He
glanced obliquely at the truckman, who had unloaded and who was
cranking.
"Now--" said the scared youth, glibly, avoiding his father's
unsuspecting eye. "Now--now, Lad he was settin' 'twixt Simmons
and me. And he hops down and runs off around the house,
towards--towards the lake--soon as we stopped here. Most likely
he was thirsty-like, or something."
The Mistress was busy with details of the car's unpacking. So she
accepted the explanation. It seemed probable that the long and
dusty ride should have made Lad thirsty; and that after his drink
at the lake, he had made the rounds of the Place; as ever was his
wont after his few brief absences from home.
Not until dinnertime did she give another thought to her loved
pet's absence. The guide and his boy had long since departed, on
the truck, for their ten-mile distant home. Nor, even yet, did it
occur to the Mistress to question the truth of the youngster's
story. She merely wondered why, for the first time in his life,
Lad should absent himself at dinnertime from his time-honored
place on the dining-room floor, at the Master's left.
Pages:
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277