Rimrock Jones Read online

  CHAPTER XI

  A LITTLE TROUBLE

  Rimrock came back to Gunsight in charge of a deputy sheriff and withthe angry glow still in his eyes. The inquest was over and he was heldfor murder, but he refused to retain a lawyer.

  "I don't want one," he said when his friends urged it on him. "I wishevery lawyer was dead."

  He sat in gloomy silence as the Gunsight justice of the peace wentthrough the formalities of a preliminary examination and then, whilethey waited for the next train to Geronimo, he and the deputy droppedin on Mary Fortune.

  "Good morning," he said, flushing up as she looked at him, "can youspare me a few minutes of your time?"

  "Why, certainly," she answered, and he spoke to the deputy, who waitedoutside the door.

  "I've had a little trouble," went on Rimrock grimly as he sat downwhere he could speak into her transmitter, "and I want you to help meout. Mr. Hicks over here is guarding the mine and I've sent four moreboys out to help, but there's a whole lot of business coming up. Canyou hold down the job of Secretary?"

  Mary Fortune thought a moment, then nodded her head and waited to hearwhat he would say.

  "All right," he said, "I'll telegraph East and have the appointmentO.K.'d. Then there's another matter. We're going to lay that railroadacross the desert as they never laid one before--six months will see itdone--but even that don't suit us. We're going to lay out our millsiteand have everything ready the day that railroad is done. Then we'regoing to erect the mill and install the machinery and go to throwingdirt. Eight months at the least and we'll have a producing propertyshipping trainloads of ore every day. Well, what I was going tosay--there's a man named Jepson, a mining engineer, coming out tosuperintend that work and I want you to give him all the assistance youcan and help boost the thing along. That's all--I'll send you a checkand the papers--you can address me at the County Jail."

  He rose hastily and started for the door, then looked back withquestioning eyes.

  "Very well," she said and he dropped his head and slouched heavily outthe door.

  Mary Fortune sat alone, staring absently after him. What acontradictory man he was. And yet, how well he understood. He knewwithout telling that she would not take his hand so he kept it behindhis back; but he knew at the same time that she would attend to hisbusiness while his address was the County Jail. And no plea forsympathy, no word of explanation; just business, and then he was gone.His life was at stake, and yet he spoke of nothing but the mine. "Alittle trouble!" And he had killed a man. Was he a savage or asuperman?

  The mail the next day brought a note from him, written with a leadpencil on a piece of torn paper. It had the jail smell about it, arank, caged-animal odor that she learned to recognize later, but therewas no mention of any jail. He enclosed a check and a power ofattorney, with directions for buying some land--and then there came atelegram from New York.

  M. R. Fortune, Gunsight, Arizona.

  Wire from Henry Jones intimating trouble Tecolote claims. Yourappointment agreeable. Spare no expense safeguard claims. Jepsonsuperintendent arrives Friday. Wire particulars.

  W. H. Stoddard.

  One look at that signature and the Wall Street address and Mary Fortunesaw with sudden clearness what had been mystery and moonshine formonths. W. H. Stoddard was Whitney H. Stoddard, the man who controlledthe Transcontinental Railroad. His name alone in connection with theTecolote would send its stock up a thousand per cent. And what astroke of business that was--to make a feeder for his railroad while hebuilt up a great property for himself. Now at last she understood theinexplicable reticence with which Rimrock had veiled his associate'sname and her heart almost stopped as she thought how close she had cometo parting with her Tecolote stock. Those two thousand shares, if sheheld on to them to the end, might bring her in thousands of dollars!

  Her brain cleared like a flash and she remembered Rimrock'sinstructions concerning land for the Company's office. The wire couldwait--and Whitney H. Stoddard--the first thing to do was to get anoption, for even telegraph operators have been known to talk. Sheslipped out quietly and a half hour afterward the papers were drawn upand signed, and the whole vacant block across the street from the hotelwas tied up for the Tecolote Mining Company. And then the great newsbroke.

  It is a penal offense, punishable by heavy fine and imprisonment, for atelegraph operator to disclose the secrets of his files; but within tenminutes the whole street knew. The values on property went up inmeteor flights as reckless speculators sought to buy in on the groundfloor. All the land along the railroad, instead of being raw desert,became suddenly warehouse sites; the vacant lots along the main streetwere snatched up for potential stores and saloons, and all the drabflats where the Mexican burros wandered became transformed to choiceresidence properties. It had come at last, that time prophesied byRimrock when Gunsight would be transformed by his hand, but the prophetwas not there to see. After all his labors, and his patient enduranceof ridicule and unbelief, when the miracle happened Rimrock Jones themagician was immured in the County Jail.

  But it made a difference. Even Mary Fortune came to think of him withmore kindness in her heart. The Geronimo papers suddenly blossomed outwith accounts of the Gunsight boom; and Rimrock Jones, though held formurder, was heralded as a mining king. The story was recalled of hisdiscovery of the Gunsight and of his subsequent loss of the same; andthe fight for the Old Juan, with the death of McBain, was rewritten tofit the times. Then the grading crew came with their mules andscrapers, and car-loads of ties and rails. Great construction trainscongested all the sidings as they dumped off tools and supplies. Atrack-laying machine followed close behind them, and the race for theTecolotes was on. What a pity it was that poor Rimrock Jones was notthere to see the dirt fly!

  And there were other changes. From a plain office drudge, MaryFortune, the typist, suddenly found herself the second in command.Every day from Geronimo there came letters and telegrams from theprisoner in the County Jail and his trenchant orders were put intoeffect by the girl who had worked for McBain. Nothing more was saidabout her mysterious past, nor the stigma such a past implies; thewomen of the hotel now bowed to her hopefully and smiled if she raisedher eyes. Even Jepson, the superintendent, addressed herrespectfully--after stopping off at the County Jail--and all theaccounts of the Company, for whatever expense, now passed through hercompetent hands.

  She was competent, Jepson admitted it; yet somehow he did not like her.It was his wife, perhaps, a proud, black-eyed little creature, whofirst planted the prejudice in his breast; although of course no manlikes to take orders from a woman. To be sure, she gave no orders, butshe kept the books and that gave her a check on his work. ButAbercrombie Jepson was too busily occupied to brood much over thisincipient dislike, he had men by the hundred pouring out to the mineand all the details of a great plant on his hands.

  First out across the desert went the derricks of the well-borers, todevelop water for the concentrator and mill; and then diamond-drill menwith all their paraphernalia, to block out the richest ore; and afterthem the millwrights and masons and carpenters, to lay foundations andbuild the lighter parts of the plant; and, back and forth in a steadystream, the long lines of teamsters, hauling freight from the end ofthe railroad. It was an awe-inspiring spectacle, this invasion of thedesert, this sure preparation to open the treasure-house where theTecolotes had locked up their ore. But Rimrock was missing from it all!

  There came a time when Mary Fortune acknowledged this to herself; and,without knowing just why, she took the next train to Geronimo. Thesummer had come on and the jail as she entered it was stifling with itsclose, smelly heat. She sickened at the thought of him, caged up thereday and night, shut off even from light and air; and when the sherifflet her in through the clanging outer gate she started back at sight ofthe tanks. Within high walls of concrete a great, wrought-ironcell-house rose up like a square box of steel and, pressed against thebars, were obscene leering eyes staring ou
t for a look at the woman.

  "Oh, that's all right," said the sheriff kindly, "just step right downthis way. I regret very much I can't bring him outside, but he's infor a capital offense."

  He led the way down a resounding corridor, with narrow windows high upnear the roof; and there, staring out from a narrow cell, she sawRimrock Jones. His face was pale with the prison pallor and a tawnygrowth covered his chin; but the eyes--they were still the eyes ofRimrock, aggressive, searching and bold.

  "A lady to see you," announced the sheriff and suddenly they were alone.

  There had been some business, some important matter upon which she hadneeded his advice, but as she saw him shut up like a common felon thesudden tears came to her eyes.

  "Kind of limited quarters," observed Rimrock, smiling wanly, "nothinglike that new hotel that we're building. Well, it won't be long nowtill I'm out of this hole. Is there anything special you want?"

  "Why, yes!" she said, getting control of herself, "can't--can't we getyou out on bail? I didn't know it was so awful inside here--I'm goingto engage the best lawyer in town!"

  "No use," answered Rimrock, "I'm held for murder--and I don't want nolawyer, anyhow."

  The old stubborn tone had come back into his voice, but swiftcompassion urged her on.

  "But you certainly will have one when your case goes to trial! Mr.Lockhart said he would hire one himself."

  "Nope, don't want 'em," answered Rimrock. "They're a bunch of crooks.I'll handle my case myself."

  "Yourself? Why, you don't know the law----"

  "That's why I'll win," broke in Rimrock impatiently. "I'm going topick out that jury myself."

  "No, but the briefs and papers! And who will represent you in court?"

  "Never mind," sulked Rimrock, "I'll take care of all that. But I won'thave a lawyer, if I swing for it!"

  "Oh!" she gasped, but he gazed at her grimly without thinking aboutanything but his case.

  "All I want is justice," he went on doggedly. "I want a fair trialbefore a jury of Arizona men. When I state my case I'll tell them thetruth and I don't want any lawyer butting in. And one thing more. I'mgoing to ask you, Miss Fortune, to leave this case strictly alone. Ithank you just as much for your good intentions, but we don't look atthis matter the same. I quit the law when I lost title to theGunsight, and I'm going to play out my hand to the end. I claimthere's a law that's above all these lawyers--and judges and supremecourts, too--and that's the will of the people. I may be mistaken, butI'll gamble my life on it and if I lose--you can have the whole mine."

  "I don't want the whole mine," she answered resentfully, "I want--Iwant you to be free. Oh, I came to tell you about all we'redoing--about the construction and the mine work and all--but I justcan't say a word. Are you determined to plead your own case?"

  "Why, certainly," he said. "Why shouldn't I do it? I don't considerI've done anything wrong. I hope you don't think, just because Ikilled McBain, that I'm suffering any regrets? Because I'm not, nornothing of the kind--I'm glad I killed him like I did. He had itcoming to him and, gimme a square jury, I'll make 'em say I did right."

  "I guess I don't understand," she stammered at last, "but--but I'm gladthat it doesn't seem wrong. I can't understand how a man could do it;but I'll help you, any way I can."

  "All right," said Rimrock and looked at her strangely, "I'll tell youwhat you can do. In the first place I want you to go back to Gunsightand stay there until I come back. And in the second place--well, Ican't forget what I did--that day. I want you to say it's all right."

  "It is all right," she answered quickly, "I guess that's what I came tosay. And will you forgive me, too, for letting you lie here and neverdoing anything to help?"

  "Oh, that's nothing," said Rimrock, "I don't mind it much. But say,isn't there anything else?"

  "No!" she said, but the hot blood mounted up and mantled her cheekswith red.

  "Come on," he beckoned. "Just to show you forgive me--it will help meto win if you do."

  She looked around, up and down the narrow corridor, and then laid hercheek to the bars. Who would not do as much, out of Christiankindness, for a man who had suffered so much?