The Man on the Box

by Harold MacGrath

  X

  PIRATE

  On the opposite side of the road there was a stone wall about five feetin height; beyond this was a broad, rolling field, and farther on, abarb-wire fence and a boggy stream which oozed its way down toward thePotomac. Far away across the valley the wooded hills were drying andwithering and thinning, with splashes of yellow and red. A flock ofbirds speckled the fleecy October clouds, and a mild breeze sent thegrasses shivering.

  Toward the wall Pirate directed his course. Warburton threw back hisfull weight. The effort had little or no effect on Pirate's mouth. Hisrider remembered about the tree, but the nearest was many yards away.Over the wall they went, and down the field. Pirate tried to get hishead down, but he received a check. Score one for the man. Warburton,his legs stiffened in the stirrups, his hands well down, his breathcoming in gasps, wondered where they would finally land. He began touse his knees, and Pirate felt the pressure. He didn't like it at all.Oddly enough, Warburton's leg did not bother him as he expected itwould, and this gave him confidence. On, on; the dull pounding ofPirate's feet, the flying sod, the wind in his face: and when he sawthe barb-wire fence, fear entered into him. An inch too low, a stumble,and serious injuries might result. He must break Pirate's gait.

  He began to saw cow-boy fashion. Pirate grew very indignant: he wasbeing hurt. His speed slackened none, however; he was determined tomake that fence if it was the last thing he ever did. He'd like to seeany man stop him. He took the deadly fence as with the wings of a bird.But he found that the man was still on his back. He couldn't understandit. He grew worried. And then he struck the red-brown muck borderingthe stream. The muck flew, but at every bound Pirate sank deeper, andthe knees of his rider were beginning to tell. Warburton, full of rage,yet not unreasonable rage, quickly saw his chance. Once more he threwback his weight; this time to the left. Pirate's head came stubbornlyaround; his gait was broken, he was floundering in the stream. NowWarburton used his heels savagely. He shortened the reins and whackedMr. Pirate soundly across the ears. Pirate plunged and reared and,after devious evolutions, reached solid ground. This time his head washigh in the air, and, try as he would, he could not lower his neck asolitary inch.

  "He's a newspaper man and makes his living by tellinglies."--ACT II.]

  Warburton knew that the animal could not make the barb-wire fenceagain, so he waltzed him along till he found a break in the wire. Overthis Pirate bounded, snorting. But he had met a master. Whether hereared or plunged, waltzed or ran, he could not make those ruthlessknees relent in their pressure. He began to understand what all beastsunderstand, sooner or later--the inevitable mastery of man. There wasblood in his nostrils. A hand touched his neck caressingly. He shookhis head; he refused to conciliate. A voice, kindly but ratherbreathless, addressed him. Again Pirate shook his head; but he did notrun, he cantered. Warburton gave a sigh of relief. Over the field theywent. A pull to the left, and Pirate wheeled; a pull to the right, andagain Pirate answered, and cantered in a circle. But he still shook hishead discontentedly, and the froth that spattered Warburton's legs wasflecked with blood. The stirrup-strap began to press sharply andhurtfully against Warburton's injured leg. He tugged, and Pirate fellinto a trot. He was mastered.

  After this Warburton did as he pleased; Pirate had learned his lesson.His master put him through a dozen manoeuvers, and he was vastlysatisfied with the victory. In the heat of the battle Warburton hadforgotten all about where and what he was; and it was only when hediscerned far away a sunbonnet with fluttering strings peering over thestone wall, and a boy in leggings standing on top of the wall, that herecollected. A wave of exhilaration swept through his veins. He hadconquered the horse before the eyes of the one woman.

  He guided Pirate close to the wall, and stopped him, looked down intothe girl's wonder-lit eyes and smiled cheerfully. And what is more, shesmiled faintly in acknowledgment. He had gained, in the guise of agroom, what he might never have gained in any other condition of life,the girl's respect and admiration. Though a thorough woman of theworld, high-bred, wellborn, she forgot for the moment to control herfeatures; and as I have remarked elsewhere, Warburton was a shrewdobserver.

  "Bully, Mr. Osborne!" shouted William, leaping down. "It was simplygreat!"

  "There are some bars farther down," said the girl, quietly. "William,run and open them."

  Warburton flushed slightly. He could not tell how she had accomplishedit, whether it was the tone or the gesture, but she had calmlyreestablished the barrier between mistress and servant.

  "I think I'll put him to the wall again," said the hero, seized by arebel spirit.

  He wheeled Pirate about and sent him back at a run. Pirate balked.Round he went again, down the field and back. This time he cleared thewall with a good foot to spare. The victory was complete.

  When it was all over, and Pirate was impatiently munching an extrasupply of oats, the girl bade Mr. James to report early the followingmorning.

  "I hope I shall please you, Madam."

  "Address me as Miss Annesley from now on," she said; and noddingshortly, she entered the house.

  To Warburton, half the pleasure of the victory was gone; for not a wordof praise had she given him. Yet, she had answered his smile. Well, hehad made a lackey out of himself; he had no right to expect anythingbut forty dollars a month and orders.

  He broke his word with me. He did not return to the house that nightfor dinner. In fact, he deliberately sent for his things, explainingthat he was called North and wouldn't have time to see them before heleft. It took all my persuasive oratory to smooth the troubled waters,and then there were areas upon which my oil had no effect whatever.

  "He is perfectly heartless!" cried Nancy. "He couldn't go to theembassy, but he could steal away and play poker all night with a lot ofidling Army officers. And now he is going off to Canada without evenseeing us to say good-by. Charlie, there is something back of all this."

  "I'll bet it's a woman," said Jack, throwing a scrutinizing glance atme. But I was something of a diplomat myself, and he didn't catch menapping. "Here's a telegram for him, too."

  "I think I'll take the liberty of opening it," said I. I knew itscontents. It was the reply Warburton had depended on. I read it aloud.It is good to have friends of this sort. No question was asked. It wasa bald order: "Come up at once and shoot caribou. Take first train."

  "Bob's a jackass," was Jack's commentary. I had heard something like itbefore, that day. "He'll turn up all right;"--and Jack lit a cigar andpicked up his paper.

  "And Betty Annesley is going to call to-morrow night," said Nancy, hervoice overflowing with reproach. Her eyes even sparkled with tears. "Idid so want them to meet."

  I called myself a villain. But I had given my promise; and I was inlove myself.

  "I don't see what we can do. When Bob makes up his mind to do anything,he generally does it." Jack, believing he had demolished the subject,opened his _Morning Post_ and fell to studying the latest phases of theVenezuelan muddle.

  Nancy began to cry softly; she loved the scalawag as only sisters knowhow to love. And I became possessed with two desires; to console herand to punch Mr. Robert's head.

  "It has always been this way with him," Nancy went on, dabbing her eyeswith her two-by-four handkerchief. "We never dreamed that he was goinginto the Army till he came home one night and announced that he hadsuccessfully passed his examinations for West Point. He goes and getsshot, and we never know anything about it till we read the papers.Next, he resigns and goes abroad without a word or coming to see us. Idon't know what to make of Bobby; I really don't."

  I took her hand in mine and kissed it, and told her the rascal wouldturn up in due time, that they hadn't heard the last of him for thatwinter.

  "He's only thoughtless and single-purposed," interposed Jack.

  "Single-purposed!" I echoed.

  "Why, yes. He gets one thing at a time in his brain, and thinks ofnothing else till that idea is worn out. I know him."

  I recalled my u
seless persuasion of the morning. "I believe you areright."

  "Of course I'm right," replied Jack, turning a page of his paper. "Do_you_ know where he has gone?"

  "I think the telegram explains everything,"--evasively.

  "Humph! Don't you worry about him, Nan. I'll wager he's up to some ofhis old-time deviltry."

  These and other little observations Jack let fall made it plain to methat he was a natural student of men and their impulses, and that hisinsight and judgment, unerring and anticipatory, had put him where heis to-day, at the head of a department.

  I left the house about ten o'clock, went downtown and found theprodigal at a cheap hotel on Pennsylvania. He was looking over someboots and leggings and ready-made riding breeches.

  "Aha, Chuck, so here you are!"

  "Look here, Bob, this will never do at all," I began.

  "I thought we had threshed all that out thoroughly this morning."

  "I left Nancy crying over your blamed callousness."

  "Nancy? Hang it, I don't want Nancy to waste any tears over me; I'm notworth it."

  "Precious little you care! If it wasn't for the fact that you have toldme the true state of things, I should have exposed you to-night. Whydidn't you turn up to dinner as you promised? You might at least havegone through the pretense of saying good-by to them."

  "My dear boy, I'll admit that my conduct is nefarious. But look; Nancyknows Miss Annesley, and they will be calling on each other. The truthis, I dare not let the girls see me without a beard. And I'm too fargone into the thing to back out now."

  "I honestly hope that some one recognizes you and gives you away," Ideclared indignantly.

  "Thanks. You're in love with Nancy, aren't you? To be sure. Well,wouldn't you do anything to keep around where she is, to serve her, tohear her voice, to touch her hand occasionally, to ride with her; infact, always to be within the magic circle of her presence? Well, Ilove this girl; I know it now, it is positive, doubtless. Her presenceis as necessary to me as the air I breathe. Had I met her in theconventional way, she would have looked upon me as one of the pillarsof convention, and mildly ignored me. As I am, she does not know what Iam, or who I am; I am a mystery, I represent a secret, and she desiresto find out what this secret is. Besides all this, something impels meto act this part, something aside from love. It is inexplicable; fate,maybe." He paused, went to the window, and looked down into the street.It was after-theater time and carriages were rolling to and fro.

  "Bob, I apologize. You know a great deal more about feminine naturethan I had given you credit for. But how can you win her this way?"

  He raised his shoulders. "Time and chance."

  "Well, whate'er betide, I can't help wishing you luck."

  We shook hands silently, and then I left him.

  "Father," said Betty Annesley at the dinnertable that same night, "Ihave engaged a new groom. He rode Pirate to-day and thoroughly masteredhim."

  "Pirate? You don't say! Well, I'm glad of that. Pirate will make acapital saddle-horse if he is ridden often enough. The groom will be asafe companion for you on your rides. Are you too tired to do somedrawing for me to-night?"

  "The fortification plans?"

  "Yes." His eyes wandered from her face to the night outside. How grayand sad the world was! "You will always love your father, dearie?"

  "Love him? Always!"

  "Whatever betide, for weal or woe?"

  "Whatever betide."

  How easy it was for her to say these words!

  "And yet, some day, you must leave me, to take up your abode in someother man's heart. My only wish is that it may beat for you as truly asmine does."

  She did not reply, but stepped to the window and pressed her brow tothe chilled pane. A yellow and purple line marked the path of thevanished sun; the million stars sparkled above; far away she could seethe lights of the city. Of what was she thinking, dreaming? Was shedreaming of heroes such as we poets and novelists invent and hang uponthe puppet-beam? Ah, the pity of these dreams the young girl has! Shedreams of heroes and of god-like men, and of the one that is to come.But, ah! he never comes, he never comes; and the dream fades and dies,and the world becomes real. A man may find his ideal, but a woman,never. To youth, the fields of love; to man, the battle-ground; to oldage, a chair in the sunshine and the wreck of dreams!

  "The government ought to pay you well if those plans are successful."She moved away from the window.

  "Yes, the government ought to pay me well. I should like to make yourich, dearie, and happy."

  "Why, daddy, am I not both? I have more money than I know what to dowith, and I am happy in having the kindest father." She came around thetable and caressed him, cheek to cheek. "Money isn't everything. Itjust makes me happy to do anything for you."

  His arm grew tense around her waist.

  "Do you know what was running through my mind at the embassy lastnight? I was thinking how deeply I love this great wide country ofmine. As I looked at the ambassador and his aides, I was saying tomyself, 'You dare not!' It may have been silly, but I couldn't help it,We are the greatest people in the world. When I compared foreignsoldiers with our own, how my heart and pride swelled! No formalities,no race prejudice, no false pride. I was never introduced to a foreignofficer that I did not fear him, with his weak eyes, his affectedmannerisms, his studied rudeness, not to me, but to the country Irepresented. How I made some of them dance! Not for vanity's sake;rather the inborn patriotism of my race. I had only to think of myfather, his honorable scars, his contempt for little things, hiscourage, his steadfastness, his love for his country, which has sohonored him with its trust. Oh! I am a patriot; and I shall never,never marry a man whose love for his country does not equal my own."She caught up her father's mutilated hand and kissed it. "And even nowthis father of mine is planning and planning to safeguard his country."

  "But you must not say anything to a soul, my child; it must be a secrettill all is ready. I met Karloff to-day at the club. He has promised todine with us to-morrow night."

  "Make him postpone it. I have promised to dine with Nancy Warburton."

  "You had better dine with us and spend the evening with your friend. Doyou not think him a handsome fellow?"

  "He is charming." She touched the bowl of poppies with her fingers andsmiled.

  "He is very wealthy, too."

  Betty offered no comment.

  "What did they do to that infernal rascal who attempted to run awaywith you and Mrs. Chadwick?"

  "They arrested him and locked him up."

  "I hope they will keep him there. And what reason did he give thepolice for attempting to run away with you?"

  "He said that he had made a wager with some serving-maids to drive themfrom the embassy. He claims to have got the wrong number and the wrongcarriage."

  "A very likely story!"

  "Yes, a very likely story!"--and Betty, still smiling, passed on intothe music-room, where she took her violin from its case and played somerollicking measures from Offenbach.

  At the same time her father rose and went out on the lawn, where hewalked up and down, with a long, quick, nervous stride. From time totime a wailing note from the violin floated out to him, and he wouldstop and raise his haggard face toward heaven. His face was no longermasked in smiles; it was grief-stricken, self-abhorring. At length hesoftly crossed the lawn and stood before the music-room window. Ah, nofretting care sat on yonder exquisite face, nor pain, nor trouble;youth, only youth and some pleasant thought which the music hadaroused. How like her mother! How like her mother!

  Suddenly he smote himself on the brow with a clenched hand. "Wretch!God-forsaken wretch, how have you kept your trust? And how yonder childhas stabbed you! How innocently she has stabbed you! My country! ... Myhonor! ... My courage and steadfastness! Mockery!"