The Call Of The Canyon - Zane Grey (easy readers TXT) 📗

Chapter 6 Pg 93

Pitch Her Curiosity In Regard To The Mystery That Seemed To Cling Round

Glenn's Transformation Of Character. This Western Girl Really Knew More

About Glenn Than His Fiancee Knew. Carley Suffered A Humiliating Shock When

She Realized That She Had Been Thinking Of Herself,  Of Her Love,  Her Life,

Her Needs,  Her Wants Instead Of Glenn's. It Took No Keen Intelligence Or

Insight Into Human Nature To See That Glenn Needed Her More Than She Needed

Him.

 

Thus Unwontedly Stirred And Upset And Flung Back Upon Pride Of Herself,

Carley Went Downstairs To Meet The Assembled Company. And Never Had She

Shown To Greater Contrast,  Never Had Circumstance And State Of Mind

Contrived To Make Her So Radiant And Gay And Unbending. She Heard Many

Remarks Not Intended For Her Far-Reaching Ears. An Old Grizzled Westerner

Remarked To Hutter: "Wall,  She's Shore An Unbroke Filly." Another Of The

Company--A Woman--Remarked: "Sweet An' Pretty As A Columbine. But I'd Like

Her Better If She Was Dressed Decent." And A Gaunt Range Rider,  Who Stood

With Others At The Porch Door,  Looking On,  Asked A Comrade: "Do You Reckon

That's Style Back East?" To Which The Other Replied: "Mebbe,  But I'd Gamble

They're Short On Silk Back East An' Likewise Sheriffs."

 

Carley Received Some Meed Of Gratification Out Of The Sensation She

Created,  But She Did Not Carry Her Craving For It To The Point Of

Overshadowing Flo. On The Contrary,  She Contrived To Have Flo Share The

Attention She Received. She Taught Flo To Dance The Fox-Trot And Got Glenn

To Dance With Her. Then She Taught It To Lee Stanton. And When Lee Danced

With Flo,  To The Infinite Wonder And Delight Of The Onlookers,  Carley

Experienced Her First Sincere Enjoyment Of The Evening.

 

Her Moment Came When She Danced With Glenn. It Reminded Her Of Days Long

Past And Which She Wanted To Return Again. Despite War Tramping And Western

Labors Glenn Retained Something Of His Old Grace And Lightness. But Just To

Dance With Him Was Enough To Swell Her Heart,  And For Once She Grew

Oblivious To The Spectators.

 

"Glenn,  Would You Like To Go To The Plaza With Me Again,  And Dance Between

Dinner Courses,  As We Used To?" She Whispered Up To Him.

 

"Sure I Would--Unless Morrison Knew You Were To Be There," He Replied.

 

"Glenn! . . . I Would Not Even See Him."

 

"Any Old Time You Wouldn't See Morrison!" He Exclaimed,  Half Mockingly.

 

Chapter 6 Pg 94

His Doubt,  His Tone Grated Upon Her. Pressing Closer To Him,  She Said,

"Come Back And I'll Prove It."

 

But He Laughed And Had No Answer For Her. At Her Own Daring Words Carley's

Heart Had Leaped To Her Lips. If He Had Responded,  Even Teasingly,  She

Could Have Burst Out With Her Longing To Take Him Back. But Silence

Inhibited Her,  And The Moment Passed.

 

At The End Of That Dance Hutter Claimed Glenn In The Interest Of

Neighboring Sheep Men. And Carley,  Crossing The Big Living Room Alone,

Passed Close To One Of The Porch Doors. Some One,  Indistinct In The Shadow,

Spoke To Her In Low Voice: "Hello,  Pretty Eyes!"

 

Carley Felt A Little Cold Shock Go Tingling Through Her. But She Gave No

Sign That She Had Heard. She Recognized The Voice And Also The Epithet.

Passing To The Other Side Of The Room And Joining The Company There,  Carley

Presently Took A Casual Glance At The Door. Several Men Were Lounging

There. One Of Them Was The Sheep Dipper,  Haze Ruff. His Bold Eyes Were On

Her Now,  And His Coarse Face Wore A Slight,  Meaning Smile,  As If He

Understood Something About Her That Was A Secret To Others. Carley Dropped

Her Eyes. But She Could Not Shake Off The Feeling That Wherever She Moved

This Man's Gaze Followed Her. The Unpleasantness Of This Incident Would

Have Been Nothing To Carley Had She At Once Forgotten It. Most

Unaccountably,  However,  She Could Not Make Herself Unaware Of This

Ruffian's Attention. It Did No Good For Her To Argue That She Was Merely

The Cynosure Of All Eyes. This Ruff's Tone And Look Possessed Something

Heretofore Unknown To Carley. Once She Was Tempted To Tell Glenn. But That

Would Only Cause A Fight,  So She Kept Her Counsel. She Danced Again,  And

Helped Flo Entertain Her Guests,  And Passed That Door Often; And Once Stood

Before It,  Deliberately,  With All The Strange And Contrary Impulse So

Inscrutable In A Woman,  And Never For A Moment Wholly Lost The Sense Of The

Man's Boldness. It Dawned Upon Her,  At Length,  That The Singular Thing

About This Boldness Was Its Difference From Any,  Which Had Ever Before

Affronted Her. The Fool's Smile Meant That He Thought She Saw His

Attention,  And,  Understanding It Perfectly,  Had Secret Delight In It. Many

And Various Had Been The Masculine Egotisms Which Had Come Under Her

Observation. But Quite Beyond Carley Was This Brawny Sheep Dipper,  Haze

Ruff. Once The Party Broke Up And The Guests Had Departed,  She Instantly

Forgot Both Man And Incident.

 

Next Day,  Late In The Afternoon,  When Carley Came Out On The Porch,  She Was

Hailed By Flo,  Who Had Just Ridden In From Down The Canyon.

 

Chapter 6 Pg 95

"Hey Carley,  Come Down. I Shore Have Something To Tell You," She Called.

 

Carley Did Not Use Any Time Pattering Down That Rude Porch Stairway. Flo

Was Dusty And Hot,  And Her Chaps Carried The Unmistakable Scent Of

Sheep-Dip.

 

"Been Over To Ryan's Camp An' Shore Rode Hard To Beat Glenn Home," Drawled

Flo.

 

"Why?" Queried Carley,  Eagerly.

 

"Reckon I Wanted To Tell You Something Glenn Swore He Wouldn't Let Me Tell.

. . . He Makes Me Tired. He Thinks You Can't Stand Things."

 

"Oh! Has He Been--Hurt?"

 

"He's Skinned An' Bruised Up Some,  But I Reckon He's Not Hurt."

 

"Flo--What Happened?" Demanded Carley,  Anxiously.

 

"Carley,  Do You Know Glenn Can Fight Like The Devil?" Asked Flo.

 

"No,  I Don't. But I Remember He Used To Be Athletic. Flo,  You Make Me

Nervous. Did Glenn Fight?"

 

"I Reckon He Did," Drawled Flo.

 

"With Whom?"

 

"Nobody Else But That Big Hombre,  Haze Ruff."

 

"Oh!" Gasped Carley,  With A Violent Start. "That--That Ruffian! Flo,  Did

You See--Were You There?"

 

"I Shore Was,  An' Next To A Horse Race I Like A Fight," Replied The Western

Girl. "Carley,  Why Didn't You Tell Me Haze Ruff Insulted You Last Night?"

 

"Why,  Flo--He Only Said,  'Hello,  Pretty Eyes,' And I Let It Pass!" Said

Carley,  Lamely.

 

"You Never Want To Let Anything Pass,  Out West. Because Next Time You'll

Get Worse. This Turn Your Other Cheek Doesn't Go In Arizona. But We Shore

Thought Ruff Said Worse Than That. Though From Him That's Aplenty."

 

"How Did You Know?"

 

"Well,  Charley Told It. He Was Standing Out Here By The Door Last Night An'

Chapter 6 Pg 96

He Heard Ruff Speak To You. Charley Thinks A Heap Of You An' I Reckon He

Hates Ruff. Besides,  Charley Stretches Things. He Shore Riled Glenn,  An' I

Want To Say,  My Dear,  You Missed The Best Thing That's Happened Since You

Got Here."

 

"Hurry--Tell Me," Begged Carley,  Feeling The Blood Come To Her Face.

 

"I Rode Over To Ryan's Place For Dad,  An' When I Got There I Knew Nothing

About What Ruff Said To You," Began Flo,  And She Took Hold Of Carley's

Hand. "Neither Did Dad. You See,  Glenn Hadn't Got There Yet. Well,  Just As

The Men Had Finished Dipping A Bunch Of Sheep Glenn Came Riding Down,

Lickety Cut."

 

"'Now What The Hell's Wrong With Glenn?' Said Dad,  Getting Up From Where

We Sat.

 

"Shore I Knew Glenn Was Mad,  Though I Never Before Saw Him That Way. He

Looked Sort Of Grim An' Black. . . . Well,  He Rode Right Down On Us An'

Piled Off. Dad Yelled At Him An' So Did I. But Glenn Made For The Sheep

Pen. You Know Where We Watched Haze Ruff An' Lorenzo Slinging The Sheep

Into The Dip. Ruff Was Just About To Climb Out Over The Fence When Glenn

Leaped Up On It."

 

"'Say,  Ruff,' He Said,  Sort Of Hard,  'Charley An' Ben Tell Me They Heard

You Speak Disrespectfully To Miss Burch Last Night.'"

 

"Dad An' I Ran To The Fence,  But Before We Could Catch Hold Of Glenn He'd

Jumped Down Into The Pen."

 

"'I'm Not Carin' Much For What Them Herders Say,' Replied Ruff.

 

"'Do You Deny It?' Demanded Glenn.

 

"'I Ain't Denyin' Nothin',  Kilbourne,' Growled Ruff. 'I Might Argue Against

Me Bein' Disrespectful. That's A Matter Of Opinion.'

 

"'You'll Apologize For Speaking To Miss Burch Or I'll Beat You Up An' Have

Hutter Fire You.'

 

"'Wal,  Kilbourne,  I Never Eat My Words,' Replied Ruff.

 

"Then Glenn Knocked Him Flat. You Ought To Have Heard That Crack. Sounded

Like Charley Hitting A Steer With A Club. Dad Yelled: 'Look Out,  Glenn. He

Packs A Gun!'--Ruff Got Up Mad Clear Through I Reckon. Then They Mixed It.

Chapter 6 Pg 97

Ruff Got In Some Swings,  But He Couldn't Reach Glenn's Face. An' Glenn

Batted Him