The Coming of the Law
Page 13
CHAPTER XIII
"WOMAN--SHE DON'T NEED NO TOOTER"
The Cimarron doctor's fears for the wound on Hollis's head had provedunfounded and on the tenth day after his experience on the night of thestorm, Hollis was sitting on the Hazelton porch, his head still swathedin bandages, his left wrist in a splint, but his spirit still untouched.The marks on his face had all disappeared, except an ugly gash under hisright eye--which still showed a slight discoloration--and a smaller cuton the chin. The Cimarron doctor had told him that the wound under hiseye would leave a permanent scar--the wound had been deep and in spiteof the doctor's care, had drawn together queerly, affecting the eyeitself and giving it an odd expression. Many times since becoming ableto move about had Hollis looked at his face in his mirror, and each timethere had come into his eyes an expression that boded ill for the menwho had been concerned in the attack on him.
It was mid-afternoon and the sun was coming slant-wise over the roof ofthe cabin, creating a welcome shade on the porch. Ed Hazelton had beengone since morning, looking after his cattle, and Nellie was in thehouse, busily at work in the kitchen--Hollis could hear her as shestepped about the room.
Norton had left the cabin an hour before and a little later Potter hadstopped in on his way over to Dry Bottom to set up an article that hehad written at Hollis's dictation. Hollis had told Norton of hisexperiences on the night of the storm.
After the flash of lightning had revealed Dunlavey and his men, Hollishad attempted to escape, knowing that Dunlavey's intentions could not bepeaceable, and that he would have no chance in a fight with several men.He had urged his pony toward the two buttes that he had seen during thelightning flash, making a circuit in order to evade his enemies. Hemight have succeeded, but unfortunately the darkness had lifted and theyhad been able to intercept him. He could give no clear account of whathad happened after they had surrounded him. There had been no wordsspoken. He had tried to break out of the circle; had almost succeededwhen a loop settled over his shoulders and he was dragged from hispony--dragged quite a distance.
The fall had hurt him, but when the rope had slackened he had regainedhis feet--to see that all the men had surrounded him. One man struck athim and he had immediately struck back, knocking the man down. Afterthat the blows came thick and fast. He hit several more faces that wereclose to him and at one time was certain he had put three of hisassailants out of the fight. But the others had crowded him close. Hefought them as well as he could with the great odds against him, andonce was inspired with a hope that he might escape. Then had come aheavy blow on the head--he thought that one of the men had used the buttof a revolver. He could dimly remember receiving a number of other blowsand then he knew nothing more until he had awakened in the Hazeltoncabin.
Hollis's opinion of Dunlavey's motive in thus attacking him coincidedwith Norton's. They might easily have killed him. That they did notshowed that they must have some peculiar motive. Aside from a perfectlynatural desire on Dunlavey's part to deal to Hollis the same sort ofpunishment that Hollis had inflicted on Dunlavey on the occasion oftheir first meeting, the latter could have no motive other than that ofpreventing the appearance of the _Kicker_ on its regularpublication day.
Hollis was convinced that Dunlavey had been inspired by both motives.But though Dunlavey had secured his revenge for the blow that Hollis hadstruck him in Dry Bottom, Hollis did not purpose to allow him to preventthe appearance of the _Kicker_. It had been impossible for him tomake the trip to Dry Bottom, but he had summoned Potter and had dictatedconsiderable copy, Potter had written some, and in this manner they hadmanaged to get the _Kicker_ out twice.
Ace had not been able to get any of his poems into the _Kicker_. Hehad submitted some of them to Potter, but the printer had assured himthat he did not care to assume the responsibility of publishing them.Thereupon Ace had importuned Norton to intercede with Hollis on hisbehalf. On his visit this morning Norton had brought the matter toHollis's attention. The latter had assured the range boss that heappreciated the puncher's interest and would be glad to go over some ofhis poems. Therefore Hollis was not surprised when in the afternoon hesaw Ace loping his pony down the Coyote trail toward the Hazelton cabin.
Ace's approach was diffident, though ambition urged him on. He rode upto the edge of the porch, dismounted, and greeted his boss with anearnestness that contrasted oddly with his embarrassment. He took thechair that Hollis motioned him to, sitting on the edge of it andshifting nervously under Hollis's direct gaze.
"I reckon Norton told you about my poems," he began. He caught Hollis'snod and continued: "Well, I got a bunch of 'em here which I brung overto show you. Folks back home used to say that I was a genyus. But Ireckon mebbe they was hittin' her up a little bit strong," he admitted,modestly; "folks is that way--they like to spread it on a bit. But"--andthe eyes of the genius flashed proudly--"I reckon I've got a littletalyunt, the evidence of which is right here!" With rather morecomposure than had marked his approach he now drew out a prodigiousnumber of sheets of paper, which he proceeded to spread out on his knee,smoothing them lovingly.
"Mebbe I ain't much on spellin' an' grammar an' all that sort of thing,"he offered, "but there's a heap of sense to be got out of the stuff I'vewrote. Take this one, for instance. She's a little oday to 'Night,'which I composed while the boys was poundin' their ears one night--notbein' affected in their feelin's like I was. If you ain't got noobjections I'll read her." And then, not waiting to hear any objections,he began:
The stars are bright to-night; They surely are a sight, Sendin' their flickerin' light From an awful, unknown height.
Why do they shine so bright? I'm most o'ercome with fright----
"Of course I reely wasn't scared," he offered with a deprecatory smile,"but there wasn't any other word that I could think of just then an' soI shoved her in. It rhymes anyhow an' just about says what I wanted."
He resumed:
When I look up into the night, An' see their flickerin' light.
He ceased and looked at Hollis with an abashed smile. "It don't seem tosound so good when I'm readin' her out loud," he apologized. "An' I'vethought that mebbe I've worked that 'night' an' 'light' rhyme over-time.But of course I've got 'fright' an' 'sight' an' 'height' in there tokind of off-set that." He squirmed in his chair. "You take her an' readher." He passed the papers over to Hollis and rose from his chair. "I'llbe goin' back to the outfit; Norton was sayin' that he wanted me to lookup some strays an' I don't want him to be waitin' for me. But I'd liketo have one of them pomes printed in the _Kicker_--just to show thefolks in this here country that there's a real pote in their midst."
"Why----" began Hollis, about to express his surprise over his guest'ssudden determination to depart. But he saw Nellie Hazelton standing justoutside the door, and the cause of Ace's projected departure was nolonger a mystery. He had gone before Hollis could have finished hisremonstrance, and was fast disappearing in a cloud of dust down thetrail when Hollis turned slowly to see Nellie Hazelton smiling broadly.
"I just couldn't resist coming out," she said. "It rather startled me todiscover that there was a real poet in the country."
"There seems to be no doubt of it," returned Hollis with a smile. But heimmediately became serious. "Ace means well," he added. "I imagine thatit wasn't entirely an ambition to rush into print that moved him tosubmit his poems; he wants to help fill up the paper."
Miss Hazelton laughed. "I really think," she said, looking after thedeparting poet, "that he might have been fibbing a little when he saidthat the 'night' had not 'scared' him. He ran from me," she added,amusement shining in her eyes, "and I should not like to think that anywoman could appear so forbidding and mysterious as the darkness."
Hollis had been scanning one of the poems in his hand. He smiledwhimsically at Miss Hazelton as she concluded.
"Here is Ace's opinion on that subject," he said. "Since you havedoubted him I think it only fair that you should give him a hearing.Won't you read i
t?"
She came forward and seated herself in the chair that the poet hadvacated, taking the mass of paper that Hollis passed over to her.
"Shall I read it aloud?" she asked with a smile at him.
"I think you had better not," he returned; "it might proveembarrassing."
She blushed and gave her attention to the poem. It was entitled:"Woman," and ran;
"Woman she dont need no tooter, be she skule mam or biscut shooter. she has most curyus ways about her, which leads a man to kinda dout her.
Though lookin at her is shure a pleasur there aint no way to get her measure i reckon she had man on the run a long while before the world begun.
I met a biscut shooter in the chance saloon when i was blowin my coin in ratoon while the coin lasted i owned her an the town but when it was gone she throwed me down.
An so i say she dont need no tooter be she skule mam or biscut shooter she fooled me an my hart she stole which has opened my eyes an hurt my sole."
Miss Hazelton laid the manuscript in her lap and laughed heartily.
"What a harrowing experience!" she declared. Hollis was grinning at her.
"That was a bad thing to have happen to a man," he observed; "I supposeit rather shattered Ace's faith in woman. At least you could observe byhis actions just a moment ago that he isn't taking any more chances."
She fixed him with a defiant eye. "But he still admits that he takespleasure in looking at a woman!" she told him triumphantly.
"So he does. Still, that isn't remarkable. You see, a man couldn't helpthat--no matter how badly he had been treated."
She had no reply to make to this, though she gave him a look that hecould not mistake. But he laughed. "I think Ace's effort ought to gointo the _Kicker_" he said. "I have no doubt that many who read thepoem will find in it a great deal of truth--perhaps a reflection oftheir own personal experiences."
Her face clouded and she regarded him a little soberly. "Of your own,perhaps?" she suggested.
"Not guilty," he returned laughing. "You see, I have never had any timeto devote to the study of women, let alone time to allow them to foolme. Perhaps when I do have time to study them I may find some truth inAce's effort."
"Then women do not interest you?" She was looking down the Coyote trail.
"Well, no," he said, thinking of the busy days of his past, and notbeing aware of the furtive, significant glance she threw toward him."You see, there have always been so many important things to engage myattention."
"How fortunate!" she said mockingly, after a pause during which he hadtime to realize that he had been very ungracious. He saw Ace'smanuscript flutter toward him, saw her rise and heard the screen doorslam after her. During the remainder of the afternoon he was left aloneon the porch to meditate upon the evils that arise from thoughtlessspeech.