"I do not choose to have my sister any longer implicated with OURconfederate or YOUR mistress.No more of that--you understand me?"The two men had been standing side by side,leaning against the chimney.Chivers now faced his companion,his full lips wreathed into an evil smile.
"I think I understand you,Mr.Jack Riggs,or--I beg your pardon--Rivers,or whatever your real name may be,"he began slowly.
"Sadie Collinson,the mistress of Judge Godfrey Chivers,formerly of Kentucky,was good enough company for you the day you dropped down upon us in our little house in the hollow of Galloper's Ridge.
We were living quite an idyllic,pastoral life there,weren't we?--she and me;hidden from the censorious eye of society and--Collinson,obeying only the voice of Nature and the little birds.
It was a happy time,"he went on with a grimly affected sigh,disregarding his companion's impatient gesture."You were young then,waging YOUR fight against society,and fresh--uncommonly fresh,I may say--from your first exploit.And a very stupid,clumsy,awkward exploit,too,Mr.Riggs,if you will pardon my freedom.You wanted money,and you had an ugly temper,and you had lost both to a gambler;so you stopped the coach to rob him,and had to kill two men to get back your paltry thousand dollars,after frightening a whole coach-load of passengers,and letting Wells,Fargo,and Co.'s treasure-box with fifty thousand dollars in it slide.It was a stupid,a blundering,a CRUEL act,Mr.Riggs,and I think I told you so at the time.It was a waste of energy and material,and made you,not a hero,but a stupid outcast!I think I proved this to you,and showed you how it might have been done.""Dry up on that,"interrupted Riggs impatiently."You offered to become my partner,and you did.""Pardon me.Observe,my impetuous friend,that my contention is that you--YOU--poisoned our blameless Eden in the hollow;that YOUwere our serpent,and that this Sadie Collinson,over whom you have become so fastidious,whom you knew as my mistress,was obliged to become our confederate.You did not object to her when we formed our gang,and her house became our hiding-place and refuge.You took advantage of her woman's wit and fine address in disposing of our booty;you availed yourself,with the rest,of the secrets she gathered as MY mistress,just as you were willing to profit by the superior address of her paramour--your humble servant--when your own face was known to the sheriff,and your old methods pronounced brutal and vulgar.Excuse me,but I must insist upon THIS,and that you dropped down upon me and Sadie Collinson exactly as you have dropped down here upon her husband.""Enough of this!"said Riggs angrily."I admit the woman is part and parcel of the gang,and gets her share,--or you get it for her,"he added sneeringly;"but that doesn't permit her to mix herself with my family affairs.""Pardon me again,"interrupted Chivers softly."Your memory,my dear Riggs,is absurdly defective.We knew that you had a young sister in the mountains,from whom you discreetly wished to conceal your real position.We respected,and I trust shall always respect,your noble reticence.But do you remember the night you were taking her to school at Santa Clara,--two nights before the fire,--when you were recognized on the road near Skinner's,and had to fly with her for your life,and brought her to us,--your two dear old friends,'Mr.and Mrs.Barker of Chicago,'who had a pastoral home in the forest?You remember how we took her in,--yes,doubly took her in,--and kept your secret from her?And do you remember how this woman (this mistress of MINE and OURconfederate),while we were away,saved her from the fire on our only horse,caught the stage-coach,and brought her to the convent?"Riggs walked towards the window,turned,and coming back,held out his hand."Yes,she did it;and I thanked her,as I thank you."He stopped and hesitated,as the other took his hand."But,blank it all,Chivers,don't you see that Alice is a young girl,and this woman is--you know what I mean.Somebody might recognize HER,and that would be worse for Alice than even if it were known what Alice's BROTHER was.G--d!if these two things were put together,the girl would be ruined forever.""Jack,"said Chivers suddenly,"you want this woman out of the way.
Well--dash it all!--she nearly separated us,and I'll be frank with you as between man and man.I'll give her up!There are women enough in the world,and hang it,we're partners,after all!""Then you abandon her?"said Riggs slowly,his eyes fixed on his companion.
"Yes.She's getting a little too maundering lately.It will be a ticklish job to manage,for she knows too much;but it will be done.There's my hand on it."Riggs not only took no notice of the proffered hand,but his former look of discontent came back with an ill-concealed addition of loathing and contempt.
"We'll drop that now,"he said shortly;"we've talked here alone long enough already.The men are waiting for us."He turned on his heel into the inner room.Chivers remained standing by the chimney until his stiffened smile gave way under the working of his writhing lips;then he turned to the bar,poured out and swallowed another glass of whiskey at a single gulp,and followed his partner with half-closed lids that scarcely veiled his ominous eyes.
