Part 27 (2/2)

”What is it, Two-Bits? Why do you bring it to me?”

”I can't use it--'em. I thought ... I ...” he began, backing rapidly toward the door, moving with accelerated speed as he put distance between them.

”Two-Bits, you wait!” she commanded. ”I'm going to find out what this is before you go.”

He looked about in a fresh agony of embarra.s.sment but her order had rendered him unable to move. Jane broke the string, took off the wrapping and opened a paper box. Within reposed a pair of spurs, as small spurs as her boots were small boots. They were beautiful products of some mountain forge, one-piece steel, heavily engraved by hand, silver plated. Small silver chains and hand-tooled straps were attached and as she held them up the delicate rowels jingled like tiny bells.

”Two-Bits!” she cried. ”Aren't they beautiful?”

”Yes, ma'am,” he said, and made for the door again.

She caught him by the arm that time, else he would have fled, and she made him look at her.

”Two-Bits, you lied to me! You didn't find these on the road, now, did you?”

”Well, that is.... Not exactly, ma'am,”--weakly.

”Where did they come from?”

”A fella, he made 'em an' give 'em to me an' they was too small for me--”

”Don't you tell me another single lie! _Where_ did you get them?”

”Well ... I had 'em made,”--swallowing again, and _very_ weakly.

”Two-Bits!”--seizing his rough, cold hand while a suggestion of tears came into her eyes. ”You had these made for me? Why, bless your heart, I've never had a finer gift before. And to think--

”You're a dear!”

”Oh, my gos.h.!.+” he whimpered, and despite her detaining hand, fled the disquieting presence.

Of all men in that country, Two-Bits was the only one who openly accepted Jane Hunter and his devotion was caused by an awed appreciation of her beauty. The others, even her own riders, remained stolidly skeptical of her ability to measure up to the task she had undertaken and when men talked of the business of the country they unconsciously spoke of the prestige of the HC as a thing of the past.

Hepburn had brought back some of her property that was being driven off but he had not halted attempts to make away with her horses and cattle.

There were rumors, vague but persistent, of other depredations and those who best knew the ways of the cattle country awaited that time when the situation must reach a crisis, when Jane Hunter must be put to the ordeal that would test her mettle.

She was yet unconscious of much of this for her urge to make a place for herself centered on penetrating the callousness of the one man she wanted to impress most of all. He remained aloof, watching her either with that tantalizing amus.e.m.e.nt or a subtle challenge to win his open friends.h.i.+p. There were moments when, as on that night after their drive to Ute Crossing, she wanted to throw herself on him, to beg, to plead that he lower his reserve and give her a place ... a place in his heart.

But that, reason told her, would be the last thing to win him. She must trust to the force of her personality to drive her way into his life....

Occasionally he would talk, for she offered a sympathetic audience to the things he had to say but never did their conversation become intimate; the subjects he discussed were invariably abstract and impersonal. While listening she studied the man, striving to define that quality about him which lay behind his reserve and drew her on.

She could not seize and a.n.a.lyze it.... He was, aside from obvious minor qualities, a closed book.

Still she saw him at night patrolling the cottonwoods before he slept!

She could not know what went on in the heart of that man, of the fight he waged with himself, of the struggle he made to stick to his creed: never to take a chance. He did not know that she was aware of those nightly vigils. The first had been on that night after he had played with her pride and her high spirits. Returned to the bunk house he had suddenly seen her not a smart, capable stranger but as a girl, alone, facing a new life, surrounded by strange people and unfriendly influences. He sensed a pity for her and walked back to look about the place and see that all was well, as he might have watched over a sleeping child.

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