“He has no people. If they will listen to Dad, they will lay him here on the desert. He would want it so.”
After breakfast Mrs. O’Shaughnessy lay down for a little rest. When the wounded man awoke the girl gave him a little coffee.
“You’re awful good to me,” he said. “I’d like to have you around all the time.”
The girl smiled gravely. “Ain’t you got nobody to take care of you?”
“No. What is your name?”
“Amy Winters. Now you must hush. Talkin’ might make you worse.”
“I’m not so tur’ble bad off. Where do you live?”
“In the coaster, somewhere on the road between Pinedale and Rock Springs. Dad is a freighter.”
“Huh! Do you like to live that way?”
“No; I want a house and a garden awful bad, but Dad can’t do nothin’ but freight and we’ve got Jessie to raise. We ain’t got no ma.”