“And gossip says we’re ‘hard up,’” Eve added bitterly. She knew well enough the talk that was rife. “So you’ve come in to see––if it is true.” She again pressed a hand to her forehead. This time it was the pain of her head which had become excruciating.
Jim nodded, and Peter’s smiling eyes continued to watch him.
“But it wasn’t exactly that,” the former went on in his straightforward way. “Yet it’s so blazing hard to put it so you can understand. You see, I’ve been doing very well, and––you know I’ve got a big bunch of cattle running up in the foot-hills now––I thought, maybe, seeing Will isn’t working, money might be a bit tight with you. You see, we’re folks of the world, and there’s no fool sentiment about us in these things; I mean no ridiculous pride. Now, if I was down, and you’d offered to help me out, I’d just take it as a real friendly act. And I just thought––maybe–––”
How much longer he would have continued to flounder on it was impossible to tell, but Peter saw his trouble and cut him short.
“You see, Eve,” he said, “Jim wants to help you out. Some folks have got busy, and he’s heard that you’re hard pushed for ready dollars. That’s how it is.”
Jim frowned at his bluntness, but was in reality immensely relieved. Eve had been listening with closed 168 eyes, but now opened them, and they were full of a friendliness.
“Thanks, Peter; thanks, Jim,” she said softly. “You’re both very good to me, but––don’t worry about money. If things go right we have enough.”
“That’s it, Eve,” Jim exclaimed eagerly. “If things go right. Are they going right? Will they go right? That’s just it. Say, can’t you see it hurts bad to think you’ve got to pinch, and that sort of thing? You can surely take a loan from me. You–––”
But Eve shook her head decidedly.
“Things will go right, believe me. Will has got something up––in the hills. He says it’s going to bring us in a lot.” She turned wistful eyes upon Peter’s rugged face. “It’s something in your line,” she said. “Gold. And he says–––” She broke off with a look of sudden distress. “I forgot. I wasn’t to say anything to––to anybody. Please––please forget about it. But I only wanted to show you that––we are going to do very well.”