CHAPTER XXII
BAD TIDINGS
The dust was rolling about the cars and the gaunt poles whirled pastbefore I could recover breath to answer the astonished conductor. Thenit was with a gasp I said: "Won't you get me a little water?"
The man vanished, and I sat still vacantly noticing how the prairiereeled behind me until the door slid open and he returned with a tinvessel and a group of curious passengers behind him. A piece of icefloated in the former, and a man held out a flask. "I guess it won'thurt him, adulterated some," he said.
Never before had I tasted so delicious a draught. Hours of anxiety andeffort under a blazing sun had parched and fouled my lips, and my throatwas dry as unslaked lime. The tin vessel was empty when I handed itback, and the railroad official looked astonished as he turned it upsidedown for the spectators' information. "I guess a locomotive tank wouldhardly quench that thirst of yours," he said.
"Thanks. I'll get up. It was not for amusement I boarded your train as Idid," I said, and the rest opened a passage for me into the longColonist car. There was a mirror above the basins in the vestibule, anda glance into it explained their curiosity. The white shirt had burst inplaces; the grime of alkali had caked on my face, leaving only palercircles about the eyes. Hardened mire crusted the rest of my apparel,and each movement made it evident to me that portions of the epidermishad been abraded from me.
"It's not my business how passengers board these cars, so long asthey're tolerably decent, and can pay their fare," observed theconductor. "Still, although we're not particular, we've got to dress youa little between us; and it mightn't be too much to ask what broughtyou here in such an outfit?"
It was evident that the others were waiting to ask the same question,and I answered diplomatically: "I have money enough to take me toEmpress at Colonist fare, and was half way to the depot to catch thecars on the old schedule before I discovered you had commenced theaccelerated service. Then I flung off every ounce of weight that mightlose me the race."
"You must have had mighty important business," somebody said; and thedoor at the opposite end opened as I answered dryly: "I certainly had."
"Hallo! Great Columbus! Is that you, Ormesby?" a voice which seemedfamiliar said; and, turning angrily, I saw a storekeeper with whom I haddealt staring at me in bewilderment.
"Ormesby!" the name was repeated by several passengers, and I readsudden suspicion in some of the faces, and sympathy in the rest, whileone of them, with Western frankness, asked: "You're the Rancher Ormesbywe've been reading about?"
"Yes," I answered, making a virtue of necessity. "I am on my way tosurrender for trial, and redeem my bail. Now you can understand myhurry."
Several of the passengers nodded, and the dealer said: "It's tolerablyplain you can't go like that; they're that proud of themselves inEmpress they'd lock you up. So I'll try to find you something in mygripsack. Still, while I concluded you never done the thing, I'd like tohear you say straight off you know nothing about the burning ofGaspard's Trail."
"Then listen a second," I answered. "You have my word for it, that Iknow no more what caused the fire than you do. You will be able to readmy defense in the papers, and I need not go into it here."
"That's enough for me," was the answer. "Now, gentlemen, if you have gotanything you can lend my friend here in your valises, I'll guaranteethey're either replaced or returned. Some of you know me, and here's mybusiness card."
It may be curious, but I saw that most of those present, and they wereall apparently from parts of the prairie, fully credited my statement,and one voiced the sentiments of the rest when he said: "I'll do thebest I can. If Mr. Ormesby had played the fire-bug, he wouldn't be somighty anxious to get back to court again."
The position was humiliating, but no choice was left me. I must eitheraccept the willing offers or enter Empress half naked, and accordingly Imade a hasty selection among the garments thrust upon me. Twenty minutesspent in the lavatory, with the colored porter's assistance, produced acomforting change, and when I returned to the car, one of the mostgenerous lenders surveyed me with pride as well as approval.
"You do us credit, Rancher, and you needn't worry about the thanks.We've no use for them," he said. "Hope you'll get off; but if you aresent up for burning down that place, I'll be proud of having helped tooutfit a famous man."
Perhaps my face was ludicrous with its mingled expressions of gratitudeand disgust at this naive announcement, for a general laugh went upwhich I finally joined in, and that hoarse merriment gave me the freedomof the Colonist car. Rude burlesque is interspersed amid many a tragedy,and I had seen much worse situations saved by the grace of even coarsehumor. Thereafter no personal questions were asked, and most of myfellow-travelers treated me with a delicacy of consideration which ismuch less uncommon than one might suppose among the plain, hard-handedmen who wrest a living out of the prairie.
Night had closed in some time earlier when I strolled out across theplatform of the car and leaned upon the rails of the first-class beforeit. Tired physically as I was, the nervous restlessness which followedthe mental strain would, I think, have held me wakeful, even if therehad been anything more than a bare shelf of polished maple, which findsout every aching bone, to sleep on. This, however, was not the case, forthose who travel Colonist must bring their own bedding, or do withoutit. It was a glorious summer night, still and soft and effulgent withthe radiance of the full moon which hung low above the prairie, whilethe sensation of the swift travel was bracing.
There was no doubt that the Accelerated was making up lost time; and thelurching, clanking, pounding, roar of flying wheels, and panting ofmammoth engines both soothed and exhilarated me. They were in one senseprosaic and commonplace sounds, but--so it seemed to me that night--inanother a testimony to man's dominion over not only plant and beast uponthe face of the earth, but also the primeval forces which move theuniverse. Further, the diapason of the great drivers and Titanicsnorting, rising and falling rhythmically amid the pulsating din, brokethrough the prairie's silence as it were a triumphant hymn of struggleand effort, and toil all-conquering, as dropping the leagues behind itthe long train roared on. I knew something of the cost, paid in thesweat of tremendous effort, and part in blood and agony, of the smoothroad along which the great machines raced across the continent.
Perhaps I was overstrung, and accordingly fanciful; but I gathered freshcourage, which was, indeed, badly needed, and I had grown partlyreassured and tranquil, when the door creaked behind me and there was alight step on the platform. Then, turning suddenly, I found myselfwithin a foot of Lucille Haldane. She was bareheaded. The moon shone onher face, which, as I had dreamed of it, looked at once ethereal andvery human under the silvery light. This, at least, was not a fancy bornof overtaxed nerves, for while given to heartsome merriment, daring, andoccasionally imperious, there was a large share of the spiritual in thecharacter of the girl. Shrewd, she certainly was, yet wholly fresh andinnocent, and at times I had seen depths of pity and sympathy which itseemed were not wholly earthly in her eyes. When one can name and numberall the mysterious forces that rule the heart or brain of man, it may bepossible to tell why, when Beatrice Haldane's idealized image was everbefore me, I would have done more for her sister than for any livingwoman.
We were both a little surprised at the encounter, and I fancied I hadseen a momentary shrinking from me in the eyes of the girl. This at oncefurnished cause for wonder, and hurt me. She had shown no shrinking atour last meeting.
"I did not expect to meet you when I came out for the sake of coolness.Are you going East?" I said.
Lucille Haldane was usually frank in speech, but she now appeared to beperplexed by, and almost to resent, the question. "Yes. I have somebusiness which cannot be neglected in that direction," she said.
"Is Miss Haldane or your father on board the train?" I asked, andLucille seemed to hesitate before she answered:
"No. My father is in Winnipeg, and Beatrice has gone to Montreal; butMrs. Hansen, our h
ousekeeper, is here with me."
I was partly, but not altogether, relieved by this information. It wasno doubt foolish, but I had been at first afraid that every one of myfriends from Bonaventure had seen in what manner I boarded the train. Iwould have given a good deal to discover whether Lucille had witnessedthe spectacle, but I did not quite see how to acquire the knowledge.
"It must be important business which takes you East alone," I saididly--to gain time in which to frame a more leading question; but thewords had a somewhat startling effect. A trace of indignation orconfusion became visible in the girl's face as she answered: "I havealready told you it is business which cannot be neglected; and if youdesire any further information I fear I cannot give it to you. Now,suppose we reverse the positions. What has made you so unusuallyinquisitive to-night, Mr. Ormesby?"
The positions were reversed with a vengeance, somewhat to my disgust. Ihad neither right nor desire to pry into Lucille Haldane's affairs, andyet felt feverishly anxious to discover how much or how little she hadseen at the station. It was no use to reason with myself that this wasof no importance, for the fact remained.
"I must apologize if I seemed inquisitive," I said. "It would have beenimpertinence, but I will make a bargain with you. If you will tell mewhether you boarded the cars immediately the train came in, and whatseat you took, I will tell you the cause of it."
This struck me as a clever maneuver, for if, as I hoped, she had seennothing, the story would certainly reach Bonaventure, and it seemed muchbetter that she should hear it first, and carefully toned down, from myown lips. Lucille Haldane's face cleared instantaneously, and there wasa note of relief in her laugh.
"Must you always make a bargain? You remember the last," but here shebroke off suddenly and favored me with a wholly sympathetic glance. "Idid not mean to recall that unfortunate night. You should come to thepoint always, for you are not brilliant in diplomacy, and shall havewithout a price the information you so evidently desire. I was standingon the car platform when you rode up to the station."
We are only mortal, and I fear I ground one heel, perhaps audibly, butcertainly viciously, into the boards beneath me. Still, I am certainthat my lips did not open. Nevertheless, I was puzzled by the sparkle inLucille Haldane's eyes which the radiant moonlight emphasized. There wasmore than mischief in it, but what the more consisted of I could nottell. "Have you forgotten the virtues of civilized self-restraint?" sheasked demurely.
I could see no cause for these swift changes, which would probably havebewildered any ordinary man, and I made answer: "It may be so; but onthis occasion, at least, I said nothing."
Lucille Haldane laughed, and laid her hand lightly on my arm as the carsjolted. "Then you certainly looked it; but I am not blaming you. I sawyou ride into the station, and I hardly grasp the reason for so muchmodesty. I do not know what delayed you, but I know you were trying toredeem the trust your neighbors placed in you."
I was apparently a prey to all disordered fancies that night, for itseemed a desecration that the little white hand should even bear thetouch of another man's jacket, and I lifted it gently into my own hardpalm. Also, I think I came desperately near stooping and touching itwith my lips. Be that as it may, in another second the opportunity waslacking, for Lucille grasped the rails with it some distance away fromme, and leaned out over them to watch the sliding prairie, her lightdress streaming about her in the whistling draught.
"The cars were very stuffy, and I am glad I came out. It is a perfectlyglorious night," she said.
The remark seemed very disconnected, but she was right. The prairiethere was dead-level, a vast, rippling silver sea overhung by a spangledvault of softest indigo. In spite of the rattling ballast and puffs ofwhirled-up dust the lash of cool wind was grateful, and the rush of theclanking cars stirred one's blood. Still, in contrast to their bulk andspeed, the slight figure in the fluttering white dress seemed very frailand insecure as it leaned forth from the rails, and I set my teeth when,with a sudden swing and a giddy slanting, we roared across a curvingbridge. Before the dark creek whirled behind us I had flung my armpartly around the girl's waist and clenched the rails in front of her.
"I am quite safe," she said calmly, after a curious glance at me. "Youlook positively startled."
"I was so," I answered, speaking no more than the truth, for the frighthad turned me cold; and she once more looked down at the whirlingprairie.
"That was very unreasonable. You are not responsible for me."
Perhaps the fright had rendered me temporarily light-headed, for Ianswered, on impulse: "No; on the other hand, you are responsible forme."
"I?" the girl said quietly, with a demureness which was not all mockery."How could that be? Such a responsibility would be too onerous for me."
"Why it should be I cannot tell you; but it is the truth," I said."Twice, when a crisis had to be faced, it was your opinions that turnedthe scale for me; and I think that, growing hopeless, I should haveallowed Lane to rob me and gone elsewhere in search of better fortunehad it not been for the courage you infused into me. Once or twice alsoyou pointed the way out of a difficulty, and the clearness of your viewswas almost startling. The most curious thing is that you are so muchyounger than I."
I had spoken no more than the truth, and was conscious of a passingannoyance when Lucille Haldane laughed. "There is no overcomingmasculine vanity; and I once heard my father say you were in somerespects very young for your age," she said. "I am afraid it waspresumption, but I don't mind admitting I am glad if any chance word ofmine nerved you to continue your resistance." Her voice changed a littleas she added: "Of course, that is because your enemy's work is evil, andI think you will triumph yet."
Neither of us spoke again for a time, and I remember reflecting thatwhoever won Lucille Haldane would have a helpmate to be proud of in thisworld and perhaps, by virtue of what she could teach him, follow intothe next. I could think so the more dispassionately because now both sheand her sister were far above me, though, knowing my own kind, Iwondered where either could find any man worthy.
So the minutes slipped by while the great express raced on, and blueheavens and silver prairie unrolled themselves before us in anapparently unending panorama. There had been times when I consideredsuch a prospect dreary enough, but it appeared surcharged with a strangeglamour that moonlit night.
"Will Miss Haldane return to Bonaventure?" I asked, at length.
"I hardly think so," said the girl. "We have very different tastes, youknow; and as father will not keep more than one of us with him, we canboth gratify them. Beatrice will leave for England soon, and in allprobability will not visit Bonaventure again."
She looked at me with a strange expression as she spoke, and when hermeaning dawned on me I was conscious of a heavy shock. I had bracedmyself to face the inevitable already, but the knowledge was painfulnevertheless, and my voice was not quite steady when I said: "You implythat Miss Haldane is to be married shortly?"
"It is not an impossible contingency."
Lucille spoke gravely, and I wondered whether she had guessed the fullsignificance of the intimation. Perhaps my face had grown a littleharder, or the tightening of my fingers on the rail betrayed me, for shelooked up very sympathetically. "I thought it would be better that youshould know."
There was such kindness stamped on her face that my heart went out toher, and it was almost huskily I said: "I thank you. You have keenperceptions."
Lucille smiled gravely. "One could see that you thought much ofBeatrice--and I was sorry that it should be so."
Her tone seemed to challenge further speech, and presently I found wordsagain: "It was an impossible dream, almost from the beginning; but Iawakened to the reality long ago. Still, nothing can rob me of thesatisfaction of having known your sister and you, and your influence hasbeen good for me. One can at least cherish the memory; and even a whollyimpossible fancy has its benefits."
The girl colored, and said quietly: "It is not our fault that youoverrat
e us, and one finds the standard others set up for one irksome.And yet you cannot be easily influenced, from what I know."
"Heaven knows how weak and unstable I have been at times, but I learnedmuch that was good for me at Bonaventure, and should, whatever happens,desire to keep your good opinion," I said.
"I think you will always do that," said the girl, moving towards thedoor. "It is growing late, but before I go I want to ask you to go toyour trial to-morrow with a good courage, and not to be astonished atanything you hear or see. If you are, you must try to remember that weCanadians actually are, as our orators tell us, a free people, and thatthe prairie farmers do not monopolize all our love of justice."
She brushed lightly past me, and the prairie grew dim and desolate asthe door clicked to. I had long dreaded the news just given me, but suchexpectations do not greatly lessen one's sense of loss. Still, it mayhave been that my senses were too dulled to feel the worst pain, and Isat down on the top step of the platform with my arm through the railingin a state of utter weariness and dejection, which mercifully acted asan anesthetic. How long I watched the moonlit waste sweep past thehumming wheels I do not know; but tired nature must have had her way,for it was early morning when a brakeman fell over me, and by the timethe resultant altercation was concluded, the clustered roofs of Empressrose out of the prairie.
The Mistress of Bonaventure Page 22
