UNEXPECTED NEWS
“Bob!” Betty’s over-tired nerves seemed to jangle like tangled wires. “Bob, is anything the matter?”
“Well, of course, nothing is really the matter,” replied Bob, his assumed calmness belied by his excited face. “Nothing that need worry you, Betty. But—there’s another oil fire!”
“Another well on fire?” repeated Betty. “Oh, Bob, is it anywhere near Uncle Dick?”
“You come in and sit down. Ki will look after Clover,” said Bob authoritatively. “Supper is almost ready, and I’ll tell you all I know. Mrs. Watterby has gone to bed with a sick headache, but Grandma is taking her place.”
“Is it a very bad fire?” urged Betty. “Where is it? When did it start? Have you seen it?”
“I guess it is pretty bad,” said Bob soberly. “It’s the north section, Betty. Just what Thorne has been afraid of.”
“The north section!” Betty looked startled. “But, Bob, we were there this morning. Everything was all right.”
“Well, when I came back with the record book Thorne sent me with and found you and Clover had dashed off, everything was all right, too. I hung round for an hour or so, hoping you’d ride back, and then MacDuffy asked me to take a message to Thorne. They were having dinner at the mess house, and Uncle Dick came in before we had finished. He was feeling great over some leases they’d signed that morning, and he thought he’d get home to-night. He didn’t seem to worry about you—said he knew Clover was a sensible and well-broken horse and that he guessed you’d come out none the worse for wear. Somebody called Thorne outside just as the Chink brought in the pie, and he was back in a few minutes, looking as if the bottom had dropped out of the world.