In the Shadow of the Hills Part 36

The latter made no reply. To be sure, Dr. Hosmer was not in the room but he was in the house, sleeping. Let the cattleman think him absent if he wished.

"So much the better; if he's not about, he won't try to interfere,"

the man went on. "Now, my girl, I've learned all about your tricks, and----"

"Sir, you talk like that to me in my own house!" Janet broke in, with a flash of eyes. "You will walk out of that door this instant and never set foot here again."

"Will I, you slippery young Jezebel? I'll do nothing of the kind until I'm ready, which will be when you've handed over that paper. Don't try to deny that you have it or Weir has it; I suppose he has now, and I'll be forced to go shoot him down as he deserves. But I came here first to make sure. It would be just like the rest of the schemes of you two to have you keep it, thinking I'd be fooled. I have half a notion to wring your white neck for lying to me to-day--lying, while all the time you knew my son was hanging between life and death."

So savage was his voice, so threatening his visage and air that Janet retreated a step. His hands worked as if he actually felt her soft throat in his clutch; his huge body and big beefy head swayed towards her ominously; while his eyes carried a baleful light that revealed in full intensity the man's real brutal soul. Hitherto carefully coated in an appearance of respectability fitted to a station of wealth, influence and prominence, he now stood as he truly was, domineering, repellant, lawless. Janet could at that minute measure the close kins.h.i.+p of father and son.

"Fortunately a man in Bowenville recognized Ed, or I should never have known he had been injured," Sorenson went on. "So your little scheme to keep me in ignorance went wrong. The doctor 'phoned me about five and I took my wife and we rushed there, and I have just this instant returned. Do you know what the doctor says? Ed will live, but be a life cripple, a useless wreck, a bundle of smashed bones, always sitting in a chair, always eating out his heart. And all because of you and that engineer! Ed was conscious; he told me the real story about which you lied,----"

"I did not lie," Janet stated, firmly.

Sorenson made an angry gesture as if to sweep aside this declaration.

"He told me how you promised to slip away with him to spend a week in the mountains, and how you warned this Weir so that the two of you could trick my son and get him out of the way. You, who always pretended to be so innocent and virtuous! And then Weir caused the accident up there in the hills that has crippled my boy for life! Did it to get him out of the path to you, and you helped, like the traitress you are; and the two of you took the paper."

Janet's form had stiffened at these insulting speeches.

"Your son is the liar," said she. "Did he tell you how he flung a blanket over my head as Juanita and I were coming out of Martinez'

office? How he tied my hands and feet and carried me off like a victim--and victim he intended me to be! Yes, Mr. Weir rescued me because Juanita met and told him what had happened and he followed.

Your son was drunk. He tried to commit a crime because I had rejected him a week before, on learning that during our engagement he had endeavored to mislead another girl. A drunkard and a criminal both, that's your son. And he alone brought on his accident by his drunken, reckless driving. Now I've told you the truth; leave the house!"

"You can't put that kind of a story over on me," he snarled. "I believe what Ed said. Even if he has had affairs with other girls, that makes no difference now. You tried to double-cross him; you've wrecked his body and life; and you shall pay for it."

Neither of the pair in their intense excitement had heard a wagon drive to a stop before the house. Whether in fact they would have heard a peal of thunder might be a question. Sorenson, enraged by his son's injury and burning for revenge, was oblivious to all else but his pa.s.sion, while Janet Hosmer, divided between contempt and fear, had but the single thought of ridding herself of the man.

"You cannot injure me," she said, in reply to his savage utterance.

"I'll drive you and your father out of this town and this state," he exclaimed. "They shall know here in San Mateo, and wherever you go if it's in my power to reach there, what sort of a pretending, double-faced, disreputable wanton----"

"You coward!" Janet burst out.

Then she turned to flee out of the room to arouse her father. But Sorenson was too quick for her; he sprang forward and seized one of her wrists.

"No you don't, you perfumed wench!" he growled.

A scream formed on Janet's lips. The heavy, rage-crimsoned face bent over her as if to kill her by its very nearness. Brute the man was, and as a brute he appeared determined she should feel his power. She pulled back, jerking to free herself, and shrieked.

Intervention came from an unexpected quarter. Rus.h.i.+ng into the room came the rancher Johnson, followed by his daughter.

"Let go of her," the man ordered, harshly.

Sorenson looked about over his shoulder.

"Keep out of this, and get out," he answered.

Johnson leaped forward and struck the other on the jaw. The cattleman releasing his hold on Janet staggered back, at the same time thrusting a hand under his coat.

But the rancher's pistol was whipped forth first.

"You'd try that game, would you?" Johnson said, with his ragged beard out-thrust and stiff. "Put up your hands; I want to see how they look sticking up over your head."

Sorenson though now holding them in sight did not at once comply.

"Johnson, you're b.u.t.ting into something that doesn't concern you," he said, endeavoring to speak calmly.

"You've made one mistake in striking me; don't make another by keeping that gun pointed at my head. Remember I've a mortgage on your place that you'll wish renewed one of these days."

The expression of scorn on the rancher's face was complete.

"Trying that line, are you?" he sneered. "Think you can play the money-lender now and scare me? You didn't look much like a banker reaching for your gun; you just looked like a killer then, a plain bar-room killer--but I beat you to the draw. You've got fat and slow, haven't you, since early days when you use to put lead into poor devils whose stuff you wanted. And you didn't look like a banker to me, either, trying to bulldoze Janet when I came in; you looked like the big dirty coward you are. Aha, here's the doctor! Now just tell him how it comes you can order me out of his house, and why you were threatening Janet and making her scream."

The physician turned a white, angry countenance to Sorenson.

"I heard the scream. Is it true you were abusing my daughter?" he demanded, stepping in front of the man.

"I came here because I learned my son Ed had been broken to bits through her trickery and d.a.m.nable----"

The words were cut off by the doctor's hand which smote the blasphemous lips uttering them.

Even more than Johnson's blow did this slap upon the mouth enrage the cattleman. His face became congested, his shoulders heaved, but behind the doctor was the revolver still directed at his head.

"You've come here uninvited and you've said too much," Doctor Hosmer stated in cold even tones. "You may be the town magnate, but you're only a ruffian and a crook after all. You can't bluff or bully us.

More than that, you've insulted my daughter and me beyond any future reparation. As for your son, he got less than he deserved." He turned to the rancher. "You came just in time, it seems. Please see that he leaves the house."

Johnson waved with his gun significantly towards the door.

"Move right along lively," he added. "And I'll go along with you to see that you don't hamstring my horses, which I don't put past an underhanded cattle-thief like you."

Sorenson seemed striving for words that would adequately blast those before him, but they appeared lacking. With a last malignant glare he walked out upon the veranda and down across the yard, with his guard following him.

When Johnson returned after Sorenson's departure in his car, he was grinning sardonically.

"I shouldn't want him running among my cattle; he'd bite 'em and give 'em the rabies," he remarked.

Janet caught and pressed his toil-roughened hand.

"You'll never know how much I thank you for coming in just when you did," she cried.

"Pshaw, your father would have showed up and stopped him."

"I'm not so sure. Father has no weapon, and that man did have one. It was the sight of your pistol that made him cower. You couldn't have chosen a more lucky minute to arrive."

"Well, it was a little bit timely, as it turned out. Considering too that we were coming to see you anyway, it was just as well to walk in when we could do some good. Mary has something for you to read, if you read Spanish."

"Yes, I do."