore they got tired of chasing me. I knew for a certainty that thosemugs would follow Hungry--they did the same thing over in Nevada. I sentin an Indian to buy me a little grub and they trailed me clean acrossDeath Valley. Guess that ore must have looked pretty good."
"Where'd you get it?" she asked, and he rolled his eyes roguishly whilea crafty smile lit up his face.
"That's a question," he said. "If I'd tell you, you'd have the answer.But I'm not going to show it to _nobody_!"
"Well, you don't need to think that _I_ care!" she spoke upresentfully, "nobody asked you to show them your gold. And after whathappened with the Willie Meena I wouldn't take your old mine for agift."
"You won't have to," he replied. "I've quit taking in pardners--it's alone hand for me, after this. I'm sure slow in the head, but I reckonI've learned my lesson--never go up against the other man's game. OldEells is a lawyer and I tried to beat him at law. We've switched thedeal now and he can play _my_ game a while--hide-and-seek, up inthem high peaks."
He waved his hand in the direction of the Panamints and winked at herexultantly.
"Look at _that_!" he said, and drew a rock from his shirt pocketwhich was caked and studded with gold. It was more like a chunk of goldwith a little quartz attached to it, and as she exclaimed he leaned backand gloated. "I've got worlds of it!" he declared. "Let 'em get out andrustle for it--that's the way I made my start. By the time they've rodeas far as I have they'll know she's a mountain sheep country. I locatedtwo mines right smack beside the trail and these jaspers came along andstole them both. All right! Fine! Fine! Let 'em look for the oldSockdolager where I got this gold, and the first man that finds it canhave it! I'm a sport--I haven't even staked it!"
"And can _I_ have it?" asked Billy, her eyes beginning to glow,"because, oh, we need money so bad!"
"What for, kid?" inquired Wunpost with a fatherly smile. "Ain't you gota good home, and everything?"
"Yes, but the road--Father's road. If I just had the money we'd startright in on it tomorrow."
"Hoo! I'll build you the road!" declared Wunpost munificently. "And itwon't cost either one of us a cent. Don't believe it, eh? You think thisis bunk? Then I'll tell you, kid, what I'll do. I'll make you a betwe'll have a wagon-road up that canyon before three months are up. Andall by head-work, mind ye--not a dollar of our own money--might even getold Eells to build it. Yes, I'm serious; I've got a new system--beenthinking it out, up in the hills--and just to show you how brainy I amI'll make this demonstration for nothing. You don't need to bet meanything, just acknowledge that I'm the king when it comes to the realinside work; and before I get through I'll have Judson Eells belly upand gasping for air like a fish. I'm going to trim him, the big fatslob; I'm going to give him a lesson that'll learn him to lay off of mefor life; I'm going to make him so scared he'll step down into thegutter when he meets me coming down the sidewalk. Well, laugh, doggoneit, but you watch my dust--I'm going to hang his hide on the fence!"
"That's what you told me before," she reminded him mischievously, "butsomehow it didn't work out."
"It'll work out this time," he retorted grimly. "A man has got to learn.I'm just a kid, I know that, and I'm not much on book learning, butdon't you never say I can't _think_! Maybe I can't beat them crookswhen I play their own game, but this time _I deal the hand_! Do yougit me? We've switched the deal! And if I don't ring in a cold deck anddeal from the bottom it won't be because it's _wrong_. I'm out toscalp 'em, see, and just to convince you we'll begin by building thatroad. Your old man is wrong, he don't need no road and it won't do himany good when he gets it; but just to make you happy and show you howmuch I think of you, I'll do it--only you've got to stand pat! No Sundayschool stuff, see? We're going to fight this out with hay hooks, andwhen I come back with his hair don't blame me if old Eells makes a roar.I'm going to stick him, see; and I'm not going to stick him once--I'mgoing to stick him three times, till he squeals like a pig, becausethat's what he did to me! He cleaned me once on the Wunpost, and twiceon the Willie Meena, but before I get through with him he'll knock acorner off the mountain every time he sees my dust. He'll be_gone_, you understand--it'll be moving day for him--but I'll chasehim to the hottest stope in hell. I'm going to bust him, savvy, just tolearn these other dastards not to start any rough stuff with me. And nowthe road, the road! We'll just get him to build it--I've got it allframed up!"
He made a bluff to kiss her, then ran out and mounted his horse and wentrollicking off towards Blackwater. Wilhelmina brushed her cheek andgazed angrily after him, then smiled and turned away with a sigh.
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