"I"ll try," said Duane, simply. "That won"t be easy, though. I must have time to think. You must help me. There are many things to consider.
Horses, food, trails, and then the best time to make the attempt. Are you watched--kept prisoner?"
"No. I could have run off lots of times. But I was afraid. I"d only have fallen into worse hands. Euchre has told me that. Mrs. Bland beats me, half starves me, but she has kept me from her husband and these other dogs. She"s been as good as that, and I"m grateful. She hasn"t done it for love of me, though. She always hated me. And lately she"s growing jealous. There was" a man came here by the name of Spence--so he called himself. He tried to be kind to me. But she wouldn"t let him. She was in love with him. She"s a bad woman. Bland finally shot Spence, and that ended that. She"s been jealous ever since. I hear her fighting with Bland about me. She swears she"ll kill me before he gets me. And Bland laughs in her face. Then I"ve heard Chess Alloway try to persuade Bland to give me to him. But Bland doesn"t laugh then. Just lately before Bland went away things almost came to a head. I couldn"t sleep. I wished Mrs. Bland would kill me. I"ll certainly kill myself if they ruin me.
Duane, you must be quick if you"d save me."
"I realize that," replied he, thoughtfully. "I think my difficulty will be to fool Mrs. Bland. If she suspected me she"d have the whole gang of outlaws on me at once."
"She would that. You"ve got to be careful--and quick."
"What kind of woman is she?" inquired Duane.
"She"s--she"s brazen. I"ve heard her with her lovers. They get drunk sometimes when Bland"s away. She"s got a terrible temper. She"s vain.
She likes flattery. Oh, you could fool her easy enough if you"d lower yourself to--to--"
"To make love to her?" interrupted Duane.
Jennie bravely turned shamed eyes to meet his.
"My girl, I"d do worse than that to get you away from here," he said, bluntly.
"But--Duane," she faltered, and again she put out the appealing hand.
"Bland will kill you."
Duane made no reply to this. He was trying to still a rising strange tumult in his breast. The old emotion--the rush of an instinct to kill!
He turned cold all over.
"Chess Alloway will kill you if Bland doesn"t," went on Jennie, with her tragic eyes on Duane"s.
"Maybe he will," replied Duane. It was difficult for him to force a smile. But he achieved one.
"Oh, better take me off at once," she said. "Save me without risking so much--without making love to Mrs. Bland!"
"Surely, if I can. There! I see Euchre coming with a woman."
"That"s her. Oh, she mustn"t see me with you."
"Wait--a moment," whispered Duane, as Jennie slipped indoors. "We"ve settled it. Don"t forget. I"ll find some way to get word to you, perhaps through Euchre. Meanwhile keep up your courage. Remember I"ll save you somehow. We"ll try strategy first. Whatever you see or hear me do, don"t think less of me--"
Jennie checked him with a gesture and a wonderful gray flash of eyes.
"I"ll bless you with every drop of blood in my heart," she whispered, pa.s.sionately.
It was only as she turned away into the room that Duane saw she was lame and that she wore Mexican sandals over bare feet.
He sat down upon a bench on the porch and directed his attention to the approaching couple. The trees of the grove were thick enough for him to make reasonably sure that Mrs. Bland had not seen him talking to Jennie.
When the outlaw"s wife drew near Duane saw that she was a tall, strong, full-bodied woman, rather good-looking with a fullblown, bold attractiveness. Duane was more concerned with her expression than with her good looks; and as she appeared unsuspicious he felt relieved. The situation then took on a singular zest.
Euchre came up on the porch and awkwardly introduced Duane to Mrs.
Bland. She was young, probably not over twenty-five, and not quite so prepossessing at close range. Her eyes were large, rather prominent, and brown in color. Her mouth, too, was large, with the lips full, and she had white teeth.
Duane took her proffered hand and remarked frankly that he was glad to meet her.
Mrs. Bland appeared pleased; and her laugh, which followed, was loud and rather musical.
"Mr. Duane--Buck Duane, Euchre said, didn"t he?" she asked.
"Buckley," corrected Duane. "The nickname"s not of my choosing."
"I"m certainly glad to meet you, Buckley Duane," she said, as she took the seat Duane offered her. "Sorry to have been out. Kid Fuller"s lying over at Deger"s. You know he was shot last night. He"s got fever to-day.
When Bland"s away I have to nurse all these shot-up boys, and it sure takes my time. Have you been waiting here alone? Didn"t see that slattern girl of mine?"
She gave him a sharp glance. The woman had an extraordinary play of feature, Duane thought, and unless she was smiling was not pretty at all.
"I"ve been alone," replied Duane. "Haven"t seen anybody but a sick-looking girl with a bucket. And she ran when she saw me."
"That was Jen," said Mrs. Bland. "She"s the kid we keep here, and she sure hardly pays her keep. Did Euchre tell you about her?"
"Now that I think of it, he did say something or other."
"What did he tell you about me?" bluntly asked Mrs. Bland.
"Wal, Kate," replied Euchre, speaking for himself, "you needn"t worry none, for I told Buck nothin" but compliments."
Evidently the outlaw"s wife liked Euchre, for her keen glance rested with amus.e.m.e.nt upon him.
"As for Jen, I"ll tell you her story some day," went on the woman. "It"s a common enough story along this river. Euchre here is a tender-hearted old fool, and Jen has taken him in."
"Wal, seein" as you"ve got me figgered correct," replied Euchre, dryly, "I"ll go in an" talk to Jennie if I may."
"Certainly. Go ahead. Jen calls you her best friend," said Mrs. Bland, amiably. "You"re always fetching some Mexican stuff, and that"s why, I guess."
When Euchre had shuffled into the house Mrs. Bland turned to Duane with curiosity and interest in her gaze.
"Bland told me about you."
"What did he say?" queried Duane, in pretended alarm.
"Oh, you needn"t think he"s done you dirt Bland"s not that kind of a man. He said: "Kate, there"s a young fellow in camp--rode in here on the dodge. He"s no criminal, and he refused to join my band. Wish he would.
Slickest hand with a gun I"ve seen for many a day! I"d like to see him and Chess meet out there in the road." Then Bland went on to tell how you and Bosomer came together."
"What did you say?" inquired Duane, as she paused.
"Me? Why, I asked him what you looked like," she replied, gayly.
"Well?" went on Duane.
"Magnificent chap, Bland said. Bigger than any man in the valley. Just a great blue-eyed sunburned boy!"
"Humph!" exclaimed Duane. "I"m sorry he led you to expect somebody worth seeing."