THE LOVE OF LANDRY THE LOVE of LAN DRY By PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR Author of "LYRICS OF LOWLY LIFE," "FOLKS FROM DIXIE," "POEMS OF CABIN & FIELD," etc. NE W TOR K D O D D, MEAD -AND COMPANY MD C C C C Copyright, ipooy by DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY UNIVERSITY PRESS JOHN WILSON AND SON CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. &o tng fixizrib MAJOR WILLIAM COOKE DANIELS IN MEMORY OF SOME PLEASANT DAYS SPENT OVER THIS UTTLE STORY $522979 The Love of Landry CHAPTER FIRST FOR a time, at least, the Osborne family circle was to be broken up. There were only three of them in the big old house in Grramercy Park: John Osborne, the father, and Helen and Mildred, the daughters. The mother had died when Mildred was less than ten, and since then the three had never been separated for long at a time. Even when they were away for the summer, the father managed to join them every week or two if they were near New York, or, if far away, to spend several weeks with them at the end of the season. But now Mildred, who was a slight i 1 THE LOVE OF LANDRY girl, had contracted a cough, and the doctor had ordered her away from New York. " There is, at present, nothing the matter with her lungs," said old Dr. Van Pelt. "Nothing, except a ten dency. But a tendency, my dear sir, is a thing that should always be stopped. By all means, always stop a tendency." "But, Heavens, doctor! "exclaimed Osborne, "where shall I send the child? " He was usually a very placid old gentleman until something came near one of his doves. Then he was apt to become nervous, and lose his repose. " Oh, there s the south of France, southern California, Colorado, oh, a dozen places; but for my part," he added, shaking his pince-nez thought- 2 THE LOVE OF LANDRY fully, " I should go to Colorado. High, dry air, out-of-door life, and in a year, or maybe two, our young lady comes back, blooming and hearty." "But, Van Pelt, man, Colorado? why, that seems almost beyond civ ilisation! " It is n t, but what matter if it were I You know I m a doctor of the old school, although I Ve kept up with the new ; and it s one of my old-fogy opinions, sort of left over, as it were, that civilisation has al ways been a foe to good health. When our ancestors painted them selves, and danced impossible things on the sand, who ever heard of weak lungs ? But now, after a season of tripping it in a close room in heavy silks, my lady has a cough. But it s no matter, John, it s no matter, it s 3 THE LOVE OF LANDRY a slight thing. Pack up the little girl nevertheless, and take her away. Grood-morning. (rood-morning." So it was decided that to Colorado Mildred must go. But then the quandary confronted the family, who would go with her? There were many reasons why Helen could not leave, and the father thought of his business. At this juncture they did as they always did, and called in council Aunt Annesley. She was the sister of John Osborne s deceased wife, a widow of fortune, and pos sessed of very positive views. She came, and the case was laid before her. " Hum," she mused, " to Colorado. Why not to southern France! " " The doctor prefers the former place." " He s an old fogy, and I don t see why you have him, John." 4 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " I beg your pardon, Anna, but he s both an old friend and an ex cellent physician." " Oh, I mean no harm to your Van Pelt. He comes of a very ex cellent old family, and I have no doubt does very well for his age. The question is merely, do you insist upon Colorado! ; " We do." " Then the matter simply settles itself without further discussion. John, you must go with Mildred." "But, Anna " " You have worked long enough and hard enough to take a year s vacation. The business for that length of time can do without your personal supervision. Now don t in terrupt me. You know that Mildred must have some one of her near and dear ones with her. Now, Helen 5 THE LOVE OF LANDRY can t go, while Mr. Berkeley that is, while matters are, as at present, in statu quo" Helen went furiously red, while Mildred laughed behind her hand. "I would go myself," went on Mrs. Annesley, "if things were otherwise. ,n fact, I should n t mind a trip to France; but Colorado way out there? never! And so, because there was no gain saying Mrs. Annesley s word, this much was settled, that John Osborne should accompany his younger daugh ter out West, while Mrs. Annesley should take charge of Helen and their home. "And I do hope, my dear," Mrs. Annesley added before going, " that you 11 take good care of yourself out there among those cowboys and catamounts and things. It really THE LOVE OF LANDRY seems terrible to send you to such a place. " " Why, Aunt Anna, I m going to wear leggings, and go deer-hunting," laughed Mildred; " and I shall come back wearing a sombrero and a back- skin skirt. 7 " Don t joke, Mildred, don t jokt It s highly improper, and I m sure you are joking, for you could never so disgrace your family as to wear leggings and a buckskin skirt." " Dear Aunt Anna has such an overpowering sense of humour," said Mildred, as the door closed upon their worthy relative. " You really should n t laugh at her, Mildred," returned Helen; " you know she has such a good heart, and it was so good of her to offer to come here and take charge of the house." " I d rather it were you than I, 7 THE LOVE OF LANDRY though," replied the younger girl. "I d sooner take my chances with catamounts and cowboys." More than either her father or sister, Mildred Osborne retained her good spirits in face of the coming separation. She was young, she had only turned twenty, and she had youth s belief in her powers of re cuperation. Not for one moment did she doubt what would be the out come to her health. She saw that the western trip was the inevitable, and, like a little philosopher, accepted it. It was the night before the day of their departure that she stood in the drawing-room, looking out on the dreary September streets. It was early in the month, but a cold rain blew gustily against the pane. Every now and then a bouncing hansom went by, its lamps throwing a silvery THE LOVE OF LANDRY glow on the wet streets. A moment before, Mildred had been crying, as she and Helen talked over the mor row s parting. But now her cheery mood had re-asserted itself, and she was drumming on the glass, and humming a merry tune to herself. Suddenly she ceased, and pressed her face against the pane with a convul sive motion. " Look there ! " she cried, " at that poor child, trudging along with a bundle through this miserably cold rain." Helen came to the window. " Too bad," she said calmly. " Oh, why will people send their children out such nights as this? " " Because they re poor, and have to, I suppose." " And we re warm and comfortable here in the house, while that poor child is out there stumbling through 9 THE LOVE OF LANDRY the rain. Look, she almost fell. I m going out to her." "Mildred, you must not; you re not well, and you 11 take your death of cold." " Oh, Helen, don t stop me. I must and I will. It is n t right. I Ve never thought about it at all until to-night." As she talked, the girl was hastily throwing a cloak about her shoulders. Against her sister s continued remon strances, she hurried out into the street, and after the child. The little trudger with the great bundle had gotten some distance beyond the house when Mildred went to find her, and Helen, shivering in the door way, saw her when she overtook, and stooped to speak to, the midget, and then watched her lift the child s bundle and turn back toward the house. 10 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " Impulsive girl," she said to her self, starting down the steps; but just then she saw a hansom, which was about passing, stop, and a gentleman get out. He took possession of the bundle, placing his umbrella at the disposal of the two. Helen gasped, " Arthur Heathcote! what will he think! " It did n t seem to matter much what Arthur Heathcote thought, for it was a very merry party that came up the steps of the Osborne house. Mildred was squeezing the hand of the mite, and laughing, and the young English man, looking decidedly awkward with his bundle, smiling down upon them both. Mediaeval bravery very com monly risked death for a woman s love, but it remained for nineteenth- century courage to risk ridicule. " Surely, you re not going to bring 11 THE LOVE OF LANDRY her iii here? How do you do, Mr. Heathcote?" " Why not! " this from Mildred. " Oh, why, she s so draggly. Just drop the bundle right here, Mr. Heathcote." " The more reason for bringing her in. Come on, little girl." The Osborne house was old-fash ioned enough to have in its drawing- room the grate of an earlier period. Of course, in winter, there was fur nace heat, and no one shivered about the inadequate open fire as they had done at functions of fifty years before. But then, it looked cheerful, and it showed up the mellow tints of some famous pictures, a Maclise and a Corot among them ; and so, when the nights were chill, the fire was duly lit. Before it to-night the little girl was placed, and the wet shawl taken from 12 THE LOVE OF LANDRY her head and put out to dry. Nina, the maid, held the garment gingerly between her thumb and forefinger, and sniffed perceptibly, but Mildred beamed on the child, as she sat blink ing her round black eyes at the blaze. With her own hands she brought her hot tea, and good things to eat, and the child, half -dazed and wondering, looked up into the girl s face, and took them all in silence, save when they could draw from her lips the reluctant answer to some question. " I wonder if she s real clean! asked Helen, timorously approaching. " Cleanliness in children is abnor mal, and should be discouraged," said Mildred, shortly. "Oh! ha, ha, ha! good, good! r cried Heathcote; " cleanliness ab normal, good! but of course, Miss Mildred, you don t mean it I 13 THE LOVE OF LANDRY At this juncture the visitor, feeling her dignity offended, made a motion to go. Mildred hastened to wrap her up warmly and to slip something shiny in her hand. The little hard fingers closed around the soft ones, and Mr. Osborne s young daughter re ceived a look from the child s grave eyes that brought the tears into her own, and made her stoop and kiss the grimy face. When she looked up again, Heathcote was standing at the door, hat in hand, and water-proof on. " I m going to send the little one home, you know," he explained. " Oh "began Helen. " But it is good of you," said Mil dred, softly, and he bowed himself out, helping the child down the steps as if she had been a princess. " Mildred, how could you? " cried Helen, almost tearfully. 14 THE LOVE OF LANDRY "I couldn t if he hadn t helped me, dear. He didn t do it because I made him, but because it was in him. Helen, I have a slight cough, and every one is helping and shelter ing me. Father is leaving his busi ness to go there across the country with me. That poor little thing, didn t you hear her cough? And yet she is out in the rain alone, and carrying her great burden ; could n t I do that little bit for her? " " What a queer girl you are, Mil dred! " And then Heathcote came back. His face was glowing with exercise, and no man ever looked less dis graced. " I put her in a cab, you know, and told the cabby where to go," he said; " some beastly little street down here. Really, you ought to have seen the 15 THE LOVE OF LAN DRY little beggar; she looked as pleased as a kitten, and hugged her bundle up as tight " and there was a light in his eyes as he looked down upon Mildred, such as they put in the halo of a saint, " Was n t it jolly? " he added. "Jolly! yes," said Mildred, with just the suspicion of a shake in her voice ; and then they talked of other things, of commonplaces, until Helen, according to that ancient, and not always respected custom, rose and excused herself. There was a long silence between them when they were alone. The big Englishman, fair, with the sug gestion that the blood was always just ready to come swift to his face, was good to look at, and the girl, with the color in her cheeks, and her thick, brown hair half high 16 THE LOVE OF LANDRY upon her head, was a fitting foil for him. " So you are going to-morrow, Miss Mildred! " he said. "Yes, to-morrow; but you know to-morrow is the day that never comes." " I have believed that fallacy until now," he said, "but now I find that it does come, and crushingly soon." " Yes, I go to-morrow," she added aimlessly; "it s going to be a long journey, isn t it?" " I wish I might take it for you." " You are good; you have been so good to me to-night, and I thank you." " Please don t thank me. I wish I might go on being good to you for a thousand years, even if I had no other reward than hope. Miss Mil- 2 17 THE LOVE OF LANDRY dred, I don t want to go on boring you, but you know, you know, don t you? " I know, of course I do, Arthur, dear Arthur; but can t you under stand? It s so hard for me to ex plain it to-night." " I m a brute for making you think of it, instead of trying to make this last night of yours at home pleasant. What a miserable blunderer and brute lam!" " No, no, it is I who am the brute, who cannot feel I " "I wish Heaven would send me the man who would say so. You can feel, you do feel, only I am not the man. Well, let me see; this is the fifth i no I have heard from you since April. Very well, no l no that you say shall be final until some other claims you. And now, I must not 18 THE LOVE OF LANDRY keep you up. I shall not see you to-morrow." His tone was cheery, but his face was pale, though the light that was in his eyes when he looked at her had not died out as he left her. She sank down, crying softly, " He is so good, so honest, why cannot I love him! " 19 CHAPTER SECOND THE rain was over, and the sun, come from his sulking tent, looked bravely on the world again. It was the morning of Mildred s de parture. Heathcote had sent flowers, and Mrs. Annesley had already come and begun her matronly duties over John Osborne s house. She was very busy indeed, much more busy than circumstances at all demanded. But she felt that nervous bustle would anyway show the importance of the position she held. " It s really awful, John, for me to have to leave my dear home and come here, but I knew under just what an affliction you and the dear girls were 20 THE LOVE OF LAN DRY labouring, and so I determined to make the sacrifice. John, do be careful of Mildred; you know how her poor dear mother went off." She applied her handkerchief ten derly to her eyes, and shook with ostensible sobs. She had helped worry her sister to death. " It was very good of you to come here, Anna," said Mr. Osborne, " and I know how you will miss the com forts of your own home." His house was twice as large and a good deal more home-like. " Of course, you know, John, it s been a dear house to me ever since Annesley died, and you know how attached I am to it, and how hard it is for me to leave it." When she wasn t at Lenox or at Newport, she was abroad. "I know all, Anna, I know all, 21 THE LOVE OF LANDRY and your kindness shall never be forgotten." " Oh, well, for myself, I shall be all fears and anxiety for the dear child. But of course, on Helen s account, it wouldn t do to let my feelings get the better of me, and so I had thought that perhaps this win ter, not too soon, you know, but if we have good news of our dear Mildred, my grief might make the concession of a few receptions and a ball or two." "That s right, that s right." " And it s such a magnificent house for entertaining. That ball room would accommodate an army." " Have your army, Anna, and draw on me for supplies." " Oh, you dear, generous John. What times we shall have, and it s all so necessary for Helen, while Mr. 22 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Berkeley, that is, while matters are, as I said before, in statu quo" " Give Helen any pleasures she wants to keep her spirits up, balls, parties, dances, the theatre." " Glorious ! I 11 do it. Oh, could her poor mother have lived to see this day ! And, oh, John, do be care ful of Mildred among those people out there, and don t let her put on leggings and a buckskin skirt." John Osborne started away. He could stand it no longer, and a short time later he was locked securely in his library, to spend the hour before train time. After leaving him, Mrs. Annesley traversed the whole servants depart ment, awing them into respect for her authority. Then, with a muttered " Now I must go and comfort the girls," she started for her niece s 23 THE LOVE OF LANDRY room. But the rustle of her silken skirts upstairs was a herald that preceded her, and just before she reached the top, a door banged to. She kept her way, however, right on to Helen s room. It was deserted. Then she went to Mildred s room, and looked at the grim panels shut against her. " Poor child," she said, " I know that she hates so to leave me that the sight of my face would be only a grief to her. I won t go in;" and Mrs. Annesley went down into the drawing-room to spend the rest of the time alone. The girls were together in Mil dred s room. They had gone there because Helen would not have dared to lock her door upon her aunt. They were in the close intimate con verse of girls about to part, and the 24 THE LOVE OF LANDRY elder sister was shedding real tears, as she chided the younger for her apparent heartlessness. " I don t believe you care for me a bit, Mildred, or you surely would show more feeling than you do at leaving me." "Dearie," said Mildred, "what s the use of my crying, and reddening my eyes, when I know it will be such a short time until we re laughing at the whole thing and at all the funny things we Ve seen! " " But, oh, suppose you don t come back? " "But I am coming back. Now, Nell, don t be a silly goose; did I ever say I was going to do a thing that I didn t do?" Mildred was bearing up bravely, poor little girl, though there were dark rings about her eyes, and she 25 THE LOVE OF LANDRY had to keep swallowing. Fortu nately a new matter of interest took hold of her sister s mind, and she asked suddenly, " Arthur Heathcote, did he propose again? ; Instantly Mildred s whole attitude changed. She became at once defi ant, and yet with something of sor row in her manner. The defiance was external, the sorrow personal. " Yes," she said. " And you? " " I gave him the same answer, the only one I can ever give him." " Oh, Mildred - " Please don t let s talk of it, Helen, he s such a good fellow." " And such a chance." " I m looking for love, not chance. Arthur Heathcote demands love, and I cannot give it to him. Such men as Mr. Berkeley make a chance. Oh, 26 THE LOVE OF LANDRY forgive me, Helen, you know I did n t mean it," she cried, as Helen had recourse to her rather inadequate handkerchief again. " I didn t mean what I said; I don t know what I m saying. Arthur Heathcote is so good I came near to surrendering last night. But I know I couldn t give him what he wants, what he deserves, and I wouldn t give him less." " You can try." " No," said the girl, dreamily, " there is something else for me. I have known it ever since men talked to me of love. Some one, some prince, maybe," she added, laughing, "will come to claim me, and I have known just how I shall feel when he takes me by the hand." So many women believe this. It is true of so few. 27 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " That all comes of reading your silly stories, Mildred." " Oh, no, you goose," and Mildred threw her arms about her sister s neck, "it all comes of reading my silly heart." " And suppose Prince Charming does not appear? " " Then I shall marry Arthur, if he is still unwed." " But what silly talk this is for us, within an hour of parting." " Helen," said Mildred, gravely, "this is just the kind of talking I want to do, and if you touch that handkerchief again, I 11 strangle you with smelling-salts." The morning was bringing out its most vivid contrast to the night s dreariness as they rolled away to the station. Helen was subdued, but Mildred chattered like a mag- 28 THE LOVE OF LANDRY pie, and her aunt kept pace with her. " Remember all my warnings," said the latter, as they neared their desti nation. " Yes, auntie, dear, I m to flirt with the cowboys, if they re not a thing of the past, and I suppose they are, in this degenerate age of the world, when everything romantic is past. 7 " Mildred, don t lay any such thing at my door. I said nothing of the kind." " And I m to bring you a little papoose to raise." "John, listen to the girl. A pa poose ! why, I would n t have such a thing." " Never mind, Aunt Anna, you re right. A papoose would be trouble some. I ll bring you a great big Indian." 29 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Mrs. Annesley collapsed just as they reached the Grand Central Sta tion. She revived as the carriage drew up, and they found Arthur Heathcote there to help them out. The others went on up to the train, but he held Mildred back a pace. "I couldn t help coming," he said; "you know I didn t intend to. But but you 11 forgive me, won t you! " " Kindness is always easy to for give; and, oh! thank you for your flowers." " I am glad if they gave you pleas ure, but I shouldn t have come, should I!" " Do you feel very guilty! " she asked, playfully. " I am simply bowed with my trans gression, you know." " I shall not scold you, then, since you are sufficiently contrite." 30 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " Then I shall always be contrite before you." " Really, you are like a Methodist, who is always possessed of l a lowly and a contrite heart. 7 But then, when a man has no weapon against a woman, he uses his shield of contrition." " I hope, at least, this time, it has turned aside your anger." They were approaching the others on the platform then. " Where shall you stop! " he asked abruptly. "Oh, we re going out on a ranch belonging to one of father s friends, or a company he knows, or some thing like that. It is situated some where between Denver and the setting sun." "Grood-bye," he said gently; "I know this must be a family party, and I cannot claim the pleasure of 31 THE LOVE OF LANDRY admittance. Good-bye ; I must speak to your father." He went over and shook Os- borne s hand, and then turned away down the platform, looking back every moment with a wistful ex pression on his face until he had turned the corner and was out of sight. And then they went into the luxu rious coach, Helen as tearful as Nina, the maid and Mildred all gayety. Mrs. Annesley s handkerchief was in constant use, and John Osborne was very grave. He was taking his child away from her sister, perhaps never to see her again. Then a polite por ter said, " All off, please. 7 Mrs. Annesley kissed her niece quickly on the nose and hurried to the door. But Helen held her sister in one long embrace. 32 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " Oh, Mildred ! " was all she could say. And " Oh, Helen ! " was the chok ing reply ; and then the younger girl brightened up as her sister left the car, and waved a frantic farewell to her. Then the blue-coated official waved his arms, and the long train pulled out. Mildred was alone in the state-room with her father. As they passed from the sight of those on the platform, she threw herself on his breast, crying, " Oh, father, father! " and burst into tears. 33 CHAPTER THIRD MR. OSBORNE had felt a sort of grieved surprise at his daugh ter s gayety in the face of depart ure from the ties she should have held sacred. But he was more terri bly shocked at her utter breakdown. When he saw that instead of being heartless, she had really been brave for her sister s sake, he felt a help less resentment at his own stupid ity that could wrong her, even in thought. He hastened to try to quiet the girl s sorrow, and when Mildred saw that her tears disturbed her father, she dried her eyes, and smiling like an April day, exclaimed, " Oh, what a baby I am ! but it was 34 THE LOVE OF LANDRY hard, was n t it, papa, leaving Helen, and everything I love 1 "It was hard, and you are a brave little girl, that s what you are, and I m an old fool not to have seen it." " You must n t call yourself a fool, papa; it isn t at all respectful, and then, there isn t a shade of reason for it." " Oh, yes, there is. Do you know " he began. But she put her hand over his mouth. "Yes, I know; you thought I was heartless and unfeeling, because I didn t seem to care about leaving, and that s just what I wanted you to think then. I wanted them all to think it. So I m not so bad at act ing, you see." Her cheeriness warmed her father s heart, and restored his self-respect. 35 THE LOVE OF LANDRY He laughed and chatted with his daughter in his old accustomed way, and she responded in such a merry mood that he did not note the tremour in her voice, nor see the cloud that now and then rested on her brow. " Do you know," he was saying, "I m glad I had the chance to come with you, Mildred. I feel already like a new man. I suppose I should have stayed on there, just working, with my little summer jaunts for intermission, until I should have dropped in harness. It s strange to me how little enjoyment the rich really get out of their wealth. Talk about the slavery of the poor ! It ? s the rich who are really to be pitied, - those people with enjoyment in their grasp, and yet with golden scales upon their eyes that keep them from 36 THE LOVE OF LANDRY seeing and grasping their opportuni ties. I wish Helen could be here. 7 Just then the porter came in to see if anything was needed. At least that was ostensibly what he came for. In reality, he came because he needed or thought he needed some thing. After he had been dismissed, Mildred asked, " But, papa, don t you think that even the life the wealthy drudge leads is better than the exist ence dragged out by that poor col oured man who just came in here, trying to smile a little fee out of our pockets I " " Poor coloured man ! Why, Mil dred, that man gets more out of life than I do. He has a greater capacity for enjoyment, with the paradox that less satisfies it. You think it humili ates him to take a tip? Not in the least. That s his business. He cour- 37 THE LOVE OF LANDRY teously fleeces us, and then laughs about it, no doubt. Ha, ha! " " You re becoming quite a cynic; I m ashamed of you." " Well, I guess an old codger who has dropped business and gone racing across the continent with the pret tiest little malingerer in the world can afford to be a bit cynical, even contemptuous, in his attitude towards the rest of the world." Mildred cuddled up close to her father, and so they rattled on. The train bounded over the rails like a thing of life. It sped over bridges that spanned great rivers, through cities, towns, and hamlets, pausing only at long intervals to take breath, as if weary of its terrific race. Then it stops for a little while at a great city on an inland sea. It is night when they reach there, and 38 THE LOVE OF LAN DRY the shimmer of the water and the lights of the streets make Mildred sad for a space, for her mind goes back to the bay and the rivers at home, and she thinks of Helen alone there, with just the servants and Aunt Annesley. Then the porter comes again, and she goes to bed to bathe the pillow with tears of home sickness and yearning, while her father goes into the smoking-room to brood over his cigar. What a pity it is that women cannot smoke. They would weep less. The puffs that John Osborne took on his cigar that night were the full equivalent of Mildred s tears. With all the faith one may have in one s self, with all the strong hope fulness of youth, it is yet a terrible thing to be forced away from home, from all one loves, to an unknown, 39 THE LOVE OF LANDRY uncared-for country, there to fight, hand to hand with death, an un certain fight. There is none of the rush and clamour of battle that keeps up the soldier s courage. There is no clang of the instruments of war. The panting warrior hears no loud huzzas, and yet the deadly combat goes on; in the still night, when all the world s asleep, in the gray day, in the pale morning, it goes on, and no one knows it save himself and death. Then if he go down, he knows no hero s honors; if he win, he has no special praise. And yet, it is a terrible lone, still fight. In the morning both Mildred and her father were in their accustomed good spirits. Their minds had ad justed themselves to the changed situation, and Nature, as if reward ing them for their good behaviour, 40 THE LOVE OF LANDRY smiled upon them. It was a glorious day. Great masses of white clouds were piled high in the heavens like fairy mountains, and between them stretched long rifts of blue like in tervening streams. They were pass ing through a green rolling land, touched not yet with the yellow hand of decay, although it was Sep tember. Much of the land was in pasture, and Mildred laughed as she watched the horses gallop wildly away from the fences as the train flew by, or the placid cows regard ing the express with undisturbed equanimity. So the day passed, and they went through another great city on a lake, and then on again, the country be coming flatter and browner as they proceeded. The rolling green land was succeeded by perfect seas of 41 THE LOVE OF LANDRY yellow corn. Corn here, there, and everywhere. It seemed that all the world had been drowned beneath its moving billows. Look to either side she would, the girl saw nothing but the one grain, stretching for miles along the track and on over to the horizon. " What what do they do with so much corn, papa? " she asked. " They bring down prices with so much corn," he answered grimly. "Yes, but what else do they do with it? Surely it has some other use besides that? " " It has. They eat it, they feed it to their stock, they mill it, and they corner it." " I Ve heard of corners in wheat, but- "My dear, there can be a corner in anything that one man has and 42 THE LOVE OF LANDRY another man wants. A corner is just the repetition of the act of the dog in the manger in the fable, with the ex ception that the ox is left the alter native of paying a high price to the dog or going without. Well, even an option is a good thing, and the old man chuckled thoughtfully. "Papa, were you ever in a corner! " "Which side, the cornerer or the cornered? " The cornerer. " Mr. Osborne smiled again, and patted the girl s head. "Well, now, if this were the In quisition, and I had to answer that question or go to the rack, I should be in a very unpleasant situation ; and still laughing, he rose and made his way to that refuge of the way faring man the smoking-room. "I wonder if papa ever cornered 43 THE LOVE OF LANDRY anybody," mused Mildred; but find ing no answer to the question in the fields that had made it possible, she turned her mind to other things. It did not take long for the other things to drive all thoughts of corn and cor ners out of her head, for those other things proved to be prairie-dogs, sit ting demurely by their houses with their hands up, like devout little boys in prayer. A sudden peal at the bell, so decided, so hurried, that it brought the porter hastening to Mildred as if she were on fire, and he had to hurry to put her out, evinced her interest. "What is it, miss? asked the startled servant. " Tell my father to come here quickly." " Can I help you? he was sure something was the matter. " No, 110; just hurry, that s all." 44 THE LOVE OF LANDRY If that porter had been a blackbird instead of a black man, he would have flown, so great was his excite ment. As it was, he came as near accomplishing that impossible feat as Nature, a narrow aisle, and a roll ing car would allow him. He had to go the length of another car before he found Mr. Osborne, but he seemed to achieve the distance in an incred ibly short time. Then he came, guid ing back the old gentleman, who was white to the lips. Mildred stood up as he approached. "What is it? " he asked in an anx ious tone. " Didn t you see them? " and just then they passed another dog-town, and she cried, " There they are ! There they are! Oh, papa, look at them! " Mr. Osborne saw what the excite- 45 THE LOVE OF LANDRY ment was about and collapsed limply into his seat. "Mildred, Mildred," he said, " is this what you have called me for! Where, oh, where, is your reserve, the fruit of a hundred drawing- rooms? What would your Aunt Anna say! " and he bent into a very undignified curve. "I don t care/ 7 Mildred pouted; " they are just as cute as they can be." "Why, you nearly startled that porter out of his wits. He didn t say it, but he looked as if he thought you might be in a fit." And, indeed, the coloured man was still staring at them with wide, white eyes, and when he saw them burst anew into laughter, he left the door and went back to his place, in dis gust no doubt with the thought in 46 THE LOVE OF LANDRY his mind that here was another in stance of white people trampling on, and making a fool of, the black man. " I did n t mean to frighten him," said Mildred. " But it was such a new sight to me! I ll give him an extra tip before we leave." " You should make him pay you for turning him so near white, even for such a short space of time." " I don t know anything I Ve en joyed half so much as those dear little dogs. They are such plump, roly-poly little things. Do you know, papa, they remind me of little Chi nese babies! " " Have mercy on the dogs, Mil dred, do." "I love them." " That proves you a tenderfoot. I don t believe they are held in such reverence by the people of the West, 47 THE LOVE OF LANDRY especially those whose business takes them riding over the prairie." They were nearing Denver, and it was afternoon. " There s our first glimpse of Pike s Peak/ said Osborne. " Where? Oh, yes. But look, papa, here s another dog-town." It was dusk when they rolled into Denver, where they were to stop for a day. " This is Denver, Denver, and I am West," she said breathlessly. " You are West, yes, you are West, little girl." As they alighted at the hotel door, she looked round her once more at the busy streets, the hurrying people, and murmured as if in a dream, " Denver." Yes, Denver, the city where so many hopes were blighted, where 48 THE LOVE OF LANDRY so many dreams came true, where so many fortunes went up and so many lives went down. Denver, over which Nature broods with mystic calm, and through which humanity struggles with hot, strenuous life. 49 CHAPTER FOUKTH THE ranch to which they were destined lay about one hundred miles south and west of Denver, and after a day s rest they set out there for. The train took them within eight miles of the place, and at the station they were to take wagon to the end of their journey. Mildred declared herself better al ready. The sights were all so new to her, the rolling, illimitable plains, then the great bleak mountains, stand ing up like hoary sentinels guarding the land. " It s magnificent ! " she breathed; "this is geography realised! The Rockies ! " 50 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " Wait until you get to going over those roads in a wagon-team, though." "Don t pour cold water now, papa; let me go on enjoying when I may, so that I shall have something to re member when I may not. 7 " Go on, child, and store up nu merous memories, for you 11 need them," said her father, banteringly. Every turn of the train disclosed new beauties to the girl s wondering eyes. Before her lay the panorama of mountain and cloud. Time and time again she found herself puzzled to tell which was vapour and which was rock. First, the brown foot hills shrouded in a purple haze, and behind them, range after range ris ing in snow-garmented grandeur. When they arrived at the station, a young man came forward to meet them. His dress was in no way re- 51 THE LOVE OF LANDRY markable, not at all in the extrava gant style which the illustrators of fiction had made familiar to Mil dred s eyes, and she had time to notice that he had a pleasing face, although it was much browned, and a good gray eye, before he said, - " This is Mr. Osborne! " " That s my name, sir. I suppose you are Hendrickson? " " No, Mr. Hendrickson was unable to come, and so sent me in his place. Our buck-board is just here at the end of the platform. 7 " Unable to come," mused Mildred, mentally. "Hum, that is not dialect, and here s Aunt Annesley s cowboy at last. I wonder where his pistols are. ! She laughed to herself as she thought of her aunt looking askance at the young man who was with 52 THE LOVE OF LANDRY them. She turned to look at him, and his eyes were fastened on her face. "Impertinence," thought Mildred; he d better attend to his own busi ness. I am right, though; he has got good eyes, such a soft gray." "Here we are," said the young man quickly, as they approached the vehicle, a large, easy, two-seated affair, to which two wiry horses were harnessed. He offered Mildred his hand, but she gave her father her arm, and stepped in. Mr. Osborne and the young man followed. The latter clucked to the horses, and they trotted away. The road lay for awhile between widely scattered houses and shacks, then it broke away into the open country, where the bridges across the ditches were 53 THE LOVE OF LANDRY precarious, and the sight of a human being a novel thing. It was a silent party, for a strange embarrassment had fallen on the girl, and she replied to her father s bantering advances with none of her pretty retorts and tricks. Finally, Mr. Osborne turned to the driver and said, " You Ve quite a place out here, my friend Hopkins tells me." " Pretty fair, yes." " I Ve known Hopkins for a great many years, even before he had any interests at all in the West." "Yes." " I suppose he seldom visits you! " "Very seldom." "Whenever he has spoken of his place here, he has always said that this man Hendrickson filled the bill completely." 54 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " Yes, Hendrickson is a good man." "I suppose you have been in his employ for some time?" Just the ghost of a smile crossed the young man s brow, as he an swered, "Yes, I ve been here for some little while." " What do you do, that is, mostly? " Mildred was nudging her father, but he was determined to be friendly. " Oh, almost anything. I just knock" around generally." " Oh." After this unproductive attempt at conversation, Mr. Osborne lapsed into silence. Surely, if the rest of the people on the ranch were no more loquacious, they would have a dull time of it. Well, Mildred had come out for climate, not for conversation. The young lady herself kept her eyes straight before her. She did 55 THE LOVE OF LANDRY not like the taciturnity of their driver in face of her father s genial overtures. " It is all of a piece with the mistaken idea of democracy and equality in the West," she thought. " The idea has run wild. Indepen dence has been superseded by inso lence, and every labourer is so afraid of being put upon that his attitude is one of aggression or defiance toward his superiors." And she grew in wardly angry as she felt that the young man was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. " That s just the trouble," her thoughts went on; "he has been partly educated, and that s what keeps him from knowing his place. Now, in England, it would be differ ent ; a servant would be respectful, at least. Even Nina is better. Well, we are different in the East." 56 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " I think you 11 like it out here/ said the driver, " after you get used to the silence; " and she relented a little towards him. Perhaps he was only embarrassed, after all. Of course there were not many modest men; she had never seen one, but then, she had heard that there were such things. " I am sure I shall like it," said her father. " I need a little silence after the bustle and buzz of New York." " I should think you would." With this little talk, he drew up at the entrance of an enclosure, and leaping down, flung open a long barred gate. Through this the horses walked, and then waited until he closed it, when they resumed their journey up a road the counterpart of the former one, save that it lay through fenced ground. They must 57 THE LOVE OF LANDRY have proceeded about a mile when they came to a broad, low house. There was the barking of dogs within as the wagon stopped, and a big man, who would have been fair but for the sun s care, came running out to meet them. He was followed by a plump little woman. " How do you do, Mr. Osborne! " said the man. " This is Hendrickson," said the driver as they alighted. " How do you do, Mr. Hendrick son?" said Mr. Osborne; "and this is my daughter, Miss Mildred Osborne. I have heard much of you from my friend Hopkins." " We think a great deal of Mr. Hopkins out here, although we don t often see him. This is my wife," he added, as they neared the smiling little woman. 58 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Mr. Osborne bowed, and Mildred shook hands with her. She felt glad to see the face of another woman be sides the silent maid. " Come right in." Then Hendrickson went on laughingly, " I hope you have n t had any trouble with Laiidry on the road." " With Landry? " said Mr. Osborne questioningly. "Oh, yes; I don t reckon he s in troduced himself to you. That s just like him, to drive eight miles with people, and never say who he is Landry." Mildred turned in time to see the driver, who was about going off with the team, flush beneath his tan. " Will he dare to introduce him I That s what he s going to do," she thought. " Well, this is too much of Western democracy." 59 THE LOVE OF LANDRY The young fellow had left his charges and strolled up, not without a certain grace in his bearing. " This is our Mr. Landry, Mr. and Miss Osborne." Mildred s bow was very slight. " I shall give him special charge of your pleasure and comfort. He s better able to take care of you than I am." So they went into the house, and Landry went about his work. The plump little woman took charge of Mildred and showed her to their rooms. There were four for her father, herself, and Nina, plainly furnished, but comfortable. "Mr. Landry," mused the girl, as her maid was making her comfort able; "and he is to provide for our pleasure. Nina shall be my proxy there. Even on a ranch one must draw the line somewhere." 60 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Jack, one of the men, was leading the horses away from the wagon, when he turned to Landry and said, " Great gal, I tell you. What a face to " "What!" Jack stopped. "If ever I hear you speak that way of that young lady again 1 11 break every bone in your body," said the young man, calmly. 61 CHAPTER FIFTH IF Mildred had expected the man Landry to force his attentions upon her, she was greatly mistaken. He gave her no occasion whatever to offer Nina s services as proxy. Hendrickson had fulfilled his prom ise, and left them much to the young ranchman s care. While, indeed, he was all that courtesy or hospitality could demand, all his offers of ser vice were made to Mr. Osborne, and Mildred s presence or participation in the pleasures he provided was a mere incident. He seldom spoke to her except to answer some question, or to point out some place of inter est as they journeyed to and fro 62 THE LOVE OF LANDRY about the ranch. She had not been there a week before she was com pelled to change her ideas of West ern democracy, and to admit that she had done Landry himself an injus tice. What she could not understand was his attitude toward themselves, and the attitude of the men towards him. The former, while perfectly respectful, had nothing that could suggest the relation of master and servant. While there was nothing of assertiveness about his manner, he seemed to look upon them calmly as equals, and her father had already accepted him as such. But it was harder for the girl. There is, in every woman, a bit of the snob, and while it was at its lowest develop ment in this clean, sweet, American maiden, she could not but feel a cer tain resentment at the cool way in 63 THE LOVE OF LANDRY which he took his acceptability for granted. She could not deny that his manners and his language were those of a gentleman, and she could not withhold a measure of admira tion for his sturdy manhood, as she saw him hardy and alert at his labours, or swinging across the plains at the long lope which is the chief charm of the Western rider. The men treated him with a pecu liar mixture of comradeship and respect, which Mildred could attrib ute to nothing but his superior edu cation, or perhaps his prowess with his fists, which she had always heard was a good foundation for respect in the West. And while she mused and pon dered over Landry, he went calmly on, treating her politely and letting her alone. Now, there was just 64 THE LOVE OF LANDRY enough of the coquette in Mildred s make-up for this sort of treatment to pique her. So it was in a spirit entirely feminine that she set out to compel the notice of the man whose attentions she had determined to resent. With this end in view, she began to talk to Landry more, and to at tempt to draw him out. No one could long resist Mildred s sweet ness and charm, and this strange, reticent ranchman was no exception to the rule. He soon responded, and within three weeks the two young people were on a footing of pleasant companionship. Landry talked more, though not much, but he found time to take the girl about the ranch, showing her things which he did not think Mr. Osborne would care for, and so did 5 65 THE LOVE OF LANDRY not trouble him about* He grew frankly to like her, and made no attempt to conceal it. Mildred often blushed at the honest admiration she saw in his gray eyes, and it gave her a thrill of something between pleas ure and fright as she saw how his face would light up at unexpected meetings between them. A man whose face was such a tell-tale might be embarrassing sometimes. But it was pleasant to be liked in such a frank, honest way. They rode and walked together, and he taught her how to shoot with the rifle. It gave him a quiet delight to saddle her pony for her with his own hands, and he taught her how to guide the intelligent little beast, as the cowboy does, by the mere inclination of her lithe body. Meanwhile, Mr. Osborne looked on 66 THE LOVE OF LANDRY at the growing intimacy between them and made no attempt to check it. He liked Landry and did not see why Mildred should not do so, espe cially as he was the means of keep ing her out in the open air, and the roses were coming back into her cheeks. Of course, this was a man s point of view. Men are so unpractical about these things. A woman would have looked at the matter differently. Mrs. Annesley, now, for instance, would have scented danger as soon as she saw that Landry did not wear buck skins and a pistol. A man hardly entertains an idea of love in a case where a woman goes forward and postulates it. So Landry and Mildred rode on toward the dreamland of romance, he consciously, gladly ; she unknowing. 67 THE LOVE OF LANDRY It was one golden morning in Octo ber that he came to her saying, "I am going out to ride the fence, Miss Mildred. Some of the men report breaks in it somewhere along the west side. Won t you come with me!" " Really, I ought to write letters this morning, Mr. Landry." "Oh, please don t Mr. Landry me," he said a little impatiently; " surely you ve known me long enough to see that no one gives me 4 Mr., and to do like them." She looked at him in surprise. " You must forgive me for being impatient," he went on. " But you know that Mr. smells to me of civilisation, and it makes me feel stuffy." " All right, I 11 Mr. you no more, then, Landry." 68 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " He smiled gladly. " And now, won t you come! " " I ought n t to, but I will ; and we 11 throw up the wide windows of the morning to remove the stuffy feeling." She laughed gaily, and went in to put on her strong, gray habit. They were soon out and in the saddle and galloping away over the plains, the sun in her eyes and the wind in her hair, and the joy of youth and freedom throbbing in her heart. Landry looked at her in silence, a smile like a sunbeam lying on his lips. The desire to possess her rose up and grew strong in his being. What a glory it would be to hold this light, airy creature against the world, to anticipate all her wants, and to supply them! 69 THE LOVE OF LANDRY The morning was like a song, so sweet it was half sad. The air was like wine, and so clear that the far thest mountain ranges looked near and neighbourly. The alfalfa fields, with their deep, dark green, half sprung from the third cutting, stood out in deep contrast to the browns and yellows which are Colorado s prevailing autumn tints. The sky was a dream of blue and white, with a touch of crimson over a peak where the sun had lately come up. The mysterious, ever-changing mountains were clothed in a morning veil of pale opal light, except in the hol lows, where the darkness of shadow turned it to lavender and purple. Mildred looked like the child of the day and rode like the spirit of the wind, and for a long time neither she nor Landry said anything. They 70 THE LOVE OF LANDRY were too busy just enjoying what Nature had given them. After awhile she drew rein, and turned to him smiling. " I wonder what my people at home would say of this weak plant if they could see me now." " You have thrived in the sunshine, and they could only be thankful." Just then a jack-rabbit flashed across their path, a mere leaping bundle of gray-white, and he laughed aloud at the joy she had in the sight. " They would say for one thing that your capacity for enjoyment was in no way diminished by com ing out here." " I wonder," Mildred laughed, " if they could believe that there was anything to enjoy in this desert." " I don t like to hear it called a desert. It is full of teeming life to 71 THE LOVE OF LANDRY me ; with things to see and things to love and to do." " Oh, but they would never under stand that unless they had seen it for themselves. I know I did n t. Why, I had a letter from my sister in the mail that you brought yesterday, and she asked me if you wore many pis tols, or were at all careless in hand ling firearms. I had written her about you," -blushing. Landry laughed a good deal longer than the humour of the remark de manded. But he was laughing out of pure joy because she had thought of him and had written about him. The impulse seized him to speak then and know his fate, and he was only able to check it by darting away on the pretended chase of another rabbit. He came back laughing. "What an awful opinion they must 72 THE LOVE OF LANDRY have of us!" he said. "I wonder they let you come out here." " It was not without many admoni tions from my aunt to be careful of cowboys and catamounts that was quite the nearest to the concrete she could bring the West, and so she seized on that. I really don t be lieve that she regards this part of the country as civilised." "Nothing is quite so conceited as what we call civilisation; and what does it mean after all, except to lie gracefully, to cheat legally, and to live as far away from Grod and Nature as the world limit will let. If it must mean that out here, pray God that it may never come to this part of the country. If it does, then some of us will have no refuge." Mildred looked at him with wide eyes. "Why are you so bitter I " she 73 THE LOVE OF LANDRY asked. "Now, I think that civilisa tion is very good when it treats us well. Maybe it didn t treat you well, though. Anyway, I m glad to know one thing, that papa is wrong. He says that every one who has a chance to live in the heart of the world, and yet comes here, must be driven either by consumption, cupidity, or crime. " No, some of us come to get breath ing space, when we are stifled back there by meanness and deceit. Some of us come here to look at the great mountains and broad plains, and for get how little man is ; to see Nature, and, through it, Nature s God, and so get back to faith." His face was flushed, and his man ner vehement, and Mildred thought she had offended him. " Oh, you must n t mind papa s re mark ; he was only trying to make an 74 THE LOVE OF LANDRY epigram. You know it s the fashion to make epigrams now, alliterative, if possible, but epigrams of some kind. They are supposed to be phil osophical short-cuts. 7 " Yes, I know; they are a kind of electric-lighted royal road to truth, but I confess, I never did like electric lights. But you must forgive me for making a shadow on your day." " You have n t," she said simply. They had come to one of the breaks in the fence now, and he had dis mounted to see what could be done, and, if possible, to make repairs. He went at his work cheerfully, almost joyously. Mildred watched him for a time, and then she asked suddenly, "Do you really like it, Landryl " He looked up in surprise, " Why, yes; why notl " Oh, I don t know," she answered, 75 THE LOVE OF LANDRY blushing, " but it does n t seem like you; it seems so trivial, inadequate, inconsequential; oh, I don t know what I mean." " Why, it s work ; I m doing some thing." " But would n t you rather be doing something else! : " I don t see that I should. I m not only mending fences out here; that would be trivial perhaps, al though even fence-mending has its place, and farther south they have men who do nothing else but ride the fence day after day. But be sides this, we are digging a new irri gation ditch, and, altogether, I m bearing my share in the work of feeding the world. What man can do morel " Oh, yes, I know, but but she paused, embarrassed. 76 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Landry laughed and went on : " You see, Miss Mildred, it isn t what a man does, but how he does it. I love work, not for work s sake, but for what it accomplishes, although I do find a certain pleasure in the process." " But don t you know, Landry, pardon me if I- seem impertinent, you might have made a good soldier, or an officer," she said diffidently. " I don t know that I should want to be," he said calmly; and then dropping his work he went on: "I know it isn t heroic, but I don t know that those fellows, brave as they may be, who are out there fight ing a lot of half-naked savages are doing any more for ultimate good than we who are here, fighting the hard conditions of nature. I like a fight, but there are fights and 77 THE LOVE OF LAN DRY fights, and 1 d rather know that this irrigation ditch that I m digging is going to make the land better and a lot of people happier, than to feel that I was carrying a cartridge- belt full of civilisation to folks that didn t want it." "Oh, shame! shame! you re an anti-expansionist," said Mildred. " No, I m not an anti-expansionist, either. I believe in America s spread ing out as big and as broad as she can, and doing all the good she can. But whenever I look around me on all this - he swept his eyes around the horizon, " I cannot help think ing that there s a good deal of ex panding to be done at home." " Would you recall the men from the Philippines!" " I wouldn t recall anybody or any thing. Those fellows for that work, THE LOVE OF LANDRY and every man to his liking. But I do say that a good many of those boys who are out there wasting their lives under suns that weren t made to shine on anybody but niggers, might be better employed out here in God s country, where every air is a blessing, helping to make a para dise of this land that s so near it already." "Why, Landry, you re really elo quent when you get started." "Pardon me," he said, blushing under his tan; "I ve been blowing off a good deal, but I was so full of it." With Landry s work the morning went quickly, and it was past noon when they started riding leisurely back to the ranch-house. " I wish you could help me brighten things for the boys out here a little," 79 THE LOVE OF LANDRY he said. " Their lives are sometimes dull. I Ve been thinking of giving them some music one of these nights. I have a violin and a guitar." " You have I she exclaimed. "Why, you never told me." " No, I m not much of a musician ; but you have a banjo, and I could make shift if you could help me. Will you?" She hesitated. He was so blunt, so direct. Why could n t he hint at things, and give her a chancel "Will you?" he repeated. " Yes," she answered at last. And as they alighted at the door, and he held her hand in saying good bye, she wondered what manner of man was this Landry, who hated civilisation and yet practised all its graces. 80 CHAPTER SIXTH " T)APA," said Mildred when she JL and her father were alone again, " that Mr. Landry has very queer ideas." "Is that so, my dear? He surely doesn t maintain that the moon is made of green cheese? " No, no ; but he does maintain something almost as heretical, the heroism of common labour." " Oh, he preaches that doctrine, does he, he being the common la bourer, eh? : "Well, he doesn t say quite that either; for, as I remember now, he said that he wasn t heroic, but he claims that the men who make a 6 81 THE LOVE OF LANDRY farm or a ranch better are as good and as great as the men who are fighting in the Philippines." Mr. Osborne laughed, then said musingly, " I Ve seen men in my day whom I regard as greater generals than any our war has yet produced, and their battle-fields were only offices and counting-rooms, too. Landry is right. He has a great deal of sound sense for a man in his station." " His station? That s just it. Papa, what is his station?" Mr. Osborne paused and looked at her. " Well, now that is one on me. Come to think of it, I have never considered the matter. He is not a man whose character or manner lends itself to much speculation about sta tion. One feels so sure about his manhood that he forgets to ask about the status of it." 82 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " But I do want very much to know," the daughter pursued. "He has asked me to help him in a little entertainment for the men, and I have told him I would." " Oh, well, that won t hurt you. It will be a good thing for the men, and out here you can afford to be pretty democratic, ^although Landry strikes me as being a man one couldn t well be ashamed of any where." It pleased Mildred so to hear her father say this of Landry that she immediately resented both her feel ing and his remark. "I must say, papa, that you do make some sudden and enthusiastic friendships." "I am seldom wrong, though," the old man returned. And so the girl s mind was set at 83 THE LOVE OF LANDRY rest as to the fitness of her helping Laiidry in his entertainment for the men, or the " boys/ as he more often called them. Somehow the young man seemed to find even more spare time than usual that week, and much of it was spent in practising with her. Some times it was the violin and the banjo, sometimes it was the banjo alone, and as often it tinkled to the heavier strumming of the guitar, and they laughed and enjoyed it and were glad they had thought of this plan of entertaining the boys. And so the days went on, and the night of the concert arrived, a moonlight night, with a cool wind blowing down from the mountain after a hot day. The ranch-house was a scene of repressed joy. Re pressed, for your ranchman prides 84 THE LOVE OF LANDRY himself on his stoicism, and holds the concealment of his emotion a great virtue. Young Tod, though, the youngest of the helpers, had been insane with delight, and was doing fancy steps before the door an hour and a half earlier than the hour set for the festivities. The general dining-room, a long wainscoted chamber, had been fitted up with chairs and settees as the audience hall, and all the lamps and lanterns obtainable had been brought into requisition to make it bright and cheerful. Little less pleased than Tod, Mr. Hendrickson came in as soon as it was decently near the time of beginning and seated himself near the centre of the room, smiling and dumb with joy. His wife was flying around, as Tod expressed it, " like a chicken with its head wrung 85 THE LOVE OF LANDRY off/ 7 very busy putting the finishing touches to things, and saying an ad monishing word to the boys, who were dropping in, one by one. A lamp flared and smoked, and a half-dozen willing pairs of hands were up to attend to it, and as many faces, bronzed and mellow in the light, bent over it, smiling to be of service. When it was time to begin, Mr. Osborne came in with Mildred and the banjo, and they were greeted with a burst of uproarious applause. The old man looked a little embar rassed and sank quickly into a seat, where he sat smiling upon the scene as if it were all a play and he had been unexpectedly cast for a part. Mildred blushed like a peony, and began tuning her banjo to relieve her confusion. The entrance of 86 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Landry a little later with Ms violin and guitar was the signal for another outburst. The rancher only smiled as he took his seat beside Mildred, and she made the mental comment that surely this man was different from those around him. In order to get things going, Lan dry struck a few chords on his guitar, and he and Mildred swung into one of the liveliest of Sousa s marches. It is just possible that none of the musical societies had recommended the banjo and guitar as two instru ments especially adapted for such work. But these bronzed, hard- handed fellows, so far away from the pleasures and amusements of the town, isolated from their fellows, the companions of cattle, they were not critics. The music, light though it was, gave them the hint of the bet- 87 THE LOVE OF LANDRY ter, brighter things outside their own barren lives, and never was a per formance so thoroughly enjoyed. Fingers were snapped, and feet were stamped in time to the strain, and some even joined to whistle softly the air. Encouraged by these signs of appre ciation, Mildred s fingers fairly flew over the strings. She had entered heart and soul into the spirit of the affair. Her face was flushed and her eyes were shining. No wonder that Landry could not see the men around him, nor the room, nor hear the ap plause which greeted the music. All his senses were absorbed in one, and that one was wholly devoted to drinking her in with his eager eyes. Finally, though, he awakened, and in response to a vociferous encore 88 THE LOVE OF LANDRY t they began another tune. After this he called out to Tod, " Come on, now, Tod, and give us your rancher s song." " Tod ! Tod ! " chorused the others. Tod ducked his head and sat still. He was embarrassed by the presence of Mildred who seemed to him like a being from another sphere. "Come on, Tod," repeated Landry, striking his guitar, " the boys 11 join in the chorus. Won t you, boys! " That s what ! " they shouted, and "You bet! " Thus adjured, Tod rose from his seat, but at the sight of the faces looking at him, collapsed into it again, like a scared schoolboy on exhibition day. There was a burst of laughter at this, but it stopped suddenly, for Mil dred was standing up, speaking. 89 THE LOVE OF LANDRY i? " Won t you come on and sing, please?" she was saying. " I should feel very badly if I thought you felt strange before papa and me." " Go on ! you can t refuse the lady, the men urged ; and Tod rose again a little less embarrassed and shuffled forward. He bowed awkwardly to Mildred as he came out and gave her a look. It was such a look as one of the rude shepherds, half-startled, half -uplifted, might have bent on the angels with the glad tidings. It was as if the purity of the girl had suddenly metamorphosed the man s whole na ture and the light of the change was made manifest in his eyes. Landry saw the look, and the in sane desire took possession of him to get up and hug Tod. But he only said, " Go on," and struck up the tune. 90 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Tod began to sing the " Ranch man s Song," one of the few clean ones in the plainsman s repertoire, " The ranchman s life is the life for me, A wild, sweet life indeed ; By day, the sun on the mesa free, By night, the mad stampede. CHORUS. A long lope, and a slow lope, That is the gait we ride ; But who would change the life of the range For the city and all its pride ? This is the life for the man who feels The warm blood in his veins ; To sit him straight when his pony wheels, And to skim the melting plains. CHORUS. I have no wife, no kin have I, I bide alone and free; But cattle, plains, and hill and sky Are wife enough for me. CHORUS. 91 THE LOVE OF LANDRY I have no house, and I have no home, So, comrades, when I die Just plant me here, where the cattle roam, And you will still ride by. CHORUS. The men roared the chorus out lustily, and the song ended with a great flourish. Then a banjo solo by Mildred ran the men wild again, and while they were still shouting over the encore she played, Landry began singing to the accompaniment of his own guitar. A hush fell upon the room, and Mildred looked at him in surprise. His voice was a rich baritone the voice for a man and he sang with deep feeling, even emo tion. It was only a simple ballad, such as one may hear from the ballad- singer any time at a music hall, but the manner of the singing was in stant in its effect. The men began 92 THE LOVE OF LANDRY clearing their throats and looking down at their boots. Tod got up and stood with his back to the rest, look ing at the wall as if he saw a picture there ; nor did he turn around when Landry had finished, but swept his sleeve quickly and surreptitiously across his eyes and joined in the hearty applause. The men straight ened up and began smiling sheep ishly at each other ; and not one of them would have admitted to another the presence of the great lump in his throat. Mildred found her own lashes wet as she joined Landry, and they broke into the inspiriting strains of the " Georgia Camp-Meeting." The change was instantaneous. The men, like great children, were as quickly swayed from grief to joy, or the re verse. The music got into their blood 93 THE LOVE OF LANDRY like fire, and the imp of dancing tickled their feet. Tod suddenly left his corner, and springing into the middle of the floor, began to dance wildly, but not ungracefully. There was the hasty pushing back of chairs and a half-dozen men joined him. Embarrassment and restraint were forgotten in the momentary excite ment. Even Hendrickson was taken by the infection, and seizing his plump little wife, spun her dizzily about the room. Tod danced his way toward Nina and then paused before her, bowing. The maid gave a startled glance toward Mildred, who nodded, and a moment later she was flying away in the arms of the happy rancher, who laughed at the envious faces of his comrades. When the tune had been played through there were loud cries of 94 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " Again ! Again ! and it was re peated to the hilarious joy of the dancers. Nina came back breath less from the exertion. "Oh, Miss Mildred," she gasped, " I don t know what you 11 think of me!" "I ll think you ve been enjoying yourself like a sensible girl," replied Mildred. " Mr. Tod is a nice dancer, of course "I abhor conventionality," inter rupted Mildred. Her father heard her and smiled at her. He was sat isfied, for she was happy. They played once more, and then Landry announced that the concert was over. The men took their hats and crowded to the door; but there they stopped and looked hungrily back. 95 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Mildred will never know why she did it, save that something in their eyes compelled it and made her for get herself, and she swung her banjo into position and began play ing softly, "Home, Sweet Home." Landry did not attempt to accom pany her, but stood gazing at her in admiration and delight. The men were transfixed. Again Tod turned to the wall, and there were honest tears in the eyes of some of the fellows. " Grood-night, and thanks, 77 they said when she had finished; and then they stepped out as if afraid to disturb something that she had put to sleep within them. But once outside, their restraint fell off like a mantle from their shoulders, and they rent the night air with three cheers for the lady and three more for Landry. 96 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Mildred looked at Landry as she took her father s arm. " What great children they are," she said. " You have made them very happy to-night," Landry returned, " and I thank you for helping me." "Don t thank me," she said. "I feel selfish, I am so happy. I am happier than I have ever been." " I am so glad, and the boys will not forget this, you may rest assured. We always try to, have something like this for them before the fall round-up, but there has been none like this." " The fall round-up, what is that! " " We get together all the cattle twice a year, in the spring and fall, when we drive them from the ranges down into the valley. Next week is time for the fall driving." "Oh! may I see it?" 7 97 THE LOVE OF LANDRY "It is a rather rough experience, but I will try my best to help you to a sight of it. You will go, Mr. Osborne?" " I shall be greatly interested." " Oh, thank you, Landry. Grood- night." " Good-night," said Landry, and under his breath, " God bless you! " 98 CHAPTER SEVENTH A WHOLE week passed, a happy week, full of the joy of out-door life for Mildred. She saw herself acquiring both gaiety and health, the reward one gains by living near to Nature s heart. She was not yet done babbling of the pleasure the concert had given her, and her father went on, smiling, happy too, and un seeing. The poor man thought it really was the concert that had pleased his daughter, and brought a light into her eyes and a thrill into her voice that he had never known there before now. A girl may be of a very charitable disposition, and Mildred was such a one, but there are certain effects on the feminine 99 THE LOVE OF LANDRY nature which even the joy of doing good cannot produce. She had sud denly become more affectionate than usual with her father, and she had fallen into the way of running to him on the impulse of the moment, and throwing her arms around . his neck with quick, unaccounted for kisses. Her father called it pecking, took it gladly, and attributed it all to returning health and the concert. The girl developed a hundred pretty little ways, which, notwithstanding her charm, she had not possessed before. She was as gay and as joy ous as a bird and as irresponsible. She went about the place singing, and the men looked on and blessed her. Little Mrs. Hendrickson adored her, while her husband s admiration seri ously interfered with his articulate- ness whenever the sprightly maiden 100 THE LOVE OF LANDRY was around. Meanwhile, Mildred her self had not analysed her feelings. She was just glad. (Had as a robin is, or a squirrel, and she did not know that it was because Landry was near her that her life was so much like a holiday. She was con tent to take the joy without question ing whence it came. But she was destined to an unpleasant awakening. When God is letting a revelation slowly illumine the mind and soul of one of his creatures, there is too often some fool to rush in and anticipate his process. This was the part upon which Mrs. Annesley now entered. Although she was nearly three thousand miles away, she felt what Mr. Osborne on the spot could not see. With the solicitude of the kindly intentioned destroyer, she wrote Mildred: 101 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " MY DEAR CHILD, I feel it my duty [they always do feel it their duty] to men tion a thing which both youi dear sister and myself have noticed in your last letters. You know, my dear Mildred, I am the last person in the world whom any one could accuse of being suspicious ; but there are certain cir cumstances which make me feel that I should be doing less than my duty to you as the daughter of my dear deceased sister did I fail to warn you of what I fear. My dear, who is this man Landry, and what are your relations with him ? Are you aware, child, that you have spoken of him in every one of your last letters ? Do you know that in the very last you called his name six times? [Mildred felt that she knew just the manner in which her aunt would have shot that last question at her could she have been there in person, and her face was suffused with angry blushes. The letter went on.] From what I can understand from your letters, the fel low is a common cowboy, or, I hesitate at the word, cow-puncher, as I have heard them 102 THE LOVE OF LANDRY called. Dear, let me beg you not to disgrace your family. I have heard of young girls falling in love with such persons out of a mistaken sense of the romantic. Don t do it, Mildred. Think over what I have said, and confide in me. If necessary, Helen and I will come out to see after you. Helen may come now, as Mr. Berkeley has spoken. I hope that I do not anticipate your sister in telling you this, but she would have told you soon anyway. " One more thing, my dear niece, and I am done. It has been brought to my ears that the women of Colorado are advocating riding their horses astride. Horrors ! And have made an appeal to the country on the score of humanity. Oh, Mildred, I cannot even contemplate the spectacle of a niece of mine astride a horse. [Mrs. Annesley underscored her " astride " as she had done her questions about Landry.] Don t do it, my dear. Pro priety in a girl of your station is very much more necessary than humanity. The poor can afford to be humane. The rich cannot afford to be less than proper. 103 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " Ask your dear blind father where his eyes are, and believe me, " Your affectionate aunt, "ANNE ANNESLEY." Mildred finished the letter, and flinging it across the room, burst into tears. There should be a penalty imposed upon the old woman who wounds the maiden modesty of a young girl. Mildred cried for very shame, but she was not without the temper to resent her aunt s letter. "Aunt Annesley," she exclaimed through her tears, "is a meddling, narrow-minded old woman. I in love with Landry, indeed!" And then she blushed so hotly that she hid her face in her arms and wept the more, and in that moment it went very hard for Landry. The sins of Mrs. Annesley were visited upon his head. " He is very presumptuous," Mildred 104 THE LOVE OF LANDRY thought, " and no doubt took it for granted that I cared for him, just because I was kind to him. He has been no more than my groom, and I d as soon think of marrying the butler. Oh, howl hate Aunt Annesley!" The girl s pride was wounded to the quick, and it is a quality which women and snakes have in common, when wounded, to strike, regardless of reason, at everything near, and so Mildred felt angry with every one about, as being concerned in her humiliation. She sat down and wrote a brief, curt note to her aunt : "MY DEAR AUNT [it ran], I am ex ceedingly glad to hear that Mr. Berkeley has proposed. It relieves you of one great re sponsibility. I can assure you also that I am not riding astride, nor am I going to marry Landry, who has been little more than a faith ful groom to me." 105 THE LOVE OF LAN DRY That was all, and it was unworthy of her ; but who can blame a young girl, hurt as she was, for being unjust to every one about her! She read the note through again and again, and the meanness of it struck her more and more each time. Finally, she tore it into shreds. "I won t send it," she cried, " I won t send it. She may think as she pleases." Very sad and miserable she felt as she went out-of-doors to the shelving roof which did duty as a porch, and where her father was now sitting with his cigar. " Why, what is it, my dear? " ex claimed Osborne. " You re not look ing well." "I m feeling very well," she re plied. But I ve been reading let ters from home." "And you re homesick? Well, I 106 THE LOVE OF LANDRY don t wonder, child. But Landry shall cheer you up." It was like a match to the fuse. She turned upon her father, all the pain of her resentment and humilia tion flashing in her eyes and thrilling in her voice. " I am sure, papa, I don t see why I must depend upon Landry for amusement," she said angrily. " Why, I thought you and he were such friends." " We are not friends. I am sur prised that you want your daughter to make friends with the servants. I have ridden with him because there was nothing else to do." "Why, Mildred," said her father, in surprise, "I am sorry if I have seemed to neglect you. I I thought " He stopped helplessly. 107 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " Oh, every one thinks/ she said a little brutally. And then, there was Landry approaching, swinging along with his swift, easy stride. She gave him one glance and then turned and went into the house. He saw the action and wondered. What had he done to offend her? He would rather his right arm were cut off than that he should give her pain. He came up awkwardly and stammered a few commonplaces to Mr. Osborne, who was equally puz zled and embarrassed ; but his mind was with the girl who had so palpa bly turned her back upon him. What had he done? What had he done? He went away cursing him self for a blundering fool, who had stupidly wounded the woman he loved and yet had not sense enough to know how he had done it. 108 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " At least, civilisation has that much good in it," he told himself, "that I could not wound a woman without knowing when and how. But I ll find out. I 11 find out, damn it, if I have to crawl to her on my knees." He did not know how could he? that he was being made to suffer 011 account of a meddling old woman three thousand miles away. When Mildred had gone in, she instantly regretted the act, and suf fered in mind little less than Landry himself. After all, it was not his fault. He had possibly never thought of love in connection with her at all. But she was conscious of no great pleasure in the thought. She felt that she ought to be glad, for, of course, it was impossible that she could be anything to him or he to her. But, nevertheless, she was mis- 109 THE LOVE OF LANDRY erable, and it was a miserable dinner that she ate that day. In the after noon she sat on the porch with her father, and tried to be cheerful, as was her wont; but her cheerfulness had departed, and she made but a sorry feint at it. She wanted to be just to Landry. She wanted to make amends to him, but she feared her self, and was frightened if she even heard his step. Finally, after several false alarms, he did turn the corner of the house, and start towards her. Oh, if she could only fly ! Of course he had seen her displeasure of the morning and would be sure to ask the cause of it, and what could she say? She wished he wouldn t be so fearfully direct. He never hinted at a thing. He always spoke straight out, and there was no getting away from the point with him. She had no THE LOVE OF LANDRY observed this before in him. She bit her lips and waited, because she dared not snub him again. It was awful. She could see his face now. A sort of fascination held her eyes. There were lines of pain about his mouth. She had hurt him, she knew, and she did not know how to tell him why, so the prayer went up from her soul that something might inter vene to prevent their meeting. Mildred s prayer was unexpectedly answered. A wagon rattled up to the entrance, and a man got out and stood for a moment talking to the driver. Then he turned and came hurriedly towards them. Landry had stopped, and as the newcomer drew nearer, turned his eyes first upon him and then upon Mildred. She felt the blood leave her face, and in a moment she seemed to have lived ill THE LOVE OF LANDRY the space of a century. It was Arthur Heathcote. "Awful of me to drop down on you in this way/ said Heathcote, after greeting them; " but you know I ve been out this way before, and I thought I d like to see the country again, so here I am. I m so glad to see you, Miss Osborne, and you, Mr. Osborne." He lied very glibly, but his face was red and he looked like a guilty schoolboy. Osborne was frankly glad to see him, but even Mildred herself realised that her greeting was cold and formal. " Thought maybe your people might put me up for a week or two. Of course, I did n t know. If they can t, why, I 11 be trotting along." " Of course they can, said Osborne, heartily. "Landry! 112 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Landry came forward; the two men were introduced. Each, eyed the other as if taking stock of his strength and fighting ability. " Won t you try to help us locate Heathcotet" " I shall be glad to," said Landry, but his face belied him. They went into the house, and the Englishman was soon placed. Mrs. Hendrickson was overcome with joy at being able to oblige any friend of Mr. Osborne s, and they could and would put Mr. Heathcote up for as long as he wanted to stay. So his luggage was brought in from the road, and he settled himself, like the thorough Britisher he was, at home wherever he took off his hat. After doing what he could for the new arrival, Landry came out of the house again. But this time he did 8 113 THE LOVE OF LANDRY not go toward Mildred. He only bowed to her as he passed, and went with set face out toward the barn. Mildred could have wept from very grief and vexation. She knew what he must think of her, and her face burned. He would believe that she had known of Heathcote s proposed visit, and had snubbed him that he might be conveniently out of the way. Oh, the shame of it! The meanness of her nature as he must see it! She was glad that he had been proud enough to pass her by. She could not respect a man who would stoop to a woman who had acted as contemptibly as she had appeared to act. But then her thoughts took another turn. He should not have thought it of her. He had no grounds for believing her so low. But then, what did she 114 THE LOVE OF LANDRY care! She didn t. She knew she didn t care, for she told herself so several times before Arthur Heath- cote came out to talk to her. Her feelings as she saw him approaching were a study, even to herself. She could not forget the big- hearted Englishman s simple kind ness that wet September night, when she had made the child the object of her impulsive charity. She liked him, but she was angry at his intru sion. Here she had been living so close to Nature, and now he had come smelling of civilisation in her thoughts she unconsciously quoted Landry to break up her paradise. Perhaps her aunt had sent him. Maybe he knew about Landry. Had he come to spy upon her actions ? But she dismissed the thought as soon as it was formed. That was 115 THE LOVE OF LANDRY not like Heathcote; but oh! she wished he had not come. However, he was here, and coming towards her smiling now. The sky that she had loved had lost its colour. The sun set which she had looked at with Landry beside her was devoid of glory. Everything seemed dull and gray to her, and all because a foolish old woman had written a letter, and an unwelcome lover had come at the wrong hour, and a hard-headed girl had refused to listen to the dictates of her heart. " I am afraid, Miss Mildred, that you will think hardly of my racing out here." "I cannot blame you for wanting to see the country again. I love it myself." " Yes; but I mean for coming out here after you." 116 THE LOVE OF LANDRY 1 Surely that would not be fair, unless you blamed me for coming before you. "That s so. But now you re laughing at me again. Indeed you are. But, you know, I thought you would nt care if I just came." "I am sure I don t." Poor fellow! he was helpless and inarticulate after that. " Of course, you know why I came. " You have already told me it was because you had been out here before, and you wished to see the country again. A very good reason for coming. " Oh, come now," Heathcote pro tested; "you know I was just telling a few then. Mildred, you know why I came. It was because I couldn t stay away from you. I could n t take no for an answer. " Arthur," she said sadly, " you make it so hard for me." 117 THE LOVE OF LANDRY "Forgive me," he broke in, "I don t want to persecute you. Really, I didn t intend speaking until time for me to go away." " Arthur," she said again, " I do like you, but won t you give up hop ing or thinking that I will marry you I I cannot. I cannot. " There was a decided set to Arthur Heathcote s chin as he replied, " I will not give up hope until you are the wife of some other man, but I won t persecute you. I love you, Mildred, and a love like mine is not to be daunted. Now, let s not think any more of it while I am out here. Let s be good friends, for I believe you when you say that you like me, and we can have a pleasant unrestrained time, if you will let me walk with you and ride with you." " You shall walk with me, and you 118 THE LOVE OF LANDRY shall ride with me, Arthur, and I wish I could say more." " Oh, I have time," he said, and there was a shake in his voice, in spite of the brave ring of it, " and after that, there is eternity." Then he laughed. " Oh, I say, I like your man, Landry, although I can t under stand him. A cowboy who talks like a college man is something of a para dox, you know." t That is not a strange thing. Every American is a paradox, unless he happens to be an Anglomaniac." " I like the paradoxes better. It s what we expect of Americans. I don t like this sudden turn for friendship and all that between us. We haven t got a soul, now, to whet our boys belligerent appetites against, and whom have you I " " Oh, we feel our loss as greatly as 119 THE LOVE OF LANDRY you do. But then, we have a little trouble on our hands. " " Yes, but that s only a brush. Inferiors never make good enemies. A fellow could never have a real jolly fight with his valet. He might kick the man, but kicking a man is not fighting him." " Well, you should n t complain, at least. England did find metal more attractive among the Boers." 1 i That 7 s the reason she went to it, like steel to the magnet." It was in this way that Mildred and Arthur talked on, building up a wall of conversation behind which to hide, the girl, with her torn heart and wounded pride, the man hopeless, in spite of his bravery, say ing bantering nothings while his face was white and drawn. 120 CHAPTER EIGHTH LANDRY S feelings were severely hurt when he supposed that Mil dred had merely made use of him, and then tossed him away like a soiled glove. It did not seem like her, and his grief was not so much for himself as for the ideal he had had of her, which was now shattered. A man may lose faith in manhood, and his nature suffer a severe wrench, but for him to lose faith in woman hood, which means, to the average man, one woman upon whom he has staked all his beliefs and hopes, often proves the breaking of him. But, hurt as he was, it would not have been in Landry s nature to sulk long. He was too vigorous and 121 THE LOVE OF LANDRY direct, and his love being stronger than his resentment, he would even tually have gone to Mildred, and have had it out with her. But it was re served for Heathcote, unconsciously, to hasten the event. Unconsciously, yes; not that he would not have done it knowingly had he been aware how matters stood. It was the morning after his arrival that he sought out Landry where he was wandering disconsolately among the horses, unable to conceal his unrest. "I say, Mr. Landry," said Heath- cote, " I m afraid I ? m bothering you awfully, you know, but I want to see you for a moment. 7 " Here I am," said Landry, not too pleasantly ; and then he added, some what to soften the speech, t and at your service." " I was thinking maybe you might 122 THE LOVE OF LANDRY help me to a mount. I don t like to ask Mr. Osborne, you know, as I dropped down on them rather un expectedly, and it seems mean to trouble them." Landry in a moment was all alert. " Why, I thought they were expect ing you," he said. " Oh, no, neither of them knew anything about me until I turned up here." " I shall be glad to help you to a mount, Mr. Heathcote; just come with me." There was a sudden cor diality in Landry s manner that quite took possession of Heathcote. In fact, Heathcote might have had all the horses on the ranch just at that moment with Landry s joyous per mission. His troubles fell away from him as the black shadows fall from the mountains before the sun. He 123 THE LOVE OF LANDRY was all life and heart again, though he could not but blame himself for having doubted Mildred s honesty, even for a moment. Evidently, he had offended her in some small way, and he would go to her and find out what it was and make it all right. His ideal was re-instated, whole and without a blemish. The goddess was again in her shrine, and he was very happy. There was a great joy in Heath- cote s breast, too, for the mount with which Landry provided him filled him with unspeakable admiration. It was Landry s own horse, so gen erous was that young man. She was a big roan, raw-boned and strong- limbed. A small, well-formed head was well set on her solid shoulders. "What a beauty, what a beauty! " said Heathcote. 124 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " You 11 find her as good as she is beautiful," said Landry, with pardon able vanity. " My knees are really itching to be astride of her. 7 " If you have nothing to do, get on and try her." The next moment the Englishman was in the saddle, whence he beamed on Landry. The horse moved off at her easy gait. This was too much for Heathcote. The pure air and the wide plain brings out the natural in a man, and it was something of a reversion to primitive instincts when the delighted rider tossed his hand in the air and gave a whoop. He would not have believed it possible had any one predicted it of him. He felt the enthusiasm of a strong man for fine animals, and dimly, too, some thing of the influence of the vast 125 THE LOVE OF LANDRY life about him. He circled back to Landry, his face glowing, and the gladness of a big, unspoiled boy showing in his eyes. "I say," he exclaimed, "are you really going to let me ride her! Aren t you depriving yourself now!" 1 1 She s yours as long as you are here/ said Landry, " and I m glad you like her." "Mr. Landry," said Heathcote, reaching down his hand as solemnly as if it were a ceremonial, " if ever you come to England, you shall have the finest horse in my stable." " Thank you." The two men shook hands and were friends from that moment. Three things draw men close, to suffer, to dare, and to enjoy together; and they found a fellow-feeling in their very gladness. Heathcote for- 126 THE LOVE OF LANDRY got the traditions of his people, for got to ask whence Landry came; whether he were cowboy, stable-man, or what. He only knew him for a good fellow. They were two strong, clean men, face to face, each drunk Avith the joy of living and loving. What more was needed to make them friends! The Englishman rode away towards the ranch-house, and his friend looked after him. He saw a fine rider and a fine man, such a one as might have taken any woman s heart captive. " It 11 be a hard fight," said Landry, musingly, "but it will be a square one ; and if I lose, I 11 have the satis faction of losing to a worthy fellow. Oh, well " and he fell a-thinking. It was because of all this that Mildred Osborne had the misfortune to grow very angry that morning. 127 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Heathcote came riding toward her, and she saw that he sat Landry s horse. Resentment flashed instantly into her heart. " Landry has no right to deprive himself. Maybe he thinks it will please me." Then she stopped saying things to herself, and said " Good-morning" in response to Heathcote s bow. 1 Your man, Landry - he began. " Pardon me, Mr. Heathcote," she broke in, "but he is not my man, Landry. Mr. Landry is a gentleman, and quite our equal." She didn t know why she said it, for she did not know anything about the ante cedents of Landry. 11 Oh, beg pardon, Miss Mildred, I might have known that. Americans are so eccentric, you know. But the fact of the matter is that I never stopped to think what Landry was. 128 THE LOVE OF LANDRY I only knew that he was a fine fel low. I was just going to say that he loaned me his horse. Don t you think she is a fine animal? " " She is ; and he is so attached to her that I really don t know what he ll do without her." " That s right, and I m a selfish beast. I ll go straight - " Oh, no ! no ! you won t do any thing of the kind. He would feel very much .hurt." " Oh, but I can t help it. It s not fair to take such a mount from a fel low," and he was turning as he spoke. " Please don t," pleaded Mildred; " please don t, for my sake. That is," she stammered, " he would never for give me for speaking." " But he sha n t know that you have spoken." He was looking at her keenly, and 9 129 THE LOVE OF LANDRY with, a question in his eyes. She blushed furiously under his gaze, and fingered her dress nervously as she spoke. " Perhaps you don t know, but Lan- dry, Mr. Landry, is very eccentric." " Indeed! " " Oh, yes." If he would only stop looking at her in that way. She knew that her face was guilty, and that she was fast getting angry again, both with herself and with her inquisitor. " Then if you insist, I shall not take the horse back. I shall go for a spin. Won t you come with me? " "I shall not ride this morning," she returned. " Is it wrong for me to remind you of your promise! " " I have not forgotten my promise, but I shall not ride this morning." 130 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " I must bid you good-morning, then. I cannot lose the pleasure of this horse s gait, even for so fair a lady as yourself," and laughing, he rode away, leaving her there, help lessly embarrassed, and with the idea knocking at her consciousness that she had made something of a fool of herself. Landry found her still sitting on. the porch when he came up a little later. While she would not own it to herself, the girl had practically been waiting and wishing for him, but now she was frightened at his approach. " May I sit down? " he said, after greeting her. " To be sure," she answered; "you know we are all generosity here. We give people our horses, and let them sit on their own chairs." 131 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " The horse was nothing, but a chair here is everything. I have offended you. Won t you tell me how, and forgive me? " " But you have not offended me, Landry. Why should you think so? " She felt how deceitful she was even as she said it. " I am so glad," he said, humbly; " but you turned your back on me yesterday." " It was very rude of me, was n t it? But that was not on account of anything you had done. I had received a letter " she hesitated " and it provoked me very much. Of course, I had no right to take it out on you. But then, Landry, you don t know women very well, do you? " I don t know anything except that I am the happiest man on 132 THE LOVE OF LAN DRY earth. Let s go for a ride," tie added abruptly. " No, I don t want to ride since you have n t your horse." " Then let s walk. It s too glori ous to sit still." He must have meant all he said, for his face showed it. " I 11 walk with you ; " and she ran into the house to get her hat. Why was the day suddenly bright again, and why were her feet so light? It was because she had righted a wrong, she soberly told herself. That was the reason, too, that she came out singing. " I Ve been so miserable," said Landry, as they strolled along the cactus-dotted land. " I -- I - - had thoughts." " A very rare thing for a young man," she answered laughingly. 133 THE LOVE OF LANDRY "But you don t know," he went on gravely; " I wronged you greatly in my mind." " I knew what you thought," she said, but you were wrong. I am not that kind." She had grown seri ous in an instant. "I might have known that you were not. I was blind then, but I am wise now, and because of my wisdom, I know why Mr. Heathcote has come here." " Mr. Heathcote is a friend of the family." " Mr. Heathcote loves you, and so do I, and I want to know my fate now. Mildred, will you marry me? " She had known that it was coming, and yet it was a great shock to her. She could not look at him, as she said tremulously, " I cannot marry you, Mr. Landry." 134 THE LOVE OF LANDRY "Why not?" he asked simply. "Do you love some one else? ; " You have no right to ask that question, but I do not mind answer ing you. No; but I cannot marry you. First, because I do not love you; why, I hardly know you." " Then it has meant nothing to you, our companionship! And it meant so much to me. You speak of hardly knowing me, and yet you have so filled my heart and life that I can hardly think of a time when I did not know and love you." "Oh, Landry, please don t," she cried piteously. "I did so want to be friends with you." Her aunt s letter, and her aunt s horror burned into her mind like a flame. She stole a glance at his face, and it was tender, but sad, so sad. 135 THE LOVE OF LANDRY In the moment a great hatred grew up within her for her aunt, and all the conventions of her set and kind. Even if she had loved Landry, soci ety had set a barrier between them. Here was her aunt s cowboy with a vengeance. The humour of the situ ation struck her, and she burst out laughing. The man looked at her with sorrow and indignation in his eyes. But in a moment he under stood, for she was as quickly pos sessed by a passion of tears. "Forgive me," he said; "I have hurt you. I won t say any more about it, now," he added firmly. "Come, let s go back." She did not answer ; she only wept the more, for she felt that all she loved, all she wanted, all that in life was worth having was slipping away from her grasp, but she could not 136 THE LOVE OF LANDRY check it. There stood King Conven tion ; this was his decree. She dried her eyes as they went back toward the house, he walking disconsolately by her side. She turned to him as they reached the porch. " Landry," she said, "you will always be my friend! " " I shall always be your friend and lover," he said, taking her hand, and then he turned away toward his own apartment. Mildred hurried to her room and threw herself upon the bed. The blessed tears came again to relieve her; and then she sat up, crying softly, for fear the very walls would hear, " Landry, Landry, you are worth some woman s love, but who are you? " 137 CHAPTER NINTH IT was strange that in Landry s grief at Mildred s refusal of him, there was no anger at the girl herself. He remembered her distress and her tears, and felt only deep pity and a more overwhelming love for her. " She loves no one else, she said, and I believe her," Landry mused when he was alone. "Well, then, why shouldn t she love me? She doesn t know me, that s true. I might be a horse-thief or a pick pocket for all she knows to the con trary. She s right. She has the right to know more about me, and I was a blundering ass to ask her to 138 THE LOVE OF LANDRY take me for granted. But can I tell her everything! Can I explain to her? " A hard wrinkle came into the man s brow as he thought, "The secret is not mine wholly. But I have lost faith in humanity on ac count of it ; now shall I lose the love of my life for this same reason? Great Q-od! is there no limit to what I must suffer loss, ignominy, shame, and now this! r> He clenched his hands, and the great beads broke out on his fore head. Then, as was his wont when he wished to think, he saddled a horse and went galloping away. The land was full of the brisk, sweet smells of autumn. The plain fell away in a gray, barren line that held up a turquoise dome. The lit tle ground-birds, scarcely discernible against the grass, so like themselves, 139 THE LOVE OF LANDRY skipped away before his horse s feet. But Landry saw nothing, neither landscape, sky, nor birds. He felt nothing, not even the rush of the wind as he swept across the prairie. Surrounded by the things which he knew and loved and was wont to observe, he was as utterly alone with his own thoughts as if he had sud denly been lifted out of the life of this earth and placed where there were only himself and his soul. He was doubly isolated, in that his was the isolation both of great grief and deep thought. On his face were all the marks of the struggle that was going on within him. His eyes were cold and bright and his cheeks flushed, though his hands held the reins firmly, and there was not the quiver of a muscle in his face. Like a man turned to iron, he rode and rode. 140 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Every now and then, unconsciously, he dug his heel into the horse s side, as if, moving swiftly though he was, he could not keep pace with the hard, hot gallop of his thoughts. So he went for an hour, and then, with out warning, turned homeward again. The strained look in his eyes was gone, and his whole attitude was one of relaxed force. But there was still on his face the expression of a man who has made a vital decision, and who will carry out his plan to the last extreme. He bent over and stroked the horse s damp neck. " I will do it," he said. " He shall not take this from me." With him, when a decision was once made there was no turning back. As soon as he reached his room, he sat down and wrote the following letter : Hi THE LOVE OF LANDRY " DEAR Miss MILDRED, I know now the folly I showed in asking you to marry me, about whom you know absolutely nothing. Five years ago I should have known better, but I have been away from civilisation so long that I have forgotten some of its de mands and conventions. I had thought that if two people cared for each other, that was all, and there were no other questions to be asked or answered. I confess that I was wrong, and that my theory would only do for a more primitive state of life than this to which you and I belong. But I do not blame you because I blundered, and so, whether or not it affects the issue, I am going to answer the questions, which, if you cared for me, you must have asked. "I remember that you once repeated the remark that people only came out here on ac count of crime, cupidity, or consumption. It seems proper that the world should usually take it for granted that the first of these most commonly drives a man to this life. But it was not so in my case. At least, I am 142 THE LOVE OF LANDRY not a criminal. The story is a long one, and I should prefer telling it to you to writing it. I should beg your permission to do so, except that when I talk to you I lose my head, and say the things that I do not want to say. " The secret which I disclose here is not, as you will see, entirely my own, and I need not ask in mercy to all concerned that it go no further than the ear of your father, who also has the right to know. " In the first place, my name is not Landry, that is, it is not my surname, but my mother s name, by which I choose to be known out here. My full name is Landry Thayer, and I was born in Philadelphia, twenty-eight years ago. My mother died when I was young, and all my boyish love was given to my elder brother, John, and to my father. My first great grief came with the death of the latter, who had always been a tender and indulgent parent to me. " I mourned for him sincerely, but the buoy ancy of youth soon overcame my sorrow and I turned to my brother, now all that was left 143 THE LOVE OF LANDRY to me, with the whole wealth of my affection. He loved me in return ; and so it was a great wrench when, finishing my course in the city schools, I went away to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We were wealthy. My brother managed the estates but I had my ambition. I was determined to be one of the world s workers, and engineering took my fancy. I wanted to build bridges. I wanted to dig tunnels. I am making irrigation ditches now ; but even that is part of my plan. You will laugh at this, won t you ? But it s straight. "Well, before I left for school, I noticed that my brother cared for, or seemed to care for, a very beautiful, frivolous girl who was at that time dominating Philadelphia society, and who had a dozen men in her train. I did not like her, and told my brother so. He flew into a fury, called me an impudent young cub, and bade me never speak her name again. On my knees and with tears in my eyes, I begged his forgiveness. I was younger then. He barely forgave me, and with a sore heart 144 THE LOVE OF LANDRY I went to school. One day I received a card that cut me like a knife, and when I came back he was married. "I hated her ; with all my heart I hated her. She had taken from me all that I had my brother. He was cold and stern with me now, where he had always been loving and kind before. Well, I suppose that I was a young fool, and precipitated matters, but I did not exert myself to be agreeable to my sister- in-law. After a while she told my brother that I was a sullen young fellow, and made her very unhappy. The result was another scene, and my brother, who I believe, loved his wife sincerely, forbade me the house, which he, as the elder, had inherited. " He packed me out, bag and baggage, and I went into lodgings ; but still I did not blame him, and even when I went back to school, I only felt that I was a jealous young fool, who deserved my brother s anger ; and God knows I was jealous, for his had been the only love outside a father s that I had ever known. At college there was an allow- 10 145 THE LOVE OF LANDRY ance ample for all my wants, for I was not extravagant. All went well, and I grew en thusiastic over my work. It is a great work, after all. I was looking forward with joy to my Christmas vacation, when I could go home and be reconciled to him. It was then the blow fell upon me. I received a letter from him, my brother, my only one, saying : Since things are as they are, would it not be better if we do not meet? So I would be glad if you spent your vacations from home/ You do not know how it hurt me. Even now I feel the terrible searing of it. My brother, my own brother turned against me, and asking me not to come to my father s house ! I had thought the other disagreement only temporary, but this was final. " I was proud, and I did not go back, nor did I write to him. Occasionally, in the papers, I saw reports of the magnificence of his entertainments, and I was glad, for I loved and trusted him still, though I hated her. "Then I heard that he had sailed for Europe. I was glad, because he had always 146 THE LOVE OF LANDRY wanted to see the wonders of the old world. 4 John has gone away, I told my chum ; I m glad, because he always wanted to see the things over there. " 4 It s a pity, said my chum ; I m sorry for his wife. " I need not say what I did to Jack Alston ; only, since he knows that I did not know then, he has forgiven me and writes to me now, and I love him. He is building a bridge some where. " After Jack had given me this cue, I went and looked further. The papers said that my brother had left suddenly, without his wife, and that there were rumors of irregularities in his handling of my father s estate. " They were lies, all lies, and I knew it ; so I rushed home to refute them. In my father s house, at the door out of which I had seen carried the man who had fathered us both, I met that woman. " Oh, it s you, she said, when the servant had taken her my card. It s awful about John, isn t it? Not a thing left. " You re a liar, you re a liar ! I cried, 147 THE LOVE OF LANDRY 1 and a thief too, and a murderess ! And I flung out of the hall, and down the steps. " Heavens, the man is mad ! I heard her say as I was going. " But the rest is hardly worth the telling. My brother had gone from one excess to an other, entertaining, speculating, until he had been tempted to touch what was not his. Then my fortune, I blessed him for sparing me so long had gone to make up the de ficiency. Then he had left. Out of all my father s estate, save what that woman had, there were scarcely five thousand dollars left. I could not stand the grief of it. She showed me a letter from him saying that had I not proved ungrateful, ungrateful ! it would have been better. I do not believe he wrote it now. " With this, and the money that I had left, I came West because I could not bear the sight and sound of the things that had driven my brother to crime. They did drive him. They did drive him, for I knew him when he was square. A year later I heard that he was dead, had shot himself at Monaco. His widow is married. 148 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " That is why I hate civilisation, and you are the first one who has ever called me back to it. Do not judge my brother too harshly . he was not so much to blame as the devilish, deceitful, strenuous civilisation that drove him to his death. " With the little money, I have prospered some. Cripple Creek was kind to me, and this ranch calls me one of its masters. Mil dred, darling, you know my story. Forgive me if I have given you more than usual of " LANDRY." This letter Mildred received next morning from the hand of Tod. She dropped her tears upon it as she read. Then she arose and went to her father. "Papa/ 7 she said, " Landry has proposed to me, and I " "Landry!" " and I refused him ; here is his letter." 149 THE LOVE OF LANDRY The old man got up, the colour in his face rising in anticipation, as it were, of occasion. " Why- " Then he began to read the letter. As he read, the anger died from his face and the tear-drops fell on his ruddy, wrinkled cheeks. They fell as freely as the girl s. "Do you love him? : he asked, when he had finished. "No," answered Mildred, firmly; and then, "I don t think I do." " I am almost sorry," said her father, "for Landry ah! --Landry is a very big man; but I suppose it s Heathcote. Well- " Heathcote! snapped Mildred, "I hate Heathcote!" and she swept from the room. " She hates Heathcote! " said Mr. Osborne. " What a remarkable girl ! Yesterday it was Landry." 150 CHAPTER TENTH FOR some reason or other, quite unrelated to love, Mildred had cried herself to sleep over Landry s letter. She thought it was because she pitied him in his sorrow. When they met again she told him so, and he was more miserable than ever, because she gave him pity when he wanted love. They tried to resume their old re lations, but utterly without success. There was always between them a subtle embarrassment, the shadow of his refusal. So the days went by until the time for the round-up. Landry 151 THE LOVE OF LANDRY kept his promise to Mildred, and saw that arrangements were made for her to ride out to see the cattle when they were to be driven down into the valley. Heathcote had begged to be allowed to ride with the men, and permission had been granted to him. He was as happy as a boy, although he had sacrificed his own inclination and forced Lan- dry to take back his horse for the work. It was noon of a Monday when the men set out for the broad valley into which the cattle were to be driven down from the ranges. With Heath- cote, there were eleven of them in all, - - brawny, raw-boned fellows, bronzed by the sun and wind, hard riders, hard swearers, but faithful to their duty and fearless in the dis charge of it. It was near evening 152 THE LOVE OF LANDRY when they reached their destination. The horses were unharnessed from the grub-wagon as soon as it came up with them, and after supper they camped for the night, resting for the next day s riding. They were up the following morn ing, and with three men left at camp, were away into the hills. All day long they rode the ranges, cleaning them out as with a great ever-moving comb, and the cattle streamed down into the valley. It was an all-day undertaking, and not yet done when Mildred came in the evening. The buck-board brought her and her father, and her pony Jack trotted behind. It was a wonderful sight to her, and she was much grieved that Landry insisted upon her and her father s camping so far away from the herd that night. It seemed to make 153 THE LOVE OF LANDRY of them only spectators, when she wished to be part and parcel of it. But Landry knew, as she did not, the words of the songs the cowboy sings as he gallops by night round and round his cattle. Stirred with the novelty of the situation, Mildred was up in the morning with the earliest of them. It was a glorious day; all golden- browns, yellows, and blues. The mist hung heavy over the moun tains, but for miles along the plain the air was as clear as the water of a mountain stream. It was one of those hot days which come to Colo rado even as late as November. It was very still, save for the calling of the men one to another as the drove of cattle, eight hundred strong, went milling round and round the valley. All the night before, the men 154 THE LOVE OF LANDRY had circled the herd, singing their interminable songs to reassure them. But to-day the animals were nervous. The smell of water in the bottom of a dry wash, which ran across the end of the valley at its entrance, made them restive, and every now and then one would break away and dash forward, only to be followed by one of the boys and driven back to his fellows. They snorted and bellowed and pushed one upon the other. Their horns crashed and waved, a short, bristling, terrible forest, and their brown or brindled sides gleamed in the sun. It was hard work keeping them together. To the front and left of the churn ing herd Landry was riding, his face gloomy and sad. Behind him, on the same side, rode Heathcote, while directly opposite, on her favourite 155 THE LOVE OF LANDRY pony, was Mildred. Near her Lan- dry had placed a cowboy, to see that no ill came to her. He looked uneasily across at Mil dred and then glanced at the nervous steers. "I wish she hadn t come," he muttered. "It s the day and the place for a nasty stampede." A big steer far to the front bellowed and sniffed the air. Landry rode quickly forward, and the long thong of his quirt curled about the great fellow s neck, and the column moved on as before. It was nearly seven o clock in the morning, and while some of the men were busy keeping the cattle from breaking away, others were pre paring to cut out the beef steers for shipping and the late calves for branding. A wind sprang up, and it seemed 156 THE LOVE OF LANDRY that the heat of the atmosphere was about to abate. Landry breathed freer, and again his glance wandered over to the girl he loved. He caught her eye and she smiled at him. He felt as if she had laid a cooling hand upon his brow. Mildred was a spectacle to call forth the admiration of a man who loved her even less than did Landry. Her gray habit fitted snugly her girlish form, and a soft felt hat with an eagle feather on the side, sat jauntily on her brown head. She was joyous with the movement and life about her, and glad with a feeling of suffi ciency which came to her as she turned her pony this way and that. Her father had felt some misgiv ings about her coming, but she had pleaded so hard, and had looked so beautiful as she begged, that he had 157 THE LOVE OF LANDRY kissed her and told her to go, while he remained with the grub-wagon not far away. He knew that with two such protectors as Landry and Heathcote she could hardly come to harm. She was going gaily along, and the glow on her face made Laiidry s heart leap. Then, in a second, it all happened. A bunch of steers broke away toward the water. One by one of the ringing multitude joined them, until in a few minutes the whole herd had joined in the wild rush toward the box-canon. "Stampeded!" was the one word that Mildred s cowboy protector ex pelled from his lips as he galloped away from her side. The cattle were racing like mad down the valley, making a seething caldron of bub bling backs. 158 THE LOVE OF LANDRY The girl saw what had happened. Her face went white. But a sudden thought took her, and digging her heel into the pony s side, with set face she went flying after the mad dened steers, bending steadily to the right. She had heard that in such a case the thing to do was first to try and turn them, and then to get the cattle milling, and she felt that sha herself might help to do it. But the cattle-men, all forgetful of her, had swept round to the left of the herd and were trying to turn them to the right; for they knew just how far back lay the deep dry run, and what it meant if their raging charges reached that. They had seen such sights before ; when the cattle, which made their life and the existence of the ranch possible, went headlong into the steep cut and piled one 159 THE LOVE OF LANDRY upon the other, a groaning, bellow ing, quivering mass of struggling flesh. They had seen the cut filled until the rear guard of the herd had passed over on a bridge of their dead fellows. So it was no wonder that they forgot the girl, and went gallop ing wildly to the left of the throng. Even Heathcote became infected with the insanity of the men around him, and the terrible whirl of the whole scene. He put whip and spur to his horse and swept on with them. On, on they went, to the left, bear ing the enraged steers to the right, turning them ever from the ditch of death. But Mildred, unconscious of what they were doing, only knowing and feeling the thought that domi nated her own soul, raced up behind the herd, still bearing to the right, and on to her death. Let the steers 160 THE LOVE OF LANDRY but turn and they would sweep over her, and she would be as utterly lost as a scrap of paper in the mad breath of the cyclone. Only one gray-faced man took in the situation. Landry had started with the men, but two hundred yards down the valley he saw her, and for the time that the glance took him, his heart stood still. "My God! " he cried, "what is the girl doing?" And then, without further time for thought, he cut straight across to the right, behind the herd, and went racing after her. It was only a matter of time, a trial of speed between him and the pony she rode, a race between Love and Death. Down the valley the girl rode, and he after her. The distance between them was wide, for he had to cross the whole width of the herd, but he felt himself gaming at every 11 161 THE LOVE OF LANDRY leap of the roan mare s brawny legs. Then did he thank God that Heath- cote had given him back his own good mount. No other horse could have done it, could have overtaken the lithe little pony galloping so madly ahead. " Great God ! " he said, " will they yet have time to turn be fore I reach her? " and he called to his horse with a prayer that was half an oath. The brown prairie burned under the roan s feet. Mildred did not look back. She rode as one rides who has a purpose, and that purpose quickly to be accomplished. They were nearing the cut now. He could see a straggly tree or two which grew upon its sides. " Mildred, Mil dred ! he cried out, but the wind blew his voice behind him and laughed in his face. Then Landry swore deeply, and the next moment 162 THE LOVE OF LANDRY uttered a prayer to Heaven, and struck his horse until the spurs drew blood from her foaming sides. On, on, they pressed the cattle on the left. The roan flew, and Landry was gasping and his breath came hard between shut teeth. His eyes were wild as he came nearer, nearer. They were turning now, and there were a hundred yards between them. He swept up and stretched out his hand for the pony s bridle; but just then the deep hole of a prairie dog reached out and caught the pony s off forefoot. He stumbled. Mildred swayed in her saddle. Landry s hand forgot the goal to which it had started as he rode up to her side. He threw his arm around her waist and dragged her willy-nilly from her saddle, throw ing her rudely, but safe, across the pommel of his own. Then his knees 163 THE LOVE OF LANDRY pressed the sides of the roan mare, and she, obedient, turned sharply to the right. They were just in time. Mildred s pony floundered and at tempted to rise. Just then the herd swerved suddenly further to the right, and in a moment the little beast who had so lately borne the girl was beaten beneath a hundred hoofs. With tears of excitement in his eyes, and curses of pure joy that took the place of prayers and thanks givings on his lips, Landry slowed his horse and rode back toward the grub-wagon. He looked down into Mildred s face. It was white as death itself could have painted it; she had fainted. He bent above her, and a groan forced itself from the depths of his very soul. " I have hurt her," he cried, "but she will live, she will live, thank God ! " 164 THE LOVE OF LANDRY He rode as swiftly as he could back to the wagon where her father was waiting. Mr. Osborne saw them coming, Mildred lying as one dead across the saddle. He rose, pale and trembling, as Landry drew up. " What have you done to my child I " he said in a voice so low that it was scarcely audible. " I have brought her back to you," said Landry ; " she is hurt a little, but she is safe. Take her; " and putting the girl into her father s arms, he turned his horse and went swiftly back to his duty. With the help of the drivers the grub-wagon was cleared, and Mildred was laid on a bed made of the men s coats. Nina was wringing her hands in the excess of helpless grief, but Hendrickson, who had seen it all, rode up, knowing and helpful. Her 165 THE LOVE OF LANDRY shoulder was wrenched. It was not a great affair, and he set himself at once to put it in place and to band age it. "It is not so much/ he said to Mr. Osborne; " she is greatly shaken up, but she is young and will soon be well." But the old man only bent above his daughter, crying, " Oh, Mildred ! Mildred! have I brought you out here for this! On the girl s face there was no sign of life, but the set expression still lay about her lips. "Will she live? " asked Mr. Osborne. " Oh, yes," said Hendrickson, " she will live ; she is not greatly hurt. It will be a little painful, but she will live." " If she recovers from this I shall take her home at once," her father 166 THE LOVE OF LANDRY said, his anger at himself growing that he had allowed her to run into such great danger. "She is a brave young woman," said Hendrickson. " I am glad that Landry saw her in time. 7 "Landry! Landry! he has saved my daughter to me. I wonder what I can do to reward him." The big ranch-manager smiled. " I think your daughter will know better than you," he said. Osborne looked at him dully, as if hardly comprehending. " He is a big fellow," he said; " I have always told her so." Mildred s eyelids fluttered with re turning consciousness. 167 CHAPTER ELEVENTH WHEN Mildred regained con sciousness she found herself lying in the grub-wagon, with Nina beside her. The wagon had been substituted for the buck-board, as being easier for her to recline in. " What has happened, Nina! " she asked. " I remember about ^the stam pede, and and Mr. Landry; but was I hurt, was I injured in anyway? " Not unto death, miss, 7 said Nina, solemnly; "but Mr. Hendrickson, he says your shoulder s out o place, an while you was insensible he set it, an he says you ll soon be all right. But the pony, oh, miss, you should see the pony! r> " It was killed? " 168 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " Ah, Miss Mildred, killed was no name for it. It was pulverized/ 7 " What are they going to do with me now! " asked the girl, a shudder passing over her frame at the thought of the poor animal. " They re going to start to the ranch-house with you as soon as you dare move." " Tell them, Nina, that I want to see the spot; don t say pony, what ever you do, the spot where it occurred." Nina went upon her errand and Mildred settled back with tears of pain and humiliation in her eyes. "I wanted to do something big because I felt strong and capable; and I knew he looked at me with contempt ; and, oh ! how it has turned out ! It only leaves me his debtor his debtor," and with repetition the 169 THE LOVE OF LANDRY thought did not seem so bitter. " Well, he did his part ; he was very brave and noble. Even if I cannot love him, I can respect him." Then her father put his anxious face in at the door. " So you ve come around all right, my dear? Hendrickson said you would. Really, he s quite a surgeon. Are you in much pain? " l My shoulder does hurt very much, papa, but that doesn t matter. I m sorry I gave you so much anxiety." "Don t say a word, my child; I shall have you taken back at once to the ranch-house. But Nina tells me that you want to see the spot where the accident occurred. I don t believe I would if I were you, my dear. 7 " I want to see it, papa, and if they cannot take me I shall walk." 170 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " There, there, don t excite your self, my child ; you shall see it. We will go by it on our way home." He signalled to the men, and one galloped ahead, while the other started the horses which had been harnessed to the wagon, to await any turn which Mildred s injury might take. As Nina sat down beside her mis tress, Mildred s face flushed and paled by turns, and she looked into the maid s eyes wistfully. " What is it, Miss Mildred? " asked Nina, gently. " Nothing," snapped Mildred, going all red again; "did I ask for any thing? " " No, miss, but I thought you looked like you wanted something." " No," she replied more gently," but my shoulder does hurt so." 171 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " You poor, dear child ! " said Nina, easing the wounded part. " I hope," Mildred went on, " that poor Mr. Landry isn t suffering this way. 7 Deceitful is the human heart, but it s the eye that usually gives it away ; and so Nina saw nothing, for at that moment her mistress eyes were closed in a spasm of pain. " La, miss! " she exclaimed, "him a-sufferin"? Why, he was n t hurt at all! " The eyes suddenly flew open, al most too suddenly for honesty, and the sufferer cried eagerly, " Was n t he? oh, I m so glad! ; And then a tell-tale look came into her eyes, and they were closed again in pain. When the wagon had stopped at the spot to which Mildred indicated she wished to go, she raised the flap 172 THE LOVE OF LANDRY with her uninjured hand and looked out of the opening. There was noth ing there, except the marks of many hoofs and a space covered with grass and sage. She knew at once what it was. " Uncover it/ she said. "No, no, Mildred," protested her father. He had sent the man on for that purpose, knowing what the sight would be. " I want to see him," she persisted. " But miss/ said the man who had ridden on ahead, "it ain t a pleasant sight for a young lady." " That s why I want to see it." "Mildred! " "Papa, must I get out and do it myself! " Mr. Osborne nodded to the men, and they began to uncover the flat, soft something that had once been 173 THE LOVE OF LANDRY the pony. The hoofs of eight hun dred cattle had beaten its flesh almost into the soil. Mildred gazed at it. "And I should have been like that/ she said. " Thank you. Come, papa ; " and she lay down again, very white. " Poor pony ! poor little Jack ! I rode him to his death, but I hope his spirit will forgive me, for I did n t mean to. I wonder if horses have souls or spirits! " she asked Nina a bit later. And Nina answered, " I m sure I don t know, miss, never havin studied such things." As soon as they were back at the ranch-house, where much ado was made both of Mildred and of the event of the morning, Mr. Osborne came into his daughter s room to see if she needed anything beyond Nina s ministrations. 174 THE LOVE OF LANDRY "Papa," she asked, "Mr. Landry was very brave to-day, wasn t he? " Not only brave, but decisive, my dear; a moment s delay would have lost you to me forever. That man has the making of a general in him." "Do you think so?" " Mildred, my child, you speak of it so apathetically. The man saved your life, and I want you to thank him with all your heart." " I was just going to suggest some thing of the kind. Send him to me as soon as he comes. Remember, papa, as soon as he comes." "Yes, my dear." " And now I m going to try to sleep." She closed her eyes until her father had left the room, then she opened them very wide, and lay gazing into space. 175 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " Poor Jack ! : she sighed, " and poor Landry ! One I killed and the other I wounded. Well, I shall see him to-morrow." But it was three days before Lan dry saw her ; for when the message came, he was still away with the cattle, and the captain of the round up could not, or would not, spare him. When he arrived and came into her room she was sitting at her win dow, and rose to greet him. One arm was in a sling, but she extended the well hand to him. " It was good of you to come," she said, and she felt just how flat and commonplace the words must sound. " I could not do otherwise," said Landry, a little stiffly ; although, after he had dropped her hand his own 176 THE LOVE OF LANDRY had gripped convulsively as he looked upon her pain. "I I went up to see the pony. Oh!" She put her hand over her face as if to shut out the sight. Landry flushed angrily. " Who was fool enough to take you up there? " he said. " I made them," she answered. " I would rather you had n t seen it. It wasn t a pretty sight." "But it was an instructive one. It told me what I would have been like had you let my folly take its course. 7 " I don t know about that. I guess you were all right." " It told me, too, what you had done for me." "That was nothing; any fellow that knew anything about horses and cattle " 12 177 THE LOVE OF LANDRY She waved him into silence, and he stood abashed, holding his hat like a scolded schoolboy. " I know, I know," she said; " but what I want you to understand is that it was not all wantonness on my part, my galloping after them as I did. No, hear me out, for you can not, do not understand. After I saw that they had stampeded, I suddenly remembered what you had once told me of the method to be pursued, and I was possessed with the idea of help ing to do it, so I raced after them in hopes that I could turn them, or start them what do you call it? grind ing or ringing. A shade of a smile came into the man s eyes, but his lip quivered with a deeper emotion, and the impulse was very strong upon him to take the poor little wounded girl into his 178 THE LOVE OF LANDRY arms and strain her to his breast. But he remembered Thursday, and held himself back. " Your ambition was very noble, Miss Mildred," he said; and it sounded very mean to him after it was out, though, " God knows," he told himself, " I did not intend it so." "It was very foolish and reckless," Mildred went on; "but then, I did so want to see a round-up, and when I saw those cattle making for the dry wash I knew what it meant, and I wanted to help. Of course, I did n t know how, and I made a silly spec tacle of myself; but I did want to do something worthy, and and I only made you risk your life." " That was nothing. You were perfectly right, Miss Mildred, and no one blames you in the least. It was such an accident as might happen 179 THE LOVE OF LANDRY anywhere. There are no serious con sequences attached to it, save the pain you suffer, but that will pass, and thank God you were n t killed." Landry blurted it out before he could check himself, but in a moment he saw his mistake, and went on calmly, " Your father would never have for given us if you had been trampled out there." " Landry, I know I owe my life to you. How can I thank you? What can I do to pay the debt? " The young man threw up his head, and there was a light in his eyes that she had never seen there before. Then, with a bow that was his heri tage from some old Virginia grand father, he replied, "Consider the debt cancelled, Miss Mildred," and turn ing hastily on his heel, left the room. "He is angry with me," Mildred 180 THE LOVE OF LANDRY murmured. " I did everything but scorn him; " and she sat down crying softly, but bitterly. She was filled with both sorrow and anger. She would not admit to herself that she loved Landry, and had done wrong to refuse him. She attributed all her misery to her in ability to show him her gratitude. Had the young rancher returned even then and renewed his question, it is doubtful that she would have told him yes. Unconsciously, per haps, but nevertheless dangerously, she was playing with her own feel ings and his. Her mood of grief was succeeded by one of distinct pettishness. "I am sure," she thought, " I can t go on my knees to him to thank him for what he has done. I do appre ciate it, and I have tried to tell him 181 THE LOVE OF LANDRY so. What does he expect? Oh, well, I do hope papa will satisfy him, and express all that I cannot. 7 She knew perfectly that her father couldn t and wouldn t, but it pleased her to be perverse, even to try to deceive herself. Some one knocked at the door, and Nina came in. " Please, Miss Mil dred," she said, " Mr. Heathcote gave me these for you." " These " was a bunch of brilliant red and white roses. " Put them on the table, Nina." "Yes, miss; can I do anything for you?" "No, go." Evidently, "miss" was cross, and Nina went. " I suppose he sent all the way to Denver for these," she said, handling the flowers. " I wish he 182 THE LOVE OF LANDRY wouldn t. Now if " she blushed furiously, all alone as she was, and threw the offending flowers into one corner of the room, where they lay, the white and the red, like a pale girl bleeding. She sat down and brooded awhile, and then, relenting, picked up the flowers and replaced them in a vase. Woman is a strange creature, and there is no accounting for her moods, and this is hereby acknowledged, or else one would be helpless before this one. For suddenly Mildred burst out laughing, and flying to the couch, hid her head in a pillow, rising at last to exclaim, " Well, I don t care if I do," and to sit looking with dreamy eyes into the fire, and a smile on her lips. Meanwhile, Landry, in passing out, had encountered Mr. Osborne, who was in wait for him. 183 THE LOVE OF LANDRY "My dear Landry," exclaimed the old man, holding out both his hands, " how can I ever thank you for the great thing you have done for me? Words are so poor." "Don t mention it," said Landry; " it was nothing." " Perhaps you may regard it as nothing, but it was everything to me." There was deep pathos in Mr. Osborne s voice and great earnest ness, and Landry, looking at him, said bitterly in his soul, " Perhaps I do regard it too lightly;" but aloud he said, "I am glad to have been able to serve you, Mr. Osborne." "I hope my daughter has thanked you." "Oh, she has thanked me," was the grim reply. " I fear she has hardly said all that she wishes to say or that she feels. 184 THE LOVE OF LANDRY She is like me there, my dear boy ; I can t say what I feel. Just take it for granted ; and if ever I can do you a service, no matter how great, just call on me. I am your servant/ 7 " Don t mention it," said Landry, hastily, and he bolted. " That is a very remarkable young man," said Mr. Osborne, gently. "I fear Mildred has not fully expressed her gratitude to him. I must see ; : so he went to Mildred. He found her still musing before the fire, with the smile on her face and a wrinkle between her brows. When he told her his beliefs and fears, she put her arm around his neck and drew him down to her. " You re a dear old papa," she said ; and that was all the answer he ever got. And Landry went off to be miser able by himself. 185 CHAPTER TWELFTH IT was not exactly anger that had driven Landry from Mildred s pres ence with high head and flashing eyes. He felt that resentment against fate which a man feels when his sorrows are not the fault of any particular person. He had left the presence of the woman he loved, less because her inadequate thanks provoked him than from the fear that the words which were tugging at his heart would strain up and burst from his lips. "All that s over now," he told him self bitterly. " I can t go to her now, like the hero of a dime novel, and ask her hand in return for her life. It would be cowardly, and it would 186 THE LOVE OF LANDRY be mean." So he went moping mis erably about, all his enthusiasm in life dead or dormant. He consistently avoided Mr. Os- borne and Mildred, much to the former s surprise and the latter s grief. Mr. Osborne knew Landry so little as to think now that he had so great a claim that he would renew his suit, and successfully, for he be lieved that Mildred s gratitude must ripen into love for her saviour. Mildred frankly hoped that he would speak again, but knowing him better, she expected it less. It was strange now that repression intensi fied her feelings. She saw her lover but little, but she thought of him only the more. The vision of him was ever before her, and she remembered, with a pleasure so keen that it was almost pain, the innumerable little 187 THE LOVE OF LANDRY acts of kindness and consideration that had unconsciously endeared him to her. She missed their long rides together, and all the details of their sweet companionship. Fearing that before she had held him too cheaply, she now placed an unwarrantably high value upon him. So the days went on, and still Landry did not come to her, when one day, her father approached her with a letter in his hand. His face was very grave, and his voice shook as he said, " Mildred, I have just received a letter from your aunt." The girl looked up apprehensively. " Your aunt writes me that she fears that I have not kept a father s eye upon you, and that you are being allowed to be too much in the com pany of a very low person in fact, 188 THE LOVE OF LANDRY as your aunt puts it, a horrible cow boy." Mildred was looking angrily at her father now, but her anger was not for him. " Pray," went on the old man, " whom does she mean ? " " She means the cowboy who saved my life a little while ago." " She she cannot mean Lan- dry I " " She does, and she has written me before about it." " Hum," said Mr. Osborne, gently, but with an annoyed look. " Your aunt is a very remarkable person. I shall write to her; I shall tell her," his voice was rising, "that Landry Thayer is a gentleman, and my friend, and the equal of any man I ever knew." " Oh, papa," and Mildred s head 189 THE LOVE OF LANDRY was hidden on her f ather s waistcoat, somewhere in the region of the heart. He held her off, and looked at her blushing face. " Is it so I " he asked. " Yes, and has been for a longtime, but I did n t know." He took his daughter very gently in his arms, and kissed her, saying, " I am very glad." Meanwhile Landry, knowing noth ing of the happiness in store for him, and hoping nothing, had determined to go further into the mountains for a shoot with Heathcote. That amiable young Englishman still lingered, and rode, drove, and shot with the joy that only a true sportsman can know. The friendship between him and Lan dry had increased, and when the latter was not mooning about, they were always together. 190 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Mildred had been seeing almost as little of the one as she had of the other. It was Heathcote s plan to give her a respite from his importu nities, and maybe, he thought, she would come round to his way of thinking. He had decided now, on his return from his hunting trip to go directly East ; so the day before the start was to be made, he came to her once more. She saw his purpose in his eyes, and would have saved him this final humiliation, but he would speak. " I hope I m not boring you too much," he said humbly, " but I have kept silent as long as I can, and on my return, I shall go directly Bast, so I thought maybe you would n t mind giving me my answer now." She looked at him with shining eyes, and he took a moment s hope, 191 THE LOVE OF LANDRY which was destined to be dashed im mediately. " Arthur, my good friend/ she said, " I will not keep you in suspense. I cannot say to you what I said a little while ago, for now I do love another. I thank you for the hon our you do me, for it is an honour to be loved by such a man." He bowed and she gave him her hand. He was turning away, when suddenly a light broke through the gloom of his face, and he came back to her eagerly. " I say," he began awkwardly, " It could n t be old Landry, you know? : u It is Landry," she said firmly. "That s good, that s good," he said, with a ring of honesty in his voice ; "I d rather him than anybody else except myself. I congratulate you both." He stood pumping her 192 THE LOVE OF LANDRY hand, and smiling down at her, though there lurked a sadness in his eyes. There there is nothing to congratulate me about. Landry asked me before the stampede, and then I did not know, so I refused him. He has not asked me since/ Heathcote gazed at her for a mo ment in silence, and then he turned abruptly and left the room. " What are you going to do? " she cried. But he did not answer, and she sat down, suddenly laughing and crying, both together. There was no mistaking Heath- cote s purpose, and Mildred was filled with a great gladness, while her heart quivered with fright. Landry would know, he would know that she loved 13 193 THE LOVE OF LANDRY him, and would come to her. Had she been unmaidenly to take this method to let him know! Meanwhile Heathcote was striding along at a great gait. He burst into the door of the room where Landry sat cleaning a gun. " You blooming ass," cried Heath- cote, snatching the rifle from his friend s hands, "You blooming, idi otic ass." All right/ said Landry, " What s the matter? You re getting your hands full of oil." "Why don t you go to her! " said Heathcote. Landry suddenly stood up, his nos trils dilated with excitement. " What do you mean! " he asked. " She loves you," blurted the other " I ve just asked for her hand; it s about the seventh time, I think. 194 THE LOVE OF LANDRY She ll never marry me, old chap; you re the man/ 7 a How do you know! " Landry was trembling like a leaf. " Never mind how I know, I m not telling] secrets," Heathcote had shown remarkable reticence, it must be admitted. " You go to her, and thank your Grod it s you." "I can t do it, old man," said the ranchman, sadly taking his seat. " Can t do it? Why, what the Why, man, you ve got to do it." "I can t, I can t ! And how I wish I could!" Heathcote stared at him with wide, uncomprehending eyes. "Well, I 11 be Look here ; will you tell me why?" " Don t you see, Heathcote, that she has made it impossible for me to marry her, or even to ask her. Why, 195 THE LOVE OF LANDRY damn it, man, if I should take her now, it would look as if I had bought that sweet girl s life by an act of cheap heroism. Can t you see that!" In his excitement, Landry sprang up, and seized his friend s arm. " If any one else spoke of your act in that tone and that manner," said Heathcote, slowly, "I should knock him down. You did a great thing; a big thing, and you saved a woman s life. Besides, she loves you. Gro to her." " I have told you why I cannot go." Heathcote put his hands upon his friend s shoulders, and looked him squarely in his eyes. " You re a damned fool," he said, " and all kinds of an idiot in the bar gain, but you re the biggest man I Ve ever met. You may call me a meddler, or what you please, but I m 196 THE LOVE OF LANDRY not going to let you suffer and make a woman suffer, simply because Grod did not choose to give you a fair amount of honest British vanity;" and he was out of the room in an instant. It was with strangely confused feel ings that Mildred saw the English man coming back to her. What was the matter? Why did not Landry come to her? Was his pride, after all, stronger than his love for her? Her face burned with shame at the memory of the means she had taken to bring him back, and the longing she had to hear his words of love again. Heathcote did not make mat ters better as he reached her. He may have always been honest, but it is true that he was seldom tactful. "He won t come," he blurted out. " Who sent for him?" said Mildred, 197 THE LOVE OF LANDRY rising proudly. " I am sorry, Mr. Heathcote, that you so little respected the confidence I gave you. Her anger was rising, her face was blazing. " An American gentleman," she went on, hotly, " in a like circumstance, would have known how to hold his tongue." " Oh, come, now," said Heathcote, shamefacedly, "I couldn t help it, you know. Landry s awfully cut up because he couldn t come, but he s got some bally idea about your liking him out of gratitude, and his buying you by cheap heroism. It s all silly rot, you know. But say," he paused in admiration, " that fellow s fine." The anger had left Mildred s face. "Does he feel all you say!" she asked. " All that, and more." She came down the steps, and put her hand on Heathcote s arm. 198 THE LOVE OF LANDRY " Take me to him, 7 she said, simply. , " Now, that s something like/ he said, beaming on her, as if he were not sealing his own death-warrant. He took her to Landry s door, and left her. Landry sat alone with his head in his hands. He looked up at her step. Then he sprang to his feet with a glad cry, and rushed toward her. She took a step toward him, and only smiled with a great content as he folded her in his arms. Beyond the one glad cry that had seemed to burst like a flame from the lava crust of his heart, he had said no word, and Mildred, looking up, saw that he was sobbing silently, as only a strong, reticent man can sob, when he does give way. "Poor Landry," she said, stroking his head, " it s all right now, and we won t misunderstand any more." 199 THE LOVE OF LANDRY Later, they went to Mr. Osborne, hand in hand. But they had no need to ask his consent. He was as happy in their love as they themselves. When Mrs. Annesley was written to, it is reported on good authority that she fainted at the first lines of the letter, and could only be brought to with much trouble, so that she could finish it. When she found that Landry Thayer was something besides a cowboy, she consented to let the maid cease fanning her. When she found out that Heathcote was to be best man, she quite recovered, and said, bridling, " Well, that will lend distinction to the affair, and, well it s very original, anyway." 200 I m 21969 RECEIVED LD 2lA-38m-5 68 (J401slO)476B General Lib University^ U.C.BERKELEY LIBRARIES 004255657^ M522979