Part 28 (1/2)
”And I may marry Curly?”
”Not if you join my outfit. None of my wolves are invited to offer theyr paws in mar'iage with my Curly. Two or three of them young persons proposed theyrselves, and found my gun a whole lot too contagious for comfort.”
Jim unbuckled his belt, and let it fall with holster and gun to the ground.
”I cannot accept the loan of that gun,” he said, ”or any favour from you. I've been hunted, I'm afoot, I'm unarmed, but now, by thunder! look out for yourself, because I'm going to hunt. I shall rob you if I can; I'm at war with you and every man on the stock range, until I've won back my house, my lands, my cattle. Then I'll come for your daughter, but I won't ask for her!”
McCalmont leaned his shoulder against the corral, and laughed at him.
”Wade in!” says he; ”good luck, my boy. I mustn't ask you to divulge yo'
plans, but I'm heaps interested.”
”My father told me, Captain McCalmont, that all the first Balshannon won he got with the sword. Well, times are changed--we use revolvers now!”
”Only for robbery, my lad, and for murder. I thought as you do once, and reckoned I'd get even with the world. I started with a lone gun, I sure got even, but see the price I paid. My wife was--I cayn't talk of that.
My lil' son was shot. My daughter is herding with thieves--and she's the only thing that I've got left on airth. Come, lad, if I can bear to part with her, and give her up to you, cayn't you give up a little of yo'
fool pride and accept her dowry jest to save the child? Take her away to whar she can stay good--I ask no more of you.”
”You want me to run away from Ryan, and let him keep Holy Cross? You want me to live in Ireland on a woman's money? You want to hire Lord Balshannon, with stolen money, to keep your daughter?” Jim spat on the ground. ”If you want to give Curly to a filthy blackguard, why don't you marry her to Ryan?”
”You use strong words, seh.”
”And mean them!”
McCalmont lowered his eyes, and pawed in the dust with his foot. Just for a moment he stood scratching the dust, then he looked up.
”Onced,” he said, very quiet, ”I aimed at being a gentleman. I beg yo'
pardon, seh.”
”You are a gentleman,” says Jim, ”that's just the worst of it--you understand things. What on earth makes you want to insult me?”
”It seems to me, Jim, that you might understand, more than you do, that I'm aiming to be yo' friend. Yo're at war with this yere Ryan to get back Holy Crawss, or a fair equivalent, eh, for what you've lost?”
”Go on, sir.”
”I'm at war, too, with the breed of swine he belongs to. Would you be satisfied if Ryan paid in cash for yo' home, yo' land, and yo' cattle?
You being an outlaw now, it wouldn't be healthy to live there to any great extent. Will you take cash?”
”Or blood!”
”I have no speshul use fo' blood. I reckon I'd as soon bleed a polecat as a Ryan, if I yearned for blood. What d'you reckon you could buy with blood--sections of peace, chunks of joy? I'd take mine in cash.”
”You'll help, sir?”
”For all young Ryan's worth, and then”--McCalmont laid his hands on Jim's shoulders--”you'll take Curly home as yo' wife, eh, partner?”