BLACK MOSE!
Mysterious as Ever.
The Celebrated Dead Shot.
Visits Wagon Wheel, and Swiftly Disappears.
"d.a.m.n "em!" said Mose, "can"t they let me alone? Seems like they can"t rest till they crowd me into trouble."
CHAPTER XVII
MOSE RETURNS TO WAGON WHEEL
As Mose threw the rope over the bald-faced pinto the boys all chuckled and drew near, for they knew the character of the horse. Reynolds had said, "Take your pick o" the bunch," and Mose, with the eye of a horseman, had roped the pinto because of his size, depth of chest, and splendid limbs.
As he was leading his captive out of the bunch the cook said to Mose, "Better not take that pinto; he"s mean as a hornet."
"Is his wind all right?"
"He"s one o" the best horses on the range, all right, but he sh.o.r.e is mean all the way through. He always pitches at the start like he was fair crazy."
"Does he go when he gets through?" asked Mose of Reynolds.
"Yes, he"s a good traveler."
"I don"t want to be delayed, that"s all. If he"ll go, I"ll stay by him."
The boys nudged elbows while Mose threw the saddle on the cringing brute and cinched it till the pinto, full of suffering, drew great, quiet gulps of breath and groaned. Swift, practiced, relentless, Mose dragged at the latigo till the wide hair web embedded itself in the pony"s hide. Having coiled the rope neatly out of the way, while the broncho stood with drooping head but with a dull red flame in his eyes, Mose flung the rein over the pony"s head. Then pinto woke up. With a mighty sidewise bound he attempted to leave his rider, but Mose, studiedly imperturbable, with left hand holding the reins and right hand grasping the pommel, went with him as if that were the ordinary way of mounting. Immense power was in the stiff-legged leaping of the beast.
His body seemed a ball of coiled steel springs. His "watch-eye" rolled in frenzy. It seemed he wished to beat his head against his rider"s face and kill him. He rushed away with a rearing, jerking motion, in a series of jarring bounds, snapping his rider like the lash of a whip, then stopped suddenly, poised on his fore feet, with devilish intent to discharge Mose over his head. With the spurs set deep into the quivering painted hide of his mount Mose began plying the quirt like a flail. The boys cheered and yelled with delight. It was one of their chief recreations, this battle with a pitching broncho.
Suddenly the desperate beast paused and, rearing recklessly high in the air, fell backward hoping to crush his rider under his saddle. In the instant, while he towered, poised in the air, Mose shook his right foot free of the stirrup and swung to the left and alighted on his feet, while the fallen horse, stunned by his own fall, lay for an instant, groaning and coughing. Under the sting of the quirt, he scrambled to his feet only to find his inexorable rider again on his back, with merciless spurs set deep in the quick of his quivering sides. With a despairing squeal he set off in a low, swift, sidewise gallop, and for nearly an hour drummed along the trail, up hill and down, the foam mingling with the yellow dust on his heaving flanks.
When the broncho"s hot anger had cooled, Mose gave him his head, and fell to thinking upon the future. He had been more than eight years in the range and on the trail and all he owned in the world was a saddle, a gun, a rope, and a horse. The sight of Cora, the caressing of little Pink, and Mary"s letter had roused in him a longing for a wife and a shanty of his own.
The gra.s.s was getting sere, there was new-fallen snow on Lizard Head, and winter was coming. He had the animal"s instinct to den up, to seek winter quarters. Certain ties other than those of Mary"s love combined to draw him back to Marmion for the winter. If he could only shake off his burdening notoriety and go back to see her--to ask her advice--perhaps she could aid him. But to _sneak_ back again--to crawl about in dark corners--that was impossible.
He was no longer the frank and boyish lover of adventure. Life troubled him now, conduct was become less simple, actions each day less easily determined. These women now made him ponder. Cora, who was accustomed to the range and whose interests were his own in many ways, the princess, whose money and influence could get him something to do in Wagon Wheel, and Mary, whose very name made him shudder with remembered adoration--each one now made him think. Mary, of all the group, was most certainly unfitted to share his mode of life, and yet the thought of her made the others impossible to him.
The marshal saw him ride up the street and throw himself from his horse before the post office and hastened toward him with his hand extended.
"h.e.l.lo! Mose, I"ve got a telegram for you from Sweet.w.a.ter."
Mose took it without a word and opened it. It was from his father: "Wait for me in Wagon Wheel. I am coming."
The marshal was grinning. "Did you see the write-up in yesterday"s Mother Lode?"
"Yes--I saw it, and cussed you for it."
"I knowd you would, but I couldn"t help it. Billy, the editor, got hold of me and pumped the whole story out of me before I knew it. I don"t think it does you any harm."
"It didn"t do me any good," replied Mose shortly.
"Say, the princess wants to see you. She"s on the street somewhere now, looking for you."
"Where"s the telegraph office?" he abruptly asked.
The telegram from his father had put the idea into his head to communicate in that way with Mary and Jack.
The marshal led the way to a stage office wherein stood a counter and a row of clicking machines.
"What is the cost of a telegram to Marmion, Iowa?" asked Mose.
"One dollar, ten words. Each ad----"
Mose thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out all his money, a handful of small change. His face grew bitter, his last dollar was broken into bits.
"Make it night rates for sixty," said the operator. "Be delivered to-morrow morning."
"Go ahead," said Mose, and set to work to compose a message. The marshal, with unexpected delicacy, sauntered out into the street.
Now that he was actually face to face with the problem of answering Mary"s letter in ten words the youth"s hand refused to write, and he stood looking at the yellow slip of paper with an intensity that was comical to the clerk. Plainly this cowboy was not accustomed to telegraphing.
Mose felt the waiting presence of the clerk and said:
"Can I set down here and think it over?"
"Why sure, take a seat at that table over there."
Under the pressure of his emotion Mose wrote "Dear Mary" and stopped.
The chap at the other end of the line would read that and comment on it.
He struck that out. Then it occurred to him that if he signed it "Harry"
_this_ operator would marvel, and if he signed "Mose" the other end of the line would wonder. He rose, crushing the paper in his hand, and went out into the street. There was only one way--to write.
This he did standing at the ink-bespattered shelf which served as writing desk in the post office.
"DEAR MARY: I have just received your letter. It"s a little late but perhaps it ain"t too late. Anyhow, I"m banking on this finding you just the same as when you wrote. I wish I could visit you again but I"m afraid I couldn"t do it a second time without being recognized, but write to me at once, and, if you say come, I"ll come. I am poorer than I was four years ago, but I"ve been on the trail, I know the mountains now. There"s no other place for me, but I get lonesome sometimes when I think of you. I"m no good at writing letters--can"t write as well as I could when I was twenty, so don"t mind my short letter, but if I could see you! Write at once and I"ll borrow or steal enough money to pay my way to you--I don"t expect to ever see you out here in the West."
While still pondering over his letter he heard the rustle of a woman"s dress and turned to face the princess, in magnificent attire, her gloved hand extended toward him, her face radiant with pleasure.
"Why, my dear boy, where have you been?"
Mose shook hands, his letter to Mary (still unsealed) in his left hand.
"Been down on the range," he mumbled in profound embarra.s.sment.
She a.s.sumed a girlish part. "But you _promised_ to come and see me."
He turned away to seal his letter and she studied him with admiring eyes. He was so interesting in his boyish confusion--graceful in spite of his irrelevant movements, for he was as supple, as properly poised, and as sinewy as a panther.
"You"re a great boy," she said to him when he came back. "I like you, I want to do something for you. Get into my carriage, and let me tell you of some plans."