CHAPTER XII
As that long, white winter slowly wore away there were many in the campwho, although they had endured the strain of a wearing monotony throughmany previous seasons, nevertheless suffered greatly from it; and, inconsequence, as the clock of the year began to indicate spring an almostriotous joy was felt and expressed when it was announced through thecamp that the Black Pearl had again consented to dance for them.
It was considered a truly fitting celebration of the fact that there hadalready been one great thaw, and, although there was every possibilityof things freezing up again, yet nevertheless spring had at last loosedher hounds and they were hard on winter's traces. In fact, one belatedtrain, after hours spent on the road, had succeeded in pushing through,an evidence that they all would soon be running with their accustomed,if rather erratic regularity, and there was naturally a tremendousexcitement and jollification in the camp at this arrival of the firstmail bearing news from the outside world.
The messages for Pearl included a letter from her mother and one fromBob Flick, but none from Hanson. Bob Flick announced that his patiencewas worn thin and that he would be up on the first train bearingpassengers. Mrs. Gallito's letter was full of commiserations for herdaughter on her enforced detention, and she evidently regarded thenature of that durance as particularly vile.
"Pearl, how you been standing it up in that God-forsaken hole where youcan't even keep warm is what beats me. Seems to me I went to churchonce, oh, just for a lark, and the preacher talked about some plagues ofEgypt, all different kinds, you know. It was real interesting. I alwaysremembered it. But in looking back over plagues I've seen, the veryworst of all was snow. I'm afraid, when I see you again, you'll be allskin and bone and shadow. I do hope you won't be sick like poor Hanson.I had an awful sad letter from him; seems he took cold and's been atdeath's door."
Pearl rustled the paper impatiently. She was not interested in thisnews. Hanson occupied her thoughts so little that she did not even pauseto wonder how he was. The very sight of his name in the letter stirred avague irritation in her. Absorbed in her love for Seagreave, Hanson hadbecome to her as a forgotten episode.
However, her mother dropped the subject and took up the more interestingone of Lolita. "That bird certainly has mourned for you, Pearl. I guessshe'd have just about pined away if it hadn't been for Bob Flick."
But Pearl was not the only recipient of letters from the outside world;all of the little group, with the exception of Jose, had received theirquota, even Mrs. Nitschkan. But the bulk of the mail, which Gallitobrought up from the village postoffice and gravely distributed, fell toMrs. Thomas. Almost without exception, these envelopes were addressed instraggling, masculine characters which suggested painful effort andseemed to indicate that the writers were more used to the pick andshovel than to the pen. But although Mrs. Thomas had to spell out thecontents of each missive with more or less difficulty, her giggles,blushes and occasional exclamations showed how much pleasure theyafforded her.
Mrs. Nitschkan, however, after glancing carelessly at the large, yellowenvelope which was addressed to her in a clerkly hand, cast itcarelessly aside and went on assiduously cleaning and oiling her gun.But the sight of it aroused Mrs. Thomas's curiosity, and after glancingat it once or twice over the top of her own letters, she could notforbear to ask:
"Ain't you going to read your letter, Sadie?"
"Mebbe. Sometime. By an' by. When I get good an' ready," returned thegypsy indifferently and abstractedly, squinting with one eye down thebarrel of her gun. "What do I want with letters? I got two bear an' amountain lion before the snow flew."
Mrs. Thomas laid aside her letters for the moment, and, lifting a largepot of coffee from the stove, poured out a cupful for her friend andthen one for herself. "Here, Sadie," she coaxed, "rest yourself with acup of coffee. I'll set down the sugar and cream an' whilst you'redrinking it, open your letter. Come now, do. Maybe it's from agentleman."
"It sure is," replied Mrs. Nitschkan, laying her gun carefully acrossher knee, wiping her hands on the cloth with which she had beenpolishing it, and then dropping several lumps of sugar into the cup, shepoured herself a liberal allowance of cream. "It's a bill for thatdouble-j'inted, patent, electrical fishin' rod that I sent East for,clean to New York City, for a weddin' present for Celia."
Mrs. Thomas gave a faint, scornful laugh at the thought of this mostincongruous gift for Mrs. Nitschkan's pretty, feminine daughter. "Afishin' rod for Celia!" she exclaimed, "when all she ever thinks aboutis cookin' an' sweepin' an' sewin' all day."
"That's it," Mrs. Nitschkan radiated self-approbation and satisfaction."It made a nice show at the weddin', didn't it? And it has sure beenuseful to me since."
But Mrs. Thomas had again absorbed herself in her correspondence, and itis doubtful if she heard these last words. "Say, Sadie," she criedpresently, a ripple of joyous excitement in her voice, "listen here towhat Willie Barker says, 'If you don't come back soon, I'm a-going tolay right down an' die, or maybe take my own life.'"
"Then you'll stay right on here," said Mrs. Nitschkan shortly butemphatically. "Such a chanst as that's not to be missed."
Mrs. Thomas pouted, "But, honest, can't we pretty soon leave these oldprospects that you're a-nursin' along to salt an' get ready to palm offon some poor Easterner?"
The gypsy took a long draught of coffee, wiping her mouth on the backof her hand. "Your ungratefulness'll strike in and probably kill you,Marthy Thomas. Here I burdened myself with you to save your lifeinsurance and the nice little property Seth left you from a pack ofwolves in the camp that's after them, an' not you, an' what thanks do Iget? All these months I been workin' like the devil to convert you an'Jose, an' as far as either of you's concerned, I might a darned sightbetter have put in my time tryin' to save the soul of a flea. Youcouldn't even let a poor, God-forsaken robber like Jose alone. Don't youknow that if you get a thousand husbands they'll all treat you as bad orworse'n Seth did?"
"He's an angel in heaven right now an' don't you dare say a word againsthim, Sadie Nitschkan," cried Mrs. Thomas defensively, "but he was adevil all the same."
"They'll all be devils," returned Mrs. Nitschkan fatalistically. "They'sno man can stand seein' a feather pillow around all the time an' notbiff it, especially when it can turn on a gallon of tears any time ofthe day or night."
Mrs. Thomas made no effort to refute this last aspersion. Instead, shebegan to weep loudly and unrestrainedly. "Bob Martin says in his letterthat he hopes I'm havin' a pleasant time," she sobbed. "He don't knowthe loneliness, not to say the danger, of being snowed up in thesemountains with a woman that ain't got no more feelin' than to skin youalive whenever she's a mind to. I ain't afraid of gentlemen, evenhusbands, but sometimes when you get to jawin' me, Sadie, with a gun inyour hand, it makes my poor heart go like that, an' I crawl all overwith goose-flesh."
Fortunately, the thaws continued, and if no great quantity of snow fellbetween now and then, the first passenger train was scheduled to runthrough on the day that Pearl would dance, but Bob Flick, by some methodknown to himself, had succeeded in making his journey on the engine, andthus arrived at Gallito's cabin several days before he was expected,looking a little more worn than usual and faintly anxious, an expressionwhich speedily disappeared as he saw the radiant health and spirits ofPearl. As for her, she was unfeignedly glad to see him.
"I sure have worried a lot about you this winter, Pearl," he said to herthat evening as they two sat a little apart from the rest, Gallito,Jose, Hugh and Seagreave, who all clustered about the fire, while Pearl,as usual, had drawn her chair within the warm gloom of the pine-scentedshadow.
"Ain't you silly!" She looked up at him with her heart-shattering,adorable smile.
"I am always about you," he said. "You're all I think of, Pearl, nightand day."
She patted his arm lightly. "I've always got you to depend on anyway,haven't I, Bob?" Her soft, lazy, sliding voice was itself a caress.
"You sure have. Anytime, anywhere
. No matter what happens, I can't everchange, Pearl. Lord! You ought to know that by this time."
"Maybe I do, Bob, and maybe I like knowing it."
"I hope you do, but it wouldn't make any difference whether you did ordidn't. I got to love you. I guess the cards fell that way for me beforeI was born and nothing can ever change that layout."
"You've never failed me yet, Bob."
"And never will. Oh, Pearl, don't you, can't you see your way tomarrying me?"
She stirred restlessly, a faintly troubled look shadowing her face."There's so many of me, and I never know what I'm going to do or how I'mgoing to feel. I'd just be bound to make you miserable."
"It wouldn't be the first time," he said a little sadly. "But you see Iknow you. I ain't got any mistaken notions about you, and I love youmore than any other man in this life'll ever do, Pearl."
Again she moved and looked at him as if his words had roused in her someregret. "I guess that's so; but--it wouldn't be a square deal."
"I'll tend to that," he urged, "and you'll just have to know that I'malways loving you, no matter what's to pay."
"I--" she began, but was interrupted by Jose, who bowed low before her.
"Senorita," grandiosely, "the ladies and your father beg that, unworthyas I am to dance on the same floor as you, that yet, as a compliment toMr. Flick, we go through some of the Spanish dances together."
Pearl assented and half rose, but Flick laid a detaining hand on hersleeve. "She will in a minute," he said. "Run along now, Jose, me andMiss Gallito's got something to talk over." He bent close to her again."Pearl," there was the faintest shake in his voice, "what are you goingto tell me, now?"
"Oh, Bob," the regret was in her voice now, "I wish, I wish you didn'tfeel that way. I love you more than 'most anybody in the world--but notthat way. And--and I don't want to lose your love for me. I like to knowit's there. I sort of lean up against it."
He waited a moment or two before answering her, and then his voice wasas steady as ever. "You can always come back to my love for you. Thestars can fall out of the sky and the mountains slide down, but my lovefor you can't change, Pearl. It's fixed and steady and forever."
"Dear old Bob," she touched his cheek as she passed him with a lightcaress and went on into the room beyond to get her dancing slippers.
It was later that evening that Jose began his unceasing importunities tosee Pearl dance in the town hall. A stern and surprised veto of thisplan was his immediate answer. But Jose was the most convincing andplausible of pleaders.
"But, Gallito," he cried almost piteously, "since Mrs. Nitschkan haswatched my manners I have been like an angel. No more does the camp saythat this hill is haunted, you know that."
"I told you what you'd get if you didn't stop hootin' at people who waspassin'," remarked Mrs. Nitschkan, knocking the ashes from her pipe outon the hearth and then carefully refilling it. "But you're none so goodnow that you need brag. I don't know that playin' monkey tricks tofrighten folks ain't just as good a way to put in the time as sittin''round holdin' hands with Marthy Thomas."
"Sadie!" Mrs. Thomas drew forth her handkerchief and prepared to shedthe ready tear. "How you can have the heart to talk so to a woman thatain't buried her husband twelve months! Mr. Jose ain't even thought oftakin' the liberties you sit there accusin' him of. If I had a livehusband to pertect me, you wouldn't dare treat me like what you do.Whenever you miss a shot, or get fooled on a prospect, or get some moneywon away from you, you come back to our little cabin an' sit lookin' atme like you was a wolf an' talkin' like you was a she-bear. And--andit's darned hard, that's what it is."
"If you were a man, Nitschkan," Jose drew himself up truculently, "youwould indeed answer for such speeches, and you would not have convertedme so easily, either. I have no fear of men." This was quite true, hehad not, but his eye quailed and drooped before the steady gaze of Mrs.Nitschkan.
"Come, come," said Gallito peremptorily, "I am glad to see you all eachevening about my fireside, but I will have no arguing nor quarreling,understand that. A man's house is his castle."
Jose diplomatically dropped the subject, which did not mean that he hadabandoned his plan for one moment. He merely waited a more convenientseason. His strongest arguments were that it was not an infrequentoccurrence for Gallito to entertain guests of his own nationality in hismountain cabin. "And my hair!" cried Jose pathetically. "It would be acrown of glory to Nitschkan if she had it; but it is a shame to me, aman, to have to wear it so long. No one in the camp could possibly knowthat I have ears."
Gallito at first absolutely refused to listen to him, but so adroitlydid Jose bring up the subject every evening that he began to make someimpression on his stern jailer. He was careful, though, not to mentionhis hopes until near midnight, when Gallito's normally harsh mood wasgreatly softened not only by winning the final game, which Joseinvariably permitted now, but also by the mellowing influence of hisbland, old cognac. Then Gallito would embark on an argument, determinedto convince Jose of the wild folly of his desire.
Their debate continued for several evenings and finally ended, as Josemeant it should, in Gallito giving a reluctant consent, under certainconditions which he insisted should be rigidly carried out.
He admitted that it was unlikely that any suspicion would be aroused inthe village. Those who saw the party enter the hall would, if theythought about the matter at all, take it for granted that the strangerwas some friend of Bob Flick's who had come up with him on the train.But two conditions Gallito insisted upon: the first, that Jose was toturn the collar of his heavy overcoat high up about his face and drawhis hat low over his brows, and the second was that he was only to bepermitted to observe the dancing from behind the curtain of the littlerecess at the end of the hall which served Pearl as a dressing room. Hemight gaze his fill through the peep-hole there, but under nocircumstances was he to be seen in the body of the hall. But theseconditions, as Gallito pointed out, were entirely dependent on Pearl. Itwas a question whether she would tolerate Jose for a whole evening inher dressing room.
At first she flatly refused to do so and turned a persistently deaf earto Jose's pleading. She had to slip out of one frock and into another atleast three times. There would not be room with Jose sitting there.
"But, dear Senorita, I will not be sitting there," he cried. "When themoment comes that you change your frock I will be standing with my faceto the wall and my eyes covered with my hands."
"I should hope so," murmured Mrs. Thomas, who was present.
But Pearl had another reason for not wishing to be alone with Jose uponthis occasion. She meant to wear her emeralds, and she was not soanxious that the light-fingered bandit should have so near a view ofthem. When she mentioned this to Bob Flick and her father, however, theylaughed at her fears. Not that they trusted Jose, but, as they pointedout, no matter how much he might be tempted by the jewels, there was nopossible way for him to escape with them. He was clever enough torealize this, therefore his resistance to temptation under tryingcircumstances might be taken for granted. So Pearl at last gave herreluctant consent.
Upon the afternoon of the day that Pearl was to dance Hughie brought thenews that the first train bearing passengers had arrived, hours late,nearer six o'clock in the evening, than twelve, noon, when it was due;but nevertheless it had made the journey. It brought several people, butno one seemed to know who they were.
"It is a question," said Gallito, squinting his eyes at the sky,"whether they will get back as easily as they came. See, the snow isagain beginning to fall."
It was still snowing as the entire party, men and women, drove down thehill to the town hall. As there was not room for all in the mountainwagon, Seagreave again drove Pearl down in his cart.
They arrived early, as Gallito meant they should, and to hissatisfaction found almost nobody in the hall, which was yet but dimlylighted.
Pearl immediately vanished into her dressing room, with Jose carryingthe case containing her make-up, changes of cost
ume, slippers, etc.,close behind her.
Mrs. Nitschkan and Mrs. Thomas, Flick, Gallito and Seagreave selectedtheir seats in the front row and, sitting down, began a discussion ofcertain mining matters while the house gradually filled. This took but afew moments. The inhabitants of Colina were too keen for a littlediversion after the winter famine of amusement to stand upon the orderof their coming. They came at once, and almost in a body.
Pearl was equally prompt, ready to begin upon the stroke of the hour,and as the time approached Hughie could be heard running his fingersover the keys, although the curtains had not yet been drawn back. Bythis time there was no longer standing room in the hall.
Mrs. Nitschkan was still deep in a mining discussion. "Who should I runacross yesterday," she was saying, "but the Thompson boys. They justtook a lease on the 'Pennyroyal,' you know, and they wanted me to go upand look it over. Well, I know, and you know, Gallito, the history ofthat mine from 'way back. 'She's got a bad name, boys,' I says, 'a badname.' Well, I went through some of the new drifts with 'em, and Ichipped off some specimens." She pulled two or three of these from hercoat pocket and passed them over to the men. "They sure look mighty goodto me," she chuckled. "The truth of the matter is that that mine ain'tnever been worked right. We can knock it so skilful, though, Gallito,that the boys'll be glad to let us have it for 'most nothing. Jus' look'round the hall, Bob, an' see if you can see 'em here to-night."
To oblige her he turned in his leisurely fashion and began to scan theaudience.
Flick had never been known to start; that was a part of his training. Ifa cannon had been fired off close to his ear, the narrowest observercould not have discerned the twitch of a muscle; neither would he haveexhibited the faintest change of expression; training again. Now, hisface was quite as impassive as usual. His mild, indifferent glancecontinued to rove over the house, noting with the accuracy of an addingmachine certain men who either stood or sat in different parts of thehouse. Presently he encountered the gaze of Hanson, who was sittingalmost directly opposite to him and who was evidently trying to attracthis attention.
Eye held eye. On Hanson's face was unconcealed triumph, a cynicalexultation. He nodded with smiling insolence, but Flick regarded himwith a blank stare of non-recognition for a moment or so and then turnedindifferently away. It was a matter of considerable surprise to thosewho bent watchful eyes on him from various parts of the hall that he didnot, as far as they could see, speak either to Gallito or Seagreave.
In any event, he would have had but little time for consultation withthem, for almost immediately the curtains were drawn aside, Hugh beganto play, and Pearl made her appearance. That was the signal for applauseas prolonged as it was enthusiastic. She was like a vision of the springso eagerly awaited by these prisoners of winter. Her frock, which fellto her ankles, was of some white, silky, soft material and was deeplybordered with silver; her sleeves were of silver and there was a touchof silver on the bodice. Her emeralds gleamed like green fire againsther bare white throat and as she danced a froth of rose-coloredpetticoat was visible, foaming above her ankles.
To all those eager, watching people Pearl seemed truly the incarnationof May in all its glory and shimmer, and Hughie's music was like thesilver, fluting notes of her insistent heralds proclaiming the southwind, and bird calls and murmuring rivulets of melting snow. And whenshe ceased and they finally permitted her to withdraw before dancingagain it was almost with a shock that they realized that the snow wasstill falling outside.
It was then that Bob Flick turned at last to his two companions. "You'veseen?" was his brief, low-voiced comment. Both men nodded.
"Every deputy in the county here," said Seagreave in as low a voice asthe one Flick had used. "No exits for us anywhere. The sheriff has themwell stationed."
"Thank God, I came," muttered Gallito, "but I wish we knew their plan."
"That's easy," said Flick. "Hanson's so sure that he's won the gamebefore it's played that he's ready to tell any one that will listen tohim how it all happened, before it's begun. I guess I'll go over andtalk to him a little before Pearl comes on again."
He rose to his tall, languid height and sauntered in his laziest fashionacross the floor.
"Say, stranger," he began, resting his elbow on the back of a chair nextHanson, and leaning his head on his hand, "haven't we met before. Itseemed to me a few moments ago when I caught your eye that your face wasmore or less familiar."
"Well, now ain't that strange!" exclaimed Hanson in affected surprise."But I just had a sort of an idea that you'd recognize me to-night inspite of my disguise. Yes, now you ask me, let me tell you, since yourmemory is so poor, that we have met once or twice before, but it ain'tlikely that we ever will again. Sad," he shook his head and sighedheavily, "I hate to disappoint you by telling you so, but, someway, Igot that idea firmly fixed in my head."
"Is that so?" said Flick politely. "Well, maybe you're right. It doeskind of look so from the layout you've got here. How are you going toplay it, anyway? Both ends to the middle, I suppose."
"Correct," returned Hanson blithely. "We lined up outside to watch youwhen you got out of the wagon. If you hadn't brought him with you wewouldn't have disturbed you during the entertainment; just gone up thehill and got him and then rounded the rest of you up afterward. But youwere kind enough to save us that trouble."
"Don't mention it," drawled Flick; "but I don't just sabe why you didn'ttake us when we drove up. You had the whole bunch of us then."
"We're taking no chances," Hanson winked knowingly. "The boys up herehave been having a pretty long, dull winter, and such a move on our partmight have given them the idea that we were trying to break up their funthis evening, which they wouldn't have stood for. Then, old Gallito'spopular here, God knows why, and if he'd asked the boys to stand by himand they saw a chance of some excitement, why, we'd have had anunnecessary mix-up. See? Not but what we'd have been a good deal morethan equal to any scrap they could have put up even if led by you andold Gallito, but the sheriff didn't want any trouble of that kind whenit was so easy to avoid it."
"Good sense," commended Flick, "but are you so sure you've entirelyside-stepped that danger? There's after-the-ball-is-over still to beconsidered."
"Trust old uncle wiseacre over there for that," said Hansonvaingloriously, and nodding as he spoke toward the sheriff, who leanedbig and calm and watchful against the door at the back of the room."He's a born general. The plan, son, can't be beat. They know he's inthe Pearl's dressing room and they got the building well surrounded onthe outside. I guess it's a scheme that even such crafty crooks asGallito and--" He paused and quailed a little under Flick's steadyregard, the "_you_" he had meant to say died on his lips. From neithervictor nor victim did Bob Flick ever permit a familiarity. "Yes, there'sno getaway possible," he substituted hastily. "It'd be foolish of youboys to try and put up a fight."
"I guess you're right," agreed Flick. "I guess we're too old and stiffand tired to draw our guns unless there's a chance for us, anyway."Flick rose with his usual languor. "Well, so long Mr.---- your name suredoes escape me." He strolled back to his companions, resuming his seatin his usual unhurried and indifferent way. The curtains had not yetparted, so he took occasion to relate to Gallito and Seagreave theresult of his conversation with Hanson, careless of the fact that thelatter sat watching them, gloating with malicious amusement over thespectacle of the three of them so hopelessly entangled in the net andyet engaging in the futile discussion of methods of escape.
As Bob Flick whispered the scheme to the two men the gloom deepened onGallito's face. It seemed to him too comprehensive and efficacious toevade. But Harry did not share his depression. As he listened his facechanged and set. In his eyes was a flash like sunlight on steel. He wasthe old Seagreave again whom Jose had once described to Gallito. TheSeagreave whose mind worked with lightning rapidity, who venturedanything, as gay and invincible he fought in the last ditch, his back tothe wall and all the odds against him.
"I've g
ot an idea," he said. "It may not work, but it's a chance." Hebent forward and in a rapid whisper outlined his plan for them. "Iwonder," he said, "if they'd nab me if I started to go over and talk toHughie? Do you suppose they would permit me a word with him?"
Flick laughed. "Any number of them," he said. "If the rats they'vecaught want to run around in the trap, what's that to them?"
Seagreave had no opportunity to carry out his plan just then, for Hughbegan to play and Pearl made her second appearance. The very sight ofher, their vision of spring, who seemed to have sped up from the valleyfar below and transformed the dark and dreary winter, brought the houseto its feet and sent a storm of applause ringing to the rafters.
But she was spring no longer. In this dance of the seasons she wasgiving them she now typified summer, splendid and glowing. Her gown wasa vivid green, spangled with gold and wreathed in roses. A festoon ofpink and crimson flowers lay about her neck, its long ends fallingalmost to the foot of her frock, and her hair was crowned with roses.And her dancing had changed. It was no longer the springtime sheportrayed, with all her plastic grace of motion, symbolizing itsdelicate evanescence with arch hesitations and fugitive advances, andall the playful joyousness of youth.
On this second appearance she was dancing the summer and dancing it witha passionate zest and spirit, alternated with enchanting languors. Whenat last she ceased it seemed as if the encores which drew her back onthe stage again and again would never end.
And the sheriff, noting this, stirred uneasily and whispered to agrizzled companion: "I wish this was over, Lord, I do! Things don't lookquite so dead sure as they did. Gosh! She's got 'em all right in thehollow of her hand."
"It's her you got to reckon with," returned the companion gloomily."This blasted long winter's got the boys right on edge. They're jus'spoiling for some deviltry or other, and if she comes out in front ofthe curtain and makes an appeal to 'em, why, there'll be one of themeanest scraps that's been seen in the mountains for some time."
"You bet," agreed the sheriff. "What do you suppose that Seagreave'schinning Hughie about."
"God knows!" returned his pessimistic companion. "Nothing that's goingto help us any, you can stake your bottom dime on that. Here she comesagain, and you and me's just as big fools about her as the rest if we'dlet ourselves be."
This time Pearl danced the autumn, a vision of crimson and gold, withgrape leaves wreathing her black hair. If Hugh had conveyed to her anydisturbing news during the intermission, she showed no trace of it inher dancing, and if she had stirred her audience to impassionedenthusiasm before, it was unlimited, almost frantic now. She was theflame of autumn upon the mountain hillsides, a torch burning with thejoy of life and flinging her gay, defiant splendor in the menacing faceof winter. Before she had finished the house was on its feet, shoutingand clapping and refusing to let her leave the stage.
"She's gone to their heads worse'n wine," muttered the sheriff. "Isuppose it's now she's goin' to ask 'em to stand by her, an' withleaders like Gallito an' Bob Flick an' Harry Seagreave to line 'em upan' carry things with a rush, where in hell are we?"
But the dramatic appeal he had anticipated was not made. The Pearl,after one recall after another, had thrown a final kiss to herappreciative audience, had retired to her dressing room and positivelyrefused to appear again.
The sheriff sat down limply for a moment. "I'm beat," he said to the manwho had shared his fears, "just beat. The Lord is sure on our sideto-night. Gosh! They had the whole thing in their own hands and didn'tknow it. Well, the rest is pie. All we got to do is to take 'em all nicean' quiet now, and probably not a gun drawed." He moved about giving hisorders to different men about the hall.
Slowly the good-humored, laughing crowd filed out. The presence of thesheriff and the various deputies aroused no suspicion. It was butnatural that any one who could get there from the surrounding campsshould be present.
About half of the people had passed through the narrow door when Pearlmade her appearance at the back of the hall. She had thrust her armsinto a long, fur-lined crimson cloak, but it fell open from the neckdown, revealing her crimson and gold frock and gleaming emeralds. Ablack lace mantilla was thrown over her head and half over her face,showing only her sparkling eyes. She began taking various gay, littlesteps, still full of that joy of movement which had possessed her allevening.
Those who remained in the hall began to laugh and applaud. She danced amoment in response to it, and then, pausing, suddenly bowed low andshook her head definitely. Then she wrapped her cloak closely about her,turning up its wide, fur-lined collar, and, linking her arm withHughie's, came down the room with him still taking those irrepressiblelittle steps. Just as she reached the door she whisked a handkerchieffrom a pocket in her cloak and held it to her nose. A waft of exquisiteperfume filled the air, but the eyes of the two deputies who guarded thedoor were fixed with an almost stunned astonishment upon the jewelswhich covered her bare hands.
The sheriff had given orders that the Pearl and Hughie, Mrs. Thomas andMrs. Nitschkan were to be allowed to pass, were, in fact, to be got outof the hall just as quickly as possible; but these orders had not beenclearly understood and the two deputies at the door halted Pearl, Hughieand Mrs. Thomas, who was close to them.
Before either Pearl or Hughie could protest Seagreave, who had beenabout ten feet behind them, was at their side. "Let them pass," he said."Those are your orders."
"I hadn't heard it," said the other man, "and I'm not taking my ordersfrom you."
But the words were scarcely out of his mouth before Seagreave's arm,that "left" which had floored many an opponent in the old days of hismiddle-weight championship, shot out in a hook, lightning-like, to theright side of the jaw of the nearest deputy. The man reeled under thatimpact and went crashing over against his companion, bringing them bothin a heap to the floor. At the same moment Pearl, grasping Hughie's arm,pulled him about the two who lay half stunned and was out of the doorlike a flash.
Mrs. Thomas, who had been taken into the confidence of the group only sofar as to have it impressed upon her that she uttered the word Jose ather peril, and that the bandit's name was now Pedro, had not been quickenough to follow Pearl and Hugh in their flight through the door and nowstood helplessly gazing about her, confused, almost dazed, by the wholesituation.
The sheriff, whose attention had meanwhile been occupied by Mrs.Nitschkan, who was creating a lusty disturbance in the middle of thefloor, ran forward, shouting orders. "Let 'em go, I tell you!" to thosewho would have pursued the Pearl. "Where's your heads? I told you thatthis hall had got to be cleared, and cleared quick, of the women. As foryou, Seagreave," catching Harry by the arm, "don't try to wrigglethrough that door. You're under arrest."
"Look here, sheriff, it's snowing heavily. Hugh's blind, as you know,and can't possibly drive my horse up the hill. I drove Miss Gallito downin my cart and was to drive her back. You know there's no earthly wayfor me to escape, so if you let me drive those two up the hill, I'lleither come back here or you can get me in my cabin."
"So that's your game, son!" the sheriff smiled cynically. "To stir theboys up now. It's too late. They're all safe home, with their boots off,and their wives talkin' to them. Even the girl couldn't make 'em forgetthe honor of capturing Crop-eared Jose here in Colina, so run along, runalong. The girl's too pretty to be hurt with a frisky horse. My Lord!"striding down the hall again, "you fools stop scrapping with thattermagant and put her out, put her out, I say."
"Try it yourself," called Nitschkan tauntingly, enjoying to the full her"hour of glorious strife," and resisting with perfect ease the vague andchivalrous efforts of half a dozen deputies to hustle her from the hall."Any more of you try to mix it up with me and I'll put you all down forthe count."
"Oh, Sadie, Sadie," cried Mrs. Thomas, running down the hall toward herfriend, "it do beat the dogs how you act. These gentlemen'll thinkyou're no lady. Do behave more refined."
But Mrs. Nitschkan paid no heed to her pleadings. "Who's
this Joseyou're all talking about?" she cried. "I know Pedro, but no Jose."
Then she wasted no more breath in words, but gave herself strictly tothe business of the moment, prolonging the straggle far beyond thepatience of the sheriff and his men. But ultimately numbers prevailed,and, although she resisted to the last moment, giving no quarter andasking none, she was finally landed outside and the door locked uponher.
Swearing volubly, the sheriff turned his attention to that far end ofthe hall where the deputies who had not been engaged in the strugglewith Mrs. Nitschkan stood guard over Gallito and Flick, who had rangedthemselves before the crimson curtain of Pearl's dressing room. Two men,three, counting Jose behind the curtain, against at least twenty!Hanson, from the back of the hall, yielded to his inclination to laugh.
"They lined up just as I expected," muttered the sheriff as he advanceddown the room, "and it's a lot of good it's going to do them. Say," hecalled to Flick and Gallito, "it ain't no use drawing your guns, boys. Iguess you two old hands got sense enough to see that. So all you got todo is to hand over the prisoner. We'll tend to the rest of you later."
"I guess you're all right"--Bob Flick's soft voice had a carryingquality which caused his words to be heard all over the hall--"but weall, Gallito and myself here, feel kind of puzzled. Of course, we seeright from the first what the game was and that you were after us,but we ain't wise yet."
"There stood the Black Pearl alone."]
"Is that so?" sneered the sheriff. "Well, you soon will be. You stepaside from that curtain, and, Bob Flick, my men have orders to wing youand Gallito both the minute you even start to throw your hands back."
Gallito shrugged his shoulders and threw up his hands and Flicklaughingly waved his in the air.
"I guess you're right there, Bill," he said. "You sure got the argumentof numbers. But say, boys, honest, what bug you all got in your heads?You see in this land of the free you can't subject me and my friendGallito to such indignities as you're a heaping on us. As far as I canmake out, you're only laying up trouble for yourself, and also"--herethere rang a peculiarly menacing note through his soft, southernvoice--"if I'm correct, you're accusing Miss Pearl Gallito of being asuspicious character, and I'm assuring you now, boys, that either in thedesert or here in the mountains that that's the sort of thing you've gotto answer for."
"Stop your kidding, Bob," said the sheriff, impatiently. He took a rapidstride forward and with one quick sweep of the arm ripped back thecurtain.
Then he fell back staring, dumb with surprise. For there stood the BlackPearl alone, a man's coat buttoned across her bare chest, and beneath itthe froth of her rose-colored silk petticoats. She stood nonchalantlyenough, her head thrown back, her hands on her hips, surveying the groupof men with a quick, disdainful smile, and then laughed insolentlyacross them at Hanson.
"My Lord!" cried the sheriff, recovering himself, "how did you get here?Why, you just went out of the door."
"Gee! Jose dressed up in her clothes and made a getaway," called ashrill voice from the rear.
The sheriff swore audibly and violently as he ran to the door. "Here,three of you boys," he ordered, "stay here and hold these prisoners. Itain't ten minutes since the others left and there's no chance on earthfor 'em to escape. We'll have 'em before you know it. Come on, the restof you."