The Sheriff of Badger: A Tale of the Southwest Borderland

by George Pattullo

  CHAPTER XIII

  AND HETTY COMES TO BADGER TO LIVE

  "Where is she?" she asked.

  "Who? This wife? Oh, over beyond. Not so very far from here. You won'tnever see her," was the careless reply.

  Again she appeared to ponder what he said. A slight shiver was quicklyrepressed. At last: "So that's what he is? You reckon--"

  "Where's your outfit, ma'am?" the sheriff interrupted.

  "My trunk? It's here. I've taken a room."

  They were in the parlor of the Fashion, one flight above the street. Itwas sumptuously furnished, the proprietor taking pride in hisestablishment--a red plush sofa, a table, three chairs, and acottage-organ. On the wall was a chromo lithograph of a girl clinging toa wave-swept pillar of stone. This was entitled "Rock of Ages."

  Thereupon she told him her story. Of course Lafe did not believe half ofwhat she said, although he gave ear gravely to her direct manner ofreplying to his questions. The girl's self-possession and cool disregardof the extremity to which she was reduced, suggested only oneexplanation to his mind--ripe experience. He had never encountered thesetraits among ladies of domestic virtues.

  Her name was Hetty Ferrier, and Miss Ferrier had exactly eleven dollarsand seventy cents. She had lived in Eau Claire, but went to Chicago tomake a fortune and to marry a rich, handsome youth, as girls startingout in the world invariably do. There she got a job in a departmentstore, where they paid her four dollars and a half a week to keep souland body together, though subsequently little consideration was shownfor her soul. When she parried the assistant manager's attentions shewas removed from the lace counter to the hardware department, but shedid not care. Then she fell ill; for breakfast foods, wetted with waterymilk and eaten in a room opening on hot, slate roofs, are not asustaining diet when one stands all day on one's feet. So she was sentback home from the hospital. And her parents were miserably poor. Herfather had borrowed the money to bring her home. She began readingadvertisements again, and finally answered one of the matrimonialvariety.

  That was all. This man Jackson replied to her, and his letters were verynice--those of a perfect gentleman, Miss Ferrier assured the sheriff.Then he sent the money, and she journeyed to El Paso. He was not whatshe had expected, but he treated her decently when he met her at thetrain. Furthermore, he could be very amusing and "splendid company," shesaid; so she went through a ceremony with him. After that he went awayto get tickets, and when he came back, he was drunk. She was frightenedand sat up all night in a day coach, and he went to sleep in a Pullman,waking up sometimes to order the porter to tell her to go to sleep atonce. When they got out, he said they would take the stage to Badger,where he had some business to transact, and then go on to Nogales.

  The sheriff pressed for fuller information. Had she no friends whileworking in the city? Yes, she knew some of the girls, but they werealways scheming for a good time, and she never had any money. The nicestones lived at home, but not all of them. Several young men had been kindto her and had taken her to theaters. But they usually tried to getfresh, said Miss Ferrier. Some appeared to have heaps of money, butothers worked for it as she did, only they spent it with princelyrecklessness on pay night.

  There was one--she came to a full stop. Yes, she would tell him aboutthat one, too. He was very poor. Indeed, he dressed so shabbily that thegirls tittered when he called to meet her at the employes' entrance. No;he treated her all right and was always respectful. She liked himbecause he was very good, and different. He was a student and wasworking his way through college by waiting in a dining-hall. They hadhoped to marry some day. Then she got sick and went home. It would havetaken years, anyway. She seemed never to have regarded the prospectwith much hope.

  "Uh-huh!" said the sheriff, when she had finished. "And what do you aimto do now?"

  "I don't know. What can I do? Get a job as waitress, I guess."

  She appeared undistressed by the prospect, but it was the apathy ofcountless failures and physical exhaustion.

  "No," he said with decision. "You're a heap too pretty for that."

  "You think so?" she asked indifferently.

  "You bet I do." It was Lafe Johnson who was talking now, and not thesheriff of Badger. They were alone in the parlor. He watched her for amoment. Her profile was turned to him and her attitude was one of tiredacquiescence with the stress of her situation. He hitched his chairforward close to hers.

  "Say," he said, lowering his voice, "you forget this here Harris and allthat, and throw in with me. I'll treat you good."

  "How--throw in with you?"

  "Why, you know. I'll take you over to a li'l' place I've got beyond theWillows. It's right pretty. We'll--"

  "I wonder," said Miss Ferrier, without a trace of resentment, "I wonderif there's more than one man on earth who isn't a brute?"

  "I don't take you, ma'am."

  "What difference is there between you and the others? How're you betterthan this fellow you ran off--this Jackson?" she demanded, with herfirst display of animation. "You've got nothing on him."

  "Say, you quit that. Quit that right now. I don't make my living--"

  "And neither do I, Mr. Johnson. So put that in your pipe and smoke it."

  She jumped to her feet and went out before he could prevent her. Johnsonheard the bolt of her room jerked into place, and then he wentdownstairs, whistling a casual air. The barkeeper brought a triedjudgment to bear on these symptoms and furtively closed one eye at theproprietor.

  "Humph," said Lafe, when he was outside and walking toward the cattlecompany's corral. "She can give any woman I ever done met up with, cardsand spades at a bluff."

  Yet he was seized of qualms. It was the first time in his tenure ofoffice that the man had triumphed over the official in any respectwhatsoever. He had done his work with a single eye to duty, and withoutprejudice; and he had done it well. Nor was he given to pursuit of thisnature. The girl made a tremendous physical appeal to him, and of courseall that about the assistant manager and those other fellows was purefiction. Lafe knew women of her stamp better than that.

  He was low in spirits all afternoon, and about sunset invaded the bar ofthe Cowboys' Rest.

  "I'm going to get pickled," he announced, "not real drunk, youunderstand. Nothing vulgar, but just nice and quiet. Here's my gun. Ireckon Badger'll run itself for a day or two."

  "It's sure a-coming to you, Lafe," said the landlord. "You've been soberfor a right smart spell."

  In the morning he felt very rocky, for the refreshment they provide inBadger would stagger the oldest man in the world; and he could hearbands playing in unlooked-for places. So he gave over in disgust allthought of further carnival and went to the Fashion for breakfast,knowing of old that a hearty meal would set him right.

  Miss Ferrier waited on him. So she had secured the job! The barkeepertold Lafe that she got it so quick it made his hair curl, and she wassure a waitress.

  "She's got the rollers under the ol' man," he said. "He'll eat out ofher hand. Say, business ought to pick up. Don't you reckon?"

  Assuredly it did. All the unattached men of Badger developed a taste forthe corncakes served at the Fashion. One of the Anvil boys happened toride into town for a new pair of boots, and took dinner there. What henarrated on his return kept an entire outfit sleepless far into thenight, planning methods of getting a day off, and it is on record thattwenty-seven extra meals were served in as many days to gentlemen whosmelled healthily of horse and walked to a merry jingle of spurs. Hettytreated all alike and was a paragon of waitresses. All aspired to beadmirers. The majority were shy and ill at ease, given to staring at themenu with glassy, uncomprehending eyes; but there did not lack doughtyones. They lost their courage completely, however, when it came tofinishing what they began, in face of her calmly amused smile.

  Yet she did not come off scatheless. They were lavish in theirinvitations, and horses were thrust at her as gifts, like so many boxesof chocolates. She was anxious to learn to bestride a horse, and whenshe had acqui
red the knack, Hetty readily accepted several proposals forrides up the valley. Then she abruptly discontinued them; for, fired bywhat they had heard, her escorts grew bold. Two she repulsedsuccessfully, and followed that up with lashings of a quirt, but thethird achieved her waist and lips. He got small satisfaction for histrouble. Her chilling surrender to his kiss when she felt herselfhelpless, took all the eagerness of the conqueror out of him. The cowboywas miserably penitent on the way home and later announced that he wouldbet everything he had, inclusive of socks, that Miss Ferrier was thefinest girl in town and could lay it over any lady of his acquaintance.