"You promise me," said Norton as they drew their horses down to a trot,
"not to say anything until we can have had time to talk?"
"I promise," she said wearily.
She entered the sufferer's room first, Norton delaying to tie the
horses and lift down the instrument cases from the saddle-strings. She
stopped abruptly just beyond the threshold; the smell of chloroform was
heavy upon the air, Tony lay whitefaced upon a table, Caleb Patten with
coat off and sleeves rolled up was bending over him.
"Oh, senorita!" cried a woman, hurrying forward, her hands twisting
nervously in her apron. And a torrential outpouring in Spanish greeted
the mystified Virginia.
"I thought that I was wanted here," she said, looking about her at the
four or five grave faces. "Tony's brother came for me."
One of the men shambled forward to explain. "Tony want you," he said
quickly. "Tony ver' bad hurt. Dr. Patten come in Las Estrellas by
accident, he say got to cut off the arm, can't wait too long or Tony
die. He just beginnin' now."
The woman, who, it appeared was Tony's wife and the mother of two of
the ragged children out by the fire, joined her voice eagerly to the
man's. He translated.
"Eloisa say she thank God you come; Tony want you, she want you.
Patten charge one hundred dollar an'.
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