But he refused to tell her any more. He seemed to blame her for all his hard luck, which was manifestly unfair.
“Why didn’t you keep out of there?” he asked her. “You ruined everything. Even if Rance McCoy had practically busted my bank—he had brought the crowd back to my place, and I’d get it all back with interest. But if you want to know so much about yourself, I’ll tell yuh this much: your mother died in an insane asylum, and your father was shot for robbing a bank.”
Lila stepped back against the building, her face growing white, her eyes widening in horror.
“Angel, that is not true!” she gasped. “You are lying, just to hurt me.”
He shook his head quickly.
“No, I’m not lyin’. I tell yuh, it’s true. Rance McCoy can’t deny it. I had it all in writin’—but he tore it up. Oh, I can get another letter. Or you might write to the sheriff of Medicine Tree. He dug up the information for me.”
Angel turned and walked away, leaving her staring after him, her eyes full of misery. Her mother insane! Her father a thief! What a parentage!
She dismissed school for the afternoon, and the fifteen pupils went whooping away across the school yard. As she walked back down the street toward Parker’s home, it seemed as though every one on the street was looking at her, talking about her.
Suddenly she looked up. In front of her stood Rance McCoy. He was looking at her seriously, his mouth twisted a little, as though he wanted to smile, but was afraid.
For several moments they looked at each other.