the Light Of Western Stars (1992) (35 page)

"You don't hit where you look
.
"

"Nels, your left eye has sprung a limp
.
"

"Why, you dog-goned old fule, you cain't hit thet bawl
.
"

Nels essayed again, only to meet ignominious failure
.
Then carefully he gathered himself together, gaged distance, balanced the club, swung cautiously
.
And the head of the club made a beautiful curve round the ball
.

"Shore it's jest thet crooked club," he declared
.

He changed clubs and made another signal failure
.
Rage suddenly possessing him, he began to swing wildly
.
Always, it appeared, the illusive little ball was not where he aimed
.
Stillwell hunched his huge bulk, leaned hands on knees, and roared his riotous mirth
.
The cowboys leaped up and down in glee
.

"You cain't hit thet bawl," sang out one of the noisiest
.
A few more whirling, desperate lunges on the part of Nels, all as futile as if the ball had been thin air, finally brought to the dogged cowboy a realization that golf was beyond him
.

Stillwell bawled: "Oh, haw, haw, haw!Nels, you're-too old- eyes no good!"

Nels slammed down the club, and when he straightened up with the red leaving his face, then the real pride and fire of the man showed
.
Deliberately he stepped off ten paces and turned toward the little mound upon which rested the ball
.
His arm shot down, elbow crooked, hand like a claw
.

"Aw, Nels, this is fun!" yelled Stillwell
.

But swift as a gleam of light Nels flashed his gun, and the report came with the action
.
Chips flew from the golf-ball as it tumbled from the mound
.
Nels had hit it without raising tile dust
.
Then he dropped the gun back in its sheath and faced the cowboys
.

"Mebbe my eyes ain't so orful bad," he said, coolly, and started to walk off
.

"But look ah-heah, Nels," yelled Stillwell, "we come out to play gol-lof!We can't let you knock the ball around with your gun
.
What'd you want to get mad for?It's only fun
.
Now you an' Nick hang round heah an' be sociable
.
We ain't depreciatin' your company none, nor your usefulness on occasions
.
An' if you just hain't got inborn politeness sufficient to do the gallant before the ladies, why, remember Stewart's orders
.
"

"Stewart's orders?" queried Nels, coming to a sudden halt
.

"That's what I said," replied Stillwell, with asperity
.
"His orders
.
Are you forgettin' orders?Wal, you're a fine cowboy
.
You an' Nick an' Monty, 'specially, are to obey orders
.
"

Nels took off his sombrero and scratched his head
.
"Bill, I reckon I'm some forgetful
.
But I was mad
.
I'd 'a' remembered pretty soon, an' mebbe my manners
.
"

"Sure you would," replied Stillwell
.
"Wal, now, we don't seem to be proceedin' much with my gol-lof team
.
Next ambitious player step up
.
"

In Ambrose, who showed some skill in driving, Stillwell found one of his team
.
The succeeding players, however, were so poor and so evenly matched that the earnest Stillwell was in despair
.
He lost his temper just as speedily as Nels had
.
Finally Ed Linton's wife appeared riding up with Ambrose's wife, and perhaps this helped, for Ed suddenly disclosed ability that made Stillwell single him out
.

"Let me coach you a little," said Bill
.

"Sure, if you like," replied Ed
.
"But I know more about this game than you do
.
"

"Wal, then, let's see you hit a ball straight
.
Seems to me you got good all-fired quick
.
It's amazin' strange
.
" ere Bill looked around to discover the two young wives modestly casting eyes of admiration upon their husbands
.
"Haw, haw!It ain't so darned strange
.
Mebbe that'll help some
.
Now, Ed, stand up and don't sling your club as if you was ropin' a steer
.
Come round easy-like an' hit straight
.
"

Ed made several attempts which, although better than those of his predecessors, were rather discouraging to the exacting coach
.
Presently, after a particularly atrocious shot, Stillwell strode in distress here and there, and finally stopped a dozen paces or more in front of the teeing-ground
.
Ed, who for a cowboy was somewhat phlegmatic, calmly made ready for another attempt
.

"Fore!" he called
.

Stillwell stared
.

"Fore!" yelled Ed
.

"Why're you hollerin' that way at me?" demanded Bill
.

"I mean for you to lope off the horizon
.
Get back from in front
.
"

"Oh, that was one of them durned crazy words Monty is always hollerin'
.
Wal, I reckon I'm safe enough hyar
.
You couldn't hit me in a million years
.
"

"Bill, ooze away," urged Ed
.

"Didn't I say you couldn't hit me?What am I coachin' you for? It's because you hit crooked, ain't it?Wal, go ahaid an' break your back
.
"

Ed Linton was a short, heavy man, and his stocky build gave evidence of considerable strength
.
His former strokes had not been made at the expense of exertion, but now he got ready for a supreme effort
.
A sudden silence clamped down upon the exuberant cowboys
.
It was one of those fateful moments when the air was charged with disaster
.
As Ed swung the club it fairly whistled
.

Crack!Instantly came a thump
.
But no one saw the ball until it dropped from Stillwell's shrinking body
.
His big hands went spasmodically to the place that hurt, and a terrible groan rumbled from him
.
Then the cowboys broke into a frenzy of mirth that seemed to find adequate expression only in dancing and rolling accompaniment to their howls
.
Stillwell recovered his dignity as soon as he caught his breath, and he advanced with a rueful face
.

"Wal, boys, it's on Bill," he said
.
"I'm a livin' proof of the pig-headedness of mankind
.
Ed, you win
.
You're captain of the team
.
You hit straight, an' if I hadn't been obstructin' the general atmosphere that ball would sure have gone clear to the Chiricahuas
.
"

Then making a megaphone of his huge hands, he yelled a loud blast of defiance at Monty and Link
.

"Hey, you swell gol-lofers!We're waitin'
.
Come on if you ain't scared
.
"

Instantly Monty and Link quit practising, and like two emperors came stalking across the links
.

"Guess my bluff didn't work much," said Stillwell
.
Then he turned to Madeline and her friends
.
"Sure I hope, Miss Majesty, that you-all won't weaken an' go over to the enemy
.
Monty is some eloquent, an', besides, he has a way of gettin' people to agree with him
.
He'll be plump wild when he heahs what he an' Link are up against
.
But it's a square deal, because he wouldn't help us or lend the book that shows how to play
.
An', besides, it's policy for us to beat him
.
Now, if you'll elect who's to be caddies an' umpire I'll be powerful obliged
.
"

Madeline's friends were hugely amused over the prospective match; but, except for Dorothy and Castleton, they disclaimed any ambition for active participation
.
Accordingly, Madeline appointed Castleton to judge the play, Dorothy to act as caddie for Ed Linton, and she herself to be caddie for Ambrose
.
While Stillwell beamingly announced this momentous news to his team and supporters Monty and Link were striding up
.

Both were diminutive in size, bow-legged, lame in one foot, and altogether unprepossessing
.
Link was young, and Monty's years, more than twice Link's, had left their mark
.
But it would have been impossible to tell Monty's age
.
As Stillwell said, Monty was burned to the color and hardness of a cinder
.
He never minded the heat, and always wore heavy sheepskin chaps with the wool outside
.
This made him look broader than he was long
.
Link, partial to leather, had, since he became Madeline's chauffeur, taken to leather altogether
.
He carried no weapon, but Monty wore a huge gun-sheath and gun
.
Link smoked a cigarette and looked coolly impudent
.
Monty was dark-faced, swaggering, for all the world like a barbarian chief
.

"That Monty makes my flesh creep," said Helen, low-voiced
.
"Really, Mr
.
Stillwell, is he so bad-desperate-as I've heard? Did he ever kill anybody?"

"Sure
.
'Most as many as Nels," replied Stillwell, cheerfully
.

"Oh!And is that nice Mr
.
Nels a desperado, too?I wouldn't have thought so
.
He's so kind and old-fashioned and soft-voiced
.
"

"Nels is sure an example of the dooplicity of men, Miss Helen
.
Don't you listen to his soft voice
.
He's really as bad as a side-winder rattlesnake
.
"

At this juncture Monty and Link reached the teeing-ground, and Stillwell went out to meet them
.
The other cowboys pressed forward to surround the trio
.
Madeline heard Stillwell's voice, and evidently he was explaining that his team was to have skilled advice during the play
.
Suddenly there came from the center of the group a loud, angry roar that broke off as suddenly
.
Then followed excited voices all mingled together
.
Presently Monty appeared, breaking away from restraining hands, and he strode toward Madeline
.

Monty Price was a type of cowboy who had never been known to speak to a woman unless he was first addressed, and then he answered in blunt, awkward shyness
.
Upon this great occasion, however, it appeared that he meant to protest or plead with Madeline, for he showed stress of emotion
.
Madeline had never gotten acquainted with Monty
.
She was a little in awe, if not in fear, of him, and now she found it imperative for her to keep in mind that more than any other of the wild fellows on her ranch this one should be dealt with as if he were a big boy
.

Monty removed his sombrero-something he had never done before- and the single instant when it was off was long enough to show his head entirely bald
.
This was one of the hall-marks of that terrible Montana prairie fire through which he had fought to save the life of a child
.
Madeline did not forget it, and all at once she wanted to take Monty's side
.
Remembering Stillwell's wisdom, however, she forebore yielding to sentiment, and called upon her wits
.

"Miss-Miss Hammond," began Monty, stammering, "I'm extendin' admirin' greetin's to you an' your friends
.
Link an' me are right down proud to play the match game with you watchin'
.
But Bill says you're goin' to caddie for his team an' coach 'em on the fine points
.
An' I want to ask, all respectful, if thet's fair an' square?"