CHAPTER XI
FRANCES ACTS
She got away from the Bottom without disturbing Ratty and the man fromBylittle. Once Molly was loping over the plain again, Frances began toquestion her impressions of the dialogue she had overheard.
In the first place, she was sure she had heard the voice of the man,Pete, before. It was the same drawling voice that had come out of thedarkness asking for food and a bed the evening Pratt Sanderson stoppedat the Bar-T Ranch.
The voice had been cheerful then; it was snarling now; but the toneswere identical. Then, going a step farther, Frances realized, from thetalk she had just heard, that this Pete was the man who had tried to getover the roof of the ranch-house. One and the same man--tramp androbber.
Ratty had shown Pete the way. Ratty was a traitor. He might easily haveseen the broken slate on the roof and pointed it out to the mysteriousPete.
The latter had been an orderly in the Bylittle Soldiers' Home, and hadheard the story of the Spanish treasure chest, when old Mr. Lonergan wasrambling about it to the chaplain.
The fellow's greed had started him upon the quest of the treasure solong in Captain Rugley's care. Perhaps he had known Ratty M'Gill before;it seemed so. And yet, Ratty did not seem entirely in the confidence ofthe robber.
Nevertheless, Ratty must leave the ranch. Frances was determined uponthis.
She could not tell her father about him; and she shrank from revealingthe puncher's villainy to Silent Sam Harding. Indeed, she was afraid ofwhat Sam and the other boys on the ranch might do to punish RattyM'Gill. The Bar-T punchers might be rather rough with a fellow likeRatty.
Frances believed the boys on the Bar-T were loyal to her father andherself. Ratty's defection hurt her as much as it surprised her. She hadnever thought him more than reckless; but it seemed he had developedmore despicable characteristics.
These and similar thoughts disturbed Frances' mind as she made her wayback to the ranch-house. She found her father very weak, but once morequite lucid. Ming glided away at her approach and Frances sat down tohold the old ranchman's hand and tell him inconsequential thingsregarding the work on the ranges, and the gossip of the bunk-house.
All the time the girl's heart hungered to nurse him herself, day andnight, instead of depending upon the aid of a shuffle-footed Chinaman.The mothering instinct was just as strong in her nature as in most girlsof her age. But she knew her duty lay elsewhere.
Before this time Captain Rugley had never entirely given over the reinsof government into the hands of Silent Sam. He had kept in touch withranch affairs, delegating some duties to Frances, others to Sam or tothe underforeman. Now the girl had to be much more than the intermediarybetween the old ranchman and his employees.
The doctor had impressed her with the rule that his patient was not tobe worried by business matters. Many things she had to do "off her ownbat," as Sam Harding expressed it. The matter of Ratty M'Gill'sdischarge must be one of these things, Frances saw plainly.
She waited now for the doctor's appearance with much anxiety of mind.The Captain was quiet when the physician came; but the effect of hisdelirium of the night before was plain to the medical eye.
"Something must be done to ease his mind of this anxiety about his oldchum, Frances," said the doctor, taking her aside. "That, I take it, wasthe burden of his trouble when he rambled last night in his speech?"
"Yes, sir."
"Try to get the fellow brought here, then," said the doctor, withdecision.
"That Mr. Lonergan?"
"The old soldier--yes. Can't it be done?"
"I--I don't know," said the troubled girl. "The chaplain writes that heis a sick man----"
"And so is your father. I warn you. A very sick man. And he cannot bemoved, while this Lonergan can probably travel if his fare is paid."
"Oh, Doctor! If it is only a matter of money, father, I know, would hirea private car--a whole train, he said!--to get his old partner here,"Frances declared.
"Good! I advise you to go ahead and send for the man," said thephysician. "It's the best prescription for Captain Rugley that I cangive you. He has his mind set upon seeing his old friend, and thesedelirious spells will be repeated unless his longing is satisfied. Andsuch attacks are weakening."
"Oh, I see that, Doctor!" agreed Frances.
She sat down that very hour and wrote to the Reverend Decimus Tooley,explaining why she, instead of Captain Rugley, wrote, and requestingthat Jonas Lonergan be made ready for the trip from Bylittle to Jackleg,in the Panhandle, where a carriage from the Bar-T Ranch would meet him.
She told the chaplain of the soldiers' home that a private car would besupplied for Captain Rugley's old partner to travel in, if it werenecessary. She would make all arrangements for transportationimmediately upon receiving word from Mr. Tooley that the old man couldtravel.
Haste was important, as she explained. Likewise she asked the followingquestion--giving no reason for her curiosity:
"Did there recently leave the Bylittle Home an employee--anorderly--whose first name is Peter? And if so, what is his reputation,his full name, and why did he leave the Home?"
"Maybe that will puzzle the Reverend Mr. Tooley some," thought Francesof the ranges. "But I am indeed curious about this friend of RattyM'Gill's. And now I'll tell Silent Sam that there is a man lurking aboutthe Bar-T who must be watched."
She said nothing to Captain Rugley about sending for Lonergan until shehad written. The doctor said it would be just as well not to discuss thematter much until it was accomplished. He also left soothing medicine tobe given to the patient if he again became delirious.
Frances was so much occupied with her father all that day that she coulddo nothing about Ratty M'Gill. She had noticed, however, that theMexican boy, Jose Reposa, had driven the doctor to the ranch and that hetook him back to the train again.
The reckless cowpuncher had somehow bribed the Mexican boy to let himtake his place on the buckboard that forenoon.
"Ratty is like a rotten apple in the middle of the barrel," thoughtFrances. "If I let him remain on the ranch he will contaminate the otherboys. No, he's got to go!
"But if I tell him why he is discharged it will warn him--and thatPete--that we suspect, or know, an attempt is being made to rob father'sold chest. Now, what shall I do about this?"
The conversation between Ratty and Pete at the ford which she hadoverheard gave Frances an idea. She saw that the contents of thetreasure chest ought really to be put into a safety deposit vault inAmarillo. But the old ranchman considered it his bounden duty to keepthe treasure in his own hands until his partner came to divide it; andhe would be stubborn about any change in this plan.
Lonergan could not get to the Bar-T for three weeks, or more. In themeantime suppose Pete made another attempt to steal the contents of theSpanish chest?
Frances Rugley felt that she could depend upon nobody in this emergencyfor advice; and upon few for assistance in carrying out any plan shemight make to thwart those bent upon robbing the _hacienda_. To seethe sheriff would advertise the matter to the public at large. And that,she well knew, would make Captain Dan Rugley very angry.
Whatever she did in this matter, as well as in the affair of RattyM'Gill, must be done without advice.
Her mind slanted toward Pratt Sanderson at this time. Had her father notseemed to suspect the young fellow from Amarillo, Frances would surelyhave taken Pratt into her confidence.
Now that Captain Rugley had given a clear explanation of how he had comepossessed of a part of the loot of Senor Milo Morales' _hacienda_,Frances was not afraid to take a friend into her confidence.
There was no friend, however, that she cared to confide in save Pratt.And it would anger her father if she spoke to the young fellow about thetreasure.
She knew this to be a fact, for when Pratt Sanderson had ridden overfrom the Edwards Ranch to inquire after Captain Rugley's health, the oldranchman had sent out a courteously worded refusal to see Pratt.
"I'm not so awf
ully fond of that young chap," the Captain said,reflectively, at the time. "And seems to me, Frances, he's mightycurious about my health."
"But, Daddy!" Frances cried, "he was only asking out of good feeling."
"I don't know that," growled the old ranchman. "I haven't forgotten thathe was here in the house the night that other fellow tried to break in.Looks curious to me, Frances--sure does!"
She might have told him right then about Ratty M'Gill and the man Pete;but Frances was not an impulsive girl. She studied about things, as thecolloquialism has it. And she knew very well that the mere fact thatRatty and the stranger were friends would not disprove Pratt'sconnection with the midnight marauder. Pete might have had an aidinside, as well as outside, the _hacienda_.
So Frances said nothing more to the old ranchman, and nothing at all toPratt about that which troubled her. They spoke of inconsequentialthings on the veranda, where Ming served cool drinks; and then theAmarillo young man rode away.
"Sue Latrop and that crowd will be out to-morrow, I expect," he said, ashe departed. "Don't know when I can get over again, Frances. I'll haveto beau them around a bit."
"Good-bye, Pratt," said Frances, without comment.
"By the way," called Pratt, from his saddle and holding in his pony,"your father being so ill isn't going to make you give up your part inthe pageant, Frances?"
"Plenty of time for that," she returned, but without smiling. "I hopefather will be well before the date set for the show."
Pratt's departure left Frances with a sinking heart; but she did notbetray her feelings. To be all alone with her father and the twoChinamen at the ranch-house seemed hard indeed; and with theresponsibility of the treasure chest on her heart, too!
Her father, it was true, had insisted on having his couch placed atnight in the room with the Spanish chest. He seemed to consider that,ill as he was, he could guard the treasure better than anybody else.
Frances had to devise a plan without either her father's advice or thatof anybody else. She prepared for the adventure by begging the Captainto have burlap wrapped about the chest and securely roped on.
"Then it won't be so noticeable," she told him, "when people come in tocall on you." For some of the other cattlemen of the Panhandle rode manymiles to call at the Bar-T Ranch; and, of course, they insisted uponseeing Captain Rugley.
Ming and San Soo (the latter was very tall and enormously strong for acoolie) corded the Spanish chest as directed, and under the Captain'seye. Then Frances threw a Navajo blanket over it and it looked like acouch or divan.
To Silent Sam she said; "I want a four-mule wagon to go to Amarillo forsupplies. When can I have it?"
"Can't you have the goods come by rail to Jackleg?" asked the foreman,somewhat surprised by the request.
Now, Jackleg was not on the same railroad as Amarillo. Frances shook herhead.
"I'm sorry, Sam. There's something particular I must get at Amarillo."
"You going with the wagon, Miss Frances?"
"Yes. I want a good man to drive--Bender, or Mack Hinkman. None of theMexicans will do. We'll stop at Peckham's Ranch and at the hotel inCalas on the way."
"Whatever ye say," said Sam. "When do ye want to go?"
"Day after to-morrow," responded Frances, briskly. "It will be all rightthen?"
"Sure," agreed Silent Sam. "I'll fix ye up."
Frances had several important things to do before the time stated. And,too, before that time, something quite unexpected happened.