Nevada (1995) (34 page)

"Dillon, hell!" exclaimed Marvie, evidently provoked out of hi
s
radiant pleasure of being the first to inform his boss about th
e
return of his beloved favorite. "Dillon is in bed. There's nobod
y
up but me."

"Ahuh! By George! Did you see anyone?"

"Not a soul."

"Well! That beats me. Let's go down. Ina, get some clothes on i
f
you're comin'. Tell the kid. This'll sure tickle him."

Ben and Marvie, with Hettie trying to keep beside them, stalke
d
down off the ridge, into the lane, through the courtyard, and on t
o
the corrals. Three times during that swift walk Ben asked the sam
e
question and three times Marvie made the same reply. Raid
y
appeared on the bunkhouse porch and he carried a rifle.

"Boss, what's the bellarin' about?" he queried, as he joined th
e
trio. Marvie led the way through two corrals, and then across th
e
wide square to a high pasture fence, up which he scrambled like
a
squirrel.

"There!" he shouted, pointing.

Ben surmounted the fence ahead of Hettie, and his wonderin
g
exultant cry prepared her.

California Red stood not far distant, down along the fence.

Nervously he jerked up at Ben's cry, and wheeled with head high
,
ears up, eyes wild. How sensitive, splendid he looked to Hettie!

Ben whistled and began to call: "Red--Red, old boy, come here
,
Red!"

The stallion lost his alarm, and laying down his ears he approache
d
slowly, step by step. Ben kept calling. Red knew the voice an
d
showed increasing gladness. He whinnied. Then he trotted straigh
t
to where Ben straddled the fence. He looked the worse for hi
s
absence. Ragged, scratched, muddy, somewhat thinner, he showed th
e
effect of hard travel and probably harsh treatment.

"Ben, somebody's been mean to him, else he wouldn't come hankerin'
t
o you thet way," declared Raidy.

"By Heaven! if that's true!" cried Ben, fiercely, and reaching ou
t
his hand he called again. "Come, Red. Come, old boy. Don't yo
u
know your boss?"

But Red would not come all the way. He halted uncertain, pawin
g
the ground. His dark eyes shone softly. Again he whinnied. Be
n
guardedly got down off the fence, speaking all the time, and slowl
y
went up to Red, finally encircling the noble neck with his arm.

Then he buried his face in the red mane.

Hettie's thoughts went back to the Forlorn River days whe
n
California Red had roamed the sage hills, free and proud, when Be
n
had been a lonely, outcast, wild-horse hunter, and when Nevada ha
d
come so mysteriously into their lives. Hettie's eyes dimmed. Sh
e
could not understand Ben's great and passionate love for that gran
d
horse, but she felt sympathy for him and rejoiced in his happiness.

Meanwhile the cowboys had arrived on the scene. Raidy had opene
d
the pasture gate. Presently Ben led the stallion through to th
e
square.

"Look him over, Raidy," said Ben.

While the cowboys crowded around and Hettie still stayed on th
e
fence, the better to see, the old horseman walked round Red
,
feeling him, examining him, lifting his hoofs one after the other.

"Wal, boss, he's as sound as a bullet," declared Raidy, gladly.

"Ganted up a little an' got a couple of bad cuts. An' he's lost
a
shoe. Nervous an' skittish. But you can bet he's glad to gi
t
home; an' far as I can see he's no wuss for bein' stolen."

"Raidy, do you still hang to that opinion?" inquired Ben.

"I sure do. They ain't anything else to it. Why, man, don't yo
u
know hosses? Can't you see he's been haltered an' hobbled?"

"Aw, no!" said Ben.

"Sure. Look thar. Use your eyes, boss. You got him back an' I
r
eckon you'll keep him this time. But don't let your love for th
e
hoss blind you to facts."

Raidy kept running gentle, skillful hands over Red, ruffling up th
e
silky hair, looking with the eyes of long experience to marks an
d
signs by which he read something of what had happened to the horse.

"See for yourself," went on Raidy, with vehemence. "Look hyar! . . .

By Gawd! he's been roped, too!"

At this point Hettie espied Dillon stalk around the corner of th
e
high fence, which had obscured the men and horse. Abruptly h
e
halted. Swift amaze and consternation leaped across his expressio
n
of curiosity, blotting it out. Then as swiftly his face changed
,
smoothing to a smile. What a handsome, pleasant man! Hetti
e
marveled at his consummate control and acting. But he could no
t
fool her again. The return of Red was actually as startling t
o
Dillon as it had been to anyone else there.

The circle of cowboys opened to admit Dillon.

"Ha! So, boss, what'd I tell you?" he broke out, and vigorousl
y
shook Ben's hand. It was strange for Hettie to see how muc
h
pleasure that gave Ben. But just then he was up in the skies.

"The old red son-of-a-gun has come back. Jumped the pasture fenc
e
goin' an' comin'. . . . Red, I take off my hat to you. But yo
u
never had me guessin'!"

"Dillon, I had it figured the same," declared Ben.

Raidy snorted his disgust. "An' you once a wild-hoss hunter! Say
,
if Red had RUN off he'd never have come back. I asked you to tak
e
a peep at them marks on him. But you keep huggin' the hoss an' yo
u
won't look."

"Old-timer, I'm so happy to get him back that I don't want to d
o
anythin' else. Besides, Raidy, on the square, I'd hate to have i
t
proved he'd been stolen."

"Stolen? That's nonsense, I tell you," interposed Dillon, testily.

"Red took a little run an' come home. I've had many a hoss do it."

"Not wild hosses, Mister Dillon," snapped Raidy.

"What do you know about hosses, Raidy?"

"Wal, I reckon I've forgot more'n you ever knew," retorted th
e
older man. "I ain't doubtin' you've HAD a lot of hosses, Dillon
,
but you didn't RAISE them--you didn't CATCH them--an' you didn'
t
KEEP them long."

This was pretty plain speaking, as was evinced by Ben's steppin
g
between the men, and the dark flash that wiped out Dillon'
s
geniality.

"What're you hintin' at?" he queried.

"I'm not hintin'. I'm tellin' you, that's all. An' you can lik
e
it or lump it."

Ben raised a hand to silence Raidy. "That'll do. You're bot
h
privileged to your opinions, but don't get nasty."

"All right, boss," replied Raidy, in an aggrieved tone. "But m
y
word is sort of ridiculed hyar. An' I'm askin' thet you look a
t
these marks on Red. If you won't I reckon I'll take it as a sla
p
at me, an' I'll quit you cold."

"Raidy!" exclaimed Ben, astounded.

"You know me, boss," returned the old horseman, sturdily.

Ben wavered. It was plain to Hettie that he hoped to keep peac
e
between, the old and new hands, so valuable to him now. But Raid
y
had thrown down his gage and he looked formidable.

"Ben," called Hettie, from the fence, "you've known Raidy all you
r
life. He taught you how to ride. It's only fair that you liste
n
to him."

"All right, Raidy, if you feel that bad about it," replied Ben
,
resignedly.

Again the old horseman ran his gentle, skillful hands over Red'
s
supple body, down to the wonderfully muscled legs. "Look hyar,"
s
aid Raidy, as he stooped. "He's been hobbled. See! He's bee
n
gone TEN days. Thet mark was made no more'n yesterday."

"Reckon you're right," admitted Ben, as he slowly arose. "I
a
pologize."

"No apology wanted," said Raidy. "All I want is for you to com
e
out of your trance. . . . Now look hyar. Look at Red's nose.

He's been roped."

"By thunder! There's been a hackamore on him," ejaculated Ben.

Dillon was not to be outwitted, and he had swiftly followed Ben'
s
examination of the horse.

"Damn if Raidy isn't right boss," he exploded, evidently regretful.

"I hadn't even looked at Red. But there are the marks, plain a
s
print. . . . I apologize, too, Raidy. My mistake."

"Wal, Mister Dillon, I'm acceptin' your apology," drawled Raidy
,
his keen old hawk eyes on the handsome foreman.

Hettie was riding beside Marvie, across the western end of the sag
e
flat, toward the fence which marked the limit of Ben Ide's ranc
h
land.

Marvie dismounted to open the gate for them, and when he vaulted t
o
the saddle again he grinned. "Nobody but Raidy saw us, an' h
e
won't tell. But Ben would stand for anythin' to-day. Gee! how h
e
loves that red horse!"

"He does indeed. Well, I love California Red, too."

"Ben's daffy over him. Gave me a hundred dollars, just for seein'

Red first!"

"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a boy healthy, wealthy, and--"

"Gee! I do feel rich!" interrupted Marvie. "An' I'd like to fl
y
to town an' back. But it'll keep."

"Marvie, were you looking at Dillon when he first came on us an
d
saw Red?" inquired Hettie.

"No, I wasn't. Why?" returned Marvie, turning to eye her.

"He struck me as being more amazed than any of us, and NOT s
o
happy."

"Ahuh!" replied Marvie. It was evident that he chose to b
e
noncommittal. Hettie, however, did not fail to catch the glint i
n
his eye.

"Raidy and Dillon are at odds," she continued. "That's plain."

"Wasn't Dillon the slick one, though, when he turned the tables o
n
Raidy?" rejoined Marvie, as if impelled.

"Yes. He's too clever for men. It takes a woman to see throug
h
him."

"I'll bet DAYLIGHT will show through him--presently," returne
d
Marvie, in dark significance.

"Marv, you are absorbing a lot of Arizona."

"Here's where we turn off, Hettie," said Marvie, as he left th
e
road. "Narrow trail, but good. Look out for the brush an' duc
k
the branches. Ride now!"

He spurred his horse into a lope and Hettie did likewise. Soo
n
they entered the forest, where the shade was welcome and no dus
t
arose. Hettie had been on this trail several times, though not t
o
go very far. It led west, toward the brakes and the frowning dar
k
notches of the Mogollons, dim and purple in the distance. Soo
n
they passed the limit of Hettie's experience in that direction,
a
fact which gave her a thrill. She scarcely had a chance, however
,
to look at the scenery, for Marvie was making time, and she had t
o
watch her horse and the low branches.