AN ACCOUNTING
All the next day, and the next, Mary watched the door and on the morning of the third Rimrock came. From motives of prudence the badly shaken Jepson had suggested that she see him first and she had consented with an understanding smile. He slipped in quietly, glancing furtively around, and then looked at her coldly in the eye.
"Well," he said with an accusing smile, "I see you sold out to Stoddard, too."
She turned away wearily and, picking up a letter, laid it down on the counter before him.
"There's a notice," she said as if she had not heard him, "that I've been asked to turn over to you."
He glanced at it impatiently and then, confused by its verbiage, looked up with a questioning scowl.
"What's all this?" he asked. And then, in a louder tone: "Where'd you get this paper?"
"It was sent to me," she answered, "as secretary of the Company. But it's only a matter of form. When you left New York a general summons was published in a legal paper and in ninety days you will have to appear or lose your stock by default."
"Uhr! Pretty nice!" he sneered, and came in and sat down in a chair. "Pretty nice!" he repeated as he took off his hat and glanced around the room, "you must've known I was coming. What's the matter?" he burst out as she made no answer, "can't you hear, or don't you care?"
"I can hear," she replied categorically, "and I don't care."