Red Saunders | Page 6

and with something
modest yet kind of daring in her face that would remind you of a good,
honest boy. Red, white, and black were the colours she flew. Hair and

eyes black, cheeks and lips red, and the rest of her white. Now, there's a
pile of difference in them colours; when you say 'red,' for instance, you
ain't cleaned up the subject by a sight. My top-knot's red, but that
wasn't the colour of Loy's cheeks. No; that was a colour I never saw
before nor since. A rose would look like a tomater alongside of 'em.
Then, too, I've seen black eyes so hard and shiny you could cut glass
with 'em. And again that wasn't her style. The only way you could get a
notion of what them eyes were like would be to look at 'em; you'd
remember 'em all right if you did. Seems like the good Lord was kind
of careless when he built Jonesy, but when he turned that girl out he
played square with the fambly.
"I ain't what you might call a man that's easily disturbed in his mind,
but I know I says to myself that first day, 'If I was ten year younger,
young lady, they'd never lug you back East again.' Gee, man! There
was a time when I'd have pulled the country up by the roots but I'd have
had that girl! I notice I don't fall in love so violent as the years roll on. I
can squint my eye over the cards now and say, 'Yes, that's a beautiful
hand, but I reckon I'd better stay out,' and lay 'em down without a sigh;
whereas, when I was a young feller, it I had three aces in sight I'd raise
the rest of the gathering right out of their foot-leather--or get caught at
it. Usually I got caught at it, for a man couldn't run the mint long with
the kind of luck I have.
"Well, I was plumb disgusted with the fool way I'd rigged myself up,
but, fortunately for me, Darragh, the station-man, came out with the
girl. 'There's Reddy, from your ranch now, ma'am,' says he, and when
he caught sight of me, 'What's the matter, Red; are the Injuns up?'
"Darragh was a serious Irishman, and that's the mournfullest thing on
top of the globe; and besides, he believed anything you'd tell him.
There ain't any George Washington strain in my stock, so I proceeded
to get out of trouble.
"'They ain't up exactly,' says I, 'but it looked as if they were a leetle on
the rise, and being as I had a lady to look out for, I thought I'd play
safe.'
"The colour kind of went out of the girl's cheeks. Eastern folks are
scandalous afraid of Injuns.
"'Perhaps I'd better not start?' says she.
"'Don't you be scart, miss,' says Darragh. 'You're all right as long as

you're with Red--he's the toughest proposition we've got in this part of
the country.'
"'I'm obliged to you, Darragh,' says I. He meant well, but hell's full of
them people. I'd have given a month's wages for one lick at him. Nice
reputation to give me before that girl! She eyed me mighty doubtful.
"I stepped up to her, with my hat in my hand. 'Miss Andree,' says I (she
was Jonesy's sisters child), 'if you come along with me I'll guarantee
you a safe journey. If any harm reaches you it will be after one of the
liveliest times in the history of the Territory.'
"At this she laughed. 'Very well,' says she, 'I'll chance it, Mr. Red.'
"'His name ain't Red,' puts in Darragh, solemn. 'His name's Saunders.
We call him Red becus uf his hair.'
"'I'm sure I beg your pardon,' says Miss Loys, all of a fluster.
"'That's all right, ma'am; no damage done at all,' says I. 'It's useless for
me to try to conceal the fact that my hair is a little on the auburn. You
mustn't mind what Darragh says. We've had a good deal of hot weather
lately and his brains have gone wrong. Now hop in and we'll touch the
breeze,' So I piled her trunk in and away we flew.
"Bud and Dandy were a corking little team. They'd run the whole
distance from the railway to the ranch if you'd let 'em--and I never
interfered. A straight line and the keen jump hits me all right when I'm
going some place, although I can loaf with the next man on occasion.
So we missed most of the gulleys.
"The ponies were snorting and pulling grass, the buckboard bouncing
behind 'em like a rubber ball, and we were crowding into the teeth of
the northwest wind, which made it seem as