ter had
brought her afoot, with such distress upon her face.

"I'm in trouble," she said nervously.

"We are your friends," said Ajax gravely.

"Jaspar's gone to town," she gasped.

Uncle Jap, since the striking of the oil, had been in the habit of
going to town so often that this statement aroused no surprise. We
waited for more information.

"I'm scared plum ter death," Mrs. Panel continued. "I want ter foller
him at onst. Jaspar's taken the team. I thought maybe you'd hitch up
and drive me in this afternoon--_now_."

The last word left her lips with a violence that was positively
imperative.

"Certainly," said Ajax. He turned to leave the room. We neither of us
asked a question. Upon the threshold he addressed me:

"I'll bring the buggy round while you change."

I reflected that it was considerate of Ajax to allow me to drive Mrs.
Panel the twenty-six miles between our ranch and San Lorenzo. I nodded
and went into my bedroom.

* * * * *

For the first ten miles, Mrs. Panel never opened her lips. I glanced
occasionally at her impassive face, wondering when she would speak.
Somehow I knew that she would speak, and she did. It was like her to
compress all she had left unsaid into the first sentence.

"Jaspar's gone plum crazy with trouble! he took his six-shooter with
him."

After that, details given with a descriptive realism impossible to
reproduce. The poor creature revealed herself to me during the next
few minutes as I feel sure she had never revealed herself to her
husband.

"He's mad, plum crazy," she pleaded. "Nobody knows what he's suffered
but me. I don't say it ain't a jedgment, mebbe it is. We thought we
was jest about right. The pride we took in Sunny Bushes was sinful;
yas, it was. The Lord has seen fit to chastise us, an' I'm willin', I
tole Jaspar so, ter begin agen. We're healthy, an strong, though we
don't look it, I'll allow. Jaspar is plum crazy. His words las' night
proved it. He said we might begin life agen in a marble hall sech as I
hed dreamed about. Good land o' Peter! I never dreamed of marble halls
in all my life, but I dassn't contradict him."

"He believes you dreamed of them," I said, "and he is quite sure you
ought to live in them."

"He thinks the world o' me," said Mrs. Panel, in a softer tone, "but
this world an' the next won't turn him from what he's set his mind to
do. I'd oughter be ashamed o' speakin' so of him, but it's so. Mercy!
I h