CHAPTER X
THE SECOND OBSTACLE
Lawler went outside with Caldwell and the others--after Caldwellreturned from his visit to Gary Warden--and, standing in the flickeringglare of light from inside the hotel, he watched the men ride away.
There was a smile on his lips as he saw them fade into the yawning gulfof moonlit distance,--going in different directions toward theirranches--an ironic smile, softened by understanding and friendship.
For he bore the men no ill will because their decision had not agreedwith his. He had not expected them to do as he was determined to do. Andhe had not asked them.
Had it not been for the agreement he had made with Jim Lefingwell theprevious spring, Lawler might also have accepted Gary Warden's pricerather than face the hazards of the long drive to Red Rock.
Warden's attitude, however, his arrogance, and the hostile dislike inhis eyes, had aroused in Lawler a cold contempt for the man. Added tothat was disgust over the knowledge that Warden, and not Jim Lefingwell,was a liar--that Warden had no respect for the sacredness of his word,given to Lefingwell. The man's honor must be wrapped in a bond or awritten contract.
The incident in the Hamlin cabin had contributed hatred to the otherpassions that contact with Warden had aroused in Lawler; but it had beenhis visit to Simmons and his talks with Hatfield and the governor thathad aroused in him the fighting lust that gripped him now.
The ironic smile had faded when he reached the stable where he had leftRed King. It had set in serious lines and his chin had taken on apronounced thrust when he mounted the big horse and sent himsoutheastward into the glowing moonlight.
He brought Red King to a halt at a spot on the plains where the herd ofCircle L cattle were being held for the night, with some cowboys ridingmonotonous circles around them.
Blackburn had seen him coming, and recognizing him, met him near thecamp fire.
The range boss listened, his lips grimming, then silently nodded.
It was past midnight when Lawler reached the Circle L. He let himselfinto the house noiselessly, changed his clothes, donning the corduroy,the woolen shirt, and the spurred boots that he had worn beforebeginning his trip to the capital. Then, penning a note to his mother,informing her that he was going to Red Rock with his men, he went outand rode down into the valley, where the other men of the outfit wereguarding the main herd, which had been held in the valley at his orders.
Long before dawn the big herd was on the move, heading northward, towardWillets, the twenty men of the outfit flanking them, heading them upthe great slope that led out of the valley.
The progress of the herd was slow, for there was good grazing and thecattle moved reluctantly, requiring the continued efforts of the men tokeep them moving at all. And yet when darkness came that night they hadreached the Rabbit Ear--where two nights before Blackburn had held thefirst herd.
It was late in the afternoon of the second day when Lawler and his mencame within sight of Willets. They drove the second herd to whereBlackburn and his men were holding the first. Leaving Blackburn to makearrangements for camp, Lawler rode on into Willets. From a distance hesaw that the company corral was well filled with cattle; and when he sawLem Caldwell talking with some other men in front of the hotel, he knewthe cattle in the corral bore Caldwell's brand.
He waved a hand to Caldwell and the others as he rode past the hotel;but he kept on until he reached the station, where he dismounted,hitched Red King to a rail and crossed the railroad track.
A frame building, small, with a flat shedlike roof, stood near thecorral fence--between the tracks and the big gates--and Lawler enteredthe open door, to find a portly, bald-headed man sitting at a rough,flat-top desk. The man was busy with a pencil and a pad of papers whenLawler entered, and he continued to labor with them, not seeming tonotice his visitor.
Lawler halted just inside the door, to await the man's leisure. And thenhe saw Gary Warden lounging in a chair in a far corner. Warden did notappear to see Lawler, either; he was facing the back of the chair,straddling it, his elbows crossed on the back, his chin resting on hisarms, his gaze on the rough board floor.
Lawler noted, his lips straightening a little, that in the movements ofthe man at the desk was a deliberation that was almost extravagant. Theman was writing, and the pencil in his hand seemed to lag. He studiedlong over what he wrote, pursing his lips and scratching his head. Butnot once did he look up at Lawler.
"Wrestling with a mighty problem, Jordan?" finally asked Lawler, hispatience strained, his voice in a slow drawl.
The bald man started and glanced up. Instantly, he reddened and lookeddown again, leaving Lawler to wonder how it was that every official withwhom he had conversed within the past few days had exhibitedembarrassment.
"Excuse me, Lawler," said Jordan; "I didn't know you was here. I'll bewith you in a second--just as soon as I check up this tally. Caldwelldrove in here not more'n two hours ago, an' I ain't got his tallystraightened up yet."
Lawler turned his back to Warden and gazed out through the open doorway.On the siding was a long string of empty box cars, plainly awaitingCaldwell's cattle.
After a glance at the cars, Lawler wheeled and faced Warden, who wasstill gazing meditatively downward.
"I see that cars came quickly enough when you ordered them, Warden," hesaid.
Warden raised his head slowly and gazed straight at Lawler, his eyesgleaming challengingly.
"Yes," he said: "Simmons finally unearthed enough to take care ofCaldwell's cattle. There'll be more, as soon as Simmons can find them.And he'll have to find them pretty soon or his company will face alawsuit. You see, Lawler, I ordered these cars months ago--got a writtencontract with the railroad company for them. They've got to take care ofme."
"I reckon you knew they'd take care of you, Warden. You were as certainof that as you were that they _wouldn't_ take care of any owner whowouldn't sell to you."
"What do you mean, Lawler?" demanded Warden, his face flushing.
"What I said, Warden. It takes gall to do what you and your friends aredoing. But, given the power, any bunch of cheap crooks could do it. Youunderstand that I'm not complimenting you any."
It was apparent to Warden, as it was apparent to Jordan--who poised hispencil over the pad of papers and did not move a muscle--that Lawler'swrath was struggling mightily within him. It was also apparent thatLawler's was a cold wrath, held in check by a sanity that forbadesurrender to it--a sanity that sternly governed him.
It was the icy rage that awes with its intensity; the deliberatebringing to the verge of deadly action the nerves and muscles that yearnfor violent expression--and then holding them there, straining tensely,awaiting further provocation.
Both men knew what impended; both saw in the steady, unwavering gleam ofLawler's eyes the threat, the promise of violence, should they elect toforce it.
Jordan was chastened, nerveless. The pencil dropped from his fingers andhe slacked in his chair, watching Lawler with open mouth.
Warden's face had grown dead white. The hatred he bore for this manglared forth from his eyes, but the hatred was tempered by a fear thatgripped him.
However, Warden was instinctively aware that Lawler would not force thattrouble for which he plainly yearned; that he would not use the gun thatswung from the leather at his hip unless he or Jordan provoked him toit.
And Warden wore no gun. He felt secure, as he sat for an interval afterconsidering the situation, and yet he did not speak at once. Then, withthe urge of his hatred driving him, he said, sneeringly:
"Cheap crooks, eh? Well, let me tell you something, Lawler. You can'tintimidate anybody. My business is perfectly legitimate. I am notviolating any law. If I have the foresight to contract for cars in timeto get them for shipment, that is my business. And if I offer you--orany man--a price, and it doesn't suit you, you don't have to accept it."
He saw a glint of humor in Lawler's eyes--a sign that the man's passionswere not to be permitted to break the leash in whic
h he held them--andhe grew bolder, his voice taking on a vindictive note.
"And I want to tell you another thing, Lawler. As long as I am residentbuyer at Willets you'll never ship a hoof through me. Understand that!You can drive to Red Rock and be damned! If you'd been halfway decentabout this thing; if you hadn't come swaggering into my office trying todictate to me, and calling me a liar, I'd have kept Lefingwell'sagreement with you!"
"Then Lefingwell wasn't the liar," smiled Lawler; "you're admitting it."
Warden's face grew poisonously malevolent. He laughed, hoarsely.
"Bah!" he jeered. "We'll say I lied. What of it! I didn't want toantagonize you, then. Only a fool is truthful at all times." He laughedagain, mockingly. "I'm truthful when I want to be."
He saw the frank disgust in Lawler's eyes, and the desire to drive itout, to make the man betray some sign of the perturbation that must bein him, drove Warden to an indiscretion.
"You're a wise guy, Lawler," he jeered. "A minute ago you hinted thatthis thing was being engineered by a bunch of cheap crooks. Call themwhat you like. They're out to break you--understand? You suspect it, andI'm telling you. You went around last fall with a chip on your shoulder,making trouble far Haughton and his friends. And now they're going tobust you wide open and scatter your remains all over the country.They're going to fix you so that you'll never shoot off your gab aboutconditions in the state again. Governor--hell! you'll be a bum beforethat gang gets through with you!"
He paused, breathing rapidly, his face pale with passion; his eyesglowing with hatred, naked and bitter.
He heard Lawler's short, mirthless laugh; he saw Lawler's eyes narrowand gleam with a cold flame as he took a step forward and stood overhim.
"Get up, Warden," came Lawler's voice, low and vibrant. "You'llunderstand what I'm going to say a whole lot better if you're on yourfeet, like a man."
Warden got up, defiantly, and for an instant the two men stood lookinginto each other's eyes, both understanding the enmity that was betweenthem, and both seemingly exulting in it.
"I'm thanking you, Warden, for telling me. But I've known, since Italked with Simmons about the cars, just what it all meant. My talkswith Hatfield and Governor Haughton convinced me beyond all reasonabledoubt. I'm the man they are after, of course. But incidentally, they'regoing to mulct every other cattle owner in the state. It's a mighty bigscheme--a stupendous robbery. The man who conceived it should have beena pirate--he has all the instincts of one.
"But get this straight. You've got to fight me. Understand? You'll dragno woman into it. You went to the Hamlin ranch the other day. God'sgrace and a woman's mercy permitted you to get away, alive. Don't let ithappen again. Just as sure as you molest a woman in this section, justso sure will I kill you no matter who your friends are! Do youunderstand that, Warden?"
Warden did not move a muscle. He tried to look steadily into Lawler'seyes, found that he could not endure the terrible intensity of them--anddrooped his own, cursing himself for the surrender.
He heard Lawler laugh again, a sound that sent a cold shiver over him;and then he saw Lawler standing beside the desk at which Jordan sat.
"Jordan," said Lawler, shortly; "I want you to vent my cattle. There'seight thousand head, approximately. They're being held just out oftown--about a mile. I'd like to have you give me a certificate ofownership tonight, so we can start to drive before daylight."
Jordan's face whitened, and then grew crimson. He essayed to look up, tomeet Lawler's eyes, raising his head and then lowering it again withoutachieving his desire. He cleared his throat, shifted his body andscuffed his feet on the floor. At last, after clearing his throat again,he spoke, huskily:
"We ain't ventin' any trail herds this fall, Lawler."
Lawler stiffened, looked from Jordan to Warden, and then back again atJordan, who had taken up the pencil again and was nervously tapping withit upon the desk top.
"Not venting trail herds, eh?" said Lawler. "Whose orders?"
"The state inspector--headquarters," replied Jordan, hesitatingly.
"Would you mind letting me see the order, Jordan?" asked Lawler, calmly.
Jordan succeeded in looking up at Lawler now, and there was rage in hiseyes--rage and offended dignity.
Both were artificial--Lawler knew it. And his smile as he looked intoJordan's eyes told the other of the knowledge.
Jordan got up, stung by the mockery in Lawler's eyes.
"Hell's fire, Lawler!" cursed Jordan; "can't you take a man's word?" Hestepped back, viciously pulled open a drawer in the desk, drew out apaper--a yellow telegraph form, and slapped it venomously down on thedesk in front of Lawler.
"It's ag'in' orders, but I'm lettin' you see it. Mebbe you'll take aman's word after this!" he sneered.
Lawler read the order. Then he calmly placed it on the desk. He lookedat Jordan, whose gaze fell from his; he turned to Warden, who smiledjeeringly.
"There is nothing like thoroughness, whenever you do anything on a bigscale, Warden," he said. "This order forces cattle owners in thissection to drive cattle over a trail without proof of ownership. Wefought for that vent law for a good many years, as a weapon againstrustlers. This order leaves a cattle owner without protection againstthe horde of rustlers who infest the state. And the order is datedyesterday. This thing begins to look interesting."
He turned and walked out, not glancing back at the two men inside, whostood for a long time looking at each other, smiling.
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