"She had that secret from her father!" says he, slow. "Who can tell what's in a woman's heart?" "That's it," says I; "now you got it. She was a woman--she told me so." "What more did she say, Curly?" "Once she come to me crying, and she says, 'Curly, I love him!'--she meant that man next door. And I know for shore now he wasn't fit to wipe her feet on." Old Man Wright he set down then, quiet like. I couldn't help him none, I had to set and see him take it. It was awful. "She said that--she loved him? How long ago?" "A few weeks, maybe," says I. "I never could get the nerve to tell you then. I hoped she'd get to see how foolish it was for her to care for a cheap gardener--I thought she'd be too proud for that. And then I allowed she'd, like enough, marry Tom Kimberly, and that'd change her and it'd all come out all right. All the time I was hoping and trying to save both her and you. I been nigh about crazy, Colonel. And all the time, of course, I was only a damn fool cowpuncher, without any brains." "She's gone!" says he, after a time. "Yes," says I; "near as I can figure, she's thought about it all night and concluded it'd be best for her not to marry Tom, feeling like she did about this other man. She's shook us, Colonel. But, believe me, she wasn't never happy doing that. It must of been like death to her." "Why did she do it, Curly?" he whispered. "How could she? Why?" "I done told you, Colonel," says I. "It was because she found she was a woman. She hadn't knew that before--nor us neither." At length he got up, but he couldn't stand up straight. "How can we keep this quiet?" says he. We couldn't keep it quiet at all. It was all over the house right now. That Annette girl had read all them Peanut letters before William ever got 'em. Like enough he'd read 'em too. They was scared when we walked into their part of the house. "Where's that dog?" says Old Man Wright. William, he got pale. "Very good, sir," says he, and pretends to go after Peanut, which he knows wasn't there. "Hi suppose she took 'im along with 'er, sir," says William after a while. Annette she chips in: "_Oui, oui_--yes, yes; she took him with her." "Took him with her? What do you mean? What do you know about it? Keep quiet, you people!" says Old Man Wright. "Get into that room!" He locked them in. "Now, Curly----" says he. I knew he was clear in his own mind by now that the girl had run away with that gardener. He'd maybe go over there. "No, Colonel," says I; "you keep out of this." "What do you mean?" says he. "Ain't you my friend at all? Ain't I got a friend in all the world?" "You're alderman here," I says, "and that's the same as being sher'f. When you was sher'f you couldn't do what the law said you couldn't--now could you? You have to keep up the law when you're a alderman or sher'f. With me, it's different. Besides, this is my job, not yours."