Laura sighed and shook her pretty head. “Peggy would be all right, if all those women wouldn’t sit around and talk about corpses they have seen. They all talk about successful funerals! As though any funeral could be a success! And they all gabble about Joe Rich. Honey, I actually think that some of them believe Joe Rich killed Uncle Jim.”
“Eh?” Honey jerked back, staring at her. “Ex-cuse my language, but that’s a hell of an idea! Who started that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. They talked about Uncle Jim being a good rider and a sober man and that the saddle did not turn. And he had all that money with him.”
“Well, I’ll be darned!” snorted Honey. “Did Peggy know Jim Wheeler was borrowin’ that money from Merrick?”
“Yes. She didn’t know how much. Now she says she can’t go. They talk about Uncle Jim having a big mortgage at the bank, and with the five thousand from Merrick⸺”
“Lotta money,” mused Honey Bee. “Huh-how soon do yuh aim to leave, Laura?”
“I don’t know. Not until after things are straightened up for Peggy. I sent Dad a wire telling him that our plans had been changed.”
“Then yuh won’t be goin’ for a while, eh?” Honey sighed with relief. “That’s shore fine. Yuh won’t go back to the HJ, will yuh?”
“I think so. Wong Lee is still there and Uncle Hozie said one of his boys could go down there and help run the place.”
“Yea-a-a-ah? Uh-huh. Which one, I wonder?”