Part 38 (1/2)
Powell's hand gripped hers, ”I'm glad for your sake and for Donnie's!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Another month pa.s.sed and the drouth was still unbroken. Stores were threatened with bankruptcy and cattlemen saw vast herds, acc.u.mulated through years of hard toil, dwindle to one-fourth the original number, and faced the possibility of losing that also.
The Arizona ranges for years had been badly overstocked; but each rancher waited for his neighbour to get rid of the surplus cattle, hoping thereby to benefit his own herd. Over-crowding ranges resulted in the tramping out of the roots, and what was more serious, gra.s.s was cropped so closely that there was no opportunity for seed to mature and fall to the ground and germinate for another year. In former times a drouth would not have been so disastrous as under the existing conditions of the ranges.
Having done all in his power to mitigate the situation, Traynor fought a despondency that was entirely foreign to his nature. It was augmented by his desire to conceal the facts from his wife, and to this was added his knowledge that Jamie was continually growing weaker. He had called the men into the office and told them frankly that he would not be able to keep them much longer, as he was straining every financial possibility.
The result of that conference was a surprise that unmanned him. Limber, Bronco, Holy and Roarer declined to be ”fired,” stating they would work for ”chuck” until the drouth was over, and when he remonstrated, the four of them stalked out of the room, as Limber remarked, ”We've got business to attend to outside--instead of talking foolishness inside.”
”If I could manage to get a few thousands,” said Traynor to Nell as they left the breakfast table one morning, ”I would not hesitate to round up all the weakest cattle and s.h.i.+p at once to Colorado, leaving the stronger ones take their chances here on the range. However, I might as well wish for rain; that would be less improbable than obtaining the money. The most aggravating thing is knowing that I could save the greater part of the herd if I could only s.h.i.+p them. Native gra.s.s is plentiful and pasturage cheap in Colorado this year; once I had the cattle there I could easily raise money at one of the Colorado banks on the stock, and so relieve the tension here as well as there. If I pull through this year, I will keep money in readiness for such an emergency, hereafter. It's been a good lesson; but a mighty expensive one.”
As he walked slowly to the barn, he pa.s.sed Paddy with a large parcel coming into the courtyard.
”Oi've got somethings for the bye and the misthress,” he explained, and Traynor told him they were in the living-room.
”h.e.l.lo, ould Sphort!” Paddy said to the boy, who was standing by his sister, watching her water the geraniums.
”There's a new bunch of buds Paddy;” the child announced and Paddy examined the plants critically.
”Yez can't giss what Oi brought wid me for yez;” he said. ”A babby deer.
Oi caught it at Mud Springs an' brung it in fer yez.”
”Oh, Paddy!” Jamie's face glowed with delight. ”How did you catch it?
Where is it?”
”From the looks of it, its mother has been dead for a couple of days.
Giss the coyotes or a lion got her, and the little fellow was mighty wake, and was willin' to make friends. Oi carried him twelve moiles in me arrums on the ould grey horse. He's out in the stables now, and the byes says for yez to come out and get introjuiced to him. They're goin'
to give him milk from a bottle till it gits big enough to ate ither things.”
The child's eyes were bright with excitement as he made his way to the barn, where Bronco and the other boys surrounded a small fawn. Holy was holding a bottle of milk to its mouth, while Bronco stroked the throat to help it swallow, for the fawn was very weak. ”Gee! he was hungry!”
said Holy to Jamie. ”We have to learn him to take the milk this way, and when he gets a little stronger he can take it from a pan. Isn't he pretty? He is such a dark brown on the back, and just look how plain his spots is. Funny they lose 'em when they're yearlings!”
”What you goin' to name it, Kid?” asked Bronco.
”Patsy,” replied Jamie promptly, as he knelt and stroked the soft fur with his thin hand. The fawn turned its head and licked his hand, then gazed at the child with its beautiful eyes. The thin arms went about the fawn's neck gently.
”He knows you won't hurt him, Kid;” spoke Holy, then turned away quickly, swearing to himself. ”They're both about all in, an' n.o.body can't do nothin'.”
After Jamie left the room, Paddy untied the string that held a flour-sack in an unsightly bundle. He tiptoed over to the table and laid the parcel beside Mrs. Traynor's work-basket.
”Oi just got this from the stage dhriver, Yez mabbe afther hearin' Oi niver knowed how to rade an' write, Misthress Thraynor?”
She nodded her head, and Paddy, finding the string obdurate, produced a gigantic pocket-knife, such as is used by cattlemen in ear-marking calves.
”Will, Oi hed an agrayment wid ould man Sullivan that he was to rade the poipers fer me, an' would yez belave it, the dummed ould skoonk was afther thryin' to make me pay him for radin' thim. He says, says he, 'Oi've been to the throuble of radin' thim for wan year, an' be jabers, Oi desarve c.u.mpinsation.' An Oi says to him, says Oi, 'Ahl roight, Sullivan. Phwat's the damidge?' 'Foive dollars,' says he as bould as bra.s.s. 'Ahl roight,' says Oi. 'Oi'll pay yez foive dollars fer radin'
thim poipers, Misther Sullivan, and yez are goin' to pay me tin dollars for the use of thim.' He jumped up and roared at me, 'Thim poipers only cost foive dollars for wan year.' 'Thrue for yez,' says Oi; 'and yez nadent git hot in the collar about it, at all, at all. Oi'm only charging yez fer takin' up my toime whilst Oi was waitin' fer yez to spill out the big wurrds!'” Paddy smiled grimly as he crowded some fresh tobacco into his pipe, and after taking a few preliminary puffs, he continued. ”Will, Sullivan niver collected thot foive dollars. Oi thought Oi would be afthar bringin' thim poipers here, so you can rade thim and till me the news forinst Oi come again.”