The next day Donna took up her life where it had left off. She had
scarcely cached Harley P.'s thousand dollars in her private compartment
in the eating-house safe when the irrepressible Miss Molly Pickett
dropped in to express her sympathy at Donna's three-day illness,
casually mentioned the stage robbery, the name in the hat and the sudden
exit from San Pasqual of Harley P. Hennage. Incidentally she mentioned
the fact that Mr. Hennage had once presented her with an order for a
registered letter for a man by the name of Robert McGraw, and taking
into consideration this fact and the further fact that birds of a
feather always flock together, Miss Pickett opined that the hold-up man
was doubtless a bosom friend of Mr. Hennage.
A hearty dinner the evening before, and twelve hours of uninterrupted
slumber, had driven from Donna's face every trace of her three days of
purgatory. She was alert, smiling and happy; and able to cross swords
with Miss Pickett with something more than a gossamer hope of foiling
her. She discussed the affair so calmly and with such apparent interest
that Miss Pickett was completely mystified, and in a last desperate
effort to satiate her curiosity she cast aside all pretense and came
boldly into the open.
“Folks do say, Donna, that the man who was shot saving you from those
tramps and was nursed at the Hat Ranch is the same man that held up the
stage.”
“Indeed! Miss Pickett, folks don't know what they are talking about.
Have you asked Doctor Taylor?”
Miss Pickett commenced to spar. As a matter of fact she _had_ asked Doc
Taylor, and been informed that his late patient responded to the name of
Roland McGuire. But there was a hang-dog look in the doctor's eyes which
had not escaped Miss Pickett, and intuitively she knew that the worthy
_medico_ had lied. Donna's question convinced her that she was not
mistaken. Her bright little eyes gleamed archly.
“Why, we never did learn who it was that saved you, Donna. Is it a
secret?”
“Why, no.”
Miss Pickett waited in agony for ten seconds, but Donna, having replied
fully to her query, volunteered no further information. In desperation
the post-mistress demanded:
“Well, then, why do you keep it to yourself?”
“Is that any of your business, Miss Pickett?”
“No, of course not. But then--”
“Well?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account