Beth Norvell: A Romance of the West

  BETH NORVELL

  A Romance of the West

  by

  RANDALL PARRISH

  Author of "When Wilderness Was King," "My Lady of the North," "BobHampton of Placer," Etc.

  With Frontispiece in Color by N. C. Wyeth

  [Frontispiece: The woman never changed her posture, never seemed torealize the approach of dawn; but Winston roused up, lifting his headto gaze wearily forward.]

  A. L. Burt CompanyPublishers -------- New YorkCopyrightA. C. McClurg & Co.1907Entered at Stationers' Hall, LondonAll Rights Reserved Published September 21, 1907 Second Edition October 5, 1907 Third Edition, October 10, 1907 Fourth Edition, December 2, 1907 Fifth Edition, December 12, 1907

  CONTENTS

  I A CHANCE MEETING II OUT WITH A ROAD COMPANY III A BREAKING OF ICE IV A NEW DEAL OF THE CARDS V IN OPEN REBELLION VI THE "LITTLE YANKEE" MINE VII A DISMISSAL VIII "HE MEANS FIGHT" IX THE FORCE OF CIRCUMSTANCES X A NEW ALLIANCE XI HALF-CONFIDENCES XII THE COVER OF DARKNESS XIII TWO WOMEN XIV UNDERGROUND XV THE PROOF OF CRIME XVI A RETURN TO THE DAY XVII A COUNCIL OF WAR XVIII THE CONFESSION XIX THE POINT OF VIEW XX THE GAME OF FOILS XXI UNDER ARREST XXII THE INTERVENTION OF SWANSON XXIII A NEW VOLUNTEER XXIV AN AVOWAL OF LOVE XXV THE PROOF OF LOVE XXVI BENEATH THE DARKNESS XXVII THE SHADOW OF CRIME XXVIII ACROSS THE DESERT TO THE END XXIX THE SUMMIT OF SUCCESS XXX THE MISSION OF A LETTER

  BETH NORVELL

  A TALE OF THE WEST

  CHAPTER I

  A CHANCE MEETING

  There were nine altogether in the party registering. This numberincluded the manager, who, both on and off the stage, quitesuccessfully impersonated the villain--a rather heavy-jawed,middle-aged fellow, of foreign appearance, with coarse, gruff voice;three representatives of the gentler sex; a child of eight, exactspecies unknown, wrapped up like a mummy; and four males. Beyond doubtthe most notable member of the troupe was the comedian "star," Mr. T.Macready Lane, whose well-known cognomen must even now awaken happyhistrionic memories throughout the western circuit. The long night'sride from their previous stand, involving as it did two changes oftrains, had proven exceedingly wearisome; and the young woman in therather natty blue toque, the collar of her long gray coat turned up inpartial concealment of her face, was so utterly fatigued that sherefused to wait for a belated breakfast, and insisted upon being atonce directed to her room. There was a substantial bolt decorating theinside of the door, but, rendered careless by sheer exhaustion of bothmind and body, she forgot everything except her desire for immediaterest, dropped her wraps upon the only chair visible, and flung herself,fully dressed, upon the bed. Her cheek had barely pressed the hardpillow before she was sleeping like a tired child.

  It must have been an hour later when Winston drove in from Flat Rock,shook the powdery snow from off his long fur overcoat, his cheeks stilltingling from the sharp wind, and, with fingers yet stiffened by cold,wrote his name carelessly across the lower line of the dilapidatedhotel register.

  "Can you let me have the same room, Tom?" he questioned familiarly ofthe man ornamenting the high stool behind the desk.

  The latter, busy with some figures, nodded carelessly, and the lastarrival promptly picked up his valise from the floor and began climbingthe stairs, whistling softly. He was a long-limbed, broad-chestedyoung fellow, with clean-shaven face, and a pair of dark-gray eyes thatlooked straight ahead of him; and he ran up the somewhat steep steps asthough finding such exercise a pleasure. Rounding the upper railing,he stopped abruptly before Number Twenty-seven, flung open the door,took a single step within, and came to a sudden pause, his carelesswhistling suspended in breathless surprise. With that single glancethe complete picture became indelibly photographed upon hismemory,--the narrow, sparsely furnished room with roughly plasteredwalls; the small, cheap mirror; the faded-green window curtain, tornhalf in two; the sheet-iron wash-stand; the wooden chair, across whichrested the gray coat with the blue toque on top; and the single cot bedbearing its unconscious occupant.

  Somehow as he gazed, his earliest conscious emotion was that ofsympathy--it all appeared so unspeakably pathetic, so homesick, sodismally forlorn and barren. Then that half-upturned face riveted hisattention and seemed to awaken a vague, dreamy memory he found himselfunable to localize; it reminded him of some other face he had known,tantalizing from its dim indistinctness. Then this earlier impressionslightly faded away, and he merely beheld her alone, a perfect strangerappropriating little by little her few claims to womanly beauty. Therewas no certain guessing at her age as she lay thus, one hand pressedbeneath her cheek, her eyes closed, the long, dark lashes clearlyoutlined against the white flesh, her bosom rising and falling with thesteady breathing of absolute exhaustion. She appeared so extremelytired, discouraged, unhappy, that the young man involuntarily closedhis teeth tightly, as though some wrong had been personally done tohimself. He marked the dense blackness of her heavy mass of hair; theperfect clearness of her skin; the shapeliness of the slender,outstretched figure; the narrow boot, with its high-arched instep,peeping shyly beneath the blue skirt; the something rarely interesting,yet which scarcely made for beauty, revealed unconsciously in theupturned face with its rounded chin and parted lips.

  There was no distinct regularity of features, but there wasunquestionably character, such character as we recognize vaguely in asculptured face, lacking that life-like expression which the openedeyes alone are capable of rendering. All this swept across his mind inthat instant during which he remained irresolute from surprise. YetWinston was by nature a gentleman; almost before he had grasped thefull significance of it all he stepped silently backward, and gentlyclosed the door. For an uncertain moment he remained there staringblankly at the wood, that haunting memory once again mocking every vainattempt to associate this girl-face with some other he had knownbefore. Finally, leaving valise and overcoat lying in the hall, heretraced his way slowly down the stairs.

  "Tom," and the young man leaned against the rough counter, his voicegrown graver, "there chances to be a woman at present occupying thatroom you just assigned me."

  "No! Is that so?" and the clerk swung easily down from his high stool,drawing the register toward him. "Must be one of the troupe, then.Let's see--Number Twenty-seven, was n't it? Twenty-seven--oh, yes,here it is. That's a fact," and his finger slowly traced the line ashe spelled out the name, "'Miss Beth Norvell.' Oh, I remember hernow--black hair, and a long gray coat; best looker among 'em. Managersaid she 'd have to be given a room all to herself; but I clean forgotI assigned her to Twenty-seven. Make much of a row?"

  The other shook his head, bending down so as to read the name with hisown eyes. There was nothing in the least familiar about the sound ofit, and he became faintly conscious of an undefined feeling ofdisappointment. Still, if she was upon the stage, the name quiteprobably was an assumed one; the very utterance of it left thatimpression. He walked over toward the cigar stand and picked out aweed, thinking gravely while he held a flaming match to the tip.Somehow he was not altogether greatly pleased with this information; heshould have preferred to discover her to be some one else. He glancedat the clerk through the slight haze of blue smoke, his increasingcuriosity finding reluctant utterance.

  "What troupe is it?" he questioned with seeming carelessness.

  "'Heart of the World,'" answered Tom with some considerable increase ofenthusiasm. "A dandy play, and a blamed good company, they tell me.Got some fine press notices anyhow, an' a carload o' scenery. Playedin Denver a whole month; and it costs a dollar and a half to buy adecent seat even in this measly town, so you can bet it ain't no slo
uchof a show. House two-thirds sold out in advance, but I know where Ican get you some good seats for just a little extra. Lane is the star.You 've heard of Lane, have n't you? Funniest fellow you ever saw;makes you laugh just to look at him. And this--this Miss Norvell, whyshe's the leadin' lady, and the travellin' men tell me she's simplyimmense. There's one of their show bills hanging over there back ofthe stove."

  Winston sauntered across to the indicated red and yellow abomination,and dumbly stood staring at it through the blue rings of his cigar. Itrepresented a most thrilling stage picture, while underneath, and intype scarcely a shade less pronounced than that devoted to the eminentcomedian T. Macready Lane, appeared the announcement of the greatemotional actress, Miss Beth Norvell, together with several quiteflattering Western press notices. The young man read these slowly,wondering why they should particularly interest him, and on a suddenhis rather grave face brightened into a smile, a whimsical thoughtflashing into his mind.

  "By Jove, why not?" he muttered, as if arguing the matter out withhimself. "The report has gone East, and there is nothing more to beaccomplished in Flat Rock for at least a month. This snow will have tomelt away before they can hope to put any miners to work, and in themeanwhile I might just as well be laying up experiences on the road aswasting my substance in riotous living at Denver. It ought to prove agreat lark, and I 've always had ambition to have a try at something ofthe kind. Well, here 's my chance; and besides, I can't help believingthat that girl might prove interesting; her face is, anyhow."

  He walked back to where Tom still hung idly over the cigar case.

  "Who is running this show outfit?"

  "That big fellow writing at the table. His name 's Albrecht,"suspiciously. "But see here, I tell you there ain't any use of yourhittin' him for 'comps'; he 's tighter than a drum."

  "'Comps'? Oh, ye of little faith!" exclaimed Winston genially. "It isn't 'comps' I 'm after, Tommy, it's a job."

  Albrecht looked up from his writing, scowling somewhat under hisheavily thatched brows, and revealing a coarse face, with littleglinting eyes filled with low cunning. At that first glance Winstoninstinctively disliked the fellow; yet he put his case in a few briefsentences of explanation, and, as the other listened, the managerialfrown slightly relaxed.

  "Actor?" he questioned laconically, when the younger man paused, hisglance wandering appreciatively over the sturdy, erect figure.

  "Well, hardly that; at least, merely in an amateur way," and theapplicant laughed lightly. "You see, I imagined you might possiblymake use of me in some minor capacity until I learn more about thebusiness. I don't care very much regarding pay, but I desire to get ataste of the life."

  "Oxactly, mein frient." And the worthy Albrecht became almost brisklycordial in manner. Perhaps here was an "angel" waiting to be pluckedin the holy name of art; at least, he appeared well dressed, lookedintellectually promising, and expressed himself as totally indifferentregarding salary. Such visitors were indeed few and far between, andthe astute manager sufficiently understood his business to permit hisheavy features to relax into a hearty, welcoming smile. "Oxactly,young man. Sit down, und I vill see yoost vat vos pest for us both.You vould be an actor; you haf the ambition. Ah! I see it in youreyes, and it gif me great bleasure. But, young man, it vos unfortunatedot I haf not mooch just now to gif you, yet the vay vill open if youonly stays mit me. Sure; yaw, I, Samuel Albrecht, vill make of you agreat actor. I can see dot in your face, und for dot reason I vill nowgif you the chance. You begin at the pottom, but not for long; all Ivants now vos a utility man--some one to take small barts, understudy,und be ready to help out mit der scenery und der trunks. I could notbay moch monies for dot," and he spread his beringed handsdeprecatingly, "but it vos only der first step on der ladder of fame.Every day I teach you de great art of de actor. You come with me dotway, mein frient?"

  "Certainly; that will be perfectly satisfactory."

  "Ah," delightedly, "you vos a goot poy, villin' to learn, I see. Nextseason, who knows, you might be leading man if you vork hardt. I bayyou now after one veek's trial, when I know petter vot you are vort,hey?"

  Winston carelessly nodded his acceptance of these rather indefiniteterms, his hands thrust into his pockets, his gray eyes smiling theirappreciation of the situation. Albrecht was deliberately looking himover, as he might a horse he had just purchased.

  "You are kinder slim to look at," he confessed at last, thoughtfully."Are you bretty strong?"

  The younger man silently held forth his right arm to the inspection ofthe other, who fingered the iron rigidity of muscle under the clothwith evident respect.

  "God of Yacob!" the manager muttered in unconcealed surprise, "it isvonderful, and you such a slender young man to look at. I vos mostafraidt you could not do mein vork, but it is all right. You vill eatmit us at the long table," he waved his hand indefinitely toward thedining-room, "at 12:30, and then I valk mit you over py der OberaHouse, und show you vat der is to be done mit dot scenery und demtrunks. Mein Gott! it vos vonderful dot muscles vot you haf got--youvould make a great Davy Crockett ven I learns you de business, meinfrient."

  The manager's appreciation of his new acquisition was so clearlyevident that Winston felt compelled to notice it.

  "I am rejoiced you appear so well satisfied," he said, rising to hisfeet.

  "Satisfied! Mein Gott," and the overjoyed Albrecht cordially claspedthe hand of his new recruit. "It vos a great season of luck for me,mein frient. Dot Meess Norvell, she makes me mooch monies vile I showsher how to be an actress,--oh, it vos yoost beautiful to see heract,--und now you comes mit me also, und cares nottings for vot I bayyou, und I can see you haf der actor genius. Mein Gott! it vos toogoot to be true."

  Winston broke away gladly, and drifted back toward the cigar stand,where the mystified Tommy yet stood staring at him.

  "Well, did you get it?" the latter questioned, grinning.

  "Thomas," returned the other loftily. "You can hand me out anothercigar, and I will thank you not to be quite so familiar in the future.I am now general utility man with the 'Heart of the World' company, andconsequently entitled to greater respect."