CHAPTER XI
MORTON'S ULTIMATUM
Oddly enough, Roderick Duncan and Richard Morton had never met.Although Morton, during the two weeks of his acquaintance withPatricia Langdon, had been as constantly in her company as it waspossible for him to be, there had been no introduction between the twoyoung men. They frequented the same clubs, and Morton had made theacquaintance of many of Duncan's friends; they knew each other bysight, and Duncan had heard, vaguely and without particular interest,that Morton had fallen under the spell of Patricia's statelyloveliness. That was a circumstance which had suggested no misgivingswhatever to him. He had long been accustomed to such conditions, forit was a rare thing that a man should be presented to Patricia withoutbeing at once attracted and charmed by her physical beauty, as well asby her brilliancy of wit.
It was, therefore, with unmasked astonishment that, upon responding toa summons at his door, still holding Patricia's letter in his hand,he found himself face to face with the young Montana cattle-king.
"Mr. Roderick Duncan, I believe?" said Morton, without advancing tocross the threshold when Duncan threw open the door.
"Yes," he replied. "Won't you come inside, Mr. Morton? I know you verywell, by sight and name, and, although it has not been my privilege tomeet you socially, you are quite welcome. Come inside, won't you?"
The handsome young ranchman bowed, and passed into the room. He strodeacross it until he was near one of the windows; then, he turned toface Duncan, who had re-closed the door, and had followed as far asthe center-table where he now stood, gazing questioningly at hisvisitor.
"Won't you be seated, Mr. Morton?" Duncan asked.
"Thank you, no. I intend to remain only a moment, and it is possiblethat the question I have come to ask you may not be agreeable for youto hear, or to answer. If you will repeat your request after I haveasked the question, I shall be glad to comply with it."
"I haven't the least idea what you are talking about, Mr. Morton,"said Duncan, smiling, "and I can't conceive how any question you careto put to me would be offensive. However, have it your own way. Willyou tell me, now, what that remarkable question is?"
Morton was standing with his feet wide-apart, and with his back to thewindow. His hands were thrust deep into his trousers-pockets. Helooked the athlete in every line of his muscular limbs and body, andthe frankness and openness of his expression at once interestedDuncan.
"Mr. Duncan," he said, "in the country I come from, we do thingsdifferently from the way you do them here. I was born on a ranch inEastern Montana, and I have lived all my life in a wild country. Ibegan my career as a cow-puncher, when I was sixteen, and not untilthe last two or three years of my life have I known anything at all ofthat phase of existence which is expressed by the word 'society.' Iindulge in this preamble in order to apologize in advance, for anybreaks I may make in that mystical line of talk which you call, 'goodform.'"
Duncan nodded his head smilingly, and Morton continued:
"Several years ago, I made my 'pile,' as we express it out there, andsince that time it has steadily increased in size, so that, lately, Ihave indulged myself in an attempt to 'butt in' upon the people in'polite society.' The question I have to ask you will amaze andastonish you, but I shall explain it, in detail, if you desire me todo so."
"Very well, Mr. Morton, what is the question?"
"Are you engaged to marry Miss Patricia Langdon?" demanded Morton,abruptly; and there was a tightening of his lips and a slight forwardthrust of his aggressive chin.
Duncan received the question calmly. He thought, afterward, that hehad almost anticipated it, although he could not have told why heshould do so. He permitted nothing of the effect the question had uponhim to appear in the expression of his face, or eyes, and he continuedto gaze smilingly into the face of the young ranchman, while hereplied:
"I see no objection to answering your question, Mr. Morton, although Ido not in the least understand your reason for asking it. Miss Langdonand I are engaged to be married, and the wedding-day is already fixed.It is to be next Monday morning, at ten o'clock. I hope, sir, that youare quite satisfied with the reply?"
Morton did not speak for a moment, but he reached out one hand andrested it on the back of a chair, near which he was standing. Duncan,perceiving the gesture, asked again:
"Won't you be seated, Mr. Morton?"
"Thank you, yes."
He dropped his huge body upon the leather-upholstered chair besidehim, and crossed one leg over the other, while Duncan retained hisattitude beside the table, still with that questioning expression inhis eyes.
"I suppose I ought to make some farther explanation," said Morton,presently. He spoke with careful deliberation, choosing his words ashe did so and evidently striving hard to maintain complete composureof demeanor under circumstances that rendered the task somewhatdifficult.
"I think one is due to me," was the reply.
"Mr. Duncan, when I hit the trail for this room, to have this talkwith you, I sure thought that I had mapped out pretty clearly what Ihad to say to you. I find now that it's some difficult to expressmyself. If we were seated together in a bunk-house on a ranch inMontana, I could uncinch all that's on my mind, without any trouble. Ihope you don't mind my native lingo."
"Not in the least," replied Duncan, still smiling. "I find it veryexpressive, and quite to the point."
"Well, it's this way: I arrived in the city about three weeks ago, andone of the first persons I met up with, who interested me was MissLangdon. There isn't any reason that I know of why I shouldn't admitto you that she interested me more, in about three seconds of time,than anybody else has ever succeeded in doing, during the twenty-eightyears I have lived. I was roped, tied, and branded, quicker than ittakes me to tell you of it; and the odd part of the whole thing isthat I enjoyed the experience, instead of resenting it. I think it wasthe second time I met up with her when I told her about it, and it isonly fair to her, and to you, to admit that she said 'No,'Johnny-on-the-spot. But, somehow, it didn't strike me that it was afinal 'no,' or that she had anybody's brand on her; and so I didn'tlose the hope that some day I might induce her to accept mine. LastSaturday afternoon, I took her in my car, in company with two otherladies, to her father's office, down-town. She had an interview withher father and somebody else, I suspect, while she was in the office,and whatever that interview was, I am plumb certain that it didn'tplease her. She come out of the building with her eyes blazing liketwo live coals, and she was mad enough to shoot, if I am any judge."
He paused, as if expecting some comment from Duncan, but the lattermade no remark at all; nor did he change his attitude or the smilingexpression of his face. Truth to tell, he was more amused thanoffended by the other's confidences. Morton continued:
"I had half-promised Miss Langdon that I wouldn't speak to her againof love, but I sure couldn't hold in, that afternoon. I needn't tellyou what I said; but the consequence of it was that she told me shehad just concluded a business transaction--that was the expression sheused--by which she had promised to marry a man whom she would notname. Since that time, I have studied the situation rather deeply,with the result that I came to the conclusion you were the man to whomshe referred. That is why I have called upon you this evening, to askyou the question you have just answered."
"Well?" said Duncan. His smile was more constrained, now.
"I'm sure puzzled to know what Miss Langdon means by the 'businesstransaction' part of it, Mr. Duncan, and I have come up here, to yourown room, to tell you that, if Patricia Langdon loves you--"
"One moment, if you please, Mr. Morton. Don't you think you're goingrather too far, now?"
"No sir, I don't."
"Very well, I'll listen to you, to the end."
"If Patricia Langdon loves you, Duncan, I'll hit the trail for Montanaand the sky-line this afternoon, and I'll ask you to pardon me for anybreak I have made here, this evening; but, if she doesn't love you,and if, as I suspect, you are coercing her in this matter--"
r />
Again, Duncan interrupted the ranchman. He did it this time bystraightening his tall figure, and raising one hand for silence.
"I think, Mr. Morton," he said, coldly, "that you are presuming rathertoo far. These are personal matters between Miss Langdon and myself,which I may not discuss with you."
Morton sprang to his feet, and faced Duncan across the table.
"By God! you've got to discuss this with me!" he said; and his jawssnapped together, while he bent forward, glaring into Duncan's eyes."I've got to know one thing from you, Mr. Roderick Duncan; and I'vegot just one more thing to say to you!"
"Well, what is it?"
The question was cold and very calm. Duncan's temper was rising.
"I'll say it mighty quick and sudden. It is this: If you are forcingPatricia Langdon into this marriage against her will, I'll kill you."