“No, I can’t do that, Honey.”
“I s’pose not. I was past there today—this mornin’. Saw Laura. Didn’t sleep none, I reckon. She’s a darned pretty girl, but this mornin’ her eyes shore looked like two burned holes in a blanket. I pulled off an awful fox pass last night. I took off my coat and shoes, ’cause I shore was in misery, and then Laura comes hoppin’ in on me. I has to make my little bow, and my belt missed connections with my pants. Na-a-aw, I saved myself, all right; but it shore needed quick action. Either that tailor is awful cock-eyed, or I’m a queer built jigger.”
“You didn’t see Peggy?” asked Joe softly.
“Nope. I asked Laura how she was, and Laura asks me how any other girl would be under them conditions. If I was you, I’d go out and have a talk with her. But not the way yuh look now, Joe. Rest up a while. Let Len Kelsey run the office for a few days.”
“I resigned this mornin’, Honey.”
“Yuh resigned? Yuh mean you’ve quit bein’ sheriff? Aw, blazes, why didja do that? You idjit! Throwin’ up a job like that. Ho-o-o-o—hum-m-m-m! Joe, yo’re a fool.”
“In every way, Honey.”
“A-a-aw, I didn’t mean it thataway, Joe. You know me. I’d go to hell and half-way back for you, and you know it. But you’ve shore dug yourself an awful hole, and you’ll never git out by quittin’ thataway. Laura is tryin’ to get Peggy to go home with her for a while. She’ll prob’ly have one awful time convincin’ Jim Wheeler that it’s the best thing for Peggy to do—but Laura is shore convincin’.”
“You mean that Peggy would go East, Honey?”
“Yeah, sure. She’s got friends back there; folks she knew where she went to school with Laura. Mebbe it’s the best thing for her to do. Jim ain’t got a lot of money, but he can afford it I reckon. What do you figure on doin’, Joe?”