"I suppose you made nothing out of the deal!"
“Well, there was a small commission involved, to be sure, but I swear to you I had your interests in mind, as well. This stubborn idealism of yours is all very well, my dear, your desire to prevent bloodshed is very admirable; but no one young woman is going to stop what’s coming, nor are you ever going to find the man you’re looking for. You’ve got to deal with one side or the other or lose out altogether.”
“So your Solution is to come here with Hannesey money-”
“It’s not Hannesey money! Do you think I would have anything to do. with turning any part of this country-little though I like it-over to that band of unwashed ruffians?”
Julie stared at him for several seconds, then shook her head quickly. “I don’t believe you. The only other place the money could have come from-, I don’t believe you! The Major’s angry with me, I know, and so is Pat, but they couldn’t stoop to a contemptible trick like this! Besides, that doesn’t explain what happened the other day. I’m afraid you’re lying to me, Mike.”
The lawyer said, “It’s not a lie, my dear, I assure you.” He hesitated. and looked around as if for support, his glance came to rest on McKay’s face. “Ask Mr. McKay if it's a lie." he said desperately. “Maybe the Major’s mentioned our little conspiracy to him-”
The girl swung around to look at McKay. “Well, Mr. McKay?"
“Mr. Brockhurst is right,” McKay said evenly, since the secret was out. “The Major did mention it. The money behind this offer is his.”
“I see,” she said. “Thank you, Mr. McKay.” She turned back to the lawyer and sighed. “I don’t really know why it should make my difference who bought you, Mike. You’d better go.”
The lawyer turned slowly away. Surprisingly, his companion did not follow at once, but stood there a moment longer, shifting his feet uneasily. Finally he cleared his throat and said, in a voice that obviously came out much stronger than he had intended, “A man ain't always responsible for the state of his hat and boots, ma’am. A horse stove me up a year back and I ain’t had no work since."
Julie Maragon looked at him for a moment, and smiled. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Purley. I apologize for my remarks.”
“It’s all right, ma’am. I just wanted you to know.”
The two men got into the buggy and drove away. Not until they had vanished among the cottonwoods of the creek bottom did, the girl look at McKay.
“And you, Mr. McKay?” she said then, in a quiet voice. “I don’t quite see your function in the scheme, but it’s odd that you happened to be here when they came, isn’t it? Well, you can go back to Ladder and tell them that-that it didn’t work. I-, Oh, damn!” she said, turning quickly away. When, she spoke again, her voice was choked with tears. “Please go away, Mr. McKay.”
As he hesitated, she turned blindly toward the house and pressed her forehead against the door jamb. He saw her shoulders quiver. He stepped forward and took the carbine she was still holding and set it aside.
"Come inside and sit down," he said.
She did not seem to hear him. When he touched her, she pulled away, then abruptly drew herself up and shook a wisp of hair back from her face.
"That's childish," she said. "Well, Mr. McKay, you win."
“What do you mean?”
“How much money have you got with you?”
“Two thousand cash in a money belt,” he said, after a moment. “I can give you a draft on Fort Worth for the balance. But why-”
“Does it matter why?” she asked. “Draw up a paper and I’ll sign it. There’s pen and ink in the kitchen. You knew they’d come to trick me, and you didn’t warn me,” she said evenly as they walked into the house. “Well, there’s no reason why you should, is there?”
He said, “I’d given my word to the Major. And it’s not as if you were being cheated, Miss Maragon. The price was fair, I believe, and the money was good.”
“And the trickery, that doesn’t matter? Bribing my lawyer, that poor old shell of a man, hiring a crippled-up saddle bum to deceive me. Did Pat know about it?” He did not answer. She glanced at him, and said, “I see that she did. We used to be friends, Mr. McKay. Of course, she was always a hard person to be friends with. You had to be friends with her her way. And the Major always looked at me as if he wondered when was the last time I’d washed my feet. But they were kind in their way, do you understand? And this is a lonely place to grow without anybody your own age-perhaps that’s why they tolerated me, for Pat’s sake. And after Gramps died they were really very sweet- Only now, don’t you see, it’s spoiled because I can‘t help wondering if they were doing it for me or for the ranch... You can write here at the table, I'll clear a space for you. We can see Judge Canning later on and have him put it in the proper legal form.
McKay seated himself and began to write. The girl sat down facing him, and said, “It would have been Very easy to Sell to them after Gramps died-to sell, and let the lightning strike them. Because it will strike, Mr. McKay. That’s why I’ve refused to sell up to now. I’m not really quite as idealistically concerned for humanity in general as I’ve made myself out. to be, that. was just done to save the Terrills’ pride, since they would have hated me even more bitterly if they’d known I was acting simply to protect them. Because Ladder was a second home for me for so many years, Because I did owe them a great deal, and I like to pay my debts. And because they’re arrogant and stupid people-yes stupid, Mr. McKay, I know them better than you do-who don’t stand a chance against a really clever adversary like Rufus Hannesey.”
McKay said, “If you don’t mind, I'll step in the other room for a minute. This money belt is a little hard to Get at. You can look over the contract while you wait, and sign it if you find it satisfactory."
When he came back, the name Julie Elizabeth Maragon was firmly inscribed at the bottom of the page. The girl was standing by the kitchen window, looking out. He picked up the paper, folded it, and put it into his pocket. Then he walked over to her and laid the money on the window sill in front of her.
“You should have no trouble with the bank draft,” he said. “I made all the arrangements in Fort Worth on my way out here.”
She did not look around. “The ranch is now yours,’"she said quietly. “I’d like to ask for a little time to collect a few personal things and-and say good-by. It’s been my home for quite a while.”
He said, “There’s no hurry at all, Miss Maragon. Except that I think you ought to get that money into a safe place as soon as possible. If you want me to accompany you to town-”
She smiled briefly. “That’s won’t be necessary. I’ve got rifle.”
“Then I’ll take my leave. If there’s a path up this the river to Ladder, I’d appreciate your pointing it out to me.”
"Just head up the arroyo beyond the corral and you’ll find yourself on the trail,” she said. “Mr. McKay-"
“Yes?”
“Do you want to know why I sold you the ranch?”
“If you care to tell me.”
She turned to look at him. “I sold it because I no longer care very much what happens to the Terrills, Mr. McKay, or to you either. I’m taking your money, as you advised, and washing my hands of the whole business.” She smiled slowly. “But take good care of your hat, Mr. McKay.”
“My hat?” he said, puzzled, looking at it in his hand.
“Why, yes, it’s just bought you a ranch. I could have called Brockhurst back and taken the Major’s money, you know. But the Major can’t hold this place against the Hanneseys. I don’t think you can, either. But that derby made me wonder just a little. A man who’d deliberately bring a hat like that to a country like this must have a special kind of courage-the courage not to mind looking like a damn fool. Maybe you’re a bigger man than you seem. I hope so, for your sake. Good-by, Mr. McKay.”
“Good-by,” he said, and walked out into the sunlight.
Chapter 13
IT WAS WELL PAST SIX O’CLOC
K, and McKay judged that he was within five miles of the Ladder ranch house, when he smelled the smoke. It was borne by the evening breeze up the shallow gully he had been crossing. He turned the horse off the vague trail and rode slowly into the wind to investigate. This was the direction of the river, and the gully deepened and narrowed as he proceeded. Presently he heard the sound of men’s voices from around a bend ahead. McKay dismounted, and cautiously made his way forward on foot, leading the horse. At the bend he stopped, finding himself almost on top of the fire. It was in a little brushy hollow, a coffeepot was set on the coals, and five men squatted or lay around it. One rose as McKay watched. He recognized the tall, sinewy figure of Steve Leech.
Leech reset his big hat more firmly on his head. Well, we can’t sit here all day,” he said. “We've got time to take one more crack at it before dark, we’ll make a swing to the east this time. We know the damn dude ain't down along the river, unless he’s managed to drown himself In two feet of water, horse and all-, What’s that?”
Behind McKay, the brown horse had tossed its head at an annoying fly. Steve Leech whirled, his hand flashed downward, and suddenly there was a revolver in it. All the other men were producing firearms out of holsters and scabbards.
“Take it easy,” McKay said, stepping forward. “Don’t shoot, I’ll come peacefully.” He Walked, down to them, leading the horse. “I guess I wouldn’t make a very good scout,” he said. “If that’s coffee, I wouldn’t mind having a little.”
The men made varying sounds of recognition, none very friendly. They put their weapons away. Leech stared at McKay for a moment, then rammed his pistol back into the holster, turned on his heel, walked to the fire, and poured a tin cup full of coffee.
“Here you are, Mr. McKay. It’s hot, careful you don’t burn yourself.”
“Thank you,” McKay said, taking the cup.
The tall man looked down at him. ‘We’ve been looking for you all day, Mr. McKay.”
There was an instinctive dislike between them, and had been since the first time they met. One would not have to go far to find the reason, McKay reflected grimly, no farther than the ranch house where Patricia was presumably waiting.
Therefore he Spoke coldly. “I seem to cause you, a great deal of trouble, Mr. Leech. You spend most of your time looking for me, it seems-in the wrong places.”
The foreman’s eyes narrowed. “The Major’s across the river trying to follow your tracks,” he said “but it's tough trailing with the ground this hard. Miss Pat sent up down this side on the off chance you might cross back over. She’s mighty worried about you, Mr. McKay. It’s a damn big country to lose a man in, but I reckon you’ve found that out.” Before McKay could respond, he had turned away to snap orders, “Shorty, ride over and see if you can catch the Major and tell him we’ve found him. The rest of you light out for the ranch and let Miss Pat know. I’ll bring him along easy as soon as he’s rested up a bit.”
McKay grimaced into his coffee cup, but the whole crew was already in motion, and it seemed unnecessary to call them back just to explain that he had not been lost and was not seriously in need of rest-, “besides, it was probable that they would not believe him. He drained the cup and went to the fire to refill it. Steve Leech was rolling a cigarette with deft brown fingers.
“I hope you don’t mind my saying this was a damn fool stunt you pulled, Mr. McKay,” the foreman said presently.
McKay said, “I don’t mind in the least, Mr. Leech. I’m fully recovered now, I think. With a major effort. I ought to be able to struggle into the saddle. We might as well get under way.”
When they reached the ranch, the Windows were already yellow with lamplight although the sky was still bright in the west. There were many people in the yard. McKay recognized Patricia’s slender figure and the Major’s narrow, military shape, apparently the other search party had already come in. Steve Leech kicked his mount into a run. It seemed a poor reward for a horse that had worked well all day, McKay followed at an easy trot. He saw Leech pull up in front of Patricia, and heard the foreman’s words,
“Well, I found him for you, ma’am.”
“Thanks, Steve. I knew you would.” Then she was running forward. McKay checked the brown horse and climbed stiffly to the ground to take her into his arms.
“Oh, darling,” she cried, “we’ve been so terribly worried!”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I had no intention of worrying you, my dear. I specifically told Ramon that I might be gone overnight. Didn’t he tell you?”
“Yes, of course, but-” She stepped back and looked at him, startled at the thought that had come to her. “James McKay, are you trying to tell us we’ve been driving our selves crazy all day for nothing, that you weren’t really-”
The voice of Steve Leech, speaking to the Major, reached them suddenly, “-found him wandering around on the other side of the ridge, sir. He came stumbling up to our fire on foot. leading the horse. Seemed in pretty poor shape; I let him rest a while before I brought him in.”
McKay had glanced toward the two men. When he looked back at Patricia. he found that she had taken another step backwards to scrutinize him very carefully, and he realized that dusty and unshaved, with his face reddened and his lips cracked from exposure to the sun, he probably did look like a man who had been rescued from a grim death on the desert. Their eyes met, and he saw the tormented certainty in hers as she tried to decide what to believe. Then she turned and walked quickly away from him.
After a moment, he climbed into the saddle again, and rode around the house to the corrals. A figure in a big straw hat came from the barn as he dismounted.
"I will take care of him, Señor.”
“Thanks, Ramon. That’s a good little horse. Knows a lot more about the country than I do.”
The old man slapped the animal’s flank. “You have not used him hard.”
“I wasn’t in any condition for hard riding.”
“You had no trouble, Señor?”
McKay shrugged. “Not until I was rescued by the White Knight of Texas. The next time he tells the story, I’ll be crawling up to the fire on hands, and knees. Couldn’t you keep them from going after me?”
“I tried, Señor. I told them how I had given you much food, how you had said you might not be back yesterday, but Señor Leech-”
“Uh-huh,” McKay said.
“I’m very sorry, Señor McKay.”
“My fault,” McKay said. “Don’t worry about How's my friend Thunder?”
“As good as new, Señor, and twice as mean. Do you wish me to put a Saddle on him?” The old Mexican grinned.
McKay shuddered. “Once is enough, Ramon. If you think he needs exercise, ride him yourself. But take care of this one. I’m not much of a rider, but I can appreciate a horse that knows where to put its feet. This is a good one."
Ramon said, "I know, Señor. He is mine.” McKay glanced at him sharply, and the old man laughed. "You would not permit me to accompany you, so I send my pony to take care of you. Now you better turn around. You have big trouble coming this way. Remember, Señor, a man who is good with a gun never really likes to fight with his hands because it might spoil them for the fast draw. It is a useful thing to know.” His voice was low and gentle. “Turn around now, Señor.”
He turned deliberately, to see Steve Leech striding toward him. McKay walked forward to meet the taller man, with the knowledge that he had come this way before. The men drifting casually toward the scene, sensing a fight. Then he saw Patricia come running around the corner of the house, to check herself sharply as she saw the two men already face to face.
“What is it, Mr. Leech?” he heard himself say.
The tall man looked down at him. “You’re a stranger, Mr. McKay,” he said. “Out here, calling a man a liar is the same as asking him for a fight. Since maybe you didn’t know this, I’ll give you a chance to take back your words.”
“Am I supposed to have questioned your truthfulness?”
McKay said gently, “If I’m in as bad shape as you claim, now’s a good time for you to pick a quarrel with me, isn’t it?” He changed the tone of his voice. “You’re gambling, Leech. You’re gambling twice. You’re betting that if we fight you can beat me.” He saw the tall man smile at this- “and you’re gambling that if you beat me, Miss Terrill will admire you for it.”
“If you were a gentleman, you’d keep her name out of this!” Leech took a step forward. “But since you’ve brought it up, Mr. McKay. I‘ll tell you this, I think you took advantage of her when she was far from home with your fancy words and your smooth talk. You looked like a big man back there, no doubt. Well, sir, you don’t look very big out here. You‘re not good enough for her, and I aim to prove it right now, once and for all.”
There were men all around them now, but McKay noted that they carefully left a clear lane of vision toward the house, where Patricia stood, now joined by her father. McKay looked at the man before him. The temptation was considerable. After days of anger and frustration, it would be pleasant to strike out at something solid. He hesitated, and shook his head.
“You’ll prove nothing with me, Mr. Leech. I will not play your game, with horses or fists or guns. Good day, sir.”
He turned and started to walk toward the house. The other man’s left hand caught him off balance, swinging him around, the right hand caught him alongside the jaw and knocked him to the ground. He sat up, hot anger driving through him with each strong beat of his heart. He saw the eagerness, not only in the eyes of Steve Leech, but in those of the watching men as well. He reminded himself of a resolve he had made many years ago and kept until now, but the thought of Patricia standing by the corner of the house, watching this, was more than he could bear, and he came to one knee.
The Big Country Page 8
