"He"s dyin" Dan."
And Dan replied calmly. "He"s kind of old, I s"pose."
"Old?" said Buck, with a sort of horror. "Yes, he"s old, right enough.
D"you know why he"s dying? It"s because you went away the way you done, Dan. That"s what"s killin" him."
Something of thought came in the face of Barry.
"Maybe I understand," he said slowly. "If I was to lose Satan, or Bart--" here the great dog whined at the mention of his name, and Barry dropped a slender hand across the scarred forehead of his servant. "If I was to lose "em, I"d sort of mourn for "em, maybe."
Buck Daniels set his teeth.
"I don"t suppose it seems possible," he said, "that a man could miss another man the way you could miss your--dog, eh? But it is! Joe c.u.mberland is dying for you, Dan, as sure as if you"d put a bullet in his bowels."
The other hesitated and then frowned and made a gesture of vague dismissal.
"Don"t you figure on doin" nothing about it?" asked Buck softly.
"What could I do?"
"My G.o.d A"mighty, ain"t you got no human feelin"s?"
"I dunno what you mean," said the soft voice.
"This! Can"t you git on your hoss and ride back with me to c.u.mberland Ranch? Stay with the old man till he gets back on his feet. Ain"t that easy to do? Is your time so d.a.m.ned valuable you can"t spare a few days for that?"
"But I am goin" back," answered Dan, in a rather hurt voice. "They ain"t no need for cussin" me, Buck. I been thinkin" of Kate, every day, almost."
"Since when?"
"I dunno." Dan stirred uneasily. He looked up, and far above Buck, following the direction of Dan"s eyes, saw a pattern of wild geese. "I been sort of driftin" North towards the c.u.mberland Ranch and Kate," went on Dan. He sighed: "I been thinkin" of her eyes, which is blue, Buck, and her hair, and the soft sound of her voice. They been hangin" in my ears, stayin" behind my eyes, lately, and I been driftin" up that way steady."
"Why, man," cried Buck, "then what"s there to keep you here? Jump on your hoss, and we"ll head North in ten minutes."
"I will!" said Dan, full as eagerly. "We"ll start full speed."
"Come on, then."
"Wait a minute!" said Dan, his voice growing suddenly cold. "I been forgettin" something."
Buck Daniels turned and found his companion strangely changed. There was a set expression of coldness about his face, and a chill glitter in his eyes.
"I got to wait here for something."
"What"s that?"
"They"s a man in town that may want to see me."
"Mac Strann! I"ve heard about him. Dan, are you goin" to let Joe c.u.mberland die because you want to stay here and fight it out with a dirty cutthroat?"
"I don"t want to fight," protested Barry. "No, there ain"t nothin" I like less than fightin"!"
Buck Daniels cursed softly and continuously to himself.
"Dan," he said, "can you sit there and lie like that to me? Ain"t I seen you in action? Don"t I remember the way you trailed Jim Silent? Don"t I remember how we all got down and prayed you to keep away from Jim? Don"t I remember how you threw everything to h.e.l.l so"s you could get your hands on Jim? My G.o.d A"mighty, man, didn"t I see your face when you had your fingers in Silent"s throat?"
An expression of unutterable revulsion rippled over the face of Dan Barry.
"Stop!" he commanded softly, and raised his slender hand. "Don"t keep on talkin" about it. It makes me sick--all through. Oh, Buck, they"s a tingle in the tips of my fingers still from the time I had "em in his throat. And it makes me feel unclean--the sort of uncleanness that won"t wash out with no kind of soap and water. Buck, I"d most rather die myself than fight a man!"
A vast amazement overspread the countenance of Buck Daniels as he listened to this outburst; it was as if he had heard a healthy man proclaim that he had no desire for bread and meat. Something rose to his lips, but he swallowed it.
"Then it looks kind of simple to me," he said. "You hate fightin". This gent Mac Strann likes it; he lives on it; he don"t do nothing but wait from day to day hungerin" for a sc.r.a.p. What"s the out? Jest this! You hop on your hoss and ride out with me. Young Jerry Strann kicks out--Mac Strann starts lookin" for you--he hears that you"ve beat it--he goes off and forgets about you. Ain"t that simple?"
The old uneasiness returned to the far-seeing eyes of Dan Barry.
"I dunno," he said, "maybe----"
Then he paused again.
"Have you got anything to say agin it?" urged Buck, arguing desperately.
"I dunno," repeated Barry, confused, "except that I keep thinking what a terrible disappointment it"ll be to this Mac Strann when his brother dies and I ain"t around."
Buck Daniels stared, blinked, and then burst into unmelodious laughter.
Satan trotted across the corral and raised his head above the fence, whinnying softly. Barry turned his head and smiled up to the horse.
Then he said: "Seems like if Jerry Strann dies I owe somebody something.
Who? Mac Strann, I reckon. I sort of got to stay and give him his chance."
"I hope to G.o.d," burst out Daniels, smashing his hands together, "that Mac Strann beats you to a pulp! That"s what I hope!"
The eyes of Dan Barry widened.
"Why d"you hope that?" he asked gently.
It brought Daniels again to speechlessness.
"Is it possible?" he growled to himself. "Are you a human bein" and yet you think more of your hoss and your d.a.m.ned wolf-dog than you do of the life of a man? Dan, I"m askin" you straight, is that a square thing to do?"
The fragile hands went out to him, palm up.
"Don"t you see, Buck? I don"t want to be this way. I jest can"t help it!"
"Then the Lord help poor old Joe c.u.mberland--him that took you in out of the desert--him that raised you from the time you was a kid--him that nursed you like you was his own baby--him that loved you more"n he loved Kate--him that"s lyin" back there now with fire in his eyes, waitin", waitin", waitin", for you to come back. Dan, if you was to see him you"d go down on your knees and ask him to forgive you!"
"I s"pose I would," murmured Barry thoughtfully.