The One-Way Trail Part 23

"Go you and hunt up Doc Crombie," he said hastily. And as the boy stirred to depart, he added in a tone that was curiously sharp set, "Then go on to the saloon and tell Will Henderson to come right up here."

But Peter interfered.

"Let him get the Doc," he said. "I'll see to him--later."

The two men exchanged glances, and Jim gave way.

"Very well. But hurry for Crombie."

After that Eve's voice demanding water held all Jim's attention. And while Peter procured a cupful, he lifted her gently in his arms and carried her into the parlor, and laid her on an old horsehair settee, propping her carefully into a sitting position. When the water was brought she drank thirstily, and then, closing her eyes, sank back with something like a sigh of contentment.

But with the first touch of the wet flannel which Jim again applied to her head she looked up.

"I fell on the coal box," she said hastily. And before Jim could answer Peter spoke.

"That's how we guessed," he said kindly. "Maybe you were stooping for coal--sure."

"Yes, yes. I was stooping for coal for the kitchen stove. I must have got dizzy. You needn't send for the doctor. I'm all right, and the bleeding will stop. I've just got a headache. Please don't send for Will; I'm glad you haven't. He'd only be alarmed for--for nothing--and really I'm all right. Thank you, Jim, and you too, Peter. You can't do anything more. Really you can't and I don't want to spoil your evening. I----"

"We're going to wait for the Doc, Eve," said Jim, firmly.

Her eagerness to be rid of them was painfully evident, and so unlike her.

"Yes," agreed Peter, "we better wait for the Doc, Eve. You see we came down to pay you a party call."

"A party call?"

"Yes. Y'see Jim rode in from the 'AZ's' to pay you a--party call."

The girl's eyes steadied themselves on Jim's face. He had drawn himself up a chair, and was sitting opposite her. Peter was still standing, his great bulk shutting the glare of the lamplight out of her eyes. She looked long and earnestly into the man's face, as though she would fathom the meaning of his visit before she in any way committed herself. But she learned nothing from it.

"A party call--after all this time, Jim?" she asked, with something like a wistful smile.

Jim turned away. He could not face the pathos in her expression. His eyes wandered round the little room. Not one detail of it was forgotten, yet it seemed ages and ages since he had seen it all. He nodded.

"You see," he said lamely, "new married folks don't----"

Eve checked his explanation quickly. She didn't want any. All she wanted was for them to go before Will returned.

"Yes; I know. And, besides, the ranch is a long way. Yet--why did you come to-night?" She pressed her hand to her forehead lest the fear in her eyes should betray her.

The pause which followed was awkward. Somehow neither of the men was prepared for it. Neither had thought that such a question would be put to him. Peter looked at Jim, who turned deliberately away. He was struggling vainly for a way of approaching all he had to say to this girl, and now that he was face to face with it he realized the impossibility of his position. Finally it was the girl herself who helped him out.

"It's very, very kind of you, anyway," she said, in a low voice.

"It's good to think that I've got friends thinking about me----"

"That's just it, Eve," cried Jim, seizing his opportunity with a clumsy rush. "I've been thinking a heap--lately. You see--Will Henderson's not working and--and--folks say----"

"And gossip says we're 'hard up,'" Eve added bitterly. She knew well enough the talk that was rife. "So you've come in to see--if it is true." She again pressed a hand to her forehead. This time it was the pain of her head which had become excruciating.

Jim nodded, and Peter's smiling eyes continued to watch him.

"But it wasn't exactly that," the former went on in his straightforward way. "Yet it's so blazing hard to put it so you can understand. You see, I've been doing very well, and--you know I've got a big bunch of cattle running up in the foot-hills now--I thought, maybe, seeing Will isn't working, money might be a bit tight with you. You see, we're folks of the world, and there's no fool sentiment about us in these things; I mean no ridiculous pride. Now, if I was down, and you'd offered to help me out, I'd just take it as a real friendly act. And I just thought--maybe----"

How much longer he would have continued to flounder on it was impossible to tell, but Peter saw his trouble and cut him short.

"You see, Eve," he said, "Jim wants to help you out. Some folks have got busy, and he's heard that you're hard pushed for ready dollars.

That's how it is."

Jim frowned at his bluntness, but was in reality immensely relieved.

Eve had been listening with closed eyes, but now opened them, and they were full of a friendliness.

"Thanks, Peter; thanks, Jim," she said softly. "You're both very good to me, but--don't worry about money. If things go right we have enough."

"That's it, Eve," Jim exclaimed eagerly. "If things go right. Are they going right? Will they go right? That's just it. Say, can't you see it hurts bad to think you've got to pinch, and that sort of thing? You can surely take a loan from me. You----"

But Eve shook her head decidedly.

"Things will go right, believe me. Will has got something up--in the hills. He says it's going to bring us in a lot." She turned wistful eyes upon Peter's rugged face. "It's something in your line," she said. "Gold. And he says----" She broke off with a look of sudden distress. "I forgot. I wasn't to say anything to--to anybody.

Please--please forget about it. But I only wanted to show you that--we are going to do very well."

"So Will's struck it rich." It was Peter's astonished voice that answered her. The news had a peculiar interest for him. "Placer?" he inquired.

"Yes--and easy to work. But you won't say a word about it, will you?

He told me not to speak of it. And if he knew he would be so angry.

I----"

"Don't worry, Eve," broke in Jim, gently. "Your secret is safe with us--quite safe."

Peter said nothing. The news had staggered him for a moment, and he was vainly trying to digest it. Jim rose from his seat and leaned against the table. His attempt had failed. She would have none of his help. But his coming to that house had told him, in spite of Eve's rea.s.surance, that the gossip was well founded. There was trouble in Eve's home, and it was worse than he had antic.i.p.ated.

The girl eyed them both for a moment with a return of that fear in her eyes.

"Are you going now?" she inquired, with an anxiety she no longer tried to conceal. She felt so ill that it didn't seem to matter what she said.

"We're going to wait till Doc Crombie's fixed you up," said Peter, steadily. Then he added thoughtfully, "After that I'm going to fetch Will."

Eve gasped. Swift protest rose to her lips, but it remained unspoken, for at that moment there came the sound of footsteps outside, and Elia led the forceful doctor into the room.

"Hey, Mrs. Henderson," he cried, nodding at the two men. "Winged your head some. Let's have a look," he added, crossing to Eve's side and glancing keenly at her wound. "Whew!" he whistled. "How did you do it?

Eh?" he demanded, and Peter explained. The explanation was made to save Eve what both he and Jim knew to be a lie.

The doctor's blunt scorn was withering.

"Pooh! Leanin' over the coal box? Fell on the corner? Nonsense! Say, if you'd fell clear off o' the roof on to that dogone box, mebbe you could ha' done that amount o' damage. But----"

Eve's eyes flashed indignantly.

"I'd be glad if you'd fix me up," she said coldly.