"
"I'll see what I can do," answered Phil, thinking how the Dean would
enjoy the joke. "But, look here; Kitty was with you when you got to the
ranch. What became of Patches? Run, did he, when you appeared on the
scene?"
"Oh, no; he went away with a--with a maverick."
"Went away with a maverick? What, in heaven's name, do you mean by
that?"
"That's what your man Patches said the fellow was. Miss Reid told me his
name was Joe--Joe something."
Phil was not laughing now. The fun of the situation had vanished.
"Was it Yavapai Joe?" he demanded.
"Yes, that was it. I am quite sure that was the name. He belongs at
Tailend Mountain, I think Miss Reid said; you have such curious names in
this country."
"And Patches went away with him, you say?"
"Yes, the fellow seemed to have been hiding in the bushes when we
discovered him, and when Miss Reid asked what he was doing there your
man said that he had come to see him about something. They went away
together, I believe."
As soon as he could escape from the professor, Phil went straight to
Patches, who was in his room, reading. The man looked up with a
welcoming smile as Phil entered, but as he saw the foreman's face his
smile vanished quickly, and he laid aside his book.
Pages:
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284