CHAPTER XVII.
ADRIAN TAKES THE REINS.
"Who might these boys be, Fred?"
The woman asked this question with a lofty air, as she arrived close towhere the three chums now stood, holding the bridles of their horses.
"This is my nephew, Adrian Sherwood, who as you know, Josie, is theowner of Bar-S Ranch; and these are his friends, Donald Mackay, aboutwhom he has often written to me, and Billie Winkle," Mr. Comstockhastened to say, though it could be seen that he had to summon all hisresolution to the fore in order to keep his voice firm.
She looked the three over from head to foot, and in particular Adrian.Evidently Mrs. Fred scented trouble, since the young owner of the ranchthat was being systematically robbed by her blood relatives had come onthe ground. But she was game, and scorned to show the white feather,though she may have suspected that this marked the beginning of the endof the reign of Hatch Walker and his crowd in that favored section.
"I happened to hear something that was said as I came up," she went onto remark, caustically; "it was about their recovering the cattle thatwandered away last night. So you see your fears were useless after all.You always worry over things without any reason, just like an old foolwould."
"But it happened, my dear," Uncle Fred spoke up, "that in this case therustlers _did_ carry off the herd; for Adrian and his chums made four ofthem prisoners, and recovered the cattle at Bittersweet Coulie."
"What's that you're telling me?" she demanded, scornfully; "threehalf-grown boys capture four husky rustlers. More than likely they foundthe cattle astray, and are playing a joke on you by telling such a storyas this," and the laugh that accompanied these words made Billie shiveras though a sudden draught from the Artic regions had struck him in theback.
"Perhaps we did dream it," chuckled Adrian; "but if so, it's queer howwe came to get it in our heads that one of the stampeders was named TadWhiffles, another Corney, and still a third Bemis. But no matter, madam,we did bring the cattle back, and here they are, safe and sound. UncleFred is delighted with such good luck; and of course you must be thesame."
The woman was looking at him keenly. Perhaps she realized that this wasno ordinary boy, whom she could badger in the same way she had hisuncle. The mentioning of those three names, which of course sherecognized as belonging to punchers in her brother's employ, told herthat they must indeed have done all they claimed; and such boys who didthings were certainly to be looked on with respect. Still she was notready to abdicate the position she had held so long.
She turned on Uncle Fred, as though pretty sure of a cringing victimthere.
"Who are these three strange riders I see? Did they help drive the lostherd home? When have you taken to hiring new hands without consultingme? Didn't we settle that matter once for all months ago?"
The manager of Bar-S Ranch stood his ground. He had summoned the lastvestige of his former resolution to the front, and seemed ready to tryconclusions with the wife of his bosom again, perhaps for the last time.
"I have had nothing to do with hiring them, my dear," he said, firmly."Adrian made all arrangements himself, and you know, as he is the soleowner of the ranch, what he says goes. He thought there would be severalof our boys who might not wish to remain, and work under him; and so hebrought these new hands along to take their places when they were paidoff."
She looked as black as midnight at that. Donald, watching closely,realized that Mrs. Fred must guess that they understood how matterswere, and had come prepared to oust her crowd, even if they had toinclude Uncle Fred and herself.
"Oh! that's how the land lies, is it?" she went on to say, bitterly."Well, apparently your fine nephew must have forgotten that yourcontract reads you are to have three months' notice before you can bedisplaced. And as we hold the reins for that length of time, you'llcontinue to do the engaging and discharging. Those new hands will haveto clear out, for not a dollar of pay will they get here, or a singlemeal, if I can help it."
Mr. Comstock's lower jaw fell. He stared helplessly first at theaggressive woman and then toward his nephew. Evidently she had "takenthe wind from his sails" completely by this sudden assertion, and he didnot know what to say.
But Adrian was equal to the emergency. He never lost his temper in theleast degree as he waited until he caught the angry eye of Mrs. Fred.
"What you say about the contract is very true, so far as it goes, AuntJosie," he observed, steadily; "but you forget evidently that it alsoreads that in case I wish to change managers I am to give three months'notice, or else pay Uncle Fred that much salary in lieu of said notice.Here is the amount in this roll of bills, which, when he accepts, willconstitute the change, so that he will no longer hold the position ofmanager of the Bar-S Ranch."
He held out the money toward the little man. As he did so the woman gavea loud and ominous cry.
"Refuse to take it, Fred; don't you dare touch his money!" she demanded,furiously. "If you decline to take it he'll have to let you stay thethree months out, don't you see, you idiot?"
Perhaps that last part of her speech brought the man to a realization ofthe humiliating fact that there were numerous spectators to his beinghenpecked. At any rate Uncle Fred gritted his teeth, and stretching outhis hand, took the money deliberately from Adrian. With a flash of hisold independence he immediately held it up and said in a loud voice:
"Everybody take notice that I've accepted the pay for three months inadvance from my nephew, and in so doing I sever all my connection withthe Bar-S Ranch as manager."
With that he contemptuously threw the roll of money at the feet of hiswife. She looked at first as though she could tear him to pieces. Then,unable to resist the lure of the ready cash she stooped down and pickedthe three months' salary up.
"Perhaps you think that this closes the house to Fred and me!" shesnapped, turning on Adrian furiously; "but you have another guesscoming, boy! You're pretty young to meddle with the business of grownmen; and there may be snarls about our affairs that'll be harder tounravel than just tying up four drunken cattle rustlers, and bringingback the stock they'd run off. If you came here to make war on a woman,you're bound to get your fill before it's all over. And you'll find thatI'm not without friends who'll see me get my rights. That's all I've gotto say to you; but there'll be another chapter to this story, don'tforget that!"
She flung these bitter words at Adrian as though each one had apoisonous sting with which she meant to inflict pain upon him.Undoubtedly Aunt Josie did not intend to welcome her husband's nephew inany hearty fashion to his ranch which he had not seen for some years,and which she had of late come to look upon as more or less herindividual property, to be looted at will by her rapacious relatives.
She started to walk away, her head held high in the air, and as Adrianthought with the bearing of an angry empress. Her high and lofty mannermust have struck some of the cowboys as ludicrous. She had rubbed itinto them on numerous occasions, and naturally they glorified in herapparent downfall. One of them gave a low mocking laugh. Instantly thewoman whirled around, and her eyes seemed to fairly blaze as shesurveyed the group.
"Who laughed then?" she demanded; but no one answered, though severalshrank back appalled; and Donald saw the man in hiding behind the bunkhouse, Mr. Thomas, draw his head in much after the manner of a tortoisewhen danger approaches.
"Cowards, all of you!" she went on to say, in a harsh tone; "you caninsult a woman behind her back, but not one of you is man enough toacknowledge a little thing like that. Never mind, it won't be longbefore I'll be in a position to hold the whip hand, and then we'll seewho stays and who goes. As for you, Fred Comstock, just _wait_, that'sall!"
This time when she walked toward the ranch house not a sound broke out.Uncle Fred turned a troubled face toward his nephew.
"I wouldn't dare be left alone with her again after this for a king'sransom, and that's the truth, Adrian," he said, slowly. "Perhaps, sinceI'm discharged from my position here, I ought to clear out right awaybefore night. It l
ooks cowardly, but there's no other safety for me, Icandidly admit."
"No, don't hurry about going, Uncle," remonstrated Adrian, taking himaside so he could speak without others hearing, for he knew that some ofthe punchers had not been looking on him with friendly eyes; and thesemust be the men who were hand in glove with Hatch Walker and his sister,the wife of Uncle Fred.
"But my usefulness here has all departed, and why should I linger?"urged the despondent ex-manager.
"You don't know what may happen yet, and if we have trouble with thoseWalkers you may get a chance to retrieve some of the blunders of thepast year," the boy went on to say, laying a hand affectionately on hisuncle's sleeve, for the other was shaking his head sadly in the negativeas though he could not see a gleam of light in the overcast sky. "Ididn't get a chance to tell you that we met up with Frank Bowker, thepuncher you sent to town on an errand; and I entrusted him with a noteto the new sheriff, demanding that he gather a reliable posse at onceand ride out to the Bar-S Ranch, because a fight was on with the rustlergang of Walkers, and we meant to settle this thing once and for all.That blot has been on this county far too long, and he must know it. Soyou see, Uncle Fred, after all this storm may clear the air; and when itpasses by perhaps you may be glad to take up the reins here again asmanager for me!"
The man looked at him with tears in his eyes, so greatly was he affectedby this show of confidence in him. He seized hold of Adrian's hand, andsqueezed it in an almost frenzied fashion, while he went on to say in atone husky with emotion:
"What you say sounds too good to ever come true, son; because, you see,I'm her husband through thick and thin, because the law made me so; andwhere I am she has a right to be also. No, I must go away and try tostart fresh somewhere else. But," he added, while the old fightingspirit flashed into his blue eyes once more; "if you think there's goingto be war with the Walker tribe before this thing's threshed out, why, Imight defer my going till it's all over, and the returns in. If so be Igot a chance to settle my differences with that lawless brother of hers,Hatch Walker, I'd feel easier in my mind, anyhow, so I'll try and hangout yet awhile, Adrian, my boy!"