Part 51 (1/2)
”Did he force me to marry him when I was drunk?”
”No. Blink is innocent of all except loving you, Louie,” answered Pan, deliberately choosing his words. He had planned all he meant to say.
Last night under the trees, in the dark, many truths had come to him.
”It was I who forced you to marry him.”
She covered her eyes with her hands and pressed hard as if to make clear her bewildering thoughts. ”Oh, I--I can't remember.”
”Louie, don't distress yourself,” he said, soothingly. ”You bet _I_ can remember, and I'll tell you.”
”Wait. I want to get up. But you forgot my clothes. I can't go round in a blanket.”
”By golly, I never thought of that. But we didn't have much time....
See here, Louise, I can fix it. You're about the same height as Lucy.
I'll borrow some of her clothes for you.”
”Lucy?” she echoed, staring at him.
”Yes, Lucy,” he replied, easily. ”And while I'm at it, I'll fetch a basin of hot water--and everything.”
Whereupon he hurried over to the campfire, where he found Mrs. Smith busy and cheerful. ”Lucy up yet?” he asked briskly.
”Yes, Pan,” she replied with hurried glad smile. ”She's brus.h.i.+ng her hair there, by the wagon.”
Pan strode up to Lucy where she stood before the wagon, a ma.s.s of golden hair hanging down her back, to which she was vigorously applying a brush.
”h.e.l.lo, Lucy,” he said coolly.
”Oh--how you startled--me!” she exclaimed, turning with a blush.
”Say, won't you help us out?” he went on, not so coolly. ”The other night, in the excitement we forgot to fetch Louise's clothes.... Fact is, we grabbed her up out of a sick bed, with only a dressing gown and a blanket. Won't you lend her some clothes, shoes, stockings--and--everything?”
”Indeed I will,” responded Lucy and with alacrity she climbed into the covered wagon.
Pan waited, and presently began to pace to and fro. He was restless, eager, buoyant. He could not stand still. His thoughts whirled away from the issue at hand, back to Lucy and the glory that had been restored to him.
”Here, Pan,” called Lucy, reappearing with a large bundle. ”Here's all she'll need, I think. Lucky I bought some new things. Alice and I can get along with one mirror, brush and comb.”
”Thanks,” he said. ”It was lucky.... Sure our luck has changed.”
”Don't forget some warm water,” added Lucy practically, calling after him.
Thus burdened, Pan hurried back to Louise's wagon and deposited the basin on the seat, and the bundle beside her. ”There you are, pioneer girl,” he said cheerily, and with swift hands he let down the canvas curtains of the wagon, shutting her in.
”Come on, Blink,” he called to the cowboy watching from behind the trees. ”Let's wrangle the teams.”
”Gus an' your dad are comin' in with them now,” replied Blinky joining him and presently, when they got away from the wagon he whispered: ”How aboot it?”
”Blink, I swear it'll go through fine,” declared Pan earnestly. ”She knows she's your wife--that I got her drunk and forced her into it.
She doesn't remember. I'm hoping she'll not remember anything, but even if she does I'll fix it.”