"Ye-es," returned the girl slowly and hesitatingly.
While talking with Sanderson she had unclasped her hands, and now she clasped them again, twining the fingers with a quick, nervous motion.
Again her eyes grew wide with fright, and Sanderson saw her looking at the other girl--he saw the other girl stiffen and stand straight, her lips curving scornfully as she returned Miss Bransford"s gaze.
Sanderson"s lips straightened. And now for the first time he gravely inspected the faces in the group near him.
Two men--cowboys--who stood near the big man, were evidently the "boys"
referred to by the latter. Their faces were set and expressionless.
Between them stood a rugged, well-built man of about twenty-two or three. His hands were tied behind him, a rope was around his neck, the free end coiled in the hands of one of the two men.
The young man"s face was sullen, but his head was held very erect, and his eyes were steady and unwavering as he watched the big man.
The girl at whom Miss Bransford was looking stood near the young man.
Sanderson saw her turn from Miss Bransford and look at the young man piteously, her lips quivering suspiciously.
There was another man in the group--an under-sized fellow, pale, emaciated, with big, troubled, and perplexed eyes. Sanderson saw that his hands were clenched, and that his thin lips were pressed so tightly together that they were blue and bloodless.
This man stood slightly apart from the others, as though he had no part in what was going on; though Sanderson could tell from his manner that he was laboring under an intense strain.
Miss Bransford and the big man were the opposing forces in what was transpiring--Sanderson knew that from Miss Bransford"s manner of answering the big man"s question. Her "yes" had been uttered reluctantly. Her testimony was damaging--she knew it, and her sympathies were with the young man with the rope around his neck.
Sanderson knew nothing of the motives that were actuating the people of this little drama, but he was entirely conscious of the visible forces that were at work.
Plainly, the big man had accused the captive of stealing cattle; he had brought the supposed culprit to face the owner of the stolen stock; he had const.i.tuted himself judge and jury, and was determined to hang the young man.
The two men with the big man were noncommittal. The pale, undersized man was a mere onlooker whose sympathies were with the accused. Miss Bransford would have been quite willing to have this young man escape punishment, but she could not deny that the cattle in question belonged to her.
Sanderson was in doubt about the other young woman, though obviously she was closely related to him--a wife, or sister--perhaps a sweetheart.
Sanderson studied the young man"s face, comparing it with the big man"s, and his lips stiffened. He backed Streak slightly and swung crosswise in the saddle, intense interest seizing him.
The big man grinned, first at Miss Bransford, and then at the other girl.
"I reckon that settles it," he said. "There don"t seem to be nothin"
more to it. Miss Bransford says the cattle is hers, an" we found them in Ben Nyland"s corral. There ain"t-----"
"Alva Dale, you are a sneak and a liar!"
This was the girl. She had stepped forward until she was within a short pace from the big man. She stood erect, rigid, her hands clenched at her sides; her chin lifted, her eyes flashing with defiant pa.s.sion.
Dale smirked at her.
"Peggy Nyland," he said, "you"re handin" it to me pretty strong, ain"t you? You"d fight for your brother"s life, of course. But I represent the law here, an" I"ve got to do my duty. You won"t deny that we found them steers in your brother"s corral?"
"No, I can"t deny that!" declared the girl pa.s.sionately. "You found them there. They were there. But Ben did not put them there. Shall I tell you who did? It was you! I heard a noise in the corral during the night--last night! But I--thought it was just our own cattle. And I did not go out to see.
"Oh, how I wish I had! But Ben didn"t put the Double A cattle in the corral, for Ben was in the house all the time. He went to bed when I did, and I saw him, sleeping in his bunk, when the noise awakened me!"
The girl stepped closer to Dale, her voice vibrating with scorn and loathing.
"If you didn"t put the steers in our corral, you know who did, Alva Dale," she went on. "And you know why they were put there! You didn"t do it because you wanted Ben"s land--as I"ve heard you have said; you did it to get Ben out of the way so that you could punish me!
"If I had told Ben how you have hounded me--how you have insulted me, Ben would have killed you long ago. Oh, I ought to have told him, but I was afraid--afraid to bring more trouble to Ben!"
Dale laughed sneeringly as he watched the young man writhe futilely in the hands of his captors.
"Sounds reasonable--an" dramatic," he said. "It"d do some good, mebbe, if they was any soft-headed ninnies around that would believe it. But the law ain"t soft-headed. We found them steers in Ben Nyland"s corral--some of them marked with Ben"s brand--the Star--blottin" out the Double A. An" Miss Bransford admits the steers are hers. They ain"t nothin" more to be said."
"Yes, there is, Dale," said Miss Bransford. "It is quite evident there has been a mistake made. I am willing to believe Peggy Nyland when she says Ben was asleep in the cabin all night--with her. At any rate, I don"t want any hanging over a few cattle. I want you to let Ben Nyland go."
Dale wheeled and faced Miss Bransford. His face reddened angrily, but he managed to smile.
"It"s too late, Miss Bransford. The evidence is all in. There"s got to be rules to govern such cases as this. Because you own the steers is no sign you"ve got a right to defeat the aims of justice. I"d like mighty well to accommodate you, but I"ve got my duty to consider, an" I can"t let him off. Ben Nyland has got to hang, an" that"s all there is to it!"
There came a pa.s.sionate outcry from Peggy Nyland; and then she had her arms around her brother"s neck, sobbing that she would never let him be hanged.
Miss Bransford"s eyes were blazing with rage and scorn as they challenged Dale"s. She walked close to him and said something in a low tone to him, at which he answered, though less gruffly than before, that it was "no use."
Miss Bransford looked around appealingly; first at the pale, anemic little man with big eyes, who shifted his feet and looked uncomfortable; then her gaze went to Sanderson who, resting his left elbow on the pommel of the saddle, was watching her with squinting, quizzical eyes.
There was an appeal in Miss Bransford"s glance that made the blood leap to Sanderson"s face. Her eyes were shining with an eloquent yearning that would have caused him to kill Dale--if he had thought killing the man would have been the means of saving Ben Nyland.
And then Mary Bransford was at his side, her hands grasping his, holding them tightly as her gaze sought his and held it.
"Won"t you please do something?" she pleaded. "Oh, if it only could be! That"s a mystery to you, perhaps, but when I spoke to you before I was going to ask you if--if-- But then, of course you couldn"t be--or you would have spoken before."
Sanderson"s eyes glowed with a cold fire. He worked his hands free, patted hers rea.s.suringly, and gently pushed her away from Streak.
He swung down from the saddle and walked to Dale. The big man had his back turned to Sanderson, and when Sanderson reached him he leaned over his shoulder and said gently:
"Look here, Dale."
The latter wheeled, recognizing Sanderson"s voice and snarling into the latter"s face.
"Well?" he demanded.
Sanderson grinned mildly. "I reckon you"ve got to let Ben Nyland off, Dale--he ain"t guilty. Mebbe I ought to have stuck in my gab before, but I was figurin" that mebbe you wouldn"t go to crowdin" him so close.
Ben didn"t steal no steers; he run them into his corral by my orders."
Dale guffawed loudly and stepped back to sneer at Sanderson. But he had noted the steadiness of the latter"s eyes and the sneer faded.
"Bah!" he said. "Your orders! An" who in h.e.l.l are you?"
"I"m Bill Bransford," said Sanderson quietly, and he grinned mirthlessly at Dale over the two or three feet of s.p.a.ce that separated them.