Gregg was silenced, but not convinced. Its a long lane that has no turn, he growled.
Redfield resumed, in impersonal heat. The cow-man was conceived in anarchy and educated in murder. Whatever romantic notions I may have had of the plains twenty-five years ago, they are lost to me now. The free-range stock-owner has no country and no God; nothing but a range that isnt his, and damned bad manners begging pardon, Miss Wetherford. The sooner he dies the better for the State. Hes a dirty, wasteful sloven, content to eat canned beans and drink canned milk in his rotten bad coffee; and nobody but an old crank like myself has the grace to stand up and tell the truth about him.
Cavanagh smiled. And you wouldnt, if you werent a man of independent means, and known to be one of the most experienced cow-punchers in the county. Ive no fight with men like Gregg; all is theyve got to conform to the rules of the service.
Gregg burst out: You think youre the whole United States army! Who gives you all the authority?
Congress and the President.
Theres nothing in that bill to warrant these petty tyrannies of yours.
What you call tyrannies I call defending the public domain, replied Redfield. If I had my way, Id give my rangers the power of the Canadian mounted police. Is there any other State in this nation where the roping of sheep-herders and the wholesale butchery of sheep would be permitted? From the very first the public lands of this State have been a refuge for the criminal a lawless no-mans land; but now, thanks to Roosevelt and the Chief Forester, we at least have a force of men on the spot to see that some semblance of law and order is maintained. You fellows may protest and run to Washington, and you may send your paid representatives there, but youre sure to lose. As free-range monopolists you are cumberers of the earth, and all you represent must pass, before this State can be anything but the byword it now is. I didnt feel this so keenly ten years ago, but with a bunch of children growing up my vision has grown clearer. The picturesque West must give way to the civilized West, and the war of sheepmen and cattle-men must stop.
The whole dining-room was still as he finished, and Lee Virginia, with a girls vague comprehension of the mans world, apprehended in Redfields speech a large and daring purpose.
Gregg sneered. Perhaps you intend to run for Congress on that line of talk.
Redfields voice was placid. At any rate, I intend to represent the policy that will change this State from the sparsely settled battle-ground of a lot of mounted hobos to a State with an honorable place among the other commonwealths. If this be treason, make the most of it.
Cavanagh was disturbed; for while he felt the truth of his chiefs words, he was in doubt as to the policy of uttering them.
It was evident to Virginia that the cow-men, as well as Gregg, were nearly all against the prophet of the future, and she was filled with a sense of having arrived on the scene just as the curtain to a stern and purposeful drama was being raised. With her recollections of the savage days of old, it seemed as if Redfield, by his bold words, had placed his life in danger.
Cavanagh rose. I must be going, he said, with a smile.
Again the pang of loss touched her heart. When will you come again? she asked, in a low voice.
It is hard to say. A rangers place is in the forest. I am very seldom in town. Just now the danger of fires is great, and I am very uneasy. I may not be down again for a month.
The table was empty now, and they were standing in comparative isolation looking into each others eyes in silence. At last she murmured: Youve helped me. Im going to stay a little while, anyway, and do what I can
Im sorry I cant be of actual service, but I am a soldier with a work to do. Even if I were here, I could not help you as regards the townspeople they all hate me quite cordially; but Redfield, and especially Mrs. Redfield, can be of greater aid and comfort. Hes quite often here, and when you are lonely and discouraged let him take you up to Elk Lodge.
Ive been working all the morning to make this room decent. It was rather fun. Dont you think it helped?
I saw the mark of your hand the moment I entered the door, he earnestly replied. Im not one that laughs at the small field of womans work. If you make this little hotel clean and homelike, youll be doing a very considerable work in bringing about the New West which the Supervisor is spouting about. He extended his hand, and as she took it he thrilled to the soft strength of it. Till next time, he said, good luck!
She watched him go with a feeling of pain as if in his going she were losing her best friend and most valiant protector.
IV
VIRGINIA TAKES ANOTHER MOTOR RIDE
Lee Virginias efforts to refine the little hotel produced an amazing change in Eliza Wetherfords affairs. The dining-room swarmed with those seeking food, and as the news of the girls beauty went out upon the range, the cowboys sought excuse to ride in and get a square meal and a glimpse of the Queen whose hand had witched the old shack into a marvel of cleanliness.
Say what you will, beauty is a sovereign appeal. These men, unspeakably profane, cruel, and obscene in their saddle-talk, were awed by the fresh linen, the burnished glass, and the well-ordered tables which they found in place of the flies, the dirt, and the disorder of aforetime. Its worth a days ride just to see that girl for a minute, declared one enthusiast.
They did not all use the napkins, but they enjoyed having them there beside their plates, and the subdued light, the freedom from insects impressed them almost to decorum. They entered with awe, avid for a word with Lize Wetherfords girl. Generally they failed of so much as a glance at her, for she kept away from the dining-room at meal-time.
Lee Virginia was fully aware of this male curiosity, and vaguely conscious of the merciless light which shone in the eyes of some of them (men like Gregg), who went about their game with the shameless directness of the brute. She had begun to understand, too, that her mothers reputation was a barrier between the better class of folk and herself; but as they came now and again to take a meal, they permitted themselves a word in her praise, which she resented. I dont want their friendship now, she declared, bitterly.
As she gained courage to look about her, she began to be interested in some of her coatless, collarless boarders on account of their extraordinary history. There was Brady, the old government scout, retired on a pension, who was accustomed to sit for hours on the porch, gazing away over the northern plains never toward the mountains as if he watched for bear or bison, or for the files of hostile red hunters though in reality there was nothing to see but the stage, coming and going, or a bunch of cowboys galloping into town. Nevertheless, every cloud of dust was to him diversion, and he appeared to dream, like a captive eagle, bedraggled, spiritless, but with an inner spark of memory burning deep in his dim blue eyes.
Then there was an old miner, distressingly filthy, who hobbled to his meals on feet that had been frozen into clubs. He had a little gold loaned at interest, and on this he lived in tragic parsimony. He and the old scout sat much together, usually without speech (each knew to the last word the others stories), as if they recognized each others utter loneliness.
Sifton, the old remittance man, had been born to a higher culture, therefore was his degradation the deeper. His poverty was due to his weakness. Virginia was especially drawn toward him by reason of his inalienable politeness and his well-chosen words. He was always the gentleman no matter how frayed his clothing.
So far as the younger men were concerned, she saw little to admire and much to hate. They were crude and uninteresting rowdies for the most part. She was put upon her defence by their glances, and she came to dread walking along the street, so open and coarse were their words of praise. She felt dishonored by the glances which her feet drew after her, and she always walked swiftly to and from the store or the post-office.
Few of these loafers had the courage to stand on their feet and court her favor, but there was one who speedily became her chief persecutor. This was Neill Ballard, celebrated (and made impudent) by two years travel with a Wild West show. He was tall, lean, angular, and freckled, but his horsemanship was marvellous and his skill with the rope magical. His special glory consisted in a complicated whirling of the lariat. In his hand the limp, inert cord took on life, grace, charm. It hung in the air or ran in rhythmic waves about him, rising, falling, expanding, diminishing, as if controlled by some agency other than a mans hand, and its gyrations had won much applause in the Eastern cities, where such skill is expected of the cowboys.
He had lost his engagement by reason of a drunken brawl, and he was now living with his sister, the wife of a small rancher near by. He was vain, lazy, and unspeakably corrupt, full of open boasting of his exploits in the drinking-dens of the East. No sooner did he fix eyes upon Virginia than he marked her for his special prey. He had the depraved heart of the herder and the insolent confidence of the hoodlum, and something of this the girl perceived. She despised the other men, but she feared this one, and quite justly, for he was capable of assaulting and binding her with his rope, as he had once done with a Shoshone squaw.
The Greggs, father and son, were in open rivalry for Lee also, but in different ways. The older man, who had already been married several times, was disposed to buy her hand in what he called honorable wedlock, but the son, at heart a libertine, approached her as one who despised the West, and who, being kept in the beastly country by duty to a parent, was ready to amuse himself at any ones expense. He had no purpose in life but to feed his body and escape toil.
There are women to whom all this warfare would have been diverting, but it was not so to Lee. Her sense of responsibility was too keen. It was both a torture and a shame. The chivalry of the plains, of which she had read so much and which she supposed she remembered was gone. She doubted if it had ever existed among these centaurs. Why should it inhere in ignorant, brutal plainsmen any more than in ignorant, brutal factory hands?
There came to her, now and again, gentle old ranchers grangers, they would be called and shy boys from the farms, but for the most part the men she saw embittered her, and she kept out of their sight as much as possible. Her keenest pleasures, almost her only pleasures, lay in the occasional brief visits of the ranger, as he rode in for his mail.
Lize perceived all these attacks on her daughter, and was infuriated by them. She snapped and snarled like a tigress leading her half-grown kitten through a throng of leopards. Her brows were knotted with care as well as with pain, and she incessantly urged Virginia to go back to Sulphur. Ill send you money to pay your board till you strike a job. But to this the girl would not agree; and the business, by reason of her presence, went on increasing from day to day.
To Redfield Lize one day confessed her pain. I ought to send for that doctor up there, but the plain truth is Im afraid of him. I dont want to know whats the matter of me. Its his job to tell me Im sick and Im scared of his verdict.
Nonsense, he replied; you cant afford to put off getting him much longer. Im going back to-night, but Ill be over again to-morrow. Why dont you let me bring him down? It will save you twelve dollars. And, by the way, suppose you let me take Lee Virginia home with me? She looks a bit depressed; an outing will do her good. Shes taken hold here wonderfully.
Hasnt she! But I should have sent her away the very first night. Im getting to depend on her. Im plumb foolish about her now cant let her out of my sight; and yet Im off my feed worryin over her. Gregg is getting dangerous you cant fool me when it comes to men. Curse em, theyre all alike beasts, every cussed one of them. I wont have my girl mistreated, I tell you that! Im not fit to be her mother, now thats the Gods truth, Reddy, and this rotten little back-country cow-town is no place for her. But what can I do? She wont leave me so long as Im sick, and every day ties her closer to me. I dont know what Id do without her. If Im goin to die I want her by me when I take my drop. So you see just how Im placed.
She looked yellow and drawn as she ended, and Redfield was moved by her unwonted tenderness.
Now let me advise, he began, after a moments pause. We musnt let the girl get homesick. Ill take her home with me this afternoon, and bring her back along with a doctor to-morrow.
All right, but before you go I want to have a private talk I want to tell you something.
He warned her away from what promised to be a confession. Now, now, Eliza, dont tell me anything that requires that tone of voice; Im a bad person to keep a secret, and you might be sorry for it. I dont want to know anything more about your business than I can guess.
I dont mean the whiskey trade, she explained. Ive cut that all out anyway. Its something more important its about Ed and me.
I dont want to hear that either, he declared. Let bygones be bygones. What you did then is outlawed, anyway. Those were fierce times, and I want to forget them. He looked about. Let me see this Miss Virginia and convey to her Mrs. Redfields invitation.
Shes in the kitchen, I reckon. Go right out.
He was rather glad of a chance to see the young reformer in action, and smiled as he came upon her surrounded by waiters and cooks, busily superintending the preparations for the noon meal, which amounted to a tumult each day.
She saw Redfield, nodded, and a few moments later came toward him, flushed and beaming with welcome. Im glad to see you again, Mr. Supervisor.
He bowed profoundly. Im delighted to find you well, Miss Virginia, and doubly pleased to see you in your regimentals, which you mightily adorn.
She looked down at her apron. I made this myself. Do you know our business is increasing wonderfully? Im busy every moment of the day till bedtime.
Indeed I do know it. I hear of the Wetherford House all up and down the line. I was just telling your mother shell be forced to build bigger, like the chap in the Bible.
She works too hard. Poor mother! I try to get her to turn the cash-drawer over to me, but she wont do it. Doesnt she seem paler and weaker to you?
She does, indeed, and this is what I came in to propose. Mrs. Redfield sends by me a formal invitation to you to visit Elk Lodge. She is not quite able to take the long ride, else shed come to you. Here he handed her a note. I suggest that you go up with me this afternoon, and to-morrow well fetch the doctor down to see your mother. What do you say to that?