She appeared about to relapse into hysterics, and knowing that I could not help her at the moment, and might only make matters worse, I stopped Fletcher with a threatening gesture as he prepared to address me, and hurried out with Tetley, who showed me the horse.
“You’ll strike Cranton’s heading, due east by the chain sloos, in a league,” he said. “He deals with us sometimes, and you needn’t fear his talking. Don’t trouble about Mrs. Fletcher. She’s all right.”
I rode out leading one of the horses, and in due time reached Cranton’s, though I nearly beat the door in before I roused him, and I left him the next morning with his curiosity unsatisfied. That was the last I ever saw of Thomas Fletcher. Neither did Sergeant Angus find his trail, for Tetley knew every foot of the prairie, and enjoyed the reputation of being unequaled in his own somewhat mysterious business, which I understood demanded a high proficiency in evading the watchfulness of the police.
CHAPTER XXVIII
THE RECALL OF ADAM LEE
When I returned to Fairmead I wrote two letters. One was to Minnie’s employer, who kept a flourishing implement store further down the line, to which he had lately added a somewhat primitive hotel, in whose management I understood Minnie assisted. He was an enterprising, good-natured Manitoban, and everybody spoke well of his wife, so, having had dealings with him, I requested an interview.
In the other I told Harry all that had passed, asking him to transmit as much as he thought proper to Lee, and then awaited developments. The first result was a note from storekeeper Moran saying that as he was looking up orders for implements he would call on me, which he did presently, and proceeded to discuss the matter with frankness.
“My wife has taken a fancy to Mrs. Fletcher,” he said. “We just call her Minnie because there’s no particular reason to handicap her with her husband’s name. She’s a mighty smart honest woman, and we knew that story about you was a lie from the beginning—did our best to keep it from her, but I think she knew. We were startled some when she lit out with the sleigh, but she came back half-dead, and we asked no questions until she told us. She’s been sick and fretful since, but I guess there’s nothing you can do. When we can’t keep a sick woman who has done good work for us a while we’ll give up the business. She’ll be pert again directly.”