Not quite. But sorta. Then you didn't want me?"
"Not this trip, Bill. It's just a play of Mr. Packard's here. He
didn't like to have it known that I had him all alone here; afraid it
might compromise him, you know."
She giggled.
"Or queer him with his girl, mos' likely!" chuckled Royce.
Whereat Steve glowered and Terry looked startled.
"You're both talking nonsense," said Packard. He reached out for his
pipe but dropped it again to the table without lighting it. "If there
is anything I can do for you, Miss Temple----"
He saw how the look in her eyes altered. Nothing less than an errand
of transcendent importance could have brought her here and he knew it.
And now, in quick, eager words she told him:
"Blenham has almost put one across on us. Our outfit is mortgaged to
your old thief of a grandfather for a miserable seven thousand dollars.
Old Packard sent Blenham over to tell dad he is going to shove us out.
Blenham plays foxy and offers dad a thousand dollars for the mortgage.
Oh, I don't understand just how to say it, but Blenham has a few
thousand dollars he has saved and stolen here and there, and he means
to grab the Temple ranch for a total of eight thousand dollars; seven
thousand to old Packard, one thousand to dad----"
"But surely----"
"Surely nothing! Dad's half full of whiskey as usual, and a thousand
dollars looks as big to him as a full moon.
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