The Sheriff of Badger: A Tale of the Southwest Borderland
Page 19
CHAPTER XIX
BUFFALO JIM GIVES WISE COUNSEL
Johnson departed the ranch like a sneak-thief, keeping well off thetrail for fear he should be overtaken by Mrs. MacFarlane and furtherhumiliated by a blank stare. He wanted to take counsel of Buffalo Jim,who now lived in Cananea, as I have said, among drying hides and thefresh carcasses of steers. If you follow a road out of this city--thewood haulers use it, for the most part, with their laden burros--youwill descend a mesa by wide sweeps and run slap against a slaughterhouse. There are corrals and stables also, and a thousand carrion crowswill acknowledge your coming by a reluctant lifting of wings. HereLafe's friend resided and slew thirty head daily for beef. Perhaps hisoccupation contributed to the study of human problems--killing things isa serious business--at any rate, Buffalo really knew all that a man mayknow in this life.
He took an extremely pessimistic view of Johnson's prospects. Of course,the girl would believe Mrs. MacFarlane. That was only natural. A womanmight stick to a man through every crime in the calendar against hisfellow men, and still hold faith in him; but when another woman enteredinto the plot, it was time for a new deal; he was as good as done for,then. Thus spake Buffalo Jim. He advised Lafe, however, to write Hettywithout delay. By so doing, he might forestall the widow and prepare theyoung lady.
"It'll sort of give the widow woman your dust," he explained, "and thenshe's liable to make a bad throw."
Accordingly, Johnson went to the Hotel Carmen and sat himself down at adesk in a corner. He chose some neatly ruled paper and dipped the pen;everything in due order. After that he coughed and consumed some minutesin staring fixedly at the blank sheets. He had no heart for this task.Resolute in all the crises of his man's life, this was beyond him.
Then he began to write, the pen scratching and sputtering over the page.The sentences opened with firmness and precision, but gradually slantedtowards the lower corner. First his spurs bothered him, and he took themoff. Next, his neckerchief became sticky and he untied it and left hisshirt collar open.
"If you keep a-writing much more, Lafe, you'll be naked," said thelandlord critically.
Some cowboys passed through and invited Johnson to join them, but heshook them off. At last it was finished.
_Dear Friend:_
How are you?
I am sitting in a room it is a big room and a lot of loafers keep coming and going but genrally coming.
This is to say I am well and doing fine I hope you are well and doing fine. Say a lady met up with me here a few days ago who said she knew you ain't that a hot one to spring on me sudden. She is a right nice lady though she don't care a heap what I think I reckon she as good as toald me I was a bad egg. Perhaps I am a bad egg how about it.
She said she was going to write to you. I done the best that I could and it don't seem fair it ain't right that you should hear what she said she was going to write to you and besides it was all a stall and wasn't true but you musn't tell that to Mrs. MacFarlane because it would make her feel bad. Hughie he was a friend of mine but Hughie wasn't of no account in some ways for he spoke Mex too good now when a man gets that twist on his r's and begins to hang around with the natives its time to take a new hand all round because he ain't satisfied with his color no more. No sirree it don't do to talk the lingo to good and I make them speak my language which will improve their morals if they only had some to improve that was what ailed Hughie but she must not know and so you be careful. I hope I have made it all clear.
The heat is fierce to-day I am going to take a little drink when this is finished I don't take them often only a few with Buffalo Jim and some of the boys. Do you remember the call down you done give me about that. Ha ha that was sure a dandy.
How is it back there in Badger Old Lee is there likely ain't he. Give him my regards the Widow Brown must be there too give her my regards. Fred Hall and I used to be thicker than thieves give him my regards. Say tell him to smoke up and let out a roar of some kind.
There is not much round here to tell you about Cal and Tim tangled and Tim is under doc's care he's pretty sore. I done told you about them before. Jerry's wife done run off and Jerry is scared to death she'll come back but perhaps she wont. I told him to hope for the best because he cant do nothing more than that.
Say you'll think I'm trying for to write you a book but I wanted to get this thing about Mrs. Mac straight so you'd understand. There's a lot a feller would like to say that he don't like to say you know how that is and a lot of loafers hanging round trying to guy you. But a feller thinks a lot sometimes.
Cattle in good shape and prices right but we need rain bad. I got to go south to find Steve Moffatt right soon perhaps he ain't where I think he is but will take a chance.
Well you must have laid down for a sleep by this time and wonder when I'm going to cut this out I have written so much. Don't you pay no attention to what Mrs. MacFarlane says though she is a right nice lady and I ain't got no hard feelings one way or the other. Well its about time I quit this well good-bye. I'd like mighty well to hear how you are. I'll bet you're looking fine.
Yours truly,
LAFE JOHNSON.
Lafe was master of a loose and flowing hand, which had served himfaithfully on cattle tallies--he was not called upon to make writtenreports as sheriff--but made a bulky letter. He dropped this missive,with many misgivings, into a box, and then took horse for the south. Wewill not follow him, because ten days of fourteen hours in the saddleand a steady diet of beans and tortillas and coffee will grow monotonousto a refined taste. Moreover, tracking down a thief cannot be of anyinterest to us of larger effort.
In good time the sheriff returned, but of Moffatt he had found no trace.Immediately upon arrival, he inquired at the telegraph office formessages, expecting that Haverty would have wired him furtherinformation from Badger. The man behind the counter listened with afar-away expression and then assured him sadly that there was nothing.Lafe went away in doubt and returned next morning, insisting that thetelegrapher had made a mistake; a letter received from Haverty spoke ofa wire sent the day of his departure. The official shrugged hisshoulders at this display of bull-headed persistence, so typicallyAmerican, and asked him once again for his name. Then, still pensive, hethumbed over a pile of flimsy.
"Johnsing, you said?"
"Sure. Johnson. That's me. I done told you that a thousand times."
"Ah, yes. Here are two," said the telegrapher, and very deliberately hesmoothed out the messages and delivered them.
The first dealt with dates of Moffatt's appearances on the Border, sofar as Haverty had been able to learn them. They were nothing butunconfirmed rumors, and Lafe skimmed over it. The other was unsigned andhe read it several times, the copper hue of his face deepening.
"Don't worry. Nobody can lie to me about you."
He thrust this message into his shirt pocket and forgot all about thereproof he had rehearsed for the telegrapher's benefit. Very jauntily heexhibited the slip to Buffalo Jim at the slaughter house. That worthybutcher eyed it gravely, and grunted.
"She's a daisy," he said, after mature consideration, vaguely aware thatLafe expected him to say something appropriate.
"You're damn whistlin'," said Lafe. "What'd I tell you, Buf'lo? She'dnever believe nothing against me."
"Yes, sir, she's a daisy," Buffalo repeated. "It's like she just toreup that widow woman's letter and was as sarcastic as hell."
As Jim said this, he winked at one of the wagon horses. Then he wentleisurely to work again on a piece of harness he was patching.
"All the same, Lafe," he admonished, "you'd better figure on herthrowing that up to you again. The woman never breathed that wouldn't.Hey? You mark my words--the first row you have, Hetty'll hand you oneabout Paula, first crack out of the box.
"
"You don't know her."
"No, I don't," said Buffalo Jim, "but I've knowed a heap of others."