by Grey, Zane
"Are you runnin' any stock?" asked See, thoughtfully.
"Cows, mostly. I send a good deal of butter in to town. Really am gettin' on better than when we tried to ranch it. I don't have to hire no-good punchers. People travel the road a lot these days. An' they all stop hyar. I've run up some little cabins."
"An' that's a good idee," said See.
Molly listened to hear everything, and particularly wanted to learn more about the young Missouri tenderfoot who had come out West to build fences for Traft. He would certainly have a miserable existence. And it was most liable to be short. To Molly's disappointment, no more was said about the drift fence.
"Wal, we'll rustle off to bed," concluded See. "Mrs. Keech, I'll want to leave early in the mornin'."
Molly shared one of the new cabins with Mrs. See. It was small, clean, and smelled fragrantly of dry pine. It had three windows, and that to Molly was an innovation. She vowed she would have one like it, where she could have light in the daytime and air at night. She was tired, but not sleepy. Perhaps the bed was too comfortable. Anyway, Molly lay wide awake in the dark, wondering what was going to happen to her. This trip to Flagerstown might be a calamity for her. But she must have it. She must enjoy every moment of it, no matter what discontent it might engender.
The hounds bayed the wolves and made her shudder. Wolves and coyotes seldom ranged down in the brakes of the Ciberque. Bears and lions were plentiful, but Molly had never feared them. Wolves had such a mournful, blood-curdling howl. And when the hounds answered it they imitated that note', or else imparted to it something of hunger for the free life their wild brothers enjoyed.
When at last Molly fell asleep it seemed only a moment until she was rudely awakened. Mrs. See was up, dressing by lamplight. A gray darkness showed outside the open window, and the air that blew in on Molly was cold enough for early fall, down on the West Fork.
But the great day was at hand. She found her voice, and even had a friendly word for the boy Harry, who certainly made the most of it. When she came out from breakfast, a clear cold morning, with rosy flush in the east, greeted her triumphantly, as if to impart that it had some magic in store.
Harry squeezed Molly's arm, as he helped her into the buckboard, and said, confidently, "I'll see you at the rodeo."
"Hope so," replied Molly.
Then they were off behind fresh horses and soon into the cedars. Jack rabbits bounded away, with their ridiculously long ears bobbing erect; lean gray coyotes watched them roll along; deer trotted out of sight into thick clumps of brush.
Soon they came to the open top of a ridge and Molly say a gray, dim, speckled world of range, so immense as to dwarf her sight. The scent from that vast gulf was intoxicating.
"What's the sweet smell?" she asked.
"Sage, you Cibeque Valley backwoods girl," replied Mrs. See. "Anyone would think you'd never been out of the timber."
"I haven't, much," laughed Molly. "I've seen an' smelled sage, but it's so long ago I'd forgotten. Reckon I'd better be pretty careful up at Flag, Auntie See?"
"Shore you had. But what aboot?"
"Talkin'. I'm so ignorant," sighed Molly.
"You don't need to be dumb. You just think before you speak. You're such a pretty little mouse that it'll become you. I don't care for gabby girls, myself. An' I never seen a man who did, if he was in earnest."
Molly was silent enough for the next long stretch. She watched a sunrise that made her think how beautiful the world was and how little she had seen, hidden down there in the green brakes. But she reproved herself for that. From her porch she could see the sun set in the great valley when the Diamond sheered abruptly down into the Cibeque, and nothing could have excelled that. And what could be better than the wooded canyons, deep and gray and green, with their rushing streams? But this open range took her breath. Here was the cattle country--what Mr. See had called the free range, and which riders like her brother Arch and Seth Haverly regarded as their own. Yet was it not a shame to fence that magnificent rolling land of green? For a moment Molly understood what it meant to be a range-rider, to have been born on a horse. She sympathized with Arch and Seth. A barbed-wire fence, no matter how far away, spoiled the freedom of that cedared grassy land.
"Wal, lass, thar's the smoke of Flag," said Mrs. See. "Way down in the corner. Long ways yet. But we're shore gettin' there."
"Smoke," said Molly, dreamily. "Are they burnin' brush?"
"Haw! Haw! That smoke comes from the railroad an' the sawmill."
From there on the miles were long, yet interesting, almost every one of them, with herds of cattle wearing different brands, with ranches along the road, with the country appearing to spread and grow less cedared. Ten miles out of Flagerstown Mr. See pointed to a distant ridgetop, across which a new fence strung, startlingly clear against the sky. It gave Molly a pang.
"Traft's drift fence, I reckon," said See. "An' I'd almost rather have this a sheep range!"
For all her poor memory, Molly remembered Flagerstownthe black timbered mountain above it, the sawmill with its pile of yellow lumber, the gray cottages on the outskirts, and at last the thrilling long main street, with buildings that looked wonderful to her. Mr. See remarked with satisfaction that the time was not much past four o'clock. He drove straight down this busy thoroughfare. Molly was all eyes.
"Hyar we are," said Mr. See, halting before a pretentious brick building.
"This is the new hotel, Molly. Now, wife, make the best of our good trip in. Take Molly in the stores. I'll look after the horses, get our rooms, an' meet you hyar at six o'clock."
Molly leaped out of the buckboard with a grim yet happy realization that she would not need much longer to be ashamed of her shoes and stockings.
Three hours later, Molly, radiant and laden with bundles, tagged into the hotel behind Mrs. See, likewise laden, to be greeted vociferously by Mr.
See.
"For the land's sake! Have you robbed a store or been to a fire?--An' hyar me waitin' for supper!"
"Caleb, it happens seldom in a lifetime," replied his beaming wife. "Help us pack this outfit to our rooms. Then we'll have supper."
Molly had a room of her own. She had never even seen one like it. Loath to leave her precious purchases, she lingered until they called her from the hall. It struck her again how warmly these old people looked at her.
Molly guessed she was a circus and ruefully admitted reason for it.
The dining-room might have been only "fair to middlin'," as Mr. See put it, but it was the most sumptuous place Molly had ever entered. Sight of it added to the excitement of the few hours' shopping effectually robbed her of appetite.
"Wal, I reckon Molly wants a biscuit an' a hunk of venison," remarked Mr.
See.
Molly did not know quite how to take that remark. She became aware, too, of being noticed by two young men at a nearby table. They were certainly not cowboys or timber-rangers. Molly was glad to get out and upstairs to the privacy of her, room.
There she unpacked the numerous bundles and parcels, and laid out her newly acquired possessions upon the bed. How quickly her little hoard of money had vanished! Still, it had gone farther than she had anticipated.
Mrs. See had been incredibly generous. A blue print dress, a white dress with slippers and stockings to match, the prettiest little hat Molly had ever seen in her life, ribbons and gloves and what not--these had been the expansion of the good woman's promise.
But not only the pleasure of looking and buying had Molly to think of.
She had met more people than she had ever met before. She had been asked to serve in one of the booths at the fair. One of the storekeepers had offered her a position as clerk in his dry-goods department. And altogether the summing up of this day left Molly staggered with happiness.
"Oh, dear!" she said. "If it's true it'll spoil me." And she cried a little before she went to sleep.
Another morning probed deeper into Molly's faculties for enjoyment and won
der. Mrs. See had relatives and friends in Flagerstown, and they made much of Molly. Not the least of that morning's interest was a look at Jim Traft, cattle king of the range. It was in the bank, where Molly and Mrs.
See had visited with Mr. See.
"Thar's the old reprobate," whispered See to Molly. "Jim Traft, who's fencin' off West Fork from the range!"
Molly stared. She saw a big man in his shirt sleeves and dusty top boots.
He had a shrewd weather-beaten face, hard round the mouth and chin, but softened somewhat by bright blue eyes that certainly did not miss Molly.
If he had not been Jim Traft it would have been quite possible to like him.
As they turned to go out he hailed See.
"Hey, don't I know you?"
"Well, I reckon I know you, Traft," returned See, not over-civilly. "I'm Caleb See."
"Shore. I never forget faces. You live down in the Cibeque. Glad to meet you again. If you're not in a hurry I'd like to ask you some questions about your neck of the woods.
"Glad to accommodate you, Traft," returned See, and then he indicated his companions. "Meet my wife... An' this is our little friend, Molly Dunn.
Her first visit to Flag since she was a kid."
Traft shook hands with Mrs. See, and likewise Molly. He was quaint and genial, and his keen eyes approved of Molly.
"Wal, wal! I'm shore glad to meet you, young lady," he said. "Molly Dunn of the Cibeque. I think I used to know your father. An' this is your first visit to Flag in a long time?"
"Yes, sir. It seems a whole lifetime," replied Molly.
When Molly got outside again she exclaimed, breathlessly: "Oh, Mrs. See, he looked right through me!... I don't want his pity... But I'm afraid the Dunns of the Cibeque have a bad name."
"Reckon they have, Molly dear," rejoined Mrs. See, practically. "But so far as you are concerned it can be lived down."
"But, Mrs. See--I'd have to stick to dad an' Arch," said Molly, suddenly confronted with a lamentable fact.
"Shore. In a way you've got to. I wouldn't think much of anyone who couldn't stand by her own kin."
Not until afternoon on the ride out to the fair-grounds did Molly quite forget Jim Traft's look and the ignominy of the Dunns. But once arrived there she quite lost her own identity. This girl in blue at whom everybody stared was some other person. Crowdsof people, girls in gay apparel, cowboys in full regalia, Indians in picturesque attire, horses, horses, horses, and prize cattle, and every kind of a vehicle Molly had ever heard of, appeared to move before her eyes.
Quite by magic, it seemed, she found herself separated from the smiling Mrs. See and conducted to a gaily decorated booth. There she was introduced to a girl about her own age, with whom she was to share the fascinating work of serving the public with sandwiches and coffee.
Fortunately for Molly, her partner was nice and friendly, and certainly gave no indication that she had ever heard of the Dunns of West Fork.
Under her amiable instruction Molly, who was nothing if not expert at waiting at table, acquitted herself creditably. But she could not get used to the marvellous gown she had on, and was in a panic for fear she might get a stain upon it. She did not, however, have so much work that she could not see what was going on, and presently she was having a perfectly wonderful time.
Once she served three cowboys. They were hardly a new species to Molly.
Nevertheless, she had not seen such brilliant scarves and fancy belts.
She noticed, too, that these young men, like Arch and Seth, packed guns in their belts, a custom she had hardly expected to find at a fair. One of them made eyes at Molly.
After a while they came back, when Molly's partner had left, and if ever Molly had seen the devil in the eyes of a youth she saw it in one of these customers. Still, he was not bad-looking and Molly could not help liking him.
"Miss--Miss--What'd you say your name was?" he asked as he straddled the bench before the counter.
"I didn't say," replied Molly.
"Oh, ex--cuse me. My mistake," he returned, crestfallen at the subdued glee of his comrades. "Have you any pop?"
"No," replied Molly.
"Or ginger ale?"
Molly shook her head.
"Not any pink lemonade?"
"Only coffee an' sandwiches an' cake."
"Cake? Well, give us cake an' coffee," ordered the cowboy. She served them swiftly and discreetly, deftly avoiding the bold hand that sought to include her fingers as she passed a cup. "Do you live here?" he asked presently.
"You know quite well I'm a stranger in Flag, else you wouldn't be so impertinent," returned Molly severely.
"Aw!" He subsided with that exclamation. And his comrades proceeded to enjoy themselves at his expense. Molly's keen ears lost nothing of the banter. They were just brimful of fun. Evidently the bold one enjoyed something of a reputation as a lady-killer, and had at last met defeat.
Presently, as he could not get Molly to notice him, and grew tired of listening to his friends, he threw some silver on the counter and said, loftily, "Keep the change, Little Snowflake." Then he strode away, and after a few moments the others followed.
From this time Molly was kept busy, and only gradually did it dawn upon her that a string of cowboys kept coming and going, for the very obvious reason of getting a look at her. More than once she heard the name Snowflake. Still, none of them were rude. Manifestly they had taken her for a guest of some prominent family in the town, and a lady of quality.
Molly enjoyed it hugely, though she had more than one melancholy reservation that it might have been different if they had guessed she was only one of the Dunns of the Cibeque.
Soon she was relieved by the young lady, Miss Price, who shared the booth with her.
"You've got the boys guessing," said this smiling worthy. "They've nagged me to death. I don't know them all, though. Just keep it up."
"I--I don't do anythin' but wait on them," gasped Molly.
"That's it. Guess they think you're cold when you're only shy," went on Miss Price. "But you can have a heap of fun. Keep on freezing them.
Tomorrow night you'll have the time of your life."
"Tomorrow night?" faltered Molly.
"Sure. Big dance after the rodeo. Didn't my mother tell you? Anyway, you're going with us."
"I--I hadn't heard. It's terrible kind of you. But I really couldn't go.
I'm such a stranger. An' if they--they think--"
"You dear kid! You are going. Mrs. See promised mother."
Molly thrillingly resigned herself to the unknown. The afternoon ended all too soon, and she rode back to town, babbling to the pleased Mrs. See about the adventure she was having. That night they were out to dine with relatives of Mrs. See. No other young person was present and Molly had the relief of being comparatively unnoticed. These serious older people talked about the affairs of the town and the range, all of which found lodgment in Molly's mind.
Chapter THREE
It was Saturday afternoon and the rodeo had just begun, which accounted for the deserted appearance of the grounds adjacent. Molly had remained longer than was really necessary. Mrs. See would be waiting for her at the stand. She was about to leave when she saw that she was to have a last customer.
A young man, in overalls and heavy boots, got off a dusty horse and approached the booth. He asked for something to eat and drink. Apparently he took no notice of Molly. His face wore a troubled look.
Of all the young men Molly had waited upon in two days, this was the first one who had not looked at her twice, and the only one who had not appeared gay or bold or pleasant. Molly felt a little pique and secondly more than a little curiosity.
He might have been twenty-two or -three years old and evidently was not a cowboy. Molly judged that he would have been fair-skinned if he had not been so sunburnt. His nose had begun to peel, but these demerits did not exactly keep him from being handsome. Presently he laid his sombrero on the counter, which act disclosed light wav
y hair, and a broad brow marred by deep furrows.
He struck Molly just about right, and considering her vast experience during these two days, she imagined she was a connoisseur in young men.
He slowly drank the last of his coffee, and looking up, met Molly's glance. Then she knew he had not seen her before. He had gray eyes full of shadows.
"What'd you do if you were just about licked?" he queried suddenly.
"Sir?" exclaimed Molly.
He repeated the question, this time more deliberately, as if now he weighed it.
"I--I'd get up an' fight some more," declared Molly, surprised into genuine sincerity.
He smiled. Then something beside surprise happened to Molly. "You would?
Suppose then you got licked sure?"
"It wouldn't make no difference," replied Molly, at last forgetting to watch her speech. And she smiled back at him.
He saw her really then as a girl, and not as any individual who might propound a personal point of view. Leaning his elbows on the counter, he regarded her with interest verging upon admiration.
"Very well, I'll take your hunch. I'll not quit. If they lick me--I should say when they lick me, I'll get up and fight some more."
His words were severe, his purpose almost grim, yet Molly realized the best compliment she ever had received was being paid her.
"I never saw you before," he went on.
"That isn't my fault," replied Molly, demurely, with level gaze on him.
What a nice face he had!
"But you don't live in Flag," he protested.
"No indeed."
"Where then?"
"I'm from the Cibeque."
"Cibeque. Is that a town or a ranch or what?"
"It's a valley."
"Never heard of it. How far?"
"Two days' ride."
"Just here on a visit?" continued the young man, and it was manifest that every word carried him farther into interest.
"Yes. We leave in the mawnin'," said Molly, and sighed. Would she ever come back to Flagerstown? And if so, could it ever be so wonderful?
"That's a long while yet," he returned, and smiled again, with a meaning which made Molly's heart jump. "I haven't heard, but of course there'll be a dance tonight. And you'll be going?"
