Kate returned quickly, carried the chair to the foot of the bed, and sat down. She crossed one leg over the other and clasped her hands in her lap. Silence ensued for a brief s.p.a.ce of time.
"Well," said Kate, leadingly.
"I was just a-wonderin" about this hoss deal," began Loudon. "I think----"
"I know what you intended saying," Kate observed, calmly. "You see in it the fine Italian hand of Blakely."
"You always could talk high, wide, and handsome," said Loudon, admiringly. "How djuh guess it?"
"I know Sam Blakely. That"s enough. He"d hesitate at nothing, no matter how vile or wicked it might be. Oh, don"t look so eager. I can"t prove it. It"s my instinct, that"s all. I hate him--hate him--hate him!"
Kate covered her face with her hands.
"They"ll hear yuh in the kitchen," cautioned Loudon in a whisper.
Kate lowered her hands and looked at him wearily. When she spoke her voice was perfectly composed.
"No, they won"t. Dorothy"s over at Lil"s. Don"t worry, though. I sha"n"t lose control of myself. Something came over me then. I won"t do it again."
"Well, you think like I do, but I can"t prove nothin", neither. Never have been able to prove nothin" against the 88. Say, does yore dad still believe like he used to about them cows?"
"The Crossed----"
"No, _his_ cows. Them cows that disappeared now an" then."
"I believe he does. He never talks much, you know, and it"s sometimes hard for me to tell what he thinks. But I don"t believe he suspects the 88. He was very angry when I broke the engagement. I wouldn"t give him my reason, and he stormed and stamped around, and quarrelled with me all the time. That"s partly why I came up here to visit Lil Mace."
"If we could only wake up Fort Creek County--but them fellahs, most of "em, are for the 88, an" them that ain"t have to take it out in thinkin" a lot. Now if we could cinch this hoss-stealin" on the 88 it would help a lot down in Fort Creek County. The honest folks down there would have somethin" to go on, an" they"d paint for war immediate, an" with the boys from up here it would be a cinch. We"d go over the 88 outfit like a landslide. An" here I am throwed an"
hog-tied. Say----" Loudon"s mouth opened wide. His eyes shone. In his excitement he raised himself on his elbow--"I got it! I got it!"
"What?" Kate leaned toward him, lips parted.
"It ain"t possible that dance was just luck," said Loudon, rapidly.
"It couldn"t just "a" happened all hunky-dory so that fellah from Hatchet Creek would find all the boys in town. Not by a jugful it couldn"t! It was set for that night a-purpose. Now who started the ball a-rollin" for that dance?"
He gazed triumphantly at Kate. Her eyes sparkled.
"I"ll try and find out for you," she said.
"Howdy, folks?"
It was Pete O"Leary who spoke, and he was standing beside the kitchen table looking in on them. Loudon"s mouth tightened. How much of their conversation had O"Leary heard?
"Good afternoon, Mr. O"Leary," said Kate, rising and advancing to the doorway. "Looking for Dorothy, aren"t you? Oh, I know you are.
You"ll find her down at Mrs. Mace"s.... Yes, it"s a beautiful day, beautiful. Good afternoon, Mr. O"Leary, good afternoon."
In the face of this Pete O"Leary departed. Kate went into the kitchen.
In a few minutes she returned, laughing.
"He didn"t go into Lil"s," she said. "He went on toward Main Street.
I watched him. He"s a nervy individual. Dorothy doesn"t like him, and I don"t, either."
"I wonder if he did come to see Dorothy, or----"
"He came to see me."
"You!" Loudon"s surprise was patent.
"Yes, isn"t it charming? Turned him out in quick fashion, didn"t I?
The pest! Dorothy said he clung to her like glue till I came. He"s deserted her for me ever since the dance. She baked me a cake. Said it was a reward. She"d never been able to get rid of him. But I"m afraid Dorothy"s too tender-hearted. I don"t mind being rude. Why, what"s the matter?"
"I was just a-wonderin" how much that fellah heard?"
"Oh, nothing," said Kate, carelessly. "We weren"t talking loudly, were we? Does it make any difference?"
"It sh.o.r.e does. O"Leary"s in with the 88, or I"m a Dutchman."
"He is!"
"Sh.o.r.e," Loudon nodded. "I got proof o" that, anyhow."
"Heavens! If he heard what we were saying he"ll warn Blakely and the rest. And we can"t stop him! We can"t stop him!"
"Not yet we can"t. I can"t, special."
Kate stared steadily at Loudon.
"Tom," said she, after a silence, "if Pete O"Leary is Blakely"s friend then Pete O"Leary got up that dance."
"Oh, I"m bright!" groaned Loudon. "I must be losin" my mind. There it was, plain as the brand on a hoss, an" I never seen it. O" course it was him."
"I"ll soon find out," Kate exclaimed, briskly. "I"ll ask Lil and Dorothy and Mrs. Ragsdale and Mrs. Dan Smith. They"ll know. Do you mind being left alone for a while?"
"Not a bit--I mean----"
"Now never mind. I know perfectly well what you mean. Here, I"ll put your gun where you can reach it. If you want anything, shoot."
She plumped his pillow, patted and pulled the blankets to smoothness, and was off.
"Ain"t it amazin"?" marvelled Loudon. "Now if anybody had told me that I could talk friendly again with Kate Saltoun, I"d "a" called him a liar. I sh.o.r.e would."
Ten minutes later plump Mrs. Mace entered and interrupted a flow of very bitter reflections on Pete O"Leary.
"Well, Mister Man, how"s the ankle?" inquired Mrs. Mace, brightly.
"Now don"t look so glum. Kate"ll be back before a great while."
"I wasn"t thinkin" o" her," was Loudon"s ungallant retort.
"Yuh"d ought to. I guess yuh was, too. Yuh needn"t be bashful with me. I"m Kate"s best friend. An" I want to tell you right now I"m awful glad the pair of yuh got over yore mad. It don"t pay to quarrel.