Page:Allan Dunn--Dead Man's Gold.djvu/182



ARY," said Peggy Fumiss to Stone, "is the dearest girl in the world. Where did you meet her?"

"At Mexicali. That's just across the border from Calexico."

"The border of California?"

"Yes."

"Near Los Angeles?"

"Not so very far. The Los Angeles people often run over there." Stone was parrying. He had a feeling that the name "Lola," evidently unknown to the girl who declared herself Mary Leslie's dearest friend, might be intended to cloak several things beneath its alias and he went cautiously.

Oh, then it's a 'loke,' a location," said the girl. "How silly of me not to have thought of it. Of course. That's the first 'still' she has sent me of herself in a costume part since we were at Hollywood together. And that's the name of the part in the cast, 'Lola,' Spanish stuff. Did you see much of her?"

"Not very much," answered Stone, still in deep waters. "Only once, in fact."

"She didn't mention you in any of her letters," said the girl. "And she writes quite often. Isn't 168