Ranching for Sylvia by Harold Bindloss

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RANCHING FOR SYLVIA

(Published in England under the Title, _The Trustee_)

by

HAROLD BINDLOSS

Author of _Vane of the Timberlands_, _Alton of Somasco_,
_Thurston of Orchard Valley_, _Masters of the Wheatlands_, etc.

A. L. Burt Company
Publishers New York

1913

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I A STRONG APPEAL
II HIS FRIENDS' OPINION
III A MATTER OF DUTY
IV GEORGE MAKES FRIENDS
V THE PRAIRIE
VI GEORGE GETS TO WORK
VII A CATTLE DRIVE
VIII CONSTABLE FLETT'S SUSPICIONS
IX GEORGE TURNS REFORMER
X THE LIQUOR-RUNNERS
XI DIPLOMACY
XII GEORGE FACES DISASTER
XIII SYLVIA SEEKS AMUSEMENT
XIV BLAND GETS ENTANGLED
XV HERBERT MAKES A CLAIM
XVI A FORCED RETIREMENT
XVII HERBERT IS PATIENT
XVIII BLAND MAKES A SACRIFICE
XIX AN OPPOSITION MOVE
XX A BLIZZARD
XXI GRANT COMES TO THE RESCUE
XXII THE SPREAD OF DISORDER
XXIII A HARMLESS CONSPIRACY
XXIV GEORGE FEELS GRATEFUL
XXV A COUNTERSTROKE
XXVI THE CLIMAX
XXVII A SIGN FROM FLETT
XXVIII THE LEADING WITNESS
XXIX FLORA'S ENLIGHTENMENT
XXX THE ESCAPE
XXXI THE REACTION
XXXII A REVELATION
XXXIII GEORGE MAKES UP HIS MIND

CHAPTER I

A STRONG APPEAL

It was evening of early summer. George Lansing sat by a window of the
library at Brantholme. The house belonged to his cousin; and George,
having lately reached it after traveling in haste from Norway, awaited
the coming of Mrs. Sylvia Marston in an eagerly expectant mood. It was
characteristic of him that his expression conveyed little hint of his
feelings, for George was a quiet, self-contained man; but he had not
been so troubled by confused emotions since Sylvia married Marston
three years earlier. Marston had taken her to Canada; but now he was
dead, and Sylvia, returning to England, had summoned George, who had
been appointed executor of her husband's will.

Outside, beyond the broad sweep of lawn, the quiet English countryside
lay bathed in the evening light: a river gleaming in the foreground,
woods clothed in freshest verdure, and rugged hills running back
through gradations of softening color into the distance. Inside, a ray
of sunlight stretched across the polished floor, and gleams of
brightness rested on the rows of books and somber paneling. Brantholme
was old, but modern art had added comfort and toned down its austerity;
and George, fresh from the northern snow peaks, was conscious of its
restful atmosphere.

In the meanwhile, he was listening for a footstep. Sylvia, he had been
told, would be with him in two or three minutes; he had already been
expecting her for a quarter of an hour. This, however, did not
surprise him: Sylvia was rarely punctual, and until she married
Marston, he had been accustomed to await her pleasure.

She came at length, clad in a thin black dress that fitted her
perfectly; and he rose and stood looking at her while his heart beat
fast. Sylvia was slight of figure, but curiously graceful, and her
normal expression was one of innocent candor. The somber garments
emphasized the colorless purity of her complexion; her hair was fair,
and she had large, pathetic blue eyes. Her beauty was somehow
heightened by a hint of fragility: in her widow's dress she looked very
forlorn and helpless; and the man yearned to comfort and protect her.
It did not strike him that she had stood for some moments enduring his
compassionate scrutiny with exemplary patience.

"It's so nice to see you, George," she said. "I knew you would come."

He thrilled at the assurance; but he was not an effusive person. He
brought a chair for her.

"I started as soon as I got your note," he answered simply. "I'm glad
you're back again."

He did not think it worth while to mention that he had with difficulty
crossed a snow-barred pass in order to save time, and had left a
companion, who resented his desertion, in the wilds; but Sylvia guessed
that he had spared no effort, and she answered him with a smile.

"Your welcome's worth having, because it's sincere."

Those who understood Sylvia best occasionally said that when she was
unusually gracious it was a sign that she wanted something; but George
would have denied this with indignation.

"If it wouldn't be too painful, you might tell me a little about your
stay in Canada," he said by and by. "You never wrote, and"--he
hesitated--"I heard only once from Dick."

Dick was her dead husband's name, and she sat silent a few moments
musing, and glancing unobtrusively at George. He had not changed much
since she last saw him, on her wedding-day, though he looked a little
older, and rather more serious. There were faint signs of weariness
which she did not remember in his sunburned face. On the whole,
however, it was a reposeful face, with something in it that suggested a
steadfast disposition. His gray eyes met one calmly and directly; his
brown hair was short and stiff; the set of his lips and the contour of
his jaw were firm. George had entered on his thirtieth year. Though
he was strongly made, his appearance was in no way striking, and it was
seldom that his conversation was characterized by brilliancy. But his
friends trusted him.

"It's difficult to speak of," Sylvia began. "When, soon after our
wedding, Dick lost most of his money, and said that we must go to
Canada, I felt almost crushed; but I thought he was right." She paused
and glanced at George. "He told me what you wished to do, and I'm glad
that, generous as you are, he wouldn't hear of it."

George looked embarrassed.

"I felt his refusal a little," he said. "I could have spared the
money, and I was a friend of his."

He had proved a staunch friend, though he had been hardly tried. For
several years he had been Sylvia's devoted servant, and an admirer of
the more accomplished Marston. When the girl chose the latter it was a
cruel blow to George, for he had never regarded his comrade as a
possible rival; but after a few weeks of passionate bitterness, he had
quietly acquiesced. He had endeavored to blame neither; though there
were some who did not hold Sylvia guiltless. George was, as she well
knew, her faithful servant still; and this was largely why she meant to
tell him her tragic story.

"Well," she said, "when I first went out to the prairie, I was almost
appalled. Everything was so crude and barbarous--but you know the
country."

George merely nodded. He had spent a few years in a wheat-growing
settlement, inhabited by well-bred young Englishmen. The colony,
however, was not conducted on economic lines; and when it came to
grief, George, having come into some property on the death of a
relative, returned to England.

"Still," continued Sylvia, "I tried to be content, and blamed myself
when I found it difficult. There was always so much to do--cooking,
washing, baking--one could seldom get any help. I often felt worn out
and longed to lie down and sleep."

"I can understand that," said George, with grave sympathy. "It's a
very hard country for a woman."

He was troubled by the thought of what she must have borne for it was
difficult to imagine Sylvia engaged in laborious domestic toil. It had
never occurred to him that her delicate appearance was deceptive.

"Dick," she went on, "was out at work all day; there was nobody to talk
to--our nearest neighbor lived some miles off. I think now that Dick
was hardly strong enough for his task. He got restless and moody after
he lost his first crop by frost. During that long, cruel winter we
were both unhappy: I never think without a shudder of the bitter nights
we spent sitting beside the stove, silent and anxious about the future.
But we persevered; the next harvest was good, and we were brighter when
winter set in. I shall always be glad of that in view of what came
after." She paused, and added in a lower voice:

"You heard, of course?"

"Very little; I was away. It was a heavy blow."

"I couldn't write much," explained Sylvia. "Even now, I can hardly
talk of it--but you were a dear friend of Dick's. We had to burn wood;
the nearest bluff where it could be cut was several miles away; and
Dick didn't keep a hired man through the winter. It was often very
cold, and I got frightened when he drove off if there was any wind. It
was trying to wait in the quiet house, wondering if he could stand the
exposure. Then one day something kept him so that he couldn't start
for the bluff until noon; and near dusk the wind got up and the snow
began to fall. It got thicker, and I could not sit still. I went out
now and then and called, and was driven back, almost frozen, by the
storm. I could scarcely see the lights a few yards away; the house
shook. The memory of that awful night will haunt me all my life!"

She broke off with a shiver, and George looked very compassionate.

"I think," he said gently, "you had better not go on." "Ah!" replied
Sylvia, "I must grapple with the horror and not yield to it; with the
future to be faced, I can't be a coward. At last I heard the team and
opened the door. The snow was blinding, but I could dimly see the
horses standing in it. I called, but Dick didn't answer, and I ran out
and found him lying upon the load of logs. He was very still, and made
no sign, but I reached up and shook him--I couldn't believe the
dreadful thing. I think I screamed; the team started suddenly, and
Dick fell at my feet. Then the truth was clear to me."

A half-choked sob broke from her, but she went on.

"I couldn't move him; I must have gone nearly mad, for I tried to run
to Peterson's, three miles away. The snow blinded me, and I came back
again; and by and by another team arrived. Peterson had got lost
driving home from the settlement. After that, I can't remember
anything; I'm thankful it is so--I couldn't bear it!"

Then there was silence for a few moments until George rose and gently
laid his hand on her shoulder.

"My sympathy's not worth much, Sylvia, but it's yours," he said. "Can
I help in any practical way?"

Growing calmer, she glanced up at him with tearful eyes.

"I can't tell you just yet; but it's a comfort to have your sympathy.
Don't speak to me for a little while, please."

He went back to his place and watched her with a yearning heart,
longing for the power to soothe her. She looked so forlorn and
desolate, too frail to bear her load of sorrow.

"I must try to be brave," she smiled up at him at length. "And you are
my trustee. Please bring those papers I laid down. I suppose I must
talk to you about the farm."

It did not strike George that this was a rather sudden change, or that
there was anything incongruous in Sylvia's considering her material
interests in the midst of her grief. After examining the documents, he
asked her a few questions, to which she gave explicit answers.

"Now you should be able to decide what must be done," she said finally;
"and I'm anxious about it. I suppose that's natural."

"You have plenty of friends," George reminded her consolingly.

Sylvia rose, and there was bitterness in her expression.

"Friends? Oh, yes; but I've come back to them a widow, badly provided
for--that's why I spent some months in Montreal before I could nerve
myself to face them." Then her voice softened as she fixed her eyes on
him. "It's fortunate there are one or two I can rely on."

Sylvia left him with two clear impressions: her helplessness, and the
fact that she trusted him. While he sat turning over the papers, his
cousin and co-trustee came in. Herbert Lansing was a middle-aged
business man, and he was inclined to portliness. His clean-shaven and
rather fleshy face usually wore a good-humored expression; his manners
were easy and, as a rule, genial.

"We must have a talk," he began, indicating the documents in George's
hand. "I suppose you have grasped the position, even if Sylvia hasn't
explained it. She shows an excellent knowledge of details."

There was a hint of dryness in his tone that escaped George's notice.

"So far as I can make out," he answered, "Dick owned a section of a
second-class wheat-land, with a mortgage on the last quarter, some way
back from a railroad. The part under cultivation gives a poor crop."

"What would you value the property at?"

George made a rough calculation.

"I expected something of the kind," Herbert told him. "It's all Sylvia
has to live upon, and the interest would hardly cover her dressmaker's
bills." He looked directly at his cousin. "Of course, it's possible
that she will marry again."

"She must never be forced to contemplate it by any dread of poverty,"
George said shortly.

"How is it to be prevented?"

George merely looked thoughtful and a little stern. Getting no answer,
Herbert went on:

"So far as I can see, we have only two courses to choose between. The
first is to sell out as soon as we can find a buyer, with unfortunate
results if your valuation's right; but the second looks more promising.
With immigrants pouring into the country, land's bound to go up, and we
ought to get a largely increased price by holding on a while. To do
that, I understand, the land should be worked."

"Yes. It could, no doubt, be improved; which would materially add to
its value."

"I see one difficulty: the cost of superintendence might eat up most of
the profit. Wages are high on the prairie, are they not?"

George assented, and Herbert continued:

"Then a good deal would depend on the man in charge. Apart from the
question of his honesty, he would have to take a thorough interest in
the farm."

"He would have to think of nothing else, and be willing to work from
sunrise until dark," said George. "Successful farming means determined
effort in western Canada."

"Could you put your hands upon a suitable person?"

"I'm very doubtful. You don't often meet with a man of the kind we
need in search of an engagement at a strictly moderate salary."

"Then it looks as if we must sell out now for enough to provide Sylvia
with a pittance."

"That," George said firmly, "is not to be thought of!"

There was a short silence while he pondered, for his legacy had not
proved an unmixed blessing. At first he had found idleness irksome,
but by degrees he had grown accustomed to it. Though he was still
troubled now and then by an idea that he was wasting his time and
making a poor use of such abilities as he possessed, it was pleasant to
feel that, within certain limits, he could do exactly as he wished.
Life in western Canada was strenuous and somewhat primitive; he was
conscious of a strong reluctance to resume it; but he could not bear to
have Sylvia, who had luxurious tastes, left almost penniless. There
was a way in which he could serve her, and he determined to take it.
George was steadfast in his devotion, and did not shrink from a
sacrifice.

"It strikes me there's only one suitable plan," he said. "I know
something about western farming. I wouldn't need a salary; and Sylvia
could trust me to look after her interests. I'd better go out and take
charge until things are straightened up, or we come across somebody fit
for the post."

Herbert heard him with satisfaction. He had desired to lead George up
to this decision, and he suspected that Sylvia had made similar
efforts. It was not difficult to instil an idea into his cousin's mind.

"Well," he said thoughtfully, "the suggestion seems a good one; though
it's rather hard on you, if you really mean to go."

"That's decided," was the brief answer.

"Then, though we can discuss details later, you had better give me
legal authority to look after your affairs while you are away. There
are those Kaffir shares, for instance; it might be well to part with
them if, they go up a point or two."

"I've wondered why you recommended me to buy them," George said bluntly.

Herbert avoided a direct answer. He now and then advised George, who
knew little about business, in the management of his property, but his
advice was not always disinterested or intended only for his cousin's
benefit.

"Oh," he replied, "the cleverest operators now and then make mistakes,
and I don't claim exceptional powers of precision. It's remarkably
difficult to forecast the tendency of the stock-market."

George nodded, as if satisfied.

"I'll arrange things before I sail, and I'd better get off as soon as
possible. Now, suppose we go down and join the others."

CHAPTER II

HIS FRIENDS' OPINION

On the afternoon following his arrival, George stood thoughtfully
looking about on his cousin's lawn. Creepers flecked the mellow brick
front of the old house with sprays of tender leaves; purple clematis
hung from a trellis; and lichens tinted the low terrace wall with
subdued coloring. The grass was flanked by tall beeches, rising in
masses of bright verdure against a sky of clearest blue; and beyond it,
across the sparkling river, smooth meadows ran back to the foot of the
hills. It was, in spite of the bright sunshine, all so fresh and cool:
a picture that could be enjoyed only in rural England.

George was sensible of the appeal it made to him; now, when he must
shortly change such scenes for the wide levels of western Canada, which
are covered during most of the year with harsh, gray grass, alternately
withered by frost and sun, he felt their charm. It was one thing to
run across to Norway on a fishing or mountaineering trip and come back
when he wished, but quite another to settle down on the prairie where
he must remain until his work should be done. Moreover, for Mrs.
Lansing had many friends, the figures scattered about the lawn--young
men and women in light summer attire--enhanced the attractiveness of
the surroundings. They were nice people, with pleasant English ways;
and George contrasted them with the rather grim, aggressive plainsmen
among whom he would presently have to live: men who toiled in the heat,
half naked, and who would sit down to meals with him in dusty, unwashed
clothes. He was not a sybarite, but he preferred the society of Mrs.
Lansing's guests.

After a while she beckoned him, and they leaned upon the terrace wall
side by side. She was a good-natured, simple woman, with strongly
domestic habits and conventional views.

"I'm glad Herbert has got away from business for a few days," she
began. "He works too hard, and it's telling on him. How do you think
he is looking?"

George knew she was addicted to displaying a needless anxiety about her
husband's health. It had struck him that Herbert was getting stouter;
but he now remembered having noticed a hint of care in his face.

"The rest will do him good," he said.

Mrs. Lansing's conversation was often disconnected, and she now changed
the subject.

"Herbert tells me you are going to Canada. As you're fond of the open
air, you will enjoy it."

"I suppose so," George assented rather dubiously.

"Of course, it's very generous, and Sylvia's fortunate in having you to
look after things"--Mrs. Lansing paused before adding--"but are you
altogether wise in going, George?"

Lansing knew that his hostess loved romance, and sometimes attempted to
assist in one, but he would have preferred another topic.

"I don't see what else I could do," he said.

"That's hardly an answer. You will forgive me for speaking plainly,
but what I meant was this--your devotion to Sylvia is not a secret."

"I wish it were!" George retorted. "But I don't intend to deny it."

His companion looked at him reproachfully.

"Don't get restive; I've your best interests at heart. You're a little
too confiding and too backward, George. Sylvia slipped through your
fingers once before."

George's brown face colored deeply. He was angry, but Mrs. Lansing was
not to be deterred.

"Take a hint and stay at home," she went on. "It might pay you better."

"And let Sylvia's property be sacrificed?"

"Yes, if necessary." She looked at him directly. "You have means
enough."

He struggled with his indignation. Sylvia hated poverty, and it had
been suggested that he should turn the fact to his advantage. The idea
that she might be more willing to marry him if she were poor was most
unpleasant.

"Sylvia's favor is not to be bought," he said.

Mrs. Lansing's smile was half impatient.

"Oh, well, if you're bent on going, there's nothing to be said.
Sylvia, of course, will stay with us."

The arrangement was a natural one, as Sylvia was a relative of hers;
but George failed to notice that her expression grew thoughtful as she
glanced toward where Sylvia was sitting with a man upon whom the
soldier stamp was plainly set. George followed her gaze and frowned,
but he said nothing, and his companion presently moved away. Soon
afterward he crossed the lawn and joined a girl who waited for him.
Ethel West was tall and strongly made. She was characterized by a keen
intelligence and bluntness of speech. Being an old friend of George's,
she occasionally assumed the privilege of one.

"I hear you are going to Canada. What is taking you there again?" she
asked.

"I am going to look after some farming property, for one thing."

Ethel regarded him with amusement.

"Sylvia Marston's, I suppose?"

"Yes," George answered rather shortly.

"Then what's the other purpose you have in view?"

George hesitated.

"I'm not sure I have another motive."

"So I imagined. You're rather an exceptional man--in some respects."

"If that's true, I wasn't aware of it," George retorted.

Ethel laughed.

"It's hardly worth while to prove my statement; we'll talk of something
else. Has Herbert told you anything about his business since you came
back? I suppose you have noticed signs of increased prosperity?"

"I'm afraid I'm not observant, and Herbert isn't communicative."

"Perhaps he's wise. Still, the fact that he's putting up a big new
orchard-house has some significance. I understand from Stephen that
he's been speculating largely in rubber shares. It's a risky game."

"I suppose it is," George agreed. "But it's most unlikely that Herbert
will come to grief. He has a very long head; I believe he could, for
example, buy and sell me."

"That wouldn't be very difficult. I suspect Herbert isn't the only one
of your acquaintances who is capable of doing as much."

Her eyes followed Sylvia, who was then walking across the grass.
Sylvia's movements were always graceful, and she had now a subdued,
pensive air that rendered her appearance slightly pathetic. Ethel's
face, however, grew quietly scornful. She knew what Sylvia's forlorn
and helpless look was worth.

"I'm not afraid that anybody will try," George replied.

"Your confidence is admirable." laughed Ethel; "but I mustn't appear
too cynical, and I've a favor to ask. Will you take Edgar out with
you?"

George felt a little surprised. Edgar was her brother, a lad of
somewhat erratic habits and ideas, who had been at Oxford when George
last heard of him.

"Yes, if he wants to go, and Stephen approves," he said; for Stephen,
the lawyer, was an elder brother, and the Wests had lost their parents.

"He will be relieved to get him off his hands for a while; but Edgar
will be over to see you during the afternoon. He's spending a week or
two with the Charltons."

"I remember that young Charlton and he were close acquaintances."

"That was the excuse for the visit; but you had better understand that
there was a certain amount of friction when Edgar came home after some
trouble with the authorities. In his opinion, Stephen is too fond of
making mountains out of molehills; but I must own that Edgar's
molehills have a way of increasing in size, and the last one caused us
a good deal of uneasiness. Anyway, we have decided that a year's hard
work in Canada might help to steady him, even if he doesn't follow up
farming. The main point is that he would be safe with you."

"I'll have a talk with him," George promised; and after a word of
thanks Ethel turned away.

A little later she joined Mrs. Lansing, who was sitting alone in the
shadow of a beech.

"I'm afraid I've added to George's responsibilities--he has agreed to
take Edgar out," she said. "He has some reason for wishing to be
delivered from his friends, though I don't suppose he does so."

"I've felt the same thing. Of course, I'm not referring to Edgar--his
last scrape was only a trifling matter."

"So he contends," laughed Ethel. "Stephen doesn't agree with him."

"Well," said Mrs. Lansing, "I've often thought it's a pity George
didn't marry somebody nice and sensible."

"Would you apply that description to Sylvia?"

"Sylvia stands apart," Mrs. Lansing declared. "She can do what nobody
else would venture on, and yet you feel you must excuse her."

"Have you any particular exploit of hers in your mind?"

"I was thinking of when she accepted Dick Marston. I believe even Dick
was astonished."

"Sylvia knows how to make herself irresistible," said Ethel, strolling
away a few moments later, somewhat troubled in mind.

She had cherished a half-tender regard for George, which, had it been
reciprocated, might have changed to a deeper feeling. The man was
steadfast, chivalrous, honest, and she saw in him latent capabilities
which few others suspected. Still, his devotion to Sylvia had never
been concealed, and Ethel had acquiesced in the situation, though she
retained a strong interest in him. She believed that in going to
Canada he was doing an injudicious thing; but as his confidence was
hard to shake, he could not be warned--her conversation with him had
made that plainer. She would not regret it if Sylvia forgot him while
he was absent; but there were other ways in which he might suffer, and
she wished he had not chosen to place the management of his affairs in
Herbert's hands.

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