anger for another hour, and that I'd better set that
little girl straight the first thing I did, before the young chap
got under his father's thumb. I knew he meant all right and loved
her like hell's blazes, but he's more afraid of his father than a
self-respectin' young man of his age ought to be. So we went straight
to Miss Delarue's. I tell you what, boys, that Miss Delarue is a
regular royal flush. There ain't another girl can stack up with her in
the whole territory. I took Will Whittaker in and told her how matters
stood, and you ought to have seen how pleased she was! If it had been
her own weddin' she couldn't have been more interested, or looked
happier. She was as glad to see Will as if he'd been her own brother,
and all because she likes poor little Amada, and was glad to see her
made happy, for of course it didn't concern her any other way."

A little smile moved Mead's lips as he heard this, and he turned his
eyes away to hide the happy look he felt was in them, for he knew how
deep were Marguerite's reasons to be glad the runaway had returned.

"While I went down-town to hunt up the _padre_," Nick went on, "she
fixed Amada up with a white veil--you know these Mexican girls hardly
think they've been married if they haven't had a white veil on--and a
bunch of white flowers and a white sack that was all lace and ribbons
over her night gown--for Amada's in bed yet, and had to be propped up
on the pillows--and then she and I stood up with 'em and put our names
down as witnesses. Then I marched the young man up to the court-house,
and you-all know what happened there."

"I saw you talking with Colonel Whittaker," said Mead. "Did you tell
him about the wedding?"

"You bet I did! I was plum' determined he should hear some straight
talk about that, and if that little girl don't have a fair show with
the Whittaker family it won't be my fault."

"What did you-all say to him?" Tom asked.

"Oh, I gave it to him straight from the shoulder! 'Colonel
Whittaker,' I said, 'I've brought your son back to you alive, and I'm
goin' to see to it that no harm comes to him because he's been away.
He can tell you as much or as little as he likes, but I know the whole
story, and I want to tell you right now that if anybody tries to get
him into trouble about it they've got Nick Ellhorn and Tom Tuttle and
Emerson Mead to buck against, and there's my hand on it. But you
needn't thank me. You can thank a little Mexican girl whose