“They must have been awful prudes that family, because John Redmond knew what would happen if they found out about Lone Star. Probably they were so snobbish they would never understand that in her way the Indian girl was as noble and gentle as they. And of course at that time all Europe thought American Indians were a lot of drunkards, thieves and murderers. At any rate, the fear of causing his mother any more anguish kept him back from writing to them after he married Lone Star.
“This Paul Mitchell was a rascal and had had Redmond’s confidence about his family affairs. Also, Mitchell, as we have already been told, hated the Indians fiercely and also Lone Star, whom he thought just roped his partner into the whole business to get his money. And he hated his partner for caring for her. Thought he was just spineless and said he’d never give any gold that he had helped to find to an Indian.
“After Mitchell had escaped no one heard of him for a long while, and Redmond had too much family pride and was too much of a gentleman to hunt his former friend down as a culprit. And when he did hear it was Mitchell himself who wrote to him and warned him that if Redmond tried to make any trouble for him he’d reveal everything to his family. Now it seems that Redmond had a first cousin in England who had great sympathy and understanding for him. They corresponded as often as it was possible for people to correspond in those times and out of the way places. Eventually the cousin’s daughter came here, who is the present Mrs. Redmond. She is a high-born woman.
“Mitchell and Redmond were equal partners and they struck it rich. Redmond alone was worth over two million when he died if Mitchell had given it to him.
“One fine day Mitchell moved to Santa Fe along about the time that John Redmond the second was born. So after a short time they met and Mitchell laughed in Redmond’s face and told him about never sharing his money with a man who had married an Indian. Besides, Redmond’s parents were still both alive and very old, and this he held as a sword over the Englishman’s head.
“When Redmond returned he swore he would never go near Mitchell again and in later years he extracted promises from his son and grandson that they wouldn’t either in deference to Lone Star whose race Mitchell had insulted.
“Then the present Mrs. Redmond came into a little money from her mother’s estate and this she shared with all and they’ve been living on it ever since.
“With nothing coming in and all going out, they’re about down to the last cent, Old Scout said, but they’re too proud to go to the present generation of Mitchells and tell them their plight.”
“Where are the present Mitchells?” Westy asked eagerly.
“Living in gilded splendor in Santa Fe, Old Scout told me,” Mr. Wilde answered.