CHAPTER XXIX
LAFE HELPS A DESERTER
After this experience, Johnson settled to hard work for Horne, and hardwork on a range means unremitting toil. When everything moved smoothly,he would act as Horne's trail boss. At this time the cowman was buyinglarge herds in Mexico, principally yearling steers and cows and calves.He would throw these cattle across the line and pasture them until arising market offered the profits he had set his mind on. Success had sopuffed up Horne that nothing less than sixty per cent would tempt hisinvestment.
At the setting-in of winter again, Lafe took his outfit far down belowArizpe and purchased a herd of nine hundred head. Then the Americanauthorities declared a quarantine and the cattle could not be brought upuntil it was lifted. Johnson started back. His party camped on the SanPedro, and just before they crawled under the blankets, they were joinedby a native outfit. Of course the Mexicans had no beef or anything toeat. The boss gave them a quarter from the yearling they had killed thatevening.
Five of them began to shoot dice on a saddle blanket in a decent,gentlemanly manner--two of the cowboys, the Chinese cook, a Yaquivaquero and a Mexican horse thief from the Cuitaca valley. The bosssmoked and watched the game. Another man lay under the wagon with hiscollar bone broken and at times his plaints became a nuisance.
"Come a eight," the Celestial invoked. "Heap bum thlow. Me ketchum soon.You wait."
Presently they became aware that somebody was ministering to theirinjured companion. His moans ceased. "Feel any better, now?" a voiceasked. There followed murmurings and a movement as if the newcomer wereeasing the sufferer's position.
"Well," he said, "if you can swear that way, you shouldn't ought to bedying. Keep it up. You're doing fine."
A tall man walked into the group around the lantern. He surveyed eachface in turn. The Yaqui was blowing on the dice to bring luck and wasfearfully disgusted at the interruption. Addressing himself to Johnson,as though somebody had told him that he was the leader, the strangersaid: "Hello! Got anything to eat?"
"Sure," Lafe answered readily. "Here, you, Charlie--go get thisgentleman some cold beef and bread. Drag it now; ketchum quick. Fly atit, pardner."
The visitor was ravenous and bolted the beef in hunks. Lafe judged thathe had walked into camp, but refrained from asking why, although theman is poor indeed who cannot obtain a horse to ride in that country.Bedding was scarce, for they were traveling light, and the best thatJohnson could offer was that he should double up with the Chinaman.Their guest appeared no whit abashed by the prospect.
"Well, me for the hay," he said at once. "I'm all in. Lordy, hark to myjoints creak. I bet I've footed it a million miles through the sand, Mr.Johnson. Your name's Johnson, ain't it? Mine's Wilkins. Say, if thishere Chink snores, you'll be burying a cook in the morning, sure asyou're alive."
They headed for the Border at daybreak. It was a long thirty miles, andLafe impressed a horse and the injured man's saddle for Wilkins' use. Henoted that Wilkins' overalls and shirt were trying to forsake him andthat his toes were taking the air, so when he perceived Charliemeasuring him with a comparative eye, in which lurked a gleam ofsatisfaction, he sent the cook sharply about his business. Lafe heldthat superiority of race should ever be maintained.
For the most part they rode in silence, as men do at the beginning ofday. Their eyes were heavy with sleep. Wilkins seemed sullen and gave noexplanation of his presence in that region. He sat stiffly erect in thesaddle with his right arm hanging straight at his side. A cowboy or anative westerner crooks his elbows and lets them jog.
"He's a soldier," Lafe concluded, and because he entertained anundefined contempt for soldiers, he trotted ten yards ahead of his guestthroughout the morning.
The sun was high when they sighted a white stone monument on a ridgebelow the Huachucas. A wire fence ran past it. They could see it stretchfor miles and miles in a straight line. On their side of the fence wasMexico. Beyond lay the United States.
They reached a gate. Johnson got down and held it open for his men topass through. Wilkins stopped and remained a dozen yards within theMexican Border.
"I don't reckon I'll go on with you," said he; "I'll just stick aroundhere for a spell. Here's your horse, Mr. Johnson. Much obliged. He'ssure some horse."
"All right," Lafe answered, and ordered one of his men to throw thehorse in with the saddle bunch, which they were driving loosely ahead ofthem. It struck him as curious that a man should voluntarily go afoot inthat unsettled mountain country, but he never abandoned the tenet that aman's business is his own. Consequently he showed no surprise, nor didhis men, but they moved off northward, leaving Wilkins gazing after themfrom the far side of the fence.
"Look!" said a cowboy. "What's that girl doing here?"
A young woman was fording the river some distance to their left, justbelow the Palomino. Johnson recognized her mount and made as if to hailher. Then a sudden remembrance of Wilkins waiting beyond the gatecaused him to pull up. He grinned and grew solemn abruptly, because shewas a friend of his wife's, and her brother worked for Horne.
Of course he told Hetty all about it on his return home and of courseshe refused to see the matter from his standpoint at all and exhibitedthe liveliest sympathy and understanding of the case. Lafe need not tryto tell her that she was indiscreet; Mary Lou Hardin could afford to beindiscreet. Hetty had never known a sweeter, nicer girl. To this Lafegrunted. He had not much faith in women's estimates of their own sex andhe considered that any girl who would go to meet a soldier who dare notenter his own country were better off under careful surveillance.
"Nonsense!" cried Hetty. "I tell you it's all right. Anything Mary Loudoes must be all right. I'll ride over to-morrow and see her. I bet shetells me all about it."
When Johnson returned to the Canon next night from a day ofhorse-breaking, he found Hetty simply bursting with news. Yes, Mary Louhad told her all about it. Wilkins had been a trooper--a corporal or acolonel or something--and he and Mary Lou had been sweethearts for overa year. But Mr. Hardin would not hear of her marrying a soldier, so Mr.Wilkins had done the only thing possible under the circumstances--he hadgone over into Mexico to make a fortune in the mines. It would appear,however, that something ailed the price of copper. The company closeddown one of its shafts and Mr. Wilkins was released. He had grown lonelyfor Mary Lou and homesick for his own country. Wasn't it noble of him?The whole tangle was perfectly clear to Hetty.
"Noble, my foot!" said Lafe. "The feller's a deserter. And here I donelent him a horse!"
That was not all Hetty had to say. She had a clever scheme, concocted byherself and Mary Lou while they mingled their tears over this recital ofself-sacrifice. It was this--Wilkins wanted to come back. If he did sowithout preliminary negotiation, they would be apt to lock him in a celland then he would not be able to see Mary Lou at all. Wasn't it inhuman?There were some silly rules or regulations Mr. Wilkins had overlookedwhen he departed, and Mary Lou said that the commandant would probablynot see the thing in the right light and would give no considerationwhatever to their feelings. Mary Lou was sure that the commandant had apick on Mr. Wilkins.
"I reckon he'd ought to give this here Wilkins a better job and presenthim with a purse, hey?" Lafe sneered. "I reckon they'd ought to make himboss of all them soldiers. Then him and Mary Lou could get married andeverything would be lovely. Yes, I reckon that's the nicest way to treata deserter."
"Why, Lafe," Hetty remonstrated, "don't you see? He just left to makeenough money to marry Mary Lou. He did it all for her. Wasn't it grandof him?"
The boss threw up his hands and walked off to the spring, where he couldsmoke and clear his brain of the cobwebs of sentiment. He was not to beallowed to dismiss the matter so lightly. When she had him in the house,Hetty pounced upon him again. Hardly had he taken a chair, than she cameto sit on his knee and began stroking his hair. Lafe would not have hada citizen of Badger see this ridiculous performance for all the wealthstored in the depths of the mountains, but he neverthele
ss submitted toit with a sort of reluctant enjoyment.
"Mary Lou and I," said Hetty, "we thought that if you would speak to Mr.Horne, he would speak to that soldier man."
"Would he, now? And what has ol' Horne got to say to that general, orwhatever he is?"
"Why, you baby, don't you see? Mr. Horne and that man who runs the fortare friends. Now, Mary Lou and I thought that if Mr. Horne would onlysay something nice about Wilkins, he'd let him go. Don't you think hewould?"
"Oh, sure. He'd pin a medal on that feller. It's like he'd put it onwith a sword, though, to make it stick."
"Oh, Lafe," Hetty said, almost in tears.
Lafe groaned and gave up the fight. It would be utterly useless, he toldher--who ever heard of such a proposition made to serious men? But, ofcourse, if Hetty wanted her husband to make an idiot of himself, hesupposed he would have to do so.
"It won't be much trouble," Hetty coaxed. She added: "There, I knew myboy would help me."
Her boy approached the task with much misgiving and very shamefacedly.He was not a skillful pleader at any time, being accustomed to take whathe wanted, instead of asking for it. As a result, old Horne bellowed:"Haw, haw," and slapped his leg and rolled about in his chair, gurglingthat Lafe would be the death of him yet. Then Mrs. Horne came into theroom.
"What's this all about?" she inquired.
Johnson told her and withdrew. The cowman was still chortling.
The Sheriff of Badger: A Tale of the Southwest Borderland Page 29
