Judith of the Godless Valley Part 72

"Send Jude into the living-room for something," he whispered, "and then keep the folks out while I talk to her for a little while."

Mrs. Nelson smiled understandingly, and a few moments later Douglas was standing with his back to the living-room stove, both of his arms about Judith.

"I had to thank you," he said, "and you were too stupid to make the chance. Judith! Judith! You've made the world into heaven for me!"

"I'm not exactly unhappy, myself!" Judith's eyes glowed as she returned Doug's look.

"Judith," he exclaimed, "let's ask Mr. Fowler to marry us now, before we start home!"

Judith whitened a little. "O Douglas, you are crowding me, my dear!"

"But why wait, Judith? Isn't it the only thing to do? Neither of us will ever go back to Dad's ranch again. We can be married and camp with Peter until we get the cabin rebuilt. That's won't take a month. O, Judith, please!"

"It's--it's too soon!"

"Too soon for what? We've been caring a long, long time, and we need each other so!"

Judith freed herself from Douglas' arms and walked over to the window, from which one could see Black Devil Peak glowering in the morning sun.

She stood a long time, it seemed to Douglas. He wondered what thoughts were pa.s.sing in that fine head outlined against the snowy fields. What sense of sacrifice, he thought, must a girl like Jude have, in giving up her life to a man? Then he smiled, half grimly, half tenderly. Judith would never be any man's really, to know and to hold. Her fiery charm was a thing ever to pursue, never fully to overtake. "Forever would he love and she be fair!" He waited silently, his heart thudding heavily.

At last she turned from the window and came slowly toward him with a look in her eyes he could not pretend to read to its depths. He only knew that there was faith in him there and a pa.s.sionate affection. What more, he was willing to trust to the future. She came and leaned against him and he knew that at last the long struggle was ended.

They were married a few moments later, standing before the window, with Douglas' hair a halo of gold above his steady eyes and Judith's fine head held high. The Reverend Mr. Fowler performed the rites with a trembling voice. When he had finished he said to Elijah and his wife:

"In all my long experience I have never joined together a couple with such infinite satisfaction as this."

"That's good," said Mrs. Nelson, wiping her eyes, "seeing that you're going on the wedding-journey with them!"

That afternoon, as the shadows on the plains east of the post-office grew long and blue-black, Judith, Douglas and Mr. Fowler jingled up to Peter's door. They slung their saddles on the buck fence, turned their horses into his corral, and went in. Peter was standing by the stove, dressed for a cold ride.

"Judith! You are safe!" he gasped, taking both her hands in his, his sallow face suddenly glowing. "Where did you find her, Doug?"

"Just the other side of Black Devil Pa.s.s!"

Peter whistled, stared, then turned to the preacher. "And where did you come from, Fowler?"

"Elijah Nelson rescued me from the west side of Lost Chief Peak."

Judith was pulling off her mackinaw and her beaver cap. "We'll tell you a wonderful story if you'll feed us, Peter."

Peter undid the silk handkerchief from his ears. "I was outfitting to follow Doug's trail. We buried poor little old Johnny this morning."

The quick tears sprang to Judith's eyes; but she said nothing, and Peter went on, "I got your father home on Monday. My guess is that he is ashamed enough of himself to last the rest of his life. That's about the extent of my stories. Have you any casualties to report?"

"Only poor Buster. He lies in a snowdrift up on the other side of Black Devil. We put in last night at Elijah Nelson's, where we found Mr.

Fowler. Can we stay with you for a while, Peter?"

"You sure can. We can use those rooms upstairs for sleeping. Fine! I'll be glad to have you. You too, Fowler."

"Where's Scott Parsons?" asked Douglas.

"He's still with Inez. Seems like you gave him a bad knock-out. He's having rough going, I can tell you. Inez has turned against him and Grandma Brown had to go over there and take care of him. And she is in no frame of mind to stand anything from anybody." Peter chuckled, then went on. "Charleton says he was in bed and asleep by eleven o'clock Sat.u.r.day night, and n.o.body has been able to prove that he wasn't. I don't think there is a doubt in the world that it was Scott and Charleton did the dirty work, but it's going to be hard to prove."

Peter set a kettle of beans on the stove and Judith prepared a pot of coffee.

"Take off your spurs, Fowler," Peter nodded genially at the preacher.

"All's well that ends well. I hope that nothing more than your feelings got hurt."

To Peter's utter astonishment Mr. Fowler suddenly laughed heartily.

"My feelings, Peter," he exclaimed, "were never in better trim than they are this minute."

"Nor mine!" agreed Douglas.

"Nor mine!" added Judith.

Peter stared from one face to another. "It sort of looks," he said finally, "as if I had sweated blood for nothing."

"No, you haven't, Peter!" exclaimed Douglas. "Tragedy certainly stalked our tracks."

"Let me have the story," begged the postmaster. "Jude, after you left John and old Johnny, what happened? You evidently went plumb crazy.

Begin at that point. And don't leave out anything!"

He lighted his pipe and sat down. Judith, swinging her spurred boots as she sat on the table, began obediently. She took Peter along every hour of her trip until she fell into that dreadful sleep on the south slope of Black Devil. Douglas took up his story there and when he had finished, Mr. Fowler repeated the account of his adventure.

Peter heaved a great sigh. "Some adventure! Lord! Lord! What a narrow squeak! Well, and what did our Mormon friends have to say to all these doings?"

Judith and Douglas smiled at each other. Peter, catching that smile, started forward in his chair, then turned to Fowler. The preacher smiled broadly. "Let me tell that part of it," he begged. Douglas and Judith nodded, and the old man plunged with great enjoyment into the account of the happenings that morning at Nelson's ranch.

When he finished with the wedding, Peter rose, his face working. He walked over to Judith and looked deep into her eyes, and without a word kissed her on the cheek. Then he wrung Douglas' hand.

"Hang it all!" he said. "There is something startlingly right the way life works out if you give it a chance!"

n.o.body answered. Douglas and Judith were smiling at each other and the preacher was engrossed in watching them. Peter cleared his throat.

"What are you happy idiots going to do about Scott and Charleton?"

"I had planned to get even with them and run them out of the Valley,"

said Douglas; "but, after all, I owe them a debt of grat.i.tude. Even if they didn't mean it that way!"

"We'd better not start our new life in the Valley with a fight," Judith nodded. "Anyhow we've agreed that we aren't concerned right now with the grown-ups."

Peter scratched his head. "I guess you are sensible. But I think pressure can be brought to bear to make Charleton and Scott rebuild the cabin and chapel for you."

Mr. Fowler shook his head vehemently. "I wouldn't let their hands desecrate the chapel! Douglas and I are going to build it."

"And I wouldn't let them desecrate the cabin," declared Judith. "So I guess they are out of it. We're going to give them a thorough drubbing but quite in another way."

Peter chuckled with huge enjoyment. "What are you going to do about Elijah Nelson's threat to take Lost Chief Valley over for the Mormons?"