Part 39

"She's down at the heel now, quite like the town."

"She looked sick to me. You shouldn't be too hard on a sick woman, but she ought to send her girl away or get out. As you say, the Fork is no kind of a place for such a girl. If I had a son, a fine young feller like that girl is, do you suppose I'd let him load himself up with an old soak like me? No, sir; Lize has no right to spoil that girl's life. I'm nothing but a ham-strung old cow-puncher, but I've too much pride to saddle my pack on the shoulders of my son the way Lize seems to be doin' with that girl."

He spoke with a good deal of feeling, and the ranger studied him with deepening interest. He had taken on dignity in the heat of his protest, and in his eyes blazed something that was both manly and admirable.

Cavanagh took his turn at defending Lize. "As a matter of fact, she tried to send her daughter away, but Lee refuses to go, insisting that it is her duty to remain. In spite of her bad blood the girl is surprisingly true and sweet. She makes me wonder whether there is as much in heredity as we think."

"Her blood ain't so bad. Wetherford was a fool and a daredevil, but he came of good Virginia stock--so I've heard."

"Well, whatever was good in both sire and dame this girl seems to have mysteriously gathered to herself."

The old man looked at him with a bright sidelong glance. "You are a little sweet on the girl, eh?"

Ross began to regret his confidence. "She's making a good fight, and I feel like helping her."

"And she rather likes being helped by you. I could see that when she brought the coffee to you. She likes to stand close--"

Ross cut him short. "We'll not discuss her any further."

"I don't mean any harm, Mr. Ranger; we hobos have a whole lot of time to gossip, and I'm old enough to like a nice girl in a fatherly way. I reckon the whole valley rides in to see her, just the way you do."

Cavanagh winced. "You can't very well hide a handsome woman in a cattle country."

Edwards smiled again, sadly. "Not in my day you couldn't. Why, a girl like that would 'a' been worth a thousand head o' steers. I've seen a man come in with a span of mules and three ordinary female daughters, and without cinching a saddle to a pony accumulate five thousand cattle." Then he grew grave again. "Don't happen to have a picture of the girl, do you?"

"If I did, would I show it to you?"

"You might. You might even give it to me."

Cavanagh looked at the man as if he were dreaming. "You must be crazy."

"Oh no, I'm not. Sheep-herders do go twisted, but I'm not in the business long enough for that. I'm just a bit nutty about that girl."

He paused a moment. "So if you have a picture, I wish you'd show it to me."

"I haven't any."

"Is that right?"

"That's right. I've only seen her two or three times, and she isn't the kind that distributes her favors."

"So it seems. And yet you're just the kind of figure to catch a girl's eye. She likes you--I could see that, but you've got a good opinion of yourself. You're an educated man--do you intend to marry her?"

"See here, Mr. Sheep-herder, you better ride on up to your camp," and Ross turned to mount his horse.

"Wait a minute," called the other man, and his voice surprised the ranger with a note of authority. "I was terribly taken with that girl, and I owe you a whole lot; but I've got to know one thing. I can see you're full of her, and jealous as a bear of any other suitor. Now I want to know whether you intend to marry her or whether you're just playing with her?"

Ross was angry now. "What I intend to do is none of your business."

The other man was suddenly ablaze with passion. His form had lost its stoop. His voice was firm. "I merely want to say that if you play the goat with that girl, I'll kill you!"

Ross stared at him quite convinced that he had gone entirely mad. "That's mighty chivalrous of you, Mr. Sheep-herder," he replied, cuttingly; "but I'm at a loss to understand this sudden indignation on your part."

"You needn't be--I'm her father!"