Sudden Plays a Hand (1950)

by Oliver Strange

  They were headed west, through a jumbled mess of country--open plain, forested slopes, stony, dry ravines, all of which led to higher ground. In front, but miles distant, rose a wide, flat-topped bluff.

  `That'll be Table Mesa,' Sudden remarked. `Somewhere around there is Mister Bardoe's hang-out. If we run into him, keep yore hat pulled down; he's had a look at yu.'

  `Not much o' one, 'less he's got eyes in th' back of his head,' the boy laughed. `Allasame, there's times I like to be forgotnen.'

  As they drew nearer to the Mesa the surface of the country became less irregular; stretches of good grazing studded with mottes of scrub-oak, thorn, and cactus were frequent, and in the distance, moving spots which could only be cattle. Not wishing to be seen, the intruders were forced to skirt the edges of these open spaces, where the brush afforded cover. Presently, in a secluded grassy hollow, they came upon a dozen or more steers. The animals appeared no be disturbed, restless, and now and again one would turn no lick its haunch. There was a lingering odour of burnt hair, and on one side of the hollow a tiny curl of blue smoke from the remains of a fire.

  `Fresh brands,' Sudden remarked. `If they're 8 B it's none of our business.'

  They edged their horses slowly forward until the tell-tale marks could be read. `Double X an' the bottom halves is new--put on within the hour,' the puncher commented. `Up to then they were owned by the Double V. This is gettin' interestin'.'

  They went on, discovering more Double X cattle, these with the alterations partly healed, and then lighted on a bunch bearing the brand 8 B.

  `That's his own, same as on th' hoss he rode into th' valley,' Yorky said.

  `Take another squint, son,' the elder man advised. "Bout a coupla weeks back, these were S P steers. See where the S has been turned into the figure, an' a lower loop added to the P?'

  'Yo're right, Jim,' Yorky agreed. `I don't know it all yet.'

  `An' that's allus worth findin' out,' Sudden smiled. `Wonder why he's keepin' off Cullin?'

  `Mebbe he ain't; we just don't happen to 'a' found 'em'

  They continued the search, but a broad expanse of open range compelled them to stay in the shelter of the undergrowth, and they found no more cattle. On the edge of a small clearing they halted; in it stood a largish log building, one-storied, and of uncared-for appearance. This, they guessed, must be the 8 B ranch-house. Screened by the trees, they waited, and presently a rider, coming from the east, loped across the plain and pulled up. They saw him pass, heard his hail, `Hello, the house,' and a gruff greeting.

  `Gilman, of the S P, by thunder!' Sudden muttered, and slid from his saddle. `I'm goin' to take a chance; stay put--yo're my ace in the hole.'

  There was a window facing them, and it was partly open. Stooping and moving swiftly, Sudden reached and crouched beneath it. Two men were within, evidently the host and his visitor, for there was a clink of bottle against glass.

  `Here's how, Jack,' the gruff voice said. `An' what brought you this way?'

  `Well, I hears yo're dead, an' then that you ain't,' Gilman replied. `Figured I'd better come over an' find out my chances o' collectin' for that hundred head I let you lift.'

  `You'll have to wait till I've sold 'em,' came the reply. `I was comin' to settle when I run into that blasted nester.' He gave his own version of the encounter, ending, `He took my money, hoss, an'--all.'

  'You came back to this yer world o' sin a day too soon; by what I hear,' the other chuckled.

  Bardoe's burst of profanity betrayed his soreness. `Made me a laughin'-stock,' he added. 'Camort's a blunderin' idjut. 'Bout time we had a sheriff whose head ain't full of sawdust. Drait has gotta go.'

  The foreman's voice sounded indifferent. `Not ownin' the S P, I dunno as I care much.'

  `Why shouldn't you own it? If you work things right, by the time they find Pavitt's kid you'll have the cash to buy, an' the ranch that poor, he'll be glad to sell.'

  `Shore is an idea.'

  'Skittles! Don't pretend I'm tellin' you anythin'. Count me on yore side, an' I reckon that goes for Cullin an' Vasco, none of us wants a stranger buttin' in here.'

  `I'm obliged,' Gilman replied. `Well, I'll be taggin' along.'

  The eavesdropper at the window took the hint and regained cover without delay. He grinned when he saw that Yorky had his rifle out. They watched the visitor depart, and then followed suit, taking a more southerly line.

  `If we can find the Double V ranch-house we'll mebbe put a kink in Mister Bardoe's rope,' Sudden explained.

  They covered some half-dozen miles and then the scattered cattle they encountered advised them that they were on the right range. Suddenly a horseman emerged from a clump of brush. He had a rifle across his knees, and his face, though hard and suspicious, was not aggressive. Apparently their interest in the grazing cows had aroused his curiosity.

  `You fellas lookin' for anythin'?' he asked mildly.

  `Why, we're kind o' searchin' for the Double V ranch-house,' Sudden replied.

  `Three mile further on. If yo're wantin' Vasco, you've found him. What's yore trouble?'

  `It ain't our'n, but I'll explain,' the puncher said. Getting down, he trod a bit of sand level, and with his finger drew on it the Double X brand. `Who owns that iron about here?'

  `Nobody as I knows of. Why?'

  `We've seen cows wearin' it,' Sudden told him. `The odd thing was that the upper half o' the brand was old, an' the lower added today.' He swept a toe over the latter, and stepped back. `Easy done' ain' it?'

  The rancher swore. `Where'd you see them cattle?'

  "Bout six mile o' here, bearin' north; they was mixed with some 8 B steers.'

  Vasco swore again. `I'll git some o' the boys an' we'll look into this straightaway.'

  Sudden hoisted himself into his saddle. 'Yo're playin' the wrong card,' he suggested. `He'll plead ignorance; you know, we could have done the blottin, for reasons of our own. No, sir, yore game is to keep cases an' catch him red-handed.'

  The rancher considered this for a moment; something he had heard recurred to him; he studied the pair more closely, and suspicion grew in his eyes. `You ridin' for Drait?' he asked, and when Sudden nodded, went on. `Mebbe yo're right--I'd better hold off an' collect evidence my own self.'

  `Shore,' the puncher smiled. `An' don't forget I've been tellin' yo to do that very thing. Yore friend in the scrub is gettin' impatient. What's the matter with him? Modest--or somethin'?'

  The red crept up under the tan on Vasco's face; he had been ounplayed. `It's my foreman--he ain't usually careless,' he said. `Hi, Pawley!'

  A tall, lean rider came out of the bushes, a somewhat sheepish expression on his craggy countenance; no man likes being caught in an undignified position. Sudden noted the long nose, high cheek-bones, and steady eyes; they told him something.

  `Meet two o' the Shadow Valley boys,' Vasco said, and looked a question. Sudden supplied their names, and the foreman shook hands.

  `You got a keen eye, Mister,' he complimented.

  `Mostly guess-work,' Sudden replied. `I figured yore boss wouldn't tackle two armed strangers 'less he had help handy.'

  `Huh! You don't know him,' Pawley grunted. `Takes too many damn chances.' Then he grinned. `We Texans do git around, don't we?'

  Sudden returned the grin. `Brother, yu said it; we follow the longhorns.'

  `When you've finished slammin' me an' swappin' childhood memories, Pawley, you might as well hear the news,' Vasco chimed in.

  The foreman's face lengthened as he listened. `Well, we're losin' 'em--a steady leak,' he admitted. `I'd say Green has the right notion--we gotta be shore. I've allus told you, Vic, that iron o' yores is a rank temptation--Double M, Two Diamond; oh, hell it's as easy as turnin' over.'

  `I put it on the first cow I ever owned,' the rancher said stubbornly.

  `An' it'll go on the last if you ain't careful,' was the sardonic retort.

  `Cheerful cuss, ain't he?' Vasco smiled. `Well, gents, I'm shorely obliged, an' I'll be pl
eased to see you any time.'

  On their way home Yorky was silent for a while, and then, `Ain't you sort o' helpin' th' enemy, Jim?'

  `I guess not. Look it over. If Bardoe is found to be robbin' other ranches, that's his finish. If it's owin' to us, Vasco, any- way, would be grateful; he's a straight man, if I'm any judge. Bet yu a dollar Nick'll be pleased.'

  `Tiny sez betting is sinful 'less yo're certain o' winnin',' Yorky fenced. `Me, I'm aimin' to be good--this time.'

  This decision was amply justified when they reported the day's happenings; Nick was patently delighted. `You done noble,' he said. Puttin' the Double V wise was one smart move, Jim, an' is goin' to help me a lot. I ain't met Vasco, but it's possible he's been misled.'

  `By the way, Nick, not a whisper o' this to anyone--even Quilt,' Sudden warned. `If Bardoe gets wind of it, we're sunk.' `As you say, Jim, but I'd trust Quilt with all I got.'

  `Mebbe, but a careless word could be enough for one who's waitin' to hear it. Better be safe than sorry.'

  Drait nodded. `So Gilman is after the S P, an' lettin' Bull steal stock, at a price; I sorta suspicioned that. You didn't get to Cullin?'

  `No, I reckoned we'd had all the luck due to us for one day.'

  `He's a bad egg,' Drait went on. `The king-pin of what's wrong around here, I figure, but he's mighty careful not to show his hand.'

  Chapter VI

  IN an early morning drive, the cattle purchased from the S P had been brought to Shadow Valley, and by the end of the day, bearing the brand of the new owner, were turned loose; they could not get out, for the exit at the upper end had been blocked by a solid wall of stone. Drait smacked the last bawling victim of the iron on the rump as it lumbered past, and grinned at his perspiring crew.

  `Good goin', boys,' he complimented. `Thanks.' And because he had himself worked as hard as any this brief approval satisfied them. Pie tonight, if them dried apple-rings came with the other stuff I ordered.'

  `They shore did,' Long told him. `An' I hope Lindy had made a-plenty.'

  `You should worry,' his brother said. `She allus counts you as three, anyways.'

  Yelling like madmen they raced for the bunkhouse and first use of the towel. Sudden and the nester followed more soberly. `Glad that's done,' the former remarked. `But I ain't altogether easy.'

  `I'm suspectin' a snag my own self,' Nick admitted.

  At the bunkhouse door they parted; the uproar within told that the food was not yet on the table. At the house, Drait, having made himself presentable, went into the parlour, where his wife was awaiting him. Her smile was a surprise.

  `A tiring day, but I can see, a satisfactory one,' she said.

  `I'll have to be careful,' he replied. `A face that tells tales is a considerable drawback in these parts. Brandin' is hard work, but when it's yore own beasts it lightens the job. I've got a hundred head carryin' my iron, an' that's a good foundation for a herd' He lifted his shoulders.

  `You think the ranchers may interfere?'

  `Interfere is good.' His grin revealed the strong white teeth and she noticed--not for the first time--the difference his infrequent smile made. `Oh, I guess they'll try again. Does that scare you?'

  She shook her head. `I'm gettin' fond of this place,' she said, and there was warmth in voice and look. `That's fine; any time you feel different, just mention it.'

  She was disappointed. Again the thought came that he had divined her desire to enslave and punish him. So far, his response had been entirely negative. It annoyed, but did not decrease her determination.

  `What for sort of a burg is Rideout?' Sudden enquired of Drait early on the next day.

  `Bigger edition o' Midway, with a branch railroad throwed in. Wanta pay her a visit?'

  `If yu ain't anythin' special for me an' Yorky to do ...'

  `Help yoreself, Jim; we're all likely to be lazy for a day or so now the brandin's done.'

  The news of the projected trip brought a solemn warning from Smoky: `It's the gosh-dangest town in the State,' he said. `Cowboys is the natural prey o' the varmints what live there. First they take yore guns, an' then the rest.'

  `When they've got my guns they'll be needin' the rest.' Sudden laughed. `An' Yorky ain't so Sunday-school as he might appear.' He looked round. `C'mon, son. Two breakfasts is aplenty; we ain't goin' to a famine-struck land.'

  The first few miles were traversed in a silence which Yorky forbore to break.

  `I've been holdin' out on yu,' the puncher said at length. `It ain't accident that we're in this part o' the country. Fact is, Igot somethin' to do, an' I oughta told yu itcouldn't be just holiday.'

  The boy's eyes glistened. `But, Jim, that's th' best news yet,' he cried. `If you'll let me do somethin'.'

  `Shucks, why d'yu s'pose I fetched yu?'

  `Is Nick mixed up in it?'

  `I dunno--yet. Meetin' him was just plain luck--I was needin' an excuse for stayin' in the district. Yu can add too that I like him, an' reckon he's bein' treated mighty mean.'

  Yorky nodded sagely. `What we gotta do?'

  `Discover the rightful owner o' the S P first off,' Sudden said. `That'll put Mister Gilman's li'l scheme in the discard, an' some other noses outa joint too, I wouldn't wonder.'

  `In fact, we're goin' to make ourselves real unpop'lar, huh?' Yorky grinned. `Well, I don't give a damn.'

  Rideout proved to be what they had been led to expect, a bigger and busier Midway, but equally sordid and unpleasing to the eye. They found an eating-house and devoured a meal which evoked a philosophic reflection from Yorky: `To 'preciate good cookin' you gotta get away from it.' As he paid the bill, Sudden asked a question.

  `Seale, the lawyer? You'll see his shingle down to the deepo. Will you find him in? I dunno, but I'm damn shore you won't find him out--nobody's done that yet. He's cute, is the "Weasel."'

  They left the fellow still chuckling over his witticism, and went in search of its subject. The lawyer's office appeared to consist of one room over an empty shop, and was reached by a stairway at the side. Sudden rapped, and a squeaky voice invited them to enter. The Westerner has a happy knack in the matter of nick-names, and one glance at the receding forehead, long nose, pinched-in mouth, and small, suspicious eyes told the visitors that the man behind the desk in the centre of the room was he they had come to see. Soiled linen, and a shiny black coat which hung sack-fashion on the narrow shoulders only added to the rodent-like impression. The office itself was equally shabby: a rag of carpet, a table upon which were law-books, a filing cabinet, an old-style safe, and two hard chairs comprised the rest of the furniture.

  `Temporary premises, gentlemen, just temporary premises,' the lawyer excused, and it was evident that the words and the gesture accompanying them had become automatic. `Find seats and let me know what I can do for you.'

  Sudden leaned forward; he had taken his man's measure. `To begin,' he said, `I want yu to savvy I ain't here to waste yore time, which, to a legal gent, is the same as money.'

  Seale's beady eyes lighted up a little. `It is true my profession requires that certain charges be made,' he replied. `Strictly in accordance with the service I am able to render, Mister--'

  `My name wouldn't mean a thing to yu,' Sudden said. `I'm from down South, near the Border, on a kind o' vacation. Yes, sir, I was shorely tired o' lookin' at cows' hind-ends. When Eli Dean--fella I was ridin' for--heard I was headin' for these parts, he sez would I do him a service? Well, I agreed, for Eli is one white man, an' here I am, yu see.'

  `Quite, but you haven't told me why.'

  Sudden slapped his leg. `If I ain't the chucklehead. It's this-away: Eli wanted me to search out an old friend, man he'd punched cantle with from hell to anywhere an' back again in the days when they was both a deal younger. The name was Pavitt --Sam Pavitt, an' I hear he's been under the turf for 'bout a year.'

  `That is true, I am sorry to say.'

  `We all gotta go, an' I reckon Eli was expectin' that--Pavitt bein' older'n him, an' he ain't no yearlin'-
-for he said there was a daughter he'd welcome news of; it was when I asked 'bout her, I got sent to yu.'

  `Naturally, since the estate is in my hands,' the lawyer said importantly. `As regards the daughter, I am afraid I cannot help you. She ran away, more than twenty years ago, to marry a man her father disapproved of, and I am still trying to discover her whereabouts; she owns the S P ranch now. You see, I've no information; neither the name of the husband, nor that of the place where they lived. The old man never spoke of her.'

  `No letters?'

  `One only, with the address missing, saying that her husband had died, and mentioning a child, "Frankie". It was signed, "Mary". I have advertised, and have a man out now, making enquiries, all to no purpose. It is very discouraging and expensive. The property is a good one, but is losing value, and I've written to the Governor of the State suggesting he authorise me to sell it and hold the proceeds on trust for the missing heir.'

  "Pears to be a sound idea,' Sudden said.

  `I think so,' Seale said complacently. `I've had a generous offer and am only waiting for permission to close the deal. I fear that is all I can tell you, and as I have a conference ...'

  This was dismissal, but Yorky had been whispering. `My friend suggests yu might let us look at that letter yu spoke of,' Sudden said. `We fellas are used to followin' trails, an' might spot a pointer.'

  `Why, certainly,' the lawyer agreed. After all, he must make some sort of a show for the `easy money' these greenhorns would pay him. Taking out a bunch of keys, he opened the safe,selected a paper from several others, and, with satirical smile, watched them study it.

  `Nothin' there,' Sudden declared, as he handed it back. `It was just a chance; I wouldn't like Eli to think I'd overlooked a bet.' He laid a bill on the desk, and stood up. 'Talkin' allus makes me dry; mebbe yu'll join us?'

  This was an invitation Seale never refused, especially from one who had paid handsomely for nothing. He locked the safe, then the door, and preceded them down the stairway. Yorky followed, and they were nearly at the oottom when the boy slipped, clutched at the lawyer to save himself, and they finished in a heap on nhe floor. No damage resulted, and the culprit was profuse in his apologies.