CHAPTER II. JEANNE DUDLEY.
“I’m glad you are here, of course, Rand—awfully glad! But I can’t understand how you ever came to leave God’s country for—this!”
Her voice, soft and reminiscent, came to him through the darkness as they moved slowly across the little garden toward the high bluff overlooking the river. The garden was Jeanne Dudley’s special care and pride; and the delicate odors of the vivid flowers were very sweet and refreshing to him after his long journey. Overhead, stars twinkled with the bigness and brilliance which they show only in the high, free lands of the mountains.
“‘Beggars can’t be choosers,’ Jeanne,” Rand Cameron, the curly-haired man, laughed. “Dad left nothing—but bills; and they swallowed the plantation! I had to do something. The gold-fields seemed to offer a chance; and, as I knew you and the major were in this neighborhood, I—well, here I am!”
“Yes, here you are,” his blue-eyed companion answered seriously, “in one of the wildest gold-fields of the country!”
“But—with you,” he replied softly.
She did not answer, and he took her hand. After a moment, she gently withdrew it.
“Don’t Rand, please.”
“You’re—you’re not holding that silly quarrel against me, are you?” he asked dejectedly. “Five years, Jeanne! I—I hoped you would forgive and forget that!”
“I did, Rand! I realized long ago that I was wrong, too! It’s not that. I’m afraid I can’t make you understand. It’s just that—that I’ve seen so much of the wickedness and greed and brutality of—men, since gold was found here, that—well, I don’t expect—oh, I can’t talk about it, Rand!”
“But we’re not all that way, Jeanne!”
“I know that, of course. But it—doesn’t seem to make up for some of the—things I’ve seen.”
“Then—is there no hope for me?”
“I’m afraid not.” Her answer was in a low voice, and she did not look up.
They had come to the edge of the cliff and now stood looking down at the chattering little river whose magic name had summoned the treasure-seekers from far and wide.
“Nevertheless,” he said quietly, “I will hope. I haven’t come across a whole continent to—to give up now! I love you, Jeanne. I always have loved you. I won’t lose you just because these creatures out here have been making—gold-beasts of themselves!”
She was silent a moment. “Then,” she questioned softly, “it wasn’t true that you came here for the gold-fields?”
“That was the truth,” he answered slowly, “but only a small part of it. I came here for you! And just as soon as I make my strike, I’ll try again—and keep on trying until I win or there’s not a chance left. But until then, Jeanne, you will not be bothered about it any more. I give you my word for that.”
There was a little awkward pause.
“The major is looking well,” he said, changing the subject with an effort. “The air and the climate out here must have helped him a great deal.”
“Papa was getting along wonderfully until gold was discovered.” Her voice was troubled. “But since then the excitement and the—the fever here have almost undone it all. It—it almost makes me cry to think of it! It was so beautiful and peaceful here, Rand. Now they’re flocking into the valley by thousands, all kinds of creatures, some of them almost savages! They’re fighting and robbing and killing each other every day. There is no control whatever. Crimes of every kind are committed as if they were nothing! I’m afraid we’ll have to move again, for papa’s sake!”
“But can’t something be done about it? Aren’t there any decent men here at all?”
“There are lots of them,” she answered hopelessly, “but they are all demoralized by the worse element. They have no leader, and they’re so eager to get rich themselves they haven’t time to think about anything like organizing. No one will accept the office of sheriff, or any other office that would require them to take risks! You must be careful, Rand! You did a dangerous thing in quarreling with Williams the very first day you were here!”
“Williams!” he echoed. “Oh, you refer to that thin, sneering brute that I had the pleasure of knocking down this afternoon. I’m not much worried about him.”
The girl glanced at his clean-cut profile. It was evident that he was not aware of what had happened that afternoon after he had taken his departure from the “Silver Star.”
“You don’t know him,” she answered anxiously, “or you would be! They call him ‘Wasp’ Williams, and it’s not merely because he looks like one, but because he is one. He is a coward at heart, I’m sure—like all bullies! But he is dangerous. He is the best and quickest shot around here. He has killed any number of others, and he won’t hesitate to kill you, too, Rand, if you give him an excuse—and you have already done that, according to their code! He has a queer smattering of education, and he has got to be one of the leaders of the men. Most of them hate him; but they fear him even more so. You needn’t expect any mercy or fair play from his creatures! There are quite a few who were probably glad of what you did, and would like to take your side! but they do not dare to. They know how any kind of a duel with him always ends! The worst of it is, Rand, he—he—”
“What?” He suddenly stopped in front of her and shot out the question.
“He—oh, Rand, it makes me shiver to—talk, about it!”
Very quietly he took her by the shoulders, and stared down into the shadowy oval that was her face. When he spoke his voice was calm; but it was the dangerous calmness of deep waters.
“Jeanne,” he asked, “did that beast dare to—make love to you?”
“He tried to,” she faltered, “but I—I drove him away!”
“Good God!” His arms dropped to his side. “If I had known that this afternoon, I would have smashed his leering face to pulp!”
She placed a small, strong hand on his arm.
“Rand, for my sake, and father’s, you must not do anything like that! Any trouble now might—take him away from me. I’m hoping we’ll be able to manage till things get better here. And, in the meanwhile, we’re just—being careful!”
He walked up and down for several moments in silence. Then he turned a controlled face to her.
“Perhaps in time we’ll find a solution,” he said. “In the meanwhile, don’t worry, Jeanne. Above all, don’t worry any more about that creature you call Wasp Williams. There isn’t a drop of courage in his entire body!”
“That is why we should fear him!” she said quickly, “If he was a decent man, he would move in the open, and there would not be so much to be alarmed about. But he is a—a snake, Rand! You have not been here long enough to realize what a nest this place has become.”
As if to prove her words, at that very moment a volley of shots rang out from the direction of the village. A sharp cry, a chorus of hoarse laughter, and then the usual low hum of the night-life in the little town!
The girl trembled. “It is happening like that every day and every night. I’m afraid poor papa won’t be able to stand it much longer! And I have gotten to love this place so, Rand—these mountains and rivers and cañons! I love them in spite of—this!” Her arm swept in a wide semicircle which took in the entire town. “It would break my heart to leave Red Valley!”
There was another little pause. He stood with grave face, looking in the direction whence the sound of the shots had come.
“There must be some way,” he said thoughtfully. “I wish I knew what it was.”
“There is only one way I can think of,” she answered slowly. “It has often occurred to me, but it is unusual and extremely dangerous! Still, it succeeded once before, however, and might again.”
“What is it?” he asked, trying to see her face in the faint light of the stars.
She came closer, and for several minutes whispered eagerly in his ear. Then she stepped back and waited. He drew a long breath.
“I think it would work again,” he said at last. “Your father was one of the chiefs, wasn’t he?”
“Chief of the Clans of our whole State,” she answered proudly.
“It has this advantage,” he said after a moment, “that it is most powerful against the ignorant and superstitious; and that is mostly the kind we would have to contend with here! And it would give the decent men a chance to do something without being known! Jeanne, I believe we can do it! I believe we can save this place yet!”
“We would need help, Rand, and we would have to be careful. But I’m sure if we got it started we could get many more to join us! I could name a dozen. And, if we began to be successful, the better element would be glad to flock to it. It would be hard at first; but I believe we can do it, too.”
“Then we will!” he said quickly. “It’s well worth the danger and the sacrifice. I’m willing to do my part, no matter what it brings!”
“And I’ll do mine,” she answered very quietly.
With a little murmur, he took her hand again; and this time he would not let it go.
“If we win,” he said with grim tenderness, “I might not be willing to wait until I make my strike. I might claim my reward at once, Jeanne; and it will be—you!” He raised the hand to his lips and kissed it.
“For success!”