The lawyer and
minister are used to it, you see, and the secret's safe with _them_."
JEFFRY MAULBOY took an unusually large chew of tobacco, and thought it
all over.
"I won't do it," he finally said.
"All right, then," she replied; "I'll write to Mrs. CUPID and tell her
the whole story, and I'll stay here besides. It'll be hard enough on me
for a while if I go, and harder still if I stay; but I'll do it to
_spite you_. I'll break off your match with Mrs. CUPID if I _do_ stay,
now mark my words."
JEFFRY MAULBOY walked back and forth, and emitted the choicest string
of curses that his extensive and valuable collection enabled him to
cull. At last he stopped in front of her, and said savagely:
"I'll do it. But if you ever lisp a word to any living soul till I'm
safely married to CUPID, I'll kill you, dead sure. Do you hear that?"
"When and how is the thing to be done?" he growled again.
"The sooner the better," was ANN'S reply. "If you don't hear from me by
to-morrow noon, go to the Half-way House at Forney's Crag. That's all
_you've_ got to do. I'll have the lawyer and minister both there.
_You'd_ better be there too. That's all I say."
Alone in his room, JEFFRY admitted that ANN had been too smart for him.
"And I'm mighty afraid that, somehow or other, the old she-dragon will
get the best of me yet in this infernal business," he soliloquized.
Pages:
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32