Arizona -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Religious fiction; Teachers -- Fiction
Rosa was watching for his passing, and he stopped a half-hour or so to
talk to her. During this time she casually disclosed to Forsythe some of
the plans she had overheard Gardley laying before her father. Rosa had
very little idea of the importance of Gardley's work to her father, or
perhaps she would not have so readily prattled of his affairs. Her main
idea was to pay back Gardley for his part in her humiliation with
Forsythe. She suggested that it would be a great thing if Gardley could
be prevented from being at the play Tuesday evening, and told what she
had overheard him saying to her father merely to show Forsythe how easy
it would be to have Gardley detained on Tuesday. Forsythe questioned
Rosa keenly. Did she know whom they suspected? Did she know what they
were planning to do to catch them, and when?
Rosa innocently enough disclosed all she knew, little thinking how
dishonorable to her father it was, and perhaps caring as little, for
Rosa had ever been a spoiled child, accustomed to subordinating
everything within reach to her own uses. As for Forsythe, he was nothing
loath to get rid of Gardley, and he saw more possibilities in Rosa's
suggestion than she had seen herself. When at last he bade Rosa good
night and rode unobtrusively back to the trail he was already
formulating a plan.
It was, therefore, quite in keeping with his wishes that he should meet
a dark-browed rider a few miles farther up the trail whose identity he
had happened to learn a few days before.
Now Forsythe would, perhaps, not have dared to enter into any compact
against Gardley with men of such ill-repute had it been a matter of
money and bribery, but, armed as he was with information valuable to the
criminals, he could so word his suggestion about Gardley's detention as
to make the hunted men think it to their advantage to catch Gardley
some time the next day when he passed their way and imprison him for a
while. This would appear to be but a friendly bit of advice from a
disinterested party deserving a good turn some time in the future and
not get Forsythe into any trouble. As such it was received by the
wretch, who clutched at the information with ill-concealed delight and
rode away into the twilight like a serpent threading his secret, gliding
way among the darkest places, scarcely rippling the air, so stealthily
did he pass.
As for Forsythe, he rode blithely to the Temple ranch, with no thought
of the forces he had set going, his life as yet one round of trying to
please himself at others' expense, if need be, but please himself,
_anyway_, with whatever amusement the hour afforded.
At home in the East, where his early life had been spent, a splendid
girl awaited his dilatory letters and set herself patiently to endure
the months of separation until he should have attained a home and a
living and be ready for her to come to him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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