The voices seemed faintly familiar to Penny and suddenly it dawned upon her that the two men were Mr. Coaten and his Texas friend. However, she could think of no reason why they should call upon Mrs. Marborough. Her reflection came to an abrupt end, as the well bucket splashed into the water beside her.
Suppressing a giggle, she groped for the old boot which floated nearby. Dropping it into the bucket, she watched as it was raised to the surface. A moment later she heard an exclamation of wrath from above.
“See what I’ve drawn up!” one of the men muttered. “These old wells must be filled with filth!”
Penny hoped that the strangers would immediately depart, but instead they loitered by the well, talking.
“We’ve been wasting entirely too much time in this,” remarked the man whom she took to be Mr. Coaten. “Suppose we were to offer Ted a hundred dollars to sign the paper. Would he do it?”
“I think he might, but the girl is the one who’ll make trouble. She’s shrewd.”
“We’ll get around her somehow,” the other said gruffly. “This thing can’t drag on forever. I have work waiting for me in Texas.”
The voices gradually died away and Penny heard no more. However, from the snatch of conversation, she was convinced that Rhoda’s suspicions regarding the Texas strangers had been well founded. But what had brought the two men to Riverview?
“If Rhoda or Ted own property, I could understand why it would be desirable to adopt them,” she thought. “As it is, the thing doesn’t make sense.”
To keep from freezing, Penny gingerly waded around and around in the well. It seemed ages before Louise thrust her head over the ledge and called softly: