She turned her head when I sat up, and she said, ‘Well, you took long enough! You’d better have some of this soup now.” “Thanks.” I was almighty weak, but I macle it to the fireside and sat down on the wide hearth.
The cabin was warm now, and I could hear the easy snores of the old man.
‘allyou been living here long? I asked.
‘Well, pa built this place, maybe fifteen years ago when he was down this way.
We’ve come to it two or three times.” “Prospector?” ‘Hunter, mostly. Oh, he looks around. He rinds rock now and again, but he would rather shoot meat and sell it to the miners. Pa likes to come here. He reads a lot.” “Him?” She looked up quickly. “Don’t you be underrating pa.
He had ten years of schooling before he came west, and he went to good schools. His name is Lander Owen, and he comes of an educated family, only he liked it in the West. You should have heard Mr.
Denig and pa talking … and Mr. Denfg was one of the smartest men there was.” “Never heard of him.” ‘We can’t all be smart.
He was a far trader, came west the same year pa did, I reckon, and he married an Indian girl … two of them, in fact. That makes it nice.” She gave me a quick, angry look.
‘His first wife wagdt well. Should he throw her out because of that? A man has to have a wife … so Mr. Denig just taken on another one.
‘He kiaew more about Indians than almost any white man I eve r knew.
He wrote about them. Some of his things were published back east.
Folks erne west to talk to him about Indian ways. Edwin Thompson Denig-was his name.” She was proud, and I liked the way she was quick to speak, chin up, eyes flashing.
Denig” I made a note of the name-I surely had a lot to learn.
The soup was hot, all right, and it tasted good. I draned the bowl and had another, and then sleep began to catch up with me. I dearly wished to talk. It was the first time I’d talked to a girl-a young one-in months.
“Your pa called you Vash. Is that your name?” ‘Vashti. Pa got it from the Bible, but it’s a Persian name. A man told pa it meant beautiful one.” “He sure named you right. You are beautiful. She flushed, shot me a quick glance, and then looked away. “You’re just saying that because you want more soup.
Well, I’ll give you some-you don’t have to say it.” “I meant it. And I caret eat any more soup.” ‘allyou don’t like my soup?” Sure, I like it.
Here, give me another bowl.” surely didn’t need that last bowl. I was already about as full up as a man could get, but I didn’t want her to think I was slighting her cooking, so I ate it, down to the last drop.
Her grandpa’s name was The Swan, she told me, and he’d been a great chief and a fine orator.
Well, I’d heard talk of him. In Dodge, where we sold our cattle, there was at about him from an old buffalo hunter we met.
He’d told us that while The Swan had been claef of the OgalalIas they had been better fed, better clothed, and in less trouble than any time.
While she was washing the soup bowl I went to the bed and was asleep almost as soon as I stretched out.
And there was no mightmare this time.
It was light when I woke up, and the old man was gone from the cabin.
Vashti was working around, but when she saw that I was awake she came over and looked at me critically.
“You should shave more often.now that was a contrary sort of attitude.
‘Ma’am,” I said, ‘I been busy saving my hide. I had no time to think of x.n ‘allyou’ve time now. I’ll heat some water.meanwhile she put some bacon in the pan, and I could smell it, and was getting hungrier and hungrier.
After a While I sat up and pulled on my pants when her back was turned, not fastening my belt tight because I wanted no pressure on that wound.
‘allyou showed sense getting that metal out of therew she said. ‘At least you didn’t forget everything.” When I started to speak, she cut me off. ‘Pa broulht your saddle down.
Got it off your horse.” “He went through all that brush? And those deadfalls?” “There’s an easier way, but it’s roundabout. Pa knows every trail in these mountains, I do believe,” She brought me some hot water, soap, and a razor, and I shaved. And it felt good.
By the time I’d finished she had put food on the table.
She poured coffee and sat down across the table from me.
“Well,” she said at last, “you’re not a bad-looking boy when you’re shaved.” “I’m no boy.” She let that pass, but said, “What do you plan to do now?” ‘ToUow them. Soon as I’m able.” ‘I would think you’d had enough of that. Next time they’ll surely kill you.” “No, ma’am, they won’t. They suckered me into a trap.” “Twice,” she said dryly. comally played the fool twice.
Why walk into a dark hall when you know men are waiting for you?
Or go riding off because some passerby tells you where to find them?
If I were Bob Haseltine I’d not be worried.” Well, sir, she was getting under my skin. My face was flushing, but I held my tongue.
“At least it dit hurt your appetite any,” she said, as I finished the bacon. “Will you have some more coffee?” “Please.” “Well,” she said, “Somebody taught you manners, anyway.
Was it Mr. Judy?” “What do you know about him?” “He’s your friend, isn’t he? Pa says you’ve been getting about with all those high-toned, highfalutin’ folks down to Leadville. Pa thinks quite a lot of Mr.
Judy.” “Seems as if everybody does. I wonder how a man gets to be liked that much?” “There’s nothing so surprising in that, Shell Tucker. A man is liked because he is likable, and most often I suspect because he likes other people.
I’ve heard pa talk about Con Judy.
“He’s haa a’lot of men from time to time on mining and railroad jobs, and lies always been honest with them. He wants a day’s work for a day’s pay, but he stands by those who work for him, as well as those he works for, and if anybody has any argument Con is ready to meet them anyway they choose-only most of them don’t choose.” “He’s a good friend,” I said. “I can say that.” I was feeling weaker than a cat.
It was good just to sit still and enjoy the sunlight of the day. And a comforting thing it was to have Vashti moving around, doing little things to straighten up the place. Pa and me had been batching these last three years, and it was surprising, watching her, to see how much we’d overlooked doing in keeping a place looking shipshape. Vashti, she never missed a thing, and no waste motion, either.
“Is that all you have to do? Sit and watch me?” “I was admiring how handy you were. I never did see a girl do so much with so few bowes.” We talked a bit, and then I stretched out so’s I could rest. I thought about Heseltine and Reese.
More than likely they were gone, but they might come back. I’d have to be ready for that.
After a while I sat up and found the stuff Owen used in cleaning his rifle, and I cleaned mine, and my sixshooter, too. Vashti looked at me from time to time, but she said nothing.
Meanwhile I was studying about those two men. All I’d figured about Ruby Shaw would still hold true, I thought. She wouldn’t want to be holed up in some cabin with two irritable outlaws, even if she was the girl of one of them. She’d want a town where money could be spent, where she could have some fancy clothes and wear them, and so far all she’d had was trouble. Come to think of it, she wouldn’t be thinking very kindly of me. ” “I should think you’d want to get a job and make something of yourself,” Vashti said suddenly.
Took me a moment to get my thoughts in line. “I’ve got to get those men to give me back that money,” I said. “I swore I’d pay back every dime we were trusted with. I’ve got it to do.” “Maybe you could earn it faster.” “It would take me years, ma’am.
Years, to make that much. And those men have got to be made to pay for what they’ve done.” We talked the question back and forth, but in the midst of it I fell asleep again. Which was probably the smartest thing I could have done.