the Light Of Western Stars (1992) (6 page)

Quite suddenly the rapid-fire questioning ceased; he choked, was silent a moment, and then burst into tears
.
It seemed to her that a long, stored-up bitterness was flooding away
.
It hurt her to see him-hurt her more to hear him
.
And in the succeeding few moments she grew closer to him than she had ever been in the past
.
Had her father and mother done right by him?Her pulse stirred with unwonted quickness
.
She did not speak, but she kissed him, which, for her, was an indication of unusual feeling
.
And when he recovered command over his emotions he made no reference to his breakdown, nor did she
.
But that scene struck deep into Madeline Hammond's heart
.
Through it she saw what he had lost and gained
.

"Alfred, why did you not answer my last letters?" asked Madeline
.
"I had not heard from you for two years
.
"

"So long? How time flies! Well, things went bad with me about the last time I heard from you
.
I always intended to write some day, but I never did
.
"

"Things went wrong?Tell me
.
"

"Majesty, you mustn't worry yourself with my troubles
.
I want you to enjoy your stay and not be bothered with my difficulties
.
"

"Please tell me
.
I suspected something had gone wrong
.
That is partly why I decided to come out
.
"

"All right; if you must know," he began; and it seemed to Madeline that there was a gladness in his decision to unburden himself
.
"You remember all about my little ranch, and that for a while I did well raising stock?I wrote you all that
.
Majesty, a man makes enemies anywhere
.
Perhaps an Eastern man in the West can make, if not so many, certainly more bitter ones
.
At any rate, I made several
.
There was a cattleman, Ward by name-he's gone now-and he and I had trouble over cattle
.
That gave me a back-set
.
Pat Hawe, the sheriff here, has been instrumental in hurting my business
.
He's not so much of a rancher, but he has influence at Santa Fe and El Paso and Douglas
.
I made an enemy of him
.
I never did anything to him
.
He hates Gene Stewart, and upon one occasion I spoiled a little plot of his to get Gene in his clutches
.
The real reason for his animosity toward me is that he loves Florence, and Florence is going to marry me
.
"

"Alfred!"

"What's the matter, Majesty?Didn't Florence impress you favorably?" he asked, with a keen glance
.

"Why-yes, indeed
.
I like her
.
But I did not think of her in relation to you-that way
.
I am greatly surprised
.
Alfred, is she well born?What connections?"

"Florence is just a girl of ordinary people
.
She was born in Kentucky, was brought up in Texas
.
My aristocratic and wealthy family would scorn-"

"Alfred, you are still a Hammond," said Madeline, with uplifted head
.

Alfred laughed
.
"We won't quarrel, Majesty
.
I remember you, and in spite of your pride you've got a heart
.
If you stay here a month you'll love Florence Kingsley
.
I want you to know she's had a great deal to do with straightening me up
. . . .
Well, to go on with my story
.
There's Don Carlos, a Mexican rancher, and he's my worst enemy
.
For that matter, he's as bad an enemy of Bill Stillwell and other ranchers
.
Stillwell, by the way, is my friend and one of the finest men on earth
.
I got in debt to Don Carlos before I knew he was so mean
.
In the first place I lost money at faro-I gambled some when I came West-and then I made unwise cattle deals
.
Don Carlos is a wily Greaser, he knows the ranges, he has the water, and he is dishonest
.
So he outfigured me
.
And now I am practically ruined
.
He has not gotten possession of my ranch, but that's only a matter of time, pending lawsuits at Santa Fe
.
At present I have a few hundred cattle running on Stillwell's range, and I am his foreman
.
"

"Foreman?" queried Madeline
.

"I am simply boss of Stillwell's cowboys, and right glad of my job
.
"

Madeline was conscious of an inward burning
.
It required an effort for her to retain her outward tranquillity
.
Annoying consciousness she had also of the returning sense of new disturbing emotions
.
She began to see just how walled in from unusual thought-provoking incident and sensation had been her exclusive life
.

"Cannot your property be reclaimed?" she asked
.
"How much do you owe?"

"Ten thousand dollars would clear me and give me another start
.
But, Majesty, in this country that's a good deal of money, and I haven't been able to raise it
.
Stillwell's in worse shape than I am
.
"

Madeline went over to Alfred and put her hands on his shoulders
.

"We must not be in debt
.
"

He stared at her as if her words had recalled something long forgotten
.
Then he smiled
.

"How imperious you are!I'd fcrgotten just who my beautiful sister really is
.
Majesty, you're not going to ask me to take money from you?"

"I am
.
"

"Well, I'll not do it
.
I never did, even when I was in college, and then there wasn't much beyond me
.
"

"Listen, Alfred," she went on, earnestly, "this is entirely different
.
I had only an allowance then
.
You had no way to know that since I last wrote you I had come into my inheritance from Aunt Grace
.
It was-well, that doesn't matter
.
Only, I haven't been able to spend half the income
.
It's mine
.
It's not father's money
.
You will make me very happy if you'll consent
.
Alfred, I'm so-so amazed at the change in you
.
I'm so happy
.
You must never take a backward step from now on
.
What is ten thousand dollars to me? Sometimes I spend that in a month
.
I throw money away
.
If you let me help you it will be doing me good as well as you
.
Please, Alfred
.
"

He kissed her, evidently surprised at her earnestness
.
And indeed Madeline was surprised herself
.
Once started, her speech had flowed
.

"You always were the best of fellows, Majesty
.
And if you really care-if you really want to help me I'll be only too glad to accept
.
It will be fine
.
Florence will go wild
.
And that Greaser won't harass me any more
.
Majesty, pretty soon some titled fellow will be spending your money; I may as well take a little before he gets it all," he finished, jokingly
.

"What do you know about me?" she asked, lightly
.

"More than you think
.
Even if we are lost out here in the woolly West we get news
.
Everybody knows about Anglesbury
.
And that Dago duke who chased you all over Europe, that Lord Castleton has the running now and seems about to win
.
How about it, Majesty?"

Madeline detected a hint that suggested scorn in his gay speech
.
And deep in his searching glance she saw a flame
.
She became thoughtful
.
She had forgotten Castleton, New York, society
.

"Alfred," she began, seriously, "I don't believe any titled gentleman will ever spend my money, as you elegantly express it
.
"

"I don't care for that
.
It's you!" he cried, passionately, and he grasped her with a violence that startled her
.
He was white; his eyes were now like fire
.
"You are so splendid-so wonderful
.
People called you the American Beauty, but you're more than that
.
You're the American Girl! Majesty, marry no man unless you love him, and love an American
.
Stay away from Europe long enough to learn to know the men-the real men of your own country
.
"

"Alfred, I'm afraid there are not always real men and real love for American girls in international marriages
.
But Helen knows this
.
It'll be her choice
.
She'll be miserable if she marries Anglesbury
.
"

"It'll serve her just right," declared her brother
.
"Helen was always crazy for glitter, adulation, fame
.
I'll gamble she never saw more of Anglesbury than the gold and ribbons on his breast
.
"

"I am sorry
.
Anglesbury is a gentleman; but it is the money he wanted, I think
.
Alfred, tell me how you came to know about me, 'way out here?You may be assured I was astonished to find that Miss Kingsley knew me as Majesty Hammond
.
"

"I imagine it was a surprise," he replied, with a laugh, "I told Florence about you-gave her a picture of you
.
And, of course, being a woman, she showed the picture and talked
.
She's in love with you
.
Then, my dear sister, we do get New York papers out here occasionally, and we can see and read
.
You may not be aware that you and your society friends are objects of intense interest in the U
.
S
.
in general, and the West in particular
.
The papers are full of you, and perhaps a lot of things you never did
.
"

"That Mr
.
Stewart knew, too
.
He said, 'You're not Majesty Hammond?'"

"Never mind his impudence!" exclaimed Alfred; and then again he laughed
.
"Gene is all right, only you've got to know him
.
I'll tell you what he did
.
He got hold of one of those newspaper pictures of you-the one in the Times; he took it away from here, and in spite of Florence he wouldn't fetch it back
.
It was a picture of you in riding-habit with your blue-ribbon horse, White Stockings-remember?It was taken at Newport
.
Well, Stewart tacked the picture up in his bunk-house and named his beautiful horse Majesty
.
All the cowboys knew it
.
They would see the picture and tease him unmercifully
.
But he didn't care
.
One day I happened to drop in on him and found him just recovering from a carouse
.
I saw the picture, too, and I said to him, 'Gene, if my sister knew you were a drunkard she'd not be proud of having her picture stuck up in your room
.
'Majesty, he did not touch a drop for a month, and when he did drink again he took the picture down, and he has never put it back
.
"