would mean she would have to go somewhere else, to a city where people hired household workers.
She would talk to Pat tonight. She would arrange for horses, and she would ask his advice on what she would need to take with her.
She got up and left the room. Tonight only Pat and Nora Brady were in the house, and they had been talking about her. She knew that as soon as she joined them.
“Pat”—he had insisted she call him that—“I shall need a horse to ride, and a pack horse. I am going out after that mine.”
“Ma’am,” Pat said gently, “you better realize what I’m sayin’. There just ain’t no mine. Nora an’ me, we knew your Uncle Rody. We been going back over the years after he came west…ma’am, he didn’t have time to find any mine! We just been sittin’ here figurin’ it out. He was never out in those hills, never in his life! At least, not far enough or long enough.
“I can tell you how long he worked for the railroad, when he hired out to drive stage.…Ma’am, except for that trip back east, Rody Brennan was always right where folks could see him.”
So there it was. She felt the fear growing inside her. She had always, down underneath, been afraid it was too good to be true, just as she was afraid the ring was worthless.
But she lifted her chin a little now and said quietly, “Pat, I believe Uncle Rody. He told big stories sometimes, but he never lied to me.”
She took up her cup of coffee. Holding it carefully with both hands, she went on speaking. “I do not have much money, Pat, but I have a ring. If you would buy it from me…or better still, let me have the horses and hold the ring for security…”
“Miss, didn’t you hear a word I said? There’s no silver, there’s no mine. There couldn’t have been.”
“Uncle Rody Brennan never lied…not to me. He said there was a mine, and I believe him.” She looked earnestly at them. “There just
has
to be a mine. It is all I have.”
“Now, look here,” Pat began.
Nora stopped him. “Be still now, Pat. Let a woman talk. It’s like this. Pat an’ me, we’ve taken to you, Miranda. We’ve no daughter of our own, so s’posin’ you stay on with us, just like you have been.
“Why, there’s no tellin’ who might come along! There’s many a handsome laddie comes by this way, and the best of the lot come to eat with us. You could have the pick of them, an’ hereabouts there’s mighty few girls, and none as pretty as you.”
“Thank you, Nora—it is good of you. But no—I have to find that mine. I have to. I want to marry, but on my own terms, not just because I have to have someone to take care of me.”
Pat sat back in his chair and stuffed his pipe. Loaded it, might have been a better term, for the fumes from that pipe had been known to send grizzlies back into the deepest canyons, to stampede buffalo, and even skunks were repelled by it.
“Miss, have you got any idea what you’re takin’ on?” he asked after a moment’s silence. “There’s thousands of square miles out yonder, filled with all manner of varmints, four-legged or two.
“When the railroad ended at Promontory it spilled all the workers and the camp followers and the trash that lived at the hell-on-wheels towns at the end of the track, it spilled them all loose on the country.
“Those with money rode the cars out, east or west, but a mighty big lot of them were caught with little or nothing, and they stayed on to rob, to kill, to get along any way they can. And those woods are full of them.”
“I am going,” Miranda said firmly.
“There’s Utes, too. Indians, they are, and pizen mean.”
“You can’t talk me out of it, Pat,” she said quietly.
“Then we’ll just have to find somebody to ride along. It’s a pity you couldn’t have gone with Major Brionne.”
“
Major
Brionne? Major James Brionne? Was that who that was?”
“You know him? I saw the name on some of his gear.”
“I know the story.” Suddenly she was
She would talk to Pat tonight. She would arrange for horses, and she would ask his advice on what she would need to take with her.
She got up and left the room. Tonight only Pat and Nora Brady were in the house, and they had been talking about her. She knew that as soon as she joined them.
“Pat”—he had insisted she call him that—“I shall need a horse to ride, and a pack horse. I am going out after that mine.”
“Ma’am,” Pat said gently, “you better realize what I’m sayin’. There just ain’t no mine. Nora an’ me, we knew your Uncle Rody. We been going back over the years after he came west…ma’am, he didn’t have time to find any mine! We just been sittin’ here figurin’ it out. He was never out in those hills, never in his life! At least, not far enough or long enough.
“I can tell you how long he worked for the railroad, when he hired out to drive stage.…Ma’am, except for that trip back east, Rody Brennan was always right where folks could see him.”
So there it was. She felt the fear growing inside her. She had always, down underneath, been afraid it was too good to be true, just as she was afraid the ring was worthless.
But she lifted her chin a little now and said quietly, “Pat, I believe Uncle Rody. He told big stories sometimes, but he never lied to me.”
She took up her cup of coffee. Holding it carefully with both hands, she went on speaking. “I do not have much money, Pat, but I have a ring. If you would buy it from me…or better still, let me have the horses and hold the ring for security…”
“Miss, didn’t you hear a word I said? There’s no silver, there’s no mine. There couldn’t have been.”
“Uncle Rody Brennan never lied…not to me. He said there was a mine, and I believe him.” She looked earnestly at them. “There just
has
to be a mine. It is all I have.”
“Now, look here,” Pat began.
Nora stopped him. “Be still now, Pat. Let a woman talk. It’s like this. Pat an’ me, we’ve taken to you, Miranda. We’ve no daughter of our own, so s’posin’ you stay on with us, just like you have been.
“Why, there’s no tellin’ who might come along! There’s many a handsome laddie comes by this way, and the best of the lot come to eat with us. You could have the pick of them, an’ hereabouts there’s mighty few girls, and none as pretty as you.”
“Thank you, Nora—it is good of you. But no—I have to find that mine. I have to. I want to marry, but on my own terms, not just because I have to have someone to take care of me.”
Pat sat back in his chair and stuffed his pipe. Loaded it, might have been a better term, for the fumes from that pipe had been known to send grizzlies back into the deepest canyons, to stampede buffalo, and even skunks were repelled by it.
“Miss, have you got any idea what you’re takin’ on?” he asked after a moment’s silence. “There’s thousands of square miles out yonder, filled with all manner of varmints, four-legged or two.
“When the railroad ended at Promontory it spilled all the workers and the camp followers and the trash that lived at the hell-on-wheels towns at the end of the track, it spilled them all loose on the country.
“Those with money rode the cars out, east or west, but a mighty big lot of them were caught with little or nothing, and they stayed on to rob, to kill, to get along any way they can. And those woods are full of them.”
“I am going,” Miranda said firmly.
“There’s Utes, too. Indians, they are, and pizen mean.”
“You can’t talk me out of it, Pat,” she said quietly.
“Then we’ll just have to find somebody to ride along. It’s a pity you couldn’t have gone with Major Brionne.”
“
Major
Brionne? Major James Brionne? Was that who that was?”
“You know him? I saw the name on some of his gear.”
“I know the story.” Suddenly she was
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