“Where’s Molly?” the girl’s father demanded.
“Now, that’s a hard question to answer,” Hughie replied. “Never a word did she say to me. She got her horse herself this mornin’. ’Twa’n’t later than eight when she rode off. Charlie, here, must have talked to her.”
“No talk,” squint-eyed Charlie Sam declared. “Me pack lunch. She damn big hurry.”
“One of you must have seen whicha-way she went.”
“Left here headin’ for Argenta,” Hughie exclaimed. “I was over there last night for the mail. Brought a letter for her. Mayhap she’s ridden out with the answer.”
“She ain’t been in Argenta,” Kent said positively. “I—got off there myself, and borrowed a horse from Matt Pease. I’d ’a’ passed her on the road if she’d been headin’ there.”
Argenta is a flag station half-way between Standing Rock and Winnemucca. The old man could easily enough have done as he claimed. But where could Molly have gone? If she had gone south, she must have come to the railroad. Surely she would not have bothered with lunch had she set out for Argenta or any neighboring ranch.
Beyond question she had not gone to Standing Rock or else Johnny and Tony would have passed her. That left only Winnemucca as a possible destination. Hughie’s observation that she had been “all dressed up” only added to Johnny’s conviction that he would find her there. But why had she left without leaving a note for her father? And why the long ride when she might have caught a train at Argenta or Standing Rock? Wasn’t it plain that she hoped to go unquestioned? But what had she to conceal? Could the letter which Hughie had brought be the answer?
Johnny glanced at the old man, who was pacing back and forth, mumbling to himself. His concern for his girl swept away some of the boy’s angry feelings. Old tyrant that he was, no one could deny his love for Molly.
“She shouldn’t do these fool things,” Johnny heard him say. “Runnin’ off without a word! She’s only a girl; only a child.” He stopped to catch Johnny’s eye. “You come in here a minute,” he ordered.