“What did she say because no wan was there t’ meet her an’ bring her t’ th’ moine? What hotel was she afther shtoppin’ at?”
“She did not go to any hotel,” returned Dell deliberately. “She was met by a man who said he came from the mine for that purpose.”
Golightly nearly fell off the horse.
Nomad stiffened, and a look of astonishment quivered across his sun-browned face.
“Glory be!” gasped Golightly, thunderstruck.
“I knowed thar was some kind of er hen on,” grunted Nomad.
“What’s more,” proceeded Dell, “the man who met Annie had McGowan’s rig.”
“Cut an’ dried game ter git holt o’ ther ole man’s gal,” boomed Nomad, “thet’s what et was. Did she drive off with thet feller in ther rig?”
“Of course she drove off with him, bag and baggage,” answered Dell. “Why shouldn’t she? He said he came from the mine for her, and that her father was too busy to come himself. Then, too, don’t forget that he had the star-faced cayuses and the mine buckboard. Annie knows that rig as she knows her two hands. Why should she suspect that anything was wrong? No, no! Those scheming villains laid their plans too cleverly. Ah, if I had only known that Golightly had been sent from the mine by Mr. McGowan!”