“Bluff!” Rickard got up. “It’s caught white men before this. They won’t take the chance of losing that money. I’m off now to the Crossing. There’s a hitch at the concrete gate. I’ll be back this afternoon. I’ll leave you in charge here.”
“I’ll hold down your seat.” He did not remember his lagging enmity until Rickard’s dancing step had carried him out of sight. MacLean spent an hour unraveling the puzzle of it. If a man really loves a woman,—his question hurled a doubt at the integrity of his affection. Stoutly, he defended that. Yet, he should hate Rickard. His veins must run ice-water. An Ogilvie sort of man he was!
The next morning, Wooster broke into the ramada where MacLean sat clicking his typewriter.
“Where’s Casey?”
“Gone to the Crossing. Anything up?”
“Everything’s up.” Wooster flung his hat on the table. He stood, legs wide apart, his hands thrust into his pockets, looking down on Rickard’s secretary. “He’s done it now. Sent some all-fired, independent kindergarten orders to the Indians. Says they have to be in bed by ten o’clock, or some such hour on Saturday and Sunday nights. Indians won’t stand that! Any tenderfoot ought to know that. At this stage of the game, when we can’t afford to lose a man. It’s a strike, their answer. That’s what his monkeying has brought down on us.”
“They’re not going to quit?”
“They’ve sent word they won’t work on Mondays, and they will go to bed when they choose Saturday night. Losing one day a week! We can’t stand for that.”
“That’s not so bad.” MacLean was relieved. “I thought they were all going. He’ll find a way out.” He remembered then that he was speaking of his rival. This was an opportunity to put him in the wrong. Instead he was flaming to partisanship. No backbone! He found himself taking the side of the man he should be hating. “He’s no man’s goat.” Only sense of justice, this!
“Luck’s been playing into his hands,” spat Wooster. “But this will show him up. This’ll show Marshall his pet clerk. Tell Casey there’ll be no Indians to-morrow.” He sputtered angrily out of the office.