CHAPTER XII
THE SELLING OF GASPARD'S TRAIL
The surroundings were depressing when, one evening, Steel and I rodehome for the last time to Gaspard's Trail. The still, clear weather,with white frost in the mornings and mellow sunshine all day long, whichfollows the harvest, had gone, and the prairie lay bleak and gray undera threatening sky waiting for the snow. Crescents and wedges of wildfowl streaked the lowering heavens overhead as they fled southward inendless processions before the frost. The air throbbed with the beat oftheir pinions which, at that season, emphasizes the human shrinking fromthe winter, while the cold wind that shook the grasses sighed mostmournfully.
There was nothing cheering in the prospect for a man who badly neededencouragement, and I smiled sardonically when Steel, who pushed hishorse alongside me, said: "There's a good deal in the weather, and thismean kind has just melted the grit right out of me. I'll be mightythankful to get in out of it, and curl up where it's warm and snugbeside the stove. Sally will have all fixed up good and cheerful, andthe west room's a cozy place to come into out of the cold."
"You must make the most of it to-night, then, for we'll be camping onstraw or bare earth to-morrow," I said. "Confound you, Steel! Isn't it alittle unnecessary to remind me of all that I have lost?"
"I didn't mean it that way," said the other, with some confusion. "Ifelt I had to say something cheerful to rouse you up, and that was thebest I could make of it. Anyway, we'll both feel better after supper,and I'm hoping we'll yet see the man who turned you out in a tightplace."
"You have certainly succeeded," I answered dryly. "When a man is forcedto stand by and watch a rascal cheat him out of the result of years oflabor, you can't blame him for being a trifle short in temper, and, ifit were not for the last expectation you mention, I'd turn my backto-morrow on this poverty-stricken country. As it is----"
"We'll stop right here until our turn comes some day. Then there'll bebig trouble for somebody," said Steel. "But you've got to lie low,Ormesby, and give him no chances. That man takes everyone he gets, and,if one might say it, you're just a little hot in the head."
"One's friends can say a good deal, and generally do," I answeredtestily. "How long have you set up as a model of discretion, Steel?Still, though there is rather more sense than usual in your advice,doesn't it strike you as a little superfluous, considering that Lane hasleft us no other possible course?"
Steel said nothing further, and I was in no mood for conversation.Gaspard's Trail was to be sold on the morrow, and Lane had carefullychosen his time. The commercial depression was keener than ever, andthere is seldom any speculation in Western lands at that time of theyear. It was evidently his purpose to buy in my possessions.
A cheerful red glow beat out through the windows of my dwelling when wetopped the last rise, but the sight of it rather increased my moodiness,and it was in silence, and slowly, we rode up to the door of Gaspard'sTrail. Sally Steel met us there, and her eyelids were slightly red; butthere was a vindictive ring in her voice as she said: "Supper's ready,and I'm mighty glad you've come. This place seems lonesome. Besides, I'm'most played out with talking, and I've done my best to-day. Thoseauctioneering fellows have fixed up everything, but it isn't my fault ifthey don't know how mean they are. They finished with the house in ahurry, and one of them said: 'I can't stand any more of thatshe-devil.'"
"He did! Where are they now?" asked Steel, dropping his horse's bridleand staring about him angrily; but, after a glance at Sally, whoanswered my unspoken question with a nod, I seized him by the shoulder.
"Steady! Who is hot-headed now?" I said.
Steel strove to shake off my grasp until his sister, who laughed alittle, turned towards him. "I just took it for a compliment, andthere's no use in your interfering," she said. "I guess neither of themfeels proud of himself to-night, and a cheerful row with somebody wouldspoil all the good I've done. They're camping yonder in the stable, butyou'll tie up the horses in the empty barn."
Sally Steel was a stanch partisan, and, knowing what I did of hercommand of language, I felt almost sorry for the men who had beenexposed to it a whole day in what was, after all, only the execution oftheir duty. Before Steel returned, one of them came out of the stableand approached me, but, catching sight of Sally, stopped abruptly, andthen, as though mustering his courage, came on again.
"I guess you're Mr. Ormesby, and I'm auctioneer's assistant," he said."One could understand that you were a bit sore, but I can't see thatit's my fault, anyway; and from what we heard, you don't usually turnstrangers into the stable."
The man spoke civilly enough, and I did not approve of his location; butthe rising color in Sally's face would have convinced anybody who knewher that non-interference was the wisest policy.
"It is about the first time we have done so, but this lady manages myhouse, and, if you don't like your quarters, you must talk to her," Isaid.
The man cast such a glance of genuine pity upon me that it stirred me tofaint amusement, rather than resentment, while the snap, as we called iton the prairie, which crept into Sally's eyes usually presaged anexplosion.
"If that's so, I guess I prefer to stop just where I am," he said.
We ate our supper almost in silence, and little was spoken afterwards.Sally did her best to rouse us, but even her conversation had lost itsusual bite and sparkle, and presently she abandoned the attempt. Ilounged in a hide chair beside the stove, and each object my eyes restedon stirred up memories that were painful now. The cluster of splendidwheat ears above the window had been the first sheared from a bounteousharvest which had raised great hopes. I had made the table with my ownfingers, and brought out the chairs, with the crockery on the varnishedshelf, from Winnipeg, one winter, when the preceding season's operationshad warranted such reckless expenditure. The dusty elevator warrantpinned to the wall recalled the famous yield of grain which--becausecattle had previously been our mainstay--had promised a new way toprosperity, and now, as I glanced at it, led me back through a sequenceof failure to the brink of poverty. Also, bare and plain as it was, thatroom appeared palatial in comparison with the elongated sod hovel whichmust henceforward shelter us at Crane Valley.
The memories grew too bitter, and at last I went out into the darknessof a starless night, to find little solace there. I had planned andhelped to build the barns and stables which loomed about me--deniedmyself of even necessities that the work might be better done; and now,when, after years of effort and sordid economy, any prairie settlermight be proud of them, all must pass into a stranger's hands, for verymuch less than their value. Tempted by a dazzling possibility, I hadstaked too heavily and had lost, and there was little courage left in meto recommence again at the beginning, when the hope which had hithertonerved me was taken away. Steel and his sister had retired before Ireturned to the dwelling, and I was not sorry.
The next day broke gloomily, with a threat of coming storm, but, as itdrew on, all the male inhabitants of that district foregathered atGaspard's Trail. They came in light wagons and buggies and on horseback,and I was touched by their sympathy. They did not all express it neatly.Indeed, the very silence of some was most eloquent; but there was nomistaking the significance of the deep murmur that went up when Lane andtwo men drove up in a light wagon. The former was dressed in cityfashion in a great fur-trimmed coat, and his laugh grated on me, as hemade some comment to the auctioneer beside him. Then the wagon waspulled up beside the rank of vehicles, and the spectators ceased theirtalking as, dismounting, he stood, jaunty, genial, and _debonnaire_,face to face with the assembly.
Even now the whole scene rises up before me--the threatening low-hungheavens, the desolate sweep of prairie, the confused jumble ofbuildings, the rows of wagons, and the intent, bronzed faces of the menin well-worn jean. All were unusually somber, but, while a numberexpressed only aversion, something which might have been fear, mingledwith hatred, stamped those of the rest. Every eye was fixed on thelittle portly man in the fur coat who stood beside the wagon
lookingabout him with much apparent good-humor. Lane was not timid, or he wouldnever have ventured there at all; but his smile faded as he met thatconcentrated gaze. Those who stared at him were for the most partdetermined men, and even with the power of the law behind him, and twotroopers in the background, some slight embarrassment was notinexcusable.
"Good-morning to you, boys. Glad to see so many of you, and I hopeyou'll pick up bargains to-day," he said; and then twisted one end ofhis mustache with a nervous movement; when again a growl went up. It wasneither loud nor wholly articulate, though a few vivid epithets brokethrough it, and the rest was clearly not a blessing. Several of thenearest men turned their backs on the speaker with as much parade aspossible.
"Don't seem quite pleased at something," he said to me. "Well, it don'tgreatly matter whether they're pleased or not. May as well get on tobusiness. You've had your papers, and didn't find anything to kickagainst, Ormesby?"
"It is hardly worth while to ask, considering your experience in suchaffairs. The sooner you begin and finish, the better I'll be pleased," Isaid.
The auctioneer's table had been set up in the open with the ticketedimplements arranged behind it and the stock and horses in thewire-fenced corral close beside. He was of good repute in his business,and I felt assured of fair play from him, at least, though I could seeLane's purpose in bringing him out from Winnipeg. The latter was tooclever to spoil a well-laid scheme by any superfluous petty trickery,and with that man to conduct it nobody could question the legitimacy ofthe sale. There was an expectant silence when he stood up behind histable.
"What is one man's gain is another man's loss, and I feel quite certain,from what I know of the prairie, that none of you would try to buy aneighbor's things way under their cost," he commenced. "It's mighty hardto make a fortune in times like these, you know, but anybody with soundjudgment, and the money handy, has his opportunity right now. You'regoing to grow wheat and raise beef enough down here to feed the worldsome day. It's a great country, and the best bit in it you'll findscheduled with its rights and acreage as the first lot I have to offeryou--the Gaspard's Trail holding with the buildings thereon. The soil,as you all know, will grow most anything you want, if you scratch it,and the climate----"
"Needs a constitution of cast iron to withstand it," interjected a youngand sickly Englishman, who had benefited less than he expected from asojourn on the prairie. His comment was followed by a query from anotherdisappointed individual: "Say, what about the gophers?"
"I'm not selling you any climate," was the ready answer. "Even thegopher has its uses, for without some small disadvantages the fame ofyour prosperity would bring out all Europe here. Now, gentlemen, I'moffering you one of the finest homesteads on the prairie. Soil ofunequaled fertility, the best grass between Winnipeg and Calgary, withthe practical certainty of a railroad bringing the stock cars to itsdoor, and the building of mills and elevators within a mile from thiscorral."
Here Lane, standing close to the table, whispered something--unobserved,he doubtless thought--to the auctioneer, whose genial face contractedinto a frown. Lane had, perhaps, forgotten the latter was not one of theimpecunious smaller fry who, it was suggested, occasionally acceptedmore than hints from him.
"The holder of the mortgage evidently considers that the railroad willnot be built, and it is very good of him to say so--in thecircumstances; but we all know what a disinterested person he is,"continued the auctioneer; and the honest salesman had, at least, securedthe crowd's goodwill. A roar of derisive laughter and appreciation ofthe quick-witted manner in which he had punished unjustifiedinterference followed the sally. "That, after all, is one person'sopinion only; and I heard from Ottawa that the road would be built. Iwant your best bids for the land and buildings, with the stock carsthrown in. You'll never get a better chance; but not all at once,gentlemen."
During the brief interval which followed I was conscious of quivering alittle under the suspense. The property, if realized at normal value,should produce sufficient to discharge my liabilities several timesover; but I dreaded greatly that, under existing conditions, a balanceof debt would be left sufficient to give Lane a hold on me when all wassold. The auctioneer's last request was superfluous, for at first nobodyappeared to have any intention of bidding at all, and there was animpressive hush while two men from the cities, who stood apart among thefew strangers, whispered together. Meanwhile I edged close in to thetable so that I might watch every move of my adversary.
"Lane wasn't wise when he tried to play that man the way he did," saidSteel, who stood beside me, but I scarcely heeded him, for CarsonHaldane, who must have reached Bonaventure very recently, nodded to meas he took his seat in a chair Thorn brought him.
Then one of the strangers named a ridiculously small sum, which Steel,amid a burst of laughter from all those who knew the state of hisfinances, immediately doubled, whereupon the bidder advanced his offerby a hundred dollars.
"Another five hundred on to that!" cried Steel; and when my foreman,Thorn, followed his cue with a shout of, "I'll go three hundred better,"the merriment grew boisterous. The spectators were strung up anduncertain in their mood. Very little, I could see, would rouse them tofierce anger, and, perhaps, for that reason any opening for mirth cameas a relief to them. I had now drawn up close behind the table whichformed the common center for every man's attention, and, scanning thefaces about it, saw Lane's darken when the stranger called outexcitedly, "I'll raise him two hundred and fifty."
Lane rewarded Thorn with a vicious glance, and growled under his breath.Next he whispered something to the auctioneer, who disregarded it, whilea few minutes later the bidder, holding his hand up for attention, said:
"I withdraw my last offer. I came here to do solid business and not foolaway my time competing with irresponsible parties who couldn't put upenough money to buy the chicken-house. Is this a square sale, Mr.Auctioneer, or is anybody without the means to purchase to be allowed toforce up genuine buyers for the benefit of the vendor?"
"That's Lane's dummy, and I'm going to do some talking now," said Steel.
I was inclined to fancy that the usurer, perhaps believing there was nosuch thing as commercial honesty, had badly mistaken his man, or thatthe auctioneer, guided by his own quick wits, saw through his scheme,for he smote upon the table for attention.
"This is a square sale, so square that I can see by the vendor's lookshe would sooner realize half-value than countenance anything irregular.I took it for granted that these gentlemen had the means to purchase,as I did in your own case. No doubt you can all prove your financialability."
"One of them is still in debt," added the bidder.
I had moved close behind Lane, and fancied I heard him say softly tohimself: "I'll fix you so you'll be sorry for your little jokesby-and-by."
A diversion followed. Goodwill to myself, hatred of the usurer, andexcitement, may perhaps have prompted them equally, for after thewould-be purchaser's challenge those of my neighbors who had escapedbetter than the rest clustered about Steel, who had hard work to recordthe rolls of paper money thrust upon him. Hardly had his rival laid downa capacious wallet upon the table than Steel deposited the whole besideit.
"I guess that ought to cover my call, and now I want to see the man whocalled me irresponsible," he said. "That's enough to raise me, but tohint that any honest man would back up the thief of a mortgage holder isan insult to the prairie."
A roar of laughter and approval followed, but the laughter had anominous ring in it; and I saw Sergeant Mackay, who had been sittingstill as an equine statue in his saddle on the outskirts of the crowd,push his horse through the thickest of the shouting men. He called someby name, and bantered the rest; but there was a veiled warning behindhis jest, and two other troopers, following him, managed to furtherseparate the groups. The hint was unmistakable, and the shouting diedaway, while, as the auctioneer looked at the money before him, the manwho had been bidding glanced covertly at Lane.
"If you are satisfied with
the good faith of these gentlemen, I'll letmy offer stand," he said.
"It doesn't count for much whether he does or not," said Haldanelanguidly. "I'll raise him two hundred and fifty."
"I'm not satisfied with his," broke in the irrepressible Steel. "I can'tleave my money lying round right under that man's hand, Mr. Auctioneer.No, sir; I won't feel easy until I've put it where it's safer. Besides,he called me a friend of the mortgage holder, and I'm waiting for anapology."
The stranger from the cities grew very red in face, and a fresh laugh,which was not all good-humor, went up from the crowd; but, as theauctioneer prepared to grapple with this new phase of affairs, a man inuniform reined in a gray horse beside the speaker, and looked down athim. There was a faint twinkle in his eyes, though the rest of hiscountenance was grim, and he laid a hard hand on the other's shoulder.
"Ye'll just wait a while longer, Charlie Steel," he said. "I'm thinkingye will at least be held fully responsible for anything calculated tocause a breach of the peace."
Thereafter the bidding proceeded without interruption, Haldane and hisrival advancing by fifties or hundreds of dollars, while, when theprairie syndicate's united treasury was exhausted, which happened verysoon, a few other strangers joined in. Meanwhile, the suspense had grownalmost insupportable to me. That I must lose disastrously was certainnow, but I clung to the hope that I might still start at Crane Valleyclear of debt. Haldane was bidding with manifest indifference, and atlast he stopped.
The auctioneer, calling the price out, looked at him, but Carson Haldaneshook his head, and said, with unusual distinctness: "The othergentlemen may have it. I have gone further than I consider justifiablealready."
I saw Lane glance at him with a puzzled expression, and next moment tryto signal the stranger, who was clearly in league with him, and fail inthe attempt to attract his attention. Then I held my breath, for, aftertwo more reluctant bids, there was only silence when the auctioneerrepeated the last offer.
"Is there anyone willing to exceed this ridiculous figure? It's yourlast chance, gentlemen. Going, going----" And my hopes died out as hedropped the hammer.
"Nothing left but to make the best of it," said Steel; which was verypoor consolation, for I could see nothing good at all in the wholeaffair.
There was much brisker bidding for the implements, working oxen, andremnant of the stock, which were within the limits of my neighbors, andwho did their best; but the prices realized were by comparison merely adrop in the bucket, and I turned away disconsolate, knowing that theworst I feared had come to pass. All the borrowed money had been sunk inthe improvement of that property, and now the mortgage holder, who hadeven before the sale been almost repaid, owned the whole of it, land andimprovements, and still held a lien on me for a balance of the debt.
Haldane met me presently, and his tone was cordial as he said: "Whereare you thinking of spending the night?"
"At Crane Valley with the others," I answered shortly. "Steel and myforeman are going to help me to restart there."
"I want you to come over to Bonaventure for a few days instead," hesaid. "A little rest and change will brace you for the new campaign, andI am all alone, except for my younger daughter."
I looked him squarely in the face, seeing that frankness was best. "Mywits are not very keen to-day, and I am a little surprised," I said."May I ask why you bid at all for my recent property? You must haveknown it was worth much more than your apparent limit."
Haldane smiled good-humoredly; but, in spite of this, his face wasinscrutable. "'When I might at least have run the price up,' you wish toadd. Well, I had to redeem a promise made somewhat against my betterjudgment, and I stopped--when it seemed advisable. This, as you maydiscover, Ormesby, is not the end of the affair, and, if I could havehelped you judiciously, you may be sure that I would. In the meantime,are you coming back to Bonaventure with me?"
He had told me practically nothing, and yet I trusted him, while theknowledge that his daughter had bidden him take measures on my behalfwas very soothing. After all, Beatrice Haldane had not forgotten me. "Itis very kind of you, and I should be glad to do so, sir," I said.
I found Lane at the table as soon as the sale was over, and he held outa sheet of paper. "You can verify the totals at leisure, but you willsee it leaves a balance due me," he said. "It is rather a pity, but thenew purchaser requires immediate possession, though he might allow youto use the house to-night. Ah! here he is to speak for himself."
The stranger, who indorsed the statement, looked first at Lane and thenat me in sidelong fashion. There was nothing remarkable about him exceptthat he had hardly the appearance of a practical farmer, but themalicious enjoyment his master's eyes expressed, and something in hisvoice, set my blood on fire. Indeed, I was in a humor to turn on my bestfriend just then.
"Nothing would induce me to enter a house which belonged to--you," Isaid, turning to Lane. "So far you have won hands down; but neither younor your tool has quite consummated your victory. I shall see both ofyou sorry you ever laid your grasping hands on this property."
"You may be right in one way," answered Lane. "You'll remember whathappened to the fool bullfrog, and you're looking tolerably healthyyet."
I had hardly spoken before I regretted it. The words were useless andpuerile; but my indignation demanded some outlet. In any case, Laneshrugged his shoulders and the other man grinned, while I had clearlyspoken more loudly than I intended, for several bystanders applauded,and when I moved away Sergeant Mackay overtook me. "I'm surprised at ye,Rancher Ormesby," he said. "Ye have not shown your usual discretion."
"I would not change it for yours," I answered. "It is evidentlyinsufficient to warn you that there are times when preaching becomes animpertinence."
Mackay only shook his head. He wheeled his horse, and, with two troopersbehind him, rode towards the wagon which Lane was mounting. A deepgrowl of execration went up, and the farewell might have been warmer butfor the troopers' presence. As it was, he turned and ironically salutedthe sullenly wrathful crowd as the light wagon lurched away across theprairie. Then I was left homeless, and was glad to feel Haldane's touchon my arm. "Light this cigar and jump in. The team are gettingimpatient, and Lucille will be wondering what has kept us so long," hesaid.
The Mistress of Bonaventure Page 12
