The Coming of the Law

by Charles Alden Seltzer

  CHAPTER XV

  TO SUPPORT THE LAW

  Hollis alone, of all the men whose cattle grazed on the Circle Bar sideof the Rabbit-Ear, really doubted that Dunlavey would have the courageto inaugurate a war against the small owners. Lemuel Train wasparticularly strong in his belief that Dunlavey would not hesitate toshoot whatever cattle infringed on what he considered were his rights."I know the skunk!" he declared heatedly to Hollis a day or two afterthe conversation on the porch at the Circle Bar. "He'll do it. I'm onlyscared that he won't wait till the tenth day before beginnin'. Why inhell don't it rain?"

  This remained the great, universal interrogation. But at the end of aweek it was unanswered. The sun swam in its endless circles, a greatball of molten silver at which no man could look with the naked eye,traveling its slow way through a blurred, white sky, sinking to thehorizon in the evening and leaving a scorched, blasted, gasping countrybehind. The nights brought no relief. Clark, of the Circle Y,sarcastically declared it to be his belief that some meddler in thingsfirmamental was paying the owner of the sun to work it overtime.

  Hollis's daily twenty mile ride from the Circle Bar to Dry Bottom andreturn became a trial to him. At night, when he returned from the trip,hot, dry, dusty, he would draw a chair out on the gallery floor and scanthe sky for signs of rain. To his recollection since his adventure onthe night of the storm there had not been a cloud in the sky. On thetrails the dust was inches deep and light as a feather. It rose instifling whirlwinds, filling the nostrils and the lungs, parching thetongues of man and beast and accentuating the suffering caused by lackof water.

  All the pleasure had been drawn from Hollis's rides because of thedryness and heat. On a morning a week following the day upon whichDunlavey had issued his warning to the cattle owners, Hollis made hisusual trip to Dry Bottom. Norton accompanied him, intending to make somepurchases in town. They rode the ten miles without incident and Hollisleft Norton at the door of the _Kicker_ office, after telling therange boss to come back to the office when he had made his purchases ashe intended returning to the Circle Bar before noon. Hollis found Potterinside. The latter had remained in Dry Bottom over night and was busy ata type case when his chief entered. Hollis did not remain long in theoffice. He looked over some letters that Potter had placed on his desk,placed one in a pocket and rose, telling Potter that he would be backand instructing him to tell Norton to await his coming should the latterreturn before him. Then he went down to the court house.

  He found the door of Judge Graney's court room slightly ajar and withoutknocking he pushed it open and entered. On the threshold he halted anddrew a deep breath. Judge Graney was seated at the big table, anddirectly opposite him, leaning heavily on his elbows, his face inflamedwith anger, sat Dunlavey. Near a window at the side of the room stood agrave faced man of medium height, slender and muscular, who was watchingthe Judge and Dunlavey soberly.

  At Hollis's sudden appearance the Judge looked up and smiled, whileDunlavey faced around, a derisive, mocking grin on his face. Hollis boreno marks of the recent attack beyond the left wrist, still in splints.

  "Come in," invited Judge Graney, his smile growing, his eyes glintingoddly. "I think, since you are responsible for the startling innovationwhich we have been discussing, that you are entitled to a word."

  He gravely waved Hollis to a chair and stood silent while the lattersank into it. Then he smiled, glancing furtively at Dunlavey andaddressing Hollis.

  "Perhaps you will remember that some time ago you printed an article inthe _Kicker_ urging upon the Government the necessity of bringingthe law into Union County?"

  Hollis nodded. "Yes," he said quietly; "I remember."

  "Well," resumed the Judge, "the article has borne fruit. But perhaps notin the manner you expected." He laughed around at the three,deliberately closing an eye at Hollis. "You know," he resumed,addressing them all, his eyes twinkling as his gaze met Dunlavey's,"that the law is an expensive institution. It is a fundamentalprinciple--at least of some governments," he smiled--"that a communitythat desires the law must pay, and pay dearly--for it. In short, if itwants the law it must pay taxes. I do not say that that is a principlewhich our government is applying, but I do say that it is an eminentlyfair proposition.

  "At all events I have received word from the Interior Department that ifwe want the law to come out here we must pay for it. That is not said inso many words, but that is the inference, if we are to consider theinstructions of the Secretary of the Interior--which are: 'I am informedthat several large ranch owners in Union County are inclined to evadetaxation. Especially is this true--I am told--of a man named Dunlavey,who, if the report is correct, paid, during the last half year, taxes onfive hundred head of cattle, whereas it is claimed that his holdingswill amount to about five thousand, yearly average. In view of thisridiculously low return it seems incumbent upon me to appoint aninquisitor, whose duty----"

  Dunlavey laughed harshly, interrupting the Judge. Then he turnedsuddenly to Hollis, his face inflamed with passion.

  "I reckon this is some of your work?" he snarled.

  Hollis met his gaze steadily. "I imagine it is," he said quietly. Hecould not keep a flash of triumph from his eyes. "Nothing could pleaseme better than to discover that I had a hand in bringing the law to thiscountry. It needs plenty of law."

  Judge Graney cleared his throat. "This does not apply to you alone,Dunlavey," he said, facing the latter. "Letters have been sent to everycattleman in Union County, demanding their appearance before me. Thegovernment is determined to re-adjust conditions out here--to enforcethis new law to the letter. Beginning on the first of nextmonth,--September--which will be the day after to-morrow, every cattleowner in the county will be required to register his brand and return alist of his cattle, for taxation. Any owner refusing to make a fairreturn on his stock will make a grave mistake. Upon his failure to makesuch return the government will seize his stock and dispose of it to thehighest bidder, deducting such an amount as will cover taxes, courtcosts, and fines, and returning the remainder, if any, to the owner."Judge Graney faced Hollis. "I suppose you have received yournotification to that effect?" he inquired.

  "I haven't paid much attention to my mail since--since I met Mr.Dunlavey and several of his friends one night--some weeks ago." Hesmiled grimly at Dunlavey, who met his gaze with a derisive grin. "Ihaven't been very much interested in anything except getting well,"continued Hollis. "But whether I have been notified or not I shall takepleasure in complying with the law. I shall have my list ready ontime--likewise I shall register my brand."

  Dunlavey sneered. "That won't be such an almighty big job--counting yoursteers," he said.

  Hollis laughed shortly. "Perhaps not as big a job as it would have beenhad conditions been different," he observed dryly.

  "Meaning?" snapped Dunlavey, stiffening in his chair.

  "You may draw your own inference," drawled Hollis.

  For an instant it seemed that Dunlavey contemplated attacking Hollis; heplaced both hands on the table before him, preparatory to rising,evidently thought better of the idea and sank into the chair again, hiseyes flashing venomously as they met Hollis's.

  "This country's going plum to hell!" he sneered; "when tenderfeet andhalf-baked lawyers get to running things it will be time for thecattlemen to pull up stakes and hit the breeze! But I'm telling you onething!" He banged his fist heavily down upon the table in front of himand scowled at the Judge, his voice vibrating with passion: "You letyour damned tenderfoot owners bring in their lists. Mebbe they don'tknow any better. But I ain't bringin' in no list. It's one thing to passa law and another thing to enforce it!" He sat silent for an instant,glaring at the Judge, who smiled quietly at him, then he turned toHollis.

  "You've been carrying on like you was intending to own this here countrysome day," he sneered; "with your damned newspaper and your lawyerfriend here. What we handed you the other night was just a sample ofwhat you'll get if you don't hit the breeze out of this country!" He gotto his fe
et and stood beside the table, glaring around at the three men.

  For a moment neither of the three spoke. There was a saturnine, almostmocking, smile on the face of the man who stood at the window. In hisexpression one could discover much appreciation of the character of theman at whom he was looking--it revealed the fact that he had met suchmen before--and admired them little. There was no fear in theexpression, yet had one of the other men taken the trouble to look athim they would have seen that his right hand was now lingering veryclose to the butt of the revolver at his hip.

  Judge Graney cleared his throat. The smile was still on his face, but asudden brightness of the eyes and a flush in each cheek showed thatDunlavey's defiance had affected him. Both he and the man at the windowwatched closely as Hollis got to his feet and approached Dunlavey.

  Hollis's face was slightly pale, but there was a steady, unwaveringgleam in his eyes as he walked to within five feet of Dunlavey and stoodquietly beside the table looking at him.

  "Dunlavey," he began slowly, in a soft, even voice, in which there wasnot a hint of excitement, "I haven't anything to do with enforcing thelaw that seems to have come to Union County. You can defy the law if youplease. But I have something to say in reply to what you have said tome. It is this: I haven't any ambition to own the entire country--suchtalk from a grown man is childish. But I do intend to own the littleI've got in spite of you or anyone else. I am not in the least afraid ofyou. I owe you something on account of the other night and some day I amgoing to thrash you within an inch of your life!"

  Dunlavey's hand fell suggestively to his side. "There's no time like thepresent," he sneered.

  "Of course I know that you carry a gun," said Hollis still evenly,without excitement; "most of you folks out here don't seem to be able toget along without one--it seems to be the fashion. Also, I might add,every man that carries one seems to yearn to use it. But it has alwaysseemed to me that a man who will use a gun without great provocation isa coward!" He smiled grimly into Dunlavey's face.

  For an instant Dunlavey did not move. His eyes glittered malevolently asthey bored into Hollis's. Then his expression changed until it was amingling of contempt, incredulity, and mockery.

  "So you're thinking of thrashing me?" he sniffed, backing away a littleand eyeing Hollis critically. "You slugged me once and you're thinkingto do it again. And you think that any man who uses a gun on another isa coward?" He laughed sardonically. "Well, all I've got to say to you isthat you ain't got your eye-teeth cut yet." He deliberately turned hisback on Hollis and the others and walked to the door. On the thresholdhe halted, looking back at them all with a sneering smile.

  "You know where I live," he said to Judge Graney. "I ain't bringing inno list nor I ain't registering my brand. I don't allow no man to comemonkeying around on my range and if you come out there, thinking to runoff any of my stock, you're doing it at your own risk!" His gaze wentfrom the Judge to Hollis and his smile grew malignant.

  "I'm saying this to you," he said, "no man ain't ever thrashed BillDunlavey yet and I ain't allowing that any man is ever going to. Putthat in your pipe and smoke it!"

  He slammed the door and was gone. Hollis turned from the door to see adry smile on the face of the man at the window.

  "Fire eater, ain't he?" observed the latter, as he caught Hollis'sglance.