"Fer how long?"
"Fer good."
"Fer our good, you mean. There"s too many of his kind comin" into this country. Did you hear about "Ole Man" Terrill?"
Bud did not wait for her to explain, but nervously answered: "They told us about it in Florence when we were coming through, We"ve been at the Lazy K."
"Wasn"t it dreadful?" rattled on Polly. "Slim"s here--the boys are goin" to turn out with him after the weddin" to see if they can ketch the feller who did the killin"."
Bud paled as he heard the news. To conceal his distress he moved toward the door. Anywhere to get away from the girl to whom he feared he would betray himself. "I"ll join "em," he huskily answered.
Polly, however, could see no reason for his evident haste to leave her.
She felt hurt, but thought his actions were due to her scolding him for being with McKee.
"You ain"t ever ast me how I look," she inquired, seeking to detain him.
"You look fine," complimented Bud perfunctorily.
"W"en a feller ain"t seen a feller in a week, seems like a feller ought to brace up and start something," replied Polly, in an injured tone.
Bud smiled in spite of his fears. Catching the girl in his arms, he kissed her, and said: "I was a-waitin" for the chance."
Polly disengaged herself from his embrace, and sighed contentedly.
"That"s something like it. What"s the use of bein" engaged to a feller if you can"t have all the trimmin"s that goes with it. You look as if you wasn"t too happy."
Bud pulled himself together with an effort. He realized that if he did not show more interest in the girl and the wedding he might be suspected of connection with the murder.
He trumped up an explanation of his moodiness. "Well, what call have I to be happy? Ain"t I lost my job?"
"Yes, but that"s because you were hot-headed, gave your boss too much lip. But everything will come out all right. Jack says--"
"Has that low-down liar an" thief been comin" it over you, Polly? Did he tell you how he gave the place he promised me to Sage-brush?"
"That wasn"t until you gave him slack, Bud. I"m sure he ain"t a thief; why--"
"Thief, of course he is, an" a blacker-hearted one than the man that killed Terrill. Ain"t he going to steal my brother d.i.c.k"s girl this very night?"
"But d.i.c.k is dead," expostulated Polly.
"d.i.c.k ain"t dead; I know it--that is," he stammered, "I feel it in my bones he ain"t dead. An" Jack feels it, too; that"s why he"s hurried up this weddin"."
"But your own friend, Buck McKee, saw d.i.c.k just before the "Paches killed him."
"But not after it. An" Buck now thinks the Rurales may have come up in time to save him."
"Seems to me if that"s so he has had time enough since then to write,"
objected Polly, who was, nevertheless, impressed by Bud"s vehemence.
"How do you know that he has not written?"
Polly could only gasp. These accusations were coming too fast for her to answer.
"You can"t tell what a man might do in a case like that. Perhaps d.i.c.k"s "way in the mountains, away from the railroad, prospectin" down in the Ghost Range, where he has been tryin" to locate the lost lode.
There"s lots of reasons for his not writing to Echo. But Echo doesn"t seem to mind. A year an" a half is enough to mend any woman"s heart."
"Now, you--" began Polly, who was growing angry under the charges which were being heaped on her two best friends by the overwrought boy.
Bud would not let her finish, but cried: "Echo never loved him. If she did she would not be acting like she is goin" to to-night."
Rushing to Echo"s defense Polly answered: "She may or may not have loved d.i.c.k Lane, but I know that she loves Jack Payson now with all her heart and, even if the "Paches did not get your brother, he"s as dead to her as if they had."
Polly was startled and confused by Bud"s accusations. Accordingly, it was a relief to her when Payson appeared on the scene. They had been so interested in their conversation that they did not hear him ride up to the house. "h.e.l.lo, Polly! h.e.l.lo, Bud!" were his cordial greetings, for he was determined to ignore his former employee"s hostility. Bud did not answer, but looked moodily on the ground.
To Eastern eyes Payson"s wedding-attire would appear most incongruous.
About his waist was strapped a revolver. His riding-trousers, close-fitting and corded, were b.u.t.toned over the calves of his legs.
Soft, highly polished leather boots reached to his knees. His shirt was of silk, deeply embroidered down the front and at the collar. His jacket gave him ample breathing-room about the chest, but tapered at the waist and clung closely over the hips. He wore a sombrero and a knotted silk handkerchief. His face was deeply sunburned, except a spot shaped like crescent just below the hairline on the forehead, which was protected from the sun by the hat and the shade of the brim.
A similar line of fairer skin ran around the edge of the scalp, beginning over the ears. His hair shaded the upper part of his neck from the sun"s rays. When his hair was trimmed the untanned part showed as plainly as if painted. It is the mark of the plainsman in a city or on a holiday.
"Well, it"s about time that you got here," said Polly, with a sigh of relief. "Where have you been?"
"I stopped over to Sam Terrill"s to see about something that I ordered from Kansas City. Then I had to go back to my ranch--"
Bud started guiltily. Forgetting his determination to ignore Payson, he asked anxiously. "You didn"t see Terrill, did you?"
"Oh, yes. Why do you ask?"
Polly laid her hand on Payson"s arm and told him briefly of the shooting of Terrill.
"Who shot him?" he asked, when she had finished.
"They don"t know--he was robbed of a pile of money--Slim Hoover"s just rode over to get a posse," she replied, looking toward the door. At this bit of information Payson became anxious about the plans for his wedding. The ceremony was uppermost in his mind at the time.
"Well, he can get one after the wedding." Then he asked: "Is the minister here yet?"
Polly laughingly replied: "You"re feelin" pretty spry now, but you"ll be as meek as a baby calf in a little while. In this section a bridegroom is treated worse than a tenderfoot."
Payson smiled. He knew he was in for a thorough hazing by the boys.
"That"s all right. I"ll get back at you some day--when you and Bud--"
Polly interrupted him with a remark about minding his own business.
Bud avoided entering into the conversation. He had walked toward the door and was standing on the steps when he answered for Polly.
"Looks as if you"re chances of gettin" even with us is a long way off,"
he said. Turning, he entered the house, to join the other guests who, by the noise, were enjoying Allen"s importations from Tucson to the bottom of every gla.s.s.
Polly looked after Bud, smiling quizzically. "Bud"s mighty hopeful, ain"t he? Ain"t you happy?"