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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cavanagh: Forest Ranger, by Hamlin Garland
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Cavanagh: Forest Ranger
+       A Romance of the Mountain West
+
+Author: Hamlin Garland
+
+Release Date: August 9, 2008 [EBook #26244]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAVANAGH: FOREST RANGER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE RANGER]
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+CAVANAGH
+FOREST RANGER
+
+A Romance
+Of The Mountain West
+
+By
+HAMLIN GARLAND
+
+Author Of
+"The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop"
+"Main-Travelled Roads" Etc.
+
+HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
+New York and London
+MCMX
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Books by
+HAMLIN GARLAND
+
+Cavanagh--Forest Ranger                Post 8vo $1.50
+The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop.   Post 8vo  1.50
+Hesper                                 Post 8vo  1.50
+Money Magic. Ill'd                     Post 8vo  1.50
+The Light of the Star. Ill'd           Post 8vo  1.50
+The Tyranny of the Dark. Ill'd.        Post 8vo  1.50
+The Shadow World                       Post 8vo  1.35
+Main-Travelled Roads                   Post 8vo  1.50
+Prairie Folks                          Post 8vo  1.50
+Rose of Dutcher's Coolly               Post 8vo  1.50
+The Moccasin Ranch. Ill'd              Post 8vo  1.00
+Trail of the Gold-Seekers              Post 8vo  1.50
+The Long Trail. Ill'd                  Post 8vo  1.25
+Boy Life on the Prairie. Ill'd         Post 8vo  1.50
+    (In Boys' and Girls' Library)                 .75
+
+HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, N. Y.
+
+Copyright, 1910, by Hamlin Garland
+
+All rights reserved
+
+Published March, 1910
+
+Printed in the United States of America
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+TO THE FOREST RANGER
+
+WHOSE LONELY VIGIL ON
+THE HEIGHTS SAFEGUARDS
+THE PUBLIC HERITAGE
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAPTER                                     PAGE
+     I.  The Desert Chariot                    1
+    II.  The Forest Ranger                    20
+   III.  Lee Virginia Wages War               35
+    IV.  Virginia Takes Another Motor Ride    57
+     V.  Two On the Veranda                   80
+    VI.  The Voice from the Heights           97
+   VII.  The Poachers                        115
+  VIII.  The Second Attack                   132
+    IX.  The Old Sheep-Herder                149
+     X.  The Smoke of the Burning            173
+    XI.  Shadows on the Mist                 187
+   XII.  Cavanagh's Last Vigil Begins        217
+  XIII.  Cavanagh Asks for Help              230
+   XIV.  The Pest-House                      247
+    XV.  Wetherford Passes On                265
+         Conclusion                          295
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+My Dear Mr. Garland:--You have been kind enough to let me see the proofs
+of _Cavanagh: Forest Ranger_. I have read it with mingled feelings--with
+keen appreciation of your sympathetic understanding of the problems which
+confronted the Forest Service before the Western people understood it, and
+with deep regret that I am no longer officially associated with its work
+(although I am as deeply interested, and almost as closely in touch as
+ever).
+
+The Western frontier, to the lasting sorrow of all old hunters like
+yourself, has now practically disappeared. Its people faced life with a
+manly dependence on their own courage and capacity which did them, and
+still does them, high honor. Some of them were naturally slow to see the
+advantages of the new order. But now that they have seen it, there is
+nowhere more intelligent, convinced, and effective support of the
+Conservation policies than in the West. The establishment of the new order
+in some places was not child's play. But there is a strain of fairness
+among the Western people which you can always count on in such a fight as
+the Forest Service has made and won.
+
+The Service contains the best body of young men I know, and many splendid
+veterans. It is nine-tenths made up of Western men. It has met the West on
+its own ground, and it has won the contest--an episode of which you have
+so well described--because the West believes in what it stands for.
+
+I have lived much among the Western mountain men. I have studied their
+problems; differed with some of them, and worked with many of them.
+Sometimes I have lost and sometimes I have won, but every time the fight
+was worth while. I have come out of it all with a respect and liking for
+the West which will last as long as I do.
+
+                                               Very sincerely yours,
+                                                       Gifford Pinchot.
+
+  March 14, 1910.
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Cavanagh: Forest Ranger
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+
+
+Cavanagh: Forest Ranger
+
+I
+
+THE DESERT CHARIOT
+
+
+Lee Virginia Wetherford began her return journey into the mountain West
+with exultation. From the moment she opened her car-window that August
+morning in Nebraska the plain called to her, sustained her illusions. It
+was all quite as big, as tawny, as she remembered it--fit arena for the
+epic deeds in which her father had been a leader bold and free.
+
+Her memories of Roaring Fork and its people were childish and romantic.
+She recalled, vividly, the stagecoach which used to amble sedately, not to
+say wheezily, from the railway to the Fork and from the Fork back to the
+railway, in the days when she had ridden away in it a tearful, despairing,
+long-limbed girl, and fully expected to find it waiting for her at Sulphur
+City, with old Tom Quentan still as its driver.
+
+The years of absence had been years of growth, and though she had changed
+from child to woman in these suns and moons, she could not think of the
+Fork as anything other than the romantic town she had left--a list wherein
+spurred and steel-girt cow-men strode lamely over uneven sidewalks, or
+swooped, like the red nomads of the desert, in mad troops through the
+starlit night.
+
+The first hint of "the new West" came to her by way of the pretentious
+Hotel Alma, which stood opposite the station at Sulphur, and to which she
+was led by a colored porter of most elaborate and kindly manners.
+
+This house, which furnished an excellent dinner and an absorbing mixture
+of types both American and European, was vaguely disturbing to her. It was
+plainly not of the old-time West--the West her father had dominated in the
+days "before the invasion." It was, indeed, distinctly built for the
+tourist trade, and was filled with all that might indicate the comfortable
+nearness of big game and good fishing.
+
+Upon inquiry as to the stage, she was amazed to hear that an automobile
+now made the journey to the Fork in five hours, and that it left
+immediately after the midday meal.
+
+This was still more disconcerting than the hotel, but the closer she came
+to the ride, the more resigned she became, for she began to relive the
+long hours of torture on the trip outward, during which she had endured
+clouds of dust and blazing heat. There were some disadvantages in the old
+stage, romantic as her conception of it had been. Furthermore, the coach
+had gone; so she made application for her seat at once.
+
+At two o'clock, as the car came to the door, she entered it with a sense
+of having stepped from one invading chariot of progress to another, so big
+and shining and up to date was its glittering body, shining with brass and
+glowing with brave red paint. It was driven, also, by a small, lean young
+fellow, whom the cowboys on her father's ranch would have called a
+"lunger," so thin and small were his hands and arms. He was quite as far
+from old Tom Quentan as the car was from the coach on which he used to
+perch.
+
+The owner of the machine, perceiving under Virginia's veil a girl's pretty
+face, motioned her to the seat with the driver, and rode beside her for a
+few minutes (standing on the foot-board), to inquire if she were visiting
+friends in the Fork.
+
+"Yes," she replied, curtly, "I am."
+
+Something in her tone discouraged him from further inquiry, and he soon
+dropped away.
+
+The seats were apparently quite filled with men, when at the last moment a
+middle-aged woman, with a penetrating, nasal, drawling utterance, inquired
+if she were expected to be "squoze in betwixt them two strange men on that
+there back seat."
+
+Lee Virginia turned, and was about to greet the woman as an old
+acquaintance when something bold and vulgar in the complaining vixen's
+face checked the impulse.
+
+The stage-agent called her "Miss McBride," and with exaggerated courtesy
+explained that travel was heavy, and that he had not known that she was
+intending to go.
+
+One of the men, a slender young fellow, moved to the middle of the seat,
+and politely said, "You can sit on the outside, madam."
+
+She clambered in with doleful clamor. "Well, I never rode in one of these
+pesky things before, and if you git me safe down to the Fork I'll promise
+never to jump the brute another time."
+
+A chuckle went 'round the car; but it soon died out, for the new-comer
+scarcely left off talking for the next three hours, and Virginia was very
+glad she had not claimed acquaintanceship.
+
+As they whirled madly down the valley the girl was astonished at the
+transformation in the hot, dry land. Wire fences ran here and there,
+enclosing fields of alfalfa and wheat where once only the sage-brush and
+the grease-wood grew. Painted farm-houses shone on the banks of the
+creeks, and irrigating ditches flashed across the road with an air of
+business and decision.
+
+For the first half-hour it seemed as if the dominion of the cattle-man had
+ended, but as the swift car drew away from the valley of the Bear and
+climbed the divide toward the north, the free range was disclosed, with
+few changes, save in the cattle, which were all of the harmless or
+hornless variety, appearing tame and spiritless in comparison with the
+old-time half-wild broad-horn breeds.
+
+No horsemen were abroad, and nothing was heard but the whirr of the motor
+and the steady flow of the garrulous woman behind. Not till the machine
+was descending the long divide to the west did a single cowboy come into
+view to remind the girl of the heroic past, and this one but a symbol--a
+figure of speech. Leaning forward upon his reeling, foaming steed, he
+spurred along the road as if pursued, casting backward apprehensive
+glances, as if in the brassy eyes of the car he read his doom--the doom of
+all his kind.
+
+Some vague perception of this symbolism came into Virginia's thought as
+she watched the swift and tireless wheels swallow the shortening distance
+between the heels of the flying pony and the gilded seat in which she sat.
+Vain was the attempt to outride progress. The rider pulled out, and as
+they passed him the girl found still greater significance in the fact that
+he was one of her father's old-time cowboys--a grizzled, middle-aged,
+light-weight centaur whom she would not have recognized had not the driver
+called him by his quaint well-known nickname.
+
+Soon afterward the motor overhauled and passed the battered stage
+lumbering along, bereft of its passengers, sunk to the level of carrying
+the baggage for its contemptuous aristocratic supplanter; and as Lee
+Virginia looked up at the driver, she caught the glance of a simple-minded
+farm-boy looking down at her. Tom Quentan no longer guided the plunging,
+reeling broncos on their swift and perilous way--he had sturdily declined
+to "play second fiddle to a kerosene tank."
+
+Lee began to wonder if she should find the Fork much changed--her mother
+was a bad correspondent.
+
+Her unspoken question, opportunely asked by another, was answered by Mrs.
+McBride. "Oh, Lord, yes! Summer tourists are crawlin' all over us sence
+this otto line began. 'Pears like all the bare-armed boobies and
+cross-legged little rips in Omaha and Denver has jest got to ride in and
+look us over. Two of them new hotels in Sulphur don't do a thing but feed
+these tenderfeet. I s'pose pro-hi-bition will be the next grandstand-play
+on the part of our town-lot boomers. We old cow-punchers don't care
+whether the town grows or not, but these hyer bankers and truck-farmers
+are all for raisin' the price o' land and taxin' us quiet fellers out of
+our boots."
+
+Virginia winced a little at this, for it flashed over her that all the
+women with whom she had grown up spoke very much in this fashion--using
+breeding terms almost as freely as the ranchers themselves. It was natural
+enough. What else could they do in talking to men who knew nothing but
+cows? And yet it was no longer wholly excusable even to the men, who
+laughed openly in reply.
+
+The mountains, too, yielded their disappointment. For the first hour or
+two they seemed lower and less mysterious than of old. They neither wooed
+nor threatened--only the plain remained as vast and as majestic as ever.
+The fences, the occasional farms in the valleys could not subdue its
+outspread, serene majesty to prettiness. It was still of desert sternness
+and breadth.
+
+From all these impersonal considerations the girl was brought back to the
+vital phases of her life by the harsh voice of one of the men. "Lize
+Wetherford is goin' to get jumped one o' these days for sellin' whiskey
+without a license. I've told her so, too. Everybody knows she's a-doin'
+it, and what beats me is her goin' along in that way when a little time
+and money would set her straight with the law."
+
+The shock of all this lay in the fact that Eliza Wetherford was the mother
+to whom Lee Virginia was returning after ten years of life in the East,
+and the significance of the man's words froze her blood for an instant.
+There was an accent of blunt truth in his voice, and the mere fact that a
+charge of such weight could be openly made appalled the girl, although her
+recollections of her mother were not entirely pleasant.
+
+The young fellow on the back seat slowly said: "I don't complain of Lize
+sellin' bad whiskey, but the grub she sets up is fierce."
+
+"The grub ain't so bad; it's the way she stacks it up," remarked another.
+"But, then, these little fly-bit cow-towns are all alike and all bad, so
+far as hotels are concerned."
+
+Lee Virginia, crimson and burning hot, was in agony lest they should go
+further in their criticism.
+
+She knew that her mother kept a boarding-house; and while she was not
+proud of it, there was nothing precisely disgraceful in it--many widowed
+women found it the last resort; but this brutal comment on the way in
+which her business was carried on was like a slash of mud in the face. Her
+joy in the ride, her impersonal exultant admiration of the mountains was
+gone, and with flaming cheeks and beating heart she sat, tense and bent,
+dreading some new and keener thrust.
+
+Happily the conversation turned aside and fell upon the Government's
+forest policy, and Sam Gregg, a squat, wide-mouthed, harsh-voiced
+individual, cursed the action of Ross Cavanagh the ranger in the district
+above the Fork. "He thinks he's Secretary of War, but I reckon he won't
+after I interview him. He can't shuffle my sheep around over the hills at
+his own sweet will."
+
+The young fellow on the back seat quietly interposed. "You want to be sure
+you've got the cinch on Cavanagh good and square, Sam, or he'll be
+a-ridin' _you_."
+
+"He certainly is an arbitrary cuss," said the old woman. "They say he was
+one of Teddy's Rough-riders in the war. He sure can ride and handle a gun.
+'Pears like he thinks he's runnin' the whole range," she continued, after
+a pause. "Cain't nobody so much as shoot a grouse since he came on, and
+the Supervisor upholds him in it."
+
+Lee Virginia wondered about all this supervision, for it was new to her.
+
+Gregg, the sheepman, went on: "As I tell Redfield, I don't object to the
+forest policy--it's a good thing for me; I get my sheep pastured cheaper
+than I could do any other way, but it makes me hot to have grazing lines
+run on me and my herders jacked up every time they get over the line. Ross
+run one bunch off the reservation last Friday. I'm going to find out about
+that. He'll learn he can't get 'arbitrary' with me."
+
+Lee Virginia, glancing back at this man, felt sorry for any one who
+opposed him, for she recalled him as one of the fiercest of the
+cattle-men--one ever ready to cut a farmer's fence or burn a
+sheep-herder's wagon.
+
+The old woman chuckled: "'Pears like you've changed your tune since '98,
+Sam."
+
+He admitted his conversion shamelessly. "I'm for whatever will pay best.
+Just now, with a high tariff, sheep are the boys. So long as I can get on
+the reserve at seven cents a head--lambs free--I'm going to put every
+dollar I've got into sheep."
+
+"You're going to get thrown off altogether one of these days," said the
+young man on the back seat.
+
+Thereupon a violent discussion arose over the question of the right of a
+sheepman to claim first grass for his flocks, and Gregg boasted that he
+cared nothing for "the dead-line." "I'll throw my sheep where I please,"
+he declared. "They've tried to run me out of Deer Creek, but I'm there to
+stay. I have ten thousand more on the way, and the man that tries to stop
+me will find trouble."
+
+The car was descending into the valley of the Roaring Fork now, and wire
+fences and alfalfa fields on either side gave further evidence of the
+change in the land's dominion. New houses of frame and old houses in fresh
+paint shone vividly from the green of the willows and cottonwoods. A
+ball-ground on the outskirts of the village was another guarantee of
+progress. The cowboy was no longer the undisputed prince of the country
+fair.
+
+Down past the court-house, refurbished and deeper sunk in trees, Lee
+Virginia rode, recalling the wild night when three hundred armed and
+vengeful cowboys surrounded it, holding three cattle-barons and their
+hired invaders against all comers, resolute to be their own judge, jury,
+and hangman. It was all as peaceful as a Sunday afternoon at this moment,
+with no sign of the fierce passions of the past.
+
+There were new store-buildings and cement walks along the main street of
+the town, and here and there a real lawn, cut by a lawn-mower; but as the
+machine buzzed on toward the river the familiar little old battlemented
+buildings came to view. The Palace Hotel, half log, half battlement,
+remained on its perilous site beside the river. The triangle where the
+trails met still held Halsey's Three Forks Saloon, and next to it stood
+Markheit's general store, from which the cowboys and citizens had armed
+themselves during the ten days' war of cattle-men and rustlers.
+
+The car crossed the Roaring Fork and drew up before two small shacks, one
+of which bore a faded sign, "The Wetherford House," and the other in
+fresher paint, "The Wetherford Café." On the sidewalk a group of Indians
+were sitting, and a half-dozen slouching white men stood waiting at the
+door.
+
+At sight of her mother's hotel Virginia forgot every other building, every
+other object, and when the driver asked, respectfully, "Where will you
+want to get off, miss?" she did not reply, but rose unsteadily in her
+seat, blindly reaching for her bag and her wraps. Her slim, gray-robed
+figure, graceful even in her dismay, appealed to every onlooker, but Gregg
+was the one to offer a hand.
+
+"Allow me, miss," he said, with the smile of a wolf.
+
+Declining his aid, she took her bag from the driver and walked briskly up
+the street as if she were a resident and knew precisely where she wanted
+to go. "One o' those Eastern tourists, I reckon?" she heard the old woman
+say.
+
+As she went past the hotel-porch her heart beat hard and her breath
+shortened. In a flash she divined the truth. She understood why her mother
+had discouraged her coming home. It was not merely on account of the
+money--it was because she knew that her business was wrong.
+
+What a squalid little den it was! How cheap, bald, and petty the whole
+town seemed of a sudden. Lee Virginia halted and turned. There was only
+one thing to be done, and that was to make herself known. She retraced her
+steps, pulled open the broken screen door, and entered the café. It was a
+low, dingy dining-room filled with the odor of ham and bad coffee. At the
+tables ten or fifteen men, a motley throng, were busily feeding their
+voracious jaws, and on her left, behind a showcase filled with cigars,
+stood her mother, looking old, unkempt, and worried. The changes in her
+were so great that the girl stood in shocked alarm. At last she raised her
+veil. "Mother," she said, "don't you know me?"
+
+A look of surprise went over the older woman's flabby face--a glow which
+brought back something of her other self, as she cried: "Why, Lee
+Virginny, where did you come from?"
+
+The boarders stopped chewing and stared in absorbed interest, while
+Virginia kissed her blowsy mother.
+
+"By the Lord, it's little Virginny!" said one old fellow. "It's her
+daughter."
+
+Upon this a mutter of astonishment arose, and the waiter-girls, giggling,
+marvelling, and envious, paused, their platters in hand, to exchange
+comment on the new-comer's hat and gown. A cowboy at the washing-sink in
+the corner suspended his face-polishing and gaped over his shoulder in
+silent ecstasy.
+
+For a full minute, so it seemed, this singular, interesting, absorbed
+immobility lasted; then a seedy little man rose, and approached the girl.
+His manner was grotesquely graceful as he said: "We are all glad to greet
+you home again, Miss Virginia."
+
+She gave her hand hesitatingly. "It's Mr. Sifton, isn't it?"
+
+"It is," he replied; "the same old ha'penny, only a little more
+worn--worn, not polished," he added, with a smile.
+
+She remembered him then--an Englishman, a remittance man, a "lord," they
+used to say. His eyes were kind, and his mouth, despite its unshaved
+stubble of beard, was refined. A harmless little man--his own worst enemy,
+as the saying goes.
+
+Thereupon others of the men came forward to greet her, and though she had
+some difficulty in recognizing one or two of them (so hardly had the years
+of her absence used them), she eventually succeeded in placing them all.
+
+At length her mother led her through the archway which connected the two
+shanties, thence along a narrow hall into a small bedroom, into which the
+western sunset fell. It was a shabby place, but as a refuge from the crowd
+in the restaurant it was grateful.
+
+Lize looked at her daughter critically. "I don't know what I'm going to do
+with a girl like you.--Why, you're purty--purty as a picture. You were
+skinny as a child--I'm fair dazed. Great snakes, how you have opened
+out!--You're the living image of your dad.--What started you back? I told
+you to stay where you was."
+
+The girl stared at her helplessly, trying to understand herself and her
+surroundings. There was, in truth, something singularly alien in her
+mother's attitude. She seemed on the defensive, not wishing to be too
+closely studied. "Her manner is not even affectionate--only friendly. It
+is as if I were only an embarrassing visitor," the girl thought. Aloud she
+said: "I had no place to go after Aunt Celia died. I had to come home."
+
+"You wrote they was willing to keep you."
+
+"They were, but I couldn't ask it of them. I had no right to burden them,
+and, besides, Mrs. Hall wrote me that you were sick."
+
+"I am; but I didn't want you to come back. Lay off your things and come
+out to supper. We'll talk afterward."
+
+The eating-house, the rooms and hallways, were all of that desolate
+shabbiness which comes from shiftlessness joined with poverty. The carpets
+were frayed and stained with tobacco-juice, and the dusty windows were
+littered with dead flies. The curtains were ragged, the paper peeling from
+the walls, and the plastering cracked into unsightly lines. Everything on
+which the girl's eyes fell contrasted strongly with her aunt's home on the
+Brandywine--not because that house was large or luxurious, but because it
+was exquisitely in order, and sweet with flowers and dainty arrangement of
+color.
+
+She understood now the final warnings uttered by her friends. "You will
+find everything changed," they had said, "because you are changed."
+
+She regretted bitterly that she had ever left her Eastern friends. Her
+mother, in truth, showed little pleasure at her coming, and almost nothing
+of the illness of which a neighbor had written. It was, indeed, this
+letter which had decided her to return to the West. She had come, led by a
+sense of duty, not by affection, for she had never loved her mother as a
+daughter should--they were in some way antipathetic--and now she found
+herself an unwelcome guest.
+
+Then, too, the West had called to her: the West of her childhood, the
+romantic, chivalrous West, the West of the miner, the cattle-man, the
+wolf, and the eagle. She had returned, led by a poetic sentiment, and here
+now she sat realizing as if by a flash of inward light that the West she
+had known as a child had passed, had suddenly grown old and
+commonplace--in truth, it had never existed at all!
+
+One of the waitresses, whose elaborately puffed and waved hair set forth
+her senseless vanity, called from the door: "You can come out now, your ma
+says! Your supper's ready!"
+
+With aching head and shaking knees Virginia reentered the dining-room,
+which was now nearly empty of its "guests," but was still misty with the
+steam of food, and swarming with flies. These pests buzzed like bees
+around the soiled places on the table-cloths, and one of her mother's
+first remarks was a fretful apology regarding her trials with those
+insects. "Seems like you can't keep 'em out," she said.
+
+Lee Virginia presented the appearance of some "settlement worker," some
+fair lady on a visit to the poor, as she took her seat at the table and
+gingerly opened the small moist napkin which the waiter dropped before
+her. Her appetite was gone. Her appetite failed at the very sight of the
+fried eggs and hot and sputtering bacon, and she turned hastily to her
+coffee. A fly was in that! She uttered a little choking cry, and buried
+her face in her handkerchief and sobbed.
+
+Lize turned upon the waitress and lashed her with stinging phrases. "Can't
+you serve things better than this? Take that cup away! My God, you make me
+tired--fumblin' around here with your eyes on the men! Pay more attention
+to your work and less to your crimps, and you'll please me a whole lot
+better!"
+
+With desperate effort Lee conquered her disgust. "Never mind, I'm tired
+and a little upset. I don't need any dinner."
+
+"The slob will go, just the same. I've put up with her because help is
+scarce, but here's where she gits off!"
+
+In this moment Virginia perceived that her mother was of the same nature
+with Mrs. McBride--not one whit more refined--and the gulf between them
+swiftly widened. Hastily sipping her coffee, she tried hard to keep back
+the tears, but failed; and no sooner did her mother turn away than she
+fled to her room, there to sob unrestrainedly her despair and shame. "Oh,
+I can't stand it," she called. "I can't! I can't!"
+
+Outside, the mountains deepened in splendor, growing each moment more
+mysterious and beautiful under the sunset sky, but the girl derived no
+comfort from them. Her loneliness and her perplexities had closed her eyes
+to their majestic drama. She felt herself alien and solitary in the land
+of her birth.
+
+Lize came in half an hour later, pathetic in her attempt at "slicking up."
+She was still handsome in a large-featured way, but her gray hair was
+there, and her face laid with a network of fretful lines. Her color was
+bad. At the moment her cheeks were yellow and sunken.
+
+She complained of being short of breath and lame and tired. "I'm always
+tired," she explained. "'Pears like sometimes I can't scarcely drag myself
+around, but I do."
+
+A pang of comprehending pain shot through Virginia's heart. If she could
+not love, she could at least pity and help; and reaching forth her hand,
+she patted her mother on the knee. "Poor old mammy!" she said. "I'm going
+to help you."
+
+Lize was touched by this action of her proud daughter, and smiled sadly.
+"This is no place for you. It's nothin' but a measly little old cow-town
+gone to seed--and I'm gone to seed with it. I know it. But what is a
+feller to do? I'm stuck here, and I've got to make a living or quit. I
+can't quit. I ain't got the grit to eat a dose, and so I stagger along."
+
+"I've come back to help you, mother. You must let me relieve you of some
+of the burden."
+
+"What can you do, child?" Lize asked, gently.
+
+"I can teach."
+
+"Not in this town you can't."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Well, there's a terrible prejudice against--well, against me. And,
+besides, the places are all filled for the next year. The Wetherfords
+ain't among the first circles any more."
+
+This daunted the girl more than she could express, but she bravely made
+advance. "But there must be other schools in the country."
+
+"There are--a few. But I reckon you better pull out and go back, at least,
+to Sulphur; they don't know so much about me there, and, besides, they're
+a little more like your kind."
+
+Lee Virginia remembered Gregg's charge against her mother. "What do you
+mean by the prejudice against you?" she asked.
+
+Lize was evasive. "Since I took to running this restaurant my old friends
+kind o' fell off--but never mind that to-night. Tell me about things back
+East. I don't s'pose I'll ever get as far as Omaha again; I used to go
+with Ed every time I felt like it. He was good to me, your father. If ever
+there was a prince of a man, Ed Wetherford was him."
+
+The girl's thought was now turned into other half-forgotten channels. "I
+wish you would tell me more about father. I don't remember where he was
+buried."
+
+"Neither do I, child--I mean I don't know exactly. You see, after that
+cattle-war, he went away to Texas."
+
+"I remember, but it's all very dim."
+
+"Well, he never came back and never wrote, and by-and-by word came that he
+had died and was buried; but I never could go down to see where his grave
+was at."
+
+"Didn't you know the name of the town?"
+
+"Yes; but it was a new place away down in the Pan Handle, and nobody I
+knew lived there. And I never knew anything more."
+
+Lee sighed hopelessly. "I hate to think of him lying neglected down
+there."
+
+"'Pears like the whole world we lived in in them days has slipped off the
+map," replied the older woman; and as the room was darkening, she rose and
+lighted a dusty electric globe which dangled from the ceiling over the
+small table. "Well, I must go back into the restaurant; I hain't got a
+girl I can trust to count the cash."
+
+Left alone, Lee Virginia wept no more, but her face settled into an
+expression of stern sadness. It seemed as if her girlhood had died out of
+her, and that she was about to begin the same struggle with work and worry
+which had marked the lives of all the women she had known in her
+childhood.
+
+Out on the porch a raw youth was playing wailing tunes on a mouth-organ,
+and in the "parlor" a man was uttering silly jokes to a tittering girl.
+The smell of cheap cigars filled the hallway and penetrated to her
+nostrils. Every sight and sound sickened her. "Can it be that the old
+town, the town of my childhood, was of this character--so sordid, so
+vulgar?" she asked herself. "And mother--what is the matter with her? She
+is not even glad to see me!"
+
+Weary with her perplexities, she fastened her door at last, and went to
+bed, hoping to end--for a few hours, at least--the ache in her heart and
+the benumbing whirl of her thought.
+
+But this respite was denied her. Almost at once she began to fancy that a
+multitudinous minute creeping and stirring was going on about her--in her
+hair, over her neck, across her feet. For a time she explained this by
+reference to her disordered nerves, but at last some realization of the
+truth came to her, and she sprang out upon the floor in horror and
+disgust. Lighting the lamp, she turned to scrutinize her couch. It swarmed
+with vermin. The ceiling was spattered with them. They raced across the
+walls in platoons, thin and voracious as wolves.
+
+With a choking, angry, despairing moan she snatched her clothing from the
+chair and stood at bay. It needed but this touch to complete her
+disillusionment.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+THE FOREST RANGER
+
+
+From her makeshift bed in the middle of the floor Lee Virginia was
+awakened next morning by the passing of some one down the hall calling at
+each door, "Six o'clock!" She had not slept at all till after one. She was
+lame, heart-weary, and dismayed, but she rose and dressed herself as
+neatly as before. She had decided to return to Sulphur. "I cannot endure
+this," she had repeated to herself a hundred times. "I _will_ not!"
+
+Hearing the clatter of dishes, she ventured (with desperate courage) into
+the dining-room, which was again filled with cowboys, coal-miners,
+ranchers and their tousled families, and certain nondescript town loafers
+of tramp-like appearance. The flies were nearly as bad as ever--but not
+quite, for under Mrs. Wetherford's dragooning the waiters had made a
+nerveless assault upon them with newspaper bludgeons, and a few of them
+had been driven out into the street.
+
+Slipping into a seat at the end of the table which offered the cleanest
+cloth, Lee Virginia glanced round upon her neighbors with shrinking eyes.
+All were shovelling their food with knife-blades and guzzling their coffee
+with bent heads; their faces scared her, and she dropped her eyes.
+
+At her left, however, sat two men whose greetings were frank and manly,
+and whose table-manners betrayed a higher form of life. One of them was a
+tall man with a lean red face against which his blond mustache lay like a
+chalk-mark. He wore a corduroy jacket, cut in Norfolk style, and in the
+collar of his yellow shirt a green tie was loosely knotted. His hands were
+long and freckled, but were manifestly trained to polite usages.
+
+The other man was younger and browner, and of a compact, athletic figure.
+On the breast of his olive-green coat hung a silver badge which bore a
+pine-tree in the centre. His shirt was tan-colored and rough, but his head
+was handsome. He looked like a young officer in the undress uniform of the
+regular army. His hands were strong but rather small, and the lines of his
+shoulders graceful. Most attractive of all were his eyes, so brown, so
+quietly humorous, and so keen.
+
+In the rumble of cheap and vulgar talk the voices of these men appealed to
+the troubled girl with great charm. She felt more akin to them than to any
+one else in the room, and from time to time she raised her eyes to their
+faces.
+
+They were aware of her also, and their gaze was frankly admiring as well
+as wondering; and in passing the ham and eggs or the sugar they contrived
+to show her that they considered her a lady in a rough place, and that
+they would like to know more about her.
+
+She accepted their civilities with gratitude, and listened to their talk
+with growing interest. It seemed that the young man had come down from the
+hills to meet his friend and take him back to his cabin.
+
+"I can't do it to-day, Ross," said the older man. "I wish I could, but one
+meal of this kind is all I can stand these days."
+
+"You're getting finicky," laughed the younger man.
+
+"I'm getting old. Time was when my fell of hair would rise at nothing, not
+even flies in the butter, but now--"
+
+"That last visit to the ancestral acres is what did it."
+
+"No, it's age--age and prosperity. I know now what it is to have broiled
+steak."
+
+Mrs. Wetherford, seizing the moment, came down to do the honors. "You
+fellers ought to know my girl. Virginny, this is Forest Supervisor
+Redfield, and this is Ross Cavanagh, his forest ranger in this district.
+You ought to know each other. My girl's just back from school, and she
+don't think much of the Fork. It's a little too coarse for her."
+
+Lee flushed under this introduction, and her distress was so evident that
+both men came to her rescue.
+
+The older man bowed, and said: "I didn't know you had a daughter, Mrs.
+Wetherford," and Cavanagh, with a glance of admiration, added: "We've been
+wondering who you might be."
+
+Lize went on: "I thought I'd got rid of her. She's been away now for about
+ten years. I don't know but it was a mistake--look's like she's grown a
+little too fine-haired for us doughies out here."
+
+"So much the worse for us," replied Redfield.
+
+This little dialogue gave the girl time to recover herself, but as
+Cavanagh watched the blush fade from her face, leaving it cold and white,
+he sympathized with her--pitied her from the bottom of his heart. He
+perceived that he was a chance spectator of the first scene in a painful
+domestic drama--one that might easily become a tragedy. He wondered what
+the forces might be which had brought such a daughter to this sloven, this
+virago. To see a maid of this delicate bloom thrust into such a place as
+Lize Wetherford's "hotel" had the reputation of being roused indignation.
+
+"When did you reach town?" he asked, and into his voice his admiration
+crept.
+
+"Only last night."
+
+"You find great changes here?"
+
+"Not so great as in my mother. It's all----" She stopped abruptly, and he
+understood.
+
+Lize being drawn back to her cash-register, Redfield turned to say: "My
+dear young lady, I don't suppose you remember me, but I knew you when you
+were a tot of five or six. I knew your father very well."
+
+"Did you?" Her face lighted up.
+
+"Yes, poor fellow, he went away from here rather under a cloud, you
+know."
+
+"I remember a little of it. I was here when the shooting took place."
+
+"So you were. Well, since then much has happened to us all," he explained
+to the ranger. "There wasn't room for a dashing young blood such as Ed
+Wetherford was in those days." He turned to Lee. "He was no worse than the
+men on the other side--it was dog eat dog; but some way the people rather
+settled on him as a scapegoat. He was forced out, and your mother has
+borne the brunt of it since. Those were lawless days."
+
+It was a painful subject, and Redfield's voice grew lower and more
+hesitant as he went on. Looking at this charming girl through the smoke of
+fried ham, with obscene insects buzzing about her fair head, made him feel
+for the thousandth time, and more keenly than ever before, the amazing
+combinations in American society. How could she be the issue of Edward and
+Eliza Wetherford?
+
+More and more Lee Virginia's heart went out in trust toward these two men.
+Opposed to the malodorous, unshaven throng which filled the room, they
+seemed wondrously softened and sympathetic, and in the ranger's gaze was
+something else--something which made her troubles somehow less
+intolerable. She felt that he understood the difficult situation in which
+she found herself.
+
+Redfield went on. "You find us horribly uncivilized after ten years'
+absence?"
+
+"I find _this_ uncivilised," she replied, with fierce intensity, looking
+around the room. Then, on the impulse, she added: "I can't stand it! I
+came here to live with my mother, but this is too--too horrible!"
+
+"I understand your repulsion," replied Redfield. "A thousand times I
+repeat, apropos of this country, 'Where every prospect pleases and only
+man is vile.'"
+
+"Do you suppose it was as bad ten years ago?" she asked. "Was everything
+as dirty--as mean? Were the houses then as full of flies and smells?"
+
+"I'm afraid they were. Of course, the country isn't all like this, and
+there are neat homes and gentle people in Sulphur; but most cattle-men
+are--as they've always been--a shiftless, happy-go-lucky lot at best--and
+some of them have been worse, as you know."
+
+"I never dreamed of finding my mother in such a place," she went on. "I
+don't know what to do or say. She isn't well. I ought to stay and help
+her, and yet--oh, it is disheartening!"
+
+Lize tapped Redfield on the shoulder. "Come over here, Reddy, if you've
+finished your breakfast; I want to talk with you."
+
+Redfield rose and followed his landlady behind the counter, and there sat
+in earnest conversation while she made change. The tone in which her
+mother addressed the Supervisor, her action of touching him as one man
+lays hand upon another, was profoundly revealing to Lee Virginia. She
+revolted from it without realizing exactly what it meant; and feeling
+deeply but vaguely the forest ranger's sympathy, she asked:
+
+"How _can_ you endure this kind of life?"
+
+"I can't, and I don't," he answered, cautiously, for they were being
+closely observed. "I am seldom in town; my dominion is more than a mile
+above this level. My cabin is nine thousand feet above the sea. It is
+clean and quiet up there."
+
+"Are all the other restaurants in the village like this?"
+
+"Worse. I come here because it is the best."
+
+She rose. "I can't stand this air and these flies any longer. They're too
+disgusting."
+
+He followed her into the other house, conscious of the dismay and
+bitterness which burst forth the instant they were alone. "What am I to
+do? She is my mother, but I've lost all sense of relationship to her. And
+these people--except you and Mr. Redfield--are all disgusting to me. It
+isn't because my mother is poor, it isn't because she's keeping boarders;
+it's something else." At this point her voice failed her.
+
+The ranger, deeply moved, stood helplessly silent. What could he say? He
+knew a great deal better than she the essential depravity of her mother,
+and he felt keenly the cruelty of fate which had plunged a fine young
+spirit into this swamp of ill-smelling humanity.
+
+"Let us go out into the air," he suggested, presently. "The mountain wind
+will do you good."
+
+She followed him trustfully, and as she stepped from the squalor of the
+hotel into the splendor of the morning her head lifted. She drank the
+clear, crisp wind as one takes water in the desert.
+
+"The air is clean, anyway," she said.
+
+Cavanagh, to divert her, pointed away to the mountains. "There is my
+dominion. Up there I am sole ruler. No one can litter the earth with
+corruption or poison the streams."
+
+She did not speak, but as she studied the ranger her face cleared. "It
+_is_ beautiful up there."
+
+He went on. "I hate all this scrap-heap quite as heartily as you do, but
+up there is sweetness and sanity. The streams are germless, and the forest
+cannot be devastated. That is why I am a ranger. I could not endure life
+in a town like this."
+
+He turned up the street toward the high hill to the south, and she kept
+step with him. As she did not speak, he asked: "What did you expect to do
+out here?"
+
+"I hoped to teach," she replied, her voice still choked with her emotion.
+"I expected to find the country much improved."
+
+"And so it is; but it is still a long way from an Eastern State. Perhaps
+you will find the people less savage than they appear at first glance."
+
+"It isn't the town or the people, it is my mother!" she burst forth again.
+"Tell me! A woman in the car yesterday accused my mother of selling
+whiskey unlawfully. Is this so? Tell me!"
+
+She faced him resolutely, and perceiving that she could not be evaded, he
+made slow answer. "I don't _know_ that she does, but I've heard it charged
+against her."
+
+"Who made the charge?"
+
+"One of the clergymen, and then it's common talk among the rough men of
+the town."
+
+"Is that the worst they say of her? Be honest with me--I want to know the
+worst."
+
+He was quite decisive as he said: "Yes, that is the worst."
+
+She looked relieved. "I'm glad to hear you say so. I've been imagining all
+kinds of terrifying things."
+
+"Then, too, her bad health is some excuse for her housekeeping," he added,
+eager to lessen the daughter's humiliation, "and you must remember her
+associations are not those which breed scrupulous regard for the
+proprieties."
+
+"But she's my mother!" wailed the girl, coming back to the central fact.
+"She has sent me money--she has been kind to me--what am I to do? She
+needs me, and yet the thought of staying here and facing her life
+frightens me."
+
+The rotten board walks, the low rookeries, the unshaven, blear-eyed men
+sitting on the thresholds of the saloons, the slattern squaws wandering
+abroad like bedraggled hens, made the girl stare with wonder and dismay.
+She had remembered the town street as a highway filled with splendid
+cavaliers, a list wherein heroic deeds were done with horse and pistol.
+
+She recognized one of those "knights of the lariat" sitting in the sun,
+flabby, grizzled, and inert. Another was trying to mount his horse with a
+bottle in his hand. She recalled him perfectly. He had been her girlish
+ideal of manly beauty. Now here he was, old and mangy with drink at forty.
+In a most vivid and appealing sense he measured the change in her as well
+as the decay of the old-time cowboy. His incoherent salutation as his eyes
+fell upon her was like the final blasphemous word from the rear-guard of a
+savage tribe, and she watched him ride away reeling limply in his saddle
+as one watches a carrion-laden vulture take its flight.
+
+She perceived in the ranger the man of the new order, and with this in her
+mind she said: "You don't belong here? You're not a Western man."
+
+"Not in the sense of having been born here," he replied. "I am, in fact, a
+native of England, though I've lived nearly twenty years of my life in the
+States."
+
+She glanced at his badge. "How did you come to be a ranger--what does it
+mean? It's all new to me."
+
+"It is new to the West," he answered, smilingly, glad of a chance to turn
+her thought from her own personal griefs. "It has all come about since you
+went East. Uncle Sam has at last become provident, and is now 'conserving
+his resources.' I am one of his representatives with stewardship over some
+ninety thousand acres of territory--mostly forest."
+
+She looked at him with eyes of changing light. "You don't talk like an
+Englishman, and yet you are not like the men out here."
+
+"I shouldn't care to be like some of them," he answered. "My being here is
+quite logical. I went into the cattle business like many another, and I
+went broke. I served under Colonel Roosevelt in the Cuban War, and after
+my term was out, naturally drifted back. I love the wilderness and have
+some natural taste for forestry, and I can ride and pack a horse as well
+as most cowboys, hence my uniform. I'm not the best forest ranger in the
+service, I'll admit, but I fancy I'm a fair average."
+
+"And that is your badge--the pine-tree?"
+
+"Yes, and I am proud of it. Some of the fellows are not, but so far as I
+am concerned I am glad to be known as a defender of the forest. A tree
+means much to me. I never mark one for felling without a sense of
+responsibility to the future."
+
+Her questions came slowly, like those of a child. "Where do you live?"
+
+"Directly up the South Fork, about twenty miles."
+
+"What do you do?"
+
+He smiled. "Not much. I ride the trails, guard the game, put out fires,
+scale lumber, burn brush, build bridges, herd cattle, count sheep, survey
+land, and a few other odd chores. It's supposed to be a soft snap, but I
+can't see it that way."
+
+"Do you live alone?"
+
+"Yes, for the larger part of the time. I have an assistant who is with me
+during part of the summer months. Mostly I am alone. However, I am
+supposed to keep open house, and I catch a visitor now and then."
+
+They were both more at ease now, and her unaffected interest pleased him.
+
+She went on, steadily: "Don't you get very lonely?"
+
+"In winter, sometimes; in summer I'm too busy to get lonely. In the fire
+season I'm in the saddle every day, and sometimes all night."
+
+"Who cooks for you?"
+
+"I do. That's part of a ranger's job. We have no 'servant problem' to
+contend with."
+
+"Do you expect to do this always?"
+
+He smiled again. "There you touch my secret spring. I have the hope of
+being Chief Forester some time--I mean we all have the prospect of
+promotion to sustain us. The service is so new that any one with even a
+knowledge of forestry is in demand; by and by real foresters will arise."
+
+She returned abruptly to her own problem. "I dread to go back to my
+mother, but I must. Oh, how I hate that hotel! I loathe the flies, the
+smells, the people that eat there, the waiters--everything!" She
+shuddered.
+
+"Many of the evils you mention could be reformed--except, of course, some
+of the people who come to eat. I fear several of them have gone beyond
+reformation."
+
+As they started back down the street she saw the motor-stage just leaving
+the door of the office. "That settles one question," she said. "I can't
+get away till to-morrow."
+
+"Where would you go if you broke camp--back to the East?"
+
+"No; my mother thinks there is a place for me in Sulphur City."
+
+"Your case interests me deeply. I wish I could advise you to stay, but
+this is a rough town for a girl like you. Why don't you talk the problem
+over with the Supervisor?" His voice became firmer. "Mrs. Redfield is the
+very one to help you."
+
+"Where does she live?"
+
+"Their ranch lies just above Sulphur, at the mouth of the Canon. May I
+tell him what you've told me? He's a good sort, is Redfield--much better
+able to advise than I am."
+
+Cavanagh found himself enjoying the confidence of this girl so strangely
+thrown into his care, and the curious comment of the people in the street
+did not disturb him, except as it bore upon his companion's position in
+the town.
+
+At the door of the hotel some half-a-dozen men were clustered. As the
+young couple approached they gave way, but a short, powerful man, whom Lee
+Virginia recognized as Gregg the sheepman, called to the ranger:
+
+"I want to see you before you leave town, Mr. Ranger."
+
+"Very well. I shall be here all the forenoon," answered Cavanagh, in the
+tone of a man accepting a challenge; then, turning to the girl, he said,
+earnestly: "I want to help you. I shall be here for lunch, and meanwhile I
+wish you would take Redfield into your confidence. He's a wise old boy,
+and everybody knows him. No one doubts his motives; besides, he has a
+family, and is rich and unhurried. Would you like me to talk with him?"
+
+"If you will. I want to do right--indeed I do."
+
+"I'm sure of that," he said, with eyes upon her flushed and quivering
+face. "There's a way out, believe me."
+
+They parted on the little porch of the hotel, and her eyes followed his
+upright figure till he entered one of the shops. He had precisely the look
+and bearing of a young lieutenant in the regular army, and she wondered
+what Gregg's demand meant. In his voice was both menace and contempt.
+
+She returned to her own room, strangely heartened by her talk with the
+ranger. "If I stay here another night this room must be cleaned," she
+decided, and approached the bed as though it harbored venomous reptiles.
+"This is one of the things that must be reformed," she decided, harking
+back to the ranger's quiet remark.
+
+She was still pondering ways and means of making the room habitable when
+her mother came in.
+
+"How'd you sleep last night?"
+
+Lee Virginia could not bring herself to lie. "Not very well," she
+admitted.
+
+"Neither did I. Fact of the matter is your coming fairly upset me. I've
+been kind o' used up for three months. I don't know what ails me. I'd
+ought to go up to Sulphur to see a doctor, but there don't seem to be any
+free time. I 'pear to have lost my grip. Food don't give me any strength.
+I saw you talking with Ross Cavanagh. There's a man--and Reddy. Reddy is
+what you may call a fancy rancher--goes in for alfalfy and fruit, and all
+that. He isn't in the forest service for the pay or for graft. He's got a
+regular palace up there above Sulphur--hot and cold water all through the
+house, a furnace in the cellar, and two bath-rooms, so they tell me; I
+never was in the place. Well, I must go back--I can't trust them girls a
+minute." She turned with a groan of pain. "'Pears like every joint in me
+is a-creakin' to-day."
+
+"Can't I take your place?" asked Lee Virginia, pity deepening in her heart
+as she caught the look of suffering on her mother's face.
+
+"No; you better keep out o' the caffy. It ain't a fit place for you. Fact
+is, I weren't expecting anything so fine as you are. I laid awake till
+three o'clock last night figurin' on what to do. I reckon you'd better go
+back and give this outfit up as a bad job. I used to tell Ed you didn't
+belong to neither of us, and you don't. I can't see where you _did_ come
+from--anyhow, I don't want the responsibility of havin' you here. Why,
+you'll have half the men in the county hitchin' to my corral--and the
+males out here are a fierce lot o' brutes." She studied the girl again,
+finding her so dainty, so far above herself, that she added: "It would be
+a cruel shame for me to keep you here, with all these he-wolves roamin'
+around. You're too good to be meat for any of them. You just plan to pack
+up and pull out to-morrow."
+
+She went out with a dragging step that softened the girl's heart. It was
+true there was little of real affection between them. Her memories of
+Eliza up to this moment had been rather mixed. As a child she had seldom
+been in her arms, and she had always been a little afraid of the bold,
+bright, handsome creature who rode horses and shot pistols like a man. It
+was hard to relate the Eliza Wetherford of those days with this flabby,
+limping old woman, and yet her daughter came nearer to loving her at this
+moment than at any time since her fifth year.
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+LEE VIRGINIA WAGES WAR
+
+
+IN truth, Lize had risen that morning intending "to whirl in and clean up
+the house," being suddenly conscious to some degree of the dirt and
+disorder around her, but she found herself physically unequal to the task.
+Her brain seemed misted, and her food had been a source of keen pain to
+her. Hence, after a few half-hearted orders, she had settled into her
+broad chair behind the counter and there remained, brooding over her
+maternal responsibilities.
+
+She gave sharp answers to all the men who came up to ask after her
+daughter, and to one who remarked on the girl's good looks, and demanded
+an introduction, she said: "Get along! I'd as soon introduce her to a
+goat. Now you fellers want to understand I'll kill the man that sets out
+to fool with my girl, I tell you that!"
+
+While yet Lee Virginia was wondering how to begin the day's work, some one
+knocked on her door, and in answer to her invitation a woman stepped in--a
+thin blond hag with a weak smile and watery blue eyes. "Is this little Lee
+Virginy?" she asked.
+
+The girl rose. "Yes."
+
+"Well, howdy!" She extended her hand, and Lee took it. "My name's
+Jackson--Mrs. Orlando Jackson. I knew yore pa and you before 'the war.'"
+
+Lee Virginia dimly recalled such a family, and asked: "Where do you
+live?"
+
+"We hole up down here on a ranch about twenty miles--stayed with yore ma
+last night--thought I'd jest nacherly look in and say howdy. Are ye back
+fer to stay?"
+
+"No, I don't think so. Will you sit down?"
+
+Mrs. Jackson took a seat. "Come back to see how yore ma was, I reckon?
+Found her pretty porely, didn't ye?" She lowered her voice. "I think she's
+got cancer of the stummick--now that's my guess."
+
+Virginia started. "What makes you think so?"
+
+"Well, I knew a woman who went just that way. Had that same flabby, funny
+look--and that same distress after eatin', I told her this mornin' she'd
+better go up to Sulphur and see that new doctor. You see, yore ma has
+always been a reckless kind of a critter--more like a man than a woman,
+God knows--an' how she ever got a girl like you I don't fairly understand.
+I reckon you must be what the breedin' men call 'a throw-back,' for yore
+pa wa'n't much to brag of, 'ceptin' for looks--he certainly was
+good-lookin'. He used to sober down when he got where you was; but
+my--good God!--weren't they a pair to draw to? I've heard 'Lando tell
+tales of yore ma's doin's that would 'fright ye. Not that she fooled with
+men," she hastened to say. "Lord, no! For her the sun rose and set in Ed
+Wetherford. She'd leave you any day, and go on the round-up with him. It
+nigh about broke her up in business when Ed hit the far-away trail."
+
+The girl perceived that in her visitor she had one of these self-oiled
+human talking-machines "with tongue hung in the middle," as the old saying
+goes, and she was dimly conscious of having heard her many times before.
+"You don't look very well yourself," she said.
+
+"Me? Oh, I'm like one o' these Injun dawgs--can't kill me. I've been on
+the range so long I'm tough as dried beef. It's a fierce old place for a
+woman--or it was before 'the war'--since then it's kind o' softened down a
+hair."
+
+"What do you mean by 'the war'?"
+
+"Why, you remember the rustler war? We date everything out here from that
+year. You was here, for I saw ye--a slob of a child."
+
+"Oh!" exclaimed Virginia. "I understand now. Yes, I was here. I saw my
+father at the head of the cowboys."
+
+"They weren't cowboys; they were hired killers from Texas. That's what let
+yore pa out o' the State. He were on the wrong side, and if it hadn't 'a'
+been for the regular soldiers he'd 'a' been wiped out right hyer. As it
+was he had to skip the range, and hain't never been back. I don't s'pose
+folks will lay it up agin you--bein' a girl--but they couldn't no _son_ of
+Ed Wetherford come back here and settle, not for a minute. Why, yore ma
+has had to bluff the whole county a'most--not that _I_ lay anything up
+agin her. I tell folks she was that bewitched with Ed she couldn't see
+things any way but his way. She fought to save his ranch and stawk
+and--but hell! she couldn't do nothin'--and then to have him go back on
+her the way he did--slip out 'twixt two days, and never write; that just
+about shot her to pieces. I never could understand that in Ed, he 'peared
+so mortally fond of you and of her, too. He sure was fond of you!" She
+shook her head. "No, can't anybody make me believe Ed Wetherford is
+alive."
+
+Lee Virginia started. "Who says he's alive?"
+
+"Now don't get excited, girl. He ain't alive; but yet folks say we don't
+_know_ he's dead. He jest dropped out so far as yore ma is concerned, and
+so far as the county is concerned; but some thought you was with him in
+the East."
+
+The girl was now aware that her visitor was hoping to gain some further
+information, and so curtly answered: "I've never seen my father since that
+night the soldiers came and took him away to the fort. And my mother told
+me he died down in Texas."
+
+Mrs. Jackson seemed a little disappointed, but she smoothed the dress over
+her sharp knees, and continued: "Right there the good old days ended for
+yore ma--and for us. The cattle business has been steadily on the
+chute--that is, the free-range business. I saw it comin', an' I says to
+Jackson, 'Camp on some river-bottom and chuck in the alfalfy,' I says. An'
+that's what we did. We got a little bunch o' cattle up in the park--Uncle
+Sam's man is lookin' after 'em." She grinned. "Jackson kicked at the fee,
+but I says: 'Twenty cents a head is cheap pasture. We're lucky to get any
+grass at all, now that everybody's goin' in for sheep. 'Pears like the
+sheepmen air gettin' bolder and bolder in this free-range graft, and I'm
+a-bettin' on trouble.'" She rose. "Well, I'm glad to 've had a word with
+ye; but you hear me: yore ma has got to have doctor's help, or she's
+a-goin' to fall down some day soon."
+
+Every word the woman uttered, every tone of her drawling voice, put Lee
+Virginia back into the past. She heard again the swift gallop of
+hooves, saw once more the long line of armed ranchers, and felt the hush
+of fear that lay over the little town on that fateful day. The situation
+became clearer in her mind. She recalled vividly the words of
+astonishment and hate with which the women had greeted her mother on the
+morning when the news came that Edward Wetherford was among the
+invading cattle-barons--was, indeed, one of the leaders.
+
+In Philadelphia the Rocky Mountain States were synonyms of picturesque
+lawlessness, the theatre of reckless romance, and Virginia Wetherford,
+loyal daughter of the West, had defended it; but in the coarse phrase of
+this lean rancheress was pictured a land of border warfare as ruthless as
+that which marked the Scotland of Rob Roy.
+
+Commonplace as the little town looked at the moment, it had been the scene
+of many a desperate encounter, as the girl herself could testify, for she
+had seen more than one man killed therein. Some way the hideousness of
+these scenes had never shown itself to her--perhaps because she had been a
+child at the time, and had thrilled to the delicious excitement of it; but
+now, as she imagined it all happening again before her eyes, she shivered
+with horror. How monstrous, how impossible those killings now seemed!
+
+Then her mind came back to her mother's ailment. Eliza Wetherford had
+never been one to complain, and her groans meant real suffering.
+
+Her mind resolved upon one thing. "She must see a doctor," she decided.
+And with this in mind she reentered the café, where Lize was again in
+violent altercation with a waitress.
+
+"Mother," called Lee, "I want to see you."
+
+With a parting volley of vituperation, Mrs. Wetherford followed her
+daughter back into the lodging-house.
+
+"Mother," the girl began, facing her and speaking firmly, "you must go to
+Sulphur City and see a doctor. I'll stay here and look after the
+business."
+
+Mrs. Wetherford perceived in her daughter's attitude and voice something
+decisive and powerful. She sank into a chair, and regarded her with intent
+gaze. "Hett Jackson's been gabblin' to you," she declared. "Hett knows
+more fool things that ain't so than any old heffer I know. She said I was
+about all in, didn't she? Prophesied I'd fall down and stay? I know her."
+
+Lee Virginia remained firm. "I'm not going by what she said, I've got eyes
+of my own. You need help, and if the doctor here can't help you, you must
+go to Sulphur or to Kansas City. I can run the boarding-house till you get
+back."
+
+Eliza eyed her curiously. "Don't you go to countin' on this 'chivalry of
+the West' which story-writers put into books. These men out here will eat
+you up if you don't watch out. I wouldn't dare to leave you here alone.
+No, what I'll do is sell the place, if I can, and both of us get out."
+
+"But you need a doctor this minute."
+
+"I'll be all right in a little while; I'm always the worst for an hour or
+two after I eat. This little squirt of a local doctor gave me some dope to
+ease that pain, but I've got my doubts--I don't want any morphine habit in
+mine. No, daughter Virginny, it's mighty white of you to offer, but you
+don't know what you're up against when you contract to step into my
+shoes."
+
+Visions of reforming methods about the house passed through the girl's
+mind. "There must be something I can do. Why don't you have the doctor
+come down here?"
+
+"I might do that if I get any worse, but I hate to have you stay in the
+house another night. It's only fit for these goats of cowboys and women
+like Hett Jackson. Did the bugs eat you last night?"
+
+Virginia flushed. "Yes."
+
+Eliza's face fell. "I was afraid of that. You can't keep 'em out. The
+cowboys bring 'em in by the quart."
+
+"They can be destroyed--and the flies, too, can't they?"
+
+"When you've bucked flies and bugs as long as I have, you'll be less
+'peart about it. I don't care a hoot in Hades till somebody like you or
+Reddy or Ross comes along. Most of the men that camp with me are like
+Injuns, anyway--they wouldn't feel natural without bugs a ticklin' 'em.
+No, child, you get ready and pull out on the Sulphur stage to-morrow. I'll
+pay your way back to Philadelphy."
+
+"I can't leave you now, mother. Now that I know you're ill, I'm going to
+stay and take care of you."
+
+Lize rose. "See here, girl, don't you go to idealizin' me, neither. I'm
+what the boys call an old battle-axe. I've been through the whole war. I'm
+able to feed myself and pay your board besides. Just you find some decent
+boarding-place in Sulphur, and I'll see that you have ten dollars a week
+to live on, just because you're a Wetherford."
+
+"But I'm your daughter!"
+
+Again Eliza fixed a musing look upon her. "I reckon if the truth was known
+your aunt Celia was nigher to being your mother than I ever was. They
+always said you was all Wetherford, and I reckon they were right. I always
+liked men better than babies. So long as I had your father, you didn't
+count--now that's the God's truth. And I didn't intend that you should
+ever come back here. I urged you to stay--you know that."
+
+Lee Virginia imagined all this to be a savage self-accusation which sprang
+from long self-bereavement, and yet there was something terrifying in its
+brutal frankness. She stood in silence till her mother left the room, then
+went to her own chamber with a painful knot in her throat. What could she
+do with elemental savagery of this sort?
+
+The knowledge that she must spend another night in the bed led her to
+active measures of reform. With disgustful desperation, she emptied the
+room and swept it as with fire and sword. Her change of mind, from the
+passive to the active state, relieved and stimulated her, and she hurried
+from one needed reform to another. She drew others into the vortex. She
+inspired the chambermaid to unwilling yet amazing effort, and the
+lodging-house endured such a blast from the besom that it stood in
+open-windowed astonishment uttering dust like the breath of a dragon.
+Having swept and garnished the bed-chambers, Virginia moved on the
+dining-room. As the ranger had said, this, too, could be reformed.
+
+Unheeding her mother's protests, she organized the giggling waiters into a
+warring party, and advanced upon the flies. By hissing and shooing, and
+the flutter of newspapers, they drove the enemy before them, and a
+carpenter was called in to mend screen doors and windows, thus preventing
+their return. New shades were hung to darken the room, and new
+table-cloths purchased to replace the old ones, and the kitchen had such a
+cleaning as it had not known before in five years.
+
+In this work the time passed swiftly, and when Redfield and Cavanagh came
+again to lunch they exclaimed in astonishment--as, indeed, every one did.
+
+"How's this?" queried Cavanagh, humorously. "Has the place 'changed
+hands?'"
+
+Lize was but grimly responsive. "Seem's like it has."
+
+"I hope the price has not gone up?"
+
+"Not yet."
+
+Redfield asked: "Who's responsible for this--your new daughter?"
+
+"You've hit it. She's started right in to polish us all up to city
+standards."
+
+"We need it," commented Cavanagh, in admiration of the girl's prompt
+action. "This room is almost civilized, still we'll sort o' miss the
+flies."
+
+Lize apologized. "Well, you know a feller gits kind o' run down like a
+clock, and has to have some outsider wind him up now and again. First I
+was mad, then I was scared, but now I'm cheerin' the girl on. She can run
+the whole blame outfit if she's a mind to--even if I go broke for it. The
+work she got out o' them slatter-heels of girls is a God's wonder."
+
+Ross looked round for Virginia, but could not find her. She had seen him
+come in, and was out in the kitchen doing what she could to have his food
+brought in and properly served.
+
+Redfield reassured the perturbed proprietor of "the joint." "No fear of
+going broke, madam--quite the contrary. A few little touches like this,
+and you'll be obliged to tear down and build bigger. I don't believe I'd
+like to see your daughter run this eating-house as a permanent job, but if
+she starts in I'm sure she'll make a success of it."
+
+Lee Virginia came in flushed and self-conscious, but far lighter of spirit
+than at breakfast; and stood beside the table while the waitress _laid_
+the dishes before her guests with elaborate assumption of grace and
+design. Hitherto she had bumped them down with a slash of slangy comment.
+The change was quite as wonderful as the absence of the flies.
+
+"Do we owe these happy reforms to you?" asked Cavanagh, admiring
+Virginia's neat dress and glowing cheeks.
+
+"Partly," she answered. "I was desperate. I had to do something, so I took
+to ordering people around."
+
+"I understand," he said. "Won't you sit at our table again?"
+
+"Please do," said Redfield. "I want to talk with you."
+
+She took a seat--a little hesitantly. "You see, I studied Domestic Science
+at school, and I've never had a chance to apply it before."
+
+"Here's your opportunity," Redfield assured her. "My respect for the
+science of domestics is growing--I marvel to think what another week will
+bring forth. I think I'll have to come down again just to observe the
+improvement in the place."
+
+"It can't last," Lize interjected. "She'll catch the Western
+habits--she'll sag, same as we all do."
+
+"No she won't," declared Ross, with intent to encourage her. "If you give
+her a free hand, I predict she'll make your place the wonder and boast of
+the county-side."
+
+"When do you go back to the mountains?" Lee Virginia asked, a little
+later.
+
+"Immediately after my luncheon," he replied.
+
+She experienced a pang of regret, and could not help showing it a little.
+"Your talk helped me," she said; "I've decided to stay, and be of use to
+my mother."
+
+Redfield overheard this, and turned toward her.
+
+"This is a rough school for you, Lee Virginia, and I should dislike seeing
+you settle down to it for life: but it can't hurt you if you are what I
+think you are. Nothing can soil or mar the mind that wills for good. I
+want Mrs. Redfield to know you; I'm sure her advice will be helpful. I
+hope you'll come up and see us if you decide to settle in Sulphur--or if
+you don't."
+
+"I should like to do so," she said, touched by the tone as well as by the
+words of his invitation.
+
+"Redfield's house is one of the few completely civilized homes in the
+State," put in Cavanagh. "When I get so weary of cuss-words and poaching
+and graft that I can't live without killing some one, I go down to Elk
+Lodge and smoke and read the Supervisor's London and Paris weeklies and
+recover my tone."
+
+Redfield smiled. "When I get weak-kneed or careless in the service and
+feel my self-respect slipping away, I go up to Ross's cabin and talk with
+a man who represents the impersonal, even-handed justice of the Federal
+law."
+
+Cavanagh laughed. "There! Having handed each other reciprocal bouquets, we
+can now tell Miss Wetherford the truth. Each of us thinks very well of
+himself, and we're both believers in the New West."
+
+"What do you mean by the New West?" asked the girl.
+
+"Well, the work you've been doing here this morning is a part of it,"
+answered Redfield. "It's a kind of housecleaning. The Old West was
+picturesque and, in a way, manly and fine--certain phases of it were
+heroic--and I hate to see it all pass, but some of us began to realize
+that it was not all poetry. The plain truth is my companions for over
+twenty years were lawless ruffians, and the cattle business as we
+practiced it in those days was founded on selfishness and defended at the
+mouth of the pistol. We were all pensioners on Uncle Sam, and fighting to
+keep the other fellow off from having a share of his bounty. It was all
+wasteful, half-savage. We didn't want settlement, we didn't want law, we
+didn't want a State. We wanted free range. We were a line of pirates from
+beginning to end, and we're not wholly, reformed yet."
+
+He was talking to the whole table now, for all were listening. No other
+man on the range could say these things with the same authority, for Hugh
+Redfield was known all over the State as a man who had been one of the
+best riders and ropers in his outfit--one who had started in as a common
+hand at herding, and who had been entirely through "the war."
+
+Lee Virginia listened with a stirring of the blood. Her recollections of
+the range were all of the heroic. She recalled the few times when she was
+permitted to go on the round-up, and to witness the breaking of new
+horses, and the swiftness, grace, and reckless bravery of the riders, the
+moan and surge of herds, the sweep of horsemen, came back and filled her
+mind with large and free and splendid pictures. And now it was passing--or
+past!
+
+Some one at the table accused Redfield of being more of a town-site boomer
+than a cattle-man.
+
+He was quite unmoved by this charge. "The town-site boomer at least
+believes in progress. He does not go so far as to shut out settlement. If
+a neat and tidy village or a well-ordered farmstead is not considered
+superior to a cattle-ranch littered with bones and tin cans, or better
+than even a cow-town whose main industry is whiskey-selling, then all
+civilized progress is a delusion. When I was a youngster these
+considerations didn't trouble me. I liked the cowboy life and the careless
+method of the plains, but I've some girls growing up now, and I begin to
+see the whole business in a new light. I don't care to have my children
+live the life I've lived. Besides, what right have we to stand in the way
+of a community's growth? Suppose the new life _is_ less picturesque than
+the old? We don't like to leave behind us the pleasures and sports of
+boyhood; but we grow up, nevertheless. I'm far more loyal to the State as
+Forest Supervisor than I was when I was riding with the cattle-men to
+scare up the nester."
+
+He uttered all this quite calmly, but his ease of manner, his absolute
+disregard of consequences, joined with his wealth and culture, gave his
+words great weight and power. No one was ready with an answer but Lize,
+who called out, with mocking accent: "Reddy, you're too good for the
+Forest Service, you'd ought 'o be our next Governor."
+
+This was a centre shot. Redfield flushed, and Cavanagh laughed. "Mr.
+Supervisor, you are discovered!"
+
+Redfield recovered himself. "I should like to be Governor of this State
+for about four years, but I'm likelier to be lynched for being in command
+of twenty 'Cossacks.'"
+
+At this moment Sam Gregg entered the room, followed by a young man in an
+English riding-suit. Seeing that "the star-boarder table" offered a couple
+of seats, they pointed that way. Sam was plainly in war-like frame of
+mind, and slammed his sombrero on its nail with the action of a man
+beating an adversary.
+
+"That is Sam Gregg and his son Joe--used to be ranch cattle-man, now one
+of our biggest sheepmen," Cavanagh explained. "He's bucking the cattle-men
+now."
+
+Lee Virginia studied young Gregg with interest, for his dress was that of
+a man to whom money came easy, and his face was handsome, though rather
+fat and sullen. In truth, he had been brought into the room by his father
+to see "Lize Wetherford's girl," and his eyes at once sought and found
+her. A look of surprise and pleasure at once lit his face.
+
+Gregg was sullen because of his interview with Cavanagh, which had been in
+the nature of a grapple; and in the light of what Redfield had said, Lee
+Virginia was able to perceive in these two men a struggle for supremacy.
+Gregg was the greedy West checked and restrained by the law.
+
+Every man in the room knew that Gregg was a bitter opponent of the Forest
+Service, and that he "had it in" for the ranger; and some of them knew
+that he was throwing more sheep into the forest than his permits allowed,
+and that a clash with Redfield was sure to come. It was just like the
+burly old Irishman to go straight to the table where his adversary sat.
+
+Virginia's eyes fell before the gaze of these two men, for they had none
+of the shyness or nothing of the indirection of the ruder men she had met.
+They expressed something which angered her, though she could not have told
+precisely why.
+
+Redfield did not soften his words on Gregg's account; on the contrary he
+made them still more cutting and to the line.
+
+"The mere fact that I live near the open range or a national forest does
+not give me any _rights_ in the range or forest," he was saying, as Gregg
+took his seat. "I enjoy the _privilege_ of these Government grazing
+grounds, and I ought to be perfectly willing to pay the fee. These forests
+are the property of the whole nation; they are public lands, and should
+yield a revenue to the whole nation. It is silly to expect the Government
+to go on enriching a few of us stockmen at the expense of others. I see
+this, and I accept the change."
+
+"After you've got rich at it," said Gregg.
+
+"Well, haven't you?" retorted Redfield. "Are you so greedy that nothing
+will stop you?"
+
+Lize threw in a wise word. "The sporting-houses of Kansas City and Chicago
+keep old Sam poor."
+
+A roar of laughter followed this remark, and Gregg was stumped for a
+moment; but the son grinned appreciatively. "Now be good!"
+
+Cavanagh turned to Virginia in haste to shield her from all that lay
+behind and beneath this sally of the older and deeply experienced woman.
+"The Supervisor is willing to yield a point--he knows what the New West
+will bring."
+
+Gregg growled out: "I'm not letting any of my rights slip."
+
+The girl was troubled by the war-light which she saw in the faces of the
+men about her, and vague memories of the words and stories she had
+overchanced to hear in her childhood came back to her mind--hints of the
+drunken orgies of the cowboys who went to the city with cattle, and the
+terrifying suggestion of their attitude toward all womankind. She set
+Cavanagh and his chief quite apart from all the others in the room, and at
+first felt that in young Gregg was another man of education and right
+living--but in this she was misled.
+
+Lize had confidence enough in the ranger to throw in another malicious
+word. "Ross, old Bullfrog came down here to chase you up a tree--so he
+said. Did he do it?"
+
+Gregg looked ugly. "I'm not done with this business."
+
+She turned to Ross. "Don't let him scare you--his beller is a whole lot
+worse than his bite."
+
+This provoked another laugh, and Gregg was furious--all the more so that
+his son joined in. "I'll have your head, Mr. Supervisor; I'll carry my
+fight to the Secretary."
+
+"Very well," returned Redfield, "carry it to the President if you wish. I
+simply repeat that your sheep must correspond to your permit, and if you
+don't send up and remove the extra number I will do it myself. I don't
+make the rules of the department. My job is to carry them out."
+
+By this time every person in the room was tense with interest. They all
+knew Gregg and his imperious methods. He was famous for saying once (when
+in his cup): "I always thought sheepmen were blankety blank sons of guns,
+and now I'm one of 'em I _know_ they are." Some of the cattle-men in the
+room had suffered from his greed, and while they were not partisans of the
+Supervisor they were glad to see him face his opponent fearlessly.
+
+Lize delivered a parting blow. "Bullfrog, you and me are old-timers. We're
+on the losing side. We belong to the 'good old days' when the Fork was 'a
+man's town,' and to be 'shot up' once a week kept us in news. But them
+times are past. You can't run the range that way any more. Why, man,
+you'll have to buy and fence your own pasture in a few years more, or else
+pay rent same as I do. You stockmen kick like steers over paying a few old
+cents a head for five months' range; you'll be mighty glad to pay a dollar
+one o' these days. Take your medicine--that's my advice." And she went
+back to her cash-drawer.
+
+Redfield's voice was cuttingly contemptuous as he said quite calmly:
+"You're all kinds of asses, you sheepmen. You ought to pay the fee for
+your cattle with secret joy. So long as you can get your stock pastured
+(and in effect guarded) by the Government from June to November for twenty
+cents, or even fifty cents, per head you're in luck. Mrs. Wetherford is
+right: we've all been educated in a bad school. Uncle Sam has been too
+bloomin' lazy to keep any supervision over his public lands. He's
+permitted us grass pirates to fight and lynch and burn one another on the
+high range (to which neither of us had any right), holding back the real
+user of the land--the farmer. We've played the part of selfish and greedy
+gluttons so long that we fancy our privileges have turned into rights.
+Having grown rich on free range, you're now fighting the Forest Service
+because it is disposed to make you pay for what has been a gratuity. I'm a
+hog, Gregg, but I'm not a fool. I see the course of empire, and I'm
+getting into line."
+
+Gregg was silenced, but not convinced. "It's a long lane that has no
+turn," he growled.
+
+Redfield resumed, in impersonal heat. "The cow-man was conceived in
+anarchy and educated in murder. Whatever romantic notions I may have had
+of the plains twenty-five years ago, they are lost to me now. The
+free-range stock-owner has no country and no God; nothing but a range that
+isn't his, and damned bad manners--begging pardon, Miss Wetherford. The
+sooner he dies the better for the State. He's a dirty, wasteful sloven,
+content to eat canned beans and drink canned milk in his rotten bad
+coffee; and nobody but an old crank like myself has the grace to stand up
+and tell the truth about him."
+
+Cavanagh smiled. "And you wouldn't, if you weren't a man of independent
+means, and known to be one of the most experienced cow-punchers in the
+county. I've no fight with men like Gregg; all is they've got to conform
+to the rules of the service."
+
+Gregg burst out: "You think you're the whole United States army! Who gives
+you all the authority?"
+
+"Congress and the President."
+
+"There's nothing in that bill to warrant these petty tyrannies of yours."
+
+"What you call tyrannies I call defending the public domain," replied
+Redfield. "If I had my way, I'd give my rangers the power of the Canadian
+mounted police. Is there any other State in this nation where the roping
+of sheep-herders and the wholesale butchery of sheep would be permitted?
+From the very first the public lands of this State have been a refuge for
+the criminal--a lawless no-man's land; but now, thanks to Roosevelt and
+the Chief Forester, we at least have a force of men on the spot to see
+that some semblance of law and order is maintained. You fellows may
+protest and run to Washington, and you may send your paid representatives
+there, but you're sure to lose. As free-range monopolists you are
+cumberers of the earth, and all you represent must pass, before this State
+can be anything but the byword it now is. I didn't feel this so keenly ten
+years ago, but with a bunch of children growing up my vision has grown
+clearer. The picturesque West must give way to the civilized West, and the
+war of sheepmen and cattle-men must stop."
+
+The whole dining-room was still as he finished, and Lee Virginia, with a
+girl's vague comprehension of the man's world, apprehended in Redfield's
+speech a large and daring purpose.
+
+Gregg sneered. "Perhaps you intend to run for Congress on that line of
+talk."
+
+Redfield's voice was placid. "At any rate, I intend to represent the
+policy that will change this State from the sparsely settled battle-ground
+of a lot of mounted hobos to a State with an honorable place among the
+other commonwealths. If this be treason, make the most of it."
+
+Cavanagh was disturbed; for while he felt the truth of his chief's words,
+he was in doubt as to the policy of uttering them.
+
+It was evident to Virginia that the cow-men, as well as Gregg, were nearly
+all against the prophet of the future, and she was filled with a sense of
+having arrived on the scene just as the curtain to a stern and purposeful
+drama was being raised. With her recollections of the savage days of old,
+it seemed as if Redfield, by his bold words, had placed his life in
+danger.
+
+Cavanagh rose. "I must be going," he said, with a smile.
+
+Again the pang of loss touched her heart. "When will you come again?" she
+asked, in a low voice.
+
+"It is hard to say. A ranger's place is in the forest. I am very seldom in
+town. Just now the danger of fires is great, and I am very uneasy. I may
+not be down again for a month."
+
+The table was empty now, and they were standing in comparative isolation
+looking into each other's eyes in silence. At last she murmured: "You've
+helped me. I'm going to stay--a little while, anyway, and do what I
+can--"
+
+"I'm sorry I can't be of actual service, but I am a soldier with a work to
+do. Even if I were here, I could not help you as regards the
+townspeople--they all hate me quite cordially; but Redfield, and
+especially Mrs. Redfield, can be of greater aid and comfort. He's quite
+often here, and when you are lonely and discouraged let him take you up to
+Elk Lodge."
+
+"I've been working all the morning to make this room decent. It was rather
+fun. Don't you think it helped?"
+
+"I saw the mark of your hand the moment I entered the door," he earnestly
+replied. "I'm not one that laughs at the small field of woman's work. If
+you make this little hotel clean and homelike, you'll be doing a very
+considerable work in bringing about the New West which the Supervisor is
+spouting about." He extended his hand, and as she took it he thrilled to
+the soft strength of it. "Till next time," he said, "good luck!"
+
+She watched him go with a feeling of pain--as if in his going she were
+losing her best friend and most valiant protector.
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+VIRGINIA TAKES ANOTHER MOTOR RIDE
+
+
+Lee Virginia's efforts to refine the little hotel produced an amazing
+change in Eliza Wetherford's affairs. The dining-room swarmed with those
+seeking food, and as the news of the girl's beauty went out upon the
+range, the cowboys sought excuse to ride in and get a square meal and a
+glimpse of the "Queen" whose hand had witched "the old shack" into a
+marvel of cleanliness.
+
+Say what you will, beauty is a sovereign appeal. These men, unspeakably
+profane, cruel, and obscene in their saddle-talk, were awed by the fresh
+linen, the burnished glass, and the well-ordered tables which they found
+in place of the flies, the dirt, and the disorder of aforetime. "It's
+worth a day's ride just to see that girl for a minute," declared one
+enthusiast.
+
+They did not all use the napkins, but they enjoyed having them there
+beside their plates, and the subdued light, the freedom from insects
+impressed them almost to decorum. They entered with awe, avid for a word
+with "Lize Wetherford's girl." Generally they failed of so much as a
+glance at her, for she kept away from the dining-room at meal-time.
+
+Lee Virginia was fully aware of this male curiosity, and vaguely conscious
+of the merciless light which shone in the eyes of some of them (men like
+Gregg), who went about their game with the shameless directness of the
+brute. She had begun to understand, too, that her mother's reputation was
+a barrier between the better class of folk and herself; but as they came
+now and again to take a meal, they permitted themselves a word in her
+praise, which she resented. "I don't want their friendship _now_," she
+declared, bitterly.
+
+As she gained courage to look about her, she began to be interested in
+some of her coatless, collarless boarders on account of their
+extraordinary history. There was Brady, the old government scout, retired
+on a pension, who was accustomed to sit for hours on the porch, gazing
+away over the northern plains--never toward the mountains--as if he
+watched for bear or bison, or for the files of hostile red hunters--though
+in reality there was nothing to see but the stage, coming and going, or a
+bunch of cowboys galloping into town. Nevertheless, every cloud of dust
+was to him diversion, and he appeared to dream, like a captive eagle,
+bedraggled, spiritless, but with an inner spark of memory burning deep in
+his dim blue eyes.
+
+Then there was an old miner, distressingly filthy, who hobbled to his
+meals on feet that had been frozen into clubs. He had a little gold loaned
+at interest, and on this he lived in tragic parsimony. He and the old
+scout sat much together, usually without speech (each knew to the last
+word the other's stories), as if they recognized each other's utter
+loneliness.
+
+Sifton, the old remittance man, had been born to a higher culture,
+therefore was his degradation the deeper. His poverty was due to his
+weakness. Virginia was especially drawn toward him by reason of his
+inalienable politeness and his well-chosen words. He was always the
+gentleman--no matter how frayed his clothing.
+
+So far as the younger men were concerned, she saw little to admire and
+much to hate. They were crude and uninteresting rowdies for the most part.
+She was put upon her defence by their glances, and she came to dread
+walking along the street, so open and coarse were their words of praise.
+She felt dishonored by the glances which her feet drew after her, and she
+always walked swiftly to and from the store or the post-office.
+
+Few of these loafers had the courage to stand on their feet and court her
+favor, but there was one who speedily became her chief persecutor. This
+was Neill Ballard, celebrated (and made impudent) by two years' travel
+with a Wild West show. He was tall, lean, angular, and freckled, but his
+horsemanship was marvellous and his skill with the rope magical. His
+special glory consisted in a complicated whirling of the lariat. In his
+hand the limp, inert cord took on life, grace, charm. It hung in the air
+or ran in rhythmic waves about him, rising, falling, expanding,
+diminishing, as if controlled by some agency other than a man's hand, and
+its gyrations had won much applause in the Eastern cities, where such
+skill is expected of the cowboys.
+
+He had lost his engagement by reason of a drunken brawl, and he was now
+living with his sister, the wife of a small rancher near by. He was vain,
+lazy, and unspeakably corrupt, full of open boasting of his exploits in
+the drinking-dens of the East. No sooner did he fix eyes upon Virginia
+than he marked her for his special prey. He had the depraved heart of the
+herder and the insolent confidence of the hoodlum, and something of this
+the girl perceived. She despised the other men, but she feared this one,
+and quite justly, for he was capable of assaulting and binding her with
+his rope, as he had once done with a Shoshone squaw.
+
+The Greggs, father and son, were in open rivalry for Lee also, but in
+different ways. The older man, who had already been married several times,
+was disposed to buy her hand in what he called "honorable wedlock," but
+the son, at heart a libertine, approached her as one who despised the
+West, and who, being kept in the beastly country by duty to a parent, was
+ready to amuse himself at any one's expense. He had no purpose in life but
+to feed his body and escape toil.
+
+There are women to whom all this warfare would have been diverting, but it
+was not so to Lee. Her sense of responsibility was too keen. It was both a
+torture and a shame. The chivalry of the plains, of which she had read so
+much--and which she supposed she remembered--was gone. She doubted if it
+had ever existed among these centaurs. Why should it inhere in ignorant,
+brutal plainsmen any more than in ignorant, brutal factory hands?
+
+There came to her, now and again, gentle old ranchers--"grangers," they
+would be called--and shy boys from the farms, but for the most part the
+men she saw embittered her, and she kept out of their sight as much as
+possible. Her keenest pleasures, almost her only pleasures, lay in the
+occasional brief visits of the ranger, as he rode in for his mail.
+
+Lize perceived all these attacks on her daughter, and was infuriated by
+them. She snapped and snarled like a tigress leading her half-grown kitten
+through a throng of leopards. Her brows were knotted with care as well as
+with pain, and she incessantly urged Virginia to go back to Sulphur. "I'll
+send you money to pay your board till you strike a job." But to this the
+girl would not agree; and the business, by reason of her presence, went on
+increasing from day to day.
+
+To Redfield Lize one day confessed her pain. "I ought to send for that
+doctor up there, but the plain truth is I'm afraid of him. I don't want to
+know what's the matter of me. It's his job to tell me I'm sick and I'm
+scared of his verdict."
+
+"Nonsense," he replied; "you can't afford to put off getting him much
+longer. I'm going back to-night, but I'll be over again to-morrow. Why
+don't you let me bring him down? It will save you twelve dollars. And, by
+the way, suppose you let me take Lee Virginia home with me? She looks a
+bit depressed; an outing will do her good. She's taken hold here
+wonderfully."
+
+"Hasn't she! But I should have sent her away the very first night. I'm
+getting to depend on her. I'm plumb foolish about her now--can't let her
+out of my sight; and yet I'm off my feed worryin' over her. Gregg is
+getting dangerous--you can't fool me when it comes to men. Curse 'em,
+they're all alike--beasts, every cussed one of them. I won't have my girl
+mistreated, I tell you that! I'm not fit to be her mother, now that's the
+God's truth, Reddy, and this rotten little back-country cow-town is no
+place for her. But what can I do? She won't leave me so long as I'm sick,
+and every day ties her closer to me. I don't know what I'd do without her.
+If I'm goin' to die I want her by me when I take my drop. So you see just
+how I'm placed."
+
+She looked yellow and drawn as she ended, and Redfield was moved by her
+unwonted tenderness.
+
+"Now let me advise," he began, after a moment's pause. "We musn't let the
+girl get homesick. I'll take her home with me this afternoon, and bring
+her back along with a doctor to-morrow."
+
+"All right, but before you go I want to have a private talk--I want to
+tell you something."
+
+He warned her away from what promised to be a confession. "Now, now,
+Eliza, don't tell me anything that requires that tone of voice; I'm a bad
+person to keep a secret, and you might be sorry for it. I don't want to
+know anything more about your business than I can guess."
+
+"I don't mean the whiskey trade," she explained. "I've cut that all out
+anyway. It's something more important--it's about Ed and me."
+
+"I don't want to hear _that_ either," he declared. "Let bygones be
+bygones. What you did then is outlawed, anyway. Those were fierce times,
+and I want to forget them." He looked about. "Let me see this Miss
+Virginia and convey to her Mrs. Redfield's invitation."
+
+"She's in the kitchen, I reckon. Go right out."
+
+He was rather glad of a chance to see the young reformer in action, and
+smiled as he came upon her surrounded by waiters and cooks, busily
+superintending the preparations for the noon meal, which amounted to a
+tumult each day.
+
+She saw Redfield, nodded, and a few moments later came toward him, flushed
+and beaming with welcome. "I'm glad to see you again, Mr. Supervisor."
+
+He bowed profoundly. "I'm delighted to find you well, Miss Virginia, and
+doubly pleased to see you in your regimentals, which you mightily adorn."
+
+She looked down at her apron. "I made this myself. Do you know our
+business is increasing wonderfully? I'm busy every moment of the day till
+bedtime."
+
+"Indeed I do know it. I hear of the Wetherford House all up and down the
+line. I was just telling your mother she'll be forced to build bigger,
+like the chap in the Bible."
+
+"She works too hard. Poor mother! I try to get her to turn the cash-drawer
+over to me, but she won't do it. Doesn't she seem paler and weaker to
+you?"
+
+"She does, indeed, and this is what I came in to propose. Mrs. Redfield
+sends by me a formal invitation to you to visit Elk Lodge. She is not
+quite able to take the long ride, else she'd come to you." Here he handed
+her a note. "I suggest that you go up with me this afternoon, and
+to-morrow we'll fetch the doctor down to see your mother. What do you say
+to that?"
+
+Her eyes were dewy with grateful appreciation of his kindness as she
+answered: "That would be a great pleasure, Mr. Redfield, if mother feels
+able to spare me."
+
+"I've talked with her; she is anxious to have you go."
+
+Virginia was indeed greatly pleased and pleasantly excited by this
+message, for she had heard much of Mrs. Redfield's exclusiveness, and also
+of the splendor of her establishment. She hurried away to dress with such
+flutter of joyous anticipation that Redfield felt quite repaid for the
+pressure he had put upon his wife to induce her to write that note. "You
+may leave Lize Wetherford out of the count, my dear," he had said. "There
+is nothing of her discernible in the girl. Virginia is a lady. I don't
+know where she got it, but she's a gentlewoman by nature."
+
+Lize said: "Don't you figure on me in any way, Reddy. I'm nothing but the
+old hen that raised up this lark, and all I'm a-livin' for now is to make
+her happy. Just you cut me out when it comes to any question about your
+wife and Virginia. I'm not in their class."
+
+It was hot and still in the town, but no sooner was the car in motion than
+both heat and dust were forgotten. Redfield's machine was not large, and
+as he was content to go at moderate speed, conversation was possible.
+
+He was of that sunny, optimistic, ever-youthful nature which finds delight
+in human companionship under any conditions whatsoever. He accepted this
+girl for what she seemed--a fresh, unspoiled child. He saw nothing cheap
+or commonplace in her, and was not disposed to impose any of her father's
+wild doings upon her calendar. He had his misgivings as to her
+future--that was the main reason why he had said to Mrs. Redfield, "The
+girl must be helped." Afterward he had said "sustained."
+
+It was inevitable that the girl should soon refer to the ranger, and
+Redfield was as complimentary of him as she could wish. "Ross hasn't a
+fault but one, and that's a negative one: he doesn't care a hang about
+getting on, as they say over in England. He's content just to do the duty
+of the moment. He made a good cow-puncher and a good soldier; but as for
+promotion, he laughs when I mention it."
+
+"He told me that he hoped to be Chief Forester," protested Virginia.
+
+"Oh yes, he says that; but do you know, he'd rather be where he is, riding
+over the hills, than live in London. You should see his cabin some time.
+It's most wonderful, really. His walls are covered with bookshelves of his
+own manufacture, and chairs of his own design. Where the boy got the
+skill, I don't see. Heaven knows, his sisters are conventional enough!
+He's capable of being Supervisor, but he won't live in town and work in an
+office. He's like an Indian in his love of the open."
+
+All this was quite too absorbingly interesting to permit of any study of
+the landscape, which went by as if dismissed by the chariot wheels of some
+contemptuous magician. Redfield's eyes were mostly on the road (in the
+manner of the careful driver), but when he did look up it was to admire
+the color and poise of his seat-mate, who made the landscape of small
+account.
+
+She kept the conversation to the desired point. "Mr. Cavanagh's work
+interests me very much. It seems very important; and it must be new, for I
+never heard of a forest ranger when I was a child."
+
+"The forester is new--at least, in America," he answered. "My dear young
+lady, you are returned just in the most momentous period in the history of
+the West. The old dominion--the cattle-range--is passing. The supremacy of
+the cowboy is ended. The cow-boss is raising oats, the cowboy is pitching
+alfalfa, and swearing horribly as he blisters his hands. Some of the
+rangers at the moment are men of Western training like Ross, but whose
+allegiance is now to Uncle Sam. With others that transfer of allegiance is
+not quite complete, hence the insolence of men like Gregg, who think they
+can bribe or intimidate these forest guards, and so obtain favors; the
+newer men are college-bred, real foresters. But you can't know what it all
+means till you see Ross, or some other ranger, on his own heath. We'll
+make up a little party some day and drop down upon him, and have him show
+us about. It's a lonely life, and so the ranger keeps open house. Would
+you like to go?"
+
+"Oh, yes indeed! I'm eager to get into the mountains. Every night as I see
+the sun go down over them I wonder what the world is like up there."
+
+Then he began very delicately to inquire about her Eastern experience.
+There was not much to tell. In a lovely old town not far from
+Philadelphia, where her aunt lived, she had spent ten years of happy
+exile. "I was horribly lonely and homesick at first," she said. "Mother
+wrote only short letters, and my father never wrote at all. I didn't know
+he was dead then. He was always good to me. He wasn't a bad man, was he?"
+
+"No," responded Redfield, without hesitation. "He was very like the rest
+of us--only a little more reckless and a little more partisan, that's all.
+He was a dashing horseman and a dead-shot, and so, naturally, a leader of
+these daredevils. He was popular with both sides of the controversy up to
+the very moment when he went South to lead the invaders against the
+rustlers."
+
+"What was it all about? I never understood it. What were they fighting
+about?"
+
+"In a sense, it was all very simple. You see, Uncle Sam, in his careless,
+do-nothing way, has always left his range to whomever got there first, and
+that was the cattle-man. At first there was grass enough for us all, but
+as we built sheds and corrals about watering-places we came to claim
+_rights_ on the range. We usually secured by fraud homesteads in the
+sections containing water, and so, gun in hand, 'stood off' the man who
+came after. Gradually, after much shooting and lawing, we parcelled out
+the range and settled down covering practically the whole State. Our
+adjustments were not perfect, but our system was working smoothly for us
+who controlled the range. We had convinced ourselves, and pretty nearly
+everybody else, that the State was only fit for cattle-grazing, and that
+we were the most competent grazers; furthermore, we were in possession,
+and no man could come in without our consent.
+
+"However, a very curious law of our own making was our undoing. Of course
+the 'nester' or 'punkin roller,' as we contemptuously called the small
+farmer, began sifting in here and there in spite of our guns, but he was
+only a mosquito bite in comparison with the trouble which our cow-punchers
+stirred up. Perhaps you remember enough about the business to know that an
+unbranded yearling calf without its mother is called a maverick?"
+
+"Yes, I remember that. It belongs to the man who finds him, and brands
+him."
+
+"Precisely. Now that law worked very nicely so long as the poor cowboy was
+willing to catch and brand him for his employer, but it proved a 'joker'
+when he woke up and said to his fellows: 'Why brand these mavericks at
+five dollars per head for this or that outfit when the law says it belongs
+to the man who finds him?'"
+
+Lee Virginia looked up brightly. "That seems right to me!"
+
+"Ah yes; but wait. We cattle-men had large herds, and the _probabilities_
+were that the calf belonged to some one of us; whereas, the cowboy, having
+no herd at all, _knew_ the maverick belonged to some one's herd. True, the
+law said it was his, but the law did not mean to reward the freebooter;
+yet that is exactly what it did. At first only a few outlaws took
+advantage of it; but hard years came on, the cattle business became less
+and less profitable, we were forced to lay off our men, and so at last the
+range swarmed with idle cow-punchers; then came the breakdown in our
+scheme! The cowboys took to 'mavericking' on their own account. Some of
+them had the grace to go into partnership with some farmer, and so claim a
+small bunch of cows, but others suddenly and miraculously acquired herds
+of their own. From keeping within the law, they passed to violent methods.
+They slit the tongues of calves for the purpose of separating them from
+their mothers. Finding he could not suck, bossy would at last wander away
+from his dam, and so become a 'maverick.' In short, anarchy reigned on the
+range."
+
+"But surely my father had nothing to do with this?"
+
+"No; your father, up to this time, had been on good terms with everybody.
+He had a small herd of cattle down the river, which he owned in common
+with a man named Hart."
+
+"I remember him."
+
+"He was well thought of by all the big outfits; and when the situation
+became intolerable, and we got together to weed out 'the rustlers,' as
+these cattle-thieves were called, your father was approached and converted
+to a belief in drastic measures. He had suffered less than the rest of us
+because of his small herd and the fact that he was very popular among the
+cowboys. So far as I was concerned, the use of violent methods revolted
+me. My training in the East had made me a respecter of the law. 'Change
+the law,' I said. 'The law is all right,' they replied; 'the trouble is
+with these rustlers. We'll hang a few of 'em, and that will break up the
+business.'"
+
+Parts of this story came back to the girl's mind, producing momentary
+flashes of perfect recollection. She heard again the voices of excited men
+arguing over and over the question of "mavericking," and she saw her
+father as he rode up to the house that last day before he went South.
+
+Redfield went on. "The whole plan as developed was silly, and I wonder
+still that Ed Wetherford, who knew 'the nester' and the cowboy so well,
+should have lent his aid to it. The cattle-men--some from Cheyenne, some
+from Denver, and a few from New York and Chicago--agreed to finance a sort
+of Vigilante Corps composed of men from the outside, on the understanding
+that this policing body should be commanded by one of their own number.
+Your father was chosen second in command, and was to guide the party; for
+he knew almost every one of the rustlers, and could ride directly to their
+doors."
+
+"I wish he hadn't done that," murmured the girl.
+
+"I must be frank with you, Virginia. I can't excuse that in him. It was a
+kind of treachery. He must have been warped by his associates. They
+convinced him by some means that it was his duty, and one fine day the
+Fork was startled by a messenger, who rode in to say that the
+cattle-barons were coming with a hundred Texas bad men 'to clean out the
+town,' and to put their own men into office. This last was silly rot to
+me, but the people believed it."
+
+The girl was tingling now. "I remember! I remember the men who rode into
+the town to give the alarm. Their horses were white with foam; their heads
+hung down, and their sides went in and out. I pitied the poor things.
+Mother jumped on her pony, and rode out among the men. She wanted to go
+with them, but they wouldn't let her. I was scared almost breathless."
+
+"I was in Sulphur City, and did not hear of it till it was nearly all
+over," Redfield resumed, his speech showing a little of the excitement
+which thrilled through the girl's voice. "Well, the first act of vengeance
+was so ill-considered that it practically ended the whole campaign. The
+invaders fell upon and killed two ranchers--one of whom was probably not a
+rustler at all, but a peaceable settler, and the other one they most
+barbarously hanged. More than this, they attacked and vainly tried to kill
+two settlers whom they met on the road--German farmers, with no
+connection, so far as known, with the thieves. These men escaped, and gave
+the alarm. In a few hours the whole range was aflame with vengeful fire.
+The Forks, as you may recall, was like a swarm of bumblebees. Every man
+and boy was armed and mounted. The storekeepers distributed guns and
+ammunition, leaders developed, and the embattled 'punkin rollers,'
+rustlers, and townsmen rode out to meet the invaders."
+
+The girl paled with memory of it. "It was terrible! I went all day without
+eating, and for two nights we were all too excited to sleep. It seemed as
+if the world were coming to an end. Mother cried because they wouldn't let
+her go with them. She didn't know father was leading the other army."
+
+"She must have known soon, for it was reported that your father was among
+them. She certainly knew when they were driven to earth in that log fort,
+for they were obliged to restrain her by force from going to your father.
+As I run over those furious days it all seems incredible, like a sudden
+reversal to barbarism."
+
+"How did it all end? The soldiers came, didn't they?"
+
+"Yes; the long arm of Uncle Sam reached out and took hold upon the necks
+of both parties. I guess your father and his band would have died right
+there had not the regular army interfered. It only required a sergeant
+wearing Uncle Sam's uniform to come among those armed and furious cowboys
+and remove their prisoners."
+
+"I saw that. It was very strange--that sergeant was so young and so
+brave."
+
+He turned and smiled at her. "Do you know who that was?"
+
+Her eyes flashed. She drew her breath with a gasp. "Was it Mr. Cavanagh?"
+
+"Yes, it was Ross. He was serving in the regular army at the time. He has
+told me since that he felt no fear whatever. 'Uncle Sam's blue coat was
+like Siegfried's magic armor,' he said; 'it was the kind of thing the
+mounted police of Canada had been called upon to do many a time, and I
+went in and got my men.' That ended the war, so far as violent measures
+went, and it really ended the sovereignty of the cattle-man. The power of
+the 'nester' has steadily increased from that moment."
+
+"But my father--what became of him? They took him away to the East, and
+that is all I ever knew. What do you think became of him?"
+
+"I could never make up my mind. All sorts of rumors come to us concerning
+him. As a matter of fact, the State authorities sympathized with the
+cattle-barons, and my own opinion is that your father was permitted to
+escape. He was afterward seen in Texas, and later it was reported that he
+had been killed there."
+
+The girl sat still, listening to the tireless whir of the machine, and
+looking out at the purpling range with tear-mist eyes. At last she said:
+"I shall never think of my father as a bad man, he was always so gentle to
+me."
+
+"You need not condemn him, my dear young lady. First of all, it's not fair
+to bring him (as he was in those days) forward into these piping times of
+dairy cows and alfalfa. The people of the Forks--some of them, at
+least--consider him a traitor, and regard you as the daughter of a
+renegade, but what does it matter? Each year sees the Old West diminish,
+and already, in the work of the Forest Service, law and order advance.
+Notwithstanding all the shouting of herders and the beating to death of
+sheep, no hostile shot has ever been fired within the bounds of a National
+Forest. In the work of the forest rangers lies the hope of ultimate peace
+and order over all the public lands."
+
+The girl fell silent again, her mind filled with larger conceptions of
+life than her judgment had hitherto been called upon to meet. She knew
+that Redfield was right, and yet that world of the past--the world of the
+swift herdsman and his trampling, long-horned, half-wild kine still
+appealed to her imagination. The West of her girlhood seemed heroic in
+memory; even the quiet account of it to which she had just listened could
+not conceal its epic largeness of movement. The part which troubled her
+most was her father's treachery to his neighbors. That he should fight,
+that he should kill men in honorable warfare, she could understand; but
+not his recreancy, his desertion of her mother and herself.
+
+She came back to dwell at last on the action of that slim young soldier
+who had calmly ridden through the infuriated mob. She remembered that she
+had thrilled even then at the vague and impersonal power which he
+represented. To her childish mind he seemed to bear a charm, like the
+heroes of her story-books--something which made him invulnerable.
+
+After a long pause Redfield spoke again. "The memory of your father will
+make life for a time a bit hard for you in Roaring Fork--perhaps your
+mother's advice is sound. Why not come to Sulphur City, which is almost
+entirely of the new spirit?"
+
+"If I can get my mother to come, too, I will be glad to do so, for I hate
+the Fork; but I will not leave her there, sick and alone."
+
+"Much depends upon the doctor's examination to-morrow."
+
+They had topped the divide now between the Fork and Sulphur Creek Basin,
+and the green fields, the alfalfa meadows, and the painted farm-houses
+thickened beneath them. Strange how significant all these signs were now.
+A few days ago they had appeared doubtful improvements, now they
+represented the oncoming dominion of the East. They meant cleanliness and
+decent speech, good bread and sweet butter. Ultimately houses with hot
+water in their bath-rooms and pianos in their parlors would displace the
+shack, the hitching-pole, and the dog-run, and in those days Edward
+Wetherford would be forgotten.
+
+Redfield swept through the town, then turned up the stream directly toward
+the high wall of the range, which was ragged and abrupt at this point.
+They passed several charming farm-houses, and the western sky grew ever
+more glorious with its plum-color and saffron, and the range reasserted
+its mastery over the girl. At last they came to the very jaws of the
+canon; and there, in a deep natural grove of lofty cottonwood-trees,
+Redfield passed before a high rustic gate which marked the beginning of
+his estate. The driveway was of gravel, and the intermingling of
+transplanted shrubs and pine-trees showed the care of the professional
+gardener.
+
+The house was far from being a castle; indeed, it was very like a house in
+Bryn-Mawr, except that it was built entirely of half-hewn logs, with a
+wide projecting roof. Giant hydrangeas and other flowering shrubs bordered
+the drive, and on the rustic terrace a lady in white was waiting.
+
+Redfield slowed down, and scrambled ungracefully out; but his voice was
+charming as he said: "Eleanor, this it Miss Wetherford. She was on the
+point of getting the blues, so I brought her away," he explained.
+
+Mrs. Redfield, quite as urban as the house, was a slim little woman of
+delicate habit, very far from the ordinary conception of a rancher's wife.
+Her manner was politely considerate, but not heatedly cordial (the visitor
+was not precisely hers), and though she warmed a little after looking into
+Virginia's face, she could not by any stretch of phrase be called
+cordial.
+
+"Are you tired? would you like to lie down before dinner?" she asked.
+
+"Oh no, indeed. Nothing ever tires me," Virginia responded, with a smile.
+
+"You look like one in perfect health," continued her hostess, in the
+envious tone of one who knew all too well what ill-health meant. "Let me
+show you to your room."
+
+The house was not precisely the palace the cowboy had reported it to be,
+but it was charmingly decorated, and the furnishings were tasteful. To the
+girl it was as if she had been transported with instant magic from the
+horrible little cow-town back to the home of one of her dearest friends in
+Chester. She was at once exalted and humbly grateful.
+
+"We dine at seven," Mrs. Redfield was saying, "so you can take a cup of
+tea without spoiling your dinner. Will you venture it?"
+
+"If you please."
+
+"Very well; come down soon, and I'll have it ready. Mr. Redfield, I'm
+sure, will want some."
+
+Virginia's heart was dancing with delight of this home as she came down
+the stairs a little later. She found Mr. Redfield at the farther end of a
+long sitting-room, whose dim light was as restful (after the glare of the
+tawny plains) as the voice of her hostess was to her ears, which still
+ached with the noise of profane and vulgar speech.
+
+Redfield heard her coming and met her half-way, and with stately ceremony
+showed her a seat. "I fear you will need something stronger than tea after
+my exhausting conversation."
+
+"I hope, Hugh, you were not in one of your talking moods?"
+
+"I was, Eleanor. I talked incessantly, barring an occasional jolt of the
+machine."
+
+"You poor thing!" This to Virginia. "Truly you deserve a two hours' rest
+before dinner, for our dinner is always a talk-fest, and to-night, with
+Senator Bridges here, it will be a convention."
+
+He turned to Virginia. "We were talking old times 'before the war,' and
+you know it never tires veterans to run over their ancient campaigns--does
+it, Lee Virginia?"
+
+As they talked Mrs. Redfield studied the girl with increasing interest and
+favor, and soon got at her point of view. She even secured a little more
+of her story, which matched fairly well with the account her husband had
+given. Her prejudices were swept away, and she treated her young guest as
+one well-born and well-educated woman treats another.
+
+At last she said: "We dress for dinner, but any frock you have will do. We
+are not ironclad in our rules. There will be some neighbors in, but it
+isn't in any sense a 'party.'"
+
+Lee Virginia went to her room, borne high upon a new conception of the
+possibilities of the West. It was glorious to think that one could enjoy
+the refinement, the comfort of the East at the same time that one dwelt
+within the inspiring shadow of the range. She caught some prophetic hint
+in all this of the future age when each of these foot-hills would be
+peopled by those to whom cleanliness of mind and grace of body were
+habitual. Standing on the little balcony which filled the front of her
+windows, she looked away at the towering heights, smoky purple against a
+sky of burning gold, and her eyes expanded like those of the young eagle
+when about to launch himself upon the sunset wind.
+
+The roar of a waterfall came to her ears, and afar on the sage-green
+carpet of the lower mesa a horseman was galloping swiftly. Far to the left
+of this smoothly sculptured table-land a band of cattle fed, while under
+her eyes, formal as a suburban home, lay a garden of old-fashioned English
+flowers. It was a singular and moving union of the old and new--the East
+and the West.
+
+On her table and on the pretty bookshelves she found several of the latest
+volumes of poetry and essays, and the bed, with its dainty covering and
+ample spread, testified quite as plainly of taste and comfort. Her hands
+were a-tremble as she put on the bright muslin gown which was all she had
+for evening wear. She felt very much like the school-girl again, and after
+she had done her best to look nice, she took a seat in the little rocker,
+with intent to compose herself for her meeting with strangers. "I wish we
+were dining without visitors," she said, as she heard a carriage drive up.
+A little later a galloping horse entered the yard and stopped at the
+door.
+
+"It all sounds like a play," she said to herself, forgetting for the
+moment that she was miles away from a town and in a lonely ranch-house
+under the very shadows of the mountains.
+
+She heard voices in the hall, and among them one with a very English
+accent--one that sounded precisely like those she had heard on the stage.
+It was the voice of a man, big, hearty, with that thick, throaty gurgle
+which is so suggestive of London that one is certain to find a tweed suit
+and riding-breeches associated with it.
+
+At last she dared wait no longer, and taking courage from necessity,
+descended the stairs--a pleasant picture of vigorous yet somewhat subdued
+maidenhood.
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+TWO ON THE VERANDA
+
+
+REDFIELD met his young guest in dinner-coat, looking extremely urban, and
+presented his "friend and neighbor, Mr. Enderby."
+
+Enderby turned out to be the owner of the voice with the English accent
+which Lee Virginia had heard in the hall, but he was very nice, and a
+moment later Mrs. Redfield entered with Mrs. Enderby, a large lady with a
+smiling face. Then a voice she knew spoke from behind her: "I don't need a
+presentation. Miss Wetherford and I have already met."
+
+She turned to meet Ross Cavanagh, the young ranger.
+
+"How did you get here?" she asked, in wonder.
+
+"I rode across the hills; it's not far."
+
+He too was in evening dress, and as she stared at him in surprise he
+laughingly protested. "Please don't scrutinize this coat too closely. It's
+the only one I've owned for ten years, and this is the only house in which
+I'd _dare_ to wear it."
+
+Bridges (who turned out to be a State senator) was a farmer-like elderly
+man wearing a badly fitting serge suit. He was markedly Western; so was
+his wife, who looked rather uneasy and hot.
+
+It was all delightfully exciting to Lee Virginia, and to be taken in to
+dinner by the transfigured ranger completed her appreciation of the
+charming home and its refined hostess.
+
+Redfield shone as host, presenting an admirable mixture of clubman and
+Western rancher. His natural sense of humor, sharpened by twenty years of
+plains life, was Western. His manner, his habits of dress, of dining, of
+taking wine, were uncorruptedly Manhattan. Enderby, large, high-colored,
+was naturally a bit of what we know as the "haw-haw type" of Englishman--a
+thoroughly good fellow, kindly, tolerant, brave, and generous, who could
+not possibly change his spots. He had failed utterly to acquire the
+American idiom, and his attempts at cowboy slang were often
+amusing--especially to Redfield, who prided himself on being quite
+undistinguishable in a cow-camp.
+
+Virginia and Ross, being the only young folk at the table, were seated
+together, and Enderby remarked privately: "Ross, you're in luck."
+
+"I know I am," he replied, heartily.
+
+He was (as Redfield had said) highly susceptible, made so by his solitary
+life in the mountains, and to be seated close beside this maid of the
+valley stirred his blood to the danger-point. It was only by an effort of
+the will that he kept in touch with Redfield's remarks.
+
+"Enderby never can grow accustomed to his democratic neighbors," Redfield
+was saying. "He's been here six years, and yet when one of his cowboy
+friends tells him to 'go to hell' he's surprised and a bit offended."
+
+"Oh, it isn't that," explained Mrs. Enderby; "it's to have your maids say
+'All right' when you ask them to remove the soup. It's a bit shocking also
+to have your cook or housemaid going about the house singing some wretched
+ditty. What was that one, Charley, that Irma Maud sang till we were nearly
+wild (Irma Maud was my chambermaid). What was it? Something about 'Tixey
+Ann.'"
+
+"Oh, I know it perfectly!" exclaimed Enderby. "'If you want to make a
+niggah feel good--'"
+
+"No, no; that's another one."
+
+Redfield interposed. "You wouldn't have them go about in sullen stealth,
+would you? Think how song lightens their drudgery."
+
+"Ah yes; but if it drives the family out-of-doors?"
+
+"It shouldn't. You should take it all as a part of the happy world of
+democracy wherein even the maid-servant sings at her toil."
+
+"But our democratic neighbors are all the time coming to look round the
+place. We've no privacy whatever. On Sunday afternoon they drive through
+the grounds in procession; you'd think our place a public park and we the
+keepers."
+
+In all this banter Virginia was given the English viewpoint as to Western
+manners and conditions. She perceived that the Enderbys, notwithstanding
+their heavy-set prejudices, were persons of discernment and right feeling.
+It certainly was impertinent of the neighbors to ride through the grounds
+as if they were public, and Mrs. Enderby was justified in resenting it.
+
+Ross turned to her. "Enderby is the kind of Englishman who wants to adapt
+himself to new conditions, but can't."
+
+"You don't seem like an Englishman at all."
+
+"Well, I was caught young, and, besides, I'm really Irish--on my father's
+side."
+
+"Oh, that's different!" she exclaimed, as though that somehow brought him
+nearer to her own people.
+
+"It is, isn't it?" he laughingly agreed. "But Enderby--I suppose his
+pedigree goes back to Cedric and his swineherds. You can't change that
+kind."
+
+"I hadn't the least thought of seeing you here. How did you happen to
+come?"
+
+"Redfield telephoned me at the mill, and I came at once. I haven't been
+here since May, and I just thought I'd take a half a day off. Luckily, my
+understudy was with me. I left him 'on the job.'"
+
+He did not tell her that she was the principal reason for this sudden
+descent upon Elk Lodge, and no one but Redfield knew the killing ride he
+had taken in order to be in at the beginning of the dinner. The girl's
+face and voice, especially her voice, had been with him night and day as
+he went about his solitary duties. Her life problem had come to fill his
+mind to a disturbing degree, and he was eager to know more of her and of
+her struggle against the vice and vulgarity of the Forks.
+
+"How is your mother?" he asked, a few minutes later.
+
+"Not at all well. Mr. Redfield is to take the doctor back with us
+to-morrow." The ecstasy died out of her face, and the flexible lips
+drooped with troubled musing. "I am afraid she suffers more than she will
+admit."
+
+"She needs a rest and change. She should get away from her seat at that
+cash-register, and return to the open air. A touch of camp-life would help
+her. She sticks too close to her work."
+
+"I know she does, but she won't let me relieve her, even for an hour. It
+isn't because she doesn't trust me; she says it's because she doesn't want
+me sitting there--so--publicly. She doesn't oppose my housekeeping any
+more--"
+
+"You certainly have made the old hotel into a place of miraculous
+neatness."
+
+She flushed with pleasure. "I have done something, but not as I'd like to
+do. I really think if mother wishes to sell she could do so now to much
+better advantage."
+
+"I've no doubt of it. Really, I'm not being funny, Miss Wetherford, when I
+say you've done something heroic. It's no easy thing to come into a place
+like that and make it habitable. It shows immense courage and
+self-reliance on your part. It's precisely the kind of work this whole
+country needs."
+
+His praise, sincere and generous, repaid her for all she had gone through.
+It was a great pleasure to hear her small self praised for courage and
+self-reliance by one whose daily work was heroic. All things conspired to
+make a conquest of her heart, for the ranger bore himself with grace, and
+dealt with his silver deftly. His face, seen from the side, was older and
+sterner than she had thought it, but it was very attractive in line.
+
+She said: "Mr. Redfield and I were talking of 'the war' to-day--I mean our
+'cattle-man's invasion'--and I learned that you were the sergeant who came
+for the prisoners."
+
+He smiled. "Yes; I was serving in the regular army at that time."
+
+"You must have been very young?"
+
+"I was--a kid."
+
+"That was a brave thing to do."
+
+"Not at all. I was a soldier under orders of the commander of the post. I
+dared not disobey."
+
+She would not have it so. "But you knew that you were going into danger?"
+
+"To be honest about it, I did; but I relied on my blue coat to protect
+me."
+
+"It was a terrible time. I was only a child, but I can remember how wild
+the men all seemed when you drove up and leaped out of the wagon. I didn't
+realize that my father's life depended on your coming, but we all knew it
+was brave of you."
+
+"I think I was born a soldier. What I like about my present job is its
+definiteness. I have my written instructions, and there's no need to argue
+anything. I carry out my orders. But I beg pardon, I'm not going to talk
+'shop' to you. I want you to tell me about yourself. I hope you are not to
+return to the East, for if you do not I shall be able to see you
+occasionally."
+
+Here Redfield appealed to the ranger. "Ross, you're all sorts of a
+reactionary. What do you say to this? Senator Bridges is opposed to all
+Federal interference with State forests and State game."
+
+The forester's eyes lit up. "But are they State forests and State game?
+What makes them so? They are lands which the whole people purchased and
+which the whole people defended."
+
+"Heah! heah!" cheered Enderby.
+
+Bridges bristled with anger, and went off into a long harangue on States
+rights and the dangers of centralization, to which Enderby replied: "Bosh!
+the whole trouble with your bally Government is its lack of cohesion. If I
+had my way, I'd wipe out the Senate and put a strong man like Roosevelt at
+the head of the executive. You're such blooming asses over here; you don't
+know enough to keep a really big man in your presidential chair. This
+fussing about every four years to put in some oily corporation lawyer is
+bloody rot. Here's Roosevelt gets in the midst of a lot of the finest kind
+of reforms, y' know, and directly you go and turn him out! Then if you get
+a bad man, you've to wait four years till you can fetch him a whack. Why
+not arrange it so you can pitch your President out the minute he goes
+wrong? I say your old rag of a Constitution is a ball-and-chain on your
+national leg. England is immeasurably better off so far as that goes."
+
+Ross turned to Virginia, leaving the political discussion to go on over
+his head. "I was back in the Old Island a couple of years ago, and you've
+no idea how small it seemed to me. It surely is a 'right little, tight
+little island.' I couldn't help wondering whether the men in Parliament
+were as important as they seemed to think they were, and whether England
+is not really an empty shell of empire, a memory of what it once was. I
+couldn't settle down there, someway. I was homesick for the mountains in a
+month. But what scared me most was the pauper population of the old
+place--one in every thirty-seven must be helped. I came back to the States
+gladly. 'I guess I'm an American,' I said to my sisters."
+
+To Lee Virginia all this talk of "the curse of democracy" and "the decay
+of empire" was unexciting, but when Cavanagh told of the sheepmen's
+advance across the dead-line on Deer Creek, and of the threats of the
+cattle-owners, she was better able to follow the discussion. Bridges was
+heartily on the side of law and order, for he wished to boom the State
+(being a heavy owner in a town-site), but he objected to Redfield's ideas
+of "bottling up the resources of the State."
+
+"We're not," retorted Redfield; "we're merely defending them against those
+who would monopolize them. We believe in their fullest use, but we see no
+reason for giving away the resources when the country needs the revenue."
+
+Mrs. Redfield rose as soon as the coffee came on. "You gentlemen seem bent
+upon discussing matters of no interest to us," she said, "so we'll leave
+you to fight it out alone. I'm sure you'll all agree with Hugh in the end.
+Like General Grant, he's a very obstinate man."
+
+No sooner were they seated in the big living-room than Mrs. Enderby began
+to relate comical stories of her household. Her cats had fits and ran up
+the wall. Her dogs were forever getting quilled by reason of foolish
+attacks upon porcupines, or else they came home so reminiscent of skunks
+that they all but smothered the cook. "Invariably they return from
+encounters of this kind just as we are sitting at dinner," she explained.
+"Furthermore, Enderby's ditches are habitually getting clogged, and
+overflowing the lawn and filling the cellar, and he stands in terror of
+his cowboys. When I think of all these irruptions and distractions,
+England's order and routine seem heavenly; but Charley finds all this
+amusing, more's the pity, and leaves me to set things in order. Most
+ludicrous of all, to me, is his habitual claim that the ranch is paying. I
+tell him there's an error in his bookkeeping somewhere, but he assures me
+that his receipts exceeded his expenditures last year--which is quite too
+incredible. You've no idea how high wages are and how little we raise."
+
+"Oh yes, I have," laughed Mrs. Redfield, "and my cat had a fit too. Hugh
+says it's the high altitude. I tell him it's melancholia."
+
+Cavanagh showed himself. "I hear so much laughter I'm coming in, we're all
+so insufferably political out here. And, besides, I came to see the
+ladies, and I can only stay a few minutes longer."
+
+"You're not going back to-night!" exclaimed his hostess.
+
+"I must be on my own precinct by daylight," he replied; "the Supervisor
+has an eye on me."
+
+Mrs. Redfield explained to Lee Virginia. "He rode fifty miles over the
+mountains--"
+
+"Thirty," corrected Ross. "But what does that matter when I'm in the
+company of such charming ladies?" he added, gallantly.
+
+"And now he's going to ride all the way back to-night!"
+
+"Think of that," gasped Mrs. Enderby, "and no moon!"
+
+"How can you find your way?" asked Mrs. Bridges, to whom this was a
+mortally dangersome journey.
+
+"Oh, it's quite simple. If you don't bump against a tree or fall into the
+creek you may be quite sure you're on the trail," laughed Ross.
+
+Mrs. Redfield knew the true reason for his coming, and was not at all
+pleased, "for with all Lee's personal charm," she said to her husband,
+"she is socially beneath Ross Cavanagh, even in a State where social
+barriers are few."
+
+"Come out on the veranda," suggested Cavanagh, "and I'll show you the
+hills I must climb."
+
+Lee accepted innocently; but as the young people left the room Mrs.
+Enderby looked at her hostess with significant glance. "There's the lady
+Ross rode down to meet. Who is she?"
+
+"Her mother is that dreadful old creature that keeps the Wetherford Hotel
+in Roaring Fork."
+
+"No!" exclaimed Mrs. Enderby.
+
+"Yes; Lee Virginia is Lize Wetherford's daughter."
+
+"But the girl is charming."
+
+"I cannot understand it. Hugh came home a week or so ago full of her
+praise--" And at this point her voice dropped lower and the other drew
+closer.
+
+Outside, the young people stood in silence. There was no moon, and the
+mountains rose darkly, a sheer wall at the end of the garden, their tops
+cutting into the starry sky with a dull edge, over which a dim white cone
+peered.
+
+"That snow-peak is Wolftooth, and thirty miles from here, and at the head
+of my 'beat,'" said the ranger, after a pause, as they leaned against the
+railing and looked away to the south. "I go up that ridge which you see
+faintly at the left of the main canon, and through that deep notch which
+is above timber-line."
+
+The girl's eyes widened with awe of the big, silent, dark world he
+indicated. "Aren't you afraid to start out on such a trip alone--I mean,
+don't you dread it?"
+
+"I'll be sorry to start back, yes, but not because of the dark. I've
+enjoyed my visit here so much it will be hard to say good-night."
+
+"It seems strange to me that you should prefer this wild country to
+England."
+
+"Do you like the East better than the West?"
+
+"In some ways; but then, you see, I was born out here."
+
+"So was I--I mean to say I was regenerated out here. The truth is I was a
+good deal of a scapegrace when I left England. I was always for hunting
+and horses, and naturally I came directly to the wild West country, and
+here I've been ever since. I've had my turn at each phase of
+it--cow-puncher, soldier, Rough-rider, and finally forest ranger. I reckon
+I've found my job at last."
+
+"Do you like it so much?"
+
+"At the present time I am perfectly contented. I'm associated now with a
+country that will never yield to the plough--yes, I like my work. I love
+the forests and the streams. I wish I might show them to you. You don't
+know how beautiful they are. The most beautiful parks in the world are
+commonplace to what I can show you. My only sorrow is to think of them
+given over to the sawmill. Perhaps you and your mother will come up some
+time, and let me show you my lakes and streams. There are waters so lovely
+they make the heart ache. Hugh is planning to come up soon; perhaps you
+and Mrs. Redfield will come with him."
+
+"I'd like it above everything," she responded, fervently. Then her voice
+changed: "But all depends on my mother's health."
+
+It hurt him to hear her call Eliza Wetherford mother. He wanted to forget
+her origin for the moment. He was not in love with her--far from it! But
+she was so alluring, and the proprietress of the Wetherford House was not
+nice, and that made one doubt the daughter.
+
+She broke the silence. "It seems dreadfully dark and mysterious up there."
+She indicated his path.
+
+"It isn't as bad as it looks. There is a good trail, and my pony knows it
+as well as I do. I enjoy riding by night."
+
+"But there are bears and other wild things, are there not?"
+
+"Not as many as I wish there were."
+
+"Why do you say that?"
+
+"I hate to see all the wild life killed off. Some day all these forests
+will have game refuges like the Yellowstone National Park. They are coming
+each year to have greater and greater value to the people of the plains.
+They are playgrounds, like the Alps. Campers are coming into my valley
+every day, and, while they increase the danger of fires, I welcome them.
+They are all advocates of the forest. As one man said: 'The mountains
+supplement the plains. They give color and charm to the otherwise
+monotonous West.' I confess I couldn't live on the prairies--not even on
+the plains--if out of sight of the mountains. If I should ever settle down
+to a home it would be in a canon like this, with a great peak at my front
+door."
+
+"It _is_ beautiful," the girl said, in the tone of sadness with which we
+confront the perfect night, the perfect flower, the flawless landscape.
+"It is both grand and peaceful."
+
+This tone of sadness pleased him. It showed her depth of perception, and
+he reflected that she had not uttered a vacuous or silly phrase since
+their first meeting. "She is capable of great development," he thought.
+Aloud he said: "You are a strange mingling of East and West. Do you
+realize it?"
+
+"In what way?" she asked, feeling something ardent in his tone.
+
+"You typify to me at this moment this whole State. You fill me with
+enthusiasm for its future. Here you are, derived from the lawless West,
+yet taking on the culture and restraint of the East so readily that you
+seem not in the least related to--"
+
+He checked himself at this point, and she said: "My mother is not as rough
+as she seems, Mr. Cavanagh."
+
+"She must be more of the woman than appears, or she could not have borne
+such a daughter. But do you feel your relationship to her? Tell me
+honestly, for you interest me."
+
+"I didn't at first, but I do now. I begin to understand her, and, besides,
+I feel in myself certain things that are in her, though I think I am more
+like the Wetherfords. My father's family home was in Maryland."
+
+Ross could have talked on all night, so alluring was the girl's dimly-seen
+yet warmly-felt figure at his side, but a sense of danger and a knowledge
+that he should be riding led him at last to say: "It is getting chill, we
+must go in; but before we do so, let me say how much I've enjoyed seeing
+you again. I hope the doctor will make favorable report on your mother's
+case. You'll write me the result of the examination, won't you?"
+
+"If you wish me to."
+
+"I shall be most anxious to know."
+
+They were standing very near to each other at the moment, and the ranger,
+made very sensitive to woman's charm by his lonely life, shook with
+newly-created love of her. A suspicion, a hope that beneath her cultivated
+manner lay the passionate nature of her mother gave an added force to his
+desire. He was sorely tempted to touch her, to test her; but her sweet
+voice, a little sad and perfectly unconscious of evil, calmed him. She
+said:
+
+"I hope to persuade my mother to leave the Forks. All the best people
+there are against us. Some of them have been very cruel to her and to me,
+and, besides, I despise and fear the men who come to our table."
+
+"You must not exchange words with them," he all but commanded. "Beware of
+Gregg; he is a vile lot; do not trust him for an instant. Do not permit
+any of those loafers to talk with you, for if you do they will go away to
+defame you. I know them. They are unspeakably vile. It makes me angry to
+think that Gregg and his like have the right to speak to you every day
+while I can only see you at long intervals."
+
+His heat betrayed the sense of proprietorship which he had begun to feel,
+in spite of his resolution. But the girl only perceived his solicitation,
+his friendly interest, and she answered: "I keep away from them all I
+can."
+
+"You are right to distrust them," he replied, grimly. "Because old Sam has
+money, he thinks he can do as he pleases. You must be especially careful
+of him."
+
+"The worst is when I go on the street; but if mother does not sell the
+business, I shall be obliged to stay in the Fork, no matter how I hate
+it."
+
+"I wish my station were not so far away," he mused, darkly. "But I'll ride
+down as often as my duties will permit, and you must let me know how
+things go. And if any of those fellows persecute you, you'll tell me,
+won't you? I wish you'd look upon me as your big brother. Will you do
+that?" His voice entreated, and as she remained silent, he continued:
+"Roaring Fork is one of the worst towns in the State, and a girl like you
+needs some one as a protector. I don't know just how to put it so that you
+will not misunderstand me, but, you see, I protect the forest, the
+streams, and the game; I help the settler in time of trouble; I am a kind
+of all-round big brother to everybody who needs help in the forest. In
+fact, I'm paid for protecting things that can't protect themselves, and
+so"--here he tried to lend his voice the accent of humor--"why shouldn't I
+be the protector of a girl like you, alone--worse than alone--in this
+little cow-town?"
+
+She remained dumb at one or two points where he clearly hoped for a word,
+and she was unable to thank him when he had finished. In this silence a
+curious constriction came into his throat. It was almost as if he had put
+his passion into definite words, and as the light fell upon her he
+perceived that her bosom was heaving with deep emotion.
+
+"I _am_ lonely," she faltered out at last--"horribly lonely; and I know
+now how people feel toward my mother, and it hurts me--it all hurts me;
+but I'm going to stay and help her--" She paused to recover her voice.
+"And you _do_ seem different! I--I--trust you!"
+
+"I'm glad you understand me, and you _will_ let me know if I can help you,
+won't you?"
+
+"Yes," she answered, simply.
+
+"Good-night," he said, extending his hand.
+
+She placed her palm to his quite frankly, but the touch of it made further
+speech at the moment impossible.
+
+They went in with such tell-tale faces that even Redfield wondered what
+had passed between them.
+
+Excusing himself almost at once, Cavanagh left the room, and when he
+looked in, a few moments later, he was clothed in the ranger's dusty green
+uniform, booted and spurred for his long, hard ride. Mrs. Redfield
+followed him into the hall and out on the door-stone to say: "Ross, you
+must be careful. This girl is very alluring in herself, but her mother,
+you know, is impossible."
+
+"You're needlessly alarmed, as usual," he smilingly replied. "She
+interests me--that's patent; but beyond that, why--nonsense! Good-night."
+
+Nevertheless, despite his protestations, he went away up the trail with
+his mind so filled with Lee Virginia's appealing face and form that he
+would certainly have ridden over a precipice had it not been for his
+experienced pony, who had fortunately but one aim, and that was to cross
+the range safely and to reach the home pasture at the earliest moment.
+
+Now that he was looking back upon three hours more of Lee's society,
+Cavanagh was ready to admit that he had left his range and ridden hard and
+far with that one purpose in mind. He had been hungry for the sight of
+her, and now that he had touched her hand and looked upon her again he was
+a little surprised and deeply disturbed to find himself hungrier than
+before.
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+THE VOICE FROM THE HEIGHTS
+
+
+LEE VIRGINIA was not entirely without experience as regards respectful
+courtship. Her life in the East had brought her to know a number of
+attractive lads and a few men, but none of these had become more than good
+companions, or friends; and though she wrote to one or two of these youths
+letters of the utmost friendliness, there was no passion in them, and she
+felt, as yet, the sting of nothing more intense in her liking for
+Cavanagh; but he meant more to her, now that she was lonely and
+beleaguered of those whose eyes were cruel and hot.
+
+Then, too, he had come to represent a new world to her--this world of the
+forest, this region toward the sunset, which was quite as mysterious to
+her thinking as it was to the eyes of any plains-dweller. Her imagination
+went with the ranger on his solitary march into those vague, up-billowing
+masses of rocks and trees. To her there were many dangers, and she
+wondered at his courage, his hardihood.
+
+That he had ridden all that long, rough way merely to see her she was not
+vain enough to believe; but she had, nevertheless, something of every
+woman's secret belief in her individual charm. Cavanagh had shown a
+flattering interest in her, and his wish to be her protector filled her
+with joy and confidence.
+
+She heard a good deal more about this particular forest ranger next
+morning at breakfast. "He is throwing himself away," Mrs. Redfield
+passionately declared. "Think of a man of Ross's refinement living in a
+mountain shack miles from anybody, watching poachers, marking trees, and
+cooking his own food. It's a shameful waste of genius."
+
+"That's as you look at it, my dear," responded Redfield. "Ross is the
+guardian of an immense treasure-chest which belongs to the nation.
+Furthermore, he is quite certain--as I am--that this Forest Service is the
+policy of the future, and that it offers fine chances for promotion--and
+then, finally, he likes it."
+
+"That is all well enough for a young man; but Ross is at least
+thirty-five, and should be thinking of settling down. I can't understand
+his point of view."
+
+"My dear, you have never seen the procession of the seasons from such a
+point of view as that which he enjoys."
+
+"No, and I do not care to. It is quite lonely enough for me right here."
+
+Redfield looked at Lee with comic blankness. "Mrs. Redfield is hopelessly
+urban. As the wife of a forest supervisor, she cares more for pavements
+and tram-cars than for the most splendid mountain park."
+
+"I most certainly do," his wife vigorously agreed. "And if I had my way we
+should be living in London."
+
+"Listen to that! She's ten times more English than Mrs. Enderby."
+
+"I'm not; but I long for the civilized instead of the wild. I like comfort
+and society."
+
+"So do I," returned he.
+
+"Yes; the comfort of an easy-chair on the porch and the society of your
+forest rangers. This ranch life is all very well for a summer outing, but
+to be tied down here all the year round is to be denied one's birthright
+as a modern."
+
+All this more or less cheerful complaint expressed the minds of many
+others who live amid these superb scenes. When autumn comes, when the sky
+is gray and the peaks are hid in mist, they long for the music, the
+lights, the comfort of the city; but when the April sun begins to go down
+in a smother of crimson and flame, and the mountains loom with epic
+dignity, or when at dawn the air is like some divine flood descending from
+the unstained mysterious heights, then the dweller in the foot-hills cries
+out: "How fortunate we are! Here is health and happiness! Here poverty is
+unknown!" One side of the girl was of this strain, the other was of the
+character described by her hostess. She began to see that Ross Cavanagh
+was fitted for higher duties than those of forest guard.
+
+Mrs. Redfield was becoming more and more interested in this child, who had
+not merely the malodorous reputation of her mother to contend with, but
+the memory of a traitorous sire to live down; and when Lee Virginia went
+to her room to pack her bag, the wife turned to her husband and said:
+"What are we to think of heredity when we see a thoroughly nice girl like
+that rise out of the union of a desperado with a vixen?"
+
+Redfield answered: "It is unaccountable. I knew her father well; he was a
+reckless daredevil, with less real courage in him than there is in old
+Lize; but I can't tell the girl that. She is sufficiently humiliated by
+her mother; she takes comfort in the thought that her father at least was
+brave and heroic."
+
+"I don't believe in heredity as I did once," his wife resumed. "Aren't
+scientific men rather divided about it?"
+
+"Yes, there are those who deny that there is any inheritance of the
+spirit, of character, insisting that the laws of transmission affect the
+body only. Lee is certainly like her father in looks. He was a handsome
+rascal."
+
+"Ross is terribly smitten with her."
+
+Redfield coughed, uneasily. "I hope not. Of course he admires her, as any
+man must. She's physically attractive, very attractive, and, besides, Ross
+is as susceptible as a cow-puncher. He was deeply impressed the first time
+he saw her, I could see that."
+
+"I didn't like his going out on the veranda with her last night,"
+continued Mrs. Redfield, "and when they came in her eyes and color
+indicated that he'd been saying something exciting to her. Hugh, Ross
+Cavanagh must not get involved with that girl. It's your duty as his
+superior to warn him."
+
+"He's fully grown, my dear, and a bit dictatorial on his own part. I'm a
+trifle timid about cutting in on his private affairs."
+
+"Then I'll do it. Marriage with a girl like that is out of the question.
+Think what his sisters would say."
+
+Redfield smiled a bit satirically. "To the outsider a forest ranger at
+$900 a year and find himself and horses is not what you may call a
+brilliant catch."
+
+"Oh, well, the outsider is no judge. Ross Cavanagh is a gentleman, and,
+besides, he's sure to be promoted. I acknowledge the girl's charms, and I
+don't understand it. When I think of her objectively as Lize Wetherford's
+girl I wonder at her being in my house. When I see her I want her to stay
+with me; I want to hug her."
+
+"Perhaps we've been unjust to Lize all along," suggested Redfield. "She
+has remained faithful to Ed Wetherford's memory all these years--that is
+conceded. Doesn't that argue some unusual quality? How many women do we
+know who are capable of such loyalty? Come, now! Lize is a rough piece of
+goods, I'll admit, and her fly-bit lunch-counter was a public nuisance;
+but she had the courage to send her girl away to be educated, denying
+herself the joy of seeing her develop by her side. We mustn't permit our
+prejudices to run away with us."
+
+The girl's return put a stop to the discussion, which could end in nothing
+but confusion anyway.
+
+Lee Virginia said good-bye to Mrs. Redfield with grateful appreciation of
+her kindness, and especially of her invitation to come again, and the
+tears in her eyes profoundly affected the older woman, who, with a
+friendliness which was something more than politeness, invited her to come
+again. "Whenever Roaring Fork gets on your nerves we'll be very glad to
+rescue you," she said in parting.
+
+Hugh Redfield the girl thoroughly understood and loved, he was so
+simple-hearted and so loyal. His bitter criticisms of the West were not
+uttered in a destructive mood--quite the contrary. His work was
+constructive in the highest degree. He was profoundly impatient of
+America's shortcomings, for the reason that he deeply felt her
+responsibility to the rest of the world. His knowledge of other republics
+and "limited monarchies" gave his suggestions power and penetration; and
+even Bridges, besotted in his provincial selfishness, had advised his
+selection as Supervisor. Of his own fitness for the work, Redfield himself
+took a dispassionate view. "I am only filling the place till the right man
+comes along," he said to his friends. "The man before me was a
+half-hearted and shifty advocate. I am an enthusiast without special
+training; by-and-by the real forester will come to take my place."
+
+On the way to the office, he said to Lee: "I will talk to the doctor if
+you like."
+
+"I wish you would," she responded, fervently.
+
+She remained in the machine while he went in, and as she sat there a train
+passed on its downward eastward run, and a feeling of loneliness, of
+helplessness, filled her heart. She had written many brave letters to her
+Eastern friends, but the vital contests, the important factors of her
+life, she had not mentioned. She had given no hint of her mother's
+physical and moral degeneration, and she had set down no word of her
+longing to return; but now that she was within sight of the railway the
+call of the East, the temptation to escape all her discomforts, was almost
+great enough to carry her away; but into her mind came the thought of the
+ranger riding his solitary way, and she turned her face to her own duties
+once more, comforted by the words of praise he had spoken and by the blaze
+of admiration in his eyes.
+
+Redfield came out, followed by a small man carrying a neat bag. He was of
+surpassing ugliness, and yet she liked him. His mouth had a curious twist.
+He had no chin to speak of, and his bright eyes protruded like those of a
+beetle. His voice, however, was surprisingly fine and resonant.
+
+"You'd better sit behind, Doctor," said Redfield. "I shall be very busy on
+this trip."
+
+"Very well," replied the other, "if Miss Wetherford remains beside me;
+otherwise I shall rebel." He was of those small, plain men whose absurd
+gallantry is never taken seriously by women, and yet is something more
+than pretence.
+
+He began by asking a few questions about her mother's way of life, but as
+Lee was not very explicit, he became impersonal, and talked of whatsoever
+came into his mind--motor-cars, irrigation, hunting, flowers--anything at
+all; and the girl had nothing to do but to utter an occasional phrase to
+show that she was listening. It was all rather depressing to her, for she
+could not understand how a man so garrulous could be a good physician. She
+was quite sure her mother would not treat him with the slightest respect.
+
+After all, he talked well. His stream of conversation shortened the way
+for her, and she was surprised when they topped the last ridge and the
+Fork could be seen lying before them in the valley. Soon they were rolling
+quietly up the street to the door of the Wetherford House.
+
+Springing out unaided, Lee hurried in, hoping to prepare her mother for
+the shock of the little physician's unimposing appearance, while Redfield
+remained behind to arm the physician for his encounter. "Now, Doctor, Mrs.
+Wetherford is a very singular and plain-spoken person. She's quite likely
+to swear like a man, but she will perform like a woman. Don't mind what
+she says; go ahead in your own way. Will you wait till after dinner, or
+shall I--"
+
+"No, I shall make the examination first--while I'm hungry. My mind works
+quicker. I can't diagnose properly on a full stomach."
+
+"Very well; line up with me, and together we'll beard the old grizzly in
+her den."
+
+They found Lize on duty behind the counter as usual. Her face was
+dejected, her eyes dull, but as she caught sight of the strange little
+man, she cried out: "Lord God, Reddy, why didn't you bring me a _man_?"
+
+"Hush, mother," cautioned Lee, "this is the famous Eastern physician."
+
+"You can't be famous for your beauty--you must be brainy," she remarked to
+herself in the stranger's hearing.
+
+Redfield presented "Doctor Fessenden, of Omaha."
+
+She started again on contemptuous ways, but was stopped by the little man.
+"Get down out o' that chair!" he commanded. "My time is money!"
+
+Lize flushed with surprise and anger, but obeyed, and Lee Virginia,
+secretly delighted with the physician's imperative manner, led the way
+into the lodging-house. "I'll look after the cash, mother," she said.
+"Don't worry."
+
+"I'm not worryin'," she replied; "but what does that little whelp mean by
+talking to me like that? I'll swat him one if he isn't careful!"
+
+"It's his way. Please don't anger him. You need his help."
+
+The doctor interfered. "Now, madam, strip, and let's see what's the matter
+with you," whereupon he laid off his coat, and opened his box of
+instruments.
+
+Lee fled, and Redfield, who had remained standing beside the counter,
+could not repress a smile. "She's caught a tartar this time. He's a little
+tiger, isn't he? I had prepared him for war, but I didn't expect him to
+fly at her that way."
+
+"Poor mother! how dreadfully ill she looks to-day. I hope the doctor will
+order her to rest."
+
+"But will she obey? I've argued that with her. She keeps saying she will,
+but she won't."
+
+It was nearly one, but the customers were coming in, and the girl, laying
+aside her hat and veil, took her seat at the cash-register, while Redfield
+went out to put his machine in order for the return trip. She realized
+that she was now at close-hand grapple with life. For the most part she
+had been able, up to this time, to keep in the background, and to avoid
+the eyes of the rough men who came and went before her mother's seat. But
+now she was not merely exposed to their bold glances; she was in a
+position where each man could make excuse to stop and demand a word what
+time his change was being counted.
+
+Her glowing cheeks, her pretty dress, made her a shining mark, and the men
+began at once to improve their opportunity by asking, "Where's Lize?" And
+this embarrassed her, for the reason that she did not care to go into the
+cause of her mother's temporary absence, and, perceiving her confusion,
+one of them passed to coarse compliment. "There's nothing the matter with
+you," he said, with a leer. Others, though coarse, were kindly in their
+familiarity, and Sifton, with gentle face, remained to help her bear the
+jests of the more uncouth and indelicate of her admirers.
+
+Perceiving her nervousness, Neill Ballard raised loud outcry over a
+mistake she made in returning change, and this so confused and angered her
+that her eyes misted with tears, and she blundered sadly with the next
+customer. His delight in her discomfiture, his words, his grin became
+unendurable, and in a flush of rage and despair she sprang to her feet and
+left them to make triumphant exit. "I got her rattled!" he roared, as he
+went out. "She'll remember me."
+
+The diners were all smiling, and Gregg took a malicious satisfaction in
+her defeat. She had held herself haughtily apart from him, and he was glad
+to see her humbled.
+
+Leaving her place behind the counter, she walked through the room with
+uplifted head and burning eyes, her heart filled with bitterness and fire.
+She hated the whole town, the whole State, at the moment. Were these "the
+chivalrous short-grass knights" she had heard so much about? These the
+large-souled "Western founders of empire"? At the moment she was in the
+belief that all the heroes of her childhood had been of the stamp of Neill
+Ballard--selfish, lustful, and cruel.
+
+In the hall her pride, her sense of duty, came back to her, and she halted
+her fleeing feet. "I will not be beaten!" she declared, and her lips
+straightened. "I will not let these dreadful creatures make a fool of me
+in that way!"
+
+Thereupon she turned and went back, pale now, but resolved to prove
+herself the mistress of the situation. Fortunately Redfield had returned,
+and his serene presence helped her to recover complete control of herself.
+She remained coldly blank to every compliment, and by this means she
+subdued them. "Why doesn't the doctor return for his dinner?" she asked,
+after the room had cleared. The desire to know her mother's real condition
+at last quite subordinated her own besetments. To some of the older men
+whom she knew to be neighbors and friends she gladly explained the
+situation, and their sympathy did something to restore her faith in
+humankind. Nevertheless, this hour of unprotected intercourse with the
+citizens of the town was disturbing, humiliating, and embittering.
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+The doctor appearing suddenly in the door beckoned to her, and, leaving
+her place, she crossed to where he stood. "Your mother needs you," he
+said, curtly. "Go to her, and keep her quiet for an hour or two if you
+can."
+
+"What is the matter, doctor?"
+
+"I can't tell you precisely, but you must get her on a diet and keep her
+there. I will write out some lists for you after my luncheon."
+
+Lee found her mother sitting in such dejection as she had never known her
+to display, though she fired up sufficiently to say: "That cussed little
+thimble-rigger has been throwing a great big scare into me. He says I've
+got to get out-doors, live on raw meat and weak tea, and walk five miles a
+day. That's what he says!" she added, in renewed astonishment at the man's
+audacity. "Who's at the cash?"
+
+"Mr. Redfield," replied Lee. "I'll go right back."
+
+"No you won't, I'm no dead horse yet." She struggled to her feet and
+started for the cash-register. "I won't let no little Omaha doughgie like
+that put me out o' business."
+
+Despite all warnings, she walked out into the dining-room and took her
+accustomed seat with set and stern face, while her daughter went to the
+table where the doctor sat, and explained her inability to manage her
+mother.
+
+"That's _your_ problem," he replied, coolly. Then rapidly, succinctly, and
+clearly he went over the case, and laid out a course of treatment. Out of
+it all Lee deduced that her mother was very ill indeed, though not in
+danger of sudden death.
+
+"She's on the chute," said Fessenden, "and everything depends upon her own
+action whether she takes the plunge this winter or twenty years from now.
+She's a strong woman--or has been--but she has presumed upon her strength.
+She used to live out-of-doors, she tells me, during all her early life,
+and now, shut in by these walls, working sixteen hours a day, she is
+killing herself. Get her out if you can, and cut out stimulants."
+
+As he rose and approached the counter, Lize shoved a couple of gold pieces
+across the board. "That wipes you off my map," she grimly declared. "I
+hope you enjoyed your ride."
+
+"It's up to you, madam," he replied, pocketing the gold. "Good-day!"
+
+Lee followed him out to the car, eager to secure all she could of his
+wisdom. He repeated his instructions. "Medicine can't help her much," he
+said, "but diet can do a great deal. Get her out of that rut she's in.
+Good-bye."
+
+"I'll be down again in a day or two!" called Redfield.
+
+The machine began to purr and spit and the wheels to spin, and Lee
+Virginia was left to face her mother's obstinate resistance alone. She
+felt suddenly very desolate, very weak, and very poor. "What if mother
+should die?" she asked herself.
+
+Gregg was standing before the counter talking with Lize as Lee returned,
+and he said, with a broad smile: "I've just been saying I'd take this
+hotel off your mother's hands provided you went with it."
+
+In the mouths of some men these words would have been harmless enough, but
+coming from the tongue of one whose life could only be obscurely hinted at
+the jest was an insult. The girl shuddered with repulsion, and Lize spoke
+out:
+
+"Now see here, Bullfrog, I'm dead on the hoof and all that, but neither
+you nor any other citizen like you can be funny with my girl. She's not
+for you. Now that's final! She ain't your kind."
+
+Gregg's smile died into a gray, set smirk, and his eyes took on a steely
+glint. He knew when the naked, unadorned truth was spoken to him. Words
+came slowly to his lips, but he said: "You'll be glad to come to me for
+help some day--both of you."
+
+"Oh, get along! You don't hold no mortgage on me," retorted Lize,
+contemptuously, and turned to Lee. "I'm hungry. Where's that grub chart o'
+mine?"
+
+Lee brought the doctor's page of notes and read it through, while her
+mother snorted at intervals: "Hah! dry toast, weak tea, no coffee, no
+alcohol. Huh! I might as well starve! Eggs--fish--milk! Why didn't he say
+boiled live lobsters and champagne? I tell you right now, I'm not going to
+go into that kind of a game. If I die I'm going to die eating what I blame
+please."
+
+The struggle had begun. With desperate courage Lee fought, standing
+squarely in the rut of her mother's daily habit. "You must not hive up
+here any longer," she insisted; "you must get out and walk and ride. I can
+take care of the house--at least, till we can sell it."
+
+It was like breaking the pride of an athlete, but little by little she
+forced upon her mother a realization of her true condition, and at last
+Lize consented to offer the business for sale. Then she wept (for the
+first time in years), and the sight moved her daughter much as the sobs of
+a strong man would have done.
+
+She longed for the presence of Ross Cavanagh at this moment, when all her
+little world seemed tumbling into ruin; and almost in answer to her
+wordless prayer came a messenger from the little telephone office: "Some
+one wants to talk to you."
+
+She answered this call hurriedly, thinking at first that it must be Mrs.
+Redfield. The booth was in the little sitting-room of a private cottage,
+and the mistress of the place, a shrewd little woman with inquisitive
+eyes, said: "Sounds to me like Ross Cavanagh's voice."
+
+Lee was thankful for the booth's privacy, for her cheeks flamed up at this
+remark; and when she took up the receiver her heart was beating so loud it
+seemed as if the person at the other end of the wire must hear it. "Who is
+it, please?" she asked, with breathless intensity.
+
+A man's voice came back over the wire so clear, so distinct, so intimate,
+it seemed as if he were speaking into her ear. "It is I, Ross Cavanagh. I
+want to ask how your mother is?"
+
+"She is terribly disheartened by what the doctor has said, but she is in
+no immediate danger."
+
+He perceived her agitation, and was instantly sympathetic. "Can I be of
+use--do you need me? If you do, I'll come down."
+
+"Where are you?"
+
+"I am at the sawmill--the nearest telephone station."
+
+"How far away are you?"
+
+"About thirty miles."
+
+"Oh!" She expressed in this little sound her disappointment, and as it
+trembled over the wire he spoke quickly: "Please tell me! Do you want me
+to come down? Never mind the distance--I can ride it in a few hours."
+
+She was tempted, but bravely said: "No; I'd like to see you, of course,
+but the doctor said mother was in no danger. You must not come on our
+account."
+
+He felt the wonder of the moment's intercourse over the wilderness steeps,
+and said so. "You can't imagine how strangely sweet and civilized your
+voice sounds to me here in this savage place. It makes me hope that some
+day you and Mrs. Redfield will come up and visit me in person."
+
+"I should like to come."
+
+"Perhaps it would do your mother good to camp for a while. Can't you
+persuade her to do so?"
+
+"I'm trying to do that--I mean, to stop work; but she says, 'What can we
+do to earn a living?'"
+
+"If nothing happens I hope to spend an hour or two at the Forks next
+Sunday. I hope to find your mother better."
+
+Their words were of this unemotional sort, but in their voices something
+subtler than the electrical current vibrated. He called to her in wordless
+fashion and she answered in the same mysterious code, and when she said
+"Good-bye" and hung up the receiver her world went suddenly gray and
+commonplace, as if a ray of special sunlight had been withdrawn.
+
+The attendant asked, with village bluntness: "It _was_ Ross, wasn't it?"
+
+Lee Virginia resented this almost as much as if it were the question of an
+eavesdropper; but she answered: "Yes; he wanted to know how my mother
+was."
+
+She turned as she reached the street and looked up toward the glorious
+purpling deeps from which the ranger's voice had come, and the thought
+that he was the sole guardian of those dark forests and shining
+streams--that his way led among those towering peaks and lone canons--made
+of him something altogether admirable.
+
+That night her loneliness, her sense of weakness, carried her to bed with
+tears of despair in her eyes. Lize had insisted on going back to her work
+looking like one stricken with death, yet so rebellious that her daughter
+could do nothing with her; and in the nature of fate the day's business
+had been greater than ever, so that they had all been forced to work like
+slaves to feed the flood of custom. And Lize herself still kept her vigil
+in her chair above her gold.
+
+Closing her mind to the town and all it meant to her, the girl tried to
+follow, in imagination, the ranger treading his far, high trails. She
+recalled his voice, so cultivated, so rich of inflection, with dangerous
+tenderness. It had come down to her from those lofty parapets like that of
+a friend, laden with something sweeter than sympathy, more alluring than
+song.
+
+The thought of some time going up to the high country where he dwelt came
+to her most insistently, and she permitted herself to dream of long days
+of companionship with him, of riding through sunlit aisles of forest with
+him, of cooking for him at the cabin--what time her mother grew strong
+once more--and these dreams bred in her heart a wistful ache, a hungry
+need which made her pillow a place of mingled ecstasy and pain.
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+THE POACHERS
+
+
+One morning, as he topped the rise between the sawmill and his own
+station, Cavanagh heard two rifle-shots in quick succession snapping
+across the high peak on his left. Bringing his horse to a stand, he
+unslung his field-glasses, and slowly and minutely swept the tawny slopes
+of Sheep Mountain from which the forbidden sounds seemed to come.
+
+"A herder shooting coyotes," was his first thought; then remembering that
+there were no camps in that direction, and that a flock of mountain-sheep
+(which he had been guarding carefully) habitually fed round that grassy
+peak, his mind changed. "I wonder if those fellows are after those sheep?"
+he mused, as he angled down the slope. "I reckon it's up to me to see."
+
+He was tired and hungry, a huge moraine lay between, and the trail was
+long and rough. "To catch them in the act is impossible. However," he
+reflected, "they have but two trails along which to descend. One of these
+passes my door, and the other, a very difficult trail, leads down the
+South Fork. I'll have time to get breakfast and change horses. They'll
+probably wait till night before attempting to go out, anyway."
+
+In less than three hours he was over on the trail in the canon, quite
+certain that the hunters were still above him. He rode quietly up the
+valley, pausing often to listen and to scrutinize the landscape; but no
+sign of camp-fire and no further rifle-shots came, and at last he went
+into camp upon the trail, resolved to wait till the poachers appeared, a
+ward which his experience as a soldier helped him to maintain without
+nodding.
+
+In these long hours his thought played about the remembrance of his last
+visit to the Fork and his hour with Lee. He wondered what she was doing at
+the moment. How charming she had looked there at Redfields'--so girlish in
+form, so serious and womanly of face!
+
+He felt as never before the ineludible loneliness of the ranger's life.
+Here he sat in the midst of a mighty forest with many hostile minds all
+about him, and it must be confessed he began to wonder whether his
+services to the nation were worth so much hardship, such complete
+isolation. The stream sang of the eternities, and his own short span of
+life (half gone already without any permanent accomplishment) seemed
+pitifully ephemeral. The guardians of these high places must forever be
+solitary. No ranger could rightfully be husband and father, for to bring
+women and children into these solitudes would be cruel.
+
+He put all this aside--for the time--by remembering that he was a soldier
+under orders, and that marriage was a long way off, and so smoked his pipe
+and waited for the dawn, persistent as a Sioux, and as silent as a fox.
+
+At daylight, there being still no sign of his quarry, he saddled his
+horse, and was about to ride up the trail when he caught the sound of
+voices and the sharp click of iron hoofs on the rocks above him. With his
+horse's bridle on his arm he awaited the approaching horseman, resolute
+and ready to act.
+
+As the marauders rounded the elbow in the trail, he was surprised to
+recognize in the leader young Gregg. The other man was a stranger, an
+older man, with a grizzled beard, and tall and stooping figure.
+
+"Hello Joe," called the ranger, "you're astir early!"
+
+The youth's fat face remained imperturbable, but his eyes betrayed
+uneasiness. "Yes, it's a long pull into town."
+
+"Been hunting?" queried the ranger, still with cheery, polite interest.
+
+"Oh no; just visiting one of my sheep-camps."
+
+Cavanagh's voice was a little less suave. "Not on this creek," he
+declared. "I moved your herder last week." He walked forward. "That's a
+heavy load for a short trip to a sheep-camp." He put his hand on the pack.
+"I guess you'll have to open this, for I heard two shots yesterday morning
+up where that flock of mountain-sheep is running, and, furthermore, I can
+see blood-stains on this saddle-blanket."
+
+Neither of the men made answer, but the old man turned an inquiring look
+at his young leader.
+
+The ranger flung his next sentence out like the lash of a whip. "Open this
+sack or I cut the ropes!"
+
+Gregg threw out a hand in command. "_Open it up, Edwards!_" he said,
+sullenly.
+
+With mechanical readiness the guide alighted from his horse, loosened the
+cinch on the pack-horse, and disclosed the usual camp-bed.
+
+"Put off that bedding!" insisted the ranger.
+
+Off came the outfit, and under the tent lay the noble head of a wild
+ram--a look of reproach still in his splendid yellow eyes.
+
+Cavanagh's face hardened. "I thought so. Now heave it back and cinch up.
+It's you to the nearest magistrate, which happens to be Higley, of Roaring
+Fork. I'll make an example of you fellows."
+
+There was nothing for Gregg to say and nothing for Edwards to do but obey,
+for a resolute ranger with an excellent weapon of the latest and most
+approved angular pattern stood ready to enforce his command; and when the
+pack was recinched, Cavanagh waved an imperative hand. "I guess I'll have
+to take charge of your guns," he said, and they yielded without a word of
+protest. "Now march! Take the left-hand trail. I'll be close behind."
+
+A couple of hours of silent travel brought them to the ranger's cabin, and
+there he ordered a dismount.
+
+As the coffee was boiling he lectured them briefly. "You fellows are not
+entirely to blame," he remarked, philosophically. "You've been educated to
+think a game warden a joke and Uncle Sam a long way off. But things have
+changed a bit. The law of the State has made me game warden, and I'm going
+to show you how it works. It's my duty to see that you go down the
+road--and down you go!"
+
+Edwards, the guide, was plainly very uneasy, and made several attempts to
+reach Cavanagh's private ear, and at last succeeded. "I've been fooled
+into this," he urged. "I was hard up and a stranger in the country, and
+this young fellow hired me to guide him across the range. I didn't shoot a
+thing. I swear I didn't. If you'll let me off, I'll hit the trail to the
+West and never look back. For God's sake, don't take me down the road! Let
+me off."
+
+"I can't do that," replied Cavanagh; but his tone was kindlier, for he
+perceived that the old fellow was thin, hollow-chested, and poorly clad.
+"You knew you were breaking the laws, didn't you?"
+
+This the culprit admitted. "But I was working for Sam Gregg, and when Joe
+asked me to go show him the trail, I didn't expect to get cinched for
+killing game. I didn't fire a shot--now that's the God's truth."
+
+"Nevertheless," retorted Ross, "you were packing the head, and I must
+count you in the game."
+
+Edwards fell silent then, but something in his look deepened the ranger's
+pity. His eyes were large and dark, and his face so emaciated that he
+seemed fit only for a sanitarium.
+
+The trip to the Fork (timed to the gait of a lazy pack-horse) was a
+tedious eight hours' march, and it was nearly seven o'clock when they
+arrived at the outskirts of the village. There had been very few words
+spoken by Cavanagh, and those which the prisoners uttered were not
+calculated to cheer the way. Joe blamed his guide for their mishap. "You
+should have known how far the sound of our guns would carry," he said.
+
+As they were nearing the village he called out: "See here, Cavanagh,
+there's no use taking me through town under arrest. I'll cough up all we
+got right now. How much is the damage?"
+
+"I can't receive your fine," replied Ross, "and, besides, you took your
+chances when you shot that sheep. You lost out, and I'm not going to let
+you off. This poaching must stop. You go right along with your guide."
+
+Again Edwards drew near, and pled in a low voice: "See here, Mr. Ranger, I
+have special reasons why I don't want to go into this town under arrest. I
+wish you'd let me explain."
+
+There was deep emotion in his voice, but Ross was firm. "I'm sorry for
+you," he said, "but my duty requires me to take you before a
+magistrate--"
+
+"But you don't know my case," he replied, with bitter intensity. "I'm out
+'on parole.' I can't afford to be arrested in this way. Don't you see?"
+
+Ross looked at him closely. "_Are_ you telling me the truth?"
+
+"Would you have mercy on me if I were?"
+
+"I should be sorry for you, but I couldn't let you go."
+
+"You won't believe me, but it's the God Almighty's truth: I didn't know
+Joe intended to kill that sheep. He asked me to show him over the pass. I
+had no intention of killing anything. I wish to God you would let me go!"
+His voice was tense with pleading.
+
+"How about this, Gregg?" called Ross. "Your guide insists he had no hand
+in killing the ram?"
+
+"He fired first, and I fired and finished him," retorted Gregg.
+
+"'Twas the other way," declared Edwards. "The beast was crippled and
+escaping--I killed him with my revolver. I didn't want to see him go off
+and die--"
+
+"I guess that settles it," said Cavanagh, decisively. "You take your
+medicine with Joe. If the justice wants to let you off easy, I can't help
+it, but to turn you loose now would mean disloyalty to the service. Climb
+back into your saddle."
+
+Edwards turned away with shaking hands and unsteady step. "All right," he
+said, "I'll meet it." He came back to say: "There's no need of your saying
+anything about what I've told you."
+
+"No, you are a stranger to me. I know nothing of your life except that I
+found you with Joe, with this pack on your horse."
+
+"Much obliged," said he, with a touch of bitter humor.
+
+To the casual observer in a town of this character there was nothing
+specially noticeable in three horsemen driving a pack-horse, but to those
+whose eyes were keen the true relationship of the ranger to his captives
+was instantly apparent, and when they alighted at Judge Higley's office a
+bunch of eager observers quickly collected.
+
+"Hello Joe, what luck?" called Ballard.
+
+"Our luck was a little too good--we caught a game warden," replied the
+young scapegrace.
+
+The ranger was chagrined to find the office of the justice closed for the
+day, and, turning to his captives, said: "I'm hungry, and I've no doubt
+you are. I'm going to take you into Mike Halsey's saloon for supper, but
+remember you are my prisoners." And to the little old remittance man,
+Sifton, who caught his eye, he explained his need of a justice and the
+town marshal.
+
+"I'll try to find the judge," replied Sifton, with ready good-will, and at
+a sign from the ranger, Gregg and his herder entered the saloon.
+
+In fifteen minutes the town was rumbling with the news. Under Ballard's
+devilry, all the latent hatred of the ranger and all the concealed
+opposition to the Forest Service came to the surface like the scum on a
+pot of broth. The saloons and eating-houses boiled with indignant protest.
+"What business is it of Ross Cavanagh's?" they demanded. "What call has he
+to interfere? He's not a game warden."
+
+"Yes he is. All these rangers are game wardens," corrected another.
+
+"No, they're not. They have to be commissioned by the Governor."
+
+"Well, he's been commissioned; he's warden all right."
+
+"I don't believe it. Anyhow, he's too fresh. He needs to have a halt.
+Let's do him. Let's bluff him out."
+
+Lee Virginia was in the kitchen superintending the service when one of the
+waiters came in, breathless with excitement. "Ross Cavanagh has shot Joe
+Gregg for killing sheep!"
+
+Lee faced her with blanched face. "Who told you so?"
+
+"They're all talking about it out there. Gee! but they're hot. Some of 'em
+want to lynch him."
+
+Lee hurried out into the dining-room, which was crowded with men and
+voicing deep excitement. Anger was in the air--a stormy rage, perceptible
+as a hot blast; and as she passed one table after another she heard ugly
+phrases applied to Cavanagh.
+
+A half-dozen men were standing before the counter talking with Lize, but
+Lee pushed in to inquire with white, inquiring face: "What is it all
+about? What has happened?"
+
+"Nothing much," Lize replied, contemptuously, "but you'd think a horse had
+been stole. Ross has nipped Joe Gregg and one of his herders for killing
+mountain-sheep."
+
+"Do you mean he shot them?"
+
+"Yes; he took their heads."
+
+Lee stood aghast. "What do you mean? Whose heads?"
+
+Lize laughed. "The sheeps' heads. Oh, don't be scared, no one is hurt
+yet!"
+
+The girl flushed with confusion as the men roared over her blunder. "One
+of the girls told me Mr. Cavanagh had killed a man," she explained. "Where
+is he?"
+
+Lize betrayed annoyance. "They say he's taking supper at Mike Halsey's,
+though why he didn't come here I don't see. What's he going to do?" she
+asked. "Won't the marshal take the men off his hands?"
+
+"Not without warrant from Higley, and Higley is out of town. Ross'll have
+to hold 'em till Higley gets back, or else take 'em over to Chauvenet,"
+Lize snorted. "Old Higley! Yes, he's been known to disappear before when
+there was some real work to be done."
+
+The girl looked about her with a sharpening realization of the fact that
+all these men were squarely opposed to the ranger, and rather glad to know
+that his guardianship of the poachers was to be rendered troublesome. She
+could hear on all sides bitter curses openly directed against him. How
+little of real manliness could be detected in these grinning or malignant
+faces! Ill-formed, half-developed, bestial most of them, while others,
+though weakly good-humored, were ready to go with whatever current of
+strong passion blew upon them. Over against such creatures Ross Cavanagh
+stood off in heroic contrast--a man with work to do, and doing it like a
+patriot.
+
+She went back to her own task with a vague sense of alarm. "Certainly they
+will not dare to interfere with an officer in the discharge of his
+duties," she thought. She was eager to see him, and the thought that he
+might be obliged to ride away to Chauvenet without a word to her gave her
+a deeper feeling of annoyance and unrest. That he was in any real danger
+she could not believe.
+
+It was disheartening to Cavanagh to see how some of the most influential
+citizens contrived to give encouragement to the riotous element of the
+town. A wink, a gesture, a careless word to the proper messenger, conveyed
+to the saloon rounders an assurance of sympathy which inflamed their
+resentment to the murderous point.
+
+The truth is, this little village, sixty miles from the railway, still
+retained in its dives and shanties the lingering miasma of the old-time
+free-range barbarism. It trailed a dark history on its legal side as well
+as on its openly violent side, for it had been one of the centres of the
+Rustler's War, and one of the chief points of attack on the part of the
+cattle-barons. It was still a rendezvous for desperate and shameless
+characters--a place of derelicts, survivals of the days of deep drinking,
+furious riding, and ready gun-play.
+
+True, its famous desperadoes were now either dead or distantly occupied;
+but the mantle of violence, the tradition of lawlessness, had fallen to
+the seedy old cow-punchers and to the raw and vulgar youths from the
+ill-conditioned homes of the middle West. The air of the reckless old-time
+range still clung rancidly in the low groggeries, as a deadly gas hangs
+about the lower levels of a mine. It was confessedly one of the worst
+communities in the State.
+
+"Let's run the sonovagun!" was the suggestion of several of Gregg's
+friends.
+
+The fact that the ranger was a commissioned officer of the law, and that
+the ram's head had been found on the poacher's pack, made very little
+difference to these irresponsible instigators to assault. It was wonderful
+how highly that loafing young rascal, Joe Gregg, was prized at the moment.
+"It's an outrage that the son of a leading citizen should be held up in
+this way by one of the forestry Cossacks," declared one of the merchants.
+
+The discussion which took place over the bars of the town was at the
+riot-heat by nine o'clock, and soon after ten a crowd of howling, whooping
+bad boys, and disreputable ranch-hands was parading the walks, breathing
+out vile threats against the ranger.
+
+Accustomed to men of this type, Cavanagh watched them come and go at
+Halsey's bar with calculating eyes. "There will be no trouble for an hour
+or two, but meanwhile what is to be done? Higley is not to be found, and
+the town marshal is also 'out of town.'" To Halsey he said: "I am acting,
+as you know, under both Federal and State authority, and I call upon you
+as a law-abiding citizen to aid me in holding these men prisoners. I shall
+camp right here till morning, or until the magistrate or the marshal
+relieves me of my culprits."
+
+Halsey was himself a sportsman--a genuine lover of hunting and a fairly
+consistent upholder of the game laws; but perceiving that the whole town
+had apparently lined up in opposition to the ranger, he lost courage. His
+consent was half-hearted, and he edged away toward the front window of his
+bar-room, nervously seeking to be neutral--"to carry water on both
+shoulders," as the phrase goes.
+
+The talk grew less jocular as the drinks took effect, and Neill Ballard,
+separating himself from the crowd, came forward, calling loudly: "Come out
+o' there, Joe! Youse a hell of a sport! Come out and have a drink!"
+
+His words conveyed less of battle than his tone. He was, in fact, urging a
+revolt, and Cavanagh knew it.
+
+Gregg rose as if to comply. The ranger stopped him. "Keep your seat," said
+he. And to Ballard he warningly remarked: "And you keep away from my
+prisoners."
+
+"Do you own this saloon?" retorted the fellow, truculently. "I reckon
+Halsey's customers have some rights. What are you doing here, anyway? This
+is no jail."
+
+"Halsey has given me the privilege of holding my prisoners here till the
+justice is found. It isn't my fault that the town is without judge or
+jail." He was weakened by the knowledge that Halsey had only
+half-consented to aid justice; but his pride was roused, and he was
+determined upon carrying his arrest to its legitimate end. "I'm going to
+see that these men are punished if I have to carry them to Sulphur City,"
+he added.
+
+"Smash the lights!" shouted some one at the back.
+
+Here was the first real note of war, and Ross cried out sharply: "If a man
+lifts a hand toward the light I'll cut it off!"
+
+There was a stealthy movement in the crowd, and leaping upon the counter a
+reckless cub reached for the lamp.
+
+Cavanagh's revolver shattered the globe in the fellow's very palm. "Get
+down from there!" he commanded.
+
+The crowd surged back against the front door, several drawn weapons
+shining in their hands. Some of the faces were a-grin, others were thrust
+forward like the heads of snakes, their eyes glittering with hate.
+
+It is an appalling moment to a man of discernment when he looks into the
+faces of his fellows and hears only the laugh of the wolf, the hiss of the
+snake, the snarl of the tiger. At the moment Cavanagh despised with a
+measureless contempt the entire commonwealth and its long-established
+school of violence; but fixing his thought on his far-away chief, he lost
+all fear. His voice was perfectly calm as he said: "I am wearing the
+uniform of the Federal service, and the man that interferes with me will
+feel the vengeance of the Federal arm. You can get me, but I'll get some
+of you at the same time, and the department will get the rest."
+
+The mob had not found its leader. It hesitated and blustered but did not
+strike, and eventually edged out of the door and disappeared; but the
+silence which followed its retreat was more alarming to the ranger than
+its presence. Some slyer mischief was in these minds. He feared that they
+were about to cut the electric-light wires, and so plunge him into
+darkness, and to prepare for that emergency he called upon the bartender
+(Halsey having vanished) for a lamp or a lantern.
+
+The fellow sullenly set about this task, and Ross, turning to Gregg, said:
+"If you've any influence with this mob, you'd better use it to keep them
+out of mischief, for I'm on this job to the bitter end, and somebody's
+going to be hurt."
+
+Gregg, who seemed quite detached from the action and rather delighted with
+it, replied: "I have no influence. They don't care a hang about me; they
+have it in for you, that's all."
+
+Edwards remained silent, with his hat drawn low over his eyes. It was
+evident that he was anxious to avoid being seen and quite willing to keep
+out of the conflict; but with no handcuffs and the back door of the saloon
+unguarded, Ross was aware that his guard must be incessant and alertly
+vigilant. "Where are the law-abiding citizens of the town?" he asked of
+Sifton, who remained in the saloon.
+
+The dry little whisp of manhood had some spark of life in him, for he
+said: "In their beds, the cowardly hounds!"
+
+"They must know that this gang of hobos is threatening me."
+
+"Certainly they do; but they don't intend to endanger their precious
+hides. They would be well pleased to have you disabled."
+
+It was incredible! Low as his estimate of the Fork had been, Cavanagh
+could not believe that it would sit quietly by and see an officer of the
+State defeated in his duty. "Such a thing could not happen under the
+English flag," he said, and at the moment his adopted country seemed a
+miserable makeshift. Only the thought of Redfield and the chief nerved him
+for the long vigil. "The chief will understand if it comes up to him," he
+said.
+
+Lize Wetherford came hurrying in, looking as though she had just risen
+from her bed. She was clothed in a long red robe, her grizzled hair was
+loose, her feet were bare, and she carried a huge old-fashioned revolver
+in her hand. Her mouth was stern.
+
+Stopping abruptly as she caught sight of Ross standing in the middle of
+the floor unhurt, she exclaimed: "There you are! Are you all right?"
+
+"As a trivet," he replied.
+
+She let her gun-hand relax. "What was the shooting?"
+
+"A little bluff on my part."
+
+"Anybody hurt?"
+
+"No."
+
+She was much relieved. "I was afraid they'd got you. I came as quick as I
+could. I was abed. That fool doctor threw a chill into me, and I've been
+going to roost early according to orders. I didn't hear your gun, but Lee
+did, and she came to tell me. They're hell-roaring down the street yet.
+Don't let 'em get behind you. If I was any good I'd stay and help. Where's
+Mike?" She addressed the tender at the bar.
+
+"I don't know. Gone home, I guess."
+
+"Sneaked, has he?"
+
+"So far as I know the only law-upholding citizen in the place, barring
+yourself, is Sifton," said Ross, indicating the Englishman, who stood as
+if cold, pressing his hands together to hide their trembling.
+
+Lize perceived the irony of this. "Two Britishers and two women! Well, by
+God, this is a fine old town! What you going to do--hold your men here all
+night?"
+
+"I don't see any other way. Halsey turned the place over to me--but--" He
+looked about him suspiciously.
+
+"Bring 'em into my place. Lee has had new locks put on our doors; they'll
+help some."
+
+"I don't like to do that, Mrs. Wetherford," he replied, with greater
+respect than he had ever shown her before. "They may attack me there."
+
+"All the better; I'll be on hand to help--but they're less likely to boil
+in on you through a locked door."
+
+"But your daughter? It will alarm her."
+
+"She'll be in the other house, and, besides, she'd feel easier if you are
+in my place. She's all wrought up by the attack on you."
+
+Ross turned to his prisoners. "Follow Mrs. Wetherford and--eyes front!"
+
+"You needn't worry about me," said Joe, "I won't run."
+
+"I don't intend to give you a chance," replied Ross.
+
+Edwards seemed to have lost in both courage and physical stature; he
+slouched along with shuffling step, his head bent and his face pale. Ross
+was now profoundly sorry for him, so utterly craven and broken was his
+look.
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+THE SECOND ATTACK
+
+
+Lee was waiting on the porch of the hotel, tense with excitement,
+straining her ears and eyes to see what was taking place.
+
+The night had started with a small sickle of moon, but this had dropped
+below the range, leaving the street dark, save where the lights from the
+windows of the all-night eating-houses and saloons lay out upon the walk,
+and, while she stood peering out, the sound of rancorous howling and
+shrill whooping came to her ears with such suggestion of ferocity that she
+shivered.
+
+Every good and honorable trait seemed lost out of her neighbors. She saw
+the whole country but as a refuge for criminals, ungovernable youths, and
+unsexed women--a wilderness of those who had no regard for any code of
+morals which interfered with their own desires. Her memories of the past
+freshened as she listened. In such wise she had shuddered, as a child,
+while troops of celebrating cowboys rode up and down the streets. In such
+wise, too, the better (and more timid) element of the town had put out
+their lights and retired, leaving their drunken helots and the marshal to
+fight it out in vague tumult.
+
+A few of the hotel guests had gone to bed, but the women were up, excited
+and nervous, starting at every fresh outburst of whooping, knowing that
+their sons or husbands were out in the street "to see the fun," and that
+they might meet trouble.
+
+At last Lee discerned her mother returning from Halsey's, followed by
+three men. Withdrawing from the little porch whereon she had been
+standing, she reentered the house to meet her mother in the hall. "Where
+is Mr. Cavanagh?" she asked.
+
+"Out in the dining-room. You see, Mike Halsey is no kind o' use. He
+vamoosed and left Ross down there alone, with his two prisoners and the
+lights likely to be turned out on him. So I offered the caffy as a
+calaboose. They are sure in for a long and tedious night."
+
+Lee was alarmed at her mother's appearance. "You must go to bed. You look
+ghastly."
+
+"I reckon I'd better lie down for a little while, but I can't sleep. Ross
+may need me. There isn't a man to help him but me, and that loafer Ballard
+is full of gall. He's got it in for Ross, and will make trouble if he
+can."
+
+"What can we do?"
+
+"Shoot!" replied Lize, with dry brevity. "I wouldn't mind a chance to plug
+some of the sweet citizens of this town. I owe them one or two."
+
+With this sentence in her ears, Lee Virginia went to her bed, but not to
+slumber. Her utter inability either to control her mother's action or to
+influence that of the mob added to her uneasiness.
+
+The singing, shouting, trampling of the crowd went on, and once a group of
+men halted just outside her window, and she heard Neill Ballard noisily,
+drunkenly arguing as to the most effective method of taking the prisoners.
+His utterances, so profane and foul, came to her like echoes from out an
+inferno. The voices were all at the moment like the hissing of serpents,
+the snarling of tigers. How dared creatures of this vile type use words of
+contempt against Ross Cavanagh?
+
+"Come on, boys!" urged Ballard, his voice filled with reckless
+determination. "Let's run him."
+
+As they passed, the girl sprang up and went to her mother's room to warn
+her of the threatened attack.
+
+Lize was already awake and calmly loading a second revolver by the light
+of the electric bulb.
+
+"What are you doing?" the girl asked, her blood chilling at sight of the
+weapon.
+
+"Hell's to pay out there, and I'm going to help pay it." A jarring blow
+was heard. "Hear that! They're breaking in--" She started to leave the
+room.
+
+Lee stopped her. "Where are you going?"
+
+"To help Ross. Here!" She thrust the handle of a smaller weapon into Lee's
+hand. "Ed Wetherford's girl ought to be able to take care of herself. Come
+on!"
+
+With a most unheroic horror benumbing her limbs, Lee followed her mother
+through the hall. The sound of shouts and the trampling of feet could be
+heard, and she came out into the restaurant just in time to photograph
+upon her brain a scene whose significance was at once apparent. On a chair
+between his two prisoners, and confronting Ballard at the head of a crowd
+of frenzied villains, stood the ranger, a gleaming weapon in his hand, a
+look of resolution on his face.
+
+What he had said, or what he intended to do, she did not learn, for her
+mother rushed at the invaders with the mad bravery of a she-bear. "Get out
+of here!" she snarled, thrusting her revolver into the very mouth of the
+leader.
+
+They all fell back in astonishment and fear.
+
+Ross leaped to her side. "Leave them to me!" he said. "I'll clear the
+room."
+
+"Not on your life! This is my house. I have the right to smash the fools."
+And she beat them over the heads with her pistol-barrel.
+
+Recognizing that she was minded to kill, they retreated over the
+threshold, and Ross, drawing the door close behind them, turned to find
+Lee Virginia confronting Edwards, who had attempted to escape into the
+kitchen. The girl's face was white, but the eye of her revolver stared
+straight and true into her prisoner's face.
+
+With a bound Ross seized him and flung him against the wall. "Get back
+there!" he shouted. "You must take your medicine with your boss."
+
+The old fellow hurriedly replaced his ragged hat, and, folding his arms,
+sank back into his chair with bowed head, while Lize turned upon Joe
+Gregg. "What the devil did you go into this kind of deal for? You knew
+what the game laws was, didn't you? Your old dad is all for State
+regulation, and here you are breaking a State law. Why don't you stand up
+for the code like a sport?"
+
+Joe, who had been boasting of the smiles he had drawn from Lee, did not
+relish this tongue-lashing from her mother, but, assuming a careless air,
+he said, "I'm all out of smokes; get me a box, that's a good old soul."
+
+Lize regarded him with the expression of one nonplussed. "You impudent
+little cub!" she exclaimed. "What you need is a booting!"
+
+The ranger addressed himself to Lee. "I want to thank you for a very
+opportune intervention. I didn't know you could handle a gun so neatly."
+
+She flushed with pleasure. "Oh yes, I can shoot. My father taught me when
+I was only six years old."
+
+As she spoke, Ross caught the man Edwards studying them with furtive
+glance, but, upon being observed, he resumed his crouching attitude, which
+concealed his face beneath the rim of his weather-worn hat. It was evident
+that he was afraid of being recognized. He had the slinking air of the
+convict, and his form, so despairing in its lax lines, appealed to Lee
+with even greater poignancy than his face. "I'm sorry," she said to him,
+"but it was my duty to help Mr. Cavanagh."
+
+He glanced up with a quick sidewise slant. "That's all right, miss; I
+should have had sense enough to keep out of this business." He spoke with
+difficulty, and his voice was hoarse with emotion.
+
+Lize turned to Lee. "The Doc said 'no liquor,' but I guess here's where I
+draw one--I feel faint."
+
+Ross hurried to her side, while young Gregg tendered a handsome flask.
+"Here's something."
+
+Lize put it away. "Not from you. Just reach under my desk, Ross; you'll
+find some brandy there. That's it," she called, as he produced a bottle.
+Clutching it eagerly, she added: "They say it's poison, but it's my meat
+to-night."
+
+She was, in truth, very pale, and her hands were trembling in a weakness
+that went to her daughter's heart. Lee admired her bravery, her manlike
+readiness of action, but her words, her manner (now that the stress of the
+battle was over), hurt and shamed her. Little remained of the woman in
+Lize, and the old sheep-herder eyed her with furtive curiosity.
+
+"I was afraid you'd shoot," Lize explained to Ross, "and I didn't want you
+to muss up your hands on the dirty loafers. I had the right to kill; they
+were trespassers, and I'd 'a' done it, too."
+
+"I don't think they intended to actually assault me," he said, "but it's a
+bit discouraging to find the town so indifferent over both the breaking of
+the laws and the doings of a drunken mob. I'm afraid the most of them are
+a long way from law-abiding people yet."
+
+Joe, who did not like the position in which he stood as respecting Lee,
+here made an offer of aid. "I don't suppose my word is any good now, but
+if you'll let me do it I'll go out and round up Judge Higley. I think I
+know where he is."
+
+To this Lize objected. "You can't do that, Ross; you better hold the fort
+right here till morning."
+
+Lee was rather sorry, too, for young Gregg, who bore his buffeting with
+the imperturbable face of the heroes of his class. He had gone into this
+enterprise with much the same spirit in which he had stolen gates and
+misplaced signs during his brief college career, and he was now disposed
+(in the presence of a pretty girl) to carry it out with undiminished
+impudence. "It only means a fine, anyway," he assured himself.
+
+Cavanagh did not trust Gregg, either, and as this was the first time he
+had been called upon to arrest men for killing game out of season, he
+could not afford to fail of any precaution. Tired and sleepy as he was, he
+must remain on guard. "But you and your daughter must go to bed at once,"
+he urged.
+
+Lize, under the spur of her dram, talked on with bitter boldness. "I'm
+going to get out o' this town as soon as I can sell. I won't live in it a
+minute longer than I have to. It used to have men into it; now they're
+only hobos. It's neither the old time nor the new; it's just a betwixt and
+between, with a lot o' young cubs like Joe Gregg pretendin' to be tough. I
+never thought I'd be sighin' for horse-cars, but these rowdy chumps like
+Neill Ballard give me a pain. Not one of 'em has sand enough to pull a gun
+in the open, but they'd plug you from a dark alley or fire out of a crowd.
+It was different in the old days. I've seen men walk out into that street,
+face each other, and open fire quiet as molasses. But now it's all talk
+and blow. The _men_ have all grown old or got out."
+
+To this Gregg listened with expressionless visage, his eyes dreamily fixed
+on Lee's face; but his companion, the old herder, seemed to palpitate with
+shame and fear. And Ross had the feeling at the moment that in this
+ragged, unkempt old hobo was the skeleton of one of the old-time heroes.
+He was wasted with drink and worn by wind and rain, but he was very far
+from being commonplace. "Here they come again!" called Lize, as the hurry
+of feet along the walk threatened another attack. Ross Cavanagh again drew
+his revolver and stood at guard, and Lize recovering her own weapon took a
+place by his side.
+
+With the strength of a bear the new assailant shook the bolted door. "Let
+me in!" he roared.
+
+"Go to hell!" replied Lize, calmly.
+
+"It's dad!" called young Gregg. "Go away, you chump."
+
+"Let me in or I'll smash this door!" retorted Gregg.
+
+"You smash that door, old Bullfrog," announced Lize, "and I'll carry one
+of your lungs away. I know your howl--it don't scare me. I've stood off
+one whole mob to-night, and I reckon I'm good for you. If you want to get
+in here you hunt up the judge of this town and the constable."
+
+After a pause Sam called, "Are you there, son?"
+
+"You bet he is," responded Lize, "and here he'll stay."
+
+Joe added: "And you'd better take the lady's advice, pop. She has the drop
+on you."
+
+The old rancher muttered a fierce curse while Ross explained the
+situation. "I'm as eager to get rid of these culprits as any one can be,
+but they must be taken by proper authority. Bring a writ from the
+magistrate and you may have them and welcome."
+
+Gregg went away without further word, and Lize said: "He'll find Higley if
+he's in town; and he _is_ in town, for I saw him this afternoon. He's
+hiding out to save himself trouble."
+
+Lee Virginia, with an understanding of what the ranger had endured, asked:
+"Can't I get you something to eat? Would you like some coffee?"
+
+"I would, indeed," he answered, and his tone pleased her.
+
+She hurried away to get it while Cavanagh disposed his prisoners behind a
+couple of tables in the corner. "I guess you're in for a night of it," he
+remarked, grimly. "So make yourselves as comfortable as you can. Perhaps
+your experience may be a discouragement to others of your kind."
+
+Lee returned soon with a pot of fresh coffee and some sandwiches, the
+sight of which roused young Gregg to impudent remark. "Well, notice that!
+And we're left out!" But Edwards shrank into the shadow, as if the light
+hurt him.
+
+Ross thanked Lee formally, but there was more than gratitude in his
+glance, and she turned away to hide her face from other eyes. Strange
+place it was for the blooming of love's roses, but they were in her cheeks
+as she faced her mother; and Lize, with fresh acknowledgment of her
+beauty, broke out again: "Well, this settles it. I'm going to get out of
+this town, dearie. I'm done. This ends the cattle country for me. I don't
+know how I've put up with these yapps all these years. I've been robbed
+and insulted and spit upon just long enough. I won't have you dragged into
+this mess. I ought to have turned you back the day you landed here."
+
+The old man in the corner was listening, straining his attention in order
+to catch every word she uttered, and Ross again caught a gleam in his eyes
+which puzzled him. Before he had time to turn his wonder over in his mind
+they all caught the sound of feet along the walk, but this time the sound
+was sedate and regular, like the movement of police.
+
+Both prisoners rose to their feet as Cavanagh again stood alert. The feet
+halted; a sharp rap sounded on the door.
+
+"Who's there?" demanded Lize.
+
+"The law!" replied a wheezy voice. "Open in the name of the law!"
+
+"It's old Higley," announced Lize. "Open the door, Ross."
+
+"Come in, Law," she called, ironically, as the justice appeared. "You look
+kind of mice-eaten, but you're all the law this blame town can sport. Come
+in and do your duty."
+
+Higley (a tall man, with a rusty brown beard, very much on his dignity)
+entered the room, followed by a short, bullet-headed citizen in a rumpled
+blue suit with a big star on his breast. Behind on the sidewalk Ballard
+and a dozen of his gang could be seen. Sam Gregg, the moving cause of this
+resurrection of law and order, followed the constable, bursting out big
+curses upon his son. "You fool," he began, "I warned you not to monkey
+with them sheep. You--"
+
+Higley had the grace to stop that. "Let up on the cuss-words, Sam; there
+are ladies present," said he, nodding toward Lee. Then he opened upon
+Cavanagh. "Well, sir, what's all this row? What's your charge against
+these men?"
+
+"Killing mountain sheep. I caught them with the head of a big ram upon
+their pack."
+
+"Make him show his commission," shouted Gregg. "He's never been
+commissioned. He's no game warden."
+
+Higley hemmed. "I--ah--Oh, his authority is all right, Sam; I've seen it.
+If he can prove that these men killed the sheep, we'll have to act."
+
+Cavanagh briefly related how he had captured the men on the trail. "The
+head of the ram is at the livery barn with my horse."
+
+"How about that?" asked Higley, turning to Joe.
+
+"I guess that's right," replied the insolent youth. "We killed the sheep
+all right."
+
+Higley was in a corner. He didn't like to offend Gregg, and yet the case
+was plain. He met the issue blandly. "Marshal, take these men into
+custody!" Then to Ross: "We'll relieve you of their care, Mr. Cavanagh.
+You may appear to-morrow at nine."
+
+It was a farcical ending to a very arduous thirty-six-hour campaign, and
+Ross, feeling like a man who, having rolled a huge stone to the top of a
+hill, has been ordered to drop it, said, "I insist on the maximum penalty
+of the law, Justice Higley, especially for this man!" He indicated Joe
+Gregg.
+
+"No more sneaking, Higley," added Lize, uttering her distrust in blunt
+phrase. "You put these men through or I'll make you trouble."
+
+Higley turned, and with unsteady solemnity saluted. "Fear not my
+government, madam," said he, and so made exit.
+
+After the door had closed behind them, Cavanagh bitterly complained. "I've
+delivered my prisoners over into the hands of their friends. I feel like a
+fool. What assurance have I that they will ever be punished?"
+
+"You have Higley's word," retorted Lize, with ironic inflection. "He'll
+fine 'em as much as ten dollars apiece, and confiscate the head, which is
+worth fifty."
+
+"No matter what happens now, you've done your duty," added Lee Virginia,
+with intent to comfort him.
+
+Lize, now that the stress of the battle was over, fell a-tremble. "I
+reckon I'll have to go to bed," she admitted. "I'm all in. This night
+service is wearing."
+
+Ross was alarmed at the sudden droop of her head. "Lean on me," he said,
+"it's my turn to be useful."
+
+She apologized. "I can't stand what I could once," she confessed, as he
+aided her into the hotel part of the building. "It's my nerve--seem's like
+it's all gone. I go to pieces like a sick girl."
+
+She did, indeed, resemble the wreck of a woman as she lay out upon her
+bed, her hands twitching, her eyes closed, and Ross was profoundly
+alarmed. "You need the doctor," he urged. "Let me bring him."
+
+"No," she said, huskily, but with decision, "I'm only tired--I'll be all
+right soon. Send the people away; tell 'em to go to bed."
+
+For half an hour Cavanagh remained in the room waiting to see if the
+doctor's services would be required, but at the end of that time, as she
+had apparently fallen asleep, he rose and tiptoed out into the hall.
+
+Lee followed, and they faced each other in such intimacy as the
+shipwrecked feel after the rescue. The house was still astir with the feet
+of those to whom the noises of the night had been a terror or a lure, and
+their presence, so far from being a comfort, a protection, filled the
+girl's heart with fear and disgust. The ranger explained the outcome of
+the turmoil, and sent the excited folk to their beds with the assurance
+that all was quiet and that their landlady was asleep.
+
+When they were quite alone Lee said: "You must not go out into the streets
+to-night."
+
+"There's no danger. These hoodlums would not dare to attack me."
+
+"Nevertheless, you shall not go!" she declared. "Wait a moment," she
+commanded, and reentered her mother's room.
+
+As he stood there at Lize Wetherford's door, and his mind went back over
+her brave deed, which had gone far to atone for her vulgarity, his respect
+for her deepened. Her resolute insistence upon law showed a complete
+change of front. "There is more good in her than I thought," he admitted,
+and it gave him pleasure, for it made Lee Virginia's character just that
+much more dependable. He thrilled with a new and wistful tenderness as the
+girl opened the door and stepped out, close beside him.
+
+"Her breathing is quieter," she whispered. "I think she's going to sleep.
+It's been a terrible night! You must be horribly tired. I will find you
+some place to sleep."
+
+"It has been a strenuous campaign," he admitted. "I've been practically
+without sleep for three nights, but that's all in my job. I won't mind if
+Higley will 'soak' those fellows properly."
+
+She looked troubled. "I don't know what to do about a bed for you;
+everything is taken--except the couch in the front room."
+
+"Don't trouble, I beg of you. I can pitch down anywhere. I'm used to hard
+beds. I must be up early to-morrow, anyway."
+
+"Please don't go till after breakfast," she smiled, wanly, "I may need
+you."
+
+He understood. "What did the doctor say?"
+
+"He said mother was in a very low state of vitality and that she must be
+very careful, which was easy enough to say. But how can I get her to rest
+and to diet? You have seen how little she cares for the doctor's orders.
+He told her not to touch alcohol."
+
+"She is more like a man than a woman," he answered.
+
+She led the way into the small sitting-room which lay at the front of the
+house, and directly opposite the door of her own room. It was filled with
+shabby parlor furniture, and in one corner stood a worn couch. "I'm sorry,
+but I can offer nothing better," she said. "Every bed is taken, but I have
+plenty of blankets."
+
+There was something delightfully suggestive in being thus waited upon by a
+young and handsome woman, and the ranger submitted to it with the awkward
+grace of one unaccustomed to feminine care. The knowledge that the girl
+was beneath him in birth, and that she was considered to be (in a sense)
+the lovely flower of a corrupt stock, made the manifest innocency of her
+voice and eyes the more appealing. He watched her moving about the room
+with eyes in which a furtive flame glowed.
+
+"This seems a long way from that dinner at Redfield's, doesn't it?" he
+remarked, as she turned from spreading the blankets on the couch.
+
+"It is another world," she responded, and her face took on a musing
+gravity.
+
+Then they faced each other in silence, each filled with the same delicious
+sense of weakness, of danger, reluctant to say good-night, longing for the
+closer touch which dawning love demanded, and yet--something in the girl
+defended her, defeated him.
+
+"You must call me if I can be of any help," he repeated, and his voice was
+tremulous with feeling.
+
+"I will do so," she answered.
+
+Still they did not part. His voice was very tender as he said, "I don't
+like to see you exposed to such experiences."
+
+"I was not afraid--only for you a little," she answered.
+
+"The Redfields like you. Eleanor told me she would gladly help you. Why do
+you stay here?"
+
+"I cannot leave my mother."
+
+"I'm not so sure of your duty in that regard. She got on without you for
+ten years. You have a right to consider yourself. You don't belong here."
+
+"Neither do you," she retorted.
+
+"Oh yes, I do--at least, the case is different with me; my work is here.
+It hurts me to think of going back to the hills, leaving you here in the
+midst of these wolves."
+
+He was talking now in the low, throbbing utterance of a man carried out of
+himself. "It angers me to think that the worst of these loafers, these
+drunken beasts, can glare at you--can speak to you. They have no right to
+breathe the same air with one like you."
+
+She did not smile at this; his voice, his eyes were filled with the
+gravity of the lover whose passion is not humorous. Against his training,
+his judgment, he was being drawn into closer and closer union with this
+daughter of violence, and he added: "You may not see me in the morning."
+
+"You must not go without seeing my mother. You must have your breakfast
+with us. It hurt us to think you didn't come to us for supper."
+
+Her words meant little, but the look in her eyes, the music in her voice,
+made him shiver. He stammered: "I--I must return to my duties to-morrow. I
+should go back to-night."
+
+"You mustn't do that. You can't do that. You are to appear before the
+judge."
+
+He smiled. "That is true. I'd forgotten that."
+
+Radiant with relief, she extended her hand. "Good-night, then. You must
+sleep."
+
+He took her hand and drew her toward him, then perceiving both wonder and
+fear in her eyes, he conquered himself. "Good-night," he repeated,
+dropping her hand, but his voice was husky with its passion.
+
+Tired as he was, the ranger could not compose himself to sleep. The memory
+of the girl's sweet face, the look of half-surrender in her eyes, the
+knowledge that she loved him, and that she was lying but a few yards from
+him, made slumber impossible. At the moment she seemed altogether
+admirable, entirely worthy to be won.
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+THE OLD SHEEP-HERDER
+
+
+The ranger was awakened in the first faint dawn by the passing of the
+girl's light feet as she went across the hall to her mother's room, and a
+moment later he heard the low murmur of her voice. Throwing off his
+blankets and making such scant toilet as he needed, he stepped into the
+hall and waited for her to return.
+
+Soon she came toward him, a smile of confidence and pleasure on her lips.
+
+"How is she?" he asked.
+
+"Quite comfortable."
+
+"And you?" His voice was very tender.
+
+"I am a little tired," she acknowledged. "I didn't sleep very well."
+
+"You didn't sleep at all," he declared, regretfully.
+
+"Oh yes, I did," she replied, brightly.
+
+She appeared a little pale but by no means worn. Indeed, her face had
+taken on new charm with its confession of feminine weakness, its
+expression of trust in him.
+
+These two ardent souls confronted each other in absorbed silence with
+keener perception, with new daring, with new intimacy, till he recalled
+himself with effort. "You must let me help you if there's anything I can
+do. Remember, I'm your big brother."
+
+"I remember," she answered, smilingly, "and I'm going out to see what my
+big brother is to have for breakfast."
+
+Cavanagh found the street empty, silent, and utterly commonplace. And as
+he walked past Halsey's saloon the tumult of the night seemed born of a
+vision in disordered sleep--and yet it had happened! From these reeking
+little dens a score of foul tatterdemalions had issued, charged with
+malicious fury. Each of these shacks seemed the lurking-place of a species
+of malevolent insect whose sting was out for every comer.
+
+The rotting sidewalks, the tiny shops, with their dusty fly-specked
+windows, the groggeries, from whose open doors a noisome vapor streamed,
+poisoning the morning air--all these typed the old-time West as Redfield
+and his farmstead typed the new.
+
+"Once I would have laughed at this town," he said; "but now it is
+disgusting--something to be wiped out as one expunges an obscene mark upon
+a public wall."
+
+As for the attack upon himself, terrifying as it had seemed to Lee
+Virginia, it was in reality only another lively episode in the history of
+the town, another disagreeable duty in the life of a ranger. It was all a
+part of his job.
+
+He went forth to his duties with a deepened conviction of the essential
+lawlessness of the State and of America in general; for this spirit of mob
+law was to be found in some form throughout the land. He was disgusted,
+but not beaten. His resolution to carry out the terms of his contract with
+the Government remained unshaken.
+
+He carried with him, also, a final disturbing glimpse of Eliza
+Wetherford's girl that did indeed threaten his peace of mind. There was an
+involuntary appeal, a wistful depth, to her glance which awakened in him
+an indignant pity, and also blew into flame something not so
+creditable--something which smoldered beneath his conscious will. He
+perceived in her a spirit of yielding which was difficult to resist. He
+understood, much more clearly than at his first meeting with her, how
+impossible it was for her to remain in this country (where law was a joke
+and women a ribald jest) without being corrupted. She had not escaped her
+heritage of passion, and her glances, innocent as they were, roused, even
+in him, something lawless.
+
+As he climbed the long hill he grappled deeply with this new and
+inexplicable weakness. He had always been a decent fellow as respects
+women, and had maintained the same regard for the moral code that he
+instinctively bore toward the laws of his adopted country. He could not,
+therefore, regard this girl (low as her parentage seemed) in the light of
+license; for (he thought) whatever of evil may have been planted deep in
+her nature by her ill-assorted father and mother, she is at the moment
+sweet and fine, and the man who would awaken her other self should be
+accursed.
+
+In this mood, too, he acknowledged the loneliness of his life for the
+first time, and rode his silent way up the trail like one in a dream. He
+went over his life story in detail, wondering if he had not made a mistake
+in leaving England, in taking out his American citizenship. He considered
+again, very seriously, the question of going back to live on the estate of
+his mother, and once more decided that its revenue was too small. To
+return to it meant an acceptance of the restricted life of an English
+farmer, and, worst of all, an acquiescence in the social despotism which
+he had come to feel and to hate.
+
+The English empire to him was falling apart. Its supremacy was already
+threatened by Germany, whereas the future of the States appealed to his
+imagination. Here the problems of popular government and of industry were
+to be worked out on the grandest scale. The West inspired him. "Some day
+each of these great ranges will be a national forest, and each of these
+canons will contain its lake, its reservoir." There was something fine in
+this vision of man's conquest of nature. "Surely in this development there
+is a place for me," he said.
+
+Start at any place he pleased, his mind circled and came back to Lee
+Virginia. He reproached himself for not having remained one more day to
+help her. She was in the midst of a most bleak and difficult pass, and
+whether she came through or not depended on something not derived from
+either her father or her mother. The test of her character was being
+made.
+
+"Happily the father is dead, and his exploits fading to a dim legend; but
+the mother may live for years to dishearten and corrupt. It is foolish of
+the girl to stay, and yet to have her go would leave me and the whole
+valley poorer."
+
+He perceived in her a symbol. "She is the new West just as the mother
+represents the old, and the law of inheritance holds in her as it holds in
+the State. She is a mixture of good and evil, of liberty and license. She
+must still draw forward, for a time, the dead weight of her past, just as
+the West must bear with and gradually slough off its violent moods."
+
+His pony plodded slowly, and the afternoon was half-spent before he came
+in sight of the long, low log-cabin which was the only home he possessed
+in all America. For the first time since he built it, the station seemed
+lonely and disheartening. "Would any woman, for love of me, come to such a
+hearthstone?" he asked himself. "And if she consented to do so, could I be
+so selfish as to exact such sacrifice? No, the forest ranger in these
+attitudes must be young and heart-free; otherwise his life would be
+miserably solitary."
+
+He unsaddled his horse and went about his duties with a leaden pall over
+his spirit, a fierce turmoil in his brain. He was no longer single-hearted
+in his allegiance to the forest. He could not banish that appealing
+girlish face, that trusting gaze. Lee Virginia needed him as he needed
+her; and yet--and yet--the people's lands demanded his care, his social
+prejudices forbade his marriage.
+
+He was just dishing out his rude supper when the feet of a horse on the
+log bridge announced a visitor.
+
+With a feeling of pleasure as well as relief, he rose to greet the
+stranger. "Any visitor is welcome this night," he said.
+
+The horseman proved to be his former prisoner, the old man Edwards, who
+slipped from his saddle with the never-failing grace of the cow-man, and
+came slowly toward the cabin. He smiled wearily as he said: "I'm on your
+trail, Mr. Ranger, but I bear no malice. You were doing your duty. Can you
+tell me how far it is to Ambro's camp?"
+
+There was something forlorn in the man's attitude, and Cavanagh's heart
+softened. "Turn your horse into the corral and come to supper," he
+commanded, with Western bluntness; "we'll talk about all that later."
+
+Edwards accepted his hospitality without hesitation, and when he had
+disposed of his mount and made himself ready for the meal, he came in and
+took a seat at the table in silence, while the ranger served him and
+waited for his explanation.
+
+"I'm going up to take Ambro's place," he began, after a few minutes of
+silent eating. "Know where his camp is?"
+
+"I do," replied Ross, to whom the stranger now appeared in pathetic guise.
+"Any man of his age consenting to herd sheep is surely hard hit by the
+rough hand of the world," he reasoned, and the closer he studied his
+visitor the plainlier he felt his ungoverned past. His chest was hollow,
+his eyes unnaturally large, and his hands thin, but he still displayed
+faint lines of the beauty and power he had once gloried in. His clothing
+was worn and poor, and Ross said: "You'll need plenty of bedding up
+there."
+
+"Is it high?"
+
+"About eleven thousand feet."
+
+"Jehosaphat! How will I stand that kind of air? Still, it may be it's what
+I need. I've been living down in the low country for ten years, and I'm a
+little bit hide-bound."
+
+"Lung trouble?"
+
+"Oh no; old age, I reckon."
+
+"You're not old--not more than fifty-five."
+
+"I'm no colt," he admitted; "and, besides, I've lived pretty swift."
+
+In this was the hint of a confession, but Cavanagh did not care to have
+him proceed further in that line. "I suppose Gregg paid your fine?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"In any other town in the State you'd have gone down the line."
+
+He roused himself. "See here, Mr. Ranger, you've no warrant to believe me,
+but I told you the God's truth. Young Gregg got me to ride into the range
+and show him the trail. I didn't intend to get mixed up with a game
+warden. I've had all the confinement I need."
+
+"Well, it's a closed incident now," interposed Ross; "we won't reopen it.
+Make yourself at home."
+
+The stranger, hungry as he was, ate with unexpected gentility, and, as the
+hot coffee sent its cheerful glow through his body, he asked, with
+livening interest, a good many questions about the ranger and the Forest
+Service. "You fellers have to be all-round men. The cowboys think you have
+a snap, but I guess you earn your money."
+
+"A man that builds trail, lays bridges, burns brush, fights fire, rides
+the round-up, and covers seventy-five miles of trail every week on eighty
+dollars per month, and feeds himself and his horses, isn't what I would
+call enjoying a soft snap."
+
+"What do you do it for?"
+
+"God knows! I've been asking myself that question all day to-day."
+
+"This playin' game warden has some outs, too. That was a wild crowd last
+night. The town is the same old hell-hole it was when I knew it years ago.
+Fine girl of Lize Wetherford's. She blocked _me_ all right." He smiled
+wanly. "I certainly was on my way to the green timber when she put the
+bars up."
+
+Ross made no comment, and the other went on, in a tone of reminiscent
+sadness. "Lize has changed terribly. I used to know her when she was a
+girl. Judas Priest! but she could ride and shoot in those days!" His eyes
+kindled with the memory of her. "She could back a horse to beat any woman
+that ever crossed the range, but I didn't expect to see her have such a
+skein of silk as that girl. She sure looks the queen to me."
+
+Cavanagh did not greatly relish this line of conversation, but the pause
+enabled him to say: "Miss Wetherford is not much Western; she got her
+training in the East. She's been with an aunt ever since her father's
+death."
+
+"He's dead, is he?"
+
+"So far as anybody knows, he is."
+
+"Well, he's no loss. I knew him, too. He was all kinds of a fool; let a
+few slick ones seduce him with fizz-water and oysters on the
+half-shell--that's the kind of a weak sister he was. He got on the wrong
+side of the rustler line-up--you know all about that, I reckon? Fierce old
+days, those. We didn't know anything about forest rangers or game wardens
+in them days."
+
+The stranger's tone was now that of a man quite certain of himself. He had
+become less furtive under the influence of the food and fire.
+
+Ross defended Wetherford for Virginia's sake. "He wasn't altogether to
+blame, as I see it. He was the Western type in full flower, that's all. He
+had to go like the Indian and the buffalo. And these hobos like Ballard
+and Gregg will go next."
+
+Edwards sank back into his chair. "I reckon that's right," he agreed, and
+made offer to help clear away the supper dishes.
+
+"No, you're tired," replied Ross; "rest and smoke. I'll soon be done."
+
+The poacher each moment seemed less of the hardened criminal, and more and
+more of the man prematurely aged by sickness and dissipation, and
+gradually the ranger lost all feeling of resentment.
+
+As he sat down beside the fire, Edwards said: "Them Wetherford women think
+a whole lot of you. 'Pears like they'd both fight for you. Are you sweet
+on the girl?"
+
+"Now, see here, old man," Ross retorted, sharply, "you want to do a lot of
+thinking before you comment on Miss Wetherford. I won't stand for any
+nasty clack."
+
+Edwards meekly answered: "I wasn't going to say anything out of the way. I
+was fixin' for to praise her."
+
+"All the same, I don't intend to discuss her with you," was Cavanagh's
+curt answer.
+
+The herder fell back into silence while the ranger prepared his bunk for
+the night. The fact that he transferred some of the blankets from his own
+bed to that of his visitor did not escape Edwards's keen eyes, and with
+grateful intent he said:
+
+"I can give you a tip, Mr. Ranger," said he, breaking out of a silence.
+"The triangle outfit is holding more cattle on the forest than their
+permits call for."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I heard one of the boys braggin' about it."
+
+"Much obliged," responded Ross. "I'll look into it."
+
+Edwards went on: "Furthermore, they're fixing for another sheep-kill over
+there, too; all the sheepmen are armed. That's why I left the country. I
+don't want to run any more chances of being shot up. I've had enough of
+trouble; I can't afford to be hobnobbing with judges and juries."
+
+"When does your parole end?" asked Ross.
+
+Edwards forced a grin. "I was handing you one when I said that," he
+declared, weakly. "I was workin' up sympathy. I'm not out on parole; I'm
+just a broken-down old cow-puncher herdin' sheep in order to keep clear of
+the liquor belt."
+
+This seemed reasonable, and the ranger remarked, by way of dropping the
+subject: "I've nothing to say further than this--obey the rules of the
+forest, and you won't get into any further trouble with me. And as for
+being shot up by the cow-men, you'll not be disturbed on any national
+forest. There never has been a single herder shot nor a sheep destroyed on
+this forest."
+
+"I'm mighty glad to hear that," replied Edwards, with sincere relief.
+"I've had my share of shooting up and shooting down. All I ask now is
+quiet and the society of sheep. I take a kind of pleasure in protecting
+the fool brutes. It's about all I'm good for."
+
+He did, indeed, look like a man in the final year of life as he spoke.
+"Better turn in," he said, in kindlier tone; "I'm an early riser."
+
+The old fellow rose stiffly, and, laying aside his boots and trousers,
+rolled into his bunk and was asleep in three minutes.
+
+Cavanagh himself was very tired, and went to bed soon after, to sleep
+dreamlessly till daylight. He sprang from his bed, and after a plunge in
+the stream set about breakfast; while Edwards rose from his bunk, groaning
+and sighing, and went forth to wrangle the horses, rubbing his hands and
+shivering as he met the keen edge of the mountain wind. When he returned,
+breakfast was ready, and again he expressed his gratitude.
+
+"Haven't you any slicker?" asked Cavanagh. "It looks like rain."
+
+"No, I'm run down pretty low," he replied. "The truth is, Mr. Ranger, I
+blew in all my wages at roulette last week."
+
+Ross brought out a canvas coat, well worn but serviceable. "Take this
+along with you. It's likely to storm before we reach the sheep-camp. And
+you don't look very strong. You must take care of yourself."
+
+Edwards was visibly moved by this kindness. "Sure you can spare it?"
+
+"Certain sure; I've another," returned the ranger, curtly.
+
+It was hardly more than sunrise as they mounted their ponies and started
+on their trail, which led sharply upward after they left the canon. The
+wind was strong and stinging cold. Over the high peaks the gray-black
+vapor was rushing, and farther away a huge dome of cloud was advancing
+like an army in action. It was all in the day's work of the ranger, but
+the plainsman behind him turned timorous eyes toward the sky. "It looks
+owly," he repeated. "I didn't know I was going so high--Gregg didn't say
+the camp was so near timber-line."
+
+"You've cut out a lonesome job for yourself," Ross assured him, "and if
+you can find anything else to do you'd better give this up and go back."
+
+"I'm used to being lonesome," the stranger said, "but I can't stand the
+cold and the wet as I used to. I never was a mountaineer."
+
+Taking pity on the shivering man, Cavanagh turned off the trail into a
+sheltered nook behind some twisted pine-trees. "How do you expect to take
+care of your sheep a thousand feet higher than this?" he demanded as they
+entered the still place, where the sun shone warm.
+
+"That's what I'm asking myself," replied Edwards. He slipped from his
+horse and crouched close to the rock. "My blood is mostly ditch-water,
+seems like. The wind blows right through me."
+
+"How do you happen to be reduced to herding sheep? You look like a man who
+has seen better days."
+
+Edwards, chafing his thin fingers to warm them, made reluctant answer:
+"It's a long story, Mr. Ranger, and it concerns a whole lot of other
+people--some of them decent folks--so I'd rather not go into it."
+
+"John Barleycorn was involved, I reckon."
+
+"Sure thing--he's generally always in it."
+
+"You'd better take my gloves--it's likely to snow in half an hour. Go
+ahead--I'm a younger man than you are."
+
+The other made a decent show of resistance, but finally accepted the
+offer, saying: "You certainly are white to me. I want to apologize for
+making that attempt to sneak away that night--I had a powerful good reason
+for not staying any longer."
+
+Ross smiled a little. "You showed bad judgment--as it turned out."
+
+"I sure did. That girl can shoot. Her gun was steady as a door-knob. She
+filled the door. Where did she learn to hold a gun like that?"
+
+"Her father taught her, so she said."
+
+"She wouldn't remember me--an old cuss like me--but I've seen her with
+Wetherford when she was a kidlet. I never thought she'd grow up into such
+a 'queen.' She's a wonder."
+
+Strange to say, Ross no longer objected to the old man's words of
+admiration; on the contrary, he encouraged him to talk on.
+
+"Her courage is greater than you know. When she came to that hotel it was
+a place of dirt and vermin. She has transformed it. She's now engaged on
+the reformation of her mother."
+
+"Lize was straight when I knew her," remarked the other, in the tone of
+one who wishes to defend a memory. "Straight as a die."
+
+"In certain ways she's straight now, but she's been hard pushed at times,
+and has traded in liquor to help out--then she's naturally a slattern."
+
+"She didn't used to be," asserted Edwards; "she was a mighty handsome
+woman when I used to see her riding around with Ed."
+
+"She's down at the heel now, quite like the town."
+
+"She looked sick to me. You shouldn't be too hard on a sick woman, but she
+ought to send her girl away or get out. As you say, the Fork is no kind of
+a place for such a girl. If I had a son, a fine young feller like that
+girl is, do you suppose I'd let him load himself up with an old soak like
+me? No, sir; Lize has no right to spoil that girl's life. I'm nothing but
+a ham-strung old cow-puncher, but I've too much pride to saddle my pack on
+the shoulders of my son the way Lize seems to be doin' with that girl."
+
+He spoke with a good deal of feeling, and the ranger studied him with
+deepening interest. He had taken on dignity in the heat of his protest,
+and in his eyes blazed something that was both manly and admirable.
+
+Cavanagh took his turn at defending Lize. "As a matter of fact, she tried
+to send her daughter away, but Lee refuses to go, insisting that it is her
+duty to remain. In spite of her bad blood the girl is surprisingly true
+and sweet. She makes me wonder whether there is as much in heredity as we
+think."
+
+"Her blood ain't so bad. Wetherford was a fool and a daredevil, but he
+came of good Virginia stock--so I've heard."
+
+"Well, whatever was good in both sire and dame this girl seems to have
+mysteriously gathered to herself."
+
+The old man looked at him with a bright sidelong glance. "You are a little
+sweet on the girl, eh?"
+
+Ross began to regret his confidence. "She's making a good fight, and I
+feel like helping her."
+
+"And she rather likes being helped by you. I could see that when she
+brought the coffee to you. She likes to stand close--"
+
+Ross cut him short. "We'll not discuss her any further."
+
+"I don't mean any harm, Mr. Ranger; we hobos have a whole lot of time to
+gossip, and I'm old enough to like a nice girl in a fatherly way. I reckon
+the whole valley rides in to see her, just the way you do."
+
+Cavanagh winced. "You can't very well hide a handsome woman in a cattle
+country."
+
+Edwards smiled again, sadly. "Not in my day you couldn't. Why, a girl like
+that would 'a' been worth a thousand head o' steers. I've seen a man come
+in with a span of mules and three ordinary female daughters, and without
+cinching a saddle to a pony accumulate five thousand cattle." Then he grew
+grave again. "Don't happen to have a picture of the girl, do you?"
+
+"If I did, would I show it to you?"
+
+"You might. You might even give it to me."
+
+Cavanagh looked at the man as if he were dreaming. "You must be crazy."
+
+"Oh no, I'm not. Sheep-herders do go twisted, but I'm not in the business
+long enough for that. I'm just a bit nutty about that girl."
+
+He paused a moment. "So if you have a picture, I wish you'd show it to
+me."
+
+"I haven't any."
+
+"Is that right?"
+
+"That's right. I've only seen her two or three times, and she isn't the
+kind that distributes her favors."
+
+"So it seems. And yet you're just the kind of figure to catch a girl's
+eye. She likes you--I could see that, but you've got a good opinion of
+yourself. You're an educated man--do you intend to marry her?"
+
+"See here, Mr. Sheep-herder, you better ride on up to your camp," and Ross
+turned to mount his horse.
+
+"Wait a minute," called the other man, and his voice surprised the ranger
+with a note of authority. "I was terribly taken with that girl, and I owe
+you a whole lot; but I've got to know one thing. I can see you're full of
+her, and jealous as a bear of any other suitor. Now I want to know whether
+you intend to marry her or whether you're just playing with her?"
+
+Ross was angry now. "What I intend to do is none of your business."
+
+The other man was suddenly ablaze with passion. His form had lost its
+stoop. His voice was firm. "I merely want to say that if you play the goat
+with that girl, I'll kill you!"
+
+Ross stared at him quite convinced that he had gone entirely mad. "That's
+mighty chivalrous of you, Mr. Sheep-herder," he replied, cuttingly; "but
+I'm at a loss to understand this sudden indignation on your part."
+
+"You needn't be--I'm her father!"
+
+Cavanagh fairly reeled before this retort. His head rang as if he had been
+struck with a club. He perceived the truth of the man's words instantly.
+He gasped: "Good God, man! are _you_ Ed Wetherford?"
+
+The answer was quick. "That's who I am!" Then his voice changed. "But I
+don't want the women to know I'm alive--I didn't intend to let anybody
+know it. My fool temper has played hell with me again"--then his voice
+grew firmer--"all the same, I mean it. If you or any man tries to abuse
+her, I'll kill him! I've loaded her up with trouble, as you say, but I'm
+going to do what I can to protect her--now that I'm in the county again."
+
+Ross, confused by this new complication in the life of the girl he was
+beginning to love, stared at his companion in dismay. Was it not enough
+that Virginia's mother should be a slattern and a termagant? At last he
+spoke: "Where have you been all these years?"
+
+"In the Texas 'pen.' I served nine years there."
+
+"What for?"
+
+"Shooting a man. It was a case of self-defence, but his family had more
+money and influence than I did, so I went down the road. As soon as I was
+out I started north--just the way a dog will point toward home. I didn't
+intend to come here, but some way I couldn't keep away. I shied round the
+outskirts of the Fork, picking up jobs of sheep-herding just to have time
+to turn things over. I know what you're thinking about--you're saying to
+yourself, 'Well, here's a nice father-in-law?' Well, now, I don't know
+anything about your people, but the Wetherfords are as good as anybody. If
+I hadn't come out into this cursed country, where even the women go
+shootin' wild, I would have been in Congress; but being hot-headed, I must
+mix in. I'm not excusing myself, you understand; I'm not a desirable
+addition to any man's collection of friends, but I can promise you
+this--no one but yourself shall ever know who I am. At the same time, you
+can't deceive my girl without my being named in the funeral that will
+follow."
+
+It was a singular place for such an exchange of confidences. Wetherford
+stood with his back against his pony, his face flushed, his eyes bright as
+though part of his youth had returned to him, while the ranger, slender,
+erect, and powerful, faced him with sombre glance. Overhead the detached
+clouds swept swift as eagles, casting shadows cold as winter, and in the
+dwarfed century-old trees the wind breathed a sad monody. Occasionally the
+sun shone warm and golden upon the group, and then it seemed spring, and
+the far-off plain a misty sea.
+
+At last Cavanagh said: "You are only a distant and romantic figure to
+Lee--a part of the dead past. She remembers you as a bold rider and a
+wondrously brave and chivalrous father."
+
+"Does she?" he asked, eagerly.
+
+"Yes, and she loves to talk of you. She knows the town's folk despise your
+memory, but that she lays to prejudice."
+
+"She must never know. You must promise never to tell her."
+
+"I promise that," Cavanagh said, and Edwards went on:
+
+"If I could bring something to her--prove to her I'm still a man--it might
+do to tell her, but I'm a branded man now, and an old man, and there's no
+hope for me. I worked in one of the machine-shops down there, and it took
+the life out of me. Then, too, I left a bad name here in the Fork--I know
+that. Those big cattle-men fooled me into taking their side of the war. I
+staked everything I had on them, and then they railroaded me out of the
+county. So, you see, I'm double-crossed, no matter where I turn."
+
+Every word he uttered made more apparent to Cavanagh that Lee Virginia
+would derive nothing but pain and disheartenment from a knowledge that her
+father lived. "She must be spared this added burden of shameful
+inheritance," he decided.
+
+The other man seemed to understand something of the ranger's indignant
+pity, for he repeated: "I want you to _swear_ not to let Lee know I'm
+alive, no matter what comes; she must not be saddled with my record. Let
+her go on thinking well of me. Give me your word!" He held out an
+insistent palm.
+
+Ross yielded his hand, and in spite of himself his tenderness for the
+broken man deepened. The sky was darkening to the west, and with a glance
+upward he said: "I reckon we'd better make your camp soon or you'll be
+chilled to the bone."
+
+They mounted hastily and rode away, each feeling that his relationship to
+the other had completely changed. Wetherford marvelled over the evident
+culture and refinement of the ranger. "He's none too good for her, no
+matter who he is," he said.
+
+Upon leaving timber-line they entered upon a wide and sterile slope high
+on the rocky breast of the great peak, whose splintered crest lorded the
+range. Snow-fields lay all about, and a few hundred feet higher up the
+canons were filled with ice. It was a savage and tempest-swept spot in
+which to pitch a tent, but there among the rocks shivered the minute
+canvas home of the shepherd, and close beside it, guarded by a lone dog,
+and lying like a thick-spread flock of rimy bowlders (almost unnoticeable
+in their silent immobility) huddled the sheep.
+
+"There's your house," shouted Ross to Wetherford.
+
+The older man, with white face of dismay, looked about him, unable to make
+reply.
+
+The walls of the frail teepee, flapping in the breeze, appeared hardly
+larger than a kerchief caught upon a bush, and the disheartened collie
+seemed nervously apprehensive of its being utterly swept away. The great
+peaks were now hid by the rain, and little could be seen but wet rocks,
+twisted junipers, and the trickling gray streams of icy water. The eastern
+landscape was naked, alpine, splendid yet appalling, and the voices of the
+sheep added to the dreary message of the scene.
+
+"Hello there!" shouted Ross, wondering at the absence of human life about
+the camp. "Hello the house!"
+
+Receiving no answer to his hail, he turned to Wetherford. "Looks like Joe
+has pulled out and left the collie to 'tend the flock. He's been kind o'
+seedy for some days."
+
+Dismounting, he approached the tent. The collie, who knew him, seemed to
+understand his errand, for he leaped upon him as if to kiss his cheek.
+Ross put him down gently. "You're almost too glad to see me, old fellow. I
+wonder how long you've been left here alone?"
+
+Thereupon he opened the tied flap, but started back with instant
+perception of something wrong, for there, on his pile of ragged quilts,
+lay the Basque herder, with flushed face and rolling eyes, crazed with
+fever and entirely helpless. "You'd better not come in here, Wetherford,"
+Ross warned. "Joe is here, horribly sick, and I'm afraid it's something
+contagious. It may be smallpox."
+
+Wetherford recoiled a step. "Smallpox! What makes you think that?"
+
+"Well, these Basques have been having it over in their settlement, and,
+besides, it smells like it." He listened a moment. "I'm afraid Joe's in
+for it. He's crazy with it. But he's a human being, and we can't let him
+die here alone. You rustle some wood for the stove, and I'll see what I
+can do for him."
+
+Wetherford was old and wasted and thin-blooded, but he had never been a
+coward, and in his heart there still burned a small flame of his youthful,
+reckless, generous daring. Pushing Cavanagh one side, he said, with firm
+decision: "You keep out o' there. I'm the one to play nurse. This is my
+job."
+
+"Nonsense; I am younger and stronger than you."
+
+"Get away!" shouted the older man. "Gregg hired me to do this work, and it
+don't matter whether I live or die; but you've got something to do in the
+world. My girl needs you, and she don't need me, so get out o' here and
+stay out. Go bring me that wood, and I'll go in and see what's the
+matter."
+
+Cavanagh looked him in the face an instant. "Very well," said he, "I'll do
+as you say. There's no use of our both taking chances."
+
+It was beginning to rain, and the tent was dark and desolate, but as the
+fire in the little stove commenced to snarl, and the smoke to pour out of
+the pipe, the small domicile took on cheer. Wetherford knew how to care
+for the sick, and in the shelter of the canvas wall developed unforeseen
+vigor and decision. It was amazing to Cavanagh to witness his change of
+manner.
+
+Soon a pan of water was steaming, and some hot stones were at the
+sufferer's feet, and when Wetherford appeared at the door of the tent his
+face was almost happy. "Kill a sheep. There isn't a thing but a heel of
+bacon and a little flour in the place."
+
+As the ranger went about his outside duties he had time to take into full
+account the tragic significance of the situation. He was not afraid of
+death, but the menace of sickness under such surroundings made his blood
+run cold. It is such moments as these that the wilderness appalls. Twenty
+miles of most difficult trail lay between his own cabin and this spot. To
+carry the sick man on his horse would not only be painful to the sufferer
+but dangerous to the rescuer, for if the Basque were really ill of
+smallpox contagion would surely follow. On the other hand, to leave him to
+die here unaided seemed inhuman, impossible.
+
+"There is only one thing to do," he called to Wetherford, "and that is for
+me to ride back to the station and bring up some extra bedding and my own
+tent, and so camp down beside you."
+
+"All right; but remember I've established a quarantine. I'll crack your
+head if you break over the line an inch."
+
+There was no longer any feeling of reaching up or reaching down between
+the two men--they were equals. Wetherford, altogether admirable, seemed to
+have regained his manhood as he stood in the door of the tent confronting
+the ranger. "This Basque ain't much of a find, but, as you say, he's
+human, and we can't let him lie here and die, I'll stay with him till you
+can find a doctor or till he dies."
+
+"I take off my hat to you," responded Cavanagh. "You are a man."
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+THE SMOKE OF THE BURNING
+
+
+The reader will observe that the forest ranger's job is that of a man and
+a patriot, and such a ranger was Cavanagh, notwithstanding his foreign
+birth. He could ride all day in the saddle and fight fire all night. While
+not a trained forester, he was naturally a reader, and thoroughly
+understood the theories of the department. As a practical ranger he stood
+half-way between the cowboy (who was at first the only available material)
+and the trained expert who is being educated to follow him.
+
+He was loyal with the loyalty of a soldier, and his hero was the colonel
+of the Rough-riders, under whom he had campaigned. The second of his
+admirations was the Chief Forester of the department.
+
+The most of us are getting so thin-skinned, so dependent upon steam-heat
+and goloshes, that the actions of a man like this riding forth upon his
+trail at all hours of the day and night self-sufficing and serene, seem
+like the doings of an epic, and so indeed they are.
+
+On the physical side the plainsman, the cowboy, the poacher, are all
+admirable, but Cavanagh went far beyond their physical hardihood. He
+dreamed, as he rode, of his responsibilities. The care of the poor Basque
+shepherd he had accepted as a matter of routine without Wetherford's
+revelation of himself, which complicated an exceedingly pitiful case. He
+could not forget that it was Lee Virginia's father who stood in danger of
+contracting the deadly disease, and as he imagined him dying far up there
+on that bleak slope, his heart pinched with the tragedy of the old man's
+life. In such wise the days of the ranger were smouldering to this end.
+
+On the backward trail he turned aside to stamp out a smoking log beside a
+deserted camp-fire, and again he made a detour into a lovely little park
+to visit a fisherman and to warn him of the danger of fire. He was the
+forest guardian, alert to every sign, and yet all the time he was being
+drawn on toward his temptation. Why not resign and go East, taking the
+girl with him? "After all, the life up here is a lonely and hard one, in
+no sense a vocation for an ambitious man. Suppose I am promoted to Forest
+Supervisor? That only means a little more salary and life in a small city
+rather than here. District Supervisor would be better, but can I hope to
+secure such a position?"
+
+Up to this month he had taken the matter of his promotion easily; it was
+something to come along in the natural course of things. "There is no
+haste; I can wait." Now haste seemed imperative. "I am no longer so young
+as I was," he admitted.
+
+Once back at his cabin he laid aside his less tangible problems, and set
+himself to cooking some food to take back with him to the peak. He brought
+in his pack-horse, and burdened him with camp outfit and utensils, and
+extra clothing. He filled his pockets with such medicines as he possessed,
+and so at last, just as night was falling, he started back over his
+difficult trail.
+
+The sky was black as the roof of a cavern, for the stars were hid by a
+roof of cloud which hung just above his head, and the ranger was obliged
+to feel his way through the first quarter of his journey. The world grew
+lighter after he left the canon and entered the dead timber of the glacial
+valley, but even in the open the going was wearisome and the horses
+proceeded with sullen caution.
+
+"The Basque is a poor, worthless little peasant, but he is a human being,
+and to leave him to die up there would be monstrous," he insisted, as the
+horses stumbled upward over the rocks of a vast lateral moraine toward the
+summit, blinded by the clouds through which they were forced to pass. He
+was dismounted now and picking his way with a small lantern, whose feeble
+ray (like that of a firefly) illuminated for a small space the dripping
+rocks; all else was tangible yellow mist which possessed a sulphurous odor
+and clung to everything it touched. The wind had died out entirely, and
+the mountain-side was as silent as the moon.
+
+Foot by foot he struggled up the slope, hoping each moment to break
+through this blanket of vapor into the clear air. He knew from many
+previous experiences that the open sky existed a little way above, that
+this was but a roof.
+
+At last he parted the layer of mist and burst into the moonlit heights
+above. He drew a deep breath of awe as he turned and looked about him.
+Overhead the sky was sparkling with innumerable stars, and the crescent
+moon was shining like burnished silver, while level with his breast rolled
+a limitless, silent, and mystical ocean of cloud which broke against the
+dark peaks in soundless surf, and spread away to the east in ever-widening
+shimmer. All the lesser hills were covered; only the lords of the range
+towered above the flood in sullen and unmoved majesty.
+
+For a long time Cavanagh stood beside his weary horses, filling his soul
+with the beauty of this world, so familiar yet so transformed. He wished
+for his love; she would feel and know and rejoice with him. It was such
+experiences as these that made him content with his work. For the ranger
+Nature plays her profoundest dramas--sometimes with the rush of winds, the
+crash of thunder; sometimes like this, in silence so deep that the act of
+breathing seems a harsh, discordant note.
+
+Slowly the mystic waters fell away, sinking with slightly rolling action
+into the valleys, and out of the wool-white waves sudden sharp dark forms
+upthrust like strange masters of the deep. Towers took shape and islands
+upheaved, crowned with dark fortresses. To the west a vast and inky-black
+Gibraltar magically appeared. Soon the sea was but a prodigious river
+flowing within the high walls of an ancient glacier, a ghost of the icy
+stream that once ground its slow way between these iron cliffs.
+
+With a shudder of awe the ranger turned from the intolerable beauty of
+this combination of night, cloud, and mountain-crest, and resumed his
+climb. Such scenes, by their majesty, their swift impermanency, their
+colossal and heedless haste, made his heart ache with indefinable regret.
+Again and again he looked back, longing for some power which would enable
+him to record and reproduce for the eyes of his love some part of this
+stupendous and noiseless epic. He was no longer content to enjoy Nature's
+splendors alone.
+
+On the cold and silent side of the great divide the faint light of the
+shepherd's teepee shone, and with a returning sense of his duty to his
+fellows on the roof of the continent, Cavanagh pushed onward.
+
+Wetherford met him at the door, no longer the poor old tramp, but a
+priest, one who has devoted himself to Christ's service.
+
+"How is he?" asked the ranger.
+
+"Delirious," replied the herder. "I've had to hold him to his bed. I'm
+glad you've come. It's lonesome up here. Don't come too near. Set your
+tent down there by the trees. I can't have you infected. Keep clear of me
+and this camp."
+
+"I've got some food and some extra clothing for you."
+
+"Put 'em down here, and in the morning drive these sheep away. That noise
+disturbs the dago, and I don't like it myself; they sound lonesome and
+helpless. That dog took 'em away for a while, but brought 'em back again;
+poor devil, he don't know what to think of it all."
+
+Ross did as Wetherford commanded him to do, and withdrew a little way down
+the slope; and without putting up his tent, rolled himself in his blankets
+and went to sleep.
+
+The sun rose gloriously. With mountain fickleness the wind blew gently
+from the east, the air was precisely like late March, and the short and
+tender grass, the small flowers in the sheltered corners of the rocks, and
+the multitudinous bleatings of the lambs were all in keeping. It was
+spring in the world and it was spring in the heart of the ranger, in spite
+of all his perplexities. The Basque would recover, the heroic ex-convict
+would not be stricken, and all would be well. Of such resiliency is the
+heart of youth.
+
+His first duty was to feed the faithful collie, and to send him forth with
+the flock. His next was to build a fire and cook some breakfast for
+Wetherford, and as he put it down beside the tent door he heard the wild
+pleading of the Basque, who was struggling with his nurse--doubtless in
+the belief that he was being kept a prisoner. Only a few words like "go
+home" and "sheep" were intelligible to either the nurse or the ranger.
+
+"Keep quiet now--quiet, boy! It's all right. I'm here to take care of
+you," Wetherford repeated, endlessly.
+
+Cavanagh waited till a silence came; then called, softly: "Here's your
+breakfast, Wetherford."
+
+"Move away," retorted the man within. "Keep your distance."
+
+Ross walked away a little space and Wetherford came to the door. "The dago
+is sure sick, there's no two ways about that. How far is it to the nearest
+doctor?"
+
+"I could reach one by 'phone from the Kettle Ranch, about twenty miles
+below here."
+
+"If he don't get better to-day I reckon we'll have to have a doctor." He
+looked so white and old that Cavanagh said:
+
+"You need rest. Now I _think_ I've had the smallpox--I know I've been
+vaccinated, and if you go to bed--"
+
+"If you're saying all that preliminary to offering to come in here, you're
+wasting your breath. I don't intend to let you come any nearer than you
+are. There is work for you to do. Besides, there's my girl; you're
+detailed to look after her."
+
+"Would a doctor come?" asked Ross, huskily, moved by Wetherford's words.
+"It's a hard climb. Would they think the dago worth it?"
+
+Wetherford's face darkened with a look of doubt. "It _is_ a hard trip for
+a city man, but maybe he would come for you--for the Government."
+
+"I doubt it, even if I were to offer my next month's salary as a fee.
+These hills are very remote to the townsfolk, and one dago more or less of
+no importance, but I'll see what I can do."
+
+Ross was really more concerned for Wetherford himself than for the Basque.
+"If the fever is something malignant, we must have medical aid," he said,
+and went slowly back to his own camp to ponder his puzzling problem.
+
+One thing could certainly be done, and that was to inform Gregg and Murphy
+of their herder's illness; surely they would come to the rescue of the
+collie and his flock. To reach a telephone involved either a ride over
+into Deer Creek or a return to the Fork. He was tempted to ride all the
+way to the Fork, for to do so would permit another meeting with Lee; but
+to do this would require many hours longer, and half a day's delay might
+prove fatal to the Basque, and, besides, each hour of loneliness and toil
+rendered Wetherford just so much more open to the deadly attack of the
+disease.
+
+Here was the tragic side of the wilderness. At such moments even the Fork
+seemed a haven. The mountains offer a splendid camping-place for the young
+and the vigorous, but they are implacable foes to the disabled man or the
+aged. They do not give loathsome diseases like pox, but they do not aid in
+defence of the sick. Coldly aloof, its clouds sail by. The night winds
+bite. Its rains fall remorselessly. Sheltering rocks there are, to be
+sure, but their comfort is small to the man smitten with the scourge of
+the crowded city. In such heights man is of no more value than the wolf or
+the cony.
+
+It was hard to leave an old and broken man in such a drear and
+wind-contested spot, and yet it had to be done. So fastening his tent
+securely behind a clump of junipers, Cavanagh mounted his horse and rode
+away across the boundary of the forest into the Deer Creek Basin, which
+had been the bone of much contention for nearly four years.
+
+It was a high, park-like expanse, sparsely wooded, beautiful in summer,
+but cold and bleak in winter. The summers were short, and frost fell
+almost every week even in July and August. It had once been a part of the
+forest, but under pressure the President had permitted it to be restored
+to the public lands open for entry. It was not "agricultural grounds," as
+certain ranchers claimed, but it was excellent summer pasture, and the
+sheepmen and cattle-men had leaped at once into warfare to possess it.
+Sheep were beaten to death with clubs by hundreds, herders were hustled
+out of the park with ropes about their necks and their outfits
+destroyed--and all this within a few miles of the forest boundary, where
+one small sentinel kept effective watch and ward.
+
+Cavanagh had never been over this trail but once, and he was trying to
+locate the cliff from which a flock of sheep had been hurled by cattle-men
+some years before, when he perceived a thin column of smoke rising from a
+rocky hillside. With habitual watchfulness as to fire, he raised his glass
+to his eyes and studied the spot. It was evidently a camp-fire and
+smouldering dangerously, and turning his horse's head he rode toward it to
+stamp it out. It was not upon his patrol; but that did not matter, his
+duty was clear.
+
+As he drew near he began to perceive signs of a broken camp; the ground
+was littered with utensils. It was not an ordinary camp-fire, and the
+ranger's heart quickened. "Another sheep-herder has been driven out, and
+his tent and provisions burned!" he exclaimed, wrathfully.
+
+His horse snorted and shied as he rode nearer, and then a shudder passed
+through the ranger's heart as he perceived in the edge of the smouldering
+embers a boot heel, and then--_a charred hand!_ In the smoke of that fire
+was the reek of human flesh.
+
+For a long time the ranger sat on his horse, peering down into those ashes
+until at last it became evident to his eyes that at least two
+sheep-herders had been sacrificed on the cattle-man's altar of hate and
+greed.
+
+All about on the sod the story was written, all too plain. Two men,
+possibly three, had been murdered--cut to pieces and burned--not many
+hours before. There stood the bloody spade with which the bodies had been
+dismembered, and there lay an empty can whose oil had been poured upon the
+mingled camp utensils, tent, and wagon of the herders, in the attempt to
+incinerate the hacked and dismembered limbs of the victims. The
+lawlessness of the range had culminated. The ferocity of the herder had
+gone beyond the savage. Here in the sweet autumn air the reek of the
+cattle-man's vengeance rose like some hideous vapor, poisonous and
+obscene.
+
+The ranger sickened as the bloody tale unfolded itself before him. Then a
+fierce hate of such warfare flamed in his heart. Could this enormity be
+committed under any other civilized flag? Would any other Government
+intermingle so foolishly, so childishly its State and Federal authority as
+to permit such diabolism?
+
+Here lay the legitimate fruit of the State's essential hoodlumism. Here
+was the answer to local self-government--to democracy. Such a thing could
+not happen in Australia or Canada; only in America could lynch law become
+a dramatic pastime, a jest, an instrument of private vengeance. The South
+and the West were alike stained with the blood of the lynched, and the
+whole nation was covered with shame.
+
+In his horror, his sense of revolt, he cursed the State of which he was a
+citizen. He would have resigned his commission at the moment, so intense
+was his resentment of the supine, careless, jovial, slattern Government
+under which he was serving.
+
+"By the Lord!" he breathed, with solemn intensity, "if this does not shame
+the people of this State into revolt, if these fiends are not hounded and
+hung, I will myself harry them. I cannot live and do my duty here unless
+this crime is avenged by law."
+
+It did not matter to him that these herders were poor Basques; it was the
+utter, horrifying, destructive disregard of law which raised such tumult
+in his blood. His English education, his soldier's training, his native
+refinement--all were outraged. Then, too, he loved the West. He had
+surrendered his citizenship under the British flag--for this!
+
+Chilled, shaking, and numb, he set spurs to his horse and rode furiously
+down the trail toward the nearest town, so eager to spread the alarm that
+he could scarcely breathe a deep breath. On the steep slopes he was forced
+to walk, and his horse led so badly, that his agony of impatience was
+deepened. He had a vision of the murderers riding fast into far countries.
+Each hour made their apprehension progressively the more difficult.
+
+"Who were they?" he asked himself, again and again. "What kind of man did
+this thing? Was the leader a man like Ballard? Even so, he was hired. By
+whom? By ranchers covetous of the range; that was absolutely certain."
+
+It was long after noon before he came to the end of the telephone-line in
+a little store and post-office at the upper falls of Deer Creek. The
+telephone had a booth fortunately, and he soon had Redfield's ear, but his
+voice was so strained and unnatural that his chief did not recognize it.
+
+"Is that you, Ross? What's the matter? Your voice sounds hoarse."
+
+Ross composed himself, and told his story briefly. "I'm at Kettle Ranch
+post-office. Now listen. The limit of the cattle-man's ferocity has been
+reached. As I rode down here, to get into communication with a doctor for
+a sick herder, I came upon the scene of another murder and burning. The
+fire is still smouldering; at least two bodies are in the embers."
+
+At last, bit by bit, from hurried speech, the supervisor derived the fact,
+the location, the hour, and directed the herder to ride back and guard the
+remains till the sheriff arrived.
+
+"Keep it all quiet," warned Ross, "and get the sheriff and a doctor to
+come up here as quick as you can. What in the name of God is this country
+coming to?" he cried, in despair. "Will this deed go unpunished, like the
+rest?"
+
+Redfield's voice had lost its optimistic ring. "I don't know; I am stunned
+by it all. Don't do anything rash, Ross. Wait till I come. Perhaps this is
+the turning-point out here. I'll be up at the earliest moment."
+
+The embittered and disheartened ranger then called up Lee Virginia, and
+the sound of her sweet voice turned his thoughts to other and, in a sense,
+more important matters; for when she heard his name she cried out with
+such eager longing and appeal that his heart leaped. "Oh, I wish you were
+here! Mother has been worse to-day. She is asking for you. Can't you come
+down and see us? She wants to tell you something."
+
+"I can't--I can't!" he stammered. "I--I--I'm a long way off, and I have
+important work to do. Tell her I will come to-morrow."
+
+Her voice was filled with disappointment and fear as she said: "Oh, I need
+you so! Can't you come?"
+
+"Yes, I will come as soon as I can. I will try to reach you by daylight
+to-morrow. My heart is with you. Call up the Redfields; they will help
+you."
+
+"Mother wants _you_. She says she _must_ see you. Come as soon as you can.
+I don't know what she wants to tell you--but I do know we need you."
+
+Her meaning was as clear as if she said: "I need you, for I love you. Come
+to me." And her prayer filled him with pain as well as pleasure. He was a
+soldier and under orders from his chief, therefore he said: "Dear girl,
+there is a sick man far up on the mountain-side with no one to care for
+him but a poor old herder who is in danger of falling sick himself. I must
+go back to them; but, believe me, I will come just as soon as my duties
+will let me. You understand me, don't you?"
+
+Her voice was fainter as she said: "Yes, but I--it seems hard to wait."
+
+"I know. Your voice has helped me. I was in a black mood when I came here.
+I'm going back now to do my work, and then I will come to you. Good-bye."
+
+Strangely beautiful and very subtle was the vibrant stir of that wire as
+it conveyed back to his ear the little sigh with which she made answer to
+his plea. He took his way upward in a mood which was meditative but no
+longer bitter.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+SHADOWS ON THE MIST
+
+
+The decision which Cavanagh made between love and duty distinguished the
+officer from the man, the soldier from the civilian. He did not hesitate
+to act, and yet he suffered a mental conflict as he rode back toward the
+scene of that inhuman sacrifice on the altar of greed. His heart went out
+to Lee Virginia in longing. Her appealing voice still lay in his ear with
+an effect like the touch of her soft lips, and his flagging horse suffered
+from the unconscious pressure of his haste.
+
+"It will be hours before any part of the sheriff's posse can reach the
+falls, even though they take to the swiftest motors, and then other long
+hours must intervene before I can ride down to her. Yes, at least a day
+and a night must drag their slow course before I can hope to be of service
+to her," and the thought drew a groan of anxiety from him. At such moments
+of mental stress the trail is a torture and the mountain-side an
+inexorable barrier.
+
+Half-way to the hills he was intercepted by an old man who was at work on
+an irrigating ditch beside the road. He seemed very nervous and very
+inquisitive, and as he questioned the ranger his eyes were like those of a
+dog that fears his master's hand. Ross wondered about this afterward, but
+at the moment his mind was busy with the significance of this patient
+toiler with a spade. He was a prophetic figure in the most picturesque and
+sterile land of the stockman. "Here within twenty miles of this peaceful
+fruit-grower," he said, "is the crowning infamy of the free-booting
+cowboy. My God, what a nation we are!"
+
+He wondered, as he rode on, whether the papers of the State would make a
+jest of _this_ deed. "Will this be made the theme for caustic comment in
+the Eastern press for a day, and then be forgotten?"
+
+As his hot blood cooled he lost faith in even this sacrifice. Could
+anything change the leopard West into the tameness and serenity of the ox?
+"No," he decided, "nothing but death will do that. This generation, these
+fierce and bloody hearts, must die; only in that way can the tradition of
+violence be overcome and a new State reared."
+
+At the foot of the toilsome, upward-winding trail he dismounted, and led
+his weary horse. Over his head, and about half-way to the first hilltop,
+lay a roof of fleecy vapor, faint purple in color and seamless in texture.
+Through this he must pass, and it symbolized to him the line of
+demarkation between the plain and the mountain, between order and
+violence.
+
+Again he rose above it, to find it a fantastic sea lit by the sun, and
+glowing with pink and gold and violet. Celestial in its ethereal beauty,
+it threw into still more appalling shadow the smoking altar of passion
+toward which he spurred. From moment to moment the surface rose and
+shifted in swift, tumultuous, yet soundless waves, breaking round
+pine-clad promontories in shimmering breakers, faint, and far, and
+serene.
+
+Down through a deep canon to the south a prodigious river of mist was
+rushing, a silent cataract of ashy vapor plunging to a soundless beach.
+Above and beyond it the high peaks shone in radiance so pure that the
+heart of the lover ached with the pain of its evanescent beauty. It was as
+if he were looking across a foaming flood upon the stupendous and shining
+park of some imperial potentate whose ornate and splendid country home lay
+just beyond. Rocky spires rose like cathedral towers, and fortresses
+abutted upon the stream. And yet in the midst of that glorified plain the
+smoke of the burning rose.
+
+Slowly he led his horse along the mountain-side, grasping with eager
+desire at every changing aspect of this marvellous scene. It was
+infinitely more gorgeous, more compelling, than his moonlight experience
+the night before, for here reality, definite and powerful, was interfused
+with mystery. These foot-hills, hitherto pleasantly precipitous, had
+suddenly become grandiose. All was made over upon a mightier scale, each
+rock and tree being distorted by the passing translucent clouds into a
+kind of monstrous yet epic proportion.
+
+Ghostly white ledges broke from the darker mist like fields of distant
+crusted snow. Castellated crags loomed from the mystic river like
+fortified islands. Cattle, silent, enormously aggrandized, emerged like
+fabled beasts of the eld, and stared upon him, their jaws dripping with
+dew. Bulls roared from the obscure deeps. Dead trees, with stark and
+sinister arms, menaced warningly. All was as unreal as the world of pain's
+delirium, and yet was as beautiful as the poet's vision; and the ranger,
+feeling that he was looking upon one of Nature's rarest displays, removed
+his hat in worship of it, thrilling with pride and satisfaction over the
+thought that this was his domain, his to guard and preserve.
+
+The crowning glow of mystery and grace came as he led his horse out upon a
+projecting point of rocky ledge to rest. Here the cliff descended abruptly
+to an enormous depth, and upon the vaporous rolling flood beneath him a
+dome of darker shadow rested. At the summit of this shadow an aureole of
+rainbow light, a complete and glorious circle rested, in the midst of
+which his own image was flung, grotesque and gigantic.
+
+"The Shadows of the Brocken!" he exclaimed, in ecstasy, all his
+bitterness, his care, forgotten. "Now I understand Goethe's lines." In all
+his life in the hills he had never before witnessed such a combination of
+peak and sun and cloud and shadow.
+
+His love for the range came back upon him with such power that tears
+misted his eyes and his throat ached. "Where else will I find such scenes
+as this?" he asked himself. "Where in all the lowlands could such
+splendors shine? How can I leave this high world in which these wonders
+come and go? I will not! Here will I bring my bride and build my home.
+This is my world."
+
+But the mist grew gray, the aureole of fire faded, the sun went down
+behind the hills, and the chill of evening deepened on the trail, and as
+he reapproached the scene of man's inhumanity to man the thought of
+camping there beside those charred limbs called for heroic resolution. He
+was hungry, too, and as the air pinched, he shivered.
+
+"At the best, the sheriff cannot reach here before midnight," he said, and
+settled down to his unsought, revolting vigil.
+
+His one relief lay in the mental composition of a long letter to Lee
+Virginia, whose life at that moment was a comfort to him. "If such purity,
+such sweetness, can come from violence and vulgarity, then surely a new
+and splendid State can rise even out of the ashes of these murdered men.
+Perhaps this is the end of the old," he mused, "perhaps this is the
+beginning of the new," and as he pondered the last faint crimson died out
+of the west. "So must the hate and violence die out of America," he said,
+"leaving the clear, sweet air of liberty behind."
+
+He was near to the poet at the moment, for he was also the lover. His
+allegiance to the great republic stood the test. His faith in democracy
+was shaken, but not destroyed. "I will wait," he decided. "This shall be
+the sign. If this deed goes unavenged, then will I put off my badge and my
+uniform, and go back to the land where for a hundred years at least such
+deeds as these have been impossible."
+
+He built a fire, as night fell, to serve both as beacon and as a defence
+against the cold. He felt himself weirdly remote in this vigil. From his
+far height he looked abroad upon the tumbled plain as if upon an ocean
+dimly perceptible yet august. "At this moment," he said, "curious and
+perhaps guilty eyes are wondering what my spark of firelight may mean."
+
+His mind went again and again to that tall old man in the ditch. What was
+the meaning of his scared and sorrowful glance? Why should one so
+peacefully employed at such a time and in such a place wear the look of a
+hunted deer? What meant the tremor in his voice?
+
+Was it possible that one so gentle should have taken part in this deed?
+"Preposterous suspicion, and yet he had a guilty look."
+
+He was not a believer in ghosts, but he came nearer to a fear of the dark
+that night than ever before in his life. He brought his horse close to the
+fire for company, and was careful not to turn his back upon the dead. A
+corpse lying peacefully would not have produced this overpowering horror.
+He had seen battle-fields, but this pile of mangled limbs conquered even
+the hardened campaigner. He shivered each time his memory went back to
+what he had first looked upon--the charred hand, the helpless heel.
+
+From his high hill of meditation he reviewed the history of the West.
+Based in bloody wars between the primitive races, and between the trappers
+and their allies, the land had passed through a thin adumbration of
+civilization as the stockmen drove out the buffalo and their hunters.
+Vigilantes, sheriff's posses (and now and again the regular army) had
+swept over these grassy swells on errands of retributory violence, and so
+the territory had been divided at last into populous States. Then
+politics, the great national game, had made of them a power, with Senators
+to represent a mere handful of miners and herdsmen. In the Congress of the
+United States these commonwealths had played their unscrupulous games,
+trading for this and for that local appropriation. Happily in some
+instances these Senators had been higher than their State, but in other
+cases they represented only too loyally the violent and conscienceless
+cow-man or lumber king, and now, as Redfield had said, the land-boomer was
+to have his term. The man who valued residents, not Wild West performers,
+was about to govern and despoil; this promoter, almost as selfish as the
+cattle king, was about to advance the State along the lines of _his_
+conception of civilization; and so, perhaps, this monstrous deed, this
+final inexcusable inhuman offence against law and humanity, was to stand
+as a monument dividing the old from the new. Such, at least, was the
+ranger's hope.
+
+At last, far in the night, he heard the snort of a horse and the sound of
+voices. The law (such as it was) was creeping up the mountain-side in the
+person of the sheriff of Chauvenet County, and was about to relieve the
+ranger from his painful responsibility as guardian of the dead.
+
+At last he came, this officer of the law, attended (like a Cheyenne chief)
+by a dozen lesser warriors of various conditions and kinds, but among
+them--indeed, second only to the sheriff--was Hugh Redfield, the Forest
+Supervisor, hot and eager with haste.
+
+As they rode up to the fire, the officer called out: "Howdy, ranger! How
+about it?"
+
+Ross stated briefly, succinctly, what he had discovered; and as he talked
+other riders came up the hill and gathered closely around to listen in
+wordless silence--in guilty silence, the ranger could not help believing.
+
+The sheriff, himself a cattle-man, heard Cavanagh without comment till he
+had ended with a gesture. "And there they are; I turn them over to you
+with vast relief. I am anxious to go back to my own peaceful world, where
+such things do not happen."
+
+The sheriff removed his hat and wiped his brow, then swore with a mutter
+of awe. "Well, by God, this is the limit! You say there were three
+bodies?"
+
+"I lacked the courage to sort them out. I've been in battle, Mr. Sheriff,
+and I've seen dead men tumbled in all shapes, but someway this took the
+stiffening out of my knees. I rode away and left them. I don't care to see
+them again. My part of this work is done."
+
+Redfield spoke. "Sheriff Van Horne, you and I have been running cattle in
+this country for nearly thirty years, and we've witnessed all kinds of
+shooting and several kinds of hanging, but when it comes to chopping and
+burning men, I get off. I shall personally offer a reward of a thousand
+dollars for the apprehension of these miscreants, and I hope you'll make
+it your solemn duty to hunt them to earth."
+
+"You won't have far to go," remarked Ross, significantly.
+
+"What do you mean?" asked the sheriff.
+
+"I mean this slaughter, like the others that have taken place, was the
+work of cattle-men who claim this range. Their names are known to us
+all."
+
+"Can it be possible!" exclaimed Redfield, looking round at the silent
+throng, and in the wavering light certain eyes seemed to shift and fall.
+
+"In what essential does it differ from the affair over on the Red Desert?"
+demanded Cavanagh. "Who would kill these poor sheep-herders but cattle-men
+warring for the grass on which we stand?"
+
+"But they would not dare to do such work themselves."
+
+"No one else would do it. Hired assassins would not chop and burn. Hate
+and greed were both involved in this butchery--hate and greed made mad by
+drink. I tell you, the men who did this are less than a day's ride of
+where we stand."
+
+A silence followed--so deep a silence that the ranger was convinced of the
+fact that in the circle of his listeners stood those who, if they had not
+shared in the slaughter, at least knew the names of the guilty men.
+
+At last the sheriff spoke, this time with a sigh. "I hope you're all
+wrong, Cavanagh. I'd hate to think any constituent of mine had sanctioned
+this job. Give me that lantern, Curtis."
+
+The group of ranchers dismounted, and followed the sheriff over to the
+grewsome spot; but Redfield stayed with the ranger.
+
+"Have you any suspicion, Ross?"
+
+"No, hardly a suspicion. However, you know as well as I that this was not
+a sudden outbreak. This deed was planned. It represents the feeling of
+many cattle-men--in everything but the extra horror of its execution.
+_That_ was the work of drunken, infuriated men. But I am more deeply
+concerned over Miss Wetherford's distress. Did she reach you by telephone
+to-night?"
+
+"No. What's the trouble?"
+
+"Her mother is down again. I telephoned her, and she asked me to come to
+her, but I cannot go, for I have a case of smallpox up on the hill. Ambro,
+the Basque herder, is down with it, and another herder is up there alone
+with him. I must go back to them. But meanwhile I wish you would go to the
+Fork and see what you can do for her."
+
+His voice, filled with emotion, touched Redfield, and he said: "Can't I go
+to the relief of the herder?"
+
+"No, you must not think of it; you are a man of a family. But if you can
+find any one who has had the smallpox send him up; the old herder who is
+nursing the patient is not strong, and may drop any moment. Then it's up
+to me."
+
+The men came back to the camp-fire conversing in low voices, some of them
+cursing in tones of awe. One or two of them were small farmers from Deer
+Creek, recent comers to the State, or men with bunches of milk-cows, and
+to them this deed was awesome.
+
+The sheriff followed, saying: "Well, there's nothing to do but wait till
+morning. The rest of you men better go home. You can't be of any use
+here."
+
+For more than three hours the sheriff and Redfield sat with the ranger
+waiting for daylight, and during this time the name of every man in the
+region was brought up and discussed. Among others, Ross mentioned the old
+man in the ditch.
+
+"He wouldn't hurt a bumblebee!" declared the sheriff. "He's got a bunch of
+cattle, but he's the mildest old man in the State. He's the last rancher
+in the country to even stand for such work. What made you mention him?"
+
+"I passed him as I was riding back," replied Cavanagh, "and he had a
+scared look in his eyes."
+
+The sheriff grunted. "You imagined all that. The old chap always has a
+kind of meek look."
+
+Cavanagh, tired, hungry, and rebellious, waited until the first faint
+light in the east announced the dawn; then he rose, and, stretching his
+hand out toward it, said: "Here comes the new day. Will it be a new day to
+the State, or is it to be the same old round of savagery?"
+
+Redfield expressed a word of hope, and in that spirit the ranger mounted
+and rode away back toward the small teepee wherein Wetherford was doing
+his best to expiate his past--a past that left him old and friendless at
+fifty-five. The sheriff and his men took up the work of vengeance which
+fell to them as officers of the law.
+
+It was nearly noon of a glorious day as Cavanagh, very tired and very
+hungry, rode up to the sheep-herder's tent. Wetherford was sitting in the
+sun calmly smoking his pipe, the sheep were feeding not far away, attended
+by the dog, and an air of peace covered his sunlit rocky world.
+
+"How is the Basque?" asked the ranger.
+
+Wetherford pointed upward. "All over."
+
+"Then it wasn't smallpox?"
+
+"I reckon that's what it was; it sure was fierce. I judge it's a case of
+Injun burial--no ceremony--right here in the rocks. I'll let you dig the
+hole (I'm just about all in), but mind you keep to the windward all the
+time. I don't want you spotted."
+
+Cavanagh understood the necessity for these precautions, but first of all
+came his own need of food and rest. Turning his tired horse to grass, he
+stretched himself along a grassy, sunny cranny between the rocks, and
+there ate and afterward slept, while all about him the lambs called and
+the conies whined.
+
+He was awakened by a pebble tossed upon him, and when he arose, stiff and
+sore, but feeling stronger and in better temper, the sun was wearing low.
+Setting to work at his task, he threw the loose rock out of a hollow in
+the ledge near by, and to this rude sepulchre Wetherford dragged the dead
+man, refusing all aid, and there piled a cairn of rocks above his grave.
+
+The ranger was deeply moved by the pitiless contrast of the scene and the
+drama. The sun was still shining warmly aslant the heavens; the wind,
+crisp and sweet, wandered by on laggard wings, the conies cried from the
+ledges; the lambs were calling--and in the midst of it one tattered
+fragment of humanity was heaping the iron earth upon another, stricken,
+perhaps, by the same dread disease.
+
+Wetherford himself paused to moralize. "I suppose that chap has a mother
+somewhere who is wondering where her boy is. This isn't exactly Christian
+burial, but it's all he'll get, I reckon; for whether it was smallpox or
+plain fever, nobody's going to uselessly resurrect him. Even the coyotes
+will fight shy of his meat."
+
+Nevertheless, the ranger took a hand at the end and rolled some huge
+bowlders upon the grave, to insure the wolves' defeat.
+
+"Now burn the bedding," he commanded--"the whole camp has got to go--and
+your clothing, too, after we get down the hill."
+
+"What will we do with the sheep?"
+
+"Drive them over the divide and leave them."
+
+All these things Wetherford did, and leaving the camp in ashes behind him,
+Cavanagh drove the sheep before him on his homeward way. As night fell,
+the dog, at his command, rounded them up and put them to bed, and the men
+went on down the valley, leaving the brave brute on guard, pathetic figure
+of faithful guardianship.
+
+"It hurts me to desert you, old fellow," called the ranger, looking back,
+"but there's no help for it. I'll come up in the morning and bring you
+some biscuit."
+
+The collie seemed to understand. He waggled his tail and whined, as though
+struggling to express his wonder and pain, and Ross, moved to pity,
+called: "Come on, boy, never mind the sheep! Come along with us!"
+
+But the dog, leaping from side to side, uttered a short howl and a sharp
+bark, as if to say: "I can't! I can't!"
+
+"He's onto _his_ job," remarked Wetherford. "It beats all how human they
+do seem sometimes. I've no manner of doubt that dago's booted him all over
+the place many a time, and yet he seemed horrible sorry about his master's
+trouble. Every few minutes, all night long, he'd come pattering and
+whining round the door of the tent--didn't come in, seemed just trying to
+ask how things were coming. He was like a child, lonesome and grieving."
+
+It was long after dark when they entered the canon just above the cabin,
+and Wetherford was shivering from cold and weakness.
+
+"Now you pull up just outside the gate, and wait there till I bring out
+some blankets; then you've got to strip to the skin and start the world
+all over again," said Cavanagh. "I'll build a fire here, and we'll cremate
+your past. How about it?"
+
+"I'm willing," responded Wetherford. "You can burn everything that belongs
+to me but my wife and my girl."
+
+All through the ceremony which followed ran this self-banter. "I'll be all
+ranger, barring a commission," he said, with a grin, as he put on the
+olive-yellow shirt and a pair of dusty-green trousers. "And here goes my
+past!" he added, as he tossed his contaminated rags upon the fire.
+
+"What a corking opportunity to make a fresh start," commented Cavanagh. "I
+hope you see it."
+
+"I see it; but it's hard to live up to your mark."
+
+When every precaution had been taken, the ranger led the freshly scrubbed,
+scoured, and transformed fugitive to his cabin.
+
+"Why, man, you're fit for the State Legislature," he exclaimed, as they
+came into the full light. "My clothes don't precisely meet every demand
+you make upon them, but they give you an air of command. I wish your wife
+could see you now."
+
+Wetherford was quite serious as he answered: "This uniform means more to
+me than you think. I wish I was entitled to wear it. The wild-wood is just
+about populous enough for me."
+
+"Good for you!" responded Cavanagh. "To convert a man of your record to a
+belief in conservation is to demonstrate once again the regenerative power
+of an idea." Then, seeing that Wetherford was really in earnest, he added:
+"You can stay with me as long as you wish. Perhaps in time you might be
+able to work into the service as a guard, although the chief is getting
+more and more insistent on real foresters."
+
+There were tears in Wetherford's eyes as he said: "You cannot realize what
+this clean, warm uniform means to me. For nine years I wore the prison
+stripes; then I was turned loose with a shoddy suit and a hat a size too
+big for me--an outfit that gave me away everywhere I went. Till my hair
+and beard sprouted I had a hard rustle of it, but my clothes grew old
+faster than my beard. At last I put every cent I had earned into a poor
+old horse, and a faded saddle, and once mounted I kept a-moving north." He
+smoothed the sleeve of his coat. "It is ten years since I was dressed like
+a man."
+
+"You need not worry about food or shelter for the present," replied
+Cavanagh, gently. "Grub is not costly here, and house-rent is less than
+nominal, so make yourself at home and get strong."
+
+Wetherford lifted his head. "But I want to do something. I want to redeem
+myself in some way. I don't want my girl to know who I am, but I'd like to
+win her respect. I can't be what you say she thinks I was, but if I had a
+chance I might show myself a man again. I wouldn't mind Lize knowing that
+I am alive--it might be a comfort to her; but I don't want even her to be
+told till I can go to her in my own duds."
+
+"She's pretty sick," said Cavanagh. "I telephoned Lee Virginia last night,
+and if you wish you may ride down with me to-morrow and see her."
+
+The old man fell a-tremble. "I daren't do that. I can't bear to tell her
+where I've been!"
+
+"She needn't know. I will tell her you've been out of your mind. I'll say
+anything you wish! You can go to her in the clothes you have on if you
+like--she will not recognize you as the prisoner I held the other night.
+You can have your beard trimmed, and not even the justice will know you."
+
+All reserve had vanished out of the convict's heart, and with choking
+voice he thanked his young host. "I'll never be a burden to you," he
+declared, in firmer voice. "And if my lung holds out, I'll show you I'm
+not the total locoe that I 'pear to be."
+
+No further reference was made to Lee Virginia, but Ross felt himself to be
+more deeply involved than ever by these promises; his fortunes seemed to
+be inextricably bound up with this singular and unhappy family. Lying in
+his bunk (after the lights were out), he fancied himself back in his
+ancestral home, replying to the questions of his aunts and uncles, who
+were still expecting him to bring home a rich and beautiful American
+heiress. Some of the Cavanaghs were drunkards and some were vixens, but
+they were on the whole rather decent, rather decorous and very dull, and
+to them this broken ex-convict and this slattern old barmaid would seem
+very far from the ideal they had formed of the family into which Ross was
+certain to marry.
+
+But as he recalled the spot in which he lay and the uniform which hung
+upon the wall, he was frank to admit that the beautiful and rich heiress
+of whom his family dreamed was a very unsubstantial vision indeed, and
+that, to be honest with himself, he had nothing to offer for such shining
+good-fortune.
+
+At breakfast next morning he said: "I must ride back and take some bread
+to the dog. I can't go away and leave him there without saying 'hello.'"
+
+"Let me do that," suggested Wetherford. "I'm afraid to go down to the
+Fork. I reckon I'd better go back and tend the sheep till Gregg sends some
+one up to take my place."
+
+"That might be too late to see Lize. Lee's voice showed great anxiety. She
+may be on her death-bed. No; you'd better go down with me to-day," he
+urged. And at last the old man consented.
+
+Putting some bread in his pockets, Ross rode off up the trail to see how
+the dog and his flock were faring. He had not gone far when he heard the
+tinkle of the bells and the murmur of the lambs, and a few moments later
+the collie came toward him with the air of a boy who, having assumed to
+disregard the orders of his master, expects a scolding. He plainly said:
+"I've brought my sheep to you because I was lonesome. Please forgive me."
+
+Cavanagh called to him cheerily, and tossed him a piece of bread, which he
+caught in his teeth but did not swallow; on the contrary, he held it while
+leaping for joy of the praise he heard in his new-found master's voice.
+
+Turning the flock upward again toward the higher peaks, the ranger
+commanded the collie to their heels, and so, having redeemed his promise,
+rode back to the cabin, where he found Wetherford saddled and ready for
+his momentous trip to the valley. He had shaved away his gray beard, and
+had Ross been unprepared for these changes he would have been puzzled to
+account for this decidedly military figure sitting statuesquely on his
+pony before the door.
+
+"You can prove an alibi," he called, as he drew near. "Gregg himself would
+never recognize you now."
+
+Wetherford was in no mood for joking. "Lize will. I wore a mustache in the
+old days, and there's a scar on my chin."
+
+As he rode he confided this strange thing to Cavanagh. "I know," said he,
+"that Lize is old and wrinkled, for I've seen her, but all the same I
+can't realize it. That heavy-set woman down there is not Lize. My Lize is
+slim and straight. This woman whom you know has stolen her name and face,
+that's all. I can't explain exactly what I feel, but Lee Virginia means
+more to me now than Lize."
+
+"I think I understand you," said Cavanagh, with sympathy in his voice.
+
+The nearer Wetherford came to the actual meeting with his wife the more he
+shook. At last he stopped in the road. "I don't believe I can do it," he
+declared. "I'll be like a ghost to her. What's the use of it? She'll only
+be worried by my story. I reckon I'd better keep dark to everybody. Let me
+go back. I'm plum scared cold."
+
+While still he argued, two men on horseback rounded a sharp turn in the
+trail and came face to face with the ranger. Wetherford's face went
+suddenly gray. "My God, there's the deputy!"
+
+"Keep quiet. I'll do the talking," commanded Cavanagh, who was instant in
+his determination to shield the man. "Good-morning, gentlemen," he called,
+cheerily, "you're abroad early!"
+
+The man in front was the deputy sheriff of the county; his companion was a
+stranger.
+
+"That was a horrible mess you stumbled on over on Deer Creek," the deputy
+remarked.
+
+"It certainly was. Have any arrests been made?"
+
+"Not yet, but we're on a clew. This is Marshal Haines, of Dallas, Mr.
+Cavanagh," pursued the deputy. The two men nodded in token of the
+introduction, and the deputy went on: "You remember that old cuss that
+used to work for Gregg?"
+
+Again Cavanagh nodded.
+
+"Well, that chap is wanted by the Texas authorities. Mr. Haines, here,
+wants to see him mighty bad. He's an escaped convict with a bad record."
+
+"Is that so?" exclaimed Cavanagh. "I thought he seemed a bit gun-shy."
+
+"The last seen of him was when Sam Gregg sent him up to herd sheep. I
+think he was mixed up in that killing, myself--him and Ballard--and we're
+going up to get some track of him. Didn't turn up at your station, did
+he?"
+
+"Yes, he came by some days ago, on his way, so he said, to relieve that
+sick Basque, Ambro. I went up a couple of days ago, and found the Basque
+dead and the old man gone. I buried the herder the best I could, and I'm
+on my way down to report the case."
+
+The deputy mused: "He may be hanging 'round some of the lumber-camps. I
+reckon we had better go up and look the ground over, anyhow. We might just
+chance to overhaul him."
+
+"He may have pulled out over the range," suggested the ranger. "Anyhow,
+it's a long way up there, and you'll probably have to camp at my place
+to-night. You'll find the key hanging up over the door. Go in and make
+yourself comfortable."
+
+The deputy thanked him, and was about to ride on when Cavanagh added: "I
+burned that Basque's tent and bedding for fear of contagion. His outfit
+was worthless, anyhow. You'll find the sheep just above my cabin, and the
+horse in my corral."
+
+"The old man didn't take the horse, eh? Well, that settles it; he's sure
+at one of the camps. Much obliged. Good-day."
+
+As the two officers rode away Wetherford leaned heavily on his pommel and
+stared at the ranger with wide eyes. His face was drawn and his lips dry.
+"They'll get me! My God, they'll get me!" he said.
+
+"Oh no, they won't," rejoined Cavanagh. "You're all right yet. They
+suspected nothing. How could they, with you in uniform and in my
+company?"
+
+"All the same, I'm scared. That man Haines had his eyes on me every
+minute. He saw right through me. They'll get me, and they'll charge me up
+with that killing."
+
+"No, they won't, I tell you," insisted the ranger. "Haines suspected
+nothing. I had his eye. He never saw you before, and has nothing but a
+description to go by. So cheer up. Your uniform and your position with me
+will make you safe--perfectly safe. They'll find the Basque's camp burned
+and the sheep in charge of the dog, and they'll fancy that you have
+skipped across the range. But see here, old man," and he turned on him
+sharply, "you didn't tell me the whole truth. You said you were out on
+parole."
+
+"I couldn't tell you the whole truth," replied the fugitive. "But I will
+now. I was in for a life sentence. I was desperate for the open air and
+homesick for the mountains, and I struck down one of the guards. I was
+willing to do anything to get out. I thought if I could get back to this
+country and my wife and child I'd be safe. I said I'd be willing to go
+back to the pen if necessary, but I'm not. I can't do it. I'd die there in
+that hell. You must save me for my girl's sake."
+
+His voice and eyes were wild with a kind of desperate fury of fear, and
+Cavanagh, moved to pity, assured him of his aid. "Now listen," he said.
+"I'm going to shield you on account of your work for that poor shepherd
+and for your daughter's sake. It's my duty to apprehend you, of course,
+but I'm going to protect you. The safest thing for you to do is to go back
+to my cabin. Ride slow, so as not to get there till they're gone. They'll
+ride over to the sawmill, without doubt. If they come back this way,
+remember that the deputy saw you only as a ragged old man with a long
+beard, and that Haines has nothing but a printed description to go by.
+There's no use trying to flee. You are a marked man in that uniform, and
+you are safer right here with me than anywhere else this side of Chicago.
+Haines is likely to cross the divide in the belief that you have gone that
+way, and, if he does, you have no one but the deputy to deal with."
+
+He succeeded at last in completely rousing the older man's courage.
+
+Wetherford rose to meet his opportunity. "I'll do it," he said, firmly.
+
+"That's the talk!" exclaimed Cavanagh, to encourage him. "You can throw
+them off the track this time, and when I come back to-morrow I'll bring
+some other clothing for you, and then we'll plan some kind of a scheme
+that will get you out of the country. I'll not let them make a scapegoat
+of you."
+
+The ranger watched the fugitive, as he started back over the trail in this
+desperate defiance of his pursuers, with far less confidence in the
+outcome than he had put into words.
+
+"All depends on Wetherford himself. If his nerve does not fail him, if
+they take the uniform for granted, and do not carry the matter to the
+Supervisor, we will pull the plan through." And in this hope he rode away
+down the trail with bent head, for all this bore heavily upon his
+relationship to the girl waiting for him in the valley. He had thought
+Lize a burden, a social disability, but a convict father now made the
+mother's faults of small account.
+
+The nearer he drew to the meeting with Lee Virginia the more important
+that meeting became. After all, woman is more important than war. The love
+of home and the child persists through incredible vicissitudes; the
+conqueror returns from foreign lands the lover still; and in the deep of
+flooded mines and on the icy slopes of arctic promontories dead men have
+been found holding in their rigid hands the pictured face of some fair
+girl. In the presence of such irrefutable testimony, who shall deny the
+persistence and the reality of love?
+
+Cavanagh had seen Virginia hardly more than a score of times, and yet she
+filled his thought, confused his plans, making of his brain a place of
+doubt and hesitation. For her sake he had entered upon a plan to shield a
+criminal, to harbor an escaped convict. It was of no avail to argue that
+he was moved to shield Wetherford because of his heroic action on the
+peak. He knew perfectly well that it was because he could not see that
+fair, brave girl further disgraced by the discovery of her father's
+identity, for in the searching inquiry which would surely follow his
+secret would develop.
+
+To marry her, knowing the character of her father and her mother, was
+madness, and the voice within him warned him of his folly. "Pure water
+cannot be drawn from corrupt sources," it is said. Nevertheless, the
+thought of having the girl with him in the wilderness filled him with
+divine recklessness. He was bewitched by the satin smoothness of her skin,
+the liquid light of her eye, the curve of her cheek, the swell of her
+bosom, and, most of all, by the involuntary movement of yielding which
+betrayed her trust and her love. While still he debated, alternately
+flushed with resolve to be happy and chilled by some strange dejection, he
+met Swenson, the young guard who guarded the forest on the south Fork.
+
+As he rode up, Cavanagh perceived in the other man's face something
+profoundly serious. He did not smile in greeting, as was usual with him,
+and, taking some letters from his pocket, passed them over in ominous
+silence.
+
+Cavanagh, upon looking them over, selected a letter evidently from Mrs.
+Redfield, and stuffed the others into his coat-pocket. It was a closely
+written letter, and contained in its first sentence something which deeply
+affected him. Slipping from his saddle, he took a seat upon a stone, that
+he might the better read and slowly digest what was contained therein. He
+read on slowly, without any other movement than that which was required to
+turn the leaves. It was a passionate plea from Eleanor Redfield against
+his further entanglement with Lize Wetherford's girl.
+
+"You cannot afford to marry her. You simply cannot. The old mother is too
+dreadful, and may live on for years. The girl is attractive, I grant you,
+but she's tainted. If there is anything in the law of heredity, she will
+develop the traits of her mother or her father sooner or later. You must
+not marry her, Ross; and if you cannot, what will you do? There's only one
+thing to do. Keep away. I enclose a letter from your sister, pleading with
+me to urge you to visit them this winter. She is not very strong, as you
+can see by her writing, and her request will give you an excuse for
+breaking off all connection with this girl. I am sorry for her, Ross, but
+you can't marry her. You must not--you must not! Ride over and see us
+soon, and we will talk it all out together."
+
+He opened another letter, but did not read it. He was too profoundly
+shaken by the first. He felt the pure friendship, the fine faith, and the
+guardianship of the writer, and he acknowledged the good sense of all she
+said, and yet--and yet--
+
+When he looked up Swenson was staring down at him with a face of such
+bitterness that it broke through even the absorbed and selfish meditation
+into which he had been thrown.
+
+"What's the matter, Swenson? You look as if you had lost a friend."
+
+"I have," answered the guard, shortly, "and so have you. The chief is
+out."
+
+"What?"
+
+"They've got him!" he exclaimed. "He's out."
+
+Cavanagh sprang up. "I don't believe it! For what reason? Why?"
+
+"Don't that letter tell you? The whole town is chuckling. Every criminal
+and plug-ugly in the country is spitting in our faces this morning. Yes,
+sir, the President has fired the chief--the man that built up this
+Forestry Service. The whole works is goin' to hell, that's what it is.
+We'll have all the coal thieves, water-power thieves, poachers, and
+free-grass pirates piling in on us in mobs. They'll eat up the forest. I
+see the finish of the whole business. They'll put some Western man in,
+somebody they can work. Then where will we be?"
+
+Cavanagh's young heart burned with indignation, but he tried to check the
+other man's torrent of protest.
+
+"I can't believe it. There's some mistake. Maybe they've made him the
+secretary of the department or something."
+
+"No, they haven't. They've thrown him out. They've downed him because he
+tried to head off some thievery of coal-mines in Alaska." The man was
+ready to weep with chagrin and indignant sorrow. His voice choked, and he
+turned away to conceal his emotion.
+
+Cavanagh put the letter back into his pocket and mounted his horse. "Well,
+go on back to your work, Swenson. I'm going to town to get the Supervisor
+on the wire, and find out what it all means."
+
+He was almost as badly stunned by the significance of Swenson's news as
+Swenson himself. Could it be possible that the man who had built up the
+field service of the bureau--the man whose clean-handed patriotism had
+held the boys together, making them every year more clearly a unit, a
+little army of enthusiasts--could it be possible that the originator, the
+organizer of this great plan, had been stricken down just when his
+influence was of most account? He refused to believe it of an
+administration pledged to the cause of conservation.
+
+As he entered the town he was struck instantly by the change in the faces
+turned toward him, in the jocular greetings hurled at him. "Hello, Mr.
+Cossack! What do you think of your chief now?"
+
+"This will put an end to your infernal nonsense," said another. "We'll
+have a man in there now who knows the Western ways, and who's willing to
+boom things along. The cork is out of your forest bottle."
+
+Gregg was most offensive of all. "This means throwing open the forest to
+anybody that wants to use it. Means an entire reversal of this fool
+policy."
+
+"Wait and see," replied Cavanagh, but his face was rigid with the
+repression of the fear and anger he felt. With hands that trembled he
+opened the door to the telephone-booth, closed it carefully behind him,
+and called for the Supervisor's office. As soon as Redfield replied, he
+burst forth in question: "Is it true that the chief is out?"
+
+Redfield's voice was husky as he replied, "Yes, lad, they've got him."
+
+"Good Lord! What a blow to the service!" exclaimed Cavanagh, with a groan
+of sorrow and rage. "What is the President thinking of--to throw out the
+only man who stood for the future, the man who had built up this corps,
+who was its inspiration?" Then after a pause he added, with bitter
+resolution: "This ends it for me. Here's where I get off."
+
+"Don't say that, boy. We need you now more than ever."
+
+"I'm through. I'm done with America--with the States. I shall write my
+resignation at once. Send down another man to take my place."
+
+Redfield's pleadings were of no avail. Cavanagh went directly from the
+booth to the post-office, and there, surrounded by jeering and exultant
+citizens, he penned his resignation and mailed it. Then, with stern and
+contemptuous face, he left the place, making no reply to the jeers of his
+enemies, and, mounting his horse, mechanically rode away out upon the
+plains, seeking the quiet, open places in order to regain calmness and
+decision. He did not deliberately ride away from Lee Virginia, but as he
+entered upon the open country he knew that he was leaving her as he was
+leaving the forests. He had cut himself off from her as he had cut himself
+off from the work he loved. His heart was swollen big within his breast.
+He longed for the return of "the Colonel" to the White House. "What manner
+of ruler is this who is ready to strike down the man whose very name means
+conservation, and who in a few years would have made this body of forest
+rangers the most effective corps of its size in the world?" He groaned
+again, and his throat ached with the fury of his indignation.
+
+"Dismissed for insubordination," the report said. "In what way? Only in
+making war on greed, in checking graft, in preserving the heritage of the
+people."
+
+The lash that cut deepest was the open exultation of the very men whose
+persistent attempt to appropriate public property the chief had helped to
+thwart. "Redfield will go next. The influence that got the chief will get
+Hugh. He's too good a man to escape. Then, as Swenson says, the thieves
+will roll in upon us to slash, and burn, and corrupt. What a country! What
+a country!"
+
+As he reached the end of this line of despairing thought, he came back to
+the question of his remaining personal obligations. Wetherford must be
+cared for, and then--and then! there was Virginia waiting for him at this
+moment. In his weakness he confessed that he had never intended to marry
+her, and yet he had never deliberately intended to do her wrong. He had
+always stopped short of the hideous treachery involved in despoiling her
+young love. "And for her sake, to save her from humiliation, I will help
+her father to freedom."
+
+This brought him back to the hideous tragedy of the heights, and with that
+thought the last shred of faith in the sense of justice in the State
+vanished.
+
+"They will never discover those murderers. They will permit this outrage
+to pass unpunished, like the others. It will be merely another 'dramatic
+incident' in the history of the range."
+
+His pony of its own accord turned, and by a circuitous route headed at
+last for the home canon as if it knew its master's wavering mind. Cavanagh
+observed what he was doing, but his lax hand did not intervene. Helpless
+to make the decision himself, he welcomed the intervention of the homing
+instinct of his horse. With bent head and brooding face he returned to the
+silence of the trail and the loneliness of the hills.
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+CAVANAGH'S LAST VIGIL BEGINS
+
+
+On his solitary ride upward and homeward the ranger searched his heart and
+found it bitter and disloyal. Love had interfered with duty, and pride had
+checked and defeated love. His path, no longer clear and definite, looped
+away aimlessly, lost in vague, obscure meanderings. His world had suddenly
+grown gray.
+
+The magnificent plan of the Chief Forester (to which he had pledged such
+buoyant allegiance) was now a thing apart, a campaign in which he was to
+be merely an onlooker. It had once offered something congenial, helpful,
+inspiring; now it seemed fantastic and futile without the man who shaped
+it. "I am nearing forty," he said; "Eleanor is right. I am wasting my time
+here in these hills; but what else can I do?"
+
+He had no trade, no business, no special skill, save in the ways of the
+mountaineer, and to return to his ancestral home at the moment seemed a
+woful confession of failure.
+
+But the cause of his deepest dismay and doubt was the revelation to
+himself of the essential lawlessness of his love, a force within him which
+now made his duties as a law-enforcer sadly ironic. After all, was not the
+man who presumed upon a maiden's passion and weakness a greater malefactor
+than he who steals a pearl or strangles a man for his gold? To betray a
+soul, to poison a young life, is this not the unforgivable crime?
+
+"Here am I, a son of the law, complaining of the lawlessness of the
+West--fighting it, conquering it--and yet at the same time I permit myself
+to descend to the level of Neill Ballard, to think as the barbaric man
+thinks."
+
+He burned hot with contempt of himself, and his teeth set hard in the
+resolution to put himself beyond the reach of temptation. "Furthermore, I
+am concealing a criminal, cloaking a convict, when I should be arresting
+him," he pursued, referring back to Wetherford. "And why? Because of a
+girl's romantic notion of her father, a notion which can be preserved only
+by keeping his secret, by aiding him to escape." And even this motive, he
+was obliged to confess, had not all been on the highest plane. It was all
+a part of his almost involuntary campaign to win Virginia's love. The
+impulse had been lawless, lawless as the old-time West, and the admission
+cut deep into his self-respect.
+
+It was again dusk as he rode up to his own hitching-pole and slipped from
+the saddle.
+
+Wetherford came out, indicating by his manner that he had recovered his
+confidence once more. "How did you find things in the valley?" he
+inquired, as they walked away toward the corral.
+
+"Bad," responded the ranger.
+
+"In what way?"
+
+"The chief has been dismissed and all the rascals are chuckling with glee.
+I've resigned from the service."
+
+Wetherford was aghast. "What for?"
+
+"I will not serve under any other chief. The best thing for you to do is
+to go out when I do. I think by keeping on that uniform you can get to the
+train with me."
+
+"Did you see Lize and my girl?"
+
+"No, I only remained in town a minute. It was too hot for me. I'm done
+with it. Wetherford, I'm going back to civilization. No more wild West for
+me." The bitterness of his voice touched the older man's heart, but he
+considered it merely a mood.
+
+"Don't lose your nerve; mebbe this ends the reign of terror."
+
+"Nothing will end the moral shiftlessness of this country but the death of
+the freebooter. You can't put new wine into old bottles. These cattle-men,
+deep in their hearts, sympathize with the wiping-out of those
+sheep-herders. The cry for justice comes from the man whose ear is not
+being chewed--the man far off--and from the town-builder who knows the
+State is being hurt by such atrocities; but the ranchers over on Deer
+Creek will conceal the assassins--you know that. You've had experience
+with these free-grass warriors; you know what they are capable of. That
+job was done by men who hated the dagoes--hated 'em because they were
+rival claimants for the range. It's nonsense to attempt to fasten it on
+men like Neill Ballard. The men who did that piece of work are well-known
+stock-owners."
+
+"I reckon that's so."
+
+"Well, now, who's going to convict them? I can't do it. I'm going to pull
+out as soon as I can put my books in shape, and you'd better go too."
+
+They were standing at the gate of the corral, and the roar of the mountain
+stream enveloped them in a cloud of sound.
+
+Wetherford spoke slowly: "I hate to lose my girl, now that I've seen her,
+but I guess you're right; and Lize, poor old critter! It's hell's shame
+the way I've queered her life, and I'd give my right arm to be where I was
+twelve years ago; but with a price on my head and old age comin' on, I
+don't see myself ever again getting up to par. It's a losing game for me
+now."
+
+There was resignation as well as despair in his voice and Cavanagh felt
+it, but he said, "There's one other question that may come up for
+decision--if that Basque died of smallpox, you may possibly take it."
+
+"I've figured on that, but it will take a day or two to show on me. I
+don't feel any ache in my bones yet. If I do come down, you keep away from
+me. You've got to live and take care of Virginia."
+
+"She should never have returned to this accursed country," Cavanagh
+harshly replied, starting back toward the cabin.
+
+The constable, smoking his pipe beside the fireplace, did not present an
+anxious face; on the contrary, he seemed plumply content as he replied to
+the ranger's greeting. He represented very well the type of officer which
+these disorderly communities produce. Brave and tireless when working
+along the line of his prejudices, he could be most laxly inefficient when
+his duties cut across his own or his neighbor's interests. Being a
+cattle-man by training, he was glad of the red herring which the Texas
+officer had trailed across the line of his pursuit.
+
+This attitude still further inflamed Cavanagh's indignant hate of the
+country. The theory which the deputy developed was transparent folly. "It
+was just a case of plain robbery," he argued. "One of them dagoes had
+money, and Neill Ballard and that man Edwards just naturally follered him
+and killed the whole bunch and scooted--that's my guess."
+
+Cavanagh's outburst was prevented by the scratching and whining of a dog
+at his door. For a moment he wondered at this; his perturbed mind had
+dropped the memory of the loyal collie.
+
+As he opened the door, the brute, more than half human in his gaze, looked
+beseechingly at his new master, as if to say, "I couldn't help it--I was
+so lonely. And I love you."
+
+"You poor beastie," the ranger called, pityingly, and the dog leaped up in
+a frenzy of joyous relief, putting his paws on his breast, then dropped to
+the ground, and, crouching low on his front paws, quivered and yawned with
+ecstasy of worship. It seemed that he could not express his passionate
+adoration, his relief, except by these grotesque contortions.
+
+"Come in, Laddie!" Ross urged, but this the dog refused to do. "I am a
+creature of the open air," he seemed to say. "My duties are of the outer
+world. I have no wish for a fireside--all I need is a master's praise and
+a bit of bread."
+
+Cavanagh brought some food, and, putting it down outside the door, spoke
+to him, gently: "Good boy! Eat that and go back to your flock. I'll come
+to see you in the morning."
+
+When Cavanagh, a few minutes later, went to the door the dog was gone,
+and, listening, the ranger could hear the faint, diminishing bleating of
+the sheep on the hillside above the corral. The four-footed warden was
+with his flock.
+
+An hour later the sound of a horse's hoofs on the bridge gave warning of a
+visitor, and as Cavanagh went to the door Gregg rode up, seeking
+particulars as to the death of the herder and the whereabouts of the
+sheep.
+
+The ranger was not in a mood to invite the sheepman in, and, besides, he
+perceived the danger to which Wetherford was exposed. Therefore his
+answers were short. Gregg, on his part, did not appear anxious to enter.
+
+"What happened to that old hobo I sent up?" he asked.
+
+Cavanagh briefly retold his story, and at the end of it Gregg grunted.
+"You say you burned the tent and all the bedding?"
+
+"Every thread of it. It wasn't safe to leave it."
+
+"What ailed the man?"
+
+"I don't know, but it looked and smelled like smallpox."
+
+The deputy rose with a spring. "Smallpox! You didn't _handle_ the cuss?"
+
+Cavanagh did not spare him. "Somebody had to lend a hand. I couldn't see
+him die there alone, and he had to be buried, so I did the job."
+
+Gregg recoiled a step or two, but the deputy stood staring, the
+implication of all this sinking deep. "Were you wearing the same clothes
+you've got on?"
+
+"Yes, but I used a slicker while working around the body."
+
+"Good King!" The sweat broke out on the man's face. "You ought to be
+arrested."
+
+Ross took a step toward him. "I'm at your service."
+
+"Keep off!" shouted the sheriff.
+
+Ross smiled, then became very serious. "I took every precaution, Mr.
+Deputy; I destroyed everything that could possibly carry the disease. I
+burned every utensil, including the saddle, everything but the man's horse
+and his dog!"
+
+"The dog!" exclaimed the deputy, seized with another idea. "Not that dog
+you fed just now?"
+
+"The very same," replied Cavanagh.
+
+"Don't you know a dog's sure to carry the poison in his hair? Why, _he
+jumped on you_! Why didn't you shoot him?" he demanded, fiercely.
+
+"Because he's a faithful guardian, and, besides, he was with the sheep,
+and never so much as entered the tent."
+
+"Do you _know_ that?"
+
+"Not absolutely, but he seemed to be on shy terms with the herder, and I'm
+sure--"
+
+The officer caught up his hat and coat and started for the door. "It's me
+for the open air," said he.
+
+As the men withdrew Ross followed them, and, standing in his door,
+delivered his final volley. "If this State does not punish those fiends,
+every decent man should emigrate out of it, turning the land over to the
+wolves, the wildcats, and other beasts of prey."
+
+Gregg, as he retreated, called back: "That's all right, Mr. Ranger, but
+you'd better keep to the hills for a few weeks. The settlers down below
+won't enjoy having a man with smallpox chassayin' around town. They might
+rope and tie you."
+
+Wetherford came out of his hiding-place with a grave face. "I wonder I
+didn't think of that collie. They say a cat's fur will carry disease germs
+like a sponge. Must be the same with a dog."
+
+"Well, it's too late now," replied Cavanagh. "But they're right about our
+staying clear of town. They'll quarantine us sure. All the same, I don't
+believe the dog carried any germs of the disease."
+
+Wetherford, now that the danger of arrest was over, was disposed to be
+grimly humorous. "There's no great loss without some small gain. I don't
+think we'll be troubled by any more visitors--not even by sheriffs or
+doctors. I reckon you and I are in for a couple of months of the quiet
+life--the kind we read about."
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+Cavanagh, now that he was definitely out of the Forest Service, perceived
+the weight of every objection which his friends and relatives had made
+against his going into it. It was a lonely life, and must ever be so. It
+was all very well for a young unmarried man, who loved the woods and hills
+beyond all things else, and who could wait for advancement, but it was a
+sad place for one who desired a wife. The ranger's place was on the trail
+and in the hills, and to bring a woman into these high silences, into
+these lone reaches of forest and fell, would be cruel. To bring children
+into them would be criminal.
+
+All the next day, while Wetherford pottered about the cabin or the yard,
+Cavanagh toiled at his papers, resolved to leave everything in the perfect
+order which he loved. Whenever he looked round upon his belongings, each
+and all so redolent of the wilderness--he found them very dear. His chairs
+(which he had rived out of slabs), his guns, his robes, his saddles and
+their accoutrements--all meant much to him. "Some of them must go with
+me," he said. "And when I am settled down in the old home I'll have one
+room to myself which shall be so completely of the mountain America that
+when I am within it I can fancy myself back in the camp."
+
+He thought of South Africa as a possibility, and put it aside, knowing
+well that no other place could have the same indefinable charm that the
+Rocky Mountains possessed, for the reason that he had come to them at his
+most impressionable age. Then, too, the United States, for all their
+faults, seemed merely an extension of the English form of government.
+
+Wetherford was also moving in deep thought, and at last put his perplexity
+into a question. "What am I to do? I'm beginning to feel queer. I reckon
+the chances for my having smallpox are purty fair. Maybe I'd better drop
+down to Sulphur and report to the authorities. I've got a day or two
+before the blossoms will begin to show on me."
+
+Cavanagh studied him closely. "Now don't get to thinking you've got it. I
+don't see how you could attach a germ. The high altitude and the winds up
+there ought to prevent infection. I'm not afraid for myself, but if you're
+able, perhaps we'd better pull out to-morrow."
+
+Later in the day Wetherford expressed deeper dejection. "I don't see
+anything ahead of me anyhow," he confessed. "If I go back to the 'pen'
+I'll die of lung trouble, and I don't know how I'm going to earn a living
+in the city. Mebbe the best thing I could do would be to take the pox and
+go under. I'm afraid of big towns," he continued. "I always was--even when
+I had money. Now that I am old and broke I daren't go. No city for me."
+
+Cavanagh's patience gave way. "But, man, you can't stay here! I'm packing
+up to leave. Your only chance of getting out of the country is to go when
+I go, and in my company." His voice was harsh and keen, and the old man
+felt its edge; but he made no reply, and this sad silence moved Cavanagh
+to repentance. His irritability warned him of something deeply changing in
+his own nature.
+
+Approaching the brooding felon, he spoke gently and sadly. "I'm sorry for
+you, Wetherford, I sure am, but it's up to you to get clear away so that
+Lee will never by any possible chance find out that you are alive. She has
+a romantic notion of you as a representative of the old-time West, and it
+would be a dreadful shock to her if she knew you as you are. It's hard to
+leave her, I know, now that you've seen her, but that's the manly thing to
+do--the only thing to do."
+
+"Oh, you're right--of course you're right. But I wish I could be of some
+use to her. I wish I could chore round for the rest of my life, where I
+could kind o' keep watch over her. I'd be glad enough to play the scullion
+in her kitchen. But if you're going to take her--"
+
+"But I'm not," protested Ross. "I'm going to leave her right here. I can't
+take her."
+
+Wetherford looked at him with steady eyes, into which a keen light leaped.
+"Don't you intend to marry her?"
+
+Ross turned away. "No, I don't--I mean it is impossible!"
+
+"Why not? Don't tell me you're already married?" He said this with
+menacing tone.
+
+"No, I'm not married, but--" He stopped without making his meaning plain.
+"I'm going to leave the country and--"
+
+Wetherford caught him up. "I reckon I understand what you mean. You
+consider Lize and me undersirable parents--not just the kind you'd cut out
+of the herd of your own free will. Well, that's all right, I don't blame
+you so far as I'm concerned. But you can forget me, consider me a dead
+one. I'll never bother her nor you."
+
+Cavanagh threw out an impatient hand. "It is impossible," he protested.
+"It's better for her and better for me that I should do so. I've made up
+my mind. I'm going back to my own people."
+
+Wetherford was thoroughly roused now. Some part of his old-time fire
+seemed to return to him. He rose from his chair and approached the ranger
+firmly. "I've seen you act like a man, Ross Cavanagh. You've been a good
+partner these last few days--a son couldn't have treated me better--and I
+hate like hell to think ill of you; but my girl loves you--I could see
+that. I could see her lean to you, and I've got to know something else
+right now. You're going to leave here--you're going to throw her off. What
+I want to know is this: Do you leave her as good as you found her? Come,
+now, I want an answer, as one man to another."
+
+Cavanagh's eyes met his with firm but sorrowful gaze. "In the sense in
+which you mean, I leave her as I found her."
+
+The old man's open hand shot out toward his rescuer. "Forgive me, my lad,"
+he said, humbly; "for a minute I--doubted you."
+
+Ross took his hand, but slowly replied: "It will be hard for you to
+understand, when I tell you that I care a great deal for your daughter,
+but a man like me--an Englishman--cannot marry--or he ought not to
+marry--to himself alone. There are so many others to consider--his
+friends, his sisters--"
+
+Wetherford dropped his hand. "I see!" His tone was despairing. "When I was
+young we married the girls we loved in defiance of man, God, or the
+cupboard; but you are not that kind. You may be right. I'm nothing but a
+debilitated old cow-puncher branded by the State--a man who threw away his
+chance--but I can tell you straight, I've learned that nothing but the
+love of a woman counts. Furthermore," and here his fire flashed again,
+"I'd have killed you had you taken advantage of my girl!"
+
+"Which would have been your duty," declared Cavanagh, wearily.
+
+And in the face of this baffling mood, which he felt but could not
+understand, the old man fell silent.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+CAVANAGH ASKS FOR HELP
+
+
+Lee Virginia waited with increasing impatience for Ross Cavanagh's return,
+expecting each noon to see him appear at the door; but when three days
+passed without word or sign from him, her uneasiness deepened into alarm.
+The whole town was profoundly excited over the murder, that she knew, and
+she began to fear that some of the ranger's enemies had worked their evil
+will upon him.
+
+With this vague fear in her heart, she went forth into the street to
+inquire. One of the first men she met was Sifton, who was sitting, as
+usual, outside the livery-barn door, smiling, inefficient, content. Of him
+she asked: "Have you seen Mr. Cavanagh?"
+
+"Yes," he answered, "I saw him yesterday, just after dinner, down at the
+post-office. He was writing a letter at the desk. Almost immediately
+afterward he mounted and rode away. He was much cut up over his chief's
+dismissal."
+
+"Why has he not written to me," she asked herself, "and why should he have
+gone away without a word of greeting, explanation, or good-bye? It would
+have taken but a moment's time to call at the door."
+
+The more she dwelt upon this neglect the more significant it became. After
+the tender look in his eyes, after the ardent clasp of his hand, the
+thought that he could be so indifferent was at once a source of pain and
+self-reproach.
+
+With childish frankness she went to Lize and told her what she had
+learned, her eyes dim with hot tears. "Ross came to town, and went away
+back to his cabin without coming to see me."
+
+"Are you sure he's been here?"
+
+"Yes. Mr. Sifton saw him go. He came in, got some letters at the
+post-office, and then rode away--" Her voice broke as her disappointment
+and grief overcame her.
+
+Lize struggled to a sitting position. "There's some mistake about this.
+Ross Cavanagh never was the whifflin' kind of man. You've got to remember
+he's on duty. Probably the letter was some order that carried him right
+back to his work."
+
+"But if he had really cared, he could have ridden by to say just a word;
+but he didn't, he went away without a sign, after promising to come." She
+buried her face in the coverlet of her mother's bed, and wept in childish
+grief and despair.
+
+Lize was forced to acknowledge that the ranger's action was inexplicable,
+but she did her best to make light of it. "He may have hurried to town on
+some errand, and hadn't a moment to spare. These are exciting days for
+him, remember. He'll be in to-morrow sure."
+
+With a faint hope of this, the girl rose and went about her daily tasks;
+but the day passed, and another, without word or sign of the recreant
+lover, and each day brought a deeper sense of loss, but her pride would
+not permit her to show her grief.
+
+Young Gregg, without knowing in the least the cause of her troubled face,
+took this occasion to offer comfort. His manner toward her had changed
+since she no longer had a part in the management of the eating-house, and
+for that reason she did not repulse him as sharply as she had been wont to
+do. He really bore Cavanagh no ill-will, and was, indeed, shrewd enough to
+understand that Lee admired the ranger, and that his own courtship was
+rather hopeless; nevertheless, he persisted, his respect for her growing
+as he found her steadfast in her refusal to permit any familiarity.
+
+"See here, Miss Virginia," he cried, as she was passing him in the hall,
+"I can see you're worried about Lize (I mean your mother), and if I can be
+of any use I hope you'll call on me." As she thanked him without
+enthusiasm, he added: "How is she to-night?"
+
+"I think she's better."
+
+"Can I see her?"
+
+His tone was so earnest that the girl was moved to say: "I'll ask her."
+
+"I wish you would; I want to say something to her."
+
+Lize's voice reached where they stood. "Come in, Joe, the door's open."
+
+He accepted her invitation rather awkwardly, but his face was impassive as
+he looked down upon her.
+
+"Well, how about it?" she asked. "What's doing in the town?"
+
+"Not much of anything--except talk. The whole country is buzzing over this
+dismissal of the Chief Forester."
+
+"They'd better be doing something about that murder."
+
+"They are; they're going up there in streams to see where the work was
+done. The coroner's inquest was held yesterday." He grinned. "'Parties
+came to their death by persons unknown.'"
+
+Lize scowled. "It's a wonder they don't charge it up to Ross Cavanagh or
+some other ranger."
+
+"That would be a little too raw, even for this country. They're all
+feeling gay over this change in the forestry head; but see here, don't you
+want to get out for a ride? I've got my new machine out here; it rides
+like silk."
+
+"I reckon a hearse is about my kind," she replied, darkly. "If you could
+take me up to Cavanagh's cabin, I'd go," she added. "I want to see him."
+
+"I can take you part way," he instantly declared. "But you'd have to ride
+a horse the last ten miles."
+
+"Couldn't do it, Joe," she sighed. "These last few days I've been about as
+boneless as an eel. Funny the way a fellow keeps going when he's got
+something to do that has to be done. I'll tell you what, if you want to
+take me and Lee up to Sulphur, I'll go ye."
+
+"Sure thing. What day?"
+
+"Not for a day or two. I'm not quite up to it just now; but by Saturday
+I'll be saddle-wise again."
+
+Joe turned joyously to Lee. "That will be great! Won't you come out for a
+spin this minute?"
+
+For a moment Lee was tempted. Anything to get away from this horrible
+little den and the people who infested it was her feeling, but she
+distrusted Gregg, and she knew that every eye in the town would be upon
+her if she went, and, besides, Ross might return while she was away. "No,
+not to-day," she replied, finally; but her voice was gentler than it had
+ever been to him.
+
+The young fellow was moved to explain his position to Lize. "You don't
+think much of me, and I don't blame you. I haven't been much use so far,
+but I'm going to reform. If I had a girl like Lee Virginia to live up to,
+I'd make a great citizen. I don't lay my arrest up against Cavanagh. I'm
+ready to pass that by. And as for this other business--this free-range war
+in which the old man is mixed up--I want you to know that I'm against it.
+Dad knows his day is short; that's what makes him so hot. But he's a
+bluff--just a fussy old bluff. He knows he has no more right to the
+Government grass than anybody else, but he's going to get ahead of the
+cattle-men if he can."
+
+"Does he know who burned them sheep-herders?"
+
+"Of course he knows, but ain't going to say so. You see, that old Basque
+who was killed was a monopolist, too. He went after that grass without
+asking anybody's leave; moreover, he belonged to that Mexican-Dago outfit
+that everybody hates. The old man isn't crying over that job; it's money
+in his pocket. All the same it's too good a chance to put the hooks into
+the cattle-men, hence his offering a reward, and it looks as if something
+would really be done this time. They say Neill Ballard was mixed up in it,
+and that old guy that showed me the sheep, but I don't take much stock in
+that. Whoever did it was paid by the cattle-men, sure thing." The young
+fellow's tone and bearing made a favorable impression upon Lize. She had
+never seen this side of him, for the reason that he had hitherto treated
+her as a bartender. She was acute enough to understand that her social
+status had changed along with her release from the cash-register, and she
+was slightly more reconciled, although she could not see her way to
+providing a living for herself and Lee. For all these reasons she was
+unwontedly civil to Joe, and sent him away highly elated with the success
+of his interview.
+
+"I'm going to let him take us up to Sulphur," she said to Lee. "I want to
+go to town."
+
+Lee was silent, but a keen pang ran through her heart, for she perceived
+in this remark by her mother a tacit acknowledgment of Ross Cavanagh's
+desertion of them both. His invitation to them to come and camp with him
+was only a polite momentary impulse. "I'm ready to go," she announced, at
+last. "I'm tired of this place. Let us go to-morrow."
+
+On the following morning, while they were busy packing for this journey,
+Redfield rolled up to the door in company with a young man in the uniform
+of a forester.
+
+"Go ask Reddy to come in," commanded Lize. "I want to see him."
+
+Redfield met the girl at the door and presented his companion as "Mr.
+Dalton, District Forester." Dalton was a tall young fellow with a marked
+Southern accent. "Is Cavanagh, the ranger, in town?" he asked.
+
+"No," Lee replied, with effort; "he was here a few days ago, but he's gone
+back to the forest."
+
+Redfield studied the girl with keen gaze, perceiving a passionate
+restraint in her face.
+
+"How is your mother?" he asked, politely.
+
+Lee smiled faintly. "She's able to sit up. Won't you come in and see
+her?"
+
+"With pleasure," assented Redfield, "but I want to see you alone. I have
+something to say to you." He turned to his superior. "Just go into the
+café, Dalton. I'll see you in a moment."
+
+Lee Virginia, hitherto ashamed of the house, the furniture, the
+bed--everything--led the way without a word of apology. It was all
+detached now, something about to be left behind, like a bad garment
+borrowed in a time of stress. Nothing mattered since Ross did not return.
+
+Lize, looking unwontedly refined and gentle, was sitting in a big
+rocking-chair with her feet on a stool, her eyes fixed on the mountains,
+which showed through the open window. All the morning a sense of profound
+change, of something passing, had oppressed her. Now that she was about to
+leave the valley, its charm appealed to her. She was tearing up a
+multitude of tiny roots of whose existence she had hitherto remained
+unaware. "I belong here," she acknowledged, silently. "I'd be homesick
+anywhere else on God's earth. It's rough and fly-bit, and all that, but so
+am I. I wouldn't fit in anywhere that Lee belonged."
+
+She acknowledged an especial liking for Redfield, and she had penetration
+enough, worldly wisdom enough, to know that Lee belonged more to his world
+than to her own, and that his guidance and friendship were worth more,
+much more, than that of all the rest of the country, her own included.
+Therefore, she said: "I'm mighty glad to see you, Reddy. Sit down. You've
+got to hear my little spiel this time."
+
+Redfield, perched on the edge of a tawdry chair, looked about (like the
+charity visitor in a slum kitchen) without intending to express disgust;
+but it was a dismal room in which to be sick, and he pitied the woman the
+more profoundly as he remembered her in the days when "all out-doors" was
+none too wide for her.
+
+Lize began, abruptly: "I'm down, but not out; in fact, I was coming up to
+see you this afternoon. Lee and I are just about pulling out for good."
+
+"Indeed! Why not go back with me?"
+
+"You can take the girl back if you want to, but now that I'm getting my
+chance at you I may not go."
+
+Redfield's tone was entirely cordial as he turned to Lee. "I came hoping
+to carry you away. Will you come?"
+
+"I'm afraid I can't unless mother goes," she replied, sadly.
+
+Lize waved an imperative hand. "Fade away, child. I want to talk with Mr.
+Redfield alone. Go, see!"
+
+Thus dismissed, Lee went back to the restaurant, where she found the
+Forester just sitting down to his luncheon. "Mr. Redfield will be out in a
+few minutes," she explained.
+
+"Won't you join me?" he asked, in the frank accent of one to whom women
+are comrades. "The Supervisor has been telling me about you."
+
+She took a seat facing him, feeling something refined in his long,
+smoothly shaven, boyish face. He seemed very young to be District
+Forester, and his eyes were a soft brown with small wrinkles of laughter
+playing round their corners.
+
+He began at once on the subject of his visit. "Redfield tells me you are a
+friend of Mr. Cavanagh's; did you know that he had resigned?"
+
+She faced him with startled eyes. "No, indeed. Has he done so?"
+
+"Yes, the Supervisor got a letter yesterday enclosing his resignation, and
+asking to be relieved at once. And when I heard of it I asked the
+Supervisor to bring me down to see him; he's too good a man to lose."
+
+"Why did he resign?"
+
+"He seemed very bitter over the chief's dismissal; but I hope to persuade
+him to stay in the service; he's too valuable a man to lose just now when
+the war is so hot. I realize that his salary is too small; but there are
+other places for him. Perhaps when he knows that I have a special note to
+him from the chief he will reconsider. He's quite capable of the
+Supervisor's position, and Mr. Redfield is willing to resign in his favor.
+I'm telling you all this because Mr. Redfield has told me of your interest
+in Mr. Cavanagh--or rather his interest in you."
+
+Sam Gregg, entering the door at this moment, came directly to the
+Forester's table. He was followed by the sheriff, a bearded old man with a
+soiled collar and a dim eye.
+
+Gregg growled out, "You'd better keep your man Cavanagh in the hills, Mr.
+Forester, or somebody will take a pot-shot at him."
+
+"Why, what's new?"
+
+"His assistant is down with smallpox."
+
+"_Smallpox_!" exclaimed Dalton.
+
+Every jaw was fixed and every eye turned upon the speaker.
+
+"Smallpox!" gasped Lee.
+
+Gregg resumed, enjoying the sensation he was creating. "Yes, that Basque
+herder of mine--the one up near Black Tooth--sent word he was sick, so I
+hunted up an old tramp by the name of Edwards to take his place. Edwards
+found the dago dying of pox, and skipped out over the range, leaving him
+to die alone. Cavanagh went up and found the dago dead, and took care of
+him--result is, he's full of germs, and has brought his apprentice down
+with it, and both of 'em must be quarantined right where they are."
+
+"Good heavens, man!" exclaimed Dalton. "This is serious business. Are you
+sure it's smallpox?"
+
+"One of my men came from there last night. I was there myself on Monday,
+so was the deputy. The sheriff missed Tom this morning, but I reached him
+by 'phone, and Cavanagh admitted to us that the Basque died of smallpox,
+and that he buried him with his own hands."
+
+The sheriff spoke up. "The criminal part of it is this, Mr. Dalton:
+Cavanagh didn't report the case when he came down here, just went about
+leaving a trail of poison. Why didn't he report it? He should be
+arrested."
+
+"Wait a moment," said Dalton. "Perhaps it wasn't pox, perhaps it was only
+mountain-fever. Cavanagh is not the kind of man to involve others in a
+pestilence. I reckon he knew it was nothing but a fever, and, not wishing
+to alarm his friends, he just slid into town and out again."
+
+A flash of light, of heat, of joy went through Lee's heart as she listened
+to Dalton's defence of Cavanagh. "That was the reason why he rode away,"
+she thought. "He was afraid of bringing harm to us." And this conviction
+lighted her face with a smile, even while the Forester continued his
+supposition by saying, "Of course, proper precautions should be taken, and
+as we are going up there, the Supervisor and I will see that a quarantine
+is established if we find it necessary."
+
+Gregg was not satisfied: "Cavanagh admitted to the deputy and to me that
+he believed the case to be smallpox, and said that he had destroyed the
+camp and everything connected with it except the horse and the dog, and
+yet he comes down here infectin' everybody he meets." He turned to Lee.
+"You'd better burn the bed he slept on. He's left a trail of germs
+wherever he went. I say the man is criminally liable, and should be jailed
+if he lives to get back to town."
+
+Lee's mind was off now on another tangent. "Suppose it is true?" she asked
+herself. "Suppose he has fallen sick away up there, miles and miles from
+any nurse or doctor--"
+
+"There's something queer about the whole business," pursued Gregg. "For
+instance, who is this assistant he's got? Johnson said there was an old
+man in ranger uniform potterin' round. Why didn't he send word by him? Why
+did he let me come to the door? He might have involved _me_ in the
+disease. I tell you, if you don't take care of him the people of the
+county will."
+
+The Forester looked grave. "If he _knew_ it was pox and failed to report
+it he certainly did wrong; but you say he took care of this poor
+shepherd--nursed him till he died, and buried him, taking all
+precautions--you can't complain of that, can you? That's the act of a good
+ranger and a brave man. _You_ wouldn't have done it!" he ended, addressing
+Gregg. "Sickness up there two full miles above sea-level is quite a
+different proposition from sickness in Sulphur City or the Fork. I shall
+not condemn Mr. Cavanagh till I hear his side of the story."
+
+Lee turned a grateful glance upon him. "You must be right. I don't believe
+Mr. Cavanagh would deceive any one."
+
+"Well, we'll soon know the truth," said Dalton, "for I'm going up there.
+If the ranger has been exposed, he must not be left alone."
+
+"He ain't alone," declared the sheriff. "Tom 'phoned me that he had an
+assistant."
+
+"Swenson, I suppose," said Redfield, who entered at this moment. "Swenson
+is his assistant."
+
+"I didn't see him myself," Gregg continued, "but I understood the deputy
+to say that he was an old man."
+
+"Swenson is a young man," corrected Redfield.
+
+The sheriff insisted. "Tom said it was an old man--a stranger to
+him--tall, smooth-shaven, not very strong, he said--'peared to be a cook.
+He had helped nurse the dago, so Tom said."
+
+"That's very curious," mused Redfield. "There isn't an old man in the
+service of this forest. There's a mistake somewhere."
+
+"Well," concluded Gregg, "that's what he said. I thought at first it might
+be that old hobo Edwards, but this feller being in uniform and
+smooth-shaven--" His face changed, his voice deepened. "Say, by the Lord!
+I believe it was Edwards, and, furthermore, Edwards is the convict that
+Texas marshal was after the other day, and this man Cavanagh--your prize
+ranger--is harborin' him."
+
+"What nonsense!" exclaimed Redfield.
+
+The sheriff banged his hand upon the table. "That's the whole mystery. I
+see it all now. He's up there concealing this man. He's given out this
+smallpox scare just to keep the officers away from him. Now you've got
+it!"
+
+The thunder in his voice drew toward him all those who remained in the
+dining-room, and Lee found herself ringed about by a dozen excited men.
+But she did not flinch; she was too deeply concerned over Cavanagh's fate
+to be afraid, and, besides, Redfield and the Forester were beside her.
+
+The Supervisor was staggered by Gregg's accusation, and by certain
+confirmatory facts in his own possession, but he defended Cavanagh
+bravely. "You're crazy," he replied. "Why should Ross do such a foolish
+thing? What is his motive? What interest would he have in this man
+Edwards, whom you call a tramp? He can't be a relative and certainly not a
+friend of Cavanagh's, for you say he is a convict. Come, now, your hatred
+of Cavanagh has gone too far."
+
+Gregg was somewhat cooled by this dash of reason, but replied: "I don't
+know what relation he is, but these are facts. He's concealing an escaped
+convict, and he knows it."
+
+Dalton put in a quiet word. "What is the use of shouting a judgment
+against a man like Cavanagh before you know the facts? He's one of the
+best and ablest rangers on this forest. I don't know why he has resigned,
+but I'm sure--"
+
+"Has he resigned?" asked Gregg, eagerly.
+
+"He has."
+
+"A damn good job for him. I was about to circulate a petition to have him
+removed."
+
+"If all the stockmen in the valley had signed a petition against him, it
+wouldn't have done any good," replied Dalton. "We know a good man when we
+see him. I'm here to offer him promotion, not to punish him."
+
+Lee, looking about at the faces of these men, and seeing disappointment in
+their faces, lost the keen sting of her own humiliation. "In the midst of
+such a fight as this, how can he give time or thought to me?" Painful as
+the admission was, she was forced to admit that she was a very humble
+factor in a very large campaign. "But suppose he falls ill!" Her face grew
+white and set, and her lips bitter. "That would be the final, tragic
+touch," she thought, "to have him come down of a plague from nursing one
+of Sam Gregg's sheep-herders." Aloud she said: "His resignation comes just
+in time, doesn't it? He can now be sick without loss to the service."
+
+Dalton answered her. "The Supervisor has not accepted his resignation. On
+the contrary, I shall offer him a higher position. His career as a
+forester is only beginning. He would be foolish to give up the work now,
+when the avenues of promotion are just opening. I can offer him very soon
+the supervision of a forest."
+
+As they talked Lee felt herself sinking the while her lover rose. It was
+all true. The Forester was right. Ross was capable of any work they might
+demand of him. He was too skilled, too intelligent, too manly, to remain
+in the forest, heroic as its duties seemed.
+
+Upon this discussion, Lize, hobbling painfully, appeared. With a cry of
+surprise, Lee rose to meet her.
+
+"Mother, you must not do this!"
+
+She waved her away. "I'm all right," she said, "barring the big marbles in
+my slippers." Then she turned to Dalton. "Now what's it all about? Is it
+true that Ross is down?"
+
+"No. So far as we know, he is well."
+
+"Well, I'm going to find out. I don't intend to set here and have him up
+there without a cook or a nurse."
+
+At this moment a tall, fair young fellow, dressed in a ranger's uniform,
+entered the room, and made his way directly to the spot where Lee, her
+mother, and Redfield were standing. "Mr. Supervisor, Cavanagh has sent me
+to tell you that he needs a doctor. He's got a sick man up at The Station,
+and he's afraid it's a case of smallpox." He turned to Lee. "He told me to
+tell you that he would have written, only he was afraid to even send a
+letter out."
+
+"What does he need?" asked Redfield.
+
+"He needs medicine and food, a doctor, and he ought to have a nurse."
+
+"That's my job," said Lize.
+
+"Nonsense!" said Redfield. "You're not fit to ride a mile. I won't hear of
+your going."
+
+"You wait and see. I'm goin', and you can't stop me."
+
+"Who is the man with him?" asked the Forester.
+
+"I don't know. An old herder, he said. He said he could take care of him
+all right for the present, but that if he were taken down himself--"
+
+Lee's mounting emotion broke from her in a little cry. "Oh, Mr. Redfield,
+please let me go too! I want to help--I must help!"
+
+Redfield said: "I'll telephone to Sulphur City and ask Brooks to get a
+nurse, and come down as soon as possible. Meanwhile I'll go out to see
+what the conditions are."
+
+"I'm going too, I tell you," announced Lize. "I've had the cussed disease,
+and I'm not afraid of it. We had three sieges of it in my family. You get
+me up there, and I'll do the rest."
+
+"But you are ill?"
+
+"I was, but I'm not now." Her voice was firmer than it had been for days.
+"All I needed was something to do. Ross Cavanagh has been like a son to me
+for two years; he's the one man in this country I'd turn my hand over
+for--barrin' yourself, Reddy--and it's my job to see him through this
+pinch."
+
+In spite of all opposition, she had her way. Returning to her room to get
+such clothing as she needed for her stay in the hills, she waited for
+Redfield to send a carriage to her. "I can't ride a horse no more," she
+sorrowfully admitted.
+
+Lee's secret was no secret to any one there. Her wide eyes and heaving
+breast testified to the profound stir in her heart. She was in an anguish
+of fear lest Ross should already be in the grip of his loathsome enemy.
+That it had come to him by way of a brave and noble act only made the
+situation the more tragic.
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+THE PEST-HOUSE
+
+
+Cavanagh had kept a keen watch over Wetherford, and when one night the old
+man began to complain of the ache in his bones his decision was instant.
+
+"You've got it," he said. "It's up to us to move down the valley
+to-morrow."
+
+Wetherford protested that he would as soon die in the hills as in the
+valley. "I don't want Lee Virginia to know, but if I seem liable to fade
+out, I'd like Lize to be told that I didn't forget her, and that I came
+back to find out how she was. I hate to be a nuisance to you, and so I'll
+go down the valley if you say so."
+
+As he was about to turn in that night Ross heard a horse cross the bridge,
+and with intent to warn the rider of his danger, went to the door and
+called out: "Halt! Who's there?"
+
+"A friend," replied the stranger, in a weak voice.
+
+Ross permitted his visitor to ride up to the pole. "I can't ask you in,"
+he explained. "I've a sick man inside. Who are you, and what can I do for
+you?"
+
+Notwithstanding this warning the rider dropped from his saddle, and came
+into the light which streamed from the door.
+
+"My name is Dunn," he began. "I'm from Deer Creek."
+
+"I know you," responded the ranger. "You're that rancher I saw working in
+the ditch the day I went to telephone, and you've come to tell me
+something about that murder."
+
+The other man broke into a whimper. "I'm a law-abiding man, Mr. Cavanagh,"
+he began, tremulously. "I've always kept the law, and never intended to
+have anything to do with that business. I was dragged into it against my
+will. I've come to you because you're an officer of the Federal law. You
+don't belong here. I trust you. You represent the President, and I want to
+tell you what I know--only I want you to promise not to bring me into it.
+I'm a man of a family, and I can't bear to have them know the truth."
+
+There was deep agitation and complete sincerity in the rancher's choked
+and hesitant utterance, and Cavanagh turned cold with a premonition of
+what he was about to disclose. "I am not an officer of the law, Mr. Dunn,
+not in the sense you mean, but I will respect your wishes."
+
+"I know that you are not an officer of the county law, but you're not a
+cattle-man. It is your business to keep the peace in the wild country, and
+you do it, everybody knows that; but I can't trust the officers of this
+country, they're all afraid of the cowboys. You're not afraid, and you
+represent the United States, and I'll tell you. I can't bear it any
+longer!" he wailed. "I must tell somebody. I can't sleep and I can't eat.
+I've been like a man in a nightmare ever since. I had no hand in the
+killing--I didn't even see it done; but I knew it was going to happen. I
+saw the committee appointed. The meeting that decided it was held in my
+barn, but I didn't know what they intended to do. You believe me, don't
+you?" He peered up at Cavanagh with white face and wild eyes.
+
+"Go on," replied the ranger; "I'll protect you--if I can. Go on. It's your
+duty--tell all you know."
+
+The troubled man, after a little silence, resumed. "Sometimes I feel that
+I'd be happier in jail than I am walking about in the sunshine. I never
+dreamed civilized men could do such deeds. I thought they were only going
+to scare the herders and drive them out, as they've done so many times
+before. I can see now that they used my barn for a meeting-place because
+everybody believed me to be a man of peace. And I am. I'm over seventy
+years of age, Mr. Cavanagh, and I've been a law-abiding citizen all my
+life."
+
+His mind, shattered by the weight of his ghastly secret, was in confusion,
+and, perceiving this, Cavanagh began to question him gently. One by one he
+procured the names of those who voted to "deal with" the herders. One by
+one he obtained also the list of those named on "the Committee of
+Reprisal," and as the broken man delivered himself of these accusing facts
+he grew calmer. "I didn't know--I couldn't _believe_--that the men on that
+committee could chop and burn--" His utterance failed him again, and he
+fell silent abruptly.
+
+"They must have been drunk--mad drunk," retorted Cavanagh. "And yet who
+would believe that even drink could inflame white men to such devil's
+work? When did you first know what had been done?"
+
+"That night after it was done one of the men, my neighbor, who was drawn
+on the committee, came to my house and asked me to give him a bed. He was
+afraid to go home. 'I can't face my wife and children,' he said. He told
+me what he'd seen, and then when I remembered that it had all been decided
+in my stable, and the committee appointed there, I began to tremble. You
+believe I'm telling the truth, don't you?" he again asked, with piteous
+accent.
+
+"Yes, I believe you. You must tell this story to the judge. It will end
+the reign of the cattle-men."
+
+"Oh no, I can't do that."
+
+"You must do that. It is your duty as a Christian man and citizen."
+
+"No, no; I'll stay and help you--I'll do anything but that. I'm afraid to
+tell what I know. They would burn me alive. I'm not a Western man. I've
+never been in a criminal court. I don't belong to this wild country. I
+came out here because my daughter is not strong, and now--" He broke down
+altogether, and leaning against his horse's side, sobbed pitifully.
+
+Cavanagh, convinced that the old man's mind was too deeply affected to
+enable him to find his way back over the rough trail that night, spoke to
+him gently. "I'll get you something to eat," he said. "Sit down here, and
+rest and compose yourself."
+
+Wetherford turned a wild eye on the ranger as he reentered. "Who's out
+there?" he asked. "Is it the marshal?"
+
+"No, it's only one of the ranchers from below; he's tired and hungry, and
+I'm going to feed him," Ross replied, filled with a vivid sense of the
+diverse characters of the two men he was serving.
+
+Dunn received the food with an eager hand, and after he had finished his
+refreshment, Cavanagh remarked: "The whole country should be obliged to
+you for your visit to me. I shall send your information to Supervisor
+Redfield."
+
+"Don't use my name," he begged. "They will kill me if they find out that I
+have told. We were all sworn to secrecy, and if I had not seen that
+fire--that pile of bodies--"
+
+"I know, I know! It horrified me. It made me doubt humanity," responded
+Cavanagh. "We of the North cry out against the South for lynching black
+rapers; but here, under our eyes, goes on an equally horrible display of
+rage over the mere question of temporary advantage, over the appropriation
+of free grass, which is a Federal resource--something which belongs
+neither to one claimant nor to the other, but to the people, and should be
+of value to the people. There is some excuse for shooting and burning a
+man who violates a woman, but what shall we say of those who kill and
+dismember men over the possession of a plot of grass? You must bring these
+men to punishment."
+
+Dunn could only shiver in his horror and repeat his fear. "They'll kill me
+if I do."
+
+Cavanagh at last said: "You must not attempt to ride back to-night. I
+can't give you lodging in the cabin, because my patient is sick of
+smallpox, but you can camp in the barn till morning, then ride straight
+back to my friend Redfield, and tell him what you've told me. He will see
+that you are protected. Make your deposition and leave the country, if you
+are afraid to remain."
+
+In the end the rancher promised to do this, but his tone was that of a
+broken and distraught dotard. All the landmarks of his life seemed
+suddenly shifted. All the standards of his life hitherto orderly and fixed
+were now confused and whirling, and Cavanagh, understanding something of
+his plight, pitied him profoundly. It was of a piece with this ironic
+story that the innocent man should suffer madness and the guilty go calmly
+about their business of grazing their cattle on the stolen grass.
+
+Meanwhile the sufferings of his other patient were increasing, and he was
+forced to give up all hope of getting him down the trail next morning; and
+when Swenson, the Forest Guard from the south Fork, knocked at the door to
+say that he had been to the valley, and that the doctor was coming up with
+Redfield and the District Forester, Ross thanked him, but ordered him to
+go into camp across the river, and to warn everybody to keep clear of the
+cabin. "Put your packages down outside the door," he added, "and take
+charge of the situation on the outside. I'll take care of the business
+inside."
+
+Wetherford was in great pain, but the poison of the disease had misted his
+brain, and he no longer worried over the possible disclosure of his
+identity. At times he lost the sense of his surroundings and talked of his
+prison life, or of the long ride northward. Once he rose in his bed to
+beat off the wolves which he said were attacking his pony.
+
+He was a piteous figure as he struggled thus, and it needed neither his
+relationship to Lee nor his bravery in caring for the Basque herder to
+fill the ranger's heart with a desire to relieve his suffering. "Perhaps I
+should have sent for Lize at once," he mused, as the light brought out the
+red signatures of the plague.
+
+Once the old man looked up with wide, dark, unseeing eyes and murmured, "I
+don't seem to know you."
+
+"I'm a friend--my name is Cavanagh."
+
+"I can't place you," he sadly admitted. "I feel pretty bad. If I ever get
+out of this place I'm going back to the Fork; I'll get a gold-mine, then
+I'll go back and make up for what Lize has gone through. I'm afraid to go
+back now."
+
+"All right," Ross soothingly agreed; "but you'll have to keep quiet till
+you get over this fever you're suffering from."
+
+"If Lize weren't so far away, she'd come and nurse me--I'm pretty sick.
+This stone-cutting--this inside work is hell on an old cow-puncher like
+me."
+
+Swenson came back to say that probably Redfield and the doctor would reach
+The Station by noon, and thereafter, for the reason that Cavanagh expected
+their coming, the hours dragged wofully. It was after one o'clock before
+Swenson announced that two teams were coming with three men and two women
+in them. "They'll be here in half an hour."
+
+The ranger's heart leaped. Two women! Could one of them be Lee Virginia?
+What folly--what sweet, desperate folly! And the other--she could not be
+Lize--for Lize was too feeble to ride so far. "Stop them on the other side
+of the bridge," he commanded. "Don't let them cross the creek on any
+pretext."
+
+As he stood in the door the flutter of a handkerchief, the waving of a
+hand, made his pulses glow and his eyes grow dim. It was Virginia!
+
+Lize did not flutter a kerchief or wave a hand, but when Swenson stopped
+the carriage at the bridge she said: "No, you don't! I'm going across. I'm
+going to see Ross, and if he needs help, I'm going to roll up my sleeves
+and take hold."
+
+Cavanagh saw her advancing, and, as she came near enough for his voice to
+reach her, he called out: "Don't come any closer! Stop, I tell you!" His
+voice was stern. "You must not come a step nearer. Go back across the
+dead-line and stay there. No one but the doctor shall enter this door. Now
+that's final."
+
+"I want to help!" she protested.
+
+"I know you do; but I won't have it. This quarantine is real, and it
+goes!"
+
+"But suppose you yourself get sick?"
+
+"We'll cross _that_ bridge when we get to it. I'm all right so far, and
+I'll call for help when I need it."
+
+His tone was imperative, and she obeyed, grumbling about his youth and the
+value of his life to the service.
+
+"That's all very nice," he replied; "but I'm in it, and I don't intend to
+expose you or any one else to the contagion."
+
+"I've had it once," she asserted.
+
+He looked at her, and smiled in recognition of her subterfuge.
+
+"No matter; you're ailing, and might take it again, so toddle back. It's
+mighty good of you, and of Lee, to come--but there isn't a thing you can
+do, and here's the doctor," he added, as he recognized the young student
+who passed for a physician in the Fork. He was a beardless youth of small
+experience and no great courage, and as he approached with hesitant feet
+he asked:
+
+"Are you sure it's smallpox?"
+
+Cavanagh smiled. "The indications are all that way. That last importation
+of Basques brought it probably from the steerage of the ship. I'm told
+they've had several cases over in the Basin."
+
+"Have you been vaccinated?"
+
+"Yes; when I was in the army."
+
+"Then you're all right."
+
+"I hope so."
+
+There was a certain comic relief in this long-distance diagnosing of a
+"case" by a boy, and yet the tragic fact beneath it all was that
+Wetherford was dying, a broken and dishonored husband and father, and that
+his identity must be concealed from his wife and daughter, who were much
+more deeply concerned over the ranger than over the desperate condition of
+his patient. "And this must continue to be so," Cavanagh decided. And as
+he stood there looking toward the girl's fair figure on the bridge, he
+came to the final, fixed determination never to speak one word or make a
+sign that might lead to the dying man's identification. "Of what use is
+it?" he asked himself. "Why should even Lize be made to suffer?
+Wetherford's poor misspent life is already over for her, and for Lee he is
+only a dim memory."
+
+Redfield came near enough to see that the ranger's face, though tired,
+showed no sign of illness, and was relieved. "Who is this old herder?" he
+asked. "Hasn't he any relatives in the country?"
+
+"He came from Texas, so he said. You're not coming in?" he broke off to
+say to the young physician, whom Lize had shamed into returning to the
+cabin.
+
+"I suppose I'll have to," he protested, weakly.
+
+"I don't see the need of it. The whole place reeks of the poison, and you
+might carry it away with you. Unless you insist on coming in, and are sure
+you can prevent further contagion, I shall oppose your entrance. You are
+in the company of others--I must consider their welfare."
+
+The young fellow was relieved. "Well, so long as we know what it is I can
+prescribe just as well right here," he said, and gave directions for the
+treatment, which the ranger agreed to carry out.
+
+"I tried to bring a nurse," explained Redfield, "but I couldn't find
+anybody but old Lize who would come."
+
+"I don't blame them," replied Ross. "It isn't a nice job, even when you've
+got all the conveniences."
+
+His eyes, as he spoke, were on the figure of Lee, who still stood on the
+bridge awed and worshipful, barred of approach by Lize. "She shall not
+know," he silently vowed. "Why put her through useless suffering and
+shame? Edward Wetherford's disordered life is near its end. To betray him
+to his wife and daughter would be but the reopening of an old wound."
+
+He was stirred to the centre of his heart by the coming of Lee Virginia,
+so sweet and brave and trustful. His stern mood melted as he watched her
+there waiting, with her face turned toward him, longing to help. "She
+would have come alone if necessary," he declared, with a fuller revelation
+of the self-sacrificing depth of her love, "and she would come to my side
+this moment if I called her."
+
+To the District Forester he said no more than to Redfield. "Edwards is
+evidently an old soldier," he declared. "He was sent up here by Gregg to
+take the place of a sick herder. He took care of that poor herder till he
+died, and then helped me to bury him; now here he lies a victim to his own
+sense of duty, and I shall not desert him." And to himself he added: "Nor
+betray him."
+
+He went back to his repulsive service sustained and soothed by the little
+camp of faithful friends on the other side of the stream. The tender grace
+of the girl's attitude, her air of waiting, of anxiety, of readiness to
+serve, made him question the basis of his family pride. He recognized in
+her the spirit of her sire, tempered, sweetened, made more stable, by
+something drawn from unknown sources. At the moment he felt that Lee was
+not merely his equal but his superior in purity of character and in
+purpose. "What nonsense we talk of heredity, of family," he thought.
+
+Standing over the wasted body of his patient, he asked again: "Why let
+even Lize know? To her Ed Wetherford is dead. She remembers him now as a
+young, dashing, powerful horseman, a splendid animal, a picturesque lover.
+Why wring her heart by permitting her to see this wreck of what was once
+her pride?"
+
+As for Wetherford himself, nothing mattered very much. He spoke of the
+past now and then, but not in the phrase of one who longs for the return
+of happy days--rather in the voice of one who murmurs a half-forgotten
+song. He called no more for his wife and child, and if he had done so
+Cavanagh would have reasoned that the call arose out of weakness, and that
+his better self, his real self, would still desire to shield his secret
+from his daughter.
+
+And this was true, for during one of his clearest moments Wetherford
+repeated his wish to die a stranger. "I'm goin' out like the old-time
+West, a rag of what I once was. Don't let them know--put no name over
+me--just say: 'An old cow-puncher lies here.'"
+
+Cavanagh's attempt to change his hopeless tone proved unavailing.
+Enfeebled by his hardships and his prison life, he had little reserve
+force upon which to draw in fighting such an enemy. He sank soon after
+this little speech into a coma which continued to hold him in its unbroken
+grasp as night fell.
+
+Meantime, seeing no chance of aiding the ranger, Redfield and the Forester
+prepared to return, but Lee, reinforced by her mother, refused to
+accompany them. "I shall stay here," she said, "till he is safely out of
+it--till I _know_ that he is beyond all danger."
+
+Redfield did not urge her to return as vigorously as Dalton expected him
+to do, but when he understood the girl's desire to be near her lover, he
+took off his hat and bowed to her. "You are entirely in the right," he
+said. "Here is where you belong."
+
+Redfield honored Lize for her sympathetic support of her daughter's
+resolution, and expressed his belief that Ross would escape the plague. "I
+feel that his splendid vigor, combined with the mountain air, will carry
+him through--even if he should prove not to be immune. I shall run up
+again day after to-morrow. I shall be very anxious. What a nuisance that
+the telephone-line is not extended to this point. Ross has been insisting
+on its value for months."
+
+Lee saw the doctor go with some dismay. Young as he was, he was at least a
+reed to cling to in case the grisly terror seized upon the ranger. "Mr.
+Redfield, can't you send a real doctor? It seems so horrible to be left
+here without instructions."
+
+The Forester, before going, again besought Cavanagh not to abandon his
+work in the Forestry Service, and intimated that at the proper time
+advancement would be offered him. "The whole policy is but beginning,"
+said he, "and a practical ranger with your experience and education will
+prove of greatest value."
+
+To this Ross made reply. "At the moment I feel that no promise of
+advancement could keep me in this country of grafters, poachers, and
+assassins. I'm weary of it, and all it stands for. However, if I could aid
+in extending the supervision of the public ranges and in stopping forever
+this murder and burning that goes on outside the forestry domain, I might
+remain in the West."
+
+"Would you accept the supervisorship of the Washakie Forest?" demanded
+Dalton.
+
+Taken by surprise, he stammered: "I might; but am I the man?"
+
+"You are. Your experience fits you for a position where the fight is hot.
+The Washakie Forest is even more a bone of contention than this. We have
+laid out the lines of division between the sheep and the cows, and it will
+take a man to enforce our regulations. You will have the support of the
+best citizens. They will all rally, with you as leader, and so end the
+warfare there."
+
+"It can never end till Uncle Sam puts rangers over every section of public
+lands and lays out the grazing lines as we have done in this forest,"
+retorted Cavanagh.
+
+"I know; but to get that requires a revolution in the whole order of
+things." Then his fine young face lighted up. "But we'll get it. Public
+sentiment is coming our way. The old order is already so eaten away that
+only its shell remains."
+
+"It may be. If these assassins are punished I shall feel hopeful of the
+change."
+
+"I shall recommend you for the supervisorship of the Washakie Forest,"
+concluded Dalton, decisively. "And so good-bye and good-luck."
+
+England, his blood relatives, even the Redfields, seemed very remote to
+the ranger, as he stood in his door that night and watched the sparkle of
+Swenson's camp-fire through the trees. With the realization that there
+waited a brave girl of the type that loves single-heartedly, ready to
+sacrifice everything to the welfare of her idealized subject, he felt
+unworthy, selfish, vain.
+
+"If I should fall sick she would insist on nursing me. For her sake I must
+give Swenson the most rigid orders not to allow her--no matter what
+happens--to approach. I will not have her touched by this thing."
+
+Beside the blaze Lee and her mother sat for the most part in silence, with
+nothing to do but to wait the issue of the struggle going on in the cabin,
+so near and yet so inaccessible to their will. It was as if a magic wall,
+crystal-clear yet impenetrable, shut them away from the man whose quiet
+heroism was the subject of their constant thought.
+
+To the girl this ride up into her lover's world had been both exalting and
+awesome--not merely because the rough and precipitous road took her closer
+to her lover while placing her farther from medical aid, but also because
+it was so vast a world, so unpeopled and so beautiful.
+
+It was marvellous, as the dusk fell and the air nipped keen, to see how
+Lize Wetherford renewed her youth. The excitement seemed to have given her
+a fresh hold on life. She was wearied but by no means weakened by her
+ride, and ate heartily of the rude fare which Swenson set before her.
+"This is what I needed," she exultantly said; "the open air and these
+trout. I feel ten years younger already. Many's the night I've camped on
+the range with your father with nothing but a purp-tent to cover us both,
+and the wolves howling round us. I'd feel pretty fairly gay if it weren't
+for Ross over there in that cabin playin' nurse and cook all by his
+lonesomeness."
+
+Lee expressed a deep satisfaction from the fact of their nearness. "If he
+is ill we can help him," she reiterated.
+
+She had put behind her all the doubt and fear which his abrupt desertion
+of her had caused, and, though he had not been able to speak a word to
+her, his self-sacrifice had made amends. She excused it all as part of his
+anxious care. Whatever the mood of that other day had been, it had given
+way to one that was lofty and deeply altruistic. Her one anxiety now was
+born of a deepening sense of his danger, but against this she bent the
+full strength of her will. "He shall not die," she declared beneath her
+breath. "God will not permit it."
+
+There was a touch of frost in the air as they went to their beds, and,
+though she shivered, Lize was undismayed. "There's nothing the matter with
+my heart," she exulted. "I don't believe there was anything really serious
+the matter with me, anyway. I reckon I was just naturally grouchy and
+worried over you and Ross."
+
+Lee Virginia was now living a romance stranger and more startling than any
+she had ever read. In imagination she was able to look back and down upon
+the Fork as if she had been carried into another world--a world that was
+at once primeval yet peaceful: a world of dreaming trees, singing streams,
+and silent peaks; a realm in which law and order reigned, maintained by
+one determined young man whose power was derived from the President
+himself. She felt safe--entirely safe--for just across the roaring
+mountain torrent the two intrepid guardians of the forest were encamped.
+One of them, it is true, came of Swedish parentage and the other was a
+native of England, but they were both American in the high sense of being
+loyal to the Federal will, and she trusted them more unquestioningly than
+any other men in all that West save only Redfield. She had no doubt there
+were others equally loyal, equally to be trusted, but she did not know
+them.
+
+She rose to a complete understanding of Cavanagh's love for "the high
+country" and his enthusiasm for the cause, a cause which was able to bring
+together the student from Yale and the graduates of Bergen and of Oxford,
+and make them comrades in preserving the trees and streams of the mountain
+States against the encroachments of some of their own citizens, who were
+openly, short-sightedly, and cynically bent upon destruction, spoliation,
+and misuse.
+
+She had listened to the talk of the Forester and the Supervisor, and she
+had learned from them that Cavanagh was sure of swift advancement, now
+that he had shown his courage and his skill; and the thought that he might
+leave the State to take charge of another forest brought her some
+uneasiness, for she and Lize had planned to go to Sulphur City. She had
+consented to this because it still left to her the possibility of
+occasionally seeing or hearing from Cavanagh. But the thought that he
+might go away altogether took some of the music out of the sound of the
+stream and made the future vaguely sad.
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+WETHERFORD PASSES ON
+
+
+For the next two days Cavanagh slept but little, for his patient grew
+steadily worse. As the flame of his fever mounted, Wetherford pleaded for
+air. The ranger threw open the doors, admitting freely the cool, sweet
+mountain wind. "He might as well die of a draught as smother," was his
+thought; and by the use of cold cloths he tried to allay the itching and
+the pain.
+
+"What I am doing may be all wrong," he admitted to Swenson, who came often
+to lean upon the hitching-pole and offer aid. "I have had no training as a
+nurse, but I must be doing something. The man is burning up, and hasn't
+much vitality to spare. I knew a ranger had to be all kinds of things,
+cowboy, horse-doctor, axe-man, carpenter, surveyor, and all the rest of
+it, but I didn't know that he had to be a trained nurse in addition."
+
+"How do you feel yourself?" asked his subordinate, anxiously.
+
+"Just tired; nothing more. I reckon I am going to escape. I should be
+immune, but you never can tell. The effect of vaccination wears off after
+a few years."
+
+"The women folks over there are terribly worried, and the old lady has
+made me promise to call her in if you show the slightest signs of coming
+down."
+
+"Tell her to rest easy. I am keeping mighty close watch over myself, and
+another night will tell the story so far as the old man is concerned. I
+wish I had a real doctor, but I don't expect any. It is a long hard climb
+up here for one of those tenderfeet."
+
+He returned to his charge, and Swenson walked slowly away, back to the
+camp, oppressed with the sense of his utter helplessness.
+
+Again and again during the day Lee Virginia went to the middle of the
+bridge, which was the dead-line, and there stood to catch some sign, some
+wave of the hand from her lover. Strange courtship! and yet hour by hour
+the tie which bound these young souls together was strengthened. She
+cooked for him in the intervals of her watch and sent small pencilled
+notes to him, together with the fish and potatoes, but no scrap of paper
+came back to her--so scrupulous was Cavanagh to spare her from the
+faintest shadow of danger.
+
+Swenson brought verbal messages, it was true, but they were by no means
+tender, for Cavanagh knew better than to intrust any fragile vessel of
+sentiment to this stalwart young woodsman. Now that Lee knew the
+mysterious old man was dying, she longed for his release--for his release
+would mean her lover's release. She did not stop to think that it would be
+long, very long, before she could touch Cavanagh's hand or even speak with
+him face to face. At times under Swenson's plain speaking she grew faint
+with the horror of the struggle which was going on in that silent cabin.
+
+This leprous plague, this offspring of crowded and dirty tenements and of
+foul ship-steerages, seemed doubly unholy here in the clean sanity of the
+hills. It was a profanation, a hideous curse. "If it should seize upon
+Ross--" Words failed to express her horror, her hate of it. "Oh God, save
+him!" she prayed a hundred times each day.
+
+Twice in the night she rose from her bed to listen, to make sure that
+Cavanagh was not calling for help. The last time she looked out, a white
+veil of frost lay on the grass, and the faint light of morning was in the
+east, and in the exquisite clarity of the air, in the serene hush of the
+dawn, the pestilence appeared but as the ugly emanation of disordered
+sleep. The door of the ranger's cabin stood open, but all was silent. "He
+is snatching a half-hour's sleep," she decided.
+
+If the guard had carried in his mind the faintest intention of permitting
+Lize to go to Cavanagh's aid, that intention came to no issue, for with
+the coming of the third night Wetherford was unconscious and
+unrecognizable to any one who had known him in the days of "the free
+range." Lithe daredevil in those days, expert with rope and gun, he was as
+far from this scarred and swollen body as the soaring eagle is from the
+carrion which he sees and scorns.
+
+He was going as the Wild West was going, discredited, ulcerated, poisoned,
+incapable of rebirth, yet carrying something fine to his grave. He had
+acted the part of a brave man, that shall be said of him. He had gone to
+the rescue of the poor Basque, instinctively, with the same reckless
+disregard of consequences to himself which marked his character when as a
+cow-boss on the range he had set aside the most difficult tasks for his
+own rope or gun. His regard for the ranger into whose care he was now
+about to commit his wife and daughter, persisted in spite of his
+suffering. In him was his hope, his stay. Once again, in a lucid moment,
+he reverted to the promise which he had drawn from Cavanagh.
+
+"If I go, you must take care--of my girl--take care of Lize, too. Promise
+me that. Do you promise?" he insisted.
+
+"I promise--on honor," Ross repeated, and, with a faint pressure of his
+hand (so slender and weak), Wetherford sank away into the drowse which
+deepened hour by hour, broken now and then by convulsions, which wrung the
+stern heart of the ranger till his hands trembled for pity.
+
+All day, while the clouds sailed by, white as snow and dazzlingly pure,
+while the stream roared with joy of exploration, and the sunshine fell in
+dazzling floods upon the world, the ranger bent above his ward or walked
+the floor of his cabin marvelling that the air and light of this high
+place should be so powerless to check the march of that relentless plague.
+It seemed that to open the doors, to fill the room with radiance, must
+surely kill the mutinous motes which warred upon the tortured body. But in
+the midst of nature's sovereign charm the reek of the conflict went up;
+and he wondered whether even the vigor which his outdoor life had built up
+could withstand the strain another day.
+
+Once Lee Virginia approached close enough to hear his voice as he warned
+her to go back. "You can do nothing," he called to her. "Please go away."
+His face was haggard with weariness, and her heart filled with bitter
+resentment to think that this repulsive warfare, this painful duty, should
+be thrust upon one so fine.
+
+He himself felt as though his youth were vanishing, and that in these few
+days he had entered upon the sober, care-filled years of middle life. The
+one sustaining thought, his one allurement, lay in the near presence of
+the girl to whom he could call, but could not utter one tender word. She
+was there where he could see her watching, waiting at the bridge. "The
+sound of the water helps me bear the suspense," she said to Swenson, and
+the occasional sight of her lover, the knowledge that he was still
+unbroken, kept her from despair.
+
+The day was well advanced when the sound of rattling pebbles on the hill
+back of his cabin drew his attention, and a few moments later a man on a
+weary horse rode up to his door and dropped heavily from the saddle. He
+was a small, dark individual, with spectacles, plainly of the city.
+
+"Beware! Smallpox!" called Ross, as his visitor drew near the door.
+
+The new-comer waved his hand contemptuously. "I've had it. Are you Ross
+Cavanagh?"
+
+"I am!"
+
+"My name is Hartley. I represent the Denver _Round-up_. I'm interested in
+this sheep-herder killing--merely as a reporter," he added, with a
+fleeting smile. "Did you know old man Dunn, of Deer Creek, had committed
+suicide?"
+
+Cavanagh started, and his face set. "No!"
+
+"They found him shot through the neck, and dying--this morning. As he was
+gasping his last breath, he said, 'The ranger knows,' and when they asked,
+'What ranger,' he said, 'Cavanagh.' When I heard that I jumped a horse and
+beat 'em all over here. Is this true? Did he tell you who the murderers
+are?"
+
+Cavanagh did not answer at once. He was like a man caught on a swaying
+bridge, and his first instinct was to catch the swing, to get his balance.
+"Wait a minute! What is it all to you?"
+
+Again that peculiar grin lighted the small man's dark, unwholesome face.
+"It's a fine detective stunt, and besides it means twenty dollars per
+column and mebbe a 'boost.' I can't wait, you can't wait! It's up to us to
+strike _now_! If these men knew you have their names they'd hike for Texas
+or the high seas. Come now! Everybody tells me you're one of these
+idealistic highbrow rangers who care more for the future of the West than
+most natural-born Westerners. What's your plan? If you'll yoke up with me
+we'll run these devils into the earth and win great fame, and you'll be
+doing the whole country a service."
+
+The ranger studied the small figure before him with penetrating gaze.
+There was deliberative fearlessness in the stranger's face and eyes, and
+notwithstanding his calm, almost languid movement, restless energy could
+be detected in his voice.
+
+"What is your plan?" the ranger asked.
+
+"Get ourselves deputized by the court, and jump these men before they
+realize that there's anything doing. They count the whole country on their
+side, but they're mistaken. They've outdone themselves this time, and a
+tremendous reaction has set in. Everybody knows you've held an even hand
+over these warring Picts and Scots, and the court will be glad to deputize
+you to bring them to justice. The old sheriff is paralyzed. Everybody
+knows that the assassins are prominent cattle-ranchers, and yet no one
+dares move. It's up to you fellows, who represent law and order, to act
+quick."
+
+Cavanagh followed him with complete comprehension, and a desire to carry
+out the plan seized upon him.
+
+"I'd do it if I could," he said, "but it happens I am nursing a sick man.
+I am, perhaps, already exposed to the same disease. I can't leave here for
+a week or more. It would not be right for me to expose others--"
+
+"Don't worry about that. Take a hot bath, fumigate your clothing, shave
+your head. I'll fix you up, and I'll get some one to take your place."
+Catching sight of Swenson and Lize on the bridge, he asked: "Who are those
+people? Can't they take your nursing job?"
+
+"No!" answered Cavanagh, bluntly. "It's no use, I can't join you in
+this--at least, not now."
+
+"But you'll give me the names which Dunn gave you?"
+
+"No, I can't do that. I shall tell the Supervisor, and he can act as he
+sees fit--for the present I'm locked up here."
+
+The other man looked the disappointment he felt. "I'm sorry you don't feel
+like opening up. You know perfectly well that nothing will ever be done
+about this thing unless the press insists upon it. It's up to you and me
+(me representing 'the conscience of the East'"--here he winked an
+eye--"and you Federal authority) to do what we can to bring these men to
+their punishment. Better reconsider. I'm speaking now as a citizen as well
+as a reporter."
+
+There was much truth in what he said, but Cavanagh refused to go further
+in the matter until he had consulted with Redfield.
+
+"Very well," replied Hartley, "that's settled. By-the-way, who is your
+patient?"
+
+Eloquently, concisely, Ross told the story. "Just a poor old mounted hobo,
+a survival of the cowboy West," he said; "but he had the heart of a hero
+in him, and I'm doing my best to save him."
+
+"Keep him in the dark, that's the latest theory--or under a red light.
+White light brings out the ulcers."
+
+"He hates darkness; that's one reason why I've opened the doors and
+windows."
+
+"All wrong! According to Finsen, he wouldn't pit in the dark. However, it
+doesn't matter on a cowboy. You've a great story yourself. There's a fine
+situation here which I'll play up if you don't object."
+
+Cavanagh smiled. "Would my objection have any weight?"
+
+The reporter laughed. "Not much; I've got to carry back some sort of game.
+Well, so long! I must hit the trail over the hill."
+
+Cavanagh made civil answer, and returned to his patient more than half
+convinced that Hartley was right. The "power of the press" might prove to
+be a very real force in this pursuit.
+
+As the journalist was about to mount his horse he discovered Lee Virginia
+on the other side of the creek. "Hello!" said he, "I wonder what this
+pretty maiden means?" And, dropping his bridle-rein again, he walked down
+to the bridge.
+
+Swenson interposed his tall figure. "What do you want?" he asked, bluntly.
+"You don't want to get too close. You've been talking to the ranger."
+
+Hartley studied him coolly. "Are you a ranger, too?"
+
+"No, only a guard."
+
+"Why are you leaving Cavanagh to play it alone in there?"
+
+Lee explained. "He won't let any of us come near him."
+
+"Quite right," retorted Hartley, promptly. "They say smallpox has lost its
+terrors, but when you're eight hours' hard trail from a doctor, or a
+hospital, it's still what I'd call a formidable enemy. However, Cavanagh's
+immune, so he says."
+
+"We don't know that," Lee said, and her hands came together in a spasm of
+fear. "Are you a doctor?"
+
+"No, I'm only a newspaper man; but I've had a lot of experience with
+plagues of all sorts--had the yellow fever in Porto Rico, and the typhoid
+in South Africa; that's why I'm out here richochetting over the hills. But
+who are you, may I ask? You look like the rose of Sharon."
+
+"My name is Lee Wetherford," she answered, with childish directness, for
+there was something compelling in the man's voice and eyes. "And this is
+my mother." She indicated Lize, who was approaching.
+
+"_You_ are not out here for your health," he stated, rather thoughtfully.
+"How happens it you're here?"
+
+"I was born here--in the Fork."
+
+His face remained expressionless. "I don't believe it. Can such maidens
+come out of Roaring Fork--nit! But I don't mean that. What are you doing
+up here in this wilderness?"
+
+Lize took a part in the conversation. "Another inspector?" she asked, as
+she lumbered up.
+
+"That's me," he replied; "Sherlock Holmes, Vidocque, all rolled into
+one."
+
+"My mother," again volunteered Lee.
+
+Hartley's eyes expressed incredulity; but he did not put his feelings into
+words, for he perceived in Lize a type with which he was entirely
+familiar--one to be handled with care. "What are you two women doing here?
+Are you related to one of these rangers?"
+
+Lize resented this. "You're asking a good many questions, Mr. Man."
+
+"That's my trade," was the unabashed reply, "and I'm not so old but that I
+can rise to a romantic situation." Thereupon he dropped all direct
+interrogation, and with an air of candor told the story of his mission.
+Lize, entirely sympathetic, invited him to lunch, and he was soon in
+possession of their story, even to the tender relationship between Lee
+Virginia and the plague-besieged forest ranger.
+
+"We're not so mighty disinterested," he said, referring to his paper.
+"_The Round-up_ represents the New West in part, but to us the New West
+means opportunity to loot water-sites and pile up unearned increment. Oh
+yes, we're on the side of the fruit and alfalfa grower, because it pays.
+If the boss of my paper happened to be in the sheep business, as Senator
+Blank White is, we would sing a different tune. Or if I were a Congressman
+representing a district of cattle-men, I'd be very slow about helping to
+build up any system that would make me pay for my grass. As it is, I'm
+commissioned to make it hot for the ranchers that killed those dagoes, and
+I'm going to do it. If this country had a man like Cavanagh for sheriff,
+we'd have the murderers in two days. He knows who the butchers are, and
+I'd like his help; but he's nailed down here, and there's no hope of his
+getting away. A few men like him could civilize this cursed country."
+
+Thereupon he drew from three pairs of lips a statement of the kind of man
+Ross Cavanagh was, but most significant of all were the few words of the
+girl, to whom this man of the pad and pencil was a magician, capable of
+exalting her hero and of advancing light and civilization by the mere
+motion of his hand. She liked him, and grew more and more willing to
+communicate, and he, perceiving in her something unusual, lingered on
+questioning. Then he rose. "I must be going," he said to Lee. "You've
+given me a lovely afternoon."
+
+Lee Virginia was all too ignorant of the ways of reporters to resent his
+note-taking, and she accepted his hand, believing him to be the sincere
+admirer of her ranger. "What are you going to do?" she asked.
+
+"I'm going back to Sulphur to spread the report of Cavanagh's quarantine."
+Again that meaning smile. "I don't want any other newspaper men mixed up
+in my game. I'm lonesome Ned in stunts like this, and I hope if they _do_
+come up you'll be judiciously silent. Good-bye."
+
+Soon after the reporter left, Cavanagh called to Swenson: "The old man
+can't last through another such a night as last night was, and I wish you
+would persuade Mrs. Wetherford and her daughter to return to the valley.
+They can do nothing here--absolutely _nothing_. Please say that."
+
+Swenson repeated his commands with all the emphasis he could give them,
+but neither Lize nor Lee would consent to go. "It would be heathenish to
+leave him alone in this lonesome hole," protested Lize.
+
+"I shall stay till he is free," added Lee. And with uneasy heart she
+crossed the bridge and walked on and on toward the cabin till she was
+close enough to detect the lines of care on her lover's haggard face.
+
+"Stop!" he called, sharply. "Keep away. Why don't you obey me? Why don't
+you go back to the valley?"
+
+"Because I will not leave you alone--I can't! Please let me stay!"
+
+"I beg of you go back."
+
+The roar of the stream made it necessary to speak loudly, and he could not
+put into his voice the tenderness he felt at the moment, but his face was
+knotted with pain as he asked: "Don't you see you add to my uneasiness--my
+pain?"
+
+"We're so anxious about you," she answered. "It seems as though we should
+be doing something to help you."
+
+He understood, and was grateful for the tenderness which brought her so
+near to him, but he was forced to be stern.
+
+"There is nothing you can do--nothing more than you are doing. It helps me
+to know that you are there, but you must not cross the bridge. Please go
+back!" There was pleading as well as command in his voice, and with a
+realization of the passion his voice conveyed, she retraced her steps, her
+heart beating quickly with the joy which his words conveyed.
+
+At sunset Redfield returned, bringing with him medicines but no nurse.
+"Nobody will come up here," he said. "I reckon Ross is doomed to fight it
+out alone. The solitude, the long trail, scares the bravest of them away.
+I tried and tried--no use. Eleanor would have come, of course--demanded to
+come; but I would not permit that. She commissioned me to bring you both
+down to the ranch."
+
+Lee Virginia thanked him, but reiterated her wish to stay until all
+possible danger to Cavanagh was over.
+
+Redfield crossed the bridge, and laid the medicines down outside the
+door.
+
+"The nurse from Sulphur refused to come when she found that her patient
+was in a mountain cabin. I'm sorry, old man; I did the best I could."
+
+"Never mind," replied Cavanagh. "I'm still free from any touch of fever.
+I'm tired, of course, but good for another night of it. My main anxiety
+concerns Lee--get her to go home with you if you can."
+
+"I'll do the best I can," responded Redfield, "but meanwhile you must
+_not_ think of getting out of the Forest Service. I have some cheering
+news for you. The President has put a good man into the chief's place."
+
+Cavanagh's face lighted up. "That'll help some," he exclaimed; "but who's
+the man?"
+
+Redfield named him. "He was a student under the chief, and the chief says
+he's all right, which satisfies me. Furthermore, he's a real forester, and
+not a political jobber or a corporation attorney."
+
+"That's good," repeated Cavanagh; "and yet--" he said, sadly, "it leaves
+the chief out just the same."
+
+"No, the chief is not out. He's where he can fight for the idea to better
+advantage than when he was a subordinate under another man. Anyhow, he
+asks us all to line up for the work and not to mind him. The work, he
+says, is bigger than any man. Here's that resignation of yours," he said,
+taking Cavanagh's letter from his pocket; "I didn't put it on file. What
+shall I do with it?"
+
+"Throw it to me," said Cavanagh, curtly.
+
+Redfield tossed it over the hitching-pole, and Ross took it up, looked at
+it for a moment in silence, then tore it into bits and threw it on the
+ground.
+
+"What are your orders, Mr. Supervisor?" he asked, with a faint, quizzical
+smile around his eyes.
+
+"There's nothing you can do but take care of this man. But as soon as you
+are able to ride again, I've got some special work for you. I want you to
+join with young Bingham, the ranger on Rock Creek, and line up the
+'Triangle' cattle. Murphy is reported to have thrown on the forest nearly
+a thousand head more than his permit calls for. I want you to see about
+that. Then complete your maps so that I can turn them in on the first of
+November, and about the middle of December you are to take charge of this
+forest in my stead. Eleanor has decided to take the children abroad for a
+couple of years, and as I am to be over there part of the time, I don't
+feel justified in holding down the Supervisor's position. I shall resign
+in your favor. Wait, now!" he called, warningly. "The District Forester
+and I framed all this up as we rode down the hill yesterday, and it goes.
+Oh yes, there's one thing more. Old man Dunn--"
+
+"I know."
+
+"How did you learn it?"
+
+"A reporter came boiling over the ridge about noon to-day, wanting me to
+give him the names which Dunn had given me. I was strongly tempted to do
+as he asked me to--you know these newspaper men are sometimes the best
+kind of detectives for running down criminals; but on second thought I
+concluded to wait until I had discussed the matter with you. I haven't
+much faith in the county authorities."
+
+"Ordinarily I would have my doubts myself," replied Redfield, "but the
+whole country is roused, and we're going to round up these men this time,
+sure. The best men and the big papers all over the West are demanding an
+exercise of the law, and the reward we have offered--" He paused,
+suddenly. "By-the-way, that reward will come to you if you can bring about
+the arrest of the criminals."
+
+"The reward should go to Dunn's family," replied the ranger, soberly.
+"Poor chap, he's sacrificed himself for the good of the State."
+
+"That's true. His family is left in bad shape--"
+
+Cavanagh broke off the conversation suddenly. "I must go back to--" he had
+almost said "back to Wetherford." "My patient needs me!" he exclaimed.
+
+"How does he seem?"
+
+"He's surely dying. In my judgment he can't last the night, but so long as
+he's conscious it's up to me to be on the spot."
+
+Redfield walked slowly back across the river, thinking on the patient
+courage of the ranger.
+
+"It isn't the obvious kind of thing, but it's courage all the same," he
+said to himself.
+
+Meanwhile Lize and Virginia, left alone beside the fire, had drawn closer
+together.
+
+The girl's face, so sweet and so pensive, wrought strongly upon the older
+woman's sympathy. Something of her own girlhood came back to her. Being
+freed from the town and all its associations, she became more considerate,
+more thoughtful. She wished to speak, and yet she found it very hard to
+begin. At last she said, with a touch of mockery in her tone: "You like
+Ross Cavanagh almost as well as I do myself, don't you?"
+
+The girl flushed a little, but her eyes remained steady. "I would not be
+here if I did not," she replied.
+
+"Neither would I. Well, now, I have got something to tell you--something I
+ought to have told you long ago--something that Ross ought to know. I
+intended to tell you that first day you came back, but I couldn't somehow
+get to it, and I kept putting it off and putting it off till--well, then I
+got fond of you, and every day made it harder." Here she made her supreme
+effort. "Child, I'm an old bluff. I'm not your mother at all."
+
+Lee stared at her in amazement. "What do you mean?" she asked.
+
+"I mean your real mother died when you was a tiny little babe. You see, I
+was your father's second wife; in fact, you weren't a year old when we
+married. Ed made me promise never to let you know. We were to bring you up
+just the same as if you was a child to both of us. Nobody knows but Reddy.
+I told him the day we started up here."
+
+The girl's mind ran swiftly over the past as she listened. The truth of
+the revelation reached her instantly, explaining a hundred strange things
+which had puzzled her all her life. The absence of deep affection between
+herself and Lize was explained. Their difference in habit, temperament,
+thought--all became plain. "But my mother!" she said, at last. "Who _was_
+my mother?"
+
+"I never saw her. You see, Ed came into the country bringing you, a little
+motherless babe. He always said your mother was a fine woman, but I never
+so much as saw a picture of her. She was an educated woman, he said--a
+Southern woman--and her name was Virginia, but that's about all I can tell
+you of her. Now, I am going to let Ross know all of this as soon as I can.
+It will make a whole lot of difference in what he thinks of you."
+
+She uttered all this much as a man would have done, with steady voice and
+with bright eyes, but Lee Virginia could feel beneath her harsh
+inflections the deep emotion which vibrated there, and her heart went out
+toward the lonely woman in a new rush of tenderness. Now that she was
+released from the necessity of excusing her mother's faults--faults she
+could now ignore; now that she could look upon her as a loyal friend, she
+was moved to pity and to love, and, rising, she went to her and put her
+arm about her neck, and said: "This won't make any difference. I am going
+to stay with you and help you just the same."
+
+The tears came to the old woman's eyes, and her voice broke as she
+replied: "I knew you would say that, Lee Virginia, but all the same I
+don't intend to have you do any such thing. You've got to cut loose from
+me altogether, because some fine chap is going to come along one of these
+days, and he won't want me even as a _step_-mother-in-law. No, I have
+decided that you and me had better live apart. I'll get you a place to
+live up in Sulphur, where I can visit you now and again; but I guess I am
+elected to stay right here in the Fork. They don't like me, and I don't
+like them; but I have kind o' got used to their ways of looking at me
+sidewise; they don't matter as much as it would up there in the city."
+
+Lee turned back wistfully toward the story of her mother. "Where did my
+mother meet my father? Do you know that?"
+
+"No, I don't. It was a runaway match, Ed said. I never did know who her
+folks were--only I know they thought she was marrying the wrong man."
+
+The girl sighed as her mind took in the significance of her mother's
+coming to this wild country, leaving all that she knew and loved behind.
+"Poor little mother. It must have been very hard for her."
+
+"I am afraid she did have a hard time, for Ed admitted to me that he
+hadn't so much as a saddle when he landed in the State. He hadn't much
+when I met him first, but everybody liked him. He was one of the
+handsomest men that ever jumped a saddle. But he was close-mouthed. You
+never could get anything out of him that he didn't want to tell, and I was
+never able to discover what he had been doing in the southern part of the
+State."
+
+As she pondered on her changed relationship to Lize, Lee's heart
+lightened. It _would_ make a difference to Ross. It would make a
+difference to the Redfields. Traitorous as it seemed, it was a great
+relief--a joy--to know that her own mother, her real mother, had been
+"nice." "She _must_ have been nice or Lize would not have said so," she
+reasoned, recalling that her stepmother had admitted her feeling of
+jealousy.
+
+At last Lize rose. "Well, now, dearie, I reckon we had better turn in. It
+is getting chilly and late."
+
+As they were about to part at the door of the tent Virginia took Lize's
+face between her hands. "Good-night, mother," she said, and kissed her, to
+show her that what she had said would not make any difference.
+
+But Lize was not deceived. This unwonted caress made perfectly plain to
+her the relief which filled the girl's heart.
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+Lee Virginia was awakened some hours later by a roaring, crackling sound,
+and by the flare of a yellow light upon her tent. Peering out, she saw
+flames shooting up through the roof of the ranger's cabin, while beside
+it, wrapped in a blanket, calmly contemplating it, stood Cavanagh with
+folded arms. A little nearer to the bridge Redfield was sitting upon an
+upturned box.
+
+With a cry of alarm she aroused her mother, and Lize, heavy-eyed, laggard
+with sleep, rose slowly and peered out at the scene with eyes of dull
+amazement. "Why don't they try to put it out?" she demanded, as she took
+in the import of the passive figures.
+
+Dressing with tremulous haste, Lee stepped from the tent just in time to
+see Swenson come from behind the burning building and join the others in
+silent contemplation of the scene. There was something uncanny in the calm
+inaction of the three strong men.
+
+A dense fog hung low, enveloping the whole canon in a moist, heavy,
+sulphurous veil, through which the tongues of flame shot with a grandiose
+effect; but the three foresters, whose shadows expanded, contracted, and
+wavered grotesquely, remained motionless as carven figures of ebony. It
+was as if they were contemplating an absorbing drama, in whose enactment
+they had only the spectator's curious interest.
+
+Slowly, wonderingly, the girl drew near and called to Cavanagh, who turned
+quickly, crying out: "Don't come too close, and don't be frightened. I set
+the place on fire myself. The poor old herder died last night, and is
+decently buried in the earth, and now we are burning the cabin and every
+thread it contains to prevent the spread of the plague. Hugh and Swenson
+have divided their garments with me, and this blanket which I wear is my
+only coat. All that I have is in that cabin now going up in smoke--my
+guns, pictures, everything."
+
+"How could you do it?" she cried out, understanding what his sacrifice had
+been.
+
+"I couldn't," he replied. "The Supervisor did it. They had to go. The
+cabin was saturated with poison; it had become to me a plague spot, and
+there was no other way to stamp it out. I should never have felt safe if I
+had carried out even so much as a letter."
+
+Dumb and shivering with the chill of the morning, Lee Virginia drew
+nearer, ever nearer. "I am so sorry," she said, and yearned toward him,
+eager to comfort him, but he warningly motioned her away.
+
+"Please don't come any nearer, for I dare not touch you."
+
+"But you are not ill?" she cried out, with a note of apprehension in her
+voice.
+
+He smiled in response to her question. "No, I feel nothing but weariness
+and a little depression. I can't help feeling somehow as if I were burning
+up a part of myself in that fire--the saddle I have ridden for years, my
+guns, ropes, spurs, everything relating to the forest, are gone, and with
+them my youth. I have been something of a careless freebooter myself, I
+fear; but that is all over with now." He looked her in the face with a sad
+and resolute glance. "The Forest Service made a man of me, taught me to
+regard the future. I never accepted responsibility till I became a ranger,
+and in thinking it all over I have decided to stay with it, as the boys
+say, 'till the spring rains.'"
+
+"I am very glad of that," she said.
+
+"Yes; Dalton thinks I can qualify for the position of Supervisor, and
+Redfield may offer me the supervision of this forest. If he does, I will
+accept it--if you will go with me and share the small home which the
+Supervisor's pay provides. Will you go?"
+
+In the light of his burning cabin, and in the shadow of the great peaks,
+Lee Virginia could not fail of a certain largeness and dignity of mood.
+She neither blushed nor stammered, as she responded: "I will go anywhere
+in the world with you."
+
+He could not touch so much as the hem of her garment, but his eyes
+embraced her, as he said: "God bless you for the faith you seem to have in
+me!"
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+Redfield's voice interrupted with hearty clamor. "And now, Miss Virginia,
+you go back and rustle some breakfast for us all. Swenson, bring the
+horses in and harness my team; I'm going to take these women down the
+canon. And, Ross, you'd better saddle up as soon as you feel rested and
+ride across the divide, and go into camp in that little old cabin by the
+dam above my house. You'll have to be sequestered for a few days, I
+reckon, till we see how you're coming out. I'll telephone over to the Fork
+and have the place made ready for you, and I'll have the doctor go up
+there to meet you and put you straight. If you're going to be sick we'll
+want you where we can look after you. Isn't that so, Lee Virginia?"
+
+"Indeed it is," replied the girl, earnestly.
+
+"But I'm not going to be sick," retorted Cavanagh. "I refuse to be sick."
+
+"Quite right," replied Redfield; "but all the same we want you where we
+can get at you, and where medical aid of the right sort is accessible. I'm
+going to fetch my bed over here and put you into it. You need rest."
+
+Lee still lingered after Redfield left them. "Please do as Mr. Redfield
+tells you," she pleaded, "for I shall be very anxious till you get safely
+down the mountains. If that poor old man has any relatives they ought to
+be told how kind you have been. You could not have been kinder to one of
+your own people."
+
+These words from her had a poignancy of meaning which made his reply
+difficult. His tone was designedly light as he retorted: "I would be a
+fraud if I stood here listening to your praise without saying--without
+confessing--how deadly weary I got of the whole business. It was simply
+that there was nothing else to do. I had to go on."
+
+Her mind still dwelt on the tragic event. "I wish he could have had some
+kind of a service. It seems sort of barbarous to bury him without any one
+to say a prayer over him. But I suppose that was impossible. Surely some
+one ought to mark his grave, for some of his people may come and want to
+know where he lies."
+
+He led her thoughts to pleasanter paths. "I am glad you are going with the
+Supervisor. You _are_ going, are you not?"
+
+"Yes, for a few days, till I'm sure you're safe."
+
+"I shall be tempted to pretend being sick just to keep you near me," he
+was saying, when Redfield returned, bringing his sleeping-couch. Unrolling
+this under a tree beside the creek, the Supervisor said: "Now, get into
+that."
+
+Cavanagh resigned Lee with a smile. "Good-night," he said. "Oh, but it's
+good to remember that I shall see you to-morrow!"
+
+With a happy glance and a low "Good-bye" she turned away.
+
+Laying aside his blanket and his shoes, Cavanagh crept into the snug
+little camp-bed. "Ah," he breathed, with a delicious sense of relief, "I
+feel as if I could sleep a week!" And in an instant his eyes closed in
+slumber so profound that it was barren even of dreams.
+
+When he awoke it was noon, and Swenson, the guard, was standing over him.
+"I'm sorry, but it's time to be moving," he said; "it's a long ride over
+there."
+
+"What time is it?" inquired Cavanagh, with some bewilderment.
+
+"Nearly noon. I've got some coffee ready. Want some?"
+
+"Do I? Just watch me!" And he scrambled out of his bed with vigor, and
+stretched himself like a cat, exclaiming: "Wow! but it does feel good to
+know that I am out of jail!"
+
+Going down to the stream, he splashed his face and neck in the clear cold
+water, and the brisk rubbing which followed seemed to clear his thought as
+well as sharpen his appetite.
+
+"You seem all right so far," hazarded the guide.
+
+"I am all right, and I'll be all right to-morrow, if that's what you
+mean," replied Cavanagh. "Well, now, pack up, and we'll pull out."
+
+For a few moments after he mounted his horse Cavanagh looked about the
+place as if for the last time--now up at the hill, now down at the meadow,
+and last of all at the stream. "I hope you'll enjoy this station as much
+as I have, Swenson. It's one of the prettiest on the whole forest."
+
+Together they zigzagged up the side of the hill to the north, and then
+with Cavanagh in the lead (followed by his pack-horse), they set up the
+long lateral moraine which led by a wide circle through the wooded park
+toward the pass. The weather was clear and cold. The wind bit, and
+Cavanagh, scantily clothed as he was, drew his robe close about his neck,
+saying: "I know now how it feels to be a blanket Indian. I must say I
+prefer an overcoat."
+
+A little later the keen eyes of the guard, sweeping the mountain-side,
+were suddenly arrested. "There's a bunch of cowboys coming over the pass!"
+he called.
+
+"I see them," responded Cavanagh. "Get out your glasses and tell me who
+they are."
+
+Swenson unslung his field-glasses and studied the party attentively.
+"Looks like Van Horne's sorrel in the lead, and that bald-face bay just
+behind looks like the one Gregg rides. The other two I don't seem to
+know."
+
+"Perhaps it's the sheriff after me for harboring Edwards," suggested
+Cavanagh.
+
+But Swenson remained sober. He did not see the humor of the remark. "What
+are they doing on the forest, anyhow?" he asked.
+
+Half an hour later the two parties came face to face on a little stretch
+of prairie in the midst of the wooded valley. There were four in the
+sheriff's party: Gregg, the deputy, and a big man who was a stranger to
+Cavanagh. Their horses were all tired, and the big civilian looked
+saddle-weary.
+
+"Good evenin', gentlemen!" called the sheriff, in Southern fashion, as he
+drew near.
+
+"Good evenin', Mr. Sheriff," Cavanagh civilly answered. "What's the
+meaning of this invasion of my forest?"
+
+The sheriff, for answer, presented the big stranger. "Mr. Cavanagh, this
+is Mr. Simpson, the county attorney."
+
+Cavanagh nodded to the attorney. "I've heard of Mr. Simpson," he said.
+
+Simpson answered the question Ross had asked. "We were on our way to your
+station, Mr. Cavanagh, because we understand that this old man Dunn who
+shot himself had visited you before his death, giving you information
+concerning the killing of the Mexican sheep-herders. Is that true?"
+
+"It is."
+
+"When did he visit you?"
+
+"Two days ago, or maybe three. I am a little mixed about it. You see, I
+have been pretty closely confined to my shack for a few days."
+
+Gregg threw in a query. "How _is_ the old man?"
+
+"He's all right; that is to say, he's dead. Died last night."
+
+The sheriff looked at Simpson meaningly. "Well, I reckon that settles his
+score, judge. Even if he was implicated, he's out of it now."
+
+"He couldn't have been implicated," declared the ranger, "for he was with
+me at the time the murder was committed. I left him high on the mountain
+in the Basque herder's camp. I can prove an alibi for him. Furthermore, he
+had no motive for such work."
+
+"What did Dunn tell you?" demanded the sheriff. "What names did he give
+you?"
+
+"Wait a moment," replied Cavanagh, who felt himself to be on his own
+territory, and not to be hurried. "There's a reward offered for the arrest
+of these men, is there not?"
+
+"There is," replied the attorney.
+
+"Well, before I make my statement I'd like to request that my share of the
+reward, if there is any coming to me, shall be paid over to the widow of
+the man who gave me the information. Poor chap, he sacrificed himself for
+the good of the State, and his family should be spared all the suffering
+possible."
+
+"Quite right, Mr. Cavanagh. You may consider that request granted. Now for
+the facts."
+
+"Before going into that, Mr. Attorney, I'd like to speak to you alone."
+
+"Very well, sir," replied the attorney. Then waving his hand toward the
+others, he said: "Boys, just ride off a little piece, will you?"
+
+When they were alone, Cavanagh remarked: "I don't think it wise to give
+these names to the wind, for if we do, there will be more fugitives."
+
+"I see your point," Simpson agreed.
+
+Thereupon, rapidly and concisely, the ranger reported what Dunn had said,
+and the attorney listened thoughtfully without speaking to the end; then
+he added: "That tallies with what we have got from Ballard."
+
+"Was Ballard in it?" asked Cavanagh.
+
+"Yes, we forced a confession from him."
+
+"If he was in it, it was merely for the pay. He represented some one
+else."
+
+"What makes you think that?"
+
+"Because he was crazy to return to the show with which he used to perform,
+and desperately in need of money. Have you thought that Gregg might have
+had a hand in this affair? Dunn said he had, although he was not present
+at any of the meetings."
+
+This seemed to surprise the attorney very much. "But he's a sheepman!" he
+exclaimed.
+
+"I know he is; but he's also a silent partner in the Triangle cattle
+outfit, and is making us a lot of trouble. And, besides, he had it in for
+these dagoes, as he calls them, because they were sheeping territory which
+he wanted himself."
+
+"I don't think he's any too good for it," responded Simpson, "but I doubt
+if he had any hand in the killing; he's too cunning and too cowardly. But
+I'll keep in mind what you have said, and if he is involved in any degree,
+he'll have to go down the road with the others--his money can't save
+him."
+
+As they came back to the party Cavanagh thought he detected in Gregg's
+eyes a shifting light that was not there before, but he made no further
+attempt to impress his opinion upon the attorney or the sheriff. He only
+said: "Well, now, gentlemen, I must go on over the divide. I have an
+appointment with the doctor over there; also with a bed and a warmer suit
+of clothes than I have on. If I can be of any service to you when I am out
+of quarantine, I hope you will call upon me."
+
+"It is possible that we may need you in order to locate some of the men
+whose names you have given me."
+
+"Very good," replied Cavanagh. "If they come upon the forest anywhere, the
+Supervisor and I will find them for you."
+
+So they parted, and Cavanagh and his guard resumed their slow journey
+across the range.
+
+
+
+
+CONCLUSION
+
+
+In her career as the wife of a Western rancher, Eleanor Redfield had been
+called upon to entertain many strange guests, and she made no very
+determined objection when her husband telephoned that he was bringing Lize
+as well as Lee Virginia to stay at Elk Lodge for a few days. The
+revelation of the true relation between the two women had (as Lize put it)
+made a "whole lot of difference" to Mrs. Redfield. It naturally cleared
+the daughter of some part of her handicap, and it had also made the
+mother's attitude less objectionable.
+
+Furthermore, the loyalty of Eliza to Ross, her bravery in defending him
+from attack, and the love and courage which enabled her to rise from a
+sick-bed and go to the mountains, ready and insistent on taking his place
+as nurse--all these were not the traits of a commonplace personality. "I
+begin to think I've been unjust to Mrs. Wetherford," she admitted to her
+husband.
+
+She had seen Lize but once, and that was in the distorting atmosphere of
+the restaurant, and she remembered her only as a lumpy, scowling,
+loud-voiced creature with blowsy hair and a watchful eye. She was
+profoundly surprised, therefore, when Lee Virginia introduced a
+quiet-spoken, rather sad-faced elderly woman as her mother.
+
+"I'm glad to see you, Mrs. Wetherford," Eleanor said, with the courtesy
+which was instinctive with her.
+
+"I'm mightily obliged for the chance to come," replied Lize. "I told
+Reddy--I mean the Supervisor--that you didn't want no old-timer like me,
+but he said 'Come along,' and Lee she fixed me out, and here I am." She
+uttered this with a touch of her well-known self-depreciation, but she was
+by no interpretation sordid or common.
+
+She did, indeed, show Lee's care, and her manner, while manifestly formed
+upon Lee's instructions, was never ludicrous. She was frankly curious
+about the house and its pretty things, and swore softly in her surprise
+and pleasure. "Think of an old cow-boss like me living up to these
+jimmy-cracks!" As they went to their room together, she made a confession:
+"The thing that scares me worst is _eating_. I've et at the Alma times
+enough, but to handle a fork here with El'nor Redfield lookin' on! Great
+peter! ain't there some way of takin' my meals out in the barn? I wouldn't
+mind you and Ross and Reddy--it's the missis."
+
+Ross had not yet arrived at the cabin, but Redfield had warned Lee not to
+expect him till after dark. "He probably slept late, and, besides, there
+are always delays on the trail. But don't worry. Swenson will ride to the
+top of the divide with him, and if it seems necessary will come all the
+way."
+
+This feeling of anxiety helped to steady Lize, and she got through the
+meal very well. She was unwontedly silent, and a little sad as well as
+constrained. She could see that Lee fitted in with these surroundings,
+that she was at home with shining silver and dainty dishes, and she said
+to herself: "I could have been something like her if I'd had any sort o'
+raisin', but it's too late now. But oh, Lord! wouldn't Ed like to see her
+now!"
+
+It was not yet dark when they came out on the veranda to meet the doctor,
+who had come to meet Ross, and Lee's anxiety led her to say: "Can't we go
+up to the cabin and wait for him there?"
+
+"I was about to propose that," replied Redfield. "Shall we walk?"
+
+Lee was instant in her desire to be off, but Lize said: "I never was much
+on foot and now I'm hoof-bound. You go along, and I'll sit on the porch
+here and watch."
+
+So Lee, the doctor, and Redfield went off together across the meadow
+toward the little cabin which had been built for the workmen while putting
+in the dam. It was hardly a mile away, and yet it stood at the mouth of a
+mighty gorge, out of which the water sprang white with speed.
+
+But Lee had no mind for the scenery, though her eyes were lifted to the
+meadow's wall, down which the ranger was expected to ride. It looked
+frightfully steep, and whenever she thought of him descending that trail,
+worn and perhaps ill, her heart ached with anxiety. But Redfield rambled
+on comfortably, explaining the situation to the doctor, who, being a most
+unimaginative person, appeared to take it all as a matter of course.
+
+At the cabin itself Lee transferred her interest to the supper which had
+been prepared for the ranger, and she went about the room trying to make
+it a little more comfortable for him. It was a bare little place, hardly
+more than a camp (as was proper), and she devoutly prayed that he was not
+to be sick therein, for it stood in a cold and gloomy place, close under
+the shadow of a great wall of rock.
+
+As it grew dark she lighted a lamp and placed it outside the window in
+order that its light might catch the ranger's eye, and this indeed it did,
+for almost instantly a pistol-shot echoed from the hillside, far above,
+signalling his approach.
+
+"There he is!" she exclaimed, in swift rebound to ecstasy. "Hear him
+shout?"
+
+His voice could indeed be heard, though faintly, and so they waited while
+the darkness deepened and the voice of the stream rose like an exhalation,
+increasing in violence as the night fell.
+
+At last they could hear the sound of his horse's feet upon the rocks, and
+with girlish impulse Lee raised a musical cry--an invitation as well as a
+joyous signal.
+
+To this the ranger made vocal answer, and they could soon see him moving
+athwart the hillsides, zigzagging in the trailer's fashion, dropping down
+with incredible swiftness. He was alone, and leading his horse, but his
+celerity of movement and the tones of his voice denoted confidence and
+health.
+
+The doctor laughed as he said: "I don't think a very sick man could come
+down a mountain like that."
+
+"Oh, he isn't sick yet," said Redfield. "What we are afraid of is a
+possible development."
+
+The ranger, as he came rushing down the final slope, found his knees
+weakened as much by excitement as by weariness. To hear Lee's clear voice
+down there, to know that she was waiting for him, was to feel himself the
+luckiest of men. Escaping contagion and being on his way to a larger
+position were as nothing compared to the lure of that girlish halloo. He
+saw the lamp shine afar, but he could not distinguish the girl's form till
+he emerged from the clump of pine-trees which hid the bottom of the trail.
+Then they all shouted together, and Redfield, turning to Lee, warningly
+said:
+
+"Now, my dear girl, you and I must not interfere with the doctor. We will
+start back to the house at once."
+
+"Not yet--not till we've seen him and talked with him," she pleaded.
+
+"I don't think there's a particle of danger," said the doctor, "but
+perhaps you'd better not wait."
+
+Cavanagh came up with shining eyes and heavy breath. "I made it--but oh,
+I'm tired! I never was tired like this before in my life." He looked at
+her as he spoke. "But I'm feeling fine."
+
+"This is Doctor French, Ross."
+
+"How are you doctor? I'm not shaking hands these days."
+
+"Well see about that," replied the physician.
+
+"I met the sheriff on the way, Mr. Supervisor, and I gave him the story
+Dunn told me, and I made a request that the reward for the information be
+paid to Dunn's widow."
+
+"I'll see to that," responded Redfield. "And now we'll leave you to the
+tender mercies of the doctor."
+
+"I made some coffee for you, and you'll find some supper under a napkin on
+the table," explained Lee.
+
+"Thank you."
+
+"I'm sorry it isn't better. It's only cold chicken and sandwiches--"
+
+"Only cold chicken!" he laughed. "My chief anxiety is lest it should not
+prove a whole chicken. I'm hungry as a coyote!"
+
+"Well, now, good-night," said Redfield. "Doctor, you'll report as you go
+by?"
+
+"Yes; expect me in half an hour or so."
+
+And so Lee walked away with Redfield, almost entirely relieved of her
+care. "He can't be ill, can he?" she asked.
+
+"I don't see how he can. His life has made him as clean and strong as an
+oak-tree on a windy slope. He is all right, and very happy. Your being
+there to meet him was very sweet to him, I could see that. If it should
+turn out that you should be the one to keep him here and in the Forest
+Service I shall be very grateful to you."
+
+She did not reply to this, but walked along in silence by his side,
+feeling very small, very humble, but very content.
+
+Lize was on the veranda. "Did he get through?"
+
+"He's all right so far," returned Redfield, cheerily. "We left the doctor
+about to fly at him. We'll have a report soon."
+
+They had hardly finished telling of how the ranger had descended the hill
+when the doctor arrived. "He hasn't a trace of it," was his report. "All
+he needs is sleep. I cut him off from his entire over-the-range outfit,
+and there's no reason why he should not come down to breakfast with you in
+the morning."
+
+Mrs. Redfield thanked the doctor as fervently as if he had conferred a
+personal favor upon her, and the girl echoed her grateful words.
+
+"Oh, that's all right," the doctor replied, in true Western fashion; "I'll
+do as much more for you any time." And he rode away, leaving at least one
+person too happy to sleep.
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+The same person was on the veranda next morning when Cavanagh, dressed in
+the Supervisor's best suit of gray cassimere, came striding across the
+lawn--too impatient of the winding drive to follow it. As he came, his
+face glowing with recovered health, Lee thought him the god of the
+morning, and went to meet him unashamed, and he took her to his arms and
+kissed her quite as he had promised himself to do.
+
+"Now I _know_ that I am delivered!" he exclaimed, and together they
+entered upon the building of a home in the New West.
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Cavanagh: Forest Ranger, by Hamlin Garland
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+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+<head>
+<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+<title>
+The Project Gutenberg eBook of Cavanagh, Forest Ranger, by Hamlin Garland.
+</title>
+
+<style type="text/css">
+/*<![CDATA[  XML blockout */
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+    p                 {margin-top: 0.5em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 0.5em;}
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+    .figcenter        {margin: 2em auto 2em auto; text-align: center;}
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+    .caption          {font-size:.8em}
+    table             {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; clear: both;}
+    hr.tb             {width: 35%; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; border:none; border-bottom:1px solid black; clear:both;}
+    .pagenum          {display: inline; font-size: x-small; text-align: right; position: absolute; right: 2%; padding: 1px 3px; font-style: normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; text-decoration: none; background-color: inherit; border:1px solid #eee;}
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+    hr.silver         {width: 100%; margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em; border:none; border-bottom:1px solid silver;}
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+</head>
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cavanagh: Forest Ranger, by Hamlin Garland
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Cavanagh: Forest Ranger
+       A Romance of the Mountain West
+
+Author: Hamlin Garland
+
+Release Date: August 9, 2008 [EBook #26244]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAVANAGH: FOREST RANGER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<hr class='silver' />
+
+<div class='figcenter'>
+<img src='images/illus-fpc.jpg' alt='' title='' style='width: 400px; height: 267px;' /><br />
+<p class='caption' style='margin: 0 auto; text-align:center;width: 400px;'>
+THE RANGER<br />
+</p>
+</div>
+
+<hr class='silver' />
+
+<div class='ce'>
+<p style=' font-size:1.8em; margin-top:2em;'>CAVANAGH</p>
+<p style=' font-size:1.8em; margin-bottom:2em;'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Forest Ranger</span></p>
+<p style=' font-size:1em;'>A ROMANCE</p>
+<p style=' font-size:1em; margin-bottom:2em;'>OF THE MOUNTAIN WEST</p>
+<p style=' font-size:0.8em;'>BY</p>
+<p style=' font-size:1.2em; margin-bottom:2em;'>HAMLIN GARLAND</p>
+<p style=' font-size:0.8em;'>AUTHOR OF</p>
+<p style=' font-size:0.8em;'>&#8220;THE CAPTAIN OF THE GRAY-HORSE TROOP&#8221;</p>
+<p style=' font-size:0.8em; margin-bottom:3em;'>&#8220;MAIN-TRAVELLED ROADS&#8221; ETC.</p>
+<p style=' font-size:1em;'>HARPER &amp; BROTHERS PUBLISHERS</p>
+<p style=' font-size:0.8em;'>NEW YORK AND LONDON</p>
+<p style=' font-size:0.8em;'>MCMX</p>
+</div>
+
+<hr class='silver' />
+
+<div style='font-size:smaller'>
+<p style='text-align:center'>
+<span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Books by</span><br />
+<span style='font-size:larger;'>HAMLIN GARLAND</span>
+</p>
+
+<table summary=''>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Cavanagh&mdash;Forest Ranger</span>                </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>&nbsp;$1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>   </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Hesper</span>                                 </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Money Magic</span>. Ill'd                     </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>The Light of the Star</span>. Ill'd           </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>The Tyranny of the Dark</span>. Ill'd         </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>The Shadow World</span>                       </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.35</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Main-Travelled Roads</span>                   </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Prairie Folks</span>                          </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Rose of Dutcher's Coolly</span>               </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>The Moccasin Ranch</span>. Ill'd              </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.00</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Trail of the Gold-Seekers</span>              </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>The Long Trail</span>. Ill'd                  </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.25</td></tr>
+<tr><td><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Boy Life on the Prairie</span>. Ill'd         </td><td>Post 8vo</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(In Boys' and Girls' Library)</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>.75</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p style='text-align:center'>
+HARPER &amp; BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, N. Y.<br /><br /><br />
+Copyright, 1910, by <span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Hamlin Garland</span><br />
+<i>All rights reserved</i><br />
+Published March, 1910<br />
+<i>Printed in the United States of America</i>
+</p>
+</div>
+
+<hr class='silver' />
+
+<div class='ce' style=' font-size:0.8em;'>
+<p>TO THE FOREST RANGER</p>
+<div style='margin-top:1em'></div>
+<p>WHOSE LONELY VIGIL ON</p>
+<p>THE HEIGHTS SAFEGUARDS</p>
+<p>THE PUBLIC HERITAGE</p>
+</div>
+
+<hr class='silver' />
+
+<div class='ce'>
+<p style=' font-size:1.4em; margin-bottom:1em;'>Contents</p>
+</div>
+
+<table border='0' width='500' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Contents' style='margin:1em auto;'>
+<tr>
+  <td align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'><span style='font-size:small;'>CHAPTER</span></td>
+  <td></td>
+  <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small;'>PAGE</span></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>I.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Desert Chariot</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#I_THE_DESERT_CHARIOT'>1</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>II.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Forest Ranger</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#II_THE_FOREST_RANGER'>20</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>III.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Lee Virginia Wages War</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#III_LEE_VIRGINIA_WAGES_WAR'>35</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>IV.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Virginia Takes Another Motor Ride</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#IV_VIRGINIA_TAKES_ANOTHER_MOTOR_RIDE'>57</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>V.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Two On the Veranda</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#V_TWO_ON_THE_VERANDA'>80</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>VI.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Voice from the Heights</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#VI_THE_VOICE_FROM_THE_HEIGHTS'>97</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>VII.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Poachers</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#VII_THE_POACHERS'>115</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>VIII.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Second Attack</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#VIII_THE_SECOND_ATTACK'>132</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>IX.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Old Sheep-Herder</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#IX_THE_OLD_SHEEPHERDER'>149</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>X.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Smoke of the Burning</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#X_THE_SMOKE_OF_THE_BURNING'>173</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XI.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Shadows on the Mist</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XI_SHADOWS_ON_THE_MIST'>187</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XII.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Cavanagh&#8217;s Last Vigil Begins</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XII_CAVANAGH_S_LAST_VIGIL_BEGINS'>217</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XIII.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Cavanagh Asks for Help</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XIII_CAVANAGH_ASKS_FOR_HELP'>230</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XIV.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Pest-House</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XIV_THE_PESTHOUSE'>247</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XV.</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Wetherford Passes On</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XV_WETHERFORD_PASSES_ON'>265</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Conclusion</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#CONCLUSION'>295</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+<hr class='silver' />
+
+<div class='ce'>
+<p>INTRODUCTION</p>
+</div>
+
+<p><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>My Dear Mr. Garland</span>:&mdash;You have been kind
+enough to let me see the proofs of <i>Cavanagh: Forest Ranger</i>.
+I have read it with mingled feelings&mdash;with keen appreciation
+of your sympathetic understanding of the problems
+which confronted the Forest Service before the Western
+people understood it, and with deep regret that I am no
+longer officially associated with its work (although I am
+as deeply interested, and almost as closely in touch as
+ever).</p>
+<p>The Western frontier, to the lasting sorrow of all old
+hunters like yourself, has now practically disappeared.
+Its people faced life with a manly dependence on their
+own courage and capacity which did them, and still does
+them, high honor. Some of them were naturally slow
+to see the advantages of the new order. But now that they
+have seen it, there is nowhere more intelligent, convinced,
+and effective support of the Conservation policies than
+in the West. The establishment of the new order in
+some places was not child&#8217;s play. But there is a strain of
+fairness among the Western people which you can always
+count on in such a fight as the Forest Service has made
+and won.</p>
+<p>The Service contains the best body of young men I
+know, and many splendid veterans. It is nine-tenths
+made up of Western men. It has met the West on its
+own ground, and it has won the contest&mdash;an episode of
+which you have so well described&mdash;because the West believes
+in what it stands for.</p>
+<p>I have lived much among the Western mountain men.
+I have studied their problems; differed with some of them,
+and worked with many of them. Sometimes I have lost
+and sometimes I have won, but every time the fight was
+worth while. I have come out of it all with a respect and
+liking for the West which will last as long as I do.</p>
+<div class='ra'>
+<p style=' margin-right:5em;'>Very sincerely yours,</p>
+<p style=' margin-right:2em;'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Gifford Pinchot.</span></p>
+</div>
+
+<div class='la'>
+<p style=' font-size:0.8em; margin-left:2em;'><i>March</i> 14, 1910.</p>
+</div>
+
+<hr class='silver' />
+
+<div class='ce'>
+<p style=' font-size:1.4em;'>Cavanagh: Forest Ranger</p>
+</div>
+
+<hr class='silver' />
+
+<div><span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_1' name='page_1'></a>1</span></div>
+<div class='ce'>
+<p style=' font-size:1.4em; margin-top:2em;'>Cavanagh: Forest Ranger</p>
+</div>
+
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 0em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='I_THE_DESERT_CHARIOT' id='I_THE_DESERT_CHARIOT'></a>
+<h2>I</h2>
+<h3>THE DESERT CHARIOT</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>Lee Virginia Wetherford began her return journey
+into the mountain West with exultation. From the
+moment she opened her car-window that August morning
+in Nebraska the plain called to her, sustained her
+illusions. It was all quite as big, as tawny, as she remembered
+it&mdash;fit arena for the epic deeds in which her
+father had been a leader bold and free.</p>
+<p>Her memories of Roaring Fork and its people were
+childish and romantic. She recalled, vividly, the stagecoach
+which used to amble sedately, not to say wheezily,
+from the railway to the Fork and from the Fork back
+to the railway, in the days when she had ridden away in
+it a tearful, despairing, long-limbed girl, and fully expected
+to find it waiting for her at Sulphur City, with old
+Tom Quentan still as its driver.</p>
+<p>The years of absence had been years of growth, and
+though she had changed from child to woman in these
+suns and moons, she could not think of the Fork as anything
+other than the romantic town she had left&mdash;a list
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_2' name='page_2'></a>2</span>
+wherein spurred and steel-girt cow-men strode lamely
+over uneven sidewalks, or swooped, like the red nomads
+of the desert, in mad troops through the starlit night.</p>
+<p>The first hint of &#8220;the new West&#8221; came to her by way
+of the pretentious Hotel Alma, which stood opposite the
+station at Sulphur, and to which she was led by a colored
+porter of most elaborate and kindly manners.</p>
+<p>This house, which furnished an excellent dinner and
+an absorbing mixture of types both American and
+European, was vaguely disturbing to her. It was plainly
+not of the old-time West&mdash;the West her father had
+dominated in the days &#8220;before the invasion.&#8221; It was,
+indeed, distinctly built for the tourist trade, and was filled
+with all that might indicate the comfortable nearness of
+big game and good fishing.</p>
+<p>Upon inquiry as to the stage, she was amazed to hear
+that an automobile now made the journey to the Fork
+in five hours, and that it left immediately after the midday
+meal.</p>
+<p>This was still more disconcerting than the hotel, but
+the closer she came to the ride, the more resigned she
+became, for she began to relive the long hours of torture
+on the trip outward, during which she had endured
+clouds of dust and blazing heat. There were some
+disadvantages in the old stage, romantic as her conception
+of it had been. Furthermore, the coach had
+gone; so she made application for her seat at once.</p>
+<p>At two o&#8217;clock, as the car came to the door, she entered
+it with a sense of having stepped from one invading
+chariot of progress to another, so big and shining and
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_3' name='page_3'></a>3</span>
+up to date was its glittering body, shining with brass and
+glowing with brave red paint. It was driven, also, by a
+small, lean young fellow, whom the cowboys on her
+father&#8217;s ranch would have called a &#8220;lunger,&#8221; so thin and
+small were his hands and arms. He was quite as far
+from old Tom Quentan as the car was from the coach
+on which he used to perch.</p>
+<p>The owner of the machine, perceiving under Virginia&#8217;s
+veil a girl&#8217;s pretty face, motioned her to the seat with the
+driver, and rode beside her for a few minutes (standing
+on the foot-board), to inquire if she were visiting friends
+in the Fork.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; she replied, curtly, &#8220;I am.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Something in her tone discouraged him from further
+inquiry, and he soon dropped away.</p>
+<p>The seats were apparently quite filled with men,
+when at the last moment a middle-aged woman, with
+a penetrating, nasal, drawling utterance, inquired if she
+were expected to be &#8220;squoze in betwixt them two
+strange men on that there back seat.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia turned, and was about to greet the woman
+as an old acquaintance when something bold and
+vulgar in the complaining vixen&#8217;s face checked the impulse.</p>
+<p>The stage-agent called her &#8220;Miss McBride,&#8221; and
+with exaggerated courtesy explained that travel was
+heavy, and that he had not known that she was intending
+to go.</p>
+<p>One of the men, a slender young fellow, moved to the
+middle of the seat, and politely said, &#8220;You can sit on
+the outside, madam.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_4' name='page_4'></a>4</span></p>
+<p>She clambered in with doleful clamor. &#8220;Well, I never
+rode in one of these pesky things before, and if you git
+me safe down to the Fork I&#8217;ll promise never to jump
+the brute another time.&#8221;</p>
+<p>A chuckle went &#8217;round the car; but it soon died out,
+for the new-comer scarcely left off talking for the next
+three hours, and Virginia was very glad she had not
+claimed acquaintanceship.</p>
+<p>As they whirled madly down the valley the girl was
+astonished at the transformation in the hot, dry land.
+Wire fences ran here and there, enclosing fields of alfalfa
+and wheat where once only the sage-brush and the grease-wood
+grew. Painted farm-houses shone on the banks
+of the creeks, and irrigating ditches flashed across the
+road with an air of business and decision.</p>
+<p>For the first half-hour it seemed as if the dominion of
+the cattle-man had ended, but as the swift car drew away
+from the valley of the Bear and climbed the divide toward
+the north, the free range was disclosed, with few
+changes, save in the cattle, which were all of the harmless
+or hornless variety, appearing tame and spiritless
+in comparison with the old-time half-wild broad-horn
+breeds.</p>
+<p>No horsemen were abroad, and nothing was heard but
+the whirr of the motor and the steady flow of the garrulous
+woman behind. Not till the machine was descending
+the long divide to the west did a single cowboy come
+into view to remind the girl of the heroic past, and this
+one but a symbol&mdash;a figure of speech. Leaning forward
+upon his reeling, foaming steed, he spurred along the
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_5' name='page_5'></a>5</span>
+road as if pursued, casting backward apprehensive
+glances, as if in the brassy eyes of the car he read his
+doom&mdash;the doom of all his kind.</p>
+<p>Some vague perception of this symbolism came into
+Virginia&#8217;s thought as she watched the swift and tireless
+wheels swallow the shortening distance between
+the heels of the flying pony and the gilded seat in which
+she sat. Vain was the attempt to outride progress. The
+rider pulled out, and as they passed him the girl found
+still greater significance in the fact that he was one of
+her father&#8217;s old-time cowboys&mdash;a grizzled, middle-aged,
+light-weight centaur whom she would not have recognized
+had not the driver called him by his quaint well-known
+nickname.</p>
+<p>Soon afterward the motor overhauled and passed the
+battered stage lumbering along, bereft of its passengers,
+sunk to the level of carrying the baggage for its contemptuous
+aristocratic supplanter; and as Lee Virginia
+looked up at the driver, she caught the glance of a simple-minded
+farm-boy looking down at her. Tom Quentan
+no longer guided the plunging, reeling broncos on their
+swift and perilous way&mdash;he had sturdily declined to
+&#8220;play second fiddle to a kerosene tank.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee began to wonder if she should find the Fork much
+changed&mdash;her mother was a bad correspondent.</p>
+<p>Her unspoken question, opportunely asked by another,
+was answered by Mrs. McBride. &#8220;Oh, Lord, yes! Summer
+tourists are crawlin&#8217; all over us sence this otto line
+began. &#8217;Pears like all the bare-armed boobies and cross-legged
+little rips in Omaha and Denver has jest got to
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_6' name='page_6'></a>6</span>
+ride in and look us over. Two of them new hotels in
+Sulphur don&#8217;t do a thing but feed these tenderfeet. I
+s&#8217;pose pro-hi-bition will be the next grandstand-play on
+the part of our town-lot boomers. We old cow-punchers
+don&#8217;t care whether the town grows or not, but these
+hyer bankers and truck-farmers are all for raisin&#8217; the
+price o&#8217; land and taxin&#8217; us quiet fellers out of our boots.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Virginia winced a little at this, for it flashed over her
+that all the women with whom she had grown up spoke
+very much in this fashion&mdash;using breeding terms almost
+as freely as the ranchers themselves. It was natural
+enough. What else could they do in talking to men who
+knew nothing but cows? And yet it was no longer
+wholly excusable even to the men, who laughed openly
+in reply.</p>
+<p>The mountains, too, yielded their disappointment.
+For the first hour or two they seemed lower and less
+mysterious than of old. They neither wooed nor
+threatened&mdash;only the plain remained as vast and as
+majestic as ever. The fences, the occasional farms in the
+valleys could not subdue its outspread, serene majesty
+to prettiness. It was still of desert sternness and breadth.</p>
+<p>From all these impersonal considerations the girl was
+brought back to the vital phases of her life by the harsh
+voice of one of the men. &#8220;Lize Wetherford is goin&#8217;
+to get jumped one o&#8217; these days for sellin&#8217; whiskey without
+a license. I&#8217;ve told her so, too. Everybody knows
+she&#8217;s a-doin&#8217; it, and what beats me is her goin&#8217; along in
+that way when a little time and money would set her
+straight with the law.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_7' name='page_7'></a>7</span></p>
+<p>The shock of all this lay in the fact that Eliza Wetherford
+was the mother to whom Lee Virginia was returning
+after ten years of life in the East, and the significance of
+the man&#8217;s words froze her blood for an instant. There
+was an accent of blunt truth in his voice, and the mere
+fact that a charge of such weight could be openly made
+appalled the girl, although her recollections of her mother
+were not entirely pleasant.</p>
+<p>The young fellow on the back seat slowly said: &#8220;I
+don&#8217;t complain of Lize sellin&#8217; bad whiskey, but the grub
+she sets up is fierce.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;The grub ain&#8217;t so bad; it&#8217;s the way she stacks it up,&#8221;
+remarked another. &#8220;But, then, these little fly-bit cow-towns
+are all alike and all bad, so far as hotels are
+concerned.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia, crimson and burning hot, was in agony
+lest they should go further in their criticism.</p>
+<p>She knew that her mother kept a boarding-house;
+and while she was not proud of it, there was nothing
+precisely disgraceful in it&mdash;many widowed women found
+it the last resort; but this brutal comment on the way in
+which her business was carried on was like a slash of mud
+in the face. Her joy in the ride, her impersonal exultant
+admiration of the mountains was gone, and with flaming
+cheeks and beating heart she sat, tense and bent, dreading
+some new and keener thrust.</p>
+<p>Happily the conversation turned aside and fell upon
+the Government&#8217;s forest policy, and Sam Gregg, a squat,
+wide-mouthed, harsh-voiced individual, cursed the action
+of Ross Cavanagh the ranger in the district above the
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_8' name='page_8'></a>8</span>
+Fork. &#8220;He thinks he&#8217;s Secretary of War, but I reckon
+he won&#8217;t after I interview him. He can&#8217;t shuffle my
+sheep around over the hills at his own sweet will.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The young fellow on the back seat quietly interposed.
+&#8220;You want to be sure you&#8217;ve got the cinch on Cavanagh
+good and square, Sam, or he&#8217;ll be a-ridin&#8217; <i>you</i>.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He certainly is an arbitrary cuss,&#8221; said the old woman.
+&#8220;They say he was one of Teddy&#8217;s Rough-riders in
+the war. He sure can ride and handle a gun. &#8217;Pears
+like he thinks he&#8217;s runnin&#8217; the whole range,&#8221; she continued,
+after a pause. &#8220;Cain&#8217;t nobody so much as shoot
+a grouse since he came on, and the Supervisor upholds
+him in it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia wondered about all this supervision, for
+it was new to her.</p>
+<p>Gregg, the sheepman, went on: &#8220;As I tell Redfield,
+I don&#8217;t object to the forest policy&mdash;it&#8217;s a good thing
+for me; I get my sheep pastured cheaper than I could
+do any other way, but it makes me hot to have grazing
+lines run on me and my herders jacked up every time
+they get over the line. Ross run one bunch off the
+reservation last Friday. I&#8217;m going to find out about
+that. He&#8217;ll learn he can&#8217;t get &#8216;arbitrary&#8217; with me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia, glancing back at this man, felt sorry
+for any one who opposed him, for she recalled him as
+one of the fiercest of the cattle-men&mdash;one ever ready to
+cut a farmer&#8217;s fence or burn a sheep-herder&#8217;s wagon.</p>
+<p>The old woman chuckled: &#8220;&#8217;Pears like you&#8217;ve changed
+your tune since &#8217;98, Sam.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He admitted his conversion shamelessly. &#8220;I&#8217;m for
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_9' name='page_9'></a>9</span>
+whatever will pay best. Just now, with a high tariff,
+sheep are the boys. So long as I can get on the reserve
+at seven cents a head&mdash;lambs free&mdash;I&#8217;m going to put
+every dollar I&#8217;ve got into sheep.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re going to get thrown off altogether one of
+these days,&#8221; said the young man on the back seat.</p>
+<p>Thereupon a violent discussion arose over the question
+of the right of a sheepman to claim first grass for his
+flocks, and Gregg boasted that he cared nothing for &#8220;the
+dead-line.&#8221; &#8220;I&#8217;ll throw my sheep where I please,&#8221; he
+declared. &#8220;They&#8217;ve tried to run me out of Deer
+Creek, but I&#8217;m there to stay. I have ten thousand more
+on the way, and the man that tries to stop me will find
+trouble.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The car was descending into the valley of the Roaring
+Fork now, and wire fences and alfalfa fields on either
+side gave further evidence of the change in the land&#8217;s
+dominion. New houses of frame and old houses in fresh
+paint shone vividly from the green of the willows and
+cottonwoods. A ball-ground on the outskirts of the village
+was another guarantee of progress. The cowboy
+was no longer the undisputed prince of the country fair.</p>
+<p>Down past the court-house, refurbished and deeper
+sunk in trees, Lee Virginia rode, recalling the wild night
+when three hundred armed and vengeful cowboys
+surrounded it, holding three cattle-barons and their
+hired invaders against all comers, resolute to be their
+own judge, jury, and hangman. It was all as peaceful as
+a Sunday afternoon at this moment, with no sign of the
+fierce passions of the past.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_10' name='page_10'></a>10</span></p>
+<p>There were new store-buildings and cement walks
+along the main street of the town, and here and there a
+real lawn, cut by a lawn-mower; but as the machine
+buzzed on toward the river the familiar little old battlemented
+buildings came to view. The Palace Hotel,
+half log, half battlement, remained on its perilous site
+beside the river. The triangle where the trails met still
+held Halsey&#8217;s Three Forks Saloon, and next to it stood
+Markheit&#8217;s general store, from which the cowboys and
+citizens had armed themselves during the ten days&#8217; war
+of cattle-men and rustlers.</p>
+<p>The car crossed the Roaring Fork and drew up before
+two small shacks, one of which bore a faded sign, &#8220;The
+Wetherford House,&#8221; and the other in fresher paint, &#8220;The
+Wetherford Café.&#8221; On the sidewalk a group of Indians
+were sitting, and a half-dozen slouching white men stood
+waiting at the door.</p>
+<p>At sight of her mother&#8217;s hotel Virginia forgot every
+other building, every other object, and when the driver
+asked, respectfully, &#8220;Where will you want to get off,
+miss?&#8221; she did not reply, but rose unsteadily in her seat,
+blindly reaching for her bag and her wraps. Her slim,
+gray-robed figure, graceful even in her dismay, appealed
+to every onlooker, but Gregg was the one to offer a hand.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Allow me, miss,&#8221; he said, with the smile of a wolf.</p>
+<p>Declining his aid, she took her bag from the driver and
+walked briskly up the street as if she were a resident and
+knew precisely where she wanted to go. &#8220;One o&#8217; those
+Eastern tourists, I reckon?&#8221; she heard the old woman
+say.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_11' name='page_11'></a>11</span></p>
+<p>As she went past the hotel-porch her heart beat hard
+and her breath shortened. In a flash she divined the
+truth. She understood why her mother had discouraged
+her coming home. It was not merely on account of the
+money&mdash;it was because she knew that her business was
+wrong.</p>
+<p>What a squalid little den it was! How cheap, bald,
+and petty the whole town seemed of a sudden. Lee
+Virginia halted and turned. There was only one thing
+to be done, and that was to make herself known. She
+retraced her steps, pulled open the broken screen door,
+and entered the café. It was a low, dingy dining-room
+filled with the odor of ham and bad coffee. At the tables
+ten or fifteen men, a motley throng, were busily feeding
+their voracious jaws, and on her left, behind a showcase
+filled with cigars, stood her mother, looking old,
+unkempt, and worried. The changes in her were so
+great that the girl stood in shocked alarm. At last she
+raised her veil. &#8220;Mother,&#8221; she said, &#8220;don&#8217;t you know
+me?&#8221;</p>
+<p>A look of surprise went over the older woman&#8217;s flabby
+face&mdash;a glow which brought back something of her other
+self, as she cried: &#8220;Why, Lee Virginny, where did you
+come from?&#8221;</p>
+<p>The boarders stopped chewing and stared in absorbed
+interest, while Virginia kissed her blowsy mother.</p>
+<p>&#8220;By the Lord, it&#8217;s little Virginny!&#8221; said one old fellow.
+&#8220;It&#8217;s her daughter.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Upon this a mutter of astonishment arose, and the
+waiter-girls, giggling, marvelling, and envious, paused,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_12' name='page_12'></a>12</span>
+their platters in hand, to exchange comment on the new-comer&#8217;s
+hat and gown. A cowboy at the washing-sink
+in the corner suspended his face-polishing and gaped
+over his shoulder in silent ecstasy.</p>
+<p>For a full minute, so it seemed, this singular, interesting,
+absorbed immobility lasted; then a seedy little man
+rose, and approached the girl. His manner was grotesquely
+graceful as he said: &#8220;We are all glad to greet
+you home again, Miss Virginia.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She gave her hand hesitatingly. &#8220;It&#8217;s Mr. Sifton,
+isn&#8217;t it?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It is,&#8221; he replied; &#8220;the same old ha&#8217;penny, only a
+little more worn&mdash;worn, not polished,&#8221; he added, with
+a smile.</p>
+<p>She remembered him then&mdash;an Englishman, a remittance
+man, a &#8220;lord,&#8221; they used to say. His eyes were
+kind, and his mouth, despite its unshaved stubble of
+beard, was refined. A harmless little man&mdash;his own
+worst enemy, as the saying goes.</p>
+<p>Thereupon others of the men came forward to greet
+her, and though she had some difficulty in recognizing
+one or two of them (so hardly had the years of her
+absence used them), she eventually succeeded in placing
+them all.</p>
+<p>At length her mother led her through the archway
+which connected the two shanties, thence along a narrow
+hall into a small bedroom, into which the western sunset
+fell. It was a shabby place, but as a refuge from
+the crowd in the restaurant it was grateful.</p>
+<p>Lize looked at her daughter critically. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_13' name='page_13'></a>13</span>
+what I&#8217;m going to do with a girl like you.&mdash;Why, you&#8217;re
+purty&mdash;purty as a picture. You were skinny as a child&mdash;I&#8217;m
+fair dazed. Great snakes, how you have opened
+out!&mdash;You&#8217;re the living image of your dad.&mdash;What
+started you back? I told you to stay where you
+was.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl stared at her helplessly, trying to understand
+herself and her surroundings. There was, in truth,
+something singularly alien in her mother&#8217;s attitude. She
+seemed on the defensive, not wishing to be too closely
+studied. &#8220;Her manner is not even affectionate&mdash;only
+friendly. It is as if I were only an embarrassing visitor,&#8221;
+the girl thought. Aloud she said: &#8220;I had no place to
+go after Aunt Celia died. I had to come home.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You wrote they was willing to keep you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;They were, but I couldn&#8217;t ask it of them. I had
+no right to burden them, and, besides, Mrs. Hall wrote
+me that you were sick.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I am; but I didn&#8217;t want you to come back. Lay off
+your things and come out to supper. We&#8217;ll talk afterward.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The eating-house, the rooms and hallways, were all
+of that desolate shabbiness which comes from shiftlessness
+joined with poverty. The carpets were frayed and
+stained with tobacco-juice, and the dusty windows were
+littered with dead flies. The curtains were ragged, the
+paper peeling from the walls, and the plastering cracked
+into unsightly lines. Everything on which the girl&#8217;s
+eyes fell contrasted strongly with her aunt&#8217;s home on
+the Brandywine&mdash;not because that house was large or
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_14' name='page_14'></a>14</span>
+luxurious, but because it was exquisitely in order, and
+sweet with flowers and dainty arrangement of color.</p>
+<p>She understood now the final warnings uttered by her
+friends. &#8220;You will find everything changed,&#8221; they had
+said, &#8220;because you are changed.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She regretted bitterly that she had ever left her
+Eastern friends. Her mother, in truth, showed little
+pleasure at her coming, and almost nothing of the illness
+of which a neighbor had written. It was, indeed,
+this letter which had decided her to return to the West.
+She had come, led by a sense of duty, not by affection,
+for she had never loved her mother as a daughter should&mdash;they
+were in some way antipathetic&mdash;and now she
+found herself an unwelcome guest.</p>
+<p>Then, too, the West had called to her: the West of her
+childhood, the romantic, chivalrous West, the West of
+the miner, the cattle-man, the wolf, and the eagle. She
+had returned, led by a poetic sentiment, and here now
+she sat realizing as if by a flash of inward light that the
+West she had known as a child had passed, had suddenly
+grown old and commonplace&mdash;in truth, it had never
+existed at all!</p>
+<p>One of the waitresses, whose elaborately puffed and
+waved hair set forth her senseless vanity, called from the
+door: &#8220;You can come out now, your ma says! Your
+supper&#8217;s ready!&#8221;</p>
+<p>With aching head and shaking knees Virginia reentered
+the dining-room, which was now nearly empty
+of its &#8220;guests,&#8221; but was still misty with the steam of
+food, and swarming with flies. These pests buzzed like
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_15' name='page_15'></a>15</span>
+bees around the soiled places on the table-cloths, and one
+of her mother&#8217;s first remarks was a fretful apology regarding
+her trials with those insects. &#8220;Seems like you
+can&#8217;t keep &#8217;em out,&#8221; she said.</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia presented the appearance of some &#8220;settlement
+worker,&#8221; some fair lady on a visit to the poor, as
+she took her seat at the table and gingerly opened the
+small moist napkin which the waiter dropped before her.
+Her appetite was gone. Her appetite failed at the very
+sight of the fried eggs and hot and sputtering bacon, and
+she turned hastily to her coffee. A fly was in that! She
+uttered a little choking cry, and buried her face in her
+handkerchief and sobbed.</p>
+<p>Lize turned upon the waitress and lashed her with
+stinging phrases. &#8220;Can&#8217;t you serve things better than
+this? Take that cup away! My God, you make me
+tired&mdash;fumblin&#8217; around here with your eyes on the men!
+Pay more attention to your work and less to your crimps,
+and you&#8217;ll please me a whole lot better!&#8221;</p>
+<p>With desperate effort Lee conquered her disgust.
+&#8220;Never mind, I&#8217;m tired and a little upset. I don&#8217;t need
+any dinner.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;The slob will go, just the same. I&#8217;ve put up with
+her because help is scarce, but here&#8217;s where she gits off!&#8221;</p>
+<p>In this moment Virginia perceived that her mother was
+of the same nature with Mrs. McBride&mdash;not one whit
+more refined&mdash;and the gulf between them swiftly widened.
+Hastily sipping her coffee, she tried hard to keep back
+the tears, but failed; and no sooner did her mother turn
+away than she fled to her room, there to sob unrestrainedly
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_16' name='page_16'></a>16</span>
+her despair and shame. &#8220;Oh, I can&#8217;t stand it,&#8221; she
+called. &#8220;I can&#8217;t! I can&#8217;t!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Outside, the mountains deepened in splendor, growing
+each moment more mysterious and beautiful under the
+sunset sky, but the girl derived no comfort from them.
+Her loneliness and her perplexities had closed her eyes
+to their majestic drama. She felt herself alien and
+solitary in the land of her birth.</p>
+<p>Lize came in half an hour later, pathetic in her attempt
+at &#8220;slicking up.&#8221; She was still handsome in a large-featured
+way, but her gray hair was there, and her face
+laid with a network of fretful lines. Her color was
+bad. At the moment her cheeks were yellow and
+sunken.</p>
+<p>She complained of being short of breath and lame
+and tired. &#8220;I&#8217;m always tired,&#8221; she explained. &#8220;&#8217;Pears
+like sometimes I can&#8217;t scarcely drag myself around, but
+I do.&#8221;</p>
+<p>A pang of comprehending pain shot through Virginia&#8217;s
+heart. If she could not love, she could at least
+pity and help; and reaching forth her hand, she patted
+her mother on the knee. &#8220;Poor old mammy!&#8221; she said.
+&#8220;I&#8217;m going to help you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize was touched by this action of her proud daughter,
+and smiled sadly. &#8220;This is no place for you. It&#8217;s
+nothin&#8217; but a measly little old cow-town gone to seed&mdash;and
+I&#8217;m gone to seed with it. I know it. But what is a
+feller to do? I&#8217;m stuck here, and I&#8217;ve got to make a
+living or quit. I can&#8217;t quit. I ain&#8217;t got the grit to eat
+a dose, and so I stagger along.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_17' name='page_17'></a>17</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve come back to help you, mother. You must let
+me relieve you of some of the burden.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What can you do, child?&#8221; Lize asked, gently.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can teach.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not in this town you can&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Why not?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, there&#8217;s a terrible prejudice against&mdash;well,
+against me. And, besides, the places are all filled for
+the next year. The Wetherfords ain&#8217;t among the first
+circles any more.&#8221;</p>
+<p>This daunted the girl more than she could express,
+but she bravely made advance. &#8220;But there must be
+other schools in the country.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;There are&mdash;a few. But I reckon you better pull out
+and go back, at least, to Sulphur; they don&#8217;t know so
+much about me there, and, besides, they&#8217;re a little more
+like your kind.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia remembered Gregg&#8217;s charge against her
+mother. &#8220;What do you mean by the prejudice against
+you?&#8221; she asked.</p>
+<p>Lize was evasive. &#8220;Since I took to running this
+restaurant my old friends kind o&#8217; fell off&mdash;but never
+mind that to-night. Tell me about things back East.
+I don&#8217;t s&#8217;pose I&#8217;ll ever get as far as Omaha again; I used
+to go with Ed every time I felt like it. He was good to
+me, your father. If ever there was a prince of a man,
+Ed Wetherford was him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl&#8217;s thought was now turned into other half-forgotten
+channels. &#8220;I wish you would tell me more
+about father. I don&#8217;t remember where he was buried.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_18' name='page_18'></a>18</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Neither do I, child&mdash;I mean I don&#8217;t know exactly.
+You see, after that cattle-war, he went away to Texas.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I remember, but it&#8217;s all very dim.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, he never came back and never wrote, and by-and-by
+word came that he had died and was buried;
+but I never could go down to see where his grave was at.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Didn&#8217;t you know the name of the town?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes; but it was a new place away down in the Pan
+Handle, and nobody I knew lived there. And I never
+knew anything more.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee sighed hopelessly. &#8220;I hate to think of him lying
+neglected down there.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Pears like the whole world we lived in in them days
+has slipped off the map,&#8221; replied the older woman; and
+as the room was darkening, she rose and lighted a dusty
+electric globe which dangled from the ceiling over the
+small table. &#8220;Well, I must go back into the restaurant;
+I hain&#8217;t got a girl I can trust to count the cash.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Left alone, Lee Virginia wept no more, but her face
+settled into an expression of stern sadness. It seemed
+as if her girlhood had died out of her, and that she was
+about to begin the same struggle with work and worry
+which had marked the lives of all the women she had
+known in her childhood.</p>
+<p>Out on the porch a raw youth was playing wailing
+tunes on a mouth-organ, and in the &#8220;parlor&#8221; a man
+was uttering silly jokes to a tittering girl. The smell of
+cheap cigars filled the hallway and penetrated to her
+nostrils. Every sight and sound sickened her. &#8220;Can
+it be that the old town, the town of my childhood, was of
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_19' name='page_19'></a>19</span>
+this character&mdash;so sordid, so vulgar?&#8221; she asked herself.
+&#8220;And mother&mdash;what is the matter with her? She is
+not even glad to see me!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Weary with her perplexities, she fastened her door
+at last, and went to bed, hoping to end&mdash;for a few hours,
+at least&mdash;the ache in her heart and the benumbing whirl
+of her thought.</p>
+<p>But this respite was denied her. Almost at once she
+began to fancy that a multitudinous minute creeping
+and stirring was going on about her&mdash;in her hair, over
+her neck, across her feet. For a time she explained this
+by reference to her disordered nerves, but at last some
+realization of the truth came to her, and she sprang out
+upon the floor in horror and disgust. Lighting the lamp,
+she turned to scrutinize her couch. It swarmed with
+vermin. The ceiling was spattered with them. They
+raced across the walls in platoons, thin and voracious as
+wolves.</p>
+<p>With a choking, angry, despairing moan she snatched
+her clothing from the chair and stood at bay. It needed
+but this touch to complete her disillusionment.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='II_THE_FOREST_RANGER' id='II_THE_FOREST_RANGER'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_20' name='page_20'></a>20</span>
+<h2>II</h2>
+<h3>THE FOREST RANGER</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>From her makeshift bed in the middle of the floor
+Lee Virginia was awakened next morning by the passing
+of some one down the hall calling at each door, &#8220;Six
+o&#8217;clock!&#8221; She had not slept at all till after one.
+She was lame, heart-weary, and dismayed, but she rose
+and dressed herself as neatly as before. She had decided
+to return to Sulphur. &#8220;I cannot endure this,&#8221;
+she had repeated to herself a hundred times. &#8220;I <i>will</i>
+not!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Hearing the clatter of dishes, she ventured (with
+desperate courage) into the dining-room, which was
+again filled with cowboys, coal-miners, ranchers and
+their tousled families, and certain nondescript town
+loafers of tramp-like appearance. The flies were nearly
+as bad as ever&mdash;but not quite, for under Mrs. Wetherford&#8217;s
+dragooning the waiters had made a nerveless
+assault upon them with newspaper bludgeons, and a few
+of them had been driven out into the street.</p>
+<p>Slipping into a seat at the end of the table which
+offered the cleanest cloth, Lee Virginia glanced round
+upon her neighbors with shrinking eyes. All were shovelling
+their food with knife-blades and guzzling their
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_21' name='page_21'></a>21</span>
+coffee with bent heads; their faces scared her, and she
+dropped her eyes.</p>
+<p>At her left, however, sat two men whose greetings were
+frank and manly, and whose table-manners betrayed a
+higher form of life. One of them was a tall man with a
+lean red face against which his blond mustache lay
+like a chalk-mark. He wore a corduroy jacket, cut in
+Norfolk style, and in the collar of his yellow shirt a green
+tie was loosely knotted. His hands were long and
+freckled, but were manifestly trained to polite usages.</p>
+<p>The other man was younger and browner, and of a
+compact, athletic figure. On the breast of his olive-green
+coat hung a silver badge which bore a pine-tree
+in the centre. His shirt was tan-colored and rough, but
+his head was handsome. He looked like a young officer
+in the undress uniform of the regular army. His
+hands were strong but rather small, and the lines of his
+shoulders graceful. Most attractive of all were his eyes,
+so brown, so quietly humorous, and so keen.</p>
+<p>In the rumble of cheap and vulgar talk the voices of
+these men appealed to the troubled girl with great charm.
+She felt more akin to them than to any one else in the
+room, and from time to time she raised her eyes to their
+faces.</p>
+<p>They were aware of her also, and their gaze was
+frankly admiring as well as wondering; and in passing
+the ham and eggs or the sugar they contrived to show
+her that they considered her a lady in a rough place, and
+that they would like to know more about her.</p>
+<p>She accepted their civilities with gratitude, and listened
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_22' name='page_22'></a>22</span>
+to their talk with growing interest. It seemed that the
+young man had come down from the hills to meet his
+friend and take him back to his cabin.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t do it to-day, Ross,&#8221; said the older man. &#8220;I
+wish I could, but one meal of this kind is all I can stand
+these days.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re getting finicky,&#8221; laughed the younger man.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m getting old. Time was when my fell of hair
+would rise at nothing, not even flies in the butter, but
+now&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That last visit to the ancestral acres is what did it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, it&#8217;s age&mdash;age and prosperity. I know now what
+it is to have broiled steak.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Mrs. Wetherford, seizing the moment, came down
+to do the honors. &#8220;You fellers ought to know my girl.
+Virginny, this is Forest Supervisor Redfield, and this is
+Ross Cavanagh, his forest ranger in this district. You
+ought to know each other. My girl&#8217;s just back from
+school, and she don&#8217;t think much of the Fork. It&#8217;s a
+little too coarse for her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee flushed under this introduction, and her distress
+was so evident that both men came to her rescue.</p>
+<p>The older man bowed, and said: &#8220;I didn&#8217;t know you
+had a daughter, Mrs. Wetherford,&#8221; and Cavanagh,
+with a glance of admiration, added: &#8220;We&#8217;ve been wondering
+who you might be.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize went on: &#8220;I thought I&#8217;d got rid of her.
+She&#8217;s been away now for about ten years. I don&#8217;t
+know but it was a mistake&mdash;look&#8217;s like she&#8217;s grown a
+little too fine-haired for us doughies out here.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_23' name='page_23'></a>23</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;So much the worse for us,&#8221; replied Redfield.</p>
+<p>This little dialogue gave the girl time to recover herself,
+but as Cavanagh watched the blush fade from her face,
+leaving it cold and white, he sympathized with her&mdash;pitied
+her from the bottom of his heart. He perceived that
+he was a chance spectator of the first scene in a painful
+domestic drama&mdash;one that might easily become a tragedy.
+He wondered what the forces might be which had brought
+such a daughter to this sloven, this virago. To see a maid
+of this delicate bloom thrust into such a place as Lize
+Wetherford&#8217;s &#8220;hotel&#8221; had the reputation of being
+roused indignation.</p>
+<p>&#8220;When did you reach town?&#8221; he asked, and into his
+voice his admiration crept.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Only last night.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You find great changes here?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not so great as in my mother. It&#8217;s all&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; She
+stopped abruptly, and he understood.</p>
+<p>Lize being drawn back to her cash-register, Redfield
+turned to say: &#8220;My dear young lady, I don&#8217;t suppose you
+remember me, but I knew you when you were a tot of
+five or six. I knew your father very well.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Did you?&#8221; Her face lighted up.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, poor fellow, he went away from here rather
+under a cloud, you know.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I remember a little of it. I was here when the
+shooting took place.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;So you were. Well, since then much has happened
+to us all,&#8221; he explained to the ranger. &#8220;There wasn&#8217;t
+room for a dashing young blood such as Ed Wetherford
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_24' name='page_24'></a>24</span>
+was in those days.&#8221; He turned to Lee. &#8220;He was no
+worse than the men on the other side&mdash;it was dog eat
+dog; but some way the people rather settled on him as
+a scapegoat. He was forced out, and your mother has
+borne the brunt of it since. Those were lawless days.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It was a painful subject, and Redfield&#8217;s voice grew
+lower and more hesitant as he went on. Looking at
+this charming girl through the smoke of fried ham, with
+obscene insects buzzing about her fair head, made him
+feel for the thousandth time, and more keenly than ever
+before, the amazing combinations in American society.
+How could she be the issue of Edward and Eliza Wetherford?</p>
+<p>More and more Lee Virginia&#8217;s heart went out in trust
+toward these two men. Opposed to the malodorous,
+unshaven throng which filled the room, they seemed
+wondrously softened and sympathetic, and in the ranger&#8217;s
+gaze was something else&mdash;something which made
+her troubles somehow less intolerable. She felt that he
+understood the difficult situation in which she found
+herself.</p>
+<p>Redfield went on. &#8220;You find us horribly uncivilized
+after ten years&#8217; absence?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I find <i>this</i> uncivilised,&#8221; she replied, with fierce intensity,
+looking around the room. Then, on the impulse,
+she added: &#8220;I can&#8217;t stand it! I came here to live with
+my mother, but this is too&mdash;too horrible!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I understand your repulsion,&#8221; replied Redfield. &#8220;A
+thousand times I repeat, apropos of this country, &#8216;Where
+every prospect pleases and only man is vile.&#8217;&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_25' name='page_25'></a>25</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Do you suppose it was as bad ten years ago?&#8221; she
+asked. &#8220;Was everything as dirty&mdash;as mean? Were the
+houses then as full of flies and smells?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid they were. Of course, the country isn&#8217;t
+all like this, and there are neat homes and gentle people
+in Sulphur; but most cattle-men are&mdash;as they&#8217;ve always
+been&mdash;a shiftless, happy-go-lucky lot at best&mdash;and some
+of them have been worse, as you know.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I never dreamed of finding my mother in such a
+place,&#8221; she went on. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know what to do or say.
+She isn&#8217;t well. I ought to stay and help her, and yet&mdash;oh,
+it is disheartening!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize tapped Redfield on the shoulder. &#8220;Come over
+here, Reddy, if you&#8217;ve finished your breakfast; I want
+to talk with you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield rose and followed his landlady behind the
+counter, and there sat in earnest conversation while she
+made change. The tone in which her mother addressed
+the Supervisor, her action of touching him as one man
+lays hand upon another, was profoundly revealing to
+Lee Virginia. She revolted from it without realizing
+exactly what it meant; and feeling deeply but vaguely
+the forest ranger&#8217;s sympathy, she asked:</p>
+<p>&#8220;How <i>can</i> you endure this kind of life?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t, and I don&#8217;t,&#8221; he answered, cautiously, for
+they were being closely observed. &#8220;I am seldom in
+town; my dominion is more than a mile above this
+level. My cabin is nine thousand feet above the sea.
+It is clean and quiet up there.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Are all the other restaurants in the village like this?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_26' name='page_26'></a>26</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Worse. I come here because it is the best.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She rose. &#8220;I can&#8217;t stand this air and these flies any
+longer. They&#8217;re too disgusting.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He followed her into the other house, conscious of the
+dismay and bitterness which burst forth the instant they
+were alone. &#8220;What am I to do? She is my mother,
+but I&#8217;ve lost all sense of relationship to her. And these
+people&mdash;except you and Mr. Redfield&mdash;are all disgusting
+to me. It isn&#8217;t because my mother is poor, it isn&#8217;t because
+she&#8217;s keeping boarders; it&#8217;s something else.&#8221; At
+this point her voice failed her.</p>
+<p>The ranger, deeply moved, stood helplessly silent.
+What could he say? He knew a great deal better than
+she the essential depravity of her mother, and he felt
+keenly the cruelty of fate which had plunged a fine
+young spirit into this swamp of ill-smelling humanity.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Let us go out into the air,&#8221; he suggested, presently.
+&#8220;The mountain wind will do you good.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She followed him trustfully, and as she stepped from
+the squalor of the hotel into the splendor of the morning
+her head lifted. She drank the clear, crisp wind as one
+takes water in the desert.</p>
+<p>&#8220;The air is clean, anyway,&#8221; she said.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh, to divert her, pointed away to the mountains.
+&#8220;There is my dominion. Up there I am sole
+ruler. No one can litter the earth with corruption or
+poison the streams.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She did not speak, but as she studied the ranger her
+face cleared. &#8220;It <i>is</i> beautiful up there.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He went on. &#8220;I hate all this scrap-heap quite as heartily
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_27' name='page_27'></a>27</span>
+as you do, but up there is sweetness and sanity. The
+streams are germless, and the forest cannot be devastated.
+That is why I am a ranger. I could not endure life in
+a town like this.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He turned up the street toward the high hill to the
+south, and she kept step with him. As she did not speak,
+he asked: &#8220;What did you expect to do out here?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I hoped to teach,&#8221; she replied, her voice still choked
+with her emotion. &#8220;I expected to find the country much
+improved.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;And so it is; but it is still a long way from an Eastern
+State. Perhaps you will find the people less savage than
+they appear at first glance.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It isn&#8217;t the town or the people, it is my mother!&#8221;
+she burst forth again. &#8220;Tell me! A woman in the car
+yesterday accused my mother of selling whiskey unlawfully.
+Is this so? Tell me!&#8221;</p>
+<p>She faced him resolutely, and perceiving that she
+could not be evaded, he made slow answer. &#8220;I don&#8217;t
+<i>know</i> that she does, but I&#8217;ve heard it charged against
+her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Who made the charge?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;One of the clergymen, and then it&#8217;s common talk
+among the rough men of the town.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Is that the worst they say of her? Be honest with
+me&mdash;I want to know the worst.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He was quite decisive as he said: &#8220;Yes, that is the
+worst.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She looked relieved. &#8220;I&#8217;m glad to hear you say so.
+I&#8217;ve been imagining all kinds of terrifying things.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_28' name='page_28'></a>28</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Then, too, her bad health is some excuse for her
+housekeeping,&#8221; he added, eager to lessen the daughter&#8217;s
+humiliation, &#8220;and you must remember her associations
+are not those which breed scrupulous regard for the
+proprieties.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But she&#8217;s my mother!&#8221; wailed the girl, coming back
+to the central fact. &#8220;She has sent me money&mdash;she has
+been kind to me&mdash;what am I to do? She needs me, and
+yet the thought of staying here and facing her life frightens
+me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The rotten board walks, the low rookeries, the unshaven,
+blear-eyed men sitting on the thresholds of the
+saloons, the slattern squaws wandering abroad like bedraggled
+hens, made the girl stare with wonder and dismay.
+She had remembered the town street as a highway
+filled with splendid cavaliers, a list wherein heroic deeds
+were done with horse and pistol.</p>
+<p>She recognized one of those &#8220;knights of the lariat&#8221; sitting
+in the sun, flabby, grizzled, and inert. Another was
+trying to mount his horse with a bottle in his hand. She
+recalled him perfectly. He had been her girlish ideal
+of manly beauty. Now here he was, old and mangy with
+drink at forty. In a most vivid and appealing sense he
+measured the change in her as well as the decay of the
+old-time cowboy. His incoherent salutation as his eyes
+fell upon her was like the final blasphemous word from
+the rear-guard of a savage tribe, and she watched him
+ride away reeling limply in his saddle as one watches a
+carrion-laden vulture take its flight.</p>
+<p>She perceived in the ranger the man of the new order,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_29' name='page_29'></a>29</span>
+and with this in her mind she said: &#8220;You don&#8217;t belong
+here? You&#8217;re not a Western man.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not in the sense of having been born here,&#8221; he replied.
+&#8220;I am, in fact, a native of England, though I&#8217;ve
+lived nearly twenty years of my life in the States.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She glanced at his badge. &#8220;How did you come to be a
+ranger&mdash;what does it mean? It&#8217;s all new to me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It is new to the West,&#8221; he answered, smilingly, glad
+of a chance to turn her thought from her own personal
+griefs. &#8220;It has all come about since you went East.
+Uncle Sam has at last become provident, and is now
+&#8216;conserving his resources.&#8217; I am one of his representatives
+with stewardship over some ninety thousand acres
+of territory&mdash;mostly forest.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She looked at him with eyes of changing light. &#8220;You
+don&#8217;t talk like an Englishman, and yet you are not like
+the men out here.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I shouldn&#8217;t care to be like some of them,&#8221; he answered.
+&#8220;My being here is quite logical. I went into the
+cattle business like many another, and I went broke.
+I served under Colonel Roosevelt in the Cuban War, and
+after my term was out, naturally drifted back. I love the
+wilderness and have some natural taste for forestry, and
+I can ride and pack a horse as well as most cowboys,
+hence my uniform. I&#8217;m not the best forest ranger in the
+service, I&#8217;ll admit, but I fancy I&#8217;m a fair average.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;And that is your badge&mdash;the pine-tree?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, and I am proud of it. Some of the fellows are
+not, but so far as I am concerned I am glad to be known
+as a defender of the forest. A tree means much to me.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_30' name='page_30'></a>30</span>
+I never mark one for felling without a sense of responsibility
+to the future.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Her questions came slowly, like those of a child.
+&#8220;Where do you live?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Directly up the South Fork, about twenty miles.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What do you do?&#8221;</p>
+<p>He smiled. &#8220;Not much. I ride the trails, guard the
+game, put out fires, scale lumber, burn brush, build
+bridges, herd cattle, count sheep, survey land, and a few
+other odd chores. It&#8217;s supposed to be a soft snap, but
+I can&#8217;t see it that way.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Do you live alone?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, for the larger part of the time. I have an
+assistant who is with me during part of the summer
+months. Mostly I am alone. However, I am supposed
+to keep open house, and I catch a visitor now and then.&#8221;</p>
+<p>They were both more at ease now, and her unaffected
+interest pleased him.</p>
+<p>She went on, steadily: &#8220;Don&#8217;t you get very lonely?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;In winter, sometimes; in summer I&#8217;m too busy to
+get lonely. In the fire season I&#8217;m in the saddle every
+day, and sometimes all night.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Who cooks for you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I do. That&#8217;s part of a ranger&#8217;s job. We have no
+&#8216;servant problem&#8217; to contend with.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Do you expect to do this always?&#8221;</p>
+<p>He smiled again. &#8220;There you touch my secret spring.
+I have the hope of being Chief Forester some time&mdash;I
+mean we all have the prospect of promotion to sustain us.
+The service is so new that any one with even a knowledge
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_31' name='page_31'></a>31</span>
+of forestry is in demand; by and by real foresters will
+arise.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She returned abruptly to her own problem. &#8220;I dread
+to go back to my mother, but I must. Oh, how I hate
+that hotel! I loathe the flies, the smells, the people
+that eat there, the waiters&mdash;everything!&#8221; She shuddered.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Many of the evils you mention could be reformed&mdash;except,
+of course, some of the people who come to eat.
+I fear several of them have gone beyond reformation.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As they started back down the street she saw the
+motor-stage just leaving the door of the office. &#8220;That
+settles one question,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I can&#8217;t get away till
+to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Where would you go if you broke camp&mdash;back to
+the East?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No; my mother thinks there is a place for me in
+Sulphur City.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Your case interests me deeply. I wish I could advise
+you to stay, but this is a rough town for a girl like
+you. Why don&#8217;t you talk the problem over with the
+Supervisor?&#8221; His voice became firmer. &#8220;Mrs. Redfield
+is the very one to help you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Where does she live?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Their ranch lies just above Sulphur, at the mouth
+of the Canon. May I tell him what you&#8217;ve told me?
+He&#8217;s a good sort, is Redfield&mdash;much better able to advise
+than I am.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh found himself enjoying the confidence of
+this girl so strangely thrown into his care, and the curious
+comment of the people in the street did not disturb
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_32' name='page_32'></a>32</span>
+him, except as it bore upon his companion&#8217;s position in
+the town.</p>
+<p>At the door of the hotel some half-a-dozen men were
+clustered. As the young couple approached they gave
+way, but a short, powerful man, whom Lee Virginia
+recognized as Gregg the sheepman, called to the
+ranger:</p>
+<p>&#8220;I want to see you before you leave town, Mr. Ranger.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Very well. I shall be here all the forenoon,&#8221; answered
+Cavanagh, in the tone of a man accepting a
+challenge; then, turning to the girl, he said, earnestly:
+&#8220;I want to help you. I shall be here for lunch, and meanwhile
+I wish you would take Redfield into your confidence.
+He&#8217;s a wise old boy, and everybody knows him.
+No one doubts his motives; besides, he has a family,
+and is rich and unhurried. Would you like me to talk
+with him?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;If you will. I want to do right&mdash;indeed I do.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sure of that,&#8221; he said, with eyes upon her flushed
+and quivering face. &#8220;There&#8217;s a way out, believe me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>They parted on the little porch of the hotel, and her
+eyes followed his upright figure till he entered one of the
+shops. He had precisely the look and bearing of a young
+lieutenant in the regular army, and she wondered what
+Gregg&#8217;s demand meant. In his voice was both menace
+and contempt.</p>
+<p>She returned to her own room, strangely heartened by
+her talk with the ranger. &#8220;If I stay here another night
+this room must be cleaned,&#8221; she decided, and approached
+the bed as though it harbored venomous reptiles. &#8220;This
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_33' name='page_33'></a>33</span>
+is one of the things that must be reformed,&#8221; she decided,
+harking back to the ranger&#8217;s quiet remark.</p>
+<p>She was still pondering ways and means of making
+the room habitable when her mother came in.</p>
+<p>&#8220;How&#8217;d you sleep last night?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia could not bring herself to lie. &#8220;Not very
+well,&#8221; she admitted.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Neither did I. Fact of the matter is your coming
+fairly upset me. I&#8217;ve been kind o&#8217; used up for three
+months. I don&#8217;t know what ails me. I&#8217;d ought to go
+up to Sulphur to see a doctor, but there don&#8217;t seem to be
+any free time. I &#8217;pear to have lost my grip. Food
+don&#8217;t give me any strength. I saw you talking with
+Ross Cavanagh. There&#8217;s a man&mdash;and Reddy. Reddy
+is what you may call a fancy rancher&mdash;goes in for alfalfy
+and fruit, and all that. He isn&#8217;t in the forest service for
+the pay or for graft. He&#8217;s got a regular palace up there
+above Sulphur&mdash;hot and cold water all through the
+house, a furnace in the cellar, and two bath-rooms, so
+they tell me; I never was in the place. Well, I must
+go back&mdash;I can&#8217;t trust them girls a minute.&#8221; She turned
+with a groan of pain. &#8220;&#8217;Pears like every joint in me is
+a-creakin&#8217; to-day.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Can&#8217;t I take your place?&#8221; asked Lee Virginia, pity
+deepening in her heart as she caught the look of suffering
+on her mother&#8217;s face.</p>
+<p>&#8220;No; you better keep out o&#8217; the caffy. It ain&#8217;t a fit
+place for you. Fact is, I weren&#8217;t expecting anything so
+fine as you are. I laid awake till three o&#8217;clock last night
+figurin&#8217; on what to do. I reckon you&#8217;d better go back and
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_34' name='page_34'></a>34</span>
+give this outfit up as a bad job. I used to tell Ed you
+didn&#8217;t belong to neither of us, and you don&#8217;t. I can&#8217;t
+see where you <i>did</i> come from&mdash;anyhow, I don&#8217;t want the
+responsibility of havin&#8217; you here. Why, you&#8217;ll have half
+the men in the county hitchin&#8217; to my corral&mdash;and the
+males out here are a fierce lot o&#8217; brutes.&#8221; She studied the
+girl again, finding her so dainty, so far above herself,
+that she added: &#8220;It would be a cruel shame for me to keep
+you here, with all these he-wolves roamin&#8217; around.
+You&#8217;re too good to be meat for any of them. You just
+plan to pack up and pull out to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She went out with a dragging step that softened the
+girl&#8217;s heart. It was true there was little of real affection
+between them. Her memories of Eliza up to this moment
+had been rather mixed. As a child she had seldom
+been in her arms, and she had always been a little afraid
+of the bold, bright, handsome creature who rode horses
+and shot pistols like a man. It was hard to relate the
+Eliza Wetherford of those days with this flabby, limping
+old woman, and yet her daughter came nearer to loving
+her at this moment than at any time since her fifth year.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='III_LEE_VIRGINIA_WAGES_WAR' id='III_LEE_VIRGINIA_WAGES_WAR'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_35' name='page_35'></a>35</span>
+<h2>III</h2>
+<h3>LEE VIRGINIA WAGES WAR</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>In</span> truth, Lize had risen that morning intending &#8220;to
+whirl in and clean up the house,&#8221; being suddenly conscious
+to some degree of the dirt and disorder around her,
+but she found herself physically unequal to the task.
+Her brain seemed misted, and her food had been a source
+of keen pain to her. Hence, after a few half-hearted
+orders, she had settled into her broad chair behind the
+counter and there remained, brooding over her maternal
+responsibilities.</p>
+<p>She gave sharp answers to all the men who came up to
+ask after her daughter, and to one who remarked on the
+girl&#8217;s good looks, and demanded an introduction, she
+said: &#8220;Get along! I&#8217;d as soon introduce her to a goat.
+Now you fellers want to understand I&#8217;ll kill the man that
+sets out to fool with my girl, I tell you that!&#8221;</p>
+<p>While yet Lee Virginia was wondering how to begin the
+day&#8217;s work, some one knocked on her door, and in answer
+to her invitation a woman stepped in&mdash;a thin blond hag
+with a weak smile and watery blue eyes. &#8220;Is this little
+Lee Virginy?&#8221; she asked.</p>
+<p>The girl rose. &#8220;Yes.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, howdy!&#8221; She extended her hand, and Lee took
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_36' name='page_36'></a>36</span>
+it. &#8220;My name&#8217;s Jackson&mdash;Mrs. Orlando Jackson. I
+knew yore pa and you before &#8216;the war.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia dimly recalled such a family, and asked:
+&#8220;Where do you live?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;We hole up down here on a ranch about twenty
+miles&mdash;stayed with yore ma last night&mdash;thought I&#8217;d jest
+nacherly look in and say howdy. Are ye back fer to
+stay?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, I don&#8217;t think so. Will you sit down?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Mrs. Jackson took a seat. &#8220;Come back to see how
+yore ma was, I reckon? Found her pretty porely, didn&#8217;t
+ye?&#8221; She lowered her voice. &#8220;I think she&#8217;s got cancer
+of the stummick&mdash;now that&#8217;s my guess.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Virginia started. &#8220;What makes you think so?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, I knew a woman who went just that way. Had
+that same flabby, funny look&mdash;and that same distress
+after eatin&#8217;, I told her this mornin&#8217; she&#8217;d better go up
+to Sulphur and see that new doctor. You see, yore ma
+has always been a reckless kind of a critter&mdash;more like a
+man than a woman, God knows&mdash;an&#8217; how she ever got
+a girl like you I don&#8217;t fairly understand. I reckon you
+must be what the breedin&#8217; men call &#8216;a throw-back,&#8217; for
+yore pa wa&#8216;n&#8217;t much to brag of, &#8216;ceptin&#8217; for looks&mdash;he
+certainly was good-lookin&#8217;. He used to sober down when
+he got where you was; but my&mdash;good God!&mdash;weren&#8217;t they
+a pair to draw to? I&#8217;ve heard &#8217;Lando tell tales of yore
+ma&#8217;s doin&#8217;s that would &#8217;fright ye. Not that she fooled
+with men,&#8221; she hastened to say. &#8220;Lord, no! For her
+the sun rose and set in Ed Wetherford. She&#8217;d leave you
+any day, and go on the round-up with him. It nigh
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_37' name='page_37'></a>37</span>
+about broke her up in business when Ed hit the far-away
+trail.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl perceived that in her visitor she had one of
+these self-oiled human talking-machines &#8220;with tongue
+hung in the middle,&#8221; as the old saying goes, and she was
+dimly conscious of having heard her many times before.
+&#8220;You don&#8217;t look very well yourself,&#8221; she said.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Me? Oh, I&#8217;m like one o&#8217; these Injun dawgs&mdash;can&#8217;t
+kill me. I&#8217;ve been on the range so long I&#8217;m tough as
+dried beef. It&#8217;s a fierce old place for a woman&mdash;or it
+was before &#8216;the war&#8217;&mdash;since then it&#8217;s kind o&#8217; softened
+down a hair.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What do you mean by &#8216;the war&#8217;?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Why, you remember the rustler war? We date
+everything out here from that year. You was here, for
+I saw ye&mdash;a slob of a child.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh!&#8221; exclaimed Virginia. &#8220;I understand now. Yes,
+I was here. I saw my father at the head of the cowboys.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;They weren&#8217;t cowboys; they were hired killers from
+Texas. That&#8217;s what let yore pa out o&#8217; the State. He
+were on the wrong side, and if it hadn&#8217;t &#8216;a&#8217; been for the
+regular soldiers he&#8217;d &#8216;a&#8217; been wiped out right hyer. As
+it was he had to skip the range, and hain&#8217;t never been
+back. I don&#8217;t s&#8217;pose folks will lay it up agin you&mdash;bein&#8217;
+a girl&mdash;but they couldn&#8217;t no <i>son</i> of Ed Wetherford come
+back here and settle, not for a minute. Why, yore ma
+has had to bluff the whole county a&#8217;most&mdash;not that <i>I</i> lay
+anything up agin her. I tell folks she was that bewitched
+with Ed she couldn&#8217;t see things any way but
+his way. She fought to save his ranch and stawk and&mdash;but
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_38' name='page_38'></a>38</span>
+hell! she couldn&#8217;t do nothin&#8217;&mdash;and then to have him
+go back on her the way he did&mdash;slip out &#8217;twixt two
+days, and never write; that just about shot her to pieces.
+I never could understand that in Ed, he &#8217;peared so mortally
+fond of you and of her, too. He sure was fond of
+you!&#8221; She shook her head. &#8220;No, can&#8217;t anybody make
+me believe Ed Wetherford is alive.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia started. &#8220;Who says he&#8217;s alive?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Now don&#8217;t get excited, girl. He ain&#8217;t alive; but
+yet folks say we don&#8217;t <i>know</i> he&#8217;s dead. He jest dropped
+out so far as yore ma is concerned, and so far as the
+county is concerned; but some thought you was with
+him in the East.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl was now aware that her visitor was hoping
+to gain some further information, and so curtly answered:
+&#8220;I&#8217;ve never seen my father since that night the soldiers
+came and took him away to the fort. And my mother
+told me he died down in Texas.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Mrs. Jackson seemed a little disappointed, but she
+smoothed the dress over her sharp knees, and continued:
+&#8220;Right there the good old days ended for yore ma&mdash;and
+for us. The cattle business has been steadily on the
+chute&mdash;that is, the free-range business. I saw it comin&#8217;,
+an&#8217; I says to Jackson, &#8216;Camp on some river-bottom and
+chuck in the alfalfy,&#8217; I says. An&#8217; that&#8217;s what we did.
+We got a little bunch o&#8217; cattle up in the park&mdash;Uncle
+Sam&#8217;s man is lookin&#8217; after &#8217;em.&#8221; She grinned. &#8220;Jackson
+kicked at the fee, but I says: &#8216;Twenty cents a head
+is cheap pasture. We&#8217;re lucky to get any grass at
+all, now that everybody&#8217;s goin&#8217; in for sheep. &#8217;Pears
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_39' name='page_39'></a>39</span>
+like the sheepmen air gettin&#8217; bolder and bolder in this
+free-range graft, and I&#8217;m a-bettin&#8217; on trouble.&#8217;&#8221; She
+rose. &#8220;Well, I&#8217;m glad to &#8217;ve had a word with ye; but
+you hear me: yore ma has got to have doctor&#8217;s help, or
+she&#8217;s a-goin&#8217; to fall down some day soon.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Every word the woman uttered, every tone of her
+drawling voice, put Lee Virginia back into the past.
+She heard again the swift gallop of hooves, saw once more
+the long line of armed ranchers, and felt the hush of fear
+that lay over the little town on that fateful day. The
+situation became clearer in her mind. She recalled
+vividly the words of astonishment and hate with which
+the women had greeted her mother on the morning when
+the news came that Edward Wetherford was among the
+invading cattle-barons&mdash;was, indeed, one of the leaders.</p>
+<p>In Philadelphia the Rocky Mountain States were
+synonyms of picturesque lawlessness, the theatre of
+reckless romance, and Virginia Wetherford, loyal daughter
+of the West, had defended it; but in the coarse phrase
+of this lean rancheress was pictured a land of border
+warfare as ruthless as that which marked the Scotland of
+Rob Roy.</p>
+<p>Commonplace as the little town looked at the moment,
+it had been the scene of many a desperate encounter, as
+the girl herself could testify, for she had seen more than
+one man killed therein. Some way the hideousness of
+these scenes had never shown itself to her&mdash;perhaps because
+she had been a child at the time, and had thrilled
+to the delicious excitement of it; but now, as she imagined
+it all happening again before her eyes, she shivered with
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_40' name='page_40'></a>40</span>
+horror. How monstrous, how impossible those killings
+now seemed!</p>
+<p>Then her mind came back to her mother&#8217;s ailment.
+Eliza Wetherford had never been one to complain, and
+her groans meant real suffering.</p>
+<p>Her mind resolved upon one thing. &#8220;She must see a
+doctor,&#8221; she decided. And with this in mind she reentered
+the café, where Lize was again in violent altercation
+with a waitress.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Mother,&#8221; called Lee, &#8220;I want to see you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>With a parting volley of vituperation, Mrs. Wetherford
+followed her daughter back into the lodging-house.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Mother,&#8221; the girl began, facing her and speaking
+firmly, &#8220;you must go to Sulphur City and see a doctor.
+I&#8217;ll stay here and look after the business.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Mrs. Wetherford perceived in her daughter&#8217;s attitude
+and voice something decisive and powerful. She sank
+into a chair, and regarded her with intent gaze. &#8220;Hett
+Jackson&#8217;s been gabblin&#8217; to you,&#8221; she declared. &#8220;Hett
+knows more fool things that ain&#8217;t so than any old heffer
+I know. She said I was about all in, didn&#8217;t she? Prophesied
+I&#8217;d fall down and stay? I know her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia remained firm. &#8220;I&#8217;m not going by what
+she said, I&#8217;ve got eyes of my own. You need help, and if
+the doctor here can&#8217;t help you, you must go to Sulphur
+or to Kansas City. I can run the boarding-house till you
+get back.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Eliza eyed her curiously. &#8220;Don&#8217;t you go to countin&#8217;
+on this &#8216;chivalry of the West&#8217; which story-writers put into
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_41' name='page_41'></a>41</span>
+books. These men out here will eat you up if you don&#8217;t
+watch out. I wouldn&#8217;t dare to leave you here alone.
+No, what I&#8217;ll do is sell the place, if I can, and both of us
+get out.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But you need a doctor this minute.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll be all right in a little while; I&#8217;m always the worst
+for an hour or two after I eat. This little squirt of a
+local doctor gave me some dope to ease that pain, but
+I&#8217;ve got my doubts&mdash;I don&#8217;t want any morphine habit in
+mine. No, daughter Virginny, it&#8217;s mighty white of you
+to offer, but you don&#8217;t know what you&#8217;re up against when
+you contract to step into my shoes.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Visions of reforming methods about the house passed
+through the girl&#8217;s mind. &#8220;There must be something I
+can do. Why don&#8217;t you have the doctor come down
+here?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I might do that if I get any worse, but I hate to have
+you stay in the house another night. It&#8217;s only fit for
+these goats of cowboys and women like Hett Jackson.
+Did the bugs eat you last night?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Virginia flushed. &#8220;Yes.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Eliza&#8217;s face fell. &#8220;I was afraid of that. You can&#8217;t
+keep &#8217;em out. The cowboys bring &#8217;em in by the quart.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;They can be destroyed&mdash;and the flies, too, can&#8217;t
+they?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;When you&#8217;ve bucked flies and bugs as long as I
+have, you&#8217;ll be less &#8217;peart about it. I don&#8217;t care a hoot
+in Hades till somebody like you or Reddy or Ross comes
+along. Most of the men that camp with me are like
+Injuns, anyway&mdash;they wouldn&#8217;t feel natural without
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_42' name='page_42'></a>42</span>
+bugs a ticklin&#8217; &#8217;em. No, child, you get ready and pull
+out on the Sulphur stage to-morrow. I&#8217;ll pay your way
+back to Philadelphy.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t leave you now, mother. Now that I know
+you&#8217;re ill, I&#8217;m going to stay and take care of you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize rose. &#8220;See here, girl, don&#8217;t you go to idealizin&#8217;
+me, neither. I&#8217;m what the boys call an old battle-axe.
+I&#8217;ve been through the whole war. I&#8217;m able to feed myself
+and pay your board besides. Just you find some
+decent boarding-place in Sulphur, and I&#8217;ll see that you
+have ten dollars a week to live on, just because you&#8217;re
+a Wetherford.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But I&#8217;m your daughter!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Again Eliza fixed a musing look upon her. &#8220;I reckon
+if the truth was known your aunt Celia was nigher to
+being your mother than I ever was. They always said
+you was all Wetherford, and I reckon they were right.
+I always liked men better than babies. So long as I
+had your father, you didn&#8217;t count&mdash;now that&#8217;s the God&#8217;s
+truth. And I didn&#8217;t intend that you should ever come
+back here. I urged you to stay&mdash;you know that.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia imagined all this to be a savage self-accusation
+which sprang from long self-bereavement,
+and yet there was something terrifying in its brutal
+frankness. She stood in silence till her mother left the
+room, then went to her own chamber with a painful knot
+in her throat. What could she do with elemental savagery
+of this sort?</p>
+<p>The knowledge that she must spend another night in
+the bed led her to active measures of reform. With disgustful
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_43' name='page_43'></a>43</span>
+desperation, she emptied the room and swept it
+as with fire and sword. Her change of mind, from the
+passive to the active state, relieved and stimulated her,
+and she hurried from one needed reform to another.
+She drew others into the vortex. She inspired the
+chambermaid to unwilling yet amazing effort, and the
+lodging-house endured such a blast from the besom
+that it stood in open-windowed astonishment uttering
+dust like the breath of a dragon. Having swept and
+garnished the bed-chambers, Virginia moved on the
+dining-room. As the ranger had said, this, too, could
+be reformed.</p>
+<p>Unheeding her mother&#8217;s protests, she organized the
+giggling waiters into a warring party, and advanced upon
+the flies. By hissing and shooing, and the flutter of
+newspapers, they drove the enemy before them, and
+a carpenter was called in to mend screen doors and windows,
+thus preventing their return. New shades were
+hung to darken the room, and new table-cloths purchased
+to replace the old ones, and the kitchen had
+such a cleaning as it had not known before in five
+years.</p>
+<p>In this work the time passed swiftly, and when Redfield
+and Cavanagh came again to lunch they exclaimed
+in astonishment&mdash;as, indeed, every one did.</p>
+<p>&#8220;How&#8217;s this?&#8221; queried Cavanagh, humorously. &#8220;Has
+the place &#8217;changed hands?&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize was but grimly responsive. &#8220;Seem&#8217;s like it has.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I hope the price has not gone up?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not yet.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_44' name='page_44'></a>44</span></p>
+<p>Redfield asked: &#8220;Who&#8217;s responsible for this&mdash;your
+new daughter?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve hit it. She&#8217;s started right in to polish us all
+up to city standards.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;We need it,&#8221; commented Cavanagh, in admiration of
+the girl&#8217;s prompt action. &#8220;This room is almost civilized,
+still we&#8217;ll sort o&#8217; miss the flies.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize apologized. &#8220;Well, you know a feller gits kind o&#8217;
+run down like a clock, and has to have some outsider
+wind him up now and again. First I was mad, then I
+was scared, but now I&#8217;m cheerin&#8217; the girl on. She can
+run the whole blame outfit if she&#8217;s a mind to&mdash;even if I
+go broke for it. The work she got out o&#8217; them slatter-heels
+of girls is a God&#8217;s wonder.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross looked round for Virginia, but could not find her.
+She had seen him come in, and was out in the kitchen
+doing what she could to have his food brought in and
+properly served.</p>
+<p>Redfield reassured the perturbed proprietor of &#8220;the
+joint.&#8221; &#8220;No fear of going broke, madam&mdash;quite the
+contrary. A few little touches like this, and you&#8217;ll be
+obliged to tear down and build bigger. I don&#8217;t believe
+I&#8217;d like to see your daughter run this eating-house as
+a permanent job, but if she starts in I&#8217;m sure she&#8217;ll make
+a success of it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia came in flushed and self-conscious, but
+far lighter of spirit than at breakfast; and stood beside
+the table while the waitress <i>laid</i> the dishes before her
+guests with elaborate assumption of grace and design.
+Hitherto she had bumped them down with a slash of
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_45' name='page_45'></a>45</span>
+slangy comment. The change was quite as wonderful
+as the absence of the flies.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Do we owe these happy reforms to you?&#8221; asked
+Cavanagh, admiring Virginia&#8217;s neat dress and glowing
+cheeks.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Partly,&#8221; she answered. &#8220;I was desperate. I had
+to do something, so I took to ordering people around.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I understand,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Won&#8217;t you sit at our table
+again?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Please do,&#8221; said Redfield. &#8220;I want to talk with you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She took a seat&mdash;a little hesitantly. &#8220;You see, I
+studied Domestic Science at school, and I&#8217;ve never had
+a chance to apply it before.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Here&#8217;s your opportunity,&#8221; Redfield assured her.
+&#8220;My respect for the science of domestics is growing&mdash;I
+marvel to think what another week will bring forth.
+I think I&#8217;ll have to come down again just to observe the
+improvement in the place.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It can&#8217;t last,&#8221; Lize interjected. &#8220;She&#8217;ll catch the
+Western habits&mdash;she&#8217;ll sag, same as we all do.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No she won&#8217;t,&#8221; declared Ross, with intent to encourage
+her. &#8220;If you give her a free hand, I predict she&#8217;ll
+make your place the wonder and boast of the county-side.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;When do you go back to the mountains?&#8221; Lee Virginia
+asked, a little later.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Immediately after my luncheon,&#8221; he replied.</p>
+<p>She experienced a pang of regret, and could not help
+showing it a little. &#8220;Your talk helped me,&#8221; she said;
+&#8220;I&#8217;ve decided to stay, and be of use to my mother.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield overheard this, and turned toward her.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_46' name='page_46'></a>46</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;This is a rough school for you, Lee Virginia, and I
+should dislike seeing you settle down to it for life: but it
+can&#8217;t hurt you if you are what I think you are. Nothing
+can soil or mar the mind that wills for good. I want
+Mrs. Redfield to know you; I&#8217;m sure her advice will be
+helpful. I hope you&#8217;ll come up and see us if you decide
+to settle in Sulphur&mdash;or if you don&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I should like to do so,&#8221; she said, touched by the tone
+as well as by the words of his invitation.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Redfield&#8217;s house is one of the few completely civilized
+homes in the State,&#8221; put in Cavanagh. &#8220;When I get so
+weary of cuss-words and poaching and graft that I can&#8217;t
+live without killing some one, I go down to Elk Lodge
+and smoke and read the Supervisor&#8217;s London and Paris
+weeklies and recover my tone.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield smiled. &#8220;When I get weak-kneed or careless
+in the service and feel my self-respect slipping away, I
+go up to Ross&#8217;s cabin and talk with a man who represents
+the impersonal, even-handed justice of the Federal law.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh laughed. &#8220;There! Having handed each
+other reciprocal bouquets, we can now tell Miss Wetherford
+the truth. Each of us thinks very well of himself,
+and we&#8217;re both believers in the New West.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What do you mean by the New West?&#8221; asked the
+girl.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, the work you&#8217;ve been doing here this morning
+is a part of it,&#8221; answered Redfield. &#8220;It&#8217;s a kind of housecleaning.
+The Old West was picturesque and, in a way,
+manly and fine&mdash;certain phases of it were heroic&mdash;and I
+hate to see it all pass, but some of us began to realize that
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_47' name='page_47'></a>47</span>
+it was not all poetry. The plain truth is my companions
+for over twenty years were lawless ruffians, and the cattle
+business as we practiced it in those days was founded on
+selfishness and defended at the mouth of the pistol. We
+were all pensioners on Uncle Sam, and fighting to keep
+the other fellow off from having a share of his bounty.
+It was all wasteful, half-savage. We didn&#8217;t want settlement,
+we didn&#8217;t want law, we didn&#8217;t want a State. We
+wanted free range. We were a line of pirates from beginning
+to end, and we&#8217;re not wholly, reformed yet.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He was talking to the whole table now, for all were
+listening. No other man on the range could say these
+things with the same authority, for Hugh Redfield was
+known all over the State as a man who had been one of the
+best riders and ropers in his outfit&mdash;one who had started
+in as a common hand at herding, and who had been entirely
+through &#8220;the war.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia listened with a stirring of the blood. Her
+recollections of the range were all of the heroic. She
+recalled the few times when she was permitted to go on
+the round-up, and to witness the breaking of new horses,
+and the swiftness, grace, and reckless bravery of the
+riders, the moan and surge of herds, the sweep of horsemen,
+came back and filled her mind with large and free
+and splendid pictures. And now it was passing&mdash;or
+past!</p>
+<p>Some one at the table accused Redfield of being more
+of a town-site boomer than a cattle-man.</p>
+<p>He was quite unmoved by this charge. &#8220;The town-site
+boomer at least believes in progress. He does not
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_48' name='page_48'></a>48</span>
+go so far as to shut out settlement. If a neat and tidy
+village or a well-ordered farmstead is not considered
+superior to a cattle-ranch littered with bones and tin
+cans, or better than even a cow-town whose main industry
+is whiskey-selling, then all civilized progress is
+a delusion. When I was a youngster these considerations
+didn&#8217;t trouble me. I liked the cowboy life and the careless
+method of the plains, but I&#8217;ve some girls growing
+up now, and I begin to see the whole business in a new
+light. I don&#8217;t care to have my children live the life I&#8217;ve
+lived. Besides, what right have we to stand in the way
+of a community&#8217;s growth? Suppose the new life <i>is</i> less
+picturesque than the old? We don&#8217;t like to leave behind
+us the pleasures and sports of boyhood; but we
+grow up, nevertheless. I&#8217;m far more loyal to the State
+as Forest Supervisor than I was when I was riding with
+the cattle-men to scare up the nester.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He uttered all this quite calmly, but his ease of manner,
+his absolute disregard of consequences, joined with
+his wealth and culture, gave his words great weight and
+power. No one was ready with an answer but Lize,
+who called out, with mocking accent: &#8220;Reddy, you&#8217;re too
+good for the Forest Service, you&#8217;d ought &#8217;o be our next
+Governor.&#8221;</p>
+<p>This was a centre shot. Redfield flushed, and Cavanagh
+laughed. &#8220;Mr. Supervisor, you are discovered!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield recovered himself. &#8220;I should like to be
+Governor of this State for about four years, but I&#8217;m
+likelier to be lynched for being in command of twenty
+&#8216;Cossacks.&#8217;&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_49' name='page_49'></a>49</span></p>
+<p>At this moment Sam Gregg entered the room, followed
+by a young man in an English riding-suit. Seeing that
+&#8220;the star-boarder table&#8221; offered a couple of seats, they
+pointed that way. Sam was plainly in war-like frame
+of mind, and slammed his sombrero on its nail with the
+action of a man beating an adversary.</p>
+<p>&#8220;That is Sam Gregg and his son Joe&mdash;used to be
+ranch cattle-man, now one of our biggest sheepmen,&#8221;
+Cavanagh explained. &#8220;He&#8217;s bucking the cattle-men now.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia studied young Gregg with interest, for
+his dress was that of a man to whom money came easy,
+and his face was handsome, though rather fat and sullen.
+In truth, he had been brought into the room by his
+father to see &#8220;Lize Wetherford&#8217;s girl,&#8221; and his eyes at
+once sought and found her. A look of surprise and
+pleasure at once lit his face.</p>
+<p>Gregg was sullen because of his interview with Cavanagh,
+which had been in the nature of a grapple; and in
+the light of what Redfield had said, Lee Virginia was able
+to perceive in these two men a struggle for supremacy.
+Gregg was the greedy West checked and restrained by
+the law.</p>
+<p>Every man in the room knew that Gregg was a bitter
+opponent of the Forest Service, and that he &#8220;had it in&#8221;
+for the ranger; and some of them knew that he was
+throwing more sheep into the forest than his permits
+allowed, and that a clash with Redfield was sure to
+come. It was just like the burly old Irishman to go
+straight to the table where his adversary sat.</p>
+<p>Virginia&#8217;s eyes fell before the gaze of these two men,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_50' name='page_50'></a>50</span>
+for they had none of the shyness or nothing of the indirection
+of the ruder men she had met. They expressed
+something which angered her, though she could not have
+told precisely why.</p>
+<p>Redfield did not soften his words on Gregg&#8217;s account;
+on the contrary he made them still more cutting and to
+the line.</p>
+<p>&#8220;The mere fact that I live near the open range or a
+national forest does not give me any <i>rights</i> in the range or
+forest,&#8221; he was saying, as Gregg took his seat. &#8220;I enjoy
+the <i>privilege</i> of these Government grazing grounds, and
+I ought to be perfectly willing to pay the fee. These
+forests are the property of the whole nation; they are
+public lands, and should yield a revenue to the whole
+nation. It is silly to expect the Government to go on enriching
+a few of us stockmen at the expense of others.
+I see this, and I accept the change.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;After you&#8217;ve got rich at it,&#8221; said Gregg.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, haven&#8217;t you?&#8221; retorted Redfield. &#8220;Are you
+so greedy that nothing will stop you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize threw in a wise word. &#8220;The sporting-houses of
+Kansas City and Chicago keep old Sam poor.&#8221;</p>
+<p>A roar of laughter followed this remark, and Gregg
+was stumped for a moment; but the son grinned appreciatively.
+&#8220;Now be good!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh turned to Virginia in haste to shield her
+from all that lay behind and beneath this sally of the older
+and deeply experienced woman. &#8220;The Supervisor is
+willing to yield a point&mdash;he knows what the New West
+will bring.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_51' name='page_51'></a>51</span></p>
+<p>Gregg growled out: &#8220;I&#8217;m not letting any of my rights
+slip.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl was troubled by the war-light which she saw
+in the faces of the men about her, and vague memories
+of the words and stories she had overchanced to hear
+in her childhood came back to her mind&mdash;hints of the
+drunken orgies of the cowboys who went to the city with
+cattle, and the terrifying suggestion of their attitude
+toward all womankind. She set Cavanagh and his chief
+quite apart from all the others in the room, and at first
+felt that in young Gregg was another man of education
+and right living&mdash;but in this she was misled.</p>
+<p>Lize had confidence enough in the ranger to throw in
+another malicious word. &#8220;Ross, old Bullfrog came down
+here to chase you up a tree&mdash;so he said. Did he do it?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg looked ugly. &#8220;I&#8217;m not done with this business.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She turned to Ross. &#8220;Don&#8217;t let him scare you&mdash;his
+beller is a whole lot worse than his bite.&#8221;</p>
+<p>This provoked another laugh, and Gregg was furious&mdash;all
+the more so that his son joined in. &#8220;I&#8217;ll have your
+head, Mr. Supervisor; I&#8217;ll carry my fight to the Secretary.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Very well,&#8221; returned Redfield, &#8220;carry it to the President
+if you wish. I simply repeat that your sheep must
+correspond to your permit, and if you don&#8217;t send up and
+remove the extra number I will do it myself. I don&#8217;t
+make the rules of the department. My job is to carry
+them out.&#8221;</p>
+<p>By this time every person in the room was tense with
+interest. They all knew Gregg and his imperious
+methods. He was famous for saying once (when in his
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_52' name='page_52'></a>52</span>
+cup): &#8220;I always thought sheepmen were blankety
+blank sons of guns, and now I&#8217;m one of &#8217;em I <i>know</i> they
+are.&#8221; Some of the cattle-men in the room had suffered
+from his greed, and while they were not partisans of the
+Supervisor they were glad to see him face his opponent
+fearlessly.</p>
+<p>Lize delivered a parting blow. &#8220;Bullfrog, you and
+me are old-timers. We&#8217;re on the losing side. We belong
+to the &#8216;good old days&#8217; when the Fork was &#8216;a man&#8217;s
+town,&#8217; and to be &#8216;shot up&#8217; once a week kept us in news.
+But them times are past. You can&#8217;t run the range that
+way any more. Why, man, you&#8217;ll have to buy and fence
+your own pasture in a few years more, or else pay rent
+same as I do. You stockmen kick like steers over paying
+a few old cents a head for five months&#8217; range; you&#8217;ll
+be mighty glad to pay a dollar one o&#8217; these days. Take
+your medicine&mdash;that&#8217;s my advice.&#8221; And she went back
+to her cash-drawer.</p>
+<p>Redfield&#8217;s voice was cuttingly contemptuous as he
+said quite calmly: &#8220;You&#8217;re all kinds of asses, you
+sheepmen. You ought to pay the fee for your cattle
+with secret joy. So long as you can get your stock
+pastured (and in effect guarded) by the Government
+from June to November for twenty cents, or even fifty
+cents, per head you&#8217;re in luck. Mrs. Wetherford is right:
+we&#8217;ve all been educated in a bad school. Uncle Sam has
+been too bloomin&#8217; lazy to keep any supervision over his
+public lands. He&#8217;s permitted us grass pirates to fight
+and lynch and burn one another on the high range (to
+which neither of us had any right), holding back the real
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_53' name='page_53'></a>53</span>
+user of the land&mdash;the farmer. We&#8217;ve played the part of
+selfish and greedy gluttons so long that we fancy our
+privileges have turned into rights. Having grown rich
+on free range, you&#8217;re now fighting the Forest Service
+because it is disposed to make you pay for what has
+been a gratuity. I&#8217;m a hog, Gregg, but I&#8217;m not a
+fool. I see the course of empire, and I&#8217;m getting into
+line.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg was silenced, but not convinced. &#8220;It&#8217;s a long
+lane that has no turn,&#8221; he growled.</p>
+<p>Redfield resumed, in impersonal heat. &#8220;The cow-man
+was conceived in anarchy and educated in murder.
+Whatever romantic notions I may have had of the plains
+twenty-five years ago, they are lost to me now. The
+free-range stock-owner has no country and no God;
+nothing but a range that isn&#8217;t his, and damned bad manners&mdash;begging
+pardon, Miss Wetherford. The sooner
+he dies the better for the State. He&#8217;s a dirty, wasteful
+sloven, content to eat canned beans and drink canned
+milk in his rotten bad coffee; and nobody but an old
+crank like myself has the grace to stand up and tell the
+truth about him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh smiled. &#8220;And you wouldn&#8217;t, if you weren&#8217;t
+a man of independent means, and known to be one of the
+most experienced cow-punchers in the county. I&#8217;ve no
+fight with men like Gregg; all is they&#8217;ve got to conform
+to the rules of the service.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg burst out: &#8220;You think you&#8217;re the whole United
+States army! Who gives you all the authority?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Congress and the President.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_54' name='page_54'></a>54</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing in that bill to warrant these petty
+tyrannies of yours.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What you call tyrannies I call defending the public
+domain,&#8221; replied Redfield. &#8220;If I had my way, I&#8217;d give
+my rangers the power of the Canadian mounted police.
+Is there any other State in this nation where the roping
+of sheep-herders and the wholesale butchery of sheep
+would be permitted? From the very first the public
+lands of this State have been a refuge for the criminal&mdash;a
+lawless no-man&#8217;s land; but now, thanks to Roosevelt
+and the Chief Forester, we at least have a force of men
+on the spot to see that some semblance of law and order
+is maintained. You fellows may protest and run to
+Washington, and you may send your paid representatives
+there, but you&#8217;re sure to lose. As free-range monopolists
+you are cumberers of the earth, and all you represent
+must pass, before this State can be anything but the
+byword it now is. I didn&#8217;t feel this so keenly ten years
+ago, but with a bunch of children growing up my vision
+has grown clearer. The picturesque West must give
+way to the civilized West, and the war of sheepmen and
+cattle-men must stop.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The whole dining-room was still as he finished, and Lee
+Virginia, with a girl&#8217;s vague comprehension of the man&#8217;s
+world, apprehended in Redfield&#8217;s speech a large and
+daring purpose.</p>
+<p>Gregg sneered. &#8220;Perhaps you intend to run for Congress
+on that line of talk.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield&#8217;s voice was placid. &#8220;At any rate, I intend to
+represent the policy that will change this State from the
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_55' name='page_55'></a>55</span>
+sparsely settled battle-ground of a lot of mounted hobos
+to a State with an honorable place among the other commonwealths.
+If this be treason, make the most of it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh was disturbed; for while he felt the truth of
+his chief&#8217;s words, he was in doubt as to the policy of
+uttering them.</p>
+<p>It was evident to Virginia that the cow-men, as well as
+Gregg, were nearly all against the prophet of the future,
+and she was filled with a sense of having arrived on the
+scene just as the curtain to a stern and purposeful drama
+was being raised. With her recollections of the savage
+days of old, it seemed as if Redfield, by his bold words,
+had placed his life in danger.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh rose. &#8220;I must be going,&#8221; he said, with a
+smile.</p>
+<p>Again the pang of loss touched her heart. &#8220;When
+will you come again?&#8221; she asked, in a low voice.</p>
+<p>&#8220;It is hard to say. A ranger&#8217;s place is in the forest.
+I am very seldom in town. Just now the danger of fires
+is great, and I am very uneasy. I may not be down again
+for a month.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The table was empty now, and they were standing in
+comparative isolation looking into each other&#8217;s eyes in
+silence. At last she murmured: &#8220;You&#8217;ve helped me. I&#8217;m
+going to stay&mdash;a little while, anyway, and do what I
+can&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sorry I can&#8217;t be of actual service, but I am a
+soldier with a work to do. Even if I were here, I could not
+help you as regards the townspeople&mdash;they all hate me
+quite cordially; but Redfield, and especially Mrs. Redfield,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_56' name='page_56'></a>56</span>
+can be of greater aid and comfort. He&#8217;s quite often here,
+and when you are lonely and discouraged let him take
+you up to Elk Lodge.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been working all the morning to make this room
+decent. It was rather fun. Don&#8217;t you think it helped?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I saw the mark of your hand the moment I entered
+the door,&#8221; he earnestly replied. &#8220;I&#8217;m not one that
+laughs at the small field of woman&#8217;s work. If you
+make this little hotel clean and homelike, you&#8217;ll be doing
+a very considerable work in bringing about the New West
+which the Supervisor is spouting about.&#8221; He extended
+his hand, and as she took it he thrilled to the soft strength
+of it. &#8220;Till next time,&#8221; he said, &#8220;good luck!&#8221;</p>
+<p>She watched him go with a feeling of pain&mdash;as if in his
+going she were losing her best friend and most valiant
+protector.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='IV_VIRGINIA_TAKES_ANOTHER_MOTOR_RIDE' id='IV_VIRGINIA_TAKES_ANOTHER_MOTOR_RIDE'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_57' name='page_57'></a>57</span>
+<h2>IV</h2>
+<h3>VIRGINIA TAKES ANOTHER MOTOR RIDE</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>Lee Virginia&#8217;s efforts to refine the little hotel produced
+an amazing change in Eliza Wetherford&#8217;s affairs. The
+dining-room swarmed with those seeking food, and as the
+news of the girl&#8217;s beauty went out upon the range, the
+cowboys sought excuse to ride in and get a square meal
+and a glimpse of the &#8220;Queen&#8221; whose hand had witched
+&#8220;the old shack&#8221; into a marvel of cleanliness.</p>
+<p>Say what you will, beauty is a sovereign appeal. These
+men, unspeakably profane, cruel, and obscene in their
+saddle-talk, were awed by the fresh linen, the burnished
+glass, and the well-ordered tables which they found in
+place of the flies, the dirt, and the disorder of aforetime.
+&#8220;It&#8217;s worth a day&#8217;s ride just to see that girl for a minute,&#8221;
+declared one enthusiast.</p>
+<p>They did not all use the napkins, but they enjoyed
+having them there beside their plates, and the subdued
+light, the freedom from insects impressed them almost
+to decorum. They entered with awe, avid for a word
+with &#8220;Lize Wetherford&#8217;s girl.&#8221; Generally they failed
+of so much as a glance at her, for she kept away from the
+dining-room at meal-time.</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia was fully aware of this male curiosity,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_58' name='page_58'></a>58</span>
+and vaguely conscious of the merciless light which shone
+in the eyes of some of them (men like Gregg), who went
+about their game with the shameless directness of the
+brute. She had begun to understand, too, that her
+mother&#8217;s reputation was a barrier between the better
+class of folk and herself; but as they came now and again
+to take a meal, they permitted themselves a word in her
+praise, which she resented. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want their friendship
+<i>now</i>,&#8221; she declared, bitterly.</p>
+<p>As she gained courage to look about her, she began
+to be interested in some of her coatless, collarless
+boarders on account of their extraordinary history.
+There was Brady, the old government scout, retired on
+a pension, who was accustomed to sit for hours on the
+porch, gazing away over the northern plains&mdash;never
+toward the mountains&mdash;as if he watched for bear or
+bison, or for the files of hostile red hunters&mdash;though in
+reality there was nothing to see but the stage, coming
+and going, or a bunch of cowboys galloping into town.
+Nevertheless, every cloud of dust was to him diversion,
+and he appeared to dream, like a captive eagle, bedraggled,
+spiritless, but with an inner spark of memory
+burning deep in his dim blue eyes.</p>
+<p>Then there was an old miner, distressingly filthy, who
+hobbled to his meals on feet that had been frozen into
+clubs. He had a little gold loaned at interest, and on
+this he lived in tragic parsimony. He and the old scout
+sat much together, usually without speech (each knew
+to the last word the other&#8217;s stories), as if they recognized
+each other&#8217;s utter loneliness.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_59' name='page_59'></a>59</span></p>
+<p>Sifton, the old remittance man, had been born to a
+higher culture, therefore was his degradation the deeper.
+His poverty was due to his weakness. Virginia was especially
+drawn toward him by reason of his inalienable
+politeness and his well-chosen words. He was always
+the gentleman&mdash;no matter how frayed his clothing.</p>
+<p>So far as the younger men were concerned, she saw
+little to admire and much to hate. They were crude and
+uninteresting rowdies for the most part. She was put
+upon her defence by their glances, and she came to dread
+walking along the street, so open and coarse were their
+words of praise. She felt dishonored by the glances
+which her feet drew after her, and she always walked
+swiftly to and from the store or the post-office.</p>
+<p>Few of these loafers had the courage to stand on their
+feet and court her favor, but there was one who speedily
+became her chief persecutor. This was Neill Ballard,
+celebrated (and made impudent) by two years&#8217; travel
+with a Wild West show. He was tall, lean, angular, and
+freckled, but his horsemanship was marvellous and his
+skill with the rope magical. His special glory consisted
+in a complicated whirling of the lariat. In his hand the
+limp, inert cord took on life, grace, charm. It hung in
+the air or ran in rhythmic waves about him, rising, falling,
+expanding, diminishing, as if controlled by some
+agency other than a man&#8217;s hand, and its gyrations had
+won much applause in the Eastern cities, where such
+skill is expected of the cowboys.</p>
+<p>He had lost his engagement by reason of a drunken
+brawl, and he was now living with his sister, the wife of
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_60' name='page_60'></a>60</span>
+a small rancher near by. He was vain, lazy, and unspeakably
+corrupt, full of open boasting of his exploits in
+the drinking-dens of the East. No sooner did he fix
+eyes upon Virginia than he marked her for his special
+prey. He had the depraved heart of the herder and
+the insolent confidence of the hoodlum, and something
+of this the girl perceived. She despised the other men,
+but she feared this one, and quite justly, for he was
+capable of assaulting and binding her with his rope,
+as he had once done with a Shoshone squaw.</p>
+<p>The Greggs, father and son, were in open rivalry for
+Lee also, but in different ways. The older man, who had
+already been married several times, was disposed to buy
+her hand in what he called &#8220;honorable wedlock,&#8221; but
+the son, at heart a libertine, approached her as one who
+despised the West, and who, being kept in the beastly
+country by duty to a parent, was ready to amuse himself
+at any one&#8217;s expense. He had no purpose in life but to
+feed his body and escape toil.</p>
+<p>There are women to whom all this warfare would have
+been diverting, but it was not so to Lee. Her sense of
+responsibility was too keen. It was both a torture and a
+shame. The chivalry of the plains, of which she had
+read so much&mdash;and which she supposed she remembered&mdash;was
+gone. She doubted if it had ever existed among
+these centaurs. Why should it inhere in ignorant, brutal
+plainsmen any more than in ignorant, brutal factory
+hands?</p>
+<p>There came to her, now and again, gentle old ranchers&mdash;&#8220;grangers,&#8221;
+they would be called&mdash;and shy boys from
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_61' name='page_61'></a>61</span>
+the farms, but for the most part the men she saw embittered
+her, and she kept out of their sight as much as
+possible. Her keenest pleasures, almost her only pleasures,
+lay in the occasional brief visits of the ranger, as he
+rode in for his mail.</p>
+<p>Lize perceived all these attacks on her daughter, and
+was infuriated by them. She snapped and snarled like
+a tigress leading her half-grown kitten through a throng
+of leopards. Her brows were knotted with care as well
+as with pain, and she incessantly urged Virginia to go
+back to Sulphur. &#8220;I&#8217;ll send you money to pay your
+board till you strike a job.&#8221; But to this the girl would
+not agree; and the business, by reason of her presence,
+went on increasing from day to day.</p>
+<p>To Redfield Lize one day confessed her pain. &#8220;I
+ought to send for that doctor up there, but the plain
+truth is I&#8217;m afraid of him. I don&#8217;t want to know what&#8217;s
+the matter of me. It&#8217;s his job to tell me I&#8217;m sick and
+I&#8217;m scared of his verdict.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Nonsense,&#8221; he replied; &#8220;you can&#8217;t afford to put off
+getting him much longer. I&#8217;m going back to-night, but
+I&#8217;ll be over again to-morrow. Why don&#8217;t you let me bring
+him down? It will save you twelve dollars. And, by the
+way, suppose you let me take Lee Virginia home with me?
+She looks a bit depressed; an outing will do her good.
+She&#8217;s taken hold here wonderfully.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Hasn&#8217;t she! But I should have sent her away the
+very first night. I&#8217;m getting to depend on her. I&#8217;m
+plumb foolish about her now&mdash;can&#8217;t let her out of my
+sight; and yet I&#8217;m off my feed worryin&#8217; over her. Gregg
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_62' name='page_62'></a>62</span>
+is getting dangerous&mdash;you can&#8217;t fool me when it comes to
+men. Curse &#8217;em, they&#8217;re all alike&mdash;beasts, every cussed
+one of them. I won&#8217;t have my girl mistreated, I tell you
+that! I&#8217;m not fit to be her mother, now that&#8217;s the God&#8217;s
+truth, Reddy, and this rotten little back-country cow-town
+is no place for her. But what can I do? She won&#8217;t
+leave me so long as I&#8217;m sick, and every day ties her closer
+to me. I don&#8217;t know what I&#8217;d do without her. If I&#8217;m
+goin&#8217; to die I want her by me when I take my drop. So
+you see just how I&#8217;m placed.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She looked yellow and drawn as she ended, and Redfield
+was moved by her unwonted tenderness.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Now let me advise,&#8221; he began, after a moment&#8217;s
+pause. &#8220;We musn&#8217;t let the girl get homesick. I&#8217;ll take
+her home with me this afternoon, and bring her back
+along with a doctor to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;All right, but before you go I want to have a private
+talk&mdash;I want to tell you something.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He warned her away from what promised to be a confession.
+&#8220;Now, now, Eliza, don&#8217;t tell me anything that
+requires that tone of voice; I&#8217;m a bad person to keep a
+secret, and you might be sorry for it. I don&#8217;t want
+to know anything more about your business than I can
+guess.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t mean the whiskey trade,&#8221; she explained.
+&#8220;I&#8217;ve cut that all out anyway. It&#8217;s something more important&mdash;it&#8217;s
+about Ed and me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to hear <i>that</i> either,&#8221; he declared. &#8220;Let
+bygones be bygones. What you did then is outlawed,
+anyway. Those were fierce times, and I want to forget
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_63' name='page_63'></a>63</span>
+them.&#8221; He looked about. &#8220;Let me see this Miss
+Virginia and convey to her Mrs. Redfield&#8217;s invitation.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s in the kitchen, I reckon. Go right out.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He was rather glad of a chance to see the young reformer
+in action, and smiled as he came upon her surrounded
+by waiters and cooks, busily superintending
+the preparations for the noon meal, which amounted to
+a tumult each day.</p>
+<p>She saw Redfield, nodded, and a few moments later
+came toward him, flushed and beaming with welcome.
+&#8220;I&#8217;m glad to see you again, Mr. Supervisor.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He bowed profoundly. &#8220;I&#8217;m delighted to find you
+well, Miss Virginia, and doubly pleased to see you in
+your regimentals, which you mightily adorn.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She looked down at her apron. &#8220;I made this myself.
+Do you know our business is increasing wonderfully?
+I&#8217;m busy every moment of the day till bedtime.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Indeed I do know it. I hear of the Wetherford
+House all up and down the line. I was just telling your
+mother she&#8217;ll be forced to build bigger, like the chap
+in the Bible.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She works too hard. Poor mother! I try to get her
+to turn the cash-drawer over to me, but she won&#8217;t do
+it. Doesn&#8217;t she seem paler and weaker to you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She does, indeed, and this is what I came in to propose.
+Mrs. Redfield sends by me a formal invitation
+to you to visit Elk Lodge. She is not quite able to take
+the long ride, else she&#8217;d come to you.&#8221; Here he handed
+her a note. &#8220;I suggest that you go up with me this
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_64' name='page_64'></a>64</span>
+afternoon, and to-morrow we&#8217;ll fetch the doctor down
+to see your mother. What do you say to that?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Her eyes were dewy with grateful appreciation of his
+kindness as she answered: &#8220;That would be a great
+pleasure, Mr. Redfield, if mother feels able to spare me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve talked with her; she is anxious to have you go.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Virginia was indeed greatly pleased and pleasantly
+excited by this message, for she had heard much of Mrs.
+Redfield&#8217;s exclusiveness, and also of the splendor of her
+establishment. She hurried away to dress with such
+flutter of joyous anticipation that Redfield felt quite repaid
+for the pressure he had put upon his wife to induce
+her to write that note. &#8220;You may leave Lize Wetherford
+out of the count, my dear,&#8221; he had said. &#8220;There
+is nothing of her discernible in the girl. Virginia is a
+lady. I don&#8217;t know where she got it, but she&#8217;s a gentlewoman
+by nature.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize said: &#8220;Don&#8217;t you figure on me in any way, Reddy.
+I&#8217;m nothing but the old hen that raised up this lark,
+and all I&#8217;m a-livin&#8217; for now is to make her happy. Just
+you cut me out when it comes to any question about
+your wife and Virginia. I&#8217;m not in their class.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It was hot and still in the town, but no sooner was
+the car in motion than both heat and dust were forgotten.
+Redfield&#8217;s machine was not large, and as he was content
+to go at moderate speed, conversation was possible.</p>
+<p>He was of that sunny, optimistic, ever-youthful nature
+which finds delight in human companionship under any
+conditions whatsoever. He accepted this girl for what
+she seemed&mdash;a fresh, unspoiled child. He saw nothing
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_65' name='page_65'></a>65</span>
+cheap or commonplace in her, and was not disposed to
+impose any of her father&#8217;s wild doings upon her calendar.
+He had his misgivings as to her future&mdash;that was the
+main reason why he had said to Mrs. Redfield, &#8220;The girl
+must be helped.&#8221; Afterward he had said &#8220;sustained.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It was inevitable that the girl should soon refer to the
+ranger, and Redfield was as complimentary of him as
+she could wish. &#8220;Ross hasn&#8217;t a fault but one, and that&#8217;s
+a negative one: he doesn&#8217;t care a hang about getting on,
+as they say over in England. He&#8217;s content just to
+do the duty of the moment. He made a good cow-puncher
+and a good soldier; but as for promotion, he
+laughs when I mention it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He told me that he hoped to be Chief Forester,&#8221;
+protested Virginia.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh yes, he says that; but do you know, he&#8217;d rather be
+where he is, riding over the hills, than live in London.
+You should see his cabin some time. It&#8217;s most wonderful,
+really. His walls are covered with bookshelves of
+his own manufacture, and chairs of his own design.
+Where the boy got the skill, I don&#8217;t see. Heaven knows,
+his sisters are conventional enough! He&#8217;s capable of
+being Supervisor, but he won&#8217;t live in town and work
+in an office. He&#8217;s like an Indian in his love of the
+open.&#8221;</p>
+<p>All this was quite too absorbingly interesting to permit
+of any study of the landscape, which went by as if dismissed
+by the chariot wheels of some contemptuous
+magician. Redfield&#8217;s eyes were mostly on the road (in
+the manner of the careful driver), but when he did look up
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_66' name='page_66'></a>66</span>
+it was to admire the color and poise of his seat-mate,
+who made the landscape of small account.</p>
+<p>She kept the conversation to the desired point. &#8220;Mr.
+Cavanagh&#8217;s work interests me very much. It seems very
+important; and it must be new, for I never heard of a
+forest ranger when I was a child.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;The forester is new&mdash;at least, in America,&#8221; he answered.
+&#8220;My dear young lady, you are returned just in the
+most momentous period in the history of the West.
+The old dominion&mdash;the cattle-range&mdash;is passing. The
+supremacy of the cowboy is ended. The cow-boss is
+raising oats, the cowboy is pitching alfalfa, and swearing
+horribly as he blisters his hands. Some of the rangers
+at the moment are men of Western training like Ross,
+but whose allegiance is now to Uncle Sam. With others
+that transfer of allegiance is not quite complete, hence
+the insolence of men like Gregg, who think they can
+bribe or intimidate these forest guards, and so obtain
+favors; the newer men are college-bred, real foresters.
+But you can&#8217;t know what it all means till you see Ross,
+or some other ranger, on his own heath. We&#8217;ll make
+up a little party some day and drop down upon him, and
+have him show us about. It&#8217;s a lonely life, and so the
+ranger keeps open house. Would you like to go?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh, yes indeed! I&#8217;m eager to get into the mountains.
+Every night as I see the sun go down over them
+I wonder what the world is like up there.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Then he began very delicately to inquire about her
+Eastern experience. There was not much to tell. In a
+lovely old town not far from Philadelphia, where her
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_67' name='page_67'></a>67</span>
+aunt lived, she had spent ten years of happy exile. &#8220;I
+was horribly lonely and homesick at first,&#8221; she said.
+&#8220;Mother wrote only short letters, and my father never
+wrote at all. I didn&#8217;t know he was dead then. He
+was always good to me. He wasn&#8217;t a bad man, was
+he?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; responded Redfield, without hesitation. &#8220;He
+was very like the rest of us&mdash;only a little more reckless
+and a little more partisan, that&#8217;s all. He was a dashing
+horseman and a dead-shot, and so, naturally, a leader
+of these daredevils. He was popular with both sides
+of the controversy up to the very moment when he went
+South to lead the invaders against the rustlers.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What was it all about? I never understood it. What
+were they fighting about?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;In a sense, it was all very simple. You see, Uncle
+Sam, in his careless, do-nothing way, has always left his
+range to whomever got there first, and that was the
+cattle-man. At first there was grass enough for us all,
+but as we built sheds and corrals about watering-places
+we came to claim <i>rights</i> on the range. We usually secured
+by fraud homesteads in the sections containing
+water, and so, gun in hand, &#8216;stood off&#8217; the man who
+came after. Gradually, after much shooting and lawing,
+we parcelled out the range and settled down covering
+practically the whole State. Our adjustments were
+not perfect, but our system was working smoothly for us
+who controlled the range. We had convinced ourselves,
+and pretty nearly everybody else, that the State
+was only fit for cattle-grazing, and that we were the
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_68' name='page_68'></a>68</span>
+most competent grazers; furthermore, we were in
+possession, and no man could come in without our
+consent.</p>
+<p>&#8220;However, a very curious law of our own making was
+our undoing. Of course the &#8216;nester&#8217; or &#8216;punkin roller,&#8217;
+as we contemptuously called the small farmer, began
+sifting in here and there in spite of our guns, but he was
+only a mosquito bite in comparison with the trouble
+which our cow-punchers stirred up. Perhaps you remember
+enough about the business to know that an unbranded
+yearling calf without its mother is called a
+maverick?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, I remember that. It belongs to the man who
+finds him, and brands him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Precisely. Now that law worked very nicely so long
+as the poor cowboy was willing to catch and brand him
+for his employer, but it proved a &#8216;joker&#8217; when he woke
+up and said to his fellows: &#8216;Why brand these mavericks
+at five dollars per head for this or that outfit
+when the law says it belongs to the man who finds
+him?&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia looked up brightly. &#8220;That seems right
+to me!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Ah yes; but wait. We cattle-men had large herds,
+and the <i>probabilities</i> were that the calf belonged to some
+one of us; whereas, the cowboy, having no herd at all,
+<i>knew</i> the maverick belonged to some one&#8217;s herd. True,
+the law said it was his, but the law did not mean to reward
+the freebooter; yet that is exactly what it did.
+At first only a few outlaws took advantage of it; but hard
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_69' name='page_69'></a>69</span>
+years came on, the cattle business became less and less
+profitable, we were forced to lay off our men, and so at
+last the range swarmed with idle cow-punchers; then
+came the breakdown in our scheme! The cowboys took
+to &#8216;mavericking&#8217; on their own account. Some of them
+had the grace to go into partnership with some farmer,
+and so claim a small bunch of cows, but others suddenly
+and miraculously acquired herds of their own. From
+keeping within the law, they passed to violent methods.
+They slit the tongues of calves for the purpose of separating
+them from their mothers. Finding he could not
+suck, bossy would at last wander away from his dam,
+and so become a &#8216;maverick.&#8217; In short, anarchy reigned
+on the range.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But surely my father had nothing to do with
+this?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No; your father, up to this time, had been on good
+terms with everybody. He had a small herd of cattle
+down the river, which he owned in common with a man
+named Hart.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I remember him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He was well thought of by all the big outfits; and
+when the situation became intolerable, and we got together
+to weed out &#8216;the rustlers,&#8217; as these cattle-thieves
+were called, your father was approached and converted
+to a belief in drastic measures. He had suffered less
+than the rest of us because of his small herd and the
+fact that he was very popular among the cowboys. So
+far as I was concerned, the use of violent methods revolted
+me. My training in the East had made me a
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_70' name='page_70'></a>70</span>
+respecter of the law. &#8216;Change the law,&#8217; I said. &#8216;The
+law is all right,&#8217; they replied; &#8216;the trouble is with these
+rustlers. We&#8217;ll hang a few of &#8217;em, and that will break
+up the business.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Parts of this story came back to the girl&#8217;s mind, producing
+momentary flashes of perfect recollection. She
+heard again the voices of excited men arguing over and
+over the question of &#8220;mavericking,&#8221; and she saw her
+father as he rode up to the house that last day before
+he went South.</p>
+<p>Redfield went on. &#8220;The whole plan as developed
+was silly, and I wonder still that Ed Wetherford, who
+knew &#8216;the nester&#8217; and the cowboy so well, should have
+lent his aid to it. The cattle-men&mdash;some from Cheyenne,
+some from Denver, and a few from New York and
+Chicago&mdash;agreed to finance a sort of Vigilante Corps
+composed of men from the outside, on the understanding
+that this policing body should be commanded by
+one of their own number. Your father was chosen second
+in command, and was to guide the party; for he knew
+almost every one of the rustlers, and could ride directly
+to their doors.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I wish he hadn&#8217;t done that,&#8221; murmured the girl.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I must be frank with you, Virginia. I can&#8217;t excuse
+that in him. It was a kind of treachery. He must
+have been warped by his associates. They convinced
+him by some means that it was his duty, and one fine
+day the Fork was startled by a messenger, who rode in
+to say that the cattle-barons were coming with a hundred
+Texas bad men &#8216;to clean out the town,&#8217; and to put their
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_71' name='page_71'></a>71</span>
+own men into office. This last was silly rot to me, but
+the people believed it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl was tingling now. &#8220;I remember! I remember
+the men who rode into the town to give the alarm.
+Their horses were white with foam; their heads hung
+down, and their sides went in and out. I pitied the poor
+things. Mother jumped on her pony, and rode out
+among the men. She wanted to go with them, but they
+wouldn&#8217;t let her. I was scared almost breathless.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I was in Sulphur City, and did not hear of it till it was
+nearly all over,&#8221; Redfield resumed, his speech showing a
+little of the excitement which thrilled through the girl&#8217;s
+voice. &#8220;Well, the first act of vengeance was so ill-considered
+that it practically ended the whole campaign.
+The invaders fell upon and killed two ranchers&mdash;one
+of whom was probably not a rustler at all, but a peaceable
+settler, and the other one they most barbarously hanged.
+More than this, they attacked and vainly tried to kill
+two settlers whom they met on the road&mdash;German farmers,
+with no connection, so far as known, with the thieves.
+These men escaped, and gave the alarm. In a few hours
+the whole range was aflame with vengeful fire. The
+Forks, as you may recall, was like a swarm of bumblebees.
+Every man and boy was armed and mounted. The
+storekeepers distributed guns and ammunition, leaders
+developed, and the embattled &#8216;punkin rollers,&#8217; rustlers,
+and townsmen rode out to meet the invaders.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl paled with memory of it. &#8220;It was terrible!
+I went all day without eating, and for two nights we
+were all too excited to sleep. It seemed as if the world
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_72' name='page_72'></a>72</span>
+were coming to an end. Mother cried because they
+wouldn&#8217;t let her go with them. She didn&#8217;t know father
+was leading the other army.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She must have known soon, for it was reported that
+your father was among them. She certainly knew when
+they were driven to earth in that log fort, for they were
+obliged to restrain her by force from going to your father.
+As I run over those furious days it all seems incredible,
+like a sudden reversal to barbarism.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;How did it all end? The soldiers came, didn&#8217;t they?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes; the long arm of Uncle Sam reached out and took
+hold upon the necks of both parties. I guess your father
+and his band would have died right there had not the
+regular army interfered. It only required a sergeant
+wearing Uncle Sam&#8217;s uniform to come among those
+armed and furious cowboys and remove their prisoners.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I saw that. It was very strange&mdash;that sergeant was
+so young and so brave.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He turned and smiled at her. &#8220;Do you know who that
+was?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Her eyes flashed. She drew her breath with a gasp.
+&#8220;Was it Mr. Cavanagh?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, it was Ross. He was serving in the regular
+army at the time. He has told me since that he felt no
+fear whatever. &#8216;Uncle Sam&#8217;s blue coat was like Siegfried&#8217;s
+magic armor,&#8217; he said; &#8216;it was the kind of thing
+the mounted police of Canada had been called upon to
+do many a time, and I went in and got my men.&#8217; That
+ended the war, so far as violent measures went, and it
+really ended the sovereignty of the cattle-man. The
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_73' name='page_73'></a>73</span>
+power of the &#8216;nester&#8217; has steadily increased from that
+moment.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But my father&mdash;what became of him? They took
+him away to the East, and that is all I ever knew. What
+do you think became of him?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I could never make up my mind. All sorts of rumors
+come to us concerning him. As a matter of fact, the
+State authorities sympathized with the cattle-barons, and
+my own opinion is that your father was permitted to
+escape. He was afterward seen in Texas, and later it
+was reported that he had been killed there.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl sat still, listening to the tireless whir of the
+machine, and looking out at the purpling range with
+tear-mist eyes. At last she said: &#8220;I shall never think
+of my father as a bad man, he was always so gentle to
+me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You need not condemn him, my dear young lady.
+First of all, it&#8217;s not fair to bring him (as he was in those
+days) forward into these piping times of dairy cows and
+alfalfa. The people of the Forks&mdash;some of them, at
+least&mdash;consider him a traitor, and regard you as the
+daughter of a renegade, but what does it matter? Each
+year sees the Old West diminish, and already, in the work
+of the Forest Service, law and order advance. Notwithstanding
+all the shouting of herders and the beating to
+death of sheep, no hostile shot has ever been fired within
+the bounds of a National Forest. In the work of the
+forest rangers lies the hope of ultimate peace and order
+over all the public lands.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl fell silent again, her mind filled with larger
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_74' name='page_74'></a>74</span>
+conceptions of life than her judgment had hitherto been
+called upon to meet. She knew that Redfield was right,
+and yet that world of the past&mdash;the world of the swift
+herdsman and his trampling, long-horned, half-wild kine
+still appealed to her imagination. The West of her girlhood
+seemed heroic in memory; even the quiet account
+of it to which she had just listened could not conceal
+its epic largeness of movement. The part which troubled
+her most was her father&#8217;s treachery to his neighbors.
+That he should fight, that he should kill men in honorable
+warfare, she could understand; but not his recreancy,
+his desertion of her mother and herself.</p>
+<p>She came back to dwell at last on the action of that
+slim young soldier who had calmly ridden through the
+infuriated mob. She remembered that she had thrilled
+even then at the vague and impersonal power which he
+represented. To her childish mind he seemed to bear
+a charm, like the heroes of her story-books&mdash;something
+which made him invulnerable.</p>
+<p>After a long pause Redfield spoke again. &#8220;The memory
+of your father will make life for a time a bit hard for
+you in Roaring Fork&mdash;perhaps your mother&#8217;s advice is
+sound. Why not come to Sulphur City, which is almost
+entirely of the new spirit?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;If I can get my mother to come, too, I will be glad
+to do so, for I hate the Fork; but I will not leave her
+there, sick and alone.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Much depends upon the doctor&#8217;s examination to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
+<p>They had topped the divide now between the Fork
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_75' name='page_75'></a>75</span>
+and Sulphur Creek Basin, and the green fields, the alfalfa
+meadows, and the painted farm-houses thickened beneath
+them. Strange how significant all these signs
+were now. A few days ago they had appeared doubtful
+improvements, now they represented the oncoming
+dominion of the East. They meant cleanliness and
+decent speech, good bread and sweet butter. Ultimately
+houses with hot water in their bath-rooms and
+pianos in their parlors would displace the shack, the
+hitching-pole, and the dog-run, and in those days Edward
+Wetherford would be forgotten.</p>
+<p>Redfield swept through the town, then turned up the
+stream directly toward the high wall of the range, which
+was ragged and abrupt at this point. They passed several
+charming farm-houses, and the western sky grew
+ever more glorious with its plum-color and saffron, and
+the range reasserted its mastery over the girl. At last
+they came to the very jaws of the canon; and there, in
+a deep natural grove of lofty cottonwood-trees, Redfield
+passed before a high rustic gate which marked the beginning
+of his estate. The driveway was of gravel, and
+the intermingling of transplanted shrubs and pine-trees
+showed the care of the professional gardener.</p>
+<p>The house was far from being a castle; indeed, it was
+very like a house in Bryn-Mawr, except that it was built
+entirely of half-hewn logs, with a wide projecting roof.
+Giant hydrangeas and other flowering shrubs bordered
+the drive, and on the rustic terrace a lady in white was
+waiting.</p>
+<p>Redfield slowed down, and scrambled ungracefully
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_76' name='page_76'></a>76</span>
+out; but his voice was charming as he said: &#8220;Eleanor,
+this it Miss Wetherford. She was on the point of getting
+the blues, so I brought her away,&#8221; he explained.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Redfield, quite as urban as the house, was a
+slim little woman of delicate habit, very far from the
+ordinary conception of a rancher&#8217;s wife. Her manner
+was politely considerate, but not heatedly cordial (the
+visitor was not precisely hers), and though she warmed a
+little after looking into Virginia&#8217;s face, she could not by
+any stretch of phrase be called cordial.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Are you tired? would you like to lie down before
+dinner?&#8221; she asked.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh no, indeed. Nothing ever tires me,&#8221; Virginia
+responded, with a smile.</p>
+<p>&#8220;You look like one in perfect health,&#8221; continued her
+hostess, in the envious tone of one who knew all too well
+what ill-health meant. &#8220;Let me show you to your room.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The house was not precisely the palace the cowboy
+had reported it to be, but it was charmingly decorated,
+and the furnishings were tasteful. To the girl it was as
+if she had been transported with instant magic from the
+horrible little cow-town back to the home of one of her
+dearest friends in Chester. She was at once exalted and
+humbly grateful.</p>
+<p>&#8220;We dine at seven,&#8221; Mrs. Redfield was saying, &#8220;so
+you can take a cup of tea without spoiling your dinner.
+Will you venture it?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;If you please.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Very well; come down soon, and I&#8217;ll have it ready.
+Mr. Redfield, I&#8217;m sure, will want some.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_77' name='page_77'></a>77</span></p>
+<p>Virginia&#8217;s heart was dancing with delight of this home
+as she came down the stairs a little later. She found Mr.
+Redfield at the farther end of a long sitting-room, whose
+dim light was as restful (after the glare of the tawny
+plains) as the voice of her hostess was to her ears, which
+still ached with the noise of profane and vulgar speech.</p>
+<p>Redfield heard her coming and met her half-way, and
+with stately ceremony showed her a seat. &#8220;I fear you
+will need something stronger than tea after my exhausting
+conversation.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I hope, Hugh, you were not in one of your talking
+moods?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I was, Eleanor. I talked incessantly, barring an
+occasional jolt of the machine.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You poor thing!&#8221; This to Virginia. &#8220;Truly you
+deserve a two hours&#8217; rest before dinner, for our dinner
+is always a talk-fest, and to-night, with Senator
+Bridges here, it will be a convention.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He turned to Virginia. &#8220;We were talking old times
+&#8216;before the war,&#8217; and you know it never tires veterans to
+run over their ancient campaigns&mdash;does it, Lee Virginia?&#8221;</p>
+<p>As they talked Mrs. Redfield studied the girl with increasing
+interest and favor, and soon got at her point of
+view. She even secured a little more of her story, which
+matched fairly well with the account her husband had
+given. Her prejudices were swept away, and she treated
+her young guest as one well-born and well-educated
+woman treats another.</p>
+<p>At last she said: &#8220;We dress for dinner, but any frock
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_78' name='page_78'></a>78</span>
+you have will do. We are not ironclad in our rules.
+There will be some neighbors in, but it isn&#8217;t in any sense
+a &#8216;party.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia went to her room, borne high upon a new
+conception of the possibilities of the West. It was
+glorious to think that one could enjoy the refinement,
+the comfort of the East at the same time that one dwelt
+within the inspiring shadow of the range. She caught
+some prophetic hint in all this of the future age when
+each of these foot-hills would be peopled by those to
+whom cleanliness of mind and grace of body were habitual.
+Standing on the little balcony which filled the front of her
+windows, she looked away at the towering heights,
+smoky purple against a sky of burning gold, and her
+eyes expanded like those of the young eagle when about
+to launch himself upon the sunset wind.</p>
+<p>The roar of a waterfall came to her ears, and afar on
+the sage-green carpet of the lower mesa a horseman was
+galloping swiftly. Far to the left of this smoothly
+sculptured table-land a band of cattle fed, while under
+her eyes, formal as a suburban home, lay a garden of
+old-fashioned English flowers. It was a singular and
+moving union of the old and new&mdash;the East and the West.</p>
+<p>On her table and on the pretty bookshelves she found
+several of the latest volumes of poetry and essays, and
+the bed, with its dainty covering and ample spread,
+testified quite as plainly of taste and comfort. Her
+hands were a-tremble as she put on the bright muslin
+gown which was all she had for evening wear. She
+felt very much like the school-girl again, and after she
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_79' name='page_79'></a>79</span>
+had done her best to look nice, she took a seat in the
+little rocker, with intent to compose herself for her meeting
+with strangers. &#8220;I wish we were dining without
+visitors,&#8221; she said, as she heard a carriage drive up. A
+little later a galloping horse entered the yard and stopped
+at the door.</p>
+<p>&#8220;It all sounds like a play,&#8221; she said to herself,
+forgetting for the moment that she was miles away from
+a town and in a lonely ranch-house under the very
+shadows of the mountains.</p>
+<p>She heard voices in the hall, and among them one with
+a very English accent&mdash;one that sounded precisely like
+those she had heard on the stage. It was the voice of a
+man, big, hearty, with that thick, throaty gurgle which
+is so suggestive of London that one is certain to find
+a tweed suit and riding-breeches associated with it.</p>
+<p>At last she dared wait no longer, and taking courage
+from necessity, descended the stairs&mdash;a pleasant picture
+of vigorous yet somewhat subdued maidenhood.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='V_TWO_ON_THE_VERANDA' id='V_TWO_ON_THE_VERANDA'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_80' name='page_80'></a>80</span>
+<h2>V</h2>
+<h3>TWO ON THE VERANDA</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Redfield</span> met his young guest in dinner-coat, looking
+extremely urban, and presented his &#8220;friend and neighbor,
+Mr. Enderby.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Enderby turned out to be the owner of the voice with
+the English accent which Lee Virginia had heard in the
+hall, but he was very nice, and a moment later Mrs.
+Redfield entered with Mrs. Enderby, a large lady with
+a smiling face. Then a voice she knew spoke from behind
+her: &#8220;I don&#8217;t need a presentation. Miss Wetherford and
+I have already met.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She turned to meet Ross Cavanagh, the young ranger.</p>
+<p>&#8220;How did you get here?&#8221; she asked, in wonder.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I rode across the hills; it&#8217;s not far.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He too was in evening dress, and as she stared at him
+in surprise he laughingly protested. &#8220;Please don&#8217;t scrutinize
+this coat too closely. It&#8217;s the only one I&#8217;ve owned
+for ten years, and this is the only house in which I&#8217;d
+<i>dare</i> to wear it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Bridges (who turned out to be a State senator) was a
+farmer-like elderly man wearing a badly fitting serge
+suit. He was markedly Western; so was his wife, who
+looked rather uneasy and hot.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_81' name='page_81'></a>81</span></p>
+<p>It was all delightfully exciting to Lee Virginia, and
+to be taken in to dinner by the transfigured ranger
+completed her appreciation of the charming home and
+its refined hostess.</p>
+<p>Redfield shone as host, presenting an admirable
+mixture of clubman and Western rancher. His natural
+sense of humor, sharpened by twenty years of plains life,
+was Western. His manner, his habits of dress, of dining,
+of taking wine, were uncorruptedly Manhattan. Enderby,
+large, high-colored, was naturally a bit of what we
+know as the &#8220;haw-haw type&#8221; of Englishman&mdash;a thoroughly
+good fellow, kindly, tolerant, brave, and generous,
+who could not possibly change his spots. He had failed
+utterly to acquire the American idiom, and his attempts
+at cowboy slang were often amusing&mdash;especially to Redfield,
+who prided himself on being quite undistinguishable
+in a cow-camp.</p>
+<p>Virginia and Ross, being the only young folk at the
+table, were seated together, and Enderby remarked
+privately: &#8220;Ross, you&#8217;re in luck.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I know I am,&#8221; he replied, heartily.</p>
+<p>He was (as Redfield had said) highly susceptible,
+made so by his solitary life in the mountains, and to be
+seated close beside this maid of the valley stirred his
+blood to the danger-point. It was only by an effort
+of the will that he kept in touch with Redfield&#8217;s remarks.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Enderby never can grow accustomed to his democratic
+neighbors,&#8221; Redfield was saying. &#8220;He&#8217;s been here
+six years, and yet when one of his cowboy friends tells
+him to &#8216;go to hell&#8217; he&#8217;s surprised and a bit offended.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_82' name='page_82'></a>82</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh, it isn&#8217;t that,&#8221; explained Mrs. Enderby; &#8220;it&#8217;s
+to have your maids say &#8216;All right&#8217; when you ask them
+to remove the soup. It&#8217;s a bit shocking also to have
+your cook or housemaid going about the house singing
+some wretched ditty. What was that one, Charley,
+that Irma Maud sang till we were nearly wild (Irma
+Maud was my chambermaid). What was it? Something
+about &#8216;Tixey Ann.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh, I know it perfectly!&#8221; exclaimed Enderby. &#8220;&#8216;If
+you want to make a niggah feel good&mdash;&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, no; that&#8217;s another one.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield interposed. &#8220;You wouldn&#8217;t have them go
+about in sullen stealth, would you? Think how song
+lightens their drudgery.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Ah yes; but if it drives the family out-of-doors?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It shouldn&#8217;t. You should take it all as a part of the
+happy world of democracy wherein even the maid-servant
+sings at her toil.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But our democratic neighbors are all the time coming
+to look round the place. We&#8217;ve no privacy whatever.
+On Sunday afternoon they drive through the
+grounds in procession; you&#8217;d think our place a public
+park and we the keepers.&#8221;</p>
+<p>In all this banter Virginia was given the English
+viewpoint as to Western manners and conditions. She
+perceived that the Enderbys, notwithstanding their
+heavy-set prejudices, were persons of discernment and
+right feeling. It certainly was impertinent of the neighbors
+to ride through the grounds as if they were public,
+and Mrs. Enderby was justified in resenting it.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_83' name='page_83'></a>83</span></p>
+<p>Ross turned to her. &#8220;Enderby is the kind of Englishman
+who wants to adapt himself to new conditions,
+but can&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t seem like an Englishman at all.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, I was caught young, and, besides, I&#8217;m really
+Irish&mdash;on my father&#8217;s side.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh, that&#8217;s different!&#8221; she exclaimed, as though that
+somehow brought him nearer to her own people.</p>
+<p>&#8220;It is, isn&#8217;t it?&#8221; he laughingly agreed. &#8220;But Enderby&mdash;I
+suppose his pedigree goes back to Cedric and his
+swineherds. You can&#8217;t change that kind.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I hadn&#8217;t the least thought of seeing you here. How
+did you happen to come?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Redfield telephoned me at the mill, and I came at
+once. I haven&#8217;t been here since May, and I just thought
+I&#8217;d take a half a day off. Luckily, my understudy was
+with me. I left him &#8216;on the job.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>He did not tell her that she was the principal reason
+for this sudden descent upon Elk Lodge, and no one but
+Redfield knew the killing ride he had taken in order to
+be in at the beginning of the dinner. The girl&#8217;s face and
+voice, especially her voice, had been with him night and
+day as he went about his solitary duties. Her life problem
+had come to fill his mind to a disturbing degree, and
+he was eager to know more of her and of her struggle
+against the vice and vulgarity of the Forks.</p>
+<p>&#8220;How is your mother?&#8221; he asked, a few minutes
+later.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not at all well. Mr. Redfield is to take the doctor
+back with us to-morrow.&#8221; The ecstasy died out of her
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_84' name='page_84'></a>84</span>
+face, and the flexible lips drooped with troubled musing.
+&#8220;I am afraid she suffers more than she will admit.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She needs a rest and change. She should get away
+from her seat at that cash-register, and return to the
+open air. A touch of camp-life would help her. She
+sticks too close to her work.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I know she does, but she won&#8217;t let me relieve her,
+even for an hour. It isn&#8217;t because she doesn&#8217;t trust
+me; she says it&#8217;s because she doesn&#8217;t want me sitting
+there&mdash;so&mdash;publicly. She doesn&#8217;t oppose my housekeeping
+any more&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You certainly have made the old hotel into a place of
+miraculous neatness.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She flushed with pleasure. &#8220;I have done something,
+but not as I&#8217;d like to do. I really think if mother wishes
+to sell she could do so now to much better advantage.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve no doubt of it. Really, I&#8217;m not being funny,
+Miss Wetherford, when I say you&#8217;ve done something
+heroic. It&#8217;s no easy thing to come into a place like that
+and make it habitable. It shows immense courage and
+self-reliance on your part. It&#8217;s precisely the kind of
+work this whole country needs.&#8221;</p>
+<p>His praise, sincere and generous, repaid her for all
+she had gone through. It was a great pleasure to hear
+her small self praised for courage and self-reliance by
+one whose daily work was heroic. All things conspired
+to make a conquest of her heart, for the ranger bore
+himself with grace, and dealt with his silver deftly. His
+face, seen from the side, was older and sterner than
+she had thought it, but it was very attractive in line.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_85' name='page_85'></a>85</span></p>
+<p>She said: &#8220;Mr. Redfield and I were talking of &#8216;the
+war&#8217; to-day&mdash;I mean our &#8216;cattle-man&#8217;s invasion&#8217;&mdash;and I
+learned that you were the sergeant who came for the
+prisoners.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He smiled. &#8220;Yes; I was serving in the regular army
+at that time.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You must have been very young?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I was&mdash;a kid.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That was a brave thing to do.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not at all. I was a soldier under orders of the commander
+of the post. I dared not disobey.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She would not have it so. &#8220;But you knew that you
+were going into danger?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;To be honest about it, I did; but I relied on my
+blue coat to protect me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It was a terrible time. I was only a child, but I
+can remember how wild the men all seemed when you
+drove up and leaped out of the wagon. I didn&#8217;t realize
+that my father&#8217;s life depended on your coming, but we
+all knew it was brave of you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I think I was born a soldier. What I like about my
+present job is its definiteness. I have my written instructions,
+and there&#8217;s no need to argue anything. I
+carry out my orders. But I beg pardon, I&#8217;m not going
+to talk &#8216;shop&#8217; to you. I want you to tell me about yourself.
+I hope you are not to return to the East, for
+if you do not I shall be able to see you occasionally.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Here Redfield appealed to the ranger. &#8220;Ross, you&#8217;re
+all sorts of a reactionary. What do you say to this?
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_86' name='page_86'></a>86</span>
+Senator Bridges is opposed to all Federal interference
+with State forests and State game.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The forester&#8217;s eyes lit up. &#8220;But are they State
+forests and State game? What makes them so? They
+are lands which the whole people purchased and which
+the whole people defended.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Heah! heah!&#8221; cheered Enderby.</p>
+<p>Bridges bristled with anger, and went off into a long
+harangue on States rights and the dangers of centralization,
+to which Enderby replied: &#8220;Bosh! the whole
+trouble with your bally Government is its lack of cohesion.
+If I had my way, I&#8217;d wipe out the Senate and put a strong
+man like Roosevelt at the head of the executive. You&#8217;re
+such blooming asses over here; you don&#8217;t know enough
+to keep a really big man in your presidential chair.
+This fussing about every four years to put in some oily
+corporation lawyer is bloody rot. Here&#8217;s Roosevelt gets
+in the midst of a lot of the finest kind of reforms, y&#8217; know,
+and directly you go and turn him out! Then if you get
+a bad man, you&#8217;ve to wait four years till you can fetch him
+a whack. Why not arrange it so you can pitch your
+President out the minute he goes wrong? I say your
+old rag of a Constitution is a ball-and-chain on your
+national leg. England is immeasurably better off so
+far as that goes.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross turned to Virginia, leaving the political discussion
+to go on over his head. &#8220;I was back in the Old Island a
+couple of years ago, and you&#8217;ve no idea how small it
+seemed to me. It surely is a &#8216;right little, tight little
+island.&#8217; I couldn&#8217;t help wondering whether the men
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_87' name='page_87'></a>87</span>
+in Parliament were as important as they seemed to think
+they were, and whether England is not really an empty
+shell of empire, a memory of what it once was. I
+couldn&#8217;t settle down there, someway. I was homesick
+for the mountains in a month. But what scared me
+most was the pauper population of the old place&mdash;one
+in every thirty-seven must be helped. I came back to
+the States gladly. &#8216;I guess I&#8217;m an American,&#8217; I said to
+my sisters.&#8221;</p>
+<p>To Lee Virginia all this talk of &#8220;the curse of democracy&#8221;
+and &#8220;the decay of empire&#8221; was unexciting, but
+when Cavanagh told of the sheepmen&#8217;s advance across
+the dead-line on Deer Creek, and of the threats of the
+cattle-owners, she was better able to follow the discussion.
+Bridges was heartily on the side of law and order, for
+he wished to boom the State (being a heavy owner in a
+town-site), but he objected to Redfield&#8217;s ideas of &#8220;bottling
+up the resources of the State.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re not,&#8221; retorted Redfield; &#8220;we&#8217;re merely defending
+them against those who would monopolize them.
+We believe in their fullest use, but we see no reason for
+giving away the resources when the country needs the
+revenue.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Mrs. Redfield rose as soon as the coffee came on.
+&#8220;You gentlemen seem bent upon discussing matters of no
+interest to us,&#8221; she said, &#8220;so we&#8217;ll leave you to fight it
+out alone. I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ll all agree with Hugh in the
+end. Like General Grant, he&#8217;s a very obstinate man.&#8221;</p>
+<p>No sooner were they seated in the big living-room than
+Mrs. Enderby began to relate comical stories of her
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_88' name='page_88'></a>88</span>
+household. Her cats had fits and ran up the wall. Her
+dogs were forever getting quilled by reason of foolish
+attacks upon porcupines, or else they came home so
+reminiscent of skunks that they all but smothered the
+cook. &#8220;Invariably they return from encounters of this
+kind just as we are sitting at dinner,&#8221; she explained.
+&#8220;Furthermore, Enderby&#8217;s ditches are habitually getting
+clogged, and overflowing the lawn and filling the cellar,
+and he stands in terror of his cowboys. When I think
+of all these irruptions and distractions, England&#8217;s order
+and routine seem heavenly; but Charley finds all this
+amusing, more&#8217;s the pity, and leaves me to set things in
+order. Most ludicrous of all, to me, is his habitual claim
+that the ranch is paying. I tell him there&#8217;s an error in
+his bookkeeping somewhere, but he assures me that his
+receipts exceeded his expenditures last year&mdash;which is
+quite too incredible. You&#8217;ve no idea how high wages
+are and how little we raise.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh yes, I have,&#8221; laughed Mrs. Redfield, &#8220;and my
+cat had a fit too. Hugh says it&#8217;s the high altitude. I
+tell him it&#8217;s melancholia.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh showed himself. &#8220;I hear so much laughter
+I&#8217;m coming in, we&#8217;re all so insufferably political out
+here. And, besides, I came to see the ladies, and I can
+only stay a few minutes longer.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re not going back to-night!&#8221; exclaimed his hostess.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I must be on my own precinct by daylight,&#8221; he
+replied; &#8220;the Supervisor has an eye on me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Mrs. Redfield explained to Lee Virginia. &#8220;He rode
+fifty miles over the mountains&mdash;&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_89' name='page_89'></a>89</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Thirty,&#8221; corrected Ross. &#8220;But what does that
+matter when I&#8217;m in the company of such charming
+ladies?&#8221; he added, gallantly.</p>
+<p>&#8220;And now he&#8217;s going to ride all the way back to-night!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Think of that,&#8221; gasped Mrs. Enderby, &#8220;and no
+moon!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;How can you find your way?&#8221; asked Mrs. Bridges,
+to whom this was a mortally dangersome journey.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh, it&#8217;s quite simple. If you don&#8217;t bump against a
+tree or fall into the creek you may be quite sure you&#8217;re
+on the trail,&#8221; laughed Ross.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Redfield knew the true reason for his coming,
+and was not at all pleased, &#8220;for with all Lee&#8217;s personal
+charm,&#8221; she said to her husband, &#8220;she is socially beneath
+Ross Cavanagh, even in a State where social barriers are
+few.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Come out on the veranda,&#8221; suggested Cavanagh,
+&#8220;and I&#8217;ll show you the hills I must climb.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee accepted innocently; but as the young people left
+the room Mrs. Enderby looked at her hostess with
+significant glance. &#8220;There&#8217;s the lady Ross rode down
+to meet. Who is she?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Her mother is that dreadful old creature that keeps
+the Wetherford Hotel in Roaring Fork.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No!&#8221; exclaimed Mrs. Enderby.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes; Lee Virginia is Lize Wetherford&#8217;s daughter.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But the girl is charming.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I cannot understand it. Hugh came home a week
+or so ago full of her praise&mdash;&#8221; And at this point her voice
+dropped lower and the other drew closer.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_90' name='page_90'></a>90</span></p>
+<p>Outside, the young people stood in silence. There
+was no moon, and the mountains rose darkly, a sheer
+wall at the end of the garden, their tops cutting into the
+starry sky with a dull edge, over which a dim white cone
+peered.</p>
+<p>&#8220;That snow-peak is Wolftooth, and thirty miles from
+here, and at the head of my &#8216;beat,&#8217;&#8221; said the ranger,
+after a pause, as they leaned against the railing and
+looked away to the south. &#8220;I go up that ridge which
+you see faintly at the left of the main canon, and through
+that deep notch which is above timber-line.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl&#8217;s eyes widened with awe of the big, silent, dark
+world he indicated. &#8220;Aren&#8217;t you afraid to start out on
+such a trip alone&mdash;I mean, don&#8217;t you dread it?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll be sorry to start back, yes, but not because of
+the dark. I&#8217;ve enjoyed my visit here so much it will be
+hard to say good-night.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It seems strange to me that you should prefer this
+wild country to England.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Do you like the East better than the West?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;In some ways; but then, you see, I was born out here.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;So was I&mdash;I mean to say I was regenerated out here.
+The truth is I was a good deal of a scapegrace when I
+left England. I was always for hunting and horses,
+and naturally I came directly to the wild West country,
+and here I&#8217;ve been ever since. I&#8217;ve had my turn at each
+phase of it&mdash;cow-puncher, soldier, Rough-rider, and finally
+forest ranger. I reckon I&#8217;ve found my job at last.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Do you like it so much?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;At the present time I am perfectly contented. I&#8217;m
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_91' name='page_91'></a>91</span>
+associated now with a country that will never yield to
+the plough&mdash;yes, I like my work. I love the forests and
+the streams. I wish I might show them to you. You
+don&#8217;t know how beautiful they are. The most beautiful
+parks in the world are commonplace to what I can show
+you. My only sorrow is to think of them given over
+to the sawmill. Perhaps you and your mother will
+come up some time, and let me show you my lakes and
+streams. There are waters so lovely they make the
+heart ache. Hugh is planning to come up soon; perhaps
+you and Mrs. Redfield will come with him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like it above everything,&#8221; she responded, fervently.
+Then her voice changed: &#8220;But all depends on my
+mother&#8217;s health.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It hurt him to hear her call Eliza Wetherford mother.
+He wanted to forget her origin for the moment. He was
+not in love with her&mdash;far from it! But she was so alluring,
+and the proprietress of the Wetherford House was
+not nice, and that made one doubt the daughter.</p>
+<p>She broke the silence. &#8220;It seems dreadfully dark and
+mysterious up there.&#8221; She indicated his path.</p>
+<p>&#8220;It isn&#8217;t as bad as it looks. There is a good trail,
+and my pony knows it as well as I do. I enjoy riding
+by night.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But there are bears and other wild things, are there
+not?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not as many as I wish there were.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Why do you say that?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I hate to see all the wild life killed off. Some day
+all these forests will have game refuges like the Yellowstone
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_92' name='page_92'></a>92</span>
+National Park. They are coming each year to
+have greater and greater value to the people of the plains.
+They are playgrounds, like the Alps. Campers are
+coming into my valley every day, and, while they increase
+the danger of fires, I welcome them. They are all advocates
+of the forest. As one man said: &#8216;The mountains
+supplement the plains. They give color and charm to
+the otherwise monotonous West.&#8217; I confess I couldn&#8217;t
+live on the prairies&mdash;not even on the plains&mdash;if out of
+sight of the mountains. If I should ever settle down to
+a home it would be in a canon like this, with a great peak
+at my front door.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It <i>is</i> beautiful,&#8221; the girl said, in the tone of sadness
+with which we confront the perfect night, the perfect
+flower, the flawless landscape. &#8220;It is both grand and
+peaceful.&#8221;</p>
+<p>This tone of sadness pleased him. It showed her
+depth of perception, and he reflected that she had not
+uttered a vacuous or silly phrase since their first meeting.
+&#8220;She is capable of great development,&#8221; he thought.
+Aloud he said: &#8220;You are a strange mingling of East
+and West. Do you realize it?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;In what way?&#8221; she asked, feeling something ardent
+in his tone.</p>
+<p>&#8220;You typify to me at this moment this whole State.
+You fill me with enthusiasm for its future. Here you
+are, derived from the lawless West, yet taking on the
+culture and restraint of the East so readily that you
+seem not in the least related to&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>He checked himself at this point, and she said:
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_93' name='page_93'></a>93</span>
+&#8220;My mother is not as rough as she seems, Mr. Cavanagh.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She must be more of the woman than appears, or
+she could not have borne such a daughter. But do you
+feel your relationship to her? Tell me honestly, for you
+interest me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t at first, but I do now. I begin to understand
+her, and, besides, I feel in myself certain things
+that are in her, though I think I am more like the Wetherfords.
+My father&#8217;s family home was in Maryland.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross could have talked on all night, so alluring was
+the girl&#8217;s dimly-seen yet warmly-felt figure at his side,
+but a sense of danger and a knowledge that he should
+be riding led him at last to say: &#8220;It is getting chill, we
+must go in; but before we do so, let me say how much
+I&#8217;ve enjoyed seeing you again. I hope the doctor will
+make favorable report on your mother&#8217;s case. You&#8217;ll
+write me the result of the examination, won&#8217;t you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;If you wish me to.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I shall be most anxious to know.&#8221;</p>
+<p>They were standing very near to each other at the
+moment, and the ranger, made very sensitive to woman&#8217;s
+charm by his lonely life, shook with newly-created love
+of her. A suspicion, a hope that beneath her cultivated
+manner lay the passionate nature of her mother gave an
+added force to his desire. He was sorely tempted
+to touch her, to test her; but her sweet voice, a little sad
+and perfectly unconscious of evil, calmed him. She said:</p>
+<p>&#8220;I hope to persuade my mother to leave the Forks.
+All the best people there are against us. Some of them
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_94' name='page_94'></a>94</span>
+have been very cruel to her and to me, and, besides, I
+despise and fear the men who come to our table.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You must not exchange words with them,&#8221; he all
+but commanded. &#8220;Beware of Gregg; he is a vile lot;
+do not trust him for an instant. Do not permit any of
+those loafers to talk with you, for if you do they will go
+away to defame you. I know them. They are unspeakably
+vile. It makes me angry to think that Gregg
+and his like have the right to speak to you every day while
+I can only see you at long intervals.&#8221;</p>
+<p>His heat betrayed the sense of proprietorship which he
+had begun to feel, in spite of his resolution. But the girl
+only perceived his solicitation, his friendly interest, and
+she answered: &#8220;I keep away from them all I can.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You are right to distrust them,&#8221; he replied, grimly.
+&#8220;Because old Sam has money, he thinks he can do as he
+pleases. You must be especially careful of him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;The worst is when I go on the street; but if mother
+does not sell the business, I shall be obliged to stay in
+the Fork, no matter how I hate it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I wish my station were not so far away,&#8221; he mused,
+darkly. &#8220;But I&#8217;ll ride down as often as my duties will
+permit, and you must let me know how things go. And if
+any of those fellows persecute you, you&#8217;ll tell me, won&#8217;t
+you? I wish you&#8217;d look upon me as your big brother.
+Will you do that?&#8221; His voice entreated, and as she remained
+silent, he continued: &#8220;Roaring Fork is one of the
+worst towns in the State, and a girl like you needs some
+one as a protector. I don&#8217;t know just how to put it so
+that you will not misunderstand me, but, you see, I protect
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_95' name='page_95'></a>95</span>
+the forest, the streams, and the game; I help the
+settler in time of trouble; I am a kind of all-round big
+brother to everybody who needs help in the forest. In
+fact, I&#8217;m paid for protecting things that can&#8217;t protect
+themselves, and so&#8221;&mdash;here he tried to lend his voice the
+accent of humor&mdash;&#8220;why shouldn&#8217;t I be the protector of a
+girl like you, alone&mdash;worse than alone&mdash;in this little cow-town?&#8221;</p>
+<p>She remained dumb at one or two points where he
+clearly hoped for a word, and she was unable to thank
+him when he had finished. In this silence a curious
+constriction came into his throat. It was almost as if
+he had put his passion into definite words, and as the light
+fell upon her he perceived that her bosom was heaving
+with deep emotion.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I <i>am</i> lonely,&#8221; she faltered out at last&mdash;&#8220;horribly
+lonely; and I know now how people feel toward my
+mother, and it hurts me&mdash;it all hurts me; but I&#8217;m
+going to stay and help her&mdash;&#8221; She paused to recover
+her voice. &#8220;And you <i>do</i> seem different! I&mdash;I&mdash;trust
+you!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m glad you understand me, and you <i>will</i> let me
+know if I can help you, won&#8217;t you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; she answered, simply.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Good-night,&#8221; he said, extending his hand.</p>
+<p>She placed her palm to his quite frankly, but the
+touch of it made further speech at the moment impossible.</p>
+<p>They went in with such tell-tale faces that even Redfield
+wondered what had passed between them.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_96' name='page_96'></a>96</span></p>
+<p>Excusing himself almost at once, Cavanagh left the
+room, and when he looked in, a few moments later, he
+was clothed in the ranger&#8217;s dusty green uniform, booted
+and spurred for his long, hard ride. Mrs. Redfield
+followed him into the hall and out on the door-stone to
+say: &#8220;Ross, you must be careful. This girl is very alluring
+in herself, but her mother, you know, is impossible.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re needlessly alarmed, as usual,&#8221; he smilingly
+replied. &#8220;She interests me&mdash;that&#8217;s patent; but beyond
+that, why&mdash;nonsense! Good-night.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Nevertheless, despite his protestations, he went away
+up the trail with his mind so filled with Lee Virginia&#8217;s
+appealing face and form that he would certainly have
+ridden over a precipice had it not been for his experienced
+pony, who had fortunately but one aim, and that was to
+cross the range safely and to reach the home pasture at
+the earliest moment.</p>
+<p>Now that he was looking back upon three hours more
+of Lee&#8217;s society, Cavanagh was ready to admit that he had
+left his range and ridden hard and far with that one purpose
+in mind. He had been hungry for the sight of her,
+and now that he had touched her hand and looked upon
+her again he was a little surprised and deeply disturbed
+to find himself hungrier than before.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='VI_THE_VOICE_FROM_THE_HEIGHTS' id='VI_THE_VOICE_FROM_THE_HEIGHTS'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_97' name='page_97'></a>97</span>
+<h2>VI</h2>
+<h3>THE VOICE FROM THE HEIGHTS</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Lee Virginia</span> was not entirely without experience as
+regards respectful courtship. Her life in the East had
+brought her to know a number of attractive lads and a
+few men, but none of these had become more than good
+companions, or friends; and though she wrote to one
+or two of these youths letters of the utmost friendliness,
+there was no passion in them, and she felt, as yet, the
+sting of nothing more intense in her liking for Cavanagh;
+but he meant more to her, now that she was lonely and
+beleaguered of those whose eyes were cruel and hot.</p>
+<p>Then, too, he had come to represent a new world to
+her&mdash;this world of the forest, this region toward the sunset,
+which was quite as mysterious to her thinking as it
+was to the eyes of any plains-dweller. Her imagination
+went with the ranger on his solitary march into those
+vague, up-billowing masses of rocks and trees. To her
+there were many dangers, and she wondered at his
+courage, his hardihood.</p>
+<p>That he had ridden all that long, rough way merely
+to see her she was not vain enough to believe; but she
+had, nevertheless, something of every woman&#8217;s secret
+belief in her individual charm. Cavanagh had shown
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_98' name='page_98'></a>98</span>
+a flattering interest in her, and his wish to be her protector
+filled her with joy and confidence.</p>
+<p>She heard a good deal more about this particular
+forest ranger next morning at breakfast. &#8220;He is throwing
+himself away,&#8221; Mrs. Redfield passionately declared.
+&#8220;Think of a man of Ross&#8217;s refinement living in a mountain
+shack miles from anybody, watching poachers,
+marking trees, and cooking his own food. It&#8217;s a shameful
+waste of genius.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s as you look at it, my dear,&#8221; responded Redfield.
+&#8220;Ross is the guardian of an immense treasure-chest
+which belongs to the nation. Furthermore, he is
+quite certain&mdash;as I am&mdash;that this Forest Service is the
+policy of the future, and that it offers fine chances for
+promotion&mdash;and then, finally, he likes it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That is all well enough for a young man; but Ross is
+at least thirty-five, and should be thinking of settling
+down. I can&#8217;t understand his point of view.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;My dear, you have never seen the procession of the
+seasons from such a point of view as that which he enjoys.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, and I do not care to. It is quite lonely enough
+for me right here.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield looked at Lee with comic blankness. &#8220;Mrs.
+Redfield is hopelessly urban. As the wife of a forest
+supervisor, she cares more for pavements and tram-cars
+than for the most splendid mountain park.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I most certainly do,&#8221; his wife vigorously agreed.
+&#8220;And if I had my way we should be living in London.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_99' name='page_99'></a>99</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Listen to that! She&#8217;s ten times more English than
+Mrs. Enderby.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not; but I long for the civilized instead of the
+wild. I like comfort and society.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;So do I,&#8221; returned he.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes; the comfort of an easy-chair on the porch and
+the society of your forest rangers. This ranch life
+is all very well for a summer outing, but to be tied down
+here all the year round is to be denied one&#8217;s birthright as
+a modern.&#8221;</p>
+<p>All this more or less cheerful complaint expressed the
+minds of many others who live amid these superb scenes.
+When autumn comes, when the sky is gray and the peaks
+are hid in mist, they long for the music, the lights, the
+comfort of the city; but when the April sun begins to go
+down in a smother of crimson and flame, and the mountains
+loom with epic dignity, or when at dawn the air is
+like some divine flood descending from the unstained
+mysterious heights, then the dweller in the foot-hills cries
+out: &#8220;How fortunate we are! Here is health and happiness!
+Here poverty is unknown!&#8221; One side of the
+girl was of this strain, the other was of the character
+described by her hostess. She began to see that Ross
+Cavanagh was fitted for higher duties than those of
+forest guard.</p>
+<p>Mrs. Redfield was becoming more and more interested
+in this child, who had not merely the malodorous reputation
+of her mother to contend with, but the memory
+of a traitorous sire to live down; and when Lee Virginia
+went to her room to pack her bag, the wife turned to her
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_100' name='page_100'></a>100</span>
+husband and said: &#8220;What are we to think of heredity
+when we see a thoroughly nice girl like that rise out of the
+union of a desperado with a vixen?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield answered: &#8220;It is unaccountable. I knew
+her father well; he was a reckless daredevil, with less
+real courage in him than there is in old Lize; but I can&#8217;t
+tell the girl that. She is sufficiently humiliated by her
+mother; she takes comfort in the thought that her father
+at least was brave and heroic.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe in heredity as I did once,&#8221; his wife
+resumed. &#8220;Aren&#8217;t scientific men rather divided about
+it?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, there are those who deny that there is any inheritance
+of the spirit, of character, insisting that the
+laws of transmission affect the body only. Lee is certainly
+like her father in looks. He was a handsome
+rascal.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Ross is terribly smitten with her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield coughed, uneasily. &#8220;I hope not. Of course
+he admires her, as any man must. She&#8217;s physically attractive,
+very attractive, and, besides, Ross is as susceptible
+as a cow-puncher. He was deeply impressed
+the first time he saw her, I could see that.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t like his going out on the veranda with her
+last night,&#8221; continued Mrs. Redfield, &#8220;and when they
+came in her eyes and color indicated that he&#8217;d been
+saying something exciting to her. Hugh, Ross Cavanagh
+must not get involved with that girl. It&#8217;s your duty as
+his superior to warn him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s fully grown, my dear, and a bit dictatorial on
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_101' name='page_101'></a>101</span>
+his own part. I&#8217;m a trifle timid about cutting in on
+his private affairs.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Then I&#8217;ll do it. Marriage with a girl like that is
+out of the question. Think what his sisters would say.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield smiled a bit satirically. &#8220;To the outsider
+a forest ranger at $900 a year and find himself and horses
+is not what you may call a brilliant catch.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh, well, the outsider is no judge. Ross Cavanagh
+is a gentleman, and, besides, he&#8217;s sure to be promoted.
+I acknowledge the girl&#8217;s charms, and I don&#8217;t understand
+it. When I think of her objectively as Lize Wetherford&#8217;s
+girl I wonder at her being in my house. When I
+see her I want her to stay with me; I want to hug
+her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps we&#8217;ve been unjust to Lize all along,&#8221; suggested
+Redfield. &#8220;She has remained faithful to Ed
+Wetherford&#8217;s memory all these years&mdash;that is conceded.
+Doesn&#8217;t that argue some unusual quality? How many
+women do we know who are capable of such loyalty?
+Come, now! Lize is a rough piece of goods, I&#8217;ll admit,
+and her fly-bit lunch-counter was a public nuisance;
+but she had the courage to send her girl away to be
+educated, denying herself the joy of seeing her develop
+by her side. We mustn&#8217;t permit our prejudices to run
+away with us.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl&#8217;s return put a stop to the discussion, which
+could end in nothing but confusion anyway.</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia said good-bye to Mrs. Redfield with
+grateful appreciation of her kindness, and especially
+of her invitation to come again, and the tears in her
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_102' name='page_102'></a>102</span>
+eyes profoundly affected the older woman, who, with a
+friendliness which was something more than politeness,
+invited her to come again. &#8220;Whenever Roaring Fork
+gets on your nerves we&#8217;ll be very glad to rescue you,&#8221; she
+said in parting.</p>
+<p>Hugh Redfield the girl thoroughly understood and
+loved, he was so simple-hearted and so loyal. His
+bitter criticisms of the West were not uttered in a destructive
+mood&mdash;quite the contrary. His work was constructive
+in the highest degree. He was profoundly impatient
+of America&#8217;s shortcomings, for the reason that
+he deeply felt her responsibility to the rest of the world.
+His knowledge of other republics and &#8220;limited monarchies&#8221;
+gave his suggestions power and penetration;
+and even Bridges, besotted in his provincial selfishness,
+had advised his selection as Supervisor. Of his own
+fitness for the work, Redfield himself took a dispassionate
+view. &#8220;I am only filling the place till the right man
+comes along,&#8221; he said to his friends. &#8220;The man before
+me was a half-hearted and shifty advocate. I am
+an enthusiast without special training; by-and-by the
+real forester will come to take my place.&#8221;</p>
+<p>On the way to the office, he said to Lee: &#8220;I will talk
+to the doctor if you like.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I wish you would,&#8221; she responded, fervently.</p>
+<p>She remained in the machine while he went in, and as
+she sat there a train passed on its downward eastward
+run, and a feeling of loneliness, of helplessness, filled her
+heart. She had written many brave letters to her Eastern
+friends, but the vital contests, the important factors of
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_103' name='page_103'></a>103</span>
+her life, she had not mentioned. She had given no hint
+of her mother&#8217;s physical and moral degeneration, and
+she had set down no word of her longing to return; but
+now that she was within sight of the railway the call of
+the East, the temptation to escape all her discomforts, was
+almost great enough to carry her away; but into her mind
+came the thought of the ranger riding his solitary way,
+and she turned her face to her own duties once more,
+comforted by the words of praise he had spoken and by
+the blaze of admiration in his eyes.</p>
+<p>Redfield came out, followed by a small man carrying
+a neat bag. He was of surpassing ugliness, and yet she
+liked him. His mouth had a curious twist. He had no
+chin to speak of, and his bright eyes protruded like those
+of a beetle. His voice, however, was surprisingly fine
+and resonant.</p>
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;d better sit behind, Doctor,&#8221; said Redfield. &#8220;I
+shall be very busy on this trip.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Very well,&#8221; replied the other, &#8220;if Miss Wetherford
+remains beside me; otherwise I shall rebel.&#8221; He was
+of those small, plain men whose absurd gallantry is never
+taken seriously by women, and yet is something more
+than pretence.</p>
+<p>He began by asking a few questions about her mother&#8217;s
+way of life, but as Lee was not very explicit, he became
+impersonal, and talked of whatsoever came into his
+mind&mdash;motor-cars, irrigation, hunting, flowers&mdash;anything
+at all; and the girl had nothing to do but to utter an
+occasional phrase to show that she was listening. It was
+all rather depressing to her, for she could not understand
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_104' name='page_104'></a>104</span>
+how a man so garrulous could be a good physician. She
+was quite sure her mother would not treat him with the
+slightest respect.</p>
+<p>After all, he talked well. His stream of conversation
+shortened the way for her, and she was surprised when
+they topped the last ridge and the Fork could be seen
+lying before them in the valley. Soon they were rolling
+quietly up the street to the door of the Wetherford House.</p>
+<p>Springing out unaided, Lee hurried in, hoping to prepare
+her mother for the shock of the little physician&#8217;s unimposing
+appearance, while Redfield remained behind to
+arm the physician for his encounter. &#8220;Now, Doctor,
+Mrs. Wetherford is a very singular and plain-spoken
+person. She&#8217;s quite likely to swear like a man, but she
+will perform like a woman. Don&#8217;t mind what she says;
+go ahead in your own way. Will you wait till after
+dinner, or shall I&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, I shall make the examination first&mdash;while I&#8217;m
+hungry. My mind works quicker. I can&#8217;t diagnose
+properly on a full stomach.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Very well; line up with me, and together we&#8217;ll beard
+the old grizzly in her den.&#8221;</p>
+<p>They found Lize on duty behind the counter as usual.
+Her face was dejected, her eyes dull, but as she caught
+sight of the strange little man, she cried out: &#8220;Lord God,
+Reddy, why didn&#8217;t you bring me a <i>man</i>?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Hush, mother,&#8221; cautioned Lee, &#8220;this is the famous
+Eastern physician.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You can&#8217;t be famous for your beauty&mdash;you must be
+brainy,&#8221; she remarked to herself in the stranger&#8217;s hearing.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_105' name='page_105'></a>105</span></p>
+<p>Redfield presented &#8220;Doctor Fessenden, of Omaha.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She started again on contemptuous ways, but was
+stopped by the little man. &#8220;Get down out o&#8217; that
+chair!&#8221; he commanded. &#8220;My time is money!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize flushed with surprise and anger, but obeyed, and
+Lee Virginia, secretly delighted with the physician&#8217;s imperative
+manner, led the way into the lodging-house.
+&#8220;I&#8217;ll look after the cash, mother,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Don&#8217;t
+worry.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not worryin&#8217;,&#8221; she replied; &#8220;but what does that
+little whelp mean by talking to me like that? I&#8217;ll swat
+him one if he isn&#8217;t careful!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s his way. Please don&#8217;t anger him. You need
+his help.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The doctor interfered. &#8220;Now, madam, strip, and let&#8217;s
+see what&#8217;s the matter with you,&#8221; whereupon he laid off
+his coat, and opened his box of instruments.</p>
+<p>Lee fled, and Redfield, who had remained standing
+beside the counter, could not repress a smile. &#8220;She&#8217;s
+caught a tartar this time. He&#8217;s a little tiger, isn&#8217;t he?
+I had prepared him for war, but I didn&#8217;t expect him to
+fly at her that way.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Poor mother! how dreadfully ill she looks to-day.
+I hope the doctor will order her to rest.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But will she obey? I&#8217;ve argued that with her. She
+keeps saying she will, but she won&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It was nearly one, but the customers were coming in,
+and the girl, laying aside her hat and veil, took her
+seat at the cash-register, while Redfield went out to put
+his machine in order for the return trip. She realized
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_106' name='page_106'></a>106</span>
+that she was now at close-hand grapple with life. For
+the most part she had been able, up to this time, to keep
+in the background, and to avoid the eyes of the rough
+men who came and went before her mother&#8217;s seat. But
+now she was not merely exposed to their bold glances;
+she was in a position where each man could make excuse
+to stop and demand a word what time his change was
+being counted.</p>
+<p>Her glowing cheeks, her pretty dress, made her a shining
+mark, and the men began at once to improve their
+opportunity by asking, &#8220;Where&#8217;s Lize?&#8221; And this
+embarrassed her, for the reason that she did not care
+to go into the cause of her mother&#8217;s temporary absence,
+and, perceiving her confusion, one of them passed to
+coarse compliment. &#8220;There&#8217;s nothing the matter with
+you,&#8221; he said, with a leer. Others, though coarse, were
+kindly in their familiarity, and Sifton, with gentle face,
+remained to help her bear the jests of the more uncouth
+and indelicate of her admirers.</p>
+<p>Perceiving her nervousness, Neill Ballard raised loud
+outcry over a mistake she made in returning change, and
+this so confused and angered her that her eyes misted
+with tears, and she blundered sadly with the next customer.
+His delight in her discomfiture, his words, his
+grin became unendurable, and in a flush of rage and
+despair she sprang to her feet and left them to make
+triumphant exit. &#8220;I got her rattled!&#8221; he roared, as he
+went out. &#8220;She&#8217;ll remember me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The diners were all smiling, and Gregg took a malicious
+satisfaction in her defeat. She had held herself
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_107' name='page_107'></a>107</span>
+haughtily apart from him, and he was glad to see her
+humbled.</p>
+<p>Leaving her place behind the counter, she walked
+through the room with uplifted head and burning eyes,
+her heart filled with bitterness and fire. She hated the
+whole town, the whole State, at the moment. Were these
+&#8220;the chivalrous short-grass knights&#8221; she had heard so
+much about? These the large-souled &#8220;Western founders
+of empire&#8221;? At the moment she was in the belief
+that all the heroes of her childhood had been
+of the stamp of Neill Ballard&mdash;selfish, lustful, and
+cruel.</p>
+<p>In the hall her pride, her sense of duty, came back to
+her, and she halted her fleeing feet. &#8220;I will not be
+beaten!&#8221; she declared, and her lips straightened. &#8220;I
+will not let these dreadful creatures make a fool of me
+in that way!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Thereupon she turned and went back, pale now, but
+resolved to prove herself the mistress of the situation.
+Fortunately Redfield had returned, and his serene
+presence helped her to recover complete control of herself.
+She remained coldly blank to every compliment,
+and by this means she subdued them. &#8220;Why doesn&#8217;t
+the doctor return for his dinner?&#8221; she asked, after the
+room had cleared. The desire to know her mother&#8217;s real
+condition at last quite subordinated her own besetments.
+To some of the older men whom she knew to be neighbors
+and friends she gladly explained the situation, and
+their sympathy did something to restore her faith in
+humankind. Nevertheless, this hour of unprotected
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_108' name='page_108'></a>108</span>
+intercourse with the citizens of the town was disturbing,
+humiliating, and embittering.</p>
+<hr class='tb' />
+
+<p>The doctor appearing suddenly in the door beckoned
+to her, and, leaving her place, she crossed to where he
+stood. &#8220;Your mother needs you,&#8221; he said, curtly. &#8220;Go
+to her, and keep her quiet for an hour or two if you can.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What is the matter, doctor?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t tell you precisely, but you must get her on a
+diet and keep her there. I will write out some lists for
+you after my luncheon.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee found her mother sitting in such dejection as she
+had never known her to display, though she fired up
+sufficiently to say: &#8220;That cussed little thimble-rigger has
+been throwing a great big scare into me. He says I&#8217;ve
+got to get out-doors, live on raw meat and weak tea, and
+walk five miles a day. That&#8217;s what he says!&#8221; she added,
+in renewed astonishment at the man&#8217;s audacity. &#8220;Who&#8217;s
+at the cash?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Mr. Redfield,&#8221; replied Lee. &#8220;I&#8217;ll go right back.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No you won&#8217;t, I&#8217;m no dead horse yet.&#8221; She struggled
+to her feet and started for the cash-register. &#8220;I won&#8217;t
+let no little Omaha doughgie like that put me out o&#8217;
+business.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Despite all warnings, she walked out into the dining-room
+and took her accustomed seat with set and stern
+face, while her daughter went to the table where the
+doctor sat, and explained her inability to manage her
+mother.</p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s <i>your</i> problem,&#8221; he replied, coolly. Then
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_109' name='page_109'></a>109</span>
+rapidly, succinctly, and clearly he went over the case,
+and laid out a course of treatment. Out of it all Lee
+deduced that her mother was very ill indeed, though not
+in danger of sudden death.</p>
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s on the chute,&#8221; said Fessenden, &#8220;and everything
+depends upon her own action whether she takes
+the plunge this winter or twenty years from now. She&#8217;s
+a strong woman&mdash;or has been&mdash;but she has presumed
+upon her strength. She used to live out-of-doors, she
+tells me, during all her early life, and now, shut in by
+these walls, working sixteen hours a day, she is killing
+herself. Get her out if you can, and cut out stimulants.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As he rose and approached the counter, Lize shoved a
+couple of gold pieces across the board. &#8220;That wipes
+you off my map,&#8221; she grimly declared. &#8220;I hope you
+enjoyed your ride.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s up to you, madam,&#8221; he replied, pocketing the
+gold. &#8220;Good-day!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee followed him out to the car, eager to secure all she
+could of his wisdom. He repeated his instructions.
+&#8220;Medicine can&#8217;t help her much,&#8221; he said, &#8220;but diet can
+do a great deal. Get her out of that rut she&#8217;s in. Good-bye.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll be down again in a day or two!&#8221; called Redfield.</p>
+<p>The machine began to purr and spit and the wheels
+to spin, and Lee Virginia was left to face her mother&#8217;s
+obstinate resistance alone. She felt suddenly very desolate,
+very weak, and very poor. &#8220;What if mother should
+die?&#8221; she asked herself.</p>
+<p>Gregg was standing before the counter talking with
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_110' name='page_110'></a>110</span>
+Lize as Lee returned, and he said, with a broad smile:
+&#8220;I&#8217;ve just been saying I&#8217;d take this hotel off your mother&#8217;s
+hands provided you went with it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>In the mouths of some men these words would have
+been harmless enough, but coming from the tongue of
+one whose life could only be obscurely hinted at the
+jest was an insult. The girl shuddered with repulsion,
+and Lize spoke out:</p>
+<p>&#8220;Now see here, Bullfrog, I&#8217;m dead on the hoof and
+all that, but neither you nor any other citizen like you can
+be funny with my girl. She&#8217;s not for you. Now that&#8217;s
+final! She ain&#8217;t your kind.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg&#8217;s smile died into a gray, set smirk, and his
+eyes took on a steely glint. He knew when the naked,
+unadorned truth was spoken to him. Words came slowly
+to his lips, but he said: &#8220;You&#8217;ll be glad to come to me
+for help some day&mdash;both of you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh, get along! You don&#8217;t hold no mortgage on
+me,&#8221; retorted Lize, contemptuously, and turned to Lee.
+&#8220;I&#8217;m hungry. Where&#8217;s that grub chart o&#8217; mine?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee brought the doctor&#8217;s page of notes and read it
+through, while her mother snorted at intervals: &#8220;Hah!
+dry toast, weak tea, no coffee, no alcohol. Huh! I
+might as well starve! Eggs&mdash;fish&mdash;milk! Why didn&#8217;t he
+say boiled live lobsters and champagne? I tell you right
+now, I&#8217;m not going to go into that kind of a game. If
+I die I&#8217;m going to die eating what I blame please.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The struggle had begun. With desperate courage
+Lee fought, standing squarely in the rut of her mother&#8217;s
+daily habit. &#8220;You must not hive up here any longer,&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_111' name='page_111'></a>111</span>
+she insisted; &#8220;you must get out and walk and ride. I
+can take care of the house&mdash;at least, till we can sell it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It was like breaking the pride of an athlete, but little
+by little she forced upon her mother a realization of her
+true condition, and at last Lize consented to offer the
+business for sale. Then she wept (for the first time in
+years), and the sight moved her daughter much as the
+sobs of a strong man would have done.</p>
+<p>She longed for the presence of Ross Cavanagh at this
+moment, when all her little world seemed tumbling into
+ruin; and almost in answer to her wordless prayer came
+a messenger from the little telephone office: &#8220;Some one
+wants to talk to you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She answered this call hurriedly, thinking at first that
+it must be Mrs. Redfield. The booth was in the little
+sitting-room of a private cottage, and the mistress of the
+place, a shrewd little woman with inquisitive eyes, said:
+&#8220;Sounds to me like Ross Cavanagh&#8217;s voice.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee was thankful for the booth&#8217;s privacy, for her
+cheeks flamed up at this remark; and when she took up
+the receiver her heart was beating so loud it seemed as
+if the person at the other end of the wire must hear it.
+&#8220;Who is it, please?&#8221; she asked, with breathless intensity.</p>
+<p>A man&#8217;s voice came back over the wire so clear, so
+distinct, so intimate, it seemed as if he were speaking into
+her ear. &#8220;It is I, Ross Cavanagh. I want to ask how
+your mother is?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She is terribly disheartened by what the doctor has
+said, but she is in no immediate danger.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_112' name='page_112'></a>112</span></p>
+<p>He perceived her agitation, and was instantly sympathetic.
+&#8220;Can I be of use&mdash;do you need me? If you
+do, I&#8217;ll come down.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Where are you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I am at the sawmill&mdash;the nearest telephone station.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;How far away are you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;About thirty miles.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh!&#8221; She expressed in this little sound her disappointment,
+and as it trembled over the wire he spoke
+quickly: &#8220;Please tell me! Do you want me to come
+down? Never mind the distance&mdash;I can ride it in a
+few hours.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She was tempted, but bravely said: &#8220;No; I&#8217;d like to
+see you, of course, but the doctor said mother was in no
+danger. You must not come on our account.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He felt the wonder of the moment&#8217;s intercourse over
+the wilderness steeps, and said so. &#8220;You can&#8217;t imagine
+how strangely sweet and civilized your voice sounds to
+me here in this savage place. It makes me hope that
+some day you and Mrs. Redfield will come up and visit
+me in person.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I should like to come.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps it would do your mother good to camp for
+a while. Can&#8217;t you persuade her to do so?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m trying to do that&mdash;I mean, to stop work; but
+she says, &#8216;What can we do to earn a living?&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;If nothing happens I hope to spend an hour or two
+at the Forks next Sunday. I hope to find your mother
+better.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Their words were of this unemotional sort, but in
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_113' name='page_113'></a>113</span>
+their voices something subtler than the electrical current
+vibrated. He called to her in wordless fashion and
+she answered in the same mysterious code, and when
+she said &#8220;Good-bye&#8221; and hung up the receiver her world
+went suddenly gray and commonplace, as if a ray of
+special sunlight had been withdrawn.</p>
+<p>The attendant asked, with village bluntness: &#8220;It <i>was</i>
+Ross, wasn&#8217;t it?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia resented this almost as much as if it
+were the question of an eavesdropper; but she answered:
+&#8220;Yes; he wanted to know how my mother was.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She turned as she reached the street and looked up
+toward the glorious purpling deeps from which the
+ranger&#8217;s voice had come, and the thought that he was
+the sole guardian of those dark forests and shining
+streams&mdash;that his way led among those towering peaks
+and lone canons&mdash;made of him something altogether
+admirable.</p>
+<p>That night her loneliness, her sense of weakness, carried
+her to bed with tears of despair in her eyes. Lize
+had insisted on going back to her work looking like one
+stricken with death, yet so rebellious that her daughter
+could do nothing with her; and in the nature of fate the
+day&#8217;s business had been greater than ever, so that they
+had all been forced to work like slaves to feed the flood
+of custom. And Lize herself still kept her vigil in her
+chair above her gold.</p>
+<p>Closing her mind to the town and all it meant to her,
+the girl tried to follow, in imagination, the ranger treading
+his far, high trails. She recalled his voice, so cultivated,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_114' name='page_114'></a>114</span>
+so rich of inflection, with dangerous tenderness.
+It had come down to her from those lofty parapets like
+that of a friend, laden with something sweeter than
+sympathy, more alluring than song.</p>
+<p>The thought of some time going up to the high country
+where he dwelt came to her most insistently, and she
+permitted herself to dream of long days of companionship
+with him, of riding through sunlit aisles of forest
+with him, of cooking for him at the cabin&mdash;what time
+her mother grew strong once more&mdash;and these dreams
+bred in her heart a wistful ache, a hungry need which
+made her pillow a place of mingled ecstasy and pain.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='VII_THE_POACHERS' id='VII_THE_POACHERS'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_115' name='page_115'></a>115</span>
+<h2>VII</h2>
+<h3>THE POACHERS</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>One morning, as he topped the rise between the sawmill
+and his own station, Cavanagh heard two rifle-shots
+in quick succession snapping across the high peak on
+his left. Bringing his horse to a stand, he unslung his
+field-glasses, and slowly and minutely swept the tawny
+slopes of Sheep Mountain from which the forbidden
+sounds seemed to come.</p>
+<p>&#8220;A herder shooting coyotes,&#8221; was his first thought;
+then remembering that there were no camps in that
+direction, and that a flock of mountain-sheep (which he
+had been guarding carefully) habitually fed round that
+grassy peak, his mind changed. &#8220;I wonder if those
+fellows are after those sheep?&#8221; he mused, as he angled
+down the slope. &#8220;I reckon it&#8217;s up to me to see.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He was tired and hungry, a huge moraine lay between,
+and the trail was long and rough. &#8220;To catch them in the
+act is impossible. However,&#8221; he reflected, &#8220;they have but
+two trails along which to descend. One of these passes
+my door, and the other, a very difficult trail, leads down the
+South Fork. I&#8217;ll have time to get breakfast and change
+horses. They&#8217;ll probably wait till night before attempting
+to go out, anyway.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_116' name='page_116'></a>116</span></p>
+<p>In less than three hours he was over on the trail in the
+canon, quite certain that the hunters were still above him.
+He rode quietly up the valley, pausing often to listen
+and to scrutinize the landscape; but no sign of camp-fire
+and no further rifle-shots came, and at last he went
+into camp upon the trail, resolved to wait till the poachers
+appeared, a ward which his experience as a soldier
+helped him to maintain without nodding.</p>
+<p>In these long hours his thought played about the remembrance
+of his last visit to the Fork and his hour with
+Lee. He wondered what she was doing at the moment.
+How charming she had looked there at Redfields&#8217;&mdash;so
+girlish in form, so serious and womanly of face!</p>
+<p>He felt as never before the ineludible loneliness of the
+ranger&#8217;s life. Here he sat in the midst of a mighty forest
+with many hostile minds all about him, and it must be
+confessed he began to wonder whether his services to the
+nation were worth so much hardship, such complete
+isolation. The stream sang of the eternities, and his
+own short span of life (half gone already without any
+permanent accomplishment) seemed pitifully ephemeral.
+The guardians of these high places must forever be
+solitary. No ranger could rightfully be husband and
+father, for to bring women and children into these
+solitudes would be cruel.</p>
+<p>He put all this aside&mdash;for the time&mdash;by remembering
+that he was a soldier under orders, and that marriage
+was a long way off, and so smoked his pipe and waited
+for the dawn, persistent as a Sioux, and as silent as a fox.</p>
+<p>At daylight, there being still no sign of his quarry, he
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_117' name='page_117'></a>117</span>
+saddled his horse, and was about to ride up the trail
+when he caught the sound of voices and the sharp click
+of iron hoofs on the rocks above him. With his horse&#8217;s
+bridle on his arm he awaited the approaching horseman,
+resolute and ready to act.</p>
+<p>As the marauders rounded the elbow in the trail, he
+was surprised to recognize in the leader young Gregg.
+The other man was a stranger, an older man, with a
+grizzled beard, and tall and stooping figure.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Hello Joe,&#8221; called the ranger, &#8220;you&#8217;re astir early!&#8221;</p>
+<p>The youth&#8217;s fat face remained imperturbable, but his
+eyes betrayed uneasiness. &#8220;Yes, it&#8217;s a long pull into
+town.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Been hunting?&#8221; queried the ranger, still with cheery,
+polite interest.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh no; just visiting one of my sheep-camps.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh&#8217;s voice was a little less suave. &#8220;Not on
+this creek,&#8221; he declared. &#8220;I moved your herder last
+week.&#8221; He walked forward. &#8220;That&#8217;s a heavy load for
+a short trip to a sheep-camp.&#8221; He put his hand on the
+pack. &#8220;I guess you&#8217;ll have to open this, for I heard
+two shots yesterday morning up where that flock of
+mountain-sheep is running, and, furthermore, I can see
+blood-stains on this saddle-blanket.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Neither of the men made answer, but the old man
+turned an inquiring look at his young leader.</p>
+<p>The ranger flung his next sentence out like the lash
+of a whip. &#8220;Open this sack or I cut the ropes!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg threw out a hand in command. &#8220;<i>Open it up,
+Edwards!</i>&#8221; he said, sullenly.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_118' name='page_118'></a>118</span></p>
+<p>With mechanical readiness the guide alighted from
+his horse, loosened the cinch on the pack-horse, and disclosed
+the usual camp-bed.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Put off that bedding!&#8221; insisted the ranger.</p>
+<p>Off came the outfit, and under the tent lay the noble
+head of a wild ram&mdash;a look of reproach still in his splendid
+yellow eyes.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh&#8217;s face hardened. &#8220;I thought so. Now
+heave it back and cinch up. It&#8217;s you to the nearest
+magistrate, which happens to be Higley, of Roaring
+Fork. I&#8217;ll make an example of you fellows.&#8221;</p>
+<p>There was nothing for Gregg to say and nothing for
+Edwards to do but obey, for a resolute ranger with
+an excellent weapon of the latest and most approved
+angular pattern stood ready to enforce his command;
+and when the pack was recinched, Cavanagh waved an
+imperative hand. &#8220;I guess I&#8217;ll have to take charge of
+your guns,&#8221; he said, and they yielded without a word
+of protest. &#8220;Now march! Take the left-hand trail.
+I&#8217;ll be close behind.&#8221;</p>
+<p>A couple of hours of silent travel brought them to the
+ranger&#8217;s cabin, and there he ordered a dismount.</p>
+<p>As the coffee was boiling he lectured them briefly.
+&#8220;You fellows are not entirely to blame,&#8221; he remarked,
+philosophically. &#8220;You&#8217;ve been educated to think a
+game warden a joke and Uncle Sam a long way off.
+But things have changed a bit. The law of the State
+has made me game warden, and I&#8217;m going to show you
+how it works. It&#8217;s my duty to see that you go down the
+road&mdash;and down you go!&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_119' name='page_119'></a>119</span></p>
+<p>Edwards, the guide, was plainly very uneasy, and
+made several attempts to reach Cavanagh&#8217;s private ear,
+and at last succeeded. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been fooled into this,&#8221; he
+urged. &#8220;I was hard up and a stranger in the country,
+and this young fellow hired me to guide him across the
+range. I didn&#8217;t shoot a thing. I swear I didn&#8217;t. If
+you&#8217;ll let me off, I&#8217;ll hit the trail to the West and never
+look back. For God&#8217;s sake, don&#8217;t take me down the
+road! Let me off.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t do that,&#8221; replied Cavanagh; but his tone was
+kindlier, for he perceived that the old fellow was thin,
+hollow-chested, and poorly clad. &#8220;You knew you were
+breaking the laws, didn&#8217;t you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>This the culprit admitted. &#8220;But I was working for
+Sam Gregg, and when Joe asked me to go show him
+the trail, I didn&#8217;t expect to get cinched for killing
+game. I didn&#8217;t fire a shot&mdash;now that&#8217;s the God&#8217;s
+truth.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Nevertheless,&#8221; retorted Ross, &#8220;you were packing
+the head, and I must count you in the game.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Edwards fell silent then, but something in his look
+deepened the ranger&#8217;s pity. His eyes were large and
+dark, and his face so emaciated that he seemed fit only
+for a sanitarium.</p>
+<p>The trip to the Fork (timed to the gait of a lazy pack-horse)
+was a tedious eight hours&#8217; march, and it was
+nearly seven o&#8217;clock when they arrived at the outskirts
+of the village. There had been very few words spoken
+by Cavanagh, and those which the prisoners uttered
+were not calculated to cheer the way. Joe blamed his
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_120' name='page_120'></a>120</span>
+guide for their mishap. &#8220;You should have known how
+far the sound of our guns would carry,&#8221; he said.</p>
+<p>As they were nearing the village he called out: &#8220;See
+here, Cavanagh, there&#8217;s no use taking me through town
+under arrest. I&#8217;ll cough up all we got right now. How
+much is the damage?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t receive your fine,&#8221; replied Ross, &#8220;and, besides,
+you took your chances when you shot that sheep. You
+lost out, and I&#8217;m not going to let you off. This poaching
+must stop. You go right along with your guide.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Again Edwards drew near, and pled in a low voice:
+&#8220;See here, Mr. Ranger, I have special reasons why I
+don&#8217;t want to go into this town under arrest. I wish
+you&#8217;d let me explain.&#8221;</p>
+<p>There was deep emotion in his voice, but Ross was
+firm. &#8220;I&#8217;m sorry for you,&#8221; he said, &#8220;but my duty requires
+me to take you before a magistrate&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But you don&#8217;t know my case,&#8221; he replied, with bitter
+intensity. &#8220;I&#8217;m out &#8216;on parole.&#8217; I can&#8217;t afford to be
+arrested in this way. Don&#8217;t you see?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross looked at him closely. &#8220;<i>Are</i> you telling me the
+truth?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Would you have mercy on me if I were?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I should be sorry for you, but I couldn&#8217;t let you
+go.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You won&#8217;t believe me, but it&#8217;s the God Almighty&#8217;s
+truth: I didn&#8217;t know Joe intended to kill that sheep.
+He asked me to show him over the pass. I had no intention
+of killing anything. I wish to God you would
+let me go!&#8221; His voice was tense with pleading.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_121' name='page_121'></a>121</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;How about this, Gregg?&#8221; called Ross. &#8220;Your guide
+insists he had no hand in killing the ram?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He fired first, and I fired and finished him,&#8221; retorted
+Gregg.</p>
+<p>&#8220;&#8217;Twas the other way,&#8221; declared Edwards. &#8220;The
+beast was crippled and escaping&mdash;I killed him with my
+revolver. I didn&#8217;t want to see him go off and die&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I guess that settles it,&#8221; said Cavanagh, decisively.
+&#8220;You take your medicine with Joe. If the justice wants
+to let you off easy, I can&#8217;t help it, but to turn you loose
+now would mean disloyalty to the service. Climb back
+into your saddle.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Edwards turned away with shaking hands and unsteady
+step. &#8220;All right,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I&#8217;ll meet it.&#8221; He
+came back to say: &#8220;There&#8217;s no need of your saying anything
+about what I&#8217;ve told you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, you are a stranger to me. I know nothing of
+your life except that I found you with Joe, with this pack
+on your horse.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Much obliged,&#8221; said he, with a touch of bitter humor.</p>
+<p>To the casual observer in a town of this character there
+was nothing specially noticeable in three horsemen
+driving a pack-horse, but to those whose eyes were keen
+the true relationship of the ranger to his captives was
+instantly apparent, and when they alighted at Judge
+Higley&#8217;s office a bunch of eager observers quickly
+collected.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Hello Joe, what luck?&#8221; called Ballard.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Our luck was a little too good&mdash;we caught a game
+warden,&#8221; replied the young scapegrace.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_122' name='page_122'></a>122</span></p>
+<p>The ranger was chagrined to find the office of the
+justice closed for the day, and, turning to his captives,
+said: &#8220;I&#8217;m hungry, and I&#8217;ve no doubt you are. I&#8217;m going
+to take you into Mike Halsey&#8217;s saloon for supper, but
+remember you are my prisoners.&#8221; And to the little
+old remittance man, Sifton, who caught his eye, he explained
+his need of a justice and the town marshal.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll try to find the judge,&#8221; replied Sifton, with ready
+good-will, and at a sign from the ranger, Gregg and his
+herder entered the saloon.</p>
+<p>In fifteen minutes the town was rumbling with the
+news. Under Ballard&#8217;s devilry, all the latent hatred of
+the ranger and all the concealed opposition to the
+Forest Service came to the surface like the scum on a pot
+of broth. The saloons and eating-houses boiled with
+indignant protest. &#8220;What business is it of Ross Cavanagh&#8217;s?&#8221;
+they demanded. &#8220;What call has he to interfere?
+He&#8217;s not a game warden.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes he is. All these rangers are game wardens,&#8221;
+corrected another.</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, they&#8217;re not. They have to be commissioned by
+the Governor.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, he&#8217;s been commissioned; he&#8217;s warden all right.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe it. Anyhow, he&#8217;s too fresh. He
+needs to have a halt. Let&#8217;s do him. Let&#8217;s bluff him
+out.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia was in the kitchen superintending the
+service when one of the waiters came in, breathless with
+excitement. &#8220;Ross Cavanagh has shot Joe Gregg for
+killing sheep!&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_123' name='page_123'></a>123</span></p>
+<p>Lee faced her with blanched face. &#8220;Who told you
+so?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re all talking about it out there. Gee! but
+they&#8217;re hot. Some of &#8217;em want to lynch him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee hurried out into the dining-room, which was
+crowded with men and voicing deep excitement. Anger
+was in the air&mdash;a stormy rage, perceptible as a hot blast;
+and as she passed one table after another she heard ugly
+phrases applied to Cavanagh.</p>
+<p>A half-dozen men were standing before the counter
+talking with Lize, but Lee pushed in to inquire with
+white, inquiring face: &#8220;What is it all about? What
+has happened?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Nothing much,&#8221; Lize replied, contemptuously, &#8220;but
+you&#8217;d think a horse had been stole. Ross has nipped
+Joe Gregg and one of his herders for killing mountain-sheep.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Do you mean he shot them?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes; he took their heads.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee stood aghast. &#8220;What do you mean? Whose
+heads?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize laughed. &#8220;The sheeps&#8217; heads. Oh, don&#8217;t be
+scared, no one is hurt yet!&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl flushed with confusion as the men roared
+over her blunder. &#8220;One of the girls told me Mr. Cavanagh
+had killed a man,&#8221; she explained. &#8220;Where is he?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize betrayed annoyance. &#8220;They say he&#8217;s taking
+supper at Mike Halsey&#8217;s, though why he didn&#8217;t come
+here I don&#8217;t see. What&#8217;s he going to do?&#8221; she asked.
+&#8220;Won&#8217;t the marshal take the men off his hands?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_124' name='page_124'></a>124</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Not without warrant from Higley, and Higley is
+out of town. Ross&#8217;ll have to hold &#8217;em till Higley gets
+back, or else take &#8217;em over to Chauvenet,&#8221; Lize snorted.
+&#8220;Old Higley! Yes, he&#8217;s been known to disappear before
+when there was some real work to be done.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl looked about her with a sharpening realization
+of the fact that all these men were squarely opposed
+to the ranger, and rather glad to know that his guardianship
+of the poachers was to be rendered troublesome.
+She could hear on all sides bitter curses openly directed
+against him. How little of real manliness could be detected
+in these grinning or malignant faces! Ill-formed,
+half-developed, bestial most of them, while others, though
+weakly good-humored, were ready to go with whatever
+current of strong passion blew upon them. Over against
+such creatures Ross Cavanagh stood off in heroic contrast&mdash;a
+man with work to do, and doing it like a patriot.</p>
+<p>She went back to her own task with a vague sense of
+alarm. &#8220;Certainly they will not dare to interfere with
+an officer in the discharge of his duties,&#8221; she thought.
+She was eager to see him, and the thought that he might
+be obliged to ride away to Chauvenet without a word to
+her gave her a deeper feeling of annoyance and unrest.
+That he was in any real danger she could not believe.</p>
+<p>It was disheartening to Cavanagh to see how some of
+the most influential citizens contrived to give encouragement
+to the riotous element of the town. A wink, a
+gesture, a careless word to the proper messenger, conveyed
+to the saloon rounders an assurance of sympathy
+which inflamed their resentment to the murderous point.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_125' name='page_125'></a>125</span></p>
+<p>The truth is, this little village, sixty miles from the
+railway, still retained in its dives and shanties the
+lingering miasma of the old-time free-range barbarism.
+It trailed a dark history on its legal side as well as on its
+openly violent side, for it had been one of the centres of
+the Rustler&#8217;s War, and one of the chief points of attack
+on the part of the cattle-barons. It was still a rendezvous
+for desperate and shameless characters&mdash;a place
+of derelicts, survivals of the days of deep drinking, furious
+riding, and ready gun-play.</p>
+<p>True, its famous desperadoes were now either dead or
+distantly occupied; but the mantle of violence, the tradition
+of lawlessness, had fallen to the seedy old cow-punchers
+and to the raw and vulgar youths from the ill-conditioned
+homes of the middle West. The air of the
+reckless old-time range still clung rancidly in the low
+groggeries, as a deadly gas hangs about the lower levels
+of a mine. It was confessedly one of the worst communities
+in the State.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s run the sonovagun!&#8221; was the suggestion of
+several of Gregg&#8217;s friends.</p>
+<p>The fact that the ranger was a commissioned officer of
+the law, and that the ram&#8217;s head had been found on the
+poacher&#8217;s pack, made very little difference to these irresponsible
+instigators to assault. It was wonderful
+how highly that loafing young rascal, Joe Gregg, was
+prized at the moment. &#8220;It&#8217;s an outrage that the son of
+a leading citizen should be held up in this way by one of
+the forestry Cossacks,&#8221; declared one of the merchants.</p>
+<p>The discussion which took place over the bars of the
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_126' name='page_126'></a>126</span>
+town was at the riot-heat by nine o&#8217;clock, and soon after
+ten a crowd of howling, whooping bad boys, and disreputable
+ranch-hands was parading the walks, breathing
+out vile threats against the ranger.</p>
+<p>Accustomed to men of this type, Cavanagh watched
+them come and go at Halsey&#8217;s bar with calculating eyes.
+&#8220;There will be no trouble for an hour or two, but meanwhile
+what is to be done? Higley is not to be found,
+and the town marshal is also &#8216;out of town.&#8217;&#8221; To
+Halsey he said: &#8220;I am acting, as you know, under both
+Federal and State authority, and I call upon you as a
+law-abiding citizen to aid me in holding these men prisoners.
+I shall camp right here till morning, or until the
+magistrate or the marshal relieves me of my culprits.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Halsey was himself a sportsman&mdash;a genuine lover of
+hunting and a fairly consistent upholder of the game
+laws; but perceiving that the whole town had apparently
+lined up in opposition to the ranger, he lost courage.
+His consent was half-hearted, and he edged away toward
+the front window of his bar-room, nervously seeking to
+be neutral&mdash;&#8220;to carry water on both shoulders,&#8221; as the
+phrase goes.</p>
+<p>The talk grew less jocular as the drinks took effect,
+and Neill Ballard, separating himself from the crowd,
+came forward, calling loudly: &#8220;Come out o&#8217; there, Joe!
+Youse a hell of a sport! Come out and have a drink!&#8221;</p>
+<p>His words conveyed less of battle than his tone. He
+was, in fact, urging a revolt, and Cavanagh knew it.</p>
+<p>Gregg rose as if to comply. The ranger stopped him.
+&#8220;Keep your seat,&#8221; said he. And to Ballard he warningly
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_127' name='page_127'></a>127</span>
+remarked: &#8220;And you keep away from my prisoners.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Do you own this saloon?&#8221; retorted the fellow, truculently.
+&#8220;I reckon Halsey&#8217;s customers have some rights.
+What are you doing here, anyway? This is no jail.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Halsey has given me the privilege of holding my
+prisoners here till the justice is found. It isn&#8217;t my fault
+that the town is without judge or jail.&#8221; He was weakened
+by the knowledge that Halsey had only half-consented
+to aid justice; but his pride was roused, and he
+was determined upon carrying his arrest to its legitimate
+end. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to see that these men are punished if
+I have to carry them to Sulphur City,&#8221; he added.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Smash the lights!&#8221; shouted some one at the back.</p>
+<p>Here was the first real note of war, and Ross cried
+out sharply: &#8220;If a man lifts a hand toward the light I&#8217;ll
+cut it off!&#8221;</p>
+<p>There was a stealthy movement in the crowd, and
+leaping upon the counter a reckless cub reached for the
+lamp.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh&#8217;s revolver shattered the globe in the fellow&#8217;s
+very palm. &#8220;Get down from there!&#8221; he commanded.</p>
+<p>The crowd surged back against the front door, several
+drawn weapons shining in their hands. Some of the
+faces were a-grin, others were thrust forward like the
+heads of snakes, their eyes glittering with hate.</p>
+<p>It is an appalling moment to a man of discernment
+when he looks into the faces of his fellows and hears
+only the laugh of the wolf, the hiss of the snake, the snarl
+of the tiger. At the moment Cavanagh despised with a
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_128' name='page_128'></a>128</span>
+measureless contempt the entire commonwealth and its
+long-established school of violence; but fixing his thought
+on his far-away chief, he lost all fear. His voice was
+perfectly calm as he said: &#8220;I am wearing the uniform
+of the Federal service, and the man that interferes with
+me will feel the vengeance of the Federal arm. You
+can get me, but I&#8217;ll get some of you at the same time,
+and the department will get the rest.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The mob had not found its leader. It hesitated and
+blustered but did not strike, and eventually edged out
+of the door and disappeared; but the silence which followed
+its retreat was more alarming to the ranger than
+its presence. Some slyer mischief was in these minds.
+He feared that they were about to cut the electric-light
+wires, and so plunge him into darkness, and to prepare
+for that emergency he called upon the bartender (Halsey
+having vanished) for a lamp or a lantern.</p>
+<p>The fellow sullenly set about this task, and Ross, turning
+to Gregg, said: &#8220;If you&#8217;ve any influence with this
+mob, you&#8217;d better use it to keep them out of mischief,
+for I&#8217;m on this job to the bitter end, and somebody&#8217;s
+going to be hurt.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg, who seemed quite detached from the action
+and rather delighted with it, replied: &#8220;I have no influence.
+They don&#8217;t care a hang about me; they have
+it in for you, that&#8217;s all.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Edwards remained silent, with his hat drawn low over
+his eyes. It was evident that he was anxious to avoid
+being seen and quite willing to keep out of the conflict;
+but with no handcuffs and the back door of the saloon
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_129' name='page_129'></a>129</span>
+unguarded, Ross was aware that his guard must be incessant
+and alertly vigilant. &#8220;Where are the law-abiding
+citizens of the town?&#8221; he asked of Sifton, who
+remained in the saloon.</p>
+<p>The dry little whisp of manhood had some spark of
+life in him, for he said: &#8220;In their beds, the cowardly
+hounds!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;They must know that this gang of hobos is threatening
+me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Certainly they do; but they don&#8217;t intend to endanger
+their precious hides. They would be well
+pleased to have you disabled.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It was incredible! Low as his estimate of the Fork
+had been, Cavanagh could not believe that it would sit
+quietly by and see an officer of the State defeated in his
+duty. &#8220;Such a thing could not happen under the English
+flag,&#8221; he said, and at the moment his adopted country
+seemed a miserable makeshift. Only the thought of
+Redfield and the chief nerved him for the long vigil.
+&#8220;The chief will understand if it comes up to him,&#8221; he
+said.</p>
+<p>Lize Wetherford came hurrying in, looking as though
+she had just risen from her bed. She was clothed in a
+long red robe, her grizzled hair was loose, her feet were
+bare, and she carried a huge old-fashioned revolver in
+her hand. Her mouth was stern.</p>
+<p>Stopping abruptly as she caught sight of Ross standing
+in the middle of the floor unhurt, she exclaimed:
+&#8220;There you are! Are you all right?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;As a trivet,&#8221; he replied.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_130' name='page_130'></a>130</span></p>
+<p>She let her gun-hand relax. &#8220;What was the shooting?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;A little bluff on my part.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Anybody hurt?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She was much relieved. &#8220;I was afraid they&#8217;d got
+you. I came as quick as I could. I was abed. That
+fool doctor threw a chill into me, and I&#8217;ve been going to
+roost early according to orders. I didn&#8217;t hear your gun,
+but Lee did, and she came to tell me. They&#8217;re hell-roaring
+down the street yet. Don&#8217;t let &#8217;em get behind you.
+If I was any good I&#8217;d stay and help. Where&#8217;s Mike?&#8221;
+She addressed the tender at the bar.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know. Gone home, I guess.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Sneaked, has he?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;So far as I know the only law-upholding citizen in
+the place, barring yourself, is Sifton,&#8221; said Ross, indicating
+the Englishman, who stood as if cold, pressing
+his hands together to hide their trembling.</p>
+<p>Lize perceived the irony of this. &#8220;Two Britishers
+and two women! Well, by God, this is a fine old town!
+What you going to do&mdash;hold your men here all
+night?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t see any other way. Halsey turned the place
+over to me&mdash;but&mdash;&#8221; He looked about him suspiciously.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Bring &#8217;em into my place. Lee has had new locks
+put on our doors; they&#8217;ll help some.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t like to do that, Mrs. Wetherford,&#8221; he replied,
+with greater respect than he had ever shown her
+before. &#8220;They may attack me there.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_131' name='page_131'></a>131</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;All the better; I&#8217;ll be on hand to help&mdash;but they&#8217;re
+less likely to boil in on you through a locked door.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But your daughter? It will alarm her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;ll be in the other house, and, besides, she&#8217;d feel
+easier if you are in my place. She&#8217;s all wrought up by
+the attack on you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross turned to his prisoners. &#8220;Follow Mrs. Wetherford
+and&mdash;eyes front!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You needn&#8217;t worry about me,&#8221; said Joe, &#8220;I won&#8217;t
+run.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t intend to give you a chance,&#8221; replied Ross.</p>
+<p>Edwards seemed to have lost in both courage and
+physical stature; he slouched along with shuffling step,
+his head bent and his face pale. Ross was now profoundly
+sorry for him, so utterly craven and broken was
+his look.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='VIII_THE_SECOND_ATTACK' id='VIII_THE_SECOND_ATTACK'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_132' name='page_132'></a>132</span>
+<h2>VIII</h2>
+<h3>THE SECOND ATTACK</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>Lee was waiting on the porch of the hotel, tense with
+excitement, straining her ears and eyes to see what was
+taking place.</p>
+<p>The night had started with a small sickle of moon, but
+this had dropped below the range, leaving the street
+dark, save where the lights from the windows of the
+all-night eating-houses and saloons lay out upon the
+walk, and, while she stood peering out, the sound of
+rancorous howling and shrill whooping came to her ears
+with such suggestion of ferocity that she shivered.</p>
+<p>Every good and honorable trait seemed lost out of her
+neighbors. She saw the whole country but as a refuge
+for criminals, ungovernable youths, and unsexed women&mdash;a
+wilderness of those who had no regard for any code
+of morals which interfered with their own desires. Her
+memories of the past freshened as she listened. In
+such wise she had shuddered, as a child, while troops
+of celebrating cowboys rode up and down the streets.
+In such wise, too, the better (and more timid) element of
+the town had put out their lights and retired, leaving
+their drunken helots and the marshal to fight it out in
+vague tumult.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_133' name='page_133'></a>133</span></p>
+<p>A few of the hotel guests had gone to bed, but the
+women were up, excited and nervous, starting at every
+fresh outburst of whooping, knowing that their sons or
+husbands were out in the street &#8220;to see the fun,&#8221; and
+that they might meet trouble.</p>
+<p>At last Lee discerned her mother returning from Halsey&#8217;s,
+followed by three men. Withdrawing from the little
+porch whereon she had been standing, she reentered
+the house to meet her mother in the hall. &#8220;Where is
+Mr. Cavanagh?&#8221; she asked.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Out in the dining-room. You see, Mike Halsey is
+no kind o&#8217; use. He vamoosed and left Ross down there
+alone, with his two prisoners and the lights likely to
+be turned out on him. So I offered the caffy as a calaboose.
+They are sure in for a long and tedious night.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee was alarmed at her mother&#8217;s appearance. &#8220;You
+must go to bed. You look ghastly.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I reckon I&#8217;d better lie down for a little while, but I
+can&#8217;t sleep. Ross may need me. There isn&#8217;t a man to
+help him but me, and that loafer Ballard is full of gall.
+He&#8217;s got it in for Ross, and will make trouble if he
+can.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What can we do?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Shoot!&#8221; replied Lize, with dry brevity. &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t
+mind a chance to plug some of the sweet citizens of this
+town. I owe them one or two.&#8221;</p>
+<p>With this sentence in her ears, Lee Virginia went
+to her bed, but not to slumber. Her utter inability
+either to control her mother&#8217;s action or to influence that
+of the mob added to her uneasiness.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_134' name='page_134'></a>134</span></p>
+<p>The singing, shouting, trampling of the crowd went
+on, and once a group of men halted just outside her
+window, and she heard Neill Ballard noisily, drunkenly
+arguing as to the most effective method of taking the
+prisoners. His utterances, so profane and foul, came to
+her like echoes from out an inferno. The voices were
+all at the moment like the hissing of serpents, the snarling
+of tigers. How dared creatures of this vile type use
+words of contempt against Ross Cavanagh?</p>
+<p>&#8220;Come on, boys!&#8221; urged Ballard, his voice filled with
+reckless determination. &#8220;Let&#8217;s run him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As they passed, the girl sprang up and went to her
+mother&#8217;s room to warn her of the threatened attack.</p>
+<p>Lize was already awake and calmly loading a second
+revolver by the light of the electric bulb.</p>
+<p>&#8220;What are you doing?&#8221; the girl asked, her blood chilling
+at sight of the weapon.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Hell&#8217;s to pay out there, and I&#8217;m going to help pay
+it.&#8221; A jarring blow was heard. &#8220;Hear that! They&#8217;re
+breaking in&mdash;&#8221; She started to leave the room.</p>
+<p>Lee stopped her. &#8220;Where are you going?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;To help Ross. Here!&#8221; She thrust the handle of
+a smaller weapon into Lee&#8217;s hand. &#8220;Ed Wetherford&#8217;s
+girl ought to be able to take care of herself. Come on!&#8221;</p>
+<p>With a most unheroic horror benumbing her limbs,
+Lee followed her mother through the hall. The sound
+of shouts and the trampling of feet could be heard, and
+she came out into the restaurant just in time to photograph
+upon her brain a scene whose significance was at
+once apparent. On a chair between his two prisoners,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_135' name='page_135'></a>135</span>
+and confronting Ballard at the head of a crowd of frenzied
+villains, stood the ranger, a gleaming weapon in his
+hand, a look of resolution on his face.</p>
+<p>What he had said, or what he intended to do, she did
+not learn, for her mother rushed at the invaders with the
+mad bravery of a she-bear. &#8220;Get out of here!&#8221; she
+snarled, thrusting her revolver into the very mouth of
+the leader.</p>
+<p>They all fell back in astonishment and fear.</p>
+<p>Ross leaped to her side. &#8220;Leave them to me!&#8221; he
+said. &#8220;I&#8217;ll clear the room.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not on your life! This is my house. I have the
+right to smash the fools.&#8221; And she beat them over the
+heads with her pistol-barrel.</p>
+<p>Recognizing that she was minded to kill, they retreated
+over the threshold, and Ross, drawing the door close
+behind them, turned to find Lee Virginia confronting
+Edwards, who had attempted to escape into the kitchen.
+The girl&#8217;s face was white, but the eye of her revolver
+stared straight and true into her prisoner&#8217;s face.</p>
+<p>With a bound Ross seized him and flung him against
+the wall. &#8220;Get back there!&#8221; he shouted. &#8220;You must
+take your medicine with your boss.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The old fellow hurriedly replaced his ragged hat, and,
+folding his arms, sank back into his chair with bowed
+head, while Lize turned upon Joe Gregg. &#8220;What the
+devil did you go into this kind of deal for? You knew
+what the game laws was, didn&#8217;t you? Your old dad is
+all for State regulation, and here you are breaking a State
+law. Why don&#8217;t you stand up for the code like a sport?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_136' name='page_136'></a>136</span></p>
+<p>Joe, who had been boasting of the smiles he had drawn
+from Lee, did not relish this tongue-lashing from her
+mother, but, assuming a careless air, he said, &#8220;I&#8217;m all
+out of smokes; get me a box, that&#8217;s a good old soul.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize regarded him with the expression of one nonplussed.
+&#8220;You impudent little cub!&#8221; she exclaimed.
+&#8220;What you need is a booting!&#8221;</p>
+<p>The ranger addressed himself to Lee. &#8220;I want to
+thank you for a very opportune intervention. I didn&#8217;t
+know you could handle a gun so neatly.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She flushed with pleasure. &#8220;Oh yes, I can shoot.
+My father taught me when I was only six years old.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As she spoke, Ross caught the man Edwards studying
+them with furtive glance, but, upon being observed, he
+resumed his crouching attitude, which concealed his face
+beneath the rim of his weather-worn hat. It was evident
+that he was afraid of being recognized. He had the slinking
+air of the convict, and his form, so despairing in its
+lax lines, appealed to Lee with even greater poignancy
+than his face. &#8220;I&#8217;m sorry,&#8221; she said to him, &#8220;but it was
+my duty to help Mr. Cavanagh.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He glanced up with a quick sidewise slant. &#8220;That&#8217;s
+all right, miss; I should have had sense enough to keep
+out of this business.&#8221; He spoke with difficulty, and his
+voice was hoarse with emotion.</p>
+<p>Lize turned to Lee. &#8220;The Doc said &#8216;no liquor,&#8217; but I
+guess here&#8217;s where I draw one&mdash;I feel faint.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross hurried to her side, while young Gregg tendered
+a handsome flask. &#8220;Here&#8217;s something.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize put it away. &#8220;Not from you. Just reach under
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_137' name='page_137'></a>137</span>
+my desk, Ross; you&#8217;ll find some brandy there. That&#8217;s
+it,&#8221; she called, as he produced a bottle. Clutching it
+eagerly, she added: &#8220;They say it&#8217;s poison, but it&#8217;s my meat
+to-night.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She was, in truth, very pale, and her hands were trembling
+in a weakness that went to her daughter&#8217;s heart.
+Lee admired her bravery, her manlike readiness of action,
+but her words, her manner (now that the stress of the
+battle was over), hurt and shamed her. Little remained
+of the woman in Lize, and the old sheep-herder eyed her
+with furtive curiosity.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I was afraid you&#8217;d shoot,&#8221; Lize explained to Ross,
+&#8220;and I didn&#8217;t want you to muss up your hands on the
+dirty loafers. I had the right to kill; they were trespassers,
+and I&#8217;d &#8216;a&#8217; done it, too.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think they intended to actually assault me,&#8221;
+he said, &#8220;but it&#8217;s a bit discouraging to find the town so
+indifferent over both the breaking of the laws and the
+doings of a drunken mob. I&#8217;m afraid the most of them
+are a long way from law-abiding people yet.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Joe, who did not like the position in which he stood as
+respecting Lee, here made an offer of aid. &#8220;I don&#8217;t
+suppose my word is any good now, but if you&#8217;ll let me
+do it I&#8217;ll go out and round up Judge Higley. I think I
+know where he is.&#8221;</p>
+<p>To this Lize objected. &#8220;You can&#8217;t do that, Ross; you
+better hold the fort right here till morning.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee was rather sorry, too, for young Gregg, who bore
+his buffeting with the imperturbable face of the heroes
+of his class. He had gone into this enterprise with much
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_138' name='page_138'></a>138</span>
+the same spirit in which he had stolen gates and misplaced
+signs during his brief college career, and he was now
+disposed (in the presence of a pretty girl) to carry it out
+with undiminished impudence. &#8220;It only means a fine,
+anyway,&#8221; he assured himself.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh did not trust Gregg, either, and as this was
+the first time he had been called upon to arrest men for
+killing game out of season, he could not afford to fail of
+any precaution. Tired and sleepy as he was, he must
+remain on guard. &#8220;But you and your daughter must go
+to bed at once,&#8221; he urged.</p>
+<p>Lize, under the spur of her dram, talked on with bitter
+boldness. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to get out o&#8217; this town as soon as
+I can sell. I won&#8217;t live in it a minute longer than I have
+to. It used to have men into it; now they&#8217;re only hobos.
+It&#8217;s neither the old time nor the new; it&#8217;s just a betwixt
+and between, with a lot o&#8217; young cubs like Joe Gregg
+pretendin&#8217; to be tough. I never thought I&#8217;d be sighin&#8217;
+for horse-cars, but these rowdy chumps like Neill Ballard
+give me a pain. Not one of &#8217;em has sand enough to pull
+a gun in the open, but they&#8217;d plug you from a dark alley
+or fire out of a crowd. It was different in the old days.
+I&#8217;ve seen men walk out into that street, face each other,
+and open fire quiet as molasses. But now it&#8217;s all talk and
+blow. The <i>men</i> have all grown old or got out.&#8221;</p>
+<p>To this Gregg listened with expressionless visage, his
+eyes dreamily fixed on Lee&#8217;s face; but his companion, the
+old herder, seemed to palpitate with shame and fear.
+And Ross had the feeling at the moment that in this
+ragged, unkempt old hobo was the skeleton of one of
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_139' name='page_139'></a>139</span>
+the old-time heroes. He was wasted with drink and
+worn by wind and rain, but he was very far from being
+commonplace. &#8220;Here they come again!&#8221; called Lize,
+as the hurry of feet along the walk threatened another
+attack. Ross Cavanagh again drew his revolver and
+stood at guard, and Lize recovering her own weapon
+took a place by his side.</p>
+<p>With the strength of a bear the new assailant shook
+the bolted door. &#8220;Let me in!&#8221; he roared.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Go to hell!&#8221; replied Lize, calmly.</p>
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s dad!&#8221; called young Gregg. &#8220;Go away, you
+chump.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Let me in or I&#8217;ll smash this door!&#8221; retorted Gregg.</p>
+<p>&#8220;You smash that door, old Bullfrog,&#8221; announced
+Lize, &#8220;and I&#8217;ll carry one of your lungs away. I know
+your howl&mdash;it don&#8217;t scare me. I&#8217;ve stood off one whole
+mob to-night, and I reckon I&#8217;m good for you. If you
+want to get in here you hunt up the judge of this town
+and the constable.&#8221;</p>
+<p>After a pause Sam called, &#8220;Are you there, son?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You bet he is,&#8221; responded Lize, &#8220;and here he&#8217;ll stay.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Joe added: &#8220;And you&#8217;d better take the lady&#8217;s advice,
+pop. She has the drop on you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The old rancher muttered a fierce curse while Ross
+explained the situation. &#8220;I&#8217;m as eager to get rid of
+these culprits as any one can be, but they must be taken
+by proper authority. Bring a writ from the magistrate
+and you may have them and welcome.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg went away without further word, and Lize
+said: &#8220;He&#8217;ll find Higley if he&#8217;s in town; and he <i>is</i> in
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_140' name='page_140'></a>140</span>
+town, for I saw him this afternoon. He&#8217;s hiding out
+to save himself trouble.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia, with an understanding of what the
+ranger had endured, asked: &#8220;Can&#8217;t I get you something
+to eat? Would you like some coffee?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I would, indeed,&#8221; he answered, and his tone pleased
+her.</p>
+<p>She hurried away to get it while Cavanagh disposed
+his prisoners behind a couple of tables in the corner.
+&#8220;I guess you&#8217;re in for a night of it,&#8221; he remarked, grimly.
+&#8220;So make yourselves as comfortable as you can. Perhaps
+your experience may be a discouragement to others
+of your kind.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee returned soon with a pot of fresh coffee and some
+sandwiches, the sight of which roused young Gregg to
+impudent remark. &#8220;Well, notice that! And we&#8217;re left
+out!&#8221; But Edwards shrank into the shadow, as if the
+light hurt him.</p>
+<p>Ross thanked Lee formally, but there was more than
+gratitude in his glance, and she turned away to hide her
+face from other eyes. Strange place it was for the
+blooming of love&#8217;s roses, but they were in her cheeks as
+she faced her mother; and Lize, with fresh acknowledgment
+of her beauty, broke out again: &#8220;Well, this settles
+it. I&#8217;m going to get out of this town, dearie. I&#8217;m done.
+This ends the cattle country for me. I don&#8217;t know how
+I&#8217;ve put up with these yapps all these years. I&#8217;ve been
+robbed and insulted and spit upon just long enough.
+I won&#8217;t have you dragged into this mess. I ought to
+have turned you back the day you landed here.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_141' name='page_141'></a>141</span></p>
+<p>The old man in the corner was listening, straining his
+attention in order to catch every word she uttered, and
+Ross again caught a gleam in his eyes which puzzled
+him. Before he had time to turn his wonder over in
+his mind they all caught the sound of feet along the
+walk, but this time the sound was sedate and regular,
+like the movement of police.</p>
+<p>Both prisoners rose to their feet as Cavanagh again
+stood alert. The feet halted; a sharp rap sounded on
+the door.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Who&#8217;s there?&#8221; demanded Lize.</p>
+<p>&#8220;The law!&#8221; replied a wheezy voice. &#8220;Open in the
+name of the law!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s old Higley,&#8221; announced Lize. &#8220;Open the door,
+Ross.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Come in, Law,&#8221; she called, ironically, as the justice
+appeared. &#8220;You look kind of mice-eaten, but you&#8217;re all
+the law this blame town can sport. Come in and do your
+duty.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Higley (a tall man, with a rusty brown beard, very
+much on his dignity) entered the room, followed by a
+short, bullet-headed citizen in a rumpled blue suit with
+a big star on his breast. Behind on the sidewalk Ballard
+and a dozen of his gang could be seen. Sam Gregg,
+the moving cause of this resurrection of law and order,
+followed the constable, bursting out big curses upon his
+son. &#8220;You fool,&#8221; he began, &#8220;I warned you not to monkey
+with them sheep. You&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Higley had the grace to stop that. &#8220;Let up on the
+cuss-words, Sam; there are ladies present,&#8221; said he, nodding
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_142' name='page_142'></a>142</span>
+toward Lee. Then he opened upon Cavanagh.
+&#8220;Well, sir, what&#8217;s all this row? What&#8217;s your charge
+against these men?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Killing mountain sheep. I caught them with the
+head of a big ram upon their pack.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Make him show his commission,&#8221; shouted Gregg.
+&#8220;He&#8217;s never been commissioned. He&#8217;s no game warden.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Higley hemmed. &#8220;I&mdash;ah&mdash;Oh, his authority is all
+right, Sam; I&#8217;ve seen it. If he can prove that these men
+killed the sheep, we&#8217;ll have to act.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh briefly related how he had captured the
+men on the trail. &#8220;The head of the ram is at the livery
+barn with my horse.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;How about that?&#8221; asked Higley, turning to Joe.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I guess that&#8217;s right,&#8221; replied the insolent youth.
+&#8220;We killed the sheep all right.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Higley was in a corner. He didn&#8217;t like to offend
+Gregg, and yet the case was plain. He met the issue
+blandly. &#8220;Marshal, take these men into custody!&#8221;
+Then to Ross: &#8220;We&#8217;ll relieve you of their care, Mr.
+Cavanagh. You may appear to-morrow at nine.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It was a farcical ending to a very arduous thirty-six-hour
+campaign, and Ross, feeling like a man who, having
+rolled a huge stone to the top of a hill, has been ordered
+to drop it, said, &#8220;I insist on the maximum penalty of the
+law, Justice Higley, especially for this man!&#8221; He indicated
+Joe Gregg.</p>
+<p>&#8220;No more sneaking, Higley,&#8221; added Lize, uttering
+her distrust in blunt phrase. &#8220;You put these men
+through or I&#8217;ll make you trouble.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_143' name='page_143'></a>143</span></p>
+<p>Higley turned, and with unsteady solemnity saluted.
+&#8220;Fear not my government, madam,&#8221; said he, and so
+made exit.</p>
+<p>After the door had closed behind them, Cavanagh
+bitterly complained. &#8220;I&#8217;ve delivered my prisoners over
+into the hands of their friends. I feel like a fool. What
+assurance have I that they will ever be punished?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You have Higley&#8217;s word,&#8221; retorted Lize, with ironic
+inflection. &#8220;He&#8217;ll fine &#8217;em as much as ten dollars apiece,
+and confiscate the head, which is worth fifty.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No matter what happens now, you&#8217;ve done your
+duty,&#8221; added Lee Virginia, with intent to comfort him.</p>
+<p>Lize, now that the stress of the battle was over, fell
+a-tremble. &#8220;I reckon I&#8217;ll have to go to bed,&#8221; she admitted.
+&#8220;I&#8217;m all in. This night service is wearing.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross was alarmed at the sudden droop of her head.
+&#8220;Lean on me,&#8221; he said, &#8220;it&#8217;s my turn to be useful.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She apologized. &#8220;I can&#8217;t stand what I could once,&#8221;
+she confessed, as he aided her into the hotel part of the
+building. &#8220;It&#8217;s my nerve&mdash;seem&#8217;s like it&#8217;s all gone. I
+go to pieces like a sick girl.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She did, indeed, resemble the wreck of a woman as she
+lay out upon her bed, her hands twitching, her eyes closed,
+and Ross was profoundly alarmed. &#8220;You need the doctor,&#8221;
+he urged. &#8220;Let me bring him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; she said, huskily, but with decision, &#8220;I&#8217;m only
+tired&mdash;I&#8217;ll be all right soon. Send the people away;
+tell &#8217;em to go to bed.&#8221;</p>
+<p>For half an hour Cavanagh remained in the room
+waiting to see if the doctor&#8217;s services would be required,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_144' name='page_144'></a>144</span>
+but at the end of that time, as she had apparently fallen
+asleep, he rose and tiptoed out into the hall.</p>
+<p>Lee followed, and they faced each other in such intimacy
+as the shipwrecked feel after the rescue. The
+house was still astir with the feet of those to whom the
+noises of the night had been a terror or a lure, and their
+presence, so far from being a comfort, a protection, filled
+the girl&#8217;s heart with fear and disgust. The ranger explained
+the outcome of the turmoil, and sent the excited
+folk to their beds with the assurance that all was quiet
+and that their landlady was asleep.</p>
+<p>When they were quite alone Lee said: &#8220;You must not
+go out into the streets to-night.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s no danger. These hoodlums would not
+dare to attack me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Nevertheless, you shall not go!&#8221; she declared. &#8220;Wait
+a moment,&#8221; she commanded, and reentered her mother&#8217;s
+room.</p>
+<p>As he stood there at Lize Wetherford&#8217;s door, and his
+mind went back over her brave deed, which had gone
+far to atone for her vulgarity, his respect for her deepened.
+Her resolute insistence upon law showed a complete
+change of front. &#8220;There is more good in her than I
+thought,&#8221; he admitted, and it gave him pleasure, for it
+made Lee Virginia&#8217;s character just that much more
+dependable. He thrilled with a new and wistful tenderness
+as the girl opened the door and stepped out, close
+beside him.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Her breathing is quieter,&#8221; she whispered. &#8220;I think
+she&#8217;s going to sleep. It&#8217;s been a terrible night! You
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_145' name='page_145'></a>145</span>
+must be horribly tired. I will find you some place to
+sleep.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It has been a strenuous campaign,&#8221; he admitted.
+&#8220;I&#8217;ve been practically without sleep for three nights, but
+that&#8217;s all in my job. I won&#8217;t mind if Higley will &#8216;soak&#8217;
+those fellows properly.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She looked troubled. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know what to do about
+a bed for you; everything is taken&mdash;except the couch in
+the front room.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t trouble, I beg of you. I can pitch down anywhere.
+I&#8217;m used to hard beds. I must be up early to-morrow,
+anyway.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Please don&#8217;t go till after breakfast,&#8221; she smiled,
+wanly, &#8220;I may need you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He understood. &#8220;What did the doctor say?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He said mother was in a very low state of vitality
+and that she must be very careful, which was easy enough
+to say. But how can I get her to rest and to diet? You
+have seen how little she cares for the doctor&#8217;s orders.
+He told her not to touch alcohol.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She is more like a man than a woman,&#8221; he answered.</p>
+<p>She led the way into the small sitting-room which lay
+at the front of the house, and directly opposite the door
+of her own room. It was filled with shabby parlor
+furniture, and in one corner stood a worn couch. &#8220;I&#8217;m
+sorry, but I can offer nothing better,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Every
+bed is taken, but I have plenty of blankets.&#8221;</p>
+<p>There was something delightfully suggestive in being
+thus waited upon by a young and handsome woman,
+and the ranger submitted to it with the awkward grace of
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_146' name='page_146'></a>146</span>
+one unaccustomed to feminine care. The knowledge
+that the girl was beneath him in birth, and that she
+was considered to be (in a sense) the lovely flower of
+a corrupt stock, made the manifest innocency of her
+voice and eyes the more appealing. He watched her
+moving about the room with eyes in which a furtive
+flame glowed.</p>
+<p>&#8220;This seems a long way from that dinner at Redfield&#8217;s,
+doesn&#8217;t it?&#8221; he remarked, as she turned from
+spreading the blankets on the couch.</p>
+<p>&#8220;It is another world,&#8221; she responded, and her face
+took on a musing gravity.</p>
+<p>Then they faced each other in silence, each filled with
+the same delicious sense of weakness, of danger, reluctant
+to say good-night, longing for the closer touch which
+dawning love demanded, and yet&mdash;something in the girl
+defended her, defeated him.</p>
+<p>&#8220;You must call me if I can be of any help,&#8221; he repeated,
+and his voice was tremulous with feeling.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I will do so,&#8221; she answered.</p>
+<p>Still they did not part. His voice was very tender
+as he said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t like to see you exposed to such experiences.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I was not afraid&mdash;only for you a little,&#8221; she answered.</p>
+<p>&#8220;The Redfields like you. Eleanor told me she would
+gladly help you. Why do you stay here?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I cannot leave my mother.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not so sure of your duty in that regard. She
+got on without you for ten years. You have a right to
+consider yourself. You don&#8217;t belong here.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_147' name='page_147'></a>147</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Neither do you,&#8221; she retorted.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh yes, I do&mdash;at least, the case is different with me;
+my work is here. It hurts me to think of going back
+to the hills, leaving you here in the midst of these
+wolves.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He was talking now in the low, throbbing utterance
+of a man carried out of himself. &#8220;It angers me to
+think that the worst of these loafers, these drunken
+beasts, can glare at you&mdash;can speak to you. They have
+no right to breathe the same air with one like you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She did not smile at this; his voice, his eyes were filled
+with the gravity of the lover whose passion is not humorous.
+Against his training, his judgment, he was being
+drawn into closer and closer union with this daughter
+of violence, and he added: &#8220;You may not see me in the
+morning.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You must not go without seeing my mother. You
+must have your breakfast with us. It hurt us to think
+you didn&#8217;t come to us for supper.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Her words meant little, but the look in her eyes, the
+music in her voice, made him shiver. He stammered:
+&#8220;I&mdash;I must return to my duties to-morrow. I should
+go back to-night.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You mustn&#8217;t do that. You can&#8217;t do that. You are
+to appear before the judge.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He smiled. &#8220;That is true. I&#8217;d forgotten that.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Radiant with relief, she extended her hand. &#8220;Good-night,
+then. You must sleep.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He took her hand and drew her toward him, then
+perceiving both wonder and fear in her eyes, he conquered
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_148' name='page_148'></a>148</span>
+himself. &#8220;Good-night,&#8221; he repeated, dropping
+her hand, but his voice was husky with its passion.</p>
+<p>Tired as he was, the ranger could not compose himself
+to sleep. The memory of the girl&#8217;s sweet face, the
+look of half-surrender in her eyes, the knowledge that
+she loved him, and that she was lying but a few yards
+from him, made slumber impossible. At the moment
+she seemed altogether admirable, entirely worthy to be
+won.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='IX_THE_OLD_SHEEPHERDER' id='IX_THE_OLD_SHEEPHERDER'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_149' name='page_149'></a>149</span>
+<h2>IX</h2>
+<h3>THE OLD SHEEP-HERDER</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>The ranger was awakened in the first faint dawn by
+the passing of the girl&#8217;s light feet as she went across the
+hall to her mother&#8217;s room, and a moment later he heard
+the low murmur of her voice. Throwing off his blankets
+and making such scant toilet as he needed, he stepped
+into the hall and waited for her to return.</p>
+<p>Soon she came toward him, a smile of confidence and
+pleasure on her lips.</p>
+<p>&#8220;How is she?&#8221; he asked.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Quite comfortable.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;And you?&#8221; His voice was very tender.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I am a little tired,&#8221; she acknowledged. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t
+sleep very well.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You didn&#8217;t sleep at all,&#8221; he declared, regretfully.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh yes, I did,&#8221; she replied, brightly.</p>
+<p>She appeared a little pale but by no means worn.
+Indeed, her face had taken on new charm with its confession
+of feminine weakness, its expression of trust in
+him.</p>
+<p>These two ardent souls confronted each other in absorbed
+silence with keener perception, with new daring,
+with new intimacy, till he recalled himself with effort.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_150' name='page_150'></a>150</span>
+&#8220;You must let me help you if there&#8217;s anything I can do.
+Remember, I&#8217;m your big brother.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I remember,&#8221; she answered, smilingly, &#8220;and I&#8217;m
+going out to see what my big brother is to have for
+breakfast.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh found the street empty, silent, and utterly
+commonplace. And as he walked past Halsey&#8217;s saloon
+the tumult of the night seemed born of a vision in disordered
+sleep&mdash;and yet it had happened! From these
+reeking little dens a score of foul tatterdemalions had
+issued, charged with malicious fury. Each of these
+shacks seemed the lurking-place of a species of malevolent
+insect whose sting was out for every comer.</p>
+<p>The rotting sidewalks, the tiny shops, with their dusty
+fly-specked windows, the groggeries, from whose open
+doors a noisome vapor streamed, poisoning the morning
+air&mdash;all these typed the old-time West as Redfield and
+his farmstead typed the new.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Once I would have laughed at this town,&#8221; he said;
+&#8220;but now it is disgusting&mdash;something to be wiped out
+as one expunges an obscene mark upon a public wall.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As for the attack upon himself, terrifying as it had
+seemed to Lee Virginia, it was in reality only another
+lively episode in the history of the town, another disagreeable
+duty in the life of a ranger. It was all a part
+of his job.</p>
+<p>He went forth to his duties with a deepened conviction
+of the essential lawlessness of the State and of
+America in general; for this spirit of mob law was to be
+found in some form throughout the land. He was disgusted,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_151' name='page_151'></a>151</span>
+but not beaten. His resolution to carry out the
+terms of his contract with the Government remained unshaken.</p>
+<p>He carried with him, also, a final disturbing glimpse
+of Eliza Wetherford&#8217;s girl that did indeed threaten his
+peace of mind. There was an involuntary appeal, a
+wistful depth, to her glance which awakened in him an
+indignant pity, and also blew into flame something not
+so creditable&mdash;something which smoldered beneath his
+conscious will. He perceived in her a spirit of yielding
+which was difficult to resist. He understood, much more
+clearly than at his first meeting with her, how impossible
+it was for her to remain in this country (where law was
+a joke and women a ribald jest) without being corrupted.
+She had not escaped her heritage of passion, and her
+glances, innocent as they were, roused, even in him,
+something lawless.</p>
+<p>As he climbed the long hill he grappled deeply with this
+new and inexplicable weakness. He had always been a
+decent fellow as respects women, and had maintained the
+same regard for the moral code that he instinctively bore
+toward the laws of his adopted country. He could not,
+therefore, regard this girl (low as her parentage seemed)
+in the light of license; for (he thought) whatever of evil
+may have been planted deep in her nature by her ill-assorted
+father and mother, she is at the moment sweet
+and fine, and the man who would awaken her other
+self should be accursed.</p>
+<p>In this mood, too, he acknowledged the loneliness of his
+life for the first time, and rode his silent way up the trail
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_152' name='page_152'></a>152</span>
+like one in a dream. He went over his life story in detail,
+wondering if he had not made a mistake in leaving
+England, in taking out his American citizenship. He
+considered again, very seriously, the question of going
+back to live on the estate of his mother, and once more
+decided that its revenue was too small. To return to it
+meant an acceptance of the restricted life of an English
+farmer, and, worst of all, an acquiescence in the social
+despotism which he had come to feel and to hate.</p>
+<p>The English empire to him was falling apart. Its
+supremacy was already threatened by Germany, whereas
+the future of the States appealed to his imagination.
+Here the problems of popular government and of industry
+were to be worked out on the grandest scale. The
+West inspired him. &#8220;Some day each of these great
+ranges will be a national forest, and each of these canons
+will contain its lake, its reservoir.&#8221; There was something
+fine in this vision of man&#8217;s conquest of nature.
+&#8220;Surely in this development there is a place for me,&#8221; he
+said.</p>
+<p>Start at any place he pleased, his mind circled and came
+back to Lee Virginia. He reproached himself for not
+having remained one more day to help her. She was
+in the midst of a most bleak and difficult pass, and
+whether she came through or not depended on something
+not derived from either her father or her mother. The
+test of her character was being made.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Happily the father is dead, and his exploits fading to
+a dim legend; but the mother may live for years to dishearten
+and corrupt. It is foolish of the girl to stay, and
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_153' name='page_153'></a>153</span>
+yet to have her go would leave me and the whole valley
+poorer.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He perceived in her a symbol. &#8220;She is the new West
+just as the mother represents the old, and the law of inheritance
+holds in her as it holds in the State. She is a
+mixture of good and evil, of liberty and license. She
+must still draw forward, for a time, the dead weight of
+her past, just as the West must bear with and gradually
+slough off its violent moods.&#8221;</p>
+<p>His pony plodded slowly, and the afternoon was half-spent
+before he came in sight of the long, low log-cabin
+which was the only home he possessed in all America. For
+the first time since he built it, the station seemed lonely
+and disheartening. &#8220;Would any woman, for love of me,
+come to such a hearthstone?&#8221; he asked himself. &#8220;And
+if she consented to do so, could I be so selfish as to exact
+such sacrifice? No, the forest ranger in these attitudes
+must be young and heart-free; otherwise his life would
+be miserably solitary.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He unsaddled his horse and went about his duties with
+a leaden pall over his spirit, a fierce turmoil in his brain.
+He was no longer single-hearted in his allegiance to
+the forest. He could not banish that appealing girlish
+face, that trusting gaze. Lee Virginia needed him as
+he needed her; and yet&mdash;and yet&mdash;the people&#8217;s lands
+demanded his care, his social prejudices forbade his
+marriage.</p>
+<p>He was just dishing out his rude supper when the feet
+of a horse on the log bridge announced a visitor.</p>
+<p>With a feeling of pleasure as well as relief, he rose to
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_154' name='page_154'></a>154</span>
+greet the stranger. &#8220;Any visitor is welcome this night,&#8221;
+he said.</p>
+<p>The horseman proved to be his former prisoner, the
+old man Edwards, who slipped from his saddle with the
+never-failing grace of the cow-man, and came slowly
+toward the cabin. He smiled wearily as he said: &#8220;I&#8217;m
+on your trail, Mr. Ranger, but I bear no malice. You
+were doing your duty. Can you tell me how far it is to
+Ambro&#8217;s camp?&#8221;</p>
+<p>There was something forlorn in the man&#8217;s attitude, and
+Cavanagh&#8217;s heart softened. &#8220;Turn your horse into the
+corral and come to supper,&#8221; he commanded, with Western
+bluntness; &#8220;we&#8217;ll talk about all that later.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Edwards accepted his hospitality without hesitation,
+and when he had disposed of his mount and made himself
+ready for the meal, he came in and took a seat at the
+table in silence, while the ranger served him and waited
+for his explanation.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going up to take Ambro&#8217;s place,&#8221; he began, after a
+few minutes of silent eating. &#8220;Know where his camp is?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I do,&#8221; replied Ross, to whom the stranger now appeared
+in pathetic guise. &#8220;Any man of his age consenting
+to herd sheep is surely hard hit by the rough hand
+of the world,&#8221; he reasoned, and the closer he studied his
+visitor the plainlier he felt his ungoverned past. His
+chest was hollow, his eyes unnaturally large, and his
+hands thin, but he still displayed faint lines of the beauty
+and power he had once gloried in. His clothing was
+worn and poor, and Ross said: &#8220;You&#8217;ll need plenty of
+bedding up there.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_155' name='page_155'></a>155</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Is it high?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;About eleven thousand feet.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Jehosaphat! How will I stand that kind of air?
+Still, it may be it&#8217;s what I need. I&#8217;ve been living down in
+the low country for ten years, and I&#8217;m a little bit hide-bound.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Lung trouble?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh no; old age, I reckon.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re not old&mdash;not more than fifty-five.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m no colt,&#8221; he admitted; &#8220;and, besides, I&#8217;ve lived
+pretty swift.&#8221;</p>
+<p>In this was the hint of a confession, but Cavanagh did
+not care to have him proceed further in that line. &#8220;I
+suppose Gregg paid your fine?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;In any other town in the State you&#8217;d have gone down
+the line.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He roused himself. &#8220;See here, Mr. Ranger, you&#8217;ve
+no warrant to believe me, but I told you the God&#8217;s truth.
+Young Gregg got me to ride into the range and show
+him the trail. I didn&#8217;t intend to get mixed up
+with a game warden. I&#8217;ve had all the confinement I
+need.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, it&#8217;s a closed incident now,&#8221; interposed Ross;
+&#8220;we won&#8217;t reopen it. Make yourself at home.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The stranger, hungry as he was, ate with unexpected
+gentility, and, as the hot coffee sent its cheerful glow
+through his body, he asked, with livening interest, a
+good many questions about the ranger and the Forest
+Service. &#8220;You fellers have to be all-round men. The
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_156' name='page_156'></a>156</span>
+cowboys think you have a snap, but I guess you earn
+your money.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;A man that builds trail, lays bridges, burns brush,
+fights fire, rides the round-up, and covers seventy-five
+miles of trail every week on eighty dollars per month,
+and feeds himself and his horses, isn&#8217;t what I would call
+enjoying a soft snap.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What do you do it for?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;God knows! I&#8217;ve been asking myself that question
+all day to-day.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;This playin&#8217; game warden has some outs, too. That
+was a wild crowd last night. The town is the same old
+hell-hole it was when I knew it years ago. Fine girl of
+Lize Wetherford&#8217;s. She blocked <i>me</i> all right.&#8221; He
+smiled wanly. &#8220;I certainly was on my way to the
+green timber when she put the bars up.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross made no comment, and the other went on, in a
+tone of reminiscent sadness. &#8220;Lize has changed terribly.
+I used to know her when she was a girl. Judas
+Priest! but she could ride and shoot in those days!&#8221;
+His eyes kindled with the memory of her. &#8220;She could
+back a horse to beat any woman that ever crossed the
+range, but I didn&#8217;t expect to see her have such a skein
+of silk as that girl. She sure looks the queen to me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh did not greatly relish this line of conversation,
+but the pause enabled him to say: &#8220;Miss Wetherford
+is not much Western; she got her training in the
+East. She&#8217;s been with an aunt ever since her father&#8217;s
+death.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s dead, is he?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_157' name='page_157'></a>157</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;So far as anybody knows, he is.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, he&#8217;s no loss. I knew him, too. He was all
+kinds of a fool; let a few slick ones seduce him with
+fizz-water and oysters on the half-shell&mdash;that&#8217;s the kind
+of a weak sister he was. He got on the wrong side of
+the rustler line-up&mdash;you know all about that, I reckon?
+Fierce old days, those. We didn&#8217;t know anything about
+forest rangers or game wardens in them days.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The stranger&#8217;s tone was now that of a man quite certain
+of himself. He had become less furtive under the
+influence of the food and fire.</p>
+<p>Ross defended Wetherford for Virginia&#8217;s sake. &#8220;He
+wasn&#8217;t altogether to blame, as I see it. He was the
+Western type in full flower, that&#8217;s all. He had to go
+like the Indian and the buffalo. And these hobos like
+Ballard and Gregg will go next.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Edwards sank back into his chair. &#8220;I reckon that&#8217;s
+right,&#8221; he agreed, and made offer to help clear away the
+supper dishes.</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, you&#8217;re tired,&#8221; replied Ross; &#8220;rest and smoke.
+I&#8217;ll soon be done.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The poacher each moment seemed less of the hardened
+criminal, and more and more of the man prematurely
+aged by sickness and dissipation, and gradually the
+ranger lost all feeling of resentment.</p>
+<p>As he sat down beside the fire, Edwards said:
+&#8220;Them Wetherford women think a whole lot of you.
+&#8217;Pears like they&#8217;d both fight for you. Are you sweet on
+the girl?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Now, see here, old man,&#8221; Ross retorted, sharply,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_158' name='page_158'></a>158</span>
+&#8220;you want to do a lot of thinking before you comment
+on Miss Wetherford. I won&#8217;t stand for any nasty
+clack.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Edwards meekly answered: &#8220;I wasn&#8217;t going to say
+anything out of the way. I was fixin&#8217; for to praise her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;All the same, I don&#8217;t intend to discuss her with you,&#8221;
+was Cavanagh&#8217;s curt answer.</p>
+<p>The herder fell back into silence while the ranger prepared
+his bunk for the night. The fact that he transferred
+some of the blankets from his own bed to that of
+his visitor did not escape Edwards&#8217;s keen eyes, and with
+grateful intent he said:</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can give you a tip, Mr. Ranger,&#8221; said he, breaking
+out of a silence. &#8220;The triangle outfit is holding more
+cattle on the forest than their permits call for.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;How do you know?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I heard one of the boys braggin&#8217; about it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Much obliged,&#8221; responded Ross. &#8220;I&#8217;ll look into it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Edwards went on: &#8220;Furthermore, they&#8217;re fixing for
+another sheep-kill over there, too; all the sheepmen are
+armed. That&#8217;s why I left the country. I don&#8217;t want to
+run any more chances of being shot up. I&#8217;ve had enough
+of trouble; I can&#8217;t afford to be hobnobbing with judges
+and juries.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;When does your parole end?&#8221; asked Ross.</p>
+<p>Edwards forced a grin. &#8220;I was handing you one
+when I said that,&#8221; he declared, weakly. &#8220;I was workin&#8217;
+up sympathy. I&#8217;m not out on parole; I&#8217;m just a broken-down
+old cow-puncher herdin&#8217; sheep in order to keep
+clear of the liquor belt.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_159' name='page_159'></a>159</span></p>
+<p>This seemed reasonable, and the ranger remarked, by
+way of dropping the subject: &#8220;I&#8217;ve nothing to say further
+than this&mdash;obey the rules of the forest, and you won&#8217;t
+get into any further trouble with me. And as for
+being shot up by the cow-men, you&#8217;ll not be disturbed
+on any national forest. There never has been
+a single herder shot nor a sheep destroyed on this
+forest.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m mighty glad to hear that,&#8221; replied Edwards, with
+sincere relief. &#8220;I&#8217;ve had my share of shooting up and
+shooting down. All I ask now is quiet and the society
+of sheep. I take a kind of pleasure in protecting the
+fool brutes. It&#8217;s about all I&#8217;m good for.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He did, indeed, look like a man in the final year of life
+as he spoke. &#8220;Better turn in,&#8221; he said, in kindlier tone;
+&#8220;I&#8217;m an early riser.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The old fellow rose stiffly, and, laying aside his boots
+and trousers, rolled into his bunk and was asleep in
+three minutes.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh himself was very tired, and went to bed soon
+after, to sleep dreamlessly till daylight. He sprang from
+his bed, and after a plunge in the stream set about breakfast;
+while Edwards rose from his bunk, groaning and
+sighing, and went forth to wrangle the horses, rubbing
+his hands and shivering as he met the keen edge of the
+mountain wind. When he returned, breakfast was
+ready, and again he expressed his gratitude.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Haven&#8217;t you any slicker?&#8221; asked Cavanagh. &#8220;It
+looks like rain.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, I&#8217;m run down pretty low,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;The
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_160' name='page_160'></a>160</span>
+truth is, Mr. Ranger, I blew in all my wages at roulette
+last week.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross brought out a canvas coat, well worn but serviceable.
+&#8220;Take this along with you. It&#8217;s likely to storm
+before we reach the sheep-camp. And you don&#8217;t look
+very strong. You must take care of yourself.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Edwards was visibly moved by this kindness. &#8220;Sure
+you can spare it?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Certain sure; I&#8217;ve another,&#8221; returned the ranger,
+curtly.</p>
+<p>It was hardly more than sunrise as they mounted their
+ponies and started on their trail, which led sharply upward
+after they left the canon. The wind was strong
+and stinging cold. Over the high peaks the gray-black
+vapor was rushing, and farther away a huge dome of
+cloud was advancing like an army in action. It was all
+in the day&#8217;s work of the ranger, but the plainsman behind
+him turned timorous eyes toward the sky. &#8220;It
+looks owly,&#8221; he repeated. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t know I was going
+so high&mdash;Gregg didn&#8217;t say the camp was so near timber-line.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve cut out a lonesome job for yourself,&#8221; Ross
+assured him, &#8220;and if you can find anything else to do
+you&#8217;d better give this up and go back.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m used to being lonesome,&#8221; the stranger said,
+&#8220;but I can&#8217;t stand the cold and the wet as I used to. I
+never was a mountaineer.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Taking pity on the shivering man, Cavanagh turned
+off the trail into a sheltered nook behind some twisted
+pine-trees. &#8220;How do you expect to take care of your
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_161' name='page_161'></a>161</span>
+sheep a thousand feet higher than this?&#8221; he demanded
+as they entered the still place, where the sun shone
+warm.</p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what I&#8217;m asking myself,&#8221; replied Edwards.
+He slipped from his horse and crouched close to the
+rock. &#8220;My blood is mostly ditch-water, seems like.
+The wind blows right through me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;How do you happen to be reduced to herding sheep?
+You look like a man who has seen better days.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Edwards, chafing his thin fingers to warm them,
+made reluctant answer: &#8220;It&#8217;s a long story, Mr. Ranger,
+and it concerns a whole lot of other people&mdash;some of
+them decent folks&mdash;so I&#8217;d rather not go into it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;John Barleycorn was involved, I reckon.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Sure thing&mdash;he&#8217;s generally always in it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;d better take my gloves&mdash;it&#8217;s likely to snow in
+half an hour. Go ahead&mdash;I&#8217;m a younger man than you
+are.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The other made a decent show of resistance, but
+finally accepted the offer, saying: &#8220;You certainly are
+white to me. I want to apologize for making that attempt
+to sneak away that night&mdash;I had a powerful good
+reason for not staying any longer.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross smiled a little. &#8220;You showed bad judgment&mdash;as
+it turned out.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I sure did. That girl can shoot. Her gun was
+steady as a door-knob. She filled the door. Where did
+she learn to hold a gun like that?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Her father taught her, so she said.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She wouldn&#8217;t remember me&mdash;an old cuss like me&mdash;but
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_162' name='page_162'></a>162</span>
+I&#8217;ve seen her with Wetherford when she was a kidlet.
+I never thought she&#8217;d grow up into such a &#8216;queen.&#8217;
+She&#8217;s a wonder.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Strange to say, Ross no longer objected to the old
+man&#8217;s words of admiration; on the contrary, he encouraged
+him to talk on.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Her courage is greater than you know. When she
+came to that hotel it was a place of dirt and vermin.
+She has transformed it. She&#8217;s now engaged on the reformation
+of her mother.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Lize was straight when I knew her,&#8221; remarked the
+other, in the tone of one who wishes to defend a memory.
+&#8220;Straight as a die.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;In certain ways she&#8217;s straight now, but she&#8217;s been
+hard pushed at times, and has traded in liquor to help
+out&mdash;then she&#8217;s naturally a slattern.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She didn&#8217;t used to be,&#8221; asserted Edwards; &#8220;she
+was a mighty handsome woman when I used to see her
+riding around with Ed.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s down at the heel now, quite like the town.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She looked sick to me. You shouldn&#8217;t be too hard
+on a sick woman, but she ought to send her girl away or
+get out. As you say, the Fork is no kind of a place for
+such a girl. If I had a son, a fine young feller like that
+girl is, do you suppose I&#8217;d let him load himself up with
+an old soak like me? No, sir; Lize has no right to spoil
+that girl&#8217;s life. I&#8217;m nothing but a ham-strung old cow-puncher,
+but I&#8217;ve too much pride to saddle my pack
+on the shoulders of my son the way Lize seems to be
+doin&#8217; with that girl.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_163' name='page_163'></a>163</span></p>
+<p>He spoke with a good deal of feeling, and the ranger
+studied him with deepening interest. He had taken on
+dignity in the heat of his protest, and in his eyes blazed
+something that was both manly and admirable.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh took his turn at defending Lize. &#8220;As a
+matter of fact, she tried to send her daughter away, but
+Lee refuses to go, insisting that it is her duty to remain.
+In spite of her bad blood the girl is surprisingly true and
+sweet. She makes me wonder whether there is as much
+in heredity as we think.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Her blood ain&#8217;t so bad. Wetherford was a fool and
+a daredevil, but he came of good Virginia stock&mdash;so
+I&#8217;ve heard.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, whatever was good in both sire and dame this
+girl seems to have mysteriously gathered to herself.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The old man looked at him with a bright sidelong
+glance. &#8220;You are a little sweet on the girl, eh?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross began to regret his confidence. &#8220;She&#8217;s making a
+good fight, and I feel like helping her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;And she rather likes being helped by you. I could
+see that when she brought the coffee to you. She likes
+to stand close&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross cut him short. &#8220;We&#8217;ll not discuss her any
+further.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t mean any harm, Mr. Ranger; we hobos have
+a whole lot of time to gossip, and I&#8217;m old enough to like
+a nice girl in a fatherly way. I reckon the whole valley
+rides in to see her, just the way you do.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh winced. &#8220;You can&#8217;t very well hide a handsome
+woman in a cattle country.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_164' name='page_164'></a>164</span></p>
+<p>Edwards smiled again, sadly. &#8220;Not in my day you
+couldn&#8217;t. Why, a girl like that would &#8216;a&#8217; been worth a
+thousand head o&#8217; steers. I&#8217;ve seen a man come in with
+a span of mules and three ordinary female daughters,
+and without cinching a saddle to a pony accumulate five
+thousand cattle.&#8221; Then he grew grave again. &#8220;Don&#8217;t
+happen to have a picture of the girl, do you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;If I did, would I show it to you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You might. You might even give it to me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh looked at the man as if he were dreaming.
+&#8220;You must be crazy.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh no, I&#8217;m not. Sheep-herders do go twisted, but
+I&#8217;m not in the business long enough for that. I&#8217;m just
+a bit nutty about that girl.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He paused a moment. &#8220;So if you have a picture, I wish
+you&#8217;d show it to me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I haven&#8217;t any.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Is that right?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s right. I&#8217;ve only seen her two or three times,
+and she isn&#8217;t the kind that distributes her favors.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;So it seems. And yet you&#8217;re just the kind of figure
+to catch a girl&#8217;s eye. She likes you&mdash;I could see that, but
+you&#8217;ve got a good opinion of yourself. You&#8217;re an educated
+man&mdash;do you intend to marry her?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;See here, Mr. Sheep-herder, you better ride on up to
+your camp,&#8221; and Ross turned to mount his horse.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Wait a minute,&#8221; called the other man, and his voice
+surprised the ranger with a note of authority. &#8220;I was
+terribly taken with that girl, and I owe you a whole
+lot; but I&#8217;ve got to know one thing. I can see you&#8217;re
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_165' name='page_165'></a>165</span>
+full of her, and jealous as a bear of any other suitor.
+Now I want to know whether you intend to marry her
+or whether you&#8217;re just playing with her?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross was angry now. &#8220;What I intend to do is none
+of your business.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The other man was suddenly ablaze with passion.
+His form had lost its stoop. His voice was firm. &#8220;I
+merely want to say that if you play the goat with that
+girl, I&#8217;ll kill you!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross stared at him quite convinced that he had gone
+entirely mad. &#8220;That&#8217;s mighty chivalrous of you, Mr.
+Sheep-herder,&#8221; he replied, cuttingly; &#8220;but I&#8217;m at a
+loss to understand this sudden indignation on your
+part.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You needn&#8217;t be&mdash;I&#8217;m her father!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh fairly reeled before this retort. His head
+rang as if he had been struck with a club. He perceived
+the truth of the man&#8217;s words instantly. He gasped:
+&#8220;Good God, man! are <i>you</i> Ed Wetherford?&#8221;</p>
+<p>The answer was quick. &#8220;That&#8217;s who I am!&#8221; Then
+his voice changed. &#8220;But I don&#8217;t want the women to
+know I&#8217;m alive&mdash;I didn&#8217;t intend to let anybody know it.
+My fool temper has played hell with me again&#8221;&mdash;then
+his voice grew firmer&mdash;&#8220;all the same, I mean it. If you
+or any man tries to abuse her, I&#8217;ll kill him! I&#8217;ve loaded
+her up with trouble, as you say, but I&#8217;m going to do
+what I can to protect her&mdash;now that I&#8217;m in the county
+again.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross, confused by this new complication in the life of
+the girl he was beginning to love, stared at his companion
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_166' name='page_166'></a>166</span>
+in dismay. Was it not enough that Virginia&#8217;s mother
+should be a slattern and a termagant? At last he spoke:
+&#8220;Where have you been all these years?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;In the Texas &#8216;pen.&#8217; I served nine years there.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What for?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Shooting a man. It was a case of self-defence, but
+his family had more money and influence than I did,
+so I went down the road. As soon as I was out I started
+north&mdash;just the way a dog will point toward home. I
+didn&#8217;t intend to come here, but some way I couldn&#8217;t
+keep away. I shied round the outskirts of the Fork,
+picking up jobs of sheep-herding just to have time to
+turn things over. I know what you&#8217;re thinking about&mdash;you&#8217;re
+saying to yourself, &#8216;Well, here&#8217;s a nice father-in-law?&#8217;
+Well, now, I don&#8217;t know anything about your
+people, but the Wetherfords are as good as anybody.
+If I hadn&#8217;t come out into this cursed country, where even
+the women go shootin&#8217; wild, I would have been in Congress;
+but being hot-headed, I must mix in. I&#8217;m not
+excusing myself, you understand; I&#8217;m not a desirable
+addition to any man&#8217;s collection of friends, but I can
+promise you this&mdash;no one but yourself shall ever know
+who I am. At the same time, you can&#8217;t deceive my girl
+without my being named in the funeral that will follow.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It was a singular place for such an exchange of confidences.
+Wetherford stood with his back against his
+pony, his face flushed, his eyes bright as though part of
+his youth had returned to him, while the ranger, slender,
+erect, and powerful, faced him with sombre glance.
+Overhead the detached clouds swept swift as eagles,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_167' name='page_167'></a>167</span>
+casting shadows cold as winter, and in the dwarfed century-old
+trees the wind breathed a sad monody. Occasionally
+the sun shone warm and golden upon the
+group, and then it seemed spring, and the far-off plain
+a misty sea.</p>
+<p>At last Cavanagh said: &#8220;You are only a distant and
+romantic figure to Lee&mdash;a part of the dead past. She
+remembers you as a bold rider and a wondrously
+brave and chivalrous father.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Does she?&#8221; he asked, eagerly.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, and she loves to talk of you. She knows the
+town&#8217;s folk despise your memory, but that she lays to
+prejudice.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She must never know. You must promise never to
+tell her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I promise that,&#8221; Cavanagh said, and Edwards went
+on:</p>
+<p>&#8220;If I could bring something to her&mdash;prove to her I&#8217;m
+still a man&mdash;it might do to tell her, but I&#8217;m a branded
+man now, and an old man, and there&#8217;s no hope for me.
+I worked in one of the machine-shops down there, and
+it took the life out of me. Then, too, I left a bad name
+here in the Fork&mdash;I know that. Those big cattle-men
+fooled me into taking their side of the war. I staked
+everything I had on them, and then they railroaded me
+out of the county. So, you see, I&#8217;m double-crossed, no
+matter where I turn.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Every word he uttered made more apparent to Cavanagh
+that Lee Virginia would derive nothing but pain
+and disheartenment from a knowledge that her father
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_168' name='page_168'></a>168</span>
+lived. &#8220;She must be spared this added burden of shameful
+inheritance,&#8221; he decided.</p>
+<p>The other man seemed to understand something of the
+ranger&#8217;s indignant pity, for he repeated: &#8220;I want you to
+<i>swear</i> not to let Lee know I&#8217;m alive, no matter what
+comes; she must not be saddled with my record. Let
+her go on thinking well of me. Give me your word!&#8221;
+He held out an insistent palm.</p>
+<p>Ross yielded his hand, and in spite of himself his tenderness
+for the broken man deepened. The sky was
+darkening to the west, and with a glance upward he said:
+&#8220;I reckon we&#8217;d better make your camp soon or you&#8217;ll
+be chilled to the bone.&#8221;</p>
+<p>They mounted hastily and rode away, each feeling
+that his relationship to the other had completely changed.
+Wetherford marvelled over the evident culture and refinement
+of the ranger. &#8220;He&#8217;s none too good for her,
+no matter who he is,&#8221; he said.</p>
+<p>Upon leaving timber-line they entered upon a wide and
+sterile slope high on the rocky breast of the great peak,
+whose splintered crest lorded the range. Snow-fields lay
+all about, and a few hundred feet higher up the canons
+were filled with ice. It was a savage and tempest-swept
+spot in which to pitch a tent, but there among the rocks
+shivered the minute canvas home of the shepherd, and
+close beside it, guarded by a lone dog, and lying like
+a thick-spread flock of rimy bowlders (almost unnoticeable
+in their silent immobility) huddled the
+sheep.</p>
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s your house,&#8221; shouted Ross to Wetherford.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_169' name='page_169'></a>169</span></p>
+<p>The older man, with white face of dismay, looked about
+him, unable to make reply.</p>
+<p>The walls of the frail teepee, flapping in the breeze,
+appeared hardly larger than a kerchief caught upon a
+bush, and the disheartened collie seemed nervously apprehensive
+of its being utterly swept away. The great
+peaks were now hid by the rain, and little could be seen
+but wet rocks, twisted junipers, and the trickling gray
+streams of icy water. The eastern landscape was naked,
+alpine, splendid yet appalling, and the voices of the
+sheep added to the dreary message of the scene.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Hello there!&#8221; shouted Ross, wondering at the absence
+of human life about the camp. &#8220;Hello the house!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Receiving no answer to his hail, he turned to Wetherford.
+&#8220;Looks like Joe has pulled out and left the collie
+to &#8217;tend the flock. He&#8217;s been kind o&#8217; seedy for some
+days.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Dismounting, he approached the tent. The collie,
+who knew him, seemed to understand his errand, for he
+leaped upon him as if to kiss his cheek. Ross put him
+down gently. &#8220;You&#8217;re almost too glad to see me, old
+fellow. I wonder how long you&#8217;ve been left here alone?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Thereupon he opened the tied flap, but started back
+with instant perception of something wrong, for there,
+on his pile of ragged quilts, lay the Basque herder, with
+flushed face and rolling eyes, crazed with fever and entirely
+helpless. &#8220;You&#8217;d better not come in here, Wetherford,&#8221;
+Ross warned. &#8220;Joe is here, horribly sick, and
+I&#8217;m afraid it&#8217;s something contagious. It may be
+smallpox.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_170' name='page_170'></a>170</span></p>
+<p>Wetherford recoiled a step. &#8220;Smallpox! What makes
+you think that?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, these Basques have been having it over in their
+settlement, and, besides, it smells like it.&#8221; He listened
+a moment. &#8220;I&#8217;m afraid Joe&#8217;s in for it. He&#8217;s crazy with
+it. But he&#8217;s a human being, and we can&#8217;t let him die
+here alone. You rustle some wood for the stove, and
+I&#8217;ll see what I can do for him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford was old and wasted and thin-blooded,
+but he had never been a coward, and in his heart there
+still burned a small flame of his youthful, reckless, generous
+daring. Pushing Cavanagh one side, he said,
+with firm decision: &#8220;You keep out o&#8217; there. I&#8217;m the
+one to play nurse. This is my job.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Nonsense; I am younger and stronger than you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Get away!&#8221; shouted the older man. &#8220;Gregg hired
+me to do this work, and it don&#8217;t matter whether I live
+or die; but you&#8217;ve got something to do in the world.
+My girl needs you, and she don&#8217;t need me, so get out o&#8217;
+here and stay out. Go bring me that wood, and I&#8217;ll
+go in and see what&#8217;s the matter.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh looked him in the face an instant. &#8220;Very
+well,&#8221; said he, &#8220;I&#8217;ll do as you say. There&#8217;s no use of
+our both taking chances.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It was beginning to rain, and the tent was dark and
+desolate, but as the fire in the little stove commenced
+to snarl, and the smoke to pour out of the pipe, the
+small domicile took on cheer. Wetherford knew how
+to care for the sick, and in the shelter of the canvas
+wall developed unforeseen vigor and decision. It was
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_171' name='page_171'></a>171</span>
+amazing to Cavanagh to witness his change of manner.</p>
+<p>Soon a pan of water was steaming, and some hot
+stones were at the sufferer&#8217;s feet, and when Wetherford
+appeared at the door of the tent his face was almost
+happy. &#8220;Kill a sheep. There isn&#8217;t a thing but a heel
+of bacon and a little flour in the place.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As the ranger went about his outside duties he had
+time to take into full account the tragic significance of the
+situation. He was not afraid of death, but the menace
+of sickness under such surroundings made his blood
+run cold. It is such moments as these that the wilderness
+appalls. Twenty miles of most difficult trail lay
+between his own cabin and this spot. To carry the sick
+man on his horse would not only be painful to the sufferer
+but dangerous to the rescuer, for if the Basque
+were really ill of smallpox contagion would surely follow.
+On the other hand, to leave him to die here unaided
+seemed inhuman, impossible.</p>
+<p>&#8220;There is only one thing to do,&#8221; he called to Wetherford,
+&#8220;and that is for me to ride back to the station and
+bring up some extra bedding and my own tent, and so
+camp down beside you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;All right; but remember I&#8217;ve established a quarantine.
+I&#8217;ll crack your head if you break over the line an
+inch.&#8221;</p>
+<p>There was no longer any feeling of reaching up or
+reaching down between the two men&mdash;they were equals.
+Wetherford, altogether admirable, seemed to have regained
+his manhood as he stood in the door of the tent
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_172' name='page_172'></a>172</span>
+confronting the ranger. &#8220;This Basque ain&#8217;t much of
+a find, but, as you say, he&#8217;s human, and we can&#8217;t let
+him lie here and die, I&#8217;ll stay with him till you can
+find a doctor or till he dies.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I take off my hat to you,&#8221; responded Cavanagh.
+&#8220;You are a man.&#8221;</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='X_THE_SMOKE_OF_THE_BURNING' id='X_THE_SMOKE_OF_THE_BURNING'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_173' name='page_173'></a>173</span>
+<h2>X</h2>
+<h3>THE SMOKE OF THE BURNING</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>The reader will observe that the forest ranger&#8217;s job
+is that of a man and a patriot, and such a ranger was
+Cavanagh, notwithstanding his foreign birth. He could
+ride all day in the saddle and fight fire all night. While not
+a trained forester, he was naturally a reader, and thoroughly
+understood the theories of the department. As a practical
+ranger he stood half-way between the cowboy (who
+was at first the only available material) and the trained
+expert who is being educated to follow him.</p>
+<p>He was loyal with the loyalty of a soldier, and his hero
+was the colonel of the Rough-riders, under whom he
+had campaigned. The second of his admirations was
+the Chief Forester of the department.</p>
+<p>The most of us are getting so thin-skinned, so dependent
+upon steam-heat and goloshes, that the actions
+of a man like this riding forth upon his trail at all hours
+of the day and night self-sufficing and serene, seem like
+the doings of an epic, and so indeed they are.</p>
+<p>On the physical side the plainsman, the cowboy, the
+poacher, are all admirable, but Cavanagh went far beyond
+their physical hardihood. He dreamed, as he rode,
+of his responsibilities. The care of the poor Basque
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_174' name='page_174'></a>174</span>
+shepherd he had accepted as a matter of routine without
+Wetherford&#8217;s revelation of himself, which complicated
+an exceedingly pitiful case. He could not forget that it
+was Lee Virginia&#8217;s father who stood in danger of contracting
+the deadly disease, and as he imagined him
+dying far up there on that bleak slope, his heart pinched
+with the tragedy of the old man&#8217;s life. In such wise
+the days of the ranger were smouldering to this end.</p>
+<p>On the backward trail he turned aside to stamp out a
+smoking log beside a deserted camp-fire, and again he
+made a detour into a lovely little park to visit a fisherman
+and to warn him of the danger of fire. He was the forest
+guardian, alert to every sign, and yet all the time he was
+being drawn on toward his temptation. Why not resign
+and go East, taking the girl with him? &#8220;After all, the
+life up here is a lonely and hard one, in no sense a
+vocation for an ambitious man. Suppose I am promoted
+to Forest Supervisor? That only means a little
+more salary and life in a small city rather than here.
+District Supervisor would be better, but can I hope to
+secure such a position?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Up to this month he had taken the matter of his promotion
+easily; it was something to come along in the
+natural course of things. &#8220;There is no haste; I can
+wait.&#8221; Now haste seemed imperative. &#8220;I am no
+longer so young as I was,&#8221; he admitted.</p>
+<p>Once back at his cabin he laid aside his less tangible
+problems, and set himself to cooking some food to take
+back with him to the peak. He brought in his pack-horse,
+and burdened him with camp outfit and utensils,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_175' name='page_175'></a>175</span>
+and extra clothing. He filled his pockets with such
+medicines as he possessed, and so at last, just as night
+was falling, he started back over his difficult trail.</p>
+<p>The sky was black as the roof of a cavern, for the stars
+were hid by a roof of cloud which hung just above his head,
+and the ranger was obliged to feel his way through the
+first quarter of his journey. The world grew lighter
+after he left the canon and entered the dead timber of
+the glacial valley, but even in the open the going was
+wearisome and the horses proceeded with sullen caution.</p>
+<p>&#8220;The Basque is a poor, worthless little peasant, but
+he is a human being, and to leave him to die up there
+would be monstrous,&#8221; he insisted, as the horses stumbled
+upward over the rocks of a vast lateral moraine toward
+the summit, blinded by the clouds through which they
+were forced to pass. He was dismounted now and picking
+his way with a small lantern, whose feeble ray (like
+that of a firefly) illuminated for a small space the dripping
+rocks; all else was tangible yellow mist which possessed
+a sulphurous odor and clung to everything it
+touched. The wind had died out entirely, and the
+mountain-side was as silent as the moon.</p>
+<p>Foot by foot he struggled up the slope, hoping each
+moment to break through this blanket of vapor into the
+clear air. He knew from many previous experiences
+that the open sky existed a little way above, that this was
+but a roof.</p>
+<p>At last he parted the layer of mist and burst into
+the moonlit heights above. He drew a deep breath of
+awe as he turned and looked about him. Overhead the
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_176' name='page_176'></a>176</span>
+sky was sparkling with innumerable stars, and the crescent
+moon was shining like burnished silver, while level
+with his breast rolled a limitless, silent, and mystical
+ocean of cloud which broke against the dark peaks in
+soundless surf, and spread away to the east in ever-widening
+shimmer. All the lesser hills were covered;
+only the lords of the range towered above the flood in
+sullen and unmoved majesty.</p>
+<p>For a long time Cavanagh stood beside his weary
+horses, filling his soul with the beauty of this world, so
+familiar yet so transformed. He wished for his love;
+she would feel and know and rejoice with him. It was
+such experiences as these that made him content with
+his work. For the ranger Nature plays her profoundest
+dramas&mdash;sometimes with the rush of winds, the crash
+of thunder; sometimes like this, in silence so deep that
+the act of breathing seems a harsh, discordant note.</p>
+<p>Slowly the mystic waters fell away, sinking with slightly
+rolling action into the valleys, and out of the wool-white
+waves sudden sharp dark forms upthrust like
+strange masters of the deep. Towers took shape and
+islands upheaved, crowned with dark fortresses. To the
+west a vast and inky-black Gibraltar magically appeared.
+Soon the sea was but a prodigious river flowing
+within the high walls of an ancient glacier, a ghost
+of the icy stream that once ground its slow way between
+these iron cliffs.</p>
+<p>With a shudder of awe the ranger turned from the
+intolerable beauty of this combination of night, cloud,
+and mountain-crest, and resumed his climb. Such scenes,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_177' name='page_177'></a>177</span>
+by their majesty, their swift impermanency, their colossal
+and heedless haste, made his heart ache with indefinable
+regret. Again and again he looked back, longing for
+some power which would enable him to record and reproduce
+for the eyes of his love some part of this stupendous
+and noiseless epic. He was no longer content
+to enjoy Nature&#8217;s splendors alone.</p>
+<p>On the cold and silent side of the great divide the
+faint light of the shepherd&#8217;s teepee shone, and with a
+returning sense of his duty to his fellows on the roof of
+the continent, Cavanagh pushed onward.</p>
+<p>Wetherford met him at the door, no longer the poor
+old tramp, but a priest, one who has devoted himself to
+Christ&#8217;s service.</p>
+<p>&#8220;How is he?&#8221; asked the ranger.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Delirious,&#8221; replied the herder. &#8220;I&#8217;ve had to hold
+him to his bed. I&#8217;m glad you&#8217;ve come. It&#8217;s lonesome
+up here. Don&#8217;t come too near. Set your tent down
+there by the trees. I can&#8217;t have you infected. Keep
+clear of me and this camp.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve got some food and some extra clothing for you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Put &#8217;em down here, and in the morning drive these
+sheep away. That noise disturbs the dago, and I don&#8217;t
+like it myself; they sound lonesome and helpless.
+That dog took &#8217;em away for a while, but brought &#8217;em
+back again; poor devil, he don&#8217;t know what to think
+of it all.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross did as Wetherford commanded him to do, and
+withdrew a little way down the slope; and without putting
+up his tent, rolled himself in his blankets and went to sleep.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_178' name='page_178'></a>178</span></p>
+<p>The sun rose gloriously. With mountain fickleness
+the wind blew gently from the east, the air was precisely
+like late March, and the short and tender grass,
+the small flowers in the sheltered corners of the rocks,
+and the multitudinous bleatings of the lambs were all in
+keeping. It was spring in the world and it was spring
+in the heart of the ranger, in spite of all his perplexities.
+The Basque would recover, the heroic ex-convict would
+not be stricken, and all would be well. Of such resiliency
+is the heart of youth.</p>
+<p>His first duty was to feed the faithful collie, and to send
+him forth with the flock. His next was to build a fire
+and cook some breakfast for Wetherford, and as he put
+it down beside the tent door he heard the wild pleading
+of the Basque, who was struggling with his nurse&mdash;doubtless
+in the belief that he was being kept a prisoner.
+Only a few words like &#8220;go home&#8221; and &#8220;sheep&#8221; were
+intelligible to either the nurse or the ranger.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Keep quiet now&mdash;quiet, boy! It&#8217;s all right. I&#8217;m here
+to take care of you,&#8221; Wetherford repeated, endlessly.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh waited till a silence came; then called, softly:
+&#8220;Here&#8217;s your breakfast, Wetherford.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Move away,&#8221; retorted the man within. &#8220;Keep
+your distance.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross walked away a little space and Wetherford came
+to the door. &#8220;The dago is sure sick, there&#8217;s no two
+ways about that. How far is it to the nearest doctor?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I could reach one by &#8217;phone from the Kettle Ranch,
+about twenty miles below here.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;If he don&#8217;t get better to-day I reckon we&#8217;ll have to
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_179' name='page_179'></a>179</span>
+have a doctor.&#8221; He looked so white and old that
+Cavanagh said:</p>
+<p>&#8220;You need rest. Now I <i>think</i> I&#8217;ve had the smallpox&mdash;I
+know I&#8217;ve been vaccinated, and if you go to bed&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;If you&#8217;re saying all that preliminary to offering to
+come in here, you&#8217;re wasting your breath. I don&#8217;t
+intend to let you come any nearer than you are. There
+is work for you to do. Besides, there&#8217;s my girl; you&#8217;re
+detailed to look after her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Would a doctor come?&#8221; asked Ross, huskily, moved
+by Wetherford&#8217;s words. &#8220;It&#8217;s a hard climb. Would
+they think the dago worth it?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford&#8217;s face darkened with a look of doubt.
+&#8220;It <i>is</i> a hard trip for a city man, but maybe he would
+come for you&mdash;for the Government.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I doubt it, even if I were to offer my next month&#8217;s
+salary as a fee. These hills are very remote to the
+townsfolk, and one dago more or less of no importance,
+but I&#8217;ll see what I can do.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross was really more concerned for Wetherford himself
+than for the Basque. &#8220;If the fever is something malignant,
+we must have medical aid,&#8221; he said, and went
+slowly back to his own camp to ponder his puzzling
+problem.</p>
+<p>One thing could certainly be done, and that was to
+inform Gregg and Murphy of their herder&#8217;s illness;
+surely they would come to the rescue of the collie and his
+flock. To reach a telephone involved either a ride over
+into Deer Creek or a return to the Fork. He was
+tempted to ride all the way to the Fork, for to do so would
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_180' name='page_180'></a>180</span>
+permit another meeting with Lee; but to do this would
+require many hours longer, and half a day&#8217;s delay might
+prove fatal to the Basque, and, besides, each hour of
+loneliness and toil rendered Wetherford just so much
+more open to the deadly attack of the disease.</p>
+<p>Here was the tragic side of the wilderness. At such
+moments even the Fork seemed a haven. The mountains
+offer a splendid camping-place for the young and
+the vigorous, but they are implacable foes to the disabled
+man or the aged. They do not give loathsome
+diseases like pox, but they do not aid in defence of the
+sick. Coldly aloof, its clouds sail by. The night
+winds bite. Its rains fall remorselessly. Sheltering
+rocks there are, to be sure, but their comfort is small to
+the man smitten with the scourge of the crowded city.
+In such heights man is of no more value than the wolf
+or the cony.</p>
+<p>It was hard to leave an old and broken man in such
+a drear and wind-contested spot, and yet it had to be
+done. So fastening his tent securely behind a clump of
+junipers, Cavanagh mounted his horse and rode away
+across the boundary of the forest into the Deer Creek
+Basin, which had been the bone of much contention
+for nearly four years.</p>
+<p>It was a high, park-like expanse, sparsely wooded,
+beautiful in summer, but cold and bleak in winter.
+The summers were short, and frost fell almost every week
+even in July and August. It had once been a part of the
+forest, but under pressure the President had permitted it
+to be restored to the public lands open for entry. It was
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_181' name='page_181'></a>181</span>
+not &#8220;agricultural grounds,&#8221; as certain ranchers claimed,
+but it was excellent summer pasture, and the sheepmen
+and cattle-men had leaped at once into warfare to possess
+it. Sheep were beaten to death with clubs by hundreds,
+herders were hustled out of the park with ropes
+about their necks and their outfits destroyed&mdash;and all
+this within a few miles of the forest boundary, where one
+small sentinel kept effective watch and ward.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh had never been over this trail but once,
+and he was trying to locate the cliff from which a flock
+of sheep had been hurled by cattle-men some years before,
+when he perceived a thin column of smoke rising
+from a rocky hillside. With habitual watchfulness as to
+fire, he raised his glass to his eyes and studied the spot.
+It was evidently a camp-fire and smouldering dangerously,
+and turning his horse&#8217;s head he rode toward it to
+stamp it out. It was not upon his patrol; but that did
+not matter, his duty was clear.</p>
+<p>As he drew near he began to perceive signs of a broken
+camp; the ground was littered with utensils. It was
+not an ordinary camp-fire, and the ranger&#8217;s heart quickened.
+&#8220;Another sheep-herder has been driven out, and
+his tent and provisions burned!&#8221; he exclaimed, wrathfully.</p>
+<p>His horse snorted and shied as he rode nearer, and
+then a shudder passed through the ranger&#8217;s heart as
+he perceived in the edge of the smouldering embers
+a boot heel, and then&mdash;<i>a charred hand!</i> In the smoke
+of that fire was the reek of human flesh.</p>
+<p>For a long time the ranger sat on his horse, peering
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_182' name='page_182'></a>182</span>
+down into those ashes until at last it became evident to
+his eyes that at least two sheep-herders had been sacrificed
+on the cattle-man&#8217;s altar of hate and greed.</p>
+<p>All about on the sod the story was written, all too
+plain. Two men, possibly three, had been murdered&mdash;cut
+to pieces and burned&mdash;not many hours before. There
+stood the bloody spade with which the bodies had been
+dismembered, and there lay an empty can whose oil
+had been poured upon the mingled camp utensils, tent,
+and wagon of the herders, in the attempt to incinerate
+the hacked and dismembered limbs of the victims. The
+lawlessness of the range had culminated. The ferocity
+of the herder had gone beyond the savage. Here in the
+sweet autumn air the reek of the cattle-man&#8217;s vengeance
+rose like some hideous vapor, poisonous and obscene.</p>
+<p>The ranger sickened as the bloody tale unfolded itself
+before him. Then a fierce hate of such warfare flamed
+in his heart. Could this enormity be committed under
+any other civilized flag? Would any other Government
+intermingle so foolishly, so childishly its State and
+Federal authority as to permit such diabolism?</p>
+<p>Here lay the legitimate fruit of the State&#8217;s essential
+hoodlumism. Here was the answer to local self-government&mdash;to
+democracy. Such a thing could not happen
+in Australia or Canada; only in America could lynch
+law become a dramatic pastime, a jest, an instrument of
+private vengeance. The South and the West were alike
+stained with the blood of the lynched, and the whole
+nation was covered with shame.</p>
+<p>In his horror, his sense of revolt, he cursed the State of
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_183' name='page_183'></a>183</span>
+which he was a citizen. He would have resigned his
+commission at the moment, so intense was his resentment
+of the supine, careless, jovial, slattern Government
+under which he was serving.</p>
+<p>&#8220;By the Lord!&#8221; he breathed, with solemn intensity, &#8220;if
+this does not shame the people of this State into revolt,
+if these fiends are not hounded and hung, I will myself
+harry them. I cannot live and do my duty here unless
+this crime is avenged by law.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It did not matter to him that these herders were poor
+Basques; it was the utter, horrifying, destructive disregard
+of law which raised such tumult in his blood.
+His English education, his soldier&#8217;s training, his native
+refinement&mdash;all were outraged. Then, too, he loved the
+West. He had surrendered his citizenship under the
+British flag&mdash;for this!</p>
+<p>Chilled, shaking, and numb, he set spurs to his horse
+and rode furiously down the trail toward the nearest
+town, so eager to spread the alarm that he could scarcely
+breathe a deep breath. On the steep slopes he was
+forced to walk, and his horse led so badly, that his
+agony of impatience was deepened. He had a vision
+of the murderers riding fast into far countries. Each
+hour made their apprehension progressively the more
+difficult.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Who were they?&#8221; he asked himself, again and again.
+&#8220;What kind of man did this thing? Was the leader
+a man like Ballard? Even so, he was hired. By whom?
+By ranchers covetous of the range; that was absolutely
+certain.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_184' name='page_184'></a>184</span></p>
+<p>It was long after noon before he came to the end of
+the telephone-line in a little store and post-office at the
+upper falls of Deer Creek. The telephone had a booth
+fortunately, and he soon had Redfield&#8217;s ear, but his
+voice was so strained and unnatural that his chief did
+not recognize it.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Is that you, Ross? What&#8217;s the matter? Your
+voice sounds hoarse.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross composed himself, and told his story briefly. &#8220;I&#8217;m
+at Kettle Ranch post-office. Now listen. The limit of
+the cattle-man&#8217;s ferocity has been reached. As I rode
+down here, to get into communication with a doctor for
+a sick herder, I came upon the scene of another murder
+and burning. The fire is still smouldering; at least
+two bodies are in the embers.&#8221;</p>
+<p>At last, bit by bit, from hurried speech, the supervisor
+derived the fact, the location, the hour, and directed the
+herder to ride back and guard the remains till the sheriff
+arrived.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Keep it all quiet,&#8221; warned Ross, &#8220;and get the sheriff
+and a doctor to come up here as quick as you can. What
+in the name of God is this country coming to?&#8221; he
+cried, in despair. &#8220;Will this deed go unpunished, like
+the rest?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield&#8217;s voice had lost its optimistic ring. &#8220;I don&#8217;t
+know; I am stunned by it all. Don&#8217;t do anything
+rash, Ross. Wait till I come. Perhaps this is the turning-point
+out here. I&#8217;ll be up at the earliest moment.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The embittered and disheartened ranger then called
+up Lee Virginia, and the sound of her sweet voice turned
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_185' name='page_185'></a>185</span>
+his thoughts to other and, in a sense, more important
+matters; for when she heard his name she cried out
+with such eager longing and appeal that his heart
+leaped. &#8220;Oh, I wish you were here! Mother has been
+worse to-day. She is asking for you. Can&#8217;t you come
+down and see us? She wants to tell you something.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t&mdash;I can&#8217;t!&#8221; he stammered. &#8220;I&mdash;I&mdash;I&#8217;m a
+long way off, and I have important work to do. Tell
+her I will come to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Her voice was filled with disappointment and fear as
+she said: &#8220;Oh, I need you so! Can&#8217;t you come?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, I will come as soon as I can. I will try to
+reach you by daylight to-morrow. My heart is with
+you. Call up the Redfields; they will help you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Mother wants <i>you</i>. She says she <i>must</i> see you.
+Come as soon as you can. I don&#8217;t know what she wants
+to tell you&mdash;but I do know we need you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Her meaning was as clear as if she said: &#8220;I need you,
+for I love you. Come to me.&#8221; And her prayer filled
+him with pain as well as pleasure. He was a soldier and
+under orders from his chief, therefore he said: &#8220;Dear
+girl, there is a sick man far up on the mountain-side
+with no one to care for him but a poor old herder who
+is in danger of falling sick himself. I must go back
+to them; but, believe me, I will come just as soon
+as my duties will let me. You understand me, don&#8217;t
+you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Her voice was fainter as she said: &#8220;Yes, but I&mdash;it
+seems hard to wait.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I know. Your voice has helped me. I was in a
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_186' name='page_186'></a>186</span>
+black mood when I came here. I&#8217;m going back now to
+do my work, and then I will come to you. Good-bye.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Strangely beautiful and very subtle was the vibrant
+stir of that wire as it conveyed back to his ear the little
+sigh with which she made answer to his plea. He took
+his way upward in a mood which was meditative but
+no longer bitter.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='XI_SHADOWS_ON_THE_MIST' id='XI_SHADOWS_ON_THE_MIST'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_187' name='page_187'></a>187</span>
+<h2>XI</h2>
+<h3>SHADOWS ON THE MIST</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>The decision which Cavanagh made between love and
+duty distinguished the officer from the man, the soldier
+from the civilian. He did not hesitate to act, and yet
+he suffered a mental conflict as he rode back toward the
+scene of that inhuman sacrifice on the altar of greed.
+His heart went out to Lee Virginia in longing. Her
+appealing voice still lay in his ear with an effect like the
+touch of her soft lips, and his flagging horse suffered
+from the unconscious pressure of his haste.</p>
+<p>&#8220;It will be hours before any part of the sheriff&#8217;s posse
+can reach the falls, even though they take to the swiftest
+motors, and then other long hours must intervene before
+I can ride down to her. Yes, at least a day and a night
+must drag their slow course before I can hope to be of
+service to her,&#8221; and the thought drew a groan of anxiety
+from him. At such moments of mental stress the
+trail is a torture and the mountain-side an inexorable
+barrier.</p>
+<p>Half-way to the hills he was intercepted by an old man
+who was at work on an irrigating ditch beside the road.
+He seemed very nervous and very inquisitive, and as he
+questioned the ranger his eyes were like those of a dog
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_188' name='page_188'></a>188</span>
+that fears his master&#8217;s hand. Ross wondered about this
+afterward, but at the moment his mind was busy with
+the significance of this patient toiler with a spade. He
+was a prophetic figure in the most picturesque and sterile
+land of the stockman. &#8220;Here within twenty miles of
+this peaceful fruit-grower,&#8221; he said, &#8220;is the crowning
+infamy of the free-booting cowboy. My God, what a
+nation we are!&#8221;</p>
+<p>He wondered, as he rode on, whether the papers of the
+State would make a jest of <i>this</i> deed. &#8220;Will this be
+made the theme for caustic comment in the Eastern press
+for a day, and then be forgotten?&#8221;</p>
+<p>As his hot blood cooled he lost faith in even this sacrifice.
+Could anything change the leopard West into the
+tameness and serenity of the ox? &#8220;No,&#8221; he decided,
+&#8220;nothing but death will do that. This generation, these
+fierce and bloody hearts, must die; only in that way can
+the tradition of violence be overcome and a new State
+reared.&#8221;</p>
+<p>At the foot of the toilsome, upward-winding trail he
+dismounted, and led his weary horse. Over his head,
+and about half-way to the first hilltop, lay a roof of
+fleecy vapor, faint purple in color and seamless in texture.
+Through this he must pass, and it symbolized to
+him the line of demarkation between the plain and the
+mountain, between order and violence.</p>
+<p>Again he rose above it, to find it a fantastic sea lit
+by the sun, and glowing with pink and gold and violet.
+Celestial in its ethereal beauty, it threw into still more
+appalling shadow the smoking altar of passion toward
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_189' name='page_189'></a>189</span>
+which he spurred. From moment to moment the surface
+rose and shifted in swift, tumultuous, yet soundless
+waves, breaking round pine-clad promontories in shimmering
+breakers, faint, and far, and serene.</p>
+<p>Down through a deep canon to the south a prodigious
+river of mist was rushing, a silent cataract of ashy vapor
+plunging to a soundless beach. Above and beyond it
+the high peaks shone in radiance so pure that the heart
+of the lover ached with the pain of its evanescent beauty.
+It was as if he were looking across a foaming flood upon
+the stupendous and shining park of some imperial potentate
+whose ornate and splendid country home lay
+just beyond. Rocky spires rose like cathedral towers,
+and fortresses abutted upon the stream. And yet in
+the midst of that glorified plain the smoke of the burning
+rose.</p>
+<p>Slowly he led his horse along the mountain-side, grasping
+with eager desire at every changing aspect of this
+marvellous scene. It was infinitely more gorgeous, more
+compelling, than his moonlight experience the night before,
+for here reality, definite and powerful, was interfused
+with mystery. These foot-hills, hitherto pleasantly
+precipitous, had suddenly become grandiose. All was
+made over upon a mightier scale, each rock and tree being
+distorted by the passing translucent clouds into a kind
+of monstrous yet epic proportion.</p>
+<p>Ghostly white ledges broke from the darker mist like
+fields of distant crusted snow. Castellated crags loomed
+from the mystic river like fortified islands. Cattle, silent,
+enormously aggrandized, emerged like fabled beasts of
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_190' name='page_190'></a>190</span>
+the eld, and stared upon him, their jaws dripping with
+dew. Bulls roared from the obscure deeps. Dead trees,
+with stark and sinister arms, menaced warningly. All
+was as unreal as the world of pain&#8217;s delirium, and yet
+was as beautiful as the poet&#8217;s vision; and the ranger,
+feeling that he was looking upon one of Nature&#8217;s rarest
+displays, removed his hat in worship of it, thrilling with
+pride and satisfaction over the thought that this was
+his domain, his to guard and preserve.</p>
+<p>The crowning glow of mystery and grace came as he
+led his horse out upon a projecting point of rocky ledge
+to rest. Here the cliff descended abruptly to an enormous
+depth, and upon the vaporous rolling flood beneath
+him a dome of darker shadow rested. At the summit
+of this shadow an aureole of rainbow light, a complete
+and glorious circle rested, in the midst of which his own
+image was flung, grotesque and gigantic.</p>
+<p>&#8220;The Shadows of the Brocken!&#8221; he exclaimed, in
+ecstasy, all his bitterness, his care, forgotten. &#8220;Now I
+understand Goethe&#8217;s lines.&#8221; In all his life in the hills
+he had never before witnessed such a combination of
+peak and sun and cloud and shadow.</p>
+<p>His love for the range came back upon him with such
+power that tears misted his eyes and his throat ached.
+&#8220;Where else will I find such scenes as this?&#8221; he asked
+himself. &#8220;Where in all the lowlands could such splendors
+shine? How can I leave this high world in which
+these wonders come and go? I will not! Here will I
+bring my bride and build my home. This is my world.&#8221;</p>
+<p>But the mist grew gray, the aureole of fire faded, the
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_191' name='page_191'></a>191</span>
+sun went down behind the hills, and the chill of evening
+deepened on the trail, and as he reapproached the scene
+of man&#8217;s inhumanity to man the thought of camping
+there beside those charred limbs called for heroic resolution.
+He was hungry, too, and as the air pinched, he
+shivered.</p>
+<p>&#8220;At the best, the sheriff cannot reach here before midnight,&#8221;
+he said, and settled down to his unsought, revolting
+vigil.</p>
+<p>His one relief lay in the mental composition of a long
+letter to Lee Virginia, whose life at that moment was a
+comfort to him. &#8220;If such purity, such sweetness, can
+come from violence and vulgarity, then surely a new and
+splendid State can rise even out of the ashes of these
+murdered men. Perhaps this is the end of the old,&#8221; he
+mused, &#8220;perhaps this is the beginning of the new,&#8221; and
+as he pondered the last faint crimson died out of the west.
+&#8220;So must the hate and violence die out of America,&#8221; he
+said, &#8220;leaving the clear, sweet air of liberty behind.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He was near to the poet at the moment, for he was also
+the lover. His allegiance to the great republic stood the
+test. His faith in democracy was shaken, but not destroyed.
+&#8220;I will wait,&#8221; he decided. &#8220;This shall be the sign.
+If this deed goes unavenged, then will I put off my badge
+and my uniform, and go back to the land where for a
+hundred years at least such deeds as these have been
+impossible.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He built a fire, as night fell, to serve both as beacon
+and as a defence against the cold. He felt himself weirdly
+remote in this vigil. From his far height he looked
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_192' name='page_192'></a>192</span>
+abroad upon the tumbled plain as if upon an ocean dimly
+perceptible yet august. &#8220;At this moment,&#8221; he said,
+&#8220;curious and perhaps guilty eyes are wondering what
+my spark of firelight may mean.&#8221;</p>
+<p>His mind went again and again to that tall old man in
+the ditch. What was the meaning of his scared and
+sorrowful glance? Why should one so peacefully employed
+at such a time and in such a place wear the look
+of a hunted deer? What meant the tremor in his voice?</p>
+<p>Was it possible that one so gentle should have taken
+part in this deed? &#8220;Preposterous suspicion, and yet
+he had a guilty look.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He was not a believer in ghosts, but he came nearer to
+a fear of the dark that night than ever before in his life.
+He brought his horse close to the fire for company, and
+was careful not to turn his back upon the dead. A
+corpse lying peacefully would not have produced this
+overpowering horror. He had seen battle-fields, but
+this pile of mangled limbs conquered even the hardened
+campaigner. He shivered each time his memory went
+back to what he had first looked upon&mdash;the charred hand,
+the helpless heel.</p>
+<p>From his high hill of meditation he reviewed the history
+of the West. Based in bloody wars between the primitive
+races, and between the trappers and their allies, the land
+had passed through a thin adumbration of civilization as
+the stockmen drove out the buffalo and their hunters.
+Vigilantes, sheriff&#8217;s posses (and now and again the regular
+army) had swept over these grassy swells on errands
+of retributory violence, and so the territory had been
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_193' name='page_193'></a>193</span>
+divided at last into populous States. Then politics, the
+great national game, had made of them a power, with
+Senators to represent a mere handful of miners and herdsmen.
+In the Congress of the United States these commonwealths
+had played their unscrupulous games,
+trading for this and for that local appropriation. Happily
+in some instances these Senators had been higher than
+their State, but in other cases they represented only too
+loyally the violent and conscienceless cow-man or lumber
+king, and now, as Redfield had said, the land-boomer
+was to have his term. The man who valued residents,
+not Wild West performers, was about to govern and
+despoil; this promoter, almost as selfish as the cattle
+king, was about to advance the State along the lines of
+<i>his</i> conception of civilization; and so, perhaps, this monstrous
+deed, this final inexcusable inhuman offence against
+law and humanity, was to stand as a monument dividing
+the old from the new. Such, at least, was the ranger&#8217;s hope.</p>
+<p>At last, far in the night, he heard the snort of a horse
+and the sound of voices. The law (such as it was) was
+creeping up the mountain-side in the person of the sheriff
+of Chauvenet County, and was about to relieve the ranger
+from his painful responsibility as guardian of the dead.</p>
+<p>At last he came, this officer of the law, attended (like
+a Cheyenne chief) by a dozen lesser warriors of various
+conditions and kinds, but among them&mdash;indeed, second
+only to the sheriff&mdash;was Hugh Redfield, the Forest
+Supervisor, hot and eager with haste.</p>
+<p>As they rode up to the fire, the officer called out:
+&#8220;Howdy, ranger! How about it?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_194' name='page_194'></a>194</span></p>
+<p>Ross stated briefly, succinctly, what he had discovered;
+and as he talked other riders came up the hill and gathered
+closely around to listen in wordless silence&mdash;in
+guilty silence, the ranger could not help believing.</p>
+<p>The sheriff, himself a cattle-man, heard Cavanagh
+without comment till he had ended with a gesture.
+&#8220;And there they are; I turn them over to you with vast
+relief. I am anxious to go back to my own peaceful
+world, where such things do not happen.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The sheriff removed his hat and wiped his brow, then
+swore with a mutter of awe. &#8220;Well, by God, this is the
+limit! You say there were three bodies?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I lacked the courage to sort them out. I&#8217;ve been
+in battle, Mr. Sheriff, and I&#8217;ve seen dead men tumbled
+in all shapes, but someway this took the stiffening
+out of my knees. I rode away and left them. I don&#8217;t
+care to see them again. My part of this work is
+done.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield spoke. &#8220;Sheriff Van Horne, you and I have
+been running cattle in this country for nearly thirty
+years, and we&#8217;ve witnessed all kinds of shooting and
+several kinds of hanging, but when it comes to chopping
+and burning men, I get off. I shall personally offer a
+reward of a thousand dollars for the apprehension of
+these miscreants, and I hope you&#8217;ll make it your solemn
+duty to hunt them to earth.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You won&#8217;t have far to go,&#8221; remarked Ross, significantly.</p>
+<p>&#8220;What do you mean?&#8221; asked the sheriff.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I mean this slaughter, like the others that have
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_195' name='page_195'></a>195</span>
+taken place, was the work of cattle-men who claim this
+range. Their names are known to us all.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Can it be possible!&#8221; exclaimed Redfield, looking
+round at the silent throng, and in the wavering light certain
+eyes seemed to shift and fall.</p>
+<p>&#8220;In what essential does it differ from the affair over
+on the Red Desert?&#8221; demanded Cavanagh. &#8220;Who
+would kill these poor sheep-herders but cattle-men
+warring for the grass on which we stand?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But they would not dare to do such work themselves.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No one else would do it. Hired assassins would not
+chop and burn. Hate and greed were both involved in
+this butchery&mdash;hate and greed made mad by drink. I
+tell you, the men who did this are less than a day&#8217;s ride
+of where we stand.&#8221;</p>
+<p>A silence followed&mdash;so deep a silence that the ranger
+was convinced of the fact that in the circle of his listeners
+stood those who, if they had not shared in the slaughter,
+at least knew the names of the guilty men.</p>
+<p>At last the sheriff spoke, this time with a sigh. &#8220;I
+hope you&#8217;re all wrong, Cavanagh. I&#8217;d hate to think any
+constituent of mine had sanctioned this job. Give me
+that lantern, Curtis.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The group of ranchers dismounted, and followed the
+sheriff over to the grewsome spot; but Redfield stayed
+with the ranger.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Have you any suspicion, Ross?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, hardly a suspicion. However, you know as
+well as I that this was not a sudden outbreak. This
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_196' name='page_196'></a>196</span>
+deed was planned. It represents the feeling of many
+cattle-men&mdash;in everything but the extra horror of its
+execution. <i>That</i> was the work of drunken, infuriated
+men. But I am more deeply concerned over Miss
+Wetherford&#8217;s distress. Did she reach you by telephone
+to-night?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No. What&#8217;s the trouble?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Her mother is down again. I telephoned her, and
+she asked me to come to her, but I cannot go, for I have a
+case of smallpox up on the hill. Ambro, the Basque
+herder, is down with it, and another herder is up there
+alone with him. I must go back to them. But meanwhile
+I wish you would go to the Fork and see what you
+can do for her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>His voice, filled with emotion, touched Redfield, and
+he said: &#8220;Can&#8217;t I go to the relief of the herder?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, you must not think of it; you are a man of a
+family. But if you can find any one who has had the
+smallpox send him up; the old herder who is nursing the
+patient is not strong, and may drop any moment. Then
+it&#8217;s up to me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The men came back to the camp-fire conversing in low
+voices, some of them cursing in tones of awe. One or two
+of them were small farmers from Deer Creek, recent
+comers to the State, or men with bunches of milk-cows,
+and to them this deed was awesome.</p>
+<p>The sheriff followed, saying: &#8220;Well, there&#8217;s nothing to
+do but wait till morning. The rest of you men better
+go home. You can&#8217;t be of any use here.&#8221;</p>
+<p>For more than three hours the sheriff and Redfield sat
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_197' name='page_197'></a>197</span>
+with the ranger waiting for daylight, and during this time
+the name of every man in the region was brought up and
+discussed. Among others, Ross mentioned the old man
+in the ditch.</p>
+<p>&#8220;He wouldn&#8217;t hurt a bumblebee!&#8221; declared the sheriff.
+&#8220;He&#8217;s got a bunch of cattle, but he&#8217;s the mildest old man
+in the State. He&#8217;s the last rancher in the country to
+even stand for such work. What made you mention
+him?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I passed him as I was riding back,&#8221; replied Cavanagh,
+&#8220;and he had a scared look in his eyes.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The sheriff grunted. &#8220;You imagined all that. The
+old chap always has a kind of meek look.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh, tired, hungry, and rebellious, waited until
+the first faint light in the east announced the dawn; then
+he rose, and, stretching his hand out toward it, said:
+&#8220;Here comes the new day. Will it be a new day to the
+State, or is it to be the same old round of savagery?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield expressed a word of hope, and in that spirit
+the ranger mounted and rode away back toward the small
+teepee wherein Wetherford was doing his best to expiate
+his past&mdash;a past that left him old and friendless at fifty-five.
+The sheriff and his men took up the work of vengeance
+which fell to them as officers of the law.</p>
+<p>It was nearly noon of a glorious day as Cavanagh, very
+tired and very hungry, rode up to the sheep-herder&#8217;s tent.
+Wetherford was sitting in the sun calmly smoking his
+pipe, the sheep were feeding not far away, attended by the
+dog, and an air of peace covered his sunlit rocky world.</p>
+<p>&#8220;How is the Basque?&#8221; asked the ranger.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_198' name='page_198'></a>198</span></p>
+<p>Wetherford pointed upward. &#8220;All over.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Then it wasn&#8217;t smallpox?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I reckon that&#8217;s what it was; it sure was fierce. I
+judge it&#8217;s a case of Injun burial&mdash;no ceremony&mdash;right here
+in the rocks. I&#8217;ll let you dig the hole (I&#8217;m just about
+all in), but mind you keep to the windward all the time.
+I don&#8217;t want you spotted.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh understood the necessity for these precautions,
+but first of all came his own need of food and rest.
+Turning his tired horse to grass, he stretched himself
+along a grassy, sunny cranny between the rocks, and
+there ate and afterward slept, while all about him the
+lambs called and the conies whined.</p>
+<p>He was awakened by a pebble tossed upon him, and
+when he arose, stiff and sore, but feeling stronger and
+in better temper, the sun was wearing low. Setting to
+work at his task, he threw the loose rock out of a hollow
+in the ledge near by, and to this rude sepulchre Wetherford
+dragged the dead man, refusing all aid, and there
+piled a cairn of rocks above his grave.</p>
+<p>The ranger was deeply moved by the pitiless contrast
+of the scene and the drama. The sun was still shining
+warmly aslant the heavens; the wind, crisp and sweet,
+wandered by on laggard wings, the conies cried from
+the ledges; the lambs were calling&mdash;and in the midst
+of it one tattered fragment of humanity was heaping
+the iron earth upon another, stricken, perhaps, by the
+same dread disease.</p>
+<p>Wetherford himself paused to moralize. &#8220;I suppose
+that chap has a mother somewhere who is wondering
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_199' name='page_199'></a>199</span>
+where her boy is. This isn&#8217;t exactly Christian burial,
+but it&#8217;s all he&#8217;ll get, I reckon; for whether it was smallpox
+or plain fever, nobody&#8217;s going to uselessly resurrect
+him. Even the coyotes will fight shy of his meat.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Nevertheless, the ranger took a hand at the end and
+rolled some huge bowlders upon the grave, to insure the
+wolves&#8217; defeat.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Now burn the bedding,&#8221; he commanded&mdash;&#8220;the whole
+camp has got to go&mdash;and your clothing, too, after we
+get down the hill.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What will we do with the sheep?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Drive them over the divide and leave them.&#8221;</p>
+<p>All these things Wetherford did, and leaving the camp
+in ashes behind him, Cavanagh drove the sheep before
+him on his homeward way. As night fell, the dog, at his
+command, rounded them up and put them to bed, and
+the men went on down the valley, leaving the brave brute
+on guard, pathetic figure of faithful guardianship.</p>
+<p>&#8220;It hurts me to desert you, old fellow,&#8221; called the
+ranger, looking back, &#8220;but there&#8217;s no help for it. I&#8217;ll
+come up in the morning and bring you some biscuit.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The collie seemed to understand. He waggled his
+tail and whined, as though struggling to express his wonder
+and pain, and Ross, moved to pity, called: &#8220;Come on,
+boy, never mind the sheep! Come along with us!&#8221;</p>
+<p>But the dog, leaping from side to side, uttered a short
+howl and a sharp bark, as if to say: &#8220;I can&#8217;t! I can&#8217;t!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s onto <i>his</i> job,&#8221; remarked Wetherford. &#8220;It beats
+all how human they do seem sometimes. I&#8217;ve no manner
+of doubt that dago&#8217;s booted him all over the place
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_200' name='page_200'></a>200</span>
+many a time, and yet he seemed horrible sorry about his
+master&#8217;s trouble. Every few minutes, all night long, he&#8217;d
+come pattering and whining round the door of the tent&mdash;didn&#8217;t
+come in, seemed just trying to ask how things
+were coming. He was like a child, lonesome and
+grieving.&#8221;</p>
+<p>It was long after dark when they entered the canon
+just above the cabin, and Wetherford was shivering from
+cold and weakness.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Now you pull up just outside the gate, and wait there
+till I bring out some blankets; then you&#8217;ve got to strip to
+the skin and start the world all over again,&#8221; said Cavanagh.
+&#8220;I&#8217;ll build a fire here, and we&#8217;ll cremate your
+past. How about it?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m willing,&#8221; responded Wetherford. &#8220;You can
+burn everything that belongs to me but my wife and my
+girl.&#8221;</p>
+<p>All through the ceremony which followed ran this
+self-banter. &#8220;I&#8217;ll be all ranger, barring a commission,&#8221;
+he said, with a grin, as he put on the olive-yellow shirt
+and a pair of dusty-green trousers. &#8220;And here goes my
+past!&#8221; he added, as he tossed his contaminated rags
+upon the fire.</p>
+<p>&#8220;What a corking opportunity to make a fresh start,&#8221;
+commented Cavanagh. &#8220;I hope you see it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I see it; but it&#8217;s hard to live up to your mark.&#8221;</p>
+<p>When every precaution had been taken, the ranger
+led the freshly scrubbed, scoured, and transformed fugitive
+to his cabin.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Why, man, you&#8217;re fit for the State Legislature,&#8221; he
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_201' name='page_201'></a>201</span>
+exclaimed, as they came into the full light. &#8220;My clothes
+don&#8217;t precisely meet every demand you make upon
+them, but they give you an air of command. I wish
+your wife could see you now.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford was quite serious as he answered: &#8220;This
+uniform means more to me than you think. I wish I
+was entitled to wear it. The wild-wood is just about
+populous enough for me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Good for you!&#8221; responded Cavanagh. &#8220;To convert
+a man of your record to a belief in conservation is to
+demonstrate once again the regenerative power of an
+idea.&#8221; Then, seeing that Wetherford was really in
+earnest, he added: &#8220;You can stay with me as long as you
+wish. Perhaps in time you might be able to work into
+the service as a guard, although the chief is getting more
+and more insistent on real foresters.&#8221;</p>
+<p>There were tears in Wetherford&#8217;s eyes as he said:
+&#8220;You cannot realize what this clean, warm uniform
+means to me. For nine years I wore the prison stripes;
+then I was turned loose with a shoddy suit and a hat a
+size too big for me&mdash;an outfit that gave me away everywhere
+I went. Till my hair and beard sprouted I had
+a hard rustle of it, but my clothes grew old faster than
+my beard. At last I put every cent I had earned into a
+poor old horse, and a faded saddle, and once mounted I
+kept a-moving north.&#8221; He smoothed the sleeve of his
+coat. &#8220;It is ten years since I was dressed like a
+man.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You need not worry about food or shelter for the
+present,&#8221; replied Cavanagh, gently. &#8220;Grub is not costly
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_202' name='page_202'></a>202</span>
+here, and house-rent is less than nominal, so make yourself
+at home and get strong.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford lifted his head. &#8220;But I want to do something.
+I want to redeem myself in some way. I don&#8217;t
+want my girl to know who I am, but I&#8217;d like to win her
+respect. I can&#8217;t be what you say she thinks I was, but
+if I had a chance I might show myself a man again. I
+wouldn&#8217;t mind Lize knowing that I am alive&mdash;it might
+be a comfort to her; but I don&#8217;t want even her to be told
+till I can go to her in my own duds.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s pretty sick,&#8221; said Cavanagh. &#8220;I telephoned Lee
+Virginia last night, and if you wish you may ride down
+with me to-morrow and see her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The old man fell a-tremble. &#8220;I daren&#8217;t do that. I
+can&#8217;t bear to tell her where I&#8217;ve been!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She needn&#8217;t know. I will tell her you&#8217;ve been out of
+your mind. I&#8217;ll say anything you wish! You can go to her
+in the clothes you have on if you like&mdash;she will not recognize
+you as the prisoner I held the other night. You
+can have your beard trimmed, and not even the justice
+will know you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>All reserve had vanished out of the convict&#8217;s heart, and
+with choking voice he thanked his young host. &#8220;I&#8217;ll
+never be a burden to you,&#8221; he declared, in firmer voice.
+&#8220;And if my lung holds out, I&#8217;ll show you I&#8217;m not the
+total locoe that I &#8217;pear to be.&#8221;</p>
+<p>No further reference was made to Lee Virginia, but
+Ross felt himself to be more deeply involved than ever
+by these promises; his fortunes seemed to be inextricably
+bound up with this singular and unhappy family. Lying
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_203' name='page_203'></a>203</span>
+in his bunk (after the lights were out), he fancied himself
+back in his ancestral home, replying to the questions of
+his aunts and uncles, who were still expecting him to
+bring home a rich and beautiful American heiress. Some
+of the Cavanaghs were drunkards and some were vixens,
+but they were on the whole rather decent, rather decorous
+and very dull, and to them this broken ex-convict and
+this slattern old barmaid would seem very far from the
+ideal they had formed of the family into which Ross was
+certain to marry.</p>
+<p>But as he recalled the spot in which he lay and the
+uniform which hung upon the wall, he was frank to admit
+that the beautiful and rich heiress of whom his family
+dreamed was a very unsubstantial vision indeed, and
+that, to be honest with himself, he had nothing to offer
+for such shining good-fortune.</p>
+<p>At breakfast next morning he said: &#8220;I must ride back
+and take some bread to the dog. I can&#8217;t go away and
+leave him there without saying &#8216;hello.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Let me do that,&#8221; suggested Wetherford. &#8220;I&#8217;m
+afraid to go down to the Fork. I reckon I&#8217;d better go
+back and tend the sheep till Gregg sends some one up
+to take my place.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That might be too late to see Lize. Lee&#8217;s voice
+showed great anxiety. She may be on her death-bed.
+No; you&#8217;d better go down with me to-day,&#8221; he urged.
+And at last the old man consented.</p>
+<p>Putting some bread in his pockets, Ross rode off up
+the trail to see how the dog and his flock were faring.
+He had not gone far when he heard the tinkle of the
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_204' name='page_204'></a>204</span>
+bells and the murmur of the lambs, and a few moments
+later the collie came toward him with the air of a boy
+who, having assumed to disregard the orders of his
+master, expects a scolding. He plainly said: &#8220;I&#8217;ve
+brought my sheep to you because I was lonesome.
+Please forgive me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh called to him cheerily, and tossed him a
+piece of bread, which he caught in his teeth but did not
+swallow; on the contrary, he held it while leaping for
+joy of the praise he heard in his new-found master&#8217;s
+voice.</p>
+<p>Turning the flock upward again toward the higher
+peaks, the ranger commanded the collie to their heels,
+and so, having redeemed his promise, rode back to the
+cabin, where he found Wetherford saddled and ready
+for his momentous trip to the valley. He had shaved
+away his gray beard, and had Ross been unprepared for
+these changes he would have been puzzled to account
+for this decidedly military figure sitting statuesquely on
+his pony before the door.</p>
+<p>&#8220;You can prove an alibi,&#8221; he called, as he drew near.
+&#8220;Gregg himself would never recognize you now.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford was in no mood for joking. &#8220;Lize will.
+I wore a mustache in the old days, and there&#8217;s a scar
+on my chin.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As he rode he confided this strange thing to Cavanagh.
+&#8220;I know,&#8221; said he, &#8220;that Lize is old and wrinkled, for
+I&#8217;ve seen her, but all the same I can&#8217;t realize it. That
+heavy-set woman down there is not Lize. My Lize is
+slim and straight. This woman whom you know has
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_205' name='page_205'></a>205</span>
+stolen her name and face, that&#8217;s all. I can&#8217;t explain
+exactly what I feel, but Lee Virginia means more to me
+now than Lize.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I think I understand you,&#8221; said Cavanagh, with
+sympathy in his voice.</p>
+<p>The nearer Wetherford came to the actual meeting
+with his wife the more he shook. At last he stopped in
+the road. &#8220;I don&#8217;t believe I can do it,&#8221; he declared.
+&#8220;I&#8217;ll be like a ghost to her. What&#8217;s the use of it? She&#8217;ll
+only be worried by my story. I reckon I&#8217;d better keep
+dark to everybody. Let me go back. I&#8217;m plum scared
+cold.&#8221;</p>
+<p>While still he argued, two men on horseback rounded
+a sharp turn in the trail and came face to face with the
+ranger. Wetherford&#8217;s face went suddenly gray. &#8220;My
+God, there&#8217;s the deputy!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Keep quiet. I&#8217;ll do the talking,&#8221; commanded Cavanagh,
+who was instant in his determination to shield
+the man. &#8220;Good-morning, gentlemen,&#8221; he called, cheerily,
+&#8220;you&#8217;re abroad early!&#8221;</p>
+<p>The man in front was the deputy sheriff of the county;
+his companion was a stranger.</p>
+<p>&#8220;That was a horrible mess you stumbled on over on
+Deer Creek,&#8221; the deputy remarked.</p>
+<p>&#8220;It certainly was. Have any arrests been made?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not yet, but we&#8217;re on a clew. This is Marshal
+Haines, of Dallas, Mr. Cavanagh,&#8221; pursued the deputy.
+The two men nodded in token of the introduction,
+and the deputy went on: &#8220;You remember that old cuss
+that used to work for Gregg?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_206' name='page_206'></a>206</span></p>
+<p>Again Cavanagh nodded.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, that chap is wanted by the Texas authorities.
+Mr. Haines, here, wants to see him mighty bad. He&#8217;s an
+escaped convict with a bad record.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Is that so?&#8221; exclaimed Cavanagh. &#8220;I thought he
+seemed a bit gun-shy.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;The last seen of him was when Sam Gregg sent him
+up to herd sheep. I think he was mixed up in that killing,
+myself&mdash;him and Ballard&mdash;and we&#8217;re going up to get
+some track of him. Didn&#8217;t turn up at your station, did
+he?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, he came by some days ago, on his way, so he
+said, to relieve that sick Basque, Ambro. I went up a
+couple of days ago, and found the Basque dead and the
+old man gone. I buried the herder the best I could, and
+I&#8217;m on my way down to report the case.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The deputy mused: &#8220;He may be hanging &#8217;round some
+of the lumber-camps. I reckon we had better go up and
+look the ground over, anyhow. We might just chance to
+overhaul him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He may have pulled out over the range,&#8221; suggested
+the ranger. &#8220;Anyhow, it&#8217;s a long way up there, and
+you&#8217;ll probably have to camp at my place to-night.
+You&#8217;ll find the key hanging up over the door. Go in
+and make yourself comfortable.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The deputy thanked him, and was about to ride on
+when Cavanagh added: &#8220;I burned that Basque&#8217;s tent
+and bedding for fear of contagion. His outfit was worthless,
+anyhow. You&#8217;ll find the sheep just above my
+cabin, and the horse in my corral.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_207' name='page_207'></a>207</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;The old man didn&#8217;t take the horse, eh? Well, that
+settles it; he&#8217;s sure at one of the camps. Much obliged.
+Good-day.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As the two officers rode away Wetherford leaned heavily
+on his pommel and stared at the ranger with wide eyes.
+His face was drawn and his lips dry. &#8220;They&#8217;ll get me!
+My God, they&#8217;ll get me!&#8221; he said.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh no, they won&#8217;t,&#8221; rejoined Cavanagh. &#8220;You&#8217;re
+all right yet. They suspected nothing. How could
+they, with you in uniform and in my company?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;All the same, I&#8217;m scared. That man Haines had his
+eyes on me every minute. He saw right through me.
+They&#8217;ll get me, and they&#8217;ll charge me up with that
+killing.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, they won&#8217;t, I tell you,&#8221; insisted the ranger.
+&#8220;Haines suspected nothing. I had his eye. He never
+saw you before, and has nothing but a description to go
+by. So cheer up. Your uniform and your position with
+me will make you safe&mdash;perfectly safe. They&#8217;ll find the
+Basque&#8217;s camp burned and the sheep in charge of the
+dog, and they&#8217;ll fancy that you have skipped across the
+range. But see here, old man,&#8221; and he turned on him
+sharply, &#8220;you didn&#8217;t tell me the whole truth. You said
+you were out on parole.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I couldn&#8217;t tell you the whole truth,&#8221; replied the
+fugitive. &#8220;But I will now. I was in for a life sentence.
+I was desperate for the open air and homesick for the
+mountains, and I struck down one of the guards. I was
+willing to do anything to get out. I thought if I could
+get back to this country and my wife and child I&#8217;d be
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_208' name='page_208'></a>208</span>
+safe. I said I&#8217;d be willing to go back to the pen if
+necessary, but I&#8217;m not. I can&#8217;t do it. I&#8217;d die there in
+that hell. You must save me for my girl&#8217;s sake.&#8221;</p>
+<p>His voice and eyes were wild with a kind of desperate
+fury of fear, and Cavanagh, moved to pity, assured him of
+his aid. &#8220;Now listen,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to shield
+you on account of your work for that poor shepherd and
+for your daughter&#8217;s sake. It&#8217;s my duty to apprehend you,
+of course, but I&#8217;m going to protect you. The safest thing
+for you to do is to go back to my cabin. Ride slow, so
+as not to get there till they&#8217;re gone. They&#8217;ll ride over
+to the sawmill, without doubt. If they come back this
+way, remember that the deputy saw you only as a ragged
+old man with a long beard, and that Haines has nothing
+but a printed description to go by. There&#8217;s no use trying
+to flee. You are a marked man in that uniform, and you
+are safer right here with me than anywhere else this side
+of Chicago. Haines is likely to cross the divide in the
+belief that you have gone that way, and, if he does, you
+have no one but the deputy to deal with.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He succeeded at last in completely rousing the older
+man&#8217;s courage.</p>
+<p>Wetherford rose to meet his opportunity. &#8220;I&#8217;ll do it,&#8221;
+he said, firmly.</p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the talk!&#8221; exclaimed Cavanagh, to encourage
+him. &#8220;You can throw them off the track this time, and
+when I come back to-morrow I&#8217;ll bring some other
+clothing for you, and then we&#8217;ll plan some kind of a
+scheme that will get you out of the country. I&#8217;ll not let
+them make a scapegoat of you.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_209' name='page_209'></a>209</span></p>
+<p>The ranger watched the fugitive, as he started back
+over the trail in this desperate defiance of his pursuers,
+with far less confidence in the outcome than he
+had put into words.</p>
+<p>&#8220;All depends on Wetherford himself. If his nerve
+does not fail him, if they take the uniform for granted,
+and do not carry the matter to the Supervisor, we will
+pull the plan through.&#8221; And in this hope he rode
+away down the trail with bent head, for all this bore
+heavily upon his relationship to the girl waiting for him
+in the valley. He had thought Lize a burden, a social
+disability, but a convict father now made the mother&#8217;s
+faults of small account.</p>
+<p>The nearer he drew to the meeting with Lee Virginia
+the more important that meeting became. After all,
+woman is more important than war. The love of home
+and the child persists through incredible vicissitudes;
+the conqueror returns from foreign lands the lover still;
+and in the deep of flooded mines and on the icy slopes of
+arctic promontories dead men have been found holding
+in their rigid hands the pictured face of some fair girl.
+In the presence of such irrefutable testimony, who shall
+deny the persistence and the reality of love?</p>
+<p>Cavanagh had seen Virginia hardly more than a score
+of times, and yet she filled his thought, confused his plans,
+making of his brain a place of doubt and hesitation. For
+her sake he had entered upon a plan to shield a criminal,
+to harbor an escaped convict. It was of no avail to argue
+that he was moved to shield Wetherford because of his
+heroic action on the peak. He knew perfectly well that
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_210' name='page_210'></a>210</span>
+it was because he could not see that fair, brave girl
+further disgraced by the discovery of her father&#8217;s identity,
+for in the searching inquiry which would surely follow
+his secret would develop.</p>
+<p>To marry her, knowing the character of her father and
+her mother, was madness, and the voice within him warned
+him of his folly. &#8220;Pure water cannot be drawn from
+corrupt sources,&#8221; it is said. Nevertheless, the thought of
+having the girl with him in the wilderness filled him with
+divine recklessness. He was bewitched by the satin
+smoothness of her skin, the liquid light of her eye, the
+curve of her cheek, the swell of her bosom, and, most of
+all, by the involuntary movement of yielding which betrayed
+her trust and her love. While still he debated,
+alternately flushed with resolve to be happy and chilled
+by some strange dejection, he met Swenson, the young
+guard who guarded the forest on the south Fork.</p>
+<p>As he rode up, Cavanagh perceived in the other man&#8217;s
+face something profoundly serious. He did not smile in
+greeting, as was usual with him, and, taking some letters
+from his pocket, passed them over in ominous silence.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh, upon looking them over, selected a letter
+evidently from Mrs. Redfield, and stuffed the others
+into his coat-pocket. It was a closely written letter, and
+contained in its first sentence something which deeply
+affected him. Slipping from his saddle, he took a seat
+upon a stone, that he might the better read and slowly
+digest what was contained therein. He read on slowly,
+without any other movement than that which was required
+to turn the leaves. It was a passionate plea from
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_211' name='page_211'></a>211</span>
+Eleanor Redfield against his further entanglement with
+Lize Wetherford&#8217;s girl.</p>
+<p>&#8220;You cannot afford to marry her. You simply cannot.
+The old mother is too dreadful, and may live on for years.
+The girl is attractive, I grant you, but she&#8217;s tainted. If
+there is anything in the law of heredity, she will develop
+the traits of her mother or her father sooner or later.
+You must not marry her, Ross; and if you cannot, what
+will you do? There&#8217;s only one thing to do. Keep away.
+I enclose a letter from your sister, pleading with me to
+urge you to visit them this winter. She is not very
+strong, as you can see by her writing, and her request
+will give you an excuse for breaking off all connection
+with this girl. I am sorry for her, Ross, but you can&#8217;t
+marry her. You must not&mdash;you must not! Ride over
+and see us soon, and we will talk it all out together.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He opened another letter, but did not read it. He was
+too profoundly shaken by the first. He felt the pure
+friendship, the fine faith, and the guardianship of the
+writer, and he acknowledged the good sense of all she
+said, and yet&mdash;and yet&mdash;</p>
+<p>When he looked up Swenson was staring down at him
+with a face of such bitterness that it broke through even
+the absorbed and selfish meditation into which he had
+been thrown.</p>
+<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the matter, Swenson? You look as if you
+had lost a friend.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I have,&#8221; answered the guard, shortly, &#8220;and so have
+you. The chief is out.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_212' name='page_212'></a>212</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ve got him!&#8221; he exclaimed. &#8220;He&#8217;s out.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh sprang up. &#8220;I don&#8217;t believe it! For what
+reason? Why?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t that letter tell you? The whole town is
+chuckling. Every criminal and plug-ugly in the country
+is spitting in our faces this morning. Yes, sir, the President
+has fired the chief&mdash;the man that built up this
+Forestry Service. The whole works is goin&#8217; to hell,
+that&#8217;s what it is. We&#8217;ll have all the coal thieves,
+water-power thieves, poachers, and free-grass pirates
+piling in on us in mobs. They&#8217;ll eat up the forest. I
+see the finish of the whole business. They&#8217;ll put some
+Western man in, somebody they can work. Then where
+will we be?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh&#8217;s young heart burned with indignation, but
+he tried to check the other man&#8217;s torrent of protest.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t believe it. There&#8217;s some mistake. Maybe
+they&#8217;ve made him the secretary of the department or
+something.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, they haven&#8217;t. They&#8217;ve thrown him out. They&#8217;ve
+downed him because he tried to head off some thievery
+of coal-mines in Alaska.&#8221; The man was ready to weep
+with chagrin and indignant sorrow. His voice choked,
+and he turned away to conceal his emotion.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh put the letter back into his pocket and
+mounted his horse. &#8220;Well, go on back to your work,
+Swenson. I&#8217;m going to town to get the Supervisor on
+the wire, and find out what it all means.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He was almost as badly stunned by the significance of
+Swenson&#8217;s news as Swenson himself. Could it be possible
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_213' name='page_213'></a>213</span>
+that the man who had built up the field service of the
+bureau&mdash;the man whose clean-handed patriotism had
+held the boys together, making them every year more
+clearly a unit, a little army of enthusiasts&mdash;could it be possible
+that the originator, the organizer of this great plan,
+had been stricken down just when his influence was of
+most account? He refused to believe it of an administration
+pledged to the cause of conservation.</p>
+<p>As he entered the town he was struck instantly by the
+change in the faces turned toward him, in the jocular
+greetings hurled at him. &#8220;Hello, Mr. Cossack! What
+do you think of your chief now?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;This will put an end to your infernal nonsense,&#8221; said
+another. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have a man in there now who knows the
+Western ways, and who&#8217;s willing to boom things along.
+The cork is out of your forest bottle.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg was most offensive of all. &#8220;This means throwing
+open the forest to anybody that wants to use it.
+Means an entire reversal of this fool policy.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Wait and see,&#8221; replied Cavanagh, but his face was
+rigid with the repression of the fear and anger he felt.
+With hands that trembled he opened the door to the
+telephone-booth, closed it carefully behind him, and
+called for the Supervisor&#8217;s office. As soon as Redfield
+replied, he burst forth in question: &#8220;Is it true that the
+chief is out?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield&#8217;s voice was husky as he replied, &#8220;Yes, lad,
+they&#8217;ve got him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Good Lord! What a blow to the service!&#8221; exclaimed
+Cavanagh, with a groan of sorrow and rage. &#8220;What
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_214' name='page_214'></a>214</span>
+is the President thinking of&mdash;to throw out the only man
+who stood for the future, the man who had built up this
+corps, who was its inspiration?&#8221; Then after a pause he
+added, with bitter resolution: &#8220;This ends it for me.
+Here&#8217;s where I get off.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t say that, boy. We need you now more than
+ever.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m through. I&#8217;m done with America&mdash;with the
+States. I shall write my resignation at once. Send down
+another man to take my place.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield&#8217;s pleadings were of no avail. Cavanagh
+went directly from the booth to the post-office, and there,
+surrounded by jeering and exultant citizens, he penned
+his resignation and mailed it. Then, with stern and contemptuous
+face, he left the place, making no reply to the
+jeers of his enemies, and, mounting his horse, mechanically
+rode away out upon the plains, seeking the quiet,
+open places in order to regain calmness and decision. He
+did not deliberately ride away from Lee Virginia, but as
+he entered upon the open country he knew that he was
+leaving her as he was leaving the forests. He had cut
+himself off from her as he had cut himself off from the
+work he loved. His heart was swollen big within his
+breast. He longed for the return of &#8220;the Colonel&#8221; to
+the White House. &#8220;What manner of ruler is this who
+is ready to strike down the man whose very name means
+conservation, and who in a few years would have made
+this body of forest rangers the most effective corps of its
+size in the world?&#8221; He groaned again, and his throat
+ached with the fury of his indignation.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_215' name='page_215'></a>215</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Dismissed for insubordination,&#8221; the report said.
+&#8220;In what way? Only in making war on greed, in
+checking graft, in preserving the heritage of the people.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The lash that cut deepest was the open exultation of
+the very men whose persistent attempt to appropriate
+public property the chief had helped to thwart. &#8220;Redfield
+will go next. The influence that got the chief will
+get Hugh. He&#8217;s too good a man to escape. Then, as
+Swenson says, the thieves will roll in upon us to slash,
+and burn, and corrupt. What a country! What a
+country!&#8221;</p>
+<p>As he reached the end of this line of despairing thought,
+he came back to the question of his remaining personal
+obligations. Wetherford must be cared for, and then&mdash;and
+then! there was Virginia waiting for him at this
+moment. In his weakness he confessed that he had
+never intended to marry her, and yet he had never deliberately
+intended to do her wrong. He had always
+stopped short of the hideous treachery involved in despoiling
+her young love. &#8220;And for her sake, to save
+her from humiliation, I will help her father to freedom.&#8221;</p>
+<p>This brought him back to the hideous tragedy of the
+heights, and with that thought the last shred of faith in
+the sense of justice in the State vanished.</p>
+<p>&#8220;They will never discover those murderers. They
+will permit this outrage to pass unpunished, like the
+others. It will be merely another &#8216;dramatic incident&#8217;
+in the history of the range.&#8221;</p>
+<p>His pony of its own accord turned, and by a circuitous
+route headed at last for the home canon as if it knew
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_216' name='page_216'></a>216</span>
+its master&#8217;s wavering mind. Cavanagh observed what
+he was doing, but his lax hand did not intervene. Helpless
+to make the decision himself, he welcomed the intervention
+of the homing instinct of his horse. With
+bent head and brooding face he returned to the silence of
+the trail and the loneliness of the hills.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='XII_CAVANAGH_S_LAST_VIGIL_BEGINS' id='XII_CAVANAGH_S_LAST_VIGIL_BEGINS'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_217' name='page_217'></a>217</span>
+<h2>XII</h2>
+<h3>CAVANAGH&#8217;S LAST VIGIL BEGINS</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>On his solitary ride upward and homeward the ranger
+searched his heart and found it bitter and disloyal.
+Love had interfered with duty, and pride had checked
+and defeated love. His path, no longer clear and definite,
+looped away aimlessly, lost in vague, obscure
+meanderings. His world had suddenly grown gray.</p>
+<p>The magnificent plan of the Chief Forester (to which
+he had pledged such buoyant allegiance) was now a
+thing apart, a campaign in which he was to be merely
+an onlooker. It had once offered something congenial,
+helpful, inspiring; now it seemed fantastic and futile
+without the man who shaped it. &#8220;I am nearing forty,&#8221;
+he said; &#8220;Eleanor is right. I am wasting my time here
+in these hills; but what else can I do?&#8221;</p>
+<p>He had no trade, no business, no special skill, save in
+the ways of the mountaineer, and to return to his ancestral
+home at the moment seemed a woful confession of
+failure.</p>
+<p>But the cause of his deepest dismay and doubt was
+the revelation to himself of the essential lawlessness of
+his love, a force within him which now made his duties
+as a law-enforcer sadly ironic. After all, was not the
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_218' name='page_218'></a>218</span>
+man who presumed upon a maiden&#8217;s passion and weakness
+a greater malefactor than he who steals a pearl or
+strangles a man for his gold? To betray a soul, to
+poison a young life, is this not the unforgivable crime?</p>
+<p>&#8220;Here am I, a son of the law, complaining of the
+lawlessness of the West&mdash;fighting it, conquering it&mdash;and
+yet at the same time I permit myself to descend to the
+level of Neill Ballard, to think as the barbaric man
+thinks.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He burned hot with contempt of himself, and his teeth
+set hard in the resolution to put himself beyond the
+reach of temptation. &#8220;Furthermore, I am concealing a
+criminal, cloaking a convict, when I should be arresting
+him,&#8221; he pursued, referring back to Wetherford. &#8220;And
+why? Because of a girl&#8217;s romantic notion of her father,
+a notion which can be preserved only by keeping his
+secret, by aiding him to escape.&#8221; And even this motive,
+he was obliged to confess, had not all been on the highest
+plane. It was all a part of his almost involuntary campaign
+to win Virginia&#8217;s love. The impulse had been
+lawless, lawless as the old-time West, and the admission
+cut deep into his self-respect.</p>
+<p>It was again dusk as he rode up to his own hitching-pole
+and slipped from the saddle.</p>
+<p>Wetherford came out, indicating by his manner that
+he had recovered his confidence once more. &#8220;How did
+you find things in the valley?&#8221; he inquired, as they walked
+away toward the corral.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Bad,&#8221; responded the ranger.</p>
+<p>&#8220;In what way?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_219' name='page_219'></a>219</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;The chief has been dismissed and all the rascals are
+chuckling with glee. I&#8217;ve resigned from the service.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford was aghast. &#8220;What for?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I will not serve under any other chief. The best
+thing for you to do is to go out when I do. I think by
+keeping on that uniform you can get to the train with
+me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Did you see Lize and my girl?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, I only remained in town a minute. It was too
+hot for me. I&#8217;m done with it. Wetherford, I&#8217;m going
+back to civilization. No more wild West for me.&#8221; The
+bitterness of his voice touched the older man&#8217;s heart, but
+he considered it merely a mood.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t lose your nerve; mebbe this ends the reign of
+terror.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Nothing will end the moral shiftlessness of this
+country but the death of the freebooter. You can&#8217;t put
+new wine into old bottles. These cattle-men, deep in
+their hearts, sympathize with the wiping-out of those
+sheep-herders. The cry for justice comes from the man
+whose ear is not being chewed&mdash;the man far off&mdash;and
+from the town-builder who knows the State is being hurt
+by such atrocities; but the ranchers over on Deer Creek
+will conceal the assassins&mdash;you know that. You&#8217;ve had
+experience with these free-grass warriors; you know
+what they are capable of. That job was done by men
+who hated the dagoes&mdash;hated &#8217;em because they were
+rival claimants for the range. It&#8217;s nonsense to attempt
+to fasten it on men like Neill Ballard. The men who
+did that piece of work are well-known stock-owners.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_220' name='page_220'></a>220</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;I reckon that&#8217;s so.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, now, who&#8217;s going to convict them? I can&#8217;t do
+it. I&#8217;m going to pull out as soon as I can put my books
+in shape, and you&#8217;d better go too.&#8221;</p>
+<p>They were standing at the gate of the corral, and the
+roar of the mountain stream enveloped them in a cloud
+of sound.</p>
+<p>Wetherford spoke slowly: &#8220;I hate to lose my girl,
+now that I&#8217;ve seen her, but I guess you&#8217;re right; and Lize,
+poor old critter! It&#8217;s hell&#8217;s shame the way I&#8217;ve queered
+her life, and I&#8217;d give my right arm to be where I was
+twelve years ago; but with a price on my head and old
+age comin&#8217; on, I don&#8217;t see myself ever again getting up
+to par. It&#8217;s a losing game for me now.&#8221;</p>
+<p>There was resignation as well as despair in his voice
+and Cavanagh felt it, but he said, &#8220;There&#8217;s one other
+question that may come up for decision&mdash;if that Basque
+died of smallpox, you may possibly take it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve figured on that, but it will take a day or two to
+show on me. I don&#8217;t feel any ache in my bones yet.
+If I do come down, you keep away from me. You&#8217;ve
+got to live and take care of Virginia.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;She should never have returned to this accursed
+country,&#8221; Cavanagh harshly replied, starting back toward
+the cabin.</p>
+<p>The constable, smoking his pipe beside the fireplace,
+did not present an anxious face; on the contrary, he
+seemed plumply content as he replied to the ranger&#8217;s
+greeting. He represented very well the type of officer
+which these disorderly communities produce. Brave
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_221' name='page_221'></a>221</span>
+and tireless when working along the line of his prejudices,
+he could be most laxly inefficient when his duties
+cut across his own or his neighbor&#8217;s interests. Being
+a cattle-man by training, he was glad of the red herring
+which the Texas officer had trailed across the line of his
+pursuit.</p>
+<p>This attitude still further inflamed Cavanagh&#8217;s indignant
+hate of the country. The theory which the deputy
+developed was transparent folly. &#8220;It was just a case
+of plain robbery,&#8221; he argued. &#8220;One of them dagoes
+had money, and Neill Ballard and that man Edwards
+just naturally follered him and killed the whole bunch
+and scooted&mdash;that&#8217;s my guess.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh&#8217;s outburst was prevented by the scratching
+and whining of a dog at his door. For a moment he
+wondered at this; his perturbed mind had dropped the
+memory of the loyal collie.</p>
+<p>As he opened the door, the brute, more than half
+human in his gaze, looked beseechingly at his new master,
+as if to say, &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t help it&mdash;I was so lonely.
+And I love you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You poor beastie,&#8221; the ranger called, pityingly, and
+the dog leaped up in a frenzy of joyous relief, putting
+his paws on his breast, then dropped to the ground, and,
+crouching low on his front paws, quivered and yawned
+with ecstasy of worship. It seemed that he could not
+express his passionate adoration, his relief, except by
+these grotesque contortions.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Come in, Laddie!&#8221; Ross urged, but this the dog refused
+to do. &#8220;I am a creature of the open air,&#8221; he
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_222' name='page_222'></a>222</span>
+seemed to say. &#8220;My duties are of the outer world. I
+have no wish for a fireside&mdash;all I need is a master&#8217;s praise
+and a bit of bread.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh brought some food, and, putting it down
+outside the door, spoke to him, gently: &#8220;Good boy!
+Eat that and go back to your flock. I&#8217;ll come to see you
+in the morning.&#8221;</p>
+<p>When Cavanagh, a few minutes later, went to the door
+the dog was gone, and, listening, the ranger could hear the
+faint, diminishing bleating of the sheep on the hillside
+above the corral. The four-footed warden was with his
+flock.</p>
+<p>An hour later the sound of a horse&#8217;s hoofs on the
+bridge gave warning of a visitor, and as Cavanagh went
+to the door Gregg rode up, seeking particulars as to
+the death of the herder and the whereabouts of the
+sheep.</p>
+<p>The ranger was not in a mood to invite the sheepman
+in, and, besides, he perceived the danger to which Wetherford
+was exposed. Therefore his answers were short.
+Gregg, on his part, did not appear anxious to enter.</p>
+<p>&#8220;What happened to that old hobo I sent up?&#8221; he
+asked.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh briefly retold his story, and at the end of it
+Gregg grunted. &#8220;You say you burned the tent and all
+the bedding?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Every thread of it. It wasn&#8217;t safe to leave it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What ailed the man?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know, but it looked and smelled like smallpox.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_223' name='page_223'></a>223</span></p>
+<p>The deputy rose with a spring. &#8220;Smallpox! You
+didn&#8217;t <i>handle</i> the cuss?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh did not spare him. &#8220;Somebody had to lend
+a hand. I couldn&#8217;t see him die there alone, and he had
+to be buried, so I did the job.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg recoiled a step or two, but the deputy stood
+staring, the implication of all this sinking deep. &#8220;Were
+you wearing the same clothes you&#8217;ve got on?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, but I used a slicker while working around the
+body.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Good King!&#8221; The sweat broke out on the man&#8217;s
+face. &#8220;You ought to be arrested.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross took a step toward him. &#8220;I&#8217;m at your service.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Keep off!&#8221; shouted the sheriff.</p>
+<p>Ross smiled, then became very serious. &#8220;I took every
+precaution, Mr. Deputy; I destroyed everything that
+could possibly carry the disease. I burned every utensil,
+including the saddle, everything but the man&#8217;s horse and
+his dog!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;The dog!&#8221; exclaimed the deputy, seized with another
+idea. &#8220;Not that dog you fed just now?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;The very same,&#8221; replied Cavanagh.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you know a dog&#8217;s sure to carry the poison in
+his hair? Why, <i>he jumped on you</i>! Why didn&#8217;t you
+shoot him?&#8221; he demanded, fiercely.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Because he&#8217;s a faithful guardian, and, besides, he was
+with the sheep, and never so much as entered the tent.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Do you <i>know</i> that?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not absolutely, but he seemed to be on shy terms with
+the herder, and I&#8217;m sure&mdash;&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_224' name='page_224'></a>224</span></p>
+<p>The officer caught up his hat and coat and started for
+the door. &#8220;It&#8217;s me for the open air,&#8221; said he.</p>
+<p>As the men withdrew Ross followed them, and, standing
+in his door, delivered his final volley. &#8220;If this State does
+not punish those fiends, every decent man should emigrate
+out of it, turning the land over to the wolves, the
+wildcats, and other beasts of prey.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg, as he retreated, called back: &#8220;That&#8217;s all right,
+Mr. Ranger, but you&#8217;d better keep to the hills for a
+few weeks. The settlers down below won&#8217;t enjoy having
+a man with smallpox chassayin&#8217; around town.
+They might rope and tie you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford came out of his hiding-place with a grave
+face. &#8220;I wonder I didn&#8217;t think of that collie. They
+say a cat&#8217;s fur will carry disease germs like a sponge.
+Must be the same with a dog.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, it&#8217;s too late now,&#8221; replied Cavanagh. &#8220;But
+they&#8217;re right about our staying clear of town. They&#8217;ll
+quarantine us sure. All the same, I don&#8217;t believe the
+dog carried any germs of the disease.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford, now that the danger of arrest was over,
+was disposed to be grimly humorous. &#8220;There&#8217;s no great
+loss without some small gain. I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;ll be
+troubled by any more visitors&mdash;not even by sheriffs or
+doctors. I reckon you and I are in for a couple of
+months of the quiet life&mdash;the kind we read about.&#8221;</p>
+<hr class='tb' />
+
+<p>Cavanagh, now that he was definitely out of the Forest
+Service, perceived the weight of every objection which
+his friends and relatives had made against his going
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_225' name='page_225'></a>225</span>
+into it. It was a lonely life, and must ever be so. It
+was all very well for a young unmarried man, who loved
+the woods and hills beyond all things else, and who could
+wait for advancement, but it was a sad place for one
+who desired a wife. The ranger&#8217;s place was on the trail
+and in the hills, and to bring a woman into these high
+silences, into these lone reaches of forest and fell, would
+be cruel. To bring children into them would be criminal.</p>
+<p>All the next day, while Wetherford pottered about the
+cabin or the yard, Cavanagh toiled at his papers, resolved
+to leave everything in the perfect order which he
+loved. Whenever he looked round upon his belongings,
+each and all so redolent of the wilderness&mdash;he found them
+very dear. His chairs (which he had rived out of slabs),
+his guns, his robes, his saddles and their accoutrements&mdash;all
+meant much to him. &#8220;Some of them must
+go with me,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And when I am settled down in
+the old home I&#8217;ll have one room to myself which shall
+be so completely of the mountain America that when
+I am within it I can fancy myself back in the camp.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He thought of South Africa as a possibility, and put
+it aside, knowing well that no other place could have the
+same indefinable charm that the Rocky Mountains possessed,
+for the reason that he had come to them at his
+most impressionable age. Then, too, the United States,
+for all their faults, seemed merely an extension of the
+English form of government.</p>
+<p>Wetherford was also moving in deep thought, and at
+last put his perplexity into a question. &#8220;What am I to
+do? I&#8217;m beginning to feel queer. I reckon the chances
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_226' name='page_226'></a>226</span>
+for my having smallpox are purty fair. Maybe I&#8217;d
+better drop down to Sulphur and report to the authorities.
+I&#8217;ve got a day or two before the blossoms will begin to
+show on me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh studied him closely. &#8220;Now don&#8217;t get to
+thinking you&#8217;ve got it. I don&#8217;t see how you could attach
+a germ. The high altitude and the winds up there ought
+to prevent infection. I&#8217;m not afraid for myself, but if
+you&#8217;re able, perhaps we&#8217;d better pull out to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Later in the day Wetherford expressed deeper dejection.
+&#8220;I don&#8217;t see anything ahead of me anyhow,&#8221; he
+confessed. &#8220;If I go back to the &#8216;pen&#8217; I&#8217;ll die of lung
+trouble, and I don&#8217;t know how I&#8217;m going to earn a living
+in the city. Mebbe the best thing I could do would be
+to take the pox and go under. I&#8217;m afraid of big towns,&#8221;
+he continued. &#8220;I always was&mdash;even when I had money.
+Now that I am old and broke I daren&#8217;t go. No city for
+me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh&#8217;s patience gave way. &#8220;But, man, you can&#8217;t
+stay here! I&#8217;m packing up to leave. Your only chance
+of getting out of the country is to go when I go, and in
+my company.&#8221; His voice was harsh and keen, and the
+old man felt its edge; but he made no reply, and this sad
+silence moved Cavanagh to repentance. His irritability
+warned him of something deeply changing in his own
+nature.</p>
+<p>Approaching the brooding felon, he spoke gently and
+sadly. &#8220;I&#8217;m sorry for you, Wetherford, I sure am, but
+it&#8217;s up to you to get clear away so that Lee will never
+by any possible chance find out that you are alive. She
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_227' name='page_227'></a>227</span>
+has a romantic notion of you as a representative of the
+old-time West, and it would be a dreadful shock to her
+if she knew you as you are. It&#8217;s hard to leave her, I
+know, now that you&#8217;ve seen her, but that&#8217;s the manly
+thing to do&mdash;the only thing to do.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh, you&#8217;re right&mdash;of course you&#8217;re right. But I wish
+I could be of some use to her. I wish I could chore round
+for the rest of my life, where I could kind o&#8217; keep watch
+over her. I&#8217;d be glad enough to play the scullion in her
+kitchen. But if you&#8217;re going to take her&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But I&#8217;m not,&#8221; protested Ross. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to leave
+her right here. I can&#8217;t take her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford looked at him with steady eyes, into which
+a keen light leaped. &#8220;Don&#8217;t you intend to marry her?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross turned away. &#8220;No, I don&#8217;t&mdash;I mean it is impossible!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Why not? Don&#8217;t tell me you&#8217;re already married?&#8221;
+He said this with menacing tone.</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, I&#8217;m not married, but&mdash;&#8221; He stopped without
+making his meaning plain. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to leave the
+country and&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford caught him up. &#8220;I reckon I understand
+what you mean. You consider Lize and me undersirable
+parents&mdash;not just the kind you&#8217;d cut out of the herd of
+your own free will. Well, that&#8217;s all right, I don&#8217;t blame
+you so far as I&#8217;m concerned. But you can forget me,
+consider me a dead one. I&#8217;ll never bother her nor
+you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh threw out an impatient hand. &#8220;It is impossible,&#8221;
+he protested. &#8220;It&#8217;s better for her and better
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_228' name='page_228'></a>228</span>
+for me that I should do so. I&#8217;ve made up my mind.
+I&#8217;m going back to my own people.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford was thoroughly roused now. Some part
+of his old-time fire seemed to return to him. He rose
+from his chair and approached the ranger firmly. &#8220;I&#8217;ve
+seen you act like a man, Ross Cavanagh. You&#8217;ve been
+a good partner these last few days&mdash;a son couldn&#8217;t have
+treated me better&mdash;and I hate like hell to think ill of you;
+but my girl loves you&mdash;I could see that. I could see her
+lean to you, and I&#8217;ve got to know something else right now.
+You&#8217;re going to leave here&mdash;you&#8217;re going to throw her
+off. What I want to know is this: Do you leave her as
+good as you found her? Come, now, I want an answer,
+as one man to another.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh&#8217;s eyes met his with firm but sorrowful gaze.
+&#8220;In the sense in which you mean, I leave her as I found
+her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The old man&#8217;s open hand shot out toward his rescuer.
+&#8220;Forgive me, my lad,&#8221; he said, humbly; &#8220;for a minute
+I&mdash;doubted you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross took his hand, but slowly replied: &#8220;It will be
+hard for you to understand, when I tell you that I care
+a great deal for your daughter, but a man like me&mdash;an
+Englishman&mdash;cannot marry&mdash;or he ought not to marry&mdash;to
+himself alone. There are so many others to consider&mdash;his
+friends, his sisters&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford dropped his hand. &#8220;I see!&#8221; His tone
+was despairing. &#8220;When I was young we married the
+girls we loved in defiance of man, God, or the cupboard;
+but you are not that kind. You may be right. I&#8217;m
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_229' name='page_229'></a>229</span>
+nothing but a debilitated old cow-puncher branded by
+the State&mdash;a man who threw away his chance&mdash;but I
+can tell you straight, I&#8217;ve learned that nothing but the
+love of a woman counts. Furthermore,&#8221; and here his fire
+flashed again, &#8220;I&#8217;d have killed you had you taken advantage
+of my girl!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Which would have been your duty,&#8221; declared Cavanagh,
+wearily.</p>
+<p>And in the face of this baffling mood, which he felt
+but could not understand, the old man fell silent.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='XIII_CAVANAGH_ASKS_FOR_HELP' id='XIII_CAVANAGH_ASKS_FOR_HELP'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_230' name='page_230'></a>230</span>
+<h2>XIII</h2>
+<h3>CAVANAGH ASKS FOR HELP</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>Lee Virginia waited with increasing impatience for
+Ross Cavanagh&#8217;s return, expecting each noon to see
+him appear at the door; but when three days passed
+without word or sign from him, her uneasiness deepened
+into alarm. The whole town was profoundly excited
+over the murder, that she knew, and she began to fear
+that some of the ranger&#8217;s enemies had worked their evil
+will upon him.</p>
+<p>With this vague fear in her heart, she went forth into
+the street to inquire. One of the first men she met was
+Sifton, who was sitting, as usual, outside the livery-barn
+door, smiling, inefficient, content. Of him she asked:
+&#8220;Have you seen Mr. Cavanagh?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; he answered, &#8220;I saw him yesterday, just after
+dinner, down at the post-office. He was writing a letter
+at the desk. Almost immediately afterward he mounted
+and rode away. He was much cut up over his chief&#8217;s
+dismissal.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Why has he not written to me,&#8221; she asked herself,
+&#8220;and why should he have gone away without a word
+of greeting, explanation, or good-bye? It would have
+taken but a moment&#8217;s time to call at the door.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_231' name='page_231'></a>231</span></p>
+<p>The more she dwelt upon this neglect the more significant
+it became. After the tender look in his eyes, after
+the ardent clasp of his hand, the thought that he could
+be so indifferent was at once a source of pain and self-reproach.</p>
+<p>With childish frankness she went to Lize and told her
+what she had learned, her eyes dim with hot tears.
+&#8220;Ross came to town, and went away back to his cabin
+without coming to see me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Are you sure he&#8217;s been here?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes. Mr. Sifton saw him go. He came in, got some
+letters at the post-office, and then rode away&mdash;&#8221; Her
+voice broke as her disappointment and grief overcame
+her.</p>
+<p>Lize struggled to a sitting position. &#8220;There&#8217;s some
+mistake about this. Ross Cavanagh never was the
+whifflin&#8217; kind of man. You&#8217;ve got to remember he&#8217;s on
+duty. Probably the letter was some order that carried
+him right back to his work.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But if he had really cared, he could have ridden by
+to say just a word; but he didn&#8217;t, he went away without
+a sign, after promising to come.&#8221; She buried her face
+in the coverlet of her mother&#8217;s bed, and wept in childish
+grief and despair.</p>
+<p>Lize was forced to acknowledge that the ranger&#8217;s
+action was inexplicable, but she did her best to make
+light of it. &#8220;He may have hurried to town on some
+errand, and hadn&#8217;t a moment to spare. These are exciting
+days for him, remember. He&#8217;ll be in to-morrow
+sure.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_232' name='page_232'></a>232</span></p>
+<p>With a faint hope of this, the girl rose and went about
+her daily tasks; but the day passed, and another, without
+word or sign of the recreant lover, and each day brought
+a deeper sense of loss, but her pride would not permit
+her to show her grief.</p>
+<p>Young Gregg, without knowing in the least the cause
+of her troubled face, took this occasion to offer comfort.
+His manner toward her had changed since she no longer
+had a part in the management of the eating-house, and
+for that reason she did not repulse him as sharply as
+she had been wont to do. He really bore Cavanagh no
+ill-will, and was, indeed, shrewd enough to understand
+that Lee admired the ranger, and that his own courtship
+was rather hopeless; nevertheless, he persisted, his respect
+for her growing as he found her steadfast in her refusal
+to permit any familiarity.</p>
+<p>&#8220;See here, Miss Virginia,&#8221; he cried, as she was passing
+him in the hall, &#8220;I can see you&#8217;re worried about Lize
+(I mean your mother), and if I can be of any use I hope
+you&#8217;ll call on me.&#8221; As she thanked him without enthusiasm,
+he added: &#8220;How is she to-night?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I think she&#8217;s better.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Can I see her?&#8221;</p>
+<p>His tone was so earnest that the girl was moved to
+say: &#8220;I&#8217;ll ask her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I wish you would; I want to say something to her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize&#8217;s voice reached where they stood. &#8220;Come in,
+Joe, the door&#8217;s open.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He accepted her invitation rather awkwardly, but his
+face was impassive as he looked down upon her.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_233' name='page_233'></a>233</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, how about it?&#8221; she asked. &#8220;What&#8217;s doing in
+the town?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not much of anything&mdash;except talk. The whole
+country is buzzing over this dismissal of the Chief
+Forester.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;They&#8217;d better be doing something about that murder.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;They are; they&#8217;re going up there in streams to see
+where the work was done. The coroner&#8217;s inquest was
+held yesterday.&#8221; He grinned. &#8220;&#8216;Parties came to their
+death by persons unknown.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize scowled. &#8220;It&#8217;s a wonder they don&#8217;t charge it up
+to Ross Cavanagh or some other ranger.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That would be a little too raw, even for this country.
+They&#8217;re all feeling gay over this change in the forestry
+head; but see here, don&#8217;t you want to get out for a ride?
+I&#8217;ve got my new machine out here; it rides like silk.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I reckon a hearse is about my kind,&#8221; she replied,
+darkly. &#8220;If you could take me up to Cavanagh&#8217;s cabin,
+I&#8217;d go,&#8221; she added. &#8220;I want to see him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can take you part way,&#8221; he instantly declared.
+&#8220;But you&#8217;d have to ride a horse the last ten miles.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Couldn&#8217;t do it, Joe,&#8221; she sighed. &#8220;These last few
+days I&#8217;ve been about as boneless as an eel. Funny the
+way a fellow keeps going when he&#8217;s got something to do
+that has to be done. I&#8217;ll tell you what, if you want to
+take me and Lee up to Sulphur, I&#8217;ll go ye.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Sure thing. What day?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not for a day or two. I&#8217;m not quite up to it just
+now; but by Saturday I&#8217;ll be saddle-wise again.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_234' name='page_234'></a>234</span></p>
+<p>Joe turned joyously to Lee. &#8220;That will be great!
+Won&#8217;t you come out for a spin this minute?&#8221;</p>
+<p>For a moment Lee was tempted. Anything to get
+away from this horrible little den and the people who
+infested it was her feeling, but she distrusted Gregg, and
+she knew that every eye in the town would be upon her
+if she went, and, besides, Ross might return while she
+was away. &#8220;No, not to-day,&#8221; she replied, finally; but
+her voice was gentler than it had ever been to him.</p>
+<p>The young fellow was moved to explain his position
+to Lize. &#8220;You don&#8217;t think much of me, and I don&#8217;t
+blame you. I haven&#8217;t been much use so far, but I&#8217;m
+going to reform. If I had a girl like Lee Virginia to
+live up to, I&#8217;d make a great citizen. I don&#8217;t lay my
+arrest up against Cavanagh. I&#8217;m ready to pass that
+by. And as for this other business&mdash;this free-range war
+in which the old man is mixed up&mdash;I want you to know
+that I&#8217;m against it. Dad knows his day is short; that&#8217;s
+what makes him so hot. But he&#8217;s a bluff&mdash;just a fussy
+old bluff. He knows he has no more right to the Government
+grass than anybody else, but he&#8217;s going to get ahead
+of the cattle-men if he can.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Does he know who burned them sheep-herders?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Of course he knows, but ain&#8217;t going to say so. You
+see, that old Basque who was killed was a monopolist,
+too. He went after that grass without asking anybody&#8217;s
+leave; moreover, he belonged to that Mexican-Dago
+outfit that everybody hates. The old man isn&#8217;t crying
+over that job; it&#8217;s money in his pocket. All the same it&#8217;s
+too good a chance to put the hooks into the cattle-men,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_235' name='page_235'></a>235</span>
+hence his offering a reward, and it looks as if something
+would really be done this time. They say Neill Ballard
+was mixed up in it, and that old guy that showed me the
+sheep, but I don&#8217;t take much stock in that. Whoever
+did it was paid by the cattle-men, sure thing.&#8221; The
+young fellow&#8217;s tone and bearing made a favorable impression
+upon Lize. She had never seen this side of him,
+for the reason that he had hitherto treated her as a bartender.
+She was acute enough to understand that her
+social status had changed along with her release from
+the cash-register, and she was slightly more reconciled,
+although she could not see her way to providing a living
+for herself and Lee. For all these reasons she was unwontedly
+civil to Joe, and sent him away highly elated
+with the success of his interview.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to let him take us up to Sulphur,&#8221; she said
+to Lee. &#8220;I want to go to town.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee was silent, but a keen pang ran through her heart,
+for she perceived in this remark by her mother a tacit
+acknowledgment of Ross Cavanagh&#8217;s desertion of them
+both. His invitation to them to come and camp with
+him was only a polite momentary impulse. &#8220;I&#8217;m ready
+to go,&#8221; she announced, at last. &#8220;I&#8217;m tired of this place.
+Let us go to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
+<p>On the following morning, while they were busy packing
+for this journey, Redfield rolled up to the door in
+company with a young man in the uniform of a forester.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Go ask Reddy to come in,&#8221; commanded Lize. &#8220;I
+want to see him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield met the girl at the door and presented his companion
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_236' name='page_236'></a>236</span>
+as &#8220;Mr. Dalton, District Forester.&#8221; Dalton was
+a tall young fellow with a marked Southern accent. &#8220;Is
+Cavanagh, the ranger, in town?&#8221; he asked.</p>
+<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; Lee replied, with effort; &#8220;he was here a few
+days ago, but he&#8217;s gone back to the forest.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield studied the girl with keen gaze, perceiving
+a passionate restraint in her face.</p>
+<p>&#8220;How is your mother?&#8221; he asked, politely.</p>
+<p>Lee smiled faintly. &#8220;She&#8217;s able to sit up. Won&#8217;t
+you come in and see her?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;With pleasure,&#8221; assented Redfield, &#8220;but I want to
+see you alone. I have something to say to you.&#8221; He
+turned to his superior. &#8220;Just go into the café, Dalton.
+I&#8217;ll see you in a moment.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia, hitherto ashamed of the house, the
+furniture, the bed&mdash;everything&mdash;led the way without a
+word of apology. It was all detached now, something
+about to be left behind, like a bad garment borrowed in
+a time of stress. Nothing mattered since Ross did not
+return.</p>
+<p>Lize, looking unwontedly refined and gentle, was
+sitting in a big rocking-chair with her feet on a stool,
+her eyes fixed on the mountains, which showed through
+the open window. All the morning a sense of profound
+change, of something passing, had oppressed her. Now
+that she was about to leave the valley, its charm appealed
+to her. She was tearing up a multitude of tiny roots of
+whose existence she had hitherto remained unaware.
+&#8220;I belong here,&#8221; she acknowledged, silently. &#8220;I&#8217;d be
+homesick anywhere else on God&#8217;s earth. It&#8217;s rough and
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_237' name='page_237'></a>237</span>
+fly-bit, and all that, but so am I. I wouldn&#8217;t fit in anywhere
+that Lee belonged.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She acknowledged an especial liking for Redfield, and
+she had penetration enough, worldly wisdom enough, to
+know that Lee belonged more to his world than to her
+own, and that his guidance and friendship were worth
+more, much more, than that of all the rest of the country,
+her own included. Therefore, she said: &#8220;I&#8217;m mighty
+glad to see you, Reddy. Sit down. You&#8217;ve got to hear
+my little spiel this time.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield, perched on the edge of a tawdry chair, looked
+about (like the charity visitor in a slum kitchen) without
+intending to express disgust; but it was a dismal
+room in which to be sick, and he pitied the woman the
+more profoundly as he remembered her in the days
+when &#8220;all out-doors&#8221; was none too wide for her.</p>
+<p>Lize began, abruptly: &#8220;I&#8217;m down, but not out; in fact,
+I was coming up to see you this afternoon. Lee and I
+are just about pulling out for good.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Indeed! Why not go back with me?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You can take the girl back if you want to, but now
+that I&#8217;m getting my chance at you I may not go.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield&#8217;s tone was entirely cordial as he turned to
+Lee. &#8220;I came hoping to carry you away. Will you
+come?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid I can&#8217;t unless mother goes,&#8221; she replied,
+sadly.</p>
+<p>Lize waved an imperative hand. &#8220;Fade away, child.
+I want to talk with Mr. Redfield alone. Go, see!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Thus dismissed, Lee went back to the restaurant, where
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_238' name='page_238'></a>238</span>
+she found the Forester just sitting down to his luncheon.
+&#8220;Mr. Redfield will be out in a few minutes,&#8221; she explained.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Won&#8217;t you join me?&#8221; he asked, in the frank accent
+of one to whom women are comrades. &#8220;The Supervisor
+has been telling me about you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She took a seat facing him, feeling something refined
+in his long, smoothly shaven, boyish face. He seemed
+very young to be District Forester, and his eyes were a
+soft brown with small wrinkles of laughter playing round
+their corners.</p>
+<p>He began at once on the subject of his visit. &#8220;Redfield
+tells me you are a friend of Mr. Cavanagh&#8217;s; did you know
+that he had resigned?&#8221;</p>
+<p>She faced him with startled eyes. &#8220;No, indeed. Has
+he done so?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, the Supervisor got a letter yesterday enclosing his
+resignation, and asking to be relieved at once. And
+when I heard of it I asked the Supervisor to bring me
+down to see him; he&#8217;s too good a man to lose.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Why did he resign?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He seemed very bitter over the chief&#8217;s dismissal;
+but I hope to persuade him to stay in the service; he&#8217;s
+too valuable a man to lose just now when the war is so
+hot. I realize that his salary is too small; but there
+are other places for him. Perhaps when he knows that
+I have a special note to him from the chief he will
+reconsider. He&#8217;s quite capable of the Supervisor&#8217;s position,
+and Mr. Redfield is willing to resign in his favor.
+I&#8217;m telling you all this because Mr. Redfield has told
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_239' name='page_239'></a>239</span>
+me of your interest in Mr. Cavanagh&mdash;or rather his interest
+in you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Sam Gregg, entering the door at this moment, came
+directly to the Forester&#8217;s table. He was followed by
+the sheriff, a bearded old man with a soiled collar and
+a dim eye.</p>
+<p>Gregg growled out, &#8220;You&#8217;d better keep your man
+Cavanagh in the hills, Mr. Forester, or somebody will
+take a pot-shot at him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Why, what&#8217;s new?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;His assistant is down with smallpox.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;<i>Smallpox</i>!&#8221; exclaimed Dalton.</p>
+<p>Every jaw was fixed and every eye turned upon the
+speaker.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Smallpox!&#8221; gasped Lee.</p>
+<p>Gregg resumed, enjoying the sensation he was creating.
+&#8220;Yes, that Basque herder of mine&mdash;the one up
+near Black Tooth&mdash;sent word he was sick, so I hunted
+up an old tramp by the name of Edwards to take his
+place. Edwards found the dago dying of pox, and
+skipped out over the range, leaving him to die alone.
+Cavanagh went up and found the dago dead, and took
+care of him&mdash;result is, he&#8217;s full of germs, and has brought
+his apprentice down with it, and both of &#8217;em must be
+quarantined right where they are.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Good heavens, man!&#8221; exclaimed Dalton. &#8220;This is
+serious business. Are you sure it&#8217;s smallpox?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;One of my men came from there last night. I was
+there myself on Monday, so was the deputy. The
+sheriff missed Tom this morning, but I reached him by
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_240' name='page_240'></a>240</span>
+&#8217;phone, and Cavanagh admitted to us that the Basque
+died of smallpox, and that he buried him with his own
+hands.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The sheriff spoke up. &#8220;The criminal part of it is
+this, Mr. Dalton: Cavanagh didn&#8217;t report the case when
+he came down here, just went about leaving a trail of
+poison. Why didn&#8217;t he report it? He should be
+arrested.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Wait a moment,&#8221; said Dalton. &#8220;Perhaps it wasn&#8217;t
+pox, perhaps it was only mountain-fever. Cavanagh
+is not the kind of man to involve others in a pestilence.
+I reckon he knew it was nothing but a fever, and, not
+wishing to alarm his friends, he just slid into town and
+out again.&#8221;</p>
+<p>A flash of light, of heat, of joy went through Lee&#8217;s
+heart as she listened to Dalton&#8217;s defence of Cavanagh.
+&#8220;That was the reason why he rode away,&#8221; she thought.
+&#8220;He was afraid of bringing harm to us.&#8221; And this conviction
+lighted her face with a smile, even while the
+Forester continued his supposition by saying, &#8220;Of course,
+proper precautions should be taken, and as we are going
+up there, the Supervisor and I will see that a quarantine
+is established if we find it necessary.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg was not satisfied: &#8220;Cavanagh admitted to the
+deputy and to me that he believed the case to be smallpox,
+and said that he had destroyed the camp and everything
+connected with it except the horse and the dog, and yet
+he comes down here infectin&#8217; everybody he meets.&#8221; He
+turned to Lee. &#8220;You&#8217;d better burn the bed he slept on.
+He&#8217;s left a trail of germs wherever he went. I say the
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_241' name='page_241'></a>241</span>
+man is criminally liable, and should be jailed if he lives
+to get back to town.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee&#8217;s mind was off now on another tangent. &#8220;Suppose
+it is true?&#8221; she asked herself. &#8220;Suppose he has fallen
+sick away up there, miles and miles from any nurse or
+doctor&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s something queer about the whole business,&#8221;
+pursued Gregg. &#8220;For instance, who is this assistant he&#8217;s
+got? Johnson said there was an old man in ranger
+uniform potterin&#8217; round. Why didn&#8217;t he send word by
+him? Why did he let me come to the door? He might
+have involved <i>me</i> in the disease. I tell you, if you don&#8217;t
+take care of him the people of the county will.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The Forester looked grave. &#8220;If he <i>knew</i> it was pox
+and failed to report it he certainly did wrong; but you
+say he took care of this poor shepherd&mdash;nursed him till
+he died, and buried him, taking all precautions&mdash;you
+can&#8217;t complain of that, can you? That&#8217;s the act of a
+good ranger and a brave man. <i>You</i> wouldn&#8217;t have
+done it!&#8221; he ended, addressing Gregg. &#8220;Sickness up
+there two full miles above sea-level is quite a different
+proposition from sickness in Sulphur City or the Fork.
+I shall not condemn Mr. Cavanagh till I hear his side
+of the story.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee turned a grateful glance upon him. &#8220;You must
+be right. I don&#8217;t believe Mr. Cavanagh would deceive
+any one.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, we&#8217;ll soon know the truth,&#8221; said Dalton, &#8220;for
+I&#8217;m going up there. If the ranger has been exposed, he
+must not be left alone.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_242' name='page_242'></a>242</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;He ain&#8217;t alone,&#8221; declared the sheriff. &#8220;Tom
+&#8217;phoned me that he had an assistant.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Swenson, I suppose,&#8221; said Redfield, who entered at
+this moment. &#8220;Swenson is his assistant.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t see him myself,&#8221; Gregg continued, &#8220;but I
+understood the deputy to say that he was an old man.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Swenson is a young man,&#8221; corrected Redfield.</p>
+<p>The sheriff insisted. &#8220;Tom said it was an old man&mdash;a
+stranger to him&mdash;tall, smooth-shaven, not very strong,
+he said&mdash;&#8217;peared to be a cook. He had helped nurse
+the dago, so Tom said.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s very curious,&#8221; mused Redfield. &#8220;There
+isn&#8217;t an old man in the service of this forest. There&#8217;s a
+mistake somewhere.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; concluded Gregg, &#8220;that&#8217;s what he said. I
+thought at first it might be that old hobo Edwards, but
+this feller being in uniform and smooth-shaven&mdash;&#8221; His
+face changed, his voice deepened. &#8220;Say, by the Lord! I
+believe it was Edwards, and, furthermore, Edwards is the
+convict that Texas marshal was after the other day, and
+this man Cavanagh&mdash;your prize ranger&mdash;is harborin&#8217;
+him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What nonsense!&#8221; exclaimed Redfield.</p>
+<p>The sheriff banged his hand upon the table. &#8220;That&#8217;s
+the whole mystery. I see it all now. He&#8217;s up there concealing
+this man. He&#8217;s given out this smallpox scare just
+to keep the officers away from him. Now you&#8217;ve got
+it!&#8221;</p>
+<p>The thunder in his voice drew toward him all those
+who remained in the dining-room, and Lee found herself
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_243' name='page_243'></a>243</span>
+ringed about by a dozen excited men. But she did not
+flinch; she was too deeply concerned over Cavanagh&#8217;s
+fate to be afraid, and, besides, Redfield and the Forester
+were beside her.</p>
+<p>The Supervisor was staggered by Gregg&#8217;s accusation,
+and by certain confirmatory facts in his own possession,
+but he defended Cavanagh bravely. &#8220;You&#8217;re crazy,&#8221;
+he replied. &#8220;Why should Ross do such a foolish thing?
+What is his motive? What interest would he have in
+this man Edwards, whom you call a tramp? He can&#8217;t
+be a relative and certainly not a friend of Cavanagh&#8217;s,
+for you say he is a convict. Come, now, your hatred of
+Cavanagh has gone too far.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg was somewhat cooled by this dash of reason, but
+replied: &#8220;I don&#8217;t know what relation he is, but these are
+facts. He&#8217;s concealing an escaped convict, and he
+knows it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Dalton put in a quiet word. &#8220;What is the use of
+shouting a judgment against a man like Cavanagh before
+you know the facts? He&#8217;s one of the best and
+ablest rangers on this forest. I don&#8217;t know why he has
+resigned, but I&#8217;m sure&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Has he resigned?&#8221; asked Gregg, eagerly.</p>
+<p>&#8220;He has.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;A damn good job for him. I was about to circulate
+a petition to have him removed.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;If all the stockmen in the valley had signed a petition
+against him, it wouldn&#8217;t have done any good,&#8221; replied
+Dalton. &#8220;We know a good man when we see him.
+I&#8217;m here to offer him promotion, not to punish him.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_244' name='page_244'></a>244</span></p>
+<p>Lee, looking about at the faces of these men, and seeing
+disappointment in their faces, lost the keen sting of
+her own humiliation. &#8220;In the midst of such a fight as
+this, how can he give time or thought to me?&#8221; Painful as
+the admission was, she was forced to admit that she was
+a very humble factor in a very large campaign. &#8220;But
+suppose he falls ill!&#8221; Her face grew white and set, and
+her lips bitter. &#8220;That would be the final, tragic touch,&#8221;
+she thought, &#8220;to have him come down of a plague from
+nursing one of Sam Gregg&#8217;s sheep-herders.&#8221; Aloud
+she said: &#8220;His resignation comes just in time, doesn&#8217;t
+it? He can now be sick without loss to the service.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Dalton answered her. &#8220;The Supervisor has not accepted
+his resignation. On the contrary, I shall offer
+him a higher position. His career as a forester is only
+beginning. He would be foolish to give up the work
+now, when the avenues of promotion are just opening. I
+can offer him very soon the supervision of a forest.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As they talked Lee felt herself sinking the while her
+lover rose. It was all true. The Forester was right.
+Ross was capable of any work they might demand of
+him. He was too skilled, too intelligent, too manly, to
+remain in the forest, heroic as its duties seemed.</p>
+<p>Upon this discussion, Lize, hobbling painfully, appeared.
+With a cry of surprise, Lee rose to meet her.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Mother, you must not do this!&#8221;</p>
+<p>She waved her away. &#8220;I&#8217;m all right,&#8221; she said,
+&#8220;barring the big marbles in my slippers.&#8221; Then she
+turned to Dalton. &#8220;Now what&#8217;s it all about? Is it
+true that Ross is down?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_245' name='page_245'></a>245</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;No. So far as we know, he is well.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, I&#8217;m going to find out. I don&#8217;t intend to set here
+and have him up there without a cook or a nurse.&#8221;</p>
+<p>At this moment a tall, fair young fellow, dressed in a
+ranger&#8217;s uniform, entered the room, and made his way
+directly to the spot where Lee, her mother, and Redfield
+were standing. &#8220;Mr. Supervisor, Cavanagh has sent
+me to tell you that he needs a doctor. He&#8217;s got a sick
+man up at The Station, and he&#8217;s afraid it&#8217;s a case of
+smallpox.&#8221; He turned to Lee. &#8220;He told me to tell
+you that he would have written, only he was afraid to
+even send a letter out.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What does he need?&#8221; asked Redfield.</p>
+<p>&#8220;He needs medicine and food, a doctor, and he ought
+to have a nurse.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s my job,&#8221; said Lize.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Nonsense!&#8221; said Redfield. &#8220;You&#8217;re not fit to ride
+a mile. I won&#8217;t hear of your going.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You wait and see. I&#8217;m goin&#8217;, and you can&#8217;t stop me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Who is the man with him?&#8221; asked the Forester.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know. An old herder, he said. He said he
+could take care of him all right for the present, but that
+if he were taken down himself&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee&#8217;s mounting emotion broke from her in a little
+cry. &#8220;Oh, Mr. Redfield, please let me go too! I want
+to help&mdash;I must help!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield said: &#8220;I&#8217;ll telephone to Sulphur City and ask
+Brooks to get a nurse, and come down as soon as possible.
+Meanwhile I&#8217;ll go out to see what the conditions are.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going too, I tell you,&#8221; announced Lize. &#8220;I&#8217;ve
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_246' name='page_246'></a>246</span>
+had the cussed disease, and I&#8217;m not afraid of it. We had
+three sieges of it in my family. You get me up there,
+and I&#8217;ll do the rest.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But you are ill?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I was, but I&#8217;m not now.&#8221; Her voice was firmer
+than it had been for days. &#8220;All I needed was something
+to do. Ross Cavanagh has been like a son to me for two
+years; he&#8217;s the one man in this country I&#8217;d turn my hand
+over for&mdash;barrin&#8217; yourself, Reddy&mdash;and it&#8217;s my job to see
+him through this pinch.&#8221;</p>
+<p>In spite of all opposition, she had her way. Returning
+to her room to get such clothing as she needed for her
+stay in the hills, she waited for Redfield to send a carriage
+to her. &#8220;I can&#8217;t ride a horse no more,&#8221; she sorrowfully
+admitted.</p>
+<p>Lee&#8217;s secret was no secret to any one there. Her wide
+eyes and heaving breast testified to the profound stir in
+her heart. She was in an anguish of fear lest Ross
+should already be in the grip of his loathsome enemy.
+That it had come to him by way of a brave and noble
+act only made the situation the more tragic.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='XIV_THE_PESTHOUSE' id='XIV_THE_PESTHOUSE'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_247' name='page_247'></a>247</span>
+<h2>XIV</h2>
+<h3>THE PEST-HOUSE</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>Cavanagh had kept a keen watch over Wetherford,
+and when one night the old man began to complain of
+the ache in his bones his decision was instant.</p>
+<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve got it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s up to us to move down
+the valley to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford protested that he would as soon die in the
+hills as in the valley. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want Lee Virginia to
+know, but if I seem liable to fade out, I&#8217;d like Lize to
+be told that I didn&#8217;t forget her, and that I came back to
+find out how she was. I hate to be a nuisance to you,
+and so I&#8217;ll go down the valley if you say so.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As he was about to turn in that night Ross heard a
+horse cross the bridge, and with intent to warn the rider
+of his danger, went to the door and called out: &#8220;Halt!
+Who&#8217;s there?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;A friend,&#8221; replied the stranger, in a weak voice.</p>
+<p>Ross permitted his visitor to ride up to the pole. &#8220;I
+can&#8217;t ask you in,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;I&#8217;ve a sick man inside.
+Who are you, and what can I do for you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Notwithstanding this warning the rider dropped from
+his saddle, and came into the light which streamed from
+the door.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_248' name='page_248'></a>248</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;My name is Dunn,&#8221; he began. &#8220;I&#8217;m from Deer
+Creek.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I know you,&#8221; responded the ranger. &#8220;You&#8217;re that
+rancher I saw working in the ditch the day I went to
+telephone, and you&#8217;ve come to tell me something about
+that murder.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The other man broke into a whimper. &#8220;I&#8217;m a law-abiding
+man, Mr. Cavanagh,&#8221; he began, tremulously.
+&#8220;I&#8217;ve always kept the law, and never intended to have
+anything to do with that business. I was dragged into it
+against my will. I&#8217;ve come to you because you&#8217;re an
+officer of the Federal law. You don&#8217;t belong here. I
+trust you. You represent the President, and I want to
+tell you what I know&mdash;only I want you to promise not to
+bring me into it. I&#8217;m a man of a family, and I can&#8217;t bear
+to have them know the truth.&#8221;</p>
+<p>There was deep agitation and complete sincerity in
+the rancher&#8217;s choked and hesitant utterance, and Cavanagh
+turned cold with a premonition of what he was
+about to disclose. &#8220;I am not an officer of the law, Mr.
+Dunn, not in the sense you mean, but I will respect your
+wishes.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I know that you are not an officer of the county law,
+but you&#8217;re not a cattle-man. It is your business to keep
+the peace in the wild country, and you do it, everybody
+knows that; but I can&#8217;t trust the officers of this country,
+they&#8217;re all afraid of the cowboys. You&#8217;re not afraid, and
+you represent the United States, and I&#8217;ll tell you. I
+can&#8217;t bear it any longer!&#8221; he wailed. &#8220;I must tell
+somebody. I can&#8217;t sleep and I can&#8217;t eat. I&#8217;ve been
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_249' name='page_249'></a>249</span>
+like a man in a nightmare ever since. I had no hand
+in the killing&mdash;I didn&#8217;t even see it done; but I knew it
+was going to happen. I saw the committee appointed.
+The meeting that decided it was held in my barn, but
+I didn&#8217;t know what they intended to do. You believe
+me, don&#8217;t you?&#8221; He peered up at Cavanagh with white
+face and wild eyes.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Go on,&#8221; replied the ranger; &#8220;I&#8217;ll protect you&mdash;if I
+can. Go on. It&#8217;s your duty&mdash;tell all you know.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The troubled man, after a little silence, resumed.
+&#8220;Sometimes I feel that I&#8217;d be happier in jail than I am
+walking about in the sunshine. I never dreamed civilized
+men could do such deeds. I thought they were
+only going to scare the herders and drive them out, as
+they&#8217;ve done so many times before. I can see now that
+they used my barn for a meeting-place because everybody
+believed me to be a man of peace. And I am.
+I&#8217;m over seventy years of age, Mr. Cavanagh, and I&#8217;ve
+been a law-abiding citizen all my life.&#8221;</p>
+<p>His mind, shattered by the weight of his ghastly secret,
+was in confusion, and, perceiving this, Cavanagh began
+to question him gently. One by one he procured the
+names of those who voted to &#8220;deal with&#8221; the herders.
+One by one he obtained also the list of those named on
+&#8220;the Committee of Reprisal,&#8221; and as the broken man
+delivered himself of these accusing facts he grew calmer.
+&#8220;I didn&#8217;t know&mdash;I couldn&#8217;t <i>believe</i>&mdash;that the men on that
+committee could chop and burn&mdash;&#8221; His utterance failed
+him again, and he fell silent abruptly.</p>
+<p>&#8220;They must have been drunk&mdash;mad drunk,&#8221; retorted
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_250' name='page_250'></a>250</span>
+Cavanagh. &#8220;And yet who would believe that even
+drink could inflame white men to such devil&#8217;s work?
+When did you first know what had been done?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That night after it was done one of the men, my
+neighbor, who was drawn on the committee, came to my
+house and asked me to give him a bed. He was afraid
+to go home. &#8216;I can&#8217;t face my wife and children,&#8217; he
+said. He told me what he&#8217;d seen, and then when I remembered
+that it had all been decided in my stable,
+and the committee appointed there, I began to tremble.
+You believe I&#8217;m telling the truth, don&#8217;t you?&#8221; he again
+asked, with piteous accent.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, I believe you. You must tell this story to the
+judge. It will end the reign of the cattle-men.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh no, I can&#8217;t do that.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You must do that. It is your duty as a Christian
+man and citizen.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, no; I&#8217;ll stay and help you&mdash;I&#8217;ll do anything
+but that. I&#8217;m afraid to tell what I know. They would
+burn me alive. I&#8217;m not a Western man. I&#8217;ve never
+been in a criminal court. I don&#8217;t belong to this wild
+country. I came out here because my daughter is not
+strong, and now&mdash;&#8221; He broke down altogether, and
+leaning against his horse&#8217;s side, sobbed pitifully.</p>
+<p>Cavanagh, convinced that the old man&#8217;s mind was
+too deeply affected to enable him to find his way back
+over the rough trail that night, spoke to him gently. &#8220;I&#8217;ll
+get you something to eat,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Sit down here, and
+rest and compose yourself.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford turned a wild eye on the ranger as he reentered.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_251' name='page_251'></a>251</span>
+&#8220;Who&#8217;s out there?&#8221; he asked. &#8220;Is it the
+marshal?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, it&#8217;s only one of the ranchers from below; he&#8217;s
+tired and hungry, and I&#8217;m going to feed him,&#8221; Ross
+replied, filled with a vivid sense of the diverse characters
+of the two men he was serving.</p>
+<p>Dunn received the food with an eager hand, and after
+he had finished his refreshment, Cavanagh remarked:
+&#8220;The whole country should be obliged to you for your
+visit to me. I shall send your information to Supervisor
+Redfield.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t use my name,&#8221; he begged. &#8220;They will kill me
+if they find out that I have told. We were all sworn to
+secrecy, and if I had not seen that fire&mdash;that pile of
+bodies&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I know, I know! It horrified me. It made me
+doubt humanity,&#8221; responded Cavanagh. &#8220;We of the
+North cry out against the South for lynching black rapers;
+but here, under our eyes, goes on an equally horrible display
+of rage over the mere question of temporary advantage,
+over the appropriation of free grass, which is a
+Federal resource&mdash;something which belongs neither to one
+claimant nor to the other, but to the people, and should
+be of value to the people. There is some excuse for
+shooting and burning a man who violates a woman, but
+what shall we say of those who kill and dismember men
+over the possession of a plot of grass? You must bring
+these men to punishment.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Dunn could only shiver in his horror and repeat his
+fear. &#8220;They&#8217;ll kill me if I do.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_252' name='page_252'></a>252</span></p>
+<p>Cavanagh at last said: &#8220;You must not attempt to ride
+back to-night. I can&#8217;t give you lodging in the cabin, because
+my patient is sick of smallpox, but you can camp
+in the barn till morning, then ride straight back to my
+friend Redfield, and tell him what you&#8217;ve told me. He
+will see that you are protected. Make your deposition
+and leave the country, if you are afraid to remain.&#8221;</p>
+<p>In the end the rancher promised to do this, but his tone
+was that of a broken and distraught dotard. All the
+landmarks of his life seemed suddenly shifted. All the
+standards of his life hitherto orderly and fixed were now
+confused and whirling, and Cavanagh, understanding
+something of his plight, pitied him profoundly. It was
+of a piece with this ironic story that the innocent man
+should suffer madness and the guilty go calmly about
+their business of grazing their cattle on the stolen grass.</p>
+<p>Meanwhile the sufferings of his other patient were
+increasing, and he was forced to give up all hope of getting
+him down the trail next morning; and when Swenson,
+the Forest Guard from the south Fork, knocked at the
+door to say that he had been to the valley, and that the
+doctor was coming up with Redfield and the District Forester,
+Ross thanked him, but ordered him to go into camp
+across the river, and to warn everybody to keep clear of
+the cabin. &#8220;Put your packages down outside the door,&#8221;
+he added, &#8220;and take charge of the situation on the outside.
+I&#8217;ll take care of the business inside.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Wetherford was in great pain, but the poison of the
+disease had misted his brain, and he no longer worried
+over the possible disclosure of his identity. At times he
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_253' name='page_253'></a>253</span>
+lost the sense of his surroundings and talked of his prison
+life, or of the long ride northward. Once he rose in his
+bed to beat off the wolves which he said were attacking
+his pony.</p>
+<p>He was a piteous figure as he struggled thus, and it
+needed neither his relationship to Lee nor his bravery in
+caring for the Basque herder to fill the ranger&#8217;s heart
+with a desire to relieve his suffering. &#8220;Perhaps I should
+have sent for Lize at once,&#8221; he mused, as the light brought
+out the red signatures of the plague.</p>
+<p>Once the old man looked up with wide, dark, unseeing
+eyes and murmured, &#8220;I don&#8217;t seem to know
+you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m a friend&mdash;my name is Cavanagh.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t place you,&#8221; he sadly admitted. &#8220;I feel pretty
+bad. If I ever get out of this place I&#8217;m going back to the
+Fork; I&#8217;ll get a gold-mine, then I&#8217;ll go back and make
+up for what Lize has gone through. I&#8217;m afraid to go
+back now.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;All right,&#8221; Ross soothingly agreed; &#8220;but you&#8217;ll have
+to keep quiet till you get over this fever you&#8217;re suffering
+from.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;If Lize weren&#8217;t so far away, she&#8217;d come and nurse
+me&mdash;I&#8217;m pretty sick. This stone-cutting&mdash;this inside
+work is hell on an old cow-puncher like me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Swenson came back to say that probably Redfield
+and the doctor would reach The Station by noon, and
+thereafter, for the reason that Cavanagh expected their
+coming, the hours dragged wofully. It was after one
+o&#8217;clock before Swenson announced that two teams were
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_254' name='page_254'></a>254</span>
+coming with three men and two women in them. &#8220;They&#8217;ll
+be here in half an hour.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The ranger&#8217;s heart leaped. Two women! Could one
+of them be Lee Virginia? What folly&mdash;what sweet,
+desperate folly! And the other&mdash;she could not be Lize&mdash;for
+Lize was too feeble to ride so far. &#8220;Stop them on
+the other side of the bridge,&#8221; he commanded. &#8220;Don&#8217;t
+let them cross the creek on any pretext.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As he stood in the door the flutter of a handkerchief,
+the waving of a hand, made his pulses glow and his eyes
+grow dim. It was Virginia!</p>
+<p>Lize did not flutter a kerchief or wave a hand, but
+when Swenson stopped the carriage at the bridge she
+said: &#8220;No, you don&#8217;t! I&#8217;m going across. I&#8217;m going to
+see Ross, and if he needs help, I&#8217;m going to roll up
+my sleeves and take hold.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh saw her advancing, and, as she came near
+enough for his voice to reach her, he called out: &#8220;Don&#8217;t
+come any closer! Stop, I tell you!&#8221; His voice was
+stern. &#8220;You must not come a step nearer. Go back
+across the dead-line and stay there. No one but the
+doctor shall enter this door. Now that&#8217;s final.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I want to help!&#8221; she protested.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I know you do; but I won&#8217;t have it. This quarantine
+is real, and it goes!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But suppose you yourself get sick?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll cross <i>that</i> bridge when we get to it. I&#8217;m all
+right so far, and I&#8217;ll call for help when I need it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>His tone was imperative, and she obeyed, grumbling
+about his youth and the value of his life to the service.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_255' name='page_255'></a>255</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s all very nice,&#8221; he replied; &#8220;but I&#8217;m in it, and
+I don&#8217;t intend to expose you or any one else to the contagion.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve had it once,&#8221; she asserted.</p>
+<p>He looked at her, and smiled in recognition of her
+subterfuge.</p>
+<p>&#8220;No matter; you&#8217;re ailing, and might take it again,
+so toddle back. It&#8217;s mighty good of you, and of Lee,
+to come&mdash;but there isn&#8217;t a thing you can do, and here&#8217;s
+the doctor,&#8221; he added, as he recognized the young
+student who passed for a physician in the Fork. He
+was a beardless youth of small experience and no great
+courage, and as he approached with hesitant feet he
+asked:</p>
+<p>&#8220;Are you sure it&#8217;s smallpox?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh smiled. &#8220;The indications are all that
+way. That last importation of Basques brought it
+probably from the steerage of the ship. I&#8217;m told they&#8217;ve
+had several cases over in the Basin.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Have you been vaccinated?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes; when I was in the army.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Then you&#8217;re all right.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I hope so.&#8221;</p>
+<p>There was a certain comic relief in this long-distance
+diagnosing of a &#8220;case&#8221; by a boy, and yet the tragic fact
+beneath it all was that Wetherford was dying, a broken
+and dishonored husband and father, and that his identity
+must be concealed from his wife and daughter, who were
+much more deeply concerned over the ranger than over
+the desperate condition of his patient. &#8220;And this must
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_256' name='page_256'></a>256</span>
+continue to be so,&#8221; Cavanagh decided. And as he stood
+there looking toward the girl&#8217;s fair figure on the bridge,
+he came to the final, fixed determination never to speak
+one word or make a sign that might lead to the dying
+man&#8217;s identification. &#8220;Of what use is it?&#8221; he asked
+himself. &#8220;Why should even Lize be made to suffer?
+Wetherford&#8217;s poor misspent life is already over for her,
+and for Lee he is only a dim memory.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield came near enough to see that the ranger&#8217;s
+face, though tired, showed no sign of illness, and was
+relieved. &#8220;Who is this old herder?&#8221; he asked. &#8220;Hasn&#8217;t
+he any relatives in the country?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He came from Texas, so he said. You&#8217;re not coming
+in?&#8221; he broke off to say to the young physician, whom
+Lize had shamed into returning to the cabin.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I suppose I&#8217;ll have to,&#8221; he protested, weakly.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t see the need of it. The whole place reeks of the
+poison, and you might carry it away with you. Unless
+you insist on coming in, and are sure you can prevent
+further contagion, I shall oppose your entrance. You
+are in the company of others&mdash;I must consider their
+welfare.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The young fellow was relieved. &#8220;Well, so long as we
+know what it is I can prescribe just as well right here,&#8221;
+he said, and gave directions for the treatment, which
+the ranger agreed to carry out.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I tried to bring a nurse,&#8221; explained Redfield, &#8220;but I
+couldn&#8217;t find anybody but old Lize who would come.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t blame them,&#8221; replied Ross. &#8220;It isn&#8217;t a nice
+job, even when you&#8217;ve got all the conveniences.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_257' name='page_257'></a>257</span></p>
+<p>His eyes, as he spoke, were on the figure of Lee, who
+still stood on the bridge awed and worshipful, barred of
+approach by Lize. &#8220;She shall not know,&#8221; he silently
+vowed. &#8220;Why put her through useless suffering and
+shame? Edward Wetherford&#8217;s disordered life is near its
+end. To betray him to his wife and daughter would be
+but the reopening of an old wound.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He was stirred to the centre of his heart by the coming
+of Lee Virginia, so sweet and brave and trustful. His
+stern mood melted as he watched her there waiting,
+with her face turned toward him, longing to help. &#8220;She
+would have come alone if necessary,&#8221; he declared, with
+a fuller revelation of the self-sacrificing depth of her
+love, &#8220;and she would come to my side this moment if I
+called her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>To the District Forester he said no more than to Redfield.
+&#8220;Edwards is evidently an old soldier,&#8221; he declared.
+&#8220;He was sent up here by Gregg to take the place of a
+sick herder. He took care of that poor herder till he
+died, and then helped me to bury him; now here he lies
+a victim to his own sense of duty, and I shall not desert
+him.&#8221; And to himself he added: &#8220;Nor betray him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He went back to his repulsive service sustained and
+soothed by the little camp of faithful friends on the
+other side of the stream. The tender grace of the girl&#8217;s
+attitude, her air of waiting, of anxiety, of readiness to
+serve, made him question the basis of his family pride.
+He recognized in her the spirit of her sire, tempered,
+sweetened, made more stable, by something drawn from
+unknown sources. At the moment he felt that Lee was
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_258' name='page_258'></a>258</span>
+not merely his equal but his superior in purity of character
+and in purpose. &#8220;What nonsense we talk of heredity, of
+family,&#8221; he thought.</p>
+<p>Standing over the wasted body of his patient, he asked
+again: &#8220;Why let even Lize know? To her Ed Wetherford
+is dead. She remembers him now as a young,
+dashing, powerful horseman, a splendid animal, a picturesque
+lover. Why wring her heart by permitting her
+to see this wreck of what was once her pride?&#8221;</p>
+<p>As for Wetherford himself, nothing mattered very
+much. He spoke of the past now and then, but not in the
+phrase of one who longs for the return of happy days&mdash;rather
+in the voice of one who murmurs a half-forgotten
+song. He called no more for his wife and child, and if he
+had done so Cavanagh would have reasoned that the
+call arose out of weakness, and that his better self, his
+real self, would still desire to shield his secret from his
+daughter.</p>
+<p>And this was true, for during one of his clearest moments
+Wetherford repeated his wish to die a stranger.
+&#8220;I&#8217;m goin&#8217; out like the old-time West, a rag of what I
+once was. Don&#8217;t let them know&mdash;put no name over
+me&mdash;just say: &#8216;An old cow-puncher lies here.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh&#8217;s attempt to change his hopeless tone
+proved unavailing. Enfeebled by his hardships and
+his prison life, he had little reserve force upon which to
+draw in fighting such an enemy. He sank soon after
+this little speech into a coma which continued to hold
+him in its unbroken grasp as night fell.</p>
+<p>Meantime, seeing no chance of aiding the ranger,
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_259' name='page_259'></a>259</span>
+Redfield and the Forester prepared to return, but Lee,
+reinforced by her mother, refused to accompany them.
+&#8220;I shall stay here,&#8221; she said, &#8220;till he is safely out of it&mdash;till
+I <i>know</i> that he is beyond all danger.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield did not urge her to return as vigorously as
+Dalton expected him to do, but when he understood the
+girl&#8217;s desire to be near her lover, he took off his hat and
+bowed to her. &#8220;You are entirely in the right,&#8221; he said.
+&#8220;Here is where you belong.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield honored Lize for her sympathetic support of
+her daughter&#8217;s resolution, and expressed his belief that
+Ross would escape the plague. &#8220;I feel that his splendid
+vigor, combined with the mountain air, will carry him
+through&mdash;even if he should prove not to be immune. I
+shall run up again day after to-morrow. I shall be very
+anxious. What a nuisance that the telephone-line is not
+extended to this point. Ross has been insisting on its
+value for months.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee saw the doctor go with some dismay. Young as
+he was, he was at least a reed to cling to in case the
+grisly terror seized upon the ranger. &#8220;Mr. Redfield,
+can&#8217;t you send a real doctor? It seems so horrible to
+be left here without instructions.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The Forester, before going, again besought Cavanagh
+not to abandon his work in the Forestry Service,
+and intimated that at the proper time advancement
+would be offered him. &#8220;The whole policy is but beginning,&#8221;
+said he, &#8220;and a practical ranger with your
+experience and education will prove of greatest value.&#8221;</p>
+<p>To this Ross made reply. &#8220;At the moment I feel that
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_260' name='page_260'></a>260</span>
+no promise of advancement could keep me in this country
+of grafters, poachers, and assassins. I&#8217;m weary of it,
+and all it stands for. However, if I could aid in extending
+the supervision of the public ranges and in stopping
+forever this murder and burning that goes on outside the
+forestry domain, I might remain in the West.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Would you accept the supervisorship of the Washakie
+Forest?&#8221; demanded Dalton.</p>
+<p>Taken by surprise, he stammered: &#8220;I might; but am I
+the man?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;You are. Your experience fits you for a position
+where the fight is hot. The Washakie Forest is even
+more a bone of contention than this. We have laid
+out the lines of division between the sheep and the
+cows, and it will take a man to enforce our regulations.
+You will have the support of the best citizens. They will
+all rally, with you as leader, and so end the warfare there.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It can never end till Uncle Sam puts rangers over every
+section of public lands and lays out the grazing lines as
+we have done in this forest,&#8221; retorted Cavanagh.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I know; but to get that requires a revolution in the
+whole order of things.&#8221; Then his fine young face lighted
+up. &#8220;But we&#8217;ll get it. Public sentiment is coming our
+way. The old order is already so eaten away that only
+its shell remains.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It may be. If these assassins are punished I shall
+feel hopeful of the change.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I shall recommend you for the supervisorship of the
+Washakie Forest,&#8221; concluded Dalton, decisively. &#8220;And
+so good-bye and good-luck.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_261' name='page_261'></a>261</span></p>
+<p>England, his blood relatives, even the Redfields, seemed
+very remote to the ranger, as he stood in his door that
+night and watched the sparkle of Swenson&#8217;s camp-fire
+through the trees. With the realization that there waited
+a brave girl of the type that loves single-heartedly, ready
+to sacrifice everything to the welfare of her idealized subject,
+he felt unworthy, selfish, vain.</p>
+<p>&#8220;If I should fall sick she would insist on nursing me.
+For her sake I must give Swenson the most rigid orders
+not to allow her&mdash;no matter what happens&mdash;to approach.
+I will not have her touched by this thing.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Beside the blaze Lee and her mother sat for the most
+part in silence, with nothing to do but to wait the issue
+of the struggle going on in the cabin, so near and yet so
+inaccessible to their will. It was as if a magic wall,
+crystal-clear yet impenetrable, shut them away from the
+man whose quiet heroism was the subject of their constant
+thought.</p>
+<p>To the girl this ride up into her lover&#8217;s world had been
+both exalting and awesome&mdash;not merely because the
+rough and precipitous road took her closer to her lover
+while placing her farther from medical aid, but also because
+it was so vast a world, so unpeopled and so beautiful.</p>
+<p>It was marvellous, as the dusk fell and the air nipped
+keen, to see how Lize Wetherford renewed her youth.
+The excitement seemed to have given her a fresh hold on
+life. She was wearied but by no means weakened by her
+ride, and ate heartily of the rude fare which Swenson set
+before her. &#8220;This is what I needed,&#8221; she exultantly said;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_262' name='page_262'></a>262</span>
+&#8220;the open air and these trout. I feel ten years younger
+already. Many&#8217;s the night I&#8217;ve camped on the range
+with your father with nothing but a purp-tent to cover us
+both, and the wolves howling round us. I&#8217;d feel pretty
+fairly gay if it weren&#8217;t for Ross over there in that cabin
+playin&#8217; nurse and cook all by his lonesomeness.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee expressed a deep satisfaction from the fact of their
+nearness. &#8220;If he is ill we can help him,&#8221; she reiterated.</p>
+<p>She had put behind her all the doubt and fear which
+his abrupt desertion of her had caused, and, though he
+had not been able to speak a word to her, his self-sacrifice
+had made amends. She excused it all as part of his
+anxious care. Whatever the mood of that other day
+had been, it had given way to one that was lofty and
+deeply altruistic. Her one anxiety now was born of a
+deepening sense of his danger, but against this she
+bent the full strength of her will. &#8220;He shall not die,&#8221;
+she declared beneath her breath. &#8220;God will not permit
+it.&#8221;</p>
+<p>There was a touch of frost in the air as they went to their
+beds, and, though she shivered, Lize was undismayed.
+&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing the matter with my heart,&#8221; she exulted.
+&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe there was anything really serious the
+matter with me, anyway. I reckon I was just naturally
+grouchy and worried over you and Ross.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia was now living a romance stranger and
+more startling than any she had ever read. In imagination
+she was able to look back and down upon the Fork
+as if she had been carried into another world&mdash;a world
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_263' name='page_263'></a>263</span>
+that was at once primeval yet peaceful: a world of
+dreaming trees, singing streams, and silent peaks; a
+realm in which law and order reigned, maintained by one
+determined young man whose power was derived from
+the President himself. She felt safe&mdash;entirely safe&mdash;for
+just across the roaring mountain torrent the two intrepid
+guardians of the forest were encamped. One of them, it
+is true, came of Swedish parentage and the other was a
+native of England, but they were both American in the
+high sense of being loyal to the Federal will, and she
+trusted them more unquestioningly than any other men
+in all that West save only Redfield. She had no doubt
+there were others equally loyal, equally to be trusted, but
+she did not know them.</p>
+<p>She rose to a complete understanding of Cavanagh&#8217;s
+love for &#8220;the high country&#8221; and his enthusiasm for the
+cause, a cause which was able to bring together the
+student from Yale and the graduates of Bergen and of
+Oxford, and make them comrades in preserving the trees
+and streams of the mountain States against the encroachments
+of some of their own citizens, who were openly,
+short-sightedly, and cynically bent upon destruction,
+spoliation, and misuse.</p>
+<p>She had listened to the talk of the Forester and the
+Supervisor, and she had learned from them that Cavanagh
+was sure of swift advancement, now that he had
+shown his courage and his skill; and the thought that
+he might leave the State to take charge of another
+forest brought her some uneasiness, for she and Lize
+had planned to go to Sulphur City. She had consented
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_264' name='page_264'></a>264</span>
+to this because it still left to her the possibility of occasionally
+seeing or hearing from Cavanagh. But the
+thought that he might go away altogether took some of
+the music out of the sound of the stream and made the
+future vaguely sad.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='XV_WETHERFORD_PASSES_ON' id='XV_WETHERFORD_PASSES_ON'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_265' name='page_265'></a>265</span>
+<h2>XV</h2>
+<h3>WETHERFORD PASSES ON</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>For the next two days Cavanagh slept but little, for
+his patient grew steadily worse. As the flame of his
+fever mounted, Wetherford pleaded for air. The ranger
+threw open the doors, admitting freely the cool, sweet
+mountain wind. &#8220;He might as well die of a draught as
+smother,&#8221; was his thought; and by the use of cold cloths
+he tried to allay the itching and the pain.</p>
+<p>&#8220;What I am doing may be all wrong,&#8221; he admitted to
+Swenson, who came often to lean upon the hitching-pole
+and offer aid. &#8220;I have had no training as a nurse, but
+I must be doing something. The man is burning up,
+and hasn&#8217;t much vitality to spare. I knew a ranger had
+to be all kinds of things, cowboy, horse-doctor, axe-man,
+carpenter, surveyor, and all the rest of it, but I didn&#8217;t
+know that he had to be a trained nurse in addition.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;How do you feel yourself?&#8221; asked his subordinate,
+anxiously.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Just tired; nothing more. I reckon I am going to
+escape. I should be immune, but you never can
+tell. The effect of vaccination wears off after a few
+years.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;The women folks over there are terribly worried, and
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_266' name='page_266'></a>266</span>
+the old lady has made me promise to call her in if you
+show the slightest signs of coming down.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Tell her to rest easy. I am keeping mighty close
+watch over myself, and another night will tell the story
+so far as the old man is concerned. I wish I had a real
+doctor, but I don&#8217;t expect any. It is a long hard climb
+up here for one of those tenderfeet.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He returned to his charge, and Swenson walked slowly
+away, back to the camp, oppressed with the sense of his
+utter helplessness.</p>
+<p>Again and again during the day Lee Virginia went to
+the middle of the bridge, which was the dead-line, and
+there stood to catch some sign, some wave of the hand
+from her lover. Strange courtship! and yet hour by hour
+the tie which bound these young souls together was
+strengthened. She cooked for him in the intervals
+of her watch and sent small pencilled notes to him,
+together with the fish and potatoes, but no scrap
+of paper came back to her&mdash;so scrupulous was Cavanagh
+to spare her from the faintest shadow of danger.</p>
+<p>Swenson brought verbal messages, it was true, but they
+were by no means tender, for Cavanagh knew better than
+to intrust any fragile vessel of sentiment to this stalwart
+young woodsman. Now that Lee knew the mysterious
+old man was dying, she longed for his release&mdash;for his
+release would mean her lover&#8217;s release. She did not
+stop to think that it would be long, very long, before she
+could touch Cavanagh&#8217;s hand or even speak with him
+face to face. At times under Swenson&#8217;s plain speaking
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_267' name='page_267'></a>267</span>
+she grew faint with the horror of the struggle which was
+going on in that silent cabin.</p>
+<p>This leprous plague, this offspring of crowded and
+dirty tenements and of foul ship-steerages, seemed
+doubly unholy here in the clean sanity of the hills. It
+was a profanation, a hideous curse. &#8220;If it should seize
+upon Ross&mdash;&#8221; Words failed to express her horror, her
+hate of it. &#8220;Oh God, save him!&#8221; she prayed a hundred
+times each day.</p>
+<p>Twice in the night she rose from her bed to listen, to
+make sure that Cavanagh was not calling for help.
+The last time she looked out, a white veil of frost lay on
+the grass, and the faint light of morning was in the east,
+and in the exquisite clarity of the air, in the serene hush of
+the dawn, the pestilence appeared but as the ugly
+emanation of disordered sleep. The door of the ranger&#8217;s
+cabin stood open, but all was silent. &#8220;He is snatching a
+half-hour&#8217;s sleep,&#8221; she decided.</p>
+<p>If the guard had carried in his mind the faintest intention
+of permitting Lize to go to Cavanagh&#8217;s aid, that
+intention came to no issue, for with the coming of the
+third night Wetherford was unconscious and unrecognizable
+to any one who had known him in the days of
+&#8220;the free range.&#8221; Lithe daredevil in those days,
+expert with rope and gun, he was as far from this scarred
+and swollen body as the soaring eagle is from the carrion
+which he sees and scorns.</p>
+<p>He was going as the Wild West was going, discredited,
+ulcerated, poisoned, incapable of rebirth, yet carrying
+something fine to his grave. He had acted the part of a
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_268' name='page_268'></a>268</span>
+brave man, that shall be said of him. He had gone to the
+rescue of the poor Basque, instinctively, with the same
+reckless disregard of consequences to himself which
+marked his character when as a cow-boss on the range
+he had set aside the most difficult tasks for his own rope
+or gun. His regard for the ranger into whose care he was
+now about to commit his wife and daughter, persisted in
+spite of his suffering. In him was his hope, his stay.
+Once again, in a lucid moment, he reverted to the
+promise which he had drawn from Cavanagh.</p>
+<p>&#8220;If I go, you must take care&mdash;of my girl&mdash;take care
+of Lize, too. Promise me that. Do you promise?&#8221; he
+insisted.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I promise&mdash;on honor,&#8221; Ross repeated, and, with a
+faint pressure of his hand (so slender and weak), Wetherford
+sank away into the drowse which deepened hour
+by hour, broken now and then by convulsions, which
+wrung the stern heart of the ranger till his hands trembled
+for pity.</p>
+<p>All day, while the clouds sailed by, white as snow and
+dazzlingly pure, while the stream roared with joy of exploration,
+and the sunshine fell in dazzling floods upon
+the world, the ranger bent above his ward or walked
+the floor of his cabin marvelling that the air and light
+of this high place should be so powerless to check the
+march of that relentless plague. It seemed that to open
+the doors, to fill the room with radiance, must surely kill
+the mutinous motes which warred upon the tortured
+body. But in the midst of nature&#8217;s sovereign charm
+the reek of the conflict went up; and he wondered whether
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_269' name='page_269'></a>269</span>
+even the vigor which his outdoor life had built up could
+withstand the strain another day.</p>
+<p>Once Lee Virginia approached close enough to hear
+his voice as he warned her to go back. &#8220;You can do
+nothing,&#8221; he called to her. &#8220;Please go away.&#8221; His
+face was haggard with weariness, and her heart filled
+with bitter resentment to think that this repulsive warfare,
+this painful duty, should be thrust upon one so fine.</p>
+<p>He himself felt as though his youth were vanishing, and
+that in these few days he had entered upon the sober, care-filled
+years of middle life. The one sustaining thought,
+his one allurement, lay in the near presence of the girl
+to whom he could call, but could not utter one tender word.
+She was there where he could see her watching, waiting
+at the bridge. &#8220;The sound of the water helps me bear
+the suspense,&#8221; she said to Swenson, and the occasional
+sight of her lover, the knowledge that he was still unbroken,
+kept her from despair.</p>
+<p>The day was well advanced when the sound of rattling
+pebbles on the hill back of his cabin drew his attention,
+and a few moments later a man on a weary horse rode
+up to his door and dropped heavily from the saddle.
+He was a small, dark individual, with spectacles, plainly
+of the city.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Beware! Smallpox!&#8221; called Ross, as his visitor
+drew near the door.</p>
+<p>The new-comer waved his hand contemptuously.
+&#8220;I&#8217;ve had it. Are you Ross Cavanagh?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I am!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;My name is Hartley. I represent the Denver
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_270' name='page_270'></a>270</span>
+<i>Round-up</i>. I&#8217;m interested in this sheep-herder killing&mdash;merely
+as a reporter,&#8221; he added, with a fleeting smile.
+&#8220;Did you know old man Dunn, of Deer Creek, had
+committed suicide?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh started, and his face set. &#8220;No!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;They found him shot through the neck, and dying&mdash;this
+morning. As he was gasping his last breath, he
+said, &#8216;The ranger knows,&#8217; and when they asked, &#8216;What
+ranger,&#8217; he said, &#8216;Cavanagh.&#8217; When I heard that I
+jumped a horse and beat &#8217;em all over here. Is this
+true? Did he tell you who the murderers are?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh did not answer at once. He was like a
+man caught on a swaying bridge, and his first instinct
+was to catch the swing, to get his balance. &#8220;Wait a
+minute! What is it all to you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Again that peculiar grin lighted the small man&#8217;s dark,
+unwholesome face. &#8220;It&#8217;s a fine detective stunt, and
+besides it means twenty dollars per column and mebbe
+a &#8216;boost.&#8217; I can&#8217;t wait, you can&#8217;t wait! It&#8217;s up to us to
+strike <i>now</i>! If these men knew you have their names
+they&#8217;d hike for Texas or the high seas. Come now!
+Everybody tells me you&#8217;re one of these idealistic highbrow
+rangers who care more for the future of the West
+than most natural-born Westerners. What&#8217;s your plan?
+If you&#8217;ll yoke up with me we&#8217;ll run these devils into the
+earth and win great fame, and you&#8217;ll be doing the whole
+country a service.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The ranger studied the small figure before him with
+penetrating gaze. There was deliberative fearlessness
+in the stranger&#8217;s face and eyes, and notwithstanding his
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_271' name='page_271'></a>271</span>
+calm, almost languid movement, restless energy could
+be detected in his voice.</p>
+<p>&#8220;What is your plan?&#8221; the ranger asked.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Get ourselves deputized by the court, and jump these
+men before they realize that there&#8217;s anything doing.
+They count the whole country on their side, but they&#8217;re
+mistaken. They&#8217;ve outdone themselves this time, and
+a tremendous reaction has set in. Everybody knows
+you&#8217;ve held an even hand over these warring Picts and
+Scots, and the court will be glad to deputize you to
+bring them to justice. The old sheriff is paralyzed. Everybody
+knows that the assassins are prominent cattle-ranchers,
+and yet no one dares move. It&#8217;s up to you
+fellows, who represent law and order, to act quick.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh followed him with complete comprehension,
+and a desire to carry out the plan seized upon him.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d do it if I could,&#8221; he said, &#8220;but it happens I am
+nursing a sick man. I am, perhaps, already exposed
+to the same disease. I can&#8217;t leave here for a week or
+more. It would not be right for me to expose others&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t worry about that. Take a hot bath, fumigate
+your clothing, shave your head. I&#8217;ll fix you up, and I&#8217;ll
+get some one to take your place.&#8221; Catching sight of
+Swenson and Lize on the bridge, he asked: &#8220;Who are
+those people? Can&#8217;t they take your nursing job?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No!&#8221; answered Cavanagh, bluntly. &#8220;It&#8217;s no use,
+I can&#8217;t join you in this&mdash;at least, not now.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But you&#8217;ll give me the names which Dunn gave
+you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, I can&#8217;t do that. I shall tell the Supervisor, and
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_272' name='page_272'></a>272</span>
+he can act as he sees fit&mdash;for the present I&#8217;m locked up
+here.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The other man looked the disappointment he felt.
+&#8220;I&#8217;m sorry you don&#8217;t feel like opening up. You know
+perfectly well that nothing will ever be done about this
+thing unless the press insists upon it. It&#8217;s up to you and
+me (me representing &#8216;the conscience of the East&#8217;&#8221;&mdash;here
+he winked an eye&mdash;&#8220;and you Federal authority) to
+do what we can to bring these men to their punishment.
+Better reconsider. I&#8217;m speaking now as a citizen as
+well as a reporter.&#8221;</p>
+<p>There was much truth in what he said, but Cavanagh
+refused to go further in the matter until he had consulted
+with Redfield.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Very well,&#8221; replied Hartley, &#8220;that&#8217;s settled. By-the-way,
+who is your patient?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Eloquently, concisely, Ross told the story. &#8220;Just a
+poor old mounted hobo, a survival of the cowboy West,&#8221;
+he said; &#8220;but he had the heart of a hero in him, and I&#8217;m
+doing my best to save him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Keep him in the dark, that&#8217;s the latest theory&mdash;or
+under a red light. White light brings out the ulcers.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He hates darkness; that&#8217;s one reason why I&#8217;ve opened
+the doors and windows.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;All wrong! According to Finsen, he wouldn&#8217;t pit
+in the dark. However, it doesn&#8217;t matter on a cowboy.
+You&#8217;ve a great story yourself. There&#8217;s a fine situation
+here which I&#8217;ll play up if you don&#8217;t object.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh smiled. &#8220;Would my objection have any
+weight?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_273' name='page_273'></a>273</span></p>
+<p>The reporter laughed. &#8220;Not much; I&#8217;ve got to carry
+back some sort of game. Well, so long! I must hit the
+trail over the hill.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh made civil answer, and returned to his
+patient more than half convinced that Hartley was right.
+The &#8220;power of the press&#8221; might prove to be a very real
+force in this pursuit.</p>
+<p>As the journalist was about to mount his horse he
+discovered Lee Virginia on the other side of the creek.
+&#8220;Hello!&#8221; said he, &#8220;I wonder what this pretty maiden
+means?&#8221; And, dropping his bridle-rein again, he
+walked down to the bridge.</p>
+<p>Swenson interposed his tall figure. &#8220;What do you
+want?&#8221; he asked, bluntly. &#8220;You don&#8217;t want to get
+too close. You&#8217;ve been talking to the ranger.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Hartley studied him coolly. &#8220;Are you a ranger,
+too?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, only a guard.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Why are you leaving Cavanagh to play it alone in
+there?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee explained. &#8220;He won&#8217;t let any of us come near
+him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Quite right,&#8221; retorted Hartley, promptly. &#8220;They
+say smallpox has lost its terrors, but when you&#8217;re eight
+hours&#8217; hard trail from a doctor, or a hospital, it&#8217;s still
+what I&#8217;d call a formidable enemy. However, Cavanagh&#8217;s
+immune, so he says.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t know that,&#8221; Lee said, and her hands came
+together in a spasm of fear. &#8220;Are you a doctor?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, I&#8217;m only a newspaper man; but I&#8217;ve had a lot
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_274' name='page_274'></a>274</span>
+of experience with plagues of all sorts&mdash;had the yellow
+fever in Porto Rico, and the typhoid in South Africa;
+that&#8217;s why I&#8217;m out here richochetting over the hills. But
+who are you, may I ask? You look like the rose of
+Sharon.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;My name is Lee Wetherford,&#8221; she answered, with
+childish directness, for there was something compelling
+in the man&#8217;s voice and eyes. &#8220;And this is my mother.&#8221;
+She indicated Lize, who was approaching.</p>
+<p>&#8220;<i>You</i> are not out here for your health,&#8221; he stated,
+rather thoughtfully. &#8220;How happens it you&#8217;re here?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I was born here&mdash;in the Fork.&#8221;</p>
+<p>His face remained expressionless. &#8220;I don&#8217;t believe
+it. Can such maidens come out of Roaring Fork&mdash;nit!
+But I don&#8217;t mean that. What are you doing up here in
+this wilderness?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize took a part in the conversation. &#8220;Another inspector?&#8221;
+she asked, as she lumbered up.</p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s me,&#8221; he replied; &#8220;Sherlock Holmes, Vidocque,
+all rolled into one.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;My mother,&#8221; again volunteered Lee.</p>
+<p>Hartley&#8217;s eyes expressed incredulity; but he did not
+put his feelings into words, for he perceived in Lize a
+type with which he was entirely familiar&mdash;one to be
+handled with care. &#8220;What are you two women doing
+here? Are you related to one of these rangers?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lize resented this. &#8220;You&#8217;re asking a good many
+questions, Mr. Man.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s my trade,&#8221; was the unabashed reply, &#8220;and
+I&#8217;m not so old but that I can rise to a romantic situation.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_275' name='page_275'></a>275</span>
+Thereupon he dropped all direct interrogation, and with
+an air of candor told the story of his mission. Lize,
+entirely sympathetic, invited him to lunch, and he was
+soon in possession of their story, even to the tender relationship
+between Lee Virginia and the plague-besieged
+forest ranger.</p>
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re not so mighty disinterested,&#8221; he said, referring
+to his paper. &#8220;<i>The Round-up</i> represents the New West
+in part, but to us the New West means opportunity
+to loot water-sites and pile up unearned increment.
+Oh yes, we&#8217;re on the side of the fruit and alfalfa grower,
+because it pays. If the boss of my paper happened to
+be in the sheep business, as Senator Blank White is, we
+would sing a different tune. Or if I were a Congressman
+representing a district of cattle-men, I&#8217;d be very
+slow about helping to build up any system that would
+make me pay for my grass. As it is, I&#8217;m commissioned
+to make it hot for the ranchers that killed those dagoes,
+and I&#8217;m going to do it. If this country had a man like
+Cavanagh for sheriff, we&#8217;d have the murderers in two
+days. He knows who the butchers are, and I&#8217;d like his
+help; but he&#8217;s nailed down here, and there&#8217;s no hope of
+his getting away. A few men like him could civilize this
+cursed country.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Thereupon he drew from three pairs of lips a statement
+of the kind of man Ross Cavanagh was, but most significant
+of all were the few words of the girl, to whom this
+man of the pad and pencil was a magician, capable of
+exalting her hero and of advancing light and civilization
+by the mere motion of his hand. She liked him, and grew
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_276' name='page_276'></a>276</span>
+more and more willing to communicate, and he, perceiving
+in her something unusual, lingered on questioning.
+Then he rose. &#8220;I must be going,&#8221; he said to Lee.
+&#8220;You&#8217;ve given me a lovely afternoon.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia was all too ignorant of the ways of reporters
+to resent his note-taking, and she accepted his
+hand, believing him to be the sincere admirer of her
+ranger. &#8220;What are you going to do?&#8221; she asked.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going back to Sulphur to spread the report of
+Cavanagh&#8217;s quarantine.&#8221; Again that meaning smile. &#8220;I
+don&#8217;t want any other newspaper men mixed up in my
+game. I&#8217;m lonesome Ned in stunts like this, and I hope
+if they <i>do</i> come up you&#8217;ll be judiciously silent. Good-bye.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Soon after the reporter left, Cavanagh called to Swenson:
+&#8220;The old man can&#8217;t last through another such a night
+as last night was, and I wish you would persuade Mrs.
+Wetherford and her daughter to return to the valley.
+They can do nothing here&mdash;absolutely <i>nothing</i>. Please
+say that.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Swenson repeated his commands with all the emphasis
+he could give them, but neither Lize nor Lee would
+consent to go. &#8220;It would be heathenish to leave him
+alone in this lonesome hole,&#8221; protested Lize.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I shall stay till he is free,&#8221; added Lee. And with uneasy
+heart she crossed the bridge and walked on and on
+toward the cabin till she was close enough to detect the
+lines of care on her lover&#8217;s haggard face.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Stop!&#8221; he called, sharply. &#8220;Keep away. Why don&#8217;t
+you obey me? Why don&#8217;t you go back to the valley?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_277' name='page_277'></a>277</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Because I will not leave you alone&mdash;I can&#8217;t! Please
+let me stay!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I beg of you go back.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The roar of the stream made it necessary to speak
+loudly, and he could not put into his voice the tenderness
+he felt at the moment, but his face was knotted with pain
+as he asked: &#8220;Don&#8217;t you see you add to my uneasiness&mdash;my
+pain?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re so anxious about you,&#8221; she answered. &#8220;It seems
+as though we should be doing something to help you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He understood, and was grateful for the tenderness
+which brought her so near to him, but he was forced to
+be stern.</p>
+<p>&#8220;There is nothing you can do&mdash;nothing more than you
+are doing. It helps me to know that you are there, but
+you must not cross the bridge. Please go back!&#8221; There
+was pleading as well as command in his voice, and with a
+realization of the passion his voice conveyed, she retraced
+her steps, her heart beating quickly with the joy which
+his words conveyed.</p>
+<p>At sunset Redfield returned, bringing with him medicines
+but no nurse. &#8220;Nobody will come up here,&#8221; he
+said. &#8220;I reckon Ross is doomed to fight it out alone.
+The solitude, the long trail, scares the bravest of them
+away. I tried and tried&mdash;no use. Eleanor would have
+come, of course&mdash;demanded to come; but I would not
+permit that. She commissioned me to bring you both
+down to the ranch.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee Virginia thanked him, but reiterated her wish to
+stay until all possible danger to Cavanagh was over.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_278' name='page_278'></a>278</span></p>
+<p>Redfield crossed the bridge, and laid the medicines
+down outside the door.</p>
+<p>&#8220;The nurse from Sulphur refused to come when she
+found that her patient was in a mountain cabin. I&#8217;m
+sorry, old man; I did the best I could.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Never mind,&#8221; replied Cavanagh. &#8220;I&#8217;m still free
+from any touch of fever. I&#8217;m tired, of course, but good
+for another night of it. My main anxiety concerns Lee&mdash;get
+her to go home with you if you can.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll do the best I can,&#8221; responded Redfield, &#8220;but
+meanwhile you must <i>not</i> think of getting out of the
+Forest Service. I have some cheering news for you.
+The President has put a good man into the chief&#8217;s
+place.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh&#8217;s face lighted up. &#8220;That&#8217;ll help some,&#8221; he
+exclaimed; &#8220;but who&#8217;s the man?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield named him. &#8220;He was a student under the
+chief, and the chief says he&#8217;s all right, which satisfies
+me. Furthermore, he&#8217;s a real forester, and not a
+political jobber or a corporation attorney.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s good,&#8221; repeated Cavanagh; &#8220;and yet&mdash;&#8221; he
+said, sadly, &#8220;it leaves the chief out just the same.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, the chief is not out. He&#8217;s where he can fight
+for the idea to better advantage than when he was a
+subordinate under another man. Anyhow, he asks us
+all to line up for the work and not to mind him. The
+work, he says, is bigger than any man. Here&#8217;s that
+resignation of yours,&#8221; he said, taking Cavanagh&#8217;s letter
+from his pocket; &#8220;I didn&#8217;t put it on file. What shall I
+do with it?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_279' name='page_279'></a>279</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Throw it to me,&#8221; said Cavanagh, curtly.</p>
+<p>Redfield tossed it over the hitching-pole, and Ross
+took it up, looked at it for a moment in silence, then tore
+it into bits and threw it on the ground.</p>
+<p>&#8220;What are your orders, Mr. Supervisor?&#8221; he asked,
+with a faint, quizzical smile around his eyes.</p>
+<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing you can do but take care of this man.
+But as soon as you are able to ride again, I&#8217;ve got some
+special work for you. I want you to join with young
+Bingham, the ranger on Rock Creek, and line up the
+&#8216;Triangle&#8217; cattle. Murphy is reported to have thrown
+on the forest nearly a thousand head more than his
+permit calls for. I want you to see about that. Then
+complete your maps so that I can turn them in on
+the first of November, and about the middle of December
+you are to take charge of this forest in my stead.
+Eleanor has decided to take the children abroad for a
+couple of years, and as I am to be over there part of the
+time, I don&#8217;t feel justified in holding down the Supervisor&#8217;s
+position. I shall resign in your favor. Wait,
+now!&#8221; he called, warningly. &#8220;The District Forester
+and I framed all this up as we rode down the hill yesterday,
+and it goes. Oh yes, there&#8217;s one thing more. Old
+man Dunn&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I know.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;How did you learn it?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;A reporter came boiling over the ridge about noon
+to-day, wanting me to give him the names which Dunn
+had given me. I was strongly tempted to do as he asked
+me to&mdash;you know these newspaper men are sometimes
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_280' name='page_280'></a>280</span>
+the best kind of detectives for running down criminals;
+but on second thought I concluded to wait until I had
+discussed the matter with you. I haven&#8217;t much faith in
+the county authorities.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Ordinarily I would have my doubts myself,&#8221; replied
+Redfield, &#8220;but the whole country is roused, and
+we&#8217;re going to round up these men this time, sure. The
+best men and the big papers all over the West are demanding
+an exercise of the law, and the reward we have
+offered&mdash;&#8221; He paused, suddenly. &#8220;By-the-way, that
+reward will come to you if you can bring about the arrest
+of the criminals.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;The reward should go to Dunn&#8217;s family,&#8221; replied the
+ranger, soberly. &#8220;Poor chap, he&#8217;s sacrificed himself for
+the good of the State.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s true. His family is left in bad shape&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh broke off the conversation suddenly. &#8220;I
+must go back to&mdash;&#8221; he had almost said &#8220;back to
+Wetherford.&#8221; &#8220;My patient needs me!&#8221; he exclaimed.</p>
+<p>&#8220;How does he seem?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s surely dying. In my judgment he can&#8217;t last
+the night, but so long as he&#8217;s conscious it&#8217;s up to me to be
+on the spot.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Redfield walked slowly back across the river, thinking
+on the patient courage of the ranger.</p>
+<p>&#8220;It isn&#8217;t the obvious kind of thing, but it&#8217;s courage all
+the same,&#8221; he said to himself.</p>
+<p>Meanwhile Lize and Virginia, left alone beside the
+fire, had drawn closer together.</p>
+<p>The girl&#8217;s face, so sweet and so pensive, wrought
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_281' name='page_281'></a>281</span>
+strongly upon the older woman&#8217;s sympathy. Something
+of her own girlhood came back to her. Being freed from
+the town and all its associations, she became more considerate,
+more thoughtful. She wished to speak, and
+yet she found it very hard to begin. At last she said,
+with a touch of mockery in her tone: &#8220;You like Ross
+Cavanagh almost as well as I do myself, don&#8217;t you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl flushed a little, but her eyes remained steady.
+&#8220;I would not be here if I did not,&#8221; she replied.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Neither would I. Well, now, I have got something
+to tell you&mdash;something I ought to have told you long ago&mdash;something
+that Ross ought to know. I intended to
+tell you that first day you came back, but I couldn&#8217;t somehow
+get to it, and I kept putting it off and putting it off
+till&mdash;well, then I got fond of you, and every day made it
+harder.&#8221; Here she made her supreme effort. &#8220;Child,
+I&#8217;m an old bluff. I&#8217;m not your mother at all.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee stared at her in amazement. &#8220;What do you
+mean?&#8221; she asked.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I mean your real mother died when you was a tiny
+little babe. You see, I was your father&#8217;s second wife;
+in fact, you weren&#8217;t a year old when we married. Ed
+made me promise never to let you know. We were to
+bring you up just the same as if you was a child to both
+of us. Nobody knows but Reddy. I told him the day
+we started up here.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl&#8217;s mind ran swiftly over the past as she listened.
+The truth of the revelation reached her instantly, explaining
+a hundred strange things which had puzzled
+her all her life. The absence of deep affection between
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_282' name='page_282'></a>282</span>
+herself and Lize was explained. Their difference in
+habit, temperament, thought&mdash;all became plain. &#8220;But
+my mother!&#8221; she said, at last. &#8220;Who <i>was</i> my mother?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I never saw her. You see, Ed came into the country
+bringing you, a little motherless babe. He always said
+your mother was a fine woman, but I never so much as
+saw a picture of her. She was an educated woman, he
+said&mdash;a Southern woman&mdash;and her name was Virginia,
+but that&#8217;s about all I can tell you of her. Now, I am
+going to let Ross know all of this as soon as I can. It
+will make a whole lot of difference in what he thinks of
+you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She uttered all this much as a man would have done,
+with steady voice and with bright eyes, but Lee Virginia
+could feel beneath her harsh inflections the deep emotion
+which vibrated there, and her heart went out toward the
+lonely woman in a new rush of tenderness. Now that
+she was released from the necessity of excusing her
+mother&#8217;s faults&mdash;faults she could now ignore; now that
+she could look upon her as a loyal friend, she was moved
+to pity and to love, and, rising, she went to her and put
+her arm about her neck, and said: &#8220;This won&#8217;t make
+any difference. I am going to stay with you and help
+you just the same.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The tears came to the old woman&#8217;s eyes, and her voice
+broke as she replied: &#8220;I knew you would say that, Lee
+Virginia, but all the same I don&#8217;t intend to have you do
+any such thing. You&#8217;ve got to cut loose from me altogether,
+because some fine chap is going to come along
+one of these days, and he won&#8217;t want me even as a <i>step</i>-mother-in-law.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_283' name='page_283'></a>283</span>
+No, I have decided that you and me had
+better live apart. I&#8217;ll get you a place to live up in Sulphur,
+where I can visit you now and again; but I guess I am
+elected to stay right here in the Fork. They don&#8217;t like
+me, and I don&#8217;t like them; but I have kind o&#8217; got used to
+their ways of looking at me sidewise; they don&#8217;t matter
+as much as it would up there in the city.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee turned back wistfully toward the story of her
+mother. &#8220;Where did my mother meet my father? Do
+you know that?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;No, I don&#8217;t. It was a runaway match, Ed said. I
+never did know who her folks were&mdash;only I know they
+thought she was marrying the wrong man.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The girl sighed as her mind took in the significance of
+her mother&#8217;s coming to this wild country, leaving all that
+she knew and loved behind. &#8220;Poor little mother. It
+must have been very hard for her.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I am afraid she did have a hard time, for Ed admitted
+to me that he hadn&#8217;t so much as a saddle when he landed
+in the State. He hadn&#8217;t much when I met him first,
+but everybody liked him. He was one of the handsomest
+men that ever jumped a saddle. But he was close-mouthed.
+You never could get anything out of him that
+he didn&#8217;t want to tell, and I was never able to discover
+what he had been doing in the southern part of the
+State.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As she pondered on her changed relationship to Lize,
+Lee&#8217;s heart lightened. It <i>would</i> make a difference to
+Ross. It would make a difference to the Redfields.
+Traitorous as it seemed, it was a great relief&mdash;a joy&mdash;to
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_284' name='page_284'></a>284</span>
+know that her own mother, her real mother, had
+been &#8220;nice.&#8221; &#8220;She <i>must</i> have been nice or Lize would
+not have said so,&#8221; she reasoned, recalling that her stepmother
+had admitted her feeling of jealousy.</p>
+<p>At last Lize rose. &#8220;Well, now, dearie, I reckon we
+had better turn in. It is getting chilly and late.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As they were about to part at the door of the tent
+Virginia took Lize&#8217;s face between her hands. &#8220;Good-night,
+mother,&#8221; she said, and kissed her, to show her
+that what she had said would not make any difference.</p>
+<p>But Lize was not deceived. This unwonted caress
+made perfectly plain to her the relief which filled the
+girl&#8217;s heart.</p>
+<hr class='tb' />
+
+<p>Lee Virginia was awakened some hours later by a
+roaring, crackling sound, and by the flare of a yellow
+light upon her tent. Peering out, she saw flames shooting
+up through the roof of the ranger&#8217;s cabin, while beside
+it, wrapped in a blanket, calmly contemplating it, stood
+Cavanagh with folded arms. A little nearer to the bridge
+Redfield was sitting upon an upturned box.</p>
+<p>With a cry of alarm she aroused her mother, and
+Lize, heavy-eyed, laggard with sleep, rose slowly and
+peered out at the scene with eyes of dull amazement.
+&#8220;Why don&#8217;t they try to put it out?&#8221; she demanded, as
+she took in the import of the passive figures.</p>
+<p>Dressing with tremulous haste, Lee stepped from the
+tent just in time to see Swenson come from behind the
+burning building and join the others in silent contemplation
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_285' name='page_285'></a>285</span>
+of the scene. There was something uncanny in the
+calm inaction of the three strong men.</p>
+<p>A dense fog hung low, enveloping the whole canon
+in a moist, heavy, sulphurous veil, through which the
+tongues of flame shot with a grandiose effect; but the
+three foresters, whose shadows expanded, contracted, and
+wavered grotesquely, remained motionless as carven figures
+of ebony. It was as if they were contemplating
+an absorbing drama, in whose enactment they had only
+the spectator&#8217;s curious interest.</p>
+<p>Slowly, wonderingly, the girl drew near and called to
+Cavanagh, who turned quickly, crying out: &#8220;Don&#8217;t come
+too close, and don&#8217;t be frightened. I set the place on
+fire myself. The poor old herder died last night,
+and is decently buried in the earth, and now we are
+burning the cabin and every thread it contains to prevent
+the spread of the plague. Hugh and Swenson have
+divided their garments with me, and this blanket which
+I wear is my only coat. All that I have is in that
+cabin now going up in smoke&mdash;my guns, pictures, everything.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;How could you do it?&#8221; she cried out, understanding
+what his sacrifice had been.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I couldn&#8217;t,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;The Supervisor did it.
+They had to go. The cabin was saturated with poison;
+it had become to me a plague spot, and there was no
+other way to stamp it out. I should never have felt
+safe if I had carried out even so much as a letter.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Dumb and shivering with the chill of the morning,
+Lee Virginia drew nearer, ever nearer. &#8220;I am so sorry,&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_286' name='page_286'></a>286</span>
+she said, and yearned toward him, eager to comfort him,
+but he warningly motioned her away.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Please don&#8217;t come any nearer, for I dare not touch
+you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;But you are not ill?&#8221; she cried out, with a note of
+apprehension in her voice.</p>
+<p>He smiled in response to her question. &#8220;No, I feel
+nothing but weariness and a little depression. I can&#8217;t
+help feeling somehow as if I were burning up a part of
+myself in that fire&mdash;the saddle I have ridden for years,
+my guns, ropes, spurs, everything relating to the forest,
+are gone, and with them my youth. I have been something
+of a careless freebooter myself, I fear; but that
+is all over with now.&#8221; He looked her in the face with
+a sad and resolute glance. &#8220;The Forest Service made
+a man of me, taught me to regard the future. I never
+accepted responsibility till I became a ranger, and in
+thinking it all over I have decided to stay with it, as
+the boys say, &#8216;till the spring rains.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I am very glad of that,&#8221; she said.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes; Dalton thinks I can qualify for the position of
+Supervisor, and Redfield may offer me the supervision
+of this forest. If he does, I will accept it&mdash;if you will go
+with me and share the small home which the Supervisor&#8217;s
+pay provides. Will you go?&#8221;</p>
+<p>In the light of his burning cabin, and in the shadow
+of the great peaks, Lee Virginia could not fail of a certain
+largeness and dignity of mood. She neither blushed nor
+stammered, as she responded: &#8220;I will go anywhere in
+the world with you.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_287' name='page_287'></a>287</span></p>
+<p>He could not touch so much as the hem of her garment,
+but his eyes embraced her, as he said: &#8220;God bless you
+for the faith you seem to have in me!&#8221;</p>
+<hr class='tb' />
+
+<p>Redfield&#8217;s voice interrupted with hearty clamor. &#8220;And
+now, Miss Virginia, you go back and rustle some breakfast
+for us all. Swenson, bring the horses in and harness
+my team; I&#8217;m going to take these women down the
+canon. And, Ross, you&#8217;d better saddle up as soon as you
+feel rested and ride across the divide, and go into camp
+in that little old cabin by the dam above my house.
+You&#8217;ll have to be sequestered for a few days, I reckon,
+till we see how you&#8217;re coming out. I&#8217;ll telephone over
+to the Fork and have the place made ready for you,
+and I&#8217;ll have the doctor go up there to meet you and put
+you straight. If you&#8217;re going to be sick we&#8217;ll want you
+where we can look after you. Isn&#8217;t that so, Lee Virginia?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Indeed it is,&#8221; replied the girl, earnestly.</p>
+<p>&#8220;But I&#8217;m not going to be sick,&#8221; retorted Cavanagh.
+&#8220;I refuse to be sick.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Quite right,&#8221; replied Redfield; &#8220;but all the same we
+want you where we can get at you, and where medical
+aid of the right sort is accessible. I&#8217;m going to fetch
+my bed over here and put you into it. You need
+rest.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee still lingered after Redfield left them. &#8220;Please
+do as Mr. Redfield tells you,&#8221; she pleaded, &#8220;for I shall
+be very anxious till you get safely down the mountains.
+If that poor old man has any relatives they ought to be
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_288' name='page_288'></a>288</span>
+told how kind you have been. You could not have been
+kinder to one of your own people.&#8221;</p>
+<p>These words from her had a poignancy of meaning
+which made his reply difficult. His tone was designedly
+light as he retorted: &#8220;I would be a fraud if I stood here
+listening to your praise without saying&mdash;without confessing&mdash;how
+deadly weary I got of the whole business.
+It was simply that there was nothing else to do. I had
+to go on.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Her mind still dwelt on the tragic event. &#8220;I wish he
+could have had some kind of a service. It seems sort
+of barbarous to bury him without any one to say a prayer
+over him. But I suppose that was impossible. Surely
+some one ought to mark his grave, for some of his
+people may come and want to know where he lies.&#8221;</p>
+<p>He led her thoughts to pleasanter paths. &#8220;I am glad
+you are going with the Supervisor. You <i>are</i> going, are
+you not?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, for a few days, till I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;re safe.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I shall be tempted to pretend being sick just to keep you
+near me,&#8221; he was saying, when Redfield returned, bringing
+his sleeping-couch. Unrolling this under a tree beside
+the creek, the Supervisor said: &#8220;Now, get into that.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh resigned Lee with a smile. &#8220;Good-night,&#8221;
+he said. &#8220;Oh, but it&#8217;s good to remember that I shall
+see you to-morrow!&#8221;</p>
+<p>With a happy glance and a low &#8220;Good-bye&#8221; she turned
+away.</p>
+<p>Laying aside his blanket and his shoes, Cavanagh crept
+into the snug little camp-bed. &#8220;Ah,&#8221; he breathed, with
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_289' name='page_289'></a>289</span>
+a delicious sense of relief, &#8220;I feel as if I could sleep a
+week!&#8221; And in an instant his eyes closed in slumber so
+profound that it was barren even of dreams.</p>
+<p>When he awoke it was noon, and Swenson, the guard,
+was standing over him. &#8220;I&#8217;m sorry, but it&#8217;s time to be
+moving,&#8221; he said; &#8220;it&#8217;s a long ride over there.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What time is it?&#8221; inquired Cavanagh, with some bewilderment.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Nearly noon. I&#8217;ve got some coffee ready. Want
+some?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Do I? Just watch me!&#8221; And he scrambled out of
+his bed with vigor, and stretched himself like a cat, exclaiming:
+&#8220;Wow! but it does feel good to know that I am
+out of jail!&#8221;</p>
+<p>Going down to the stream, he splashed his face and
+neck in the clear cold water, and the brisk rubbing which
+followed seemed to clear his thought as well as sharpen
+his appetite.</p>
+<p>&#8220;You seem all right so far,&#8221; hazarded the guide.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I am all right, and I&#8217;ll be all right to-morrow, if that&#8217;s
+what you mean,&#8221; replied Cavanagh. &#8220;Well, now, pack
+up, and we&#8217;ll pull out.&#8221;</p>
+<p>For a few moments after he mounted his horse Cavanagh
+looked about the place as if for the last time&mdash;now
+up at the hill, now down at the meadow, and last of all
+at the stream. &#8220;I hope you&#8217;ll enjoy this station as much
+as I have, Swenson. It&#8217;s one of the prettiest on the whole
+forest.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Together they zigzagged up the side of the hill to the
+north, and then with Cavanagh in the lead (followed by
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_290' name='page_290'></a>290</span>
+his pack-horse), they set up the long lateral moraine which
+led by a wide circle through the wooded park toward the
+pass. The weather was clear and cold. The wind bit,
+and Cavanagh, scantily clothed as he was, drew his
+robe close about his neck, saying: &#8220;I know now how it
+feels to be a blanket Indian. I must say I prefer an
+overcoat.&#8221;</p>
+<p>A little later the keen eyes of the guard, sweeping the
+mountain-side, were suddenly arrested. &#8220;There&#8217;s a
+bunch of cowboys coming over the pass!&#8221; he called.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I see them,&#8221; responded Cavanagh. &#8220;Get out your
+glasses and tell me who they are.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Swenson unslung his field-glasses and studied the party
+attentively. &#8220;Looks like Van Horne&#8217;s sorrel in the lead,
+and that bald-face bay just behind looks like the one
+Gregg rides. The other two I don&#8217;t seem to know.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Perhaps it&#8217;s the sheriff after me for harboring
+Edwards,&#8221; suggested Cavanagh.</p>
+<p>But Swenson remained sober. He did not see the
+humor of the remark. &#8220;What are they doing on the
+forest, anyhow?&#8221; he asked.</p>
+<p>Half an hour later the two parties came face to face on
+a little stretch of prairie in the midst of the wooded
+valley. There were four in the sheriff&#8217;s party: Gregg,
+the deputy, and a big man who was a stranger to Cavanagh.
+Their horses were all tired, and the big civilian
+looked saddle-weary.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Good evenin&#8217;, gentlemen!&#8221; called the sheriff, in
+Southern fashion, as he drew near.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Good evenin&#8217;, Mr. Sheriff,&#8221; Cavanagh civilly
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_291' name='page_291'></a>291</span>
+answered. &#8220;What&#8217;s the meaning of this invasion of my
+forest?&#8221;</p>
+<p>The sheriff, for answer, presented the big stranger.
+&#8220;Mr. Cavanagh, this is Mr. Simpson, the county attorney.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh nodded to the attorney. &#8220;I&#8217;ve heard of Mr.
+Simpson,&#8221; he said.</p>
+<p>Simpson answered the question Ross had asked. &#8220;We
+were on our way to your station, Mr. Cavanagh, because
+we understand that this old man Dunn who shot himself
+had visited you before his death, giving you information
+concerning the killing of the Mexican sheep-herders.
+Is that true?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It is.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;When did he visit you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Two days ago, or maybe three. I am a little mixed
+about it. You see, I have been pretty closely confined
+to my shack for a few days.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Gregg threw in a query. &#8220;How <i>is</i> the old man?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s all right; that is to say, he&#8217;s dead. Died
+last night.&#8221;</p>
+<p>The sheriff looked at Simpson meaningly. &#8220;Well,
+I reckon that settles his score, judge. Even if he was
+implicated, he&#8217;s out of it now.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He couldn&#8217;t have been implicated,&#8221; declared the
+ranger, &#8220;for he was with me at the time the murder was
+committed. I left him high on the mountain in the
+Basque herder&#8217;s camp. I can prove an alibi for him.
+Furthermore, he had no motive for such work.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;What did Dunn tell you?&#8221; demanded the sheriff.
+&#8220;What names did he give you?&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_292' name='page_292'></a>292</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Wait a moment,&#8221; replied Cavanagh, who felt himself
+to be on his own territory, and not to be hurried.
+&#8220;There&#8217;s a reward offered for the arrest of these men, is
+there not?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;There is,&#8221; replied the attorney.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, before I make my statement I&#8217;d like to request
+that my share of the reward, if there is any coming to
+me, shall be paid over to the widow of the man who gave
+me the information. Poor chap, he sacrificed himself
+for the good of the State, and his family should be spared
+all the suffering possible.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Quite right, Mr. Cavanagh. You may consider that
+request granted. Now for the facts.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Before going into that, Mr. Attorney, I&#8217;d like to speak
+to you alone.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Very well, sir,&#8221; replied the attorney. Then waving
+his hand toward the others, he said: &#8220;Boys, just ride off a
+little piece, will you?&#8221;</p>
+<p>When they were alone, Cavanagh remarked: &#8220;I don&#8217;t
+think it wise to give these names to the wind, for if we
+do, there will be more fugitives.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I see your point,&#8221; Simpson agreed.</p>
+<p>Thereupon, rapidly and concisely, the ranger reported
+what Dunn had said, and the attorney listened thoughtfully
+without speaking to the end; then he added: &#8220;That
+tallies with what we have got from Ballard.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Was Ballard in it?&#8221; asked Cavanagh.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes, we forced a confession from him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;If he was in it, it was merely for the pay. He represented
+some one else.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_293' name='page_293'></a>293</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;What makes you think that?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Because he was crazy to return to the show with
+which he used to perform, and desperately in need of
+money. Have you thought that Gregg might have had
+a hand in this affair? Dunn said he had, although he
+was not present at any of the meetings.&#8221;</p>
+<p>This seemed to surprise the attorney very much. &#8220;But
+he&#8217;s a sheepman!&#8221; he exclaimed.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I know he is; but he&#8217;s also a silent partner in the
+Triangle cattle outfit, and is making us a lot of trouble.
+And, besides, he had it in for these dagoes, as he calls
+them, because they were sheeping territory which he
+wanted himself.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think he&#8217;s any too good for it,&#8221; responded
+Simpson, &#8220;but I doubt if he had any hand in the killing;
+he&#8217;s too cunning and too cowardly. But I&#8217;ll keep in mind
+what you have said, and if he is involved in any degree,
+he&#8217;ll have to go down the road with the others&mdash;his money
+can&#8217;t save him.&#8221;</p>
+<p>As they came back to the party Cavanagh thought he
+detected in Gregg&#8217;s eyes a shifting light that was not there
+before, but he made no further attempt to impress his
+opinion upon the attorney or the sheriff. He only said:
+&#8220;Well, now, gentlemen, I must go on over the divide.
+I have an appointment with the doctor over there; also
+with a bed and a warmer suit of clothes than I have on.
+If I can be of any service to you when I am out of quarantine,
+I hope you will call upon me.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;It is possible that we may need you in order to locate
+some of the men whose names you have given me.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_294' name='page_294'></a>294</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;Very good,&#8221; replied Cavanagh. &#8220;If they come upon
+the forest anywhere, the Supervisor and I will find them
+for you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>So they parted, and Cavanagh and his guard resumed
+their slow journey across the range.</p>
+<hr class='major' />
+<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
+<a name='CONCLUSION' id='CONCLUSION'></a>
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_295' name='page_295'></a>295</span>
+<h3>CONCLUSION</h3>
+</div>
+
+<p>In her career as the wife of a Western rancher, Eleanor
+Redfield had been called upon to entertain many strange
+guests, and she made no very determined objection when
+her husband telephoned that he was bringing Lize as well
+as Lee Virginia to stay at Elk Lodge for a few days. The
+revelation of the true relation between the two women
+had (as Lize put it) made a &#8220;whole lot of difference&#8221; to
+Mrs. Redfield. It naturally cleared the daughter of some
+part of her handicap, and it had also made the mother&#8217;s
+attitude less objectionable.</p>
+<p>Furthermore, the loyalty of Eliza to Ross, her bravery
+in defending him from attack, and the love and
+courage which enabled her to rise from a sick-bed and go
+to the mountains, ready and insistent on taking his place
+as nurse&mdash;all these were not the traits of a commonplace
+personality. &#8220;I begin to think I&#8217;ve been unjust to Mrs.
+Wetherford,&#8221; she admitted to her husband.</p>
+<p>She had seen Lize but once, and that was in the distorting
+atmosphere of the restaurant, and she remembered
+her only as a lumpy, scowling, loud-voiced creature
+with blowsy hair and a watchful eye. She was profoundly
+surprised, therefore, when Lee Virginia introduced a
+quiet-spoken, rather sad-faced elderly woman as her
+mother.
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_296' name='page_296'></a>296</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m glad to see you, Mrs. Wetherford,&#8221; Eleanor said,
+with the courtesy which was instinctive with her.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m mightily obliged for the chance to come,&#8221; replied
+Lize. &#8220;I told Reddy&mdash;I mean the Supervisor&mdash;that you
+didn&#8217;t want no old-timer like me, but he said &#8216;Come
+along,&#8217; and Lee she fixed me out, and here I am.&#8221; She
+uttered this with a touch of her well-known self-depreciation,
+but she was by no interpretation sordid or
+common.</p>
+<p>She did, indeed, show Lee&#8217;s care, and her manner, while
+manifestly formed upon Lee&#8217;s instructions, was never
+ludicrous. She was frankly curious about the house and
+its pretty things, and swore softly in her surprise and
+pleasure. &#8220;Think of an old cow-boss like me living up
+to these jimmy-cracks!&#8221; As they went to their room together,
+she made a confession: &#8220;The thing that scares
+me worst is <i>eating</i>. I&#8217;ve et at the Alma times enough,
+but to handle a fork here with El&#8217;nor Redfield lookin&#8217; on!
+Great peter! ain&#8217;t there some way of takin&#8217; my meals out
+in the barn? I wouldn&#8217;t mind you and Ross and Reddy&mdash;it&#8217;s
+the missis.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Ross had not yet arrived at the cabin, but Redfield had
+warned Lee not to expect him till after dark. &#8220;He
+probably slept late, and, besides, there are always delays
+on the trail. But don&#8217;t worry. Swenson will ride to the
+top of the divide with him, and if it seems necessary will
+come all the way.&#8221;</p>
+<p>This feeling of anxiety helped to steady Lize, and she
+got through the meal very well. She was unwontedly
+silent, and a little sad as well as constrained. She could
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_297' name='page_297'></a>297</span>
+see that Lee fitted in with these surroundings, that she
+was at home with shining silver and dainty dishes, and
+she said to herself: &#8220;I could have been something like
+her if I&#8217;d had any sort o&#8217; raisin&#8217;, but it&#8217;s too late now.
+But oh, Lord! wouldn&#8217;t Ed like to see her now!&#8221;</p>
+<p>It was not yet dark when they came out on the veranda
+to meet the doctor, who had come to meet Ross, and
+Lee&#8217;s anxiety led her to say: &#8220;Can&#8217;t we go up to the cabin
+and wait for him there?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I was about to propose that,&#8221; replied Redfield.
+&#8220;Shall we walk?&#8221;</p>
+<p>Lee was instant in her desire to be off, but Lize said:
+&#8220;I never was much on foot and now I&#8217;m hoof-bound.
+You go along, and I&#8217;ll sit on the porch here and watch.&#8221;</p>
+<p>So Lee, the doctor, and Redfield went off together
+across the meadow toward the little cabin which had
+been built for the workmen while putting in the dam.
+It was hardly a mile away, and yet it stood at the mouth
+of a mighty gorge, out of which the water sprang white
+with speed.</p>
+<p>But Lee had no mind for the scenery, though her eyes
+were lifted to the meadow&#8217;s wall, down which the ranger
+was expected to ride. It looked frightfully steep, and
+whenever she thought of him descending that trail, worn
+and perhaps ill, her heart ached with anxiety. But
+Redfield rambled on comfortably, explaining the situation
+to the doctor, who, being a most unimaginative
+person, appeared to take it all as a matter of course.</p>
+<p>At the cabin itself Lee transferred her interest to the
+supper which had been prepared for the ranger, and she
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_298' name='page_298'></a>298</span>
+went about the room trying to make it a little more comfortable
+for him. It was a bare little place, hardly more
+than a camp (as was proper), and she devoutly prayed
+that he was not to be sick therein, for it stood in a cold and
+gloomy place, close under the shadow of a great wall of
+rock.</p>
+<p>As it grew dark she lighted a lamp and placed it outside
+the window in order that its light might catch the ranger&#8217;s
+eye, and this indeed it did, for almost instantly a pistol-shot
+echoed from the hillside, far above, signalling his
+approach.</p>
+<p>&#8220;There he is!&#8221; she exclaimed, in swift rebound to
+ecstasy. &#8220;Hear him shout?&#8221;</p>
+<p>His voice could indeed be heard, though faintly, and
+so they waited while the darkness deepened and the voice
+of the stream rose like an exhalation, increasing in
+violence as the night fell.</p>
+<p>At last they could hear the sound of his horse&#8217;s feet
+upon the rocks, and with girlish impulse Lee raised a
+musical cry&mdash;an invitation as well as a joyous signal.</p>
+<p>To this the ranger made vocal answer, and they could
+soon see him moving athwart the hillsides, zigzagging in
+the trailer&#8217;s fashion, dropping down with incredible
+swiftness. He was alone, and leading his horse, but his
+celerity of movement and the tones of his voice denoted
+confidence and health.</p>
+<p>The doctor laughed as he said: &#8220;I don&#8217;t think a very
+sick man could come down a mountain like that.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh, he isn&#8217;t sick yet,&#8221; said Redfield. &#8220;What we are
+afraid of is a possible development.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_299' name='page_299'></a>299</span></p>
+<p>The ranger, as he came rushing down the final slope,
+found his knees weakened as much by excitement as by
+weariness. To hear Lee&#8217;s clear voice down there, to
+know that she was waiting for him, was to feel himself the
+luckiest of men. Escaping contagion and being on his
+way to a larger position were as nothing compared to the
+lure of that girlish halloo. He saw the lamp shine afar,
+but he could not distinguish the girl&#8217;s form till he
+emerged from the clump of pine-trees which hid the
+bottom of the trail. Then they all shouted together, and
+Redfield, turning to Lee, warningly said:</p>
+<p>&#8220;Now, my dear girl, you and I must not interfere with
+the doctor. We will start back to the house at once.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Not yet&mdash;not till we&#8217;ve seen him and talked with
+him,&#8221; she pleaded.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s a particle of danger,&#8221; said the
+doctor, &#8220;but perhaps you&#8217;d better not wait.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Cavanagh came up with shining eyes and heavy breath.
+&#8220;I made it&mdash;but oh, I&#8217;m tired! I never was tired like
+this before in my life.&#8221; He looked at her as he spoke.
+&#8220;But I&#8217;m feeling fine.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;This is Doctor French, Ross.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;How are you doctor? I&#8217;m not shaking hands these
+days.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well see about that,&#8221; replied the physician.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I met the sheriff on the way, Mr. Supervisor, and I gave
+him the story Dunn told me, and I made a request that
+the reward for the information be paid to Dunn&#8217;s widow.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll see to that,&#8221; responded Redfield. &#8220;And now
+we&#8217;ll leave you to the tender mercies of the doctor.&#8221;
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_300' name='page_300'></a>300</span></p>
+<p>&#8220;I made some coffee for you, and you&#8217;ll find some
+supper under a napkin on the table,&#8221; explained Lee.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Thank you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sorry it isn&#8217;t better. It&#8217;s only cold chicken and
+sandwiches&mdash;&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Only cold chicken!&#8221; he laughed. &#8220;My chief anxiety
+is lest it should not prove a whole chicken. I&#8217;m hungry
+as a coyote!&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Well, now, good-night,&#8221; said Redfield. &#8220;Doctor,
+you&#8217;ll report as you go by?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;Yes; expect me in half an hour or so.&#8221;</p>
+<p>And so Lee walked away with Redfield, almost entirely
+relieved of her care. &#8220;He can&#8217;t be ill, can he?&#8221;
+she asked.</p>
+<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t see how he can. His life has made him as
+clean and strong as an oak-tree on a windy slope. He is
+all right, and very happy. Your being there to meet
+him was very sweet to him, I could see that. If it should
+turn out that you should be the one to keep him here and
+in the Forest Service I shall be very grateful to you.&#8221;</p>
+<p>She did not reply to this, but walked along in silence
+by his side, feeling very small, very humble, but very
+content.</p>
+<p>Lize was on the veranda. &#8220;Did he get through?&#8221;</p>
+<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s all right so far,&#8221; returned Redfield, cheerily.
+&#8220;We left the doctor about to fly at him. We&#8217;ll have a
+report soon.&#8221;</p>
+<p>They had hardly finished telling of how the ranger
+had descended the hill when the doctor arrived. &#8220;He
+hasn&#8217;t a trace of it,&#8221; was his report. &#8220;All he needs is
+<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_301' name='page_301'></a>301</span>
+sleep. I cut him off from his entire over-the-range outfit,
+and there&#8217;s no reason why he should not come down to
+breakfast with you in the morning.&#8221;</p>
+<p>Mrs. Redfield thanked the doctor as fervently as if he
+had conferred a personal favor upon her, and the girl
+echoed her grateful words.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Oh, that&#8217;s all right,&#8221; the doctor replied, in true
+Western fashion; &#8220;I&#8217;ll do as much more for you any
+time.&#8221; And he rode away, leaving at least one person
+too happy to sleep.</p>
+<hr class='tb' />
+
+<p>The same person was on the veranda next morning
+when Cavanagh, dressed in the Supervisor&#8217;s best suit of
+gray cassimere, came striding across the lawn&mdash;too impatient
+of the winding drive to follow it. As he came,
+his face glowing with recovered health, Lee thought
+him the god of the morning, and went to meet him
+unashamed, and he took her to his arms and kissed her
+quite as he had promised himself to do.</p>
+<p>&#8220;Now I <i>know</i> that I am delivered!&#8221; he exclaimed,
+and together they entered upon the building of a home
+in the New West.</p>
+<div class='ce'>
+<p style=' margin-top:1.4em; margin-bottom:1em;'>THE END</p>
+</div>
+
+<!-- generated by ppgen.rb version: 2.18 -->
+<!-- timestamp: Sat Aug 09 03:13:30 -0600 2008 -->
+
+
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+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Cavanagh: Forest Ranger, by Hamlin Garland
+
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cavanagh: Forest Ranger, by Hamlin Garland
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Cavanagh: Forest Ranger
+       A Romance of the Mountain West
+
+Author: Hamlin Garland
+
+Release Date: August 9, 2008 [EBook #26244]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAVANAGH: FOREST RANGER ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE RANGER]
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+CAVANAGH
+FOREST RANGER
+
+A Romance
+Of The Mountain West
+
+By
+HAMLIN GARLAND
+
+Author Of
+"The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop"
+"Main-Travelled Roads" Etc.
+
+HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
+New York and London
+MCMX
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Books by
+HAMLIN GARLAND
+
+Cavanagh--Forest Ranger                Post 8vo $1.50
+The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop.   Post 8vo  1.50
+Hesper                                 Post 8vo  1.50
+Money Magic. Ill'd                     Post 8vo  1.50
+The Light of the Star. Ill'd           Post 8vo  1.50
+The Tyranny of the Dark. Ill'd.        Post 8vo  1.50
+The Shadow World                       Post 8vo  1.35
+Main-Travelled Roads                   Post 8vo  1.50
+Prairie Folks                          Post 8vo  1.50
+Rose of Dutcher's Coolly               Post 8vo  1.50
+The Moccasin Ranch. Ill'd              Post 8vo  1.00
+Trail of the Gold-Seekers              Post 8vo  1.50
+The Long Trail. Ill'd                  Post 8vo  1.25
+Boy Life on the Prairie. Ill'd         Post 8vo  1.50
+    (In Boys' and Girls' Library)                 .75
+
+HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, N. Y.
+
+Copyright, 1910, by Hamlin Garland
+
+All rights reserved
+
+Published March, 1910
+
+Printed in the United States of America
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+TO THE FOREST RANGER
+
+WHOSE LONELY VIGIL ON
+THE HEIGHTS SAFEGUARDS
+THE PUBLIC HERITAGE
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAPTER                                     PAGE
+     I.  The Desert Chariot                    1
+    II.  The Forest Ranger                    20
+   III.  Lee Virginia Wages War               35
+    IV.  Virginia Takes Another Motor Ride    57
+     V.  Two On the Veranda                   80
+    VI.  The Voice from the Heights           97
+   VII.  The Poachers                        115
+  VIII.  The Second Attack                   132
+    IX.  The Old Sheep-Herder                149
+     X.  The Smoke of the Burning            173
+    XI.  Shadows on the Mist                 187
+   XII.  Cavanagh's Last Vigil Begins        217
+  XIII.  Cavanagh Asks for Help              230
+   XIV.  The Pest-House                      247
+    XV.  Wetherford Passes On                265
+         Conclusion                          295
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+My Dear Mr. Garland:--You have been kind enough to let me see the proofs
+of _Cavanagh: Forest Ranger_. I have read it with mingled feelings--with
+keen appreciation of your sympathetic understanding of the problems which
+confronted the Forest Service before the Western people understood it, and
+with deep regret that I am no longer officially associated with its work
+(although I am as deeply interested, and almost as closely in touch as
+ever).
+
+The Western frontier, to the lasting sorrow of all old hunters like
+yourself, has now practically disappeared. Its people faced life with a
+manly dependence on their own courage and capacity which did them, and
+still does them, high honor. Some of them were naturally slow to see the
+advantages of the new order. But now that they have seen it, there is
+nowhere more intelligent, convinced, and effective support of the
+Conservation policies than in the West. The establishment of the new order
+in some places was not child's play. But there is a strain of fairness
+among the Western people which you can always count on in such a fight as
+the Forest Service has made and won.
+
+The Service contains the best body of young men I know, and many splendid
+veterans. It is nine-tenths made up of Western men. It has met the West on
+its own ground, and it has won the contest--an episode of which you have
+so well described--because the West believes in what it stands for.
+
+I have lived much among the Western mountain men. I have studied their
+problems; differed with some of them, and worked with many of them.
+Sometimes I have lost and sometimes I have won, but every time the fight
+was worth while. I have come out of it all with a respect and liking for
+the West which will last as long as I do.
+
+                                               Very sincerely yours,
+                                                       Gifford Pinchot.
+
+  March 14, 1910.
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Cavanagh: Forest Ranger
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+
+
+Cavanagh: Forest Ranger
+
+I
+
+THE DESERT CHARIOT
+
+
+Lee Virginia Wetherford began her return journey into the mountain West
+with exultation. From the moment she opened her car-window that August
+morning in Nebraska the plain called to her, sustained her illusions. It
+was all quite as big, as tawny, as she remembered it--fit arena for the
+epic deeds in which her father had been a leader bold and free.
+
+Her memories of Roaring Fork and its people were childish and romantic.
+She recalled, vividly, the stagecoach which used to amble sedately, not to
+say wheezily, from the railway to the Fork and from the Fork back to the
+railway, in the days when she had ridden away in it a tearful, despairing,
+long-limbed girl, and fully expected to find it waiting for her at Sulphur
+City, with old Tom Quentan still as its driver.
+
+The years of absence had been years of growth, and though she had changed
+from child to woman in these suns and moons, she could not think of the
+Fork as anything other than the romantic town she had left--a list wherein
+spurred and steel-girt cow-men strode lamely over uneven sidewalks, or
+swooped, like the red nomads of the desert, in mad troops through the
+starlit night.
+
+The first hint of "the new West" came to her by way of the pretentious
+Hotel Alma, which stood opposite the station at Sulphur, and to which she
+was led by a colored porter of most elaborate and kindly manners.
+
+This house, which furnished an excellent dinner and an absorbing mixture
+of types both American and European, was vaguely disturbing to her. It was
+plainly not of the old-time West--the West her father had dominated in the
+days "before the invasion." It was, indeed, distinctly built for the
+tourist trade, and was filled with all that might indicate the comfortable
+nearness of big game and good fishing.
+
+Upon inquiry as to the stage, she was amazed to hear that an automobile
+now made the journey to the Fork in five hours, and that it left
+immediately after the midday meal.
+
+This was still more disconcerting than the hotel, but the closer she came
+to the ride, the more resigned she became, for she began to relive the
+long hours of torture on the trip outward, during which she had endured
+clouds of dust and blazing heat. There were some disadvantages in the old
+stage, romantic as her conception of it had been. Furthermore, the coach
+had gone; so she made application for her seat at once.
+
+At two o'clock, as the car came to the door, she entered it with a sense
+of having stepped from one invading chariot of progress to another, so big
+and shining and up to date was its glittering body, shining with brass and
+glowing with brave red paint. It was driven, also, by a small, lean young
+fellow, whom the cowboys on her father's ranch would have called a
+"lunger," so thin and small were his hands and arms. He was quite as far
+from old Tom Quentan as the car was from the coach on which he used to
+perch.
+
+The owner of the machine, perceiving under Virginia's veil a girl's pretty
+face, motioned her to the seat with the driver, and rode beside her for a
+few minutes (standing on the foot-board), to inquire if she were visiting
+friends in the Fork.
+
+"Yes," she replied, curtly, "I am."
+
+Something in her tone discouraged him from further inquiry, and he soon
+dropped away.
+
+The seats were apparently quite filled with men, when at the last moment a
+middle-aged woman, with a penetrating, nasal, drawling utterance, inquired
+if she were expected to be "squoze in betwixt them two strange men on that
+there back seat."
+
+Lee Virginia turned, and was about to greet the woman as an old
+acquaintance when something bold and vulgar in the complaining vixen's
+face checked the impulse.
+
+The stage-agent called her "Miss McBride," and with exaggerated courtesy
+explained that travel was heavy, and that he had not known that she was
+intending to go.
+
+One of the men, a slender young fellow, moved to the middle of the seat,
+and politely said, "You can sit on the outside, madam."
+
+She clambered in with doleful clamor. "Well, I never rode in one of these
+pesky things before, and if you git me safe down to the Fork I'll promise
+never to jump the brute another time."
+
+A chuckle went 'round the car; but it soon died out, for the new-comer
+scarcely left off talking for the next three hours, and Virginia was very
+glad she had not claimed acquaintanceship.
+
+As they whirled madly down the valley the girl was astonished at the
+transformation in the hot, dry land. Wire fences ran here and there,
+enclosing fields of alfalfa and wheat where once only the sage-brush and
+the grease-wood grew. Painted farm-houses shone on the banks of the
+creeks, and irrigating ditches flashed across the road with an air of
+business and decision.
+
+For the first half-hour it seemed as if the dominion of the cattle-man had
+ended, but as the swift car drew away from the valley of the Bear and
+climbed the divide toward the north, the free range was disclosed, with
+few changes, save in the cattle, which were all of the harmless or
+hornless variety, appearing tame and spiritless in comparison with the
+old-time half-wild broad-horn breeds.
+
+No horsemen were abroad, and nothing was heard but the whirr of the motor
+and the steady flow of the garrulous woman behind. Not till the machine
+was descending the long divide to the west did a single cowboy come into
+view to remind the girl of the heroic past, and this one but a symbol--a
+figure of speech. Leaning forward upon his reeling, foaming steed, he
+spurred along the road as if pursued, casting backward apprehensive
+glances, as if in the brassy eyes of the car he read his doom--the doom of
+all his kind.
+
+Some vague perception of this symbolism came into Virginia's thought as
+she watched the swift and tireless wheels swallow the shortening distance
+between the heels of the flying pony and the gilded seat in which she sat.
+Vain was the attempt to outride progress. The rider pulled out, and as
+they passed him the girl found still greater significance in the fact that
+he was one of her father's old-time cowboys--a grizzled, middle-aged,
+light-weight centaur whom she would not have recognized had not the driver
+called him by his quaint well-known nickname.
+
+Soon afterward the motor overhauled and passed the battered stage
+lumbering along, bereft of its passengers, sunk to the level of carrying
+the baggage for its contemptuous aristocratic supplanter; and as Lee
+Virginia looked up at the driver, she caught the glance of a simple-minded
+farm-boy looking down at her. Tom Quentan no longer guided the plunging,
+reeling broncos on their swift and perilous way--he had sturdily declined
+to "play second fiddle to a kerosene tank."
+
+Lee began to wonder if she should find the Fork much changed--her mother
+was a bad correspondent.
+
+Her unspoken question, opportunely asked by another, was answered by Mrs.
+McBride. "Oh, Lord, yes! Summer tourists are crawlin' all over us sence
+this otto line began. 'Pears like all the bare-armed boobies and
+cross-legged little rips in Omaha and Denver has jest got to ride in and
+look us over. Two of them new hotels in Sulphur don't do a thing but feed
+these tenderfeet. I s'pose pro-hi-bition will be the next grandstand-play
+on the part of our town-lot boomers. We old cow-punchers don't care
+whether the town grows or not, but these hyer bankers and truck-farmers
+are all for raisin' the price o' land and taxin' us quiet fellers out of
+our boots."
+
+Virginia winced a little at this, for it flashed over her that all the
+women with whom she had grown up spoke very much in this fashion--using
+breeding terms almost as freely as the ranchers themselves. It was natural
+enough. What else could they do in talking to men who knew nothing but
+cows? And yet it was no longer wholly excusable even to the men, who
+laughed openly in reply.
+
+The mountains, too, yielded their disappointment. For the first hour or
+two they seemed lower and less mysterious than of old. They neither wooed
+nor threatened--only the plain remained as vast and as majestic as ever.
+The fences, the occasional farms in the valleys could not subdue its
+outspread, serene majesty to prettiness. It was still of desert sternness
+and breadth.
+
+From all these impersonal considerations the girl was brought back to the
+vital phases of her life by the harsh voice of one of the men. "Lize
+Wetherford is goin' to get jumped one o' these days for sellin' whiskey
+without a license. I've told her so, too. Everybody knows she's a-doin'
+it, and what beats me is her goin' along in that way when a little time
+and money would set her straight with the law."
+
+The shock of all this lay in the fact that Eliza Wetherford was the mother
+to whom Lee Virginia was returning after ten years of life in the East,
+and the significance of the man's words froze her blood for an instant.
+There was an accent of blunt truth in his voice, and the mere fact that a
+charge of such weight could be openly made appalled the girl, although her
+recollections of her mother were not entirely pleasant.
+
+The young fellow on the back seat slowly said: "I don't complain of Lize
+sellin' bad whiskey, but the grub she sets up is fierce."
+
+"The grub ain't so bad; it's the way she stacks it up," remarked another.
+"But, then, these little fly-bit cow-towns are all alike and all bad, so
+far as hotels are concerned."
+
+Lee Virginia, crimson and burning hot, was in agony lest they should go
+further in their criticism.
+
+She knew that her mother kept a boarding-house; and while she was not
+proud of it, there was nothing precisely disgraceful in it--many widowed
+women found it the last resort; but this brutal comment on the way in
+which her business was carried on was like a slash of mud in the face. Her
+joy in the ride, her impersonal exultant admiration of the mountains was
+gone, and with flaming cheeks and beating heart she sat, tense and bent,
+dreading some new and keener thrust.
+
+Happily the conversation turned aside and fell upon the Government's
+forest policy, and Sam Gregg, a squat, wide-mouthed, harsh-voiced
+individual, cursed the action of Ross Cavanagh the ranger in the district
+above the Fork. "He thinks he's Secretary of War, but I reckon he won't
+after I interview him. He can't shuffle my sheep around over the hills at
+his own sweet will."
+
+The young fellow on the back seat quietly interposed. "You want to be sure
+you've got the cinch on Cavanagh good and square, Sam, or he'll be
+a-ridin' _you_."
+
+"He certainly is an arbitrary cuss," said the old woman. "They say he was
+one of Teddy's Rough-riders in the war. He sure can ride and handle a gun.
+'Pears like he thinks he's runnin' the whole range," she continued, after
+a pause. "Cain't nobody so much as shoot a grouse since he came on, and
+the Supervisor upholds him in it."
+
+Lee Virginia wondered about all this supervision, for it was new to her.
+
+Gregg, the sheepman, went on: "As I tell Redfield, I don't object to the
+forest policy--it's a good thing for me; I get my sheep pastured cheaper
+than I could do any other way, but it makes me hot to have grazing lines
+run on me and my herders jacked up every time they get over the line. Ross
+run one bunch off the reservation last Friday. I'm going to find out about
+that. He'll learn he can't get 'arbitrary' with me."
+
+Lee Virginia, glancing back at this man, felt sorry for any one who
+opposed him, for she recalled him as one of the fiercest of the
+cattle-men--one ever ready to cut a farmer's fence or burn a
+sheep-herder's wagon.
+
+The old woman chuckled: "'Pears like you've changed your tune since '98,
+Sam."
+
+He admitted his conversion shamelessly. "I'm for whatever will pay best.
+Just now, with a high tariff, sheep are the boys. So long as I can get on
+the reserve at seven cents a head--lambs free--I'm going to put every
+dollar I've got into sheep."
+
+"You're going to get thrown off altogether one of these days," said the
+young man on the back seat.
+
+Thereupon a violent discussion arose over the question of the right of a
+sheepman to claim first grass for his flocks, and Gregg boasted that he
+cared nothing for "the dead-line." "I'll throw my sheep where I please,"
+he declared. "They've tried to run me out of Deer Creek, but I'm there to
+stay. I have ten thousand more on the way, and the man that tries to stop
+me will find trouble."
+
+The car was descending into the valley of the Roaring Fork now, and wire
+fences and alfalfa fields on either side gave further evidence of the
+change in the land's dominion. New houses of frame and old houses in fresh
+paint shone vividly from the green of the willows and cottonwoods. A
+ball-ground on the outskirts of the village was another guarantee of
+progress. The cowboy was no longer the undisputed prince of the country
+fair.
+
+Down past the court-house, refurbished and deeper sunk in trees, Lee
+Virginia rode, recalling the wild night when three hundred armed and
+vengeful cowboys surrounded it, holding three cattle-barons and their
+hired invaders against all comers, resolute to be their own judge, jury,
+and hangman. It was all as peaceful as a Sunday afternoon at this moment,
+with no sign of the fierce passions of the past.
+
+There were new store-buildings and cement walks along the main street of
+the town, and here and there a real lawn, cut by a lawn-mower; but as the
+machine buzzed on toward the river the familiar little old battlemented
+buildings came to view. The Palace Hotel, half log, half battlement,
+remained on its perilous site beside the river. The triangle where the
+trails met still held Halsey's Three Forks Saloon, and next to it stood
+Markheit's general store, from which the cowboys and citizens had armed
+themselves during the ten days' war of cattle-men and rustlers.
+
+The car crossed the Roaring Fork and drew up before two small shacks, one
+of which bore a faded sign, "The Wetherford House," and the other in
+fresher paint, "The Wetherford Cafe." On the sidewalk a group of Indians
+were sitting, and a half-dozen slouching white men stood waiting at the
+door.
+
+At sight of her mother's hotel Virginia forgot every other building, every
+other object, and when the driver asked, respectfully, "Where will you
+want to get off, miss?" she did not reply, but rose unsteadily in her
+seat, blindly reaching for her bag and her wraps. Her slim, gray-robed
+figure, graceful even in her dismay, appealed to every onlooker, but Gregg
+was the one to offer a hand.
+
+"Allow me, miss," he said, with the smile of a wolf.
+
+Declining his aid, she took her bag from the driver and walked briskly up
+the street as if she were a resident and knew precisely where she wanted
+to go. "One o' those Eastern tourists, I reckon?" she heard the old woman
+say.
+
+As she went past the hotel-porch her heart beat hard and her breath
+shortened. In a flash she divined the truth. She understood why her mother
+had discouraged her coming home. It was not merely on account of the
+money--it was because she knew that her business was wrong.
+
+What a squalid little den it was! How cheap, bald, and petty the whole
+town seemed of a sudden. Lee Virginia halted and turned. There was only
+one thing to be done, and that was to make herself known. She retraced her
+steps, pulled open the broken screen door, and entered the cafe. It was a
+low, dingy dining-room filled with the odor of ham and bad coffee. At the
+tables ten or fifteen men, a motley throng, were busily feeding their
+voracious jaws, and on her left, behind a showcase filled with cigars,
+stood her mother, looking old, unkempt, and worried. The changes in her
+were so great that the girl stood in shocked alarm. At last she raised her
+veil. "Mother," she said, "don't you know me?"
+
+A look of surprise went over the older woman's flabby face--a glow which
+brought back something of her other self, as she cried: "Why, Lee
+Virginny, where did you come from?"
+
+The boarders stopped chewing and stared in absorbed interest, while
+Virginia kissed her blowsy mother.
+
+"By the Lord, it's little Virginny!" said one old fellow. "It's her
+daughter."
+
+Upon this a mutter of astonishment arose, and the waiter-girls, giggling,
+marvelling, and envious, paused, their platters in hand, to exchange
+comment on the new-comer's hat and gown. A cowboy at the washing-sink in
+the corner suspended his face-polishing and gaped over his shoulder in
+silent ecstasy.
+
+For a full minute, so it seemed, this singular, interesting, absorbed
+immobility lasted; then a seedy little man rose, and approached the girl.
+His manner was grotesquely graceful as he said: "We are all glad to greet
+you home again, Miss Virginia."
+
+She gave her hand hesitatingly. "It's Mr. Sifton, isn't it?"
+
+"It is," he replied; "the same old ha'penny, only a little more
+worn--worn, not polished," he added, with a smile.
+
+She remembered him then--an Englishman, a remittance man, a "lord," they
+used to say. His eyes were kind, and his mouth, despite its unshaved
+stubble of beard, was refined. A harmless little man--his own worst enemy,
+as the saying goes.
+
+Thereupon others of the men came forward to greet her, and though she had
+some difficulty in recognizing one or two of them (so hardly had the years
+of her absence used them), she eventually succeeded in placing them all.
+
+At length her mother led her through the archway which connected the two
+shanties, thence along a narrow hall into a small bedroom, into which the
+western sunset fell. It was a shabby place, but as a refuge from the crowd
+in the restaurant it was grateful.
+
+Lize looked at her daughter critically. "I don't know what I'm going to do
+with a girl like you.--Why, you're purty--purty as a picture. You were
+skinny as a child--I'm fair dazed. Great snakes, how you have opened
+out!--You're the living image of your dad.--What started you back? I told
+you to stay where you was."
+
+The girl stared at her helplessly, trying to understand herself and her
+surroundings. There was, in truth, something singularly alien in her
+mother's attitude. She seemed on the defensive, not wishing to be too
+closely studied. "Her manner is not even affectionate--only friendly. It
+is as if I were only an embarrassing visitor," the girl thought. Aloud she
+said: "I had no place to go after Aunt Celia died. I had to come home."
+
+"You wrote they was willing to keep you."
+
+"They were, but I couldn't ask it of them. I had no right to burden them,
+and, besides, Mrs. Hall wrote me that you were sick."
+
+"I am; but I didn't want you to come back. Lay off your things and come
+out to supper. We'll talk afterward."
+
+The eating-house, the rooms and hallways, were all of that desolate
+shabbiness which comes from shiftlessness joined with poverty. The carpets
+were frayed and stained with tobacco-juice, and the dusty windows were
+littered with dead flies. The curtains were ragged, the paper peeling from
+the walls, and the plastering cracked into unsightly lines. Everything on
+which the girl's eyes fell contrasted strongly with her aunt's home on the
+Brandywine--not because that house was large or luxurious, but because it
+was exquisitely in order, and sweet with flowers and dainty arrangement of
+color.
+
+She understood now the final warnings uttered by her friends. "You will
+find everything changed," they had said, "because you are changed."
+
+She regretted bitterly that she had ever left her Eastern friends. Her
+mother, in truth, showed little pleasure at her coming, and almost nothing
+of the illness of which a neighbor had written. It was, indeed, this
+letter which had decided her to return to the West. She had come, led by a
+sense of duty, not by affection, for she had never loved her mother as a
+daughter should--they were in some way antipathetic--and now she found
+herself an unwelcome guest.
+
+Then, too, the West had called to her: the West of her childhood, the
+romantic, chivalrous West, the West of the miner, the cattle-man, the
+wolf, and the eagle. She had returned, led by a poetic sentiment, and here
+now she sat realizing as if by a flash of inward light that the West she
+had known as a child had passed, had suddenly grown old and
+commonplace--in truth, it had never existed at all!
+
+One of the waitresses, whose elaborately puffed and waved hair set forth
+her senseless vanity, called from the door: "You can come out now, your ma
+says! Your supper's ready!"
+
+With aching head and shaking knees Virginia reentered the dining-room,
+which was now nearly empty of its "guests," but was still misty with the
+steam of food, and swarming with flies. These pests buzzed like bees
+around the soiled places on the table-cloths, and one of her mother's
+first remarks was a fretful apology regarding her trials with those
+insects. "Seems like you can't keep 'em out," she said.
+
+Lee Virginia presented the appearance of some "settlement worker," some
+fair lady on a visit to the poor, as she took her seat at the table and
+gingerly opened the small moist napkin which the waiter dropped before
+her. Her appetite was gone. Her appetite failed at the very sight of the
+fried eggs and hot and sputtering bacon, and she turned hastily to her
+coffee. A fly was in that! She uttered a little choking cry, and buried
+her face in her handkerchief and sobbed.
+
+Lize turned upon the waitress and lashed her with stinging phrases. "Can't
+you serve things better than this? Take that cup away! My God, you make me
+tired--fumblin' around here with your eyes on the men! Pay more attention
+to your work and less to your crimps, and you'll please me a whole lot
+better!"
+
+With desperate effort Lee conquered her disgust. "Never mind, I'm tired
+and a little upset. I don't need any dinner."
+
+"The slob will go, just the same. I've put up with her because help is
+scarce, but here's where she gits off!"
+
+In this moment Virginia perceived that her mother was of the same nature
+with Mrs. McBride--not one whit more refined--and the gulf between them
+swiftly widened. Hastily sipping her coffee, she tried hard to keep back
+the tears, but failed; and no sooner did her mother turn away than she
+fled to her room, there to sob unrestrainedly her despair and shame. "Oh,
+I can't stand it," she called. "I can't! I can't!"
+
+Outside, the mountains deepened in splendor, growing each moment more
+mysterious and beautiful under the sunset sky, but the girl derived no
+comfort from them. Her loneliness and her perplexities had closed her eyes
+to their majestic drama. She felt herself alien and solitary in the land
+of her birth.
+
+Lize came in half an hour later, pathetic in her attempt at "slicking up."
+She was still handsome in a large-featured way, but her gray hair was
+there, and her face laid with a network of fretful lines. Her color was
+bad. At the moment her cheeks were yellow and sunken.
+
+She complained of being short of breath and lame and tired. "I'm always
+tired," she explained. "'Pears like sometimes I can't scarcely drag myself
+around, but I do."
+
+A pang of comprehending pain shot through Virginia's heart. If she could
+not love, she could at least pity and help; and reaching forth her hand,
+she patted her mother on the knee. "Poor old mammy!" she said. "I'm going
+to help you."
+
+Lize was touched by this action of her proud daughter, and smiled sadly.
+"This is no place for you. It's nothin' but a measly little old cow-town
+gone to seed--and I'm gone to seed with it. I know it. But what is a
+feller to do? I'm stuck here, and I've got to make a living or quit. I
+can't quit. I ain't got the grit to eat a dose, and so I stagger along."
+
+"I've come back to help you, mother. You must let me relieve you of some
+of the burden."
+
+"What can you do, child?" Lize asked, gently.
+
+"I can teach."
+
+"Not in this town you can't."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Well, there's a terrible prejudice against--well, against me. And,
+besides, the places are all filled for the next year. The Wetherfords
+ain't among the first circles any more."
+
+This daunted the girl more than she could express, but she bravely made
+advance. "But there must be other schools in the country."
+
+"There are--a few. But I reckon you better pull out and go back, at least,
+to Sulphur; they don't know so much about me there, and, besides, they're
+a little more like your kind."
+
+Lee Virginia remembered Gregg's charge against her mother. "What do you
+mean by the prejudice against you?" she asked.
+
+Lize was evasive. "Since I took to running this restaurant my old friends
+kind o' fell off--but never mind that to-night. Tell me about things back
+East. I don't s'pose I'll ever get as far as Omaha again; I used to go
+with Ed every time I felt like it. He was good to me, your father. If ever
+there was a prince of a man, Ed Wetherford was him."
+
+The girl's thought was now turned into other half-forgotten channels. "I
+wish you would tell me more about father. I don't remember where he was
+buried."
+
+"Neither do I, child--I mean I don't know exactly. You see, after that
+cattle-war, he went away to Texas."
+
+"I remember, but it's all very dim."
+
+"Well, he never came back and never wrote, and by-and-by word came that he
+had died and was buried; but I never could go down to see where his grave
+was at."
+
+"Didn't you know the name of the town?"
+
+"Yes; but it was a new place away down in the Pan Handle, and nobody I
+knew lived there. And I never knew anything more."
+
+Lee sighed hopelessly. "I hate to think of him lying neglected down
+there."
+
+"'Pears like the whole world we lived in in them days has slipped off the
+map," replied the older woman; and as the room was darkening, she rose and
+lighted a dusty electric globe which dangled from the ceiling over the
+small table. "Well, I must go back into the restaurant; I hain't got a
+girl I can trust to count the cash."
+
+Left alone, Lee Virginia wept no more, but her face settled into an
+expression of stern sadness. It seemed as if her girlhood had died out of
+her, and that she was about to begin the same struggle with work and worry
+which had marked the lives of all the women she had known in her
+childhood.
+
+Out on the porch a raw youth was playing wailing tunes on a mouth-organ,
+and in the "parlor" a man was uttering silly jokes to a tittering girl.
+The smell of cheap cigars filled the hallway and penetrated to her
+nostrils. Every sight and sound sickened her. "Can it be that the old
+town, the town of my childhood, was of this character--so sordid, so
+vulgar?" she asked herself. "And mother--what is the matter with her? She
+is not even glad to see me!"
+
+Weary with her perplexities, she fastened her door at last, and went to
+bed, hoping to end--for a few hours, at least--the ache in her heart and
+the benumbing whirl of her thought.
+
+But this respite was denied her. Almost at once she began to fancy that a
+multitudinous minute creeping and stirring was going on about her--in her
+hair, over her neck, across her feet. For a time she explained this by
+reference to her disordered nerves, but at last some realization of the
+truth came to her, and she sprang out upon the floor in horror and
+disgust. Lighting the lamp, she turned to scrutinize her couch. It swarmed
+with vermin. The ceiling was spattered with them. They raced across the
+walls in platoons, thin and voracious as wolves.
+
+With a choking, angry, despairing moan she snatched her clothing from the
+chair and stood at bay. It needed but this touch to complete her
+disillusionment.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+THE FOREST RANGER
+
+
+From her makeshift bed in the middle of the floor Lee Virginia was
+awakened next morning by the passing of some one down the hall calling at
+each door, "Six o'clock!" She had not slept at all till after one. She was
+lame, heart-weary, and dismayed, but she rose and dressed herself as
+neatly as before. She had decided to return to Sulphur. "I cannot endure
+this," she had repeated to herself a hundred times. "I _will_ not!"
+
+Hearing the clatter of dishes, she ventured (with desperate courage) into
+the dining-room, which was again filled with cowboys, coal-miners,
+ranchers and their tousled families, and certain nondescript town loafers
+of tramp-like appearance. The flies were nearly as bad as ever--but not
+quite, for under Mrs. Wetherford's dragooning the waiters had made a
+nerveless assault upon them with newspaper bludgeons, and a few of them
+had been driven out into the street.
+
+Slipping into a seat at the end of the table which offered the cleanest
+cloth, Lee Virginia glanced round upon her neighbors with shrinking eyes.
+All were shovelling their food with knife-blades and guzzling their coffee
+with bent heads; their faces scared her, and she dropped her eyes.
+
+At her left, however, sat two men whose greetings were frank and manly,
+and whose table-manners betrayed a higher form of life. One of them was a
+tall man with a lean red face against which his blond mustache lay like a
+chalk-mark. He wore a corduroy jacket, cut in Norfolk style, and in the
+collar of his yellow shirt a green tie was loosely knotted. His hands were
+long and freckled, but were manifestly trained to polite usages.
+
+The other man was younger and browner, and of a compact, athletic figure.
+On the breast of his olive-green coat hung a silver badge which bore a
+pine-tree in the centre. His shirt was tan-colored and rough, but his head
+was handsome. He looked like a young officer in the undress uniform of the
+regular army. His hands were strong but rather small, and the lines of his
+shoulders graceful. Most attractive of all were his eyes, so brown, so
+quietly humorous, and so keen.
+
+In the rumble of cheap and vulgar talk the voices of these men appealed to
+the troubled girl with great charm. She felt more akin to them than to any
+one else in the room, and from time to time she raised her eyes to their
+faces.
+
+They were aware of her also, and their gaze was frankly admiring as well
+as wondering; and in passing the ham and eggs or the sugar they contrived
+to show her that they considered her a lady in a rough place, and that
+they would like to know more about her.
+
+She accepted their civilities with gratitude, and listened to their talk
+with growing interest. It seemed that the young man had come down from the
+hills to meet his friend and take him back to his cabin.
+
+"I can't do it to-day, Ross," said the older man. "I wish I could, but one
+meal of this kind is all I can stand these days."
+
+"You're getting finicky," laughed the younger man.
+
+"I'm getting old. Time was when my fell of hair would rise at nothing, not
+even flies in the butter, but now--"
+
+"That last visit to the ancestral acres is what did it."
+
+"No, it's age--age and prosperity. I know now what it is to have broiled
+steak."
+
+Mrs. Wetherford, seizing the moment, came down to do the honors. "You
+fellers ought to know my girl. Virginny, this is Forest Supervisor
+Redfield, and this is Ross Cavanagh, his forest ranger in this district.
+You ought to know each other. My girl's just back from school, and she
+don't think much of the Fork. It's a little too coarse for her."
+
+Lee flushed under this introduction, and her distress was so evident that
+both men came to her rescue.
+
+The older man bowed, and said: "I didn't know you had a daughter, Mrs.
+Wetherford," and Cavanagh, with a glance of admiration, added: "We've been
+wondering who you might be."
+
+Lize went on: "I thought I'd got rid of her. She's been away now for about
+ten years. I don't know but it was a mistake--look's like she's grown a
+little too fine-haired for us doughies out here."
+
+"So much the worse for us," replied Redfield.
+
+This little dialogue gave the girl time to recover herself, but as
+Cavanagh watched the blush fade from her face, leaving it cold and white,
+he sympathized with her--pitied her from the bottom of his heart. He
+perceived that he was a chance spectator of the first scene in a painful
+domestic drama--one that might easily become a tragedy. He wondered what
+the forces might be which had brought such a daughter to this sloven, this
+virago. To see a maid of this delicate bloom thrust into such a place as
+Lize Wetherford's "hotel" had the reputation of being roused indignation.
+
+"When did you reach town?" he asked, and into his voice his admiration
+crept.
+
+"Only last night."
+
+"You find great changes here?"
+
+"Not so great as in my mother. It's all----" She stopped abruptly, and he
+understood.
+
+Lize being drawn back to her cash-register, Redfield turned to say: "My
+dear young lady, I don't suppose you remember me, but I knew you when you
+were a tot of five or six. I knew your father very well."
+
+"Did you?" Her face lighted up.
+
+"Yes, poor fellow, he went away from here rather under a cloud, you
+know."
+
+"I remember a little of it. I was here when the shooting took place."
+
+"So you were. Well, since then much has happened to us all," he explained
+to the ranger. "There wasn't room for a dashing young blood such as Ed
+Wetherford was in those days." He turned to Lee. "He was no worse than the
+men on the other side--it was dog eat dog; but some way the people rather
+settled on him as a scapegoat. He was forced out, and your mother has
+borne the brunt of it since. Those were lawless days."
+
+It was a painful subject, and Redfield's voice grew lower and more
+hesitant as he went on. Looking at this charming girl through the smoke of
+fried ham, with obscene insects buzzing about her fair head, made him feel
+for the thousandth time, and more keenly than ever before, the amazing
+combinations in American society. How could she be the issue of Edward and
+Eliza Wetherford?
+
+More and more Lee Virginia's heart went out in trust toward these two men.
+Opposed to the malodorous, unshaven throng which filled the room, they
+seemed wondrously softened and sympathetic, and in the ranger's gaze was
+something else--something which made her troubles somehow less
+intolerable. She felt that he understood the difficult situation in which
+she found herself.
+
+Redfield went on. "You find us horribly uncivilized after ten years'
+absence?"
+
+"I find _this_ uncivilised," she replied, with fierce intensity, looking
+around the room. Then, on the impulse, she added: "I can't stand it! I
+came here to live with my mother, but this is too--too horrible!"
+
+"I understand your repulsion," replied Redfield. "A thousand times I
+repeat, apropos of this country, 'Where every prospect pleases and only
+man is vile.'"
+
+"Do you suppose it was as bad ten years ago?" she asked. "Was everything
+as dirty--as mean? Were the houses then as full of flies and smells?"
+
+"I'm afraid they were. Of course, the country isn't all like this, and
+there are neat homes and gentle people in Sulphur; but most cattle-men
+are--as they've always been--a shiftless, happy-go-lucky lot at best--and
+some of them have been worse, as you know."
+
+"I never dreamed of finding my mother in such a place," she went on. "I
+don't know what to do or say. She isn't well. I ought to stay and help
+her, and yet--oh, it is disheartening!"
+
+Lize tapped Redfield on the shoulder. "Come over here, Reddy, if you've
+finished your breakfast; I want to talk with you."
+
+Redfield rose and followed his landlady behind the counter, and there sat
+in earnest conversation while she made change. The tone in which her
+mother addressed the Supervisor, her action of touching him as one man
+lays hand upon another, was profoundly revealing to Lee Virginia. She
+revolted from it without realizing exactly what it meant; and feeling
+deeply but vaguely the forest ranger's sympathy, she asked:
+
+"How _can_ you endure this kind of life?"
+
+"I can't, and I don't," he answered, cautiously, for they were being
+closely observed. "I am seldom in town; my dominion is more than a mile
+above this level. My cabin is nine thousand feet above the sea. It is
+clean and quiet up there."
+
+"Are all the other restaurants in the village like this?"
+
+"Worse. I come here because it is the best."
+
+She rose. "I can't stand this air and these flies any longer. They're too
+disgusting."
+
+He followed her into the other house, conscious of the dismay and
+bitterness which burst forth the instant they were alone. "What am I to
+do? She is my mother, but I've lost all sense of relationship to her. And
+these people--except you and Mr. Redfield--are all disgusting to me. It
+isn't because my mother is poor, it isn't because she's keeping boarders;
+it's something else." At this point her voice failed her.
+
+The ranger, deeply moved, stood helplessly silent. What could he say? He
+knew a great deal better than she the essential depravity of her mother,
+and he felt keenly the cruelty of fate which had plunged a fine young
+spirit into this swamp of ill-smelling humanity.
+
+"Let us go out into the air," he suggested, presently. "The mountain wind
+will do you good."
+
+She followed him trustfully, and as she stepped from the squalor of the
+hotel into the splendor of the morning her head lifted. She drank the
+clear, crisp wind as one takes water in the desert.
+
+"The air is clean, anyway," she said.
+
+Cavanagh, to divert her, pointed away to the mountains. "There is my
+dominion. Up there I am sole ruler. No one can litter the earth with
+corruption or poison the streams."
+
+She did not speak, but as she studied the ranger her face cleared. "It
+_is_ beautiful up there."
+
+He went on. "I hate all this scrap-heap quite as heartily as you do, but
+up there is sweetness and sanity. The streams are germless, and the forest
+cannot be devastated. That is why I am a ranger. I could not endure life
+in a town like this."
+
+He turned up the street toward the high hill to the south, and she kept
+step with him. As she did not speak, he asked: "What did you expect to do
+out here?"
+
+"I hoped to teach," she replied, her voice still choked with her emotion.
+"I expected to find the country much improved."
+
+"And so it is; but it is still a long way from an Eastern State. Perhaps
+you will find the people less savage than they appear at first glance."
+
+"It isn't the town or the people, it is my mother!" she burst forth again.
+"Tell me! A woman in the car yesterday accused my mother of selling
+whiskey unlawfully. Is this so? Tell me!"
+
+She faced him resolutely, and perceiving that she could not be evaded, he
+made slow answer. "I don't _know_ that she does, but I've heard it charged
+against her."
+
+"Who made the charge?"
+
+"One of the clergymen, and then it's common talk among the rough men of
+the town."
+
+"Is that the worst they say of her? Be honest with me--I want to know the
+worst."
+
+He was quite decisive as he said: "Yes, that is the worst."
+
+She looked relieved. "I'm glad to hear you say so. I've been imagining all
+kinds of terrifying things."
+
+"Then, too, her bad health is some excuse for her housekeeping," he added,
+eager to lessen the daughter's humiliation, "and you must remember her
+associations are not those which breed scrupulous regard for the
+proprieties."
+
+"But she's my mother!" wailed the girl, coming back to the central fact.
+"She has sent me money--she has been kind to me--what am I to do? She
+needs me, and yet the thought of staying here and facing her life
+frightens me."
+
+The rotten board walks, the low rookeries, the unshaven, blear-eyed men
+sitting on the thresholds of the saloons, the slattern squaws wandering
+abroad like bedraggled hens, made the girl stare with wonder and dismay.
+She had remembered the town street as a highway filled with splendid
+cavaliers, a list wherein heroic deeds were done with horse and pistol.
+
+She recognized one of those "knights of the lariat" sitting in the sun,
+flabby, grizzled, and inert. Another was trying to mount his horse with a
+bottle in his hand. She recalled him perfectly. He had been her girlish
+ideal of manly beauty. Now here he was, old and mangy with drink at forty.
+In a most vivid and appealing sense he measured the change in her as well
+as the decay of the old-time cowboy. His incoherent salutation as his eyes
+fell upon her was like the final blasphemous word from the rear-guard of a
+savage tribe, and she watched him ride away reeling limply in his saddle
+as one watches a carrion-laden vulture take its flight.
+
+She perceived in the ranger the man of the new order, and with this in her
+mind she said: "You don't belong here? You're not a Western man."
+
+"Not in the sense of having been born here," he replied. "I am, in fact, a
+native of England, though I've lived nearly twenty years of my life in the
+States."
+
+She glanced at his badge. "How did you come to be a ranger--what does it
+mean? It's all new to me."
+
+"It is new to the West," he answered, smilingly, glad of a chance to turn
+her thought from her own personal griefs. "It has all come about since you
+went East. Uncle Sam has at last become provident, and is now 'conserving
+his resources.' I am one of his representatives with stewardship over some
+ninety thousand acres of territory--mostly forest."
+
+She looked at him with eyes of changing light. "You don't talk like an
+Englishman, and yet you are not like the men out here."
+
+"I shouldn't care to be like some of them," he answered. "My being here is
+quite logical. I went into the cattle business like many another, and I
+went broke. I served under Colonel Roosevelt in the Cuban War, and after
+my term was out, naturally drifted back. I love the wilderness and have
+some natural taste for forestry, and I can ride and pack a horse as well
+as most cowboys, hence my uniform. I'm not the best forest ranger in the
+service, I'll admit, but I fancy I'm a fair average."
+
+"And that is your badge--the pine-tree?"
+
+"Yes, and I am proud of it. Some of the fellows are not, but so far as I
+am concerned I am glad to be known as a defender of the forest. A tree
+means much to me. I never mark one for felling without a sense of
+responsibility to the future."
+
+Her questions came slowly, like those of a child. "Where do you live?"
+
+"Directly up the South Fork, about twenty miles."
+
+"What do you do?"
+
+He smiled. "Not much. I ride the trails, guard the game, put out fires,
+scale lumber, burn brush, build bridges, herd cattle, count sheep, survey
+land, and a few other odd chores. It's supposed to be a soft snap, but I
+can't see it that way."
+
+"Do you live alone?"
+
+"Yes, for the larger part of the time. I have an assistant who is with me
+during part of the summer months. Mostly I am alone. However, I am
+supposed to keep open house, and I catch a visitor now and then."
+
+They were both more at ease now, and her unaffected interest pleased him.
+
+She went on, steadily: "Don't you get very lonely?"
+
+"In winter, sometimes; in summer I'm too busy to get lonely. In the fire
+season I'm in the saddle every day, and sometimes all night."
+
+"Who cooks for you?"
+
+"I do. That's part of a ranger's job. We have no 'servant problem' to
+contend with."
+
+"Do you expect to do this always?"
+
+He smiled again. "There you touch my secret spring. I have the hope of
+being Chief Forester some time--I mean we all have the prospect of
+promotion to sustain us. The service is so new that any one with even a
+knowledge of forestry is in demand; by and by real foresters will arise."
+
+She returned abruptly to her own problem. "I dread to go back to my
+mother, but I must. Oh, how I hate that hotel! I loathe the flies, the
+smells, the people that eat there, the waiters--everything!" She
+shuddered.
+
+"Many of the evils you mention could be reformed--except, of course, some
+of the people who come to eat. I fear several of them have gone beyond
+reformation."
+
+As they started back down the street she saw the motor-stage just leaving
+the door of the office. "That settles one question," she said. "I can't
+get away till to-morrow."
+
+"Where would you go if you broke camp--back to the East?"
+
+"No; my mother thinks there is a place for me in Sulphur City."
+
+"Your case interests me deeply. I wish I could advise you to stay, but
+this is a rough town for a girl like you. Why don't you talk the problem
+over with the Supervisor?" His voice became firmer. "Mrs. Redfield is the
+very one to help you."
+
+"Where does she live?"
+
+"Their ranch lies just above Sulphur, at the mouth of the Canon. May I
+tell him what you've told me? He's a good sort, is Redfield--much better
+able to advise than I am."
+
+Cavanagh found himself enjoying the confidence of this girl so strangely
+thrown into his care, and the curious comment of the people in the street
+did not disturb him, except as it bore upon his companion's position in
+the town.
+
+At the door of the hotel some half-a-dozen men were clustered. As the
+young couple approached they gave way, but a short, powerful man, whom Lee
+Virginia recognized as Gregg the sheepman, called to the ranger:
+
+"I want to see you before you leave town, Mr. Ranger."
+
+"Very well. I shall be here all the forenoon," answered Cavanagh, in the
+tone of a man accepting a challenge; then, turning to the girl, he said,
+earnestly: "I want to help you. I shall be here for lunch, and meanwhile I
+wish you would take Redfield into your confidence. He's a wise old boy,
+and everybody knows him. No one doubts his motives; besides, he has a
+family, and is rich and unhurried. Would you like me to talk with him?"
+
+"If you will. I want to do right--indeed I do."
+
+"I'm sure of that," he said, with eyes upon her flushed and quivering
+face. "There's a way out, believe me."
+
+They parted on the little porch of the hotel, and her eyes followed his
+upright figure till he entered one of the shops. He had precisely the look
+and bearing of a young lieutenant in the regular army, and she wondered
+what Gregg's demand meant. In his voice was both menace and contempt.
+
+She returned to her own room, strangely heartened by her talk with the
+ranger. "If I stay here another night this room must be cleaned," she
+decided, and approached the bed as though it harbored venomous reptiles.
+"This is one of the things that must be reformed," she decided, harking
+back to the ranger's quiet remark.
+
+She was still pondering ways and means of making the room habitable when
+her mother came in.
+
+"How'd you sleep last night?"
+
+Lee Virginia could not bring herself to lie. "Not very well," she
+admitted.
+
+"Neither did I. Fact of the matter is your coming fairly upset me. I've
+been kind o' used up for three months. I don't know what ails me. I'd
+ought to go up to Sulphur to see a doctor, but there don't seem to be any
+free time. I 'pear to have lost my grip. Food don't give me any strength.
+I saw you talking with Ross Cavanagh. There's a man--and Reddy. Reddy is
+what you may call a fancy rancher--goes in for alfalfy and fruit, and all
+that. He isn't in the forest service for the pay or for graft. He's got a
+regular palace up there above Sulphur--hot and cold water all through the
+house, a furnace in the cellar, and two bath-rooms, so they tell me; I
+never was in the place. Well, I must go back--I can't trust them girls a
+minute." She turned with a groan of pain. "'Pears like every joint in me
+is a-creakin' to-day."
+
+"Can't I take your place?" asked Lee Virginia, pity deepening in her heart
+as she caught the look of suffering on her mother's face.
+
+"No; you better keep out o' the caffy. It ain't a fit place for you. Fact
+is, I weren't expecting anything so fine as you are. I laid awake till
+three o'clock last night figurin' on what to do. I reckon you'd better go
+back and give this outfit up as a bad job. I used to tell Ed you didn't
+belong to neither of us, and you don't. I can't see where you _did_ come
+from--anyhow, I don't want the responsibility of havin' you here. Why,
+you'll have half the men in the county hitchin' to my corral--and the
+males out here are a fierce lot o' brutes." She studied the girl again,
+finding her so dainty, so far above herself, that she added: "It would be
+a cruel shame for me to keep you here, with all these he-wolves roamin'
+around. You're too good to be meat for any of them. You just plan to pack
+up and pull out to-morrow."
+
+She went out with a dragging step that softened the girl's heart. It was
+true there was little of real affection between them. Her memories of
+Eliza up to this moment had been rather mixed. As a child she had seldom
+been in her arms, and she had always been a little afraid of the bold,
+bright, handsome creature who rode horses and shot pistols like a man. It
+was hard to relate the Eliza Wetherford of those days with this flabby,
+limping old woman, and yet her daughter came nearer to loving her at this
+moment than at any time since her fifth year.
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+LEE VIRGINIA WAGES WAR
+
+
+IN truth, Lize had risen that morning intending "to whirl in and clean up
+the house," being suddenly conscious to some degree of the dirt and
+disorder around her, but she found herself physically unequal to the task.
+Her brain seemed misted, and her food had been a source of keen pain to
+her. Hence, after a few half-hearted orders, she had settled into her
+broad chair behind the counter and there remained, brooding over her
+maternal responsibilities.
+
+She gave sharp answers to all the men who came up to ask after her
+daughter, and to one who remarked on the girl's good looks, and demanded
+an introduction, she said: "Get along! I'd as soon introduce her to a
+goat. Now you fellers want to understand I'll kill the man that sets out
+to fool with my girl, I tell you that!"
+
+While yet Lee Virginia was wondering how to begin the day's work, some one
+knocked on her door, and in answer to her invitation a woman stepped in--a
+thin blond hag with a weak smile and watery blue eyes. "Is this little Lee
+Virginy?" she asked.
+
+The girl rose. "Yes."
+
+"Well, howdy!" She extended her hand, and Lee took it. "My name's
+Jackson--Mrs. Orlando Jackson. I knew yore pa and you before 'the war.'"
+
+Lee Virginia dimly recalled such a family, and asked: "Where do you
+live?"
+
+"We hole up down here on a ranch about twenty miles--stayed with yore ma
+last night--thought I'd jest nacherly look in and say howdy. Are ye back
+fer to stay?"
+
+"No, I don't think so. Will you sit down?"
+
+Mrs. Jackson took a seat. "Come back to see how yore ma was, I reckon?
+Found her pretty porely, didn't ye?" She lowered her voice. "I think she's
+got cancer of the stummick--now that's my guess."
+
+Virginia started. "What makes you think so?"
+
+"Well, I knew a woman who went just that way. Had that same flabby, funny
+look--and that same distress after eatin', I told her this mornin' she'd
+better go up to Sulphur and see that new doctor. You see, yore ma has
+always been a reckless kind of a critter--more like a man than a woman,
+God knows--an' how she ever got a girl like you I don't fairly understand.
+I reckon you must be what the breedin' men call 'a throw-back,' for yore
+pa wa'n't much to brag of, 'ceptin' for looks--he certainly was
+good-lookin'. He used to sober down when he got where you was; but
+my--good God!--weren't they a pair to draw to? I've heard 'Lando tell
+tales of yore ma's doin's that would 'fright ye. Not that she fooled with
+men," she hastened to say. "Lord, no! For her the sun rose and set in Ed
+Wetherford. She'd leave you any day, and go on the round-up with him. It
+nigh about broke her up in business when Ed hit the far-away trail."
+
+The girl perceived that in her visitor she had one of these self-oiled
+human talking-machines "with tongue hung in the middle," as the old saying
+goes, and she was dimly conscious of having heard her many times before.
+"You don't look very well yourself," she said.
+
+"Me? Oh, I'm like one o' these Injun dawgs--can't kill me. I've been on
+the range so long I'm tough as dried beef. It's a fierce old place for a
+woman--or it was before 'the war'--since then it's kind o' softened down a
+hair."
+
+"What do you mean by 'the war'?"
+
+"Why, you remember the rustler war? We date everything out here from that
+year. You was here, for I saw ye--a slob of a child."
+
+"Oh!" exclaimed Virginia. "I understand now. Yes, I was here. I saw my
+father at the head of the cowboys."
+
+"They weren't cowboys; they were hired killers from Texas. That's what let
+yore pa out o' the State. He were on the wrong side, and if it hadn't 'a'
+been for the regular soldiers he'd 'a' been wiped out right hyer. As it
+was he had to skip the range, and hain't never been back. I don't s'pose
+folks will lay it up agin you--bein' a girl--but they couldn't no _son_ of
+Ed Wetherford come back here and settle, not for a minute. Why, yore ma
+has had to bluff the whole county a'most--not that _I_ lay anything up
+agin her. I tell folks she was that bewitched with Ed she couldn't see
+things any way but his way. She fought to save his ranch and stawk
+and--but hell! she couldn't do nothin'--and then to have him go back on
+her the way he did--slip out 'twixt two days, and never write; that just
+about shot her to pieces. I never could understand that in Ed, he 'peared
+so mortally fond of you and of her, too. He sure was fond of you!" She
+shook her head. "No, can't anybody make me believe Ed Wetherford is
+alive."
+
+Lee Virginia started. "Who says he's alive?"
+
+"Now don't get excited, girl. He ain't alive; but yet folks say we don't
+_know_ he's dead. He jest dropped out so far as yore ma is concerned, and
+so far as the county is concerned; but some thought you was with him in
+the East."
+
+The girl was now aware that her visitor was hoping to gain some further
+information, and so curtly answered: "I've never seen my father since that
+night the soldiers came and took him away to the fort. And my mother told
+me he died down in Texas."
+
+Mrs. Jackson seemed a little disappointed, but she smoothed the dress over
+her sharp knees, and continued: "Right there the good old days ended for
+yore ma--and for us. The cattle business has been steadily on the
+chute--that is, the free-range business. I saw it comin', an' I says to
+Jackson, 'Camp on some river-bottom and chuck in the alfalfy,' I says. An'
+that's what we did. We got a little bunch o' cattle up in the park--Uncle
+Sam's man is lookin' after 'em." She grinned. "Jackson kicked at the fee,
+but I says: 'Twenty cents a head is cheap pasture. We're lucky to get any
+grass at all, now that everybody's goin' in for sheep. 'Pears like the
+sheepmen air gettin' bolder and bolder in this free-range graft, and I'm
+a-bettin' on trouble.'" She rose. "Well, I'm glad to 've had a word with
+ye; but you hear me: yore ma has got to have doctor's help, or she's
+a-goin' to fall down some day soon."
+
+Every word the woman uttered, every tone of her drawling voice, put Lee
+Virginia back into the past. She heard again the swift gallop of
+hooves, saw once more the long line of armed ranchers, and felt the hush
+of fear that lay over the little town on that fateful day. The situation
+became clearer in her mind. She recalled vividly the words of
+astonishment and hate with which the women had greeted her mother on the
+morning when the news came that Edward Wetherford was among the
+invading cattle-barons--was, indeed, one of the leaders.
+
+In Philadelphia the Rocky Mountain States were synonyms of picturesque
+lawlessness, the theatre of reckless romance, and Virginia Wetherford,
+loyal daughter of the West, had defended it; but in the coarse phrase of
+this lean rancheress was pictured a land of border warfare as ruthless as
+that which marked the Scotland of Rob Roy.
+
+Commonplace as the little town looked at the moment, it had been the scene
+of many a desperate encounter, as the girl herself could testify, for she
+had seen more than one man killed therein. Some way the hideousness of
+these scenes had never shown itself to her--perhaps because she had been a
+child at the time, and had thrilled to the delicious excitement of it; but
+now, as she imagined it all happening again before her eyes, she shivered
+with horror. How monstrous, how impossible those killings now seemed!
+
+Then her mind came back to her mother's ailment. Eliza Wetherford had
+never been one to complain, and her groans meant real suffering.
+
+Her mind resolved upon one thing. "She must see a doctor," she decided.
+And with this in mind she reentered the cafe, where Lize was again in
+violent altercation with a waitress.
+
+"Mother," called Lee, "I want to see you."
+
+With a parting volley of vituperation, Mrs. Wetherford followed her
+daughter back into the lodging-house.
+
+"Mother," the girl began, facing her and speaking firmly, "you must go to
+Sulphur City and see a doctor. I'll stay here and look after the
+business."
+
+Mrs. Wetherford perceived in her daughter's attitude and voice something
+decisive and powerful. She sank into a chair, and regarded her with intent
+gaze. "Hett Jackson's been gabblin' to you," she declared. "Hett knows
+more fool things that ain't so than any old heffer I know. She said I was
+about all in, didn't she? Prophesied I'd fall down and stay? I know her."
+
+Lee Virginia remained firm. "I'm not going by what she said, I've got eyes
+of my own. You need help, and if the doctor here can't help you, you must
+go to Sulphur or to Kansas City. I can run the boarding-house till you get
+back."
+
+Eliza eyed her curiously. "Don't you go to countin' on this 'chivalry of
+the West' which story-writers put into books. These men out here will eat
+you up if you don't watch out. I wouldn't dare to leave you here alone.
+No, what I'll do is sell the place, if I can, and both of us get out."
+
+"But you need a doctor this minute."
+
+"I'll be all right in a little while; I'm always the worst for an hour or
+two after I eat. This little squirt of a local doctor gave me some dope to
+ease that pain, but I've got my doubts--I don't want any morphine habit in
+mine. No, daughter Virginny, it's mighty white of you to offer, but you
+don't know what you're up against when you contract to step into my
+shoes."
+
+Visions of reforming methods about the house passed through the girl's
+mind. "There must be something I can do. Why don't you have the doctor
+come down here?"
+
+"I might do that if I get any worse, but I hate to have you stay in the
+house another night. It's only fit for these goats of cowboys and women
+like Hett Jackson. Did the bugs eat you last night?"
+
+Virginia flushed. "Yes."
+
+Eliza's face fell. "I was afraid of that. You can't keep 'em out. The
+cowboys bring 'em in by the quart."
+
+"They can be destroyed--and the flies, too, can't they?"
+
+"When you've bucked flies and bugs as long as I have, you'll be less
+'peart about it. I don't care a hoot in Hades till somebody like you or
+Reddy or Ross comes along. Most of the men that camp with me are like
+Injuns, anyway--they wouldn't feel natural without bugs a ticklin' 'em.
+No, child, you get ready and pull out on the Sulphur stage to-morrow. I'll
+pay your way back to Philadelphy."
+
+"I can't leave you now, mother. Now that I know you're ill, I'm going to
+stay and take care of you."
+
+Lize rose. "See here, girl, don't you go to idealizin' me, neither. I'm
+what the boys call an old battle-axe. I've been through the whole war. I'm
+able to feed myself and pay your board besides. Just you find some decent
+boarding-place in Sulphur, and I'll see that you have ten dollars a week
+to live on, just because you're a Wetherford."
+
+"But I'm your daughter!"
+
+Again Eliza fixed a musing look upon her. "I reckon if the truth was known
+your aunt Celia was nigher to being your mother than I ever was. They
+always said you was all Wetherford, and I reckon they were right. I always
+liked men better than babies. So long as I had your father, you didn't
+count--now that's the God's truth. And I didn't intend that you should
+ever come back here. I urged you to stay--you know that."
+
+Lee Virginia imagined all this to be a savage self-accusation which sprang
+from long self-bereavement, and yet there was something terrifying in its
+brutal frankness. She stood in silence till her mother left the room, then
+went to her own chamber with a painful knot in her throat. What could she
+do with elemental savagery of this sort?
+
+The knowledge that she must spend another night in the bed led her to
+active measures of reform. With disgustful desperation, she emptied the
+room and swept it as with fire and sword. Her change of mind, from the
+passive to the active state, relieved and stimulated her, and she hurried
+from one needed reform to another. She drew others into the vortex. She
+inspired the chambermaid to unwilling yet amazing effort, and the
+lodging-house endured such a blast from the besom that it stood in
+open-windowed astonishment uttering dust like the breath of a dragon.
+Having swept and garnished the bed-chambers, Virginia moved on the
+dining-room. As the ranger had said, this, too, could be reformed.
+
+Unheeding her mother's protests, she organized the giggling waiters into a
+warring party, and advanced upon the flies. By hissing and shooing, and
+the flutter of newspapers, they drove the enemy before them, and a
+carpenter was called in to mend screen doors and windows, thus preventing
+their return. New shades were hung to darken the room, and new
+table-cloths purchased to replace the old ones, and the kitchen had such a
+cleaning as it had not known before in five years.
+
+In this work the time passed swiftly, and when Redfield and Cavanagh came
+again to lunch they exclaimed in astonishment--as, indeed, every one did.
+
+"How's this?" queried Cavanagh, humorously. "Has the place 'changed
+hands?'"
+
+Lize was but grimly responsive. "Seem's like it has."
+
+"I hope the price has not gone up?"
+
+"Not yet."
+
+Redfield asked: "Who's responsible for this--your new daughter?"
+
+"You've hit it. She's started right in to polish us all up to city
+standards."
+
+"We need it," commented Cavanagh, in admiration of the girl's prompt
+action. "This room is almost civilized, still we'll sort o' miss the
+flies."
+
+Lize apologized. "Well, you know a feller gits kind o' run down like a
+clock, and has to have some outsider wind him up now and again. First I
+was mad, then I was scared, but now I'm cheerin' the girl on. She can run
+the whole blame outfit if she's a mind to--even if I go broke for it. The
+work she got out o' them slatter-heels of girls is a God's wonder."
+
+Ross looked round for Virginia, but could not find her. She had seen him
+come in, and was out in the kitchen doing what she could to have his food
+brought in and properly served.
+
+Redfield reassured the perturbed proprietor of "the joint." "No fear of
+going broke, madam--quite the contrary. A few little touches like this,
+and you'll be obliged to tear down and build bigger. I don't believe I'd
+like to see your daughter run this eating-house as a permanent job, but if
+she starts in I'm sure she'll make a success of it."
+
+Lee Virginia came in flushed and self-conscious, but far lighter of spirit
+than at breakfast; and stood beside the table while the waitress _laid_
+the dishes before her guests with elaborate assumption of grace and
+design. Hitherto she had bumped them down with a slash of slangy comment.
+The change was quite as wonderful as the absence of the flies.
+
+"Do we owe these happy reforms to you?" asked Cavanagh, admiring
+Virginia's neat dress and glowing cheeks.
+
+"Partly," she answered. "I was desperate. I had to do something, so I took
+to ordering people around."
+
+"I understand," he said. "Won't you sit at our table again?"
+
+"Please do," said Redfield. "I want to talk with you."
+
+She took a seat--a little hesitantly. "You see, I studied Domestic Science
+at school, and I've never had a chance to apply it before."
+
+"Here's your opportunity," Redfield assured her. "My respect for the
+science of domestics is growing--I marvel to think what another week will
+bring forth. I think I'll have to come down again just to observe the
+improvement in the place."
+
+"It can't last," Lize interjected. "She'll catch the Western
+habits--she'll sag, same as we all do."
+
+"No she won't," declared Ross, with intent to encourage her. "If you give
+her a free hand, I predict she'll make your place the wonder and boast of
+the county-side."
+
+"When do you go back to the mountains?" Lee Virginia asked, a little
+later.
+
+"Immediately after my luncheon," he replied.
+
+She experienced a pang of regret, and could not help showing it a little.
+"Your talk helped me," she said; "I've decided to stay, and be of use to
+my mother."
+
+Redfield overheard this, and turned toward her.
+
+"This is a rough school for you, Lee Virginia, and I should dislike seeing
+you settle down to it for life: but it can't hurt you if you are what I
+think you are. Nothing can soil or mar the mind that wills for good. I
+want Mrs. Redfield to know you; I'm sure her advice will be helpful. I
+hope you'll come up and see us if you decide to settle in Sulphur--or if
+you don't."
+
+"I should like to do so," she said, touched by the tone as well as by the
+words of his invitation.
+
+"Redfield's house is one of the few completely civilized homes in the
+State," put in Cavanagh. "When I get so weary of cuss-words and poaching
+and graft that I can't live without killing some one, I go down to Elk
+Lodge and smoke and read the Supervisor's London and Paris weeklies and
+recover my tone."
+
+Redfield smiled. "When I get weak-kneed or careless in the service and
+feel my self-respect slipping away, I go up to Ross's cabin and talk with
+a man who represents the impersonal, even-handed justice of the Federal
+law."
+
+Cavanagh laughed. "There! Having handed each other reciprocal bouquets, we
+can now tell Miss Wetherford the truth. Each of us thinks very well of
+himself, and we're both believers in the New West."
+
+"What do you mean by the New West?" asked the girl.
+
+"Well, the work you've been doing here this morning is a part of it,"
+answered Redfield. "It's a kind of housecleaning. The Old West was
+picturesque and, in a way, manly and fine--certain phases of it were
+heroic--and I hate to see it all pass, but some of us began to realize
+that it was not all poetry. The plain truth is my companions for over
+twenty years were lawless ruffians, and the cattle business as we
+practiced it in those days was founded on selfishness and defended at the
+mouth of the pistol. We were all pensioners on Uncle Sam, and fighting to
+keep the other fellow off from having a share of his bounty. It was all
+wasteful, half-savage. We didn't want settlement, we didn't want law, we
+didn't want a State. We wanted free range. We were a line of pirates from
+beginning to end, and we're not wholly, reformed yet."
+
+He was talking to the whole table now, for all were listening. No other
+man on the range could say these things with the same authority, for Hugh
+Redfield was known all over the State as a man who had been one of the
+best riders and ropers in his outfit--one who had started in as a common
+hand at herding, and who had been entirely through "the war."
+
+Lee Virginia listened with a stirring of the blood. Her recollections of
+the range were all of the heroic. She recalled the few times when she was
+permitted to go on the round-up, and to witness the breaking of new
+horses, and the swiftness, grace, and reckless bravery of the riders, the
+moan and surge of herds, the sweep of horsemen, came back and filled her
+mind with large and free and splendid pictures. And now it was passing--or
+past!
+
+Some one at the table accused Redfield of being more of a town-site boomer
+than a cattle-man.
+
+He was quite unmoved by this charge. "The town-site boomer at least
+believes in progress. He does not go so far as to shut out settlement. If
+a neat and tidy village or a well-ordered farmstead is not considered
+superior to a cattle-ranch littered with bones and tin cans, or better
+than even a cow-town whose main industry is whiskey-selling, then all
+civilized progress is a delusion. When I was a youngster these
+considerations didn't trouble me. I liked the cowboy life and the careless
+method of the plains, but I've some girls growing up now, and I begin to
+see the whole business in a new light. I don't care to have my children
+live the life I've lived. Besides, what right have we to stand in the way
+of a community's growth? Suppose the new life _is_ less picturesque than
+the old? We don't like to leave behind us the pleasures and sports of
+boyhood; but we grow up, nevertheless. I'm far more loyal to the State as
+Forest Supervisor than I was when I was riding with the cattle-men to
+scare up the nester."
+
+He uttered all this quite calmly, but his ease of manner, his absolute
+disregard of consequences, joined with his wealth and culture, gave his
+words great weight and power. No one was ready with an answer but Lize,
+who called out, with mocking accent: "Reddy, you're too good for the
+Forest Service, you'd ought 'o be our next Governor."
+
+This was a centre shot. Redfield flushed, and Cavanagh laughed. "Mr.
+Supervisor, you are discovered!"
+
+Redfield recovered himself. "I should like to be Governor of this State
+for about four years, but I'm likelier to be lynched for being in command
+of twenty 'Cossacks.'"
+
+At this moment Sam Gregg entered the room, followed by a young man in an
+English riding-suit. Seeing that "the star-boarder table" offered a couple
+of seats, they pointed that way. Sam was plainly in war-like frame of
+mind, and slammed his sombrero on its nail with the action of a man
+beating an adversary.
+
+"That is Sam Gregg and his son Joe--used to be ranch cattle-man, now one
+of our biggest sheepmen," Cavanagh explained. "He's bucking the cattle-men
+now."
+
+Lee Virginia studied young Gregg with interest, for his dress was that of
+a man to whom money came easy, and his face was handsome, though rather
+fat and sullen. In truth, he had been brought into the room by his father
+to see "Lize Wetherford's girl," and his eyes at once sought and found
+her. A look of surprise and pleasure at once lit his face.
+
+Gregg was sullen because of his interview with Cavanagh, which had been in
+the nature of a grapple; and in the light of what Redfield had said, Lee
+Virginia was able to perceive in these two men a struggle for supremacy.
+Gregg was the greedy West checked and restrained by the law.
+
+Every man in the room knew that Gregg was a bitter opponent of the Forest
+Service, and that he "had it in" for the ranger; and some of them knew
+that he was throwing more sheep into the forest than his permits allowed,
+and that a clash with Redfield was sure to come. It was just like the
+burly old Irishman to go straight to the table where his adversary sat.
+
+Virginia's eyes fell before the gaze of these two men, for they had none
+of the shyness or nothing of the indirection of the ruder men she had met.
+They expressed something which angered her, though she could not have told
+precisely why.
+
+Redfield did not soften his words on Gregg's account; on the contrary he
+made them still more cutting and to the line.
+
+"The mere fact that I live near the open range or a national forest does
+not give me any _rights_ in the range or forest," he was saying, as Gregg
+took his seat. "I enjoy the _privilege_ of these Government grazing
+grounds, and I ought to be perfectly willing to pay the fee. These forests
+are the property of the whole nation; they are public lands, and should
+yield a revenue to the whole nation. It is silly to expect the Government
+to go on enriching a few of us stockmen at the expense of others. I see
+this, and I accept the change."
+
+"After you've got rich at it," said Gregg.
+
+"Well, haven't you?" retorted Redfield. "Are you so greedy that nothing
+will stop you?"
+
+Lize threw in a wise word. "The sporting-houses of Kansas City and Chicago
+keep old Sam poor."
+
+A roar of laughter followed this remark, and Gregg was stumped for a
+moment; but the son grinned appreciatively. "Now be good!"
+
+Cavanagh turned to Virginia in haste to shield her from all that lay
+behind and beneath this sally of the older and deeply experienced woman.
+"The Supervisor is willing to yield a point--he knows what the New West
+will bring."
+
+Gregg growled out: "I'm not letting any of my rights slip."
+
+The girl was troubled by the war-light which she saw in the faces of the
+men about her, and vague memories of the words and stories she had
+overchanced to hear in her childhood came back to her mind--hints of the
+drunken orgies of the cowboys who went to the city with cattle, and the
+terrifying suggestion of their attitude toward all womankind. She set
+Cavanagh and his chief quite apart from all the others in the room, and at
+first felt that in young Gregg was another man of education and right
+living--but in this she was misled.
+
+Lize had confidence enough in the ranger to throw in another malicious
+word. "Ross, old Bullfrog came down here to chase you up a tree--so he
+said. Did he do it?"
+
+Gregg looked ugly. "I'm not done with this business."
+
+She turned to Ross. "Don't let him scare you--his beller is a whole lot
+worse than his bite."
+
+This provoked another laugh, and Gregg was furious--all the more so that
+his son joined in. "I'll have your head, Mr. Supervisor; I'll carry my
+fight to the Secretary."
+
+"Very well," returned Redfield, "carry it to the President if you wish. I
+simply repeat that your sheep must correspond to your permit, and if you
+don't send up and remove the extra number I will do it myself. I don't
+make the rules of the department. My job is to carry them out."
+
+By this time every person in the room was tense with interest. They all
+knew Gregg and his imperious methods. He was famous for saying once (when
+in his cup): "I always thought sheepmen were blankety blank sons of guns,
+and now I'm one of 'em I _know_ they are." Some of the cattle-men in the
+room had suffered from his greed, and while they were not partisans of the
+Supervisor they were glad to see him face his opponent fearlessly.
+
+Lize delivered a parting blow. "Bullfrog, you and me are old-timers. We're
+on the losing side. We belong to the 'good old days' when the Fork was 'a
+man's town,' and to be 'shot up' once a week kept us in news. But them
+times are past. You can't run the range that way any more. Why, man,
+you'll have to buy and fence your own pasture in a few years more, or else
+pay rent same as I do. You stockmen kick like steers over paying a few old
+cents a head for five months' range; you'll be mighty glad to pay a dollar
+one o' these days. Take your medicine--that's my advice." And she went
+back to her cash-drawer.
+
+Redfield's voice was cuttingly contemptuous as he said quite calmly:
+"You're all kinds of asses, you sheepmen. You ought to pay the fee for
+your cattle with secret joy. So long as you can get your stock pastured
+(and in effect guarded) by the Government from June to November for twenty
+cents, or even fifty cents, per head you're in luck. Mrs. Wetherford is
+right: we've all been educated in a bad school. Uncle Sam has been too
+bloomin' lazy to keep any supervision over his public lands. He's
+permitted us grass pirates to fight and lynch and burn one another on the
+high range (to which neither of us had any right), holding back the real
+user of the land--the farmer. We've played the part of selfish and greedy
+gluttons so long that we fancy our privileges have turned into rights.
+Having grown rich on free range, you're now fighting the Forest Service
+because it is disposed to make you pay for what has been a gratuity. I'm a
+hog, Gregg, but I'm not a fool. I see the course of empire, and I'm
+getting into line."
+
+Gregg was silenced, but not convinced. "It's a long lane that has no
+turn," he growled.
+
+Redfield resumed, in impersonal heat. "The cow-man was conceived in
+anarchy and educated in murder. Whatever romantic notions I may have had
+of the plains twenty-five years ago, they are lost to me now. The
+free-range stock-owner has no country and no God; nothing but a range that
+isn't his, and damned bad manners--begging pardon, Miss Wetherford. The
+sooner he dies the better for the State. He's a dirty, wasteful sloven,
+content to eat canned beans and drink canned milk in his rotten bad
+coffee; and nobody but an old crank like myself has the grace to stand up
+and tell the truth about him."
+
+Cavanagh smiled. "And you wouldn't, if you weren't a man of independent
+means, and known to be one of the most experienced cow-punchers in the
+county. I've no fight with men like Gregg; all is they've got to conform
+to the rules of the service."
+
+Gregg burst out: "You think you're the whole United States army! Who gives
+you all the authority?"
+
+"Congress and the President."
+
+"There's nothing in that bill to warrant these petty tyrannies of yours."
+
+"What you call tyrannies I call defending the public domain," replied
+Redfield. "If I had my way, I'd give my rangers the power of the Canadian
+mounted police. Is there any other State in this nation where the roping
+of sheep-herders and the wholesale butchery of sheep would be permitted?
+From the very first the public lands of this State have been a refuge for
+the criminal--a lawless no-man's land; but now, thanks to Roosevelt and
+the Chief Forester, we at least have a force of men on the spot to see
+that some semblance of law and order is maintained. You fellows may
+protest and run to Washington, and you may send your paid representatives
+there, but you're sure to lose. As free-range monopolists you are
+cumberers of the earth, and all you represent must pass, before this State
+can be anything but the byword it now is. I didn't feel this so keenly ten
+years ago, but with a bunch of children growing up my vision has grown
+clearer. The picturesque West must give way to the civilized West, and the
+war of sheepmen and cattle-men must stop."
+
+The whole dining-room was still as he finished, and Lee Virginia, with a
+girl's vague comprehension of the man's world, apprehended in Redfield's
+speech a large and daring purpose.
+
+Gregg sneered. "Perhaps you intend to run for Congress on that line of
+talk."
+
+Redfield's voice was placid. "At any rate, I intend to represent the
+policy that will change this State from the sparsely settled battle-ground
+of a lot of mounted hobos to a State with an honorable place among the
+other commonwealths. If this be treason, make the most of it."
+
+Cavanagh was disturbed; for while he felt the truth of his chief's words,
+he was in doubt as to the policy of uttering them.
+
+It was evident to Virginia that the cow-men, as well as Gregg, were nearly
+all against the prophet of the future, and she was filled with a sense of
+having arrived on the scene just as the curtain to a stern and purposeful
+drama was being raised. With her recollections of the savage days of old,
+it seemed as if Redfield, by his bold words, had placed his life in
+danger.
+
+Cavanagh rose. "I must be going," he said, with a smile.
+
+Again the pang of loss touched her heart. "When will you come again?" she
+asked, in a low voice.
+
+"It is hard to say. A ranger's place is in the forest. I am very seldom in
+town. Just now the danger of fires is great, and I am very uneasy. I may
+not be down again for a month."
+
+The table was empty now, and they were standing in comparative isolation
+looking into each other's eyes in silence. At last she murmured: "You've
+helped me. I'm going to stay--a little while, anyway, and do what I
+can--"
+
+"I'm sorry I can't be of actual service, but I am a soldier with a work to
+do. Even if I were here, I could not help you as regards the
+townspeople--they all hate me quite cordially; but Redfield, and
+especially Mrs. Redfield, can be of greater aid and comfort. He's quite
+often here, and when you are lonely and discouraged let him take you up to
+Elk Lodge."
+
+"I've been working all the morning to make this room decent. It was rather
+fun. Don't you think it helped?"
+
+"I saw the mark of your hand the moment I entered the door," he earnestly
+replied. "I'm not one that laughs at the small field of woman's work. If
+you make this little hotel clean and homelike, you'll be doing a very
+considerable work in bringing about the New West which the Supervisor is
+spouting about." He extended his hand, and as she took it he thrilled to
+the soft strength of it. "Till next time," he said, "good luck!"
+
+She watched him go with a feeling of pain--as if in his going she were
+losing her best friend and most valiant protector.
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+VIRGINIA TAKES ANOTHER MOTOR RIDE
+
+
+Lee Virginia's efforts to refine the little hotel produced an amazing
+change in Eliza Wetherford's affairs. The dining-room swarmed with those
+seeking food, and as the news of the girl's beauty went out upon the
+range, the cowboys sought excuse to ride in and get a square meal and a
+glimpse of the "Queen" whose hand had witched "the old shack" into a
+marvel of cleanliness.
+
+Say what you will, beauty is a sovereign appeal. These men, unspeakably
+profane, cruel, and obscene in their saddle-talk, were awed by the fresh
+linen, the burnished glass, and the well-ordered tables which they found
+in place of the flies, the dirt, and the disorder of aforetime. "It's
+worth a day's ride just to see that girl for a minute," declared one
+enthusiast.
+
+They did not all use the napkins, but they enjoyed having them there
+beside their plates, and the subdued light, the freedom from insects
+impressed them almost to decorum. They entered with awe, avid for a word
+with "Lize Wetherford's girl." Generally they failed of so much as a
+glance at her, for she kept away from the dining-room at meal-time.
+
+Lee Virginia was fully aware of this male curiosity, and vaguely conscious
+of the merciless light which shone in the eyes of some of them (men like
+Gregg), who went about their game with the shameless directness of the
+brute. She had begun to understand, too, that her mother's reputation was
+a barrier between the better class of folk and herself; but as they came
+now and again to take a meal, they permitted themselves a word in her
+praise, which she resented. "I don't want their friendship _now_," she
+declared, bitterly.
+
+As she gained courage to look about her, she began to be interested in
+some of her coatless, collarless boarders on account of their
+extraordinary history. There was Brady, the old government scout, retired
+on a pension, who was accustomed to sit for hours on the porch, gazing
+away over the northern plains--never toward the mountains--as if he
+watched for bear or bison, or for the files of hostile red hunters--though
+in reality there was nothing to see but the stage, coming and going, or a
+bunch of cowboys galloping into town. Nevertheless, every cloud of dust
+was to him diversion, and he appeared to dream, like a captive eagle,
+bedraggled, spiritless, but with an inner spark of memory burning deep in
+his dim blue eyes.
+
+Then there was an old miner, distressingly filthy, who hobbled to his
+meals on feet that had been frozen into clubs. He had a little gold loaned
+at interest, and on this he lived in tragic parsimony. He and the old
+scout sat much together, usually without speech (each knew to the last
+word the other's stories), as if they recognized each other's utter
+loneliness.
+
+Sifton, the old remittance man, had been born to a higher culture,
+therefore was his degradation the deeper. His poverty was due to his
+weakness. Virginia was especially drawn toward him by reason of his
+inalienable politeness and his well-chosen words. He was always the
+gentleman--no matter how frayed his clothing.
+
+So far as the younger men were concerned, she saw little to admire and
+much to hate. They were crude and uninteresting rowdies for the most part.
+She was put upon her defence by their glances, and she came to dread
+walking along the street, so open and coarse were their words of praise.
+She felt dishonored by the glances which her feet drew after her, and she
+always walked swiftly to and from the store or the post-office.
+
+Few of these loafers had the courage to stand on their feet and court her
+favor, but there was one who speedily became her chief persecutor. This
+was Neill Ballard, celebrated (and made impudent) by two years' travel
+with a Wild West show. He was tall, lean, angular, and freckled, but his
+horsemanship was marvellous and his skill with the rope magical. His
+special glory consisted in a complicated whirling of the lariat. In his
+hand the limp, inert cord took on life, grace, charm. It hung in the air
+or ran in rhythmic waves about him, rising, falling, expanding,
+diminishing, as if controlled by some agency other than a man's hand, and
+its gyrations had won much applause in the Eastern cities, where such
+skill is expected of the cowboys.
+
+He had lost his engagement by reason of a drunken brawl, and he was now
+living with his sister, the wife of a small rancher near by. He was vain,
+lazy, and unspeakably corrupt, full of open boasting of his exploits in
+the drinking-dens of the East. No sooner did he fix eyes upon Virginia
+than he marked her for his special prey. He had the depraved heart of the
+herder and the insolent confidence of the hoodlum, and something of this
+the girl perceived. She despised the other men, but she feared this one,
+and quite justly, for he was capable of assaulting and binding her with
+his rope, as he had once done with a Shoshone squaw.
+
+The Greggs, father and son, were in open rivalry for Lee also, but in
+different ways. The older man, who had already been married several times,
+was disposed to buy her hand in what he called "honorable wedlock," but
+the son, at heart a libertine, approached her as one who despised the
+West, and who, being kept in the beastly country by duty to a parent, was
+ready to amuse himself at any one's expense. He had no purpose in life but
+to feed his body and escape toil.
+
+There are women to whom all this warfare would have been diverting, but it
+was not so to Lee. Her sense of responsibility was too keen. It was both a
+torture and a shame. The chivalry of the plains, of which she had read so
+much--and which she supposed she remembered--was gone. She doubted if it
+had ever existed among these centaurs. Why should it inhere in ignorant,
+brutal plainsmen any more than in ignorant, brutal factory hands?
+
+There came to her, now and again, gentle old ranchers--"grangers," they
+would be called--and shy boys from the farms, but for the most part the
+men she saw embittered her, and she kept out of their sight as much as
+possible. Her keenest pleasures, almost her only pleasures, lay in the
+occasional brief visits of the ranger, as he rode in for his mail.
+
+Lize perceived all these attacks on her daughter, and was infuriated by
+them. She snapped and snarled like a tigress leading her half-grown kitten
+through a throng of leopards. Her brows were knotted with care as well as
+with pain, and she incessantly urged Virginia to go back to Sulphur. "I'll
+send you money to pay your board till you strike a job." But to this the
+girl would not agree; and the business, by reason of her presence, went on
+increasing from day to day.
+
+To Redfield Lize one day confessed her pain. "I ought to send for that
+doctor up there, but the plain truth is I'm afraid of him. I don't want to
+know what's the matter of me. It's his job to tell me I'm sick and I'm
+scared of his verdict."
+
+"Nonsense," he replied; "you can't afford to put off getting him much
+longer. I'm going back to-night, but I'll be over again to-morrow. Why
+don't you let me bring him down? It will save you twelve dollars. And, by
+the way, suppose you let me take Lee Virginia home with me? She looks a
+bit depressed; an outing will do her good. She's taken hold here
+wonderfully."
+
+"Hasn't she! But I should have sent her away the very first night. I'm
+getting to depend on her. I'm plumb foolish about her now--can't let her
+out of my sight; and yet I'm off my feed worryin' over her. Gregg is
+getting dangerous--you can't fool me when it comes to men. Curse 'em,
+they're all alike--beasts, every cussed one of them. I won't have my girl
+mistreated, I tell you that! I'm not fit to be her mother, now that's the
+God's truth, Reddy, and this rotten little back-country cow-town is no
+place for her. But what can I do? She won't leave me so long as I'm sick,
+and every day ties her closer to me. I don't know what I'd do without her.
+If I'm goin' to die I want her by me when I take my drop. So you see just
+how I'm placed."
+
+She looked yellow and drawn as she ended, and Redfield was moved by her
+unwonted tenderness.
+
+"Now let me advise," he began, after a moment's pause. "We musn't let the
+girl get homesick. I'll take her home with me this afternoon, and bring
+her back along with a doctor to-morrow."
+
+"All right, but before you go I want to have a private talk--I want to
+tell you something."
+
+He warned her away from what promised to be a confession. "Now, now,
+Eliza, don't tell me anything that requires that tone of voice; I'm a bad
+person to keep a secret, and you might be sorry for it. I don't want to
+know anything more about your business than I can guess."
+
+"I don't mean the whiskey trade," she explained. "I've cut that all out
+anyway. It's something more important--it's about Ed and me."
+
+"I don't want to hear _that_ either," he declared. "Let bygones be
+bygones. What you did then is outlawed, anyway. Those were fierce times,
+and I want to forget them." He looked about. "Let me see this Miss
+Virginia and convey to her Mrs. Redfield's invitation."
+
+"She's in the kitchen, I reckon. Go right out."
+
+He was rather glad of a chance to see the young reformer in action, and
+smiled as he came upon her surrounded by waiters and cooks, busily
+superintending the preparations for the noon meal, which amounted to a
+tumult each day.
+
+She saw Redfield, nodded, and a few moments later came toward him, flushed
+and beaming with welcome. "I'm glad to see you again, Mr. Supervisor."
+
+He bowed profoundly. "I'm delighted to find you well, Miss Virginia, and
+doubly pleased to see you in your regimentals, which you mightily adorn."
+
+She looked down at her apron. "I made this myself. Do you know our
+business is increasing wonderfully? I'm busy every moment of the day till
+bedtime."
+
+"Indeed I do know it. I hear of the Wetherford House all up and down the
+line. I was just telling your mother she'll be forced to build bigger,
+like the chap in the Bible."
+
+"She works too hard. Poor mother! I try to get her to turn the cash-drawer
+over to me, but she won't do it. Doesn't she seem paler and weaker to
+you?"
+
+"She does, indeed, and this is what I came in to propose. Mrs. Redfield
+sends by me a formal invitation to you to visit Elk Lodge. She is not
+quite able to take the long ride, else she'd come to you." Here he handed
+her a note. "I suggest that you go up with me this afternoon, and
+to-morrow we'll fetch the doctor down to see your mother. What do you say
+to that?"
+
+Her eyes were dewy with grateful appreciation of his kindness as she
+answered: "That would be a great pleasure, Mr. Redfield, if mother feels
+able to spare me."
+
+"I've talked with her; she is anxious to have you go."
+
+Virginia was indeed greatly pleased and pleasantly excited by this
+message, for she had heard much of Mrs. Redfield's exclusiveness, and also
+of the splendor of her establishment. She hurried away to dress with such
+flutter of joyous anticipation that Redfield felt quite repaid for the
+pressure he had put upon his wife to induce her to write that note. "You
+may leave Lize Wetherford out of the count, my dear," he had said. "There
+is nothing of her discernible in the girl. Virginia is a lady. I don't
+know where she got it, but she's a gentlewoman by nature."
+
+Lize said: "Don't you figure on me in any way, Reddy. I'm nothing but the
+old hen that raised up this lark, and all I'm a-livin' for now is to make
+her happy. Just you cut me out when it comes to any question about your
+wife and Virginia. I'm not in their class."
+
+It was hot and still in the town, but no sooner was the car in motion than
+both heat and dust were forgotten. Redfield's machine was not large, and
+as he was content to go at moderate speed, conversation was possible.
+
+He was of that sunny, optimistic, ever-youthful nature which finds delight
+in human companionship under any conditions whatsoever. He accepted this
+girl for what she seemed--a fresh, unspoiled child. He saw nothing cheap
+or commonplace in her, and was not disposed to impose any of her father's
+wild doings upon her calendar. He had his misgivings as to her
+future--that was the main reason why he had said to Mrs. Redfield, "The
+girl must be helped." Afterward he had said "sustained."
+
+It was inevitable that the girl should soon refer to the ranger, and
+Redfield was as complimentary of him as she could wish. "Ross hasn't a
+fault but one, and that's a negative one: he doesn't care a hang about
+getting on, as they say over in England. He's content just to do the duty
+of the moment. He made a good cow-puncher and a good soldier; but as for
+promotion, he laughs when I mention it."
+
+"He told me that he hoped to be Chief Forester," protested Virginia.
+
+"Oh yes, he says that; but do you know, he'd rather be where he is, riding
+over the hills, than live in London. You should see his cabin some time.
+It's most wonderful, really. His walls are covered with bookshelves of his
+own manufacture, and chairs of his own design. Where the boy got the
+skill, I don't see. Heaven knows, his sisters are conventional enough!
+He's capable of being Supervisor, but he won't live in town and work in an
+office. He's like an Indian in his love of the open."
+
+All this was quite too absorbingly interesting to permit of any study of
+the landscape, which went by as if dismissed by the chariot wheels of some
+contemptuous magician. Redfield's eyes were mostly on the road (in the
+manner of the careful driver), but when he did look up it was to admire
+the color and poise of his seat-mate, who made the landscape of small
+account.
+
+She kept the conversation to the desired point. "Mr. Cavanagh's work
+interests me very much. It seems very important; and it must be new, for I
+never heard of a forest ranger when I was a child."
+
+"The forester is new--at least, in America," he answered. "My dear young
+lady, you are returned just in the most momentous period in the history of
+the West. The old dominion--the cattle-range--is passing. The supremacy of
+the cowboy is ended. The cow-boss is raising oats, the cowboy is pitching
+alfalfa, and swearing horribly as he blisters his hands. Some of the
+rangers at the moment are men of Western training like Ross, but whose
+allegiance is now to Uncle Sam. With others that transfer of allegiance is
+not quite complete, hence the insolence of men like Gregg, who think they
+can bribe or intimidate these forest guards, and so obtain favors; the
+newer men are college-bred, real foresters. But you can't know what it all
+means till you see Ross, or some other ranger, on his own heath. We'll
+make up a little party some day and drop down upon him, and have him show
+us about. It's a lonely life, and so the ranger keeps open house. Would
+you like to go?"
+
+"Oh, yes indeed! I'm eager to get into the mountains. Every night as I see
+the sun go down over them I wonder what the world is like up there."
+
+Then he began very delicately to inquire about her Eastern experience.
+There was not much to tell. In a lovely old town not far from
+Philadelphia, where her aunt lived, she had spent ten years of happy
+exile. "I was horribly lonely and homesick at first," she said. "Mother
+wrote only short letters, and my father never wrote at all. I didn't know
+he was dead then. He was always good to me. He wasn't a bad man, was he?"
+
+"No," responded Redfield, without hesitation. "He was very like the rest
+of us--only a little more reckless and a little more partisan, that's all.
+He was a dashing horseman and a dead-shot, and so, naturally, a leader of
+these daredevils. He was popular with both sides of the controversy up to
+the very moment when he went South to lead the invaders against the
+rustlers."
+
+"What was it all about? I never understood it. What were they fighting
+about?"
+
+"In a sense, it was all very simple. You see, Uncle Sam, in his careless,
+do-nothing way, has always left his range to whomever got there first, and
+that was the cattle-man. At first there was grass enough for us all, but
+as we built sheds and corrals about watering-places we came to claim
+_rights_ on the range. We usually secured by fraud homesteads in the
+sections containing water, and so, gun in hand, 'stood off' the man who
+came after. Gradually, after much shooting and lawing, we parcelled out
+the range and settled down covering practically the whole State. Our
+adjustments were not perfect, but our system was working smoothly for us
+who controlled the range. We had convinced ourselves, and pretty nearly
+everybody else, that the State was only fit for cattle-grazing, and that
+we were the most competent grazers; furthermore, we were in possession,
+and no man could come in without our consent.
+
+"However, a very curious law of our own making was our undoing. Of course
+the 'nester' or 'punkin roller,' as we contemptuously called the small
+farmer, began sifting in here and there in spite of our guns, but he was
+only a mosquito bite in comparison with the trouble which our cow-punchers
+stirred up. Perhaps you remember enough about the business to know that an
+unbranded yearling calf without its mother is called a maverick?"
+
+"Yes, I remember that. It belongs to the man who finds him, and brands
+him."
+
+"Precisely. Now that law worked very nicely so long as the poor cowboy was
+willing to catch and brand him for his employer, but it proved a 'joker'
+when he woke up and said to his fellows: 'Why brand these mavericks at
+five dollars per head for this or that outfit when the law says it belongs
+to the man who finds him?'"
+
+Lee Virginia looked up brightly. "That seems right to me!"
+
+"Ah yes; but wait. We cattle-men had large herds, and the _probabilities_
+were that the calf belonged to some one of us; whereas, the cowboy, having
+no herd at all, _knew_ the maverick belonged to some one's herd. True, the
+law said it was his, but the law did not mean to reward the freebooter;
+yet that is exactly what it did. At first only a few outlaws took
+advantage of it; but hard years came on, the cattle business became less
+and less profitable, we were forced to lay off our men, and so at last the
+range swarmed with idle cow-punchers; then came the breakdown in our
+scheme! The cowboys took to 'mavericking' on their own account. Some of
+them had the grace to go into partnership with some farmer, and so claim a
+small bunch of cows, but others suddenly and miraculously acquired herds
+of their own. From keeping within the law, they passed to violent methods.
+They slit the tongues of calves for the purpose of separating them from
+their mothers. Finding he could not suck, bossy would at last wander away
+from his dam, and so become a 'maverick.' In short, anarchy reigned on the
+range."
+
+"But surely my father had nothing to do with this?"
+
+"No; your father, up to this time, had been on good terms with everybody.
+He had a small herd of cattle down the river, which he owned in common
+with a man named Hart."
+
+"I remember him."
+
+"He was well thought of by all the big outfits; and when the situation
+became intolerable, and we got together to weed out 'the rustlers,' as
+these cattle-thieves were called, your father was approached and converted
+to a belief in drastic measures. He had suffered less than the rest of us
+because of his small herd and the fact that he was very popular among the
+cowboys. So far as I was concerned, the use of violent methods revolted
+me. My training in the East had made me a respecter of the law. 'Change
+the law,' I said. 'The law is all right,' they replied; 'the trouble is
+with these rustlers. We'll hang a few of 'em, and that will break up the
+business.'"
+
+Parts of this story came back to the girl's mind, producing momentary
+flashes of perfect recollection. She heard again the voices of excited men
+arguing over and over the question of "mavericking," and she saw her
+father as he rode up to the house that last day before he went South.
+
+Redfield went on. "The whole plan as developed was silly, and I wonder
+still that Ed Wetherford, who knew 'the nester' and the cowboy so well,
+should have lent his aid to it. The cattle-men--some from Cheyenne, some
+from Denver, and a few from New York and Chicago--agreed to finance a sort
+of Vigilante Corps composed of men from the outside, on the understanding
+that this policing body should be commanded by one of their own number.
+Your father was chosen second in command, and was to guide the party; for
+he knew almost every one of the rustlers, and could ride directly to their
+doors."
+
+"I wish he hadn't done that," murmured the girl.
+
+"I must be frank with you, Virginia. I can't excuse that in him. It was a
+kind of treachery. He must have been warped by his associates. They
+convinced him by some means that it was his duty, and one fine day the
+Fork was startled by a messenger, who rode in to say that the
+cattle-barons were coming with a hundred Texas bad men 'to clean out the
+town,' and to put their own men into office. This last was silly rot to
+me, but the people believed it."
+
+The girl was tingling now. "I remember! I remember the men who rode into
+the town to give the alarm. Their horses were white with foam; their heads
+hung down, and their sides went in and out. I pitied the poor things.
+Mother jumped on her pony, and rode out among the men. She wanted to go
+with them, but they wouldn't let her. I was scared almost breathless."
+
+"I was in Sulphur City, and did not hear of it till it was nearly all
+over," Redfield resumed, his speech showing a little of the excitement
+which thrilled through the girl's voice. "Well, the first act of vengeance
+was so ill-considered that it practically ended the whole campaign. The
+invaders fell upon and killed two ranchers--one of whom was probably not a
+rustler at all, but a peaceable settler, and the other one they most
+barbarously hanged. More than this, they attacked and vainly tried to kill
+two settlers whom they met on the road--German farmers, with no
+connection, so far as known, with the thieves. These men escaped, and gave
+the alarm. In a few hours the whole range was aflame with vengeful fire.
+The Forks, as you may recall, was like a swarm of bumblebees. Every man
+and boy was armed and mounted. The storekeepers distributed guns and
+ammunition, leaders developed, and the embattled 'punkin rollers,'
+rustlers, and townsmen rode out to meet the invaders."
+
+The girl paled with memory of it. "It was terrible! I went all day without
+eating, and for two nights we were all too excited to sleep. It seemed as
+if the world were coming to an end. Mother cried because they wouldn't let
+her go with them. She didn't know father was leading the other army."
+
+"She must have known soon, for it was reported that your father was among
+them. She certainly knew when they were driven to earth in that log fort,
+for they were obliged to restrain her by force from going to your father.
+As I run over those furious days it all seems incredible, like a sudden
+reversal to barbarism."
+
+"How did it all end? The soldiers came, didn't they?"
+
+"Yes; the long arm of Uncle Sam reached out and took hold upon the necks
+of both parties. I guess your father and his band would have died right
+there had not the regular army interfered. It only required a sergeant
+wearing Uncle Sam's uniform to come among those armed and furious cowboys
+and remove their prisoners."
+
+"I saw that. It was very strange--that sergeant was so young and so
+brave."
+
+He turned and smiled at her. "Do you know who that was?"
+
+Her eyes flashed. She drew her breath with a gasp. "Was it Mr. Cavanagh?"
+
+"Yes, it was Ross. He was serving in the regular army at the time. He has
+told me since that he felt no fear whatever. 'Uncle Sam's blue coat was
+like Siegfried's magic armor,' he said; 'it was the kind of thing the
+mounted police of Canada had been called upon to do many a time, and I
+went in and got my men.' That ended the war, so far as violent measures
+went, and it really ended the sovereignty of the cattle-man. The power of
+the 'nester' has steadily increased from that moment."
+
+"But my father--what became of him? They took him away to the East, and
+that is all I ever knew. What do you think became of him?"
+
+"I could never make up my mind. All sorts of rumors come to us concerning
+him. As a matter of fact, the State authorities sympathized with the
+cattle-barons, and my own opinion is that your father was permitted to
+escape. He was afterward seen in Texas, and later it was reported that he
+had been killed there."
+
+The girl sat still, listening to the tireless whir of the machine, and
+looking out at the purpling range with tear-mist eyes. At last she said:
+"I shall never think of my father as a bad man, he was always so gentle to
+me."
+
+"You need not condemn him, my dear young lady. First of all, it's not fair
+to bring him (as he was in those days) forward into these piping times of
+dairy cows and alfalfa. The people of the Forks--some of them, at
+least--consider him a traitor, and regard you as the daughter of a
+renegade, but what does it matter? Each year sees the Old West diminish,
+and already, in the work of the Forest Service, law and order advance.
+Notwithstanding all the shouting of herders and the beating to death of
+sheep, no hostile shot has ever been fired within the bounds of a National
+Forest. In the work of the forest rangers lies the hope of ultimate peace
+and order over all the public lands."
+
+The girl fell silent again, her mind filled with larger conceptions of
+life than her judgment had hitherto been called upon to meet. She knew
+that Redfield was right, and yet that world of the past--the world of the
+swift herdsman and his trampling, long-horned, half-wild kine still
+appealed to her imagination. The West of her girlhood seemed heroic in
+memory; even the quiet account of it to which she had just listened could
+not conceal its epic largeness of movement. The part which troubled her
+most was her father's treachery to his neighbors. That he should fight,
+that he should kill men in honorable warfare, she could understand; but
+not his recreancy, his desertion of her mother and herself.
+
+She came back to dwell at last on the action of that slim young soldier
+who had calmly ridden through the infuriated mob. She remembered that she
+had thrilled even then at the vague and impersonal power which he
+represented. To her childish mind he seemed to bear a charm, like the
+heroes of her story-books--something which made him invulnerable.
+
+After a long pause Redfield spoke again. "The memory of your father will
+make life for a time a bit hard for you in Roaring Fork--perhaps your
+mother's advice is sound. Why not come to Sulphur City, which is almost
+entirely of the new spirit?"
+
+"If I can get my mother to come, too, I will be glad to do so, for I hate
+the Fork; but I will not leave her there, sick and alone."
+
+"Much depends upon the doctor's examination to-morrow."
+
+They had topped the divide now between the Fork and Sulphur Creek Basin,
+and the green fields, the alfalfa meadows, and the painted farm-houses
+thickened beneath them. Strange how significant all these signs were now.
+A few days ago they had appeared doubtful improvements, now they
+represented the oncoming dominion of the East. They meant cleanliness and
+decent speech, good bread and sweet butter. Ultimately houses with hot
+water in their bath-rooms and pianos in their parlors would displace the
+shack, the hitching-pole, and the dog-run, and in those days Edward
+Wetherford would be forgotten.
+
+Redfield swept through the town, then turned up the stream directly toward
+the high wall of the range, which was ragged and abrupt at this point.
+They passed several charming farm-houses, and the western sky grew ever
+more glorious with its plum-color and saffron, and the range reasserted
+its mastery over the girl. At last they came to the very jaws of the
+canon; and there, in a deep natural grove of lofty cottonwood-trees,
+Redfield passed before a high rustic gate which marked the beginning of
+his estate. The driveway was of gravel, and the intermingling of
+transplanted shrubs and pine-trees showed the care of the professional
+gardener.
+
+The house was far from being a castle; indeed, it was very like a house in
+Bryn-Mawr, except that it was built entirely of half-hewn logs, with a
+wide projecting roof. Giant hydrangeas and other flowering shrubs bordered
+the drive, and on the rustic terrace a lady in white was waiting.
+
+Redfield slowed down, and scrambled ungracefully out; but his voice was
+charming as he said: "Eleanor, this it Miss Wetherford. She was on the
+point of getting the blues, so I brought her away," he explained.
+
+Mrs. Redfield, quite as urban as the house, was a slim little woman of
+delicate habit, very far from the ordinary conception of a rancher's wife.
+Her manner was politely considerate, but not heatedly cordial (the visitor
+was not precisely hers), and though she warmed a little after looking into
+Virginia's face, she could not by any stretch of phrase be called
+cordial.
+
+"Are you tired? would you like to lie down before dinner?" she asked.
+
+"Oh no, indeed. Nothing ever tires me," Virginia responded, with a smile.
+
+"You look like one in perfect health," continued her hostess, in the
+envious tone of one who knew all too well what ill-health meant. "Let me
+show you to your room."
+
+The house was not precisely the palace the cowboy had reported it to be,
+but it was charmingly decorated, and the furnishings were tasteful. To the
+girl it was as if she had been transported with instant magic from the
+horrible little cow-town back to the home of one of her dearest friends in
+Chester. She was at once exalted and humbly grateful.
+
+"We dine at seven," Mrs. Redfield was saying, "so you can take a cup of
+tea without spoiling your dinner. Will you venture it?"
+
+"If you please."
+
+"Very well; come down soon, and I'll have it ready. Mr. Redfield, I'm
+sure, will want some."
+
+Virginia's heart was dancing with delight of this home as she came down
+the stairs a little later. She found Mr. Redfield at the farther end of a
+long sitting-room, whose dim light was as restful (after the glare of the
+tawny plains) as the voice of her hostess was to her ears, which still
+ached with the noise of profane and vulgar speech.
+
+Redfield heard her coming and met her half-way, and with stately ceremony
+showed her a seat. "I fear you will need something stronger than tea after
+my exhausting conversation."
+
+"I hope, Hugh, you were not in one of your talking moods?"
+
+"I was, Eleanor. I talked incessantly, barring an occasional jolt of the
+machine."
+
+"You poor thing!" This to Virginia. "Truly you deserve a two hours' rest
+before dinner, for our dinner is always a talk-fest, and to-night, with
+Senator Bridges here, it will be a convention."
+
+He turned to Virginia. "We were talking old times 'before the war,' and
+you know it never tires veterans to run over their ancient campaigns--does
+it, Lee Virginia?"
+
+As they talked Mrs. Redfield studied the girl with increasing interest and
+favor, and soon got at her point of view. She even secured a little more
+of her story, which matched fairly well with the account her husband had
+given. Her prejudices were swept away, and she treated her young guest as
+one well-born and well-educated woman treats another.
+
+At last she said: "We dress for dinner, but any frock you have will do. We
+are not ironclad in our rules. There will be some neighbors in, but it
+isn't in any sense a 'party.'"
+
+Lee Virginia went to her room, borne high upon a new conception of the
+possibilities of the West. It was glorious to think that one could enjoy
+the refinement, the comfort of the East at the same time that one dwelt
+within the inspiring shadow of the range. She caught some prophetic hint
+in all this of the future age when each of these foot-hills would be
+peopled by those to whom cleanliness of mind and grace of body were
+habitual. Standing on the little balcony which filled the front of her
+windows, she looked away at the towering heights, smoky purple against a
+sky of burning gold, and her eyes expanded like those of the young eagle
+when about to launch himself upon the sunset wind.
+
+The roar of a waterfall came to her ears, and afar on the sage-green
+carpet of the lower mesa a horseman was galloping swiftly. Far to the left
+of this smoothly sculptured table-land a band of cattle fed, while under
+her eyes, formal as a suburban home, lay a garden of old-fashioned English
+flowers. It was a singular and moving union of the old and new--the East
+and the West.
+
+On her table and on the pretty bookshelves she found several of the latest
+volumes of poetry and essays, and the bed, with its dainty covering and
+ample spread, testified quite as plainly of taste and comfort. Her hands
+were a-tremble as she put on the bright muslin gown which was all she had
+for evening wear. She felt very much like the school-girl again, and after
+she had done her best to look nice, she took a seat in the little rocker,
+with intent to compose herself for her meeting with strangers. "I wish we
+were dining without visitors," she said, as she heard a carriage drive up.
+A little later a galloping horse entered the yard and stopped at the
+door.
+
+"It all sounds like a play," she said to herself, forgetting for the
+moment that she was miles away from a town and in a lonely ranch-house
+under the very shadows of the mountains.
+
+She heard voices in the hall, and among them one with a very English
+accent--one that sounded precisely like those she had heard on the stage.
+It was the voice of a man, big, hearty, with that thick, throaty gurgle
+which is so suggestive of London that one is certain to find a tweed suit
+and riding-breeches associated with it.
+
+At last she dared wait no longer, and taking courage from necessity,
+descended the stairs--a pleasant picture of vigorous yet somewhat subdued
+maidenhood.
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+TWO ON THE VERANDA
+
+
+REDFIELD met his young guest in dinner-coat, looking extremely urban, and
+presented his "friend and neighbor, Mr. Enderby."
+
+Enderby turned out to be the owner of the voice with the English accent
+which Lee Virginia had heard in the hall, but he was very nice, and a
+moment later Mrs. Redfield entered with Mrs. Enderby, a large lady with a
+smiling face. Then a voice she knew spoke from behind her: "I don't need a
+presentation. Miss Wetherford and I have already met."
+
+She turned to meet Ross Cavanagh, the young ranger.
+
+"How did you get here?" she asked, in wonder.
+
+"I rode across the hills; it's not far."
+
+He too was in evening dress, and as she stared at him in surprise he
+laughingly protested. "Please don't scrutinize this coat too closely. It's
+the only one I've owned for ten years, and this is the only house in which
+I'd _dare_ to wear it."
+
+Bridges (who turned out to be a State senator) was a farmer-like elderly
+man wearing a badly fitting serge suit. He was markedly Western; so was
+his wife, who looked rather uneasy and hot.
+
+It was all delightfully exciting to Lee Virginia, and to be taken in to
+dinner by the transfigured ranger completed her appreciation of the
+charming home and its refined hostess.
+
+Redfield shone as host, presenting an admirable mixture of clubman and
+Western rancher. His natural sense of humor, sharpened by twenty years of
+plains life, was Western. His manner, his habits of dress, of dining, of
+taking wine, were uncorruptedly Manhattan. Enderby, large, high-colored,
+was naturally a bit of what we know as the "haw-haw type" of Englishman--a
+thoroughly good fellow, kindly, tolerant, brave, and generous, who could
+not possibly change his spots. He had failed utterly to acquire the
+American idiom, and his attempts at cowboy slang were often
+amusing--especially to Redfield, who prided himself on being quite
+undistinguishable in a cow-camp.
+
+Virginia and Ross, being the only young folk at the table, were seated
+together, and Enderby remarked privately: "Ross, you're in luck."
+
+"I know I am," he replied, heartily.
+
+He was (as Redfield had said) highly susceptible, made so by his solitary
+life in the mountains, and to be seated close beside this maid of the
+valley stirred his blood to the danger-point. It was only by an effort of
+the will that he kept in touch with Redfield's remarks.
+
+"Enderby never can grow accustomed to his democratic neighbors," Redfield
+was saying. "He's been here six years, and yet when one of his cowboy
+friends tells him to 'go to hell' he's surprised and a bit offended."
+
+"Oh, it isn't that," explained Mrs. Enderby; "it's to have your maids say
+'All right' when you ask them to remove the soup. It's a bit shocking also
+to have your cook or housemaid going about the house singing some wretched
+ditty. What was that one, Charley, that Irma Maud sang till we were nearly
+wild (Irma Maud was my chambermaid). What was it? Something about 'Tixey
+Ann.'"
+
+"Oh, I know it perfectly!" exclaimed Enderby. "'If you want to make a
+niggah feel good--'"
+
+"No, no; that's another one."
+
+Redfield interposed. "You wouldn't have them go about in sullen stealth,
+would you? Think how song lightens their drudgery."
+
+"Ah yes; but if it drives the family out-of-doors?"
+
+"It shouldn't. You should take it all as a part of the happy world of
+democracy wherein even the maid-servant sings at her toil."
+
+"But our democratic neighbors are all the time coming to look round the
+place. We've no privacy whatever. On Sunday afternoon they drive through
+the grounds in procession; you'd think our place a public park and we the
+keepers."
+
+In all this banter Virginia was given the English viewpoint as to Western
+manners and conditions. She perceived that the Enderbys, notwithstanding
+their heavy-set prejudices, were persons of discernment and right feeling.
+It certainly was impertinent of the neighbors to ride through the grounds
+as if they were public, and Mrs. Enderby was justified in resenting it.
+
+Ross turned to her. "Enderby is the kind of Englishman who wants to adapt
+himself to new conditions, but can't."
+
+"You don't seem like an Englishman at all."
+
+"Well, I was caught young, and, besides, I'm really Irish--on my father's
+side."
+
+"Oh, that's different!" she exclaimed, as though that somehow brought him
+nearer to her own people.
+
+"It is, isn't it?" he laughingly agreed. "But Enderby--I suppose his
+pedigree goes back to Cedric and his swineherds. You can't change that
+kind."
+
+"I hadn't the least thought of seeing you here. How did you happen to
+come?"
+
+"Redfield telephoned me at the mill, and I came at once. I haven't been
+here since May, and I just thought I'd take a half a day off. Luckily, my
+understudy was with me. I left him 'on the job.'"
+
+He did not tell her that she was the principal reason for this sudden
+descent upon Elk Lodge, and no one but Redfield knew the killing ride he
+had taken in order to be in at the beginning of the dinner. The girl's
+face and voice, especially her voice, had been with him night and day as
+he went about his solitary duties. Her life problem had come to fill his
+mind to a disturbing degree, and he was eager to know more of her and of
+her struggle against the vice and vulgarity of the Forks.
+
+"How is your mother?" he asked, a few minutes later.
+
+"Not at all well. Mr. Redfield is to take the doctor back with us
+to-morrow." The ecstasy died out of her face, and the flexible lips
+drooped with troubled musing. "I am afraid she suffers more than she will
+admit."
+
+"She needs a rest and change. She should get away from her seat at that
+cash-register, and return to the open air. A touch of camp-life would help
+her. She sticks too close to her work."
+
+"I know she does, but she won't let me relieve her, even for an hour. It
+isn't because she doesn't trust me; she says it's because she doesn't want
+me sitting there--so--publicly. She doesn't oppose my housekeeping any
+more--"
+
+"You certainly have made the old hotel into a place of miraculous
+neatness."
+
+She flushed with pleasure. "I have done something, but not as I'd like to
+do. I really think if mother wishes to sell she could do so now to much
+better advantage."
+
+"I've no doubt of it. Really, I'm not being funny, Miss Wetherford, when I
+say you've done something heroic. It's no easy thing to come into a place
+like that and make it habitable. It shows immense courage and
+self-reliance on your part. It's precisely the kind of work this whole
+country needs."
+
+His praise, sincere and generous, repaid her for all she had gone through.
+It was a great pleasure to hear her small self praised for courage and
+self-reliance by one whose daily work was heroic. All things conspired to
+make a conquest of her heart, for the ranger bore himself with grace, and
+dealt with his silver deftly. His face, seen from the side, was older and
+sterner than she had thought it, but it was very attractive in line.
+
+She said: "Mr. Redfield and I were talking of 'the war' to-day--I mean our
+'cattle-man's invasion'--and I learned that you were the sergeant who came
+for the prisoners."
+
+He smiled. "Yes; I was serving in the regular army at that time."
+
+"You must have been very young?"
+
+"I was--a kid."
+
+"That was a brave thing to do."
+
+"Not at all. I was a soldier under orders of the commander of the post. I
+dared not disobey."
+
+She would not have it so. "But you knew that you were going into danger?"
+
+"To be honest about it, I did; but I relied on my blue coat to protect
+me."
+
+"It was a terrible time. I was only a child, but I can remember how wild
+the men all seemed when you drove up and leaped out of the wagon. I didn't
+realize that my father's life depended on your coming, but we all knew it
+was brave of you."
+
+"I think I was born a soldier. What I like about my present job is its
+definiteness. I have my written instructions, and there's no need to argue
+anything. I carry out my orders. But I beg pardon, I'm not going to talk
+'shop' to you. I want you to tell me about yourself. I hope you are not to
+return to the East, for if you do not I shall be able to see you
+occasionally."
+
+Here Redfield appealed to the ranger. "Ross, you're all sorts of a
+reactionary. What do you say to this? Senator Bridges is opposed to all
+Federal interference with State forests and State game."
+
+The forester's eyes lit up. "But are they State forests and State game?
+What makes them so? They are lands which the whole people purchased and
+which the whole people defended."
+
+"Heah! heah!" cheered Enderby.
+
+Bridges bristled with anger, and went off into a long harangue on States
+rights and the dangers of centralization, to which Enderby replied: "Bosh!
+the whole trouble with your bally Government is its lack of cohesion. If I
+had my way, I'd wipe out the Senate and put a strong man like Roosevelt at
+the head of the executive. You're such blooming asses over here; you don't
+know enough to keep a really big man in your presidential chair. This
+fussing about every four years to put in some oily corporation lawyer is
+bloody rot. Here's Roosevelt gets in the midst of a lot of the finest kind
+of reforms, y' know, and directly you go and turn him out! Then if you get
+a bad man, you've to wait four years till you can fetch him a whack. Why
+not arrange it so you can pitch your President out the minute he goes
+wrong? I say your old rag of a Constitution is a ball-and-chain on your
+national leg. England is immeasurably better off so far as that goes."
+
+Ross turned to Virginia, leaving the political discussion to go on over
+his head. "I was back in the Old Island a couple of years ago, and you've
+no idea how small it seemed to me. It surely is a 'right little, tight
+little island.' I couldn't help wondering whether the men in Parliament
+were as important as they seemed to think they were, and whether England
+is not really an empty shell of empire, a memory of what it once was. I
+couldn't settle down there, someway. I was homesick for the mountains in a
+month. But what scared me most was the pauper population of the old
+place--one in every thirty-seven must be helped. I came back to the States
+gladly. 'I guess I'm an American,' I said to my sisters."
+
+To Lee Virginia all this talk of "the curse of democracy" and "the decay
+of empire" was unexciting, but when Cavanagh told of the sheepmen's
+advance across the dead-line on Deer Creek, and of the threats of the
+cattle-owners, she was better able to follow the discussion. Bridges was
+heartily on the side of law and order, for he wished to boom the State
+(being a heavy owner in a town-site), but he objected to Redfield's ideas
+of "bottling up the resources of the State."
+
+"We're not," retorted Redfield; "we're merely defending them against those
+who would monopolize them. We believe in their fullest use, but we see no
+reason for giving away the resources when the country needs the revenue."
+
+Mrs. Redfield rose as soon as the coffee came on. "You gentlemen seem bent
+upon discussing matters of no interest to us," she said, "so we'll leave
+you to fight it out alone. I'm sure you'll all agree with Hugh in the end.
+Like General Grant, he's a very obstinate man."
+
+No sooner were they seated in the big living-room than Mrs. Enderby began
+to relate comical stories of her household. Her cats had fits and ran up
+the wall. Her dogs were forever getting quilled by reason of foolish
+attacks upon porcupines, or else they came home so reminiscent of skunks
+that they all but smothered the cook. "Invariably they return from
+encounters of this kind just as we are sitting at dinner," she explained.
+"Furthermore, Enderby's ditches are habitually getting clogged, and
+overflowing the lawn and filling the cellar, and he stands in terror of
+his cowboys. When I think of all these irruptions and distractions,
+England's order and routine seem heavenly; but Charley finds all this
+amusing, more's the pity, and leaves me to set things in order. Most
+ludicrous of all, to me, is his habitual claim that the ranch is paying. I
+tell him there's an error in his bookkeeping somewhere, but he assures me
+that his receipts exceeded his expenditures last year--which is quite too
+incredible. You've no idea how high wages are and how little we raise."
+
+"Oh yes, I have," laughed Mrs. Redfield, "and my cat had a fit too. Hugh
+says it's the high altitude. I tell him it's melancholia."
+
+Cavanagh showed himself. "I hear so much laughter I'm coming in, we're all
+so insufferably political out here. And, besides, I came to see the
+ladies, and I can only stay a few minutes longer."
+
+"You're not going back to-night!" exclaimed his hostess.
+
+"I must be on my own precinct by daylight," he replied; "the Supervisor
+has an eye on me."
+
+Mrs. Redfield explained to Lee Virginia. "He rode fifty miles over the
+mountains--"
+
+"Thirty," corrected Ross. "But what does that matter when I'm in the
+company of such charming ladies?" he added, gallantly.
+
+"And now he's going to ride all the way back to-night!"
+
+"Think of that," gasped Mrs. Enderby, "and no moon!"
+
+"How can you find your way?" asked Mrs. Bridges, to whom this was a
+mortally dangersome journey.
+
+"Oh, it's quite simple. If you don't bump against a tree or fall into the
+creek you may be quite sure you're on the trail," laughed Ross.
+
+Mrs. Redfield knew the true reason for his coming, and was not at all
+pleased, "for with all Lee's personal charm," she said to her husband,
+"she is socially beneath Ross Cavanagh, even in a State where social
+barriers are few."
+
+"Come out on the veranda," suggested Cavanagh, "and I'll show you the
+hills I must climb."
+
+Lee accepted innocently; but as the young people left the room Mrs.
+Enderby looked at her hostess with significant glance. "There's the lady
+Ross rode down to meet. Who is she?"
+
+"Her mother is that dreadful old creature that keeps the Wetherford Hotel
+in Roaring Fork."
+
+"No!" exclaimed Mrs. Enderby.
+
+"Yes; Lee Virginia is Lize Wetherford's daughter."
+
+"But the girl is charming."
+
+"I cannot understand it. Hugh came home a week or so ago full of her
+praise--" And at this point her voice dropped lower and the other drew
+closer.
+
+Outside, the young people stood in silence. There was no moon, and the
+mountains rose darkly, a sheer wall at the end of the garden, their tops
+cutting into the starry sky with a dull edge, over which a dim white cone
+peered.
+
+"That snow-peak is Wolftooth, and thirty miles from here, and at the head
+of my 'beat,'" said the ranger, after a pause, as they leaned against the
+railing and looked away to the south. "I go up that ridge which you see
+faintly at the left of the main canon, and through that deep notch which
+is above timber-line."
+
+The girl's eyes widened with awe of the big, silent, dark world he
+indicated. "Aren't you afraid to start out on such a trip alone--I mean,
+don't you dread it?"
+
+"I'll be sorry to start back, yes, but not because of the dark. I've
+enjoyed my visit here so much it will be hard to say good-night."
+
+"It seems strange to me that you should prefer this wild country to
+England."
+
+"Do you like the East better than the West?"
+
+"In some ways; but then, you see, I was born out here."
+
+"So was I--I mean to say I was regenerated out here. The truth is I was a
+good deal of a scapegrace when I left England. I was always for hunting
+and horses, and naturally I came directly to the wild West country, and
+here I've been ever since. I've had my turn at each phase of
+it--cow-puncher, soldier, Rough-rider, and finally forest ranger. I reckon
+I've found my job at last."
+
+"Do you like it so much?"
+
+"At the present time I am perfectly contented. I'm associated now with a
+country that will never yield to the plough--yes, I like my work. I love
+the forests and the streams. I wish I might show them to you. You don't
+know how beautiful they are. The most beautiful parks in the world are
+commonplace to what I can show you. My only sorrow is to think of them
+given over to the sawmill. Perhaps you and your mother will come up some
+time, and let me show you my lakes and streams. There are waters so lovely
+they make the heart ache. Hugh is planning to come up soon; perhaps you
+and Mrs. Redfield will come with him."
+
+"I'd like it above everything," she responded, fervently. Then her voice
+changed: "But all depends on my mother's health."
+
+It hurt him to hear her call Eliza Wetherford mother. He wanted to forget
+her origin for the moment. He was not in love with her--far from it! But
+she was so alluring, and the proprietress of the Wetherford House was not
+nice, and that made one doubt the daughter.
+
+She broke the silence. "It seems dreadfully dark and mysterious up there."
+She indicated his path.
+
+"It isn't as bad as it looks. There is a good trail, and my pony knows it
+as well as I do. I enjoy riding by night."
+
+"But there are bears and other wild things, are there not?"
+
+"Not as many as I wish there were."
+
+"Why do you say that?"
+
+"I hate to see all the wild life killed off. Some day all these forests
+will have game refuges like the Yellowstone National Park. They are coming
+each year to have greater and greater value to the people of the plains.
+They are playgrounds, like the Alps. Campers are coming into my valley
+every day, and, while they increase the danger of fires, I welcome them.
+They are all advocates of the forest. As one man said: 'The mountains
+supplement the plains. They give color and charm to the otherwise
+monotonous West.' I confess I couldn't live on the prairies--not even on
+the plains--if out of sight of the mountains. If I should ever settle down
+to a home it would be in a canon like this, with a great peak at my front
+door."
+
+"It _is_ beautiful," the girl said, in the tone of sadness with which we
+confront the perfect night, the perfect flower, the flawless landscape.
+"It is both grand and peaceful."
+
+This tone of sadness pleased him. It showed her depth of perception, and
+he reflected that she had not uttered a vacuous or silly phrase since
+their first meeting. "She is capable of great development," he thought.
+Aloud he said: "You are a strange mingling of East and West. Do you
+realize it?"
+
+"In what way?" she asked, feeling something ardent in his tone.
+
+"You typify to me at this moment this whole State. You fill me with
+enthusiasm for its future. Here you are, derived from the lawless West,
+yet taking on the culture and restraint of the East so readily that you
+seem not in the least related to--"
+
+He checked himself at this point, and she said: "My mother is not as rough
+as she seems, Mr. Cavanagh."
+
+"She must be more of the woman than appears, or she could not have borne
+such a daughter. But do you feel your relationship to her? Tell me
+honestly, for you interest me."
+
+"I didn't at first, but I do now. I begin to understand her, and, besides,
+I feel in myself certain things that are in her, though I think I am more
+like the Wetherfords. My father's family home was in Maryland."
+
+Ross could have talked on all night, so alluring was the girl's dimly-seen
+yet warmly-felt figure at his side, but a sense of danger and a knowledge
+that he should be riding led him at last to say: "It is getting chill, we
+must go in; but before we do so, let me say how much I've enjoyed seeing
+you again. I hope the doctor will make favorable report on your mother's
+case. You'll write me the result of the examination, won't you?"
+
+"If you wish me to."
+
+"I shall be most anxious to know."
+
+They were standing very near to each other at the moment, and the ranger,
+made very sensitive to woman's charm by his lonely life, shook with
+newly-created love of her. A suspicion, a hope that beneath her cultivated
+manner lay the passionate nature of her mother gave an added force to his
+desire. He was sorely tempted to touch her, to test her; but her sweet
+voice, a little sad and perfectly unconscious of evil, calmed him. She
+said:
+
+"I hope to persuade my mother to leave the Forks. All the best people
+there are against us. Some of them have been very cruel to her and to me,
+and, besides, I despise and fear the men who come to our table."
+
+"You must not exchange words with them," he all but commanded. "Beware of
+Gregg; he is a vile lot; do not trust him for an instant. Do not permit
+any of those loafers to talk with you, for if you do they will go away to
+defame you. I know them. They are unspeakably vile. It makes me angry to
+think that Gregg and his like have the right to speak to you every day
+while I can only see you at long intervals."
+
+His heat betrayed the sense of proprietorship which he had begun to feel,
+in spite of his resolution. But the girl only perceived his solicitation,
+his friendly interest, and she answered: "I keep away from them all I
+can."
+
+"You are right to distrust them," he replied, grimly. "Because old Sam has
+money, he thinks he can do as he pleases. You must be especially careful
+of him."
+
+"The worst is when I go on the street; but if mother does not sell the
+business, I shall be obliged to stay in the Fork, no matter how I hate
+it."
+
+"I wish my station were not so far away," he mused, darkly. "But I'll ride
+down as often as my duties will permit, and you must let me know how
+things go. And if any of those fellows persecute you, you'll tell me,
+won't you? I wish you'd look upon me as your big brother. Will you do
+that?" His voice entreated, and as she remained silent, he continued:
+"Roaring Fork is one of the worst towns in the State, and a girl like you
+needs some one as a protector. I don't know just how to put it so that you
+will not misunderstand me, but, you see, I protect the forest, the
+streams, and the game; I help the settler in time of trouble; I am a kind
+of all-round big brother to everybody who needs help in the forest. In
+fact, I'm paid for protecting things that can't protect themselves, and
+so"--here he tried to lend his voice the accent of humor--"why shouldn't I
+be the protector of a girl like you, alone--worse than alone--in this
+little cow-town?"
+
+She remained dumb at one or two points where he clearly hoped for a word,
+and she was unable to thank him when he had finished. In this silence a
+curious constriction came into his throat. It was almost as if he had put
+his passion into definite words, and as the light fell upon her he
+perceived that her bosom was heaving with deep emotion.
+
+"I _am_ lonely," she faltered out at last--"horribly lonely; and I know
+now how people feel toward my mother, and it hurts me--it all hurts me;
+but I'm going to stay and help her--" She paused to recover her voice.
+"And you _do_ seem different! I--I--trust you!"
+
+"I'm glad you understand me, and you _will_ let me know if I can help you,
+won't you?"
+
+"Yes," she answered, simply.
+
+"Good-night," he said, extending his hand.
+
+She placed her palm to his quite frankly, but the touch of it made further
+speech at the moment impossible.
+
+They went in with such tell-tale faces that even Redfield wondered what
+had passed between them.
+
+Excusing himself almost at once, Cavanagh left the room, and when he
+looked in, a few moments later, he was clothed in the ranger's dusty green
+uniform, booted and spurred for his long, hard ride. Mrs. Redfield
+followed him into the hall and out on the door-stone to say: "Ross, you
+must be careful. This girl is very alluring in herself, but her mother,
+you know, is impossible."
+
+"You're needlessly alarmed, as usual," he smilingly replied. "She
+interests me--that's patent; but beyond that, why--nonsense! Good-night."
+
+Nevertheless, despite his protestations, he went away up the trail with
+his mind so filled with Lee Virginia's appealing face and form that he
+would certainly have ridden over a precipice had it not been for his
+experienced pony, who had fortunately but one aim, and that was to cross
+the range safely and to reach the home pasture at the earliest moment.
+
+Now that he was looking back upon three hours more of Lee's society,
+Cavanagh was ready to admit that he had left his range and ridden hard and
+far with that one purpose in mind. He had been hungry for the sight of
+her, and now that he had touched her hand and looked upon her again he was
+a little surprised and deeply disturbed to find himself hungrier than
+before.
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+THE VOICE FROM THE HEIGHTS
+
+
+LEE VIRGINIA was not entirely without experience as regards respectful
+courtship. Her life in the East had brought her to know a number of
+attractive lads and a few men, but none of these had become more than good
+companions, or friends; and though she wrote to one or two of these youths
+letters of the utmost friendliness, there was no passion in them, and she
+felt, as yet, the sting of nothing more intense in her liking for
+Cavanagh; but he meant more to her, now that she was lonely and
+beleaguered of those whose eyes were cruel and hot.
+
+Then, too, he had come to represent a new world to her--this world of the
+forest, this region toward the sunset, which was quite as mysterious to
+her thinking as it was to the eyes of any plains-dweller. Her imagination
+went with the ranger on his solitary march into those vague, up-billowing
+masses of rocks and trees. To her there were many dangers, and she
+wondered at his courage, his hardihood.
+
+That he had ridden all that long, rough way merely to see her she was not
+vain enough to believe; but she had, nevertheless, something of every
+woman's secret belief in her individual charm. Cavanagh had shown a
+flattering interest in her, and his wish to be her protector filled her
+with joy and confidence.
+
+She heard a good deal more about this particular forest ranger next
+morning at breakfast. "He is throwing himself away," Mrs. Redfield
+passionately declared. "Think of a man of Ross's refinement living in a
+mountain shack miles from anybody, watching poachers, marking trees, and
+cooking his own food. It's a shameful waste of genius."
+
+"That's as you look at it, my dear," responded Redfield. "Ross is the
+guardian of an immense treasure-chest which belongs to the nation.
+Furthermore, he is quite certain--as I am--that this Forest Service is the
+policy of the future, and that it offers fine chances for promotion--and
+then, finally, he likes it."
+
+"That is all well enough for a young man; but Ross is at least
+thirty-five, and should be thinking of settling down. I can't understand
+his point of view."
+
+"My dear, you have never seen the procession of the seasons from such a
+point of view as that which he enjoys."
+
+"No, and I do not care to. It is quite lonely enough for me right here."
+
+Redfield looked at Lee with comic blankness. "Mrs. Redfield is hopelessly
+urban. As the wife of a forest supervisor, she cares more for pavements
+and tram-cars than for the most splendid mountain park."
+
+"I most certainly do," his wife vigorously agreed. "And if I had my way we
+should be living in London."
+
+"Listen to that! She's ten times more English than Mrs. Enderby."
+
+"I'm not; but I long for the civilized instead of the wild. I like comfort
+and society."
+
+"So do I," returned he.
+
+"Yes; the comfort of an easy-chair on the porch and the society of your
+forest rangers. This ranch life is all very well for a summer outing, but
+to be tied down here all the year round is to be denied one's birthright
+as a modern."
+
+All this more or less cheerful complaint expressed the minds of many
+others who live amid these superb scenes. When autumn comes, when the sky
+is gray and the peaks are hid in mist, they long for the music, the
+lights, the comfort of the city; but when the April sun begins to go down
+in a smother of crimson and flame, and the mountains loom with epic
+dignity, or when at dawn the air is like some divine flood descending from
+the unstained mysterious heights, then the dweller in the foot-hills cries
+out: "How fortunate we are! Here is health and happiness! Here poverty is
+unknown!" One side of the girl was of this strain, the other was of the
+character described by her hostess. She began to see that Ross Cavanagh
+was fitted for higher duties than those of forest guard.
+
+Mrs. Redfield was becoming more and more interested in this child, who had
+not merely the malodorous reputation of her mother to contend with, but
+the memory of a traitorous sire to live down; and when Lee Virginia went
+to her room to pack her bag, the wife turned to her husband and said:
+"What are we to think of heredity when we see a thoroughly nice girl like
+that rise out of the union of a desperado with a vixen?"
+
+Redfield answered: "It is unaccountable. I knew her father well; he was a
+reckless daredevil, with less real courage in him than there is in old
+Lize; but I can't tell the girl that. She is sufficiently humiliated by
+her mother; she takes comfort in the thought that her father at least was
+brave and heroic."
+
+"I don't believe in heredity as I did once," his wife resumed. "Aren't
+scientific men rather divided about it?"
+
+"Yes, there are those who deny that there is any inheritance of the
+spirit, of character, insisting that the laws of transmission affect the
+body only. Lee is certainly like her father in looks. He was a handsome
+rascal."
+
+"Ross is terribly smitten with her."
+
+Redfield coughed, uneasily. "I hope not. Of course he admires her, as any
+man must. She's physically attractive, very attractive, and, besides, Ross
+is as susceptible as a cow-puncher. He was deeply impressed the first time
+he saw her, I could see that."
+
+"I didn't like his going out on the veranda with her last night,"
+continued Mrs. Redfield, "and when they came in her eyes and color
+indicated that he'd been saying something exciting to her. Hugh, Ross
+Cavanagh must not get involved with that girl. It's your duty as his
+superior to warn him."
+
+"He's fully grown, my dear, and a bit dictatorial on his own part. I'm a
+trifle timid about cutting in on his private affairs."
+
+"Then I'll do it. Marriage with a girl like that is out of the question.
+Think what his sisters would say."
+
+Redfield smiled a bit satirically. "To the outsider a forest ranger at
+$900 a year and find himself and horses is not what you may call a
+brilliant catch."
+
+"Oh, well, the outsider is no judge. Ross Cavanagh is a gentleman, and,
+besides, he's sure to be promoted. I acknowledge the girl's charms, and I
+don't understand it. When I think of her objectively as Lize Wetherford's
+girl I wonder at her being in my house. When I see her I want her to stay
+with me; I want to hug her."
+
+"Perhaps we've been unjust to Lize all along," suggested Redfield. "She
+has remained faithful to Ed Wetherford's memory all these years--that is
+conceded. Doesn't that argue some unusual quality? How many women do we
+know who are capable of such loyalty? Come, now! Lize is a rough piece of
+goods, I'll admit, and her fly-bit lunch-counter was a public nuisance;
+but she had the courage to send her girl away to be educated, denying
+herself the joy of seeing her develop by her side. We mustn't permit our
+prejudices to run away with us."
+
+The girl's return put a stop to the discussion, which could end in nothing
+but confusion anyway.
+
+Lee Virginia said good-bye to Mrs. Redfield with grateful appreciation of
+her kindness, and especially of her invitation to come again, and the
+tears in her eyes profoundly affected the older woman, who, with a
+friendliness which was something more than politeness, invited her to come
+again. "Whenever Roaring Fork gets on your nerves we'll be very glad to
+rescue you," she said in parting.
+
+Hugh Redfield the girl thoroughly understood and loved, he was so
+simple-hearted and so loyal. His bitter criticisms of the West were not
+uttered in a destructive mood--quite the contrary. His work was
+constructive in the highest degree. He was profoundly impatient of
+America's shortcomings, for the reason that he deeply felt her
+responsibility to the rest of the world. His knowledge of other republics
+and "limited monarchies" gave his suggestions power and penetration; and
+even Bridges, besotted in his provincial selfishness, had advised his
+selection as Supervisor. Of his own fitness for the work, Redfield himself
+took a dispassionate view. "I am only filling the place till the right man
+comes along," he said to his friends. "The man before me was a
+half-hearted and shifty advocate. I am an enthusiast without special
+training; by-and-by the real forester will come to take my place."
+
+On the way to the office, he said to Lee: "I will talk to the doctor if
+you like."
+
+"I wish you would," she responded, fervently.
+
+She remained in the machine while he went in, and as she sat there a train
+passed on its downward eastward run, and a feeling of loneliness, of
+helplessness, filled her heart. She had written many brave letters to her
+Eastern friends, but the vital contests, the important factors of her
+life, she had not mentioned. She had given no hint of her mother's
+physical and moral degeneration, and she had set down no word of her
+longing to return; but now that she was within sight of the railway the
+call of the East, the temptation to escape all her discomforts, was almost
+great enough to carry her away; but into her mind came the thought of the
+ranger riding his solitary way, and she turned her face to her own duties
+once more, comforted by the words of praise he had spoken and by the blaze
+of admiration in his eyes.
+
+Redfield came out, followed by a small man carrying a neat bag. He was of
+surpassing ugliness, and yet she liked him. His mouth had a curious twist.
+He had no chin to speak of, and his bright eyes protruded like those of a
+beetle. His voice, however, was surprisingly fine and resonant.
+
+"You'd better sit behind, Doctor," said Redfield. "I shall be very busy on
+this trip."
+
+"Very well," replied the other, "if Miss Wetherford remains beside me;
+otherwise I shall rebel." He was of those small, plain men whose absurd
+gallantry is never taken seriously by women, and yet is something more
+than pretence.
+
+He began by asking a few questions about her mother's way of life, but as
+Lee was not very explicit, he became impersonal, and talked of whatsoever
+came into his mind--motor-cars, irrigation, hunting, flowers--anything at
+all; and the girl had nothing to do but to utter an occasional phrase to
+show that she was listening. It was all rather depressing to her, for she
+could not understand how a man so garrulous could be a good physician. She
+was quite sure her mother would not treat him with the slightest respect.
+
+After all, he talked well. His stream of conversation shortened the way
+for her, and she was surprised when they topped the last ridge and the
+Fork could be seen lying before them in the valley. Soon they were rolling
+quietly up the street to the door of the Wetherford House.
+
+Springing out unaided, Lee hurried in, hoping to prepare her mother for
+the shock of the little physician's unimposing appearance, while Redfield
+remained behind to arm the physician for his encounter. "Now, Doctor, Mrs.
+Wetherford is a very singular and plain-spoken person. She's quite likely
+to swear like a man, but she will perform like a woman. Don't mind what
+she says; go ahead in your own way. Will you wait till after dinner, or
+shall I--"
+
+"No, I shall make the examination first--while I'm hungry. My mind works
+quicker. I can't diagnose properly on a full stomach."
+
+"Very well; line up with me, and together we'll beard the old grizzly in
+her den."
+
+They found Lize on duty behind the counter as usual. Her face was
+dejected, her eyes dull, but as she caught sight of the strange little
+man, she cried out: "Lord God, Reddy, why didn't you bring me a _man_?"
+
+"Hush, mother," cautioned Lee, "this is the famous Eastern physician."
+
+"You can't be famous for your beauty--you must be brainy," she remarked to
+herself in the stranger's hearing.
+
+Redfield presented "Doctor Fessenden, of Omaha."
+
+She started again on contemptuous ways, but was stopped by the little man.
+"Get down out o' that chair!" he commanded. "My time is money!"
+
+Lize flushed with surprise and anger, but obeyed, and Lee Virginia,
+secretly delighted with the physician's imperative manner, led the way
+into the lodging-house. "I'll look after the cash, mother," she said.
+"Don't worry."
+
+"I'm not worryin'," she replied; "but what does that little whelp mean by
+talking to me like that? I'll swat him one if he isn't careful!"
+
+"It's his way. Please don't anger him. You need his help."
+
+The doctor interfered. "Now, madam, strip, and let's see what's the matter
+with you," whereupon he laid off his coat, and opened his box of
+instruments.
+
+Lee fled, and Redfield, who had remained standing beside the counter,
+could not repress a smile. "She's caught a tartar this time. He's a little
+tiger, isn't he? I had prepared him for war, but I didn't expect him to
+fly at her that way."
+
+"Poor mother! how dreadfully ill she looks to-day. I hope the doctor will
+order her to rest."
+
+"But will she obey? I've argued that with her. She keeps saying she will,
+but she won't."
+
+It was nearly one, but the customers were coming in, and the girl, laying
+aside her hat and veil, took her seat at the cash-register, while Redfield
+went out to put his machine in order for the return trip. She realized
+that she was now at close-hand grapple with life. For the most part she
+had been able, up to this time, to keep in the background, and to avoid
+the eyes of the rough men who came and went before her mother's seat. But
+now she was not merely exposed to their bold glances; she was in a
+position where each man could make excuse to stop and demand a word what
+time his change was being counted.
+
+Her glowing cheeks, her pretty dress, made her a shining mark, and the men
+began at once to improve their opportunity by asking, "Where's Lize?" And
+this embarrassed her, for the reason that she did not care to go into the
+cause of her mother's temporary absence, and, perceiving her confusion,
+one of them passed to coarse compliment. "There's nothing the matter with
+you," he said, with a leer. Others, though coarse, were kindly in their
+familiarity, and Sifton, with gentle face, remained to help her bear the
+jests of the more uncouth and indelicate of her admirers.
+
+Perceiving her nervousness, Neill Ballard raised loud outcry over a
+mistake she made in returning change, and this so confused and angered her
+that her eyes misted with tears, and she blundered sadly with the next
+customer. His delight in her discomfiture, his words, his grin became
+unendurable, and in a flush of rage and despair she sprang to her feet and
+left them to make triumphant exit. "I got her rattled!" he roared, as he
+went out. "She'll remember me."
+
+The diners were all smiling, and Gregg took a malicious satisfaction in
+her defeat. She had held herself haughtily apart from him, and he was glad
+to see her humbled.
+
+Leaving her place behind the counter, she walked through the room with
+uplifted head and burning eyes, her heart filled with bitterness and fire.
+She hated the whole town, the whole State, at the moment. Were these "the
+chivalrous short-grass knights" she had heard so much about? These the
+large-souled "Western founders of empire"? At the moment she was in the
+belief that all the heroes of her childhood had been of the stamp of Neill
+Ballard--selfish, lustful, and cruel.
+
+In the hall her pride, her sense of duty, came back to her, and she halted
+her fleeing feet. "I will not be beaten!" she declared, and her lips
+straightened. "I will not let these dreadful creatures make a fool of me
+in that way!"
+
+Thereupon she turned and went back, pale now, but resolved to prove
+herself the mistress of the situation. Fortunately Redfield had returned,
+and his serene presence helped her to recover complete control of herself.
+She remained coldly blank to every compliment, and by this means she
+subdued them. "Why doesn't the doctor return for his dinner?" she asked,
+after the room had cleared. The desire to know her mother's real condition
+at last quite subordinated her own besetments. To some of the older men
+whom she knew to be neighbors and friends she gladly explained the
+situation, and their sympathy did something to restore her faith in
+humankind. Nevertheless, this hour of unprotected intercourse with the
+citizens of the town was disturbing, humiliating, and embittering.
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+The doctor appearing suddenly in the door beckoned to her, and, leaving
+her place, she crossed to where he stood. "Your mother needs you," he
+said, curtly. "Go to her, and keep her quiet for an hour or two if you
+can."
+
+"What is the matter, doctor?"
+
+"I can't tell you precisely, but you must get her on a diet and keep her
+there. I will write out some lists for you after my luncheon."
+
+Lee found her mother sitting in such dejection as she had never known her
+to display, though she fired up sufficiently to say: "That cussed little
+thimble-rigger has been throwing a great big scare into me. He says I've
+got to get out-doors, live on raw meat and weak tea, and walk five miles a
+day. That's what he says!" she added, in renewed astonishment at the man's
+audacity. "Who's at the cash?"
+
+"Mr. Redfield," replied Lee. "I'll go right back."
+
+"No you won't, I'm no dead horse yet." She struggled to her feet and
+started for the cash-register. "I won't let no little Omaha doughgie like
+that put me out o' business."
+
+Despite all warnings, she walked out into the dining-room and took her
+accustomed seat with set and stern face, while her daughter went to the
+table where the doctor sat, and explained her inability to manage her
+mother.
+
+"That's _your_ problem," he replied, coolly. Then rapidly, succinctly, and
+clearly he went over the case, and laid out a course of treatment. Out of
+it all Lee deduced that her mother was very ill indeed, though not in
+danger of sudden death.
+
+"She's on the chute," said Fessenden, "and everything depends upon her own
+action whether she takes the plunge this winter or twenty years from now.
+She's a strong woman--or has been--but she has presumed upon her strength.
+She used to live out-of-doors, she tells me, during all her early life,
+and now, shut in by these walls, working sixteen hours a day, she is
+killing herself. Get her out if you can, and cut out stimulants."
+
+As he rose and approached the counter, Lize shoved a couple of gold pieces
+across the board. "That wipes you off my map," she grimly declared. "I
+hope you enjoyed your ride."
+
+"It's up to you, madam," he replied, pocketing the gold. "Good-day!"
+
+Lee followed him out to the car, eager to secure all she could of his
+wisdom. He repeated his instructions. "Medicine can't help her much," he
+said, "but diet can do a great deal. Get her out of that rut she's in.
+Good-bye."
+
+"I'll be down again in a day or two!" called Redfield.
+
+The machine began to purr and spit and the wheels to spin, and Lee
+Virginia was left to face her mother's obstinate resistance alone. She
+felt suddenly very desolate, very weak, and very poor. "What if mother
+should die?" she asked herself.
+
+Gregg was standing before the counter talking with Lize as Lee returned,
+and he said, with a broad smile: "I've just been saying I'd take this
+hotel off your mother's hands provided you went with it."
+
+In the mouths of some men these words would have been harmless enough, but
+coming from the tongue of one whose life could only be obscurely hinted at
+the jest was an insult. The girl shuddered with repulsion, and Lize spoke
+out:
+
+"Now see here, Bullfrog, I'm dead on the hoof and all that, but neither
+you nor any other citizen like you can be funny with my girl. She's not
+for you. Now that's final! She ain't your kind."
+
+Gregg's smile died into a gray, set smirk, and his eyes took on a steely
+glint. He knew when the naked, unadorned truth was spoken to him. Words
+came slowly to his lips, but he said: "You'll be glad to come to me for
+help some day--both of you."
+
+"Oh, get along! You don't hold no mortgage on me," retorted Lize,
+contemptuously, and turned to Lee. "I'm hungry. Where's that grub chart o'
+mine?"
+
+Lee brought the doctor's page of notes and read it through, while her
+mother snorted at intervals: "Hah! dry toast, weak tea, no coffee, no
+alcohol. Huh! I might as well starve! Eggs--fish--milk! Why didn't he say
+boiled live lobsters and champagne? I tell you right now, I'm not going to
+go into that kind of a game. If I die I'm going to die eating what I blame
+please."
+
+The struggle had begun. With desperate courage Lee fought, standing
+squarely in the rut of her mother's daily habit. "You must not hive up
+here any longer," she insisted; "you must get out and walk and ride. I can
+take care of the house--at least, till we can sell it."
+
+It was like breaking the pride of an athlete, but little by little she
+forced upon her mother a realization of her true condition, and at last
+Lize consented to offer the business for sale. Then she wept (for the
+first time in years), and the sight moved her daughter much as the sobs of
+a strong man would have done.
+
+She longed for the presence of Ross Cavanagh at this moment, when all her
+little world seemed tumbling into ruin; and almost in answer to her
+wordless prayer came a messenger from the little telephone office: "Some
+one wants to talk to you."
+
+She answered this call hurriedly, thinking at first that it must be Mrs.
+Redfield. The booth was in the little sitting-room of a private cottage,
+and the mistress of the place, a shrewd little woman with inquisitive
+eyes, said: "Sounds to me like Ross Cavanagh's voice."
+
+Lee was thankful for the booth's privacy, for her cheeks flamed up at this
+remark; and when she took up the receiver her heart was beating so loud it
+seemed as if the person at the other end of the wire must hear it. "Who is
+it, please?" she asked, with breathless intensity.
+
+A man's voice came back over the wire so clear, so distinct, so intimate,
+it seemed as if he were speaking into her ear. "It is I, Ross Cavanagh. I
+want to ask how your mother is?"
+
+"She is terribly disheartened by what the doctor has said, but she is in
+no immediate danger."
+
+He perceived her agitation, and was instantly sympathetic. "Can I be of
+use--do you need me? If you do, I'll come down."
+
+"Where are you?"
+
+"I am at the sawmill--the nearest telephone station."
+
+"How far away are you?"
+
+"About thirty miles."
+
+"Oh!" She expressed in this little sound her disappointment, and as it
+trembled over the wire he spoke quickly: "Please tell me! Do you want me
+to come down? Never mind the distance--I can ride it in a few hours."
+
+She was tempted, but bravely said: "No; I'd like to see you, of course,
+but the doctor said mother was in no danger. You must not come on our
+account."
+
+He felt the wonder of the moment's intercourse over the wilderness steeps,
+and said so. "You can't imagine how strangely sweet and civilized your
+voice sounds to me here in this savage place. It makes me hope that some
+day you and Mrs. Redfield will come up and visit me in person."
+
+"I should like to come."
+
+"Perhaps it would do your mother good to camp for a while. Can't you
+persuade her to do so?"
+
+"I'm trying to do that--I mean, to stop work; but she says, 'What can we
+do to earn a living?'"
+
+"If nothing happens I hope to spend an hour or two at the Forks next
+Sunday. I hope to find your mother better."
+
+Their words were of this unemotional sort, but in their voices something
+subtler than the electrical current vibrated. He called to her in wordless
+fashion and she answered in the same mysterious code, and when she said
+"Good-bye" and hung up the receiver her world went suddenly gray and
+commonplace, as if a ray of special sunlight had been withdrawn.
+
+The attendant asked, with village bluntness: "It _was_ Ross, wasn't it?"
+
+Lee Virginia resented this almost as much as if it were the question of an
+eavesdropper; but she answered: "Yes; he wanted to know how my mother
+was."
+
+She turned as she reached the street and looked up toward the glorious
+purpling deeps from which the ranger's voice had come, and the thought
+that he was the sole guardian of those dark forests and shining
+streams--that his way led among those towering peaks and lone canons--made
+of him something altogether admirable.
+
+That night her loneliness, her sense of weakness, carried her to bed with
+tears of despair in her eyes. Lize had insisted on going back to her work
+looking like one stricken with death, yet so rebellious that her daughter
+could do nothing with her; and in the nature of fate the day's business
+had been greater than ever, so that they had all been forced to work like
+slaves to feed the flood of custom. And Lize herself still kept her vigil
+in her chair above her gold.
+
+Closing her mind to the town and all it meant to her, the girl tried to
+follow, in imagination, the ranger treading his far, high trails. She
+recalled his voice, so cultivated, so rich of inflection, with dangerous
+tenderness. It had come down to her from those lofty parapets like that of
+a friend, laden with something sweeter than sympathy, more alluring than
+song.
+
+The thought of some time going up to the high country where he dwelt came
+to her most insistently, and she permitted herself to dream of long days
+of companionship with him, of riding through sunlit aisles of forest with
+him, of cooking for him at the cabin--what time her mother grew strong
+once more--and these dreams bred in her heart a wistful ache, a hungry
+need which made her pillow a place of mingled ecstasy and pain.
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+THE POACHERS
+
+
+One morning, as he topped the rise between the sawmill and his own
+station, Cavanagh heard two rifle-shots in quick succession snapping
+across the high peak on his left. Bringing his horse to a stand, he
+unslung his field-glasses, and slowly and minutely swept the tawny slopes
+of Sheep Mountain from which the forbidden sounds seemed to come.
+
+"A herder shooting coyotes," was his first thought; then remembering that
+there were no camps in that direction, and that a flock of mountain-sheep
+(which he had been guarding carefully) habitually fed round that grassy
+peak, his mind changed. "I wonder if those fellows are after those sheep?"
+he mused, as he angled down the slope. "I reckon it's up to me to see."
+
+He was tired and hungry, a huge moraine lay between, and the trail was
+long and rough. "To catch them in the act is impossible. However," he
+reflected, "they have but two trails along which to descend. One of these
+passes my door, and the other, a very difficult trail, leads down the
+South Fork. I'll have time to get breakfast and change horses. They'll
+probably wait till night before attempting to go out, anyway."
+
+In less than three hours he was over on the trail in the canon, quite
+certain that the hunters were still above him. He rode quietly up the
+valley, pausing often to listen and to scrutinize the landscape; but no
+sign of camp-fire and no further rifle-shots came, and at last he went
+into camp upon the trail, resolved to wait till the poachers appeared, a
+ward which his experience as a soldier helped him to maintain without
+nodding.
+
+In these long hours his thought played about the remembrance of his last
+visit to the Fork and his hour with Lee. He wondered what she was doing at
+the moment. How charming she had looked there at Redfields'--so girlish in
+form, so serious and womanly of face!
+
+He felt as never before the ineludible loneliness of the ranger's life.
+Here he sat in the midst of a mighty forest with many hostile minds all
+about him, and it must be confessed he began to wonder whether his
+services to the nation were worth so much hardship, such complete
+isolation. The stream sang of the eternities, and his own short span of
+life (half gone already without any permanent accomplishment) seemed
+pitifully ephemeral. The guardians of these high places must forever be
+solitary. No ranger could rightfully be husband and father, for to bring
+women and children into these solitudes would be cruel.
+
+He put all this aside--for the time--by remembering that he was a soldier
+under orders, and that marriage was a long way off, and so smoked his pipe
+and waited for the dawn, persistent as a Sioux, and as silent as a fox.
+
+At daylight, there being still no sign of his quarry, he saddled his
+horse, and was about to ride up the trail when he caught the sound of
+voices and the sharp click of iron hoofs on the rocks above him. With his
+horse's bridle on his arm he awaited the approaching horseman, resolute
+and ready to act.
+
+As the marauders rounded the elbow in the trail, he was surprised to
+recognize in the leader young Gregg. The other man was a stranger, an
+older man, with a grizzled beard, and tall and stooping figure.
+
+"Hello Joe," called the ranger, "you're astir early!"
+
+The youth's fat face remained imperturbable, but his eyes betrayed
+uneasiness. "Yes, it's a long pull into town."
+
+"Been hunting?" queried the ranger, still with cheery, polite interest.
+
+"Oh no; just visiting one of my sheep-camps."
+
+Cavanagh's voice was a little less suave. "Not on this creek," he
+declared. "I moved your herder last week." He walked forward. "That's a
+heavy load for a short trip to a sheep-camp." He put his hand on the pack.
+"I guess you'll have to open this, for I heard two shots yesterday morning
+up where that flock of mountain-sheep is running, and, furthermore, I can
+see blood-stains on this saddle-blanket."
+
+Neither of the men made answer, but the old man turned an inquiring look
+at his young leader.
+
+The ranger flung his next sentence out like the lash of a whip. "Open this
+sack or I cut the ropes!"
+
+Gregg threw out a hand in command. "_Open it up, Edwards!_" he said,
+sullenly.
+
+With mechanical readiness the guide alighted from his horse, loosened the
+cinch on the pack-horse, and disclosed the usual camp-bed.
+
+"Put off that bedding!" insisted the ranger.
+
+Off came the outfit, and under the tent lay the noble head of a wild
+ram--a look of reproach still in his splendid yellow eyes.
+
+Cavanagh's face hardened. "I thought so. Now heave it back and cinch up.
+It's you to the nearest magistrate, which happens to be Higley, of Roaring
+Fork. I'll make an example of you fellows."
+
+There was nothing for Gregg to say and nothing for Edwards to do but obey,
+for a resolute ranger with an excellent weapon of the latest and most
+approved angular pattern stood ready to enforce his command; and when the
+pack was recinched, Cavanagh waved an imperative hand. "I guess I'll have
+to take charge of your guns," he said, and they yielded without a word of
+protest. "Now march! Take the left-hand trail. I'll be close behind."
+
+A couple of hours of silent travel brought them to the ranger's cabin, and
+there he ordered a dismount.
+
+As the coffee was boiling he lectured them briefly. "You fellows are not
+entirely to blame," he remarked, philosophically. "You've been educated to
+think a game warden a joke and Uncle Sam a long way off. But things have
+changed a bit. The law of the State has made me game warden, and I'm going
+to show you how it works. It's my duty to see that you go down the
+road--and down you go!"
+
+Edwards, the guide, was plainly very uneasy, and made several attempts to
+reach Cavanagh's private ear, and at last succeeded. "I've been fooled
+into this," he urged. "I was hard up and a stranger in the country, and
+this young fellow hired me to guide him across the range. I didn't shoot a
+thing. I swear I didn't. If you'll let me off, I'll hit the trail to the
+West and never look back. For God's sake, don't take me down the road! Let
+me off."
+
+"I can't do that," replied Cavanagh; but his tone was kindlier, for he
+perceived that the old fellow was thin, hollow-chested, and poorly clad.
+"You knew you were breaking the laws, didn't you?"
+
+This the culprit admitted. "But I was working for Sam Gregg, and when Joe
+asked me to go show him the trail, I didn't expect to get cinched for
+killing game. I didn't fire a shot--now that's the God's truth."
+
+"Nevertheless," retorted Ross, "you were packing the head, and I must
+count you in the game."
+
+Edwards fell silent then, but something in his look deepened the ranger's
+pity. His eyes were large and dark, and his face so emaciated that he
+seemed fit only for a sanitarium.
+
+The trip to the Fork (timed to the gait of a lazy pack-horse) was a
+tedious eight hours' march, and it was nearly seven o'clock when they
+arrived at the outskirts of the village. There had been very few words
+spoken by Cavanagh, and those which the prisoners uttered were not
+calculated to cheer the way. Joe blamed his guide for their mishap. "You
+should have known how far the sound of our guns would carry," he said.
+
+As they were nearing the village he called out: "See here, Cavanagh,
+there's no use taking me through town under arrest. I'll cough up all we
+got right now. How much is the damage?"
+
+"I can't receive your fine," replied Ross, "and, besides, you took your
+chances when you shot that sheep. You lost out, and I'm not going to let
+you off. This poaching must stop. You go right along with your guide."
+
+Again Edwards drew near, and pled in a low voice: "See here, Mr. Ranger, I
+have special reasons why I don't want to go into this town under arrest. I
+wish you'd let me explain."
+
+There was deep emotion in his voice, but Ross was firm. "I'm sorry for
+you," he said, "but my duty requires me to take you before a
+magistrate--"
+
+"But you don't know my case," he replied, with bitter intensity. "I'm out
+'on parole.' I can't afford to be arrested in this way. Don't you see?"
+
+Ross looked at him closely. "_Are_ you telling me the truth?"
+
+"Would you have mercy on me if I were?"
+
+"I should be sorry for you, but I couldn't let you go."
+
+"You won't believe me, but it's the God Almighty's truth: I didn't know
+Joe intended to kill that sheep. He asked me to show him over the pass. I
+had no intention of killing anything. I wish to God you would let me go!"
+His voice was tense with pleading.
+
+"How about this, Gregg?" called Ross. "Your guide insists he had no hand
+in killing the ram?"
+
+"He fired first, and I fired and finished him," retorted Gregg.
+
+"'Twas the other way," declared Edwards. "The beast was crippled and
+escaping--I killed him with my revolver. I didn't want to see him go off
+and die--"
+
+"I guess that settles it," said Cavanagh, decisively. "You take your
+medicine with Joe. If the justice wants to let you off easy, I can't help
+it, but to turn you loose now would mean disloyalty to the service. Climb
+back into your saddle."
+
+Edwards turned away with shaking hands and unsteady step. "All right," he
+said, "I'll meet it." He came back to say: "There's no need of your saying
+anything about what I've told you."
+
+"No, you are a stranger to me. I know nothing of your life except that I
+found you with Joe, with this pack on your horse."
+
+"Much obliged," said he, with a touch of bitter humor.
+
+To the casual observer in a town of this character there was nothing
+specially noticeable in three horsemen driving a pack-horse, but to those
+whose eyes were keen the true relationship of the ranger to his captives
+was instantly apparent, and when they alighted at Judge Higley's office a
+bunch of eager observers quickly collected.
+
+"Hello Joe, what luck?" called Ballard.
+
+"Our luck was a little too good--we caught a game warden," replied the
+young scapegrace.
+
+The ranger was chagrined to find the office of the justice closed for the
+day, and, turning to his captives, said: "I'm hungry, and I've no doubt
+you are. I'm going to take you into Mike Halsey's saloon for supper, but
+remember you are my prisoners." And to the little old remittance man,
+Sifton, who caught his eye, he explained his need of a justice and the
+town marshal.
+
+"I'll try to find the judge," replied Sifton, with ready good-will, and at
+a sign from the ranger, Gregg and his herder entered the saloon.
+
+In fifteen minutes the town was rumbling with the news. Under Ballard's
+devilry, all the latent hatred of the ranger and all the concealed
+opposition to the Forest Service came to the surface like the scum on a
+pot of broth. The saloons and eating-houses boiled with indignant protest.
+"What business is it of Ross Cavanagh's?" they demanded. "What call has he
+to interfere? He's not a game warden."
+
+"Yes he is. All these rangers are game wardens," corrected another.
+
+"No, they're not. They have to be commissioned by the Governor."
+
+"Well, he's been commissioned; he's warden all right."
+
+"I don't believe it. Anyhow, he's too fresh. He needs to have a halt.
+Let's do him. Let's bluff him out."
+
+Lee Virginia was in the kitchen superintending the service when one of the
+waiters came in, breathless with excitement. "Ross Cavanagh has shot Joe
+Gregg for killing sheep!"
+
+Lee faced her with blanched face. "Who told you so?"
+
+"They're all talking about it out there. Gee! but they're hot. Some of 'em
+want to lynch him."
+
+Lee hurried out into the dining-room, which was crowded with men and
+voicing deep excitement. Anger was in the air--a stormy rage, perceptible
+as a hot blast; and as she passed one table after another she heard ugly
+phrases applied to Cavanagh.
+
+A half-dozen men were standing before the counter talking with Lize, but
+Lee pushed in to inquire with white, inquiring face: "What is it all
+about? What has happened?"
+
+"Nothing much," Lize replied, contemptuously, "but you'd think a horse had
+been stole. Ross has nipped Joe Gregg and one of his herders for killing
+mountain-sheep."
+
+"Do you mean he shot them?"
+
+"Yes; he took their heads."
+
+Lee stood aghast. "What do you mean? Whose heads?"
+
+Lize laughed. "The sheeps' heads. Oh, don't be scared, no one is hurt
+yet!"
+
+The girl flushed with confusion as the men roared over her blunder. "One
+of the girls told me Mr. Cavanagh had killed a man," she explained. "Where
+is he?"
+
+Lize betrayed annoyance. "They say he's taking supper at Mike Halsey's,
+though why he didn't come here I don't see. What's he going to do?" she
+asked. "Won't the marshal take the men off his hands?"
+
+"Not without warrant from Higley, and Higley is out of town. Ross'll have
+to hold 'em till Higley gets back, or else take 'em over to Chauvenet,"
+Lize snorted. "Old Higley! Yes, he's been known to disappear before when
+there was some real work to be done."
+
+The girl looked about her with a sharpening realization of the fact that
+all these men were squarely opposed to the ranger, and rather glad to know
+that his guardianship of the poachers was to be rendered troublesome. She
+could hear on all sides bitter curses openly directed against him. How
+little of real manliness could be detected in these grinning or malignant
+faces! Ill-formed, half-developed, bestial most of them, while others,
+though weakly good-humored, were ready to go with whatever current of
+strong passion blew upon them. Over against such creatures Ross Cavanagh
+stood off in heroic contrast--a man with work to do, and doing it like a
+patriot.
+
+She went back to her own task with a vague sense of alarm. "Certainly they
+will not dare to interfere with an officer in the discharge of his
+duties," she thought. She was eager to see him, and the thought that he
+might be obliged to ride away to Chauvenet without a word to her gave her
+a deeper feeling of annoyance and unrest. That he was in any real danger
+she could not believe.
+
+It was disheartening to Cavanagh to see how some of the most influential
+citizens contrived to give encouragement to the riotous element of the
+town. A wink, a gesture, a careless word to the proper messenger, conveyed
+to the saloon rounders an assurance of sympathy which inflamed their
+resentment to the murderous point.
+
+The truth is, this little village, sixty miles from the railway, still
+retained in its dives and shanties the lingering miasma of the old-time
+free-range barbarism. It trailed a dark history on its legal side as well
+as on its openly violent side, for it had been one of the centres of the
+Rustler's War, and one of the chief points of attack on the part of the
+cattle-barons. It was still a rendezvous for desperate and shameless
+characters--a place of derelicts, survivals of the days of deep drinking,
+furious riding, and ready gun-play.
+
+True, its famous desperadoes were now either dead or distantly occupied;
+but the mantle of violence, the tradition of lawlessness, had fallen to
+the seedy old cow-punchers and to the raw and vulgar youths from the
+ill-conditioned homes of the middle West. The air of the reckless old-time
+range still clung rancidly in the low groggeries, as a deadly gas hangs
+about the lower levels of a mine. It was confessedly one of the worst
+communities in the State.
+
+"Let's run the sonovagun!" was the suggestion of several of Gregg's
+friends.
+
+The fact that the ranger was a commissioned officer of the law, and that
+the ram's head had been found on the poacher's pack, made very little
+difference to these irresponsible instigators to assault. It was wonderful
+how highly that loafing young rascal, Joe Gregg, was prized at the moment.
+"It's an outrage that the son of a leading citizen should be held up in
+this way by one of the forestry Cossacks," declared one of the merchants.
+
+The discussion which took place over the bars of the town was at the
+riot-heat by nine o'clock, and soon after ten a crowd of howling, whooping
+bad boys, and disreputable ranch-hands was parading the walks, breathing
+out vile threats against the ranger.
+
+Accustomed to men of this type, Cavanagh watched them come and go at
+Halsey's bar with calculating eyes. "There will be no trouble for an hour
+or two, but meanwhile what is to be done? Higley is not to be found, and
+the town marshal is also 'out of town.'" To Halsey he said: "I am acting,
+as you know, under both Federal and State authority, and I call upon you
+as a law-abiding citizen to aid me in holding these men prisoners. I shall
+camp right here till morning, or until the magistrate or the marshal
+relieves me of my culprits."
+
+Halsey was himself a sportsman--a genuine lover of hunting and a fairly
+consistent upholder of the game laws; but perceiving that the whole town
+had apparently lined up in opposition to the ranger, he lost courage. His
+consent was half-hearted, and he edged away toward the front window of his
+bar-room, nervously seeking to be neutral--"to carry water on both
+shoulders," as the phrase goes.
+
+The talk grew less jocular as the drinks took effect, and Neill Ballard,
+separating himself from the crowd, came forward, calling loudly: "Come out
+o' there, Joe! Youse a hell of a sport! Come out and have a drink!"
+
+His words conveyed less of battle than his tone. He was, in fact, urging a
+revolt, and Cavanagh knew it.
+
+Gregg rose as if to comply. The ranger stopped him. "Keep your seat," said
+he. And to Ballard he warningly remarked: "And you keep away from my
+prisoners."
+
+"Do you own this saloon?" retorted the fellow, truculently. "I reckon
+Halsey's customers have some rights. What are you doing here, anyway? This
+is no jail."
+
+"Halsey has given me the privilege of holding my prisoners here till the
+justice is found. It isn't my fault that the town is without judge or
+jail." He was weakened by the knowledge that Halsey had only
+half-consented to aid justice; but his pride was roused, and he was
+determined upon carrying his arrest to its legitimate end. "I'm going to
+see that these men are punished if I have to carry them to Sulphur City,"
+he added.
+
+"Smash the lights!" shouted some one at the back.
+
+Here was the first real note of war, and Ross cried out sharply: "If a man
+lifts a hand toward the light I'll cut it off!"
+
+There was a stealthy movement in the crowd, and leaping upon the counter a
+reckless cub reached for the lamp.
+
+Cavanagh's revolver shattered the globe in the fellow's very palm. "Get
+down from there!" he commanded.
+
+The crowd surged back against the front door, several drawn weapons
+shining in their hands. Some of the faces were a-grin, others were thrust
+forward like the heads of snakes, their eyes glittering with hate.
+
+It is an appalling moment to a man of discernment when he looks into the
+faces of his fellows and hears only the laugh of the wolf, the hiss of the
+snake, the snarl of the tiger. At the moment Cavanagh despised with a
+measureless contempt the entire commonwealth and its long-established
+school of violence; but fixing his thought on his far-away chief, he lost
+all fear. His voice was perfectly calm as he said: "I am wearing the
+uniform of the Federal service, and the man that interferes with me will
+feel the vengeance of the Federal arm. You can get me, but I'll get some
+of you at the same time, and the department will get the rest."
+
+The mob had not found its leader. It hesitated and blustered but did not
+strike, and eventually edged out of the door and disappeared; but the
+silence which followed its retreat was more alarming to the ranger than
+its presence. Some slyer mischief was in these minds. He feared that they
+were about to cut the electric-light wires, and so plunge him into
+darkness, and to prepare for that emergency he called upon the bartender
+(Halsey having vanished) for a lamp or a lantern.
+
+The fellow sullenly set about this task, and Ross, turning to Gregg, said:
+"If you've any influence with this mob, you'd better use it to keep them
+out of mischief, for I'm on this job to the bitter end, and somebody's
+going to be hurt."
+
+Gregg, who seemed quite detached from the action and rather delighted with
+it, replied: "I have no influence. They don't care a hang about me; they
+have it in for you, that's all."
+
+Edwards remained silent, with his hat drawn low over his eyes. It was
+evident that he was anxious to avoid being seen and quite willing to keep
+out of the conflict; but with no handcuffs and the back door of the saloon
+unguarded, Ross was aware that his guard must be incessant and alertly
+vigilant. "Where are the law-abiding citizens of the town?" he asked of
+Sifton, who remained in the saloon.
+
+The dry little whisp of manhood had some spark of life in him, for he
+said: "In their beds, the cowardly hounds!"
+
+"They must know that this gang of hobos is threatening me."
+
+"Certainly they do; but they don't intend to endanger their precious
+hides. They would be well pleased to have you disabled."
+
+It was incredible! Low as his estimate of the Fork had been, Cavanagh
+could not believe that it would sit quietly by and see an officer of the
+State defeated in his duty. "Such a thing could not happen under the
+English flag," he said, and at the moment his adopted country seemed a
+miserable makeshift. Only the thought of Redfield and the chief nerved him
+for the long vigil. "The chief will understand if it comes up to him," he
+said.
+
+Lize Wetherford came hurrying in, looking as though she had just risen
+from her bed. She was clothed in a long red robe, her grizzled hair was
+loose, her feet were bare, and she carried a huge old-fashioned revolver
+in her hand. Her mouth was stern.
+
+Stopping abruptly as she caught sight of Ross standing in the middle of
+the floor unhurt, she exclaimed: "There you are! Are you all right?"
+
+"As a trivet," he replied.
+
+She let her gun-hand relax. "What was the shooting?"
+
+"A little bluff on my part."
+
+"Anybody hurt?"
+
+"No."
+
+She was much relieved. "I was afraid they'd got you. I came as quick as I
+could. I was abed. That fool doctor threw a chill into me, and I've been
+going to roost early according to orders. I didn't hear your gun, but Lee
+did, and she came to tell me. They're hell-roaring down the street yet.
+Don't let 'em get behind you. If I was any good I'd stay and help. Where's
+Mike?" She addressed the tender at the bar.
+
+"I don't know. Gone home, I guess."
+
+"Sneaked, has he?"
+
+"So far as I know the only law-upholding citizen in the place, barring
+yourself, is Sifton," said Ross, indicating the Englishman, who stood as
+if cold, pressing his hands together to hide their trembling.
+
+Lize perceived the irony of this. "Two Britishers and two women! Well, by
+God, this is a fine old town! What you going to do--hold your men here all
+night?"
+
+"I don't see any other way. Halsey turned the place over to me--but--" He
+looked about him suspiciously.
+
+"Bring 'em into my place. Lee has had new locks put on our doors; they'll
+help some."
+
+"I don't like to do that, Mrs. Wetherford," he replied, with greater
+respect than he had ever shown her before. "They may attack me there."
+
+"All the better; I'll be on hand to help--but they're less likely to boil
+in on you through a locked door."
+
+"But your daughter? It will alarm her."
+
+"She'll be in the other house, and, besides, she'd feel easier if you are
+in my place. She's all wrought up by the attack on you."
+
+Ross turned to his prisoners. "Follow Mrs. Wetherford and--eyes front!"
+
+"You needn't worry about me," said Joe, "I won't run."
+
+"I don't intend to give you a chance," replied Ross.
+
+Edwards seemed to have lost in both courage and physical stature; he
+slouched along with shuffling step, his head bent and his face pale. Ross
+was now profoundly sorry for him, so utterly craven and broken was his
+look.
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+THE SECOND ATTACK
+
+
+Lee was waiting on the porch of the hotel, tense with excitement,
+straining her ears and eyes to see what was taking place.
+
+The night had started with a small sickle of moon, but this had dropped
+below the range, leaving the street dark, save where the lights from the
+windows of the all-night eating-houses and saloons lay out upon the walk,
+and, while she stood peering out, the sound of rancorous howling and
+shrill whooping came to her ears with such suggestion of ferocity that she
+shivered.
+
+Every good and honorable trait seemed lost out of her neighbors. She saw
+the whole country but as a refuge for criminals, ungovernable youths, and
+unsexed women--a wilderness of those who had no regard for any code of
+morals which interfered with their own desires. Her memories of the past
+freshened as she listened. In such wise she had shuddered, as a child,
+while troops of celebrating cowboys rode up and down the streets. In such
+wise, too, the better (and more timid) element of the town had put out
+their lights and retired, leaving their drunken helots and the marshal to
+fight it out in vague tumult.
+
+A few of the hotel guests had gone to bed, but the women were up, excited
+and nervous, starting at every fresh outburst of whooping, knowing that
+their sons or husbands were out in the street "to see the fun," and that
+they might meet trouble.
+
+At last Lee discerned her mother returning from Halsey's, followed by
+three men. Withdrawing from the little porch whereon she had been
+standing, she reentered the house to meet her mother in the hall. "Where
+is Mr. Cavanagh?" she asked.
+
+"Out in the dining-room. You see, Mike Halsey is no kind o' use. He
+vamoosed and left Ross down there alone, with his two prisoners and the
+lights likely to be turned out on him. So I offered the caffy as a
+calaboose. They are sure in for a long and tedious night."
+
+Lee was alarmed at her mother's appearance. "You must go to bed. You look
+ghastly."
+
+"I reckon I'd better lie down for a little while, but I can't sleep. Ross
+may need me. There isn't a man to help him but me, and that loafer Ballard
+is full of gall. He's got it in for Ross, and will make trouble if he
+can."
+
+"What can we do?"
+
+"Shoot!" replied Lize, with dry brevity. "I wouldn't mind a chance to plug
+some of the sweet citizens of this town. I owe them one or two."
+
+With this sentence in her ears, Lee Virginia went to her bed, but not to
+slumber. Her utter inability either to control her mother's action or to
+influence that of the mob added to her uneasiness.
+
+The singing, shouting, trampling of the crowd went on, and once a group of
+men halted just outside her window, and she heard Neill Ballard noisily,
+drunkenly arguing as to the most effective method of taking the prisoners.
+His utterances, so profane and foul, came to her like echoes from out an
+inferno. The voices were all at the moment like the hissing of serpents,
+the snarling of tigers. How dared creatures of this vile type use words of
+contempt against Ross Cavanagh?
+
+"Come on, boys!" urged Ballard, his voice filled with reckless
+determination. "Let's run him."
+
+As they passed, the girl sprang up and went to her mother's room to warn
+her of the threatened attack.
+
+Lize was already awake and calmly loading a second revolver by the light
+of the electric bulb.
+
+"What are you doing?" the girl asked, her blood chilling at sight of the
+weapon.
+
+"Hell's to pay out there, and I'm going to help pay it." A jarring blow
+was heard. "Hear that! They're breaking in--" She started to leave the
+room.
+
+Lee stopped her. "Where are you going?"
+
+"To help Ross. Here!" She thrust the handle of a smaller weapon into Lee's
+hand. "Ed Wetherford's girl ought to be able to take care of herself. Come
+on!"
+
+With a most unheroic horror benumbing her limbs, Lee followed her mother
+through the hall. The sound of shouts and the trampling of feet could be
+heard, and she came out into the restaurant just in time to photograph
+upon her brain a scene whose significance was at once apparent. On a chair
+between his two prisoners, and confronting Ballard at the head of a crowd
+of frenzied villains, stood the ranger, a gleaming weapon in his hand, a
+look of resolution on his face.
+
+What he had said, or what he intended to do, she did not learn, for her
+mother rushed at the invaders with the mad bravery of a she-bear. "Get out
+of here!" she snarled, thrusting her revolver into the very mouth of the
+leader.
+
+They all fell back in astonishment and fear.
+
+Ross leaped to her side. "Leave them to me!" he said. "I'll clear the
+room."
+
+"Not on your life! This is my house. I have the right to smash the fools."
+And she beat them over the heads with her pistol-barrel.
+
+Recognizing that she was minded to kill, they retreated over the
+threshold, and Ross, drawing the door close behind them, turned to find
+Lee Virginia confronting Edwards, who had attempted to escape into the
+kitchen. The girl's face was white, but the eye of her revolver stared
+straight and true into her prisoner's face.
+
+With a bound Ross seized him and flung him against the wall. "Get back
+there!" he shouted. "You must take your medicine with your boss."
+
+The old fellow hurriedly replaced his ragged hat, and, folding his arms,
+sank back into his chair with bowed head, while Lize turned upon Joe
+Gregg. "What the devil did you go into this kind of deal for? You knew
+what the game laws was, didn't you? Your old dad is all for State
+regulation, and here you are breaking a State law. Why don't you stand up
+for the code like a sport?"
+
+Joe, who had been boasting of the smiles he had drawn from Lee, did not
+relish this tongue-lashing from her mother, but, assuming a careless air,
+he said, "I'm all out of smokes; get me a box, that's a good old soul."
+
+Lize regarded him with the expression of one nonplussed. "You impudent
+little cub!" she exclaimed. "What you need is a booting!"
+
+The ranger addressed himself to Lee. "I want to thank you for a very
+opportune intervention. I didn't know you could handle a gun so neatly."
+
+She flushed with pleasure. "Oh yes, I can shoot. My father taught me when
+I was only six years old."
+
+As she spoke, Ross caught the man Edwards studying them with furtive
+glance, but, upon being observed, he resumed his crouching attitude, which
+concealed his face beneath the rim of his weather-worn hat. It was evident
+that he was afraid of being recognized. He had the slinking air of the
+convict, and his form, so despairing in its lax lines, appealed to Lee
+with even greater poignancy than his face. "I'm sorry," she said to him,
+"but it was my duty to help Mr. Cavanagh."
+
+He glanced up with a quick sidewise slant. "That's all right, miss; I
+should have had sense enough to keep out of this business." He spoke with
+difficulty, and his voice was hoarse with emotion.
+
+Lize turned to Lee. "The Doc said 'no liquor,' but I guess here's where I
+draw one--I feel faint."
+
+Ross hurried to her side, while young Gregg tendered a handsome flask.
+"Here's something."
+
+Lize put it away. "Not from you. Just reach under my desk, Ross; you'll
+find some brandy there. That's it," she called, as he produced a bottle.
+Clutching it eagerly, she added: "They say it's poison, but it's my meat
+to-night."
+
+She was, in truth, very pale, and her hands were trembling in a weakness
+that went to her daughter's heart. Lee admired her bravery, her manlike
+readiness of action, but her words, her manner (now that the stress of the
+battle was over), hurt and shamed her. Little remained of the woman in
+Lize, and the old sheep-herder eyed her with furtive curiosity.
+
+"I was afraid you'd shoot," Lize explained to Ross, "and I didn't want you
+to muss up your hands on the dirty loafers. I had the right to kill; they
+were trespassers, and I'd 'a' done it, too."
+
+"I don't think they intended to actually assault me," he said, "but it's a
+bit discouraging to find the town so indifferent over both the breaking of
+the laws and the doings of a drunken mob. I'm afraid the most of them are
+a long way from law-abiding people yet."
+
+Joe, who did not like the position in which he stood as respecting Lee,
+here made an offer of aid. "I don't suppose my word is any good now, but
+if you'll let me do it I'll go out and round up Judge Higley. I think I
+know where he is."
+
+To this Lize objected. "You can't do that, Ross; you better hold the fort
+right here till morning."
+
+Lee was rather sorry, too, for young Gregg, who bore his buffeting with
+the imperturbable face of the heroes of his class. He had gone into this
+enterprise with much the same spirit in which he had stolen gates and
+misplaced signs during his brief college career, and he was now disposed
+(in the presence of a pretty girl) to carry it out with undiminished
+impudence. "It only means a fine, anyway," he assured himself.
+
+Cavanagh did not trust Gregg, either, and as this was the first time he
+had been called upon to arrest men for killing game out of season, he
+could not afford to fail of any precaution. Tired and sleepy as he was, he
+must remain on guard. "But you and your daughter must go to bed at once,"
+he urged.
+
+Lize, under the spur of her dram, talked on with bitter boldness. "I'm
+going to get out o' this town as soon as I can sell. I won't live in it a
+minute longer than I have to. It used to have men into it; now they're
+only hobos. It's neither the old time nor the new; it's just a betwixt and
+between, with a lot o' young cubs like Joe Gregg pretendin' to be tough. I
+never thought I'd be sighin' for horse-cars, but these rowdy chumps like
+Neill Ballard give me a pain. Not one of 'em has sand enough to pull a gun
+in the open, but they'd plug you from a dark alley or fire out of a crowd.
+It was different in the old days. I've seen men walk out into that street,
+face each other, and open fire quiet as molasses. But now it's all talk
+and blow. The _men_ have all grown old or got out."
+
+To this Gregg listened with expressionless visage, his eyes dreamily fixed
+on Lee's face; but his companion, the old herder, seemed to palpitate with
+shame and fear. And Ross had the feeling at the moment that in this
+ragged, unkempt old hobo was the skeleton of one of the old-time heroes.
+He was wasted with drink and worn by wind and rain, but he was very far
+from being commonplace. "Here they come again!" called Lize, as the hurry
+of feet along the walk threatened another attack. Ross Cavanagh again drew
+his revolver and stood at guard, and Lize recovering her own weapon took a
+place by his side.
+
+With the strength of a bear the new assailant shook the bolted door. "Let
+me in!" he roared.
+
+"Go to hell!" replied Lize, calmly.
+
+"It's dad!" called young Gregg. "Go away, you chump."
+
+"Let me in or I'll smash this door!" retorted Gregg.
+
+"You smash that door, old Bullfrog," announced Lize, "and I'll carry one
+of your lungs away. I know your howl--it don't scare me. I've stood off
+one whole mob to-night, and I reckon I'm good for you. If you want to get
+in here you hunt up the judge of this town and the constable."
+
+After a pause Sam called, "Are you there, son?"
+
+"You bet he is," responded Lize, "and here he'll stay."
+
+Joe added: "And you'd better take the lady's advice, pop. She has the drop
+on you."
+
+The old rancher muttered a fierce curse while Ross explained the
+situation. "I'm as eager to get rid of these culprits as any one can be,
+but they must be taken by proper authority. Bring a writ from the
+magistrate and you may have them and welcome."
+
+Gregg went away without further word, and Lize said: "He'll find Higley if
+he's in town; and he _is_ in town, for I saw him this afternoon. He's
+hiding out to save himself trouble."
+
+Lee Virginia, with an understanding of what the ranger had endured, asked:
+"Can't I get you something to eat? Would you like some coffee?"
+
+"I would, indeed," he answered, and his tone pleased her.
+
+She hurried away to get it while Cavanagh disposed his prisoners behind a
+couple of tables in the corner. "I guess you're in for a night of it," he
+remarked, grimly. "So make yourselves as comfortable as you can. Perhaps
+your experience may be a discouragement to others of your kind."
+
+Lee returned soon with a pot of fresh coffee and some sandwiches, the
+sight of which roused young Gregg to impudent remark. "Well, notice that!
+And we're left out!" But Edwards shrank into the shadow, as if the light
+hurt him.
+
+Ross thanked Lee formally, but there was more than gratitude in his
+glance, and she turned away to hide her face from other eyes. Strange
+place it was for the blooming of love's roses, but they were in her cheeks
+as she faced her mother; and Lize, with fresh acknowledgment of her
+beauty, broke out again: "Well, this settles it. I'm going to get out of
+this town, dearie. I'm done. This ends the cattle country for me. I don't
+know how I've put up with these yapps all these years. I've been robbed
+and insulted and spit upon just long enough. I won't have you dragged into
+this mess. I ought to have turned you back the day you landed here."
+
+The old man in the corner was listening, straining his attention in order
+to catch every word she uttered, and Ross again caught a gleam in his eyes
+which puzzled him. Before he had time to turn his wonder over in his mind
+they all caught the sound of feet along the walk, but this time the sound
+was sedate and regular, like the movement of police.
+
+Both prisoners rose to their feet as Cavanagh again stood alert. The feet
+halted; a sharp rap sounded on the door.
+
+"Who's there?" demanded Lize.
+
+"The law!" replied a wheezy voice. "Open in the name of the law!"
+
+"It's old Higley," announced Lize. "Open the door, Ross."
+
+"Come in, Law," she called, ironically, as the justice appeared. "You look
+kind of mice-eaten, but you're all the law this blame town can sport. Come
+in and do your duty."
+
+Higley (a tall man, with a rusty brown beard, very much on his dignity)
+entered the room, followed by a short, bullet-headed citizen in a rumpled
+blue suit with a big star on his breast. Behind on the sidewalk Ballard
+and a dozen of his gang could be seen. Sam Gregg, the moving cause of this
+resurrection of law and order, followed the constable, bursting out big
+curses upon his son. "You fool," he began, "I warned you not to monkey
+with them sheep. You--"
+
+Higley had the grace to stop that. "Let up on the cuss-words, Sam; there
+are ladies present," said he, nodding toward Lee. Then he opened upon
+Cavanagh. "Well, sir, what's all this row? What's your charge against
+these men?"
+
+"Killing mountain sheep. I caught them with the head of a big ram upon
+their pack."
+
+"Make him show his commission," shouted Gregg. "He's never been
+commissioned. He's no game warden."
+
+Higley hemmed. "I--ah--Oh, his authority is all right, Sam; I've seen it.
+If he can prove that these men killed the sheep, we'll have to act."
+
+Cavanagh briefly related how he had captured the men on the trail. "The
+head of the ram is at the livery barn with my horse."
+
+"How about that?" asked Higley, turning to Joe.
+
+"I guess that's right," replied the insolent youth. "We killed the sheep
+all right."
+
+Higley was in a corner. He didn't like to offend Gregg, and yet the case
+was plain. He met the issue blandly. "Marshal, take these men into
+custody!" Then to Ross: "We'll relieve you of their care, Mr. Cavanagh.
+You may appear to-morrow at nine."
+
+It was a farcical ending to a very arduous thirty-six-hour campaign, and
+Ross, feeling like a man who, having rolled a huge stone to the top of a
+hill, has been ordered to drop it, said, "I insist on the maximum penalty
+of the law, Justice Higley, especially for this man!" He indicated Joe
+Gregg.
+
+"No more sneaking, Higley," added Lize, uttering her distrust in blunt
+phrase. "You put these men through or I'll make you trouble."
+
+Higley turned, and with unsteady solemnity saluted. "Fear not my
+government, madam," said he, and so made exit.
+
+After the door had closed behind them, Cavanagh bitterly complained. "I've
+delivered my prisoners over into the hands of their friends. I feel like a
+fool. What assurance have I that they will ever be punished?"
+
+"You have Higley's word," retorted Lize, with ironic inflection. "He'll
+fine 'em as much as ten dollars apiece, and confiscate the head, which is
+worth fifty."
+
+"No matter what happens now, you've done your duty," added Lee Virginia,
+with intent to comfort him.
+
+Lize, now that the stress of the battle was over, fell a-tremble. "I
+reckon I'll have to go to bed," she admitted. "I'm all in. This night
+service is wearing."
+
+Ross was alarmed at the sudden droop of her head. "Lean on me," he said,
+"it's my turn to be useful."
+
+She apologized. "I can't stand what I could once," she confessed, as he
+aided her into the hotel part of the building. "It's my nerve--seem's like
+it's all gone. I go to pieces like a sick girl."
+
+She did, indeed, resemble the wreck of a woman as she lay out upon her
+bed, her hands twitching, her eyes closed, and Ross was profoundly
+alarmed. "You need the doctor," he urged. "Let me bring him."
+
+"No," she said, huskily, but with decision, "I'm only tired--I'll be all
+right soon. Send the people away; tell 'em to go to bed."
+
+For half an hour Cavanagh remained in the room waiting to see if the
+doctor's services would be required, but at the end of that time, as she
+had apparently fallen asleep, he rose and tiptoed out into the hall.
+
+Lee followed, and they faced each other in such intimacy as the
+shipwrecked feel after the rescue. The house was still astir with the feet
+of those to whom the noises of the night had been a terror or a lure, and
+their presence, so far from being a comfort, a protection, filled the
+girl's heart with fear and disgust. The ranger explained the outcome of
+the turmoil, and sent the excited folk to their beds with the assurance
+that all was quiet and that their landlady was asleep.
+
+When they were quite alone Lee said: "You must not go out into the streets
+to-night."
+
+"There's no danger. These hoodlums would not dare to attack me."
+
+"Nevertheless, you shall not go!" she declared. "Wait a moment," she
+commanded, and reentered her mother's room.
+
+As he stood there at Lize Wetherford's door, and his mind went back over
+her brave deed, which had gone far to atone for her vulgarity, his respect
+for her deepened. Her resolute insistence upon law showed a complete
+change of front. "There is more good in her than I thought," he admitted,
+and it gave him pleasure, for it made Lee Virginia's character just that
+much more dependable. He thrilled with a new and wistful tenderness as the
+girl opened the door and stepped out, close beside him.
+
+"Her breathing is quieter," she whispered. "I think she's going to sleep.
+It's been a terrible night! You must be horribly tired. I will find you
+some place to sleep."
+
+"It has been a strenuous campaign," he admitted. "I've been practically
+without sleep for three nights, but that's all in my job. I won't mind if
+Higley will 'soak' those fellows properly."
+
+She looked troubled. "I don't know what to do about a bed for you;
+everything is taken--except the couch in the front room."
+
+"Don't trouble, I beg of you. I can pitch down anywhere. I'm used to hard
+beds. I must be up early to-morrow, anyway."
+
+"Please don't go till after breakfast," she smiled, wanly, "I may need
+you."
+
+He understood. "What did the doctor say?"
+
+"He said mother was in a very low state of vitality and that she must be
+very careful, which was easy enough to say. But how can I get her to rest
+and to diet? You have seen how little she cares for the doctor's orders.
+He told her not to touch alcohol."
+
+"She is more like a man than a woman," he answered.
+
+She led the way into the small sitting-room which lay at the front of the
+house, and directly opposite the door of her own room. It was filled with
+shabby parlor furniture, and in one corner stood a worn couch. "I'm sorry,
+but I can offer nothing better," she said. "Every bed is taken, but I have
+plenty of blankets."
+
+There was something delightfully suggestive in being thus waited upon by a
+young and handsome woman, and the ranger submitted to it with the awkward
+grace of one unaccustomed to feminine care. The knowledge that the girl
+was beneath him in birth, and that she was considered to be (in a sense)
+the lovely flower of a corrupt stock, made the manifest innocency of her
+voice and eyes the more appealing. He watched her moving about the room
+with eyes in which a furtive flame glowed.
+
+"This seems a long way from that dinner at Redfield's, doesn't it?" he
+remarked, as she turned from spreading the blankets on the couch.
+
+"It is another world," she responded, and her face took on a musing
+gravity.
+
+Then they faced each other in silence, each filled with the same delicious
+sense of weakness, of danger, reluctant to say good-night, longing for the
+closer touch which dawning love demanded, and yet--something in the girl
+defended her, defeated him.
+
+"You must call me if I can be of any help," he repeated, and his voice was
+tremulous with feeling.
+
+"I will do so," she answered.
+
+Still they did not part. His voice was very tender as he said, "I don't
+like to see you exposed to such experiences."
+
+"I was not afraid--only for you a little," she answered.
+
+"The Redfields like you. Eleanor told me she would gladly help you. Why do
+you stay here?"
+
+"I cannot leave my mother."
+
+"I'm not so sure of your duty in that regard. She got on without you for
+ten years. You have a right to consider yourself. You don't belong here."
+
+"Neither do you," she retorted.
+
+"Oh yes, I do--at least, the case is different with me; my work is here.
+It hurts me to think of going back to the hills, leaving you here in the
+midst of these wolves."
+
+He was talking now in the low, throbbing utterance of a man carried out of
+himself. "It angers me to think that the worst of these loafers, these
+drunken beasts, can glare at you--can speak to you. They have no right to
+breathe the same air with one like you."
+
+She did not smile at this; his voice, his eyes were filled with the
+gravity of the lover whose passion is not humorous. Against his training,
+his judgment, he was being drawn into closer and closer union with this
+daughter of violence, and he added: "You may not see me in the morning."
+
+"You must not go without seeing my mother. You must have your breakfast
+with us. It hurt us to think you didn't come to us for supper."
+
+Her words meant little, but the look in her eyes, the music in her voice,
+made him shiver. He stammered: "I--I must return to my duties to-morrow. I
+should go back to-night."
+
+"You mustn't do that. You can't do that. You are to appear before the
+judge."
+
+He smiled. "That is true. I'd forgotten that."
+
+Radiant with relief, she extended her hand. "Good-night, then. You must
+sleep."
+
+He took her hand and drew her toward him, then perceiving both wonder and
+fear in her eyes, he conquered himself. "Good-night," he repeated,
+dropping her hand, but his voice was husky with its passion.
+
+Tired as he was, the ranger could not compose himself to sleep. The memory
+of the girl's sweet face, the look of half-surrender in her eyes, the
+knowledge that she loved him, and that she was lying but a few yards from
+him, made slumber impossible. At the moment she seemed altogether
+admirable, entirely worthy to be won.
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+THE OLD SHEEP-HERDER
+
+
+The ranger was awakened in the first faint dawn by the passing of the
+girl's light feet as she went across the hall to her mother's room, and a
+moment later he heard the low murmur of her voice. Throwing off his
+blankets and making such scant toilet as he needed, he stepped into the
+hall and waited for her to return.
+
+Soon she came toward him, a smile of confidence and pleasure on her lips.
+
+"How is she?" he asked.
+
+"Quite comfortable."
+
+"And you?" His voice was very tender.
+
+"I am a little tired," she acknowledged. "I didn't sleep very well."
+
+"You didn't sleep at all," he declared, regretfully.
+
+"Oh yes, I did," she replied, brightly.
+
+She appeared a little pale but by no means worn. Indeed, her face had
+taken on new charm with its confession of feminine weakness, its
+expression of trust in him.
+
+These two ardent souls confronted each other in absorbed silence with
+keener perception, with new daring, with new intimacy, till he recalled
+himself with effort. "You must let me help you if there's anything I can
+do. Remember, I'm your big brother."
+
+"I remember," she answered, smilingly, "and I'm going out to see what my
+big brother is to have for breakfast."
+
+Cavanagh found the street empty, silent, and utterly commonplace. And as
+he walked past Halsey's saloon the tumult of the night seemed born of a
+vision in disordered sleep--and yet it had happened! From these reeking
+little dens a score of foul tatterdemalions had issued, charged with
+malicious fury. Each of these shacks seemed the lurking-place of a species
+of malevolent insect whose sting was out for every comer.
+
+The rotting sidewalks, the tiny shops, with their dusty fly-specked
+windows, the groggeries, from whose open doors a noisome vapor streamed,
+poisoning the morning air--all these typed the old-time West as Redfield
+and his farmstead typed the new.
+
+"Once I would have laughed at this town," he said; "but now it is
+disgusting--something to be wiped out as one expunges an obscene mark upon
+a public wall."
+
+As for the attack upon himself, terrifying as it had seemed to Lee
+Virginia, it was in reality only another lively episode in the history of
+the town, another disagreeable duty in the life of a ranger. It was all a
+part of his job.
+
+He went forth to his duties with a deepened conviction of the essential
+lawlessness of the State and of America in general; for this spirit of mob
+law was to be found in some form throughout the land. He was disgusted,
+but not beaten. His resolution to carry out the terms of his contract with
+the Government remained unshaken.
+
+He carried with him, also, a final disturbing glimpse of Eliza
+Wetherford's girl that did indeed threaten his peace of mind. There was an
+involuntary appeal, a wistful depth, to her glance which awakened in him
+an indignant pity, and also blew into flame something not so
+creditable--something which smoldered beneath his conscious will. He
+perceived in her a spirit of yielding which was difficult to resist. He
+understood, much more clearly than at his first meeting with her, how
+impossible it was for her to remain in this country (where law was a joke
+and women a ribald jest) without being corrupted. She had not escaped her
+heritage of passion, and her glances, innocent as they were, roused, even
+in him, something lawless.
+
+As he climbed the long hill he grappled deeply with this new and
+inexplicable weakness. He had always been a decent fellow as respects
+women, and had maintained the same regard for the moral code that he
+instinctively bore toward the laws of his adopted country. He could not,
+therefore, regard this girl (low as her parentage seemed) in the light of
+license; for (he thought) whatever of evil may have been planted deep in
+her nature by her ill-assorted father and mother, she is at the moment
+sweet and fine, and the man who would awaken her other self should be
+accursed.
+
+In this mood, too, he acknowledged the loneliness of his life for the
+first time, and rode his silent way up the trail like one in a dream. He
+went over his life story in detail, wondering if he had not made a mistake
+in leaving England, in taking out his American citizenship. He considered
+again, very seriously, the question of going back to live on the estate of
+his mother, and once more decided that its revenue was too small. To
+return to it meant an acceptance of the restricted life of an English
+farmer, and, worst of all, an acquiescence in the social despotism which
+he had come to feel and to hate.
+
+The English empire to him was falling apart. Its supremacy was already
+threatened by Germany, whereas the future of the States appealed to his
+imagination. Here the problems of popular government and of industry were
+to be worked out on the grandest scale. The West inspired him. "Some day
+each of these great ranges will be a national forest, and each of these
+canons will contain its lake, its reservoir." There was something fine in
+this vision of man's conquest of nature. "Surely in this development there
+is a place for me," he said.
+
+Start at any place he pleased, his mind circled and came back to Lee
+Virginia. He reproached himself for not having remained one more day to
+help her. She was in the midst of a most bleak and difficult pass, and
+whether she came through or not depended on something not derived from
+either her father or her mother. The test of her character was being
+made.
+
+"Happily the father is dead, and his exploits fading to a dim legend; but
+the mother may live for years to dishearten and corrupt. It is foolish of
+the girl to stay, and yet to have her go would leave me and the whole
+valley poorer."
+
+He perceived in her a symbol. "She is the new West just as the mother
+represents the old, and the law of inheritance holds in her as it holds in
+the State. She is a mixture of good and evil, of liberty and license. She
+must still draw forward, for a time, the dead weight of her past, just as
+the West must bear with and gradually slough off its violent moods."
+
+His pony plodded slowly, and the afternoon was half-spent before he came
+in sight of the long, low log-cabin which was the only home he possessed
+in all America. For the first time since he built it, the station seemed
+lonely and disheartening. "Would any woman, for love of me, come to such a
+hearthstone?" he asked himself. "And if she consented to do so, could I be
+so selfish as to exact such sacrifice? No, the forest ranger in these
+attitudes must be young and heart-free; otherwise his life would be
+miserably solitary."
+
+He unsaddled his horse and went about his duties with a leaden pall over
+his spirit, a fierce turmoil in his brain. He was no longer single-hearted
+in his allegiance to the forest. He could not banish that appealing
+girlish face, that trusting gaze. Lee Virginia needed him as he needed
+her; and yet--and yet--the people's lands demanded his care, his social
+prejudices forbade his marriage.
+
+He was just dishing out his rude supper when the feet of a horse on the
+log bridge announced a visitor.
+
+With a feeling of pleasure as well as relief, he rose to greet the
+stranger. "Any visitor is welcome this night," he said.
+
+The horseman proved to be his former prisoner, the old man Edwards, who
+slipped from his saddle with the never-failing grace of the cow-man, and
+came slowly toward the cabin. He smiled wearily as he said: "I'm on your
+trail, Mr. Ranger, but I bear no malice. You were doing your duty. Can you
+tell me how far it is to Ambro's camp?"
+
+There was something forlorn in the man's attitude, and Cavanagh's heart
+softened. "Turn your horse into the corral and come to supper," he
+commanded, with Western bluntness; "we'll talk about all that later."
+
+Edwards accepted his hospitality without hesitation, and when he had
+disposed of his mount and made himself ready for the meal, he came in and
+took a seat at the table in silence, while the ranger served him and
+waited for his explanation.
+
+"I'm going up to take Ambro's place," he began, after a few minutes of
+silent eating. "Know where his camp is?"
+
+"I do," replied Ross, to whom the stranger now appeared in pathetic guise.
+"Any man of his age consenting to herd sheep is surely hard hit by the
+rough hand of the world," he reasoned, and the closer he studied his
+visitor the plainlier he felt his ungoverned past. His chest was hollow,
+his eyes unnaturally large, and his hands thin, but he still displayed
+faint lines of the beauty and power he had once gloried in. His clothing
+was worn and poor, and Ross said: "You'll need plenty of bedding up
+there."
+
+"Is it high?"
+
+"About eleven thousand feet."
+
+"Jehosaphat! How will I stand that kind of air? Still, it may be it's what
+I need. I've been living down in the low country for ten years, and I'm a
+little bit hide-bound."
+
+"Lung trouble?"
+
+"Oh no; old age, I reckon."
+
+"You're not old--not more than fifty-five."
+
+"I'm no colt," he admitted; "and, besides, I've lived pretty swift."
+
+In this was the hint of a confession, but Cavanagh did not care to have
+him proceed further in that line. "I suppose Gregg paid your fine?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"In any other town in the State you'd have gone down the line."
+
+He roused himself. "See here, Mr. Ranger, you've no warrant to believe me,
+but I told you the God's truth. Young Gregg got me to ride into the range
+and show him the trail. I didn't intend to get mixed up with a game
+warden. I've had all the confinement I need."
+
+"Well, it's a closed incident now," interposed Ross; "we won't reopen it.
+Make yourself at home."
+
+The stranger, hungry as he was, ate with unexpected gentility, and, as the
+hot coffee sent its cheerful glow through his body, he asked, with
+livening interest, a good many questions about the ranger and the Forest
+Service. "You fellers have to be all-round men. The cowboys think you have
+a snap, but I guess you earn your money."
+
+"A man that builds trail, lays bridges, burns brush, fights fire, rides
+the round-up, and covers seventy-five miles of trail every week on eighty
+dollars per month, and feeds himself and his horses, isn't what I would
+call enjoying a soft snap."
+
+"What do you do it for?"
+
+"God knows! I've been asking myself that question all day to-day."
+
+"This playin' game warden has some outs, too. That was a wild crowd last
+night. The town is the same old hell-hole it was when I knew it years ago.
+Fine girl of Lize Wetherford's. She blocked _me_ all right." He smiled
+wanly. "I certainly was on my way to the green timber when she put the
+bars up."
+
+Ross made no comment, and the other went on, in a tone of reminiscent
+sadness. "Lize has changed terribly. I used to know her when she was a
+girl. Judas Priest! but she could ride and shoot in those days!" His eyes
+kindled with the memory of her. "She could back a horse to beat any woman
+that ever crossed the range, but I didn't expect to see her have such a
+skein of silk as that girl. She sure looks the queen to me."
+
+Cavanagh did not greatly relish this line of conversation, but the pause
+enabled him to say: "Miss Wetherford is not much Western; she got her
+training in the East. She's been with an aunt ever since her father's
+death."
+
+"He's dead, is he?"
+
+"So far as anybody knows, he is."
+
+"Well, he's no loss. I knew him, too. He was all kinds of a fool; let a
+few slick ones seduce him with fizz-water and oysters on the
+half-shell--that's the kind of a weak sister he was. He got on the wrong
+side of the rustler line-up--you know all about that, I reckon? Fierce old
+days, those. We didn't know anything about forest rangers or game wardens
+in them days."
+
+The stranger's tone was now that of a man quite certain of himself. He had
+become less furtive under the influence of the food and fire.
+
+Ross defended Wetherford for Virginia's sake. "He wasn't altogether to
+blame, as I see it. He was the Western type in full flower, that's all. He
+had to go like the Indian and the buffalo. And these hobos like Ballard
+and Gregg will go next."
+
+Edwards sank back into his chair. "I reckon that's right," he agreed, and
+made offer to help clear away the supper dishes.
+
+"No, you're tired," replied Ross; "rest and smoke. I'll soon be done."
+
+The poacher each moment seemed less of the hardened criminal, and more and
+more of the man prematurely aged by sickness and dissipation, and
+gradually the ranger lost all feeling of resentment.
+
+As he sat down beside the fire, Edwards said: "Them Wetherford women think
+a whole lot of you. 'Pears like they'd both fight for you. Are you sweet
+on the girl?"
+
+"Now, see here, old man," Ross retorted, sharply, "you want to do a lot of
+thinking before you comment on Miss Wetherford. I won't stand for any
+nasty clack."
+
+Edwards meekly answered: "I wasn't going to say anything out of the way. I
+was fixin' for to praise her."
+
+"All the same, I don't intend to discuss her with you," was Cavanagh's
+curt answer.
+
+The herder fell back into silence while the ranger prepared his bunk for
+the night. The fact that he transferred some of the blankets from his own
+bed to that of his visitor did not escape Edwards's keen eyes, and with
+grateful intent he said:
+
+"I can give you a tip, Mr. Ranger," said he, breaking out of a silence.
+"The triangle outfit is holding more cattle on the forest than their
+permits call for."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I heard one of the boys braggin' about it."
+
+"Much obliged," responded Ross. "I'll look into it."
+
+Edwards went on: "Furthermore, they're fixing for another sheep-kill over
+there, too; all the sheepmen are armed. That's why I left the country. I
+don't want to run any more chances of being shot up. I've had enough of
+trouble; I can't afford to be hobnobbing with judges and juries."
+
+"When does your parole end?" asked Ross.
+
+Edwards forced a grin. "I was handing you one when I said that," he
+declared, weakly. "I was workin' up sympathy. I'm not out on parole; I'm
+just a broken-down old cow-puncher herdin' sheep in order to keep clear of
+the liquor belt."
+
+This seemed reasonable, and the ranger remarked, by way of dropping the
+subject: "I've nothing to say further than this--obey the rules of the
+forest, and you won't get into any further trouble with me. And as for
+being shot up by the cow-men, you'll not be disturbed on any national
+forest. There never has been a single herder shot nor a sheep destroyed on
+this forest."
+
+"I'm mighty glad to hear that," replied Edwards, with sincere relief.
+"I've had my share of shooting up and shooting down. All I ask now is
+quiet and the society of sheep. I take a kind of pleasure in protecting
+the fool brutes. It's about all I'm good for."
+
+He did, indeed, look like a man in the final year of life as he spoke.
+"Better turn in," he said, in kindlier tone; "I'm an early riser."
+
+The old fellow rose stiffly, and, laying aside his boots and trousers,
+rolled into his bunk and was asleep in three minutes.
+
+Cavanagh himself was very tired, and went to bed soon after, to sleep
+dreamlessly till daylight. He sprang from his bed, and after a plunge in
+the stream set about breakfast; while Edwards rose from his bunk, groaning
+and sighing, and went forth to wrangle the horses, rubbing his hands and
+shivering as he met the keen edge of the mountain wind. When he returned,
+breakfast was ready, and again he expressed his gratitude.
+
+"Haven't you any slicker?" asked Cavanagh. "It looks like rain."
+
+"No, I'm run down pretty low," he replied. "The truth is, Mr. Ranger, I
+blew in all my wages at roulette last week."
+
+Ross brought out a canvas coat, well worn but serviceable. "Take this
+along with you. It's likely to storm before we reach the sheep-camp. And
+you don't look very strong. You must take care of yourself."
+
+Edwards was visibly moved by this kindness. "Sure you can spare it?"
+
+"Certain sure; I've another," returned the ranger, curtly.
+
+It was hardly more than sunrise as they mounted their ponies and started
+on their trail, which led sharply upward after they left the canon. The
+wind was strong and stinging cold. Over the high peaks the gray-black
+vapor was rushing, and farther away a huge dome of cloud was advancing
+like an army in action. It was all in the day's work of the ranger, but
+the plainsman behind him turned timorous eyes toward the sky. "It looks
+owly," he repeated. "I didn't know I was going so high--Gregg didn't say
+the camp was so near timber-line."
+
+"You've cut out a lonesome job for yourself," Ross assured him, "and if
+you can find anything else to do you'd better give this up and go back."
+
+"I'm used to being lonesome," the stranger said, "but I can't stand the
+cold and the wet as I used to. I never was a mountaineer."
+
+Taking pity on the shivering man, Cavanagh turned off the trail into a
+sheltered nook behind some twisted pine-trees. "How do you expect to take
+care of your sheep a thousand feet higher than this?" he demanded as they
+entered the still place, where the sun shone warm.
+
+"That's what I'm asking myself," replied Edwards. He slipped from his
+horse and crouched close to the rock. "My blood is mostly ditch-water,
+seems like. The wind blows right through me."
+
+"How do you happen to be reduced to herding sheep? You look like a man who
+has seen better days."
+
+Edwards, chafing his thin fingers to warm them, made reluctant answer:
+"It's a long story, Mr. Ranger, and it concerns a whole lot of other
+people--some of them decent folks--so I'd rather not go into it."
+
+"John Barleycorn was involved, I reckon."
+
+"Sure thing--he's generally always in it."
+
+"You'd better take my gloves--it's likely to snow in half an hour. Go
+ahead--I'm a younger man than you are."
+
+The other made a decent show of resistance, but finally accepted the
+offer, saying: "You certainly are white to me. I want to apologize for
+making that attempt to sneak away that night--I had a powerful good reason
+for not staying any longer."
+
+Ross smiled a little. "You showed bad judgment--as it turned out."
+
+"I sure did. That girl can shoot. Her gun was steady as a door-knob. She
+filled the door. Where did she learn to hold a gun like that?"
+
+"Her father taught her, so she said."
+
+"She wouldn't remember me--an old cuss like me--but I've seen her with
+Wetherford when she was a kidlet. I never thought she'd grow up into such
+a 'queen.' She's a wonder."
+
+Strange to say, Ross no longer objected to the old man's words of
+admiration; on the contrary, he encouraged him to talk on.
+
+"Her courage is greater than you know. When she came to that hotel it was
+a place of dirt and vermin. She has transformed it. She's now engaged on
+the reformation of her mother."
+
+"Lize was straight when I knew her," remarked the other, in the tone of
+one who wishes to defend a memory. "Straight as a die."
+
+"In certain ways she's straight now, but she's been hard pushed at times,
+and has traded in liquor to help out--then she's naturally a slattern."
+
+"She didn't used to be," asserted Edwards; "she was a mighty handsome
+woman when I used to see her riding around with Ed."
+
+"She's down at the heel now, quite like the town."
+
+"She looked sick to me. You shouldn't be too hard on a sick woman, but she
+ought to send her girl away or get out. As you say, the Fork is no kind of
+a place for such a girl. If I had a son, a fine young feller like that
+girl is, do you suppose I'd let him load himself up with an old soak like
+me? No, sir; Lize has no right to spoil that girl's life. I'm nothing but
+a ham-strung old cow-puncher, but I've too much pride to saddle my pack on
+the shoulders of my son the way Lize seems to be doin' with that girl."
+
+He spoke with a good deal of feeling, and the ranger studied him with
+deepening interest. He had taken on dignity in the heat of his protest,
+and in his eyes blazed something that was both manly and admirable.
+
+Cavanagh took his turn at defending Lize. "As a matter of fact, she tried
+to send her daughter away, but Lee refuses to go, insisting that it is her
+duty to remain. In spite of her bad blood the girl is surprisingly true
+and sweet. She makes me wonder whether there is as much in heredity as we
+think."
+
+"Her blood ain't so bad. Wetherford was a fool and a daredevil, but he
+came of good Virginia stock--so I've heard."
+
+"Well, whatever was good in both sire and dame this girl seems to have
+mysteriously gathered to herself."
+
+The old man looked at him with a bright sidelong glance. "You are a little
+sweet on the girl, eh?"
+
+Ross began to regret his confidence. "She's making a good fight, and I
+feel like helping her."
+
+"And she rather likes being helped by you. I could see that when she
+brought the coffee to you. She likes to stand close--"
+
+Ross cut him short. "We'll not discuss her any further."
+
+"I don't mean any harm, Mr. Ranger; we hobos have a whole lot of time to
+gossip, and I'm old enough to like a nice girl in a fatherly way. I reckon
+the whole valley rides in to see her, just the way you do."
+
+Cavanagh winced. "You can't very well hide a handsome woman in a cattle
+country."
+
+Edwards smiled again, sadly. "Not in my day you couldn't. Why, a girl like
+that would 'a' been worth a thousand head o' steers. I've seen a man come
+in with a span of mules and three ordinary female daughters, and without
+cinching a saddle to a pony accumulate five thousand cattle." Then he grew
+grave again. "Don't happen to have a picture of the girl, do you?"
+
+"If I did, would I show it to you?"
+
+"You might. You might even give it to me."
+
+Cavanagh looked at the man as if he were dreaming. "You must be crazy."
+
+"Oh no, I'm not. Sheep-herders do go twisted, but I'm not in the business
+long enough for that. I'm just a bit nutty about that girl."
+
+He paused a moment. "So if you have a picture, I wish you'd show it to
+me."
+
+"I haven't any."
+
+"Is that right?"
+
+"That's right. I've only seen her two or three times, and she isn't the
+kind that distributes her favors."
+
+"So it seems. And yet you're just the kind of figure to catch a girl's
+eye. She likes you--I could see that, but you've got a good opinion of
+yourself. You're an educated man--do you intend to marry her?"
+
+"See here, Mr. Sheep-herder, you better ride on up to your camp," and Ross
+turned to mount his horse.
+
+"Wait a minute," called the other man, and his voice surprised the ranger
+with a note of authority. "I was terribly taken with that girl, and I owe
+you a whole lot; but I've got to know one thing. I can see you're full of
+her, and jealous as a bear of any other suitor. Now I want to know whether
+you intend to marry her or whether you're just playing with her?"
+
+Ross was angry now. "What I intend to do is none of your business."
+
+The other man was suddenly ablaze with passion. His form had lost its
+stoop. His voice was firm. "I merely want to say that if you play the goat
+with that girl, I'll kill you!"
+
+Ross stared at him quite convinced that he had gone entirely mad. "That's
+mighty chivalrous of you, Mr. Sheep-herder," he replied, cuttingly; "but
+I'm at a loss to understand this sudden indignation on your part."
+
+"You needn't be--I'm her father!"
+
+Cavanagh fairly reeled before this retort. His head rang as if he had been
+struck with a club. He perceived the truth of the man's words instantly.
+He gasped: "Good God, man! are _you_ Ed Wetherford?"
+
+The answer was quick. "That's who I am!" Then his voice changed. "But I
+don't want the women to know I'm alive--I didn't intend to let anybody
+know it. My fool temper has played hell with me again"--then his voice
+grew firmer--"all the same, I mean it. If you or any man tries to abuse
+her, I'll kill him! I've loaded her up with trouble, as you say, but I'm
+going to do what I can to protect her--now that I'm in the county again."
+
+Ross, confused by this new complication in the life of the girl he was
+beginning to love, stared at his companion in dismay. Was it not enough
+that Virginia's mother should be a slattern and a termagant? At last he
+spoke: "Where have you been all these years?"
+
+"In the Texas 'pen.' I served nine years there."
+
+"What for?"
+
+"Shooting a man. It was a case of self-defence, but his family had more
+money and influence than I did, so I went down the road. As soon as I was
+out I started north--just the way a dog will point toward home. I didn't
+intend to come here, but some way I couldn't keep away. I shied round the
+outskirts of the Fork, picking up jobs of sheep-herding just to have time
+to turn things over. I know what you're thinking about--you're saying to
+yourself, 'Well, here's a nice father-in-law?' Well, now, I don't know
+anything about your people, but the Wetherfords are as good as anybody. If
+I hadn't come out into this cursed country, where even the women go
+shootin' wild, I would have been in Congress; but being hot-headed, I must
+mix in. I'm not excusing myself, you understand; I'm not a desirable
+addition to any man's collection of friends, but I can promise you
+this--no one but yourself shall ever know who I am. At the same time, you
+can't deceive my girl without my being named in the funeral that will
+follow."
+
+It was a singular place for such an exchange of confidences. Wetherford
+stood with his back against his pony, his face flushed, his eyes bright as
+though part of his youth had returned to him, while the ranger, slender,
+erect, and powerful, faced him with sombre glance. Overhead the detached
+clouds swept swift as eagles, casting shadows cold as winter, and in the
+dwarfed century-old trees the wind breathed a sad monody. Occasionally the
+sun shone warm and golden upon the group, and then it seemed spring, and
+the far-off plain a misty sea.
+
+At last Cavanagh said: "You are only a distant and romantic figure to
+Lee--a part of the dead past. She remembers you as a bold rider and a
+wondrously brave and chivalrous father."
+
+"Does she?" he asked, eagerly.
+
+"Yes, and she loves to talk of you. She knows the town's folk despise your
+memory, but that she lays to prejudice."
+
+"She must never know. You must promise never to tell her."
+
+"I promise that," Cavanagh said, and Edwards went on:
+
+"If I could bring something to her--prove to her I'm still a man--it might
+do to tell her, but I'm a branded man now, and an old man, and there's no
+hope for me. I worked in one of the machine-shops down there, and it took
+the life out of me. Then, too, I left a bad name here in the Fork--I know
+that. Those big cattle-men fooled me into taking their side of the war. I
+staked everything I had on them, and then they railroaded me out of the
+county. So, you see, I'm double-crossed, no matter where I turn."
+
+Every word he uttered made more apparent to Cavanagh that Lee Virginia
+would derive nothing but pain and disheartenment from a knowledge that her
+father lived. "She must be spared this added burden of shameful
+inheritance," he decided.
+
+The other man seemed to understand something of the ranger's indignant
+pity, for he repeated: "I want you to _swear_ not to let Lee know I'm
+alive, no matter what comes; she must not be saddled with my record. Let
+her go on thinking well of me. Give me your word!" He held out an
+insistent palm.
+
+Ross yielded his hand, and in spite of himself his tenderness for the
+broken man deepened. The sky was darkening to the west, and with a glance
+upward he said: "I reckon we'd better make your camp soon or you'll be
+chilled to the bone."
+
+They mounted hastily and rode away, each feeling that his relationship to
+the other had completely changed. Wetherford marvelled over the evident
+culture and refinement of the ranger. "He's none too good for her, no
+matter who he is," he said.
+
+Upon leaving timber-line they entered upon a wide and sterile slope high
+on the rocky breast of the great peak, whose splintered crest lorded the
+range. Snow-fields lay all about, and a few hundred feet higher up the
+canons were filled with ice. It was a savage and tempest-swept spot in
+which to pitch a tent, but there among the rocks shivered the minute
+canvas home of the shepherd, and close beside it, guarded by a lone dog,
+and lying like a thick-spread flock of rimy bowlders (almost unnoticeable
+in their silent immobility) huddled the sheep.
+
+"There's your house," shouted Ross to Wetherford.
+
+The older man, with white face of dismay, looked about him, unable to make
+reply.
+
+The walls of the frail teepee, flapping in the breeze, appeared hardly
+larger than a kerchief caught upon a bush, and the disheartened collie
+seemed nervously apprehensive of its being utterly swept away. The great
+peaks were now hid by the rain, and little could be seen but wet rocks,
+twisted junipers, and the trickling gray streams of icy water. The eastern
+landscape was naked, alpine, splendid yet appalling, and the voices of the
+sheep added to the dreary message of the scene.
+
+"Hello there!" shouted Ross, wondering at the absence of human life about
+the camp. "Hello the house!"
+
+Receiving no answer to his hail, he turned to Wetherford. "Looks like Joe
+has pulled out and left the collie to 'tend the flock. He's been kind o'
+seedy for some days."
+
+Dismounting, he approached the tent. The collie, who knew him, seemed to
+understand his errand, for he leaped upon him as if to kiss his cheek.
+Ross put him down gently. "You're almost too glad to see me, old fellow. I
+wonder how long you've been left here alone?"
+
+Thereupon he opened the tied flap, but started back with instant
+perception of something wrong, for there, on his pile of ragged quilts,
+lay the Basque herder, with flushed face and rolling eyes, crazed with
+fever and entirely helpless. "You'd better not come in here, Wetherford,"
+Ross warned. "Joe is here, horribly sick, and I'm afraid it's something
+contagious. It may be smallpox."
+
+Wetherford recoiled a step. "Smallpox! What makes you think that?"
+
+"Well, these Basques have been having it over in their settlement, and,
+besides, it smells like it." He listened a moment. "I'm afraid Joe's in
+for it. He's crazy with it. But he's a human being, and we can't let him
+die here alone. You rustle some wood for the stove, and I'll see what I
+can do for him."
+
+Wetherford was old and wasted and thin-blooded, but he had never been a
+coward, and in his heart there still burned a small flame of his youthful,
+reckless, generous daring. Pushing Cavanagh one side, he said, with firm
+decision: "You keep out o' there. I'm the one to play nurse. This is my
+job."
+
+"Nonsense; I am younger and stronger than you."
+
+"Get away!" shouted the older man. "Gregg hired me to do this work, and it
+don't matter whether I live or die; but you've got something to do in the
+world. My girl needs you, and she don't need me, so get out o' here and
+stay out. Go bring me that wood, and I'll go in and see what's the
+matter."
+
+Cavanagh looked him in the face an instant. "Very well," said he, "I'll do
+as you say. There's no use of our both taking chances."
+
+It was beginning to rain, and the tent was dark and desolate, but as the
+fire in the little stove commenced to snarl, and the smoke to pour out of
+the pipe, the small domicile took on cheer. Wetherford knew how to care
+for the sick, and in the shelter of the canvas wall developed unforeseen
+vigor and decision. It was amazing to Cavanagh to witness his change of
+manner.
+
+Soon a pan of water was steaming, and some hot stones were at the
+sufferer's feet, and when Wetherford appeared at the door of the tent his
+face was almost happy. "Kill a sheep. There isn't a thing but a heel of
+bacon and a little flour in the place."
+
+As the ranger went about his outside duties he had time to take into full
+account the tragic significance of the situation. He was not afraid of
+death, but the menace of sickness under such surroundings made his blood
+run cold. It is such moments as these that the wilderness appalls. Twenty
+miles of most difficult trail lay between his own cabin and this spot. To
+carry the sick man on his horse would not only be painful to the sufferer
+but dangerous to the rescuer, for if the Basque were really ill of
+smallpox contagion would surely follow. On the other hand, to leave him to
+die here unaided seemed inhuman, impossible.
+
+"There is only one thing to do," he called to Wetherford, "and that is for
+me to ride back to the station and bring up some extra bedding and my own
+tent, and so camp down beside you."
+
+"All right; but remember I've established a quarantine. I'll crack your
+head if you break over the line an inch."
+
+There was no longer any feeling of reaching up or reaching down between
+the two men--they were equals. Wetherford, altogether admirable, seemed to
+have regained his manhood as he stood in the door of the tent confronting
+the ranger. "This Basque ain't much of a find, but, as you say, he's
+human, and we can't let him lie here and die, I'll stay with him till you
+can find a doctor or till he dies."
+
+"I take off my hat to you," responded Cavanagh. "You are a man."
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+THE SMOKE OF THE BURNING
+
+
+The reader will observe that the forest ranger's job is that of a man and
+a patriot, and such a ranger was Cavanagh, notwithstanding his foreign
+birth. He could ride all day in the saddle and fight fire all night. While
+not a trained forester, he was naturally a reader, and thoroughly
+understood the theories of the department. As a practical ranger he stood
+half-way between the cowboy (who was at first the only available material)
+and the trained expert who is being educated to follow him.
+
+He was loyal with the loyalty of a soldier, and his hero was the colonel
+of the Rough-riders, under whom he had campaigned. The second of his
+admirations was the Chief Forester of the department.
+
+The most of us are getting so thin-skinned, so dependent upon steam-heat
+and goloshes, that the actions of a man like this riding forth upon his
+trail at all hours of the day and night self-sufficing and serene, seem
+like the doings of an epic, and so indeed they are.
+
+On the physical side the plainsman, the cowboy, the poacher, are all
+admirable, but Cavanagh went far beyond their physical hardihood. He
+dreamed, as he rode, of his responsibilities. The care of the poor Basque
+shepherd he had accepted as a matter of routine without Wetherford's
+revelation of himself, which complicated an exceedingly pitiful case. He
+could not forget that it was Lee Virginia's father who stood in danger of
+contracting the deadly disease, and as he imagined him dying far up there
+on that bleak slope, his heart pinched with the tragedy of the old man's
+life. In such wise the days of the ranger were smouldering to this end.
+
+On the backward trail he turned aside to stamp out a smoking log beside a
+deserted camp-fire, and again he made a detour into a lovely little park
+to visit a fisherman and to warn him of the danger of fire. He was the
+forest guardian, alert to every sign, and yet all the time he was being
+drawn on toward his temptation. Why not resign and go East, taking the
+girl with him? "After all, the life up here is a lonely and hard one, in
+no sense a vocation for an ambitious man. Suppose I am promoted to Forest
+Supervisor? That only means a little more salary and life in a small city
+rather than here. District Supervisor would be better, but can I hope to
+secure such a position?"
+
+Up to this month he had taken the matter of his promotion easily; it was
+something to come along in the natural course of things. "There is no
+haste; I can wait." Now haste seemed imperative. "I am no longer so young
+as I was," he admitted.
+
+Once back at his cabin he laid aside his less tangible problems, and set
+himself to cooking some food to take back with him to the peak. He brought
+in his pack-horse, and burdened him with camp outfit and utensils, and
+extra clothing. He filled his pockets with such medicines as he possessed,
+and so at last, just as night was falling, he started back over his
+difficult trail.
+
+The sky was black as the roof of a cavern, for the stars were hid by a
+roof of cloud which hung just above his head, and the ranger was obliged
+to feel his way through the first quarter of his journey. The world grew
+lighter after he left the canon and entered the dead timber of the glacial
+valley, but even in the open the going was wearisome and the horses
+proceeded with sullen caution.
+
+"The Basque is a poor, worthless little peasant, but he is a human being,
+and to leave him to die up there would be monstrous," he insisted, as the
+horses stumbled upward over the rocks of a vast lateral moraine toward the
+summit, blinded by the clouds through which they were forced to pass. He
+was dismounted now and picking his way with a small lantern, whose feeble
+ray (like that of a firefly) illuminated for a small space the dripping
+rocks; all else was tangible yellow mist which possessed a sulphurous odor
+and clung to everything it touched. The wind had died out entirely, and
+the mountain-side was as silent as the moon.
+
+Foot by foot he struggled up the slope, hoping each moment to break
+through this blanket of vapor into the clear air. He knew from many
+previous experiences that the open sky existed a little way above, that
+this was but a roof.
+
+At last he parted the layer of mist and burst into the moonlit heights
+above. He drew a deep breath of awe as he turned and looked about him.
+Overhead the sky was sparkling with innumerable stars, and the crescent
+moon was shining like burnished silver, while level with his breast rolled
+a limitless, silent, and mystical ocean of cloud which broke against the
+dark peaks in soundless surf, and spread away to the east in ever-widening
+shimmer. All the lesser hills were covered; only the lords of the range
+towered above the flood in sullen and unmoved majesty.
+
+For a long time Cavanagh stood beside his weary horses, filling his soul
+with the beauty of this world, so familiar yet so transformed. He wished
+for his love; she would feel and know and rejoice with him. It was such
+experiences as these that made him content with his work. For the ranger
+Nature plays her profoundest dramas--sometimes with the rush of winds, the
+crash of thunder; sometimes like this, in silence so deep that the act of
+breathing seems a harsh, discordant note.
+
+Slowly the mystic waters fell away, sinking with slightly rolling action
+into the valleys, and out of the wool-white waves sudden sharp dark forms
+upthrust like strange masters of the deep. Towers took shape and islands
+upheaved, crowned with dark fortresses. To the west a vast and inky-black
+Gibraltar magically appeared. Soon the sea was but a prodigious river
+flowing within the high walls of an ancient glacier, a ghost of the icy
+stream that once ground its slow way between these iron cliffs.
+
+With a shudder of awe the ranger turned from the intolerable beauty of
+this combination of night, cloud, and mountain-crest, and resumed his
+climb. Such scenes, by their majesty, their swift impermanency, their
+colossal and heedless haste, made his heart ache with indefinable regret.
+Again and again he looked back, longing for some power which would enable
+him to record and reproduce for the eyes of his love some part of this
+stupendous and noiseless epic. He was no longer content to enjoy Nature's
+splendors alone.
+
+On the cold and silent side of the great divide the faint light of the
+shepherd's teepee shone, and with a returning sense of his duty to his
+fellows on the roof of the continent, Cavanagh pushed onward.
+
+Wetherford met him at the door, no longer the poor old tramp, but a
+priest, one who has devoted himself to Christ's service.
+
+"How is he?" asked the ranger.
+
+"Delirious," replied the herder. "I've had to hold him to his bed. I'm
+glad you've come. It's lonesome up here. Don't come too near. Set your
+tent down there by the trees. I can't have you infected. Keep clear of me
+and this camp."
+
+"I've got some food and some extra clothing for you."
+
+"Put 'em down here, and in the morning drive these sheep away. That noise
+disturbs the dago, and I don't like it myself; they sound lonesome and
+helpless. That dog took 'em away for a while, but brought 'em back again;
+poor devil, he don't know what to think of it all."
+
+Ross did as Wetherford commanded him to do, and withdrew a little way down
+the slope; and without putting up his tent, rolled himself in his blankets
+and went to sleep.
+
+The sun rose gloriously. With mountain fickleness the wind blew gently
+from the east, the air was precisely like late March, and the short and
+tender grass, the small flowers in the sheltered corners of the rocks, and
+the multitudinous bleatings of the lambs were all in keeping. It was
+spring in the world and it was spring in the heart of the ranger, in spite
+of all his perplexities. The Basque would recover, the heroic ex-convict
+would not be stricken, and all would be well. Of such resiliency is the
+heart of youth.
+
+His first duty was to feed the faithful collie, and to send him forth with
+the flock. His next was to build a fire and cook some breakfast for
+Wetherford, and as he put it down beside the tent door he heard the wild
+pleading of the Basque, who was struggling with his nurse--doubtless in
+the belief that he was being kept a prisoner. Only a few words like "go
+home" and "sheep" were intelligible to either the nurse or the ranger.
+
+"Keep quiet now--quiet, boy! It's all right. I'm here to take care of
+you," Wetherford repeated, endlessly.
+
+Cavanagh waited till a silence came; then called, softly: "Here's your
+breakfast, Wetherford."
+
+"Move away," retorted the man within. "Keep your distance."
+
+Ross walked away a little space and Wetherford came to the door. "The dago
+is sure sick, there's no two ways about that. How far is it to the nearest
+doctor?"
+
+"I could reach one by 'phone from the Kettle Ranch, about twenty miles
+below here."
+
+"If he don't get better to-day I reckon we'll have to have a doctor." He
+looked so white and old that Cavanagh said:
+
+"You need rest. Now I _think_ I've had the smallpox--I know I've been
+vaccinated, and if you go to bed--"
+
+"If you're saying all that preliminary to offering to come in here, you're
+wasting your breath. I don't intend to let you come any nearer than you
+are. There is work for you to do. Besides, there's my girl; you're
+detailed to look after her."
+
+"Would a doctor come?" asked Ross, huskily, moved by Wetherford's words.
+"It's a hard climb. Would they think the dago worth it?"
+
+Wetherford's face darkened with a look of doubt. "It _is_ a hard trip for
+a city man, but maybe he would come for you--for the Government."
+
+"I doubt it, even if I were to offer my next month's salary as a fee.
+These hills are very remote to the townsfolk, and one dago more or less of
+no importance, but I'll see what I can do."
+
+Ross was really more concerned for Wetherford himself than for the Basque.
+"If the fever is something malignant, we must have medical aid," he said,
+and went slowly back to his own camp to ponder his puzzling problem.
+
+One thing could certainly be done, and that was to inform Gregg and Murphy
+of their herder's illness; surely they would come to the rescue of the
+collie and his flock. To reach a telephone involved either a ride over
+into Deer Creek or a return to the Fork. He was tempted to ride all the
+way to the Fork, for to do so would permit another meeting with Lee; but
+to do this would require many hours longer, and half a day's delay might
+prove fatal to the Basque, and, besides, each hour of loneliness and toil
+rendered Wetherford just so much more open to the deadly attack of the
+disease.
+
+Here was the tragic side of the wilderness. At such moments even the Fork
+seemed a haven. The mountains offer a splendid camping-place for the young
+and the vigorous, but they are implacable foes to the disabled man or the
+aged. They do not give loathsome diseases like pox, but they do not aid in
+defence of the sick. Coldly aloof, its clouds sail by. The night winds
+bite. Its rains fall remorselessly. Sheltering rocks there are, to be
+sure, but their comfort is small to the man smitten with the scourge of
+the crowded city. In such heights man is of no more value than the wolf or
+the cony.
+
+It was hard to leave an old and broken man in such a drear and
+wind-contested spot, and yet it had to be done. So fastening his tent
+securely behind a clump of junipers, Cavanagh mounted his horse and rode
+away across the boundary of the forest into the Deer Creek Basin, which
+had been the bone of much contention for nearly four years.
+
+It was a high, park-like expanse, sparsely wooded, beautiful in summer,
+but cold and bleak in winter. The summers were short, and frost fell
+almost every week even in July and August. It had once been a part of the
+forest, but under pressure the President had permitted it to be restored
+to the public lands open for entry. It was not "agricultural grounds," as
+certain ranchers claimed, but it was excellent summer pasture, and the
+sheepmen and cattle-men had leaped at once into warfare to possess it.
+Sheep were beaten to death with clubs by hundreds, herders were hustled
+out of the park with ropes about their necks and their outfits
+destroyed--and all this within a few miles of the forest boundary, where
+one small sentinel kept effective watch and ward.
+
+Cavanagh had never been over this trail but once, and he was trying to
+locate the cliff from which a flock of sheep had been hurled by cattle-men
+some years before, when he perceived a thin column of smoke rising from a
+rocky hillside. With habitual watchfulness as to fire, he raised his glass
+to his eyes and studied the spot. It was evidently a camp-fire and
+smouldering dangerously, and turning his horse's head he rode toward it to
+stamp it out. It was not upon his patrol; but that did not matter, his
+duty was clear.
+
+As he drew near he began to perceive signs of a broken camp; the ground
+was littered with utensils. It was not an ordinary camp-fire, and the
+ranger's heart quickened. "Another sheep-herder has been driven out, and
+his tent and provisions burned!" he exclaimed, wrathfully.
+
+His horse snorted and shied as he rode nearer, and then a shudder passed
+through the ranger's heart as he perceived in the edge of the smouldering
+embers a boot heel, and then--_a charred hand!_ In the smoke of that fire
+was the reek of human flesh.
+
+For a long time the ranger sat on his horse, peering down into those ashes
+until at last it became evident to his eyes that at least two
+sheep-herders had been sacrificed on the cattle-man's altar of hate and
+greed.
+
+All about on the sod the story was written, all too plain. Two men,
+possibly three, had been murdered--cut to pieces and burned--not many
+hours before. There stood the bloody spade with which the bodies had been
+dismembered, and there lay an empty can whose oil had been poured upon the
+mingled camp utensils, tent, and wagon of the herders, in the attempt to
+incinerate the hacked and dismembered limbs of the victims. The
+lawlessness of the range had culminated. The ferocity of the herder had
+gone beyond the savage. Here in the sweet autumn air the reek of the
+cattle-man's vengeance rose like some hideous vapor, poisonous and
+obscene.
+
+The ranger sickened as the bloody tale unfolded itself before him. Then a
+fierce hate of such warfare flamed in his heart. Could this enormity be
+committed under any other civilized flag? Would any other Government
+intermingle so foolishly, so childishly its State and Federal authority as
+to permit such diabolism?
+
+Here lay the legitimate fruit of the State's essential hoodlumism. Here
+was the answer to local self-government--to democracy. Such a thing could
+not happen in Australia or Canada; only in America could lynch law become
+a dramatic pastime, a jest, an instrument of private vengeance. The South
+and the West were alike stained with the blood of the lynched, and the
+whole nation was covered with shame.
+
+In his horror, his sense of revolt, he cursed the State of which he was a
+citizen. He would have resigned his commission at the moment, so intense
+was his resentment of the supine, careless, jovial, slattern Government
+under which he was serving.
+
+"By the Lord!" he breathed, with solemn intensity, "if this does not shame
+the people of this State into revolt, if these fiends are not hounded and
+hung, I will myself harry them. I cannot live and do my duty here unless
+this crime is avenged by law."
+
+It did not matter to him that these herders were poor Basques; it was the
+utter, horrifying, destructive disregard of law which raised such tumult
+in his blood. His English education, his soldier's training, his native
+refinement--all were outraged. Then, too, he loved the West. He had
+surrendered his citizenship under the British flag--for this!
+
+Chilled, shaking, and numb, he set spurs to his horse and rode furiously
+down the trail toward the nearest town, so eager to spread the alarm that
+he could scarcely breathe a deep breath. On the steep slopes he was forced
+to walk, and his horse led so badly, that his agony of impatience was
+deepened. He had a vision of the murderers riding fast into far countries.
+Each hour made their apprehension progressively the more difficult.
+
+"Who were they?" he asked himself, again and again. "What kind of man did
+this thing? Was the leader a man like Ballard? Even so, he was hired. By
+whom? By ranchers covetous of the range; that was absolutely certain."
+
+It was long after noon before he came to the end of the telephone-line in
+a little store and post-office at the upper falls of Deer Creek. The
+telephone had a booth fortunately, and he soon had Redfield's ear, but his
+voice was so strained and unnatural that his chief did not recognize it.
+
+"Is that you, Ross? What's the matter? Your voice sounds hoarse."
+
+Ross composed himself, and told his story briefly. "I'm at Kettle Ranch
+post-office. Now listen. The limit of the cattle-man's ferocity has been
+reached. As I rode down here, to get into communication with a doctor for
+a sick herder, I came upon the scene of another murder and burning. The
+fire is still smouldering; at least two bodies are in the embers."
+
+At last, bit by bit, from hurried speech, the supervisor derived the fact,
+the location, the hour, and directed the herder to ride back and guard the
+remains till the sheriff arrived.
+
+"Keep it all quiet," warned Ross, "and get the sheriff and a doctor to
+come up here as quick as you can. What in the name of God is this country
+coming to?" he cried, in despair. "Will this deed go unpunished, like the
+rest?"
+
+Redfield's voice had lost its optimistic ring. "I don't know; I am stunned
+by it all. Don't do anything rash, Ross. Wait till I come. Perhaps this is
+the turning-point out here. I'll be up at the earliest moment."
+
+The embittered and disheartened ranger then called up Lee Virginia, and
+the sound of her sweet voice turned his thoughts to other and, in a sense,
+more important matters; for when she heard his name she cried out with
+such eager longing and appeal that his heart leaped. "Oh, I wish you were
+here! Mother has been worse to-day. She is asking for you. Can't you come
+down and see us? She wants to tell you something."
+
+"I can't--I can't!" he stammered. "I--I--I'm a long way off, and I have
+important work to do. Tell her I will come to-morrow."
+
+Her voice was filled with disappointment and fear as she said: "Oh, I need
+you so! Can't you come?"
+
+"Yes, I will come as soon as I can. I will try to reach you by daylight
+to-morrow. My heart is with you. Call up the Redfields; they will help
+you."
+
+"Mother wants _you_. She says she _must_ see you. Come as soon as you can.
+I don't know what she wants to tell you--but I do know we need you."
+
+Her meaning was as clear as if she said: "I need you, for I love you. Come
+to me." And her prayer filled him with pain as well as pleasure. He was a
+soldier and under orders from his chief, therefore he said: "Dear girl,
+there is a sick man far up on the mountain-side with no one to care for
+him but a poor old herder who is in danger of falling sick himself. I must
+go back to them; but, believe me, I will come just as soon as my duties
+will let me. You understand me, don't you?"
+
+Her voice was fainter as she said: "Yes, but I--it seems hard to wait."
+
+"I know. Your voice has helped me. I was in a black mood when I came here.
+I'm going back now to do my work, and then I will come to you. Good-bye."
+
+Strangely beautiful and very subtle was the vibrant stir of that wire as
+it conveyed back to his ear the little sigh with which she made answer to
+his plea. He took his way upward in a mood which was meditative but no
+longer bitter.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+SHADOWS ON THE MIST
+
+
+The decision which Cavanagh made between love and duty distinguished the
+officer from the man, the soldier from the civilian. He did not hesitate
+to act, and yet he suffered a mental conflict as he rode back toward the
+scene of that inhuman sacrifice on the altar of greed. His heart went out
+to Lee Virginia in longing. Her appealing voice still lay in his ear with
+an effect like the touch of her soft lips, and his flagging horse suffered
+from the unconscious pressure of his haste.
+
+"It will be hours before any part of the sheriff's posse can reach the
+falls, even though they take to the swiftest motors, and then other long
+hours must intervene before I can ride down to her. Yes, at least a day
+and a night must drag their slow course before I can hope to be of service
+to her," and the thought drew a groan of anxiety from him. At such moments
+of mental stress the trail is a torture and the mountain-side an
+inexorable barrier.
+
+Half-way to the hills he was intercepted by an old man who was at work on
+an irrigating ditch beside the road. He seemed very nervous and very
+inquisitive, and as he questioned the ranger his eyes were like those of a
+dog that fears his master's hand. Ross wondered about this afterward, but
+at the moment his mind was busy with the significance of this patient
+toiler with a spade. He was a prophetic figure in the most picturesque and
+sterile land of the stockman. "Here within twenty miles of this peaceful
+fruit-grower," he said, "is the crowning infamy of the free-booting
+cowboy. My God, what a nation we are!"
+
+He wondered, as he rode on, whether the papers of the State would make a
+jest of _this_ deed. "Will this be made the theme for caustic comment in
+the Eastern press for a day, and then be forgotten?"
+
+As his hot blood cooled he lost faith in even this sacrifice. Could
+anything change the leopard West into the tameness and serenity of the ox?
+"No," he decided, "nothing but death will do that. This generation, these
+fierce and bloody hearts, must die; only in that way can the tradition of
+violence be overcome and a new State reared."
+
+At the foot of the toilsome, upward-winding trail he dismounted, and led
+his weary horse. Over his head, and about half-way to the first hilltop,
+lay a roof of fleecy vapor, faint purple in color and seamless in texture.
+Through this he must pass, and it symbolized to him the line of
+demarkation between the plain and the mountain, between order and
+violence.
+
+Again he rose above it, to find it a fantastic sea lit by the sun, and
+glowing with pink and gold and violet. Celestial in its ethereal beauty,
+it threw into still more appalling shadow the smoking altar of passion
+toward which he spurred. From moment to moment the surface rose and
+shifted in swift, tumultuous, yet soundless waves, breaking round
+pine-clad promontories in shimmering breakers, faint, and far, and
+serene.
+
+Down through a deep canon to the south a prodigious river of mist was
+rushing, a silent cataract of ashy vapor plunging to a soundless beach.
+Above and beyond it the high peaks shone in radiance so pure that the
+heart of the lover ached with the pain of its evanescent beauty. It was as
+if he were looking across a foaming flood upon the stupendous and shining
+park of some imperial potentate whose ornate and splendid country home lay
+just beyond. Rocky spires rose like cathedral towers, and fortresses
+abutted upon the stream. And yet in the midst of that glorified plain the
+smoke of the burning rose.
+
+Slowly he led his horse along the mountain-side, grasping with eager
+desire at every changing aspect of this marvellous scene. It was
+infinitely more gorgeous, more compelling, than his moonlight experience
+the night before, for here reality, definite and powerful, was interfused
+with mystery. These foot-hills, hitherto pleasantly precipitous, had
+suddenly become grandiose. All was made over upon a mightier scale, each
+rock and tree being distorted by the passing translucent clouds into a
+kind of monstrous yet epic proportion.
+
+Ghostly white ledges broke from the darker mist like fields of distant
+crusted snow. Castellated crags loomed from the mystic river like
+fortified islands. Cattle, silent, enormously aggrandized, emerged like
+fabled beasts of the eld, and stared upon him, their jaws dripping with
+dew. Bulls roared from the obscure deeps. Dead trees, with stark and
+sinister arms, menaced warningly. All was as unreal as the world of pain's
+delirium, and yet was as beautiful as the poet's vision; and the ranger,
+feeling that he was looking upon one of Nature's rarest displays, removed
+his hat in worship of it, thrilling with pride and satisfaction over the
+thought that this was his domain, his to guard and preserve.
+
+The crowning glow of mystery and grace came as he led his horse out upon a
+projecting point of rocky ledge to rest. Here the cliff descended abruptly
+to an enormous depth, and upon the vaporous rolling flood beneath him a
+dome of darker shadow rested. At the summit of this shadow an aureole of
+rainbow light, a complete and glorious circle rested, in the midst of
+which his own image was flung, grotesque and gigantic.
+
+"The Shadows of the Brocken!" he exclaimed, in ecstasy, all his
+bitterness, his care, forgotten. "Now I understand Goethe's lines." In all
+his life in the hills he had never before witnessed such a combination of
+peak and sun and cloud and shadow.
+
+His love for the range came back upon him with such power that tears
+misted his eyes and his throat ached. "Where else will I find such scenes
+as this?" he asked himself. "Where in all the lowlands could such
+splendors shine? How can I leave this high world in which these wonders
+come and go? I will not! Here will I bring my bride and build my home.
+This is my world."
+
+But the mist grew gray, the aureole of fire faded, the sun went down
+behind the hills, and the chill of evening deepened on the trail, and as
+he reapproached the scene of man's inhumanity to man the thought of
+camping there beside those charred limbs called for heroic resolution. He
+was hungry, too, and as the air pinched, he shivered.
+
+"At the best, the sheriff cannot reach here before midnight," he said, and
+settled down to his unsought, revolting vigil.
+
+His one relief lay in the mental composition of a long letter to Lee
+Virginia, whose life at that moment was a comfort to him. "If such purity,
+such sweetness, can come from violence and vulgarity, then surely a new
+and splendid State can rise even out of the ashes of these murdered men.
+Perhaps this is the end of the old," he mused, "perhaps this is the
+beginning of the new," and as he pondered the last faint crimson died out
+of the west. "So must the hate and violence die out of America," he said,
+"leaving the clear, sweet air of liberty behind."
+
+He was near to the poet at the moment, for he was also the lover. His
+allegiance to the great republic stood the test. His faith in democracy
+was shaken, but not destroyed. "I will wait," he decided. "This shall be
+the sign. If this deed goes unavenged, then will I put off my badge and my
+uniform, and go back to the land where for a hundred years at least such
+deeds as these have been impossible."
+
+He built a fire, as night fell, to serve both as beacon and as a defence
+against the cold. He felt himself weirdly remote in this vigil. From his
+far height he looked abroad upon the tumbled plain as if upon an ocean
+dimly perceptible yet august. "At this moment," he said, "curious and
+perhaps guilty eyes are wondering what my spark of firelight may mean."
+
+His mind went again and again to that tall old man in the ditch. What was
+the meaning of his scared and sorrowful glance? Why should one so
+peacefully employed at such a time and in such a place wear the look of a
+hunted deer? What meant the tremor in his voice?
+
+Was it possible that one so gentle should have taken part in this deed?
+"Preposterous suspicion, and yet he had a guilty look."
+
+He was not a believer in ghosts, but he came nearer to a fear of the dark
+that night than ever before in his life. He brought his horse close to the
+fire for company, and was careful not to turn his back upon the dead. A
+corpse lying peacefully would not have produced this overpowering horror.
+He had seen battle-fields, but this pile of mangled limbs conquered even
+the hardened campaigner. He shivered each time his memory went back to
+what he had first looked upon--the charred hand, the helpless heel.
+
+From his high hill of meditation he reviewed the history of the West.
+Based in bloody wars between the primitive races, and between the trappers
+and their allies, the land had passed through a thin adumbration of
+civilization as the stockmen drove out the buffalo and their hunters.
+Vigilantes, sheriff's posses (and now and again the regular army) had
+swept over these grassy swells on errands of retributory violence, and so
+the territory had been divided at last into populous States. Then
+politics, the great national game, had made of them a power, with Senators
+to represent a mere handful of miners and herdsmen. In the Congress of the
+United States these commonwealths had played their unscrupulous games,
+trading for this and for that local appropriation. Happily in some
+instances these Senators had been higher than their State, but in other
+cases they represented only too loyally the violent and conscienceless
+cow-man or lumber king, and now, as Redfield had said, the land-boomer was
+to have his term. The man who valued residents, not Wild West performers,
+was about to govern and despoil; this promoter, almost as selfish as the
+cattle king, was about to advance the State along the lines of _his_
+conception of civilization; and so, perhaps, this monstrous deed, this
+final inexcusable inhuman offence against law and humanity, was to stand
+as a monument dividing the old from the new. Such, at least, was the
+ranger's hope.
+
+At last, far in the night, he heard the snort of a horse and the sound of
+voices. The law (such as it was) was creeping up the mountain-side in the
+person of the sheriff of Chauvenet County, and was about to relieve the
+ranger from his painful responsibility as guardian of the dead.
+
+At last he came, this officer of the law, attended (like a Cheyenne chief)
+by a dozen lesser warriors of various conditions and kinds, but among
+them--indeed, second only to the sheriff--was Hugh Redfield, the Forest
+Supervisor, hot and eager with haste.
+
+As they rode up to the fire, the officer called out: "Howdy, ranger! How
+about it?"
+
+Ross stated briefly, succinctly, what he had discovered; and as he talked
+other riders came up the hill and gathered closely around to listen in
+wordless silence--in guilty silence, the ranger could not help believing.
+
+The sheriff, himself a cattle-man, heard Cavanagh without comment till he
+had ended with a gesture. "And there they are; I turn them over to you
+with vast relief. I am anxious to go back to my own peaceful world, where
+such things do not happen."
+
+The sheriff removed his hat and wiped his brow, then swore with a mutter
+of awe. "Well, by God, this is the limit! You say there were three
+bodies?"
+
+"I lacked the courage to sort them out. I've been in battle, Mr. Sheriff,
+and I've seen dead men tumbled in all shapes, but someway this took the
+stiffening out of my knees. I rode away and left them. I don't care to see
+them again. My part of this work is done."
+
+Redfield spoke. "Sheriff Van Horne, you and I have been running cattle in
+this country for nearly thirty years, and we've witnessed all kinds of
+shooting and several kinds of hanging, but when it comes to chopping and
+burning men, I get off. I shall personally offer a reward of a thousand
+dollars for the apprehension of these miscreants, and I hope you'll make
+it your solemn duty to hunt them to earth."
+
+"You won't have far to go," remarked Ross, significantly.
+
+"What do you mean?" asked the sheriff.
+
+"I mean this slaughter, like the others that have taken place, was the
+work of cattle-men who claim this range. Their names are known to us
+all."
+
+"Can it be possible!" exclaimed Redfield, looking round at the silent
+throng, and in the wavering light certain eyes seemed to shift and fall.
+
+"In what essential does it differ from the affair over on the Red Desert?"
+demanded Cavanagh. "Who would kill these poor sheep-herders but cattle-men
+warring for the grass on which we stand?"
+
+"But they would not dare to do such work themselves."
+
+"No one else would do it. Hired assassins would not chop and burn. Hate
+and greed were both involved in this butchery--hate and greed made mad by
+drink. I tell you, the men who did this are less than a day's ride of
+where we stand."
+
+A silence followed--so deep a silence that the ranger was convinced of the
+fact that in the circle of his listeners stood those who, if they had not
+shared in the slaughter, at least knew the names of the guilty men.
+
+At last the sheriff spoke, this time with a sigh. "I hope you're all
+wrong, Cavanagh. I'd hate to think any constituent of mine had sanctioned
+this job. Give me that lantern, Curtis."
+
+The group of ranchers dismounted, and followed the sheriff over to the
+grewsome spot; but Redfield stayed with the ranger.
+
+"Have you any suspicion, Ross?"
+
+"No, hardly a suspicion. However, you know as well as I that this was not
+a sudden outbreak. This deed was planned. It represents the feeling of
+many cattle-men--in everything but the extra horror of its execution.
+_That_ was the work of drunken, infuriated men. But I am more deeply
+concerned over Miss Wetherford's distress. Did she reach you by telephone
+to-night?"
+
+"No. What's the trouble?"
+
+"Her mother is down again. I telephoned her, and she asked me to come to
+her, but I cannot go, for I have a case of smallpox up on the hill. Ambro,
+the Basque herder, is down with it, and another herder is up there alone
+with him. I must go back to them. But meanwhile I wish you would go to the
+Fork and see what you can do for her."
+
+His voice, filled with emotion, touched Redfield, and he said: "Can't I go
+to the relief of the herder?"
+
+"No, you must not think of it; you are a man of a family. But if you can
+find any one who has had the smallpox send him up; the old herder who is
+nursing the patient is not strong, and may drop any moment. Then it's up
+to me."
+
+The men came back to the camp-fire conversing in low voices, some of them
+cursing in tones of awe. One or two of them were small farmers from Deer
+Creek, recent comers to the State, or men with bunches of milk-cows, and
+to them this deed was awesome.
+
+The sheriff followed, saying: "Well, there's nothing to do but wait till
+morning. The rest of you men better go home. You can't be of any use
+here."
+
+For more than three hours the sheriff and Redfield sat with the ranger
+waiting for daylight, and during this time the name of every man in the
+region was brought up and discussed. Among others, Ross mentioned the old
+man in the ditch.
+
+"He wouldn't hurt a bumblebee!" declared the sheriff. "He's got a bunch of
+cattle, but he's the mildest old man in the State. He's the last rancher
+in the country to even stand for such work. What made you mention him?"
+
+"I passed him as I was riding back," replied Cavanagh, "and he had a
+scared look in his eyes."
+
+The sheriff grunted. "You imagined all that. The old chap always has a
+kind of meek look."
+
+Cavanagh, tired, hungry, and rebellious, waited until the first faint
+light in the east announced the dawn; then he rose, and, stretching his
+hand out toward it, said: "Here comes the new day. Will it be a new day to
+the State, or is it to be the same old round of savagery?"
+
+Redfield expressed a word of hope, and in that spirit the ranger mounted
+and rode away back toward the small teepee wherein Wetherford was doing
+his best to expiate his past--a past that left him old and friendless at
+fifty-five. The sheriff and his men took up the work of vengeance which
+fell to them as officers of the law.
+
+It was nearly noon of a glorious day as Cavanagh, very tired and very
+hungry, rode up to the sheep-herder's tent. Wetherford was sitting in the
+sun calmly smoking his pipe, the sheep were feeding not far away, attended
+by the dog, and an air of peace covered his sunlit rocky world.
+
+"How is the Basque?" asked the ranger.
+
+Wetherford pointed upward. "All over."
+
+"Then it wasn't smallpox?"
+
+"I reckon that's what it was; it sure was fierce. I judge it's a case of
+Injun burial--no ceremony--right here in the rocks. I'll let you dig the
+hole (I'm just about all in), but mind you keep to the windward all the
+time. I don't want you spotted."
+
+Cavanagh understood the necessity for these precautions, but first of all
+came his own need of food and rest. Turning his tired horse to grass, he
+stretched himself along a grassy, sunny cranny between the rocks, and
+there ate and afterward slept, while all about him the lambs called and
+the conies whined.
+
+He was awakened by a pebble tossed upon him, and when he arose, stiff and
+sore, but feeling stronger and in better temper, the sun was wearing low.
+Setting to work at his task, he threw the loose rock out of a hollow in
+the ledge near by, and to this rude sepulchre Wetherford dragged the dead
+man, refusing all aid, and there piled a cairn of rocks above his grave.
+
+The ranger was deeply moved by the pitiless contrast of the scene and the
+drama. The sun was still shining warmly aslant the heavens; the wind,
+crisp and sweet, wandered by on laggard wings, the conies cried from the
+ledges; the lambs were calling--and in the midst of it one tattered
+fragment of humanity was heaping the iron earth upon another, stricken,
+perhaps, by the same dread disease.
+
+Wetherford himself paused to moralize. "I suppose that chap has a mother
+somewhere who is wondering where her boy is. This isn't exactly Christian
+burial, but it's all he'll get, I reckon; for whether it was smallpox or
+plain fever, nobody's going to uselessly resurrect him. Even the coyotes
+will fight shy of his meat."
+
+Nevertheless, the ranger took a hand at the end and rolled some huge
+bowlders upon the grave, to insure the wolves' defeat.
+
+"Now burn the bedding," he commanded--"the whole camp has got to go--and
+your clothing, too, after we get down the hill."
+
+"What will we do with the sheep?"
+
+"Drive them over the divide and leave them."
+
+All these things Wetherford did, and leaving the camp in ashes behind him,
+Cavanagh drove the sheep before him on his homeward way. As night fell,
+the dog, at his command, rounded them up and put them to bed, and the men
+went on down the valley, leaving the brave brute on guard, pathetic figure
+of faithful guardianship.
+
+"It hurts me to desert you, old fellow," called the ranger, looking back,
+"but there's no help for it. I'll come up in the morning and bring you
+some biscuit."
+
+The collie seemed to understand. He waggled his tail and whined, as though
+struggling to express his wonder and pain, and Ross, moved to pity,
+called: "Come on, boy, never mind the sheep! Come along with us!"
+
+But the dog, leaping from side to side, uttered a short howl and a sharp
+bark, as if to say: "I can't! I can't!"
+
+"He's onto _his_ job," remarked Wetherford. "It beats all how human they
+do seem sometimes. I've no manner of doubt that dago's booted him all over
+the place many a time, and yet he seemed horrible sorry about his master's
+trouble. Every few minutes, all night long, he'd come pattering and
+whining round the door of the tent--didn't come in, seemed just trying to
+ask how things were coming. He was like a child, lonesome and grieving."
+
+It was long after dark when they entered the canon just above the cabin,
+and Wetherford was shivering from cold and weakness.
+
+"Now you pull up just outside the gate, and wait there till I bring out
+some blankets; then you've got to strip to the skin and start the world
+all over again," said Cavanagh. "I'll build a fire here, and we'll cremate
+your past. How about it?"
+
+"I'm willing," responded Wetherford. "You can burn everything that belongs
+to me but my wife and my girl."
+
+All through the ceremony which followed ran this self-banter. "I'll be all
+ranger, barring a commission," he said, with a grin, as he put on the
+olive-yellow shirt and a pair of dusty-green trousers. "And here goes my
+past!" he added, as he tossed his contaminated rags upon the fire.
+
+"What a corking opportunity to make a fresh start," commented Cavanagh. "I
+hope you see it."
+
+"I see it; but it's hard to live up to your mark."
+
+When every precaution had been taken, the ranger led the freshly scrubbed,
+scoured, and transformed fugitive to his cabin.
+
+"Why, man, you're fit for the State Legislature," he exclaimed, as they
+came into the full light. "My clothes don't precisely meet every demand
+you make upon them, but they give you an air of command. I wish your wife
+could see you now."
+
+Wetherford was quite serious as he answered: "This uniform means more to
+me than you think. I wish I was entitled to wear it. The wild-wood is just
+about populous enough for me."
+
+"Good for you!" responded Cavanagh. "To convert a man of your record to a
+belief in conservation is to demonstrate once again the regenerative power
+of an idea." Then, seeing that Wetherford was really in earnest, he added:
+"You can stay with me as long as you wish. Perhaps in time you might be
+able to work into the service as a guard, although the chief is getting
+more and more insistent on real foresters."
+
+There were tears in Wetherford's eyes as he said: "You cannot realize what
+this clean, warm uniform means to me. For nine years I wore the prison
+stripes; then I was turned loose with a shoddy suit and a hat a size too
+big for me--an outfit that gave me away everywhere I went. Till my hair
+and beard sprouted I had a hard rustle of it, but my clothes grew old
+faster than my beard. At last I put every cent I had earned into a poor
+old horse, and a faded saddle, and once mounted I kept a-moving north." He
+smoothed the sleeve of his coat. "It is ten years since I was dressed like
+a man."
+
+"You need not worry about food or shelter for the present," replied
+Cavanagh, gently. "Grub is not costly here, and house-rent is less than
+nominal, so make yourself at home and get strong."
+
+Wetherford lifted his head. "But I want to do something. I want to redeem
+myself in some way. I don't want my girl to know who I am, but I'd like to
+win her respect. I can't be what you say she thinks I was, but if I had a
+chance I might show myself a man again. I wouldn't mind Lize knowing that
+I am alive--it might be a comfort to her; but I don't want even her to be
+told till I can go to her in my own duds."
+
+"She's pretty sick," said Cavanagh. "I telephoned Lee Virginia last night,
+and if you wish you may ride down with me to-morrow and see her."
+
+The old man fell a-tremble. "I daren't do that. I can't bear to tell her
+where I've been!"
+
+"She needn't know. I will tell her you've been out of your mind. I'll say
+anything you wish! You can go to her in the clothes you have on if you
+like--she will not recognize you as the prisoner I held the other night.
+You can have your beard trimmed, and not even the justice will know you."
+
+All reserve had vanished out of the convict's heart, and with choking
+voice he thanked his young host. "I'll never be a burden to you," he
+declared, in firmer voice. "And if my lung holds out, I'll show you I'm
+not the total locoe that I 'pear to be."
+
+No further reference was made to Lee Virginia, but Ross felt himself to be
+more deeply involved than ever by these promises; his fortunes seemed to
+be inextricably bound up with this singular and unhappy family. Lying in
+his bunk (after the lights were out), he fancied himself back in his
+ancestral home, replying to the questions of his aunts and uncles, who
+were still expecting him to bring home a rich and beautiful American
+heiress. Some of the Cavanaghs were drunkards and some were vixens, but
+they were on the whole rather decent, rather decorous and very dull, and
+to them this broken ex-convict and this slattern old barmaid would seem
+very far from the ideal they had formed of the family into which Ross was
+certain to marry.
+
+But as he recalled the spot in which he lay and the uniform which hung
+upon the wall, he was frank to admit that the beautiful and rich heiress
+of whom his family dreamed was a very unsubstantial vision indeed, and
+that, to be honest with himself, he had nothing to offer for such shining
+good-fortune.
+
+At breakfast next morning he said: "I must ride back and take some bread
+to the dog. I can't go away and leave him there without saying 'hello.'"
+
+"Let me do that," suggested Wetherford. "I'm afraid to go down to the
+Fork. I reckon I'd better go back and tend the sheep till Gregg sends some
+one up to take my place."
+
+"That might be too late to see Lize. Lee's voice showed great anxiety. She
+may be on her death-bed. No; you'd better go down with me to-day," he
+urged. And at last the old man consented.
+
+Putting some bread in his pockets, Ross rode off up the trail to see how
+the dog and his flock were faring. He had not gone far when he heard the
+tinkle of the bells and the murmur of the lambs, and a few moments later
+the collie came toward him with the air of a boy who, having assumed to
+disregard the orders of his master, expects a scolding. He plainly said:
+"I've brought my sheep to you because I was lonesome. Please forgive me."
+
+Cavanagh called to him cheerily, and tossed him a piece of bread, which he
+caught in his teeth but did not swallow; on the contrary, he held it while
+leaping for joy of the praise he heard in his new-found master's voice.
+
+Turning the flock upward again toward the higher peaks, the ranger
+commanded the collie to their heels, and so, having redeemed his promise,
+rode back to the cabin, where he found Wetherford saddled and ready for
+his momentous trip to the valley. He had shaved away his gray beard, and
+had Ross been unprepared for these changes he would have been puzzled to
+account for this decidedly military figure sitting statuesquely on his
+pony before the door.
+
+"You can prove an alibi," he called, as he drew near. "Gregg himself would
+never recognize you now."
+
+Wetherford was in no mood for joking. "Lize will. I wore a mustache in the
+old days, and there's a scar on my chin."
+
+As he rode he confided this strange thing to Cavanagh. "I know," said he,
+"that Lize is old and wrinkled, for I've seen her, but all the same I
+can't realize it. That heavy-set woman down there is not Lize. My Lize is
+slim and straight. This woman whom you know has stolen her name and face,
+that's all. I can't explain exactly what I feel, but Lee Virginia means
+more to me now than Lize."
+
+"I think I understand you," said Cavanagh, with sympathy in his voice.
+
+The nearer Wetherford came to the actual meeting with his wife the more he
+shook. At last he stopped in the road. "I don't believe I can do it," he
+declared. "I'll be like a ghost to her. What's the use of it? She'll only
+be worried by my story. I reckon I'd better keep dark to everybody. Let me
+go back. I'm plum scared cold."
+
+While still he argued, two men on horseback rounded a sharp turn in the
+trail and came face to face with the ranger. Wetherford's face went
+suddenly gray. "My God, there's the deputy!"
+
+"Keep quiet. I'll do the talking," commanded Cavanagh, who was instant in
+his determination to shield the man. "Good-morning, gentlemen," he called,
+cheerily, "you're abroad early!"
+
+The man in front was the deputy sheriff of the county; his companion was a
+stranger.
+
+"That was a horrible mess you stumbled on over on Deer Creek," the deputy
+remarked.
+
+"It certainly was. Have any arrests been made?"
+
+"Not yet, but we're on a clew. This is Marshal Haines, of Dallas, Mr.
+Cavanagh," pursued the deputy. The two men nodded in token of the
+introduction, and the deputy went on: "You remember that old cuss that
+used to work for Gregg?"
+
+Again Cavanagh nodded.
+
+"Well, that chap is wanted by the Texas authorities. Mr. Haines, here,
+wants to see him mighty bad. He's an escaped convict with a bad record."
+
+"Is that so?" exclaimed Cavanagh. "I thought he seemed a bit gun-shy."
+
+"The last seen of him was when Sam Gregg sent him up to herd sheep. I
+think he was mixed up in that killing, myself--him and Ballard--and we're
+going up to get some track of him. Didn't turn up at your station, did
+he?"
+
+"Yes, he came by some days ago, on his way, so he said, to relieve that
+sick Basque, Ambro. I went up a couple of days ago, and found the Basque
+dead and the old man gone. I buried the herder the best I could, and I'm
+on my way down to report the case."
+
+The deputy mused: "He may be hanging 'round some of the lumber-camps. I
+reckon we had better go up and look the ground over, anyhow. We might just
+chance to overhaul him."
+
+"He may have pulled out over the range," suggested the ranger. "Anyhow,
+it's a long way up there, and you'll probably have to camp at my place
+to-night. You'll find the key hanging up over the door. Go in and make
+yourself comfortable."
+
+The deputy thanked him, and was about to ride on when Cavanagh added: "I
+burned that Basque's tent and bedding for fear of contagion. His outfit
+was worthless, anyhow. You'll find the sheep just above my cabin, and the
+horse in my corral."
+
+"The old man didn't take the horse, eh? Well, that settles it; he's sure
+at one of the camps. Much obliged. Good-day."
+
+As the two officers rode away Wetherford leaned heavily on his pommel and
+stared at the ranger with wide eyes. His face was drawn and his lips dry.
+"They'll get me! My God, they'll get me!" he said.
+
+"Oh no, they won't," rejoined Cavanagh. "You're all right yet. They
+suspected nothing. How could they, with you in uniform and in my
+company?"
+
+"All the same, I'm scared. That man Haines had his eyes on me every
+minute. He saw right through me. They'll get me, and they'll charge me up
+with that killing."
+
+"No, they won't, I tell you," insisted the ranger. "Haines suspected
+nothing. I had his eye. He never saw you before, and has nothing but a
+description to go by. So cheer up. Your uniform and your position with me
+will make you safe--perfectly safe. They'll find the Basque's camp burned
+and the sheep in charge of the dog, and they'll fancy that you have
+skipped across the range. But see here, old man," and he turned on him
+sharply, "you didn't tell me the whole truth. You said you were out on
+parole."
+
+"I couldn't tell you the whole truth," replied the fugitive. "But I will
+now. I was in for a life sentence. I was desperate for the open air and
+homesick for the mountains, and I struck down one of the guards. I was
+willing to do anything to get out. I thought if I could get back to this
+country and my wife and child I'd be safe. I said I'd be willing to go
+back to the pen if necessary, but I'm not. I can't do it. I'd die there in
+that hell. You must save me for my girl's sake."
+
+His voice and eyes were wild with a kind of desperate fury of fear, and
+Cavanagh, moved to pity, assured him of his aid. "Now listen," he said.
+"I'm going to shield you on account of your work for that poor shepherd
+and for your daughter's sake. It's my duty to apprehend you, of course,
+but I'm going to protect you. The safest thing for you to do is to go back
+to my cabin. Ride slow, so as not to get there till they're gone. They'll
+ride over to the sawmill, without doubt. If they come back this way,
+remember that the deputy saw you only as a ragged old man with a long
+beard, and that Haines has nothing but a printed description to go by.
+There's no use trying to flee. You are a marked man in that uniform, and
+you are safer right here with me than anywhere else this side of Chicago.
+Haines is likely to cross the divide in the belief that you have gone that
+way, and, if he does, you have no one but the deputy to deal with."
+
+He succeeded at last in completely rousing the older man's courage.
+
+Wetherford rose to meet his opportunity. "I'll do it," he said, firmly.
+
+"That's the talk!" exclaimed Cavanagh, to encourage him. "You can throw
+them off the track this time, and when I come back to-morrow I'll bring
+some other clothing for you, and then we'll plan some kind of a scheme
+that will get you out of the country. I'll not let them make a scapegoat
+of you."
+
+The ranger watched the fugitive, as he started back over the trail in this
+desperate defiance of his pursuers, with far less confidence in the
+outcome than he had put into words.
+
+"All depends on Wetherford himself. If his nerve does not fail him, if
+they take the uniform for granted, and do not carry the matter to the
+Supervisor, we will pull the plan through." And in this hope he rode away
+down the trail with bent head, for all this bore heavily upon his
+relationship to the girl waiting for him in the valley. He had thought
+Lize a burden, a social disability, but a convict father now made the
+mother's faults of small account.
+
+The nearer he drew to the meeting with Lee Virginia the more important
+that meeting became. After all, woman is more important than war. The love
+of home and the child persists through incredible vicissitudes; the
+conqueror returns from foreign lands the lover still; and in the deep of
+flooded mines and on the icy slopes of arctic promontories dead men have
+been found holding in their rigid hands the pictured face of some fair
+girl. In the presence of such irrefutable testimony, who shall deny the
+persistence and the reality of love?
+
+Cavanagh had seen Virginia hardly more than a score of times, and yet she
+filled his thought, confused his plans, making of his brain a place of
+doubt and hesitation. For her sake he had entered upon a plan to shield a
+criminal, to harbor an escaped convict. It was of no avail to argue that
+he was moved to shield Wetherford because of his heroic action on the
+peak. He knew perfectly well that it was because he could not see that
+fair, brave girl further disgraced by the discovery of her father's
+identity, for in the searching inquiry which would surely follow his
+secret would develop.
+
+To marry her, knowing the character of her father and her mother, was
+madness, and the voice within him warned him of his folly. "Pure water
+cannot be drawn from corrupt sources," it is said. Nevertheless, the
+thought of having the girl with him in the wilderness filled him with
+divine recklessness. He was bewitched by the satin smoothness of her skin,
+the liquid light of her eye, the curve of her cheek, the swell of her
+bosom, and, most of all, by the involuntary movement of yielding which
+betrayed her trust and her love. While still he debated, alternately
+flushed with resolve to be happy and chilled by some strange dejection, he
+met Swenson, the young guard who guarded the forest on the south Fork.
+
+As he rode up, Cavanagh perceived in the other man's face something
+profoundly serious. He did not smile in greeting, as was usual with him,
+and, taking some letters from his pocket, passed them over in ominous
+silence.
+
+Cavanagh, upon looking them over, selected a letter evidently from Mrs.
+Redfield, and stuffed the others into his coat-pocket. It was a closely
+written letter, and contained in its first sentence something which deeply
+affected him. Slipping from his saddle, he took a seat upon a stone, that
+he might the better read and slowly digest what was contained therein. He
+read on slowly, without any other movement than that which was required to
+turn the leaves. It was a passionate plea from Eleanor Redfield against
+his further entanglement with Lize Wetherford's girl.
+
+"You cannot afford to marry her. You simply cannot. The old mother is too
+dreadful, and may live on for years. The girl is attractive, I grant you,
+but she's tainted. If there is anything in the law of heredity, she will
+develop the traits of her mother or her father sooner or later. You must
+not marry her, Ross; and if you cannot, what will you do? There's only one
+thing to do. Keep away. I enclose a letter from your sister, pleading with
+me to urge you to visit them this winter. She is not very strong, as you
+can see by her writing, and her request will give you an excuse for
+breaking off all connection with this girl. I am sorry for her, Ross, but
+you can't marry her. You must not--you must not! Ride over and see us
+soon, and we will talk it all out together."
+
+He opened another letter, but did not read it. He was too profoundly
+shaken by the first. He felt the pure friendship, the fine faith, and the
+guardianship of the writer, and he acknowledged the good sense of all she
+said, and yet--and yet--
+
+When he looked up Swenson was staring down at him with a face of such
+bitterness that it broke through even the absorbed and selfish meditation
+into which he had been thrown.
+
+"What's the matter, Swenson? You look as if you had lost a friend."
+
+"I have," answered the guard, shortly, "and so have you. The chief is
+out."
+
+"What?"
+
+"They've got him!" he exclaimed. "He's out."
+
+Cavanagh sprang up. "I don't believe it! For what reason? Why?"
+
+"Don't that letter tell you? The whole town is chuckling. Every criminal
+and plug-ugly in the country is spitting in our faces this morning. Yes,
+sir, the President has fired the chief--the man that built up this
+Forestry Service. The whole works is goin' to hell, that's what it is.
+We'll have all the coal thieves, water-power thieves, poachers, and
+free-grass pirates piling in on us in mobs. They'll eat up the forest. I
+see the finish of the whole business. They'll put some Western man in,
+somebody they can work. Then where will we be?"
+
+Cavanagh's young heart burned with indignation, but he tried to check the
+other man's torrent of protest.
+
+"I can't believe it. There's some mistake. Maybe they've made him the
+secretary of the department or something."
+
+"No, they haven't. They've thrown him out. They've downed him because he
+tried to head off some thievery of coal-mines in Alaska." The man was
+ready to weep with chagrin and indignant sorrow. His voice choked, and he
+turned away to conceal his emotion.
+
+Cavanagh put the letter back into his pocket and mounted his horse. "Well,
+go on back to your work, Swenson. I'm going to town to get the Supervisor
+on the wire, and find out what it all means."
+
+He was almost as badly stunned by the significance of Swenson's news as
+Swenson himself. Could it be possible that the man who had built up the
+field service of the bureau--the man whose clean-handed patriotism had
+held the boys together, making them every year more clearly a unit, a
+little army of enthusiasts--could it be possible that the originator, the
+organizer of this great plan, had been stricken down just when his
+influence was of most account? He refused to believe it of an
+administration pledged to the cause of conservation.
+
+As he entered the town he was struck instantly by the change in the faces
+turned toward him, in the jocular greetings hurled at him. "Hello, Mr.
+Cossack! What do you think of your chief now?"
+
+"This will put an end to your infernal nonsense," said another. "We'll
+have a man in there now who knows the Western ways, and who's willing to
+boom things along. The cork is out of your forest bottle."
+
+Gregg was most offensive of all. "This means throwing open the forest to
+anybody that wants to use it. Means an entire reversal of this fool
+policy."
+
+"Wait and see," replied Cavanagh, but his face was rigid with the
+repression of the fear and anger he felt. With hands that trembled he
+opened the door to the telephone-booth, closed it carefully behind him,
+and called for the Supervisor's office. As soon as Redfield replied, he
+burst forth in question: "Is it true that the chief is out?"
+
+Redfield's voice was husky as he replied, "Yes, lad, they've got him."
+
+"Good Lord! What a blow to the service!" exclaimed Cavanagh, with a groan
+of sorrow and rage. "What is the President thinking of--to throw out the
+only man who stood for the future, the man who had built up this corps,
+who was its inspiration?" Then after a pause he added, with bitter
+resolution: "This ends it for me. Here's where I get off."
+
+"Don't say that, boy. We need you now more than ever."
+
+"I'm through. I'm done with America--with the States. I shall write my
+resignation at once. Send down another man to take my place."
+
+Redfield's pleadings were of no avail. Cavanagh went directly from the
+booth to the post-office, and there, surrounded by jeering and exultant
+citizens, he penned his resignation and mailed it. Then, with stern and
+contemptuous face, he left the place, making no reply to the jeers of his
+enemies, and, mounting his horse, mechanically rode away out upon the
+plains, seeking the quiet, open places in order to regain calmness and
+decision. He did not deliberately ride away from Lee Virginia, but as he
+entered upon the open country he knew that he was leaving her as he was
+leaving the forests. He had cut himself off from her as he had cut himself
+off from the work he loved. His heart was swollen big within his breast.
+He longed for the return of "the Colonel" to the White House. "What manner
+of ruler is this who is ready to strike down the man whose very name means
+conservation, and who in a few years would have made this body of forest
+rangers the most effective corps of its size in the world?" He groaned
+again, and his throat ached with the fury of his indignation.
+
+"Dismissed for insubordination," the report said. "In what way? Only in
+making war on greed, in checking graft, in preserving the heritage of the
+people."
+
+The lash that cut deepest was the open exultation of the very men whose
+persistent attempt to appropriate public property the chief had helped to
+thwart. "Redfield will go next. The influence that got the chief will get
+Hugh. He's too good a man to escape. Then, as Swenson says, the thieves
+will roll in upon us to slash, and burn, and corrupt. What a country! What
+a country!"
+
+As he reached the end of this line of despairing thought, he came back to
+the question of his remaining personal obligations. Wetherford must be
+cared for, and then--and then! there was Virginia waiting for him at this
+moment. In his weakness he confessed that he had never intended to marry
+her, and yet he had never deliberately intended to do her wrong. He had
+always stopped short of the hideous treachery involved in despoiling her
+young love. "And for her sake, to save her from humiliation, I will help
+her father to freedom."
+
+This brought him back to the hideous tragedy of the heights, and with that
+thought the last shred of faith in the sense of justice in the State
+vanished.
+
+"They will never discover those murderers. They will permit this outrage
+to pass unpunished, like the others. It will be merely another 'dramatic
+incident' in the history of the range."
+
+His pony of its own accord turned, and by a circuitous route headed at
+last for the home canon as if it knew its master's wavering mind. Cavanagh
+observed what he was doing, but his lax hand did not intervene. Helpless
+to make the decision himself, he welcomed the intervention of the homing
+instinct of his horse. With bent head and brooding face he returned to the
+silence of the trail and the loneliness of the hills.
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+CAVANAGH'S LAST VIGIL BEGINS
+
+
+On his solitary ride upward and homeward the ranger searched his heart and
+found it bitter and disloyal. Love had interfered with duty, and pride had
+checked and defeated love. His path, no longer clear and definite, looped
+away aimlessly, lost in vague, obscure meanderings. His world had suddenly
+grown gray.
+
+The magnificent plan of the Chief Forester (to which he had pledged such
+buoyant allegiance) was now a thing apart, a campaign in which he was to
+be merely an onlooker. It had once offered something congenial, helpful,
+inspiring; now it seemed fantastic and futile without the man who shaped
+it. "I am nearing forty," he said; "Eleanor is right. I am wasting my time
+here in these hills; but what else can I do?"
+
+He had no trade, no business, no special skill, save in the ways of the
+mountaineer, and to return to his ancestral home at the moment seemed a
+woful confession of failure.
+
+But the cause of his deepest dismay and doubt was the revelation to
+himself of the essential lawlessness of his love, a force within him which
+now made his duties as a law-enforcer sadly ironic. After all, was not the
+man who presumed upon a maiden's passion and weakness a greater malefactor
+than he who steals a pearl or strangles a man for his gold? To betray a
+soul, to poison a young life, is this not the unforgivable crime?
+
+"Here am I, a son of the law, complaining of the lawlessness of the
+West--fighting it, conquering it--and yet at the same time I permit myself
+to descend to the level of Neill Ballard, to think as the barbaric man
+thinks."
+
+He burned hot with contempt of himself, and his teeth set hard in the
+resolution to put himself beyond the reach of temptation. "Furthermore, I
+am concealing a criminal, cloaking a convict, when I should be arresting
+him," he pursued, referring back to Wetherford. "And why? Because of a
+girl's romantic notion of her father, a notion which can be preserved only
+by keeping his secret, by aiding him to escape." And even this motive, he
+was obliged to confess, had not all been on the highest plane. It was all
+a part of his almost involuntary campaign to win Virginia's love. The
+impulse had been lawless, lawless as the old-time West, and the admission
+cut deep into his self-respect.
+
+It was again dusk as he rode up to his own hitching-pole and slipped from
+the saddle.
+
+Wetherford came out, indicating by his manner that he had recovered his
+confidence once more. "How did you find things in the valley?" he
+inquired, as they walked away toward the corral.
+
+"Bad," responded the ranger.
+
+"In what way?"
+
+"The chief has been dismissed and all the rascals are chuckling with glee.
+I've resigned from the service."
+
+Wetherford was aghast. "What for?"
+
+"I will not serve under any other chief. The best thing for you to do is
+to go out when I do. I think by keeping on that uniform you can get to the
+train with me."
+
+"Did you see Lize and my girl?"
+
+"No, I only remained in town a minute. It was too hot for me. I'm done
+with it. Wetherford, I'm going back to civilization. No more wild West for
+me." The bitterness of his voice touched the older man's heart, but he
+considered it merely a mood.
+
+"Don't lose your nerve; mebbe this ends the reign of terror."
+
+"Nothing will end the moral shiftlessness of this country but the death of
+the freebooter. You can't put new wine into old bottles. These cattle-men,
+deep in their hearts, sympathize with the wiping-out of those
+sheep-herders. The cry for justice comes from the man whose ear is not
+being chewed--the man far off--and from the town-builder who knows the
+State is being hurt by such atrocities; but the ranchers over on Deer
+Creek will conceal the assassins--you know that. You've had experience
+with these free-grass warriors; you know what they are capable of. That
+job was done by men who hated the dagoes--hated 'em because they were
+rival claimants for the range. It's nonsense to attempt to fasten it on
+men like Neill Ballard. The men who did that piece of work are well-known
+stock-owners."
+
+"I reckon that's so."
+
+"Well, now, who's going to convict them? I can't do it. I'm going to pull
+out as soon as I can put my books in shape, and you'd better go too."
+
+They were standing at the gate of the corral, and the roar of the mountain
+stream enveloped them in a cloud of sound.
+
+Wetherford spoke slowly: "I hate to lose my girl, now that I've seen her,
+but I guess you're right; and Lize, poor old critter! It's hell's shame
+the way I've queered her life, and I'd give my right arm to be where I was
+twelve years ago; but with a price on my head and old age comin' on, I
+don't see myself ever again getting up to par. It's a losing game for me
+now."
+
+There was resignation as well as despair in his voice and Cavanagh felt
+it, but he said, "There's one other question that may come up for
+decision--if that Basque died of smallpox, you may possibly take it."
+
+"I've figured on that, but it will take a day or two to show on me. I
+don't feel any ache in my bones yet. If I do come down, you keep away from
+me. You've got to live and take care of Virginia."
+
+"She should never have returned to this accursed country," Cavanagh
+harshly replied, starting back toward the cabin.
+
+The constable, smoking his pipe beside the fireplace, did not present an
+anxious face; on the contrary, he seemed plumply content as he replied to
+the ranger's greeting. He represented very well the type of officer which
+these disorderly communities produce. Brave and tireless when working
+along the line of his prejudices, he could be most laxly inefficient when
+his duties cut across his own or his neighbor's interests. Being a
+cattle-man by training, he was glad of the red herring which the Texas
+officer had trailed across the line of his pursuit.
+
+This attitude still further inflamed Cavanagh's indignant hate of the
+country. The theory which the deputy developed was transparent folly. "It
+was just a case of plain robbery," he argued. "One of them dagoes had
+money, and Neill Ballard and that man Edwards just naturally follered him
+and killed the whole bunch and scooted--that's my guess."
+
+Cavanagh's outburst was prevented by the scratching and whining of a dog
+at his door. For a moment he wondered at this; his perturbed mind had
+dropped the memory of the loyal collie.
+
+As he opened the door, the brute, more than half human in his gaze, looked
+beseechingly at his new master, as if to say, "I couldn't help it--I was
+so lonely. And I love you."
+
+"You poor beastie," the ranger called, pityingly, and the dog leaped up in
+a frenzy of joyous relief, putting his paws on his breast, then dropped to
+the ground, and, crouching low on his front paws, quivered and yawned with
+ecstasy of worship. It seemed that he could not express his passionate
+adoration, his relief, except by these grotesque contortions.
+
+"Come in, Laddie!" Ross urged, but this the dog refused to do. "I am a
+creature of the open air," he seemed to say. "My duties are of the outer
+world. I have no wish for a fireside--all I need is a master's praise and
+a bit of bread."
+
+Cavanagh brought some food, and, putting it down outside the door, spoke
+to him, gently: "Good boy! Eat that and go back to your flock. I'll come
+to see you in the morning."
+
+When Cavanagh, a few minutes later, went to the door the dog was gone,
+and, listening, the ranger could hear the faint, diminishing bleating of
+the sheep on the hillside above the corral. The four-footed warden was
+with his flock.
+
+An hour later the sound of a horse's hoofs on the bridge gave warning of a
+visitor, and as Cavanagh went to the door Gregg rode up, seeking
+particulars as to the death of the herder and the whereabouts of the
+sheep.
+
+The ranger was not in a mood to invite the sheepman in, and, besides, he
+perceived the danger to which Wetherford was exposed. Therefore his
+answers were short. Gregg, on his part, did not appear anxious to enter.
+
+"What happened to that old hobo I sent up?" he asked.
+
+Cavanagh briefly retold his story, and at the end of it Gregg grunted.
+"You say you burned the tent and all the bedding?"
+
+"Every thread of it. It wasn't safe to leave it."
+
+"What ailed the man?"
+
+"I don't know, but it looked and smelled like smallpox."
+
+The deputy rose with a spring. "Smallpox! You didn't _handle_ the cuss?"
+
+Cavanagh did not spare him. "Somebody had to lend a hand. I couldn't see
+him die there alone, and he had to be buried, so I did the job."
+
+Gregg recoiled a step or two, but the deputy stood staring, the
+implication of all this sinking deep. "Were you wearing the same clothes
+you've got on?"
+
+"Yes, but I used a slicker while working around the body."
+
+"Good King!" The sweat broke out on the man's face. "You ought to be
+arrested."
+
+Ross took a step toward him. "I'm at your service."
+
+"Keep off!" shouted the sheriff.
+
+Ross smiled, then became very serious. "I took every precaution, Mr.
+Deputy; I destroyed everything that could possibly carry the disease. I
+burned every utensil, including the saddle, everything but the man's horse
+and his dog!"
+
+"The dog!" exclaimed the deputy, seized with another idea. "Not that dog
+you fed just now?"
+
+"The very same," replied Cavanagh.
+
+"Don't you know a dog's sure to carry the poison in his hair? Why, _he
+jumped on you_! Why didn't you shoot him?" he demanded, fiercely.
+
+"Because he's a faithful guardian, and, besides, he was with the sheep,
+and never so much as entered the tent."
+
+"Do you _know_ that?"
+
+"Not absolutely, but he seemed to be on shy terms with the herder, and I'm
+sure--"
+
+The officer caught up his hat and coat and started for the door. "It's me
+for the open air," said he.
+
+As the men withdrew Ross followed them, and, standing in his door,
+delivered his final volley. "If this State does not punish those fiends,
+every decent man should emigrate out of it, turning the land over to the
+wolves, the wildcats, and other beasts of prey."
+
+Gregg, as he retreated, called back: "That's all right, Mr. Ranger, but
+you'd better keep to the hills for a few weeks. The settlers down below
+won't enjoy having a man with smallpox chassayin' around town. They might
+rope and tie you."
+
+Wetherford came out of his hiding-place with a grave face. "I wonder I
+didn't think of that collie. They say a cat's fur will carry disease germs
+like a sponge. Must be the same with a dog."
+
+"Well, it's too late now," replied Cavanagh. "But they're right about our
+staying clear of town. They'll quarantine us sure. All the same, I don't
+believe the dog carried any germs of the disease."
+
+Wetherford, now that the danger of arrest was over, was disposed to be
+grimly humorous. "There's no great loss without some small gain. I don't
+think we'll be troubled by any more visitors--not even by sheriffs or
+doctors. I reckon you and I are in for a couple of months of the quiet
+life--the kind we read about."
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+Cavanagh, now that he was definitely out of the Forest Service, perceived
+the weight of every objection which his friends and relatives had made
+against his going into it. It was a lonely life, and must ever be so. It
+was all very well for a young unmarried man, who loved the woods and hills
+beyond all things else, and who could wait for advancement, but it was a
+sad place for one who desired a wife. The ranger's place was on the trail
+and in the hills, and to bring a woman into these high silences, into
+these lone reaches of forest and fell, would be cruel. To bring children
+into them would be criminal.
+
+All the next day, while Wetherford pottered about the cabin or the yard,
+Cavanagh toiled at his papers, resolved to leave everything in the perfect
+order which he loved. Whenever he looked round upon his belongings, each
+and all so redolent of the wilderness--he found them very dear. His chairs
+(which he had rived out of slabs), his guns, his robes, his saddles and
+their accoutrements--all meant much to him. "Some of them must go with
+me," he said. "And when I am settled down in the old home I'll have one
+room to myself which shall be so completely of the mountain America that
+when I am within it I can fancy myself back in the camp."
+
+He thought of South Africa as a possibility, and put it aside, knowing
+well that no other place could have the same indefinable charm that the
+Rocky Mountains possessed, for the reason that he had come to them at his
+most impressionable age. Then, too, the United States, for all their
+faults, seemed merely an extension of the English form of government.
+
+Wetherford was also moving in deep thought, and at last put his perplexity
+into a question. "What am I to do? I'm beginning to feel queer. I reckon
+the chances for my having smallpox are purty fair. Maybe I'd better drop
+down to Sulphur and report to the authorities. I've got a day or two
+before the blossoms will begin to show on me."
+
+Cavanagh studied him closely. "Now don't get to thinking you've got it. I
+don't see how you could attach a germ. The high altitude and the winds up
+there ought to prevent infection. I'm not afraid for myself, but if you're
+able, perhaps we'd better pull out to-morrow."
+
+Later in the day Wetherford expressed deeper dejection. "I don't see
+anything ahead of me anyhow," he confessed. "If I go back to the 'pen'
+I'll die of lung trouble, and I don't know how I'm going to earn a living
+in the city. Mebbe the best thing I could do would be to take the pox and
+go under. I'm afraid of big towns," he continued. "I always was--even when
+I had money. Now that I am old and broke I daren't go. No city for me."
+
+Cavanagh's patience gave way. "But, man, you can't stay here! I'm packing
+up to leave. Your only chance of getting out of the country is to go when
+I go, and in my company." His voice was harsh and keen, and the old man
+felt its edge; but he made no reply, and this sad silence moved Cavanagh
+to repentance. His irritability warned him of something deeply changing in
+his own nature.
+
+Approaching the brooding felon, he spoke gently and sadly. "I'm sorry for
+you, Wetherford, I sure am, but it's up to you to get clear away so that
+Lee will never by any possible chance find out that you are alive. She has
+a romantic notion of you as a representative of the old-time West, and it
+would be a dreadful shock to her if she knew you as you are. It's hard to
+leave her, I know, now that you've seen her, but that's the manly thing to
+do--the only thing to do."
+
+"Oh, you're right--of course you're right. But I wish I could be of some
+use to her. I wish I could chore round for the rest of my life, where I
+could kind o' keep watch over her. I'd be glad enough to play the scullion
+in her kitchen. But if you're going to take her--"
+
+"But I'm not," protested Ross. "I'm going to leave her right here. I can't
+take her."
+
+Wetherford looked at him with steady eyes, into which a keen light leaped.
+"Don't you intend to marry her?"
+
+Ross turned away. "No, I don't--I mean it is impossible!"
+
+"Why not? Don't tell me you're already married?" He said this with
+menacing tone.
+
+"No, I'm not married, but--" He stopped without making his meaning plain.
+"I'm going to leave the country and--"
+
+Wetherford caught him up. "I reckon I understand what you mean. You
+consider Lize and me undersirable parents--not just the kind you'd cut out
+of the herd of your own free will. Well, that's all right, I don't blame
+you so far as I'm concerned. But you can forget me, consider me a dead
+one. I'll never bother her nor you."
+
+Cavanagh threw out an impatient hand. "It is impossible," he protested.
+"It's better for her and better for me that I should do so. I've made up
+my mind. I'm going back to my own people."
+
+Wetherford was thoroughly roused now. Some part of his old-time fire
+seemed to return to him. He rose from his chair and approached the ranger
+firmly. "I've seen you act like a man, Ross Cavanagh. You've been a good
+partner these last few days--a son couldn't have treated me better--and I
+hate like hell to think ill of you; but my girl loves you--I could see
+that. I could see her lean to you, and I've got to know something else
+right now. You're going to leave here--you're going to throw her off. What
+I want to know is this: Do you leave her as good as you found her? Come,
+now, I want an answer, as one man to another."
+
+Cavanagh's eyes met his with firm but sorrowful gaze. "In the sense in
+which you mean, I leave her as I found her."
+
+The old man's open hand shot out toward his rescuer. "Forgive me, my lad,"
+he said, humbly; "for a minute I--doubted you."
+
+Ross took his hand, but slowly replied: "It will be hard for you to
+understand, when I tell you that I care a great deal for your daughter,
+but a man like me--an Englishman--cannot marry--or he ought not to
+marry--to himself alone. There are so many others to consider--his
+friends, his sisters--"
+
+Wetherford dropped his hand. "I see!" His tone was despairing. "When I was
+young we married the girls we loved in defiance of man, God, or the
+cupboard; but you are not that kind. You may be right. I'm nothing but a
+debilitated old cow-puncher branded by the State--a man who threw away his
+chance--but I can tell you straight, I've learned that nothing but the
+love of a woman counts. Furthermore," and here his fire flashed again,
+"I'd have killed you had you taken advantage of my girl!"
+
+"Which would have been your duty," declared Cavanagh, wearily.
+
+And in the face of this baffling mood, which he felt but could not
+understand, the old man fell silent.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+CAVANAGH ASKS FOR HELP
+
+
+Lee Virginia waited with increasing impatience for Ross Cavanagh's return,
+expecting each noon to see him appear at the door; but when three days
+passed without word or sign from him, her uneasiness deepened into alarm.
+The whole town was profoundly excited over the murder, that she knew, and
+she began to fear that some of the ranger's enemies had worked their evil
+will upon him.
+
+With this vague fear in her heart, she went forth into the street to
+inquire. One of the first men she met was Sifton, who was sitting, as
+usual, outside the livery-barn door, smiling, inefficient, content. Of him
+she asked: "Have you seen Mr. Cavanagh?"
+
+"Yes," he answered, "I saw him yesterday, just after dinner, down at the
+post-office. He was writing a letter at the desk. Almost immediately
+afterward he mounted and rode away. He was much cut up over his chief's
+dismissal."
+
+"Why has he not written to me," she asked herself, "and why should he have
+gone away without a word of greeting, explanation, or good-bye? It would
+have taken but a moment's time to call at the door."
+
+The more she dwelt upon this neglect the more significant it became. After
+the tender look in his eyes, after the ardent clasp of his hand, the
+thought that he could be so indifferent was at once a source of pain and
+self-reproach.
+
+With childish frankness she went to Lize and told her what she had
+learned, her eyes dim with hot tears. "Ross came to town, and went away
+back to his cabin without coming to see me."
+
+"Are you sure he's been here?"
+
+"Yes. Mr. Sifton saw him go. He came in, got some letters at the
+post-office, and then rode away--" Her voice broke as her disappointment
+and grief overcame her.
+
+Lize struggled to a sitting position. "There's some mistake about this.
+Ross Cavanagh never was the whifflin' kind of man. You've got to remember
+he's on duty. Probably the letter was some order that carried him right
+back to his work."
+
+"But if he had really cared, he could have ridden by to say just a word;
+but he didn't, he went away without a sign, after promising to come." She
+buried her face in the coverlet of her mother's bed, and wept in childish
+grief and despair.
+
+Lize was forced to acknowledge that the ranger's action was inexplicable,
+but she did her best to make light of it. "He may have hurried to town on
+some errand, and hadn't a moment to spare. These are exciting days for
+him, remember. He'll be in to-morrow sure."
+
+With a faint hope of this, the girl rose and went about her daily tasks;
+but the day passed, and another, without word or sign of the recreant
+lover, and each day brought a deeper sense of loss, but her pride would
+not permit her to show her grief.
+
+Young Gregg, without knowing in the least the cause of her troubled face,
+took this occasion to offer comfort. His manner toward her had changed
+since she no longer had a part in the management of the eating-house, and
+for that reason she did not repulse him as sharply as she had been wont to
+do. He really bore Cavanagh no ill-will, and was, indeed, shrewd enough to
+understand that Lee admired the ranger, and that his own courtship was
+rather hopeless; nevertheless, he persisted, his respect for her growing
+as he found her steadfast in her refusal to permit any familiarity.
+
+"See here, Miss Virginia," he cried, as she was passing him in the hall,
+"I can see you're worried about Lize (I mean your mother), and if I can be
+of any use I hope you'll call on me." As she thanked him without
+enthusiasm, he added: "How is she to-night?"
+
+"I think she's better."
+
+"Can I see her?"
+
+His tone was so earnest that the girl was moved to say: "I'll ask her."
+
+"I wish you would; I want to say something to her."
+
+Lize's voice reached where they stood. "Come in, Joe, the door's open."
+
+He accepted her invitation rather awkwardly, but his face was impassive as
+he looked down upon her.
+
+"Well, how about it?" she asked. "What's doing in the town?"
+
+"Not much of anything--except talk. The whole country is buzzing over this
+dismissal of the Chief Forester."
+
+"They'd better be doing something about that murder."
+
+"They are; they're going up there in streams to see where the work was
+done. The coroner's inquest was held yesterday." He grinned. "'Parties
+came to their death by persons unknown.'"
+
+Lize scowled. "It's a wonder they don't charge it up to Ross Cavanagh or
+some other ranger."
+
+"That would be a little too raw, even for this country. They're all
+feeling gay over this change in the forestry head; but see here, don't you
+want to get out for a ride? I've got my new machine out here; it rides
+like silk."
+
+"I reckon a hearse is about my kind," she replied, darkly. "If you could
+take me up to Cavanagh's cabin, I'd go," she added. "I want to see him."
+
+"I can take you part way," he instantly declared. "But you'd have to ride
+a horse the last ten miles."
+
+"Couldn't do it, Joe," she sighed. "These last few days I've been about as
+boneless as an eel. Funny the way a fellow keeps going when he's got
+something to do that has to be done. I'll tell you what, if you want to
+take me and Lee up to Sulphur, I'll go ye."
+
+"Sure thing. What day?"
+
+"Not for a day or two. I'm not quite up to it just now; but by Saturday
+I'll be saddle-wise again."
+
+Joe turned joyously to Lee. "That will be great! Won't you come out for a
+spin this minute?"
+
+For a moment Lee was tempted. Anything to get away from this horrible
+little den and the people who infested it was her feeling, but she
+distrusted Gregg, and she knew that every eye in the town would be upon
+her if she went, and, besides, Ross might return while she was away. "No,
+not to-day," she replied, finally; but her voice was gentler than it had
+ever been to him.
+
+The young fellow was moved to explain his position to Lize. "You don't
+think much of me, and I don't blame you. I haven't been much use so far,
+but I'm going to reform. If I had a girl like Lee Virginia to live up to,
+I'd make a great citizen. I don't lay my arrest up against Cavanagh. I'm
+ready to pass that by. And as for this other business--this free-range war
+in which the old man is mixed up--I want you to know that I'm against it.
+Dad knows his day is short; that's what makes him so hot. But he's a
+bluff--just a fussy old bluff. He knows he has no more right to the
+Government grass than anybody else, but he's going to get ahead of the
+cattle-men if he can."
+
+"Does he know who burned them sheep-herders?"
+
+"Of course he knows, but ain't going to say so. You see, that old Basque
+who was killed was a monopolist, too. He went after that grass without
+asking anybody's leave; moreover, he belonged to that Mexican-Dago outfit
+that everybody hates. The old man isn't crying over that job; it's money
+in his pocket. All the same it's too good a chance to put the hooks into
+the cattle-men, hence his offering a reward, and it looks as if something
+would really be done this time. They say Neill Ballard was mixed up in it,
+and that old guy that showed me the sheep, but I don't take much stock in
+that. Whoever did it was paid by the cattle-men, sure thing." The young
+fellow's tone and bearing made a favorable impression upon Lize. She had
+never seen this side of him, for the reason that he had hitherto treated
+her as a bartender. She was acute enough to understand that her social
+status had changed along with her release from the cash-register, and she
+was slightly more reconciled, although she could not see her way to
+providing a living for herself and Lee. For all these reasons she was
+unwontedly civil to Joe, and sent him away highly elated with the success
+of his interview.
+
+"I'm going to let him take us up to Sulphur," she said to Lee. "I want to
+go to town."
+
+Lee was silent, but a keen pang ran through her heart, for she perceived
+in this remark by her mother a tacit acknowledgment of Ross Cavanagh's
+desertion of them both. His invitation to them to come and camp with him
+was only a polite momentary impulse. "I'm ready to go," she announced, at
+last. "I'm tired of this place. Let us go to-morrow."
+
+On the following morning, while they were busy packing for this journey,
+Redfield rolled up to the door in company with a young man in the uniform
+of a forester.
+
+"Go ask Reddy to come in," commanded Lize. "I want to see him."
+
+Redfield met the girl at the door and presented his companion as "Mr.
+Dalton, District Forester." Dalton was a tall young fellow with a marked
+Southern accent. "Is Cavanagh, the ranger, in town?" he asked.
+
+"No," Lee replied, with effort; "he was here a few days ago, but he's gone
+back to the forest."
+
+Redfield studied the girl with keen gaze, perceiving a passionate
+restraint in her face.
+
+"How is your mother?" he asked, politely.
+
+Lee smiled faintly. "She's able to sit up. Won't you come in and see
+her?"
+
+"With pleasure," assented Redfield, "but I want to see you alone. I have
+something to say to you." He turned to his superior. "Just go into the
+cafe, Dalton. I'll see you in a moment."
+
+Lee Virginia, hitherto ashamed of the house, the furniture, the
+bed--everything--led the way without a word of apology. It was all
+detached now, something about to be left behind, like a bad garment
+borrowed in a time of stress. Nothing mattered since Ross did not return.
+
+Lize, looking unwontedly refined and gentle, was sitting in a big
+rocking-chair with her feet on a stool, her eyes fixed on the mountains,
+which showed through the open window. All the morning a sense of profound
+change, of something passing, had oppressed her. Now that she was about to
+leave the valley, its charm appealed to her. She was tearing up a
+multitude of tiny roots of whose existence she had hitherto remained
+unaware. "I belong here," she acknowledged, silently. "I'd be homesick
+anywhere else on God's earth. It's rough and fly-bit, and all that, but so
+am I. I wouldn't fit in anywhere that Lee belonged."
+
+She acknowledged an especial liking for Redfield, and she had penetration
+enough, worldly wisdom enough, to know that Lee belonged more to his world
+than to her own, and that his guidance and friendship were worth more,
+much more, than that of all the rest of the country, her own included.
+Therefore, she said: "I'm mighty glad to see you, Reddy. Sit down. You've
+got to hear my little spiel this time."
+
+Redfield, perched on the edge of a tawdry chair, looked about (like the
+charity visitor in a slum kitchen) without intending to express disgust;
+but it was a dismal room in which to be sick, and he pitied the woman the
+more profoundly as he remembered her in the days when "all out-doors" was
+none too wide for her.
+
+Lize began, abruptly: "I'm down, but not out; in fact, I was coming up to
+see you this afternoon. Lee and I are just about pulling out for good."
+
+"Indeed! Why not go back with me?"
+
+"You can take the girl back if you want to, but now that I'm getting my
+chance at you I may not go."
+
+Redfield's tone was entirely cordial as he turned to Lee. "I came hoping
+to carry you away. Will you come?"
+
+"I'm afraid I can't unless mother goes," she replied, sadly.
+
+Lize waved an imperative hand. "Fade away, child. I want to talk with Mr.
+Redfield alone. Go, see!"
+
+Thus dismissed, Lee went back to the restaurant, where she found the
+Forester just sitting down to his luncheon. "Mr. Redfield will be out in a
+few minutes," she explained.
+
+"Won't you join me?" he asked, in the frank accent of one to whom women
+are comrades. "The Supervisor has been telling me about you."
+
+She took a seat facing him, feeling something refined in his long,
+smoothly shaven, boyish face. He seemed very young to be District
+Forester, and his eyes were a soft brown with small wrinkles of laughter
+playing round their corners.
+
+He began at once on the subject of his visit. "Redfield tells me you are a
+friend of Mr. Cavanagh's; did you know that he had resigned?"
+
+She faced him with startled eyes. "No, indeed. Has he done so?"
+
+"Yes, the Supervisor got a letter yesterday enclosing his resignation, and
+asking to be relieved at once. And when I heard of it I asked the
+Supervisor to bring me down to see him; he's too good a man to lose."
+
+"Why did he resign?"
+
+"He seemed very bitter over the chief's dismissal; but I hope to persuade
+him to stay in the service; he's too valuable a man to lose just now when
+the war is so hot. I realize that his salary is too small; but there are
+other places for him. Perhaps when he knows that I have a special note to
+him from the chief he will reconsider. He's quite capable of the
+Supervisor's position, and Mr. Redfield is willing to resign in his favor.
+I'm telling you all this because Mr. Redfield has told me of your interest
+in Mr. Cavanagh--or rather his interest in you."
+
+Sam Gregg, entering the door at this moment, came directly to the
+Forester's table. He was followed by the sheriff, a bearded old man with a
+soiled collar and a dim eye.
+
+Gregg growled out, "You'd better keep your man Cavanagh in the hills, Mr.
+Forester, or somebody will take a pot-shot at him."
+
+"Why, what's new?"
+
+"His assistant is down with smallpox."
+
+"_Smallpox_!" exclaimed Dalton.
+
+Every jaw was fixed and every eye turned upon the speaker.
+
+"Smallpox!" gasped Lee.
+
+Gregg resumed, enjoying the sensation he was creating. "Yes, that Basque
+herder of mine--the one up near Black Tooth--sent word he was sick, so I
+hunted up an old tramp by the name of Edwards to take his place. Edwards
+found the dago dying of pox, and skipped out over the range, leaving him
+to die alone. Cavanagh went up and found the dago dead, and took care of
+him--result is, he's full of germs, and has brought his apprentice down
+with it, and both of 'em must be quarantined right where they are."
+
+"Good heavens, man!" exclaimed Dalton. "This is serious business. Are you
+sure it's smallpox?"
+
+"One of my men came from there last night. I was there myself on Monday,
+so was the deputy. The sheriff missed Tom this morning, but I reached him
+by 'phone, and Cavanagh admitted to us that the Basque died of smallpox,
+and that he buried him with his own hands."
+
+The sheriff spoke up. "The criminal part of it is this, Mr. Dalton:
+Cavanagh didn't report the case when he came down here, just went about
+leaving a trail of poison. Why didn't he report it? He should be
+arrested."
+
+"Wait a moment," said Dalton. "Perhaps it wasn't pox, perhaps it was only
+mountain-fever. Cavanagh is not the kind of man to involve others in a
+pestilence. I reckon he knew it was nothing but a fever, and, not wishing
+to alarm his friends, he just slid into town and out again."
+
+A flash of light, of heat, of joy went through Lee's heart as she listened
+to Dalton's defence of Cavanagh. "That was the reason why he rode away,"
+she thought. "He was afraid of bringing harm to us." And this conviction
+lighted her face with a smile, even while the Forester continued his
+supposition by saying, "Of course, proper precautions should be taken, and
+as we are going up there, the Supervisor and I will see that a quarantine
+is established if we find it necessary."
+
+Gregg was not satisfied: "Cavanagh admitted to the deputy and to me that
+he believed the case to be smallpox, and said that he had destroyed the
+camp and everything connected with it except the horse and the dog, and
+yet he comes down here infectin' everybody he meets." He turned to Lee.
+"You'd better burn the bed he slept on. He's left a trail of germs
+wherever he went. I say the man is criminally liable, and should be jailed
+if he lives to get back to town."
+
+Lee's mind was off now on another tangent. "Suppose it is true?" she asked
+herself. "Suppose he has fallen sick away up there, miles and miles from
+any nurse or doctor--"
+
+"There's something queer about the whole business," pursued Gregg. "For
+instance, who is this assistant he's got? Johnson said there was an old
+man in ranger uniform potterin' round. Why didn't he send word by him? Why
+did he let me come to the door? He might have involved _me_ in the
+disease. I tell you, if you don't take care of him the people of the
+county will."
+
+The Forester looked grave. "If he _knew_ it was pox and failed to report
+it he certainly did wrong; but you say he took care of this poor
+shepherd--nursed him till he died, and buried him, taking all
+precautions--you can't complain of that, can you? That's the act of a good
+ranger and a brave man. _You_ wouldn't have done it!" he ended, addressing
+Gregg. "Sickness up there two full miles above sea-level is quite a
+different proposition from sickness in Sulphur City or the Fork. I shall
+not condemn Mr. Cavanagh till I hear his side of the story."
+
+Lee turned a grateful glance upon him. "You must be right. I don't believe
+Mr. Cavanagh would deceive any one."
+
+"Well, we'll soon know the truth," said Dalton, "for I'm going up there.
+If the ranger has been exposed, he must not be left alone."
+
+"He ain't alone," declared the sheriff. "Tom 'phoned me that he had an
+assistant."
+
+"Swenson, I suppose," said Redfield, who entered at this moment. "Swenson
+is his assistant."
+
+"I didn't see him myself," Gregg continued, "but I understood the deputy
+to say that he was an old man."
+
+"Swenson is a young man," corrected Redfield.
+
+The sheriff insisted. "Tom said it was an old man--a stranger to
+him--tall, smooth-shaven, not very strong, he said--'peared to be a cook.
+He had helped nurse the dago, so Tom said."
+
+"That's very curious," mused Redfield. "There isn't an old man in the
+service of this forest. There's a mistake somewhere."
+
+"Well," concluded Gregg, "that's what he said. I thought at first it might
+be that old hobo Edwards, but this feller being in uniform and
+smooth-shaven--" His face changed, his voice deepened. "Say, by the Lord!
+I believe it was Edwards, and, furthermore, Edwards is the convict that
+Texas marshal was after the other day, and this man Cavanagh--your prize
+ranger--is harborin' him."
+
+"What nonsense!" exclaimed Redfield.
+
+The sheriff banged his hand upon the table. "That's the whole mystery. I
+see it all now. He's up there concealing this man. He's given out this
+smallpox scare just to keep the officers away from him. Now you've got
+it!"
+
+The thunder in his voice drew toward him all those who remained in the
+dining-room, and Lee found herself ringed about by a dozen excited men.
+But she did not flinch; she was too deeply concerned over Cavanagh's fate
+to be afraid, and, besides, Redfield and the Forester were beside her.
+
+The Supervisor was staggered by Gregg's accusation, and by certain
+confirmatory facts in his own possession, but he defended Cavanagh
+bravely. "You're crazy," he replied. "Why should Ross do such a foolish
+thing? What is his motive? What interest would he have in this man
+Edwards, whom you call a tramp? He can't be a relative and certainly not a
+friend of Cavanagh's, for you say he is a convict. Come, now, your hatred
+of Cavanagh has gone too far."
+
+Gregg was somewhat cooled by this dash of reason, but replied: "I don't
+know what relation he is, but these are facts. He's concealing an escaped
+convict, and he knows it."
+
+Dalton put in a quiet word. "What is the use of shouting a judgment
+against a man like Cavanagh before you know the facts? He's one of the
+best and ablest rangers on this forest. I don't know why he has resigned,
+but I'm sure--"
+
+"Has he resigned?" asked Gregg, eagerly.
+
+"He has."
+
+"A damn good job for him. I was about to circulate a petition to have him
+removed."
+
+"If all the stockmen in the valley had signed a petition against him, it
+wouldn't have done any good," replied Dalton. "We know a good man when we
+see him. I'm here to offer him promotion, not to punish him."
+
+Lee, looking about at the faces of these men, and seeing disappointment in
+their faces, lost the keen sting of her own humiliation. "In the midst of
+such a fight as this, how can he give time or thought to me?" Painful as
+the admission was, she was forced to admit that she was a very humble
+factor in a very large campaign. "But suppose he falls ill!" Her face grew
+white and set, and her lips bitter. "That would be the final, tragic
+touch," she thought, "to have him come down of a plague from nursing one
+of Sam Gregg's sheep-herders." Aloud she said: "His resignation comes just
+in time, doesn't it? He can now be sick without loss to the service."
+
+Dalton answered her. "The Supervisor has not accepted his resignation. On
+the contrary, I shall offer him a higher position. His career as a
+forester is only beginning. He would be foolish to give up the work now,
+when the avenues of promotion are just opening. I can offer him very soon
+the supervision of a forest."
+
+As they talked Lee felt herself sinking the while her lover rose. It was
+all true. The Forester was right. Ross was capable of any work they might
+demand of him. He was too skilled, too intelligent, too manly, to remain
+in the forest, heroic as its duties seemed.
+
+Upon this discussion, Lize, hobbling painfully, appeared. With a cry of
+surprise, Lee rose to meet her.
+
+"Mother, you must not do this!"
+
+She waved her away. "I'm all right," she said, "barring the big marbles in
+my slippers." Then she turned to Dalton. "Now what's it all about? Is it
+true that Ross is down?"
+
+"No. So far as we know, he is well."
+
+"Well, I'm going to find out. I don't intend to set here and have him up
+there without a cook or a nurse."
+
+At this moment a tall, fair young fellow, dressed in a ranger's uniform,
+entered the room, and made his way directly to the spot where Lee, her
+mother, and Redfield were standing. "Mr. Supervisor, Cavanagh has sent me
+to tell you that he needs a doctor. He's got a sick man up at The Station,
+and he's afraid it's a case of smallpox." He turned to Lee. "He told me to
+tell you that he would have written, only he was afraid to even send a
+letter out."
+
+"What does he need?" asked Redfield.
+
+"He needs medicine and food, a doctor, and he ought to have a nurse."
+
+"That's my job," said Lize.
+
+"Nonsense!" said Redfield. "You're not fit to ride a mile. I won't hear of
+your going."
+
+"You wait and see. I'm goin', and you can't stop me."
+
+"Who is the man with him?" asked the Forester.
+
+"I don't know. An old herder, he said. He said he could take care of him
+all right for the present, but that if he were taken down himself--"
+
+Lee's mounting emotion broke from her in a little cry. "Oh, Mr. Redfield,
+please let me go too! I want to help--I must help!"
+
+Redfield said: "I'll telephone to Sulphur City and ask Brooks to get a
+nurse, and come down as soon as possible. Meanwhile I'll go out to see
+what the conditions are."
+
+"I'm going too, I tell you," announced Lize. "I've had the cussed disease,
+and I'm not afraid of it. We had three sieges of it in my family. You get
+me up there, and I'll do the rest."
+
+"But you are ill?"
+
+"I was, but I'm not now." Her voice was firmer than it had been for days.
+"All I needed was something to do. Ross Cavanagh has been like a son to me
+for two years; he's the one man in this country I'd turn my hand over
+for--barrin' yourself, Reddy--and it's my job to see him through this
+pinch."
+
+In spite of all opposition, she had her way. Returning to her room to get
+such clothing as she needed for her stay in the hills, she waited for
+Redfield to send a carriage to her. "I can't ride a horse no more," she
+sorrowfully admitted.
+
+Lee's secret was no secret to any one there. Her wide eyes and heaving
+breast testified to the profound stir in her heart. She was in an anguish
+of fear lest Ross should already be in the grip of his loathsome enemy.
+That it had come to him by way of a brave and noble act only made the
+situation the more tragic.
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+THE PEST-HOUSE
+
+
+Cavanagh had kept a keen watch over Wetherford, and when one night the old
+man began to complain of the ache in his bones his decision was instant.
+
+"You've got it," he said. "It's up to us to move down the valley
+to-morrow."
+
+Wetherford protested that he would as soon die in the hills as in the
+valley. "I don't want Lee Virginia to know, but if I seem liable to fade
+out, I'd like Lize to be told that I didn't forget her, and that I came
+back to find out how she was. I hate to be a nuisance to you, and so I'll
+go down the valley if you say so."
+
+As he was about to turn in that night Ross heard a horse cross the bridge,
+and with intent to warn the rider of his danger, went to the door and
+called out: "Halt! Who's there?"
+
+"A friend," replied the stranger, in a weak voice.
+
+Ross permitted his visitor to ride up to the pole. "I can't ask you in,"
+he explained. "I've a sick man inside. Who are you, and what can I do for
+you?"
+
+Notwithstanding this warning the rider dropped from his saddle, and came
+into the light which streamed from the door.
+
+"My name is Dunn," he began. "I'm from Deer Creek."
+
+"I know you," responded the ranger. "You're that rancher I saw working in
+the ditch the day I went to telephone, and you've come to tell me
+something about that murder."
+
+The other man broke into a whimper. "I'm a law-abiding man, Mr. Cavanagh,"
+he began, tremulously. "I've always kept the law, and never intended to
+have anything to do with that business. I was dragged into it against my
+will. I've come to you because you're an officer of the Federal law. You
+don't belong here. I trust you. You represent the President, and I want to
+tell you what I know--only I want you to promise not to bring me into it.
+I'm a man of a family, and I can't bear to have them know the truth."
+
+There was deep agitation and complete sincerity in the rancher's choked
+and hesitant utterance, and Cavanagh turned cold with a premonition of
+what he was about to disclose. "I am not an officer of the law, Mr. Dunn,
+not in the sense you mean, but I will respect your wishes."
+
+"I know that you are not an officer of the county law, but you're not a
+cattle-man. It is your business to keep the peace in the wild country, and
+you do it, everybody knows that; but I can't trust the officers of this
+country, they're all afraid of the cowboys. You're not afraid, and you
+represent the United States, and I'll tell you. I can't bear it any
+longer!" he wailed. "I must tell somebody. I can't sleep and I can't eat.
+I've been like a man in a nightmare ever since. I had no hand in the
+killing--I didn't even see it done; but I knew it was going to happen. I
+saw the committee appointed. The meeting that decided it was held in my
+barn, but I didn't know what they intended to do. You believe me, don't
+you?" He peered up at Cavanagh with white face and wild eyes.
+
+"Go on," replied the ranger; "I'll protect you--if I can. Go on. It's your
+duty--tell all you know."
+
+The troubled man, after a little silence, resumed. "Sometimes I feel that
+I'd be happier in jail than I am walking about in the sunshine. I never
+dreamed civilized men could do such deeds. I thought they were only going
+to scare the herders and drive them out, as they've done so many times
+before. I can see now that they used my barn for a meeting-place because
+everybody believed me to be a man of peace. And I am. I'm over seventy
+years of age, Mr. Cavanagh, and I've been a law-abiding citizen all my
+life."
+
+His mind, shattered by the weight of his ghastly secret, was in confusion,
+and, perceiving this, Cavanagh began to question him gently. One by one he
+procured the names of those who voted to "deal with" the herders. One by
+one he obtained also the list of those named on "the Committee of
+Reprisal," and as the broken man delivered himself of these accusing facts
+he grew calmer. "I didn't know--I couldn't _believe_--that the men on that
+committee could chop and burn--" His utterance failed him again, and he
+fell silent abruptly.
+
+"They must have been drunk--mad drunk," retorted Cavanagh. "And yet who
+would believe that even drink could inflame white men to such devil's
+work? When did you first know what had been done?"
+
+"That night after it was done one of the men, my neighbor, who was drawn
+on the committee, came to my house and asked me to give him a bed. He was
+afraid to go home. 'I can't face my wife and children,' he said. He told
+me what he'd seen, and then when I remembered that it had all been decided
+in my stable, and the committee appointed there, I began to tremble. You
+believe I'm telling the truth, don't you?" he again asked, with piteous
+accent.
+
+"Yes, I believe you. You must tell this story to the judge. It will end
+the reign of the cattle-men."
+
+"Oh no, I can't do that."
+
+"You must do that. It is your duty as a Christian man and citizen."
+
+"No, no; I'll stay and help you--I'll do anything but that. I'm afraid to
+tell what I know. They would burn me alive. I'm not a Western man. I've
+never been in a criminal court. I don't belong to this wild country. I
+came out here because my daughter is not strong, and now--" He broke down
+altogether, and leaning against his horse's side, sobbed pitifully.
+
+Cavanagh, convinced that the old man's mind was too deeply affected to
+enable him to find his way back over the rough trail that night, spoke to
+him gently. "I'll get you something to eat," he said. "Sit down here, and
+rest and compose yourself."
+
+Wetherford turned a wild eye on the ranger as he reentered. "Who's out
+there?" he asked. "Is it the marshal?"
+
+"No, it's only one of the ranchers from below; he's tired and hungry, and
+I'm going to feed him," Ross replied, filled with a vivid sense of the
+diverse characters of the two men he was serving.
+
+Dunn received the food with an eager hand, and after he had finished his
+refreshment, Cavanagh remarked: "The whole country should be obliged to
+you for your visit to me. I shall send your information to Supervisor
+Redfield."
+
+"Don't use my name," he begged. "They will kill me if they find out that I
+have told. We were all sworn to secrecy, and if I had not seen that
+fire--that pile of bodies--"
+
+"I know, I know! It horrified me. It made me doubt humanity," responded
+Cavanagh. "We of the North cry out against the South for lynching black
+rapers; but here, under our eyes, goes on an equally horrible display of
+rage over the mere question of temporary advantage, over the appropriation
+of free grass, which is a Federal resource--something which belongs
+neither to one claimant nor to the other, but to the people, and should be
+of value to the people. There is some excuse for shooting and burning a
+man who violates a woman, but what shall we say of those who kill and
+dismember men over the possession of a plot of grass? You must bring these
+men to punishment."
+
+Dunn could only shiver in his horror and repeat his fear. "They'll kill me
+if I do."
+
+Cavanagh at last said: "You must not attempt to ride back to-night. I
+can't give you lodging in the cabin, because my patient is sick of
+smallpox, but you can camp in the barn till morning, then ride straight
+back to my friend Redfield, and tell him what you've told me. He will see
+that you are protected. Make your deposition and leave the country, if you
+are afraid to remain."
+
+In the end the rancher promised to do this, but his tone was that of a
+broken and distraught dotard. All the landmarks of his life seemed
+suddenly shifted. All the standards of his life hitherto orderly and fixed
+were now confused and whirling, and Cavanagh, understanding something of
+his plight, pitied him profoundly. It was of a piece with this ironic
+story that the innocent man should suffer madness and the guilty go calmly
+about their business of grazing their cattle on the stolen grass.
+
+Meanwhile the sufferings of his other patient were increasing, and he was
+forced to give up all hope of getting him down the trail next morning; and
+when Swenson, the Forest Guard from the south Fork, knocked at the door to
+say that he had been to the valley, and that the doctor was coming up with
+Redfield and the District Forester, Ross thanked him, but ordered him to
+go into camp across the river, and to warn everybody to keep clear of the
+cabin. "Put your packages down outside the door," he added, "and take
+charge of the situation on the outside. I'll take care of the business
+inside."
+
+Wetherford was in great pain, but the poison of the disease had misted his
+brain, and he no longer worried over the possible disclosure of his
+identity. At times he lost the sense of his surroundings and talked of his
+prison life, or of the long ride northward. Once he rose in his bed to
+beat off the wolves which he said were attacking his pony.
+
+He was a piteous figure as he struggled thus, and it needed neither his
+relationship to Lee nor his bravery in caring for the Basque herder to
+fill the ranger's heart with a desire to relieve his suffering. "Perhaps I
+should have sent for Lize at once," he mused, as the light brought out the
+red signatures of the plague.
+
+Once the old man looked up with wide, dark, unseeing eyes and murmured, "I
+don't seem to know you."
+
+"I'm a friend--my name is Cavanagh."
+
+"I can't place you," he sadly admitted. "I feel pretty bad. If I ever get
+out of this place I'm going back to the Fork; I'll get a gold-mine, then
+I'll go back and make up for what Lize has gone through. I'm afraid to go
+back now."
+
+"All right," Ross soothingly agreed; "but you'll have to keep quiet till
+you get over this fever you're suffering from."
+
+"If Lize weren't so far away, she'd come and nurse me--I'm pretty sick.
+This stone-cutting--this inside work is hell on an old cow-puncher like
+me."
+
+Swenson came back to say that probably Redfield and the doctor would reach
+The Station by noon, and thereafter, for the reason that Cavanagh expected
+their coming, the hours dragged wofully. It was after one o'clock before
+Swenson announced that two teams were coming with three men and two women
+in them. "They'll be here in half an hour."
+
+The ranger's heart leaped. Two women! Could one of them be Lee Virginia?
+What folly--what sweet, desperate folly! And the other--she could not be
+Lize--for Lize was too feeble to ride so far. "Stop them on the other side
+of the bridge," he commanded. "Don't let them cross the creek on any
+pretext."
+
+As he stood in the door the flutter of a handkerchief, the waving of a
+hand, made his pulses glow and his eyes grow dim. It was Virginia!
+
+Lize did not flutter a kerchief or wave a hand, but when Swenson stopped
+the carriage at the bridge she said: "No, you don't! I'm going across. I'm
+going to see Ross, and if he needs help, I'm going to roll up my sleeves
+and take hold."
+
+Cavanagh saw her advancing, and, as she came near enough for his voice to
+reach her, he called out: "Don't come any closer! Stop, I tell you!" His
+voice was stern. "You must not come a step nearer. Go back across the
+dead-line and stay there. No one but the doctor shall enter this door. Now
+that's final."
+
+"I want to help!" she protested.
+
+"I know you do; but I won't have it. This quarantine is real, and it
+goes!"
+
+"But suppose you yourself get sick?"
+
+"We'll cross _that_ bridge when we get to it. I'm all right so far, and
+I'll call for help when I need it."
+
+His tone was imperative, and she obeyed, grumbling about his youth and the
+value of his life to the service.
+
+"That's all very nice," he replied; "but I'm in it, and I don't intend to
+expose you or any one else to the contagion."
+
+"I've had it once," she asserted.
+
+He looked at her, and smiled in recognition of her subterfuge.
+
+"No matter; you're ailing, and might take it again, so toddle back. It's
+mighty good of you, and of Lee, to come--but there isn't a thing you can
+do, and here's the doctor," he added, as he recognized the young student
+who passed for a physician in the Fork. He was a beardless youth of small
+experience and no great courage, and as he approached with hesitant feet
+he asked:
+
+"Are you sure it's smallpox?"
+
+Cavanagh smiled. "The indications are all that way. That last importation
+of Basques brought it probably from the steerage of the ship. I'm told
+they've had several cases over in the Basin."
+
+"Have you been vaccinated?"
+
+"Yes; when I was in the army."
+
+"Then you're all right."
+
+"I hope so."
+
+There was a certain comic relief in this long-distance diagnosing of a
+"case" by a boy, and yet the tragic fact beneath it all was that
+Wetherford was dying, a broken and dishonored husband and father, and that
+his identity must be concealed from his wife and daughter, who were much
+more deeply concerned over the ranger than over the desperate condition of
+his patient. "And this must continue to be so," Cavanagh decided. And as
+he stood there looking toward the girl's fair figure on the bridge, he
+came to the final, fixed determination never to speak one word or make a
+sign that might lead to the dying man's identification. "Of what use is
+it?" he asked himself. "Why should even Lize be made to suffer?
+Wetherford's poor misspent life is already over for her, and for Lee he is
+only a dim memory."
+
+Redfield came near enough to see that the ranger's face, though tired,
+showed no sign of illness, and was relieved. "Who is this old herder?" he
+asked. "Hasn't he any relatives in the country?"
+
+"He came from Texas, so he said. You're not coming in?" he broke off to
+say to the young physician, whom Lize had shamed into returning to the
+cabin.
+
+"I suppose I'll have to," he protested, weakly.
+
+"I don't see the need of it. The whole place reeks of the poison, and you
+might carry it away with you. Unless you insist on coming in, and are sure
+you can prevent further contagion, I shall oppose your entrance. You are
+in the company of others--I must consider their welfare."
+
+The young fellow was relieved. "Well, so long as we know what it is I can
+prescribe just as well right here," he said, and gave directions for the
+treatment, which the ranger agreed to carry out.
+
+"I tried to bring a nurse," explained Redfield, "but I couldn't find
+anybody but old Lize who would come."
+
+"I don't blame them," replied Ross. "It isn't a nice job, even when you've
+got all the conveniences."
+
+His eyes, as he spoke, were on the figure of Lee, who still stood on the
+bridge awed and worshipful, barred of approach by Lize. "She shall not
+know," he silently vowed. "Why put her through useless suffering and
+shame? Edward Wetherford's disordered life is near its end. To betray him
+to his wife and daughter would be but the reopening of an old wound."
+
+He was stirred to the centre of his heart by the coming of Lee Virginia,
+so sweet and brave and trustful. His stern mood melted as he watched her
+there waiting, with her face turned toward him, longing to help. "She
+would have come alone if necessary," he declared, with a fuller revelation
+of the self-sacrificing depth of her love, "and she would come to my side
+this moment if I called her."
+
+To the District Forester he said no more than to Redfield. "Edwards is
+evidently an old soldier," he declared. "He was sent up here by Gregg to
+take the place of a sick herder. He took care of that poor herder till he
+died, and then helped me to bury him; now here he lies a victim to his own
+sense of duty, and I shall not desert him." And to himself he added: "Nor
+betray him."
+
+He went back to his repulsive service sustained and soothed by the little
+camp of faithful friends on the other side of the stream. The tender grace
+of the girl's attitude, her air of waiting, of anxiety, of readiness to
+serve, made him question the basis of his family pride. He recognized in
+her the spirit of her sire, tempered, sweetened, made more stable, by
+something drawn from unknown sources. At the moment he felt that Lee was
+not merely his equal but his superior in purity of character and in
+purpose. "What nonsense we talk of heredity, of family," he thought.
+
+Standing over the wasted body of his patient, he asked again: "Why let
+even Lize know? To her Ed Wetherford is dead. She remembers him now as a
+young, dashing, powerful horseman, a splendid animal, a picturesque lover.
+Why wring her heart by permitting her to see this wreck of what was once
+her pride?"
+
+As for Wetherford himself, nothing mattered very much. He spoke of the
+past now and then, but not in the phrase of one who longs for the return
+of happy days--rather in the voice of one who murmurs a half-forgotten
+song. He called no more for his wife and child, and if he had done so
+Cavanagh would have reasoned that the call arose out of weakness, and that
+his better self, his real self, would still desire to shield his secret
+from his daughter.
+
+And this was true, for during one of his clearest moments Wetherford
+repeated his wish to die a stranger. "I'm goin' out like the old-time
+West, a rag of what I once was. Don't let them know--put no name over
+me--just say: 'An old cow-puncher lies here.'"
+
+Cavanagh's attempt to change his hopeless tone proved unavailing.
+Enfeebled by his hardships and his prison life, he had little reserve
+force upon which to draw in fighting such an enemy. He sank soon after
+this little speech into a coma which continued to hold him in its unbroken
+grasp as night fell.
+
+Meantime, seeing no chance of aiding the ranger, Redfield and the Forester
+prepared to return, but Lee, reinforced by her mother, refused to
+accompany them. "I shall stay here," she said, "till he is safely out of
+it--till I _know_ that he is beyond all danger."
+
+Redfield did not urge her to return as vigorously as Dalton expected him
+to do, but when he understood the girl's desire to be near her lover, he
+took off his hat and bowed to her. "You are entirely in the right," he
+said. "Here is where you belong."
+
+Redfield honored Lize for her sympathetic support of her daughter's
+resolution, and expressed his belief that Ross would escape the plague. "I
+feel that his splendid vigor, combined with the mountain air, will carry
+him through--even if he should prove not to be immune. I shall run up
+again day after to-morrow. I shall be very anxious. What a nuisance that
+the telephone-line is not extended to this point. Ross has been insisting
+on its value for months."
+
+Lee saw the doctor go with some dismay. Young as he was, he was at least a
+reed to cling to in case the grisly terror seized upon the ranger. "Mr.
+Redfield, can't you send a real doctor? It seems so horrible to be left
+here without instructions."
+
+The Forester, before going, again besought Cavanagh not to abandon his
+work in the Forestry Service, and intimated that at the proper time
+advancement would be offered him. "The whole policy is but beginning,"
+said he, "and a practical ranger with your experience and education will
+prove of greatest value."
+
+To this Ross made reply. "At the moment I feel that no promise of
+advancement could keep me in this country of grafters, poachers, and
+assassins. I'm weary of it, and all it stands for. However, if I could aid
+in extending the supervision of the public ranges and in stopping forever
+this murder and burning that goes on outside the forestry domain, I might
+remain in the West."
+
+"Would you accept the supervisorship of the Washakie Forest?" demanded
+Dalton.
+
+Taken by surprise, he stammered: "I might; but am I the man?"
+
+"You are. Your experience fits you for a position where the fight is hot.
+The Washakie Forest is even more a bone of contention than this. We have
+laid out the lines of division between the sheep and the cows, and it will
+take a man to enforce our regulations. You will have the support of the
+best citizens. They will all rally, with you as leader, and so end the
+warfare there."
+
+"It can never end till Uncle Sam puts rangers over every section of public
+lands and lays out the grazing lines as we have done in this forest,"
+retorted Cavanagh.
+
+"I know; but to get that requires a revolution in the whole order of
+things." Then his fine young face lighted up. "But we'll get it. Public
+sentiment is coming our way. The old order is already so eaten away that
+only its shell remains."
+
+"It may be. If these assassins are punished I shall feel hopeful of the
+change."
+
+"I shall recommend you for the supervisorship of the Washakie Forest,"
+concluded Dalton, decisively. "And so good-bye and good-luck."
+
+England, his blood relatives, even the Redfields, seemed very remote to
+the ranger, as he stood in his door that night and watched the sparkle of
+Swenson's camp-fire through the trees. With the realization that there
+waited a brave girl of the type that loves single-heartedly, ready to
+sacrifice everything to the welfare of her idealized subject, he felt
+unworthy, selfish, vain.
+
+"If I should fall sick she would insist on nursing me. For her sake I must
+give Swenson the most rigid orders not to allow her--no matter what
+happens--to approach. I will not have her touched by this thing."
+
+Beside the blaze Lee and her mother sat for the most part in silence, with
+nothing to do but to wait the issue of the struggle going on in the cabin,
+so near and yet so inaccessible to their will. It was as if a magic wall,
+crystal-clear yet impenetrable, shut them away from the man whose quiet
+heroism was the subject of their constant thought.
+
+To the girl this ride up into her lover's world had been both exalting and
+awesome--not merely because the rough and precipitous road took her closer
+to her lover while placing her farther from medical aid, but also because
+it was so vast a world, so unpeopled and so beautiful.
+
+It was marvellous, as the dusk fell and the air nipped keen, to see how
+Lize Wetherford renewed her youth. The excitement seemed to have given her
+a fresh hold on life. She was wearied but by no means weakened by her
+ride, and ate heartily of the rude fare which Swenson set before her.
+"This is what I needed," she exultantly said; "the open air and these
+trout. I feel ten years younger already. Many's the night I've camped on
+the range with your father with nothing but a purp-tent to cover us both,
+and the wolves howling round us. I'd feel pretty fairly gay if it weren't
+for Ross over there in that cabin playin' nurse and cook all by his
+lonesomeness."
+
+Lee expressed a deep satisfaction from the fact of their nearness. "If he
+is ill we can help him," she reiterated.
+
+She had put behind her all the doubt and fear which his abrupt desertion
+of her had caused, and, though he had not been able to speak a word to
+her, his self-sacrifice had made amends. She excused it all as part of his
+anxious care. Whatever the mood of that other day had been, it had given
+way to one that was lofty and deeply altruistic. Her one anxiety now was
+born of a deepening sense of his danger, but against this she bent the
+full strength of her will. "He shall not die," she declared beneath her
+breath. "God will not permit it."
+
+There was a touch of frost in the air as they went to their beds, and,
+though she shivered, Lize was undismayed. "There's nothing the matter with
+my heart," she exulted. "I don't believe there was anything really serious
+the matter with me, anyway. I reckon I was just naturally grouchy and
+worried over you and Ross."
+
+Lee Virginia was now living a romance stranger and more startling than any
+she had ever read. In imagination she was able to look back and down upon
+the Fork as if she had been carried into another world--a world that was
+at once primeval yet peaceful: a world of dreaming trees, singing streams,
+and silent peaks; a realm in which law and order reigned, maintained by
+one determined young man whose power was derived from the President
+himself. She felt safe--entirely safe--for just across the roaring
+mountain torrent the two intrepid guardians of the forest were encamped.
+One of them, it is true, came of Swedish parentage and the other was a
+native of England, but they were both American in the high sense of being
+loyal to the Federal will, and she trusted them more unquestioningly than
+any other men in all that West save only Redfield. She had no doubt there
+were others equally loyal, equally to be trusted, but she did not know
+them.
+
+She rose to a complete understanding of Cavanagh's love for "the high
+country" and his enthusiasm for the cause, a cause which was able to bring
+together the student from Yale and the graduates of Bergen and of Oxford,
+and make them comrades in preserving the trees and streams of the mountain
+States against the encroachments of some of their own citizens, who were
+openly, short-sightedly, and cynically bent upon destruction, spoliation,
+and misuse.
+
+She had listened to the talk of the Forester and the Supervisor, and she
+had learned from them that Cavanagh was sure of swift advancement, now
+that he had shown his courage and his skill; and the thought that he might
+leave the State to take charge of another forest brought her some
+uneasiness, for she and Lize had planned to go to Sulphur City. She had
+consented to this because it still left to her the possibility of
+occasionally seeing or hearing from Cavanagh. But the thought that he
+might go away altogether took some of the music out of the sound of the
+stream and made the future vaguely sad.
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+WETHERFORD PASSES ON
+
+
+For the next two days Cavanagh slept but little, for his patient grew
+steadily worse. As the flame of his fever mounted, Wetherford pleaded for
+air. The ranger threw open the doors, admitting freely the cool, sweet
+mountain wind. "He might as well die of a draught as smother," was his
+thought; and by the use of cold cloths he tried to allay the itching and
+the pain.
+
+"What I am doing may be all wrong," he admitted to Swenson, who came often
+to lean upon the hitching-pole and offer aid. "I have had no training as a
+nurse, but I must be doing something. The man is burning up, and hasn't
+much vitality to spare. I knew a ranger had to be all kinds of things,
+cowboy, horse-doctor, axe-man, carpenter, surveyor, and all the rest of
+it, but I didn't know that he had to be a trained nurse in addition."
+
+"How do you feel yourself?" asked his subordinate, anxiously.
+
+"Just tired; nothing more. I reckon I am going to escape. I should be
+immune, but you never can tell. The effect of vaccination wears off after
+a few years."
+
+"The women folks over there are terribly worried, and the old lady has
+made me promise to call her in if you show the slightest signs of coming
+down."
+
+"Tell her to rest easy. I am keeping mighty close watch over myself, and
+another night will tell the story so far as the old man is concerned. I
+wish I had a real doctor, but I don't expect any. It is a long hard climb
+up here for one of those tenderfeet."
+
+He returned to his charge, and Swenson walked slowly away, back to the
+camp, oppressed with the sense of his utter helplessness.
+
+Again and again during the day Lee Virginia went to the middle of the
+bridge, which was the dead-line, and there stood to catch some sign, some
+wave of the hand from her lover. Strange courtship! and yet hour by hour
+the tie which bound these young souls together was strengthened. She
+cooked for him in the intervals of her watch and sent small pencilled
+notes to him, together with the fish and potatoes, but no scrap of paper
+came back to her--so scrupulous was Cavanagh to spare her from the
+faintest shadow of danger.
+
+Swenson brought verbal messages, it was true, but they were by no means
+tender, for Cavanagh knew better than to intrust any fragile vessel of
+sentiment to this stalwart young woodsman. Now that Lee knew the
+mysterious old man was dying, she longed for his release--for his release
+would mean her lover's release. She did not stop to think that it would be
+long, very long, before she could touch Cavanagh's hand or even speak with
+him face to face. At times under Swenson's plain speaking she grew faint
+with the horror of the struggle which was going on in that silent cabin.
+
+This leprous plague, this offspring of crowded and dirty tenements and of
+foul ship-steerages, seemed doubly unholy here in the clean sanity of the
+hills. It was a profanation, a hideous curse. "If it should seize upon
+Ross--" Words failed to express her horror, her hate of it. "Oh God, save
+him!" she prayed a hundred times each day.
+
+Twice in the night she rose from her bed to listen, to make sure that
+Cavanagh was not calling for help. The last time she looked out, a white
+veil of frost lay on the grass, and the faint light of morning was in the
+east, and in the exquisite clarity of the air, in the serene hush of the
+dawn, the pestilence appeared but as the ugly emanation of disordered
+sleep. The door of the ranger's cabin stood open, but all was silent. "He
+is snatching a half-hour's sleep," she decided.
+
+If the guard had carried in his mind the faintest intention of permitting
+Lize to go to Cavanagh's aid, that intention came to no issue, for with
+the coming of the third night Wetherford was unconscious and
+unrecognizable to any one who had known him in the days of "the free
+range." Lithe daredevil in those days, expert with rope and gun, he was as
+far from this scarred and swollen body as the soaring eagle is from the
+carrion which he sees and scorns.
+
+He was going as the Wild West was going, discredited, ulcerated, poisoned,
+incapable of rebirth, yet carrying something fine to his grave. He had
+acted the part of a brave man, that shall be said of him. He had gone to
+the rescue of the poor Basque, instinctively, with the same reckless
+disregard of consequences to himself which marked his character when as a
+cow-boss on the range he had set aside the most difficult tasks for his
+own rope or gun. His regard for the ranger into whose care he was now
+about to commit his wife and daughter, persisted in spite of his
+suffering. In him was his hope, his stay. Once again, in a lucid moment,
+he reverted to the promise which he had drawn from Cavanagh.
+
+"If I go, you must take care--of my girl--take care of Lize, too. Promise
+me that. Do you promise?" he insisted.
+
+"I promise--on honor," Ross repeated, and, with a faint pressure of his
+hand (so slender and weak), Wetherford sank away into the drowse which
+deepened hour by hour, broken now and then by convulsions, which wrung the
+stern heart of the ranger till his hands trembled for pity.
+
+All day, while the clouds sailed by, white as snow and dazzlingly pure,
+while the stream roared with joy of exploration, and the sunshine fell in
+dazzling floods upon the world, the ranger bent above his ward or walked
+the floor of his cabin marvelling that the air and light of this high
+place should be so powerless to check the march of that relentless plague.
+It seemed that to open the doors, to fill the room with radiance, must
+surely kill the mutinous motes which warred upon the tortured body. But in
+the midst of nature's sovereign charm the reek of the conflict went up;
+and he wondered whether even the vigor which his outdoor life had built up
+could withstand the strain another day.
+
+Once Lee Virginia approached close enough to hear his voice as he warned
+her to go back. "You can do nothing," he called to her. "Please go away."
+His face was haggard with weariness, and her heart filled with bitter
+resentment to think that this repulsive warfare, this painful duty, should
+be thrust upon one so fine.
+
+He himself felt as though his youth were vanishing, and that in these few
+days he had entered upon the sober, care-filled years of middle life. The
+one sustaining thought, his one allurement, lay in the near presence of
+the girl to whom he could call, but could not utter one tender word. She
+was there where he could see her watching, waiting at the bridge. "The
+sound of the water helps me bear the suspense," she said to Swenson, and
+the occasional sight of her lover, the knowledge that he was still
+unbroken, kept her from despair.
+
+The day was well advanced when the sound of rattling pebbles on the hill
+back of his cabin drew his attention, and a few moments later a man on a
+weary horse rode up to his door and dropped heavily from the saddle. He
+was a small, dark individual, with spectacles, plainly of the city.
+
+"Beware! Smallpox!" called Ross, as his visitor drew near the door.
+
+The new-comer waved his hand contemptuously. "I've had it. Are you Ross
+Cavanagh?"
+
+"I am!"
+
+"My name is Hartley. I represent the Denver _Round-up_. I'm interested in
+this sheep-herder killing--merely as a reporter," he added, with a
+fleeting smile. "Did you know old man Dunn, of Deer Creek, had committed
+suicide?"
+
+Cavanagh started, and his face set. "No!"
+
+"They found him shot through the neck, and dying--this morning. As he was
+gasping his last breath, he said, 'The ranger knows,' and when they asked,
+'What ranger,' he said, 'Cavanagh.' When I heard that I jumped a horse and
+beat 'em all over here. Is this true? Did he tell you who the murderers
+are?"
+
+Cavanagh did not answer at once. He was like a man caught on a swaying
+bridge, and his first instinct was to catch the swing, to get his balance.
+"Wait a minute! What is it all to you?"
+
+Again that peculiar grin lighted the small man's dark, unwholesome face.
+"It's a fine detective stunt, and besides it means twenty dollars per
+column and mebbe a 'boost.' I can't wait, you can't wait! It's up to us to
+strike _now_! If these men knew you have their names they'd hike for Texas
+or the high seas. Come now! Everybody tells me you're one of these
+idealistic highbrow rangers who care more for the future of the West than
+most natural-born Westerners. What's your plan? If you'll yoke up with me
+we'll run these devils into the earth and win great fame, and you'll be
+doing the whole country a service."
+
+The ranger studied the small figure before him with penetrating gaze.
+There was deliberative fearlessness in the stranger's face and eyes, and
+notwithstanding his calm, almost languid movement, restless energy could
+be detected in his voice.
+
+"What is your plan?" the ranger asked.
+
+"Get ourselves deputized by the court, and jump these men before they
+realize that there's anything doing. They count the whole country on their
+side, but they're mistaken. They've outdone themselves this time, and a
+tremendous reaction has set in. Everybody knows you've held an even hand
+over these warring Picts and Scots, and the court will be glad to deputize
+you to bring them to justice. The old sheriff is paralyzed. Everybody
+knows that the assassins are prominent cattle-ranchers, and yet no one
+dares move. It's up to you fellows, who represent law and order, to act
+quick."
+
+Cavanagh followed him with complete comprehension, and a desire to carry
+out the plan seized upon him.
+
+"I'd do it if I could," he said, "but it happens I am nursing a sick man.
+I am, perhaps, already exposed to the same disease. I can't leave here for
+a week or more. It would not be right for me to expose others--"
+
+"Don't worry about that. Take a hot bath, fumigate your clothing, shave
+your head. I'll fix you up, and I'll get some one to take your place."
+Catching sight of Swenson and Lize on the bridge, he asked: "Who are those
+people? Can't they take your nursing job?"
+
+"No!" answered Cavanagh, bluntly. "It's no use, I can't join you in
+this--at least, not now."
+
+"But you'll give me the names which Dunn gave you?"
+
+"No, I can't do that. I shall tell the Supervisor, and he can act as he
+sees fit--for the present I'm locked up here."
+
+The other man looked the disappointment he felt. "I'm sorry you don't feel
+like opening up. You know perfectly well that nothing will ever be done
+about this thing unless the press insists upon it. It's up to you and me
+(me representing 'the conscience of the East'"--here he winked an
+eye--"and you Federal authority) to do what we can to bring these men to
+their punishment. Better reconsider. I'm speaking now as a citizen as well
+as a reporter."
+
+There was much truth in what he said, but Cavanagh refused to go further
+in the matter until he had consulted with Redfield.
+
+"Very well," replied Hartley, "that's settled. By-the-way, who is your
+patient?"
+
+Eloquently, concisely, Ross told the story. "Just a poor old mounted hobo,
+a survival of the cowboy West," he said; "but he had the heart of a hero
+in him, and I'm doing my best to save him."
+
+"Keep him in the dark, that's the latest theory--or under a red light.
+White light brings out the ulcers."
+
+"He hates darkness; that's one reason why I've opened the doors and
+windows."
+
+"All wrong! According to Finsen, he wouldn't pit in the dark. However, it
+doesn't matter on a cowboy. You've a great story yourself. There's a fine
+situation here which I'll play up if you don't object."
+
+Cavanagh smiled. "Would my objection have any weight?"
+
+The reporter laughed. "Not much; I've got to carry back some sort of game.
+Well, so long! I must hit the trail over the hill."
+
+Cavanagh made civil answer, and returned to his patient more than half
+convinced that Hartley was right. The "power of the press" might prove to
+be a very real force in this pursuit.
+
+As the journalist was about to mount his horse he discovered Lee Virginia
+on the other side of the creek. "Hello!" said he, "I wonder what this
+pretty maiden means?" And, dropping his bridle-rein again, he walked down
+to the bridge.
+
+Swenson interposed his tall figure. "What do you want?" he asked, bluntly.
+"You don't want to get too close. You've been talking to the ranger."
+
+Hartley studied him coolly. "Are you a ranger, too?"
+
+"No, only a guard."
+
+"Why are you leaving Cavanagh to play it alone in there?"
+
+Lee explained. "He won't let any of us come near him."
+
+"Quite right," retorted Hartley, promptly. "They say smallpox has lost its
+terrors, but when you're eight hours' hard trail from a doctor, or a
+hospital, it's still what I'd call a formidable enemy. However, Cavanagh's
+immune, so he says."
+
+"We don't know that," Lee said, and her hands came together in a spasm of
+fear. "Are you a doctor?"
+
+"No, I'm only a newspaper man; but I've had a lot of experience with
+plagues of all sorts--had the yellow fever in Porto Rico, and the typhoid
+in South Africa; that's why I'm out here richochetting over the hills. But
+who are you, may I ask? You look like the rose of Sharon."
+
+"My name is Lee Wetherford," she answered, with childish directness, for
+there was something compelling in the man's voice and eyes. "And this is
+my mother." She indicated Lize, who was approaching.
+
+"_You_ are not out here for your health," he stated, rather thoughtfully.
+"How happens it you're here?"
+
+"I was born here--in the Fork."
+
+His face remained expressionless. "I don't believe it. Can such maidens
+come out of Roaring Fork--nit! But I don't mean that. What are you doing
+up here in this wilderness?"
+
+Lize took a part in the conversation. "Another inspector?" she asked, as
+she lumbered up.
+
+"That's me," he replied; "Sherlock Holmes, Vidocque, all rolled into
+one."
+
+"My mother," again volunteered Lee.
+
+Hartley's eyes expressed incredulity; but he did not put his feelings into
+words, for he perceived in Lize a type with which he was entirely
+familiar--one to be handled with care. "What are you two women doing here?
+Are you related to one of these rangers?"
+
+Lize resented this. "You're asking a good many questions, Mr. Man."
+
+"That's my trade," was the unabashed reply, "and I'm not so old but that I
+can rise to a romantic situation." Thereupon he dropped all direct
+interrogation, and with an air of candor told the story of his mission.
+Lize, entirely sympathetic, invited him to lunch, and he was soon in
+possession of their story, even to the tender relationship between Lee
+Virginia and the plague-besieged forest ranger.
+
+"We're not so mighty disinterested," he said, referring to his paper.
+"_The Round-up_ represents the New West in part, but to us the New West
+means opportunity to loot water-sites and pile up unearned increment. Oh
+yes, we're on the side of the fruit and alfalfa grower, because it pays.
+If the boss of my paper happened to be in the sheep business, as Senator
+Blank White is, we would sing a different tune. Or if I were a Congressman
+representing a district of cattle-men, I'd be very slow about helping to
+build up any system that would make me pay for my grass. As it is, I'm
+commissioned to make it hot for the ranchers that killed those dagoes, and
+I'm going to do it. If this country had a man like Cavanagh for sheriff,
+we'd have the murderers in two days. He knows who the butchers are, and
+I'd like his help; but he's nailed down here, and there's no hope of his
+getting away. A few men like him could civilize this cursed country."
+
+Thereupon he drew from three pairs of lips a statement of the kind of man
+Ross Cavanagh was, but most significant of all were the few words of the
+girl, to whom this man of the pad and pencil was a magician, capable of
+exalting her hero and of advancing light and civilization by the mere
+motion of his hand. She liked him, and grew more and more willing to
+communicate, and he, perceiving in her something unusual, lingered on
+questioning. Then he rose. "I must be going," he said to Lee. "You've
+given me a lovely afternoon."
+
+Lee Virginia was all too ignorant of the ways of reporters to resent his
+note-taking, and she accepted his hand, believing him to be the sincere
+admirer of her ranger. "What are you going to do?" she asked.
+
+"I'm going back to Sulphur to spread the report of Cavanagh's quarantine."
+Again that meaning smile. "I don't want any other newspaper men mixed up
+in my game. I'm lonesome Ned in stunts like this, and I hope if they _do_
+come up you'll be judiciously silent. Good-bye."
+
+Soon after the reporter left, Cavanagh called to Swenson: "The old man
+can't last through another such a night as last night was, and I wish you
+would persuade Mrs. Wetherford and her daughter to return to the valley.
+They can do nothing here--absolutely _nothing_. Please say that."
+
+Swenson repeated his commands with all the emphasis he could give them,
+but neither Lize nor Lee would consent to go. "It would be heathenish to
+leave him alone in this lonesome hole," protested Lize.
+
+"I shall stay till he is free," added Lee. And with uneasy heart she
+crossed the bridge and walked on and on toward the cabin till she was
+close enough to detect the lines of care on her lover's haggard face.
+
+"Stop!" he called, sharply. "Keep away. Why don't you obey me? Why don't
+you go back to the valley?"
+
+"Because I will not leave you alone--I can't! Please let me stay!"
+
+"I beg of you go back."
+
+The roar of the stream made it necessary to speak loudly, and he could not
+put into his voice the tenderness he felt at the moment, but his face was
+knotted with pain as he asked: "Don't you see you add to my uneasiness--my
+pain?"
+
+"We're so anxious about you," she answered. "It seems as though we should
+be doing something to help you."
+
+He understood, and was grateful for the tenderness which brought her so
+near to him, but he was forced to be stern.
+
+"There is nothing you can do--nothing more than you are doing. It helps me
+to know that you are there, but you must not cross the bridge. Please go
+back!" There was pleading as well as command in his voice, and with a
+realization of the passion his voice conveyed, she retraced her steps, her
+heart beating quickly with the joy which his words conveyed.
+
+At sunset Redfield returned, bringing with him medicines but no nurse.
+"Nobody will come up here," he said. "I reckon Ross is doomed to fight it
+out alone. The solitude, the long trail, scares the bravest of them away.
+I tried and tried--no use. Eleanor would have come, of course--demanded to
+come; but I would not permit that. She commissioned me to bring you both
+down to the ranch."
+
+Lee Virginia thanked him, but reiterated her wish to stay until all
+possible danger to Cavanagh was over.
+
+Redfield crossed the bridge, and laid the medicines down outside the
+door.
+
+"The nurse from Sulphur refused to come when she found that her patient
+was in a mountain cabin. I'm sorry, old man; I did the best I could."
+
+"Never mind," replied Cavanagh. "I'm still free from any touch of fever.
+I'm tired, of course, but good for another night of it. My main anxiety
+concerns Lee--get her to go home with you if you can."
+
+"I'll do the best I can," responded Redfield, "but meanwhile you must
+_not_ think of getting out of the Forest Service. I have some cheering
+news for you. The President has put a good man into the chief's place."
+
+Cavanagh's face lighted up. "That'll help some," he exclaimed; "but who's
+the man?"
+
+Redfield named him. "He was a student under the chief, and the chief says
+he's all right, which satisfies me. Furthermore, he's a real forester, and
+not a political jobber or a corporation attorney."
+
+"That's good," repeated Cavanagh; "and yet--" he said, sadly, "it leaves
+the chief out just the same."
+
+"No, the chief is not out. He's where he can fight for the idea to better
+advantage than when he was a subordinate under another man. Anyhow, he
+asks us all to line up for the work and not to mind him. The work, he
+says, is bigger than any man. Here's that resignation of yours," he said,
+taking Cavanagh's letter from his pocket; "I didn't put it on file. What
+shall I do with it?"
+
+"Throw it to me," said Cavanagh, curtly.
+
+Redfield tossed it over the hitching-pole, and Ross took it up, looked at
+it for a moment in silence, then tore it into bits and threw it on the
+ground.
+
+"What are your orders, Mr. Supervisor?" he asked, with a faint, quizzical
+smile around his eyes.
+
+"There's nothing you can do but take care of this man. But as soon as you
+are able to ride again, I've got some special work for you. I want you to
+join with young Bingham, the ranger on Rock Creek, and line up the
+'Triangle' cattle. Murphy is reported to have thrown on the forest nearly
+a thousand head more than his permit calls for. I want you to see about
+that. Then complete your maps so that I can turn them in on the first of
+November, and about the middle of December you are to take charge of this
+forest in my stead. Eleanor has decided to take the children abroad for a
+couple of years, and as I am to be over there part of the time, I don't
+feel justified in holding down the Supervisor's position. I shall resign
+in your favor. Wait, now!" he called, warningly. "The District Forester
+and I framed all this up as we rode down the hill yesterday, and it goes.
+Oh yes, there's one thing more. Old man Dunn--"
+
+"I know."
+
+"How did you learn it?"
+
+"A reporter came boiling over the ridge about noon to-day, wanting me to
+give him the names which Dunn had given me. I was strongly tempted to do
+as he asked me to--you know these newspaper men are sometimes the best
+kind of detectives for running down criminals; but on second thought I
+concluded to wait until I had discussed the matter with you. I haven't
+much faith in the county authorities."
+
+"Ordinarily I would have my doubts myself," replied Redfield, "but the
+whole country is roused, and we're going to round up these men this time,
+sure. The best men and the big papers all over the West are demanding an
+exercise of the law, and the reward we have offered--" He paused,
+suddenly. "By-the-way, that reward will come to you if you can bring about
+the arrest of the criminals."
+
+"The reward should go to Dunn's family," replied the ranger, soberly.
+"Poor chap, he's sacrificed himself for the good of the State."
+
+"That's true. His family is left in bad shape--"
+
+Cavanagh broke off the conversation suddenly. "I must go back to--" he had
+almost said "back to Wetherford." "My patient needs me!" he exclaimed.
+
+"How does he seem?"
+
+"He's surely dying. In my judgment he can't last the night, but so long as
+he's conscious it's up to me to be on the spot."
+
+Redfield walked slowly back across the river, thinking on the patient
+courage of the ranger.
+
+"It isn't the obvious kind of thing, but it's courage all the same," he
+said to himself.
+
+Meanwhile Lize and Virginia, left alone beside the fire, had drawn closer
+together.
+
+The girl's face, so sweet and so pensive, wrought strongly upon the older
+woman's sympathy. Something of her own girlhood came back to her. Being
+freed from the town and all its associations, she became more considerate,
+more thoughtful. She wished to speak, and yet she found it very hard to
+begin. At last she said, with a touch of mockery in her tone: "You like
+Ross Cavanagh almost as well as I do myself, don't you?"
+
+The girl flushed a little, but her eyes remained steady. "I would not be
+here if I did not," she replied.
+
+"Neither would I. Well, now, I have got something to tell you--something I
+ought to have told you long ago--something that Ross ought to know. I
+intended to tell you that first day you came back, but I couldn't somehow
+get to it, and I kept putting it off and putting it off till--well, then I
+got fond of you, and every day made it harder." Here she made her supreme
+effort. "Child, I'm an old bluff. I'm not your mother at all."
+
+Lee stared at her in amazement. "What do you mean?" she asked.
+
+"I mean your real mother died when you was a tiny little babe. You see, I
+was your father's second wife; in fact, you weren't a year old when we
+married. Ed made me promise never to let you know. We were to bring you up
+just the same as if you was a child to both of us. Nobody knows but Reddy.
+I told him the day we started up here."
+
+The girl's mind ran swiftly over the past as she listened. The truth of
+the revelation reached her instantly, explaining a hundred strange things
+which had puzzled her all her life. The absence of deep affection between
+herself and Lize was explained. Their difference in habit, temperament,
+thought--all became plain. "But my mother!" she said, at last. "Who _was_
+my mother?"
+
+"I never saw her. You see, Ed came into the country bringing you, a little
+motherless babe. He always said your mother was a fine woman, but I never
+so much as saw a picture of her. She was an educated woman, he said--a
+Southern woman--and her name was Virginia, but that's about all I can tell
+you of her. Now, I am going to let Ross know all of this as soon as I can.
+It will make a whole lot of difference in what he thinks of you."
+
+She uttered all this much as a man would have done, with steady voice and
+with bright eyes, but Lee Virginia could feel beneath her harsh
+inflections the deep emotion which vibrated there, and her heart went out
+toward the lonely woman in a new rush of tenderness. Now that she was
+released from the necessity of excusing her mother's faults--faults she
+could now ignore; now that she could look upon her as a loyal friend, she
+was moved to pity and to love, and, rising, she went to her and put her
+arm about her neck, and said: "This won't make any difference. I am going
+to stay with you and help you just the same."
+
+The tears came to the old woman's eyes, and her voice broke as she
+replied: "I knew you would say that, Lee Virginia, but all the same I
+don't intend to have you do any such thing. You've got to cut loose from
+me altogether, because some fine chap is going to come along one of these
+days, and he won't want me even as a _step_-mother-in-law. No, I have
+decided that you and me had better live apart. I'll get you a place to
+live up in Sulphur, where I can visit you now and again; but I guess I am
+elected to stay right here in the Fork. They don't like me, and I don't
+like them; but I have kind o' got used to their ways of looking at me
+sidewise; they don't matter as much as it would up there in the city."
+
+Lee turned back wistfully toward the story of her mother. "Where did my
+mother meet my father? Do you know that?"
+
+"No, I don't. It was a runaway match, Ed said. I never did know who her
+folks were--only I know they thought she was marrying the wrong man."
+
+The girl sighed as her mind took in the significance of her mother's
+coming to this wild country, leaving all that she knew and loved behind.
+"Poor little mother. It must have been very hard for her."
+
+"I am afraid she did have a hard time, for Ed admitted to me that he
+hadn't so much as a saddle when he landed in the State. He hadn't much
+when I met him first, but everybody liked him. He was one of the
+handsomest men that ever jumped a saddle. But he was close-mouthed. You
+never could get anything out of him that he didn't want to tell, and I was
+never able to discover what he had been doing in the southern part of the
+State."
+
+As she pondered on her changed relationship to Lize, Lee's heart
+lightened. It _would_ make a difference to Ross. It would make a
+difference to the Redfields. Traitorous as it seemed, it was a great
+relief--a joy--to know that her own mother, her real mother, had been
+"nice." "She _must_ have been nice or Lize would not have said so," she
+reasoned, recalling that her stepmother had admitted her feeling of
+jealousy.
+
+At last Lize rose. "Well, now, dearie, I reckon we had better turn in. It
+is getting chilly and late."
+
+As they were about to part at the door of the tent Virginia took Lize's
+face between her hands. "Good-night, mother," she said, and kissed her, to
+show her that what she had said would not make any difference.
+
+But Lize was not deceived. This unwonted caress made perfectly plain to
+her the relief which filled the girl's heart.
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+Lee Virginia was awakened some hours later by a roaring, crackling sound,
+and by the flare of a yellow light upon her tent. Peering out, she saw
+flames shooting up through the roof of the ranger's cabin, while beside
+it, wrapped in a blanket, calmly contemplating it, stood Cavanagh with
+folded arms. A little nearer to the bridge Redfield was sitting upon an
+upturned box.
+
+With a cry of alarm she aroused her mother, and Lize, heavy-eyed, laggard
+with sleep, rose slowly and peered out at the scene with eyes of dull
+amazement. "Why don't they try to put it out?" she demanded, as she took
+in the import of the passive figures.
+
+Dressing with tremulous haste, Lee stepped from the tent just in time to
+see Swenson come from behind the burning building and join the others in
+silent contemplation of the scene. There was something uncanny in the calm
+inaction of the three strong men.
+
+A dense fog hung low, enveloping the whole canon in a moist, heavy,
+sulphurous veil, through which the tongues of flame shot with a grandiose
+effect; but the three foresters, whose shadows expanded, contracted, and
+wavered grotesquely, remained motionless as carven figures of ebony. It
+was as if they were contemplating an absorbing drama, in whose enactment
+they had only the spectator's curious interest.
+
+Slowly, wonderingly, the girl drew near and called to Cavanagh, who turned
+quickly, crying out: "Don't come too close, and don't be frightened. I set
+the place on fire myself. The poor old herder died last night, and is
+decently buried in the earth, and now we are burning the cabin and every
+thread it contains to prevent the spread of the plague. Hugh and Swenson
+have divided their garments with me, and this blanket which I wear is my
+only coat. All that I have is in that cabin now going up in smoke--my
+guns, pictures, everything."
+
+"How could you do it?" she cried out, understanding what his sacrifice had
+been.
+
+"I couldn't," he replied. "The Supervisor did it. They had to go. The
+cabin was saturated with poison; it had become to me a plague spot, and
+there was no other way to stamp it out. I should never have felt safe if I
+had carried out even so much as a letter."
+
+Dumb and shivering with the chill of the morning, Lee Virginia drew
+nearer, ever nearer. "I am so sorry," she said, and yearned toward him,
+eager to comfort him, but he warningly motioned her away.
+
+"Please don't come any nearer, for I dare not touch you."
+
+"But you are not ill?" she cried out, with a note of apprehension in her
+voice.
+
+He smiled in response to her question. "No, I feel nothing but weariness
+and a little depression. I can't help feeling somehow as if I were burning
+up a part of myself in that fire--the saddle I have ridden for years, my
+guns, ropes, spurs, everything relating to the forest, are gone, and with
+them my youth. I have been something of a careless freebooter myself, I
+fear; but that is all over with now." He looked her in the face with a sad
+and resolute glance. "The Forest Service made a man of me, taught me to
+regard the future. I never accepted responsibility till I became a ranger,
+and in thinking it all over I have decided to stay with it, as the boys
+say, 'till the spring rains.'"
+
+"I am very glad of that," she said.
+
+"Yes; Dalton thinks I can qualify for the position of Supervisor, and
+Redfield may offer me the supervision of this forest. If he does, I will
+accept it--if you will go with me and share the small home which the
+Supervisor's pay provides. Will you go?"
+
+In the light of his burning cabin, and in the shadow of the great peaks,
+Lee Virginia could not fail of a certain largeness and dignity of mood.
+She neither blushed nor stammered, as she responded: "I will go anywhere
+in the world with you."
+
+He could not touch so much as the hem of her garment, but his eyes
+embraced her, as he said: "God bless you for the faith you seem to have in
+me!"
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+Redfield's voice interrupted with hearty clamor. "And now, Miss Virginia,
+you go back and rustle some breakfast for us all. Swenson, bring the
+horses in and harness my team; I'm going to take these women down the
+canon. And, Ross, you'd better saddle up as soon as you feel rested and
+ride across the divide, and go into camp in that little old cabin by the
+dam above my house. You'll have to be sequestered for a few days, I
+reckon, till we see how you're coming out. I'll telephone over to the Fork
+and have the place made ready for you, and I'll have the doctor go up
+there to meet you and put you straight. If you're going to be sick we'll
+want you where we can look after you. Isn't that so, Lee Virginia?"
+
+"Indeed it is," replied the girl, earnestly.
+
+"But I'm not going to be sick," retorted Cavanagh. "I refuse to be sick."
+
+"Quite right," replied Redfield; "but all the same we want you where we
+can get at you, and where medical aid of the right sort is accessible. I'm
+going to fetch my bed over here and put you into it. You need rest."
+
+Lee still lingered after Redfield left them. "Please do as Mr. Redfield
+tells you," she pleaded, "for I shall be very anxious till you get safely
+down the mountains. If that poor old man has any relatives they ought to
+be told how kind you have been. You could not have been kinder to one of
+your own people."
+
+These words from her had a poignancy of meaning which made his reply
+difficult. His tone was designedly light as he retorted: "I would be a
+fraud if I stood here listening to your praise without saying--without
+confessing--how deadly weary I got of the whole business. It was simply
+that there was nothing else to do. I had to go on."
+
+Her mind still dwelt on the tragic event. "I wish he could have had some
+kind of a service. It seems sort of barbarous to bury him without any one
+to say a prayer over him. But I suppose that was impossible. Surely some
+one ought to mark his grave, for some of his people may come and want to
+know where he lies."
+
+He led her thoughts to pleasanter paths. "I am glad you are going with the
+Supervisor. You _are_ going, are you not?"
+
+"Yes, for a few days, till I'm sure you're safe."
+
+"I shall be tempted to pretend being sick just to keep you near me," he
+was saying, when Redfield returned, bringing his sleeping-couch. Unrolling
+this under a tree beside the creek, the Supervisor said: "Now, get into
+that."
+
+Cavanagh resigned Lee with a smile. "Good-night," he said. "Oh, but it's
+good to remember that I shall see you to-morrow!"
+
+With a happy glance and a low "Good-bye" she turned away.
+
+Laying aside his blanket and his shoes, Cavanagh crept into the snug
+little camp-bed. "Ah," he breathed, with a delicious sense of relief, "I
+feel as if I could sleep a week!" And in an instant his eyes closed in
+slumber so profound that it was barren even of dreams.
+
+When he awoke it was noon, and Swenson, the guard, was standing over him.
+"I'm sorry, but it's time to be moving," he said; "it's a long ride over
+there."
+
+"What time is it?" inquired Cavanagh, with some bewilderment.
+
+"Nearly noon. I've got some coffee ready. Want some?"
+
+"Do I? Just watch me!" And he scrambled out of his bed with vigor, and
+stretched himself like a cat, exclaiming: "Wow! but it does feel good to
+know that I am out of jail!"
+
+Going down to the stream, he splashed his face and neck in the clear cold
+water, and the brisk rubbing which followed seemed to clear his thought as
+well as sharpen his appetite.
+
+"You seem all right so far," hazarded the guide.
+
+"I am all right, and I'll be all right to-morrow, if that's what you
+mean," replied Cavanagh. "Well, now, pack up, and we'll pull out."
+
+For a few moments after he mounted his horse Cavanagh looked about the
+place as if for the last time--now up at the hill, now down at the meadow,
+and last of all at the stream. "I hope you'll enjoy this station as much
+as I have, Swenson. It's one of the prettiest on the whole forest."
+
+Together they zigzagged up the side of the hill to the north, and then
+with Cavanagh in the lead (followed by his pack-horse), they set up the
+long lateral moraine which led by a wide circle through the wooded park
+toward the pass. The weather was clear and cold. The wind bit, and
+Cavanagh, scantily clothed as he was, drew his robe close about his neck,
+saying: "I know now how it feels to be a blanket Indian. I must say I
+prefer an overcoat."
+
+A little later the keen eyes of the guard, sweeping the mountain-side,
+were suddenly arrested. "There's a bunch of cowboys coming over the pass!"
+he called.
+
+"I see them," responded Cavanagh. "Get out your glasses and tell me who
+they are."
+
+Swenson unslung his field-glasses and studied the party attentively.
+"Looks like Van Horne's sorrel in the lead, and that bald-face bay just
+behind looks like the one Gregg rides. The other two I don't seem to
+know."
+
+"Perhaps it's the sheriff after me for harboring Edwards," suggested
+Cavanagh.
+
+But Swenson remained sober. He did not see the humor of the remark. "What
+are they doing on the forest, anyhow?" he asked.
+
+Half an hour later the two parties came face to face on a little stretch
+of prairie in the midst of the wooded valley. There were four in the
+sheriff's party: Gregg, the deputy, and a big man who was a stranger to
+Cavanagh. Their horses were all tired, and the big civilian looked
+saddle-weary.
+
+"Good evenin', gentlemen!" called the sheriff, in Southern fashion, as he
+drew near.
+
+"Good evenin', Mr. Sheriff," Cavanagh civilly answered. "What's the
+meaning of this invasion of my forest?"
+
+The sheriff, for answer, presented the big stranger. "Mr. Cavanagh, this
+is Mr. Simpson, the county attorney."
+
+Cavanagh nodded to the attorney. "I've heard of Mr. Simpson," he said.
+
+Simpson answered the question Ross had asked. "We were on our way to your
+station, Mr. Cavanagh, because we understand that this old man Dunn who
+shot himself had visited you before his death, giving you information
+concerning the killing of the Mexican sheep-herders. Is that true?"
+
+"It is."
+
+"When did he visit you?"
+
+"Two days ago, or maybe three. I am a little mixed about it. You see, I
+have been pretty closely confined to my shack for a few days."
+
+Gregg threw in a query. "How _is_ the old man?"
+
+"He's all right; that is to say, he's dead. Died last night."
+
+The sheriff looked at Simpson meaningly. "Well, I reckon that settles his
+score, judge. Even if he was implicated, he's out of it now."
+
+"He couldn't have been implicated," declared the ranger, "for he was with
+me at the time the murder was committed. I left him high on the mountain
+in the Basque herder's camp. I can prove an alibi for him. Furthermore, he
+had no motive for such work."
+
+"What did Dunn tell you?" demanded the sheriff. "What names did he give
+you?"
+
+"Wait a moment," replied Cavanagh, who felt himself to be on his own
+territory, and not to be hurried. "There's a reward offered for the arrest
+of these men, is there not?"
+
+"There is," replied the attorney.
+
+"Well, before I make my statement I'd like to request that my share of the
+reward, if there is any coming to me, shall be paid over to the widow of
+the man who gave me the information. Poor chap, he sacrificed himself for
+the good of the State, and his family should be spared all the suffering
+possible."
+
+"Quite right, Mr. Cavanagh. You may consider that request granted. Now for
+the facts."
+
+"Before going into that, Mr. Attorney, I'd like to speak to you alone."
+
+"Very well, sir," replied the attorney. Then waving his hand toward the
+others, he said: "Boys, just ride off a little piece, will you?"
+
+When they were alone, Cavanagh remarked: "I don't think it wise to give
+these names to the wind, for if we do, there will be more fugitives."
+
+"I see your point," Simpson agreed.
+
+Thereupon, rapidly and concisely, the ranger reported what Dunn had said,
+and the attorney listened thoughtfully without speaking to the end; then
+he added: "That tallies with what we have got from Ballard."
+
+"Was Ballard in it?" asked Cavanagh.
+
+"Yes, we forced a confession from him."
+
+"If he was in it, it was merely for the pay. He represented some one
+else."
+
+"What makes you think that?"
+
+"Because he was crazy to return to the show with which he used to perform,
+and desperately in need of money. Have you thought that Gregg might have
+had a hand in this affair? Dunn said he had, although he was not present
+at any of the meetings."
+
+This seemed to surprise the attorney very much. "But he's a sheepman!" he
+exclaimed.
+
+"I know he is; but he's also a silent partner in the Triangle cattle
+outfit, and is making us a lot of trouble. And, besides, he had it in for
+these dagoes, as he calls them, because they were sheeping territory which
+he wanted himself."
+
+"I don't think he's any too good for it," responded Simpson, "but I doubt
+if he had any hand in the killing; he's too cunning and too cowardly. But
+I'll keep in mind what you have said, and if he is involved in any degree,
+he'll have to go down the road with the others--his money can't save
+him."
+
+As they came back to the party Cavanagh thought he detected in Gregg's
+eyes a shifting light that was not there before, but he made no further
+attempt to impress his opinion upon the attorney or the sheriff. He only
+said: "Well, now, gentlemen, I must go on over the divide. I have an
+appointment with the doctor over there; also with a bed and a warmer suit
+of clothes than I have on. If I can be of any service to you when I am out
+of quarantine, I hope you will call upon me."
+
+"It is possible that we may need you in order to locate some of the men
+whose names you have given me."
+
+"Very good," replied Cavanagh. "If they come upon the forest anywhere, the
+Supervisor and I will find them for you."
+
+So they parted, and Cavanagh and his guard resumed their slow journey
+across the range.
+
+
+
+
+CONCLUSION
+
+
+In her career as the wife of a Western rancher, Eleanor Redfield had been
+called upon to entertain many strange guests, and she made no very
+determined objection when her husband telephoned that he was bringing Lize
+as well as Lee Virginia to stay at Elk Lodge for a few days. The
+revelation of the true relation between the two women had (as Lize put it)
+made a "whole lot of difference" to Mrs. Redfield. It naturally cleared
+the daughter of some part of her handicap, and it had also made the
+mother's attitude less objectionable.
+
+Furthermore, the loyalty of Eliza to Ross, her bravery in defending him
+from attack, and the love and courage which enabled her to rise from a
+sick-bed and go to the mountains, ready and insistent on taking his place
+as nurse--all these were not the traits of a commonplace personality. "I
+begin to think I've been unjust to Mrs. Wetherford," she admitted to her
+husband.
+
+She had seen Lize but once, and that was in the distorting atmosphere of
+the restaurant, and she remembered her only as a lumpy, scowling,
+loud-voiced creature with blowsy hair and a watchful eye. She was
+profoundly surprised, therefore, when Lee Virginia introduced a
+quiet-spoken, rather sad-faced elderly woman as her mother.
+
+"I'm glad to see you, Mrs. Wetherford," Eleanor said, with the courtesy
+which was instinctive with her.
+
+"I'm mightily obliged for the chance to come," replied Lize. "I told
+Reddy--I mean the Supervisor--that you didn't want no old-timer like me,
+but he said 'Come along,' and Lee she fixed me out, and here I am." She
+uttered this with a touch of her well-known self-depreciation, but she was
+by no interpretation sordid or common.
+
+She did, indeed, show Lee's care, and her manner, while manifestly formed
+upon Lee's instructions, was never ludicrous. She was frankly curious
+about the house and its pretty things, and swore softly in her surprise
+and pleasure. "Think of an old cow-boss like me living up to these
+jimmy-cracks!" As they went to their room together, she made a confession:
+"The thing that scares me worst is _eating_. I've et at the Alma times
+enough, but to handle a fork here with El'nor Redfield lookin' on! Great
+peter! ain't there some way of takin' my meals out in the barn? I wouldn't
+mind you and Ross and Reddy--it's the missis."
+
+Ross had not yet arrived at the cabin, but Redfield had warned Lee not to
+expect him till after dark. "He probably slept late, and, besides, there
+are always delays on the trail. But don't worry. Swenson will ride to the
+top of the divide with him, and if it seems necessary will come all the
+way."
+
+This feeling of anxiety helped to steady Lize, and she got through the
+meal very well. She was unwontedly silent, and a little sad as well as
+constrained. She could see that Lee fitted in with these surroundings,
+that she was at home with shining silver and dainty dishes, and she said
+to herself: "I could have been something like her if I'd had any sort o'
+raisin', but it's too late now. But oh, Lord! wouldn't Ed like to see her
+now!"
+
+It was not yet dark when they came out on the veranda to meet the doctor,
+who had come to meet Ross, and Lee's anxiety led her to say: "Can't we go
+up to the cabin and wait for him there?"
+
+"I was about to propose that," replied Redfield. "Shall we walk?"
+
+Lee was instant in her desire to be off, but Lize said: "I never was much
+on foot and now I'm hoof-bound. You go along, and I'll sit on the porch
+here and watch."
+
+So Lee, the doctor, and Redfield went off together across the meadow
+toward the little cabin which had been built for the workmen while putting
+in the dam. It was hardly a mile away, and yet it stood at the mouth of a
+mighty gorge, out of which the water sprang white with speed.
+
+But Lee had no mind for the scenery, though her eyes were lifted to the
+meadow's wall, down which the ranger was expected to ride. It looked
+frightfully steep, and whenever she thought of him descending that trail,
+worn and perhaps ill, her heart ached with anxiety. But Redfield rambled
+on comfortably, explaining the situation to the doctor, who, being a most
+unimaginative person, appeared to take it all as a matter of course.
+
+At the cabin itself Lee transferred her interest to the supper which had
+been prepared for the ranger, and she went about the room trying to make
+it a little more comfortable for him. It was a bare little place, hardly
+more than a camp (as was proper), and she devoutly prayed that he was not
+to be sick therein, for it stood in a cold and gloomy place, close under
+the shadow of a great wall of rock.
+
+As it grew dark she lighted a lamp and placed it outside the window in
+order that its light might catch the ranger's eye, and this indeed it did,
+for almost instantly a pistol-shot echoed from the hillside, far above,
+signalling his approach.
+
+"There he is!" she exclaimed, in swift rebound to ecstasy. "Hear him
+shout?"
+
+His voice could indeed be heard, though faintly, and so they waited while
+the darkness deepened and the voice of the stream rose like an exhalation,
+increasing in violence as the night fell.
+
+At last they could hear the sound of his horse's feet upon the rocks, and
+with girlish impulse Lee raised a musical cry--an invitation as well as a
+joyous signal.
+
+To this the ranger made vocal answer, and they could soon see him moving
+athwart the hillsides, zigzagging in the trailer's fashion, dropping down
+with incredible swiftness. He was alone, and leading his horse, but his
+celerity of movement and the tones of his voice denoted confidence and
+health.
+
+The doctor laughed as he said: "I don't think a very sick man could come
+down a mountain like that."
+
+"Oh, he isn't sick yet," said Redfield. "What we are afraid of is a
+possible development."
+
+The ranger, as he came rushing down the final slope, found his knees
+weakened as much by excitement as by weariness. To hear Lee's clear voice
+down there, to know that she was waiting for him, was to feel himself the
+luckiest of men. Escaping contagion and being on his way to a larger
+position were as nothing compared to the lure of that girlish halloo. He
+saw the lamp shine afar, but he could not distinguish the girl's form till
+he emerged from the clump of pine-trees which hid the bottom of the trail.
+Then they all shouted together, and Redfield, turning to Lee, warningly
+said:
+
+"Now, my dear girl, you and I must not interfere with the doctor. We will
+start back to the house at once."
+
+"Not yet--not till we've seen him and talked with him," she pleaded.
+
+"I don't think there's a particle of danger," said the doctor, "but
+perhaps you'd better not wait."
+
+Cavanagh came up with shining eyes and heavy breath. "I made it--but oh,
+I'm tired! I never was tired like this before in my life." He looked at
+her as he spoke. "But I'm feeling fine."
+
+"This is Doctor French, Ross."
+
+"How are you doctor? I'm not shaking hands these days."
+
+"Well see about that," replied the physician.
+
+"I met the sheriff on the way, Mr. Supervisor, and I gave him the story
+Dunn told me, and I made a request that the reward for the information be
+paid to Dunn's widow."
+
+"I'll see to that," responded Redfield. "And now we'll leave you to the
+tender mercies of the doctor."
+
+"I made some coffee for you, and you'll find some supper under a napkin on
+the table," explained Lee.
+
+"Thank you."
+
+"I'm sorry it isn't better. It's only cold chicken and sandwiches--"
+
+"Only cold chicken!" he laughed. "My chief anxiety is lest it should not
+prove a whole chicken. I'm hungry as a coyote!"
+
+"Well, now, good-night," said Redfield. "Doctor, you'll report as you go
+by?"
+
+"Yes; expect me in half an hour or so."
+
+And so Lee walked away with Redfield, almost entirely relieved of her
+care. "He can't be ill, can he?" she asked.
+
+"I don't see how he can. His life has made him as clean and strong as an
+oak-tree on a windy slope. He is all right, and very happy. Your being
+there to meet him was very sweet to him, I could see that. If it should
+turn out that you should be the one to keep him here and in the Forest
+Service I shall be very grateful to you."
+
+She did not reply to this, but walked along in silence by his side,
+feeling very small, very humble, but very content.
+
+Lize was on the veranda. "Did he get through?"
+
+"He's all right so far," returned Redfield, cheerily. "We left the doctor
+about to fly at him. We'll have a report soon."
+
+They had hardly finished telling of how the ranger had descended the hill
+when the doctor arrived. "He hasn't a trace of it," was his report. "All
+he needs is sleep. I cut him off from his entire over-the-range outfit,
+and there's no reason why he should not come down to breakfast with you in
+the morning."
+
+Mrs. Redfield thanked the doctor as fervently as if he had conferred a
+personal favor upon her, and the girl echoed her grateful words.
+
+"Oh, that's all right," the doctor replied, in true Western fashion; "I'll
+do as much more for you any time." And he rode away, leaving at least one
+person too happy to sleep.
+
+                    *       *       *       *       *
+
+The same person was on the veranda next morning when Cavanagh, dressed in
+the Supervisor's best suit of gray cassimere, came striding across the
+lawn--too impatient of the winding drive to follow it. As he came, his
+face glowing with recovered health, Lee thought him the god of the
+morning, and went to meet him unashamed, and he took her to his arms and
+kissed her quite as he had promised himself to do.
+
+"Now I _know_ that I am delivered!" he exclaimed, and together they
+entered upon the building of a home in the New West.
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Cavanagh: Forest Ranger, by Hamlin Garland
+
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