The Fighting Shepherdess Part 24

"You see--I've kept my promise."

Mrs. Toomey stood motionless, staring.

"Why! Where did you get it?" when speech came back to her.

"That's my secret," Kate replied, gently. "But it's yours to use as long as you need it."

Without warning, Mrs. Toomey burst into tears.

"I c-can't help it!" she sobbed on Kate's shoulder. "It's so--unexpected."

Relief was paramount to all other emotions, but she vowed as she wept that she would show her grat.i.tude, and would be Kate's friend as she had promised, and she would--the feeling of the money in her hand gave her courage--defy Prissy Pantin, if necessary.

Kate and Mrs. Toomey separated with the warm handclasp of friends.h.i.+p.

Mrs. Toomey waited in a tremulous state of eagerness for her husband's return. It was months since she had known such a feeling of relief; it was as though years suddenly had dropped from her. She went about the house humming, trying to decide upon the most effective way of surprising him, and planning how she would spend the money to derive the most good from it. At intervals she opened the top drawer of the bureau and looked at the banknotes to be sure she was not dreaming. They would pay a little on their most urgent bills, to show their good intentions, and then buy supplies enough to render impossible any such experiences as those they had undergone recently. A goodly portion would be kept for emergencies until j.a.p got into something.

Mrs. Toomey glowed with grat.i.tude to Kate and the delightful sensation of relaxed nerves after a tension. She felt as peaceful as though she had taken an opiate, therefore, when Toomey came in swaggering and with the black brow which told her of disappointment, she smiled at him tranquilly.

The smile irritated him.

"I wish you'd stop grinning."

Too happy to be perturbed, she replied in mock severity:

"If I cry, you resent it; if I smile, you stop me. Really, you know, you're rather difficult."

"You'd be difficult, too, if you had to try to do business with a bunch of tightwads. We've nothing to grin about, let me tell you."

"Haven't we?" archly.

He eyed her radiant face and e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed:

"Lord, but you look simple! What ails you?"

"Nothing fatal," she laughed gaily. "But tell me, j.a.p, what went wrong this morning?"

The question recalled him to his grievances.

"You know that scheme I told you about last night?"

"Which one?" Mrs. Toomey searched her memory.

"Don't you ever listen when I talk to you?"

"I was so sleepy," apologetically.

"That one to 'glom' all the land between Willow Creek and the mountain."

"Oh, yes," vaguely. "Couldn't you interest anybody?"

"How can you interest clods who have no imagination?"

"What did they say about it?"

"Scales told me to go out and hold my head under the spout and he'd pump on it. If ever I get a dollar ahead to pay my fine, I'm going to work that son-of-a-gun over."

Mrs. Toomey sobered. The flippancy of the grocer was additional evidence that her husband was considered a light-weight, even in Prouty. It hurt her inexpressibly. The desire to work her surprise to a dramatic climax suddenly left her. She said quietly:

"Our worries are over for the present, j.a.p." She walked to the bureau and took out the money. "There is five hundred dollars."

He stared at it, at her, and back again incredulously.

"Is this a joke?" finally.

She shook her head.

"Kate Prentice."

He shouted at her.

"What? You borrowed from her?"

"She promised it to me before the--the--"

"You can't keep it."

"But, j.a.p--"

"I say you can't keep it."

"But, j.a.p--" she whimpered.

"Do you think I want to be under obligations to that--"

She put her hand over his mouth.

"You shan't say it! She's been generous. She kept her promise when neither you nor I would have done it, and I'm going to stand by her."

"You'll do nothing of the kind!" savagely.

"Now listen, j.a.p," she went on pleadingly. "We need this so terribly--we're in no position to consider our feelings--we can pay it back the minute you get into something. I don't understand why you feel so strongly about her, but since you do, I respect you for not wanting to take it. However, the loan isn't to you, it's to me; it's a business proposition, and when we return it we'll pay interest."

He was listening sullenly and she read in his wavering look that he was weakening.

"You must be sensible, j.a.p. Be reasonable, for we haven't a dollar, and look--here are five hundred of them! We simply can't refuse."

She saw the greedy glint in his eyes as she held the money toward him, and knew that the battle was over.