_ CHAPTER XIX. LAPELLE SHOWS HIS TEETH
Kenneth went to bed that night firmly resolved to accompany the sheriff when he set out to arrest Martin Hawk. Zachariah had instructions to call him at daybreak and to have breakfast ready on the dot.
No doubt the posse would start about sunrise,--in any case, he would be up and prepared to take to his saddle the instant he saw his neighbour leaving her house.
The thunderstorm came rollicking down the valley, crashed and rolled and roared for half an hour or so, and then stole mumbling away in the night, leaving in its wake a sighing wind and the drip of forsaken raindrops.
He was astir at cockcrow. The first faint glow of red in the greying east found him at breakfast, with Zachariah sleepily serving him with hot corn-cakes, lean side-meat and coffee.
"Take plenty dis yere hot coffee, Marse Kenneth," urged Zachariah, at the end of a prodigious yawn. "Yo' all gwine need sumpin to keep yo' 'wake, suh, so's yo' won't fall out'n de saddle. Dis yere--"
"Speaking of saddles, have you fed Brandy Boy?"
"Yas, suh. Ah dunno as Ah evah see a hoss mo' took by 'stonishment dan he wuz when Ah step brisk-like into his stall an' sez 'Doggone yo', Brandy Boy, don't yo' know de sun's gwine to be up in less'n two hours? Wha' fo' is yo' keepin' me an' Marse Kenneth waitin' lak dis? Git ep dar, yo' lazy, good-fer-nuffin,--'"
"And what did Brandy Boy say in response to that?" broke in his master, airily.
"How dat, suh?"
"Did he reply in courteous terms or was he testy and out of sorts? Now, just what DID he say?"
Zachariah stared at the speaker in some uneasiness. "Ah reckon yo' all better go on back to bed, suh, an' lemme call yo' when yo' is wide awake. Ain' no sense in yo' startin' off on dis yere hossback ride when yo' is still enjoyin' setch a good night's sleep. No, SUH!"
"I will take another cup of your excellent coffee, Zachariah. That will make three, won't it?"
Zachariah shuffled over to the stove, muttering as he lifted the coffee pot: "Fust Ah is seein' things in de evenin' an' den Ah hears all dis yere talk 'bout a hoss SAYIN' things in de mornin',--Yas, suh,--yas, SUH! Comin' right along, suh. Little mo' side-meat, suh?"
"Take a peep out of the window and see if any one is stirring over at Mrs. Gwyn's."
"'Pears lak Ah c'n see a lady out in de front yard, suh," said Zachariah, at the window.
"You don't say so! Is it Mrs. Gwyn?" cried Kenneth, hastily gulping his coffee as he pushed his chair back from the table.
"Hit ain' light enough fo' to see--"
"Run out and saddle Brandy Boy at once, and be quick about it."
"No, suh, hit ain' Mrs. Gwyn. Hit's Miss Violy. 'Pears lak she comin' over here, suh. Leastwise she come out'n de gate kind o' fast-like,--gotten a shawl wrap aroun'--"
Kenneth waited for no more. He dashed from the house and down to the fence,--where stood Viola, pulling at the swollen, water-soaked gate peg. She was bareheaded, her brown hair hanging down her back in long, thick braids. It was apparent at a glance that she had dressed hastily and but partially at that. With one hand she pinched close about her throat the voluminous scarlet shawl of embroidered crepe in which the upper part of her body was wrapped.
Later he was to observe that her heavy shoes were unlaced and had been drawn on over her bare feet. Her eyes were filled with alarm.
"I don't know where mother is," she said, without other greeting. "She is not in the house, Kenny. I am worried almost sick."
He stared at her in dismay. "Oh, blast the luck! She must have--Say, are you sure she's gone?"
"I can't find her anywhere," cried she, in distress. "I've been out to the barn and--Why, what ails you, Kenneth?"
"She got away without my knowing it. But maybe it's not too late. I can catch up with them if I hurry. Hey, Zachariah!"
"Then, you know where she is?" cried the girl, grasping his arm as he turned to rush away. "For goodness' sake, tell me! Where has she gone?"
"Why, don't you--But of course you don't!" he exclaimed. "You poor girl! You must be almost beside yourself,--and here I go making matters worse by--"
"Where is she?" she broke in, all the colour going from her face as she shook his arm impatiently. "Come in the house," he said gently, consolingly. "I'll tell you all I know. There's nothing to be worried about. She will be home, safe and sound, almost before you know it. I will explain while Zachariah is saddling Brandy Boy." He laid his hand upon her shoulder. "Come along,--dear."
She held back. "If anything happens to her and you could have--" she began, a threat in her dark, harassed eyes.
"I had no idea she would start at such an unearthly hour. I had made up my mind to go with her, whether or not. Didn't she tell you she had made an affidavit against Martin Hawk?"
"No. The sheriff was up here last night, just after supper, but,--Oh, Kenny, what is it all about?"
His arm stole about her shoulders. She leaned heavily, wearily against him as they walked up the drenched path.
"Have you any idea at all what time she left the house?" he asked.
"I heard her go down the stairs. It was pitch dark, but the clock struck one quite a long time afterward. I did not think anything about it then, because she often gets up in the middle of the night and goes down to sit in the kitchen. Ever since father died. I must have gone to sleep again because I did not hear her come back upstairs. I awoke just at daybreak and got up to see if she needed me. She--she had not gone to bed at all, Kenny.--and I couldn't find her anywhere. Then I thought that Martin Hawk and the others had come and taken her away by mistake, thinking it was me in the darkness."
"Sit down, Viola. I'll light the fire. It's quite chilly and you are shaking like a--"
"I want to know where she has gone," she insisted.
Then he told her briefly as much as he thought she ought to know. She was vastly relieved. She even smiled.
"There's no use of your trying to catch up with her. Thank you for lighting the fire, Kenny. If you don't mind, I will sit here awhile, and I may go to sleep in this comfortable chair of yours. Goodness, I must look awful. My hair--"
"Don't touch it! It is beautiful as it is. I wish girls would always wear their hair in braids like that."
She yawned, stretched her legs out to the fire, and then suddenly realizing that her ankles were bare, drew them back again to the shelter of her petticoat with a quick, shy glance to see if he had observed.
"I wish I could cut it off,--like a boy's. It is miles too long. You might as well head Zachariah off. She has been gone since one o'clock. I am sure I heard the front door close before I dropped off to sleep. Don't fidget, Kenny. They've probably got old Martin in the calaboose by this time. Mother never fails when she sets out to do a thing. That good-for-nothing sleepy-head, Hattie, never heard a sound last night. What a conscience she must have!"
He frowned at his big silver watch. "It's after five. See here, Viola, suppose you just curl up on the sofa there and get some sleep. You look tired. I'll put a quilt over you and--"
She half-started up from the chair, flushing in embarrassment.
"Oh, I ought not to stay here, Kenny. Suppose somebody were to come along and catch me here in your--"
"Shucks! You're my sister, aren't you?"
"I suppose it's all right," she said dubiously, sinking back into the chair again. "But somehow, Kenny, I don't believe I will ever be able to think of you as a brother; not if I live a thousand years. I'm sorry to hurt your feelings, but--well, I just can't help being a little bit afraid of you. I suppose it's silly of me, but I'm so ashamed to have you see me with my hair down like this, and no stockings on, and only half-dressed. I--I feel hot all over. I didn't think of it at first, I was so worried, but now I--"
"It is very silly of you," he said, rather thickly. "You did right in coming over, and I'm going to make you comfortable now that you are here. Lie down here and get some sleep, like a good little girl, and when you wake up Zachariah will have a nice hot breakfast for you."
"I'd rather not lie down," she stammered. "Let me just sit here awhile,--and don't bother about breakfast for me. Hattie will--"
"But he has to get breakfast anyhow," he argued.
She looked at him suspiciously. "Haven't you had your breakfast?"
"No," he lied. Then he hurried off to give guilty instructions to Zachariah.
"Fo' de lan's sake," the latter blurted out as he listened to his master's orders; "is yo' all gwine to eat another breakfast?"
"Yes, I am," snapped Kenneth. "I'll take care of Brandy Boy. You go in and clear the table,--and see to it that you don't make any noise. If you do, I'll skin you alive."
An hour later, Kenneth arose from his seat on the front doorstep and stole over to the sitting-room window.
She was asleep in the big rocking-chair, her head twisted limply toward her left shoulder, presenting a three-quarters view of her face to him as he gazed long and ardently upon her. He could see the deep rise and fall of her bosom. The shawl, unclasped at the throat, had fallen away, revealing the white flannel nightgown over which she had hastily drawn a petticoat before sallying forth.
He went to the kitchen door and found Zachariah sitting grumpily on the step.
"She's still sound asleep," he announced.
"So's dat lazy Hattie over yander," lamented Zachariah, with a jerk of his head. "Ain' no smoke comin' out'n her chimbley, lemme tell yo'."
"Fill that wash-pan and get me a clean towel," ordered his master. He looked at his watch. "I'm going to awaken her,--in half an hour."
It was nearly seven o'clock when he stamped noisily into the sitting-room with towel and basin. He had thrice repeated his visit to the window, and with each succeeding visit had remained a little longer than before, notwithstanding the no uncertain sense of guilt that accused him of spying upon the lovely sleeper.
She awoke with a start, looked blankly about as if bewildered by her strange surroundings, and then fixed her wide, questioning eyes upon him, watching him in silence as he placed the basin of spring-water on a chair and draped the coarse towel over the back.
"Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes, Miss," he announced, bowing deeply. "If you desire to freshen yourself a bit after your profound slumbers, you will find here some of the finest water in the universe and a towel warranted to produce a blush upon the cheek of a graven image."
"Has mother come home?" she inquired anxiously, as she drew the shawl close about her throat again. "No sign of her. Hurry along, and as soon as we've had a bite to eat I'll ride down to the Court House and see if she's there."
He left her, and presently she came out into the kitchen, her skin glowing warmly, her braids loosely coiled on the crown of her head, her eyes like violet stars.
Zachariah marvelled at his master's appetite. Recollection of an already devoured meal of no small proportions caused him to doubt his senses. From time to time he shook his head in wonder and finally took to chuckling. The next time Marse Kenneth complained about having no appetite he would know what to say to him.
"I must run home now," said Viola at the close of the meal. "It's been awfully nice,--and so exciting, Kenny. I feel as if I had been doing something I ought not to do. Isn't it queer? Having breakfast with a man I never saw until six weeks ago!"
"It does my heart good to see you blush so prettily," said he warmly. Then his face darkened. "And it turns my blood cold to think that if you had succeeded in doing something you ought not to have done six weeks ago, you might now be having breakfast with somebody else instead of with me."
"I wish you would not speak of that, Kenneth," she said severely. "You will make me hate you if you bring it up again." Then she added with a plaintive little smile: "The Bible says, 'Love thy neighbour as thyself.' I am doing my best to live up to that, but sometimes you make it awfully hard for me."
He went to the door with her. She paused for a moment on the step to look searchingly up the road and through the trees. There was no sign of her mother. The anxious, worried expression deepened in her eyes.
"Don't come any farther with me," she said. "Go down to the Court House as fast as you can."
He watched her till she passed through the gate. As he was on the point of re-entering the house he saw her come to an abrupt stop and stare straight ahead. He shot a swift, apprehensive glance over his shoulder.
Barry Lapelle had just emerged from Rachel's yard, his gaze fixed on the girl who stood motionless in front of Gwynne's gate, a hundred feet away. Without taking his eyes from her, he slowly closed the gate and leaned against it, folding his arms as he did so.
Viola, after a moment's indecision and without a glance at Kenneth, lifted her chin and went forward to the encounter. Kenneth looked in all directions for Lapelle's rascals. He was relieved to find that the discarded suitor apparently had ventured alone upon this early morning mission. What did it portend?
Filled with sharp misgivings, he left his doorstep and walked slowly down to the gate, where he halted. It occurred to him that Barry, after a sleepless night, had come to make peace with his tempestuous sweetheart. If such was the case, his own sense of fairness and dignity would permit no interference on his part unless it was solicited by the girl herself. He was ready, however, to take instant action if she made the slightest sign of distress or alarm. While he had no intention of spying or eavesdropping, their voices reached him distinctly and he could not help hearing what passed between them.
"Have you been up to the house, Barry?" were Viola's first words as she stopped in front of the man who barred the way.
Lapelle did not change his position. His chin was lowered and he was looking at her through narrowed, unsmiling eyes.
"Yes, I have."
"Where was the dog?" she inquired cuttingly.
"He came and licked my hand. He's the only friend I've got up here, I reckon."
"I will have him shot to-day. What do you want?"
"I came to see your mother. Where is she?"
"She's away."
"Over night?"
"It will do you no good to see her, Barry. You might as well realize it first as last."
Lapelle glanced past her at the man beyond and lowered his voice. Kenneth could not hear what he said. "Well, I'm going to see her, and she will be down on her knees before I'm through with her, let me tell you. Oh, I'm sober, Viola! I had my lesson yesterday. I'm through with whiskey forever. So she was away all night, eh? Out to the farm, eh? That nigger girl of yours says she must have gone out to the farm last night, because her bed wasn't slept in. And you weren't expecting visitors as early as this or you would have got home a little sooner yourself, huh?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Soon as she is out of the house you scoot over to big brother Kenny's, eh? Afraid to sleep alone, I suppose. Well, all I've got to say is you ought to have taken a little more time to dress."
"Oh! Oh,--you--you low-lived dog!" she gasped, going white to the roots of her hair. "How dare you say--"
"That's right! Call me all the pretty names you can think of. And say, I didn't come up here to beg anything from you or your mother. I'm not in a begging humour. I'm through licking your boots, Viola. What time will the old woman be back?"
"Stand away from that gate!" she said in a voice low and hoarse with fury. "Don't you dare speak to me again. And if you follow me to the house I'll--I'll--"
"What'll you do?" he jeered. "Call brother Kenny? Well, go ahead and call him. There he is. I'll kick him from here to the pond,--and that won't be half so pleasant as rocking little sister to sleep in her cradle while mamma is out for the night."
"And I used to think I was in love with you!" she cried in sheer disgust. "I could spit in your face, Barry Lapelle. Will you let me pass?"
"Certainly. But I'm going into the house with you, understand that. I'd just as soon wait there for your mother as anywhere else."
"When my mother hears about this she will have you horsewhipped within an inch of your life," cried the girl furiously.
These words, rising on a wave of anger, came distinctly to Kenneth's ears. He left his place at the gate and walked swiftly along inside his fence until he came to the corner of the yard, where the bushes grew thickly. Here he stopped to await further developments. He heard Barry say, with a harsh laugh:
"Oh, she will, will she?"
"Yes, she will. She knows more about you than you think she does,--and so do I. Let me by! Do you hear me, Bar--"
"That's funny," he interrupted, lowering his voice to a half-whisper. "That's just what I came up to see her about. I want to tell her that I know more about her than she thinks I do. And when I get through telling her what I know she'll change her mind about letting us get married. And you'll marry me, too, my girl, without so much as a whimper. Oh, you needn't look around for big brother,--God, I bet you'd be happy if he wasn't your brother, wouldn't you? Well, he has sneaked into the house, just as I knew he would if it looked like a squall. He's a white-livered coward. How do you like that?"
He was not only astonished but distinctly confounded by the swift, incomprehensible smile that played about her disdainful lips.
"What the hellfire are you laughing at?" he exploded.
"Nothing much. I was only thinking about last night."
"Christ!" he exclaimed, the blood rushing to his face. "Why,--why, you--" The words failed him. He could only stare at her as if stunned by the most shocking confession.
"Please remember that you are speaking to--"
He broke in with a snarling laugh. "By thunder, I'm beginning to believe you're no better than she was. She wasn't anything but a common------, and I'm blessed if I think it's sensible to marry into the family, after all."
"Oh!" she gasped, closing her eyes as she shrank away from him. The word he had used stood for the foulest thing on earth to her. It had never passed her clean, pure lips. For the moment she was petrified, speechless.
"It's about time you learned the truth about that damned old hypocrite,--if you don't know it already," he continued, raising his voice at the urge of the now reckless fury that consumed him. He stood over her shrinking figure, glaring mercilessly down into her horror-struck eyes. "You don't need to take my word for it. Ask Gwynne. He knows. He knows what happened back there in Kentucky. He knows she ran off with his father twenty years ago, taking him away from the woman he was married to. That's why he hates her. That's why he never had anything to do with his dog of a father. And, by God, he probably knows you were born out of wedlock,--that you're a love-child, a bas--" _