'Firebrand' Trevison Part 19

"I've repented for that. I shouldn't have done it; I don't know what was the matter with me. Harvey had been telling me things about you--"

"You wouldn't have believed him--" He laughed, cynically. "There's no use of haggling over _that_--it's buried, and I've placed a monument over it: 'Here lies a fool that believed in a woman.' I don't reproach you--you couldn't be blamed for not wanting to marry an idiot like me. But I haven't changed. I still have my crazy ideas of honor and justice and square-dealing, and my double-riveted faith in my ability to triumph over all adversity. But women--Bah! you're all alike! You scheme, you plot, you play for place; you are selfish, cold; you snivel and whine--There is more of it, but I can't think of any more. But--let's face this matter squarely. If you still like me, I'm sorry for you, for I can't say that the sight of you has stirred any old pa.s.sion in me. You shouldn't have come out here."

"You're terribly resentful, Trev. And I don't blame you a bit--I deserve it all. But don't send me away. Why, I--love you, Trev; I've loved you all these years; I loved you when I sent you away--while I was married to Harvey; and more afterwards--and now, deeper than ever; and--"

He shook his head and looked at her steadily--cynicism, bald derision in his gaze. "I'm sorry; but it can't be--you're too late."

He dropped her hands, and she felt of the fingers where he had gripped them. She veiled the quick, savage leap in her eyes by drooping the lids.

"You love Rosalind Benham," she said, quietly, looking at him with a mirthless smile. He started, and her lips grew a trifle stiff. "You poor boy!"

"Why the pity?" he said grimly.

"Because she doesn't care for you, Trev. She told me yesterday that she was engaged to marry a man named Corrigan. He is out here, she said. She remarked that she had found you very amusing during the three or four weeks of Corrigan's absence, and she seemed delighted because the court out here had ruled that the land you thought was yours belongs to the man who is to be her husband."

He stiffened at this, for it corroborated Corrigan's words: "She is heart and soul with me in this deal, She is ambitious." Trevison's lips curled scornfully. First, Hester Keyes had been ambitious, and now it was Rosalind Benham. He fought off the bitter resentment that filled him and raised his head, laughing, glossing over the hurt with savage humor.

"Well, I'm doing some good in the world, after all."

"Trev," Hester moved toward him again, "don't talk like that--it makes me shiver. I've been through the fire, boy--we've both been through it. I wasted myself on Harvey--you'll do the same with Rosalind Benham. Ten years, boy--think of it! I've loved you for that long. Doesn't that make you understand--"

"There's nothing quite so dead as a love that a man doesn't want to revive," he said shortly; "do you understand that?"

She shuddered and paled, and a long silence came between them. The cold dawn that was creeping over the land stole into the office with them and found the fires of affection turned to the ashes of unwelcome memory. The woman seemed to realize at last, for she gave a little shiver and looked up at Trevison with a wan smile.

"I--I think I understand, Trev. Oh, I am _so_ sorry! But I am not going away. I am going to stay in Manti, to be near you--if you want me. And you will want me, some day." She went close to him. "Won't you kiss me--once, Trev? For the sake of old times?"

"You'd better go," he said gruffly, turning his head. And then, as she opened the door and stood upon the threshold, he stepped after her, saying: "I'll get your horse."

"There's two of them," she laughed tremulously. "I came in a buckboard."

"Two, then," he said soberly as he followed her out. "And say--" He turned, flushing. "You came at dusk, last night. I'm afraid I haven't been exactly thoughtful. Wait--I'll rustle up something to eat."

"I--I couldn't touch it, thank you. Trev--" She started toward him impulsively, but he turned his back grimly and went toward the corral.

Sunrise found Hester back at the Bar B. Jealous, hurt eyes had watched from an upstairs window the approach of the buckboard--had watched the Diamond K trail the greater part of the night. For, knowing of the absence of women at the Diamond K, Rosalind had antic.i.p.ated Hester's return the previous evening--for the distance that separated the two ranches was not more than two miles. But the girl's vigil had been unrewarded until now.

And when at last she saw the buckboard coming, scorn and rage, furious and deep, seized her. Ah, it was bold, brazen, disgraceful!

But she forced herself to calmness as she went down stairs to greet her guest--for there might have been some excuse for the lapse of propriety--some accident--something, anything.

"I expected you last night," she said as she met Hester at the door. "You were delayed I presume. Has anything happened?"

"Nothing, dearie." Only the bold significance of Hester's smile hid its deliberate maliciousness. "Trev was so glad to see me that he simply wouldn't let me go. And it was daylight before we realized it."

The girl gasped. And now, looking at the woman, she saw what Trevison had seen--staring back at her, naked and repulsive. She shuddered, and her face whitened.

"There are hotels at Manti, Mrs. Harvey," she said coldly.

"Oh, very well!" The woman did not change her smile. "I shall be very glad to take advantage of your kind invitation. For Trev tells me that presently there will be much bitterness between your crowd and himself, and I am certain that he wouldn't want me to stay here. If you will kindly have a man bring my trunks--"

And so she rode toward Manti. Not until the varying undulations of the land hid her from view of the Bar B ranchhouse did she lose the malicious smile. Then it faded, and furious sobs of disappointment shook her.

CHAPTER XVIII

LAW INVOKED AND DEFIED

As soon as the deputies had gone, two of them nursing injured heads, and all exhibiting numerous bruises, Judge Lindman rose and dressed. In the ghostly light preceding the dawn he went to the safe, his fingers trembling so that he made difficult work with the combination. He got a record from out of the safe, pulled out the bottom drawer, of a series filled with legal doc.u.ments and miscellaneous articles, laid the record book on the floor and shoved the drawer in over it. An hour later he was facing Corrigan, who on getting a report of the incident from one of the deputies, had hurried to get the Judge's version. The Judge had had time to regain his composure, though he was still slightly pale and nervous.

The Judge lied glibly. He had seen no one in the courthouse. His first knowledge that anyone had been there had come when he had heard the voice of one, of the deputies, calling to him. And then all he had seen was a shadowy figure that had leaped and struck. After that there had been some shooting. And then the men had escaped.

"No one spoke?"

"Not a word," said the Judge. "That is, of course, no one but the man who called to me."

"Did they take anything?"

"What is there to take? There is nothing of value."

"Gieger says one of them was working at the safe. What's in there?"

"Some books and papers and supplies--nothing of value. That they tried to get into the safe would seem to indicate that they thought there was money there--Manti has many strangers who would not hesitate at robbery."

"They didn't get into the safe, then?"

"I haven't looked inside--nothing seems to be disturbed, as it would were the men safe-blowers. In their hurry to get away it would seem, if they had come to get into the safe, they would have left something behind--tools, or something of that character."

"Let's have a look at the safe. Open it!" Corrigan seemed to be suspicious, and with a pulse of trepidation, the Judge knelt and worked the combination. When the door came open Corrigan dropped on his knees in front of it and began to pull out the contents, scattering them in his eagerness. He stood up after a time, scowling, his face flushed. He turned on the Judge, grasped him by the shoulders, his fingers gripping so hard that the Judge winced.

"Look here, Lindman," he said. "Those men were not ordinary robbers.

Experienced men would know better than to crack a safe in a courthouse when there's a bank right next door. I've an idea that it was some of Trevison's work. You've done or said something that's given him the notion that you've got the original record. Have you?"

"I swear I have said nothing," declared the Judge.

Corrigan looked at him steadily for a moment and then released him. "You burned it, eh?"

The Judge nodded, and Corrigan compressed his lips. "I suppose it's all right, but I can't help wishing that I had been here to watch the ceremony of burning that record. I'd feel a d.a.m.n sight more secure. But understand this: If you double-cross me in any detail of this game, you'll never go to the penitentiary for what Benham knows about you--I'll choke the gizzard out of you!" He took a turn around the room, stopping at last in front of the Judge.

"Now we'll talk business. I want you to issue an order permitting me to erect mining machinery on Trevison's land. We need coal here."

"Graney gave notice of appeal," protested the Judge.

"Which the Circuit Court denied."

"He'll go to Washington," persisted the Judge, gulping. "I can't legally do it."