She could not bring herself to take up the most vital subject of all—the question of her daughter’s future. “I’ll wait till father gets home,” she decided.
On the fourth morning the ’phone rang, and the squawking voice of Mrs. Belden came over the wire. “I wanted to know if Berrie and her feller got home all right?”
“Yes, they arrived safely.”
The old woman chuckled. “Last I see of Cliff he was hot on their trail—looked like he expected to take a hand in that expedition. Did he overtake ’em?”
“I don’t hear very well—where are you?”
“I’m at the Scott ranch—we’re coming round ‘the horn’ to-day.”
“Where is the Supervisor?”
“He headed across yesterday. Say, Cliff was mad as a hornet when he started. I’d like to know what happened—”
Mrs. McFarlane hung up the receiver. The old woman’s nasty chuckle was intolerable; but in silencing the ’phone Mrs. McFarlane was perfectly aware that she was not silencing the gossip; on the contrary, she was certain that the Beldens would leave a trail of poisonous comment from the Ptarmigan to Bear Tooth. It was all sweet material for them.
Berrie wanted to know who was speaking, and Mrs. McFarlane replied: “Mrs. Belden wanted to know if you got through all right.”