The Coming of the Law

by Charles Alden Seltzer

  CHAPTER XXI

  DUNLAVEY PLAYS A CARD

  During the week following Ed Hazelton's departure for Chicago Hollis didnot see much of Nellie. In the few days preceding his departure she hadnot allowed her brother to see how his refusal to allow her to accompanyhim had hurt her, but once he had boarded the east-bound express at DryBottom, she had yielded to the emotions that she had so far succeeded inconcealing. Hollis had ridden in to town with them, and not until Nellieand he had seen Ed and Weary safely on the train--indeed, not until thetrain was well under way and the two figures on the back platform couldno longer be discerned--did Nellie break down. Then Hollis turned to herwith a smile to see the sudden tears well up into her eyes. He had notattempted to console her, feeling the awkwardness of the situation.

  He was much relieved when she refused his offer to make the return tripwith her, for he was certain that a few hours alone in which to meditateover her loss would enable her to regain her composure. But beforeleaving her he secured her promise not to stop at the cabin, but to goon to the Circle Bar. On her arrival at the ranch she was to tell Nortonto send one of the men to the cabin after the few personal effects thatshe had decided to transfer. But once out of Hollis's sight Nellieforgot her promise through fear over the safety of her things. She tookthe Coyote trail, riding slowly through the clear sunshine of themorning.

  After taking leave of Nellie Hollis rode slowly down the street to the_Kicker_ office. He looked in through the window and seeing thatPotter had not yet arrived, continued down to the court house. He talkedfor a few minutes with Judge Graney. Nothing new had developed. BenAllen had gone to visit several small ranchers the day before and hadnot returned.

  Hollis returned to the _Kicker_ office. At noon Potter had arrived,bearing the news that he had seen Nellie Hazelton on the Coyote trail,within a few miles of the Circle Bar. She had stopped at her cabin andthere were several bundles strapped to the cantle of her saddle.

  That night Hollis did not see her at all. He did not inquire for her,but surmised that she was in her room. The next morning soon after hehad awakened and while he still debated the question of arising, heheard her singing in the kitchen. He smiled, thinking how quickly shehad adapted herself to her new surroundings.

  At breakfast he looked closely at her several times, searching forevidence of her grief of yesterday. There was none. Therefore he was notsurprised when, after breakfast, she told him that she intended ridingwith him as far as the cabin for the purpose of bringing the remainderof her effects. He gravely reminded her that she had broken her promiseof yesterday, and that as a punishment he contemplated refusing herrequest. But when, an hour later, he urged his pony down the river trailshe was riding beside him.

  But she did not ride again that week. She did not tell Hollis thereason; that returning that evening she had reached the Razor-Back andwas riding along its crest when she happened to glance across theRabbit-Ear toward the Circle Cross. On the opposite side of the rivershe had seen two men, sitting quietly in their saddles, watching her.They were Dunlavey and Yuma. She did not know what their presence theremeant, but the sight was disquieting and she feared to return to thecabin for the few things that were still here.

  But as the days went her fears were dispersed. Time and the lure of herold home had revived her courage, and on a day about a week followingher previous trip, she herself saddled and bridled her pony and set outover the Coyote trail toward her cabin.

  She had not told Hollis of her intention to ride there, fearing that theknowledge of what she had seen on the day of the other ride would berevealed in her eyes. It was a good hour after noon when she stole outof the house to her pony, mounted, and rode away toward the river.

  For many days she had been wondering at Dunlavey's continued inaction.He had been known as an energetic enemy, and though at their lastmeeting in Dry Bottom he had threatened her and her brother, he had sofar made no hostile move. Uusually he would go a considerable distanceout of his way to speak to her. Perhaps, she thought, at their lastmeeting she had shown him that he was wasting his time. Yet she couldnot forget that day when she had seen Yuma and Dunlavey on the CircleCross side of the Rabbit-Ear. The sight somehow had been significant andforbidding.

  But when she reached her cabin she had forgotten Dunlavey and Yuma; herthoughts dwelt upon more pleasant people. Had she done right in allowingHollis to see that she was interested in him? Would he think less of herfor revealing this interest? She could not answer these questions, butshe could answer another--one that brought the blushes to her cheeks.Why had Hollis shown an interest in her? She had known this answer for along time--when she had read Ace's poem to him while sitting on theporch beside him, to be perfectly accurate. She had pretended then totake offense when he had assured her that Ace had succeeded in gettingmuch truth into his lines, especially into the first couplet, which ran:

  "Woman--she don't need no tutor, Be she school ma'am or biscuit shooter."

  The language had not been graceful, nor the diction, yet she knew thatAce had struck the mark fairly, for woman indeed needed no tutor toteach her to understand man--woman had always understood him.

  She dismounted from her pony at the edge of the porch, hitching theanimal to one of the slender porch columns. Then she went into the houseto gather up the few things that still remained there.

  But for a long time after entering the cabin she sat on a chair in thekitchen, sobbing softly, for now that Ed had gone she felt thedesolation of the country more than ever. Presently she rose and with astart looked out of the door. The dusk had fallen; darkness was stealinginto the valley around the cabin!

  Flitting here and there, she hurriedly began packing things which shetook from shelves and racks. It was an engrossing task and she was muchinterested in it, so much so that she did not hear a slight sound at thedoor that led out to the front porch. But when she saw a shadow darkenthe doorway of the room in which she was working she stood suddenlyerect and with rapidly beating heart stole softly forward and peeredaround the door-jamb. Of course it could be no one but Hollis. He hadtaken the Coyote trail to-night. He would be surprised to see her.

  But it was she who was surprised. Yuma stood near the table in thecenter of the kitchen, looking straight at her, his insolent, evil facedrawn into a foreboding smile.

  After the first gasp of horror and surprise a righteous anger stiffenedher.

  "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

  Yuma's evil smile grew. She had seen him often, usually at a distance,for she had abhorred him, with his olive skin, his thin, cruel lips andsmall glittering eyes. He had always seemed like an animal to her,though she could not have told why. She thought it must be something inhis attitude, in the stoop which was almost a crouch, in the stealthy,cat-like manner in which he walked. She had spoken to Ed about him morethan once, conveying to him her abhorrence of the man, and he had toldher that he felt the same about him. She shuddered now, thinking of whather brother had told her of the man's cruelty. Dunlavey had oftenboasted that Yuma was the most venomous and bloodthirsty of his crew ofcut-throats.

  "What are you doing here?" she repeated, her anger growing.

  Yuma laughed softly. "I saw you ridin' the Razor Back the other day," hesaid, showing his teeth as the words came--even, smooth, burdened with asubtle mockery. "I saw you again thees afternoon--but you not see melike the other day--I watch you thees long." He held up three fingers todenote that he had watched her three hours. She shuddered, suddenlyrealizing the significance of his attitude that day she had seen himfrom the Razor Back.

  "Ed gone," he continued, watching her narrowly; "nobody here; I come. Ilike you--much." He grinned, his eyes brightening. "I reckon youknow--you girl that understan'?"

  She drew a slow deep breath. Curiously enough, next to the horror anddoubt that she felt over Yuma's presence at the cabin was a wonder forthe idioms of cowboy speech that were interjected with his own. He hadcaught them from association, she supposed. She made a pretense o
fboldness, though she felt more like screaming.

  "Leave this cabin!" she commanded sharply.

  Yuma did not change his position. "Leave heem?" he laughed. "I theenknot. Dunlavey says me come here--make um love me--same as tenderfootnoospaper man!" He laughed again, exultantly. "Dunlavey say you sparktenderfoot--you spark me!"

  She trembled, realizing that a crisis was at hand and that she must meetit boldly. She thought of the ivory-handled weapon in the holster at herhip and involuntarily her right hand dropped to its butt. She hadlearned to shoot, but she had never yet shot at a man and she drew herhand away from the butt of the weapon with a shudder. Yuma had beenwatching her closely, his evil little eyes glittering, and when he sawher hand drop away he laughed derisively.

  "You no shoot heem!" he said. "You 'fraid. Dunlavey say he reckon you noshoot--say you make love to um right away!"

  He smiled significantly and took a step toward her. She made aninvoluntary step backward and her right hand again sought the butt ofthe revolver, the left closing on the edge of the door that opened intoher room. Terror had given her courage and as Yuma continued to advancewith a soft, cautious, cat-like sliding movement, she drew the revolverand presented it, though her hand wavered a little.

  "If you take another step toward me, Yuma, I will kill you!" shedeclared.

  She saw his little eyes glitter with decision, saw him measure thedistance between them, saw him crouch for a spring.

  She fired, aiming at the lower edge of the scarf that sagged at histhroat. The smoke from the pistol blinded her; she heard his laugh,heard the rush of his feet as he hurled himself forward. Terror strickenover her failure to hit him, she dropped the pistol and whirled,grasping the edge of the door and slamming it shut in his face. She felthis weight against it, but he had been taken by surprise by themovement; there was the strength of desperation in her body and she heldthe door closed against him while she shoved the fastenings into place.

  Then, suddenly overcome, she leaned weakly against the jamb, her heartthumping hard, her nerves tingling.

  For a long time she did not move, and there came no sound from the otherside of the door to tell her of Yuma's movements. There was a wild hopein her heart that he had gone, but presently, becoming a little calmer,she pressed her ear against the door. There was no doubt of Yuma'spresence; she could hear him stepping softly about the room. Had therebeen a window in the room in which she had imprisoned herself she mighthave escaped, but unfortunately there was not.

  She fell to thinking of the revolver she had dropped when Yuma hadsprung upon her. It must have dropped very close to the door. Had Yumapicked it up? There was a chance that he had not. If the weapon werestill there and she could open the door and secure it and close the dooragain, she would be in a position to defend herself. She could notdefend herself without it. If Yuma should burst the door open she wouldbe at his mercy. She must get the revolver.

  Convinced of this she stood for some little time at the door, her earpressed against it, listening for any sound that might tell her of thewhereabouts of Yuma in the cabin. She heard nothing. Perhaps he hadgone? But she listened a while longer, determined to be certain beforeloosening the fastenings of the door. Silence--a premonitorysilence--filled the room beyond the door. She could hear nothing excepther own rapid breathing. Presently she heard a horse whinny. Was Yuma atthe horses? It seemed incredible that any man should visit the cabinpurposely to attack her. Perhaps Yuma had only intended to frighten her;he had said that Dunlavey had told him to follow her, but she believedthat Dunlavey, in spite of his reputation for lawlessness and trickery,was not so unmanly as to incite the half-breed to attack her. He mayhave told him to steal the horses--she could believe that of him!

  But for a long time, in spite of the quieting influence of thesethoughts, she kept her ear pressed against the door. Then, moved by asudden impulse--an accession of courage inspired by the continuedsilence--she cautiously loosened the fastenings and swung the doorslowly open.

  Her revolver lay close and with a swift movement she reached for it. Asher fingers grasped its butt she heard a slight sound and Yuma was uponher from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. She felt his breath onher neck, heard his laugh, exultant and derisive, mocking her. His righthand, gripping hers tightly, was slipping slowly down toward the handthat held the revolver. She struggled desperately, squirming andtwisting in his grasp, silently matching her strength against his.Finding this hopeless and feeling his hand gradually slipping toward therevolver, she suddenly raised her hand toward her face, bringing Yuma'shand, still on her arm, with it. Then she dropped her head to his armnear the wrist, and sank her teeth savagely into the flesh.

  Yuma howled in anguish, loosening his hold momentarily. In an instantshe had wrenched herself free and had bounded to the center of the room,placing the kitchen table between herself and her assailant.

  But he was after her with a bound, his little eyes gleaming with avenomous expression, his face contorted with passion. She raised therevolver and fired. For a breathless instant she thought that she hadhit him, for he sank almost to the floor. But she saw that it was only atrick for he was up again on the instant, a mocking smile on his faceand closer than ever. She fired again, and when she saw him sink to thefloor she pulled the trigger a second time. He had been very close tothe table when she fired the last time and before she could press thetrigger again he had lurched forward under it, raising it on hisshoulders and sending it crashing down behind him as he confronted her,his evil face close to hers, his hands again gripping her arms.

  She fought him silently, and together they reeled around the cabin. Shebit him again, and then in an outburst of savage fury he brutallytwisted the arm in which she still held the revolver, sending the weaponcrashing to the floor. While twisting her arm he had been compelled toloosen his grasp of the other slightly, and she again wrenched herselffree and darted toward the door leading to the porch. But he boundedforward, intercepting her, and with a last, despairing effort she raisedboth hands to his face and clawed furiously at his eyes.

  She heard a savage curse from him, saw the lust of murder in his little,glittering eyes, felt his sinewy fingers at her throat. Then objectswithin the cabin swam in a dizzy, blurring circle before her. She hearda crash--seeming to come from a great distance; heard Yuma curse again.And then, borne resistlessly forward by the weight of his body, shetumbled to the floor in an inert heap.