“That’s different,” said Frank.
Somehow, Delores seemed to fancy that both visitors looked on him with suspicion after that speech, and he hastened to add:
“I do no crime—no. I do not’ing in this country to make me hide-a.”
They looked at him in silence. Somehow, that seemed to sting him deeply, for he suddenly burst forth:
“If you knew! I have kep’ da secret long—I have kep’ da silence. Now Mescal, he know all ’bout it. How he find it out I do not know; but he will tell it everywhere. Da secret will be no longer one. Soon I shall have to go ’way from dis valley. I have t’ought dat some time.”
“Oh, papa—oh, no, no, no!” cried Felicia, springing from her place and running round to him. “Go away from here? Leave my dear mama out there all alone? Oh, no, no, no!”
Her distress was great, and the tears appeared in her deep, dark eyes. He caught her up and kissed her hair, holding her close to him.
“My little Felicia!” he said huskily. “I ’fraid da time come when we must go; but, some time, mebbe, we come back to put da sweet flower on mama’s grave.”
“Oh, why should we go, papa?”
“Papa have great many enemy. Now da bad man know him here da enemy may find out soon. Papa go ’way, so him not be hurt.”