“Honey-bird ... Dad’s little honey-bird ... I’m that ashamed of myse’f. ’Twas the whisky did it, lambie. Long as I live I’ll nevah touch it again. I’ll sweah that befo’ God. All week 168 you been packin’ the troubles I heaped on you, precious, and afteh you-all saved me from being a criminal....”
So he went on, spending his tempestuous love in endearments and caresses, and so together they afterward talked it out and agreed to send the letter she had written.
But Lee was not satisfied with her atonement. He could not rest to let it go at that, without expressing his own part in it to Bellamy. Next day he rode up to the mine, and found its owner in workman’s slops just stepping from the cage. If Bellamy were surprised to see him, no sign of it reached his face.
“If you’ll wait a minute till I get these things off, I’ll walk up to the cabin with you, Mr. Lee,” he said.
“I reckon you got my daughter’s letter,” said Lee abruptly as he strode up the mountainside with his host.
“Yes, I got it an hour ago.”
“I be’n and studied it out, Mr. Morse. I couldn’t let it go at that, and so I reckoned I’d jog along up hyer and tell you the whole story.”
“That’s as you please, Mr. Lee. I’m quite satisfied as it is.”
The rancher went on as if he had not heard. “’Course I be’n holding a grudge at you evah since you took up this hyer claim. I expect that rankles with me most of the time, and when I take to 169 drinking seems to me that mine still belongs to me. Well, I heerd tell of that shipment you was making, and I sets out to git it, for it ce’tainly did seem to belong to me. Understand, I wasn’t drunk, but had be’n settin’ pretty steady to the bottle for several days. Melissy finds it out, no matter how, and undertakes to keep me out of trouble. She’s that full of sand, she nevah once thought of the danger or the consequences. Anyhow, she meant to git the bullion back to you afteh the thing had blown over.”
“I haven’t doubted that a moment since I knew she did it,” said Bellamy quietly.