Farnham laughed, the quick reaction possibly affecting even his iron nerves. Winston whirled and fronted him, the gray eyes blazing.
"d.a.m.n you, you sneaking, sneering brute!" he burst forth. "You thief, you woman-beater, you unspeakable cur! I surrender to the sheriff of Gulpin County, not to you. I "ve got the evidence to send you to the penitentiary, and I "ll do it, even though I stand myself in the shadow of death while I bear witness to your infamy. You think this arrest will shut my mouth! You imagine this will render me harmless! But, by G.o.d, it will not! I "ll fight you until the last breath leaves my body. I "ll tear you out from the protection of law; I "ll show you the kind of a man you have stacked up against. I don"t know whether this murder charge is all a trick or not; I don"t more than half believe Jack Burke is dead. But be that as it may, I "ll pull you down, Biff Farnham, not in any revenge for wrong done me, but to save a woman whom you know. I "ll do it, d.a.m.n you, though it cost me my life!"
The sheriff"s iron hand fell in restraint upon his shoulder, the burly body interposed between them.
"You"re all right," Hayes said quietly, his eyes pleasantly interested.
"You "ve been squar" with me, young fellow, an" I "m goin" ter be squar" with you. You kin bet on that. They "ll give you a chance down below to fight out your quarrel with Farnham."
Winston, his quick rage as instantly fading, drew one hand across his face, the real danger of his present situation flowing back suddenly to mind.
"Where do you mean to take us?" he questioned.
"San Juan."
"Right away?"
"Wal, "bout as soon as we kin git you back ter whar the hosses are, yonder."
"You promise us protection from that "Independence" outfit?"
The sheriff nodded decisively.
"Never lost no prisoner yet to a mob," he replied confidently. "I reckon thar"ll be one h.e.l.l of a fight before I do now. However, you don"t need to worry, young man. On second thought, I "ll have the hosses brought over here, an" we "ll go down this trail."
Winston glanced about into the faces of Hicks and the Swede. There was no help forthcoming from either, but he had already reached a definite decision for himself.
"Very well," he said calmly, "I "ll go with you quietly, sheriff, only I don"t need any hand-cuffing."
"Never use "em," and Hayes affectionately patted his gun. "I reckon this yere instrument will do the business all right if any misunderstandin" should arise atween us goin" down. However, I "ll trouble yer to discard them weapons for the sake o" peace."
Without a word the engineer unbuckled his belt, tossed it over to Hicks, and then slowly turned his body about to prove himself entirely disarmed. Then he smiled, and extended his hand. The sheriff grasped it cordially.
"There need be no hard feeling between us, Hayes," he said pleasantly.
"You "re only doing your sworn duty; I understand that. But there "s something rotten in this affair somewhere. All I ask is a square deal."
"An" yer kin bet you"ll git it, Mr. Winston, er Sam Hayes will find out why. This yere "Independence" outfit is no favorites o" mine, an" if the whole difficulty turns out ter be nothin" but a minin" squabble, the jury ain"t likely ter be very hard on yer. That"s my way o"
figgerin" on it, from what little I know." He glanced keenly about, seeking to gain a clearer idea of their immediate surroundings. "Maybe you an" Swanson better mosey back yonder to the cabin, where I can keep an eye on you easy, while I send after the hosses. Farnham, climb back on top of the dump there, an" give them boys the signal to come on."
The gambler removed his hat, running one hand carelessly through his hair, his thin lips sufficiently parted to reveal his white teeth.
"I hardly think we are exactly done yet, Mr. Sheriff," he said sarcastically. "I "m not very much worried regarding your suddenly expressed sympathy for this fellow, or your desire to get him off unscratched; but I feel compelled to insist upon receiving all the law allows me in this game we "re playing. There "s another warrant in your pocket for Winston."
"By thunder, yes; I "d clear forgot it," fumbling at his papers.
"Well, I had n"t; matter of some personal importance to me," the voice taking on a lazy, insolent drawl. "Of course, the fellow is under arrest all right, but that murder business is only part of it--I want my wife."
Winston started forward, crouching as though he would spring directly at the other"s throat.
"Your wife?" he exclaimed madly, his voice choking. "Your wife? You "ve sworn out a warrant for me on account of your wife?"
"Something of that nature, I believe," gazing at him insolently.
"Abduction I think the lawyers call it, and I notice you "ve got the lady hidden away back yonder now." He pointed across the other"s shoulder. "Caught with the goods. Oh, you "re a fine preacher of morals, but I "ve got you dead to rights this time."
Winston stood as though carven from stone, his face deathly white, his lips compressed, his gray eyes burning, never wavering from that mocking face. With all his strength of will he battled back the first mad impulse to throttle the man, to crush him into shapeless pulp. For one awful moment his mind became a chaos, his blood throbbing fire. To kill would be joy, a relief inexpressible. Farnham realized the impulse, and drew back, not shrinking away, but bracing for the contest. But the engineer gripped himself in time.
"Hayes," he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed hoa.r.s.ely, "let the lady decide this. If she says no, then, by G.o.d, I "ll fight you all single-handed before he ever puts touch upon her!"
Old Bill Hicks was beside him in a single stride, his face blazing.
"I "m d.a.m.ned if yer will!" he growled madly. "I "m in on this deal, law er no law. The whole blame thing is a bluff, an" I "ll not stan"
fer it no longer. Yer step back thar, Sam Hayes, er else Gulpin County will be lookin" "round fer another sheriff. I "ve got plumb ter the limit o" patience in this game."
Winston grasped the old man"s uplifted arm, whirling him sharply around.
"No," he exclaimed almost wearily, "it "s not to be a fight yet; let--let her decide between us."
She was already coming, walking alone directly across the open s.p.a.ce toward them. The eyes of the bewildered men were upon her, marking the white face, rendered more noticeable by its frame of dark, uncovered hair, the firm, womanly chin, the tightly compressed lips, the resolute, unwavering eyes. She walked firmly, confidently forward, her head proudly uplifted, a stately dignity about her bearing which could not be ignored. If she perceived either Winston or Farnham in that group she gave no sign, never halting until she stood directly before Sam Hayes. Involuntarily, unconscious of the act, the sheriff pulled off his hat, and stood twirling it in his hands.
"Is it indeed true," she asked, her voice thrilling with suppressed feeling, "that you possess a warrant sworn out by Biff Farnham, charging Mr. Winston with the abduction of his wife?"
"Yes, ma"am," and the man changed the weight of his body to the other foot. "I "m sorry ter say it "s true."
She lifted one hand suddenly to her forehead as though in pain.
"And you intend to serve it?"
"I have no choice, ma"am; I "m an officer of the law."
There followed a pause, seemingly endless, the eyes of the men turned away. She lifted her head, sweeping her gaze swiftly across the faces, and a flush crept into the white cheeks.
"Gentlemen," her voice low and clear, but with a slight falter occasionally yielding peculiar power to the words, "it is true I am that man"s wife." She looked directly at him, apparently oblivious of his attempt at smiling indifference. "By the laws of G.o.d and men I am his wife. I neither deny this, nor have ever sought to escape from its obligations. To me, the vows of marriage were sacred when first a.s.sumed; they remain no less sacred now. This man is fully aware of how I feel in this regard; he knows I have proved true in spirit and letter to my vows; he knows exactly why I am not living with him; why I am earning my own living in the world; why I am here in this position to-day. He knows it all, I say, because the desertion was his, not mine; and his present deliberate, cowardly attempt to besmirch my character by doing an injury to another is an unbearable insult, an outrage more serious than if he had struck me a physical blow. The one I might forgive, as I have before forgiven, but the other is beyond the limits of pardon, if I would retain my own self-respect. I am a woman, an honorable woman, and my reputation is more to me than life."
She paused, breathing heavily, her head flung back, Her hands clenched as though in desperate effort at self-control.
"You--you!" the words seemed fairly forced from between her lips, "there has never been a time when I would not have gone to you at a word, at your slightest expressed desire. However I may have despised you in my secret heart, I remained loyal outwardly, and would have gone to you in response to the call of duty. There is no such duty now.
You have openly insulted and degraded me; you have accused me before the world; you have dragged my name in the muck; you have attempted to dethrone my womanhood. The past is over; it is over forever. The law may continue to hold me as your wife, but I am not your wife. The records of the church may so name me, but they are false. A G.o.d of love could never have linked me to such a brute--the very thought is infamy. Do not touch me! Do not speak to me! I believe I could kill you easier than I could ever again yield to you so much as a word."
She reeled as though about to fall, her hand pressed against her heart.
Before an arm could be out-stretched in support, she had rallied, and turned away. With head lowered, her face shadowed by her hair she walked slowly toward the cabin. No man in the group stirred until she had disappeared. Then the sheriff fumblingly replaced his hat, his eyes wandering in uncertainty from Farnham to Winston.
"By G.o.d!" he exclaimed, as though in relief, catching his breath quickly and wiping his forehead. "By G.o.d! but that was fierce."
Recalling his own duty he reached out his hand and laid it heavily upon the shoulder of the man standing next him. It chanced to be the Swede.
"Go on into the cabin," he commanded, a returning sternness in the order.
The surprised man stared at him in dull bewilderment.
"Vat for Ay go--hey?"