But Lingle was already out of hearing of the querulous voice of the
misogynist, and peering into the tepee which was as Mormon Joe had left
it he noted that it contained an unmade bed, and extra pair of shoes,
and a few articles of wearing apparel--that was all.
The door of the sheep wagon was unlocked, yet he hesitated a moment
before opening it. Its examination was in line with his duty, however,
so he opened it and looked about with a certain amount of curiosity. The
bare, cold stillness of it went to his marrow.
There was something pathetic to him in the pitiful attempts at home
making shown in the few crude decorations. A feminine instinct for
domesticity evidenced itself in the imitation of the scalloped border of
a lace curtain made in soap on the glass of the small window in the back
of the wagon, in a pin cushion of coarse muslin worked in blue worsted
yarn, in the bouquet of dried goldenrod in a bottle, in the highly
colored picture of an ammunition company's advertisement pinned to the
canvas wall. A snag of a comb and a brush were thrust in a wooden strip
near the small cheap mirror.
Above the bunk two loops of wire were suspended from an oak bow of the
wagon top, which obviously was where the occupant kept her rifle. There
was a tiny stove by the door and a cupboard beside it, the shelves of
which were crowded with books whose titles made the sheriff's eyes open.
A Latin grammar, a Roman history, the "Story of the French Revolution,"
mythology, and many others that might as well have been Greek for all
the meaning their titles conveyed to the deputy.
"Whew!" he whistled softly. He had no idea that Mormon Joe's Kate had
any education. He had the impression that she was, in his own
phraseology, "a tough customer." Mormon Joe must have taught her, he
reflected. There never was any doubt about his learning when it suited
him to display it. The discovery increased the sheriff's curiosity to
see the girl.
Continuing his investigations, he opened one of the drawers that pulled
out from beneath the bunk, and closed it hastily--but not too soon to
see that the undergarments it contained were made of flour sacks which
had been ripped, laundered and fashioned clumsily by a hand unused to
sewing. In the drawer on the other side there were clippings giving
recipes for improving the complexion, hair treatments, care of the teeth
and nails, and other aids to beauty.
Lingle smiled as he glanced at them. Evidently she had traits that were
distinctly feminine. In addition, there were writing materials and a
packet of letters addressed in a masculine hand that looked unformed and
youthful. They were tied with a pink ribbon, and had the appearance of
having been read frequently. Lingle fingered the packet uncertainly and
then threw it back in the drawer impatiently.
"Thunder!" he muttered, "I ain't paid to snoop through a woman's
letters."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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