Part 18 (2/2)

”Them revolutionary folk of our own blood bequeathed thet tree ter us--an' we heired hit from 'em along with all thet's good in us. They lays buried thar under hit, an' by now I reckon hits roots don't only rest in ther ground an' rock thet's underneath hit--but in ther graves of our people theirselves. Some part of them hes done pa.s.sed inter thet old tree, I reckon, ter give virtue ter hits sap an' stren'th. Thet's why thar hain't no other place ter be married at.”

The July morning of their wedding day dawned fresh and cloudless, and from remote valleys and coves a procession of saddled mounts, ox-carts, and foot travellers, grotesque in their oddly conceived raiment of festivity, set toward the house at the river's bend. They came to look at the bride, whose beauty was a matter of local fame, and for their first inquisitive scrutiny of the stranger who had wooed with such interest-provoking dispatch and upon whom, rumour insisted, was to descend the mantle of clan leaders.h.i.+p, albeit his blood was alien.

But the bridegroom himself lay on his bed, the victim of a convalescent's set-back, and it seemed doubtful whether his strength would support him through the ceremony. When he attempted to rise, after a night of returned fever, his muscles refused to obey the mandates of his will, and Uncle Jase Burrell, who had arrived early to make out the license, issued his edict that Cal Maggard must be married in bed.

But at that his patient broke into defiant and open rebellion.

”I aims ter stand upright ter be wed,” he scornfully a.s.serted, ”ef I don't nuver stand upright ergin! Ask Dorothy an' her gran'pap an' Bas Rowlett ter come in hyar. I wants ter hev speech with 'em all together.”

Uncle Jase yielded grudgingly to the stronger will and within a few minutes those who had been summoned appeared.

Bas Rowlett came last, and his face bore the marks of a sleepless night, but he had undertaken a role and he purposed to play it to its end.

In after days, days for which Bas Rowlett was planning now, he meant that every man who looked back on that wedding should remember and say of him: ”Bas, he war thar--plum friendly. n.o.body couldn't be a man's enemy an' act ther way Bas acted.” In his scheme of conspiracy the art of alibi building was both cornerstone and arch-key.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”_Even Bas Rowlett, whose nerves were keyed for an ordeal, started and almost let the leaning bridegroom fall_”]

Now it pleased Cal, even at a time when other interests pressed so close and absorbingly, to indulge himself in a grim and sardonic humour. The man who had ”hired him killed” and whom in turn he meant to kill stood in the room where he himself lay too weak to rise from his bed, and toward that man he nodded his head.

”Good mornin', Bas,” he accosted, and the other replied, ”Howdy, Cal.”

Then Maggard turned to the others. ”This man, Bas Rowlett,” he said, ”sought to marry Dorothy hisself. Ye all knows thet, yet deespite thet fact when I come hyar a stranger he befriended me, didn't ye, Bas?”

”We spoke ther truth ter one another,” concurred Rowlett, wondering uneasily whither the conversational trend was leading, ”an' we went on bein' friends.”

”An' now afore ye all,” Maggard glanced comprehensively about the group, ”albeit hit don't need no more attestin', he's goin' ter prove his friends.h.i.+p fer me afresh.”

A pause followed, broken finally from the bed.

”I kain't stand up terday--an' without standin' up I couldn't hardly be rightfully wedded--so Bas air agoin' ter support me, and holp me out thar an' hold me upright whilst I says ther words ... hain't ye, Bas?”

The hardly taxed endurance of the conspirator for a moment threatened to break in failure. A hateful scowl was gathering in his eyes as he hesitated and Maggard went on suavely: ”Anybody else could do hit fer me--but I've got ther feelin' thet I wants ye, Bas.”

”All right,” came the low answer. ”I'll aim ter convenience ye, Cal.”

He turned hastily and left the room, and bending over the bed Uncle Jase produced the marriage license.

”I'll jest fill in these blank places,” he announced, briskly, ”with ther names of Dorothy Harper an' Cal Maggard an' then we'll be ready fer ther signatures.”

But at that Maggard raised an imperative hand in negation.

”No,” he said, shortly and categorically, ”I aims ter be married by my rightful name--put hit down thar like hit is--Kenneth Parish Thornton--all of hit!”

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