The Man of the Forest by Zane Grey (fastest ebook reader .TXT) đ
- Author: Zane Grey
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believed him lazy; others believed him shiftless; others
thought him an Indian in mind and habits; and there were
many who called him slow-witted. Then there was another side
to their regard for him, which always afforded him
good-natured amusement. Two of this group asked him to bring
in some turkey or venison; another wanted to hunt with him.
Lem Harden came out of the store and appealed to Dale to
recover his stolen horse. Lemâs brother wanted a
wild-running mare tracked and brought home. Jesse Lyons
wanted a colt broken, and broken with patience, not
violence, as was the method of the hard-riding boys at Pine.
So one and all they besieged Dale with their selfish needs,
all unconscious of the flattering nature of these overtures.
And on the moment there happened by two women whose remarks,
as they entered the store, bore strong testimony to Daleâs
personality.
âIf there ainât Milt Dale!â exclaimed the older of the two.
âHow lucky! My cowâs sick, anâ the men are no good
doctorinâ. Iâll jest ask Milt over.â
âNo one like Milt!â responded the other woman, heartily.
âGood day there â you Milt Dale!â called the first speaker.
âWhen you git away from these lazy men come over.â
Dale never refused a service, and that was why his
infrequent visits to Pine were wont to be prolonged beyond
his own pleasure.
Presently Beasley strode down the street, and when about to
enter the store he espied Dale.
âHullo there, Milt!â he called, cordially, as he came
forward with extended hand. His greeting was sincere, but
the lightning glance he shot over Dale was not born of his
pleasure. Seen in daylight, Beasley was a big, bold, bluff
man, with strong, dark features. His aggressive presence
suggested that he was a good friend and a bad enemy.
Dale shook hands with him.
âHow are you, Beasley?â
âAinât complaininâ, Milt, though I got more work than I can
rustle. Reckon you wouldnât take a job bossinâ my
sheep-herders?â
âReckon I wouldnât,â replied Dale. âThanks all the same.â
âWhatâs goinâ on up in the woods?â
âPlenty of turkey anâ deer. Lots of bear, too. The Indians
have worked back on the south side early this fall. But I
reckon winter will come late anâ be mild.â
âGood! Anâ where âre you headinâ from?â
ââCross-country from my camp,â replied Dale, rather
evasively.
âYour camp! Nobody ever found that yet,â declared Beasley,
gruffly.
âItâs up there,â said Dale.
âReckon youâve got that cougar chained in your cabin door?â
queried Beasley, and there was a barely distinguishable
shudder of his muscular frame. Also the pupils dilated in
his hard brown eyes.
âTom ainât chained. Anâ I havenât no cabin, Beasley.â
âYou mean to tell me that big brute stays in your camp
without beinâ hog-tied or corralled!â demanded Beasley.
âSure he does.â
âBeats me! But, then, Iâm queer on cougars. Have had many a
cougar trail me at night. Ainât sayinâ I was scared. But I
donât care for that brand of varmint⊠. Milt, you goinâ
to stay down awhile?â
âYes, Iâll hang around some.â
âCome over to the ranch. Glad to see you any time. Some old
huntinâ pards of yours are workinâ for me.â
âThanks, Beasley. I reckon Iâll come over.â
Beasley turned away and took a step, and then, as if with an
after-thought, he wheeled again.
âSuppose youâve heard about old Al Auchincloss beinâ near
petered out?â queried Beasley. A strong, ponderous cast of
thought seemed to emanate from his features. Dale divined
that Beasleyâs next step would be to further his advancement
by some word or hint.
âWidow Cass was tellinâ me all the news. Too bad about old
Al,â replied Dale.
âSure is. Heâs done for. Anâ Iâm sorry â though Alâs never
been square ââ
âBeasley,â interrupted Dale, quickly, âyou canât say that to
me. Al Auchincloss always was the whitest anâ squarest man
in this sheep country.â
Beasley gave Dale a fleeting, dark glance.
âDale, what you think ainât goinâ to influence feelinâ on
this range,â returned Beasley, deliberately. âYou live in
the woods anâ ââ
âReckon livinâ in the woods I might think â anâ know a
whole lot,â interposed Dale, just as deliberately. The group
of men exchanged surprised glances. This was Milt Dale in
different aspect. And Beasley did not conceal a puzzled
surprise.
âAbout what â now?â he asked, bluntly.
âWhy, about whatâs goinâ on in Pine,â replied Dale.
Some of the men laughed.
âShore lots goinâ on â anâ no mistake,â put in Lem Harden.
Probably the keen Beasley had never before considered Milt
Dale as a responsible person; certainly never one in any way
to cross his trail. But on the instant, perhaps, some
instinct was born, or he divined an antagonism in Dale that
was both surprising and perplexing.
âDale, Iâve differences with Al Auchincloss â have had them
for years,â said Beasley. âMuch of what he owns is mine. Anâ
itâs goinâ to come to me. Now I reckon people will be takinâ
sides â some for me anâ some for Al. Most are for me⊠.
Where do you stand? Al Auchincloss never had no use for you,
anâ besides heâs a dyinâ man. Are you goinâ on his side?â
âYes, I reckon I am.â
âWal, Iâm glad youâve declared yourself,â rejoined Beasley,
shortly, and he strode away with the ponderous gait of a man
who would brush any obstacle from his path.
âMilt, thetâs bad â makinâ Beasley sore at you,â said Lem
Harden. âHeâs on the way to boss this outfit.â
âHeâs sure goinâ to step into Alâs boots,â said another.
âThet was white of Milt to stick up fer poor old Al,â
declared Lemâs brother.
Dale broke away from them and wended a thoughtful way down
the road. The burden of what he knew about Beasley weighed
less heavily upon him, and the close-lipped course he had
decided upon appeared wisest. He needed to think before
undertaking to call upon old Al Auchincloss; and to that end
he sought an hourâs seclusion under the pines.
In the afternoon, Dale, having accomplished some tasks
imposed upon him by his old friends at Pine, directed slow
steps toward the Auchincloss ranch.
The flat, square stone and log cabin of unusually large size
stood upon a little hill half a mile out of the village. A
home as well as a fort, it had been the first structure
erected in that region, and the process of building had more
than once been interrupted by Indian attacks. The Apaches
had for some time, however, confined their fierce raids to
points south of the White Mountain range. Auchinclossâs
house looked down upon barns and sheds and corrals of all
sizes and shapes, and hundreds of acres of well-cultivated
soil. Fields of oats waved gray and yellow in the afternoon
sun; an immense green pasture was divided by a
willow-bordered brook, and here were droves of horses, and
out on the rolling bare flats were straggling herds of
cattle.
The whole ranch showed many years of toil and the
perseverance of man. The brook irrigated the verdant valley
between the ranch and the village. Water for the house,
however, came down from the high, wooded slope of the
mountain, and had been brought there by a simple expedient.
Pine logs of uniform size had been laid end to end, with a
deep trough cut in them, and they made a shining line down
the slope, across the valley, and up the little hill to the
Auchincloss home. Near the house the hollowed halves of logs
had been bound together, making a crude pipe. Water ran
uphill in this case, one of the facts that made the ranch
famous, as it had always been a wonder and delight to the
small boys of Pine. The two good women who managed
Auchinclossâs large household were often shocked by the
strange things that floated into their kitchen with the
ever-flowing stream of clear, cold mountain water.
As it happened this day Dale encountered Al Auchincloss
sitting in the shade of a porch, talking to some of his
sheep-herders and stockmen. Auchincloss was a short man of
extremely powerful build and great width of shoulder. He had
no gray hairs, and he did not look old, yet there was in his
face a certain weariness, something that resembled sloping
lines of distress, dim and pale, that told of age and the
ebb-tide of vitality. His features, cast in large mold, were
clean-cut and comely, and he had frank blue eyes, somewhat
sad, yet still full of spirit.
Dale had no idea how his visit would be taken, and he
certainly would not have been surprised to be ordered off
the place. He had not set foot there for years. Therefore it
was with surprise that he saw Auchincloss wave away the
herders and take his entrance without any particular
expression.
âHowdy, Al! How are you?â greeted Dale, easily, as he leaned
his rifle against the log wall.
Auchincloss did not rise, but he offered his hand.
âWal, Milt Dale, I reckon this is the first time I ever seen
you that I couldnât lay you flat on your back,â replied the
rancher. His tone was both testy and full of pathos.
âI take it you mean you ainât very well,â replied Dale. âIâm
sorry, Al.â
âNo, it ainât thet. Never was sick in my life. Iâm just
played out, like a hoss thet had been strong anâ willinâ,
anâ did too much⊠. Wal, you donât look a day older,
Milt. Livinâ in the woods rolls over a manâs head.â
âYes, Iâm feelinâ fine, anâ time never bothers me.â
âWal, mebbe you ainât such a fool, after all. Iâve wondered
lately â since I had time to think⊠. But, Milt, you
donât git no richer.â
âAl, I have all I want anâ need.â
âWal, then, you donât support anybody; you donât do any good
in the world.â
âWe donât agree, Al,â replied Dale, with his slow smile.
âReckon we never did⊠. Anâ you jest come over to pay
your respects to me, eh?â
âNot altogether,â answered Dale, ponderingly. âFirst off,
Iâd like to say Iâll pay back them sheep you always claimed
my tame cougar killed.â
âYou will! Anâ howâd you go about that?â
âWasnât very many sheep, was there?
âA matter of fifty head.â
âSo many! Al, do you still think old Tom killed them sheep?â
âHumph! Milt, I know damn well he did.â
âAl, now how could you know somethinâ I donât? Be
reasonable, now. Letâs donât fall out about this again. Iâll
pay back the sheep. Work it out ââ
âMilt Dale, youâll come down here anâ work out that fifty
head of sheep!â ejaculated the old rancher, incredulously.
âSure.â
âWal, Iâll be damned!â He sat back and gazed with shrewd
eyes at Dale. âWhatâs got into you, Milt? Hev you heard
about my niece thetâs cominâ, anâ think youâll shine up to
her?â
âYes, Al, her cominâ has a good deal to do with my deal,â
replied Dale, soberly. âBut I never thought to shine up to
her, as you hint.â
âHaw! Haw! Youâre just like all the other colts hereabouts.
Reckon itâs a good sign, too. Itâll take a woman to fetch
you out of the woods. But, boy, this niece of mine, Helen
Rayner, will stand you on your head. I never seen her. They
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