Part 45 (2/2)

Skelty had built his place on a side hill. The bar and dinin' hall was in front, and a small dance hall and kitchen back of it. Upstairs were bedrooms, and the ground sloped so, that the back rooms were only about five feet from the ground. This made the downstairs easier to heat in winter-and it was also convenient for any one who wanted to get in through a window.

Me and Spider ate breakfast next mornin'; but we wouldn't let Tank eat, rememberin' the Friar's rules for wounds. When we started away, Tank insisted on goin' along; so we had to ride slow. We went north, instead of in the direction we wanted to go, for fear some one might be spyin' on us. I was mighty sorry we had come, even though I had found out that Promotheus was under suspicion; and as soon as we had come to a pa.s.s where we could see a good distance in all directions, I sent Spider on a circle to tell the boys to bring things to a head as soon as possible.

Tank's leg ached him consid'able; and we had to ride purty slow; but by noon we had come to the Simpsons' cabin. We told 'em that Ty Jones was suspicious about the Greasers and intended to get square with all who had took a hand in removin' 'em; so they agreed to stand with us whenever we were ready to make a raid on Ty.

I made Tank lie down all afternoon, and drink all the water he could swallow, but that night when I started to ride over to the look-out, he insisted on goin' along. It was a hard ride, and I wanted him to wait until the next night, but he tagged along, so I had to ride slow.

We had figured out that the feller who had tried to get him had seen the hat on his foot at the head o' the bed; and before he had had time to locate him proper, the noise the other one had made slammin' the window to my room had scared him, so he had taken his stab haphazard.

This must 'a' been the way, 'cause when drinkin', Tank was usually a regular long range snorer, and only a hurried man would have mistaken his feet for his head. Tank insisted that he had seen the feller's outline again' the window, and that it had been Dixon. I doubted this; but Tank insisted that the feller had had a neck like a beer bottle, and then I had to give in.

We didn't reach camp until sun-up, and then we found 'at Promotheus had been there the night before, with word that he had had a long talk with the woman, who had been in the most rational mood he had ever seen her in. He had drawn her into tellin' him all she could remember.

She had told him about havin' her head full o' pictures; but not bein'

able to tell the real ones from those she had dreamed. She said she had lost the key to them and could not understand 'em, that she remembered havin' sung on many different platforms, but could not tell where or when, and could not sing any more, though she sometimes tried. She said that whenever he said the name Carmichael, she saw the picture of a young man in white robes, but that he had died. When Promotheus had tried to make her understand that he was still alive, she had become frightened, and told him never to speak the name again.

He asked her about the Winter Garden in Berlin, and she said 'at this called up the picture of a man with curled-up mustaches, and then she had covered her eyes, and told him he must not mention this again, either. Horace was tellin' me all this; and when he finished, I sez: ”Well, if this is the most rational she has ever got, she'd be a nice one to handle in her usual condition. I don't see what we're to do; but we have to move fast, as Ty Jones is suspicious.”

The next night the Friar and I were down at the head of the path leadin' into the ravine when Promotheus came. He said that Dixon had come in with his face cut, and had told about seein' us over at Skelty's, and how we had bragged about gettin' him rail-roaded, and Dixon and the others had told him they were ready to back him up any time he wanted to go an' get even. He also said 'at Ty had been roastin' the whole gang of 'em for bein' afraid of Olaf, and advised us to warn Olaf to be on guard. He said the woman had told him that day that at all times she had a dull pain in the top part of her head.

The was beginnin' to get worried, this was plain to see, and he didn't stay very long.

When we told the others what he had said, we decided it was our duty to go and tell Olaf that very night, so that he could send over the next day and get a couple o' the Simpson boys to come over and help watch his place at night, until we were ready to finish with Ty. We wanted to put it off as long as possible, as Ty would soon be in the fall round-up and there wouldn't be so many men at the home place.

Mexican Slim and Tillte Dutch started to ride to Olaf's; but I was restless that night, so I rode along with 'em. Just before we reached the Spread, we saw a bright light at the side o' the cabin. In a minute two other lights shot up, and we knew they were firin' brush at the side of it. We threw in the spurs and rode, keepin' close watch.

Two men rode towards us, and we drew off to the side of the road. Just as they got opposite, we ordered 'em to halt; but they whirled and fired at us. We fired back, and started after 'em; but it was dark in the cottonwoods, and they gave us the slip and got away.

When we reached the cabin, we saw it was doomed. Piles o' brush had been heaped on all sides of it and fired one after the other.

Everything was so dry that even the dirt on the roof would have burned, and there was nothing to do. Kit with the boy in her arms, and Olaf and Oscar beside her were standin' close by, watchin' it burn, and they felt mighty bitter. We told 'em why we had come, and advised 'em to go and leave Kit with the Simpsons, and come to our camp the next night. Then we rode back before daylight and told the others what had happened. We were all purty hosstile. Settin' fire to a cabin with a sleepin' woman inside wasn't no fair way o' fightin'.

That afternoon as we were watchin' the ranch through the field gla.s.ses, we saw the woman and Promotheus walkin' together toward a little open s.p.a.ce in the cottonwoods where the' was some gra.s.s close to the edge o' the crick. Thick bushes was all about this place, and it was cool and pleasant in the heat o' the day. They hadn't been gone very long when we saw two others sneakin' after them. I looked through the gla.s.ses, and one appeared to be the skinny feller, Dixon, and the other, the Chinese cook. We saw 'em sneak into the bushes and disappear close to where the woman and Promotheus were sittin'. Part o' the time they talked together, and part of the time she read to him out of a book.

We fair ached to yell to 'em and put 'em on their guard; but all we could do was to sit up above in our look-out, feelin' weak and useless. I suppose we felt like a mother bird when she sees some inhuman human foolin' about her nest.

After a time the c.h.i.n.k crept out and scurried along to the old house.

He bounced across the porch, all crouched over, and we knew he had some evil tale to cheer up his yellow soul with. In half a minute, Ty came out with him and follered him into the clump o' bushes. We could see the woman and Promotheus plain, with our naked eyes. It was a good thing, too; for Horace hung on to his gla.s.ses as though they were life preservers.

In about ten minutes, the bushes parted, and Ty stepped into the open s.p.a.ce in front of 'em. Promotheus got to his feet slow, but the woman sat still, and didn't seem much interested.

Ty glared at Promotheus durin' the few minutes he was questionin' him, and then they all went back towards the ranch house. The woman went on to her own cabin, and Ty blew on the horn which hung at the side of the door, and that sneak of a Dixon came on the run, as though he had no idee what was wanted. Actin' under orders from Ty, he took The's gun and then tied his hands behind him and shut him up in an out buildin' near the stables. There didn't appear to be any one else about the ranch, and I suggested that we make a rush and take possession right then.

While we were debatin' it, we saw the punchers comin' in from the east, across the crick. There were about a dozen of 'em, strung out and ridin' hard the way they generally rode.

”They're likely to string him up this very night,” sez I; ”and we'll have to settle this business before sun-up.”

”They are not likely to be in any hurry,” sez the Friar. ”If we go to-night it will mean a lot o' bloodshed. To-morrow they will go out on the range again, and we stand a good chance of rescuing him without even a fight.”

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