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All of which goes to show what a perfect little lady she was. When Maudie made inquiries of Pearl Watson as to her Sabbath-day attire, her motives were more kindly than Pearl thought. Maudie's mother was giving her a party. Hitherto the guests upon such occasions had been selected with great care, and with respect to social standing, and blue china, and correct enunciation.
"Don't believe anybody knows. Oh, yes, they must, too; it'll be on her deeds. She's got the best hundred by fifty foot lot in the place. Held it down last fall herself with a six-shooter, and she owns that cabin on the corner. Isn't a better business head in Minóok than Maudie's.
Women wept, and sick men turned away their faces. The dogs still howled, for nothing is so lacerating to the feelings of your Siwash as a steam-whistle blast. The memory of it troubles him long after the echo of it dies. Suddenly above the din Maudie's shrill voice: "I thought that was Nig!" Before the gangway had dropped with a bang her sharp eyes had picked out the Boy.
The girl was releasing Billy Bluff from his chain, to Maudie's open annoyance, when Jerry panted in with his news. Silver ran to the gate. "By Jove, so it is!" he cried. He was in the saddle in a moment, but not so quickly as was the girl. She led him through the gate. Together they galloped across the Paddock Close and made for the hill, Billy Bluff racing at their side.
Nobody was safe. Luckily they were on to him. But look! He didn't care a curse. It would be a good night's job to make him care. Three men had hold of him, and everybody talked at once. Minnie Bryan was sure she had seen him skulking round Maudie's after that lady had gone up the trail, but everybody had been too excited about the stampede to notice particularly.
"Well, I'll do it," he said slowly, "and if you're right " "Oh, I'm all right," she laughed; "an' I know my McGinty backwards. But" she frowned with sudden anger "it ain't Maudie's pretty way to interfere with cheechalkos gettin' fooled. I ain't proud o' the trouble I've taken, and I'll thank you not to mention it. Not to that pardner o' yours not to nobody."
There were ways of managing these things, but they required his mother's or his friends' co-operation; and so far Mrs. Ransome had shown no disposition to co-operate. Winny was not likely to present herself at Wandsworth without encouragement, and she had apparently declined to lend herself to any scheme of Maudie's or of Fred Booty's.
It was Sunday morning at Putnam's, and in Maudie's estimation things were more comme il faut than they had been for long past. About a fortnight since there had been trouble in the yard during the night, and after it, for some hours before he went away, the Monster-without-Manners had been subdued almost to gentlemanliness. Then two of the fan-tails had been taken ill.
"Oh, there's only one more." He grinned with embarrassment, and hitched his head towards Kaviak. "I guess you've jawed enough," said Maudie, leaving the others and coming to the foot of the bed. "And Maudie's goin' back, too," said the sick man. She nodded. "And you're never goin' to leave her again?" "No." "Maudie's a little bit of All Right," said the patient.
"It must have been somebody who knowed where you kept the stuff." "N-no." Her red eyes wandered miserably, restlessly, to the window. Over the red half-curtain French Charlie and Butts looked in. They had not been to the meeting. Maudie's face darkened as she caught sight of the Canadian. "Oh, yes, you can crow over me now," she shouted shrilly above the buzz of comment and suggestion.
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