"And whilst you was away, she had a talk with the station-agent--about
rates East."
"Hairoil! You don't mean it!" I says. I tell y', it was just like
a red-hot iron 'd been stuck down my wind-pipe and was a-burnin' the
lower end offen my breast-bone!
"I'm sorry, ole man." He reached out a hand. "But we thought you
oughta know." And then he left me.
So _that_ was it! And she'd been keepin' me in the dark about it
all--whilst ev'ry fence post from the Bar Y t' Briggs knowed what
was happenin'! Wal, I was mad clean _through_.
Then I begun t' see that I'd been a blamed fool. A fine, high-strung
gal!--and I'd been orderin' her 'round like I owned her! And I'd gone
away on that ride without tryin' t' make up. Wal, I'd _druv_ her to it.