L'Amour, Louis - SSC 32

by The Collected Short Stories Vol 3

  “Howdy!” Tollefson glanced around. “Who is the owner here?” The tone was suited to an emperor, and behind the wall of his armed riders, Tollefson was almost that. Yet there is something about ruling that fades the perspective, denying clarity to the mind.

  “I’m the owner.” The voice came from behind them and Tollefson felt sudden anger. Fulton, who was not a ruler and hence had an unblunted perspective, turned his head with the thought that whoever this man was, he was cautious, and no fool. As they came down the hill the Negro emerged just at the right time to focus all their eyes, and then the other man appeared from behind them. It was the trick of a magician, of a man who understands indirection.

  Tollefson turned in his saddle, and Fulton saw the quick shadow on Tom Passman’s face, for Passman was not a man who could afford to be surprised. A tall man stood at the edge of the willows. A man whose face was shadowed by the brim of a flat-crowned gray hat, worn and battered.

  A bullet, Fulton noticed, had creased the crown, neatly notching the edge, and idly he wondered what had become of the man who fired that shot. The newcomer wore a buckskin vest but had no gun in sight. His spurs were large roweled, California style, and in his hand he carried a rawhide riata. This was grass-rope country, and forty-five feet was a good length, yet from the look of this rope it was sixty or more.

  “You the owner?” Tollefson was abrupt as always. “I hear you’re plannin’ to race a quarter horse against my Lady Luck.”

  “Aim to.” The man came forward, moving with the step of a woodsman rather than a rider.

  “I’m Tollefson. If you have any money and want to bet, I’m your man. If you don’t have money, maybe we could bet some stock.” Tandy Meadows pushed back his hat from his strong bronzed face, calm with that assurance that springs from inner strength. Not flamboyant strength, nor pugnacious, but that of a man who goes his own way and blazes his own trails.

  “Yeah,” Tandy said slowly, digging out the makings, “I’ve two or three quarter horses. I figured to run one of them. It isn’t much point which of them.” He scratched a match on his trouser leg. “What made you figure I had no money? I got a mite of change I aimed to bet.”

  Tollefson’s smile was patronizing. “I’m talking about money, man! I like to bet! I was thinking,” he paused for effect and he deliberately made his voice casual, “five thousand dollars.”

  “Five?” Meadows lifted an eyebrow. “Well, all right. I guess I can pick up a few more small bets around to make it interesting.”

  Tollefson’s skin tightened over his cheekbones. He was no gambling man, but it built his ego to see men back up and hesitate at the thought of five thousand dollars in one bet. “What do you mean? You want to bet more than five thousand dollars?”

  “Sort of figured it.” Meadows drew deeply on his cigarette. “I heard there was a gambling man down here who liked to bet enough to make it interesting.”

  Tollefson was deeply affronted. Not many men could afford to get that kind of money, and he liked to flaunt big bets and show them who they were dealing with. Yet here was a man who calmly accepted his bet and hinted that it was pretty small potatoes. Somewhere in the group behind him he thought he detected a subdued snicker, and the casual indifference of this man Meadows irritated him.

  “Whatever you want to put up,” he snapped, “I’ll cover! Name your price! I’ll cover all you can get at two to one odds!”

  “Now you’re talkin’,” Tandy said, sliding his thumbs behind his belt. “Aren’t you the Tollefson from the Flying T? How about bettin’ your ranch?”

  Art Tollefson was shocked. He was profoundly shocked. This down-at-heels stranger offering to cover a bet against his ranch! Against the Flying T, sixty thousand head of stock and miles of rolling grassland, water holes, and buildings! Lady Luck was his pride, a symbol of his power and money. She was the fastest thing he had ever seen on legs, and he liked to see her win.

  Yet his bets were merely for the sake of showing his large-handed way with money, of making him envied. At heart he was not a gambler and only put his money up reluctantly, but he was rarely called. Yet now he had been, and he knew that if he backed down now he would become the laughing stock of the range. It was a humiliation he neither wanted nor intended to endure.

  “That’s a rather large bet, my man,” he said, for suddenly he realized the man must be bluffing. “Have you any idea what you’re saying? You’d have to show a lot of money to cover it.”

  Meadows smiled. It was the first flicker of expression that had come to his face, but the smile was pleasant. Yet there was a shadow beneath it that might have been faintly ironic. “What’s the matter, Tollefson?” he taunted gently. “Gettin’ chilly around the arches? Or were you bluffin’ with that big money talk? Back down, if you like, and don’t waste my time. I’ll cover your little spread and more if need be, so put up or shut up.”

  Tollefson’s fury broke. “Why, you impudent chump!” He stopped, his jaw setting hard. “All right, get on your horse and come to the bank with me! John Clevenger knows my ranch, and he knows horses! If you’ve got the collateral, you can put it up, and you’ve made a bet!”

  Tandy swung astride one of the saddled horses. Tollefson’s quick eyes saw the build of the animal. Arab, with a strain of Morgan by the look of it. If this horse was any evidence… .

  He shook off a momentary twinge of doubt. Meadows turned his horse, then hesitated. “Don’t you even want to see my horses? I’ve not decided which to run, but you’re welcome to look ‘em over.”

  “It’s no matter!” Tollefson’s fury was still riding him. He was bitter at the trap he had laid for himself. If this fool didn’t have the money, why he would… .

  Just what he would do he wasn’t sure but his face was flushed with angry blood. Art Tollefson was not the only one who was feeling doubt. To Harry Fulton, who rode behind him, this seemed too pat to be an accident, and to Tom Passman it seemed the same way but with an added worry. Gifted at judging men, he knew Tandy Meadows should have been carrying a gun; yet there was none in sight, and it worried him.

  Tandy Meadows looked straight down the road, aware that the crossroads of all his planning had been reached, and now everything depended on John Clevenger. He knew little about the banker except that the man was known and respected on the frontier, and that he was one of the original breeders of quarter horses. He was hard headed, yet a Western man to the very heels of his boots, and a man with the courage of his convictions. It was rumored of him that he had once accepted four aces in a poker game as collateral for a bank loan.

  The bank at El Poleo was a low, gray stone building that looked like the fort it had to be to survive. Situated as it was, across the street from the Poleo Saloon, half the town saw Art Tollefson and the stranger draw up before the bank. It was in the nature of things that in a matter of minutes everyone in town knew what they had come for. The town was aghast.

  Chapter II

  A Trap Closes

  John Clevenger saw them coming with no idea of what they wanted. He had opened his bank against great odds and against even greater odds had kept it going. He had faith in his fellow man and his judgment of them, and was accustomed to the amazing ways of Western men. More than once he had loaned money on sheer courage and character. So far he had not lost by it.

  Tollefson was a shrewd, hard-headed business man, yet one of overbearing manner who carried things with a high hand. Tollefson dealt in force and money power, Clevenger in character and self-respect. That Tollefson should make such a wager was beyond belief, yet Clevenger heard them out in silence.

  “You have collateral for such a bet?” Clevenger asked. He studied Meadows thoughtfully and approved of what he saw. Tandy drew a black leather case from his hip pocket and extracted a letter and some legal-appearing papers. Clevenger accepted them, started as if struck, then looked again and became very thoughtful. Twice he glanced up at Meadows. At last he got to his feet and pulled off his glasses. There was the ghost of
a twinkle in his eyes as he studied Meadows.

  “I hardly know what to say, Mr. Meadows. I-“ His voice faltered, then stopped.

  “That’s my collateral,” Tandy said quietly. “I think you’re the best judge. Tollefson seems to want a big bet on this race. I’ve called him. We came to see if you would accept this as collateral and put up the money to cover the bet.”

  He glanced toward the flushed face of the rancher. “Of course, if he wants to welsh on the bet, now’s his last chance. “

  “I’ll be double slathered if I do!” Tollefson’s fury was increased by his panic. He wanted nothing so much as to be safely out of this, but could see no escape without losing prestige, as important to him as life itself.

  Clevenger stared thoughtfully at the papers. “Yes,” he said at last, “I’ll put up the money. Your bet’s covered, Tollefson.”

  “Here-let me see that!” Tollefson’s hand shot out, grabbing for the letter, but steely fingers caught his wrist. Tandy Meadows jerked Tollefson’s hand back and their eyes clashed.

  Half-blind with fury, Tollefson stared at the younger man. “Take your hands off me!” he shouted.

  “Willingly,” Meadows replied shortly, “only you have neither the need nor the right to touch those papers. Its contents are confidential. All you need is Clevenger’s word that he will put up the money.”

  Stiffly, Tollefson drew back his hand, rubbing his wrist. He stared hard at Meadows, genuinely worried now. Who was this man? Where did he get such money? What had so astonished Clevenger about the papers? And that grip! Why, his fingers were like a steel trap!

  Abruptly, he turned and walked from the bank followed by Fulton and Tom Passman. Together they entered the saloon. Fulton rubbed his jaw nervously, wanting to talk to Tollefson. This was a crazy bet! The equivalent of a quarter of a million dollars on a quarter horse race against an unknown horse! Of course, Lady Luck had consistently beaten all the horses that west Texas, New Mexico, and southern Colorado had found to race against the filly. There was no escaping the fact that she was fast. She was very fast.

  “Boss,” Fulton began hesitantly, “this bet ain’t good sense. If I were you, I’d reconsider.”

  “You aren’t me, so shut up!”

  Nobody needed to tell Tollefson that he had made a foolish bet. That was what pride could do for a man! The thought of withdrawing had rankled. He might have done it had Meadows not appeared so contemptuously sure he would. And in front of John Clevenger? The one man he had always failed to impress? Never! He could just hear the laughter of the small ranchers whom he had forced back off their range. There was one thing he could not stand, and that was ridicule.

  Outside the bank, Tandy Meadows stood and stared thoughtfully up the street. Now he had done what he had started out to do, and it remained only to win. Tollefson had deliberately forced Jim Whitten from his water hole, giving him only the choice of giving up his ranch or dying. And Gene Bates, was now slowly recovering from a bullet wound from Passman’s gun. That had been the only time Tom Passman had drawn a gun at El Poleo that he failed to kill. His shot had been high, but he had walked away from Bates believing him dead.

  Suddenly, Tandy saw a girl come from a store, then turn and start toward him. It was Janet Bates! At the same moment, within the saloon, Art Tollefson saw Janet, and saw her walk up to Tandy holding out her hand! He downed his drink with a gulp. Who was this Tandy Meadows?

  Tom Passman was leaning on the bar alongside of him and he turned his head slightly. It rankled Passman that Tandy Meadows had gotten behind him. He had always said that no man could without him knowing it. He lifted his glass and his cold eyes studied the liquor.

  “Boss,” he whispered, “let me handle it. “

  Relief broke over Tollefson. Yes, that was the way. It was the best way, but not yet. Only as a last resort. It would be too obvious, altogether too obvious. Anger hit him then. What was he worrying about? When had Lady Luck failed him? Why should he be afraid that she might now? After all, suppose she did win? The idea came to him that if she did, he would have twice as much money, and it gave him a sudden lift. And so easy, for Lady Luck was fast. She had never been beaten. She had never even had a hard fight to win. Her last quarter had been in twenty-three, and she had done equally well on at least two other occasions.

  Janet Bates was staring up into Tandy’s eyes. “Oh, Tandy! I was never so glad to see anyone in my life! But is it true? That you are going to race against Lady Luck?”

  “Sure, I’m going to run Cholo Baby.”

  “Tandy, you mustn’t! Dad says there isn’t a horse in the country can touch Lady Luck.”

  “Your dad’s a good cattleman, Janet, but he’s never seen Cholo Baby. She’s fast-fast enough to beat-“ He stopped, then shrugged. “She’s a runnin’ little horse, honey. She really is.”

  “I hope Tollefson doesn’t think so!” Janet said gravely. “If he did, he would stop at nothing. He’s not a man who can stand losing, Tandy! He forced Dad off his range and then had him shot when he made trouble. He has a gunman who rides wherever he goes.”

  “I saw him.” Meadows was serious. “Tom Passman’s no bluffer. I know that. He doesn’t remember me because I was just a kid when he last saw me, but I’ve seen him sling a gun, and he’s fast.”

  “Are you having dinner with us? Dad will want to see you even though it isn’t like it used to be on the ranch.”

  He hesitated, searching her eyes. “I might come, Janet.” His eyes wandered up the street toward where Passman was loitering. “Are-are you married?”

  “Married?” She was startled, but then her eyes crinkled with laughter. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

  “Seems to be fairly a common practice”-he was grinning his relief-“when a girl gets to be your age. I figured I’d come back and see if you’re still as dead set against a man who tramps around the country racing horses.”

  “Tandy,” she said seriously, “you’ll have to admit it wouldn’t be much of a life for a girl, even though,” she added reluctantly, “it might be exciting.”

  “It isn’t so important where folks are,” he commented, “as long as they are happy together.”

  “I’ve thought of that.” She studied him. “Tandy, are you ever going to settle down? Haven’t you enough of it yet?”

  “Maybe. We’ll see. I figured when I left I would never come back at all. Then I heard what happened to Jim Whitten and to your dad. Why, your father took me in when I was all shot up, and if you two hadn’t cared for me, I would sure enough passed in my checks. As for Whitten, he never made trouble for anybody. So I had to come back.”

  There was quick fear in her eyes now. “Don’t think about it, Tandy. Please don’t. Nothing is worth what they could do to you. Tollefson’s too strong, Tandy; nobody has a chance with him, and there’s that awful Tom Passman.”

  “Sure. But why is he strong? Only because he has money, that’s all. Suppose he lost it?”

  “But how could he?”

  “He could. “ Meadows squeezed her arm gently. “Believe me, honey, he could!”

  Turning, he started down the street, aware that Tom Passman was watching him. He knew one reason for the man’s curiosity. He was wondering if Meadows carried a gun, and if so, where it was. And if not, why not?

  Snap was sitting on the wagon tongue when Tandy rode up to the camp in the creek bottom. Snap got to his feet and strolled out to meet Meadows, the shotgun in the crook of his arm. He was grinning expectantly. “You got a bet?” he asked softly.

  Meadows nodded, smiling. “We sure have, Snap! And a lively hunch Tollefson would like nothing so much as to be safely out of it! We’re going to have to be careful!” Meadows paused, then added: “The man’s no gambler. He’s got a good horse, we know that. A mighty fast horse. We’ve got to hope ours is faster.”

  Snap nodded gravely. “You know I’ve seen that Lady Luck run, Mistuh Tandy. She’s a mighty quick filly.”

  “Think she can beat Cho
lo Baby?”

  Snap smiled. “Well, now. I reckon I’m some prejudiced about that! I never seen the horse I figured could beat our baby. But it will be a race, Mistuh Tandy! It sure will!”

  The race was scheduled for the following Wednesday, three days away. By the time Meadows rode again to El Poleo, the town was buzzing with news of the bet. Tandy had done much to see the story got around, for the more who knew of it the less chance of Tollefson backing out.

  Yet the town was buzzing with more than that, for there was much speculation about Tandy Meadows, where he came from and where he got the money to make such a bet. Nobody in town knew him but several had seen Janet Bates greet him like an old friend, and that in itself, was puzzling.

  Art Tollefson was curious about that, and being the man he was, he went directly to the source, to Bates’s small ranch forty miles north of El Poleo. Johnny Herndon, a Bates hand, was hazing a half-dozen cattle out of the brush, and his eyes narrowed when he saw Tollefson.

  “You off your home range, Tollefson?” he said abruptly. “Or are you figurin’ on pushin’ us off this piece, too?”

  Tollefson waved a hand. Yet his eyes had noted the grass and that some of it was subirrigated. It was an idea, at that. “Nothing like that,” he replied shortly. “Just ridin’ around a little. Saw a puncher down to El Poleo with some fine horses, a man named Meadows.”

  “Tandy Meadows?” Herndon had heard nothing of the bet, and he was instantly curious. “So he came back, did he? I sort of reckoned he would. Does he have some racin’ stock with him?”

  “Some, I reckon. Is he from around here?”

  “Meadows? He’s from nowhere. He rode in here one night over a year ago, shot to doll rags and barely hangin’ to his horse. That was the first any of us ever saw of him. Gene Bates took him off his horse and they spent two months nursin’ him back to health. Then he loafed around another month, sort of recuperatin’.