“‘Well, yeah, I did, but I shore got a lot of kisses.’
“And that’s the way with me—except that I was after answers instead of kisses.”
Peggy laughed with him.
“But I don’t see yet,” she said, “what good will my opinion do you? What do you want to know about Joe Rich?”
“Well, it’s like this, Miss Wheeler: Yore opinion of him will go quite a ways with me. If I was to come right out and ask yuh if yuh loved Joe Rich in spite of everythin’ he’s done to yuh—what would yuh say?”
Peggy turned her head away and rested her chin on her hand. After a space of time she shook her head.
“That isn’t a fair question,” she said softly.
“No, but yuh gave me a fair answer,” said Hashknife. “I’d like to shake hands with yuh, Miss Wheeler.”
Wonderingly she shook hands with him, and he smiled down at her, his gray eyes twinkling.
“But I—I didn’t answer you,” she said, choking slightly.