"Why, the patients, of course," Carolyn June answered with a mischievous chuckle.
"What patients?"
"Out at the Quarter Circle KT where that epidemic of smallpox is raging!" she answered sweetly.
"That's all a mistake," Old Heck said hastily; "we thought is was smallpox but it wasn't—"
"No, everybody's got over it," Skinny added nervously; "they're all cured!"
"Yes, they was just broke out with the heat and didn't have the smallpox at all—" Old Heck explained.
"Liars, both of them," Carolyn June said laughingly to Ophelia; "they just didn't want us to come!"
"Very likely," Ophelia answered.
"No, honest, we thought we had it," Old Heck stammered.
"We were plumb uneasy for fear you wouldn't arrive," Skinny declared. "After we found out it wasn't smallpox we were going to send a special delivery message and tell you it was all a misunderstanding and to come anyhow!"