Mr. Ashe chuckled, then said soberly—“Three dollars!”
He was thinking of the generous mail orders, which had been one of the diversions of the long winter evenings; of the occasional visits to the little country town.
Those had been gala days on the ranch for the little Mexicans,—those days after the return from town. As for Benita, her ribbons were the envy of all the other women on the ranch; while Uncle Joe’s stock of silk neckerchiefs was famous.
Come to think of it, Blue Bonnet’s buying had mostly been for other folks.
And they had tried to pin her down to three dollars a month!
Mr. Ashe looked across at Miss Lucinda. “You wouldn’t call three dollars a remarkably big allowance, Miss Lucinda?”
“It is three times what several of her companions have,” Miss Clyde answered; “and they are expected to keep themselves in gloves and ribbons. Blue Bonnet is only required to provide for her school supplies and small personal expenses.”
“But you see Blue Bonnet will have—”
Miss Lucinda glanced up quickly. “Should that make any difference—now?”
“I should have thought it might,” Mr. Ashe replied candidly.