Arizona -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Religious fiction; Teachers -- Fiction
"No clue," said Gardley, uneasily, "but something strange I cannot
understand. I don't suppose it can possibly have anything to do with
your daughter, and yet it seems almost uncanny. This morning I stopped
at the Tanners' to let Miss Earle know I had returned, and was told she
had gone yesterday with a couple of Indians as guide to meet the
Brownleighs at Keams or somewhere near there, and take a trip with them
to Walpi to see the Hopi Indians. Mrs. Tanner gave me this letter from
Mrs. Brownleigh, which Miss Earle had left behind. But when I reached
here and was waiting for you some papers blew out of your daughter's
window. When I picked them up I was startled to find that one of them
was an exact copy of the letter I had in my pocket. See! Here they are!
I don't suppose there is anything to it, but in spite of me I am a
trifle uneasy about Miss Earle. I just can't understand how that copy of
the letter came to be here."
Rogers was leaning over, looking at the papers. "What's this?" he asked,
picking up the note that came with the Testament. He read each paper
carefully, took in the little Testament with its fluttering fly-leaf
and inscription, studied the pages of words and alphabet, then suddenly
turned away and groaned, hiding his face in his hands.
"What is it?" asked Gardley, awed with the awful sorrow in the strong
man's attitude.
"My poor baby!" groaned the father. "My poor little baby girl! I've
always been afraid of that fatal gift of hers. Gardley, she could copy
any handwriting in the world perfectly. She could write my name so it
could not be told from my own signature. She's evidently written that
letter. Why, I don't know, unless she wanted to get Miss Earle out of
the way so it would be easier for her to carry out her plans."
"It can't be!" said Gardley, shaking his head. "I can't see what her
object would be. Besides, where would she find the Indians? Mrs. Tanner
saw the Indians. They came to the school after her with the letter, and
waited for her. Mrs. Tanner saw them ride off together."
"There were a couple of strange Indians here yesterday, begging
something to eat," said Rogers, settling down on a chair and resting his
head against the desk as if he had suddenly lost the strength to stand.
"This won't do!" said Gardley. "We've got to get down to the
telegraph-office, you and I. Now try to brace up. Are the horses ready?
Then we'll go right away."
"You better question the servants about those Indians first," said
Rogers; and Gardley, as he hurried down the stairs, heard groan after
groan from Rosa's room, where her father lingered in agony.
Gardley got all the information he could about the Indians, and then the
two men started away on a gallop to the station. As they passed the
Tanner house Gardley drew rein to call to Bud, who hurried out joyfully
to greet his friend, his face lighting with pleasure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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