the Light Of Western Stars (1992) (56 page)

"Thet's mighty interestin', Miss Hammond, 'most as interestin' as a story-book," he sald
.
"Now, since you're so obligin' a witness, I'd sure like to put a question or two
.
What time did you arrive at El Cajon thet night?"

"It was after eleven o'clock," replied Madeline
.

"Nobody there to meet you?"

"No
.
"

"The station agent an' operator both gone?"

"Yes
.
"

"Wal, how soon did this feller Stewart show up?"Hawe continued, with a wry smile
.

"Very soon after my arrival
.
I think-perhaps fifteen minutes, possibly a little more
.
"

"Some dark an' lonesome around thet station, wasn't it?"

"Indeed yes
.
"

"An' what time was the Greaser shot?" queried Hawe, with his little eyes gleaming like coals
.

"Probably close to half past one
.
It was two o'clock when I looked at my watch at Florence Kingsley's house
.
Directly after Stewart sent Bonita away he took me to Miss Kingsley's
.
So, allowing for the walk and a few minutes' conversation with her, I can pretty definitely say the shooting took place at about half past one
.
"

Stillwell heaved his big frame a step closer to the sheriff
.
"What 're you drivin' at?" he roared, his face black again
.

"Evidence," snapped Hawe
.

Madeline marveled at this interruption; and as Stewart irresistibly drew her glance she saw him gray-faced as ashes, shaking, utterly unnerved
.

"I thank you, Miss Hammond," he said, huskily
.
"But you needn't answer any more of Hawe's questions
.
He's-he's- It's not necessary
.
I'll go with him now, under arrest
.
Bonita will corroborate your testimony in court, and that will save me from this-this man's spite
.
"

Madeline, looking at Stewart, seeing a humility she at first took for cowardice, suddenly divined that it was not fear for himself which made him dread further disclosures of that night, but fear for her-fear of shame she might suffer through him
.

Pat Hawe cocked his head to one side, like a vulture about to strike with his beak, and cunningly eyed Madeline
.

"Considered as testimony, what you've said is sure important an' conclusive
.
But I'm calculatin' thet the court will want to hev explained why you stayed from eleven-thirty till one-thirty in thet waitin'-room alone with Stewart
.
"

His deliberate speech met with what Madeline imagined a remarkable reception from Stewart, who gave a tigerish start; from Stillwell, whose big hands tore at the neck of his shirt, as if he was choking; from Alfred, who now strode hotly forward, to be stopped by the cold and silent Nels; from Monty Price, who uttered a violent "Aw!" which was both a hiss and a roar
.

In the rush of her thought Madeline could not interpret the meaning of these things which seemed so strange at that moment
.
But they were portentous
.
Even as she was forming a reply to Hawe's speech she felt a chill creep over her
.

"Stewart detained me in the waiting-room," she said, clear-voiced as a bell
.
"But we were not alone-all the time
.
"

For a moment the only sound following her words was a gasp from Stewart
.
Hawe's face became transformed with a hideous amaze and joy
.

"Detained?" he whispered, craning his lean and corded neck
.
"How's thet?"

"Stewart was drunk
.
He-"

With sudden passionate gesture of despair Stewart appealed to her:

"Oh, Miss Hammond, don't! don't! DON'T!
. . .
"

Then he seemed to sink down, head lowered upon his breast, in utter shame
.
Stillwell's great hand swept to the bowed shoulder, and he turned to Madeline
.

"Miss Majesty, I reckon you'd be wise to tell all," said the old cattleman, gravely
.
"There ain't one of us who could misunderstand any motive or act of yours
.
Mebbe a stroke of lightnin' might clear this murky air
.
Whatever Gene Stewart did that onlucky night-you tell it
.
"

Madeline's dignity and self-possession had been disturbed by Stewart's importunity
.
She broke into swift, disconnected speech:

"He came into the station-a few minutes after I got there
.
I asked-to be shown to a hotel
.
He said there wasn't any that would accommodate married women
.
He grasped my hand-looked for a wedding-ring
.
Then I saw he was-he was intoxicated
.
He told me he would go for a hotel porter
.
But he came back with a padre-Padre Marcos
.
The poor priest was-terribly frightened
.
So was I
.
Stewart had turned into a devil
.
He fired his gun at the padre's feet
.
He pushed me into a bench
.
Again he shot- right before my face
.
I-I nearly fainted
.
But I heard him cursing the padre-heard the padre praying or chanting-I didn't know what
.
Stewart tried to make me say things in Spanish
.
All at once he asked my name
.
I told him
.
He jerked at my veil
.
I took it off
.
Then he threw his gun down-pushed the padre out of the door
.
That was just before the vaqueros approached with Bonita
.
Padre Marcos must have seen them-must have heard them
.
After that Stewart grew quickly sober
.
He was mortified- distressed-stricken with shame
.
He told me he had been drinking at a wedding-I remember, it was Ed Linton's wedding
.
Then he explained-the boys were always gambling-he wagered he would marry the first girl who arrived at El Cajon
.
I happened to be the first one
.
He tried to force me to marry him
.
The rest- relating to the assault on the vaquero-I have already told you
.
"

Madeline ended, out of breath and panting, with her hands pressed upon her heaving bosom
.
Revelation of that secret liberated emotion; those hurried outspoken words had made her throb and tremble and burn
.
Strangely then she thought of Alfred and his wrath
.
But he stood motionless, as if dazed
.
Stillwell was trying to holster up the crushed Stewart
.

Hawe rolled his red eyes and threw back his head
.

"Ho, ho, ho!Ho, ho, ho!Say, Sneed, you didn't miss any of it, did ye?Haw, haw!Best I ever heerd in all my born days
.
Ho, ho!"

Then he ceased laughing, and with glinting gaze upon Madeline, insolent and vicious and savage, he began to drawl:

"Wal now, my lady, I reckon your story, if it tallies with Bonita's an' Padre Marcos's, will clear Gene Stewart in the eyes of the court
.
"Here he grew slower, more biting, sharper and harder of face
.
"But you needn't expect Pat Hawe or the court to swaller thet part of your story-about bein' detained unwillin'!" Madeline had not time to grasp the sense of his last words
.
Stewart had convulsively sprung upward, white as chalk
.
As he leaped at Hawe Stillwell interposed his huge bulk and wrapped his arms around Stewart
.
There was a brief, whirling, wrestling struggle
.
Stewart appeared to be besting the old cattleman
.

"Help, boys, help!" yelled Stillwell
.
"I can't hold him
.
Hurry, or there's goin' to be blood spilled!"

Nick Steele and several cowboys leaped to Stillwell's assistance
.
Stewart, getting free, tossed one aside and then another
.
They closed in on him
.
For an instant a furious straining wrestle of powerful bodies made rasp and shock and blow
.
Once Stewart heaved them from him
.
But they plunged back upon him-conquered him
.

"Gene!Why, Gene!" panted the old cattleman
.
"Sure you're locoed-to act this way
.
Cool down!Cool down!Why, boy, it's all right
.
Jest stand still-give us a chance to talk to you
.
It's only ole Bill, you know-your ole pal who's tried to be a daddy to you
.
He's only wantin' you to hev sense-to be cool-to wait
.
"

"Let me go!Let me go!" cried Stewart; and the poignancy of that cry pierced Madeline's heart
.
"Let me go, Bill, if you're my friend
.
I saved your life once-over in the desert
.
You swore you'd never forget
.
Boys, make him let me go!Oh, I don't care what Hawe's said or done to me!It was that about her!Are you all a lot of Greasers?How can you stand it?Damn you for a lot of cowards!There's a limit, I tell you
.
"Then his voice broke, fell to a whisper
.
"Bill, dear old Bill, let me go
.
I'll kill him!You know I'll kill him!"

"Gene, I know you'd kill him if you hed an even break," replied Stillwell, soothingly
.
"But, Gene, why, you ain't even packin' a gun! An' there's Pat lookin' nasty, with his hand nervous-like
.
He seen you hed no gun
.
He'd jump at the chance to plug you now, an' then holler about opposition to the law
.
Cool down, son; it'll all come right
.
"

Suddenly Madeline was transfixed by a terrible sound
.

Her startled glance shifted from the anxious group round Stewart to see that Monty Price had leaped off the porch
.
He crouched down with his bands below his hips, where the big guns swung
.
From his distorted lips issued that which was combined roar and bellow and Indian war-whoop, and, more than all, a horrible warning cry
.
He resembled a hunchback about to make the leap of a demon
.
He was quivering, vibrating
.
His eyes, black and hot, were fastened with most piercing intentness upon Hawe and Sneed
.

"Git back, Bill, git back!" he roared
.
"Git 'em back!" With one lunge Stillwell shoved Stewart and Nick and the other cowboys up on the porch
.
Then he crowded Madeline and Alfred and Florence to the wall, tried to force them farther
.
His motions were rapid and stern
.
But failing to get them through door and windows, he planted his wide person between the women and danger
.
Madeline grasped his arm, held on, and peered fearfully from behind his broad shoulder
.

"You, Hawe!You, Sneed!" called Monty, in that same wild voice
.
"Don't you move a finger or an eyelash!"

Madeline's faculties nerved to keen, thrilling divination
.
She grasped the relation between Monty's terrible cry and the strange hunched posture he had assumed
.
Stillwell's haste and silence, too, were pregnant of catastrophe
.

"Nels, git in this!" yelled Monty; and all the time he never shifted his intent gaze as much as a hair's-breadth from Hawe and his deputy
.
"Nels, chase away them two fellers hangin' back there
.
Chase 'em, quick!"