Ranching For Sylvia Volume-554 - Harold Bindloss (best black authors TXT) 📗

Volume 554 Chapter 27 (A Sign From Flett) Pg 204

Wouldn't Even Know When A Girl Was In Love With You, Unless She Told

You So.  Perhaps It's Some Excuse That Your Mind's Fixed On One Woman

To The Exclusion Of All The Rest, Though One Could Imagine That, As You

Think Of Her, She's As Unreal And As Far Removed From Anything Made Of

Flesh And Blood As A Saint In A Picture.  After All, I Dare Say It's A

Very Proper Feeling."

 

George Left Him, Half Amused And Half Disturbed.  He Did Not Resent

Edgar's Freedom Of Speech, But The Latter Had A Way Of Mixing Hints

That Were Not Altogether Foolish With His Badinage, And His Comrade Was

Inclined To Wonder What He Had Meant By One Suggestive Remark.  It

Troubled Him As He Strolled Along The Edge Of The Tall Green Wheat, But

He Comforted Himself With The Thought That, After All, Edgar's

Conversation Was Often Unworthy Of Serious Consideration.

 

A Week Later George Rode Over To The Store At The Settlement, Feeling A

Little Diffident, Because He Had Undertaken The Visit Only From A Sense

Of Duty.  He Was Cordially Received, And Was Presently Taken In To

Supper, Which Was Served In A Pretty Room And Presided Over By A Very

Attractive Girl.  She Had A Pleasant Voice And A Quiet Face; Though He

Thought She Must Have Guessed His Errand, She Treated Him With A

Composure That Set Him At His Ease.  Indeed, She Was By No Means The

Kind Of Girl He Had Expected Edgar To Choose; But This Was In Her

Favor.  George Could Find No Fault In Her.

 

Shortly After The Meal Was Finished His Host Was Called Away, And The

Girl Looked Up At George With A Flush Of Color Creeping, Most

Becomingly, Into Her Face.

 

"Edgar Told Me I Needn't Be Afraid Of You," She Said.

 

George Smiled.

 

"I Can Understand His Confidence, Though It Had A Better Foundation

Than My Good-Nature.  I Wonder Whether I Might Venture To Say That He

Has Shown Remarkably Good Sense?"

 

"I'm Glad You Don't Think He Has Been Very Foolish," Replied The Girl,

And It Was Obvious To George That She Understood The Situation.

 

He Made Her A Little Grave Bow.

 

"What I've Said, I'm Ready To Stick To.  I'm A Friend Of Edgar's, And

That Carried An Obligation."

 

"Yes," She Assented, "But It Was Because You Are A Friend Of His And,

In A Way, Represent His People In England, That I Was A Little Uneasy."

 

Her Speech Implied A Good Deal And George Admired Her Candor.

 

"Well," He Said, "So Far As I Am Concerned, You Must Never Feel

Anything Of The Kind Again.  But I Think You Should Have Known It Was

Quite Unnecessary."

 

Volume 554 Chapter 27 (A Sign From Flett) Pg 205

She Gave Him A Grateful Glance And Soon Afterward Her Father Came In.

 

"Guess We'll Take A Smoke In The Back Office," He Said To George.

 

George Followed Him, And Thought He Understood Why He Was Led Into The

Little Untidy Room Strewn With Packets Of Goods, Though His Host Had A

Fine Commodious House.  Taunton Would Not Attempt To Dissociate Himself

From His Profession; He Meant To Be Taken For What He Was, But He Knew

His Value.  He Was A Gaunt, Elderly Man: As Far As His General

Appearance Went, A Typical Inhabitant Of A Remote And Half-Developed

Western Town, Though There Was A Hint Of Authority In His Face.  Giving

George An Excellent Cigar, He Pointed To A Chair.

 

"Now," He Began, "We Must Have A Talk.  When Your Partner First Came

Hanging Round My Store, Buying Things He Didn't Want, I Was Kind Of

Short With Him.  Helen Helps Me Now And Then With The Books, And He

Seemed To Know When She Came In."

 

"I Noticed He Came Home In A Rather Bad Temper Once Or Twice," George

Said With A Laugh.  "I Used To Wonder, When He Produced Sardine Cans At

Supper, But After A While I Began To Understand."

 

"Well," Continued Taunton, "I Didn't Intend To Have Any Blamed Percy

Trying To Turn My Girl's Head, Until I Knew What He Meant.  I'd Nobody

To Talk It Over With--I Lost Her Mother Long Ago--So I Kind Of Froze

Him Out, Until One Day He Came Dawdling In And Asked If He Might Take

Helen To Jim Haxton's Dance.

 

"'Does She Know You Have Come To Me About It?' I Said.

 

"'Can't Say,' He Told Me Coolly, With A Cigarette Hanging Out Of His

Mouth.  'I Haven't Mentioned The Matter Yet; I Thought I'd Ask You

First.'

 

"'S'pose I Object?' I Said.

 

"'Then,' He Allowed Quite Tranquil, 'The Thing Will Have To Be

Considered.  There's Not The Slightest Reason Why You Should Object.'

 

"I'd A Notion I Could Agree With Him--I Liked The Way He Talked--And I

Told Him Helen Could Go, But The Next Time He Called He Was To Walk

Right Into The Office Instead Of Hanging Round The Counter.  I Asked

Him What He'd Done With All The Canned Truck He'd Bought, And He Said

He Was Inclined To Think His Partner Had Eaten Most Of It.  Since Then

He's Been Over Pretty Often, And I Figured It Was Time I Gave You A

Hint."

 

"Thanks," Responded George.  "He Was, In A Way, Placed In My Hands, But

I've No Real Control Over Him."

 

"That's So; He's Of Age.  What I Felt Was This--I've Nothing Against

West, But My Girl's Good Enough For Anybody, And I Can't Have His

People In England Looking Down On Her And Making Trouble.  If They're

Not Satisfied, They Had Better Call Him Back Right Now.  There's To Be

Volume 554 Chapter 27 (A Sign From Flett) Pg 206

No High-Toned Condescension In This Matter."

 

"I Don't Think You Need Be Afraid Of That," Said George.  "It Would Be

Altogether Uncalled For.  It's Very Likely That I Shall Be Consulted,

And I'll Have Pleasure In Telling His People That I Consider Him A

Lucky Man."

 

"There's Another Point--Has West Any Means?"

 

"I Believe About Five Thousand Dollars Could Be Raised To Put Him On A

Farm."

 

Taunton Nodded.

 

"It's Not Very Much, But I Don't Know That I'm Sorry.  I'll See They're

Fixed Right; Whatever West Gets I'll Beat.  My Girl Shan't Be Indebted

To Her Husband's Folks.  But There's Not A Word To Be Said About This

Yet.  West Must Wait Another Year Before We Decide On Anything."

 

George Thought The Storekeeper's Attitude Could Not Be Found Fault

With, And When He Drove Home Through The Soft Dusk Of The Summer Night,

He Was Glad To Feel That There Was No Need For Anxiety About The Choice

Edgar Had Made.

Volume 554 Chapter 28 (The Leading Witness) Pg 207

Three Or Four Weeks Passed Quietly Without Any News From Flett Until

One Evening When Edgar Sat Talking To Miss Taunton In The Office Of Her

Father's Store At Sage Butte.  The Little, Dusty Room Was Unpleasantly

Hot And Filled With The Smell Of Resinous Pine Boards; There Was A

Drawl Of Voices And An Occasional Patter Of Footsteps Outside The Door;

And A Big Book, Which Seemed To Have No Claim On Her Attention, Lay

Open On The Table In Front Of The Girl.

 

She Was Listening To Edgar With A Smile In Her Eyes, And Looking, So He

Thought, Remarkably Attractive In Her Light Summer Dress Which Left Her

Pretty, Round Arms Uncovered To The Elbow And Displayed The Polished

Whiteness Of Her Neck.  He Was Expressing His Approval Of The Current

Fashions, Which He Said Were Rational And Particularly Becoming To

People With Skins Like Ivory.  Indeed, He Was So Engrossed In His

Subject That He Did Not Hear Footsteps Approaching Until His Companion

Flashed A Warning Glance At Him; And He Swung Round With Some Annoyance

As The Door Opened.

 

"I Guessed I Would Find You Here," Said The Station-Agent, Looking In

With An Indulgent Smile.

 

"You're A Thoughtful Man," Retorted Edgar.  "You May As Well Tell Me

What You Want."

Volume 554 Chapter 28 (The Leading Witness) Pg 208

 

"I've A Wire From Flett, Sent At Hatfield, Down The Line."

 

"What Can He Be Doing There?" Edgar Exclaimed; And Miss Taunton Showed

Her Interest.

 

"He Was Coming Through On The Train.  Wanted Mr. Lansing To Meet Him At

The Station, If He Was In Town.  Hadn't You Better Go Along?"

 

"I Suppose So," Said Edgar Resignedly, Glancing At His Watch.  "It

Looks As If Your Men Had Taken Their Time.  Flett Should Be Here In

About A Quarter Of An Hour Now."

 

"Operator Had Train Orders To Get Through; We Have Two Freights

Side-Tracked," The Agent Explained.  "Don't Be Late; She's Coming Along

On Time."

 

He Hurried Out, And A Few Minutes Later Edgar Crossed The Street And

Strolled Along The Low Wooden Platform, Upon Which A Smart Constable

Was Waiting.  A Long Trail Of Smoke, Drawing Rapidly Nearer, Streaked

The Gray And Ochre Of The Level Plain, And Presently The Big Engine And

Dusty Cars Rolled Into The Station Amid The Hoarse Tolling Of The Bell.

As They Ran Slowly Past Him, Edgar Saw A Police Trooper Leaning Out

From A Vestibule,