CHAPTER XVI
A SHOW-DOWN WITH THE WIDOW
If the benevolent Samuel Blount could have seen Wiley Holman's monthlystatement from that mysterious "other bank" he would have crushed himwith one blow of his ready, financial club and gone off with bothbond-and-lease and option. But the pure, serene fire in those firstwater diamonds which graced the ring on Wiley's hand--that dazzledSamuel J. Blount as it had dazzled the Widow and many a store-keeperin Vegas. For it is hardly to be expected that a man with such a ringwill have a bank account limited to three figures, any more than it isexpected that a man with so little capital will be sitting in a gamewith millionaires. But Wiley was sitting in, holding his cards wellagainst his chest, and already he had won ten thousand dollars. Whichis one of the reasons why all mining promoters wear diamonds--andpoker faces as well.
Yet Blount was playing a game which had once won him a million dollarsfrom just such plungers as Wiley, and if he also smiled as he tuckedaway the note it was not without excuse. There had been a time when thisboy's father had sat in the game with Blount and now he was engaged inraising cattle on a ranch far back in the hills. And Colonel Huff, thatprince of royal plungers, had surrendered at last to the bank. It wastwelve per cent, compounded monthly, with demand, protest and noticewaived, which had brought about this miracle of wealth; and since it iswell known that history repeats itself, Mr. Blount could see Wiley'sfinish. The thing to do first was to regain his confidence and get himinto his power and then, at the first sign of financial embarrassment,to call his notes and freeze him out. Such were the intentions of thebenevolent Mr. Blount--if the Widow Huff did not kill him.
She came toiling up the trail, followed by Virginia and Death ValleyCharley and a crowd of curious citizens; and as they awaited the shock,Blount shuddered and smiled nervously, for he knew that she would demandback her stock. Wiley shuddered too, but instead of smiling he clenchedhis jaws like a vise; and as the Widow entered he signaled a waitingguard, who followed in close behind her. She halted before his desk, onehand on her hip the other on the butt of a six-shooter, and glancedinsolently from one to the other.
"Aha!" she exclaimed, "so you're talking it over,--how to take advantageof a poor widow! But I want to tell you now, and I don't care who knowsit, I've been imposed upon long enough. Here you sit in your office,both of you worth up into the millions, and discuss the division of yourspoils; while the daughter and the widow of the man that found this mineare slaving away in a restaurant."
"Yes, I'm sorry, Mrs. Huff," interposed Blount, smiling gently. "We werejust discussing your case. But it often happens that the best of us errin judgment, and in this case I've been caught worse than you were. Yes,I must admit that when I first heard about this tungsten and realizedthat I had sold out for nothing, I was moved for the moment to resentit; but under the circumstances----"
"Aw, what are you talking about?" demanded the Widow scornfully. "Don'tyou think I can see through your game? You pretend to be enemies untilyou get hold of my stock and then you come out into the open. I alwaysknew you were partners, but now I can prove it; because here you are,thick as thieves."
"Yes, we're friendly," admitted Blount with a painful smile at Wiley,"but Wiley owns the mine. That is, he owns a bond and lease on theproperty, with the option of buying for fifty thousand dollars. And thenbesides that, I regret to say, he has an option on all my stock."
"Oh! Yes!" scoffed the Widow. "You've been cleaned by thiswhipper-snapper that's just a few months out of college! He's takenaway your mine and your stock and everything--but of course you don'tmind a little thing like that. But what I want to know, and I camehere to find out, is which of you has got my stock--because I'll tellyou right now----" she whipped out her pistol and brandished it in theair--"I'll tell you right now I intend to get it back or kill the oneor both of you!"
Blount's lips framed a lie, and then he glanced at Wiley, who wasstanding with his hand by his gun.
"Well, now, Mrs. Huff," he began at a venture, "I--perhaps this can allbe arranged."
"No! I want that stock!" cried the Widow in hot anger, "and I'm going toget it, too!"
"Why--why yes," stammered Blount, "but you see it was this way--I had noidea of the value of the stock. And so when Wiley came to see me I gavehim an option on it for--well, I believe it was five cents a share."
"Ah!" triumphed the Widow, whirling to train her gun on Wiley, "so nowI've got you, Mr. Man! You've been four-flushing long enough but I'vegot you dead to rights, and I want--that--Paymaster--stock!"
She threw down on him awkwardly, but as the pistol was not cocked, Wileyonly curled his lip and smiled indulgently, with a restraining glance athis guard.
"Yes, Mrs. Huff," he agreed quite calmly, "I don't doubt you want itback. You want lots of things that you'll never get from me by comingaround with these gun-plays. So put up that gun before you pull it offand I'll tell you about your husband's stock."
"My _husband's_ stock!" cried the Widow in surprise, letting thesix-shooter wobble down to her side. "Well I'd just like to tell youthat that stock is _mine_, and furthermore----"
"Oh, yes! Sure! Sure!" shrugged Wiley scornfully. "Of course you know itall! But that stock wasn't yours, and you couldn't transfer it, and so Ididn't take any option on it. It's in the bank yet; and if you want toget it, why, here's the man to talk to."
He jerked his thumb towards the cringing Blount, and exchanged scornfulglances with Virginia. She was standing behind her mother and her glanceseemed to say that he was passing the buck again; but his feeling forVirginia had suffered a great change and he replied to her head-tosswith a sneer.
"Now--now Wiley!" protested Blount, rising weakly to his feet andregarding his pseudo-partner reproachfully, "you know very well----"
"Gimme that stock!" snapped the Widow, suddenly cocking the heavy pistoland throwing down savagely on Wiley; and then things began to happen.The watchful guard, who had been standing at her side, reached over andstruck up the gun and as it went off with a bang, shooting a hole in theceiling, he seized it and wrenched it away.
"You're under arrest, Madam," he said with some asperity, and flashedhis officer's star.
"Well, who are you, sir?" demanded the Widow, vainly attempting tothrust him aside.
"I'm a deputy sheriff, ma'am," replied the officer respectfully, "andI'd advise you not to resist. It'll be assault with intent to kill."
"Why--I wouldn't kill anybody!" exclaimed the Widow breathlessly. "Iwas--I didn't intend to do anything."
"Will you swear out a warrant?" inquired the deputy and Wiley nodded hishead.
"You bet I will," he said, "this is getting monotonous. She took a shotat me, once before."
"Oh, Wiley!" wailed the Widow suddenly weakening in the pinch. "You knowI never meant it!"
"Well, maybe not," replied Wiley evenly, "but you hit me in the leg."
"But _he_ pulled off my gun!" charged the Widow angrily, "I neverwent to do it!"
"Well, come on;" said the deputy, "you can explain to the judge." And hetook her by the arm. She went out, sobbing violently, and in thesucceeding silence Wiley found himself confronted by Virginia. He hadseen her before when the wild light of battle shot forth from her angryeyes but now there was a glow of soft, feminine reproach and thefaintest suggestion of appeal.
"Oh, Wiley Holman!" she cried, "I'll never forgive you! What do you meanby treating Mother like this?"
"I mean," replied Wiley, "that I've taken about enough, and now we'llleave it to the law. If your mother is right the judge will let her go,but I guess it's come to a showdown."
"What? Are you going to let them put my mother in jail?" she asked withtremulous awe, and then she burst into tears. "You ought to be ashamed!"she broke out impetuously. "I wish my father was here!"
"Yes, so do I," answered Wiley gravely. "I'd be dealing with agentleman, then. But if your mother thinks, just because she is a woman,she can run amuck with a gun, then she gives up all right to be treatedlike a lady and she
has to take what's coming to her."
"But Wiley!" she appealed, "just let her off this time and she'll neverdo it again. She's over-wrought and nervous and----"
"Nope," said Wiley, "it's gone past me now--she'll have to answer beforethe judge. But if you think you can restrain her I'll be willing to letit go and have her bound over to keep the peace."
"Oh, that'll be fine! If she just promises not to bother you and----"
"And puts up a five-thousand-dollar bond," added Wiley. "And the nexttime she makes a gun-play or comes around and threatens me the fivethousand dollars is gone."
"Oho!" she accused, "so that's your scheme! You've been framing this up,all the time!"
"Sure," nodded Wiley, with his old cynical smile, "I just love to beshot at. I got her to come over on purpose."
"Well, I'll bet you did!" cried Virginia excitedly. "Didn't you havethat officer right there? You've just framed this up to rob us. And howare we going to give a five-thousand-dollar bond when you know wehaven't a cent? Oh, I--I hate you, Wiley Holman; and if you put mymother in jail I'll--I'll come back and kill you, myself!"
She stamped her foot angrily, but a light leapt into Wiley's eyes suchas had flamed there when he had faced Stiff Neck George.
"Very well," he said, "if you people think you can rough-house me I'llshow you I can rough it, myself. I've tried to be friendly and to giveyou the best of it; but now it's all off, for good. I hate to fight awoman, but----"
"You do not!" she challenged. "You're a coward, that's what you are! Andyou can take your old stock back!"
She drew a package from her bosom and slammed it spitefully on the tableand rushed out after her mother. Wiley picked up the envelope andregarded it absently, his lip curling to a twisted smile. It was thepackage of stock which he had bought from Death Valley Charley andreturned, as a gift, to Virginia.