CHAPTER XXVI
BENEATH THE DARKNESS
Running blindly through the darkness toward the sound of struggle cameHicks and Winston. They caught no more than faint glimpses ofscattering, fleeing figures, but promptly opened fire, scarcelycomprehending as yet what it all meant. Hicks, dashing recklesslyforward, tripped over a recumbent figure in the darkness, and the twopaused irresolutely, perceiving no more of the enemy. Then it was thatStutter Brown struggled slowly up upon his knees, still closelyclasping the slender figure of the stricken girl within his arms. Sheneither moved nor moaned, but beneath the revealing starlight her eyeswere widely opened, gazing up into his face, appearing marvellouslybrilliant against the unusual pallor of her cheeks. Her breath cameshort and sharp as if in pain, yet the lips smiled up at him.
"Oh, God!" he sobbed, "it was you!"
"Si, senor," the words faltering forth, almost as if in mockery of hisown hesitating speech. "Once I said maybe I show you. I not know howden--now I know."
"Sh-show me, little girl--in God's n-name, show me wh-what?"
"Eef eet vas true dat I lofe you, senor. Now you tink eet vas so; nowyou all'ays know vat vas in de heart of Mercedes. Dis bettah vay astalk, senor--nevah you doubt no more."
He could only continue to look at her, the intense agony within hiseyes beyond all expression of speech, his words caught helpless in theswelling throat. She lifted one hand in weak caress, gently touchinghis cheek with her white fingers.
"Oh, please don't, senor. Eet hurt me mooch to see you feel dat bad.Sure eet does. Eet vas not de balls vat hurt--no, no! I know dey notreach to you eef dey hit me de first. Eet joys me to do dat--sure eetdoes."
"Little g-girl, little g-girl," he faltered, helplessly, his greathands trembling as he touched her. "It w-was you I t-tried ter save.I-I ran th-th-this way so th-they wouldn't sh-shoot toward yer."
She smiled happily up at him, softly stroking his hair, even while thelines of her face twitched from pain.
"Sure I know, senor. You von brav', good man--maybe now you all'aystink I brav', good also. Dat be 'nough for Mercedes. Oh, dis be debettar vay--de great God knows; sure He knows. Now, senor, I be yoursall'ays, forever. I so happy to be lofed by good man. I just look inyour face, senor, and tink, He lofe me, he ask me marry him. Maybe Inot nevah do dat, for fear he tire, for fear he hear tings not niceabout Mercedes. Dat make me sorrow, make me shame before him. Si, Iknow how it vould be. I know de Americanos; dey ver' proud of darevives, dey fight for de honor. So eet make me mooch 'fraid, I no vort'eet--no, no! I know not den de bettar vay. But de good Mother of Godshe show me, she tell me vat do--I run quick; I die for de man I lofe,an' den he all'ays know dat I lofe him; he know den bettar as eef Imarry him. Si, si, eet vas all joy for Mercedes, now, my senor. Eetnot hurt, eet make me glad to know."
Brown bent ever lower as he listened, his great body shaking in theeffort to repress his sobs, his lips pressing against her white cheek.
"I kiss you now, senor," she whispered, faintly. "Just de once, like Ivas your vife."
Their lips met, the very soul of each seemingly in the soft, clingingcontact. Suddenly the poor girl sank backward, her head fallingheavily upon his supporting arm, a peculiar shudder twitching herslender form.
"Mercedes!" he cried in alarm.
"Si, senor," the black eyes still wide open, but her words scarcelyaudible. "Eet is so hard to see you; maybe de stars hide behin' decloud, but, but I lofe--"
"Yes, y-yes, I kn-know."
She lifted her arms, then dropped them heavily upon his bowed shoulders.
"Dar is such a brightness come, senor. Eet light everyting like eetvas de day. Maybe I be good too, now dat a good man lofe me; maybe deGod forgif all de bad because I lofe. You tink so? Oh, eet--eet joysme so--senor! senor!"
Motionless, almost breathless, but for the sobs shaking his greatfigure, he held her tightly, bending low, her white cheek against hisown, her head pillowed upon his arm. About them was the silence, thesolemn night shadows, amid which waited Hicks and Winston earnestlywatching. Finally, the latter spoke gently, striving to arouse theman; but Stutter Brown never lifted his head, never removed his eyesfrom the death-white face upheld by his arm. As though stricken tostone he remained motionless, seemingly lifeless, his face as pallid asthe dead he guarded. Hicks bent over and placed one hand upon hisshoulder.
"Stutter, ol' pard," he said, pleadingly. "I know it's mighty hard,but don't take on so; don't act that way. It can't do her no manner o'good now. It's all--all over with, an' you ain't helpin' her nonea-settin' thar that way."
The smitten man drew a deep breath, glancing up into the kindly, seamedface bending over him, and about at the surrounding darkness. Heacted like one suddenly aroused from sleep, unable to comprehend hissituation. Slowly, with all the tenderness of love, he crumpled hisold hat into the semblance of a pillow, placed it upon the rock, andlowered the girl's head until it rested softly upon it. Gently hepassed his great hand in caress across the ruffled black hair, pressingit back from her forehead. He arose to his knees, to his feet, swayingslightly, one hand pressed against his head as he stared blankly intothe faces of the two men.
"W-which way d-did he go?" he asked, almost stupidly. "Th-the fellerw-who told 'em ter f-f-fire?"
Old Hicks, his eyes filled with misery, shook his head.
"Back ter the 'Independence,' I reckon," he admitted. "Most o' 'em Isaw started that way."
Brown roughly jerked his gun from out its holster, holding the shiningweapon up into the starlight.
"No, he didn't; not that one," he growled fiercely, his glance fallingagain upon the upturned features of the dead girl. "I saw him out tharrunnin' toward our shaft-hole; h-he's up t-ter more d-deviltry. Y-youtake k-keer o' her." His voice broke, then rang out strong. "ByG-God, I 'll git the murderer!"
He pushed past between the two, shouldering them aside as thoughfailing to see them, and, with the leap of a tiger, disappeared in thenight. Each man had caught a glimpse of his face, drawn, white, everyline picturing savagery, and shrank back from the memory. It was as ifthey had looked upon something too horrible for thought. A moment theystared after him, clutching their rifles as though in an agony of fear.Hicks first found words of expression.
"He 's gone mad! God pity him, he 's gone mad!"
Winston drew himself together sharply, one hand grasping the other'sarm.
"Then leave it to him," he said, quickly. "Whoever did this deeddeserves his punishment. Let us do what he bade us--look to the bodyof this poor girl."
They turned back, dreading their task, moving still as though halfdazed. As they advanced, a dark body just beyond suddenly rose to itsknees, and began crawling away. With a bound Hicks succeeded in layinghands upon the fellow, and flung him over, face upward to the stars.With gun at his head he held the man prostrate, staring down upon therevealed features in manifest astonishment.
"Damn me!" he cried, a new note of surprise in his voice, "Winston,look yere!"
"What is it?" and the younger man pressed forward, his rifle ready.
"Ain't that Burke? Ain't that the same feller they had you pinched fermurderin'?"
The helpless man lying upon the ground frowned savagely up at them, adirty bandage bound about his head giving him a ghastly, unnaturalappearance. For a long moment the startled engineer gazed down at himin incredulity, unable to distinguish the features clearly, his ownheart beating rapidly in suspense.
"I half believe it is. Are you Jack Burke?"
The man attempted a grin, but there was little of merriment in theresult.
"Oi think loikely ye 're as liable as any wan to know. Ye 're the ladthat put this head on me, but that other divil it was that broke mearm. Let me up from here. Begorry! Oi 've had 'nough fightin' ferwan toime."
"Did you know I had been put under arrest on the charge of killing you?"
Burke grinned, this time in earnest.
"Divil a bi
t did Oi know anything about it. Farnham he tould me tokeep damn quiet in the bunkhouse, out o' sight, but whin they wantedfor to set this fuse off, it seems Oi was the only lad that could dothe job, an' so they brought me out here along wid 'em. It 's a bustedhead an' a broken arm Oi 've got for me share o' the fun. Be thepowers, now, let me git up!"
The two men, watching him closely, exchanged glances.
"All right, Burke," and Winston held up his rifle suggestively. "Youcan get up, only stay close to us, wid no tricks. I want you, and Iwant you bad. If you make any break, there 'll be a dead Irishman thistime sure. Is that you, Mike?"
"Sure, sor."
"Good; you've come just in time. Drop your muzzle on this native son,and if the fellow makes a suspicious move, plug him, you understand?"
"Ye bet Oi do, sor. Sthep out there, Burke, yer slab-sided boss o'Swades, or Oi 'll show ye what a dacent Oirishman--an O'Brien,bedad,--thinks o' the loikes of ye; Oi will that."
With sympathetic gentleness, and in all the tenderness possible, theireyes moist, and everything else forgotten excepting their sad task,Hicks and Winston kneeled on the hard rock and lifted the slenderfigure of Mercedes in their arms. Slowly, without the exchange of aword, the little concourse turned in the darkness, and advanced in thedirection of the cabin, bearing the silent burden. They walked withbowed heads and careful steps, their hearts heavy. With a faint whinnythe girl's deserted pony trotted forward from out the shadow where hehad been left, sniffed at her trailing skirt with outstretched nose,and fell in behind, walking with head bent almost to the ground asthough he also understood and mourned. Winston glanced, marvelling,back at the animal, hastily brushing a tear from out his own eye; yethis lips remained set and rigid. He felt no doubt about who it wasBrown was seeking through the black night. When they met, it would bea battle to the death.
Before the still open door of the cabin they silently lowered theirburden in the shadow of the building. An instant they stood therelistening intently for any sound to reach them from out the surroundingnight. Then Winston, assuming the duty, stepped reluctantly forwardendeavoring to peer within. His heart throbbed from the pain of thatsudden message of death he brought.
"Beth," he called, perceiving no movement within, and compelling hisvoice to calmness. "Miss Norvell."
There was a slight movement near the farther wall, but it was the voiceof the wounded sheriff which answered.
"Who are yer? What was all that firin' about just now? Damn if I ain't too weak ter git up, but I got a gun yere, an' reckon I kin pull thetrigger."
"It's Winston and Hicks. We 've had a skirmish out beyond the dump.Those fellows tried to blow up our shaft, and we caught them at it. IsMiss Norvell here?"
"No, I reckon not; she was sittin' yere talkin' to me when thatshootin' begun, an' then she ran out the door thar. Anybody git hurt?"
"The little Mexican girl was killed. We have brought her body here."
"Good God!"
"And we 've also got a prisoner, sheriff. It 's that same Jack Burkeyou arrested me for killing. He seems very much alive."
There was a rustling back in the darkness, as if the man within wasendeavoring to draw his body into a sitting posture. Then he sworesavagely, pounding his fist into the side of the bunk, as thoughseeking thus to relieve his feelings.
"Burke!" he fairly exploded at last, his anger appearing to stifleutterance. "Jack Burke! Hell! Is that true? Oh, Lord! but I wish Icould git out o' yere. That damn Farnham swore out that warrant downin San Juan, ther blame, ornery cur. It was a low-down, measly trick,an' he actually had the nerve ter use me ter play out his game fer him.Lord! if ever I git my hand on him I 'll shut down hard."
No one answered him, the thought of all recurring reverently to themotionless, silent dead without. Bareheaded, the two men, gropingthrough the darkness, bore Mercedes within in all tenderness, andplaced the slender form upon the bed, covering it with the singlesheet. Hicks remained motionless, bending over her, the kindlydarkness veiling the mist of tears dimming his old eyes and thetrembling of his lips as he sought, for the first time in years, topray. But Winston turned instantly and walked over toward Hayes, hisheart already filled with fresh anxiety.
"Where did she go, do you know?"
"Who? the young actress woman? I could n't see exactly, only she wentoutside. I thought I heard voices talkin' out thar later on, overbeyond toward the window, but maybe I imagined it. Darn this ol' heado' mine! It keeps whirlin' round every time I move, like it was allwheels."
The engineer, his face white with determination, strode to the door.Beyond doubt it was Biff Farnham whose voice Brown had recognized,commanding his men to fire; it was Farnham who had disappeared in thedirection of the "Little Yankee" shaft-house. What fresh deviltry wasthe desperate gambler engaged upon? What other tragedy was impendingout there in the black night?