Page:Hard-pan; a story of bonanza fortunes (IA hardpanbonanza00bonnrich).pdf/183

Rh less, gazing at the back of her head, where her hair was twisted into a tight and uncompromising coil about as big as a silver dollar.

The next moment he pressed the latch, and the gate opened with a click. The woman started and turned round. Evidently greatly surprised at the figure her glance encountered, she straightened herself from her stooping posture, eying him curiously and wiping her earthy hands on her apron.

"Is Miss Reed in?" he said, advancing up the flagged walk.

"Miss Reed?" said the woman "No. She ain't here any more."

Gault stopped.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Colonel Reed lives here."

"Not now," said the woman, struggling to her feet. "He did until last week. We bought the place off of him just seven days ago, and moved in Tuesday."

"Do you mean that he has sold it and gone away?"

"That 's it. We rushed it through, both of us. He wanted to sell 'bout as much as we wanted to buy, so there was n't much time wasted on either side."

"Had he thought of selling it for any length of time?"

"I can't rightly say as to that. We 've had