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"What did you learn about Stewart? Maybe he left with Danny." "Not much," said Stillwell, shortly. "Gene's hell-bent fer election! No mountains fer him." "Well tell us about him." Stillwell wiped his sweaty brow and squared himself to talk. "Wal, it's sure amazin' strange about Gene. Its got me locoed. He arrived in El Cajon a week or so ago.
"I told you 'bout 'Gene's sayin' he'd gi'n in to Nelly about the big pine." Marise made a gesture of dismay at this confirmation. The old woman went on, "Funny thing . . . I ain't a Powers by birth, Lord knows, and I never thought I set no store by their old pine tree. It always sort o' riled me, how much 'Gene's father thought of it, and 'Gene after him . . . sort of silly, seems like.
"The story of Gené and the Bavarian dragoons, is one of the best, to my mind, that has developed in this war," said Captain Favor, beginning a new story. "Such quick thinking as hers in the face of an emergency, is very rare in a child, which makes Gené's achievement stand out so prominently. "Gené's mother had been ill for months.
"After thet what was said to Gene was with a nice smile. Now, Miss Majesty, it's beyond me what to allow for Gene's sudden change. First off, I thought Padre Marcos had converted him. I actooly thought thet. But I reckon it's only Gene Stewart come back the old Gene Stewart an' some. Thet's all I care about. I'm rememberin' how I once told you thet Gene was the last of the cowboys.
But 'Gene's attitude was of strained, expectant certainty: he stood near Nelly and as she looked up at the tree, he looked at her. At that look Marise felt the cold perspiration on her own temples. Nelly stepped sideways a little, tipping her head to see, and cried out, "Yes, I see it beginning to slant. How slow it goes! "It'll go fast enough in a minute," said 'Gene.
"I came over to talk to 'Gene and Nelly about some business," Marise said, over her shoulder, to Mrs. Powers, not able to take her eyes from the trio in the drama out there, "but I'd better wait till the tree is down before I speak to them." "'Twon't be long now. 'Gene's been at it quite a while, and he's stavin' away like all possessed.
I cried finally, with sudden inspiration. It turned out that he did not. "Aren't we darned idiots," he asked, "to get fighting over something we don't know anything about?" That was Gene's French blood, of course. But his question rankled.
I won't bother you going into the legal details a question of a fake warranty deed, against 'Gene's quit-claim deed, which was all he had in absence of those missing pages from the town records. As a matter of fact, the lawyer hasn't dared to cut the lumber off it yet, because his claim is pretty flimsy; but flimsy or not, the law regards it as slightly better than 'Gene's.
"Wal, mebbe you an' the boys are right. I believe you are. Nels, there ain't no doubt on earth about who was ridin' Stewart's hoss?" "Thet's as plain as the hoss's tracks." "Wal, it's all amazin' strange. It beats me. I wish the boys would ease up on drinkin'. I was pretty fond of Danny an' Gene. I'm afraid Gene's done fer, sure.
And every other day he had to wash the dishes and cook, and when it was Gene's turn to cook, Thurston chopped great armloads of wood for the fireplace to eat o' nights. Also he must fare forth, wrapped to the eyes, and help Gene drive back the cattle which drifted into the river bottom, lest they cross the river on the ice and range where they should not.
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