"Now, Miss Saxon, dear, you're not to worry," said the girl taking the
fan and waving it gently back and forth, touching the work-worn hand
tenderly with her other hand, "Billy is not dead, I'm sure! Oh, I'm
quite sure! I think somehow it would be hard to kill Billy. He has ways
of keeping alive that most of us don't enjoy. He is strong and young
and sharp as a needle. No one can put anything over on Billy, and I
have somehow a feeling, Miss Saxon that Billy is off somewhere doing
something very important for somebody. He is that way you know. He does
nice unusual things that nobody else would think of doing, and I just
expect you'll find out some day that Billy has been doing one of those.
There's that man on the mountain, for instance. He might be still very
sick, and it would be just like Billy to stay and see to him. Maybe
there isn't anybody else around to do it, and now that Mark has gone he
would feel responsible about it. Of course he ought to have told you
before he went, but he wouldn't likely have expected to stay long, and
then boys don't think. They don't realize how hard it is not to
understand--!"
"Thas'so, Miss Marilyn," sniffed Miss Saxon, "He don't hardly ever
think. But he mighta phomed."
"Well, it isn't likely they have phones on the mountain, and you
haven't any, have you? How could he?"
"He mighta phomed to you."
"Yes, he might, but you know how boys are, he wouldn't want to bother
anybody. And if the man was in a lonely cabin somewhere he couldn't get
to a phone."
"Thas'so too. Oh, Miss Marilyn, you always do think up comfort. You're
just like your ma and pa. But Billy, he's been so kinda peaked lately,
so sorta gentle, and then again sorta crazy like, just like his mother
useta be 'fore her husband left her. I couldn't help worryin'."
"Well, now, Miss Saxon, I'll inquire around all I can without rousing
any suspicion. You know Billy would hate that."
"Oh, I know he would," flushed the little woman nervously.
"So I'll just ask the boys if they know where he is and where they saw
him last, and don't you worry. I'll tell them I have a message for him
you know, and you just stop crying and rest easy and don't tell a soul
yet till I look around. Here comes mother. She'll help you better than
I can."