Frances of the Ranges; Or, The Old Ranchman's Treasure Read online

  CHAPTER VI

  A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

  Frances knew her way about her father's room in the dark as well as shedid about her own. She knew where every piece of furniture stood. Sheknew where the chair was on which he carelessly threw his outer clothingat night.

  Like most men who for years have slept in the open, Captain Rugley didnot remove all his clothing when he went to bed. He usually lay betweenblankets on the outside of his bed, with his boots and trousers ready tojump into at a moment's notice. Of some of the practices of his life onthe plains, with the dome of heaven for a roof-tree, he could not bebroken.

  She fumbled for the chair, and found it empty. She reached for the beltand holster which he usually hung on a hook at the head of the bed.They, too, were gone, and Frances felt relieved.

  She did not withdraw from the room through either of the long windows.Instead, she crept through her father's office and out of the door ofthat room into the great, main hall.

  Along this a little way was the door of the room to which PrattSanderson had been assigned, and that of the treasure room as well.

  Frances scarcely gave Pratt a thought. She presumed him far in the landof dreams. She did not take into consideration the fact that about nowthe scratches of the mountain lion would become painful, and Prattcorrespondingly restless. Frances was mainly troubled by her father'sabsence from his room. Had he, too, seen the mysterious shadow in thecourt? Was he on the watch for a possible marauder?

  By feeling rather than eyesight she knew the door to the treasure roomwas closed. Was her father there?

  She doubled her fist and raised it to knock upon the panel. Then shehesitated. The slightest sound would ring through the silent house likean alarm of fire.

  Inclining her ear to the door, she listened. But the oak planking wasthick and there was no crevice, now the portal was closed, through whichany slight sound could penetrate. She could not have even distinguishedthe heavy breathing of a sleeping man behind the door.

  Uncertain, wondering, yet quite mistress of herself again, Frances wenton along the corridor. Here was an open door before her into the court.Had that shadow she had seen come this way? she wondered.

  The hiss of a voice, almost in her ear, _did_ startle her:

  "My goodness! is it you, Miss Frances?"

  A clammy hand clutched her wrist. She knew that Pratt Sanderson musthave been horribly wrought up and nervous, for he was trembling.

  "What is the matter? Why are you out of your bed, Pratt?" she asked,quite calmly.

  "I couldn't sleep. Fever in those scratches, I s'pose," said the youngman. "I got up and went outside to get a drink at the fountain--and tobathe my face and wrists. Isn't it hot?"

  "You _are_ feverish," whispered Frances, cautiously. "Have you seendaddy?"

  "The Captain?" returned Pratt, wonderingly. "Oh, no. He isn't up, ishe?"

  "He's not in his room----"

  "And you're not in yours," said Pratt, with a nervous laugh. "We allseem to be out of our beds at the hour when graveyards yawn, eh?"

  Frances had a reassuring laugh ready.

  "I think you would better go to bed again, Pratt," she said. "You--yousaw nothing in the court?"

  "No. But I thought I heard a big bird overhead when I was splashing thewater about out there. Imagination, of course," he added. "There are nobig night-flying birds out here on the plains?"

  "Not that I know of," returned she.

  "I made some noise. I didn't know what it was I scared up. Seemed to beon the roof of the house."

  Frances thought of the mysterious man and his rope ladder. But she didnot mention them to Pratt.

  "Put some more of father's salve on those scratches," she advised. "It'san Indian salve and very healing. He was taught by an old Indianmedicine man to make it."

  "All right. Good-night, Miss Frances," said Pratt, and withdrew into hisroom, from which he had appeared so suddenly to accost her.

  Pratt's mention of "the bird on the roof" disturbed Frances a good deal.She turned to run back upstairs and learn if the ladder was stillhanging from the eaves. But as she started to do so she realized thatthe door of the treasure room had been silently opened.

  "Frances!"

  "Oh, Dad!"

  "What are you running about the house for at this time o' night?" hedemanded.

  She laughed rather hysterically. "Why are you out of your bed, sir--withyour rheumatism?" she retorted.

  "Good reason. Thought I heard something," growled the Captain.

  "Good reason. Thought I _saw_ something," mocked Frances, seizinghis arm.

  She stepped inside the room with him. He flashed an electric torch for amoment about the place. She saw he had a cot arranged at one side, andhad evidently gone to bed here, beside the treasure chest.

  "Why is this, sir?" she demanded, with pretty seriousness.

  "Reckon the old man's getting nervous," said Captain Rugley. "Can'tsleep in my reg'lar bed when there are strangers in the house."

  Frances started. "What do you mean?" she cried.

  "Well, there's that young man."

  "Why, Pratt is all right," declared Frances, confidently.

  "I don't know anything _for_ him--and do know one thing_against_ him," growled the old ranchman. "He's been up and aboutall night, so far. Weren't you just talking to him?"

  "Oh, yes, Dad! But Pratt is all right."

  "That's as may be. What was he doing wandering around that court?"

  "Oh, Dad! Don't worry about _him_. His arm and chest hurt him----"

  "Humph! didn't hurt him when he went to bed, did they? Yet he wassneaking along this hall and looking into this very room when the doorwas slightly ajar. I saw him," said the old ranchman, bitterly.

  Frances was amazed by this statement; but she realized that her fatherwas oversuspicious regarding the interest of strangers in the oldSpanish chest and its contents.

  "Never mind Pratt," she said. "I came downstairs to find you, Daddy,because there really _is_ a stranger about the house."

  "What do you mean, Frances?" was the sharp retort.

  The girl told him briefly about the man she had observed climbing up tothe veranda roof, and later to the roof of the house by aid of the ropeladder.

  "And Pratt tells me he heard some sound up there. He thought it was abig bird," she concluded.

  "Come on!" said her father, hastily. "Let's see that ladder."

  He locked the door of the treasure room and strode up the main stairway.Frances kept close behind him and warned him to step softly--rather anunnecessary bit of advice to an old Indian trailer like Captain Rugley!

  But when they came to the window through which Frances had seen thedangling ladder it was gone. The old ranchman shot a ray of his electrictorch through the opening; but the light revealed nothing.

  "Gone!" he announced, briefly.

  "Do--do you think so, Dad?"

  "Sure. Been scared off."

  "But what could he possibly want--climbing up over our roof, and allthat?"

  Captain Rugley stood still and stroked his chin reflectively. "I reckonI know what they're after----

  "They? But, Daddy, there was only one man."

  "One that was coming over the roof," said her father. "But he hadpals--sure he did! If one of them wasn't in the house----"

  "Why, Dad!" exclaimed Frances, in wonder.

  "You can't always tell," said the old ranchman, slowly. "There's a heapof valuables in that chest. Of course, they don't all belong to me," headded, hastily. "My partner, Lon, has equal rights in 'em--don't everforget that, Frances, if something should happen to me."

  "Why, Dad! how you talk!" she exclaimed.

  "We can never tell," sighed her father. "Treasure is tempting. And itlooks to me as though this fellow who climbed over the roof expected tofind somebody inside to help him. That's the way it looks to me," herepeated, shaking his head obstinately.

  "Dear Dad! you don't mean that you think Pratt Sanderson would do such
athing?" said Frances, in a horrified tone.

  "We don't know him."

  "But his coming here to the Bar-T was unexpected. I urged him to come.That lion really scratched him----"

  "Yes. It doesn't look reasonable, I allow," admitted her father; but shecould see he was not convinced of the honesty of Pratt Sanderson.

  There was a difference of opinion between Frances and Captain Rugley.