The Range Dwellers

by B. M. Bower

  CHAPTER XVII.

  The Final Reckoning.

  About four o'clock we reached the ferry, just behind a fagged-out team anda light buggy that had in it two figures--one of whom, at least, lookedfamiliar to me.

  "Frosty, by all that's holy!" I exclaimed when we came close enough torecognize a man. "I clean forgot, but I was sent to Kenmore this morningto find that very fellow."

  "Don't you know the other?" Beryl laughed teasingly. "I was at theirwedding this morning, and wished them God-speed. I never dreamed I shouldbe God-speeded myself, directly! I drove Edith, over to Kenmore quiteearly in the car, and--"

  "Edith!"

  "Certainly, Edith. Whom else? Did you think she would be left behind,pining at your infidelity? Didn't you know they are old, old sweetheartswho had quarreled and parted quite like a story? She used to read yourletters so eagerly to see if you made any remark about him; you did, quiteoften, you know. I drove her over to Kenmore, and afterward went offtoward Laurel just to put in the time and not arrive home too soon withouther--which might have been awkward, if father took a notion to go afterher. I'm so glad we came up with them." She stood up and waved her hand atEdith.

  I shouted reassurances to Frosty, who was looking apprehensively back atus. But it was a facer. I had never once suspected them of such a thing.

  "Well," I greeted, when we overtook them and could talk comfortably; "thisis luck. When we get across to Pochette's you can get in with us, Mr. andMrs. Miller, and add the desired touch of propriety to _our_ wedding."

  They did some staring themselves, then, and Beryl blusheddelightfully--just as she did everything else. She was growing analtogether bewitching bit of femininity, and I kept thanking my privateProvidence that I had had the nerve to kidnap her first and take chanceson her being willing. Honest, I don't believe I'd ever have got her in anyother way.

  When we stopped at Pochette's door the girls ran up and tangled their armsaround each other and wasted enough kisses to make Frosty and me swear.And they whispered things, and then laughed about it, and whispered somemore, and all we could hear was a gurgle of "You dear!" and the like ofthat. Frosty and I didn't do much; we just looked at each other andgrinned. And it's long odds we understood each other quite as well as thegirls did after they'd whispered and gurgled an hour.

  We had an early dinner--or supper--and ate fried bacon and stewedprunes--and right there I couldn't keep the joke, but had to tell thegirls about how Frosty and I had deviled Beryl's father, that time. Theycould see the point, all right, and they seemed to appreciate it, too.

  After that, we all talked at once, sometimes; and sometimes we wouldn'thave a thing to say--times when the girls would look at each other andsmile, with their eyes all shiny. Frosty and I would look at them, andthen at each other; and Frosty's eyes were shiny, too.

  Then we went on, with the motor purring love-songs and sliding the milesbehind us, while Frosty and Edith cooed in the tonneau behind us, anddidn't thank us to look around or interrupt. Beryl and I didn't say much;I was driving as fast as was wise, and sometimes faster. There was alwaysthe chance that the other car would come slithering along on our trail.Besides, it was enough just to know that this was real, and that Berylwould marry me just as soon as we found a preacher. There was no incentiveto linger along the road.

  It yet lacked an hour of sunset when we slid into Osage and stopped beforea little goods-box church, with a sample of the same style of architecturechucked close against one side.

  We left the girls with the preacher's wife, and Frosty wrote down ourages--Beryl was twenty-one, if you're curious--and our parents' names andwhere we were born, and if we were black or white, and a few otherimpertinent things which he, having been through it himself, insisted wasnecessary. Then he hustled out after the license, while I went over to thedry-goods and jewelry store to get a ring. I will say that Osage puts up amighty poor showing of wedding-rings.

  We were married. I suppose I ought to stop now and describe just how itwas, and what the bride wore, and a list of the presents. But it didn'tlast long enough to be clear in my mind. Everything is a bit hazy, justthere. I dropped the ring, I know that for certain, because it rolledunder an article of furniture that looked suspiciously like a folding-bedmasquerading as a cabinet, and Frosty had to get down on all fours andfish it out before we could go on. And Edith put her handkerchief to hermouth and giggled disreputably. But, anyway, we got married.

  The preacher gave Beryl an impressive lily-and-rose certificate, whichcaused her much embarrassment, because it would not go into any pocket ofhers or mine, but must be carried ostentatiously in the hand. I believeEdith was a bit jealous of that beflowered roll. _Her_ preacher had beenout of certificates, and had made shift with a plain, undecorated sheet offoolscap that Frosty said looked exactly like a home-made bill of sale.I told Edith she could paint some lilies around the edge, and she flouncedout with her nose in the air.

  We had decided that we must go back in the morning and face the music. Wehad no desire to be arrested for stealing Weaver's car, and there was nota man in Osage who could be trusted to drive it back. Then the girlsneeded a lot of things; and though Frosty had intended to take the nexttrain East, I persuaded him to go back and wait for us.

  Beryl said she was almost sure her father would be nice about it, nowthere was no good in being anything else. I think that long roll of stiffpaper went a long way toward strengthening her confidence; she simplycould not conceive of any father being able to resist its appeal and itslook of finality.

  We all got into the car again, and went up to the station, so I mightsend a wire to dad. It seemed only right and fair to let him know at oncethat he had a daughter to be proud of.

  "Good Lord!" I broke out, when we were nearly to the depot "If thatisn't--do any of you notice anything out on the side-track, over there?"I pointed an unsteady finger toward the purple and crimson sunset.

  "A maroon-colored car, with dark-green--" Beryl began promptly.

  "That's it," I cut in. "I was afraid joy had gone to my head and wasmaking me see crooked. It's dad's car, the _Shasta_. And I wonder how thedeuce she got _here_!"

  "Probably by the railroad," said Edith flippantly.

  I drove over to the _Shasta_, and we stopped. I couldn't for the life ofme understand her being, there. I stared up at the windows, and noddeddazedly to Crom, grinning down at me. The next minute, dad himself cameout on the platform.

  "So it's you, Ellie?" he greeted calmly. "I thought Potter wasn't to letyou know I was coming; he must be getting garrulous as he grows old.However, since you are here, I'm very glad to see you, my boy."

  "Hello, dad," I said meekly, and helped Beryl out. I wasn't at all surethat I was glad to see him, just then. Telling dad face to face was a lotdifferent from telling him by telegraph. I swallowed.

  "Dad, let me introduce you to Miss--Mrs. Beryl King--that is, Carleton; my_wife_." I got that last word out plain enough, at any rate.

  Dad stared. For once I had rather floored him. But he's a thoroughbred,all right; you can't feaze him for longer than ten seconds, and then onlyin extreme cases. He leaned down over the rail and held out his hand toher.

  "I'm very glad to meet you, Mrs. Beryl King--that is, Carleton," he said,mimicking me. "Come up and give your dad-in-law a proper welcome."

  Beryl did. I wondered how long it had been since dad had been kissed likethat. It made me gulp once or twice to think of all he had missed.

  Frosty and Edith came up, then, and Edith shook hands with dad andI introduced Frosty. Five minutes, there on the platform, went forexplanations. Dad didn't say much; he just listened and sized up thelayout. Then he led us through the vestibule into the drawing-room. AndI knew, from the look of him, that we would get his verdict straight.But it was a relief not to see his finger-tips together.

  "Perry Potter wrote me something of all this," he observed, settlinghimself comfortably in his pet chair. "He said this young cub neededlooking after, or King--your father, Mrs. Carle
ton--would have him by theheels. I thought I'd better come and see what particular brand of--er--

  "As for the motor, I might make shift to take it back myself, seeingPotter hasn't got a rig here to meet me. And if you'd like a little jauntin the _Shasta_, you four, you're welcome to her for a couple of weeks orso. I'm not going back right away. Ellis has done his da--er--is marriedand off my hands, so I can take a vacation too. I can arrangetransportation over any lines you want, before I start for the ranch. Willthat do?"

  I guess he found that it would, from the way Edith and Beryl made for him.

  Frosty glanced out of the window and motioned to me. I looked, and we bothbolted for the door, reaching it just as old King's foot was on the lowerstep of the platform. Weaver, looking like chief mourner at a funeral, wasdown below in his car. King came up another step, glaring and evidently ina mood for war and extermination.

  "How d'y' do, King?" Dad greeted over my shoulder, before I could say aword. He may not have had his finger-tips together, but he had thefinger-tip tone, all right, and I knew it was a good man who would get thebetter of him. "Out looking for strays? Come right up; I've got two brandnew married couples here, and I need some sane person pretty bad to helpme out." There was the faintest possible accent on the _sane_.

  Say, it was the finest thing I had ever seen dad do. And it wasn't what hesaid, so much as the way he said it. I knew then why he had such, a recordfor getting his own way.

  King swallowed hard and glared from dad to me, and then at Beryl, who hadcome up and laid my arm over her shoulder--where it was perfectlysatisfied to stay. There was a half-minute when I didn't know whether Kingwould shoot somebody, or have apoplexy.

  "You're late, father," said Beryl sweetly, displaying that blessedcertificate rather conspicuously. "If you had only hurried a little, youmight have been in time for the we-wedding."

  I squeezed my arm tight in approval, and came near choking her. Kinggasped as if somebody had an arm around his neck, too, and was squeezing.

  "Oh, well, you're here now, and it's all right," put in dad easily, asthough everything was quite commonplace and had happened dozens of timesto us. "Crom will have dinner ready soon, though as he and Tony weren'tnotified that there would be a wedding-party here, I can't promise thefeast I'd like to. Still, there's a bottle or two good enough to drinkeven _their_ happiness in, Homer. Just send your chauffeur down to thetown, and come in." (Good one on Weaver, that--and, the best part of itwas, he heard it.)

  King hesitated while I could count ten--if I I counted fast enough--andcame in, following us all back through the vestibule. Inside, he looked meover and drew his hand down over his mouth; I think to hide a smile.

  "Young man, yuh seem born to leave a path uh destruction behind yuh," hesaid. "There's a lot uh fixing to be done on that gate--and I don't reckonI ever _will_ find the padlock again."

  His eyes met the keen, steady look of dad, stopped there, wavered,softened to friendliness. Their hands went out half-shyly and met. "Kidsare sure terrors, these days," he remarked, and they laughed a little. "Usold folks have got to stand in the corners when they're around."

  * * * * *

  King's Highway is open trail. Beryl and I go through there often in the_Yellow Peril_, since dad gave me outright the Bay State Ranch and allpertaining thereto--except, of course, Perry Potter; he stays on of hisown accord.

  Frosty is father King's foreman, and Aunt Lodema went back East and stayedthere. She writes prim little letters to Beryl, once in awhile, andI gather that she doesn't approve of the match at all. But Beryl does, and,if you ask me, I approve also. So what does anything else matter?