Bucky O'Connor: A Tale of the Unfenced Border by William MacLeod Raine (iphone ebook reader .TXT) 📕

Henderson had retired to clean himself up. Happy tears were coursing down the cheeks of the mother, and Webb found it necessary to blow his nose frequently. He jumped up at sight of the ranger.

“Young man, you're to blame for this. You've found my friend and you've found my daughter. Brought them both back to us on the same day. What do you want? Name it, and it's yours, if I can give it.”

Bucky looked at Frances with a smile in his eyes. He knew very well what he wanted, but he was under bonds not to name it yet.

“I'll set you up in the cattle business, sir. I'll buy you sheep, if you prefer. I'll get you an interest in a mine. Put a name to what you want.”

“I'm no robber. You paid the expenses of my trip. That's all I want right now.”

“It's not all you'll get. Do you think I'm a cheap piker? No, sir. You've got to let me grub-stake you.” Mackenzie thumped a clinched fist down on the table.

“All right, seh. You're the doctor. Give me an interest in that map and I'll prospect the mine this summer, if I can locate it.”

“Good enough, and I'll finance the proposition. You and Dave can take half-shares in the property. In the meantime, are you open to an engagement?”

“Depends what it is,” replied Bucky cautiously.

“My foreman's quit on me. Gone into business for himself. I'm looking for a good man. Will you be my major-domo?”

Bucky's heart leaped. He had been thinking of how he must report almost immediately to HurryUp Millikan, of the rangers. Now, he could resign from that body and stay near his love. Certainly things were coming his way.

“I'd like to try it, seh,” he answered. “I may not make good, but I sure would like to have a chance at it.”

“Make good! Of course you'll make good. You're the best man in Arizona, sir,” cried Webb extravagantly. He wheeled on his new-found daughter. “Don't you think so, Frankie?”

Frances blushed, but answered bravely: “Yes, sir. He makes everything right when he takes hold of it.”

“Good. We're not going to let him get away from us after making us so happy, are we, mother? This young man is going to stay right here. We never had but one son, and we are going to treat him as much like one as we can. Eh, mother?”

“If he will consent, Webb.” She went up to the ranger and kissed his tanned cheek. “You must pardon an old woman whom you've made very happy.”

Again Bucky's laughing blue eyes met the brown ones of his sweetheart.

“Oh, I'll consent, all right, and I reckon, ma'am, it's mighty good of you to treat me so white. I'll sure try to please you.”

Webb thumped him on the back. “Now, you're shouting. We want you to be one of us, young man.”

Once more that happy, wireless message of eyes followed by O'Connor's assent. “That's what I want myself, seh.”

Bucky found a surprise waiting for him at the stables. A heavy hand descended upon his shoulder. He whirled, and looked up into the face of Sheriff Collins.

“You here, Val?” he cried in surprise.

“That's what. Any luck, Bucky?”

They went out and sat down on the big rocks back of the corral. Here each told the other his story, with certain reservations. Collins had just got back from Epitaph, where he had been to get the fragments of paper which told the secret of the buried treasure. He was expecting to set out in the early morning to meet Leroy.

“I'll go with you,” said Bucky immediately.

Val shook his head. “No, I'm to go alone. That's the agreement.”

“Of course if that's the agreement.” Nevertheless, the ranger formed a private intention not to be far from the scene of action.