She had already seen just the way to go about it. Give Min Peters the chance to make money and she would jump at it.
“You see, we don’t mind having a girl for cook and guide. We will rather like it,” she said, laughing into Min’s delighted face. “Poor old Tom is our only male companion. And unless we find a man to take care of the horses and burros he’ll have to put on overalls himself and do that work.”
“That’ll be all right. I can get a Mexican boy—a good one,” Min said quickly. “The hosses is all in Jeb’s corral and you can hire of him. I tell you pop expected a big crowd of you and he was disappointed.”
“You will make the money he would have made,” Ruth told her cheerfully. “We will pay you man’s wages and we shall want you at least a month. Eighty dollars and ‘found.’ How is that?”
“Looks like heaven,” said Min bluntly. “I ain’t never seen so much money in my life!”
“And the Mexican boy?”
“Pedro Morales. Twenty-two fifty is all he’ll expect. We don’t pay Greasers like we do white men in this country,” said the girl with some bruskness. “But, say, Miss——”
“I am Ruth Fielding.”
“Miss Fielding, then. You’re the boss of this outfit?”
“I suppose so. I shall pay the bills at any rate. Until Mr. Hammond and the moving picture people arrive.”