United States or Venezuela ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Then she would think this startling affair out. She got away from the Bottom without disturbing Ratty and the man from Bylittle. Once Molly was loping over the plain again, Frances began to question her impressions of the dialogue she had overheard. In the first place, she was sure she had heard the voice of the man, Pete, before.
"You say yourself he's got the chest." "Sure! I seen it once or twice. Old Spanish carving and all that. But I bet there ain't much in it, Pete." "You'd ought to have heard that doddering old idiot, Lonergan, talk about it," sniffed Pete. "Then your mouth would have watered. I tell you that's about all he's been talkin' about the last few months, there at Bylittle.
It was from the chaplain of the Bylittle Soldiers' Home, of Bylittle, Mississippi. "Captain Daniel Rugley, "Bar-T Ranch, "Texas Panhandle.
She, too, was tied up in such a way that she could not possibly free herself. And she was frightened desperately frightened! She had reason to be. The ex-orderly from the Bylittle Soldiers' Home had proved himself to be a perfect madman when he found that the girl and Pratt were really escaping. Evidently he had seized upon the desperate attempt to hold Frances for ransom as a last resort.
One and the same man tramp and robber. Ratty had shown Pete the way. Ratty was a traitor. He might easily have seen the broken slate on the roof and pointed it out to the mysterious Pete. The latter had been an orderly in the Bylittle Soldiers' Home, and had heard the story of the Spanish treasure chest, when old Mr. Lonergan was rambling about it to the chaplain.
It was Pete Ratty M'Gill's acquaintance the man who had been orderly at the Bylittle Soldiers' Home, and who had come all the way to the Panhandle to try to secure the treasure in the old Spanish chest. Perhaps Frances had half expected some such incident as this to punctuate her journey to Amarillo. Nevertheless, the reckless tone of the man, and the way he used his rifle, troubled her.
At least, she had managed to draw the attention of the dishonest orderly from the Bylittle Soldiers' Home from the real Spanish treasure chest for several days. Before he could make any further attempt against the peace of mind of her father and herself, Frances hoped Mr.
Finally, Frances saw the ex-orderly of the Bylittle Soldiers' Home produce a pad of paper, an envelope, and pencil. He was plainly a ready writer, for he went to work with the pencil at once, while Ratty rolled a fresh cigarette and still watched their captive. Pete finished his letter, sealed it in the envelope, and addressed it in a bold hand.
Likewise she asked the following question giving no reason for her curiosity: "Did there recently leave the Bylittle Home an employee an orderly whose first name is Peter? And if so, what is his reputation, his full name, and why did he leave the Home?" "Maybe that will puzzle the Reverend Mr. Tooley some," thought Frances of the ranges.
But the letter from the chaplain of the Bylittle Soldiers' Home was forever troubling him. Between his spells of agony, or when his mind was really clear, he talked to Frances of little but Jonas Lonergan and the treasure chest. "Can't you calm his mind, Miss Frances?" She told the medical man as much about her father's ancient friend as she thought was wise.
Word Of The Day