David Belasco

“ DAVID BELASCO
What an intellectual giant is David Belasco! The most conspicuous man associated with the American stage to-day. His accomplishments have been colossal. Even Irving, Pouissard, Charles Keane and many other artists of their day, who have devoted their lives to Art, bow in obeisance to the modern David.
Think what this gentleman has accomplished! He has given to the world David Warfield and made him a master; Blanche Bates, Mrs. Carter and many others of equal talent. Produced plays that will go down in history among the classics ”

“ She paused, but suddenly with a far-off look in her eyes she went on: "Every dawn—every dawn they'll be farther away. Some night when I'm goin' to sleep I'll turn an' they won't be there—red an' shinin'." Again she paused as if almost overwhelmed with emotion, saying at length with a deep sigh: "Oh, that was indeed the promised land!"
Johnson was greatly moved. It was some time before he found his voice. At length he chided her softly:
"We must always look ahead, Girl—not backwards. The promised land is always ahead." ”

“ But although Johnson desisted, he kept his eyes upon her as she took the roses from her hair, losing none of the picture that she made with the light beating and playing upon her glimmering eyes, her rosy cheeks and her parted lips.
"Is there—is there anyone else?" he inquired falteringly, half-fearful lest there was.
"A man always says, 'who was the first one?' but the girl says, 'who'll be the next one?'" she returned, as she carefully laid the roses in her bureau drawer. ”

“ As it is, I hardly see my way clear to dismissing my men—you see, they belong to me, almost, and{282}—but I’ll do so, never fear. No power on earth could make me take up the old life again.”
The Girl said nothing in reply; instead she put both her arms around his neck and remained a long time in his embrace. At last, summoning up all her fortitude she put him resolutely from her, and whispered:
“When you are ready, come. You must leave me now.” And with a curt command to the Indian she fled back into the darkness.
For an instant the road agent’s eyes followed the direction that she had taken ”

“ Rance, without protest other than a shrug, took up his own deck of cards, wrapped them in a handkerchief, and stowed them away in his pocket. It was the Girl who spoke first:
"Are you ready?"
"Ready? Yes. I'm ready. Cut for deal."
With unfaltering fingers, the Girl cut. Of the man beside her, dead or dying, she must not, dared not think. For the moment she had become one incarnate purpose: to win, to win at any cost,—nothing else mattered. ”

“ Impulsively the road agent's hand went out to her, and with it went a mental resolution that so far as he was concerned no hard-working miner of Cloudy Mountain need fear for his gold!
"That's right," was what he said. "I'm with you—I'd like to see anyone get that." He dropped her hand and laid his on the keg; then with a voice charged with much feeling, he added: "Girl, I wish to Heaven I could talk more with you, but I can't. By daybreak I must be a long ways off. I'm sorry—I should have liked to have called at your cabin."
The Girl shot him a furtive glance.
"Must you be a-movin' so soon?" ”

“ At this sudden and unexpected summons in the Sheriff's well-known voice there was a rush from the dance-hall; in an instant the good-natured, roistering crowd, nosing a fight, crowded to the bar, where the two men stood glaring at each other in suppressed excitement.
"Boys," declared the Sheriff, his eye never leaving Johnson's face, "there's a man here who won't explain his business. He won't tell—"
"Won't he?" cut in Sonora, blusteringly. "Well, we'll see—we'll make 'im!"
There was a howl of execration from the bar. It moved the Girl to instant action. ”

“ Johnson had listened absorbedly, and was strangely affected by her words. In her rapidly-filling eyes, in the wave of colour that surged in her cheeks, in the voice that shook despite her efforts to control it, he read how intense was her interest in the welfare of the miners. How the men must adore her! ”

“ The Girl saw the action and her eyes flashed with anger. The next moment, however, she looked up at him and said more gently than any time yet:
"No, Jack, I can't marry you. Ah, come along—start your game again—go on, Jack." And so saying she came out from behind the bar and went over to the faro table with: "Whoop la! Mula! Go! Good Lord, look at that faro table!"
But Rance was on the verge of losing control of himself. There was passion in his steely grey eyes when he advanced towards her, but although the Girl saw the look she did not flinch, and met it in a clear, straight glance. ”

“ The Girl folded her arms and declared in a tone of finality:
"He'll take it straight or git."
"But he won't git," contended Nick chuckling. There was an ominous silence. Such behaviour was without a parallel in the annals of Cloudy. For much less than this, as the little barkeeper very well knew, many a man had been disciplined by the Girl. So, with his eyes fixed upon her face, he was already revelling in the situation by way of anticipation, and rejoicing in the coming requital for his own rebuff when the stranger had declined to leave as ordered. ”

“ Johnson neither moved nor groaned, as the edge slid from beneath his nerveless arms.
"You and the cyards have got into my blood. I'll take you up," he said, seating himself.
"Your word," demanded the Girl, leaning over the table, but still standing.
"I can lose like a gentleman," returned Rance curtly; then, with a swift seizure of her hand, he continued tensely, in tones that made the Girl shrink and whiten, "I'm hungry for you, Min, and if I win, I'll take it out on you as long as I have breath." ”

“ And before he had time to explain, much less to check her, she was standing at the window, candle in hand, peering out into the night.
"Why, it's the posse!" she cried, wheeling round suddenly. "How did they ever risk it in this storm?"
At these words a crushed expression appeared on Johnson's countenance; an uncanny sense of insecurity seized him. Once more the loud, insistent pounding was repeated, and as before, the outlaw, his hands on his guns, commanded her not to answer.
"But what on earth do the boys want?" inquired the Girl, seemingly oblivious to what he was saying. ”

“ Needless to say adoration and love was all that she saw; nevertheless, she felt ill-at-ease and, unconsciously, repeated:
"Hello, boys!" And then added, a little more bravely: "How's everythin'?"
"Bully!" spoke up Handsome Charlie, who was posing for her benefit, as was his wont, beside one of the desks.
"Say, we missed you," acknowledged Sonora with a world of tenderness in his voice. "Never knew you to desert The Polka for a whole week before."
"No, I—I..." stammered guiltily, and with their little gifts turned abruptly towards her desk lest she should meet their gaze. ”

“ Trinidad questioned suddenly.
The Girl came down from her seat on the platform and went over to them.
"Mistake," she repeated dreamily. "Oh, no, no, no, boys, there's no mistake about this. Oh, Trin!" she burst out tearfully, and two soft arms crept gently about his neck. "An' Sonora—Ah, Sonora!" She raised herself on her tiny toes and kissed him on the left cheek.
The next instant she was gone.
XVII.
Whatever may be said to the contrary, there are few more humiliating moments in a man's life than when he learns that some other person has supplanted him in the affections of his adored one. ”

“ But a keen observer would not have failed to detect that the Girl took a little less pleasure in her surroundings than she had taken in them before she had made the trip to Monterey. Downright glad, to use her own expression, as she had been on her return to see the boys of the camp and hear their boisterous shouts of welcome when the stage drew up in front of The Polka, she had to acknowledge that her home-coming was not quite what she expected. ”

“ By this time Sonora had recovered from his astonishment. After giving vent to a grunt expressive of his contempt, he blurted out:
"That fellow's too flip!"
But the idea had taken hold of the Girl, though she temporised shyly:
"Oh, I dunno! Makes me feel kind o' foolish, you know, kind o' retirin' like a elk in summer."
Johnson smiled in spite of himself.
"Elks are retiring," was his comment as he again advanced and offered his arm in an impressive and ceremonious manner.
"Well, I don't like everybody's hand on the back o' my waist," said the Girl, running her hands up and down her dress skirt. ”

“ But if ever I don’t travel that road, or you—”
“You always will, you bet,” observed Nick with feeling.
“You bet she will!” shouted the others.
“But if I don’t,” continued the Girl, insistently, “I hope there’ll be someone to lead me back—back to the right road. ’Cause remember, Rance, some of us are lucky enough to be born good, while others have to be ’lected.”
“That’s eloquence!” cried Sonora, moved almost to tears; while Rance took a step forward as if about to make some reply; but the next instant, his head held no longer erect and his face visibly twitching, he passed into the bar-room. ”

“ The peal of laughter that rung in Nick’s ears as he disappeared through the door, awakened Ashby and brought him instantly to his feet. Despite his size, he was remarkably quick in his movements, and in no time at all he was standing before the bar with a glass, which he had filled from the bottle that had stood in front of him on the table, and was saying:
“Compliments of Wells Fargo.”
“Thank you,” returned the Girl; and then while she shook the prairie oyster: “You see we live high-shouldered here.”
“That’s what!” put in Sonora with a broad grin. ”

“ Touched by the little barkeeper's droll philosophy, the Sheriff dropped his head on his breast, while the hand which held the glass unconsciously fell to his side.
"I've got it," went on Nick with enthusiasm; "you've got it; the boy's got it; the Girl's got it; the whole damn world's got it. It's all the heaven there is on earth, an' in nine cases out of ten it's hell."
Rance opened his lips to speak, but quickly drew them in tightly. The next instant Nick touched him lightly on the shoulder and pointed to the empty glass in his hand, the contents having run out upon the floor. ”

“ And when he had slid up to the bar, and she had extracted from his pockets a number of cigars which she knew had been pilfered, she added: "You git up to my cabin an' marry my squaw before I git there." And at another emphatic "Git!" the Indian, much to the amusement of all, started for the Girl's cabin.
"Here—here's your prairie oyster, Sonora," at last said the Girl; and then turning to the Sheriff and speaking to him for the first time, she called out gaily: "Hello, Rance!"
"Hello, Girl!" replied the Gambler without even a glance at her or ceasing to shuffle the cards. ”

“ Nick disappeared into the dance-hall as though shot out of a gun; whereupon, the Girl turned to Johnson with:
“I haven’t lived? That’s good!”
Johnson’s next words were insinuating, but his voice was cold in comparison with the fervent tones of a moment previous.
“Oh, you know!” was what he said, seating himself at the poker table.
“No, I don’t,” contradicted the Girl, taking a seat opposite him.
“Yes, you do,” he insisted.
“Well, say it’s an even chance I do an’ an even chance I don’t,” she parried.
Once more the passion in the man was stirring. ”

“ They looked straight before her.
"I warned you, girl," spoke up Ashby, "that you should bank with us oftener."
The Girl gave no sign of having heard him. Her slender figure seemed to have shrunken perceptibly as she stared stupidly, uncomprehendingly, into space.
"We say that Johnson was—" repeated Rance, impatiently.
"—what?" fell from the Girl's lips, her face pale and set.
"Are you deaf?" demanded Rance; and then, emphasising every word, he rasped out: "The fellow you've been polkying with is the man that has been asking people to hold up their hands." ”

“ Rance braced up in his chair.
“What did she see in that Sacramento shrimp, will you tell me?” presently he questioned, contempt showing on every line of his face.
The little barkeeper did not answer at once, but filled a glass with whisky which he handed to him.
“Well, you see, I figger it out this way, boss,” at last he answered, meeting him face to face frankly, earnestly, his foot the while resting on the other’s chair. “Love’s like a drink that gits a hold on you an’ you can’t quit. ”

“ A moment more and the restraint that he had exercised over himself had vanished completely.
“So have you liked it, Girl,” he went on, trying vainly to get possession of her hand, “only you haven’t lived, you haven’t lived—not with your nature. You see I’ve got a quick eye, too.”
To Johnson’s amazement she flushed and averted her face. Following the direction of her eyes he saw Nick standing in the door with a broad grin on his face. ”

“ In silence Johnson sat studying her, looking her through and through, as it were.
"It must be strange living all alone way up here in the mountains," he remarked, breaking the spell of silence. "Isn't it lonely?"
"Lonely? Mountains lonely?" The Girl's laugh rang out clearly. "Besides," she went on, her eyes fairly dancing with excitement, "I got a little pinto an' I'm all over the country on 'im. Finest little horse you ever saw! If I want to I can ride right down into the summer at the foothills with miles o' Injun pinks jest a-laffin' an' tiger lilies as mad as blazes. ”

“ You’ve brought me nearer Heaven,—you, to love a man like me!”
“Don’t say that, Oh, don’t say that,” she hastened to say with a great tenderness in her voice. “S’pose you was only a road agent an’ I was a saloon keeper. We both came out o’ nothin’ an’ we met, but through lovin’ we’re goin’ to reach things now—that’s us. We had to be lifted up like this to be saved.”
Johnson tried to speak, but the words would not come. It was, therefore, with a feeling of relief that, presently, he heard Nick at the door, saying, “It’s all clear now.” ”