Calumet got this impression and it grew on him; it was disconcerting,
irritating, and he tried hard to shake it off, to no avail.
He had considered carefully the impulse which had moved him to entice
Taggart to the Lazy Y, and was convinced that it had been aroused
through a desire to take some step to avenge his father. He told
himself that if in the action there had been any desire to champion
Betty he had not been conscious of it. It angered him to think that
she should presume to imagine such a thing. And yet he had felt a
throb of emotion when she had thanked him--a reluctant, savage,
resentful satisfaction which later changed to amusement. If she
believed he had thrashed Taggart in defense of her, let her continue to
believe that. It made no difference one way or another. But he would
take good care to see that she should have no occasion to thank him
again. She did not interfere with the work, which went steadily on.
The ranchhouse began to take on a prosperous appearance. Within a week
after the beginning of the work the sills were all in, the rotted
bottoms of the studding had been replaced, and the outside walls
patched up. During the next week the old porches were torn down and
new ones built in their places. At the end of the third week the roof
had been repaired, and then there were some odds and ends that had to
be looked to, so that the fourth week was nearly gone when Dade and
Calumet cleared up the debris.
Pages:
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143