"Did he know?"
"Vat? Senor Farnham? No doubt, senorita. Come, eet ees but de step."
The bewildered American hung back, her eyes filled with dread resting upon the black shadow of the curtain, from behind which clearly arose the strains of a laboring orchestra, mingling with the discordant noise of a ribald crowd. Farnham understood she was locked in; knew she might hope to escape only through that scene of pollution; beyond doubt, he waited in its midst to gloat over her degradation, possibly even to accost her. She shrank from such an ordeal as though she fronted pestilence.
"Oh, not that way; not through the dance hall!" she exclaimed.
Mercedes clapped her hands with delight. To her it appeared amusing.
"Holy Mother! Vy not? Eet make me laugh to see you so ver" nice. Vat you "fraid "bout? Vas eet de men? Pah! I snap my fingers at all of dem dis vay. Dey not say boo! But come, now, Mercedes show you vay out vere you no meet vis de men, no meet vis anybody. Poof, eet ees easy."
She danced lightly away, her hand beckoning, her black eyes aglow with aroused interest. Reluctantly the puzzled American slowly followed, dipping down into the black labyrinth leading beneath the stage. Amid silence and darkness Mercedes grasped her arm firmly, leading unhesitatingly forward. Standing within the glare of light streaming through the partially open door. Miss Norvell drew a sudden breath of relief. The chairs and benches, piled high along the side of the great room, left a secluded pa.s.sageway running close against the wall. Along this the two young women moved silently, catching merely occasional glimpses of the wild revelry upon the other side of that rude barrier, unseen themselves until within twenty feet of the street door. There Miss Norvell hesitated her anxious eyes searching the mixed crowd of dancers now for the first time fully revealed. Even as she gazed upon the riot, shocked into silence at the inexpressible profligacy displayed, and ashamed of her presence in the midst of it, a merry peal of laughter burst through the parted lips of the Mexican dancer.
"_Dios de Dios_, but I had all forgot dis vas your night for de dance, senor. But you no so easy forget Mercedes, hey?"
He stood directly before them, plainly embarra.s.sed, gripping his disreputable hat in both hands like a great bashful boy, his face reddening under her smiling eyes, his voice appearing to catch within his throat. Mercedes laughed again, patting his broad shoulder with her white hand as though she petted a great, good-natured dog. Then her sparkling black eyes caught sight of something unexpected beyond, and, in an instant, grew hard with purpose.
"Holy Mother! but eet "s true he ees here, senorita--see yonder by de second vindow," she whispered fiercely. "Maybe it vas so he tink to get you once more, but he not looked dis vay yet. _Bueno_! I make him dance vis me. Dis man Stutter Brown, an" he go vis you to de hotel; ees eet not so, _amigo_?"
"I-I have no t-t-time," he stuttered, totally confused. "Y-you see, I "m in a h-h.e.l.l of a h-h-hurry."
"Pah; eet vill not take five minute, an" I be here ven you come back.
Si, senor, I vait for you for de dance, sure." She turned eagerly to Miss Norvell. "You go vis him, senorita; he ver" good man, I, Mercedes, know."
The American looked at them both, her eyes slightly smiling in understanding.
"Yes," she a.s.sented quietly, "I believe he is."
CHAPTER XI
HALF-CONFIDENCES
Whatever Stutter Brown may secretly have thought concerning this new arrangement of his affairs, he indulged in no outward manifestations.
Not greatly gifted in speech, he was nevertheless sufficiently prompt in action. The swift, nervous orders of the impulsive Mexican dancer had sufficiently impressed him with one controlling idea, that something decidedly serious was in the air; and, as she flitted across the room, looking not unlike a red bird, he watched her make directly toward a man who was leaning negligently back in a chair against the farther wall. For a moment he continued to gaze through the obscuring haze of tobacco smoke, uncertain as to the other"s ident.i.ty, his eyes growing angry, his square jaw set firm.
"W-who is the f-f-feller?" he questioned gruffly. "Wh-what "s she m-mean l-leavin" me to go over th-thar ter h-him?"
Beth Norvell glanced up frankly into his puzzled face.
"She has gone to keep him away from me," she explained quietly. "His name is Farnham."
Brown"s right hand swung back to his belt, his teeth gripped like those of a fighting dog.
"h.e.l.l!" he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, forgetting to stutter. "Is that him? Biff Farnham? An" he "s after you is he, the d.a.m.ned Mormon?"
She nodded, her cheeks growing rosy from embarra.s.sment. Brown cast a quick, comprehensive glance from the face of the woman to where the man was now leaning lazily against the wall.
"All r-right, little g-girl," he said slowly, and with grave deliberation. "I-I reckon I n-never went b-back on any p-pard yet.
B-blamed if y-y-you hate thet c-cuss any worse th-than I do. Y-you bet, I "ll take you out o" h-h-here safe "nough."
He drew her more closely against his side, completely shielding her slender figure from observation by the intervention of his giant body, and thus they pa.s.sed out together into the gloomy but still riotous street. A block or more down, under the glaring light of a noisy saloon, the girl looked up questioningly into his boyish face.
"Are you Stutter Brown, of the "Little Yankee"?" she asked doubtfully.
"I-I reckon you"ve c-c-called the t-turn, Miss."
She hesitated a moment, but there was something about this big, awkward fellow, with his sober eyes and good-natured face, which gave her confidence.
"Do--do you know a Mr. Ned Winston?"
He shook his head, the locks of red hair showing conspicuously under the wide hat-brim.
"I r-reckon not. Leastwise, don"t s-s-sorter seem to r-recall no such n-name, Miss. Was the g-gent a f-friend o" your "n?"
"Y-yes. He is a mining engineer, and, I have been told, is under engagement at the "Little Yankee.""
Brown"s eyes hardened, looking down into the upturned face, and his hands clinched in sudden awakening suspicion.
"You d-did, hey?" he questioned sullenly. "Wh-who told you that r-rot?"
"Farnham."
The man uttered an unrestrained oath, fully believing now that he was being led into a cunningly devised trap. His mental operations were slow, but he was swift and tenacious enough in prejudice. He stopped still, and the two stood silently facing each other, the same vague spectre of suspicion alive in the minds of both.
"Farnham," the man muttered, for one instant thrown off his guard from surprise. "How th-the h.e.l.l d-d-did he g-git hold o" that?"
"I don"t know; but is n"t it true?"
He turned her face around toward the light, not roughly, yet with an unconscious strength which she felt irresistible, and looked at her searchingly, his own eyes perceptibly softening.
"Y-you sure l-l-look all right, little g-girl," he admitted, slowly, "but I "ve h-heard th-th-that feller was h.e.l.l with w-women. I-I reckon you b-better go b-back to Farnham an" find out."
He paused, wiping his perspiring face with the back of his hand, his cheeks reddening painfully under her unfaltering gaze. Finally he blurted out:
"Say, w-who are you, anyhow?"
"Beth Norvell, an actress."
"You kn-kn-know Farnham?"
She bent her head in regretful acknowledgment.
"An" you kn-kn-know the senorita?"
"Yes, a very little."