“What am I to do now?” Connie thought when she was alone once more. “Mr. Postil arrives Monday and nothing will be ready for him. I’ve accepted his money so I can’t turn him away, yet for two weeks he’ll be a financial liability rather than an asset.”
After tossing for more than an hour on her pillow the girl at last fell asleep. She was so exhausted that she did not awaken until morning.
Connie went downstairs to learn that news of her misfortune had preceded her. The cowboys came to offer their sympathy. Later in the morning George Slocer rode in to report that the sheriff’s posse had been unable to find a trace of the holdup man.
“Oh, the money is gone all right,” Connie said gloomily. “Perhaps it served me right for carrying so much on my person.”
She was leaning dejectedly against the corral bars when Lefty came to talk with her.
“I wish there was somethin’ we could do to help you,” he said.
Connie hesitated and then without looking directly at Lefty replied quickly:
“I hate to ask this, Lefty, but I know you picked up a tidy bit of money yesterday at the rodeo. Would you lend it to me for a few weeks?”
“I sure would, Connie, if I had any left,” the cowboy answered. “I’m plumb ashamed to tell you but me and Alkali did a little celebratin’. We’re both busted flat.”
“That seems to be a common ailment around Rainbow Ranch,” Connie said ruefully.