“Has she been here?”
“Not as I know of. Hattie and I have been to the fair all afternoon. If your daughter was here, she must have turned right around and gone home again. Nobody was home all afternoon except poor Rebecca. And she’s sick abed.”
A feeling of alarm crept over Mrs. Gay. What could have happened to Mary Louise?
“Was Tom home?” demanded Freckles, remembering his sister’s warning.
“Don’t reckon so. He was workin’ over to the hotel today, after he helped our hired man this mornin’.”
“Is he here now? Could we ask him?”
The old man shook his head.
“Tom packed up and left tonight, right after supper. Hattie drove him down to the Junction to catch the train. He’s got a friend out West somewhere who owns a ranch. So Tom decided all of a sudden to go there. I tried to stop him, for we need him here, as I’m all crippled up with rheumatism half the time. But he wouldn’t listen to me. Pig-headed, that’s what I call it!”
Freckles’ eyes opened wide with terror. It sounded as if Mary Louise had been right in assuming Tom’s guilt in connection with the fires at Shady Nook. Running away proved it! But what had he done to Mary Lou first?
“Could we talk to Rebecca?” inquired Mrs. Gay.