CHAPTER XX
THE RAILROAD CORRAL
Loudon stepped out into the street. Laguerre stationed himself on thesidewalk twenty yards in Loudon's rear. Every window and doorwaygiving a view of the scene of hostilities was crowded with spectators.On the sidewalk, fifty yards from the hotel, stood Judge Allison, watchin hand.
Loudon stood, one leg thrust slightly forward, his eyes on thedance-hall door, and his cocked rifle in the hollow of his left arm.
Not for an instant did he fear the outcome. His self-confidence wassupreme. Oddly enough, his mind refused to dwell on the impendingduel. He could think of nothing save the most trivial subjects tillLuke Maxson stepped out of the dance-hall doorway.
Then a prickling twitched the skin between Loudon's shoulders, and heexperienced a curious species of exhilaration. It reminded him of along-ago evening in Fort Worth when he had drunk a bottle of champagne.The exhilaration vanished in a breath. Remained a calculating coldnessand the pleasing knowledge that Luke Maxson was still excited.
_Bang_! The Judge's six-shooter spoke. Instantly the upper half ofMaxson's figure was hidden by a cloud of smoke.
Loudon worked his Winchester so rapidly that the reports sounded likethe roll of an alarm-clock. At his sixth shot, simultaneously with ablow on his left foot that jarred his leg to the knee, he saw LukeMaxson drop his rifle and fall forward on his hands and knees.
Then Maxson jerked his body sidewise and sat up, his back towardLoudon, his hands clutching his legs.
Loudon lowered the hammer of his Winchester and gazed down at hisnumbed foot. Most of the high heel of his boot had been torn away.Which was the sole result of his opponent's marksmanship. Walking witha decided list to port he unhurriedly crossed to the hotel.
"Gimme a drink!" he called to the bartender. "An' have one yoreself."
"Forgeet me, huh?" chuckled Laguerre, hard on his friend's heels."Mak' eet t'ree, meestair."
"Say, Tom," Laguerre said, when they were alone. "W'y deed you tell meto shut up, huh?"
"Don't yuh see, Telescope?" replied Loudon. "Here's Bill Archer a heapsuspicious of us already. He's guessed we're from the Bend, but if wedon't recognize Luke Maxson he won't know what to think. Anyway, I'mgamblin' he won't canter right off an' blat out to the 88 that twofellahs are on their trail. Instead o' doin' that it's likely he'lltrail us when we pull our freight, an' try to make shore just what ourgame is. It's our job to keep him puzzled till everythin's cinched.Then he can do what he likes. It won't make a bit of difference."
"You are right," nodded Laguerre. "You t'ink sleecker dan me dees tam.But w'y you not keel de man, huh?"
"'Cause, dead an' buried, he can't be identified. Gripped up in bedhe'll make a fine Exhibit A for our outfit."
"You was tak' a beeg chance."
"Oh, not so big. He was mad when he came into the saloon, an' I madehim a heap madder before I got through talkin' to him. Yuh can't shootgood when yo're mad."
And Loudon grinned at Laguerre.
"You old sun-of-a-gun!" said his friend, admiringly.
That hearty soul, Judge Allison, brought the news half an hour afterthe shooting that Luke Maxson was far from being badly wounded. Therewere, it seemed, three bullets in Luke's right leg and two in his left.And the left leg was broken.
At this last Loudon brightened visibly. He had feared that hisadversary had merely sustained flesh wounds. A broken leg, however,would confine the amiable Luke to his bed for a period of weeks, which,for the proper furtherance of Loudon's plans, was greatly to be desired.
Loudon began to fear for the safety of Judge Allison. Marysville wasnot apt to take kindly the Judge's rather open espousal of thestranger's cause. And Loudon liked Judge Allison. He felt that theJudge was honest; that he had been duped by Block and Archer and theothers of their stripe; that, his eyes once opened to the true state ofaffairs, the Judge would not hesitate to show the malefactors the errorof their ways.
In time Loudon intended to take the Judge into his confidence, but thattime was not yet. In the meantime, no evil must come to Judge Allison.Loudon took the Judge aside.
"Yore Honour," said he, "ain't yuh just a little too friendly to me an'my friend? We don't have to live here, but you do."
The Judge did not immediately make reply. He put his head on one sideand looked at Loudon under his eyebrows.
"In so far as I may," said the Judge at last, "I do what pleases me.Even so, no man in the possession of his senses performs any actwithout good reason. Regarding my reason for what little I did, I canat present say, 'Cherchez la femme.' Ah, here comes the stage! I mustgo to the postoffice. Come to my office in about fifteen minutes, Mr.Franklin, and remember, '_Cherchez la femme_.'"
Loudon stared in perplexity after the retreating figure.
"'_Shershay la fam_,'" he repeated. "Now I'd like to know what thatmeans. _Shershay la fam_. Don't sound like Injun talk. An' he wantsto see me in fifteen minutes, does he? Maybe, now, he'll bear watchin'after all."
At the time appointed Loudon entered the Judge's office. The Judge,smoking a long cigar, his feet on the table, waved Loudon to a chair.Loudon unobtrusively hitched his six-shooter into easy drawing positionas he sat down. He watched the Judge like a cat. The Judge smiled.
"Friend," he said, "you may relax. It's quite too hot to look fortrouble where none is. My intentions are of the friendliest. Quiterecently there have come to my ears several important bits ofinformation. Among other interesting facts, I am told that SheriffBlock has sworn in twelve deputies for the purpose of arresting oneThomas Loudon, lately employed by the Bar S ranch, but working atpresent for the Flying M in Sunset County.
"The man Loudon is alleged to have committed divers crimes, ranging intheir heinousness from rustling and assault with murderous intent, tosimple assault and battery. Thomas Loudon is supposed to have returnedto the Flying M, but the worthy sheriff has in some manner gained theimpression that the fugitive is still within the confines of Fort CreekCounty. Hence the dozen deputies."
The Judge paused. Loudon leaned back in his chair, crossed one legover the other, and rolled a cigarette. He realized now that JudgeAllison was unreservedly his friend.
"It is only a question of time," continued the Judge, "when a batch ofthese deputies will ride into Marysville. If Thomas Loudon were inMarysville at present, and if I were in his boots, I should saddle myhorse and seek refuge in parts unknown--for a time at least. Iunderstand that Thomas Loudon is taking steps in a certain matter thatwill, if he is successful, criminally involve large and powerfulinterests. If Thomas Loudon is a man of parts and wisdom he will takehis steps with all speed.
"Evidence is evidence, and the more there is of it, and the stronger itis, and the sooner it is brought forward, the better. For the betterinformation of Thomas Loudon, I will say that, under the laws of thisterritory, a warrant issued by any judge may be withdrawn by that judgeat his discretion. For instance, should Thomas Loudon present evidencetending to discredit the individuals swearing out the warrant againsthim, said warrant would stand an excellent chance of being immediatelyannulled. Do I make myself clear?"
"Couldn't be clearer," Loudon said, staring up at the ceiling. "I'llbet Tom Loudon would be a heap grateful to yuh if he could 'a' heardwhat yuh had to say."
"Doubtless--doubtless. I trust some day to make the gentleman'sacquaintance. As I was saying, these deputies may arrive at any time.I do not believe they will come before to-morrow at the earliest. Yetone can never tell. Parts unknown are the best health resorts on earthat times like these."
"Yo're shore whistlin', Judge. I guess we'll pull our freight thisafternoon or to-night."
When Loudon informed Laguerre in the privacy of their room of what theJudge had said, the swarthy man slapped his leg and laughed aloud.
"By Gar!" he exclaimed. "By Gar! Dat ees damn fonny!" Then, in alower tone, he added, "She shore one good feller. Wat was dose wordshe say--dose fonny word
you not know w'at dey mean?"
"_Shershay la fam_."
"_Cherchez la femme_, huh? Dat ees _Francais_. Un it mean, 'Fin' dewoman.'"
"'Find the woman'! I'd like to know what findin' the woman's got to dowith it."
"I dunno. But dat's w'at de word mean, all right. W'at I wan' forknow ees how de Judge she know so much 'bout you. She issue dewarran', un now she not follow eet up. I do not understan', me."
"Me neither. Lend me yore knife, Telescope, will yuh? Yores issharper'n mine, an' I got to cut some leather offen my chaps an' makeme a new heel. I'll prob'ly have time to make me a whole new pair o'boots an' a saddle before Johnny an' Chuck drift in. Which they're theslowest pair of bandits livin'. We'll give 'em till daylightto-morrow."
Marysville, whatever opinions it may have held concerning the shootingaffray, did not openly disapprove. No one came forward to take up thequarrel of the Maxson brothers.
As to Archer, he sat alone in front of his dance hall. Loudonperceived, in the course of a casual stroll, that the man wore hisspurs, and that two of the horses in the corral were saddled andbridled. He also noted that the five Barred Twin Diamond horses werestill in the corral. He dropped in at the Judge's office.
"Judge," said Loudon, "it just struck me that somebody might want tobuy that sorrel hoss o' yores. Yuh see, I've taken quite a fancy tothat hoss. I might want to buy him myself some day. Would yuh mindhangin' on to him till I come back from where I'm goin'?"
"So that's how the wind blows?" the Judge said, disgustedly. "I mighthave known it, too. He was so cheap. Well, Mr. Franklin, you may restassured that the sorrel horse remains in my possession until yourreturn. Confound it all, I hate to part with him! He's a good horse."
"He's all that. But maybe, now, yore keepin' him could be arranged ifyou like him so much. I might not want him so bad after all."
"Corruption, corruption!" exclaimed Judge Allison, violently winkinghis right eye. "Would you bribe the bench, Mr. Franklin? No, notanother word, sir. We are drawing a trifle ahead of our subject. Letme impress upon you the necessity for prompt action. I should make mydeparture before sunset, if I were you."
"Deputies?"
"As to them, I cannot say," said the Judge, shaking his head, "but I amof the opinion that Marysville will not be a health resort to-night.The wicked walk in the darkness, you know, and not half-an-hour ago Iheard something that makes me quite positive that the said evildoerswill endeavour to walk to some purpose this evening. I was on thepoint of sending you warning when you came in."
"Now that's right friendly of yuh, Judge. Me an' my friend won'tforget it. But ain't there just some chance o' these here evildoersa-comin' to see you?"
"I have a friend or two here myself. I told you this morning that Istand in no danger. I have had no reason to change my opinion."
"All right, you know best. I guess Telescope an' me'll pull ourfreight instanter. We won't wait for my friends. When they come wouldyuh mind tellin' 'em we've gone to Damson?"
"I shall be delighted. Who are your friends?"
"Johnny Ramsay o' the Cross-in-a-box an' Chuck Morgan o' the Bar S."
"'Chuck Morgan.' Well do I know the gentleman. I fined himtwenty-five dollars last fall for riding his horse into Billy West'ssaloon, roping the stove, and trying to drag it through the doorway."
"That's Chuck all over! But he didn't tell the Bar S nothin' about afine."
"The Bar S! What are you talking about? You're from the southernranges, and I'd advise you not to forget it."
"I won't again," Loudon grinned. "So long, Judge, an' we're obliged toyuh for----"
"For nothing! For nothing! And don't forget that either. Nowgood-bye and good luck."
Loudon and Laguerre, having paid their bill, left the hotel by the backway. A pale little man, one of the dance-hall fiddlers, was flirtingwith the cook at the kitchen doorway. When the two men appeared,carrying their saddles and rifles, the pale one glided swiftly aroundthe corner of the house.
"See that?" muttered Loudon, cinching up rapidly.
Laguerre nodded.
"---- 'em!" he whispered. "Hope dey follow! By Gar! I do, me!"
"No use tryin' to slide out past the corral now," said Loudon. "Wemight as well use Main Street."
They were glad of their decision. They rode into Main Street just intime to see Archer and a companion turning the corner of the dancehall. The Flying M men headed northward. The other two turned theirhorses' heads to the south.
Where Main Street became the trail, Loudon and Laguerre swung eastwardand loped steadily for several miles. When their shadows were long infront of them they climbed the reverse slope of a little hill.
Picketing their horses below the crest they lay down behind an outcropand watched the back trail. Within thirty minutes appeared two dots ona ridge three miles distant.
"Just like wolves, ain't they?" chuckled Loudon, and wriggled backward.
"We weel bushwhack dem here, huh?" growled Laguerre. "Eet ees de goodplass. Dey weel pass on our trail not two hundred yard away. We geetdem easy."
"No, not yet, Telescope," said Loudon. "It ain't necessary, anyhow.We'll ride on till it gets dark. Then we'll light a fire an' vamose,an' leave them holdin' the bag."
"Dat ees all right," Laguerre said, "but keelin' ees better. W'y not?No one weel know. Un eef dey do, w'at mattair? Dey are de teenhorn.We weel have dat all prove'. I say, keel dem, me."
Unconsciously Laguerre fingered the handle of his skinning-knife.Loudon laughed.
"C'mon," he said. "There'll be enough o' killin' before this job'sover."
Grumbling, for to him an ambush was such a ridiculously simple methodof disposing of two enemies, Laguerre followed his comrade. They rodetill night came on. Then, in the middle of a mile-wide flat, wherecottonwoods grew beside a tiny creek, they dismounted and loosenedcinches.
Hobbled, their bridles off, the horses grazed. Laguerre, stillprotesting, made the fire. He built it cunningly, after the Indianmanner, with an arrangement of sticks to leeward, so that it would burnslowly and for a long time.
"Dere," said Laguerre, as the flames bit and took hold, "dat weel fooldem. But I t'ink de Winchestair be de bes' t'ing, me."
Loudon laughed as he swung into the saddle. Inwardly he quite agreedwith Laguerre in the matter of an ambush. Enemies should be crushed asexpeditiously and with as little danger to one's self as possible. YetLoudon was too humanly normal to practise the doctrine in all itsruthlessness. To do that one must be either a great general or asavage. Laguerre was not abnormal, but he was half Indian, and attimes he became wholly one. This was one of the times.
For three miles the two men rode in the creek water, then, guided bythe stars, they headed southwest. Toward midnight they came upon awell-marked trail. They knew it could be none other than the trail toBlossom, and they turned into it. Under the spell of the horses'steady walk-along Laguerre became reminiscent.
"De ole tam, dey are wit' me now, my frien'," he observed, "but I donot feel varree bad, me. I am on de move. Un soon dere weel be beegfight. I have been de scout, I have leeve wit' Enjun, I have hunt allt'ing', un I tell you, Tom, dere ees nothin' like huntin' de man. Datmak' me feel fine.
"By Gar! w'en I was young man een Blackfoot camp, I was go ovair to deAssiniboine, un I run off seex pony un geet two scalp. Dat mak' mebeeg man wit' de Blackfoot. Dey say my medicine was good, un eet wasgood, by Gar! Eet was de Winchestair. De Assiniboine w'at chase mewas surprise'. Dey not know de Winchestair den. Deir gun allsingle-shot."
And Laguerre laughed at this recollection of aboriginal amazement.Loudon made no comment. The laughter died in a grunt. The harsh voiceresumed:
"By Gar! I bless de luck dat Scotty sen' me wit' you. I mean forqueet un go 'way wit' you like I tol' you, un w'en dem horse t'ief runoff de pony, I know I can not queet. I can not leave Scotty like dat.She ees good frien' to me. But now I go 'way like I wan', un
I workfor Scotty, too. I am almost satisfy. But at de las' I weel go 'way.De ole tam, dey weel mak' me. I mus' fin' Pony George before de en'."
"Maybe he's dead," suggested Loudon, moved to cheer up his friend.
"No, she ees not dead. She 'live yet. I can not tell you how I know.I not know how myself, me. But I know. Somew'ere she wait teel Icome. Un I weel come. I weel come. Den, w'en hees hair ees on mybridle, I weel be complete satisfy, un I weel work on de ranch steady.I not care w'at happen den."
Laguerre fell silent. His reminiscent mood passed on to his comrade.Since leaving the Bend the days had been so crowded that Loudon had hadno time to think of anything save the work in hand. But now thetension had slackened, the old days came back to Loudon, and he thoughtof the girl he had once loved.
He saw her as he used to see her on their rides together along the LazyRiver; he saw her swinging in the hammock on the porch of the Bar Sranch house; he saw her smiling at him from the doorway of the room inthe Burr house; and he saw her dark eyes with the hurt look in them,her shaking shoulders when she turned sidewise in the chair and wept,her blindly swaying figure when she stumbled from the room. All thesethings he saw on the screen of his mind.
Apparently she loved him. But was the semblance the reality? It wasall very well for Mrs. Burr to talk about coquettes. Kate Saltoun hadplayed with him, had led him on to propose, and then at the end hadwith contumely and scorn refused him. His sense of injury had sodeveloped that his brain had come to dwell more on the contumely andthe scorn than it did on the refusal. Mankind is apt to lose sight ofthe main issue and to magnify minor events till at last the lattercompletely overshadow the former.
"It ain't possible," reasoned Loudon, "to care for a girl that calledyuh a ignorant puncher. Some day she might get mad an' call yuh thatagain, an' then where'd yuh be? Wouldn't yuh look nice with a wifethat knowed she was better'n you an' told yuh so whenever she felt likeit?"
"Well, ain't she better'n you?" queried the honest voice of InnerConsciousness.
"She's lots better," admitted Innate Stubbornness. "But she wants tokeep still about it."
"An' she's shore a razzle-dazzler in looks, ain't she?" persisted InnerConsciousness. "An' her ways have changed a lot. An' she acts likeshe likes yuh. Lately yuh been kind o' missin' her some yoreself,ain't yuh? Ain't yuh, huh? Be kind o' nice to have her round rightalong, wouldn't it? Shore it would. Which bein' so, don't yuh guessMis' Burr knows what she's talkin' about? Why can't yuh have sense an'take the lady's advice?"
"I won't be drove," insisted Innate Stubbornness. "I won't be drove,an' that's whatever."
Inner Consciousness immediately curled up and went to sleep. It hadrecognized the futility of arguing with Innate Stubbornness. Loudonwondered why he could no longer think connectedly. He gave up trying.
When day broke, the two men left the trail and rode southward. Theywere tired, but they did not dare halt. In the middle of theafternoon, emerging from a draw, they saw the rails of the GreatWestern Railroad a hundred yards ahead. They rode westward along theline and reached Damson an hour later.
Two saloons, a blacksmith shop, three houses, the station, and awater-tank, all huddling on the flanks of a railroad corral, made upthe town of Damson. It was an unlovely place, and, to complete theeffect, a dust-devil received them with open arms.
"Looks like that corral had been used lately," observed Loudon betweencoughs.
"Bunch o' pony stay dere tree-four day, two week ago, mabbeso,"qualified Laguerre.
They dismounted and entered the cracked and peeling station. Theagent, a pale, flat-chested young man, responded readily to Loudon'sinquiries.
"Surely," he said, "about two weeks ago"--riffling duplicateway-bills--"yep, on the seventeenth, Bill Archer shipped ninety-fivehead Barred Twin Diamond hosses to Cram an' Docket in Piegan City. Thetwo Maxson boys an' a feller they called Rudd was with Archer. Nope,no trouble at all. Eastbound? She's five hours late. Due maybe in anhour an' a half if she don't lose some more. Yep, I'll set the boardagainst her."
When Mr. Cram, senior member of the great horse-dealing firm of Cram &Docket, came down to his office in the morning, Tom Loudon was sittingon the office-steps, an expression of keenest satisfaction on hissunburnt, cinder-grimed face. He had spent the greater part of thepreceding two hours strolling among the corrals of Cram & Docket. Mr.Cram acknowledged by a curt nod the greeting of Loudon.
"I have all the men I can use," began Mr. Cram, gruffly, "and----"
"T'sall right," interrupted Loudon. "I ain't needin' a job thismornin'. I just thought I'd tell yuh that there's ninety-five head o'stolen hosses in number eight corral."
"Wha-what?" gasped Mr. Cram.
"Hurts, don't it? Shouldn't wonder. Yes, sir, them ninety-five BarredTwin Diamonds yuh bought offen Bill Archer o' Marysville an' shippedfrom Damson was all stole from Scotty Mackenzie's Flying M ranch upnorth near Paradise Bend, in the Dogsoldier valley."
"Why--why--I don't understand," stuttered Mr. Cram. "I don't believe aword of it."
Mr. Cram became suddenly aware of the exceeding chilliness in a pair ofgray eyes.
"Meanin' how?" queried Loudon, softly.
"Well, of course, I believe you're acting in good faith, but---- Oh,come inside."
"No need. My train's due in thirty minutes. Scotty Mackenzie an' hisforeman Doubleday will come down here an' prove ownership in about aweek or so."
"But I've just sold that bunch to a firm in Omaha!"
"Yuh won't ship 'em. Yuh see, I thought o' yore sellin' 'em, an' Iwoke up Judge Curran at six o'clock an' got him to issue a injunctionagainst yore shippin' 'em. So I guess yuh'll keep 'em till Scottycomes. Yep, I guess yuh will, Mr. Cram. See, here comes the marshalnow. Looks like that white paper he's got might be the injunction,don't it?"
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