CHAPTER XIII
THE FIDDLER
Tim had listened carelessly to the conversation until now, when hesaid listlessly:
"Don't think us all criminals, for we're not. In my own case I didnothing to deserve exile except that I annoyed my elder brother bybecoming more popular with our social set than he was. He had all theproperty and I was penniless, so he got rid of me by threatening tocut off my allowance unless I went to America and stayed there."
"And you accepted such a condition?" cried Patsy, scornfully. "Whywere you not independent enough to earn your own living?"
He shrugged his shoulders, yet seemed amused.
"I simply couldn't," said he. "I was not educated to work, you know,and to do so at home would be to disgrace my noble family. I've toomuch respect for my lineage to labor with my hands or head."
"But here in America no one would know you," suggested Beth.
"I would only humiliate myself by undertaking such a task. And whyshould I do so? While I am in America my affectionate brother, thehead of the family, supports me, as is his duty. Your philosophy ispretty enough, but it is not practical. The whole fault lies in ourold-fashioned system of inheritance, the elder male of a familygetting all the estate and the younger ones nothing at all. Here, inthis crude and plebeian country, I believe it is the custom to providefor all one's children, and a father is at liberty to do so becausehis estate is not entailed."
"And he earns it himself and can do what he likes with it," addedUncle John, impatiently. "Your system of inheritance and entail maybe somewhat to blame, but your worst fault is in rearing a class ofmollycoddles and social drones who are never of benefit to themselvesor the world at large. You, sir, I consider something less than aman."
"I agree with you," replied Tim, readily. "I'm only good to cumber theearth, and if I get little pleasure out of life I must admit that it'sall I'm entitled to."
"And you can't break your bonds and escape?" asked Patsy.
"I don't care to. People who are ambitious to do things merely boreme. I don't admire them or care to imitate them."
From that moment they took no further interest in the handsomeoutcast. His world was not their world.
And now Tobey came in, driving before him a lot of Mexicans bearingtrays of food. The long table was laid in a moment, for everythingwas dumped upon it without any attempt at order. Each of the cowboysseized a plate from a pile at one end and helped himself to whateverhe wanted.
Two or three of the men, however, were courteous enough to attend totheir unwilling guests and see they were served as well as conditionswould permit The food was plentiful and of good quality, but althoughnone of Uncle John's party was squeamish or a stickler for form, allmore or less revolted from the utter disregard of all the proprieties.
"I'm sorry we have no wine; but there's plenty of whiskey, if you likeit," remarked Tobey.
The girls were silent and ate little, although they could not helpbeing interested in observing the bohemianism of these gently rearedbut decadent sons of respectable English families. As soon as theycould they left the table, and Tobey, observing their uneasiness inspite of his damaged and nearly useless optics, decided to send themto another room where they could pass the afternoon without furtherannoyance. Stubby escorted the party and ushered them into a goodsized room which he said was "Algy's study," although no one everstudied there.
"Algy's afraid you'll balk at the dance; so he wants to please youhowever he can," remarked the round faced youth. "You won't mind beingleft alone, will you?"
"We prefer it, sir," answered the Major, stiffly.
"You see, we're going to have a rare lark this afternoon," continuedStubby, confidentially. "Usually it's pretty dull here, and all wecan do is ride and hunt--play cards and quarrel. But your coming hascreated no end of excitement and this dance will be our red-letter dayfor a long time to come. The deuce of if is, however, that there areonly two girls to dance with thirteen men. We limit our community tofifteen, you know; but little Ford and old Rutledge have backed downand won't have anything to do with this enterprise. I don't know why,"he continued, thoughtfully.
"Perhaps they still have some gentlemanly instincts," suggested Patsy.
"That must be it," he replied in a relieved tone. "Well, anyhow,to avoid quarrels and bloodshed we've agreed to throw dice for thedances. Every one is to have an equal chance, you see, and when youyoung ladies open the dance the entire programme will be arranged foryou."
"Are we to have no choice in the matter of partners?" inquired Bethcuriously.
"None whatever. There would surely be a row, in that case, and weintend to have everything; pass off pleasantly if we have to kill afew to keep the peace."
With this Stubby bowed low and retreated toward the door, whichsuddenly opened to admit old Dan'l the fiddler, who was thrust inso violently that his body collided with that of Stubby and nearlyknocked him over.
"That's all right," laughed the remittance man, recovering from theshock. "You mustn't escape, you know, Dan'l, for we depend on you forthe music."
He closed the door as he went out and they all heard a bolt shoot intoplace. Yet the broad window, scarcely six feet from the ground, stoodwide open to admit the air.
Dan'l stood in the middle of the room, motionless for a moment. Thenhe raised his wrinkled face and clinched his fists, shaking them inthe direction of the living-room.
"Me!" he muttered; "me play for dese monkeys to dance--me! amaestro--a composer--a artiste! No; I vill nod! I vill die before Icondescention to such badness, such mockery!"
They were the first words he had spoken since his arrival, and theyseemed to hold all his pentup indignation. The girls pitied the oldman and, recognizing in him a fellow prisoner, sought to comfort him.
"If the dance depends upon us, there will be no dance," said Patsy,firmly.
"I thought you advised submitting to the whim of these ruffians," saidUncle John in surprise.
"Only to gain time, Uncle. And the scheme has succeeded. Now is ourtime to plot and plan how to outwit our enemies."
"Goot!" cried Dan'l approvingly. "I help you. Dey are vermin--pah! Ivould kill dem all mitout mercifulness, unt be glad!"
"It won't be necessary to kill them, I hope," said Beth, smiling. "Allwe wish is to secure our escape."
"Vot a time dey make me!" said Dan'l, more calmly. "You see, I amliving peacefulness in mine bungalow by der river--ten mile away. Dotbrute Tim, he come unt ask me to fiddle for a dance. I--fiddle! Ven Irefuse me to do it, he tie me up unt by forcibleness elope mit me. Issid nod a crime--a vickedness--eh?"
"It certainly is, sir," said Uncle John. "But do not worry. Thesegirls have some plan in their heads, I'm sure, and if we manage toescape we will carry you home in safety. Now, my dears, what is it?"
"Oh, we've only begun to think yet," said Patsy, and walked to thewindow. All but Myrtle and Dan'l followed her.
Below the window was a jungle of cactus, with hundreds of spines asslender and sharp as stilettos sticking in every direction.
"H-m; this room is burglar proof," muttered Uncle John, with markeddisappointment.
"It also makes an excellent prison," added Patsy. "But I suspectedsomething of this sort when I saw they had left the window open. Wecan't figure on getting out that way, you see."
"Id vould be suiciding," Dan'l said, mournfully shaking his head. "Ifdese fiends were as goot as dey are clefer, dey vould be angels."
"No argument seems to prevail with them," remarked Beth. "They arelawless and merciless, and in this far-away country believe they maydo as they please."
"They're as bad as the bandits of Taormina," observed Patsy, smilingat the recollection of an adventure they had abroad; "but we must findsome way to evade them."
Dan'l had gone over to Myrtle's corner and stood staring at her withhis one shrewd eye. Uncle John looked thoughtfully out of the windowand saw Wampus busy in the road before the house. He had his coat offand was cutting the bars of barbed wire
and rolling them out of theway, while Mumbles, who had been left with him, ran here and there athis heels as if desiring to assist him.
From the big hall, or living room, at the right came a dull roar ofvoices, subdued shouts and laughter, mingled with the clinking ofglasses. All the remittance men were gathered there deep in the gameof dice which was to determine the order in which they were to dancewith Beth and Patsy. The servants were out of sight. Wampus had thefield to himself.
"Come here," said Uncle John to the girls, and when they stood besidehim pointed to the car. "Wampus is making ready for the escape," hecontinued. "He has cleared the road and the way is now open if we canmanage to get to the machine. Has your plan matured yet?"
Patsy shook her head.
"Not yet, Uncle," she replied.
"Couldn't Wampus throw us a rope?" inquired the Major.
"He could," said Uncle John; "but we would be unable to use it. Thoseterrible cactus spines are near enough to spear anyone who dared tryto slide down a rope. Think of something else."
They all tried to do that, but no practical idea seemed forthcoming.
"Oh, no," Dan'l was saying to Myrtle; "dey are nod afraid to shoot;bud dey vill nod shoot ladies, belief me. Always dey carry refolfersin deir belts--or deir holsterses. Dey eat mit refolfers; dey schleepmit refolfers; dey hunt, dey quarrel, unt sometimes dey shoot eachodder--de best enactionment vot dey do. Bud dey do nod shoot atladies--nefer."
"Will they wear their revolvers at the dance?" asked Beth, overhearingthis speech.
"I belief id," said Dan'l, wagging his ancient head. "Dey like to beready to draw quick like, if anybody shteps on anybody's toes. Yes; ofcourse."
"What a horrible idea!" exclaimed Patsy.
"They're quite liable to dance and murder in the same breath," theMajor observed, gloomily.
"I don't like it," said Beth. "It's something awful just to think of.Haven't they any gallantry?"
"No," answered Patsy. "But I wouldn't dance with a lot of half drunkenmen wearing revolvers, if they burned me at the stake for refusing."
"Ah! shtick to dat fine expressionment," cried Dan'l, eagerly. "Shtickto id! Say you won't dance if dey wear de refolfers--unt den we win deschweepstakes!"
Patsy looked at him critically, in the instant catching a part of hisidea.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Dan'l explained, while they all listened carefully, absorbed infollowing in thought his unique suggestions.
"Let's do it!" exclaimed Beth. "I'm sure the plan will succeed."
"It's leaving a good deal to chance," objected Uncle John, with atouch of nervousness.
"There is an element of chance in everything," declared Patsy. "ButI'm sure we shall escape, Uncle. Why it's a regular coup!"
"We take them by surprise, you know," explained the Major, whoheartily favored the idea.
They talked it over for a time, perfecting the details, and thenbecame as calm and composed as a group of prisoners might. Uncle Johnwaved his handkerchief to attract the attention of Wampus, who stolesoftly around the corner of the house and approached the window,taking care to keep at a respectful distance from the dangerouscactus.
"Is everything ready?" inquired Uncle John in a subdued voice.
"To be sure all is ready. Why not? I am Wampus!" was the reply, incautious tones.
"Go back to the machine and guard it carefully, Wampus," commanded Mr.Merrick. "We expect to escape soon after dark, so have the headlightsgoing, for we shall make a rush for it and there mustn't be a moment'sdelay."
"All right," said the chauffeur. "You may depend on me. I am Wampus,an' not 'fraid of a hundred coward like these. Is not Mister Algy hiseye mos' beautiful blacked?"
"It is," agreed Uncle John. "Go back to the car now, and wait for us.Don't get impatient. We don't know just when we will join you, but itwill be as soon as we can manage it. What is Mumbles doing?"
"Mumble he learn to be good automobilist. Jus' now he sit on seat an'watch wheel to see nobody touch. If anybody touch, Mumble he eat himup."
They all laughed at this whimsical notion and it served to relieve thestrain of waiting. Wampus, grinning at the success of his joke, wentback to the limousine to inspect it carefully and adjust it in everypart until it was in perfect order.
Now that a definite plan of action had been decided upon their spiritsrose considerably, and they passed the afternoon in eager anticipationof the crisis.
Rather earlier than expected Stubby and Tim came to say "they had beenappointed a committee to escort their guests to the banquet hall,where dinner would at once be served."
"We shall have to clear away for the dance," added Stubby, "so we wantto get the feast over with as quickly as possible. I hope you are allhungry, for Algy has spread himself on this dinner and we are tohave every delicacy the ranch affords, regardless of expense. We caneconomize afterward to make up for it."
Elaborate preparations were not greatly in evidence, however. TheMexican servants had washed themselves and the floor of the big roomhad been swept and cleared of some of its rubbish; but that was all.The remittance men were in their usual rough costumes and the air wasredolent with the fumes of liquor.