Karen Mercury by Manifested Destiny [How the West Was Done 4]

joking when I said the dog’s name was probably Phineas.”
    Foster frowned, perhaps irritated at the round fellow’s presence when it was clear he wanted to be alone with the bountiful belle. “How did you know her name is Phineas? It isn’t the usual girl’s name.”
    “Oh,” the fellow said giddily, waving away Foster’s concern. “It was merely the suggestion of a talking board we were playing with right before we found the dog. It spelled out the name ‘Phineas,’ and we wondered what it meant. Odd, isn’t it, to find out the dog’s name really was Phineas?”
    “Talking board?” Foster snapped suspiciously. But once again, his eyes softened when they landed on Tabitha’s creamy face. “One of those spiritual parlor games?”
    “Exactly,” said Tabitha, obviously relieved. “Just one of those silly games. This is Jeremiah Franklin. He’s an assistant to many members of our family.”
    Foster continued, “But you say it spelled out ‘Phineas’ before you saw her? That is quite funny.”
    Tabitha shrugged. “I suppose it’s one of those million-to-one things that actually happen once in awhile. Has she eaten since we gave her those scraps at the Cactus Club?”
    Foster said, “Nope. And she didn’t eat those either, which concerns me. Maybe she’s accustomed to eating raw fish from the Laramie River.”
    Tabitha said soothingly, “Yes, she doesn’t seem to eat much. I’m sure Josefina—that’s our cook—will have something appetizing for her. Right, Phineas? Fish? Would you like fish? Fish that’s cooked?”
    She stooped as if to lead Phineas by the scruff, but Worth took over then. “I’ll take her, miss. Which way’s the kitchen?”
    “I’ll show you,” said Jeremiah, swiftly striding off on his long legs.
    Worth and Phineas followed. Worth could’ve sworn Foster even cast him a grateful look for leaving him alone with Tabitha. Foster moved closer to Tabitha, his green eyes clouded with dreams.
    “Oh!” cried Jeremiah, his hands fluttering with excitement. “It’s so good to meet some hearty pioneers who have conquered the savage interior of this wild country! Well, I mean, most everyone in Laramie is a pioneer of some sort, of course, including me. I was lately of the Great Wilson Circus that was stuck here in town during the big blizzard of sixty-nine, so we were all pioneering showmen back then.”
    “Yes,” Worth agreed. “You strike me as a sort of showman, that’s for certain.”
    Jeremiah waved a limp hand. “Oh my, yes. I was known as Montreal Jed for my wonderful work in that town. That’s the show business, as we always said. Josefina, do you have any spare food this dog might want to eat?”
    They were in the kitchen now, the grandest affair Worth had seen in a few years. The Spanish cook said blankly, “What dog?”
    “Here,” said Jeremiah, taking a bowl from a shelf. “Just cut off a piece of that pork roast and chop it up. What dog wouldn’t eat that?”
    “A Jewish one,” suggested Worth.
    They took the bowl of pork through a back doorway and into a tidy, colorful garden. The fence was constructed of solid, manicured hedgerows, so there was no fear of Phineas escaping, and Jeremiah set the bowl onto some flagstones. She sat next to the bowl but didn’t even look at it.
    “Where is Harland Park?” Worth queried. “I was looking forward to meeting him, as I’m a photographer and I heard he has the best equipment around.”
    “Oh, Harley sends his regards. He was called out west on some urgent railroad matter, something about a bridge collapsing, and—”
    Jeremiah went suddenly silent. Worth had to blink, too, because suddenly Phineas seemed to have vanished. He had only taken his eyes off her for a brief moment to address Jeremiah. How could she have run off without him noticing the movement, if only from the corner of his eye?
    He looked back to Jeremiah, who had gone strangely white. He murmured some things under his breath.
    “Are you