The "Wild West" Collection. William MacLeod Raine
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"But you are not my guardian, Mr. Max Lyster."
"Then you prefer card playing?"
"No, I don't. I'd like it, but my income can't cover such luxuries, and I have booked myself to play for a time this evening, if I can get the man I want to play with."
"But that is what you must not do," he said, hastily. "With Overton or myself, of course, a game would not do you any special harm; but you simply must not indulge in such pastime with this promiscuous gathering of people--of men."
"But it isn't men--it's only one man I want to play--do you see?"
"I might if I knew who it was; but you don't know any men here but Dan and me."
"Yes, I do, too. I know Captain Alphonso Leek."
"Perhaps, but--" Lyster smiled, and shook his head dubiously.
"But he won't play with me, because he don't like me; that's what you would say, if you were not too polite--isn't it? He doesn't approve of me, and can't understand why I'm on the face of the earth, and especially why Dan should take any responsibility but Captain Leek on his hands. Huh! Can't I see? Of course I do. I heard him call me _'that'_ this morning. And so, I want to play a game of poker with him."
She looked impishly at him from under her brows, and twirled the money.
"Won't you be a messenger of peace and fix the game for me?" she asked, insinuatingly. "You know you promised to do penance."
"Then I forswear all rash promises for the future," he declared.
"But you did promise."
"Well, then, I'll keep my word, since you are such a little Shylock. And if it is only the captain--"
She laughed after he had gone out, and sat there shuffling the cards and building them into various forms. She was thus employed when Overton again passed the window and entered the room ere she could conceal them. He observed her attempt to do so and smiled indulgently.
"Playing with the cards, are you?" he asked, in a careless way. "They are expensive toys sometimes. But I'll teach you 'seven-up' some day; it's an easy game."
"Is it?" she said; but did not look up at him. His indifference to the pretty dress had not yet ceased to annoy her.
"Yes. And see here, 'Tana! I forgot to give you a present I brought you a little while ago. It's a ring a fellow from the upper lake region worried me into buying, as he was dead broke. He bought it from an Indian up near Karlo. Queer for an Indian to have, isn't it?"
"Near Karlo?" she said, and reached out her hand for it.
There was a strange look on her face, a strange choking sound in her throat. He noticed it, and his voice was very kindly as he spoke again.
"You don't like even to hear of that region, do you? You must have been very miserable somewhere up there. But never mind, little girl; we'll try to forget all that. And if the ring fits you, wear it, no matter what country it comes from."
She tried to thank him, but the words would not come easily, and her outstretched hand in which the ring lay was tremulous.
"Oh, that's all right," he said hastily, afraid, no doubt, she was going to cry, as he had seen her do before at kind words. "Never mind about the thanks. If you care to wear it, that's all that's necessary; though a snake ring is not the prettiest of ornaments for a girl. It fits, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it fits," she returned, and slipped it on her finger. "It is very nice," but she shivered as with cold, and her hand shook.
It was curious enough to attract notice anywhere, a silver and a gold snake twined together with their heads meeting, and in the flattened gold head, eyes of garnet gleamed, while the silver head had eyes of emerald. Not a girlish looking ornament, surely.
"I'll wear it," she said, and dropped the hand to her side. "But don't tell the rest where it came from. I may want to tease them."
CHAPTER VIII.
THE DANCE.
"Ain't it lovely, Ora?" and 'Tana danced past Ora Harrison, the doctor's pretty daughter, as if her feet had wings to them. And as Ora's bright face smiled an answer, it was clear that the only two young girls in the settlement were enjoying Lyster's party to the full.
For it was a pronounced success. Every "boy" invited was there in as much of festive outfit as circumstances would allow. All the "family" people were there. And the presence of Doctor Harrison--the only "professional" man in the town--and his wife and daughter gave a stamp of select society to the gathering in Mrs. Huzzard's rooms.
Mrs. Huzzard beamed with pleasure at the great success of it all. She would have liked to dance, too, and refused most unwillingly when Lyster tried to persuade her. But a supercilious glance from the captain made her refusal decided. The doubt as to whether ladies in "sussiety" ever did dance after forty years, and one hundred and sixty-three pounds weight, deterred her. Now, if the captain had asked her to dance, she would have been more assured.
But the captain did not; and, after a while, he was not to be seen. He had vanished into the little back sitting room, and she was confident he was engaged in his innocent pastime of a friendly game of cards with the doctor.
"Go and dance with 'Tana, or that nice little girl of the doctor's," she said to Lyster, when he was trying to inveigle her into a quadrille--"that's the sort of partner for you."
"But 'Tana has disappeared mysteriously; and as Miss Ora is 'bespoke,' I can't dance with her unless I want a duel with her partner."
"'Tana disappeared! Well, now, I haven't seen her for two dances," said Mrs. Huzzard, looking around searchingly, "though I never missed her till this minute."
"Beg pardon, ma'am," said a voice at her elbow; "but is it the--the young lady with the white dress you are looking for?"
"Yes, it is," answered Mrs. Huzzard, and turned around to face the speaker, who was an apologetic-looking stranger with drab-colored chin whiskers, and a checkered shirt, and a slight impediment in his speech.
"Well, ma'am, I saw her go into that room there quite a spell ago," and he nodded toward the back sitting room. "She hasn't passed out again, as I've seen."
Then, as Mrs. Huzzard smiled on him in a friendly way, he ventured further:
"She's a very pretty girl, as any one can see. Might I ask her name?"
"Oh, yes! Her name is Rivers--Miss Tana Rivers," said Mrs. Huzzard. "You must be a stranger in the settlement?"
"Yes, ma'am, I am. My name is Harris--Jim Harris. I come down from the diggings with Mr. Overton this morning. He allowed it would be all right for me to step inside, if I wanted to see the dancing."
"To be sure it is," agreed Mrs. Huzzard, heartily. "His friends are our friends, and civil folks are always right welcome."
"Thank, you, ma'am; you're kind, I'm sure. But we ain't just friends, especial. Only I had business in his line, so we picked up acquaintance and come into camp together; and when I saw the pretty girl in white, I did think I'd like to come in a spell. She looks so uncommon like a boy I knew up in the 'big bend' country. Looks enough like him to be a twin; but he wasn't called Rivers. Has--has this young lady any brothers or cousins up there?"
"Well, now, as for cousins, they are far out, and we hain't ever talked about them; but as for brothers or sisters, father or mother, that she hasn't got, for she told me so. Her pa and Mr. Dan Overton they was partners once; and when the pa died he just left his child to the partner's care; and he couldn't have left her to a squarer man."
"That's what report says of him," conceded the stranger, watching her with guarded attention. "Then Mr. Overton's partner hasn't been dead long?"
"Oh, no--not very long; not long enough for the child to get used to talking of it to strangers, I guess; so we don't ask her many questions about it. But it troubles her yet, I know."
"Of course--of course; such a pretty little