because Don Miguel find heem one leetle piece paper on the trail. I am
see him peeck those paper up and look at heem for long time before he
ride to me and ask me many question about the _senorita_ and Senor Beel
Conway those day we ride to Agua Caliente. He say to me: 'Pablo, you
see Senor Beel Conway give to the senorita a writing?' '_Si, senor_.'
'You see Senorita Parker give to Senor Beel Conway a writing?' '_Si,
senor_.' Then Don Miguel hee's don' say sometheeng more, but just
shake hees _cabeza_ like thees," and Pablo gave an imitation of a
muchly puzzled man wagging his head to stimulate a flow of ideas.

A faintness seized the girl. "Didn't he say--_anything_?" she demanded
sharply.

"Oh, well, yes, he say sometheeng. He say: 'Well, I'bedam!' Then that
leetle smile he don' have for long time come back to Don Miguel's face
and hee's happy like one baby. I don' understand those boy ontil I see
thees business"--Pablo wiggled his tobacco-stained thumb and
forefinger--"then I know sometheeng! For long time those boy hee's
pretty parteecular. Even those so beautiful _senorita_, 'Nita
Sepulvida, she don' rope those boy like you rope it, _senorita_." And
with the license of an old and trusted servant, the sage of Palomar
favored her with a knowing wink.

"He knows--he knows!" the girl thought. "What must he think of me!
Oh, dear, oh, dear! if he mentions the subject to me I shall die."
Tears of mortification were in her eyes as she turned angrily upon the
amazed Pablo. "You--you--old sky-blue idiot!" she charged and fled to
her room.

CHAPTER XXVIII

Kay's first coherent thought was to claim the privilege of her sex--a
headache--and refrain from joining Don Mike and her parents at dinner.
Upon consideration, however, she decided that since she would have to
face the issue sooner or later, she might as well be brave and not try
to evade it. For she knew now the fate of the promissory note Bill
Conway had given her and which she had thrust into the pocket of her
riding coat. It had worked out of her pocket and dropped beside the
trail to Agua Caliente Basin, and fate had ordained that it should be
found by the one person in the world not entitled to that privilege.
Kay would have given fifty thousand dollars for some miraculous philter
which, administered surreptitiously to Miguel Farrel, would cause him
to forget what the girl now realized he knew of her secret negotiations
with Bill Conway