CHAPTER XX
AN APPEAL TO CHARLEY
What is a kiss waved by a drunken hand, to a man whose love is like thehills? And yet that kiss, wafted so amorously to Virginia, stirred up arage in Wiley Holman's heart. Was it not enough to wait on the table,without cultivating the acquaintance of her boarders? And this foolishaffair, whatever it was, had cost him at least ten thousand dollars. Itwould come to that before he was through with it--in lost time and newmachinery and unearned profits--and all because Virginia had smiled atthis drunken engineer, who had promptly sent his overalls through thedriving-gear. Yet that was the natural result of letting his men boardin town where they could hear the Widow's ravings against him.
In the midst of his telephoning and giving directions to his mill-crew,who were still rushing their work on the mill, Wiley turned the matterover in his mind and it left him sick with doubts. He had counted uponthe opposition of Blount, but Virginia's almost staggered him. It wouldmake a difference, before his six months was up, if she set all his menagainst him, and yet he could not stop her. If he withdrew his men andboarded them himself that would only inflame the neighborhood the more,for it would deprive the Huffs of their livelihood; and if he let thingsgo on it might result in more wrecks that would seriously interfere withhis plans. No, the thing to do was to see Virginia at once and come toan understanding.
A telegram from his supply-house reported the engine an old type withall parts out of stock, and he worked for hours making tediousmeasurements before he ordered the new gear-wheel made. Then he sent anurgent wire to rush him the new engine that had been ordered to supplypower to the mill, only to be told once more that it was held up byprevious orders and could not be delivered for a month. A month! Andwith the water mounting up in his shaft like the interest on his notes.It was no time for half measures. He leapt into his racer and burned upthe road to Vegas. Three days later he returned with an old gas enginethat he had salvaged from an abandoned mine and by the end of the week,by working day and night, he had the pumps lifting water. And then againhe remembered Virginia.
He had thought of her, of course, when he was speeding to and fro, buthe was hardly in the mood for sentiment. There were more things to gowrong than he had thought humanly possible in the management of a mine,and between ordering his machinery and taking on new men he had hadscant leisure for affairs of the heart. He was young and inexperiencedand the dealers took advantage of it to foist off old stock and oddparts, and then his engineers became fractious and disgruntled becausehe expected quick results. It was all very different from what he hadexpected when he had taken over the Paymaster lease, and yet it had tobe endured and muddled through somehow until the mine was safely hisown. Then out would come the engines, and all second-hand machinery andmakeshift parts, and with a superintendent who knew his job he wouldlean back in comfort and learn the mining business by proxy.
Wiley shaved that evening and went down through the town, but when heput his hand on the Widow's gate his resolution failed him. He hadplaced her under bonds to keep the peace, and she had lived up to theundertaking scrupulously, but within her own house she had certainrights and privileges which even he dared not invade. If he stepped inthat doorway she would order him out; and unquestionably she would bewithin her rights, since every man's house is his castle. So, on thevery threshold of Virginia's retreat, he drew back and went to see DeathValley Charley.
Death Valley was drunk, but his conscience was still active and he burstinto a voluble explanation.
"No, I gave her that stock," he protested earnestly, "but she made metake it back.
"'It ain't mine,' she says, 'and I'll work my hands off before I'll takecharity from anybody.'
"'No, you keep it,' I says, just exactly like you tole me, 'because I'myour guardian, and all; and Wiley he says that I'm a hell of a poor one,because I sold him that stock for nothing. No,' I says, just exactlylike you tole me, 'I want you to keep this stock.'"
"Well?" inquired Wiley, as Charley paused to take a drink, "and what didVirginia say, then?"
"Oh, I couldn't repeat it," answered Death Valley virtuously. "She don'tseem to like you now. She says you stole her mine."
"Huh!" grunted Wiley, and looked about the cabin which was littered withbottles and flasks. "Well, where've _you_ been?" he went on atlast, the better to change the subject, and Charley leered at himshrewdly.
"Over across Death Valley," he chanted drunkenly, "--on the east side,in the Funeral Range. But they put me to work on the graveyard shift soI quit and come back to town."
"Ye-es," jeered Wiley, "you've been on a big drunk. What are you doingwith this demijohn of whiskey?"
"Why, I got it for the Colonel," replied Charley, laughing childishly,"and I started to take it over to him, but my burros got away atDaylight Springs, so I made camp and drunk it all up."
"But it's full!" objected Wiley.
"Yes, I refilled it," answered Charley and helped himself to anothernip. "Thas second time now I took that whiskey to the Colonel and bothtimes I drunk it up. Thas bad--the Colonel will kill me."
"Yes, and do a danged good job," grumbled Wiley morosely. "You sure gotme in Dutch with Virginia."
"She says you stole her mine," defended Charley stoutly. "And don't yousay nothing against Virginia. She's noblest girl the sun ever shined.I'll _kill_ any man that says different!"
"Oh yes, sure," agreed Wiley, "I'd do that myself. But Charley, I didn'tsteal her mine. I got it from Blount, and if she wants it back--say,Charley, you tell her I want to see her!"
He leaned over eagerly and laid his hand on Charley's shoulder, butDeath Valley shook him off.
"No!" he declaimed. "The Huffs are poor but proud--they don't takecharity from no one!"
"Aw, but, Charley," he argued, "this isn't charity. We'll get it awayfrom Blount!"
"You're drunk!" declared Charley and turned sternly to the demijohnwhich was rapidly going down.
"Well, maybe I am," admitted Wiley craftily, "but that's all right,isn't it, between friends?"
"Sure thing--have another!" responded Charley cordially, and Wileypoured out a generous portion.
"Here's to you," he said, "Old Chuckawalla Charley--the man that put theDeath in Death Valley. You're some desert rat, now ain't you, Charley?You helped pack the mud to build the butte and stoped out the guestchamber down in hell! Well, here's luck!" and he nodded his health.
"Yes, you bet I'm an old-timer," boasted Death Valley vaingloriously."I was at Panamint and Ballarat, and all them camps. Me and old ShortyHarris--we used to lead every rush--we was first at Greenwater andSkidoo. But these damned lizzies can beat us to it now--the oldburro-man is too slow."
"But crossing the sand, Charley, you've got us there; and climbing upthese rocky washes. I've got a good machine--it'll take me mostanywhere--but when it comes to crossing Death Valley, give me some burrosand old Uncle Charley." He slapped him on the back and Uncle Charleysmiled doubtfully and took another drink. "You bet," went on Wiley, withmethod in his madness. "I'd like nothing better, when I get a littletime, than to have you take me out across Death Valley. What's it like,over there, Charley? Is it very far to water? But I'll bet you knowevery trail!"
"I know 'em all," announced Charley proudly, "but here's one that nobodyknows. It's the trail to the Ube-Hebes. First you go from here toDaylight Springs, but they ain't no feed around there, so you go overthe divide and down six miles and camp at Hole-in-the-Rock. And therethey's good feed and plenty of good water and a tin house where thefreighters used to camp; and then you fill your tanks and the next dayyou follow the wash till it takes you down to Stovepipe Wells. Thatwater is bad but the burros will drink it if you bail the hole outfirst, and the next day you cross the sand-hills and the Death ValleySink and head for Cottonwood wash. Many is the man that has started forthat gateway and died before he reached the water, but the Colonel----"
Charley stopped abruptly and looked around for Heine and then he pouredout a drink.
"He's d
ead now," he concluded, but Wiley caught his eye and shook hishead disapprovingly.
"Not between friends," he said. "Ain't we drunk here together? Well,tell me the truth now--where is he? And listen here, Charley; I'll tellyou something first that will make it all right with the Colonel. All hehas to do is to come back to Keno and I'll give him his share in themine. Then we can throw in together, and, when we get through, oldBlount will be left holding the sack. Do you get the idea? I'm trying tobe friends, but you've got to take me over to the Colonel!"
"The Colonel is dead!" repeated Charley doggedly and then he cocked hishead to one side. "Don't you hear 'em?" he asked, "it's them Germans orsomething----"
"Never mind!" said Wiley sharply. "I'm talking about the Colonel, andI'll tell you what I'll do. I can't give the mine to Virginia becauseshe won't take it; but the Colonel is a gentleman. He's reasonable,Charley, and I'd get along with him fine; so come on, now--go over andtell him!"
He patted him on the back and a look of indecision crept into Charley'sdrink-dimmed eyes, but in the end he shook his head.
"Nope," he muttered, "the Colonel is dead!" And Wiley threw up hishands.
"Well, then here," he ran on, "you know me Charley; and you know I'mnot trying to steal that mine. Now here's what I want you to do. Youtell Virginia I want to see her; and then some night you bring herover and--well, maybe that will do just as well."
"Will you give her back her mine?" inquired Charley pointedly, and Wileyrose up in a rage.
"Yes!" he yelled, "for cripes' sake, what's the matter with you? Youtalk like everybody was a crook. Didn't I give her back her stock? Wellthen, I'll give her back her mine! But she's got to accept it, hasn'tshe?"
"That was her I heard coming," answered Charley simply, but when Wileylooked out she was gone.