Roy Norton

“ There ain't goin' to be none! You see how it is, son. I'm here. It's the only place that's home ter me. And so I'm goin' ter stay. If they think they've got the best of it, I'll still have 'em beat, because they wouldn't cart a poor old cuss like me away from here ter plant him! They'll just naturally dig a hole off somewhere on the hillside and stick me in the place I love and—here I'll stay—where I've always wanted ter stay—and—and the stream down yonder'll know I'm there and sing me the same old songs, and I'll never be lonely in my sleep. ”

“ On a certain Christmas Eve they made their trip in the moonlight, when the great shield of snow beneath the still and motionless trees lay pale, or patterned with the infinite beauty of lacework wrought by shadow in nature's inimitable, delicate intricacy. ”

“ It does seem almost a pity to spoil it,” he said quite as if soliloquizing, and then slowly trudged forward.
“You'll maybe have to go slow with Uncle Bill,” David cautioned him, “because he's sort of sparin' of talk with strangers. But if——”
“He can talk enough once he knows and likes a man,” Goliath hastened to add, as if fearful that Heald might be discouraged; but Heald merely nodded his head and appeared thoughtful. ”

“ Some place that I can come to when I want to get away from making money, and meet nothing but a fine and honest, a homely and real old man. I can afford it. The big reservoir can wait. And”—he concluded impetuously—“I don't care if it waits until both Uncle Bill and I are gone, because that place is ours—his and mine—and what any others may think will not matter to us at all! From now on Uncle Bill and I are partners in this thing—that is—if he'll let me into a partnership that he is convinced includes at present himself and the Lord Almighty! ”

“ It's when a man is young that he orter be up and movin'. But—by heck!—I'm goin' ter miss you—I am.” His good will still sounded in their ears when they took the trail; but the partners found Heald strangely disinclined for conversation as they threaded their way over the crests of hills, where all was bright and clear, and then descended into the shadows of the great trees where the paths were dim. It was not until, tired and glad to be in their cabin again, they reached home that the partners learned the results of Heald's mission. ”

“ The sheriff grinned, as if amused, shook hands with Goliath, and said, “That old patriarch over the ridge—old Harmon. He’s—he’s gone loco. Got anything to eat? I’m hungry as a wolf. Haven’t had a mouthful since five o’clock this morning. If you can spare me a snack, I’ll tell you all about it, while I’m sponging off of you two fellers.”
It was while David cooked the bacon and Goliath mixed flapjacks that he explained.
“It seems,” he said, “that old Uncle Bill ain’t got any more title to that ground up there than a man has to something he never saw before, or heard of before, in all his life. ”

“ The partners agreed. They had no time for further comment, for the keen ears of the patriarch had made him aware of their coming, and he appeared in the doorway, blinked at them, and then called heartily, “Well, well, well! Ef it ain’t David and Goliath again! And——”
He stopped and stared at Heald as if apprehensive lest the advent of a stranger meant bad news, but was reassured in the warmth of their introduction.
“Anybody who’s a friend of these boys,” he said gravely, “is sure ter be a real man and a friend of mine. ”

“ Uncle Bill goes into his cabin and shows up with his Winchester and—you know how that old feller can shoot. Well, he shoots the hat off one engineer’s head, takes a second shot at a mighty costly theodolite they’d planted, and scores a bull, then with a few shots just above their heads sort of hastens their gallop as they’re takin’ down the trail. They come down to me and demand the protection of the law. I laughed. It seemed so foolish for anybody to be afraid of Old Harmless who’d never fought anybody or anything for more’n forty years. ”

“ They goes up with a few men to make a survey. Old Harmless is at first sort of dazed, then when these engineer fellers tells him what’s up, he tells ’em he owns that gulch and for them to get to hell out of there. When they don’t hike the old man gets his dander up and it’s sure up all right —just as if bein’ peaceful and quiet for longer’n any one can remember had sort of bottled it up for fair, and now he’s got the cork out. ”

“ A lawyer can scarcely have a client without consulting him, can he?”
His dry, matter-of-fact tone did not offer the partners as much hope as they craved; but they had to admit his logical attitude.
“We'll go over there to-morrow night,” said David. “That is, if you can stick such a long walk.”
Heald laughed.
“I've walked a few hundred miles in my time,” he said. “I don't think I'm too old to do a few miles more. It seems you fellows are mightily interested in this man you call Old Harmless, and—I owe you a lot—it strikes me; a lot that I've never found any way to repay. ”

“ You go back and tell the fellers that sent you that all I ask is to be left alone ter gyard what’s my own. It’s mine, and they ain’t nobody at all can take it away from me without a fight.’
“Well, I didn’t quite know what to do. I was so surprised like. I didn’t even have a shootin’ iron on me, and I saw he meant business. I tried to argue with him. No good! Uncle Bill is gone loco! And the hell of it is that I ain’t got no use for that old scoundrel Newport, and that I wouldn’t hurt Old Harmless for all California, because I like him, and—yet—I’m sheriff. ”

“ The sheriff stared inquiringly at the two partners, who shook doubtful heads, consulted each other with their eyes, and appeared distressed. It was David, who, as usual, did the talking for both, who spoke first.
“We'll go, willin' enough, sheriff, because we see just how it is; but—I'm awfully afraid you've put a job up to us that we can't get away with. Honest, I am! You see, it's this way. Uncle Bill's a funny old feller. Got queer notions about things. He loves that place up there, not so much for what it's worth, because money couldn't buy it at all ”

“ Old Harmless snorted as if derisive of the younger man’s sagacity. “I’m workin’ them hillsides by sections, I am. And—by Matildy Ann!—I don’t seem able ter do as much as I uster; but I’m pluggin’ along. I’ll git her yet!”
“But you don’t seem to git nowhere and the——”
“Git nowhere? Me? By heck! I’ve gotten farther’n most men. I’ve got one whole side of a gulch prospected. I’ve paid all my bills. I got grub enough right now ter run me for more’n a year. I got the finest cabin in the world. I ain’t never done a human bein’ any wrong in all my life. ”

“ Well, you see, I can just naturally neglect arresting Uncle Bill on the charge of bein' too free with his rifle, and as far as throwing him off the land is concerned, Newport will have to first of all bring an action in court for ejectment and demand possession, and all that, and—by Jingoes!—maybe that could be dragged on for months, if Uncle Bill got a good lawyer! ”

“ I stayed on ter nuss 'em, because, you see, if I hadn't found gold here, nobody would have come, and nobody would have died, and—and—so I felt sort of responsible like and—just stuck it out. There's eighteen men and one woman—not what I reckon some folks might call a good woman, although I know her heart was all right—that are all asleep on that hill. ”

“ They like ter live—and—this is a mighty fine place ter live in. It is! And I like ter think that even the fish down there in my stream is friends of mine in their way, and knows me.”
The moon had pulled up across the divide when the visitors returned home; but the partners could not induce Heald to discuss Old Harmless, and almost his sole comment was, “Remarkable old man! Remarkable! I suppose he has to have every ounce of grub he uses teamed up there, doesn't he?”
“Packed up on an old burro he's got. Not teamed,” Goliath answered. “Road up there's all overgrown now.” ”

“ They might spoil things. But—I’d like one of them talkin’ machines that sings songs and makes bands play, and all that. If I was rich, I’d git me one of them things and git some feller ter learn me how ter run it. Then I’d take her out under the trees on nice days and play all them tunes, and—— Do you fellers reckon trees hears things like that and likes ’em?”
The partners gravely admitted that they had never considered such matters, and humored his whimsies, by admitting that they hoped trees did hear, and that Old Harmless might find the ledge, and buy the phonograph. ”

“ Heald himself appeared to have given up, and the partners fidgeted restlessly, because he had made no reference to the land dispute, or old Harmless' side of the controversy. They were surprised when, as they were leaving, Heald turned to the patriarch and said, “Wonder if you'd mind if I came up and bunked with you a night or two, Harmon? It looks to me as if there might be some trout in this stream of yours that runs down the center of your gulch.”
“I'd welcome you, or any friend of David's and Goliath's,” the old man said with grave simplicity. “Come right along. ”

“ You won’t lose nothin’ by bein’ good fellers, if ever you come my way. I’m off now. Got to get back to-night, so’s to try to persuade Uncle Bill not to shoot up anybody else. It’s gol-darned expensive, shootin’ up folks is.”
And despite their urgent dissuasions he departed, considerably relieved in mind; but it was nearly dawn when he awoke Goliath in their cabin to tell him of his success.
Very diplomaticaly the partners decided that the best time to visit Old Harmless would be in the evening, lest he be alarmed or be rendered suspicious by their appearance at an unusual hour. ”

“ David let him subside and winked slyly at Goliath before he went on.
“But,” he said impressively, “there ain’t to be no shootin’ of any kind till the court’s had its say. Maybe that old leech Newport won’t do nothin’ at all, Uncle Bill.”
“Then—then—what’d you do if you was me?” queried Old Harmless bewildered.
“Do? I’d just keep right on workin’ as if nothin’ had happened. And if anybody comes around, let ’em alone, or tell ’em it’s your land, and they’re welcome to look at it. ”

“ Before he had finished talking David had recklessly dragged his blue shirt tails free from his trousers and was fumbling at a money belt concealed beneath.
“Cash talks,” he said tersely, as he produced his belt, and entirely unconscious of the amazed grins of two or three other spectators in the lobby, jerked the belt loose and proceeded to tuck his shirt tails back into a more conventional shape. “I don't know what a theodolite costs ”

“ And always Old Harmless brightened up, and rambled on.
“Well, you see in them days nobody stuck around a flat after what was easiest ter git was worked out. Everybody jest naturally went somewhere else ter find somethin' else that was easy ter git and so, bimeby, thar wan't nobody left here at Harmon's but me. Yes, sir, nobody but me. An' bein' young an' foolish, bimeby I went, too. Shook her. But—I allers kept comin' back. Then, when it seemed as if thar wan't nothin' left anywhere, and all them railroads kem to Californy, and there wan't no other place left to go, I come back here to stay. ”