CHAPTER IX
THE QUEER OLD MAN
Nort was doing some quick thinking. And the burden of his thoughts wasto this effect:
"Bud and Dick have ridden off to see if they can solve the mystery, butalong comes this queer old man to me, and maybe he holds the key toopen the lock. It would be just my good luck!"
So it was with a feeling of elation, rather than otherwise, that Nortwatched the aged stranger finish his drink and then come back to wherethe boy stood near the ranch house. Snake and Sam were in the bunkhouse.
"Why should we go away from here?" asked Nort, trying to speak easilyand naturally. "And what is the danger?"
"Are you the boss?" was the quick retort.
"No, but the boss is my cousin, and he and I, with my brother, aregoing to run this ranch."
"You'd better run away before you try to run it!" chuckled the old manwith what seemed to be sinister humor. "But you can't say I didn'twarn you."
"Warn us of what?" asked Nort, a bit sharply. "What do you mean bycoming here trying to scare me?"
"I'm not trying to scare you, my boy, I'm just trying to warn you.Those here before you wouldn't listen to me, and what happened to them?They died, that's what happened. Now I'm offering you a chance foryour life and it seems to rile you."
"Oh, no, I'm not mad," and Nort smiled a little. "But I would like toknow what you are driving at. Before we came here we heard storiesabout the danger of Dot and Dash, but no one knew just what the dangerwas. Now you seem to----"
"Oh, no, I don't, young man!" interrupted the stranger, running hisskinny hands through his straggly, white hair. "I don't know whatcaused all those deaths any more than you do. But I do know if thosewho are gone--I mean the humans now and not the cattle--I mean if theyhad taken my Elixer they'd be alive to-day. There she is--Elixer ofLife!" and from what seemed to be one of many pockets in his loose coathe pulled out a bottle of dark liquid. Before Nort had a chance tomake reply the stranger, holding up the bottle and affectionatelypatting it from time to time, went on with:
"There she is! Elixer of Life! Made from roots, berries and herbs Igathered myself. Compounded in a secret manner after a recipe given meby an old Indian. It soothes the nerves, strengthens the muscles,clears the brain and prolongs life. Only a dollar a bottle and I canlet you have as many as you like. Guaranteed to act as specified andharmless enough so you can give it to babies! There you are--theElixer of Life!" It was so labeled--spelled with an e instead of i,and as the old man insisted this was right the boys let it go at that.So the stuff remained "elixer" to the end of the chapter.
He produced another bottle from somewhere in the recesses of his longcoat and, holding the two phials aloft, advanced upon Nort with astrange light shining in his eyes.
From a distance it must have looked to an observer as if the old manwas approaching the boy to hurl the bottles at him with evil intent,for they were high in the air, and over Nort's head. And Snake Purdeemust have taken this view of it, for, a moment later, standing in thedoor of the bunkhouse, the cowboy drew his gun, aimed it at the agedstranger and cried:
"Stand still or I'll bore you!"
The command was so threatening and Snake was in such a good position toshoot that, for a moment, Nort feared a bullet would end the matter.But the old man wheeled about, took in the situation at a glance andmildly said, as he lowered the bottles:
"No harm intended at all. I'm only trying to save this young man'slife. You've got no call to shoot me."
"Oh," exclaimed Snake rather lamely, seeing how the matter stood."Well, I don't just like your attitude, and----"
"He's only selling a patent medicine," broke in Nort with a smile."It's the Elixer of Life."
"I make it myself, from roots, berries and herbs," eagerly went on theold man. "Only a dollar a bottle or six for five dollars. If them aswere here before you had taken it they'd be alive to-day. But theywere scoffers. They spurned me and look what happened to them."
"I've seen you before, old man!" said Sam and there was somethingmenacing in his tone. "I've seen you around this ranch a lot, and I'veheard some say you was always around when something happened--I meanwhen men and cattle were found dead. I saw you just before my ownhorse died and I passed out and now I want you to explain. I've gotyou now!"
He made a grab for the old man, who did not seek to elude Sam, butstood quietly while the cowboy held one arm and took out a gun withwhich he covered the inventor of the Elixer.
"Now, son," said the old man, soothingly, "don't get excited. Ihaven't done any harm and I don't intend to. It's true you've seen mearound this ranch a lot--I live a few miles from here back in thewoods. And I've been around when there's been deaths. But I wastrying to stop death--not bring it about. Only I was always too late.They never would listen to me--them cowboys. And I was around when Isaw your horse go down. I rode back, later, thinking I could sell youa bottle of my Life Elixer before you passed away, but I got there toolate. I saw that you had expired so I went on."
"I'm a pretty live man for a dead one!" chuckled Sam. "But what's yourgame, anyhow?"
He had released his hold of the aged one and had put his gun back inthe holster as Snake had done. And then Nort made, unseen by thestranger, a motion to his two companions which served to explainmatters. Nort made a circular motion with one finger up near his headas though to indicate wheels going around.
"Oh!" softly murmured Snake, understandingly, and he was echoed by Samwith:
"I'm wise!"
While, as the aged one again raised his Elixer bottles on high Nortwith his lips only said the words:
"The poor old man's a bit cracked!"
And so it seemed. He was one of the many harmless but well-meaning"herb doctors" to be found in every community. He had a firm faith inhis own concoction.
"Be warned in time, gentlemen," he went on, still offering the Elixerto Nort. "You are alive now, but you may be dead to-morrow. This willsave you. One dollar a bottle or six for five."
He now held the two bottles in one hand while, with the other, he wentsearching through his coat for more. But Nort stopped him with agesture.
"Two are enough for now," he said, soothingly, handing over a twodollar bill. "But can you tell us anything about the causes for thedeaths that have taken place on Dot and Dash ranch?"
"Yes, young man, I can," was the firm answer as the bill was tuckedaway inside the hat band, "I know all about those deaths. They werecaused by a failure to heed my warnings and take this Elixer of Life!
"Be warned in time, gentlemen," went on the old man as he moved over tohis horse. "There are three of you, and you have only bought twobottles. At least each one should have his own. I may not be backhere and----"
"Oh, shucks! Gimme a bottle!" ejaculated Snake. "And see if you can'ttell us what killed these folks and the cattle."
"I can tell you--yes--certainly!" was the quick retort as anotherbottle of the dark liquid was produced and another dollar added to thehat band bank.
"What was it then?" asked Snake, eagerly, while Nort and Sam waited forthe answer.
"The hand of fate!" was the solemn answer. "But now you are safe. Youhave the Elixer of Life and so death cannot harm you. I bid you goodday!"
Before they could stop him, even had they been so inclined, which theywere not, the old man left Nort and his chums holding their bottles ofElixer and rode away on his sorry looking nag, crooning something intohis ample beard.
"Well, what do you make of that?" asked Snake when the stranger--theyhad not thought to ask his name--was beyond hearing.
"He's just a harmless crank," said Nort. "An old herb doctor."
"That's what I think," chimed in Sam. "Though at first I was a bitsuspicious of him. But I guess he doesn't mean anything. And he don'tknow anything about the deaths here."
"If he does he isn't telling," decided Nort.
"Well," said Snake slowly, "I'm not superstitious, but as long
as Ibought this stuff I might as well sample it."
He pulled the cork from the bottle, and was about to take a drink whenNort, with a quick motion, knocked the flask down, almost sending it tothe ground.