The Bad Man | Page 7

he, Sturgis, need not accompany them,
except to the hotel. The ranch-owner's foreman would fetch them out in
a Ford. Not a bad trip at all--only a few miles. It would be better to stop
down there. They could comb the country, get acquainted, see how
things were, and keep a vigilant eye on everything.
Sturgis had arranged things nicely. "Red" Giddings came over, as
planned, and Lucia liked his pleasant face at once. He was full of
enthusiasm for the country, loved the outdoor life. "Mr. Jones has had
hard luck, though," he said, as they whirled along the road on an
afternoon of unbelievable heat.
"Jones!" Lucia said.
"Yes--Gilbert Jones," Giddings replied. "Ever hear of him?"
For an instant Lucia could hardly see the valley that spread around
them. But it couldn't be possible! It was a common name; there could
easily be two Gilberts--fifty, for that matter. Was this the reason
Morgan had asked her to come? Had he discovered the man with whom
she had once been in love, and was this to be one of his subtle
punishments? He had told her not to bring her maid, and he had been
mysterious, she remembered now, as to their exact destination. But
Sturgis had made it clear, on the contrary, that he had accidentally
learned of Jones's ranch. Maybe that was part of the trick. But what
good would come of such a scheme? She and Jones had loved--and
parted. Moreover, perhaps she was giving herself needless cause for
worry. This might not be the Gilbert Jones of her dreams. And what if
Morgan did know? There was nothing to conceal.
"How--long has he been here?" Lucia wanted to know.
"Oh, before the war we agreed to try our fortune together down here,"
"Red" told her; and the little machine went whirring along. "That's the
Hardy ranch," he said, pointing to the left. "Nice folks." His eyes

seemed to cling to the low house, and Lucia did not realize it at the
time, but he slowed up the car. Presently a young girl came out on the
stone terrace and waved to him. She was like a prairie flower. "Red"
Giddings became another man in the twinkling of an eye. A flush
mounted to his cheeks, and a smile as broad as a fat man's belt all but
encircled his countenance. He took one hand from the wheel and waved
until they were out of sight down a curve in the road.
"Friend of yours?" said Morgan Pell, smiling.
"You bet! No finer little girl in this territory!" Giddings replied
promptly.
They were now in sight of the Jones ranch. "There she is!" "Red" cried.
"Pretty, eh?"
The low adobe house, with its gleaming roof, looked like a jewel set in
the valley. Far away, seemingly to the very rim of the world, the flat
lands stretched; and then beyond, in a golden haze, the stern mountains
loomed, almost kissing the sky. The range dwindled away in an endless
line, and one could never say where the boundary of Arizona stopped
and the unseen border of Mexico began. The two countries simply
merged in the mist. It was as if a battalion of petrified soldiers kept
eternal guard in the sun, half the line loping over into another camp, but
never caring at all. In the still heat of the afternoon, sagebrush lifted its
bright face to the heavens; and now and then a lonely bird swooped
above the rich ranches and desolate valleys, making a black dot against
the sky. A soft wind was blowing now, bringing mercy from the west,
and silence brooded like an angel, stretching out its wings as though to
shelter a troubled world.
A young man with black hair and tanned skin came out in the yard,
hatless. A gray flannel shirt and a flowing tie, high leggings that laced
through many brass clips, completed his picturesque costume.
One look--and she knew it was Gilbert--her Gilbert. He recognized her
at the same instant, and a curious light came into his dark eyes. She had
been thinking, all the way down the road, how she should greet him if

indeed he turned out to be that one man in the world. Calmly, yes. She
was sure now that Morgan knew and suspected nothing. It was simply a
coincidence that they should be coming to the adobe of this old love of
hers. The long arm of fate had reached out and snatched her into this
ring. She knew that Gilbert could meet the situation as seemingly
unconcerned as she. There was nothing at all to fear.
He was their host, and he greeted them as only a good host knows how.
Fortunately, Morgan wanted to go directly to his room. He was cross